Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Ellie Swan (about 2016, maybe older)-A homebrew given to our son and "cellared" for a couple years

Twelve ounce bottle served as an appetizer this evening.

It was a chocolate pomegranate Baltic porter. WTH?

Pour was a dark brown with hints of ruby and a thin, tan head. Nose of chocolate and berries. Tasted like dark chocolate-covered mixed berry and grapefruit slices with a splash of coffee. Quite a smooth mouthfeel without the harshness Baltic porters can have. I'll WAG the IBUs are 40 and the label on the bottle (yes, a homebrew with a label that was a tribute to the brewer's mother, Ellie Swan) stated the ABV was 6%. This is likely the last of the species as the brewer's plans with a buddy to start their own brewery never materialized. I'm honored to have tasted half a bottle of this.

[devildeac]

From 12/23/17:

To aid in Tripping William's weekend purchases:

The Abyss (12/9/16 bottling) Scotch Barrel Variant-Deschutes Brewing Company

This is a big beer. A very big beer.

Devildeac II (aka our son) helped me knock out a bomber of this last PM as a night cap. Took us about 45 minutes.

Pour was almost inky black with a thin, mocha head. Nose was thick with dark chocolate, wood, booze and hints of licorice. Mouthfeel was thick. Not quite Ten Fidy thick, but close. Semi-sweet chocolate up first, then slightly burnt dark caramel, followed by dried cherries and other dark fruits, a bit of coffee and vanilla with mild, lingering, but not unpleasant tastes of licorice and closing with the expected warming, boozy finish. I'll guess IBUs of 60 as it's an imperial stout and the ABV is 12.3% and that stat was not hiding from anyone. We had some gifted, home-baked chocolate chip cookies and Cadbury chocolate eggs with the elixir but this concoction would survive well on its own. I think no licorice would make this a "better" product but no one contacted me about that factor either .

From last PM:

The Abyss Scotch Barrel Variant (bottled on 12/09/16)-Deschutes Brewing Company

What's different a year later? Well, there's less licorice, more molasses and more Scotch and a smoother mouthfeel than almost 12 months ago. Served with a generous slice of gold 3 layer cake with a thick, gooey milk chocolate fudge-y filling and icing from Delicious Bakery in Greensboro. Outstanding combination. I have 2 bottles left and it's looking like one for 2019 and the last one in 2020 if the current pattern continues .

[duketaylor]

Yeah, I need to find me another couple of bottles of this. All I have at the moment is the Cherry version.

I'm hoarding some Raspberry Tart; hope to visit CIS soon and will travel with some!!

[devildeac]

Polyflora-(collaboration) Central State Brewing (IN) and Brewery Bhavana (NC)

"Best sour I've ever had."

-devildeac II

I'm not sure I could name my favorite sour but this was outstanding. Huge thanks to fuse for trading a few weeks ago!

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a couple snifters last PM with dinner, a bowl of homemade chicken tortilla sour. Color was pinkish-yellow and a bit cloudy with a thin, fizzy head. Gorgeous nose of lemon-lime and pink zinfandel (red and white wine barred-aged for 9 months). Mild lemon-limeade pucker to start, smoothing to very vinous notes mid-palate with a dry, slightly sweet finish from the NC wildflower honey and Indiana malts. I'll guess IBUs about 20 (sour, not really bitter) and the ABV was 6.4%. Good pairing with the soup but thinking this might be a good choice with Italian pasta dishes.

[devildeac]

I'm hoarding some Raspberry Tart; hope to visit CIS soon and will travel with some!!

Hoarding? That's just mean, dt.

I'll be happy to meet you in Durham if you transport any extras...

[Tripping William]

Grabbed a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at Lowes Foods while preparing for the Snowpocalypse. A very good beer from this Greensboro brewery. But for the label, I would not have guessed this was brewed with cranberries. But, so it is. The cranberry flavors are subtle, but impart a sharpness to the taste. Good balance, though, and I’m glad I have three more. ABV at a sessionable 5.3%, and I would put the IBU count in the upper 50’s.

[fuse]

Casita Cereveceria Waking Dream Breakfast IPA

Smells like orange juice.

