Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Blushing Monk 2015-Founders Brewing

Their first re-release from their Backstage Series, originally brewed in 2011. This Belgian-style ale, most likely a tripel, was brewed with a ridiculous amount of raspberries and probably can best be thought of as Rubaeus' big brother. Pour from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle was a medium red-brown with a fruity nose and luscious amounts of raspberries upfront and throughout each sip. I'll guess 20 IBUs and the ABV was 9.2%. Paired nicely with a peach cobbler and a second helping when a couple folks decided they didn't like fruited ales that much. Many thanks to August West for cellaring this since the 2015 FB season.

[devildeac]

Nice read in the Raleigh N&O this AM about the history of the Pop The Cap campaign over a decade ago and the current campaign to Pop the Cap again (this time called Craft Freedom) on the # of barrels a brewery is allowed to brew/sell (25K) before they have to enroll a distributor to further market their beverages:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/bus...e99833072.html

Even gives a shout out to ricks68, mattman and our other Ashevillian posters/sippers/tasters (well, not really...):

"Before Fullsteam ruled in Durham, before Sierra Nevada and Oscar Blues and New Belgium built shiny outposts in Western North Carolina, before Asheville won the “Beer City USA” crown, before anyone in Charlotte or Raleigh ever had to ponder which brewery they were in the mood for on a Saturday night, North Carolina was a craft brew wasteland awash in mass market suds."

[fuse]

Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

Circa fall/winter 2015 whenever AV released it last.

Perhaps my favorite of all goses.
Last one in the fridge as a post soccer runabout reward.

Still fairly bubbly.
Fresh citrus nose.

The sour hits immediately, followed by a Sprite like effervescence, followed by an orange finish.

Delightful on the back deck in the shade at 82 degrees.

Cheers!

[fuse]

Green Man Dweller Imperial Stout

At risk of offending my good Ashevillian friends, my first sip doesn't satisfy my curiosity on what the fuss is all about.

That's not a knock on Green Man, or Dweller, just that the hype preceding this beer is pretty tremendous.

Thick chocolatey nose.
Minimal head.
(Thankfully no soy!!!!)

Hefty mouthfeel, rich, sweet and smooth with some dry coffee notes.

An impressive imperial stout for sure.
Grateful to my "Asheville pipeline" of friends and devildeac for the delivery.

[devildeac]

Ovila Abbey Quad-Sierra Nevada and Abbey of New Clairvaux

The last of my ~$8 corked and caged 750 ml bottles of my trio of these ales, shared with 4-5 others yesterday at tailgate. Pour was a ruby-brown with a tan, creamy head. Aromas of dark caramel and cherries were first up, followed by tastes of the same with raisins, dates, figs and milk chocolate and a very nice not-too-sweet cherry finish. I'll guess IBUs of 30 and the ABV was stamped as 9.2% ABV. Paired nicely with some more peach cobbler but it'd be very tasty with any chocolate dessert, too. This was pretty luscious and I was rather proud of my decision to cellar this for a few months for the first tailgate and thought rather highly of my choice until August West brought out the final bottle/sample of the day and shamed/humbled me a bit...

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel Quad (2015)-Boulevard Brewing Company

Absolutely killer beer. Many, many thanks to August West for this selection. Pour/appearance was pretty similar to the Ovila Quad but there's dark caramel, bourbon, dark cherries (added), more booze and dark fruits in the aroma, followed by tastes of oak, vanilla, dark cherries, bourbon, a bunch more dark fruits, cocoa and a warming, boozy finish. Dangerously easy to sip at 26 IBUs combined with the ABV of 11.8% makes this decadent and sinful to consume. We divided this slightly chilled, 750 ml corked and caged bottle among 4-5 of us. Liquid dessert in a glass. Here's some data from the brewer:

Malt: Pale Malt, Cara 300, Munich, Malted Wheat
Adjuncts: Dextrose, Brown Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar, Dark Candi Syrup, tart cherries
Hops: Magnum, Styrian Golding

Truly outstanding finish to our tasting.

[fuse]

NoDa CoCo LoCo coconut porter

Another fine offering from NoDa.

There is a distinct sharpness to coconut in beer.

Another fine, rich porter that has a novel finish with the addition of coconut.

I'd love for this to be a liquid Almond Joy.
Not quite there, nonetheless an excellent dessert beer.

[fuse]

Not that it took much for me to convince myself, but on a lazy Saturday with no formal plans, th answer is yes.

Pretty much my favorite iced coffee.
Been in the fridge since May(?) or whenever the last time Fullsteam brewed it.

Only 3 left.

Apparently no better way to start off Labor Day.
Cheers :-)

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Not to go all TM gnurd, but geographic distribution probably explains a lot of this. It's one area in which the law refuses to catch up to the reach of the Interwebz.

