Friend of mine who started a new microbrew down the road from me cans his stuff now. Said it was significantly cheaper than bottles.
Re: Beer!
Friend of mine who started a new microbrew down the road from me cans his stuff now. Said it was significantly cheaper than bottles.
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Interesting...
A personal observation with how cans are being received by the purchasing public with previously bottled offerings. From what I've seen Bell's canned Oberon hasn't been selling nearly as much as the bottles. Wherever I've seen it for sale, the shelves are always full with it while the bottles constantly sell.
As a big consumer of Oberon, I haven't bought a single 4 can pack.
That said I was impressed with how the only 2 canned brews I've had recently, Beer Agent and Heady Topper, have turned out. There wasn't any hint of metallic taste as I expected coming out of a can either poured into a glass or consumed directly from it. Maybe I'm just groundlessly biased against cans.
Re: Beer!
The idea behind bottles...
1) Does not impart any metallic flavors to the brew - though most cans are plastic coated inside.
2) What I have seen is that beer just TASTES better if it was bottled instead of canned.
call me a "beer snob", but honestly trying Guinness in the can and bottle and taste testing them, without knowing which was which (we once did a double blind test at a friend's house, lol) we COULD tell there was a different flavor and it wasn't as good. It turned out after several of us chose the "good" and "bad" the "bad" was always from a can.
It MIGHT be that we got a bad/old batch, I dunno, but that was the conclusion. Haven't really drank beer in a can since.
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very odd
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Having a special brew tonight. This one is a limited release from Bell's that is somewhat hard to get. This one is The Oracle DIPA.
Here's what Bell's describes it as:
Poured a deep gold into a Snifter with a slight white head. As the description states, it smells of highly aromatic tropical and citrus fruits. Some alcohol. Not much more to it than that. The taste is most notably a strong but not harsh citrus bitterness that lingers. A very little bit of sweet malt. I'm not finding much else to describe about this.Our take on the West Coast-style Double India Pale Ale, The Oracle places hop intensity first & foremost, making only the slightest concession to malt & balance. The fireworks start with the floral aromatic punch of two separate dry-hop sessions with Amarillo and NZ Pacific Jade. Resinous, citrusy hop flavors mixed with aggressive bitterness from a massive kettle addition deliver on that aromatic promise.
This is a good DIPA but, I'm going to be honest, a little one dimensional. As highly as it is rated on RateBeer I don't know that I agree with it. I'm more inclined to put it in the 80% range. It's better than a lot of other IPAs/DIPAs out there but there are others much better than it. In my opinion 120, Mars, and Hopslam are superior. In fact that Alchemist Heady Topper was better. Again, this isn't bad at all but easily outclassed by other offerings available, from the same company no less.
Re: Beer!
Decided to try one I just picked up earlier tonight in the hunt for another beer (which I found).
This one sounded appealing so I thought I'd give it a try. It is Epic Brewing Company's Sour Apple Saison Ale.
Official description:
Poured a light, clear gold into a Tulip glass with a moderate white head. Has an aroma heavily of Belgian spices with green apple. The taste on this is decidedly like the smell. The apple is of a green apple tartness which is only very mildly tart. Personally I wish it were a little more pronounced but that might be just me. Has a well balanced malt backbone. The body is dry and crisp. Very easy drinking and refreshing. A solid showing!There may not be a more perfect summer ale. Sweet, yet dry and tart, apples spiced with coriander, grains of paradise, anise, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. Whether enjoying ice cold under the hot June sun or pairing with a light dinner as the sunsets into the evening, there is no wrong way to enjoy this Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale!
Grains: Pilsner, Apple juice, White Wheat Malt, Flaked Oats, and Acidulated Malt
Hops: Saaz, Tettnang
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Tonight's brew is one I had been anticipating and almost missed out on.
This one is Ommegang Game Of Thrones #4 - Valar Morghulis.