Says it has lactose and orange zest.
Guessing stylistically this is a riff on NEIPA style.

Easy drinking, and tasty.

Worth a try if you find it. Cheers!

[devildeac]

Strawberry Milkshake IPA-Gizmo Brew Works

Prototype Series

There was not much info on the label except they brew a buncha one-off/experimental stuff. This is the 4th Gizmo milk shake I've had, the prior three were a snifter of Pink Guava (no clever name) and cans of Damn Right, their pineapple version, and Better than Yours, a raspberry riff. This bomber, shared last night after dinner with our son, did not disappoint. Poured into snifters with a hazy, pink-yellow foamy head, it looked and smelled like strawberry-pineapple juice. Does Dole/Tropicana make one of those ? Tastes were initially pineapple-y with a serious take-over of berries accompanying juicy pulp and some milky sweetness. The label didn't state lactose and vanilla, but they'd both make sense here with the milkshake designation. I'll guess IBUs around 40 and the ABV that was Sharpied on the bottle was 8.3%, making this an imperial milkshake IPA . This was fine as a stand-alone but might be interesting with a slice of pineapple upside-down cake or strawberry shortcake, or, maybe even a DBR winner's fruit pie .

[fuse]

Strawberry Milkshake IPA-Gizmo Brew Works

Prototype Series

There was not much info on the label except they brew a buncha one-off/experimental stuff. This is the 4th Gizmo milk shake I've had, the prior three were a snifter of Pink Guava (no clever name) and cans of Damn Right, their pineapple version, and Better than Yours, a raspberry riff. This bomber, shared last night after dinner with our son, did not disappoint. Poured into snifters with a hazy, pink-yellow foamy head, it looked and smelled like strawberry-pineapple juice. Does Dole/Tropicana make one of those ? Tastes were initially pineapple-y with a serious take-over of berries accompanying juicy pulp and some milky sweetness. The label didn't state lactose and vanilla, but they'd both make sense here with the milkshake designation. I'll guess IBUs around 40 and the ABV that was Sharpied on the bottle was 8.3%, making this an imperial milkshake IPA . This was fine as a stand-alone but might be interesting with a slice of pineapple upside-down cake or strawberry shortcake, or, maybe even a DBR winner's fruit pie .

Gizmo has turned the corner.
Makes me wonder what the real success arc looks like for a brewery.

Has to be very, very (ad infinitum) rare for a brewery to open like Bond Brothers to open year one and get accolades like brewery of the year (USA Today).

Paths like Brueprint and Gizmo have to be more common- from mediocrity to finding their niche.

Occassionally, you see a mediocrity to failure path, like Triangle Brewing in Durham. If you don’t remember them, it’s all good- one of the Love Ninja’s best friends was friends with one half of the duo that opened Triangle. They had a couple of decent belgian style ales and the rest was pure dreck. They never rose to the competition.

I have to believe there is a 3-5 year path to success:
Year one, open with a splash and the public is forgiving of what is likely simply average beer at best
Year 2-3: make or break. Go big with quality beer, or fold.
Year 3+: established and ongoing success, or fade away.

[devildeac]

Gizmo has turned the corner.
Makes me wonder what the real success arc looks like for a brewery.

Has to be very, very (ad infinitum) rare for a brewery to open like Bond Brothers to open year one and get accolades like brewery of the year (USA Today).

Paths like Brueprint and Gizmo have to be more common- from mediocrity to finding their niche.

Occassionally, you see a mediocrity to failure path, like Triangle Brewing in Durham. If you don’t remember them, it’s all good- one of the Love Ninja’s best friends was friends with one half of the duo that opened Triangle. They had a couple of decent belgian style ales and the rest was pure dreck. They never rose to the competition.

I have to believe there is a 3-5 year path to success:
Year one, open with a splash and the public is forgiving of what is likely simply average beer at best
Year 2-3: make or break. Go big with quality beer, or fold.
Year 3+: established and ongoing success, or fade away.

