Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Love me some Andygator.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a bottle of Alewerks Marley's Lament, which I will probably break out on December 18 after we catch the matinée of our local production of A Christmas Carol. Will extend my Scrooge-like mood ... LOL

Andygator holds a special place in my heart.
In part because it is a very good beer, mostly because during my cross country trip with my father, we hit a bar in Chatanooga with Andygator on tap, and it was an instant hit with him. How do I know? He had 2 (maybe 3 ;-) that night.

Andygator >> Strawgator (no relation AFAIK to StrayGator )

[devildeac]

Old Jubilation is another great one that I used to go out of my way to find.

Oooh, forgot that one. Another very good Christmas ale.

[devildeac]

TW,

when did u visit Alewerks? I've been there a couple of times. Like it.

Hardywood releases a seasonal today. http://hardywood.com/hwevents/taproom-events/

Will try to secure some for some fine folks!!

BBA Gingerbread Stout with coffee?!?!

Yes, please!!

[devildeac]

We quietly slipped over 11K posts on this thread a few minutes ago. Nicely done, folks. Might hit 12K after the Christmas holiday .

[devildeac]

On the 8th day...

(I'm 2 days late-this is a make-up call, err, beer.)

Best Brown Ale-Bell's Brewery

I'm not too sure about best...

This was a tad disappointing considering the brewery.

This was the last entry in my November beer club 4 pack and poured from a 16 ounce can dated 8/23/16, so I don't think freshness was an issue. Appearance was a bit cloudy with a medium brown color but unfortunately with a small amount of chunks and flecks at the end of the pour. Medium tan head with caramel, bready scents. Tastes were the same with some nuttiness, too, but flavors just a bit "off." Not sour/turned/wet cardboardy but just a bit odd. Bell's doesn't believe in documenting IBUs so I'll guess about 30 and the ABV was 5.8%. I'll likely chalk this up to "bad handling" somewhere along the way and still continue to enjoy their products, looking forward to their Wild Sour Raspberry Ale over the holidays, perhaps with a Raspberry Tart pairing.

[devildeac]

Naughty or Nice party at the fuse household tonight. Very honored and grateful for the invite. A counter-full of stouts. More in AM and tomorrow afternoon. Amazing assortment of winter brews.

[fuse]

Naughty or Nice party at the fuse household tonight. Very honored and grateful for the invite. A counter-full of stouts. More in AM and tomorrow afternoon. Amazing assortment of winter brews.

First annual (?) Naughty or Nice party.

Great crowd/company, lots of fun.

Three Floyds Wig Splitter Coffee Stout may have been the surprise best in show.

Appearances by:

2016/15/14 Mother Earth Silent Night
2016/15 Brueprint Midnight Brue
2016/15 ABV Carolina Mountain Monster
2016 RBC The Toll
3F Wig Splitter
Speedway Stout


and maybe some other beers here and there.

Quite a holiday bash!

[duketaylor]

In celebration of the crushing of UNLV, I consumed this very nice offering.

Info from BA, https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/1891/

Excellent beer, IMO.

Just looking at the profile, didn't realize it was 10.2% ABV, glad I was home for the night with that one

[fuse]

First annual (?) Naughty or Nice party.

Great crowd/company, lots of fun.

Three Floyds Wig Splitter Coffee Stout may have been the surprise best in show.

Appearances by:

2016/15/14 Mother Earth Silent Night
2016/15 Brueprint Midnight Brue
2016/15 ABV Carolina Mountain Monster
2016 RBC The Toll
3F Wig Splitter
Speedway Stout


and maybe some other beers here and there.

Quite a holiday bash!

Recycling bin estimate 15-17 750ml bottles, plus a few bottles of wine.

[devildeac]

First annual (?) Naughty or Nice party.

Great crowd/company, lots of fun.

Three Floyds Wig Splitter Coffee Stout may have been the surprise best in show.

