Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight I'm having a fairly hard to get release from Bell's that's got a cool minikeg design and is actually going to a good cause - Tessie's Golden Ale

There were only 2 of these at the store!

Tessie’s a sweet and happy-go-lucky girl who likes belly rubs and chasing flying discs into the water. She can never have enough treats, and is a friend to all.


This Golden Ale is a hybrid of different light ale styles. taking what we like best about American Blonde/Golden Ales, and combining it with the clean fermentation characteristics of northern German Ales (Kölsch). This beer is both drinkable (low ABV) and flavorful.


This beer is a Bell's Eccentric Cafe and General Store exclusive.

Alcohol By Volume: 5.00%
Original Gravity: 1.048
Shelf Life: 6 Months

Bell's Mini Kegs For Causes: Limited-Edition 5Ls Support 4 Organizations

Oberon won't be the only mini keg from Bell’s this summer.


We are releasing four, limited edition mini kegs during the month of May to help raise awareness for organizations that support causes that are important to us and our President and Founder, Larry Bell.


“These organizations or what they represent, helped me get through the Pandemic and some tough times. Some were also hit hard and could use some help,” said Larry Bell, Founder and President of Bell’s.


“Bell’s will donate to each and so will I. We hope that these mini kegs will inspire everyone to get out and enjoy some of the treasures nearby and hopefully, help some great organizations if they can,” he added.


Oberon mini kegs have been released annually for the past 21 years. This year’s design celebrates the North Country Trail, the longest, national scenic trail in the United States.


Joining our American Wheat Ale mini keg on store shelves will be mini kegs of Lager of the Lakes, Third Coast Beer, and Tessie’s Golden Ale, a beer inspired by Larry’s Labrador Retriever, Tessie (such a good girl!). Tessie’s was previously released exclusively in bottles at the brewery’s General Store in downtown Kalamazoo. That mini keg will help raise awareness for the Midwest Labrador Retriever Rescue Association.


“A lot of folks adopted pets over the past year, so if our choice doesn’t work for you there are many fine organizations all over the country. The idea is to inspire people to give back to a good cause that is close to them,” Bell said.


The Lager of the Lakes mini keg will benefit from a partnership with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a non-partisan organization that advocates for the Great Lakes and clean water. Third Coast Beer, a beer that has not been released for a few years, returns in this unique package to celebrate the Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Tessie's pours a light, clear gold with a very energetic (like most labs ) big, white, foamy head. Has a light bready malt and citrusy hops aroma. The flavor profile closely matches the scent profile. The body is light and crisp and the ABV comes in at a moderate 5%. A very nice drinking beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Picked up tonight's brew last year. My second brew from Fretboard I'll have tried, this is Chase The Devil - Bourbon Barrel.



Poured black into a Snifter with a thin, light brown head. Has a very nice aroma of chocolate malt, oaky bourbon, and a hint of spiciness. The flavor is dominated by the malty chocolate and followed by the oaky bourbon and a slight heat. The body is heavy and it's packing a 10% ABV that's decently hidden. A very tasty brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

So on Thursday I spent all day at a job site right next to a brewery by the name of Esoteric Brewing. It's in a "questionable" neighborhood that's in the process of being gentrified.

Naturally after finally getting out of the job site at almost 8pm, I decided to stop into Esoteric and grab a growler of their on menu stout, Opulence. Not the cheapest with a price tag of $30 for the growler (including growler price) but, the OT paid for it.



Poured black into a Shaker with a medium, light brown head. Smells nicely of cocoa, malt, light coffee, and a maybe slight smoke. The taste is malt, a bit of roast coffee, and some smoke. Fairly bitter for a stout but, they do call it an American Stout. Don't know about anyone else but I think stouts should have a generally sweet overall flavor and not sure how bitterness = American. Body is medium-heavy and it clocks in at 7.2% ABV. I like the flavor profile but the bitterness feels out of place. Not bad but don't think I'll be buying it again since bitter stuff isn't my thing.

[Ryan Ruck]

Kicking off my last weekend before on call rolls around again with another of the Hi-Wire 10W-40 series. This one is the Triple Chocolate, picked up a while back, likely around the end of last year.

In my new beer koozie!

Imperial Stout brewed with cocoa powder, cacao nibs, chocolate malt, vanilla and lactose.

