Paging Mr. Ellington

More Denver blogging Duane. Tell the Kaiser to go back to Germania.

Good ending to a long day

Boy did I need a beer when I got home today. 12 hours straight of econ for me, including teaching my own class, auditing a class, and teaching one of my friend's 3 hour classes. Desperate times call for Hoppin' Frogs. Hoppin' Frog "Hoppin' to Heaven" IPA. This was a REALLY good IPA by my standards. Very flavorful, but that flavor was both hoppy and malty in the balanced way I like. Almost more of an imperial flavor to me, but actually better than the Hoppin' Frog Imperial as reviewed here. Hoppin' Frog has now found a place on my "most preferred brewery" list and will warrent trials of all available flavors/styles in the upcoming days. My favorite regular IPA of recent memory and a definite winner I would expect everyone here would like. 4.5/5

Edit: In reviewing old posts, it seems my view of "recent memory" probably goes back about a week. There were a number of IPA's I seemed to have liked including New Holland, Flying Dog, and Odell 2-3 weeks ago that I basically have no specific memory of and can't compare to this. Sorry. I can say with certainty that this one is good though and I like it.

Ithaca Cascazilla

An ex-ellent 4/5.

Today was the day of my students' final exam. I hope they did well. The grading is done except for the multiple choice section portion. To relax after grading, I stopped by Zeno's (home of the Belgian fest) to relax. The tattooed bartender was there (looking sexy), but she doesn't like IPA's so she's not completely perfect. She did offer free samples of Cascazilla and Hoptimas Prime (both on tap at Zeno's!) and in the taste test Cascazilla was the clear winner. So I ordered a pint.

Zeno's also offers a Troegs' cask-conditioned Hop Devil which I will review tomorrow. Considering that they also offer live bluegrass on Wednesday's I will now state that Zeno's is the best bar in State College.

Rogue White Crane Bitter

4/5

Reverend Redux

Well, I was in the mood for a Quad the other day and since the Avery one is the cheapest weighing in at a cool 4.99, I decided to get it again. I don't know what I was thinking last time I rated this. It really isn't very good. All you taste is alcohol until you reach the point where your tongue is numb and you're a little buzzed, at which point it no longer matters what it tastes like. This is a 2.8/5 at best. Hope I didn't lead anyone astray with my initial rating.

Thank God! An Imperial that Doesn't Blow! Welcome Back!

Great Divide's Hercules Double IPA walks the line just fine. Big, hoppy, lemon- lime citrus, sweet but balanced. This beer has restored my faith in both myself, and the genre of beer that I had become so very fond of.

4.7/5

Mark Your Calendars!!!

Due some extreme loss of sleep on my part (I got up at 5am and was in line by 6am), I am the proud owner of 4 tickets to the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in August. August 9th to be precise. Barry said he would be out of town this weekend. Therefore that leaves one ticket for Chris, one from pws, and one for milwaukeeclassic. The last ticket will probably go to Carey, unless she decides that she doesn't want to go.

pws and Chris, are you in? Because you better be. Punks

Beer #666 showdown

If the devil went down to Belgium, he would not choose either of these beverages. The boy said "My name's Johnny, and it might be a sin...I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret...purchasing this beer" I knew I was falling for the marketing when I bought these, but who could pass up a name like this. Satan Gold and Satan Red. The gold was basically like the bud light of Tripels and the the Red was like a watery version of my least favorite Dubbels. Very bland and unmemorable, or to the extent they are remember, it is not in a positive light. This would have been a major disappointment except for the fact I wasn't expecting much from these. Finally back down to earth with a 2.4/5 and 2/5 respectively. Boo-urns Satan.

Pray for Mojo

Mojo is pretty tasty and straightforward. Hops on the nose, hops on the taste, hops on the finish. Hops are good.

