Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Life and Limb
All their 30th anniversary beer (especially the Grand Cru)

Torpedo
Tropical Torpedo

Their wet hop estate beers
Hoptimum

Just for starters...

Piling on, err, adding to the Ymm, Beer edification process:

Otra Vez
Several of the ongoing (?) Trip in the Woods series.
Several of the Ovila series.

[devildeac]

Needs the Clown (draft)-(synonym for donkey) Clown Brewing

Drink NC beer!

Second half pint pour of the evening last PM ($3.50).

It's a Flanders Red style sour ale and all boxes checked for appearances, aromas, tastes and mouthfeel.

Cloudy, burgundy color, modest pink head, Sour Patch Kids/Warheads cherry/berry nose, mildly astringent, vinegary yet sour fruity tastes with a very mild palate burn. I'll guess IBUs around 10 with the ABV at 7.2%. Much less puckery than Destihl's Flanders Red and comparable to a Rodenbach (not the Grand Cru). I could see this as an aperitif or digestif.

[devildeac]

Continuing last PM's "unusual" beer theme:

Dark Swan-Lagunitas (cough, heineken, cough) Brewing Company

Labeled on the bottle as a sour ale, it lived up to the billing with an interesting twist discovered after sipping and looking at the Lagunitas website info.

The first surprise after pouring from a 12 ounce bottle (from my May beer club 4 pack) into my large Ommegang tulip, this ale was purple! Dark purple. There was a generous, lavender-mocha head. I though it tasted like a sour blackberry stout with red wine barrel again. Turns out, I receive partial credit as it's made with Petite Sirah grapes and not blackberries (or any berries) and there is no barrel aging. Kind of a hybrid "beer-wine." They claim some experimental dry hopping is done but no yeast varieties are mentioned. IBUs of 22.6 are stated (really?) and the ABV is 8.5% so this made a unique and potent nightcap. I think this would pair nicely with a plate of berries before or after dinner.

[luburch]

Life and Limb
All their 30th anniversary beer (especially the Grand Cru)

Torpedo
Tropical Torpedo

Their wet hop estate beers
Hoptimum

Just for starters...

Had Torpedo and Tropical Torpedo. Fine, but nothing special to me. To each his own!

[fuse]

Pollyanna Cherry Lime Berliner Weisse

Whoa there! This was a beer eager to get out of its can, and why not?

The pour could be mistaken for a madras- a nice mix of cranberry (almost typed cranbeery) and orange.

The nose smells like Sprite and fresh cut limes.

Tastes a little bit like a Shirley Temple with Sprite instead of Coke.

A really nice summer sipper discovery from devildeac.

Cheers!

[fuse]

New Glarus Stone Soup

Belgian style

Smells like bubble gum.

Tastes like a cross between a hefe and a belgian “single”.

Really amazing.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

New Glarus Stone Soup

Belgian style

Smells like bubble gum.

Ugh. You lost me.

[devildeac]

Pollyanna Cherry Lime Berliner Weisse

Whoa there! This was a beer eager to get out of its can, and why not?

The pour could be mistaken for a madras- a nice mix of cranberry (almost typed cranbeery) and orange.

The nose smells like Sprite and fresh cut limes.

Tastes a little bit like a Shirley Temple with Sprite instead of Coke.

A really nice summer sipper discovery from devildeac.

Cheers!

That fits the description of a fun beer, especially the mental image of you trying to keep it imprisoned in a 12 ounce can.

Luvdahops issued the Chicago good housekeeping seal of approval on that beer, too.

[devildeac]

New Glarus Stone Soup

Belgian style

Smells like bubble gum.

Tastes like a cross between a hefe and a belgian “single”.

Really amazing.

Oooh, not what I was expecting. My faulty reading recall/comprehension thought Belgian dubbel style ale. I'm glad you alerted me as I've not tasted mine yet.

[fuse]

Oooh, not what I was expecting. My faulty reading recall/comprehension thought Belgian dubbel style ale. I'm glad you alerted me as I've not tasted mine yet.

If it is a Belgian dubbel (I think it does say abbey style ale on the bottle) it is the lightest and driest I’ve ever had.

By memory, compares more to Chimay White than Red or Blue.

[devildeac]

Oberon Ale-Bell's Brewery

Pint can included in last month's beer club 4 pack.

Initial 12 ounces into a pint glass was slightly hazy, a light bronze color with a moderate, foamy head. The remaining 4 ounces had a bit of sediment/fine "chunk." Nose was a bit spicier than expected as was the tasting which had some of the usual wh*at ale flavors of orange, banana and clove. Bell's doesn't believe in IBU ratings so I'll guess 30 with the ABV on the can of 5.8%. The sediment may have been the age of the beer (brewed on 3/28/18 but shelf life estimated to be 6 months), a typical characteristic of an unfiltered ale or both. Bell's usually makes fine beers but I thought this was average.

[devildeac]

Why not roll the dice a second time...

Taxman Apropos Apricot Saison

Apropos of nothing (at least not related to this beer), my first apricot beer was DFH Aprihop. A gift from a friend who knew I liked good beer, and didn’t know apricots were not my favorite.

