I'm sorry, is that a turtle in a cow suit? Why yes...Drink More Terrapin!

Terrapin Beer Company

Moo-Hoo - 6% ABV

I have to say, the one thing that micro brews have on the mass produced crap are catchy labels! I have seen a drunk Santa, pinups, hippos, fish with horns, and my favorite is a bad ass dog in prison stripes!  To be honest I sometimes just pick up a bottle to try because of the cool labels and I think Terrapin has people like me in mind or just a strange sense of humor.

So, if my amazing beer enabler (Mike) did not wheel out his ONE and ONLY case right in front of me and did not hand me one, I would have spied the strange bottle myself!  Tell me, who can pass up a bottle with a turtle dressed up as a cow with a sign that reads..."Drink More Terrapin".

Now Coors Light try to beat a turtle in a cow suit with your mountains and you cold label, or is it SUPER COLD.

Maybe if this was the label for Schlitz it would have kept Milwaukee on the map! Oh, and yes that is me in the picture, I am sure some of your suspicions are confirmed now.

Back to the review...

Once I had this chocolate milk stout chilled I poured the very dark brown brew with a heavy hand into my waiting glass.  There was little to almost no head achieved and what was left was a fine ring around the glass.  The aroma was of malt and a sweet milk chocolate. 

My first sip was not what I expected since the smell of sweet chocolate was prominent.  It was not all that sweet but a nice smooth milk stout with chocolate added to the mix.  The body was a little thin compared to the last milk stouts I have had but it was not a bad quality. 

If you are interested in trying this seasonal beer you better get Moo-ving to your nearest beer enabler!  I went back today to get a four pack and there was just ONE left!  The horror!!!!!

Cheers!

~K~

The Bruery's Award-winning Saison Rue: "I appreciate the gesture, but no thanks."

by Gab

I have been mildly obsessed with Farmhouse Ales lately, so much so that I can no longer bitch about the affair Kathleen had with pumpkin ales this past fall.  Saison Rue from The Bruery is an award-winning, highly-rated Farmhouse Ale (aka Saison) from Orange County, CA.

Absolutely gorgeous color, typical of bottle-conditioned fabulousness. It appeared perfect in every way. As for the taste, it was incredibly smooth with mild citrus and earthy notes mixed with subtle spices and maltiness. (Note that it was lacking the thick, soapy head my beloved E.S. Bam displayed.) Notice the keywords here are smooth, mild, and subtle. There was no SHAZAM that I have experienced with other beers in this class, and I felt let down. It was definitely an exceptionally good, drinkable, beer, though. I sound conflicted, don't I? This beer took home the International Gold in 2008, and Beer Advocate rates it at 91. Don't get me wrong, with an ABV of 8.5% I was happy as I muddled through my do-I-or-don't-I dilemma, but with an IBU of just 30 I forgot to taste the second half of it as I sipped away. I really wanted to like this beer, and I did like it, but I didn't want it. Does that make sense?

Let me give you a better example. Let's say for instance, that I was offered this:

Wow. While this would undoubtedly be a very nice gesture, and I would be flattered as HELL, Ryan Gosling just doesn't do it for me. I think he's very talented and a great actor, and I openly admit to hitting rewind/pause at least 5 times when he took his shirt off in Crazy Stupid Love, but at the end of the day I think he's still kind of eh. For me, Ryan has an IBU of 30. He is smooth, mild, and subtle.

I would actually much rather have this man,

stained shirt and all. 

With an IBU of 90+, The Chadman imparts enough SHAZAM to last 60 years. And for me, hops are the zest of life.

Cheers!

~G~

The weather outside is frightful, but I got a Good Beer...NO SHIT

 

"The Tail of Two Dogs"

Flying Dog Brewery

Road Dog Porter - 6% ABV

Some people head to the store to get eggs, milk, and bread before snow, (I guess to make french toast?) but I head right to the liqueur store.  There is no freaking way I am going to be stuck here on a cold night without provisions! I ended up walking out with a 6 pack of River Horse's Oatmeal Milk Stout plus a few singles of Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout and Road Dog Porter both by Flying Dog Brewery.

I already had the River Horse (great beer too BTW) so I went with the two gems from Flying Dog Brewery. 

Road Dog Porter had a creamy head that rose to about an inch but started to retreat within seconds.  What was left in the glass was a slightly hazy beer with an amber hue.

