Ymm, Beer

[Lavabe]

Bluegrass Brewing Company's "Hell for Certain" Belgian style ale. Unable to review: the bottle in my fridge was skunky.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Lavabe]

While at Notre Dame, I found the Mishawauka Brewing Company. It's about 3 miles east of Touchdown Jesus.

This yielded 6 brews that devildeac had yet to try ... expect quite a few posts from him as a result.

Upon my return to UK-ville, devildeac was seen finding another 5-6 brews at the local store. I stand by my original prediction about this trip's effect on the number of posts he will add to this thread.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

10% alcohol, 10th year of production, with just a little sourness and fruity nose from the use of pomegranate juice. Mild bitterness, but boy it has some alcohol on the after taste. I split one with devildeac last night. It's mighty tasty, and would go well with a nice sharp Cheddar. Mild head, nice amber/red color.

Ymm, beer: & 1/2

Cheers,
Lavabe

What he said. The sourness makes me think a little of a Rodenbach. I thought the bitterness was moderate, as in IIPA type bitterness. A smoky cheese might be nice also with it. I am not sure I could have handled a whole bomber of this one and am glad I split it with the fellow in Bluegrass country.

[devildeac]

Bluegrass Brewing Company's "Hell for Certain" Belgian style ale. Unable to review: the bottle in my fridge was skunky.

Cheers,
Lavabe

Ruh-roh. I brought one of these back with me. I hope mine has not met the same fate. Film at 11.

[devildeac]

While at Notre Dame, I found the Mishawauka Brewing Company. It's about 3 miles east of Touchdown Jesus.

This yielded 6 brews that devildeac had yet to try ... expect quite a few posts from him as a result.

Upon my return to UK-ville, devildeac was seen finding another 5-6 brews at the local store. I stand by my original prediction about this trip's effect on the number of posts he will add to this thread.

Cheers,
Lavabe

And I wager that Lavabe will add the same # if not more as he ended up with about the same # of new brews AND a 6er of Bell's Cherry Stout ALL to himself.

[rockymtn devil]

This beer is listed as an old style ale, but I have no idea what this (Cubs fans, your insights probably won't be helpful). I would classify this as a brown ale or even a porter.

The color is a deep brown, almost black with very little head on the pour. The nose is nutty, roasted, and sweet with dried fruit. The flavor is surprisingly bitter and dominated by caramel, chocolate and dried fruit with just a hint of alcohol. I'd guess the ABV is 5-6%.

Unrelated question for devildeac: how long do you think an IPA can be stored in the fridge for? I'm not looking to cellar for any sustained period of time. For beer bought in early September, would January be too late to drink? I'm scheming (and being optimistic) but want to make sure I'm not setting aside good beer that will be bad in a few months.

[devildeac]

This beer is listed as an old style ale, but I have no idea what this (Cubs fans, your insights probably won't be helpful). I would classify this as a brown ale or even a porter.

The color is a deep brown, almost black with very little head on the pour. The nose is nutty, roasted, and sweet with dried fruit. The flavor is surprisingly bitter and dominated by caramel, chocolate and dried fruit with just a hint of alcohol. I'd guess the ABV is 5-6%.

Unrelated question for devildeac: how long do you think an IPA can be stored in the fridge for? I'm not looking to cellar for any sustained period of time. For beer bought in early September, would January be too late to drink? I'm scheming (and being optimistic) but want to make sure I'm not setting aside good beer that will be bad in a few months.

Answer for rmd: I generally think about 3-4 months in the bottle is about the expected lifespan for beer without turning "skunky" or sour. I have had some others "spoil" and turn excessively foamy when poured and sour when tasted (Hair of the Dog's Adam, Eve and Fred-no, really those are the names they give their beeers). If it is a bottle-conditioned IPA (a la Bridgeport IPA) with a small amount of yeast added to the bottle, it is probably good for a year or more.

[2535Miles]

Answer for rmd: I generally think about 3-4 months in the bottle is about the expected lifespan for beer without turning "skunky" or sour. I have had some others "spoil" and turn excessively foamy when poured and sour when tasted (Hair of the Dog's Adam, Eve and Fred-no, really those are the names they give their beeers). If it is a bottle-conditioned IPA (a la Bridgeport IPA) with a small amount of yeast added to the bottle, it is probably good for a year or more.

Stone Brewery claims their Vertical Ales are best enjoyed years from now. The current release is intended for consumption on 12/12/12 or later. How should one care for beer like these?

[devildeac]

Stone Brewery claims their Vertical Ales are best enjoyed years from now. The current release is intended for consumption on 12/12/12 or later. How should one care for beer like these?

A (relatively) controlled temperature environment like a wine "cellar" or basement usually works pretty well. Keep the beer away from wide temp changes and away from light. Laying them down will keep the corks (if they are bottled like that) moistened and hopefully from rotting/dissolving as well. Rogue Brewery uses "oxygen-fixing" caps. I don't know what other brewers use to "line" their caps to keep the beer from contacting the metal constantly.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I've brewed and enjoyed wheat beer before, and will often buy it at the store and bar. I've not ever tried a dark one, though. The company I get my brew supplies from has a Dunkel Weiss kit which I'm thinking about trying. They claim theirs as "The beautiful black hefeweizen! ", but from what I've read these will usually be a dark amber. Anyone ever tried one?
I've got a scotch ale kit on the way, should be in the bucket by Friday. I've got two buckets though, and the other is lonely. It will either get the above mentioned Dunkel or a Belgian red ale.

