Day 698: North Coast Pranqster

That is the North Coast Pranqster, a Belgian style golden ale. It pours a nice, bright gold color with very little to no head. It smells of bread dough but not much else. (Not sure if that's the beer's fault. I'm suffering some major allergies right now.) The flavor is grassy with a fizzy, yeasty tang. It has a big, round mouthfeel. There's also a good amount of pepper with hints of lemon. I wish there was another one waiting for me in the fridge tonight.

Beer stats

Style: Belgian style golden ale

ABV: 7.56%

IBUs: 20

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from North Coast

Brother Thelonius (abbey ale)

More Brother Thelonius

Scrimshaw review from me and a Scrimshaw from the Mr. 

Day 693: Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey

I'll be spending the day drinking all the beers at TJ's and watching Penn State football and then whatever other football I happen to find. So let's get the beer review out of the way.

That's the 400 Pound Monkey from Left Hand Brewing. It's an English style India pale ale brewed on the banks of the mighty St. Vrain. It poured a bright amber color with a medium but quick to disappear cream color head. It smells of caramel, good bread and lightly of hops. The flavor is full of orange, candi sugar with a solid hop bite. There's also some green grassy notes and it is very well balanced.

Speaking of the mighty St. Vrain, it flooded last month as a result of some monsoon-like rains in Colorado. Tons of damage was done but it appears that most of my favorite Colorado craft brewers were spared. Unfortunately many, many residents, other businesses and the parks were not spared. Left Hand Brewing has a little fundraiser going here and you can also support the relief efforts through the Longmont Community Foundation. Personally I've stepped up my consumption of Colorado beers.

Beer stats

Style: India pale ale
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Left Hand

Another 400 Pound Monkey review, one of my favorite milk stouts, and Saw Tooth Ale

Day 690: Goose Island Pere Jacques

My advice to you: If you see a problem developing, do not ignore it for months on end. It will not go away. And it may result in a missing toe nail. That is all.

That beer up there is the Pere Jacques 2012 from Goose Island.  It is a Belgian style ale and this particular one was bottled on October 18, 2012. This one managed to age for just over a year in my house and supposedly it ages beautifully for five years. Beer never lasts that long in my house.

It poured a hazy medium-tone amber sort of brown color with a thin off white head. It wasn't nearly as rosy as it looks in this photo. It smells of Belgian candi sugar, bread dough and apricot preserves. It has a full mouthfeel. The flavor is lots of creamy fruit sweetness with a dry finish. There's a little cracker flavor in there as well. 

Beer stats

Style: Belgian style ale

ABV: 8.7%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Goose Island

A review of Matilda from what feels like a million years ago

Mr.'s review of Honkers

Day 683: Speakeasy Betrayal

I've been jones-ing for a good book to read for a few weeks now. I'm not quite sure when I'm going to read this "good book", but I'm starting to feel desperate. Then I came across this on my friend Arielle's tumblr and it stopped me dead in my tracks.

I don't follow the Night Vale podcasts (maybe I should?), but I can't stop revisiting this statement. Does anyone else feel this way at the end of a good book? There's nothing worse than finishing a book and not caring about it or the characters.

Also you all should check our Arielle's tumblr page. She's brilliant and funny and really good at yoga. I kind of want to be like her when I grow up!

Now for the beer.

This is the Speakeasy Ales & Lagers' Betrayal--an imperial red ale. Sidebar: Speakeasy's website notes, "With a love for the sinister and the underground, Speakeasy operates out of a corner of this city once known as Butchertown." This city is San Francisco. I'm pretty sure I'm not going anywhere once or currently known as Butchertown. I imagine clowns aplenty lurking under sewer grates in the streets patiently waiting to cause chaos and terror. So there's that.

Good thing the beer wasn't terrifying. It poured a dark mahogany color with a thick cream color head. The smell and flavor went hand-in-hand. Black tea, hops with a nice bitterness, caramel malt, a little bit of grass.

