Day 574: Troegs Pale Ale

Is it weird that my first instinct when seeing a beautiful flight of beers like this is to paint a room a new color? OK, I lie. My first instinct is nomz, nomz, nomz! Then I think about how pretty they are.

Honestly. Look at the one in the middle. Gorgeous!

Troegs Beer Week continues with a Pale Ale review. It poured a very crisp golden color with a minimal white head. It has a peppery hop aroma. The flavor is spicy and smooth. There's a full mouthfeel. After it sat for a bit, I picked up some grapefruit in the nose and noted it had a nice buttery feel.

A note on Troegs facility in Hershey (Pennsylvania). It is a fantastic place to hang out and imbibe. If you've ever been to Green Flash in San Diego, it's a lot like that. Just a chill vibe and a ton of great beer. Don't let Troegs claim to just have a "snack bar" deter you either. There's a great variety of food and it's quite good. The beer flights include six 4.5oz pours so you get a really solid sense of their beer.

Beer stats
Style: American pale ale
ABV: 5.4%
IBUs: 45
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from TroegsPreviously reviewed from Troegs
His review of Scratch 95 * (kolsch), pale ale, Nugget Nectar and Scratch 57 (weizenbock)
My review of Sunshine Pils. Also check out posts from this week on a number of Troegs beers. Why? Because it's Troegs Beer Week on Blog Named Brew!

Day 573: Troegs DreamWeaver Wheat

Odd fact about me: I love a good Rube Goldberg machine. And this one is amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEBJmZL8G1E

I'm not sure what part is the best. The angry nerd domino effect? The chomping fish? Golf balls playing percussion? The entire thing is totally amazing. Seriously.

You know what else is amazing? Troegs beer. It's so amazing that I'm declaring it Troegs Beer Week on a Blog Named Brew!

Let's start with DreamWeaver Wheat.

So pretty.

DreamWeaver Wheat pours a hazy wet straw color with a thin white head. It didn't have a powerful aroma, which was a bit surprising. The flavor is creamy banana, peppery with a mild hop finish. It's brewed with wheat, Munich and Pilsner malts, German Northern Brewer hops and uses an open top fermentation. There's also a yeast strain that imparts a peppery, clove taste with a slight hint of banana. Dear Troegs, you got this one right!

I noted that it didn't have much of a head. Per Troegs' website, they recommend "rousing the yeast" at the bottom of the bottle and pouring it into the glass for a big frothy head. I guess that doesn't work when it's on draught.

Beer stats
Style: Wheat ale
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: 15

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Troegs
His review of Scratch 95 * (kolsch), pale ale, Nugget Nectar and Scratch 57 (weizenbock)
My review of Sunshine Pils

* The Scratch Series is Troegs experimental line of beers. My advice to you is to try them out whenever you see them. I've had some amazing beers that were part of the Scratch Series. Unfortunately for you, I was drinking for fun and not stressing about reviews when I had them. I'll try to do better for you in the future!

Day 566: Fort George Quick Wit

I love this photograph. It's like I'm magic!

Today's beer is thanks to a fellow beer geek who very kindly shipped it along with a few other favorites to me from Portland, Oregon. (Note to self: Organize another cross-country beer trade.)

This one is the Fort George Quick Wit--a Belgianesque ale. It looks like an Arnold Palmer...the beloved blend of lemonade and iced tea. It didn't have much of a head. But what's hanging around the edge of the glass is nice and white.

It smells sweet and lemony. Those notes carry over gracefully into the flavor, which also has a good amount of wheat. Go figure. It is a wheat ale. This particular beer is brewed with lemongrass and that gives it a really nice lemon/green pepper flavor. Interestingly it is also brewed with elderflower, which is believed to have supernatural powers to ward off evil. So I have that going for me. And clearly from the photograph, my supernatural powers are working.

Lately I've been very wishy, washy about wheat beers. I swear I'm off of them and then I find a winner like Fort George. I guess it shall be an on-again, off-again relationship.