Description:
Sometime mid week about 2 weeks ago I had gotten an email from RateBeer that Valar Morghulis was due to be hitting shelves. Last weekend I decided to go try and hunt some down, figuring it might take a couple days from when the word went out to when it actually hit shelves. So I had an online order to pick up at Party Source. Got there, looked around from Valar, and didn't see any. Figured okay, they might not have it in yet. Went to Jungle Jim's since I didn't have anything else going on. Didn't see any there so I asked the beer department guy manning their growler station if he knew when they were supposed to be getting it. He said they had had it for the last 2 weeks and had sold the last of it! At this point I'm thinking, "Damn, I bet RateBeer was slow and now I've missed out." I figured I had one last shot... There's a Kroger near me that gets more craft beer than a lot of the others because of the area demographic so I thought I'd stop by on the way home. Get there and see the slot where Valar should have been empty. Now I'm pissed. I look down and out of place is a single, solitary bottle of Valar. Better believe I snatched it up! Was so pleased I wasn't going to have to miss the latest installment of the Ommegang GoT brews when I've had all of them since the first!The phrase is a part of a strong theme speckled throughout HBO’s fourth season, which started airing in March. As Arya Stark sets out to avenge those who have fallen, she adopts it as a mantra against the people she wants dead. The label art features a two-headed coin, which was given to Arya by Jagen H’ghar, one of the "Faceless Men of Braavos" assassins who can change their appearance on demand. Each cork is fire-branded with “Valar Dohaeris,” the traditional response phrase to “Valar Morghulis” meaning “all men must die.”
Okay, story time's over...
Pours a deep, opaque brown into a Trappist Glass with a great big khaki colored head. The head on this is very persistent and leaves more than a slight topping even after a while. Smells fruity, sweet, and slightly spiced. The taste has a bit going on with plum, caramel, malt, brown sugar, and a slightly sour note. The body is a bit thin and dry but, surprisingly, this weighs in at a respectable 8%. Quite a good beer! Definitely recommend giving it a try if it isn't sold out where you are!
Re: Beer!
Awesome tale. Like the holy grail. Can see you now crashing through the forest, sword in hand, ready to give up your last bit of energy. Searching for the lost brew, all others having been absconded with by the immortals. When a beam of light shines from heaven and there standing amid the lesser beers is the treasure. Last one ever to be consumed by the likes of common man.
I know, I need to get out more.
Last edited by MinutemanCO; October 18th, 2014 at 14:52.
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You and me both brother!
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We have a problem.
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Tonight I'm having a new collaboration brew made by Stone, Insurgente, and Chris Banker - Xocoveza Mocha Stout
Description:
Poured a dark brown into an English Pint with a moderate, light tan head that faded fast. Smells of coffee, cocoa, and a hint of pepper. Taste is vanilla, pungent but not bitter coffee, sweet chocolate, a light touch of cinnamon, and a slight oily pepper flavor with only a little bit of heat (could maybe use a tiny bit more but then again, maybe not). This becomes more flavorful as it warms. Body is moderately thick. This is a very good beer and all of these flavors work exceedingly well together! Bravo! Needless to say, try this.The impact of homebrewers on the American craft beer industry has been immense. The comfort level and lack of inhibitors provided by a domestic brewing environment fosters a near limitless brand of experimentation, allowing homebrewers to push te beer envelope to its breaking point. Many of the professional brewing world’s best recipes--from West Coast IPAs to imperial stouts and even sours--began as homespun standouts so spectacular they had to be unleashed on the world in order to improve it.
With this in mind, each year we hold an American Homebrewers Association sanctioned homebrewing competition, the champion of which gets their recipe brewed and distributed nationwide by Stone. This year’s winner, Chris Banker, helped keep us grounded to our homebrewing roots by introducing flavors consistent with our regional apalate. His chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, chile pepper, and coffee-infused milk stout was built to mimic the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate, a beloved specialty from our neighbors to the sout, as our collaborators from Baja California, Cervezeria Insurgente, will attest. Layered with tiers of earthiness, spice, and roast, this creamy, semisweet blue ribbon beer confirms that the spirit of the American homebrewer is not only alive and kicking but thriving at an all-time high.
This went well with the Southwest Lasagna I had for dinner.
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Tonight is a Stone kinda night...
This next one is from Stone's offshoot Stochasticity Project. This one is Hibiscusicity.
