Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Every year Cincinnati has Beer Week. During Beer Week all of the local brewers collaborate to come up with a new yearly brew.

This year's beer is an Imperial Pilsner called Hostivit.



Poured a clear gold into a Lager glass with smallish white head. Fairly malty on the nose along with some citrus and pine. Fairly malty taste, a little earthy. Slight bitterness contrasted with noticeable sweetness. Drinkable and packs a little punch at 7.2%

A pretty decent showing this year!

[Ryan Ruck]

Still digging through the "cellared" beers I've had in my fridge. Just opened up an Atwater Block Decadent stout.



Poured deep, deep brown into an English Pint with a moderate dark tan head. Heavily aromatic chocolate scent. Not much else. The chocolate really dominates everything. Taste is especially delicious chocolate malt. Teeny, tiny chocolate bitterness. This isn't an especially complex brew but, if you're interested in a beer that really lives up to its name and want to satisfy a chocolate craving, this beer is definitely for you!

[Ryan Ruck]

Despite (or because of?) the news of Obama turning our military into the Peace Corps, I'm opening up another one tonight.

Having one of Bell's Best Brown Ale.



Poured into a shaker glass a clear brown with an off-white head which didn't last long. Some cocoa and caramel on the nose. Some nuttiness as well? Taste has a fair bit of malt, a little bit of chocolate, a very slight bitterness. Pretty darn good brown ale! As usual, Bell's does not disappoint!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's beer is one from Evil Twin called Freudian Slip barley wine.



Poured a nearly opaque red-brown into a snifter. Tan, moderate head. Heavily aromatic hops and citrus scent. Heavy hop flavor to go along with the smell. Some bitterness up front that fades quickly. Not heavily sweet like many barley wines but there is sweetness in there.. I'm also picking up some creamy and fruity flavors in the taste. The 10% ABV is noticeable but not overwhelming.

Definitely an interesting take on the barley wine!

[Ryan Ruck]

Decided to open up another bottle tonight to continue to thin the collection in the fridge. This one is Thirsty Dog's Rail Dog Smoked Black Lager.



Poured dark brown and opaque into a lager glass with a khaki head that fades to a thin topping. The nose on this is chocolate, malt, and a little bit of smokiness.A lot of smoke in the taste to go along with the chocolate and coffee flavors. The smoke flavor lingers and becomes most pronounced on the backside. Very flavorful! This one definitely gets a thumbs up!

[Ryan Ruck]

CBS Announces the First Official 'Star Trek' Beer

You may never be able to pilot a Bird of Prey, but later this year, you'll be able to live the Klingon lifestyle in one way: by drinking the same beer as the fictional aliens.

March 24, 2014



Klingons are fond of proclaiming Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam ("Today is a good day to die," for those of you who don't speak the language). But as any Star Trek aficionado knows, when they're not fighting to the death or vocally announcing debts of honor, they're all about the partying. With the upcoming release of Klingon Warnog -- the first officially licensed Star Trek beer -- you can be, too.

Announced Monday, Warnog is the product of a partnership between CBS Consumer Products and the Federation of Beer, brewed by Tin Man Brewing Company of Evansville, Indiana. The beer's flavor draws from blending rye malt with a traditional clove character, creating what CBS calls "a bold beer suited for the harsh Klingon lifestyle."

The beer will be previewed at the Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas on March 25, before being released across the U.S. and Canada later this year. With any luck, this will be just the first in a line of Star Trek beverages. Who wouldn't want to see Vulcan-themed teas or Ferengi-inspired cocktails?

Brewed in Indiana? Better be available here or I'm driving however far I have to to get some!

Only 5.5% though... That does not seem like the drink of a warrior. Then again, prune juice apparently is.

[Ryan Ruck]

Time for beer!

Just opened up a bottle of Kona Brewing Company's Pipeline Porter.



Poured a fairly dark red-brown into an English pint. A khaki head on the thinnish side that faded fast. The aroma is mostly of bitter, roasted Kona coffee. Very delicious bittersweet Kona coffee taste but it is a little weak, to be honest. A bit of malt to go along with that. Body is thin. The flavor and aroma that are there are excellent but overall a bit weak in potency. Kick the taste, smell, and ABV (it's only 5.3%) up a notch or two and this would be really good. As it stands it comes in as good/solid and you wouldn't go wrong picking some up.

In thinking about it, so far I haven't disliked a single Kona Brewing Company brew I've tried. Still really like the Koko Brown.

[Ryan Ruck]

Next up tonight is Evil Twin's Falco IPA.



Poured a hazy gold-straw color into a Tulip glass. Had a moderate whitish head that faded quickly. Smells of hoppy citrus. Taste is pine resin, some sweetness, some lemon and lime. Definite bitterness on the backside. A bit more complex than most IPAs. Not bad!

[Ryan Ruck]

Going to a brew now from Dieu du Ciel, a brewer out of Canada. Only other one I've had from them was a collaboration with New Belgium.

This one is their Solstice d'Hiver Barleywine.



I'm rather proud of myself that, without going to an online translator, I can tell you that the name translates to "Winter Solstice" in French. Anyway, on to the review...

Poured into a snifter a deep, dark brown with a very slight head that faded very fast. The nose on this is alcohol, berries, sugary caramel, and malts. Taste is sweet and malty with fruits. A little bitterness in it, not heavily so like a couple other barley wines I've had recently which is what I prefer from my barley wines, little to no bitterness. Even though the alcohol is present in the aroma, it's missing from the taste. There is some nice warming on the finish though. A very solid and enjoyable barley wine offering.

