So Lazy

Two naps, a sleepy dog, and a Lazy Boy IPA.

The day rates higher than the beer...easy drinking, but rather standard.

B-

Cubs Suck

The Curse IPA from Flossmoor Station tastes like those chewy citrus candies loaded with sugar. Take that candy, top it with a healthy dose of caramel, the kind that's melted on top of holiday apples, and add some more sugar, pine needles and bitterness. Pour into a glass and drink. Repeat. Enjoy.

A

Extreme Beer Fest - Any Interest?

Would anyone be interested in attending Beer Advocate's Extreme Beer Fest in Boston on February 21?

Why are Coffee Beers so Damn Good?

Oh yeah, both are great.
A

Question of the Day

Can beers age in the fridge?

Road trip beers

I was in Nashville over the weekend and had 2 new ones (and many non-new ones). One was a Magic Hat #9 which is a fuity APA. It was gross. I don't recommend it. It actually tasted a lot like a Blue Moon that had about 7 oranges in it. D-

Also had a Yazoo Pale Ale, which was better, but nothing special. Your run-of-the mill pale ale. C+

What's In Your Fridge?

Founder's Breakfast Stout
Full Sail Wassail
Bell's Double Cream Stout
Kettle House Double Haul IPA
Surly CynicAle
Three Floyd's Alpha King
Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S.
Two Brothers Cane and Ebel
Breckenridge Double IPA
Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree
Founder's Devil Dancer
Dogfishhead Palo Santo Maron
Dogfishhead 90 minute
Hair of the Dog Adam
Bell's Hopsolution
Founder's Harvest Ale
Tyranena Dirty Old Man
Tyranena Devil Over a Barrel
Tyranena Scurvy
Tyranena Hop Whore
Bell's Hopslam
Speakeasy Double Daddy IPA
Pliny the Elder
Lagunita's Lumpy Gravy
Stone Double Bastard
Great Divide Fresh Hop
Port Fresh Hop
Flossmoor Cursed IPA
Port Old Viscosity
Lazy Boy IPA
Port Santa's Little Helper
Bear Repubic Big Bear Black Stout
Port Hop 15
Three Floyd's BrooDoo
Surly Furious
Dogfish 120 minute
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot
Weyerbacher Merry Monk
Barryborth IPA 1 and 2

Hoppy Holidays

Alpha Klaus is really good. Smells like old school hot chocolate powder from a can, and tastes a bit that way too. Take that, add some interesting hops to the mix, subtract the dirt taste of most porters, and you get Alpha Klaus. I could drink alot of this.

A -

Double Trouble

Three doubles, three "B's", sans pics.

Bell's Double Cream Stout - good, not great; what keep it from greatness is the nagging feeling that half and half is added to this beer

B

Redhook Double Black Coffee Stout - coffee taste is too understated; how can this be with Starbucks nasty-ass bitter brew?

B

Boulevard Double Wide IPA - smells wonderfully fresh, has that annoying, far too carbonated taste that I associate with all Portsmouth and Moyland Brews (Hopsickle, etc.)

B

Today's Question

As a change of pace I'd like to throw out a question, rather than a rating.

If you had to choose one brewery from which to drink for the rest of your lives, which would you choose?

Sposborth take 2

Yesterday I had the second of the homebrews Pete left with me. This one had the somewhat dull name (Sposborth International Holding Conglomerate and Fishworks, Inc needs to hire some marketing people ... although the recycled bottle with masking tape label has a certain "underground" vibe to it) of "Coffee 2." Similar to the Java, but much less overwhelming. This one was pretty solid. The coffee flavor might still be about 5% too strong without some kind of whisky/bourbon type balance, but it is much more drinkable. It is a lot like the Dark Horse Perkulator, and has about the same smell, with a slightly stronger coffee presence. I think once you pefect this recipe and it's optimal blend combinations Pete, it's going to be really amazing.

More free beer

Got another round on the department last night...2 brothers Dunkel and Delirium Noel again. Both very solid.