Appearances by:

2016/15/14 Mother Earth Silent Night
2016/15 Brueprint Midnight Brue
2016/15 ABV Carolina Mountain Monster
2016 RBC The Toll
3F Wig Splitter
Speedway Stout


and maybe some other beers here and there.

Quite a holiday bash!

Silent Night 2014-Mother Earth Brewing

In the lead-off position, this black as night BBA RIS poured into my Mother Earth snifter had a little bit of frothy, mocha head. This has smoothed a bit whilst spending a couple years in the bottle in the fuse beer fridge. I thought the bourbon was a bit muted and the dark chocolate notes a bit more prominent than the coffee flavors. I'll guess IBUs around 60 and the ABV was 9%, IIRC. Are you kidding me? For a starter beer? A pleasant surprise after a bit lackluster 2014 draft tasting of this at the Mother Earth Brewery last month for the 2016 Silent Night release party.

[devildeac]

Silent Night 2015-Mother Earth Brewing

Batting second. If put side-by-side with the 2014 version, I'm not sure I could differentiate. Perhaps a bit more bourbon presence and a shade less smooth but quite enjoyable. I've got 2 bottles of this in the "cellar" for winter enjoyment at the dd household.

[fuse]

Silent Night 2014-Mother Earth Brewing

In the lead-off position, this black as night BBA RIS poured into my Mother Earth snifter had a little bit of frothy, mocha head. This has smoothed a bit whilst spending a couple years in the bottle in the fuse beer fridge. I thought the bourbon was a bit muted and the dark chocolate notes a bit more prominent than the coffee flavors. I'll guess IBUs around 60 and the ABV was 9%, IIRC. Are you kidding me? For a starter beer? A pleasant surprise after a bit lackluster 2014 draft tasting of this at the Mother Earth Brewery last month for the 2016 Silent Night release party.

It was a pleasant surprise after Silent Night Day in Kinston where the 2014 was the odd vintage out, that it really showed quite differently from the bottle.

[devildeac]

Silent Night 2015-Mother Earth Brewing

Batting second. If put side-by-side with the 2014 version, I'm not sure I could differentiate. Perhaps a bit more bourbon presence and a shade less smooth but quite enjoyable. I've got 2 bottles of this in the "cellar" for winter enjoyment at the dd household.

Silent Night 2016-Mother Earth Brewing

Hitting third. I like this the best of the 3. Yea, it was a bit rough but I really enjoyed the very prominent bourbon notes, both aromas and tastes. Coffee and dark chocolate tastes were a bit unrefined but strong, both positives for me. I didn't perceive much difference in the IBUs (not listed) and forgot to check the ABV on the '15 and '16 bottles but they've been 9% pretty much every year.

[devildeac]

From 3/9/15:

Midnight Brue-Brueprint Brewing Company

Drink local!

It's listed as a stout but at 8.5% ABV, it's rather imperial. Poured a kind of thin dark, dark brown with a light tan, creamy head. Some dark chocolate scents with dark fruits followed by milk chocolate first on the palate then raisins, dates, figs and molasses with a late coffee finish. No adjuncts listed on the bottle or at their website. IBUs a bit low at 32 for the style but that allowed the dark fruits to stand out. Mattman, our son and our older son-in-law got the other 3 as traders last month. Certainly one I'd re-taste next winter.

From last night after 21 months in the fuse beer fridge:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Midnight Brue 2015-Brueprint Brewing Company

Think Depth Charge cocktail here with a shot of bourbon in the above beverage. The booziness makes the dark fruit flavors a bit less perceptible. A bit "thinner" than the Silent Nights but showed well in the clean-up spot in the batting order last PM. Didn't check the bottle for IBUs but I'd think about the same as the non-BBA version above and I think the ABV was a bit higher at 9%. The conversation is getting more fluid and the memory a bit shady after my fourth four ounce sample of the evening.

[devildeac]

From 1/16/16:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Midnight Brue 2016-Brueprint Brewing Company

Guess who got this bottle for me last month ?