Poured ink black into a Snifter with a very thin brown head. Lots of chocolate on the nose with roasted malt, a bit of alcohol. More chocolate in the flavor along with the roasted malt, with the creamy lactose on the finish. The body is medium-heavy and the ABV weighs in at a solid 8%. Quite a good brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

To wrap the weekend I'm having a local brew picked up not too long ago. This is one from a local brewery I've only had once or twice before, Taft's Brewing Company done in collaboration with another local company, United Dairy Farmers a.k.a. UDF. UDF is a local chain of convenience store/dairy bars that's a hometown staple in the ice cream sphere. There's even a location in town near me!

This is Taft's United Dairy Farmers Milkshake IPA.

India Pale Ale with lactose.

United Dairy Farmers and Big Billy Taft meet in a delicious mashup.

Introducing Taft’s UDF Milkshake IPA! This hoppy and creamy milkshake IPA is brewed with heaps of hops, lactose, oats, and flaked wheat to bring you a twist on a Cincinnati classic. It’s the perfect adults-only treat.

Poured a medium gold into a Shaker glass with a sizable golden/white head. Has a fairly strong citrusy and tropical fruit hop scent with not much more. The flavor has those hop profiles a bit more muted than the smell as it's balanced with a bit of malt and a lot of semi-sweet lactose. The body is decently full and creamy, having a 6.6% ABV. Very smooth drinking and why the milkshake/New England/hazy IPAs are far superior to the West Cost varieties. A great example!

[Ryan Ruck]

Once again, on call draws near...

But, time to celebrate the weekend in the mean time! Part of the celebration will be smoking my first beef brisket since I've finally got a decent pellet smoker (didn't want to waste such nice meat on my lesser electric and I found a cut nicely discounted) and the other is drinking some good beer!

Kicking off the weekend is a recent release from Cigar City (been a long while since I've had anything from them) and brand new arrival up north in Florida North (aka Ohio). My brother told me about it on his recent vacation down to FL but, naturally, didn't bring me any back.

This is Florida Man!

The world needs heroes, and in our home state of Florida only a very special hero will do. A hero with a shark tooth around his neck, a Grim Reaper tattoo on his arm, and a rap sheet longer than his mama’s mustache. A hero who’s forgotten more about amateur taxidermy and alligator rasslin’ than you’ll ever know. What better way to pay tribute to our beloved Florida Man than with a big ol’ Double India Pale Ale brewed with a nearly criminal amount of hops and a moderate bitterness that just about matches Florida Man’s general disposition. This hopped-up whopper of a beer is big in character and guaranteed to sear itself into your memory, just like “the world’s worst superhero,” Florida Man.

Poured looking like orange juice into a Shaker glass with a moderate, foamy white head. Has a strong citrus scent, mostly orange. The flavor is, surprise , more orange and slightly sweet. The body is a medium and slightly creamy while the 8.5% ABV is very well hidden! Great DIPA from Cigar City!

[Ryan Ruck]

Going local tonight with a brew from Listermann that I picked up a while back, last year I believe.

This is a collab between Listermann and Untitled Art called Virtual Full Nelson

OOOOOHHH YEAHHHH. New England style India pale ale brewed with 100% Nelson Sauvin hops. Brewed in collaboration with Untitled Art.

Poured a slightly hazy gold with a medium white head. Has a slightly tart citrus and berry scent. Has the flavors of citrus and light berry with some bready malts, slightly bitter. Medium bodied and a bit carbonated with a 9% ABV. Not bad but not the best NEIPA I've had.

[Ryan Ruck]

I picked tonight's brew up on closeout a couple weeks ago. Hard to pass up $4 for a 6 pack! Been a real long time since I've had anything from Alaskan Brewing Company. I think the last I had from them was a smoked porter that was pretty good. This is their Strawberry Haze IPA.



Poured a hazy gold into a Shaker with a good sized, golden-white head. Has a tart and slightly citrus hoppy along with some grain malt. Not nearly as much strawberry in the flavor as you might think. Much more of a grain malt flavor along with slight hops. Slightly tart, not much bitterness. Body is medium-light and somewhat crisp with a 6% ABV. Won't leave a lasting impression but is a good tasting, easy drinking IPA. Definitely worth what I paid!

[Ryan Ruck]

After today's on call, I'm taking my yearly break from my abstention of Stone products to have the 2021 release of wOOtstout!

Looks, smells, and tastes like past releases. Just posting to show this year's art.

Interestingly, no bombers this year. Looks like it's just 12oz bottles and cans.

[Ryan Ruck]

Since I'm on vacation, may as well do a review.