Also, on Wednesday I popped open a bomber of Sposborth Java. Sorry Pete, the coffee was a little too overwhelming on this one. I think it needs the sweetness from the whiskey oak batches blended in to balance it out. It was a little bit too much like a pot of coffee that you brew with too many beans and too little water. A solid effort, but I liked the other ones better-what we thought was Java before was definitely some kind of blend, unless there were two different Java batches.

Back in Black

Winter has me craving the goodness of stout. Weyerbacher's Old Heathen Imperial Stout is pretty standard fare, tasty, sweet, a bit chocolatey. The best Weyerbacher to date, but that may not be saying much, as all the previous beers of theirs I've had, I've disliked very much.

B

Free beer is the best beer

Last night I went out with our department's speaker for happy hour. He was from Minnesota and was my kind of guy. We sat down to order and he said "I better order two to start off, I'm pretty thirsty." He then proceeded to pound 5 in about an hour. Not to be rude, I also kept up. Beers enjoyed by me included: Two founder's Red's Ryes, A Two brothers' Dunkel, a Breakfast Stout, and a Delirium Noel. All on tap. I'm very happy that our new departmental tradition is to have the department pay for the grad students to go to happy hour after the talks, and also happy that as the senior scholar among that group, I usually pick where we go.

Of the new ones on that list, the Two Brothers was actually really good as was the Noel. Both were A's.

Mega Post part 2

Continued from below:

5) Avery Maharajah Double IPA: Had this one on tap in Denver where it was much better. Out of the bottle it has a slight battery acid funk to it. Didn't love it. Let's say B-







6) Great Divide Hades Belgian Pale Ale. This is a total Katie beer, but I liked it too. Slight sourness, great flavor, nice and crisp. I liked it a lot. I don't think I've had a Great Divide I didn't like, although the new labels are a little too Brekenridge-ish for my taste. Grade: A-



7) Troeganator Dopplebock: Courtesy of Mr. Spaeth. This was pretty good, but probably not as good as the label would suggest. Not my favorite, but I think it's because I don't love dopplebocks. I'll give it a B-

8) Weyerbacker XIII: Also courtesy of Pete. This was killer. It tastes almost just like World Wide Stout to me, without the wicked hangover. I think this is what sposborth whiskey java would taste like if it were double the alchohol content. A+

9) One more Nittany Tide beer: Penn-demonium. Maybe the biggest surprise of the Pete batch so far. I thought this was fantastic. It's a bock, and oddly enough both Katie and I agreed that it was great. I would drink this repetitively if I lived in Pennsylvania. Great maltyness with just barely enough bitterness to balance it out. Another A+

Another Mega-post

I'm way behind again: Here's a quick summary of what I've had, in addition to what Pete mentioned.

1) 3 Floyds Broo-doo. Another fresh hop beer, with a troll on the front. This wasn't the best of the harvest beers I've had, but was one of the better Floyd's offerings I've had lately. I'll give it a strong B

2) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. This was good, but not amazing. Relative to some of the other bourbon beers I've been having lately, this doesn't justify the high price, although it is very good. A little more harsh and less smooth than some of the others. On a related note, is anyone else's fancy turning to big stouts as the weather gets cold? I'm not in much of an IPA mood, and am craving big, dark, caramel, bourbon, winter beers. This fit the bill...It's an A- for me, but the minus is probably for the price. ($19 4 pack)

3) Left Hand Rye Bock. I've been having a lot of Bocks lately too, which tend to be very hit or miss for me. This was a hit. I liked the rye, which was very prominent. Like eating a deli sandwich. Solid. B+

4) Barley Island Single White Friar. Let's see... take my least favorite brewery, have them make a "pro-am" beer, and while you're at it, make it Belgian which seems hard enough to do right even if you know what you're doing. I'll let you guess the results. If you guessed "horrible, undrinkable, gross" or any similar synonym, you win a prize. The prize: what's left of this beer, which is the bulk of the glass. Mental note: just because a glass has wax on it doesn't make it good. Grade: F


I'll continue in a new post...this is getting long

Thanksgiving is a time for Beer

Had a great time on the recent midwest swing through Bloomington, Chicago and Cincinnati. I can't remember everything we (me and Chris and Katie) had, but here are a few:

Alpha King at the Double Door: Excellent beer for a bar
Sposborth Coffee 2 and Sposborth Grand Cru (former was better)
Stone Yellow Snow (pretty good; not worth the price tag)
Bloomington Brew. Comp. Two Faced IPA (?) and Blond Ales (both terrible, unfortunately)
DFH World Wide Stout (awesome; also too awesome for Chris it turned out)
Otto's Jolly Roger Stout (good)
Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S.

