A perfect Sunday and a perfect Porter...sigh

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Edmund Fitzgerald - 5.8% ABV

So, truth be told, I have been slacking on my blog entries and really have no legitimate excuse.  Well, maybe...I got a kegerator in my house and have not been trying many different beers except for what my little companion is storing.  My first beer to be poured from my fountain of youth is none other than Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes Brewing Company. 

This complex porter has an amazing body and flavor that makes me grin from ear to ear.  With a perfect pour the cascading black gold made my mouth water and heart skip a beat.  The color was as dark as night with a creamy head that hung out at the top of the glass for almost an eternity!  Ok, I may be exaggerating but as I was waiting to take sip I felt like time stood still!  While I waited, not so patiently either, I was able to breath in the aroma of chocolate, coffee, and toffee. 

Isn't it just beautiful?

With the first sip I knew I was about to have an affair with Edmund...shhh.  This beer had the usual flavors of a porter, such as a bitter sweet chocolate with a smokey finish.  I did enjoy it ice cold but as it got to room temperature all the ingredients began to intensify.  The chocolate got richer and a sweet toffee flavor emerged.  It had a full to medium body that had just enough carbonation.  Edmund Fitzgerald was so delicious that I quickly kicked the sixtel and broke out into sweat in fear I was not able to replace it fast enough! True story.

So, if you are in the mood for a classic American Porter look no further my friends.  Edmund Fitzgerald is available year round and it will only set you back about $10 for a six pack. 

Cheers!

~K~

 



Chicory Stout made me SMILE

Dogfish Head

Chicory Stout - 5.2% ABV

Dogfish Head has been very consistent on producing quality beer and they did it once again with the Chicory Stout.  Even with the low ABV of 5.2% I was very impressed.

This beer was not only pleasing to the palate,  it was pleasing to the eye.  The color was almost jet black with a fair amount of carbonation bolting to the top.  A mocha colored head finished the picture perfect beer.  A coffee and charred wood scents rose from the glass that would make any beer lover's mouth water. Sigh, I need a moment to gather my thoughts.

Don't you wish you could reach in and grab this beer?  

The flavor was just as I expected, coffee with a  smokey backbone.  It was a light to medium bodied beer that left a little hint of chocolate sweetness on my tongue.  This is a well balanced coffee porter that I will certainly get again and again.

Cheers!

~K~

Old Brown Dog Ale...I say Bad Ass Brown Dog Ale

Smuttynose Brewing Company

Old Brown Dog Ale - 6.5% ABV

I have said it before and I will say it again...nothing like feeling a little "smutty" sometimes and Smuttynose does the trick.  I have had the Robust Porter so why the hell not the Old Brown Dog Ale. 

The color was slightly brownish and it dressed the top of the glass with a small white head.  It quickly dissipated and it left the scent of sweet roasted malts rising from the brew.

Old Brown Dog Ale had a smooth caramelized malt taste which is a classic "American Brown Ale" characteristic. If you are use to an English Brown Ale this beer will be a bit more full bodied with more hops. I know, I am a "Hop Hater" and my hops radar not was screaming back away from the beer!  I even looked up the IBU and it was listed at a mear 15 IBU's.  Now, that's my kind of beer.  Gab on the other hand,  loves to pull hair out of her chest when she tosses back a beer with 80 or more IBU's.  I can not fathom it...it is just wrong.  The ABV is also dead on for a typical Brown Ale, which most fall between 5-6%. Old Brown Dog rings in at a respectable 6.5% which in my book, makes a perfect beer.  Perfect in drinkability and perfect in I am not wasting my time drinking a 4% Nancy beer.

After drinking this fine brown ale I was inspired to take a crack at my own label.

Yeah, that's right...she is all Bad Ass and not afraid to show it!

Cheers!

~K~

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~