Interesting note about Fort George Brewing. It's located in Astoria, Oregon, which is where Goonies was shot. The house is still there and there seem to be lots of Goonies-related events every year around the release date of the film (June 7)!

Beer stats
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Fort George
Quick Wit is first out the limo!

Day 557: Ommegang Witte

Ever have one of those days where packing it all in and finding a job with zero responsibilities sounds like THE BEST THING EVER? Yeah, that's been the last way too many weeks in my world. But what do I do? Soldier on. But for how much longer can I just buck up and deal with it?

Luckily I have this creative outlet and some really good beer on deck. Take for example the Ommegang Witte.


It's billed as a Belgian-style wheat ale, flavorful, soft and hazy. I thought the description referred to the beer, but I guess the folks at Ommegang were psychic about the quality of the photo I was about to take of their beer. Soft and hazy. Or out of focus. Whatevs.

It poured a very light straw color, but it wasn't quite the hazy I anticipated after reading the label. It had a medium, quick-to-dissipate white head. The aroma is wheat and some light orange. The flavor is crisp and citrusy. There's lots of orange and what I'm guessing is coriander. There's also a bit of cracker flavor and it's nicely carbonated. It's a very refreshing beer and perfect for a summer day.

Beer stats
Style: Wheat ale
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Very good

Previously reviewed from Ommegang
My review of Gnomegang (Belgian pale ale), Biere d'Hougomont (biere de garde), Three Philosophers (quad) and Aphrodite (fruit beer)
His review of Witte, Biere d'Hougomont and Three Philosophers

Day 553: Uinta Crooked Series, Cockeyed Cooper

I'm clearly cleaning out the beer lurking in the back of the fridge because nothing says beautiful June day like a bourbon barrel aged barley wine.

This one is the Cockeyed Cooper bourbon barrel barley wine ale from Uinta Brewing's Crooked Line Series. For the entirety of year one of this blog, when we were only drinking one beer from each brewery, Uinta messed with me during every trip to stock up on beer. Why? Because their labels are mysteriously wildly different from each other. Southern Tier? Has a look. Stoudts? Has a look. Uinta? Different. Every. Single. Time.

Barley wine ale can vary widely in tasting notes; however, it will always have a high ABV. It's typically lively and fruity, sometimes sweet or bittersweet. They can be challenging. Aromas range from intense fruits to intense hops. Body is usually thick and flavors can range from dominant fruits to big, resiny hops.

How did Cockeyed Cooper stack up? I'll admit it isn't the best barley wine I've ever had. It is billed on the bottle's label as having tastes of bourbon with splashes of vanilla and chocolate and dried fruits plus generous amounts of hops and malts.

It poured a murky, red-tinged dark brown ale with a full tan head. It left lots of sticky lacing in the glass. It smells of red currants and vanilla. There's a very thick mouthfeel to it. The first thing I noticed is the very hoppy finish, which is indicative of American style barley wine ales. I'm learning that I prefer non-American where you get more of a balance between the hops and malts. The flavor also produced some bitter chocolate and oaky notes. As it warmed up some it also had more sweet chocolate and cherry. It was also very boozy. While all this sounds very nice and tasty, the entire time I was drinking it, I kept thinking it was missing something. Maybe it was the big hop finish throwing me off...I'm not sure.

Will this cause me to avoid trying other Uinta beers? Doubtful.

Beer stats
Style: Barley wine ale
ABV: 11.1%
IBUs: 65
Rating: Average

Previously reviewed from Uinta
We're going in the "Way Back Machine" to Gary's 110th post for a review of HooDoo kolsch.
I reviewed the same beer on day 105 with some recollections of attempting to create some DJ effects on my Dad's very expensive stereo turntable. Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for not killing me!

Day 529: A Few Things Including Breckenridge Brewing's Agave Wheat

On Monday, May 20, The Doors' founding keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed away after a battle with cancer. One would have thought after surviving The Doors, you become immortal; however, it doesn't seem to work that way.