Beer stats
Style: Imperial red ale
ABV: 8.2%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Speakeasy
I totally thought this was going to be first out the limo, but Mr. Blog Named Brew beat me to it with his review of the Big Daddy IPA

Day 678: Avery is Out of Bounds

Friday night before a bye week for Penn State football is a glorious night.I'm sleeping in until I feel like getting out of bed tomorrow. Or I'm going to go bonkers and hit a spin class and yoga to work off all the damage I've done at the previous five tailgates!

Tonight's beer is the Out of Bounds stout from Avery Brewing in Colorado. It poured a super dark brown with just a hint of light making it through the liquid around the edges. It had a thin cocoa-color head. The aroma was coffee, dark roasted malts and black pepper. The flavor was chocolate over bitter roast coffee with lots of malt. There's a good amount of hop flavor in there too. While it drank with a thin mouthfeel the taste lingered on my tongue for quite awhile.

Beer stats

Style: Stout

ABV: 6.3%

IBUs: 51

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Avery

The Maharaja and fun with typos

Hog Heaven (dry hopped barleywine) and butt sniffing, I kid you not

More Hog Heaven

White Rascal, more Maharaja

Day 669: Plum Noir

I spent a lot of time this past weekend in my hometown. Hazleton (Pennsylvania) is a ramshackle shell of its former self. I always tell people what a wonderful place it was to grow up. As I drove around town this weekend, I fondly recalled epic bike rides from my house to the local grocery store. My sister and I would turn what could be a five block walk into an eight mile bike ride--often giving my poor mother a heart attack as she sat wondering why on earth it was taking us so long. There were playgrounds galore, decent schools and no need to lock your doors. Now it's a blighted mess with borderline racist laws, a NIMBY attitude, and escalating crime. It makes me so sad to go back and visit.

Yet somehow through all the mess that is Hazleton lately, there's good beer to be had there. I stopped by the local Pantry Quik, which is a downmarket version of Wawa, to explore its beer selection. While there was plenty of Budweiser and various malt beverages, there was an incredible display of craft beer including Southern Tier's Plum Noir, which is tonight's beer.

Plum Noir is an imperial porter brewed with Italian plums. It poured a deep, dark brown with just a bit of light dancing around the edges. It had a thin tan head. It smells of plums and licorice. It tastes of roasted malts, wood, and fruit. When I exhaled, there were strong coffee notes. It had a thin mouthfeel, but big flavor that lingered. As it warmed a bit, I found a little bitter chocolate.

Beer stats

Style: Imperial porter

ABV: 8%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Southern Tier (evidently we only review Southern Tier when we have A LOT to say)

A philosophical debate on when a Christmas beer is a Christmas beer with a review of 2XMas

More 2XMas

A review of Creme Brulee Stout and my crazed musings on the evil temptress that is the avocado

And plain old rantings with a review of Unearthly Imperial IPA

Day 664: Founders Rubaeus

To say that there's been too many dark hours lately is a great understatement.

You know what else is bright? This Founders Brewing Company's Rubaeus, that's what. I've dubbed the Rubaeus my tailgate beer this season and have been drinking it straight from the bottle, which has deprived me of this burst of color. It's not quite so vibrant in person, but there is definitely a bright pinky-red thing happening in what otherwise is a brown colored ale. It also has a minimal white head. The smell is very ripe raspberries and the flavor is malty and fruity with lots of raspberry and general berry notes. It's sweet but tart although I'll admit that the sweet tends to overpower the tart. 

Beer stats

Style: Fruit beer

ABV: 5.7%

IBUs: 15

Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Founders

My review of Blushing Monk (framboise ale)

A great post by Gary on Joe Paterno's memorial, friendship and Centennial IPA

Day 662: Lancaster Brewing's Kolsch

Since we're experiencing a bit of Indian Summer with temperatures in the mid-80s today, I thought that the German style kolsch from Lancaster Brewing Company would be the perfect beer to review.

Nothing says summer like a creepy sun logo

The kolsch pours a deep golden color with a full white head. It smells and tastes like summer. It has a sweet, grainy aroma that's also grassy and bright. The flavor has a good amount of hops, which prevents it from being too sweet or grainy. It's crisp and easy to drink and just what I needed.