No link, no pic, no review, but in Seattle's Pike Place Market there's a brewery that makes a tasty "Pike Kilt Lifter."

[devildeac]

Cow and pig tenderloins on the grill shortly. Multiple new liquid beverages to sample/share with family and pair with aforementioned grilled flesh and side items. Stay tuned.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Cow and pig tenderloins on the grill shortly. Multiple new liquid beverages to sample/share with family and pair with aforementioned grilled flesh and side items. Stay tuned.

Ooh, I am not a fan of "filet" steaks, but a whole tenderloin on the grill can be truly divine.

[devildeac]

No link, no pic, no review, but in Seattle's Pike Place Market there's a brewery that makes a tasty "Pike Kilt Lifter."

Somewhere a page or two back, I found 2 or 3 or 4 other Scotch (style) ales named Kilt Lifter. Pike Place Brewing and Moylan's are 2 that come to mind.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Somewhere a page or two back, I found 2 or 3 or 4 other Scotch (style) ales named Kilt Lifter. Pike Place Brewing and Moylan's are 2 that come to mind.

I was on a phone and missed the images. Should have assumed you were dialed in.

[fuse]

My general opinion of Southern Tier beers are hyper exaggerated styles.
This translates to enjoying about 4oz of their 22oz bombers.

One of the rare exceptions to this rule is Southern Tier Harvest, which is an exceptional fall harvest beer.

I also picked up a six pack of a new(to me anyway) Southern Tier Tangier, a tangerine session IPA.

Poured a light gold with reasonable head.
Smells a little bit like orange marmalade.
Starts with a bit of orange peel pith bitterness, followed by a biscuity sweetness.
The finish is dry and mildly bitter.
Really nice. Recommended to try if you have the opportunity.

[Tripping William]

My general opinion of Southern Tier beers are hyper exaggerated styles.
This translates to enjoying about 4oz of their 22oz bombers.

One of the rare exceptions to this rule is Southern Tier Harvest, which is an exceptional fall harvest beer.

I also picked up a six pack of a new(to me anyway) Southern Tier Tangier, a tangerine session IPA.

Poured a light gold with reasonable head.
Smells a little bit like orange marmalade.
Starts with a bit of orange peel pith bitterness, followed by a biscuity sweetness.
The finish is dry and mildly bitter.
Really nice. Recommended to try if you have the opportunity.

I had their Salted Caramel last night with s'mores and had no complaints.

[Tripping William]

A Belgian style golden ale. Purchased a 750 ml corked-and-caged bottle at our local Lowes Foods. Pour a lovely gold with a generous off-white head. A nice yeastiness (if that's even a word), and some nice hints of spice. At 7.4% ABV, it was dangerously delicious with a taco salad tonight. If only I could find this beer on every corner, preferably at a taco truck ....

[devildeac]

I was on a phone and missed the images. Should have assumed you were dialed in.

I got lucky finding and posting those. I've had a modest amount of trouble posting images lately. I did that for years to show the bottle and what the beer looked like when it was poured. Perhaps I've gotten a bit lazy, too .

[devildeac]

A Belgian style golden ale. Purchased a 750 ml corked-and-caged bottle at our local Lowes Foods. Pour a lovely gold with a generous off-white head. A nice yeastiness (if that's even a word), and some nice hints of spice. At 7.4% ABV, it was dangerously delicious with a taco salad tonight. If only I could find this beer on every corner, preferably at a taco truck ...

I think they market that in 4 packs, too, so you could always have one in your automobile cooler .

[devildeac]

From 9/20/13:

Old Chub-Oskar Blues Brewing

Drink local! From their new brewery in Brevard, NC, this Scotch ale is an excellent example of the style. Not many folks brew this style and the ones that do usually call it a Scotch style ale. My favorite for years has been SA Scotch Ale which is not brewed very often. The other has been Traquair House Ale which is a hefty $8-9 for a 330 ml bottle. This one poured a slightly viscous dark brown and had aromas of dark caramel and cocoa and tastes to match along with a wee bit of smokiness. Generous foamy head topped off the pour from the 12 ounce can. Wouldn't hesitate for a moment to buy another 6er of this one.

From tonight:

Four of us shared a 12 ounce can of this, paired with grilled/rubbed pork tenderloin, and Montreal spiced/rubbed grilled beef tenderloin, steamed baby carrots with a honey glaze, fresh/steamed green beans, twice baked cheddar potatoes and sliced NC tomatoes. Very nice combination. As fuse has posted before, beer is almost always better with family and/or friends.

[devildeac]

I was on a phone and missed the images. Should have assumed you were dialed in.

Well, not exactly a Kilt Lifter, but close:

http://dbbrewingcompany.com/beers/wo...-kilt-flasher/