[Ryan Ruck]

I'm kicking back tonight with a beer that while not exactly rare, I've had bad timing getting a hold of some.

It's Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock.



Poured a translucent red-brown into an English Pint (didn't have any of the recommended glasses for this one). The head on this was fairly thin and tan, didn't last long. Smells of warm sugar and malts though the aroma is fairly light overall. Taste is sticky sweet. So much so, it will leave your lips sticky! I also taste some bread, caramel, and molasses. There is a noticeable taste of alcohol. Not too surprising since this is an 8% brew. Very rich overall.

This was not an inexpensive 6 pack coming in at $16 and change from a local Kroger but, I definitely like this.

[Ryan Ruck]

Just finished up a Southern Tier brew that is so new to market, it doesn't officially have a rating on RateBeer.

It is Southern Tier's Goat Boy.



Poured a solid, translucent brown into a weizen glass with considerable head. Heavy yeasty wheat on the nose. I also get a scent of banana. The biggest thing I noticed with the taste was the Belgian-like spice. Also noticed a little hoppy bitterness at the end of each sip but definitely not a whole lot. A nice 7.5% ABV.

I don't think you can go wrong with this new beer from Southern Tier!

[MinutemanCO]

Ryan, again I must commend you for your encyclopedic knowledge of brewed beverages. My mouth is watering as I read. Now, that said, along with your immense consumption must come many accompanying stories. Everyone has beer stories they enjoy telling. Got a few myself. I will defer to you, though, to kick off this addition to "BEER!" thread. Perhaps it deserves its own thread.

[Ryan Ruck]

LOL MMCO!

To be honest, I'm a pretty responsible (i.e. boring) drinker. I'm usually chilling at home when I imbibe. Earlier I grilled up a big, juicy steak and ate it out on the porch with some of the season's first Oberon to go with it. There are truly few things better than eating a delicious steak, with an awesome beer, outside in the cool breeze, with Sirius Bluesville playing on the radio.

The worst trouble my enjoyment of fermented beverages has gotten me in has been impulse purchases.

Last time was a London Bridge Trading Company Large Loadout Bag from Uncle Sam's Retail Outlet during a discount+free shipping deal.

Tonight, I may or may not have just spent $800 on a VEPR semi-auto 12ga from Centerfire.

Truth be told, it really wasn't an entirely illogical purchase when you have such an anti-gun President like Obama and there is talk of Russia getting slapped with sanctions because of their invasion of Ukraine. You can almost think of it as an investment!

[Ryan Ruck]

Over the weekend I happened to have the newest Quaff Brothers brew to hit shelves, Quaffanator. Didn't get around to posting the review but here it is...



Poured a cloudy, deep brown with a pretty thin light brown head into a shaker glass. Head fades to nothingness. A lot of caramel and vanilla on the nose. Taste is heavy on the oaky whiskey and sweet. The peppers are barely noticeable and provide only the slightest spice. Not even in the same zip code in terms of spiciness compared to Stone's Crime. An awesomely done pepper d

[Ryan Ruck]

Ommegang just recently released it's 3rd installment in their Game Of Thrones inspired beers. This one is Fire And Blood Red Ale.



Poured into a shaker glass a hazy brown with a gigantic off-white head that is highly persistent. This has a smell of Belgian spice and malts. This says it is brewed with chilies but they are hard to pick up. If they really wanted it to live up to the "Fire" part of it's name they could have turned up the heat a notch or two. Otherwise the taste is pretty good! Sweet fruit, cloves, malt, hops and a touch of bitterness to finish it out. An enjoyable drink to be sure!

As I was searching for an image to go along with this review I literally just found out there are two other versions of the label. I have the first one above. It was the only one I had seen when I picked this up. Then again I was in a bit of a hurry. Now I'm going to have to go buy the other two.

[American Patriot]

Just a quick note. Stopped in at Oscar Blues in Longmont on the way home last night with wife, son and friends traveling back from South Dakota.

The beer was just a boring wheat, but it was good. Didn't stay long, the trip started Friday and I had to be at work today.

[MinutemanCO]

Hey!! Sounds good. Oskar's has yet to disappoint.

[American Patriot]

haha. Would have let you know... but, we were passing through and didn't have your number handy and no access to the Internet for most of the trip.

We actually hit an Old Chicago's up in Wyoming the night before and they had a "$2.00 Mystery Pint". So my son told the waitress to bring one - and the four of us sat and guessed what it was, then she sent the manager over. As it turned out, we'd chosen it as a Stout - etc. Picked the one we thought it was and then were told "Oh, this one isn't on the list".

LOL

Anyway it was one from Oskar's - I think "Ellie's Brown Ale" (I don't remember now), the conversation turned to "Oh, WE have been to that place" etc and my son and his friend said it sounded like a good place to hit for Lunch/Dinner (we weren't sure exactly when we'd get there). So we did. About 4:30 or 5:00 (we didn't have a watch between us, lol).

I guess the guys liked it, they were talking about going back sometime in the future.

[Ryan Ruck]

I've got a can of Ten Fidy that came in a variety pack I've been meaning to get to in the fridge... One of the only canned beers I've bought recently. Interestingly canning seems to be an up and coming trend in the craft beer world. Bell's is releasing canned Oberon later this year. Not sure what I think of canned craft beers.

Also Oskar's was featured on that show I had mentioned before in this thread, Brew Dogs. Looked like a cool place!

[MinutemanCO]

It's a pretty cool joint with lotsa live blues and local music. Beer's pretty decent as well.