Howdy y'all! Or is it all y'all?
I apologize to my BrewDevil brethren that I've not been at the virtual pub over the past couple of months, but I assure you that I've had some amazing beers this summer. Between the kids, work and volunteering as a football coach, my energy level has barely allowed for the use of a bottle opener, let alone my long-winded reviews. No longer! Playoffs start tomorrow for Indiana high school football, CTC looked like a blast, and I'm starting to get the fire back in my belly as I look forward to the season.
The notables that I've enjoyed over the past month or so:
- A couple of the barrel-aged Junie variants from Transient Ales up in Southwest Michigan, favorite of which was Barklava Junie - 13% BBA Imperial Stout with honey and pistachio
- While I've never been a HUGE fan of the mainstream Sun King offerings, I was gifted a six pack of some of their draft/growler-only "King's Reserve" barrel aged stuff... Amazing. Changes my entire opinion of the place. Best of the ones I've tried so far was Gran Muckle - 10.7% Wee Heavy aged in Whiskey barrels with chocolate, toffee, and cinnamon
I forget which of you guys lives near or in Indy, but there's a place on the far south side (Columbus, IN) that specializes in slushie fruit beers called 450 North which has started getting a lot more buzz up in my neck of the woods recently... I'd be interested to see if they've been there. 450 North has Friday in-person releases (of eight different canned beers) every 2-3 weeks and I've yet to have a bad selection... For example, here's the lineup for tomorrow's release:
-The Great Pumpkin Shake! (8%), a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake DIPA conditioned on pumpkin, pumpkin spices and vanilla
-Masquerade (10.3%) is a Triple Dry Hopped Triple IPA hopped with Galaxy, Vic Secret and Citra
-Black Widow XXL(10%) is conditioned on killer amounts of Black Currant, Blackberry and Black Cherry
-Werewolves of Slushland(8%) is conditioned on beastly amounts of Boysenberry, Raspberry, Grahman Cracker and Vanilla
-Slushy XL Beetle's Juuuce(8%) is conditioned on Grape, Blackberry, Peach and Pineapple
-Zombie Nuggets(8.3%) is a DDH DIPA with primarily all Citra and then final dry hopped with Mosaic Cryo
-Frankendrank XL is supercharged with Key Lime, Mango, Pineapple and Green Apple
I've got my mule procuring one of each, so I'll let you guys know what I think... If he gets them to me in time, maybe I'll make an appearance at the Virtual Sour Saloon on Saturday
Outstanding! I've wondered where you've been and what you've been sipping-thanks for the updates!
Davec gifted fuse and me a couple pairs of 450 North brews this March or April that we both reviewed, IIRC. When I get home tonight, I'll try to re-post those reviews. The above list really sounds liked they've raised their game several notches and would be delighted to read your reviews. Maybe that'll get davec to review them, too, in a point/counterpoint exchange (yea, davec, I'm calling you out ).
I'll have an extra barstool set up for you as I'm the host this month and all of us would be delighted to have you join us for the morning/afternoon/evening with whatever thoughts you have about what you're tasting. Any FFF sours you could edjumacate us about if your 450 North beer mule is unsuccessful?
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
With the amount of fruit in the 450s I've learned that you absolutely have to keep them cold and drink them pretty quickly for the full experience. Our area mule has his entire truck lined with yeti coolers and keeps them on ice until he makes it back up here, which is why I don't mind paying $10 a can and saving myself the 4 hour trip. It helps that my wife loves their beer and I don't catch too much flack for spending $80 on a couple of 4 packs
What do you drink when the weather gets Kuhler?
New Glarus Kuhler
New Glarus means great beer.
Thumbprint / red label NG means even greater. 😀
Nose almost smells artifically sweet, like sticking your nose in a bag of gummy candy. There is definitely some nostril tickling sour vinegar lurking.
An unusual copper / amber colour.
I’m not sure how to describe the taste explosion behind Kuhler.
Can a taste be subtle and dynamic at the same time?
This is not a punch you in the mouth sour.
Mouthfeel is delightfully viscous and syrupy.
This might be the Gran Marnier of beer.
Not boozy, and yet reminiscent of the famous orange liqueur.
It would be an awful lot of fun to follow New Glarus staff around for a day just to gain an appreciation of what goes into such a quality operation.
Part of the label description talks about open fermentation/coolship beer and that this beer was brewed in 2017 and aged for a year and a half in oak before bottling.
Just another New Glarus world class beer.
Thanks devildeac! 🍻
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
American Promise-Fullsteam Brewery
Local!!
Credit-I bought a 4 pack with budwom getting #1 and I sipped #2 last PM so 2 more to go
Canned on-09/buncha dots/19 (I think); another brew for their 9F anniversary
Format-pint can
Style-milkshake IPA
Appearance-pear nectar with a generous, very pale tan head
Nose-paw paws! (d'oh); seriously, aromas were mangoes, banana, vanilla custard
Mouthfeel-mildly pulpy/juicy and thick
Tastes-vanilla, pear (not added), paw paws which reportedly taste like bananas and mangoes; mildly sweet
IBU-37 (source: Untappd)
ABV-7.1% (on the label)
Grains-Locally malted barley (Gold two-row), Locally malted wheat, Carapils, Flaked oats, Two-row brewer's malt
Hops-Vic Secret, El Dorado, Amarillo (Ymm, Vic Secret, RJ199's fav)
Adjuncts-vanilla, lactose, locally foraged paw paws
Overall impression-an excellent example for the style; not too sweet/thick
Ymm, Beer rating-high Cat 2; looking forward to another of these and maybe trading 1 for a ...
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
A paw paw:
Pawpaw_Fruit_6.jpg
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Enjoyed this tonight. For further proof this is not a beer, Beergoddess loved it and said she would drink the whole thing. But she did not. I did. (she told me that after it was quickly gone or I would have shared more). Thanks ACCFan! I bet the Mango Tefnut was fun too. What a fruited gose!
Also had a Rhinegeist Franz Octoberfest. 5.4 % ABV - 20 IBU.
Gotta get to bed and get to Wilmington tomorrow. Untapped and Beeradvocate disagree with me. But I absolutely loved this Oktoberfest. I thought it was better than Clawhammer and even Foothills. Like the can said, the Munich and Vienna malts pumped me up. Just a consummate, perfect Oktoberfest. Thanks to whomever gave me this - I think devildeac! Loved it!
Hey, RJ199-you gonna be reporting from a "boat" tonight? I can open the Virtual Pub for a few hours early to mid-evening if you'd like.
(No offense to Bob Green with the "boat" reference. If/when RJ199 starts posting and reveals his location for the evening, you'll really see my joking nature...)
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Fuse, budwom, RJ199 and I will all be at the NC coast this weekend? Might not be enough sea creatures and/or adult beverages for the remainder of the visitors...
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
I'll be on the boat, but definitely will not be posting from there. I never post on DBR from my phone. I don't really like phones or mobile apps. I still have an IPhone 5, the only smart phone I've ever had. I think Untappd is the only app I have/use. I use my phone to text, talk, and check a score, but that's about it. Whenever I post on DBR I'm chilling somewhere on my MacBook Air. My brain works slowly even without alcohol, so that gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and edit my posts.
So I'll reveal my evening location now - the deck of the USS NC Battleship in Wilmington, drinking good beers:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voracio...ts-53016634180
I'll be with my Stepdad helping him celebrate his birthday, and hopefully thoroughly enjoying the moment. I'll try to check in Saturday at the sour virtual pub. I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend - Cheers!