Beer stats
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: 28
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Lancaster Brewing
My review of Strawberry Wheat that rambles like a crazy person in celebration of Mr. Blog's birthday
More Kolsch, Rumspringa, Hop Hog, Milk Stout, Winter Warmer

Day 651: Spring House Big Gruesome

Despite my general thinking that I don't like big stouts and porters during the warm summer months, that didn't stop me from trying a few of the new ones I found this summer (Tired Hands 5 out of 5, DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus). This one goes in the peanut butter beer category, which surprisingly is actually a category of beer for me now.

This is the Spring House Big Gruesome--a chocolate peanut butter stout. It poured nearly black as night with a chocolate milk color head.  It smells of fresh peanut butter and cocoa. The flavor is predominantly coffee, bitter chocolate with undertones of peanuts. It's creamy of full of dark roasted malt flavor and finishes with a nice bite.

Beer stats
Style: Stout
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Spring House
After visiting their tap room this spring, here are reviews of Goofy Foot (summer wheat), Cliff (saison), Little Gruesome (PB&J stout)
I've also had Cosmic Monster (quad)

More Goofy Foot,  more Cliff, Robot Surf Factory (IPA), Seven Gates (pale ale)

Day 627: Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

I can't encounter the word chicory without thinking about the time Gary got hickory smoked at a winery outside Nashville. Who could resist views like this, a couple of bottles of wine and a block of cheese? Definitely not us!

If you lean closely, you can still smell the hickory.

Hickory, chicory, here's my segue...

Let's talk Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. It's brewed with roasted chicory and organic Mexican coffee. The label tell me that it's "Goodness beneath a bone white head." It is a very, very deep, dark brown...nearly black color with a tan head. It smells of sweet chocolate and wood and rich coffee beans. The flavor reminds me of cold coffee. There are hints of cola, a touch of wood. It drinks with a thin mouthfeel.

As it warmed a bit and I got closer to the bottom of my glass, it's characteristics changed slightly. First some burnt coffee flavors were becoming more dominant. After a few more sips, the chocolate flavor took over. This is a complex beer that will keep you thinking about exactly what you're drinking.

Beer stats
Style: Stout
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 21
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Dogfish Head
Mr. Blog Named Brew's review of the 60 Minute IPA
My review of Raison d'Etre

Day 625: Brewer's Art Petroleuse

After writing non-stop about Belgian beers for a couple of weeks and then hitting the West Coast for a beer or two, it's time to show some love to an East Coast beer. And it's easy to love the beers from The Brewer's Art and that's not just because Brewer's Art was where we hatched this hare-brained scheme to blog about beer.

Tonight's beer is La Petroleuse, a biere de garde. Interesting little tidbit about La Petroleuse. Proceeds from sales benefit women's entrepreneurship in Baltimore. So drinking this beer is really doing a good deed!

La Petroleuse pours an oaky brown color ale with an off-white head. It smells like fresh bread and lightly of black pepper. The flavor is redolent of biscuits, hops with undertones of butter. As it warmed up, I started getting a little bit of caramel.

Beer stats
Style: Biere de garde
ABV: 7%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from The Brewer's Art
Mr. Blog Named Brew's thoughts on Petroleuse, La Canard, Green Peppercorn Tripel
His very first blog post ever!
And my first post...because you never know what life has in store for you. And, yes, I did just quote myself. I'm that guy.

Day 615: Gulden Draak 9000

No one really reads Friday posts and I'm utterly defeated by life lately. Now for the beer.

It's the Gulden Draak 9000. Mr. Blog Named Brew tells the story of how the 9000 came to be in a recent post so I won't rehash it.

It's brewed by the fine folks at Brouwerij Van Steenberge. It pours a deep amber color with a light tan head. It smells of biscuit dough with a light sweetness. The flavor is candi sugar, a little bit of chocolate and dark fruits. I also noted oranges.

Beer stats:
Style: Belgian strong dark ale
ABV: 10.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Van Steenberge
His review of Gulden Draak 9000 and all the other posts linked up nice and neat here

Day 608: De Dolle Oerbier

The other beer I wrote notes on while visiting De Dolle Brouwers is the Oerbier. But before I get to the review, let's recap some of the highlights of our visit to De Dolle.