Saisons, on the other hand...Ymmm, beer, indeed.

Super frothy head- 12 oz can barely fit in a 16 oz shaker pint glass.

Earthy, musty nose laced with sugar pop stone fruit sweetness.

Wow!
Super sour apricot fruit forward, a surprising start (this is really, really good).

Sharply sour fruit on the second sip.

I expected to be lukewarm about this beer at best, and its feeling like the discovery of the day.

I can be taught- learning to enjoy when the Taxman cometh!

Thanks devildeac!

Apropos-Taxman Brewing Company

Hope your second can is as good as your first.

My first can was bad.

Picked it up out of the box tonight to chill and it felt a bit light so I looked at the top rim of the can and saw a bit of dried residue and thought the can had leaked but chilled it anyway and just sipped some of the eight ounces that remained. Flat with something vaguely resembling flavors of dried, old apricot preserves. My second can feels "right" so I'll have it later this week or weekend and hope my tasting impressions resemble yours. This is only the second can of beer I've had in the last 5-10 years that had leaked, the first being Deep River's Pumpkin Pie Porter and that beer sucked before tasting it from a ruptured can.

[fuse]

Oberon Ale-Bell's Brewery

Pint can included in last month's beer club 4 pack.

Initial 12 ounces into a pint glass was slightly hazy, a light bronze color with a moderate, foamy head. The remaining 4 ounces had a bit of sediment/fine "chunk." Nose was a bit spicier than expected as was the tasting which had some of the usual wh*at ale flavors of orange, banana and clove. Bell's doesn't believe in IBU ratings so I'll guess 30 with the ABV on the can of 5.8%. The sediment may have been the age of the beer (brewed on 3/28/18 but shelf life estimated to be 6 months), a typical characteristic of an unfiltered ale or both. Bell's usually makes fine beers but I thought this was average.

This got me thinking.
What wheat beer, hefe, or “wheat heavy” style beer is better than average?

Been a long time since I have had an Oberon, and I enjoy all the Aventinus (?) (Schneider?) Weiss beers I’ve tried.

Ephemere is light, delicate, and delicious.

Just not a style I seek out much anymore. I’d attribute that some to seeking goses and berliner weiss in the summer as alternatives.

Looks like Beer Advocate has 3F Gumballhead and Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin as American Wheat Ales.

[devildeac]

This got me thinking.
What wheat beer, hefe, or “wheat heavy” style beer is better than average?

Been a long time since I have had an Oberon, and I enjoy all the Aventinus (?) (Schneider?) Weiss beers I’ve tried.

Ephemere is light, delicate, and delicious.

Just not a style I seek out much anymore. I’d attribute that some to seeking goses and berliner weiss in the summer as alternatives.

Looks like Beer Advocate has 3F Gumballhead and Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin as American Wheat Ales.

Interesting thoughts/observations, many parallel to my own.

The German beers named above are weizenbocks so they are wh*at beers but far superior to the general category. However, the Weihenstephaner (?sp) ales are international standards for the style.

I had forgotten what style Gumballhead and Lil Sumpin are .

[fuse]

Interesting thoughts/observations, many parallel to my own.

The German beers named above are weizenbocks so they are wh*at beers but far superior to the general category. However, the Weihenstephaner (?sp) ales are international standards for the style.

I had forgotten what style Gumballhead and Lil Sumpin are .

A lot of articles also seem to lump white and wit beers in this category, in which case Allagash White and Ommegang Wit are clear (hazy?) winners.

[fuse]

https://www.outsideonline.com/231047...climate-change

I think I posted a related article not too long ago.

Hops are thirsty plants. Ymmmm, hopssss.

[devildeac]

The who knows what it really tastes like entry...

Bounty filtered Taxman Passionfruit Guava saison

Perhaps literally the chunkiest beer I have ever poured.
So much so that my better half poured hers through a Bounty paper towel lined strainer. Seeing the results, I followed suit.

I’ve been known to be prone to exaggeration.
Prior to filtering, the bottom 3/4 of an inch of my glass was all sediment with particulate clouding the entire rest of the beer.
This is a can to pour mindfully and likely leave the bottom 2 ounces in the can.

Even after filtering the beer is murky, like dirty pond water.

The nose is cloying, all passionfruit.

Its a bit flat (the result of the filtering?) and the fruit flavour does not overpower the musty, yeasty saison overtones.

Not in the same league as the two Taxmen yesterday.
Still enjoyable.

My turn:

Passionfruit Guava La Maison-Taxman Brewing Company

Fuse's private and public warnings were heeded as I poured my first 12 ounce can very slowly into my oversized Ommegang tulip last PM. I stopped at the first sign of chunk and still ended up with a thin layer of sediment that quickly settled but was still left with a modest amount of floating debris. Pretty pink hue, marred by the cloudiness. Enticing aromas as above. Tastes were a bit dry but mildly sweet, like underripe strawberries, apples and pears with very mild bitterness. It's labeled an American Farmhouse ale with IBUs of 25 and ABV at 7.2%. I'll reserve judgment on any pairings. I may have my wife purchase some cheesecloth for straining my second can

[devildeac]

From 9/23/16:

BA ReDANKulous (draft)-Founders Brewing

Another brewery-only special and I'm very glad I saved this to sip after my brat and German potato salad were consumed. They threw some of this (ReDANKulous):


"This bold, 9.5% imperial red IPA pours a pleasing burnt amber color. Caramalt and roasted barley introduce a subtle sweetness, but the hops are the true headliner in this big IPA. The spicy, piney and tropical complexities of Chinook, Mosaic and Simcoe hops hit you right away with their dank aroma – and they stick around. It’s not just ridiculous. It’s reDANKulous."