I found myself listening to a lot of music by The Doors during the days since. I'm not seeking it out--it just seems to be everywhere right now. Don't get me wrong, I listened to that band quite a bit in high school and college. And then I stopped. Why? I have no idea. But hearing it, especially L.A. Woman, has brought back some ridiculous memories. Perhaps the most ridiculous among them is a recollection of sitting in my room, blaring The Doors and writing trippy, rambling poetry, burning incense, donning flowing skirts and flannel shirts, reeking of patchouli.

If they say I never loved you

You know they are a liar

                                                 --Jim Morrison

What I would give for that journal of poetry right now...

In other news Breckenridge Brewing is creating a mixed case of canned beer and it includes Agave Wheat, which is one of my favorite beers. And since it's one of my favorite beers, I thought it was about time that I review it.

It pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a medium white head. It smells of wheat with a mild sweetness and just a bit of tanginess. It has a tart wheat-y flavor. Some lemon. And a very light bitter hop at the finish. It's very sessionable. In fact it's been the beer of choice at our tailgate for the warm weather games.

I'm truly bummed that we're not heading to Colorado this summer. It will be the first time in three years that I won't get to experience fresh mountain air--it really does smell better there--and how awesome the lack of humidity is for my hair. Seriously. You should see my hair in Colorado. Amazing.

Beer stats
Style: American unfiltered wheat ale
ABV: 4.2%
IBUs: 9
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Breckenridge
My 2nd post of this adventure with a review of the vanilla porter
Mr. Blog Named Brew's review of agave wheat
His and hers reviews of 471 Small Batch and my review of Christmas ale

The Day the Vampires Took Over

Day #523 Twilight Summer Ale / Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

Previously from this brewery: Marci's take on Sour Raz, and my take on Saison de Poivre 

I'm typing this in between throwing back a beer and shoveling forkfuls of a delicious dinner into my face (I'm home alone, so therefore no need for manners).  I sauteed some shrimp & garlic, and served over pasta, baby spinach, olives, and capers and topped with a splash of a California olive oil and a craaaaazy delicious 20 year old balsamic vinegar.  Life is good, friends.  And if you truly are my friend, you may want to consider following BlogNamedBrew on Instagram, and (new this week) BlogNamedBrew on Twitter.  Do it.  Don't make me sad.

On this beautiful almost-summer evening, I'm drinking a Twilight Summer Ale from Deschutes.  This is important for one main reason: this means Deschutes is finally shipping their delicious beers east of the Mississippi!  This beer has a bright copper color with a thin wispy white head.  There's a really nice aroma of lemon and pine, and the taste is full of lemony goodness.  There's a touch of malt sweetness to keep the hops in balance, although you get a touch of bitterness on the end.  It's light, but very flavorful, and at a manageable 5% ABV, this one definitely deserves a place of honor at family gatherings, BBQs, or tailgates this summer.

Much better than a movie about Vampires

While I didn't visit Deschutes in their Bend home, I did get to sample some beers at their Portland outpost.  Great place to spend an afternoon.

Thing to Think About Today:
Somebody follow me:  This beer is named Twilight.  A recent cultural phenomenon was tween reading turned hit movie Twilight.  This series featured uber pale actors who were vampires or werewolves or undead or something, and there were love triangles or teen angst or other things.  Why this was popular with people older than 14 I have no idea, but it was.  And whatever it was, it definitely had vampires.  Oh, vampires, you say?

Vampire Weekend is one of my all time favorite bands, and just this week they released their new album, Modern Vampires of the City.  To no one's great surprise, it's been on repeat since the moment it hit my iPod.... and it's fantastic.  A more introspective record than their first two offerings, this new offering will still serve as my soundtrack for the next few months.  Have I already graced you with the presence of two songs from Modern Vampires of the City?  Yes I did.  In fact, I did it twice!