In Cincinnati I picked up a Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire, Stone RIS, Buckeye IPA and St. Bernardus 12.

I'm going on a beer hiatus (until New Years, beginning tomorrow). However brewing will continue unabated.

Tonight I am having a 120 minute - Thanks to Chris and Katie!

Final Hershey Memorial Beer

Laughing Dog Dogzilla Black IPA - This one is not quite as good as the Dogfather, but is not bad. It has a good body and good hoppy aroma, but the taste is a little metallic. Not bad though.

I figure this will be the final beer in the Hershey Tribute series. It is time to move on. Although I really like the labels for Laughing Dog...much better than Flying Dog.

B

Hershey Memorial Beer #4

Laughing Dog The Dogfather Imperial Stout - I could not pass this bomber up at the store. It was too perfect. Usually, when purchasing a beer purely on the label, this ends up being a bad decision. Not so in this case. Aroma of huge toasted malts and a little bit of the hops. It looks awesome in the glass with a nice tan head. This beer is silky smoooth and tastes of bitter chocolate, caramel and all good things malt. My good stout streak continues!

A

PS: Note the priceless fake bullet holes on the label.

There Will Be Beer

I am having a Jolly Roger Imperial Stout in honor of Hershey. Due to its awesome alcohol content and awesome flavor he is smiling down from doggy heaven. Duane I bought you a third bottle. (I might buy one for you every time I have one, which I have done so far.)

Also what are the chances we could get together on Tuesday night in Chicago? We could rent a hotel room by the bar where Duane went a few weeks ago, or anywhere. Chris and I are going on Wednesday for the Steepwater cd release show and this would give us a fun day of sightseeing.

I would bring many homebrews.

I made an IPA last week. My racking tube is in pieces. when I fix it, I will dry hop and rack to the secondary.

My very long week of work is finishing. Thank god. Now I can get to the important business of beer blogging.

Also I had a fresh hop beer that I actually liked. This might mean it is very good, since I haven't liked them so far. Weyerbacher hit an AB with their fresh hop.

Boo to the existence of NFL network. They have taken away my favorite game of the year: Bengals v Steelers.

Hershey Memorial Beer #3

I'm in Portland now and my first task was to make a bee line to the Deschutes Brewpub.

Deschutes The Abyss - Hmm...Abyss on tap. Tastes of molasses and much less sweet than say Darkness. Caramelly and awesome. Another good beer that is roughly the color of Hershey.

A+

One more Hershey Memorial Brew: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Belgian 10th Anniversary Stout. This was a big winner, and by FAR my favorite Ommegang I've ever had. Brown and chocolately with a little bit of a bite to it, just like Hershey. This is an A/A+ Stout.

Also, I got a new laptop today with a built in webcam...here's my attempt at a video toast:

Hershey Memorial Beer Round 2

Going with the tribute to dogs theme, I figure I would break this one out.

Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Chocolate Stout - Chocolate aroma, chocolate taste, chocolate mouthfeel...a little thin on the body, but really good nonetheless. Reminds me of Hershey and makes me sad...

A

Another Beer for Hershey

I thought this one was appropriate to the occasion, both in its formality and chocolate-ness: Sam Adams Chocolate Bock. This is pretty good, although not overly chocolate-y. The flavor really came out as it warmed up though. Its reminiscent of a java porter to me. I'd have another. B+

Here's to all our dogs

Memorial Beer

I'm sad to report that we had to put Hershey to sleep today. His health had been declining rapidly for the last month and we decided it was time to let go :(

So, in memory of Hershey we decided to splurge on the good stuff at Brasserie V.

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus - This one is a vinous grape lambic. It is very pleasantly sour with a taste and aroma similar to sour grape juice (in a good way). An excellent fruit lambic.