Excellent summary/description, as usual. I didn't think it was so thick and thought the head was a bit thin as was the body and perhaps tasted a bit of dark chocolate, too. Whiskey notes are very smooth, maybe with a bit of vanilla, too. I'll guess IBUs of about 50 and the ABV is 8.5%, drinking a bit more boozey than that but on the low end for the imperial stout style. I think this was $12 for the capped bomber that I sipped over 2 nights. Likely their first effort at barrel-aging for their Bruetopian Series and a very high quality one, too. So much so that I can't wait for ricks68 to return to the area and slip the BBA cherry version of this back into my clutches where it rightfully belongs .

Thanks again to fuse.

From last PM:

BBA Midnight Brue 2016-Brueprint Brewing

After darn near a year in the fuse not-so-overloaded-anymore beer fridge.

Batting in the 5th spot. Same appearance as above but more whiskey-ish aromas and boozier on the palate, along with the expected dark fruits, a bit of coffee and a dollop of molasses. A bit thinner than Silent Night but still highly enjoyable.

And yes, there was a cornucopia of snacks, treats, desserts to accompany the tastings. They included a thick apple-berry relish, candied/spiced almonds, various cheeses and crackers, pistachio bars, salted caramel/chocolate Moravian cookies along with milk chocolate iced and dark chocolate brownies. I know I missed a few other items-those were just the ones I tasted .

[Tripping William]

I interrupt the stout-o-rama with the last of my autumnal ales. Pours a golden brown with some orange tinge and a medium head. Really nice spice, but just a touch bitter on the finish. 5.5% ABV, so pretty easy-drinking.

Okay, now back to the super-dark stuff ...

[devildeac]

First annual (?) Naughty or Nice party.

Great crowd/company, lots of fun.

Three Floyds Wig Splitter Coffee Stout may have been the surprise best in show.

Appearances by:

2016/15/14 Mother Earth Silent Night
2016/15 Brueprint Midnight Brue
2016/15 ABV Carolina Mountain Monster
2016 RBC The Toll
3F Wig Splitter
Speedway Stout


and maybe some other beers here and there.

Quite a holiday bash!

I didn't have any Wig Splitter last PM because I still have mine sequestered in the garage. So glad it was well-received. Might have to break that out this week.

[devildeac]

From 3/15/16:

The Miller's Toll (bourbon barrel aged)-Raleigh Brewing Company (2015 version)

Take the above (which was The Miller's Toll), throw in a couple aliquots of bourbon, 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla, some toasted coconut flakes and a drop or two of dark caramel and fudge sauces and you have an even more enormous brew. This was about a $16 bomber that I divided (not evenly) over 3 nights, finishing with a nearly full snifter of a very warming, boozy, port-like concoction that I'm sipping over an hour or so as I post. Heavenly. I may return to the brewer tomorrow to pick up a couple more bottles of this for myself and mattman if they have any left.

From last PM:

The Toll-Raleigh Brewing Company

Fuse said they changed the name due to some copyright/naming issues for the 2016 issue. I'll guess they changed the recipe some, too, as this was a dark chocolate covered caramel bomb, followed by a shot of bourbon. Black in color with semi-sweet chocolate and whiskey greeting you from the snifter. Pretty intense dark caramel, bourbon and Nestle's morsels coated the palate. I'll guess about 60 IBUs and I think I recall 10.5% ABV on the label. Should have taken a few notes . Another excellent selection.

[devildeac]

I interrupt the stout-o-rama with the last of my autumnal ales. Pours a golden brown with some orange tinge and a medium head. Really nice spice, but just a touch bitter on the finish. 5.5% ABV, so pretty easy-drinking.

Okay, now back to the super-dark stuff ...

A palate/thread cleanser from all the high viscosity stuff.

[fuse]

A palate/thread cleanser from all the high viscosity stuff.

You're through about 6 of 11(?).

Some pretty good notes from memory.