And turned it into this:

"*B.A. Redankulous is the last test batch of Redankulous before it became a Backstage beer in 2015, and won that nifty gold medal, and then aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels for 485 days. It gained a delightful bump up in ABV and pours a tad darker shade of reddish brown. Enjoy this Big ol’ B.A. Beauty!"

Damn, this was delightful. Nose of dark fruits and booze before a ruby-brown pour with no head. Tastes of dark, dried fruits, tart cherries, candied grapefruit slices and toasted, dark, wheat bread and a lot of bourbon. IBUs quoted by our server at 85 and the ABV on this is a stunning 12.5%. Forget food with this and send them an email to brew it again and put it into some 4 packs.

From about 10 days ago:

Dank Wood (brewed on 4/10/18)-Founders (cough, heineken, cough) Brewing Company

I thought this looked/sounded familiar when I passed it over the first time I saw it for about $17 for a 4 pack. I was sucked in the second time at $15 for the litter.

Searching out the review from our midwest beer-cation, err, Duke Football journey, about 18 months ago I discovered the above old review/s. Amazing prescience on my part (I wish I had actually sent the email and could take an ounce of credit for it. ).

Three of us shared a 12 ounce bottle of this one evening as a nightcap. I think this is very close to the brew from 2016 WRT the color, aromas, mouthfeel and alcohol burn. This would also make a wonderful dessert beer, maybe with some bread pudding. Worth seeking out and buying a 4 pack with one for now and one every 6 months until the carrier is empty.

[devildeac]

From their house beers:

Exemption (I did not drink this.):

"Claim an Exemption, our abbey-style tripel. This crisp golden ale unites lemon, orange peel and coriander spices with flavorful Belgian esters. White wheat, oat and artisan malts contribute a balanced body, complemented by golden candi sugar."

From their Brewmaster Series:

Raspberry Ginger Exemption-Taxman Brewing Company

(I did drink this ale.)

Poured from a 12 ounce can into my oversized Ommegang tulip. Color was a gorgeous berry and was slightly cloudy (no chunks!) with a thin, fizzy head. Pungent berry aromas with a bit of spiciness. There's a bit of sour and a bit of sweet and and bit of heat and spice on the palate. The raspberries and lemon peel/zest lend the sour notes, the style (Belgian-style tripel) and candi sugar show up with the sweetness, the ginger gives some spice and heat and the Belgian yeast and coriander chip in with the spiciness. There's a bit of discrepancy with the IBUs as the website claims 55 (no way!) and the can has 36 which is more consistent with the style and the mouthfeel. ABV a dangerous 8.5%. A fruit plate before or after dinner would pair nicely as would a fruited/spicy salsa-topped tilapia filet. A very nice variation on the tripel style and much more palate-pleasing than the chunk and junk from the Passionfruit Guava La Maison farmhouse/saison ale.

[devildeac]

Taxman Mezcal Barrel Aged Exemption

Belgian style tripel with agave, spices aged in mezcal barrels

Surprisingly sweet belgian candi sugar and yeast nose.

First sip evokes shades of Mother Earth Tripel Overhead.

If you like a tequila kick, this beer packs an assertive (in a pleasant way) alcohol wallop.

Even when I opened the can, I smiled, reflecting on all the beers I’d never have tried without the devildeac discovery and delivery service.

I have not been a big fan of the Taxman beer devildeac has shared, so either my palate continues to evolve (likely) and Taxman’s beers have gotten better (also likely). Well, great minds arrive at the same conclusion independently

Started with a good head that dissipated quickly.

Initial nose was candy sweet- now its all tequila, tequila.

Not an easy sipper- this would have been a great choice in a snifter with a cigar.

There is a lot of rich butterscotch (not off flavour, not diacetyl) which makes for a long lasting impression on each sip.

Really a malty beer. I’m not sure what spices, I taste “something else” that I can’t name.

A brilliant beer. Changing my mind on Taxman, and looking forward to all the fruited Taxmen in the fridge.

A real gem- thanks devildeac!!!!

Mezcal Barrel Exemption-Taxman Brewing Company

From The Vault, their barrel series.

There's really very little to be added to the above outstanding review. I especially like the comparison to Mother Earth's Tripel Overhead, and the butterscotch and snifter references (but no cigar, please). The IBUs are 30 (an incredibly smooth sipper) and the ABV is 9% (dangerously smooth sipper). I savored this for almost an hour last PM before retiring.

An amazing concoction. Totally worth the $19 plus tax price tag on the 4 pack.