Ymm, Beer

[Tripping William]

For once, I came away from a Southern Pines beer with a reaction more favorable than “meh.” This is a Belgian-style dark strong ale, with 16-ounce cans acquired at Stella (Brew, not Artois) while picking up a semi-annual load of Donut Skillet. Pours a nice deep brown color with a fairly sizable tan head. Nice hints of dark fruit and some leather. Not as flavorful as some dark strongs, and there is a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste (even with IBUs at 24), but still nice on the palate. At 10+% ABV, it’s a sipper, not a gulper.

[devildeac]

For once, I came away from a Southern Pines beer with a reaction more favorable than “meh.” This is a Belgian-style dark strong ale, with 16-ounce cans acquired at Stella (Brew, not Artois) while picking up a semi-annual load of Donut Skillet. Pours a nice deep brown color with a fairly sizable tan head. Nice hints of dark fruit and some leather. Not as flavorful as some dark strongs, and there is a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste (even with IBUs at 24), but still nice on the palate. At 10+% ABV, it’s a sipper, not a gulper.

Hmm, beer run coming up later this week with a 10% off Total Wine coupon. Might have to put this one on my list. Hope to get a 4 pack of Collaboration Without Representation tomorrow night at Bottle Revolution, a limited release from Deep River Brewing. It's an imperial milk stout brewed with chocolate and coffee and then BBA for a year. Limited production. They'll also have a keg of each of 2 variants, one Con Leche and the other with cherries. Or so their email said last week.

[devildeac]

For once, I came away from a Southern Pines beer with a reaction more favorable than “meh.” This is a Belgian-style dark strong ale, with 16-ounce cans acquired at Stella (Brew, not Artois) while picking up a semi-annual load of Donut Skillet. Pours a nice deep brown color with a fairly sizable tan head. Nice hints of dark fruit and some leather. Not as flavorful as some dark strongs, and there is a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste (even with IBUs at 24), but still nice on the palate. At 10+% ABV, it’s a sipper, not a gulper.

I'm also glad someone is enjoying a brew (or more) this weekend while I'm working.

[thedukelamere]

Successful Rally BeerOlde Gnarlywine - 10.9% ABV Barleywine from Lagunitas

19 turnovers. Too many missed free throws. GA couldn’t get it going.
Still won.
I love this team and these kids. I could have been drinking MGD or a Dark Lord from 3 Floyd’s and I wouldn’t have even noticed... Too engrossed in The Comeback.

91969908-19F3-4FEC-A17F-D21104F37679.jpg

[devildeac]

Successful Rally BeerOlde Gnarlywine - 10.9% ABV Barleywine from Lagunitas

19 turnovers. Too many missed free throws. GA couldn’t get it going.
Still won.
I love this team and these kids. I could have been drinking MGD or a Dark Lord from 3 Floyd’s and I wouldn’t have even noticed... Too engrossed in The Comeback.

91969908-19F3-4FEC-A17F-D21104F37679.jpg

I'm not sure I've ever seen/heard of that Lagunitas brew before.

[thedukelamere]

I'm not sure I've ever seen/heard of that Lagunitas brew before.

Limited Release. Found it in the bargain bin for 4 bucks... Couldn’t say no for that price. Not the greatest Barleywine I’ve had, but it’ll go down as one of my favorites due to the game I’ll associate it with.

[devildeac]

Limited Release. Found it in the bargain bin for 4 bucks... Couldn’t say no for that price. Not the greatest Barleywine I’ve had, but it’ll go down as one of my favorites due to the game I’ll associate it with.

Was that a bomber? If so, that was a steal. Almost as good a "theft" as Grayson's robbery that lead to his breakaway dunk in the comeback.

[devildeac]

Limoncello (draft)-Deep River Brewing Company

From Johnston County's first legal brewery. (Hey, they even print that on their cans.)

Two ounce taster while waiting for a limited release draft and 4 pack of cans of another of their brews at a tap takeover at Bottle Revolution last PM.