I got to see a coolship in action. What's that, you ask? It's a large shallow pan used to cool wort overnight using outside air temperature. During the cooling process, naturally occurring yeast in the air inoculates the wort. Once the wort is cooled, it moves onto the next stage of production--often barrel aging!

 

We also got to sample a year-old beer straight from the barrel. 

 Here I am enjoying it!

Several times on the Beercycling trip, Mr. Blog Named Brew mused about the terroir of beer. Terroir is a French wine concept incorporating everything that contributes to the distinctive character of a particular vineyard site. This includes its soil and subsoil, drainage, slope and elevation, microclimate, which in turn includes temperature and precipitation, exposure to the sun, wind and fog, and the like. It can also include strains of wild yeasts that come in on the grape skins and live in the wine cellars. 

But what does that mean for beer? Water, strains of yeast, varieties of hops and malts all give beer its characteristics. But what about equipment? Does equipment that is hundreds of years old change the beer? Maybe. Does a brewery's history have an impact? Absolutely. 

What about as a beer drinker? Is there terroir of beer drinking? Does time and place impact how good we think a beer is? We asked ourselves this question many times during the trip. Did the beers taste better because of where we were and who we were drinking with? I don't know. The halcyon glow of vacation likely had a positive impact on our perceptions but did it make an average beer seem that much better? Or was it possible that we didn't have a bad beer the entire time we were on vacation?

One beer that I'm pretty confident was just a darn good beer is De Dolle's Oerbier.

It poured a hazy brown with a thick cream-color head. It smelled slightly fruity and tart with an earthiness and some hop. The flavor is amazing. Lots of malt body with some dark fruit and tartness hiding out. Every few sips I could find some slightly sweet wine-like notes. I also wrote down silky with about sixteen exclamation points. I think I wanted to make a note of how silky it felt to drink.

What you can't really see in this photo is the phrase "Nat en Straf", which means wet and strong. I can attest that perfectly describes this beer. I could also claim it as my personal motto on the Beercycling trip as I ended most days soaking wet with sweat but feeling unstoppable. That's me...nat en straf.

Beer stats
Style: Strong dark ale
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from De Dolle
My review of Dulle Teve, which includes me and a lot of spandex!
His and hers reviews of Arabier

Day 596: Fort Lapin Tripel

I need some Sunday Funday plans stat! All this reminiscing about the Great Beercycling vacation of 2013 is making me long for more adventure. And right now the only adventure in my future is some shoe shopping later today.

You know who's on one heck of an adventure? Kristof, owner and brewer at Brouwerij Fort Lapin. He cashed in his day job and started a tiny little brewery in Bruges where he makes two beers--a tripel and a quad.

Kristof proving that beer makes you happy.

He shared with our tour group that he just wants to make beer and be happy. He's got the beer covered and I can honestly say that he certainly seemed happy when we met him. The name Fort Lapin references a fort that used to exist nearby and supposedly lapin means bunny in French--thus the cute little ears on the logo.

Clearly beer makes Mr. Blog Named Brew happy! That
goofy grin was plastered on his face for the entire ten days!

Today I'm reviewing the tripel.

It pours a bright yet hazy straw color with a full bright white head. It has a very soft beer aroma. The flavor is full and round. There's a little spice in there along with green grass and lemon. The ABV is hidden very well.

Beer stats
Style: Tripel
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Fort Lapin
Another take on the tripel

Day 590: Urthel Saisonniere

Day 2 of the Beercycling trip took us from Kortrijk to Zwalm (roughly 32 miles) with a stop in Oudenaarde. The schedule was ride through the morning, find a great picnic spot for lunch, head off on another leg of the journey to a brewery (Liefman's on this particular day) and then finally a few more miles to the hotel.

This looks pretty ok for a picnic!

What I particularly enjoyed about this trip was the variety of towns we encountered along the way. I feel like I got a great sense of what life in Belgium is like. Accommodations for the night were at Hotel De Brouwerij (translation The Brewery Hotel) in the town of Zwalm, which I'm pretty sure had cows outnumbering humans at a ratio of four to one. But despite the very rural surroundings, we had an excellent meal at De Brouwerij that was accompanied by an impressive beer list.

B&B in an old brewery? Why, yes, I will.