So, your thing to think about for the remainder of the evening will be a third offering, Everlasting Arms, from a very cool performance they did in conjunction with a concert film Steve Buscemi (distant relative of one of the band members) directed.  Enjoy your summer evening!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ps6TjI7ws0

Day 430: ABCs of Beer (Appalachian Brewing Company, that is)

Is it weird that at age 37, I just want to spend tonight playing with my new iPhone? No? Excellent.

While I enjoy my new toy...er...I mean smart phone, you can read about my visit to Appalachian Brewing Company's outpost in Collegeville (Pennsylvania).  It was actually the first stop on my Chester County Beer Tour a few weekends ago.  I wrote about the second and third stops on the tour last week. I guess this review falls in the better late than never category.

Appalachian Brewing Company was started in Harrisburg and has locations in Gettysburg, Lititz and Camp Hill in addition to Collegeville. If you're visiting the Collegeville location, be warned it's not the easiest place to find, but it's worth it.  I started out with a sampler.

They came from here...

I didn't take notes on the entire sampler. I can tell you that I like most everything. What I didn't like was the IPA, which Mr. Blog Named Brew seemed to enjoy. After I finished the sampler, I ordered a full size Jolly Scot Scottish ale. It was my favorite of the beers in the sampler.

It poured a bright mahogany color with a wispy light tan head. I couldn't get a good read on the smell. Definitely malts...but I couldn't figure out the rest. The flavor was nutty, warm and reminiscent of biscuits. It had an almost bourbon-like flavor to it with hints of woodiness.  Good stuff.

Beer stats
Style: Scottish ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 18
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Appalachian
This beer is the first out the limo!

Day 426: Stillwater Lower Dens, A Collaboration

Typically when I think of a brewer collaborating on a particular beer, I assume the partnership is with another brewer--or maybe a chef. But musical artists? Nope. That wasn't on my radar at all until I found the Stillwater Lower Dens.

It's part of the Stillwater Sensory Series, which is a collaboration between Stillwater Artisanal and singular musical artists. This first collaboration is with Lower Dens and the result is an ale based on an interpretation of their song In the End is the Beginning. I had it on draft at TJ's, but if you were lucky enough to get a bottle, there's a QR code that links to an exclusive Lower Dens performance of the song. Cool, huh? It's a true artistic collaboration that aims to create a full sensory experience--sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste.

Lower Dens the beer is a hibiscus ale. It pours a bright but hazy shade of orange. There's lots of very active bubbles and it has a white head. There's a yeasty tang in the smell. Reminds me of a saison.The flavor is also very tangy with mellow hops. It has some lemon in the taste along with a slightly floral note. Hibiscus! It's very subtle but delicious.

Beer stats

Style: Hibiscus ale

ABV: 6%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Stillwater

My review of Stateside Saison from year one

I snuck a second review of Stillwater in during year one for the Wabash Cannonball, but also reviewed another awesome beer from Evil Twin

And then I snuck in a third Stillwater review in year one. This was a partnership with Mikkeller (brother to Evil Twin) and called Our Side

Gary reviews Cellar Door

Day 421: Iron Hill and Phoenixville

A few weekends ago we did a Chester County beer tour. The second stop on the tour was Iron Hill Brewery's Phoenixville outpost. I'll get to the first and last stops this week, I promise.

I think this is the second Iron Hill location...the first being in West Chester (PA) and quite a few came after it all around Philadelphia and New Jersey. Iron Hill is one of many bars and restaurants currently populating the main drag in Phoenixville. About a decade ago, when we lived on the outskirts of Phoenixville, it was a dump. D-U-M-P.

You did not go there at night. One could question why you would go there during the day even. There was absolutely nothing downtown. Well there was one of the sketchiest liquor stores I've ever seen. Their best selling wine was either Boone's Farm or Mad Dog. And people weren't drinking it ironically. And no, there wasn't a college town there.

Fast-forward several years--after we move away--and it's a fantastic, bustling little town. Go check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Iron Hill makes a lot of great beers and I went with the Belgian Tripel.


It poured an opaque golden color with a thin white head. Its aroma was bread and mild fruit. The flavor was satisfyingly complex. Banananas. Dark pitted fruit. Wild flower honey. It had a brightness to it and was definitely boozy, but it wasn't heavy.