Pour was sunshine yellow with a small head. Pungent nose of lemons with tastes of freshly squeezed and minimally sweetened lemonade with a bit of lemon zest added.
Quite sour and tart but not Destihl Brewing level sour. A very appropriate name for the brew as it made me think of the liqueur and also hard lemonade. I'll guess IBUs about 10 and the ABV was 5.4%. This would be quite pleasant sipped on a warm/hot summer day. On a porch. In a rocker. Waiting for the chicken or fish to finish grilling.

[devildeac]

Black Chocolate Stout (2016)-Brooklyn Brewing Company

The last from the cellar, having side-by-sided the 2014 and 2015 a couple months ago and running out of reservoir space and hepatocytes that night to taste the 2016 along with the other two years .

Poured black with a thin, tan head. Nose, as always, of dark chocolate and tastes of the same along with some heavily roasted grains (gluten-free), dark caramel and hints of coffee. I think IBUs are around 60, maybe a bit higher. The ABV has been 10% for many years now. Sadly, I think I'll retire this from my long time beverage list as I think I've had one almost every year for over 20 years with my first taste being at an early World Beer Festival (?) at the Durham Omni Hotel (?) in about 1996. Still available for winter 2017-18 at about $15 or less for a 6er, a really good beer at a really good price.
<sniff>

[devildeac]

Abby's Amber Ale-Double Barley Brewing

I guess this is Johnston County's second legal brewery.

Beer #2 from my January beer club 4 pack. The first was S'More, previously reviewed.

Pour was a copper-amber hue with a small off-white head. Brown sugary, biscuity nose. Light caramel, nutty and toasted bread tastes (gluten-free, AFAIK ) with some herbal/earthy hops. IBUs listed at 31.7 (really? IBUs with a decimal point?). ABV was 6%. Both advanced metrics would be considered high normal for the style. Better than Fat Tire. Would pair nicely with burgers, ribs and grilled/BBQ chicken or pork sandwiches but I doubt it would save that dried out hunk of flesh that fuse described on some other thread .

[devildeac]

From 9/7/17:

From 4/30/15:



From tailgate yesterday:

Quad (1/7/14)-Weyerbacher Brewing

Yep, 7 words for 4 beers: Peach Tripel, Dave's Not Here, Tango and Quad. All dangerous at 8.2, 9.3, 10.6 and 12% ABV respectively .

Just as good, if not better than it's bottling date in 2014, but perhaps not as good as it would have been on the second date stamped on the bottle neck of 1/7/19.

Many thanks to August West for saving this one for us.

Not sure I have much to add to my 2013 and 2015 tastings. This really is an amazing ale, fresh or cellared for 1-5 years.

From tonight:

Quad (11/6/14)-Weyerbacher Brewing

Bottling date is correct as I could clearly read it on the neck of the bottle this evening so I'm not sure whether the date above was smudged or if the 4 high ABV beers at tailgate last fall affected the vision .

Pour was a muddy, dark brown with a thin head and a bit of "chunk" in the last few drops, most of which I avoided. Aromas of dark, dried fruits and tastes of raisins, dates, figs, brown sugar and a bit of dark rum. There's minimal bitterness with a smooth, almost syrupy mouthfeel/consistency. I'll guess IBUs around 30 and the ABV is 11.8% and it took almost an hour to finish this elixir from my Founders Brewing Company snifter just a few minutes ago. Yet another liquid dessert but might be enjoyable with some dark or milk chocolate covered caramels or any dark, dried fruits.

August West gets the applause here for saving and sharing this one!

[devildeac]

Collaboration Without Representation Red Wine Barrel Aged With Cherries (draft)-Deep River Brewing Company

Limited release, draft only, along with a coffee version. It's a bit puzzling and I should have asked the brewery rep the questions if extra coffee was added to this version which I didn't taste and if wine barrels were used instead of bourbon barrels in the version I tasted.

Pour was thick a black with hints of ruby. Very thin head. Aromas of cabernet sauvignon, dark chocolate, berries and cherries. Thick, oily mouthfeel with the tastes matching the aromas. Pretty vinous overall, a highly desirable feature. I'll guess IBUs about 30-40 (Untappd claims 18 and I call bovine shenanigans as they also label it an English mild ale and it's clearly an imperial milk stout with several additives) and the ABV is highly dangerous at 12.8% as it's amazingly smooth and sippable. A decadent liquid dessert. A half pint was $5.50 for either variant and the "regular" was $5 for 8 ounces . Pint cans were $7 each plus tax.