A malty aroma escaped from the glass along with a hint of hops.  God, I hate hops!  The bottle stated it had just 31 IBUs, so I thought I was safe from the hops.  Thankfully, my first sip was malty and earthy with mild carbonation.  Once I left the glass sit for about 10 minutes so the brew could get a little warmer the flavors shifted.  I could now taste the coffee and the roasted nutty characters emerged. 

How COOL is that label?  That dog is such a bad ass! This is the first label to be illustrated by Ralph Steadman and was almost not seen!  Initially this label was deemed profane and Flying Dog along with the ACLU went to court to fight to keep Ralph's motto "Good Beer...No Shit" on the label.  After many years Flying Dog won and it was ruled that art can not be censored!  Boosh! 

Now that my friends, is a good beer...NO SHIT!

Flying Dog Brewery

Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout - 8.9% ABV

My next move was to the nasty dog that looks like it was going to bite my face off!  Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout poured a gorgeous mahogany brown with amazing cascading! Sure I poured it with a heavy hand, but I am sure with a non aggressive pour it would be just as mesmerizing.  The head on this beer was a creamy coffee color that just about jumped out of my glass.  The head was riddled with large bubbles that seemed to last forever.

Really, how can you deny this?

The smell of coffee and vanilla took over my nose as well as my taste buds. I was expecting the coffee beans to take over, since it is an Imperial Coffee Stout, but the vanilla was more noticable. Kujo was medium bodied with a bitter/dry finish.  I left the beer  to warm up and the coffee flavor picked up.  I enjoyed this beer icy cold as well as slightly above room temperature. 

Kujo may have scared the crap out of me but it was worth every damn sip!

Cheers!

~K~ 



A night with my Evil Twin

Evil Twin Brewery

Soft DK - 10% ABV

Spending time with my evil twin is usually a good time and sometimes involves possible illegal activity with poor judgement, but last night none of the above.  Sigh.  Instead I was sitting with an empty bottle of Soft DK brewed by Evil Twin Brewing. 

What?  Never heard of it? Uh, me either!!  My brother on the other hand has been drinking this brew for a few months even though the name Soft DK should have turned him off.  Evil Twin Brewing is a brewery from Denmark and just debuted in the US in April 2011.  A brewer by the name of Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø began his home brewing in 2003 but did not enter the commercial craft brew scene until 2005. Oh, and the name Evil Twin...hmmm.  Jeppe's brother is Mikkel Borg Bjergsø , who owns Mikkeller Brewery! Talk about sibling rivalry.  You may have heard of a few of his brews such as Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (made with weasel poo- true story), Beer Geek Breakfast. Big Worse, and many many more.

Some of the Evil Twin Lineup.

As you can see the name of the beers are a little off the wall and I believe one of them (not pictured) is called Cat Piss.  Yeah, not sure that is a crowd pleaser but whatever floats your boat, right?  The beer that I am reviewing is the the brew on the far left marketed as Soft DK because the US is all freaking uptight about being PC.  Whatever.

Soft DK 's color was dark as night with a beautiful caramel colored head.  Lacing and the carbonation looked amazing and I think it whispered...DRINK ME.  The aroma was that of chocolate, sweet coffee, and vanilla.  At this point, I was pretty sure I was going to totally fall in love with a beer named after poo!  My first sip was a total shock to my taste buds.  It was extremely bitter, almost like a hop bitter.  God I hate hops.  I did not see the IBU on the bottle but I went on Google and it was listed at 60 IBU's. Once the bitterness finished beating my tongue up it had a strong dark chocolate flavor with a dry finish.  After a few more sips I tasted a faint coffee undertone and some vanilla.  What I did not pick up was the alcohol taste.  With 10% ABV I was expecting to have a strong alcohol burn but it was not present. 

Overall,  my night with the Evil Twin was not as exciting or tasty as I hoped for but at 10% ABV it was all forgotten and forgiven.  

Cheers!

~K~ 

Oktoberfest Lager in the winter...Whaaaa?

Erie Brewing Company

Fallenbock - 7.8% ABV

Last week I had my cousins over for a mini Oktoberfest/Holiday party and they brought over some craft beers to sample as well. One beer that  brought back a twinkle in my eye was Fallenbock,  by Erie Brewing Company.  Oh, and the drunk ram on the bottle made it even more enticing.  Seriously, a beer to knock out a ram is a brew for me!

Once opened, the traditional Oktoberfest Lager had a rich malty scent that made me so wish it was fall again.  The days of pumpkin beers and a wonderful array of beers to choose from, not like now...NOTHING but leftover beer and snow!  Damn it. 