Beer stats
Style: Belgian Tripel
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 35
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Iron Hill
First beer ever!

Day 418: New Holland Black Tulip

Ever have that feeling that you're about to be pushed off a cliff? That things are about to go wildly out of control? Yeah. Me neither.

If I had that feeling, I would numb if with a New Holland Brewing Company's Black Tulip tripel ale. Vintage 2012 to be exact because it is a solid beer. It's part of New Holland's High Gravity Series. Honestly I'm not sure I could love New Holland's beer more than I do. Check out the links below for some evidence.

The Black Tulip poured a hazy orange color with a very thin, slightly offwhite head. It has an earthy, vegetable-like scent. It reminded me of roots. The taste is banana, fruity ester, yeast. It's boozy but not overwhelming and has a good amount of prickly carbonation.

Here's what New Holland has to say about Black Tulip: Golden in color, Black Tulip Tripel is a delightful beer with a slightly sweet body. Its ester-laden character reveals an enigmatic dance between Belgian ale yeast and Michigan beet sugar, conjuring hints of bananas and rock candy. Its inviting flavor is complemented by a pleasing dry finish.

I like when I get it mostly right.

Beer stats
Style: Tripel
ABV: 8.8%
IBUs: 21
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from New Holland
Gary's review of Black Tulip
Gary's review of Blue Sunday Sour and not so idle threats against cancer
An embarrassment of sour ale riches and a review of Blue Sunday Sour
A post that I am incredibly proud of that includes a review of Dragon's Milk

Day 410: Real Ale, Brewery Tours and God's Country, Y'all

The final installment of Texas Beer Week takes us to Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, Texas. I went to Texas Hill Country! It is an amazing thing to see so much open space--it looks like it just goes on forever. There were cowboys. Unironic boot wearing, hat wearing cowboys. I even saw a car with cattle horns on the front end! Amazing. 

We hit the road from Austin and headed west to Blanco to experience Real Ale Brewing for ourselves. Normally I'm the person who says if you've seen one brewery, you don't need to see them all. Boy was I  mistaken. The tour at Real Ale was awesome. It was not one of those OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) approved tours. It was a true behind-scenes, stand in puddles, don't poke your eye out on that nozzle, avoid getting a concussion tour. I'm pretty sure that if I lingered too long, someone would have given me a keg to fill or hops to haul around. 

The guys at Real Ale are cranking out some great beer. I noticed their Firemans 4 blonde ale all over Austin. Thanks to some bizarre Texas laws, breweries cannot sell directly to consumers. Instead some give away samples.  There was a point during our visit to Real Ale when I wondered how long we could hang out before we got cut off. 

What did I sample? Two beers. Repeatedly. The first was a Belgian-style tripel, Devil's Backbone. It was a nice golden color with great flavor. Good candy sugar, a little hoppy. Very interesting. The booze was apparent but surprisingly easy to drink. 

My other taste went to the barleywine. Another bruiser of a beer (11% ABV) but so tasty and warming.  Lots of toffee and malt with enough hop to keep it from being too rich. 

Beer stats 
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11%
IBUs: 77
Rating: Good

Style: Tripel
ABV:  8.1%
IBUs: 36
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Real Ale Brewing
First review!

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of my beer.  Instead here are some shots from the tour...

Yes, Real Ale is doing barrel aging!

And like I said when I started Texas Beer Week...Texas forever, y'all.

Love and Horses

Day #405 Hundred Horse Ale / Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA
Previously from this brewery: All things Victory from this blog

Tonight is short and sweet, because you should all be having a drink and relaxing, kicking of a long weekend in style.  So, I won't bore you with the details of my day, other than to say it ended better than it started and I'm quite happy to have some time away from my desk.  Work tends to happen there, whereas beer tends to happen other places.