3.9/5

Slumpin'

Chris, my rompy little doppleganger, while you soar I struggle. Much like my White Sox, I am in a slump. My recent consumption has left me wondering what is wrong with the world, and, to a more serious extent, myself. Today is a return to the IPA. White Hawk leads us off. It's fair: a bit of orange, some hops, sorta stinky. Meh, at least it's not an alcohol bomb like many previous consumptions.

3.6/5 

Insert Funny Jewish Joke - Redux

A departure from the usual....insert Huzzah from Duane....He'brew's Jewbilation Eleven Anniversary Ale. Bottle claims this monster is brewed with eleven malts and hops, while reaching the heights of 11 % alcohol. It is, in so many ways, a departure from my usual beer choice. Pours to a rich mahogany, nearly black, with a steady, even, creamy head. Is completely non-transparent. Smells sweet with a hint of alcohol. In comparison to the Devil, alcohol not nearly as present in the taste. Flavors of strong brown sugar and raisins, along with, as K says "a beer taste". Richly malty, bitter, and smoky, this beer leaves a hint of charcoal at the end. Officially, it boils to this: sweet, sugary beers can't compete

3.7/5

Finally understand what "American Strong Ale" means

Wow. The week keeps on giving remarkable beers. This was the PERFECT blending to me of the concept of a Belgian Strong and some American hops. Left Hand Chainsaw Double Sawtooth. On the label it says something like "intended to be drunk with friends and to cut lumber," and it is certainly capable of either. Very cloudy and thick like a fresh apple cider from an orchard. Remarkably strong with a very highly present alcohol taste, almost like a bourbon or smooth whiskey, yet also well balanced and yielding the subtle sweetness and strong spices of your favorite Belgian strong ale. Mix in a tiny hint of hoppy IPA-ness, and you have the Chainsaw. I'm not sure if there is any barrel aging, but it tastes pretty oaky to me. I'm going to stock up on a couple of these for June. My only hesitation is that I got the last one with the older label and so this one may have been better aged than the others in the store. Bottom line: this is in my favorite beers of all time. 4.9/5

Crazy DwarfGnome Beer

I'll admit that this was a beer purchased entirely for it's crazy bottle shape and delightfully sassy label dwarf/gnome. Urthel Dobbel Bock Exclusief (apparently this has had several names and several versions over the years). As Katie said at first taste: "Delicious". My only complaint is that the bottle wasn't bigger. I could have had several gallons of this. Another beer that somehow managed to be remarkably sweet but balanced enough to still be tasty. Fabulous. 4.8/5

Friday's Dance with El Diablo

Three deep sips into the Devil and the day begins to slip away. A slight fogginess develops quickly, and the warming sensation of alcohol surges through the veins quite quickly. At 13 % the Devil waits for no man. Strong hop presence on the pour, deep red in color with nearly no head. Tastes of bitter caramel and toffee, with a "tastes like burning" that dear Ralph Wiggum could identify. So sweet and incredibly mother-puckeringly bitter, that I feel my frustration returning. Maybe it's just that my tastes are changing. There is so much promise from a beer that claims 200 IBU's, and yet, like so many before it, destroys the all-mighty hop with a conglomeration of alcohol and astringency. Like the fat kid on the teeter totter, his intention are good, but the outcome is sadly predictable.

3.6/5

Patience Rewarded

Well, I've given Breckenridge the benefit of the doubt over the years and tried virtually all of their crap-tacular offerings. Today my patience and stubbornness was finally rewarded. Breckenridge 471 Small Batch Double IPA. This is *very* Hopslam-ish and a fantastic double IPA. It has the sweet finish of a Hopslam, but slighty less so with slighty more hop presence. I'm guessing all of us would like this, and especially Barry and Duane would go for this one, as it seems to address their misgivings about the 'slam without sacrificing the amazingness. I'll pick up a couple more of these for June if they still have them next time I go back. This is truly one of my favorite beers of the spring. Now I feel dumb that I didn't get the Oak version (aged in Wild Turkey barrels) when I was in Denver. Live and learn. 4.8/5

Two good beer days in a row. Score.