Unfortunately for me as I begin to piece all my notes and photos back together post-trip, I'm realizing I did not take the greatest notes. The tasting notes are workable. It goes off the rails when I try to figure out from blurry backgrounds of photographs where the beer was consumed during the trip. I know I took notes on something I drank this day, but I can't quite put my hands on the right photo.

Instead I'll fast forward a few nights to a new bar in Brugge named La Trappiste. It's in a super cool underground space that I was told was about 800 years old. Not bad. Not bad at all. That's the scene where I drank an Urthel Saisonniere brewed by De Leyerth Brouwerijen.

Urthel Saisonniere is a unique combination of saison and white beer. The description from the brewery's website calls it a sparkling golden, slightly cloudy, refreshing, easy drinking beer with a nice bite. I can assure you that this description is spot on. In addition to a slightly cloudy blond color ale, it had a dense white head. The flavor is bright and a little grassy with lots of clean hop flavor. At this point on the trip, my allergies were going bonkers and I couldn't get a good read on it's aroma. Let's go with delicious beer for the smell.

Beer stats
Style: Saison
ABV: 6%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Urthel/De Leyerth
A now impossible-to-find tripel Hibernus Quentum

Day 576: The Troegenator

Day 4 of Troegs Beer Week brings us the Troegenator!

It's a doublebock or alternately a doppelbock. What's that, you ask?

Bocks are relatively strong German lagers. Doppel- or doublebocks are even stronger. Double the bock. Get it? Generally they have a full body and are darker than a regular bock and have a higher ABV. Color ranges from dark amber to nearly black.

So why is there always a goat on the label? Based on a little Internet research...the bock style was a dark, malty, lightly hopped ale first brewed in the 14th century by German brewers in the town of Einbeck. The style was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and adapted to the new lager style of brewing. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "bock". To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels.

Now you know. So how was the Troegenator? It poured a beautiful mahogany color with a tan head. It smells boozy and resinous. It has a thick mouthfeel. The flavor is very malty...lots of caramel. I didn't think it tasted overly alcoholic but it definitely gave me that warm, fuzzy feel inside.

Beer stats

Style: Doppelbock
ABV: 8.2%
IBUs: 25
Rating: Great

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 575: Troegs Hopback Amber

Taking this look back at all the great beer I had from Troegs makes me want to road trip to Hershey all over again!

This one is the Hopback amber ale--a flagship beer from Troegs. It's advertised as being packed full of whole hop flowers. Let me tell you that those whole hop flowers certainly do wonders for this beer. It has a fresh hoppy aroma. There's a great spiciness to the flavor and rich caramel notes throughout. It's everything it's advertised to be! I also noted a bit of black tea in it as well.

Beer stats
Style: Amber ale
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 55
Rating: Great

Previously 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 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 565: Avery The Maharaja

Mr. Blog Named Brew has a sickness. He freely admits not being able to walk past any of the beer displays at our local groceries without stopping to browse and ultimately buying at least one bottle. He succumbed again recently and we found ourselves in possession of The Maharaja from Avery Brewing Company.

"This," the Mr. declared very definitely after his first sip, "is a top 25 beer." Trust me, he says the exact same thing every time he drinks The Maharaja. So you know it's true.

The Maharaja is an imperial IPA, which is an IPA-derivative that I can get behind. Big flavor. Big hops. Big Beer. It pours a bright amber color with a pale beige head. I wrote in my notes that it "smells breast." What in the world does that mean? I'm going with bready--most likely correct because my spellcheck hates when I type bready. There's some honey and citrus hops in the aroma as well. The flavor is citrus, biscuits, lots of hops, and pine. It's a little boozy and has a mild alcohol burn. I like that it also has a strong malt presence to balance out all those hops. (It's brewed with a "deranged amount" per Avery's website and the hops include Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook. It's then dry-hopped with more Simcoe and Centennial!)

The Maharaja is part of Avery's Dictator Series. Unfortunately this is the only installment I've ever encountered.

Beer stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10-12% (varies by batch)
IBUs: 102
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Avery
My review of Hog Heaven (barleywine) and White Rascal with a five-finger discount confession
A Hog Heaven review from the Mr.

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