Tonight's review is the Hundred Horse Ale from Victory Brewing Company.  I took a growler of this home from Victory from a recent visit, and it pours a clear dark copper, with a lingering thin white head.  The aroma is light, with some toasted malt, and the taste is dry and smooth, with lightly toasted malt, grain, and some good chestnut flavor.  Very good beer, and worth a sample if you see it on draft in Philly, or Chicago.

Hundred Horses

This beer is a collaboration between Victory and Mark Vetri, famous Philly restaurant owner.  This was created for a special beer dinner Vetri and his chefs from Alla Spina were doing at a restaurant in Chicago, The Publican.  Got all of that?  I don't either, but the beer was good, and Vetri gave me a great meatball recipe to use, so I'm just going to stop thinking about it.

Thing to Think About Today:
I heard some great music today, and have had New Edition stuck in my head as a result.  I love when a great old(er) song pops up, and immediately brings you back to a happy time from your youth.  So, on a fun Friday night, let's go ahead and wrap things up with some If It Isn't Love.  And to all, a very good night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReI6gvzVP0Y

"So if it isn't love, why do I feel this way / why does she stay on my mind?"

Day 394: Great Lakes and Better Late Than Never

This beer blog thing is so much easier when I only write every other day. I'm stockpiling beers like mad! The only problem is that some of the reviews aren't as timely as I would have intended.  Take for example the Christmas ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company.  Christmas is so over despite my decorations still hanging around the house. I'm over the clutter and can't wait to pack them all up next weekend and continue purging all the extraneous junk from my kingdom.

I guess the purging begins with this dusty review for a beer I drank back in December.  The Christmas Ale is handcrafted with honey and spices per the label.  

It poured a bright crystalline copper color with a loose ecru head. It smells lightly of honey and mostly of general beer. The taste has a much stronger honey profile with a good amount of malt. There's also just enough of a hint of hop at the finish to keep it well balanced.  I can definitely taste the spices, but I can't quite name them. Overall this is a good beer.

Beer stats
Style: Winter warmer
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: 30
Rating: Good

Links to prior reviews for Great Lakes Brewing Company
Gary's thoughts on this winter warmer are here
My review of Dortmunder Gold and then there's Gary's thoughts on Dortmunder

Day 386: Avery Hog Heaven

If you're one of my three loyal blog readers or a Twitter follower, you may have noticed we took our tomfoolery on the road to Texas this past week. It was fantastic and fun and we got to cross another state off the list in our quest to visit every state in the Union. We're at about the midway point in that quest and are looking two knock down another two states in 2013 if all goes according to plan.

All I have to say about Texas--and Austin specifically--is that there is some amazing beer there. We did a lot of bar hopping and brewery visiting during the past four days and I'll regale you with reviews and photos in the coming weeks.  Yes, weeks. We packed a lot into four days.

Funny story from the trip home. Both our outbound and inbound flights were plagued by a series of delays--perhaps that's why I tend to do most of my traveling during more agreeable weather. But as I stood in the security line at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, all that waiting paid off. I could have sworn something kept brushing up against my backside. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the usual families and random people who make up a security line. Odd. But there it was again. This time I noticed a slightly embarrassed mother pulling her child away. A young girl, maybe four years old. Awkward glances were exchanged and I shuffled forward. But then there was giggling and what was decidedly a small nose in the crack of my ass. Yes, that adorable kiddo had her face in my rump.

More awkward looks and some rather entertaining discipline between mother and child ensued. As did several more instances of inappropriate touching in public between my ass and a child's face. At one point I looked at the woman and before I could even say anything, she admits it is an extremely awkward phase her daughter is going through and apologized profusely. Honestly I was so entertained that I had some wonderfully bizarre material for my next post that the kid could have goosed me and I would have hugged her. And seriously? Who goes through a phase where they like to be extremely close to strangers' backsides?

I can't even begin to find a segue between having my butt face-groped by a toddler and Avery Brewing Company's Hog Heaven. So let's just get to it.