[devildeac]

Big Pond-Finch's Beer Company

Talk about struggles in the craft beer industry:

https://www.brewbound.com/news/finch...shipping-april

I guess it's been close to 2.5 years since I've had a Finch's beer and now I understand the reasons: 1) They're not local. 2) They've had trouble finding a permanent location. 3) The 2 ales I've had are kinda pedestrian.

This was beer #3 in my January beer club 4 pack and was a blonde ale. Pour from a 12 ounce can was a slightly golden-yellow (blonde maybe? D'oh!) with a modest, fizzy head. Citrusy nose and tastes of oranges and tangerines, no doubt from the featured Mandarina Bavaria hops (no other varieties are listed), a relatively new variety first released in 2012. There's a bit of sweetness and very mild floral bitterness. IBUs listed on the can are 20 and the ABV is 5% so more of a spring/summer beer. Pleasant enough to try but will not appear on the list labeled "try again."

[davec]

More struggles (apologies if this was already posted)(and if i messed up the link):

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/...ops-shipping/#

[devildeac]

More struggles (apologies if this was already posted)(and if i messed up the link):

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/...ops-shipping/#

Link was good and I don't think this was previously posted here. Sad news. I really like Green Flash beers, though I'll admit I haven't had one in several years. Many "edgy" styles/tastes in their offerings.

[Tripping William]

With all this @#$%&*^ white stuff on the ground, and the below-freezing temperatures, I cracked open a 2017 version of 21st Amendment Fireside Chat winter ale. It was as I remembered it from around November 2016: Nicely spiced, a little bitterness on the aftertaste, and fairly warming. It might be the last winter ale I have in stock, and if this weather persists, I may have to search out some more. I hope not, though (which should not be read as a commentary on this beer style) . . . .

[devildeac]

From 8/19/17:

From 3/7/17:



From last PM:

Bourbon Barrel Quad (same bottle dating)-Boulevard Brewing Company

Well, I saved it less than 6 months so now it's a bit less than a year old .

All you would expect from a Belgian-style quad and bourbon barrel aging with a moderate foamy head and aromas and tastes of booze-soaked raisins, dates, figs with some (lots?) of brown sugar and a bit of rumminess. IBUs at 26 and I think the ABV was a dangerously sippable 11.8%. Now there are 2 bottles remaining. What to do, what to do...

With 5-6" of snow on the ground, I figured out what to do with one of my two remaining bottles last night .

From last PM:

Bourbon Barrel Quad (date on bottle is 09SEPT2018)-Boulevard Brewing Company

I'm not sure if they suggest 3 or 5 years of "shelf life" for this product so the actual bottling date is somewhere from 2013 to 2015.

Similar appearance and bouquet from my Founders snifter but with very little head. Tastes were slightly "off" but not overly foamy or spoiled. Unfortunately, there was some sediment that I didn't leave in the 12 ounce bottle but it really didn't spoil my enjoyment after I allowed it to warm for about 15 minutes and most of the "chunk" had time to settle. Flavors of dark, dried fruits were still prominent with perhaps a bit more "wood" and toasted coconut during this sipping. I'm guessing the final bottle makes it to a tailgate this year, but no promises .

[accfanfrom1970]

For locals like DukeTaylor and others, Hardywood released their Raspberry Stout. Newer and smaller bottle - 600 ml. 9.2 abv and 50 ibus. And less expensive .I'm guessing it has been previously reviewed since it's been released since 2014.

[devildeac]

For locals like DukeTaylor and others, Hardywood released their Raspberry Stout. Newer and smaller bottle - 600 ml. 9.2 abv and 50 ibus. And less expensive .I'm guessing it has been previously reviewed since it's been released since 2014.

Most likely, yes, but we'd be happy to read your thoughts after you had one.

[accfanfrom1970]

Will do...if it's as good as I remember I'll pick one up for football.