A

Best Harvest/Fresh Hop yet

Found another one that I've been eagerly awaiting last night at the new Sahara Mart: Great Divide Fresh Hop. This is the best yet of the fresh hop beers I've had. SUPER hoppy... really did taste like I was biting into a hop that had been soaked in hop juice. Very fresh and crisp tasting also, but at the same time very sticky and citrusy. I would expect everyone would like this (although Barry will probably inexplicably not like it, despite the fact it was seemingly created solely with him in mind). Grade: A/A+

Barley Island...my how you blow

Also from Tuesday:
Barley Island Barfly IPA. To be fair, this wasn't totally horrible, but it was certainly unmemorable and below average. I have nothing much to say about this. Another bad Barley Island. I think they're about to be on the list as well.
Grade: C-

Mmmmm...bastard-y

From Tuesday:

Finally got to have the elusive Stone Double Bastard I've been wanting for about a year. It lived up to expectations. I really liked it. (In fact, I went to Big Red today to get a 3 liter one to serve as a Thanksgiving cornucopia, but discovered they were $79 so I nixed that plan). Double Bastard confirms the mathematical theorem that 2 is, in fact, >1.
Grade: A+

Coffee + bell peppers

From Monday:

I found this (rare? new?) Dark Horse the other day at the Hop Shop in Indy. Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock. It's pretty tasty. Definite coffee and toffee flavors, although it had a really bizarre smell that, to me (Katie couldn't confirm this), smelled exactly like cooked bell peppers. That wasn't part of the taste, but was an overwhelming whiff of weirdness to me. It didn't really detract from the experience though. I liked it. I'll give it an A-

Super-aged beer

I'm behind again and catching up all at once. This one is from Sunday:

Found this Sam Adams Triple Bock at the new beer store the other day. Didn't know anything about it but it looked cool in a little bottle slightly bigger than airplane wine. This is a super-big port-like beer whose closest cousin is probably Dogfish World Wide Stout. Similar chocolately, port-wine flavor and alcohol punch in the face. Also hints of caramel, maple syrup, and raisins/plums. It's a sipper...I've been working on it for about 2 hours now, but still enjoying it. I just looked this up on Beer Advocate, and I guess it hasn't been made since 1997 so this is at least 11 years old. It still tastes great, although the inside of the bottle is now caked with some pretty gross funk. Hopefully I won't die tomorrow. Grade: A-

ps...if anyone wants one of these let me know-I think they had a few more on the shelf and they were only 6 bucks. I'm guessing its a bit too much a.b.v. for you guys though ;)

Thomas Hardy's Ale

This was a pretty rare find. I bought it from a basement bar in State College called The Brewery, which is about the dankest urine-est smelling place I've ever been too. It's like, if The Pub on State Street had a shed, and that shed had its own shed and in the shed of the shed of The Pub there was a basement and in that basement there was a bar called the Brewery. I'm talking about The Dank. The guy behind the counter said they've had a case of Thomas Hardy's Ale for about three years (the vintage is 2004).

Having said all of that, the beer was fun to drink, since I've never had anything quite like it. Very sweet and raisony and surely higher than the 11.7% ABV listed on the bottle. It was not beer; more like brandy. Basically flat. Again, fun to drink. One per year seems about right.

Grade: A-.

Single Greatest Beer I've Ever Had

I'm almost at a loss for words to describe the spendor that is Founder's Backwoods Bastard. If you can find this anywhere, please, please buy all they have. I will buy anything you don't want. There were only 2 bottles at the store when I got this and they said they wouldn't be getting any more in :(

So, this is a bourbon barrel ale. What that means to you is that it tastes like a Stone Oaked Bastard blended with your favorite bourbon stout. It's like someone poured a bunch of vanilla extract into the stone, and blended it with some vanilla icecream. It's like a bear float. I'm in heaven. So smooth, so flavorful, wow. Not to mention one of the coolest labels ever. They guy on the label looks like the old man who lived in the Wooley Swamp way back in booger woods. (He didn't do a lot of harm in the world, he just never did do no good). If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask Duane.

A+ is too low a grade for this one. It is in the true pantheon of beer champions. Founders does it again!