Hog Heaven is a dry-hopped barleywine style ale. The color is dark reddish-apricot and hazy with a medium cream color head. As I drank my way to an empty glass, the lacing was significant. The smell is decidedly hoppy with lots of of pine. Every so often I would get some fruit undertones, but I had to work to get there. The flavor...it's like a barleywine and a west coast IPA had a baby! There were lots of bitter hops from start to finish. Beneath that is caramel malt goodness and rich, dark fruit. Hog Heaven had a very interesting and unexpected flavor.

Beer stats 
Style: Barleywine (dry hopped)
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 102 (crazy high IBUs)
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Avery
My thoughts on the White Rascal 
Gary's musings on the Maharaja and Hog Heaven.

Day 384: MacTarnahan's Spine Tingler

Austin is a fascinating place. It is equal parts hipster, cowboy, cool, bizarre and vagrant. I've never seen so many places to eat and drink that didn't include chain restaurants. The beer scene is awesome. The food is amazing. If it weren't so freaking hot for so much of the year, I could really love this place.

It comes in a close second to Portland. Speaking of Portland, I'm digging into my stash of old beer reviews for today's beer. It is the Spine Tingler from Mactarnahan's Brewing Company. This one was consumed on September 8, but instead on that date you got a review of Wild Onion's Jack Stout. Why, you ask? Because MacTarnahan's is brewed by Pyramid Brewing. Boo. But oh well. Life goes on and such.



Spine Tingler is a golden Belgian style triple. It pours a deep golden color with a nice white head. It has a strong candi sugar aroma. It has a thin mouthfeel but doesn't disappoint on the flavor front. It has lots of spice, cloves and nutmeg. It reminds me of roasted plums.

Beer stats
Style: Tripel
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 23
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Pyramid
My review of their hefeweizen
Gary's review of their Outburst IPA

Day 380: Breckenridge Christmas Ale and Christmas Came Early

I sent Gary out for groceries yesterday and he brought back groceries and a little surprise.

Oh those boys and their toys. Salinger approves.

It's actually not a small surprise at all. I'm the surprised dismayed proud owner of a 46" Samsung blah, blah, numbers, ACRONYMS television.  If I were less three dimensional, I would easily fit into this box.

Chinese-takeout-movie-marathon Christmas Day festivities have definitely been upgraded this year.  Merry Christmas to us!  Whoo-hoo!

There's a reindeer and balls joke
in here somewhere.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Christmas ale. This one comes courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. It's a winter warmer and perfect for today. It pours a crisp, clear shade of deep chestnut with a white head that leaves just a little lacing. It smells of caramel malt and general beer aroma.

The flavor matches the smell nicely. Lots of malt, some light caramel. I'm not getting much in the way of spices. At a 7.4% ABV, it is also a bit boozy.

From the description of a winter warmer on the BeerAdvocate site, it's hitting all the right marks. Winter warmers tend to be malty sweet--big malt presence, both in flavor and body. The color ranges from brownish reds to nearly pitch black.  Hop bitterness is generally low, leveled and balanced, but hop character can be pronounced. Alcohol warmth is not uncommon.

Upon further research, not all winter warmers include spices. Per Breckenridge's description of their Christmas Ale, they went for the caramel and chocolate characteristics. So my assessment of no spice is accurate but I'm also not getting chocolate. Bummer. As my glass warms up a bit, more of the hop profile is coming out. It's just enough bite to balance the sweeter malt flavor.

Beer stats

Style: Winter warmer

ABV: 7.4%

IBUs: 22

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed beers from Breckenridge Brewery 

My assessment of the Vanilla Porter with notes of it being a great complement to cheesy eggs way back on Day 2
Gary's review of one of my favorite tailgate beers, Agave Wheat

Beer 365: Hair of the Dog, A Homonym

The 9th anniversary of TJ's was a raucous celebration with outstanding beer and good friends. The only casualty of the day was the half of my barbecue chicken wrap that got left behind. I drank a ton of beer for the blog and can't wait to tell you more about it. After six hours of an amazing variety of beer, one would have thought that this morning would have called for a little hair of the dog to get going, but alas it did not. I should probably be worried about that...