Description:
Poured a dirty, dark pink into a Tulip glass with a moderate sized, pink tinged, white head that faded fast. There's a lot of orange in the nose of this! Orange and a smell that reminds me of a bouquet of flowers. Interesting! Taste is a bit like fruit cocktail with a slightly tart twist. A little bit of a bitterness on the back end. Body is slightly dry and crisp. I think this would be better suited to warm weather instead of this late in the year. Otherwise, pretty decent!The recipe for a citrusy, hibiscus-flavored wheat ale that Steele conceived was first brewed on the 10-barrel brewhouse at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station. Originally named “Going Red,” the beer was a special-release offering to promote awareness of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. The addition of Magnum and Sterling hops provides a balanced bitterness to the beer’s citrusy, berrylike spiciness, while the malted wheat adds a subtle yet sweet bready flavor to complement the tartness of the hibiscus flowers. Giving the beer tropical fruit and banana characters, the Belgian yeast strain Ardennes was used to complete the unique brew. As a result of this serendipitous combination of ingredients, fans will savor a flavorful beer that is complex, refreshing and easy to drink. Stochasticity Project Hibiscusicity may be enjoyed now or cellared for several months or years.
Re: Beer!
I'm going to do 2 reviews tonight.
First is one from Founders and is a very limited release brew, available only in Michigan, Wisconsin, NYC, and Chicago. I received this compliments of my Michigan connection that has been helping me get Bell's Planets (including Venus which I just received last week!). This is their Mosaic Promise IPA.
Poured a slightly darker gold into a Shaker glass with a decent white head that faded fast. Very heavy scent of grapefruit. Citrus and fruity hops dominate the taste but this isn't all that bitter, just slightly. Medium body and a bit crisp. This is a short review because, truth be told, this isn't a very complex beer. Not necessarily a bad thing, in fact this is a pretty good, easy drinking IPA. I'm glad I got the opportunity to give this a try!In April 2013 we inked a deal with ArtPrize that made us the official brewery of the competition for the next five years. The premier leadership sponsorship deal included offering our beer at all official ArtPrize events, signage, promotion, merchandise, specialized glassware and other items. It also included permission for us to use the ArtPrize identity marks (logo and graphics) on any co-packaged items, including beer. We plan to release a new beer for each year of our five-year partnership with ArtPrize under the name “Artist Series”. This is year two. Last year’s release was Inspired Artist Black IPA. “Making a unique beer in honor of ArtPrize has become a fun challenge for our brewers,” said Dave Engbers, our co-founder and vice president of brand and education. “This year’s release just fell into place. Ninkasi—a stained glass ArtPrize submission that showed in our taproom last year—became a permanent part of our taproom when we purchased it last year. We knew right away that it would make a perfect label for Mosaic Promise, a beautifully simple beer that we had been experimenting with for some time.” Mosaic Promise showcases a single malt—Golden Promise—and a single hop—Mosaic. The traditional barley’s depth of flavor and the versatility of the hops’ bittering, flavor and aroma characteristics are the strong pillars that comprise the structure of this clean, rich, golden beer. We can brew complex beers with the best of them, but we recognize that there’s also beauty in simplicity. Proceeds from the sale of Mosaic Promise will support the future programming of the ArtPrize organization. ArtPrize is an international art competition, open to any artist and decided by public vote. Its mission is to promote critical dialogue and collaboration through new, creative ideas among a large and diverse population of people. As an innovator in redefining what beer can be, we believe that experimentation is central to the human experience—whether one experiments with grains and hops or colored glass and light—and that sharing one’s creation with the public is a brave act worth celebrating.
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Number 2 up tonight is from 3 Floyds. A limited release called Arctic Panzer Wolf DIPA.
This looks a lot like the Mosaic Promise. The head on this lasted quite a bit longer though and left a slight coating on top. The nose on this one is fruity hops, maybe mango with malt. Taste is a bit tropical and citrusy. This is 9% but the alcohol is pretty well masked. Not as bitter as the high IBU would lead you to believe though it does have some bite. A moderate body. Definitely a well put together DIPA.A massive IPA that will leave your palate it’s hapless victim. Scorched earth is our brewery policy. 100IBU 9%ABV
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I'm a little late on rating a couple Halloween brews but oh well. This is one of them.
This one is a rare offering from a brewery here in Ohio called Jackie-O's. This is their Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition
Poured a deep black into a Snifter with a very thin brown head. As is proper with a beer of this type I gave it ample time to warm up though I did sneak a couple sips before it reached proper temperature. Even cold this is a very flavorful beer. At temperature, even from inside of a snifter, this beer gives off a very heavy sent of oak, caramel, and alcohol. It smells really good! Taste is excellent! A lot of bourbon, oak, and vanilla up front. Very boozy. Roasted coffee and cocoa in the background. A bit sticky sweet but not overly so. Amazingly complex and superbly balanced! This is ranks right up there with Founder's KBS and Goose Island Bourbon County, maybe even better than both which is saying a lot. If you can ever get a hold of this I highly, highly recommend it.This hauntingly good brew in your hand is rife with dark complexities. Eleven malts were used to create deep flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and molasses. A hint of bitterness and herbal character from carefully selected American hops help support the monolithic maltiness of Dark Apparition. After a month of conditioning in stainless steel, the beer was transferred into bourbon barrels. For 8 months, Dark Apparition waited patiently in oak barrels until the time was right to spring forth with its ghostly gusto. A truly decadent brew that is intended to be poured into your favorite snifter and given time to warm up from its dark and cold resting place. Be aware when in the presence of Dark Apparition ’cause this ghost is a creeper.