Pretty reasonable evaluation. Our son still remembers trying to find Roth Brewing several years ago (before some employees bought out the owner who refused to brew IPAs*) with his wife, our younger daughter and her spouse and finally abandoning the quest after driving a half mile in the dark on the road to Roth because they all got scared on a Friday night as it's pretty dark on the journey from US 70 to the same/current Gizmo location .

(*fuse may correct that story if he'd like)

[devildeac]

Celebration-Sierra Nevada Brewing

Fresh hop ale

There's a reason I hadn't bought this in a decade or more and that reason is too bitter so I was a bit disconcerted finding a 12 ounce bottle in my December beer club 4 pack and decided to share with our son at dinner tonight and we both found it a nice pairing with broiled salmon, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and whipped potatoes. Pour was bronze with a frothy head. Somewhat dank, piney aromas matched by oily, piney and resin-y tastes with a modest butterscotch-toffee backbone. IBUs of 65 and ABV at 6.8% so it was a reasonably balanced IPA. I wouldn't buy a 6er of this but it was a pleasant surprise after many years away from my pint glass. Ingredients:

YEAST Ale yeast
BITTERING HOPS Chinook, Centennial
FINISHING HOPS Cascade, Centennial
MALTS Two-row Pale, Caramel

[fuse]

Celebration-Sierra Nevada Brewing

Fresh hop ale

There's a reason I hadn't bought this in a decade or more and that reason is too bitter so I was a bit disconcerted finding a 12 ounce bottle in my December beer club 4 pack and decided to share with our son at dinner tonight and we both found it a nice pairing with broiled salmon, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and whipped potatoes. Pour was bronze with a frothy head. Somewhat dank, piney aromas matched by oily, piney and resin-y tastes with a modest butterscotch-toffee backbone. IBUs of 65 and ABV at 6.8% so it was a reasonably balanced IPA. I wouldn't buy a 6er of this but it was a pleasant surprise after many years away from my pint glass. Ingredients:

YEAST Ale yeast
BITTERING HOPS Chinook, Centennial
FINISHING HOPS Cascade, Centennial
MALTS Two-row Pale, Caramel

Possibly my favorite “easy to get” fresh hop beer.
Six pack in the fridge chilling for consumption between now and year end. Fingers crossed that it is as good as memory suggests a year later.

[luburch]

Broke out the Bourbon County on Friday night. Always a treat. Plan on saving the one variant I snagged for Christmas Day.

[fuse]

Brut IPA side by side

Mother Earth Garden Party Champagne IPA
Flying Dog Alpha Initiative #04 Brut IPA

Mother Earth pours clear out of a can, almost no head.
Flying Dog poured with a vigorous head that dissipated quickly, leaving about 1 mm of foam.

Mother Earth is a deeper gold, and clear.
Flying Dog is a lighter straw colour, and hazy.

Mother Earth smells a bit piney before the fruitiness asserts itself.
Flying Dog, in comparison, smells more dank with a citrusy background.

Mother Earth is smooth, with an orange rind bitterness and not much else.

Flying Dog is perhaps more bitter, and more resiny, while still being smooth.

Mother Earth indicates Chinook and Mosaic.
Flying Dog says Citra, Simcoe, Galaxy.

Mother Earth is 8.5%, Flying Dog 7%.
Scary as neither tastes that strong.

I had really hoped there would be an obvious winner and a clear comparison. Not this time.

Both are excellent. The Flying Dog presents better, and may be the better beer.

The biggest takeaway is the “brut IPA” formula of getting rid of the residual sugar seems to really highlight the hops. I guess this means I like Mosaic (self affirming) and Chinook as a combination better than Citra, Simcoe, and Galaxy.

A fun way to spend a snowy Monday evening. The Love Ninja claimed the Mother Earth post taste test, so there is your victor.

Cheers!

[devildeac]

Brut IPA side by side

Mother Earth Garden Party Champagne IPA
Flying Dog Alpha Initiative #04 Brut IPA

Mother Earth pours clear out of a can, almost no head.
Flying Dog poured with a vigorous head that dissipated quickly, leaving about 1 mm of foam.

Mother Earth is a deeper gold, and clear.
Flying Dog is a lighter straw colour, and hazy.