Instead I'll tell you about another Hair of the Dog -- the brewery that partnered with de Proef to collaborate on Flanders Fred. This is a beer that I've been stalking for awhile now and was delighted to find it last night at TJ'S.

See what I did there? Hair of the dog. Hair of the Dog. Homonyms!

Gary's second career? Beer model.

Anyway this is an excellent beer and well worth the wait. It poured a deep apricot color and smells of overripe fruit, malt and funk. The flavor reminded me of tea and figs. It was sweet and sour with an almost IPA-like bitterness. Truly amazing. And it looks like it's still on at TJ's. If I weren't still lounging in my pajamas, I'd be tempted to go back for more!

In case you wanted to know more about the collaboration, here is some information: Legendary brewer Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog joins Dirk Naudts at De Proef to create this unique bottle conditioned beer. Flanders Fred is a blend of Flanders-sourced lambic with a collaboratively-brewed version of the famous Hair of the Dog Fred. Now you know.

Cheers!

Beer 363: Half Acre Daisy Cutter and The String Cheese Incident

The highlight -- or lowlight depending on how you look at it -- of my day was what I'm affectionately now referring to as "The String Cheese Incident."  Oddly it's the name of a band as well. I wonder if they've had the same misfortunes as me.

I couldn't get my string cheese open for my afternoon snack. The little "peel here" tab was mangled and that really is the key to accessing your string cheese.  Who knew? So after a ridiculous amount of time struggling with a vacuum sealed tube of cheese, I finally took the scissors to it and freed about 80%. That's when I broke my string cheese. I thought it would be easy to just pop that last little bit out of the packaging and in doing so, managed to launch it straight into the air and directly into my eyeball. 

Lessons learned:

1. String cheese chunks are dangerous projectiles.

2. Eyeballs are very sensitive.

3. Cheese burns when applied to one's eyeball.

I also think I still have cheese fragments lodged in there. 

You know what goes well with cheese? An American pale ale.  So let's go with the Daisy Cutter pale ale from Half Acre Beer Company. It's brewed in Chicago (5.2% ABV) and I definitely need to check them out next time I'm in the Windy City. They appear to have quite a variety of brews in their portfolio.

The color is somewhere between a bright apricot and copper.  The head was slightly off white, thick and fluffy and disappeared into chunky flotsam. This beer also left significant lacing as it disappeared.  It smells of bitter grass and grapefruit.  

The flavor is citrus hops, pith, pine and very light hints of orange. Overall I find this to be a great beer. Cheers!

Beer 361: Malheur 12

In the embarrassing facts about me category, last evening I was outsmarted by my bottle of Youngs Double Chocolate Stout.  I poured my glass and thoroughly enjoyed it while writing my review. Somehow in the hubbub of eating dinner, cleaning up, finishing writing and finally settling down to relax for a bit, I forgot that I still had beer in the bottle -- it was the big guy -- but my brain didn't make the connection until after I started rinsing out the bottle for recycling. The bottle that still had several ounces of delicious, chocolatey stout in it.

It was quite a scene. Gasping. A stifled scream. Near tears. Now those are signs of a good beer. But lucky for me there was a Malheur 12 waiting to be opened for tonight's review. 

Malheur 12 is a 12% ABV quadrupel brewed by Brouwerij de Landtsheer in Belgium. It pours an opaque brown ale with a loose tan head.  Let me recreate what went through my head with the first sip:  "Wow! Holy flavor!" Then I may or may not have considered knocking Mr. Blog Named Brew over the head with a frying pan and stealing his share of the bottle.

The smell is berries, esters and some copper. The flavor is sweet, rum-like. It has faint notes of punch. It's also earthy and smooth.  Very balanced but nuanced.  Savoring a sip -- breathing through it -- revealed a lot of variations in the flavor. It has a good amount of carbonation and a dry finish. It's amazingly easy to drink even with that ABV. This is an excellent beer.

Cheers!