Edit: This was so good that after I finished it I just rinsed the bottle out and drank the watered down dregs. I know that's sad and pathetic, but it should tell you something. I honestly can't recommend it enough.

Good beer from Texas

Yet another overexposed picture brought to you by my crappy camera phone.

Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve #5 - Aroma is pure bitter chocolate. This might be the most chocolaty beer I've had. It kinda reminds me of the Stone's 12th Anniversary, but this one is better. Although I think this beer is kinda old, so maybe the age has improved the flavor. Very tasty

A

Back to college

The Kettle House was an upstart brew house when I was in Missoula. You could stop by for a pint or growler, or buy ingredients and brew there. Their Double Haul IPA is good. It's way malty and creamy, with just enough hops to finish the deal. Plus, I dig the whole can revolution.

B +

Real Freshlike

Deschute's Hop Trip tastes of very fresh grassy hops and mild citrus, is mellow and EXTREMELY easy to drink.

A -

Lots of catching up to do....

This is going to be a mega post with several days worth. In related news, I found a new beer store in Indy last night (The Hop Shop) which had a pretty amazing selection. I arrived after closing time but they let me in anyway. So, I rushed and didn't get as much as I might have, but there are some cool review coming this week, including this one from tonight (I'll make my way back in time and reconstruct my week of beer)

Boulder Beer Obovoid an oak-aged imperial oatmeal stout or "empirical stout" as stated on the label. This was a good one...it has the mellow vanilla oak flavor and smooth oatmeal flavor but still has a little raspy bite. Not in my top 5 stouts, but well above average. It's an A grade beer, just not quite up to the level of competition of some of the other ones we've had this year.

Also tonight: Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout. Another local Indiana beer (Indianapolis) that totally misses the mark on oak aged stouts. Almost every good one I've had (the Boulder and the Yeti jump to mind) the oak makes the flavor smoother and sweeter with vanilla-ish bourbon-y goodness. This version is sharper and more acidic. It reminds me of the acid-y, smokey taste in my lungs from a fireplace fire with the crappy (possibly treated) wood from the gas station or grocery store. A major letdown. C

Last night: Had a few Two Hearted's (Always a winner in my book A) and the new Bud American Ale. The Bud was horrible. I'm glad I satisfied my curiosity, but it was not good at all. D+

Thursday: Another Allagash, this time the Grand Cru. I expected to like this more than the Dubbel but actually liked it less. Kind of unpleasant. Not my favorite Allagash at all. C

Tuesday: Went out to celebrate passing the proposal. Had Founder's Breakfast on tap (even better from the keg than the bottle...I think it might have been on a nitro tap-It seemed VERY creamy...grade: A) and Hell Hath no Fury on tap (about the same as the bottle... I've been liking it less and less the more I've had Grade: B )

Monday: Three Floyd's Munsterfest. A funky "floydified" octoberfest. I'm not a huge octoberfest fan to begin with, and this version didn't really do a whole lot for me. Typical floyd's beer verdict for me: glad I tried it, won't have it again. C-

Sometime over the weekend: Browning's She Devil Imperial IPA. Another sub-par showing from Brownings. They're officially off my list now. This was ok, but nothing special. For beer in general it was maybe a B+ but in the IIPA category it was more like a C+.

Harvest Time

Founder's Harvest Ale is odd. It's hefeweizen-esque with some really sweet flavors, like fresh squeezed oranges and lemons. The fresh hop beers are a different beast, as the hops have a different flavor quality. It's not nearly as good as I remember, in fact, it's a bit sour as well.
There was an odd fizz upon opening the bottle, so maybe this one's not a bit off. I'll re-rete if necessary, but for now......

C+

A posting of several beers

I'm working on a Bell's Kalamazoo Stout instead of working on my applications. Tastes okay. There is some coffee flavor but I can't detect the brewer's licorice which the bottle says is present. Grade: BC.

Earlier today I tried mixing one of my Nugget Pale's with a Hop Back Amber Ale. Here is a picture of the result. Didn't taste great. Didn't taste bad.

Had a Sam Adam's Intense Pilsner. It was intense, I'll give them that. Grade: BC.

On election night I had a Brooklyn Local One. I like this beer a lot. But it is not great. Grade: B (trending toward an AB).