Mother Earth smells a bit piney before the fruitiness asserts itself.
Flying Dog, in comparison, smells more dank with a citrusy background.

Mother Earth is smooth, with an orange rind bitterness and not much else.

Flying Dog is perhaps more bitter, and more resiny, while still being smooth.

Mother Earth indicates Chinook and Mosaic.
Flying Dog says Citra, Simcoe, Galaxy.

Mother Earth is 8.5%, Flying Dog 7%.
Scary as neither tastes that strong.

I had really hoped there would be an obvious winner and a clear comparison. Not this time.

Both are excellent. The Flying Dog presents better, and may be the better beer.

The biggest takeaway is the “brut IPA” formula of getting rid of the residual sugar seems to really highlight the hops. I guess this means I like Mosaic (self affirming) and Chinook as a combination better than Citra, Simcoe, and Galaxy.

A fun way to spend a snowy Monday evening. The Love Ninja claimed the Mother Earth post taste test, so there is your victor.

Cheers!

Great analysis. I'm not surprised at your Mosaic vote but it would be rather interesting if you could get Revolution's Citra Hero and Galaxy Hero into the same room and do a side-by-side with them. Or, more realistically, if Trophy were to brew single hop beers near the same time and grab a Galaxy and Citra can and see what you thought of those. Weyerbacher brewed a double Simcoe IPA (or should that be a Simcoe DIPA ) a few years ago, too, but not sure if that's been retired. Really grapefruity/pithy/rindy but also very good.

[mattman91]

Great analysis. I'm not surprised at your Mosaic vote but it would be rather interesting if you could get Revolution's Citra Hero and Galaxy Hero into the same room and do a side-by-side with them. Or, more realistically, if Trophy were to brew single hop beers near the same time and grab a Galaxy and Citra can and see what you thought of those. Weyerbacher brewed a double Simcoe IPA (or should that be a Simcoe DIPA ) a few years ago, too, but not sure if that's been retired. Really grapefruity/pithy/rindy but also very good.

I remember the Weyerbacher Double Simcoe from years ago. It was one of the first DIPAs I ever had. Haven't had one in a while, but I know I really enjoyed it. Hopefully they still make it.

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel GBS (2016 or 2017; no bottle dating)-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

I'm not sure of the source for this one as I had two of these but will thank duketaylor and accfanfrom1970 as I'm certain dt got a bottle of this for me that our daughter picked up for me a couple years ago and accfanfrom 1970 brought one to Bull City Burgers and Brews in January (?) this year for me. Thanks to you both!!

This was a 750 ml corked and caged bottle shared last PM with our son. Poured into snifters at fridge temps (too cold), we sipped for about 45 minutes and it became more magnificent as it warmed. Almost ink-colored with a moderate, latte-like tan head. This imperial milk stout even smells outrageous with aromas of dark chocolate (not added), dark, dried fruits (not added), cinnamon, ginger and vanilla (all added) and bourbon. Almost syrupy mouthfeel that was also amazingly smooth. All the aromas match the flavors with some black strap molasses (not added), honey (added) and a drop of espresso (not added). The finish is warm and boozy. IBUs on the bottle are 55, same as the regular GBS. ABV is 10.6%, a bit higher than the 9.2% (IIRC) on the original GBS. Complex and decadent. Liquid dessert, indeed.

I'll thank you guys again next year as I'll save my second bottle until next Christmas most likely.

[accfanfrom1970]

Tried searching...any reviews on Milk & Cookies from Wicked Weed? I like milk stouts, saw it at our total wine.

[devildeac]

Fuse is at your service from 2/4/17:

Wicked Weed Milk and Cookies

Smelled like a wonderful cup of coffee, lots of roasty aroma.

Finished rich and cinnamon-y.
A really good impression of an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Tasty.

Tried searching...any reviews on Milk & Cookies from Wicked Weed? I like milk stouts, saw it at our total wine.

(PS-Did you remember Wicked Weed is owned by AB InBev now?)

[mattman91]

Unfortunately, the Milk and Cookies Stout was very good. Ditto their French Toast Stout.