Re: Beer!
Just opened up a bottle of a seasonal (though they prefer not to call it that
Poured a dark but clear red-brown into an English Pint with a slight tan head. Smells mostly of smoke with a hint of orange citrus. Taste is prominently the smoked porter. A little bit of the chocolate and a little bit of the orange peel definitely do come through. Some coffee flavor in there as well. There's a moderate bitterness to it that could be from the chocolate or could be from the orange peel, maybe both. This is an interesting combination but I don't know that this is hitting on all cylinders. Orange and Chocolate is usually a nice combination but I don't know that this smoked porter is the best host for it. I think if the chocolate and orange were punched up or the smoke were toned down, along with a reduction in the bitter note, this would work better. Overall I was expecting a bit more but this rates a solid "Meh" from me. Not bad by any means, just not all that great.We decided early on that we wouldn’t do seasonal beers for the sake of doing seasonal beers. Summer ales and winter lagers certainly have a ring to them. Big-beer focus groups prove consumers get a kick out of them, and macrobrew marketing analyses suggest they sell well. But for us, beer comes first, much as Stone Smoked Porter came first. Actually, it came second—oddly enough, in the form of a seasonal. Our co-founder and original brewmaster, Steve Wagner, thought it would be an innovative, warming creation suited for winter…and it was. Legend has it Greg’s mom agreed. But rather than relegating fans to nine peat-smoked-porterless months and building revenue-generating fervor for the cold season, we made it a year-round release. Nowadays, we brew a trio of tasty takes on this smoky, sultry vanguard. But the closest they come to being “seasonals” is that they are enhanced with seasonally driven ingredients such as vanilla bean and chipotle peppers. This version, released in the literally gray area separating sunshine and snowfall, incorporates dark chocolate and dried orange peel, making for a semisweet, citrus-nuanced porter that comes across like a break-apart chocolate orange enjoyed by a campfire. It’s not a seasonal—it’s just a phenomenal beer, regardless of the time of year. Throw out the calendar and enjoy.
Re: Beer!
Speaking of beer. We made a batch of pumpkin beer last weekend. I did the first racking Friday from the bucket to the carboy. It is settling out nicely and will be a reddish colored pumpkin ale, medium hops (Hallertaler and Fuggle) and a German Ale yeast were used. The pumpkin came from the garden.
We had two small pumpkins we baked for a hour then peeled and mashed the pumpkin flesh then "mashed" it again in the cook pot (we brought the temps up to 155 and held it there for 90 minutes) at the same time we were mashing the grains (American Crystal and a German malt) for 90 minutes in a second pot. Then we brought both pots up to a boil for another 90 minutes - added our hops at various intervals and in the last five minutes put in the last 1/2 oz of Fuggle.
When I racked it, I did a taste test. It had a very light pumpkin flavor. We'll do another test when we rack again, and decide the quantity of spices to add. The pumpkin was light. We also fermented with a vanilla bean (weird thing all by itself).
We'll keg this beer for the Thanksgiving Dinner. We have 30 people coming over. Two turkeys are getting cooked (Baked and fried), 5-6 pies and all sorts of other food.
I'm ready for a couple days break myself (and some home brewed beer) LOL!
Think I will call it "Happy Thankspumking" lol
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Damn! That sounds really good! Makes me want to buy a plane ticket and crash Thanksgiving at your place.
Have you done a pumpkin beer before?
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No, we've not done one before. I'm thinking the pumpkin taste will be rather light though. So - that's why I advised her to wait for the next racking to taste it herself. She has a tendency to over do spicces and things like that anyway - though, it's not a bad thing
But putting in pumpkin pie spices without a hint of pumpkin might defeat the purpose of beer (at least to me!) lol
And Ryan... you'd be welcome to come!
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