Snagged this the other day when I was finishing up getting my Winter stock of Oberon, a new release from Country Boy: Witness The Citrus.



Poured a very hazy, medium gold into a Shaker with a foamy white head. The smell is a combination of citrus hops as well as some biscuit malt, and a bit of a dank barnyard funk. A lot of the funk in the flavor which didn't really appeal to me. It overpowers the citrus hop and biscuit malt flavors. Medium bodied with a 7% ABV. The dank barnyard funk taste and smell isn't for me but otherwise not undrinkable.

ETA: On subsequent cans, they didn't seem to have that barnyard funk. I suspect that first can may have gotten skunked somehow. The other ones lacked it and only had the citrus hop and biscuit malt smell and flavors. I'll upgrade it to a solid NEIPA but nothing overly special.

[Ryan Ruck]

Kicking off the weekend with a brew from Grainworks! This is their What's In The Middle Cookies And Cream Stout.

https://grainworks.beer/beer/middle/

Whether you love the chocolatey cookie, or you’re all about the creamy middle, this milk stout will satisfy your sweet tooth… without the crumbs.

This special anniversary beer, brewed in honor of Grainworks’ 2017 founding, has become a perennial favorite. Treat yourself and toast another delicious year!

Poured pitch black into a Shaker with a medium sized brown head. Very chocolate Oreo shell smelling and tasting! The Oreo chocolate dominates the smell, not much else which isn't a bad thing. The taste has the same Oreo chocolate along with some creamy lactose. An appropriate medium-heavy weight body with an equally appropriate 6.5% ABV. Grainworks knocked it out of the park with this for a brew tasting like what it claims to be. A really tasty dessert beer.

[Ryan Ruck]

Starting the weekend with a local, another in the Braxton/Graeter's collab line - Peach Milkshake IPA



Poured hazy medium gold into a Shaker glass. Very aromatic sweet peach and malt scent. The flavor is peach, sweet lactose, a little malt. The body is as creamy as is to be expected from a Milkshake IPA and this brings a nice 6.9% ABV. Tasty, solid Milkshake IPA!

[Ryan Ruck]

I was really looking forward to this one from Bell's when I first heard about it and I was lucky enough to score some! This is a new twist on my go-to Oberon, Uberon.

Meet Überon, the Whiskey Barrel Aged version of Bell's Oberon.

Tasting Notes: Whiskey barrel aged beer with spicy, toffee characteristics and a warming finish.

A part of the same family, Oberon and Überon share fruity traits, but little besides that.

Originally brewed in the mid-2000's and then again in 2012, 2017 marks the third release of Überon.

The main reason for barrel-aging this beer is to coax flavors out of the barrels and allow the beer to interact with the whiskey. The end result is a copper colored beer with whiskey characteristics that portray woody, vanilla and candy-like flavors.

(from http://www.bellsbeer.com/news/get-kn...el-aged-oberon)

Note: Überon whiskey 9.7-10.3% 2017-20, Überon bourbon 11.3% 2021

Poured darker into a Shaker glass than regular Oberon, more of an amber color, and clearer with a slight whitish head. A slightly spicy, oaky, and wheat scent. The oak and bourbon flavors definitely dominate with the typical Oberon wheat and light spice present as well with a boozy finish. The body is heavier than regular Oberon and it lacks the carbonation while packing the aforementioned more robust 11.3% ABV. Simply great!

[Ryan Ruck]

Wrapping my on call week with another brew from Grainworks I picked up earlier in the Summer. This is their collab with local Holtman's Donuts: Lime Coconut Donut Gose.

Juicy lime, rich toasted coconut, and a slightly salty finish take this mouth-watering German Gose to the next level. It’s the perfect pairing for a very special donut made by Cincinnati’s legendary Holtman’s Donuts for this collaboration. It’s a refreshing, tempting treat on a spring or summer day.

Poured very light and slightly hazy gold into a Shaker glass with a big white head. Very pungently lime and coconut, slightly sour. You can taste the tartness just pouring it! Very clear coconut flavors with a tart lime twist. The body is light-medium and has a 4.8% ABV. This would have been a lot more at home a couple weeks ago when it was a tad warmer instead of the Fall season just getting underway but it's still quite good.

[Ryan Ruck]

Since it's about the yearly anniversary of the re-release of the Listermann Operation Flintlock, decided to grab one out of the "cellar" that's been there since last time.

Tonight's is their release of Operation Flintlock Peanut Butter Stout.



(I'm drinking the canned version.)