Even Barack Digs the IPA

Russian River Blind Pig is good.

A

Dissertation Proposal Passed!

In the immortal words of Brian Johnson:

Whiskey, gin and brandy
With a glass I'm pretty handy
I'm trying to walk a straight line
On sour mash and cheap wine
So join me for a drink boys
We're gonna make a big noise
So don't worry about tomorrow
Take it today
Forget about the tip
We'll get hell to pay
Have a drink on me!

Homebrew Tasting

Back from a Sposborth Tasting Event in Reston over the weekend. We had Coffee Stout, Java Stout, Whiskey Stout, Whiskey Stout II, Belgian Pale, Pilsner, Chocolate Biscuit and most excitingly a Java/Whiskey Blend, which turned out to be a 'gusher' (first ever in fact). Opened the bottle and whoosh it was like opening a bottle of Champagne.
To the right is the Sposborth Nugget IPA, which was also tried over the weekend. Not balanced at all: bitter, one dimensional. (The only hops are nugget and the only malt was plain two row pale malt.) Icky.

After all the non-IPA I had over the weekend, I am happy to be drinking a Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. Also note my new glasses, which I label as Irrelevant Beer Purchase No. 3,171.

Tastes great to me. Grade A.

Halfstravaganza - A Hop Lover's Dream

Duane is the man. All attendees of this weekend's Halfstravaganza were treated to an outright glorious tribute to the all-mighy hop.

Town Hall- Fresh Hop - A hop punch to the face, followed by a hop jab to the gut, ending with a hop punch to ball sack. No balance, all hops, bitter and delicious as hell. A

Port Brew -Hop 15 - Sweeter, more potent but hides the alcohol well. A double that doesn't give into massive booziness in taste. I like that. A -

Russian River- Pliny the Elder - The easiest drinking double IPA I have ever drank. Mellow citrus, lovely clen finish, awesome in it's relative simplicity. A

Alpine Beer Company- Pure Hoppiness - Hoppy and very creamy. Hints of honey? Hopslamish. A -

Surly - Darkness - Most complicated beer I have ever tasted. Whiskey, vanilla, hops, brownies, melted ice cream? Very sweet, very different, very good. A +

Attack of the great pumpkin!

No, I don't have a pumpkin ale to review tonight. I actually looked for one last weekend, despite the fact I hate them, but couldn't find anything that wasn't lame. So, instead I've got a beer with fall leaves on the label, which is at least mildly seasonal. Decent trick-or-treat turnout tonight, but not overwhelming. Katie got 2 bags of candy which I thought was going to be WAYYYY short of demand, but as it turned out we probably didn't even go through one bag. Oh well, more for me.

Back to the beer: Allagash Dubbel Reserve. I don't think I've ever had a Dubbel I didn't like. The trend continues. This is good. Not the best ever, and less sweet than a lot of them, but still good. My taste buds are a bit off at the moment because I've been playing guitar with a brass slide, and accidentally licked my finger (I spilled beer on my hand, if you must know) and now all I taste is brass, which does not really compliment anything well. From what I recall before this rather tragic mistake, it's a little more dry, less sweet, and more fruity than the average Dubbel, but none of those things are really negatives except maybe the level of sweetness (no candy sugar flavor). I like it though. Grade: A-

Looks like Harper

Also from last night: Avery Ellie's Brown

This was a pretty standard Brown, which is a style I seem to avoid for no good reason. I like it just fine, but it doesn't really jump out at you. This is a good beer for when you just want a beer's beer with no particular crazy flavors. Enjoyable, but also kind of forgettable. Sounds like a grade of: B

Grumpy old man

Leftover Thursday 10/30 post:

Just had a Founders Old Curmudgeon. This is a weird one. It's an "old ale" whatever that is. It has some similarities to American Strong Ales, maybe also a brown, and maybe something else that I can't place. It is very buttery and sticky...I literally have sticky hands just from pouring it and holding the glass. I honestly don't know if I liked this or not. At first, I didn't like it at all, but it grew on me, both as it warmed up and as I got used to it. I think I'd need to have another one to really give it an honest review, but for now, I'll tentatively give it a B-