[devildeac]

I've brewed and enjoyed wheat beer before, and will often buy it at the store and bar. I've not ever tried a dark one, though. The company I get my brew supplies from has a Dunkel Weiss kit which I'm thinking about trying. They claim theirs as "The beautiful black hefeweizen! ", but from what I've read these will usually be a dark amber. Anyone ever tried one?
I've got a scotch ale kit on the way, should be in the bucket by Friday. I've got two buckets though, and the other is lonely. It will either get the above mentioned Dunkel or a Belgian red ale.

I am looking forward to sampling all of the above-in small quantities, of course.

[devildeac]

Breckenridge Avalanche Amber-good representative of the style. Medium brown with smooth maltiness winning out over very mild hop bitterness. Toasty or biscuity in aroma and taste. About 5% ABV. I'll take a Fat Tire, however. Good session beer.

[DevilBen02]

Tried this local Durham brewery's Imperial Amber this weekend (not having any idea what an "imperial amber" would be like). Very drinkable, it had a terrific sweet floral aroma and tasted like a mild barleywine. It did taste a little more potent than it actually was (~8% abv), but was overall a nice, but not spectacular, selection.

[devildeac]

Tried this local Durham brewery's Imperial Amber this weekend (not having any idea what an "imperial amber" would be like). Very drinkable, it had a terrific sweet floral aroma and tasted like a mild barleywine. It did taste a little more potent than it actually was (~8% abv), but was overall a nice, but not spectacular, selection.

Draft or bottled?

I've had an Imperial Pale Ale, porter, stout, pilsner, IPA so I think it just refers to more hops and malt for a richer, smoother taste and the ABV is higher, too.

[devildeac]

Singletrack Copper Ale-Boulder Brewing Company-As on the label/in the title, it is copper colored and reminds me of a Killian's or a lighter brown ale. A bit nutty, a bit caramely and smooth with a trace of hop bitterness. Probably about 5% ABV and a good tasting or session beer.

[2535Miles]

A (relatively) controlled temperature environment like a wine "cellar" or basement usually works pretty well. Keep the beer away from wide temp changes and away from light. Laying them down will keep the corks (if they are bottled like that) moistened and hopefully from rotting/dissolving as well. Rogue Brewery uses "oxygen-fixing" caps. I don't know what other brewers use to "line" their caps to keep the beer from contacting the metal constantly.

Cool! Thanks devildeac. I can't remember what the folks at Stone put on top of the cap of the 8/8/8 Vertical Ale.

[devildeac]

Four Horsemen-Irish Style Red Ale-Mishawaka Brewing Company-another good session beer. Similar to Killian's. Reddish-brown, pretty balanced hops and caramel malt for smoothness. No sweetness. 5% ABV. One of the many selected by Lavabe after his conference in South Bend last weekend. A nice choice.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Got my Scotch ale kit today, brewing it tonite after a nap.
Contents of kit

• 6 lb Briess amber malt extract
• 1 lb Briess gold dry malt extract
• 1 lb blended grains (chocolate, crystal, smoked malt)
• 2 oz Kent Golding pellet hops, 1 each for boiling and bittering
• White Labs Edinburgh ale yeast (liquid yeast)

Love the smell of hops, mmmmm...
This is a kit the brewer's supply puts together themselves, their own tested recipes. I've never brewed one I didn't like, unlike some of the off the shelf kits. I'll keep y'all up to date on it's progress, and as stated it will be available for tasting at a future tailgate!

[Mal]

My rare, humble contribution to this comprehensive thread:

Goose: This is one of the best seasonal's that I've tasted from this brewery. From draught, it had a wonderfully fresh feel, which seems to carry over to the bottles I bought this week. Pours with a nice head of foam. Caramel base but with some clean hoppiness on the aftertaste. Tastes like Indian Summer. Could knock back a couple of these in a hurry.

Arbor: Also, had a chance to stop in Ann Arbor for a night recently and hit my favorite local brewpub, Arbor Brewing Company. Definitely recommend for anyone who finds themselves in town. Had a couple Sacred Cow IPA's. It's cask poured, so that probably colors my impression because I'm a sucker for the lower carbonation and higher temperature, but I could have sat there and quaffed these things for hours. Somehow they get all the grapefruity goodness from the hops without it being overly bitter. If I hadn't been flying home, I'd have picked up a growler or two for sure.

[devildeac]

My rare, humble contribution to this comprehensive thread:

Goose: This is one of the best seasonal's that I've tasted from this brewery. From draught, it had a wonderfully fresh feel, which seems to carry over to the bottles I bought this week. Pours with a nice head of foam. Caramel base but with some clean hoppiness on the aftertaste. Tastes like Indian Summer. Could knock back a couple of these in a hurry.

Arbor: Also, had a chance to stop in Ann Arbor for a night recently and hit my favorite local brewpub, Arbor Brewing Company. Definitely recommend for anyone who finds themselves in town. Had a couple Sacred Cow IPA's. It's cask poured, so that probably colors my impression because I'm a sucker for the lower carbonation and higher temperature, but I could have sat there and quaffed these things for hours. Somehow they get all the grapefruity goodness from the hops without it being overly bitter. If I hadn't been flying home, I'd have picked up a growler or two for sure.

Some of us have been regular contributors (cough, cough) to this thread and it's great to read your tasting thoughts. Don't be a stranger! I always enjoy reading about beers from different areas of the country to find out what I might be missing now (or perhaps sampling in the future).