Poured pitch black into a Shaker with a great big, light brown head. Lots of peanut butter and cocoa on the nose. Peanut butter and milk chocolate are most of the flavor along with some roasted malts. The body is medium-heavy with a respectable 6% ABV. Not terrible complex but a very tasty brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

Decided what better way to start the Halloween weekend than Undead Rhapsody from Clown Shoes.

The hunt to kill the undead has driven crasher through years of struggle and across the globe many times. Tonight the chase reaches a crescendo amidst a cacophony of course in the ghoulish orchestra hall. An Aries searing solo of destruction silences the nefarious symphony. The zombies and monsters will have to sing the blues. Oh wait. They can’t. They’re all dead again. Clown shoes head Brewer Dan Lipke has composed a decadently complex ode to crashers legendAnd music making victory. Finding a Jamaican rum barrel aged American imperial stout with a bourbon barrel aged barleywine ale, Undead Rhapsody provides a burst of rich flavors that compliments an undead Rhapsody that echoes from beyond the dark evening sky.

Canned June 2020. Poured black into a Snifter with a large, energetic light brown head. Smell has the sweet, dark fruit smell of a Barleywine along with some roasty malt chocolate of a Stout and a slight bit of rum alcohol. All of that comes through in the flavor profile along with a nice oakyness and finishes with an alcohol warmth. Nice weighty body and the alcohol warmth is thanks to the 11% ABV. As usual, Clown Shoes does not disappoint!

[Ryan Ruck]

Was too tired after work yesterday to kick off the weekend properly but no time like now!

Tonight I'm having a local brew from a brewery that's owned by a friend of my brother, Rebel Mettle. They just recently began canning and distributing (at least locally) their flagship beers. One of those, which I'm having tonight, is Volume Schwarzbier.

Schwarzbier brewed with dried blue juniper berries. This is a Frankenstein version of the German classic. Plugged in and ready to go, this German-style dark beer is packed with high frequency juniper berry notes that will amplify any occasion. You have been warned, volume is anything but quiet. Ready to rock?

Poured black into a Shaker glass with a heavy brown head. Smells of roasted malt, coffee, and cocoa. Has flavors of heavy malt, semi-sweet chocolate, and a little earthy. Body is medium-heavy and creamy with a decent 8.5% ABV. Excellent brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight I'm raising a glass to Mr. Rittenhouse and that glass is filled with an Oktoberfest release from local MadTree: Ziegler

We’re all winners with this smooth, malty and easy-drinking Oktoberfest lager. Ziegler is named after a Cincinnati Park, and past mayor.

Hops: Cascade, Perle

Malts: Munich II, Pilsner, Marris Otter, Caramel Rye, Caramunich III

Poured dark amber with a decent size golden head into a Shaker glass. Has a sweet caramel malt and toasty scent. Flavor of caramel malt, biscuit, a little spice, and slight hop bitterness. Body is light-medium and cabonated. Comes in at 5.7% ABV. Solid drinking Oktoberfest!

[Ryan Ruck]

I was on call for Thanksgiving so I'm doing mine this weekend. To kick off this weekend I'm having a Thanksgiving themed stout tonight from Listermann called Yamily Time



[quote]Stout with sweet potatoes, brown sugar, marshmallows, and spices.[/url]

Poured a brownish-black into a Snifter with a moderate sized amber tinged, tan head. Has a sweet marshmallow-y smell accompanied by brown sugar and spice. All of that definitely comes out in the flavor along with a hint of vegetal sweet potato taste. Medium bodied and ringing in at 7.7% ABV. Good stout for a cold, holiday weekend!

[Ryan Ruck]

A bunch of Epic Brewing's Big Bad Baptist variants have been landing at my beer shop and it's such a great brew, naturally I have to buy them! But, they're piling up now so it's time to start drinking them!

Tonight's is Big Bad Baptist Black Forest Cake.

It tastes just like we baked a gooey and delicious cake, melted it down, and funneled it into bottles. Chocolate, coconut, and cherries work in tandem with the coffee notes. Then, it finishes with a little bit of heat from the whiskey barrel that will have you craving another bite — I mean swig. Dig in!

Poured pitch black into a Snifter with a medium sized brown head. Smells of sweet chocolate, coconut, oak, with a little alcohol booziness. Flavor is mostly chocolate, oakiness, slight coconut, and a hint of cherry. The body is decently robust with a matched 11.4% ABV. Once again Epic does not disappoint!