Ymm, Beer

[mattman91]

In California, Firestone Walker appears to have become a lot more common.

Had the IPA, DBA (double barrel ale?)and 805 (blonde ale) this week.
All were excellent.

You're in Cali? Jealous.

[fuse]

Apparently ORD can't do better than Goose Island bottles.
Had hoped for an interesting something on draft.

[devildeac]

Barn Yeti-450 North Brewing Company (Columbus, IN)

I must confess that I had mixed emotions about the contents of this 16 ounce can when it appeared in my case from ricks 68 last month after his trip to in the Annapolis in April. Unknown brewery with a sort of unknown style without a brewed on date and few ingredients/stats listed on the product. After sipping on this concoction for an hour, I'm quite impressed, so a winter warmer thank you to one of my favorite beer mules. Labeled as a Belgian winter ale, I'm still not sure whether it's a Belgian-style stout or strong ale. Or both? The pour was a moderately thick, opaque, dark brown with a creamy tan head. My first reaction was, "I'm drinking a cold cocoa." The next thought was that it's a cold latte as the initial aromas of cocoa/baker's chocolate surrendered to freshly ground Colombian (or Mexican valley beans). And that's just in the nose. Tastes were latte-like as expected but with some vanilla, dark fruits and licorice-like flavors from the star anise interlaced. The flavors intensified as my serving warmed over the 60 minutes it took to consume this big beer. And big it is at 9.1% ABV. I'll guess the IBUs about 30-40 with most of the perceived bitterness originating for the heavily roasted malts and coffee. I think it was $2.50-$3 for the 16 ounce can and I wouldn't hesitate tasting this again, either by itself or with a double or triple chocolate dessert. I'm pretty sure fuse got one of these so I'll be curious as to his thoughts, too.

PS-I don't think it's related to any of these guys either, unless it's their long lost Midwest cousin:

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I think I left out 1-2 of the Great Divide Yeti series, too.

[fuse]

22oz bomber opened with a vigorous hiss.

Easy to pour, generated a good half inch of coffee colored head in each glass.

Inky black with a hint of red where the sun shines through.

Nose has honey, fig, coffee and a bit of roasty malt.

First sip starts with a cola sweetness, mid palate is very smooth. Finish is robust coffee and dry oak.
No real hint of alcohol, an easy sipper on the back deck.

The Love Ninja offers her vote of approval as well.

Mattman, thanks for sharing your well named brew, it is indeed Oat of this World!

[fuse]

My first Burial beer.
Pretty excited as I have heard great things.

Saison brewed with golden beets (as a practice, I disapprove- not sure why beer should be dirt flavored), hibiscus, cherry and ginseng.

Poured a similar translucent red like Boulevard Hibiscus Gose.

Head was pink and dissipated quickly.

I think I am starting to get more acquainted with what hibiscus smell like, as that is the predominant aroma.

Not much going on in this beer - thin up front, in the middle and a disappointing dirt finish, maybe even metallic.
Ugh.
Trying to find a silver lining, I might compare this to a dry rosé.

I don't get anything saison funky in this beer at all, even though there is some nice yeast sludge in the bottom of the bottle.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this beer. Hoping I get more chances to try Burial and enjoy their beer.

[fuse]

Prior to opening the Burial Garden of Earthly Delights, I noted that the Gratzer devildeac had gotten for me had a "best before May 2015" on the bottle.

I'm not a fan of rauchbier / smoky beers, and that was the predominant flavour I picked up.

Glad to have tried it, I think it was a fine beer just not my cup of tea (mug of beer).

Thanks devildeac !

[fuse]

Shiva-Asheville Brewing (and Pizza) Company

It's mattman91 time as he tossed a 12 ounce can of this IPA into my goodie box last week. Poured an attractive orange-yellow with a modest, fluffy head. The first impression is of fresh tropical fruits and a bit of grapefruit. Tastes are mild guava, papaya and mango with a light sweetness. Contents include:
Malts: Pale, Wheat & Munich
Hops: Columbus & Liberty

ABV on the can is 6% and I was real close on IBUs, guessing about 70 with the stated # at 69 on their website, so it's fairly well balanced. It'd be a good beverage to serve with grilled fare, even if it had a bit of spice and/or pepper in it. I think this is one of their signature beers, along with their award winning Ninja Porter, and I can certainly understand the reasons.

A thank you and tip of the pint glass to one of our Asheville brew crew!

Attachment 5136

Attachment 5137

Enjoyed this as well. Milder than Sierra Nevada, and a nice beer.

Thanks mattman!