The color was a rich chocolate brown topped with a rather weak head.  Small and only lasted just a few minutes.  What?  Fallenbock had a classic lager body and the taste was of chocolate malts with a crisp finish.  Nicely done, and with a 7.8% ABV I was waiting to be like the ram on the label, happy and on my back.  Blah ha ha...wait.

Cheers!

~K~

My Night With a Yeti

by Jackie M.

I need chocolate. A burly man. And sometimes, some booze. Not necessarily in that order. I think all women do actually. 

*Gents, pay attention here. I've yet to meet a lady that disputes the following theory.* 

I believe that women only need to know two things in life to be happy: 

1. That they're loved. 

2. There's chocolate in the house. 

Seriously. Nothing else matters. Women are all about security, and if we are secure in our knowledge that we are loved and that our pantry is stocked with chocolate, then all is well with the world. But if one of these sacred rules is broken, if there is doubt, then life may as well be over. That being said, it does happen, from time to time, a moment when we ladies feel like the world is ending. So what's a girl to do when she's not feeling the love, and her cupboards are free of that delicious cacao-based manna? Turn to the third (lesser known) part of my theory: If all else fails, booze. I faced just such a dilemma the other night. After suffering another long workday, I came home hoping to find a few little pieces of dark chocolate to help shore up my weakening spirit. But there were none. I searched high and low, but there was nary a morsel of the good stuff in sight. So what did I do? I turned to the bottle. And not just any bottle. I turned to the Yeti. 

Thankfully this dark beast of a beer didn't disappoint. It's rich, chocolate-y overtones helped stave off one of my cravings, and with an ABV of 9.5%, this Russian Imperial Stout was kind enough to help me forget why I'd been so stressed earlier in the day. Its sweet, rich aroma has notes of caramel and vanilla that mingle together nicely. But its complex flavor is what will immediately capture your attention. It completely engages your focus so that you have to consider its strength, its range, its mystery. Its nuanced flavor starts smooth and ends with a little bite, but it's just a nip, and the overall finish is velvet-smooth. Don't be turned off by the 75 IBU, the edge of bitterness is necessary in order to fully understand and appreciate the rich and sweet, deep comfort that lies at the center of this beer. Like a burly man, this beer is perfect for when you want to snuggle up by the fire and enjoy the deliciousness of being wrapped in something warm and fuzzy. So, ladies, should you find yourself without an ounce of chocolate in your pantry and lacking the sating love that allows us to keep the home fires burning, give the Yeti a go. You won't be disappointed.

The 2011 Best in Brew!!!

What a year 2011 has been for Gab and I.  We traveled to Wyerbacher Brewery in Easton and attended a local Spingfest.  I also hosted an Oktoberfest that would make any beer enthusiast proud.  We hope that this year brings many more fantastic discoveries and less hangovers.  But before we ring in the new year Gab and I wanted to leave our loyal readers a list of our top 5 beers of 2011.

Number 5...

Gab: Weyerbacher - Double Simcoe IPA

Kath: Shipyard Brewing Company-  Imperial Porter (Pugsley's Signature Series)


Number 4...

Gab: Great Lakes - Lake Erie Monster

Kath : Breckenridge Brewery - Vanilla Porter


Number 3...

Gab: Iron Hill Brewery - Ironfish

Kath: Brooklyn Brewery - Black Chocolate Stout

Number 2...

Gab: Dogfish Head - Hellhound On My Ale

Kath: Weyerbacher - Imperial Pumpkin

Number 1...

Gab: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales - E.S. Bam Hoppy Farmhouse Ale

Kath: Southern Tier - Imperial Pumking


Gab: This was hard for me. We have sampled and enjoyed so many wonderful brews this year, picking just 5 was not so easy. SO, I have a few honorable mentions: Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (SOOOO good), Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA (I was Vigga vigga in about 5 minutes, while on the phone with Kathleen and watching American Horror Story - the perfect cocktail!), and Weyerbacher's Heresy - Maker's Mark barrels make everything better, kinda like bacon.

Kath: This was also hard for me too!!!  I was in love with so many beers last year that I felt like I was a teenager again, thinking I was in love ever other week.  True Story.  As Gab mentioned earlier,  the Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale was a sneaky seasonal ale.  It was not hyped up but it was incredible.  I also have to give a honorable mention to The Poet by New Holland  Brewing Company, and last Brooklyn Lager by Brooklyn Brewery.  Brooklyn Brewery has made me happy on several occasions.  Wink Wink.
 
Hoppy New Years!!!

Cheers!

~G&K~