[devildeac]

Prior to opening the Burial Garden of Earthly Delights, I noted that the Gratzer devildeac had gotten for me had a "best before May 2015" on the bottle.

I'm not a fan of rauchbier / smoky beers, and that was the predominant flavour I picked up.

Glad to have tried it, I think it was a fine beer just not my cup of tea (mug of beer).

Thanks devildeac !

Ricks68 actually couriered this to me from in the Annapolis from his April journey to the FF and bought it because I sent him on a Three Floyds beer-hunting expedition and it's a 3 Floyds/New Belgium collaboration from their Lips of Faith series. I reviewed it previously in about September, 2014 after August West brought a draft/mini growler of it to a tailgate and was kind enough to share. Hmmm, I'll have to have my bomber soon. Perhaps I'll share with our son who'll be with us a couple days next week.

[devildeac]

Space Station Middle Finger-Three Floyds Brewing Company

Marketing at this brewery must spent an incredible time naming their brews. This is an American pale ale which makes it a bit higher on the ABV scale and hoppier than the British counterparts. In fact, this tiptoes on the edge of IPA territory with IBUs of 50 and an ABV of 6%. Poured from a bomber I divided over two nights, it was a slightly cloudy orange-amber with no sediment. A little grapefruit sneaks through the light, creamy head and is followed by more grapefruit with nuances of mango, papaya and even a little Juicyfruit gum. There is a very mild, light caramel sweetness for balance. Serve this, if you can find it, with grilled fare as distribution after production at their Munster, IN brewery is only to IL, OH, IN, KY and WI . I wonder if they do any trading with the folks at New Glarus. Many thanks to ricks68 again for his beer-hunting in the Annapolis after the FF in April.

Warning: Link is to a picture that is an artist's drawing/rendition on the label of a man-made, orbiting celestial body with an uplifted 3rd digit that some may find amusing but others may find unsuitable for viewing by those under the age or 12-13 or so :


http://res.cloudinary.com/ratebeer/i...eer_205549.jpg

[mattman91]

22oz bomber opened with a vigorous hiss.

Easy to pour, generated a good half inch of coffee colored head in each glass.

Inky black with a hint of red where the sun shines through.

Nose has honey, fig, coffee and a bit of roasty malt.

First sip starts with a cola sweetness, mid palate is very smooth. Finish is robust coffee and dry oak.
No real hint of alcohol, an easy sipper on the back deck.

The Love Ninja offers her vote of approval as well.

Mattman, thanks for sharing your well named brew, it is indeed Oat of this World!

Glad you both enjoyed it!

I plan on brewing a saison next. If you and the Love Ninja come up this summer, I'll have plenty available

[devildeac]

Shotgun Betty-Lonerider Brewing

Drink indigenously!

It's actually kind of embarrassing that this brewery has been open since 2009 (maybe earlier) and I haven't tasted/reviewed their flagship beer. Brewed year round, this German-style hefeweizen represents the style well. Poured from a 12 ounce can stolen from our older son-in-law last PM while baby-sitting for them into a pilsner style glass, it arrived a cloudy orange-yellow with a fizzy and foamy head that didn't linger very long. Potent overripe banana on the nose and tastes of the same with prominent clove and a bit of orange and orange zest. Gentle on the palate at 11 IBUs but with a bit higher ABV than I'd have expected for the style at 5.8%, this makes a refreshing spring/summer/early fall ale and would pair nicely with lighter grilled fare, salads or fruits.

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Their slogans:

"Ales for outlaws"

"Is there an outlaw in you?"

[Tripping William]

Second brew:

Peacemaker-Lonerider Brewing

Labeled as a west coast pale ale, this was a light golden-amber with grassy and floral aromas and very mild citrus tastes and a bit of caramel. Grains and hops not listed. I'll guess the IBUs about 30-50 and the ABV is 5.7% so perhaps a bit high for the style but a nice pairing with some of the mixed greens I stole from my wife's salad and the asparagus vichyssoise I had for my appetizer.

Not sure I've had either of these two before.

Had a can (!) of this lazing by the pool this afternoon. Not overly hopped, and I really liked its maltiness (is that a word?). I came away impressed; I'll take it to the pool more often.

[devildeac]

Had a can (!) of this lazing by the pool this afternoon. Not overly hopped, and I really liked its maltiness (is that a word?). I came away impressed; I'll take it to the pool more often.

Lots of Lonerider brews are canned with a couple varieties in 16 ounce servings.

[killerleft]

My wife and I finally made it to Pig Pounder Brewery in Greensboro, just in time for their 1st Anniversary Celebration. A friend of mine plays in a local Americana group that opened the music portion of the festivities, so I was able to drink beer and listen to music at the same time - multi-tasking at its best!

We only tried two of the brews. Mild Mud is a dark-colored English ale. It smelled like coffee and chocolate, and tasted like a good, cold latte with a bit of alcohol and a touch of hops thrown in. This seemed like a 'starter' beer for those unfamiliar with English beers, and was very, very easy to drink. The ABV is 3.6%, with only 12 IBUs. I was happy with it on a hot day when I had plans to do some other stuff best done without the sluggishness that a high ABV beer would bring.

My wife ordered the Plain Pig. I only got a taste, so here's the blurb from the Pig Pounder website."This golden colored ale is the Pig Pounder take on an English classic pub ale. Hints of malty caramel and bread are balanced by a very modest hop addition, and complimented by an aroma of sweet fruit and floral notes. The overall light body, and low ABV makes this a highly sessionable English style ale. (3.8% ABV, 19 IBU)"

My overall impression of this brewery is that they are mostly content to be faithful to the English pub-style ales, and they seem to be striving for beer that is sessionable. I definitely plan on trying out several more of their offerings, such as the Extra Special Pig (ESB, of course), the Boar Brown, and the seasonal Hoofenweizen.

They do have some hoppy beer, though. The Boarrier IPA is 5.2 ABV, 60 IBU, and the aforementioned ESB is 30 IBU.

The Pig Pounder was a craft beer that was developed in the late 70s for the once well-known (in the NC Triad and Triangle areas, at least) Darryl's Restaurants. The owner has opened several restaurants in Greensboro lately, including Marshall Free House, a $$$-priced place inexplicably styled after an English Pub. ACC tournament goers might know that a Darryl's was reopened in Greensboro a few years ago on what used to be called High Point Road and is now called Gate City Boulevard.

pigpounder.com

[Tripping William]

Great beer, but tastes like pretty typical Stone to me.

Not familiar with Ecliptic, but nothing I would recognize as Wicked Weed shining through here.

Again, great beer if you like IPAs.

Had a bomber of this tonight & disagree about "great beer." The Belgian efforts detract from the IPA side, and the IPA influences make it not-Belgian. Not quite worthy of Yccch Beer, but ... meh.

[fuse]

Had a bomber of this tonight & disagree about "great beer." The Belgian efforts detract from the IPA side, and the IPA influences make it not-Belgian. Not quite worthy of Yccch Beer, but ... meh.

Interesting as I did not get any of the Belgian notes at all- blind I may have guessed it to be a Stone IPA.

[mattman91]

Interesting as I did not get any of the Belgian notes at all- blind I may have guessed it to be a Stone IPA.

I had this when Devildeac came up here. I'm with you though, Fuse, no Belgian notes for me either.

[devildeac]

Is this old news?

http://www.greenflashbrew.com/virginia-beach/

[devildeac]

Had a bomber of this tonight & disagree about "great beer." The Belgian efforts detract from the IPA side, and the IPA influences make it not-Belgian. Not quite worthy of Yccch Beer, but ... meh.

Interesting as I did not get any of the Belgian notes at all- blind I may have guessed it to be a Stone IPA.

I had this when Devildeac came up here. I'm with you though, Fuse, no Belgian notes for me either.

Did any of you think about this when tasting the WW/Stone/Ecliptic Points Unknown IPA?

http://www.greenflashbrew.com/our-beers/le-freak/

I got a 1-2 ounce taste of it from the beertender when we were at the Funkatorium but it was about my 5th or 6th sample of the evening and I took no notes so my memory is rather limited.

[devildeac]

La Fin Du Monde-Unibroue (Sleeman, no Sapporo) Brewing

I had forgotten how good this golden/triple ale was until we started our discussion here a few days ago about the end of the world (as we know it and I feel fine). Shortly after that, I received my (anonymous) 6er delivery from The Raleigh Wine Shop, owned by none other than the (almost) former poster, genedoc.

Poured a golden-yellow with a fairly typical moderate to large fizzy, lacy head into my Ommegang tulip a couple nights ago. Complex nose of peppery Belgian yeasts, banana, spice, tart apples and ripe pears. The taste didn't disappoint either, following the aromas fairly closely. Perhaps a bit of pineapple on the palate, too. I might have to buy a 4 pack of Duvel along with another one of two of the Belgian golden ales for a taste-testing sometime this summer. I think this would rank near the top. Extremely smooth drinking at 19 IBUs and rather dangerous, too, at 9% ABV. Sip by itself before dinner or with fresh fruits. It'd also pair nicely with lighter fish or even creamy seafood entrees.


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