Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Grabbed tonights brew earlier this week. I just cannot pass up a bourbon barrel aged stout!

This is Abita's Bourbon Street Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

Bourbon Street Stout is an Imperial Stout that is aged in Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrels. Our Imperial Stout is brewed with a combination of pale, caramel, chocolate and roasted malts. Oats are also added to give the beer a fuller and sweeter taste. The roasted malts give the beer its dark color as well as its intense flavor and aroma. After fermentation the beer is cold aged for 6 weeks. This is necessary for all of the flavors of the malt and hops to balance and produce a very smooth flavor. After the cold aging the beer is transferred into the bourbon barrels. It is then aged for another 8 weeks to absorb all of the flavors from the barrels. The result is a strong stout that brings out the roasted flavors from the malt and the warming toasted, vanilla, and bourbon flavors from the barrels.

Poured black with a moderate but very persistent brown head. Smells of oak, chocolate, and alcohol. Smells good! Tastes like a good bourbon barrel stout! Flavors of light bourbon, roasted malts, vanilla, and an alcohol punch. Has a surprisingly thin body. This is a bit surprising because the bourbon flavors are a bit lighter and the alcohol is much more pronounced than many bourbon barrel aged stouts I've had. Perhaps it could have barrel aged a little longer to add more bourbon flavor and mellow the alcohol a little? Still, a pretty darn good bourbon barrel stout that won't break the bank (I paid $11 for a bomber).

[Ryan Ruck]

Earlier tonight I was heading home after being in Kentucky and decided to make a run to Party Source to restock my rum. While I was there I took a stroll around the beer section to see if anything would catch my fancy. No surprise, something did.

Party Source has been rapidly expanding their Ei8ht Ball Brewing brewery and one of the things they've started doing is offering pre-filled growlers for sale that are sealed and kept in a cooler unit.

Today I noticed they had a brew called Home Alone that said on the label it was a Chocolate Milk Stout with nuts. Sounded good so I grabbed one and, decided to have some tonight!

Poured a very dark brown into an English Pint with a medium khaki head that fades fast. Smells of malt chocolate and a little nut. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, and of the nuts I'd have to say I pick up the hazelnut the most. Pretty sweet tasting. I was a little surprised at how thin the body was. Weighs in at 7.8% ABV. Only way I could think of improving on it is giving the body a little more heft and thicken it up a little. If I'm drinking a chocolate milk stout, I'd like the consistency to remind me of it. Overall though, pretty decent for $15 for a full growler of brew.

[Ryan Ruck]

Decided to try and review a couple new brews today because my purchases are once again piling up.

First today is the new Cincinnati Beer Week 2015 - BlackTart.

This is the yearly collaboration brew made by a number of local breweries and brewpubs around this time of year in celebration of Cincinnati Beer Week in February. It was officially brewed and canned at MadTree.

Blacktart was made with the help of:

- Bad Tom Smith
- Blank Slate
- Cellar Dweller
- Christian Moerlein
- Ei8ht Ball
- Fifty West
- Listermann
- MadTree
- Moerlein Lager House
- Mt. Carmel
- Old Firehouse
- Rhinegeist
- Rivertown
- Rock Bottom
- Triple Digit

Ale brewed with cinnamon, lactose, and blackberries.

BlackTart Stout is a collaborative effort among fifteen Cincinnati, Ohio breweries as part of the celebration during Cincinnati Beer Week. Each star represents our individual breweries. Together they represent a partnership between some of the finest craft breweries in our state. An amalgamation of breweries. A dichotomous combination of flavors. Tart and refreshing yet full bodied and malty. It’s not black magic, it’s BlackTart.

Best to drink this stout cool, not cold. Poured a deep, dark red-brown with a big, brown, long lasting head. On the nose I get a bit of berries, some smokiness, and a little chocolate. Taste is definite blackberries, smokey malts, and a pinch of cinnamon. Just a little bitter bite up front and a nice 8% ABV. The body is on the thinner side of medium. Another great showing for the yearly Cincy Beer Week collaboration!

[Ryan Ruck]

Next up is a collaboration from Victory and Earth - Bread + Brewery. It is called Earth and Flame

It is described as a "Bourbon barrel aged smoked Scotch-style ale". Who can resist something as delicious sounding as that!

Earth & Flame was forged from the friendship of Victory Brewing Company and Earth - Bread + Brewery. With our shared passion for dark flavorful Ales, we saw a great opportunity to collaborate on a Scotch-style Ale.

Savor the rich flavors that emerge from the dark depths of this limited edition brew. With hints of sweet winter desserts and dark fruits, peat smoked malts and fine bourbon barrel aging smooth the intensity of this complex ale.

Recommended service is in a Thistle glass but, I don't have one. Closest I can get is a Tulip glass, so that's what it got poured into. Allowed to warm slightly. Poured an opaque, dark brown with a fairly small, quickly diminishing khaki head. The scent is heavily sweet bourbon with some dark fruit and a little caramel. Very appealing to the olfactory sense. And the taste is just as good as the smell. Of course, I'm a little biased as a bourbon fan... Taste is big bourbon. There is also vanilla, brown sugar, roasted malts, a bit of dark fruit, and probably a bit more going on which my palate isn't refined enough to pick up on. Body is on the thicker side and just right for the flavor. The ABV is a hefty 11.7%. A very, very good brew. Bravo Victory!

[Ryan Ruck]

Last for tonight is another brew from Clown Shoes, a Scotch Ale called Royal Standard.



Another Scotch Ale that is supposed to be served in a Thistle glass but will have to settle for a Tulip. Poured a medium brown with a thin off-white head that vanished quickly. Smells of grape, apple, and sugary sweet caramel. Tastes very malty with caramel and a hint of apple. This measures 10% ABV. Body is slightly heavy. This is smooth and overall well balanced. Clown Shoes did a very fine job with this one!

[Ryan Ruck]

Just opened up a bottle of Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast.

Recent batch of this has been brewed by Mikkeller at Nøgne Ø. Has also been brewed at Gourmetbryggeriet, Denmark. From 2013, brewed at Lervig.

English: An oatmeal stout with 25.0% oat-based ingredients and a nice touch of gourmet coffee. A beer that goes extremely well with breakfast.
Ingredients : Water, malt (pils, oat, smoked, caramunich, brown, pale chocolate and chocolate), roasted barley, flaked oats, hops (centennial and cascade), ale yeast and gourmet coffee.

Poured inky black into an English Pint with a smallish, brown head that fades fast. Smells of chocolate, roasted malts, and peat. Intriguing... Tastes of moderately bitter, roasted coffee. A little smokiness that makes this a nice take on the breakfast stout! Body is appropriately thick. At 7.5% ABV, not too shabby. Good brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

Decided to open up one that's been lurking around in my fridge for a while, a can of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.

This titanic, immensely viscous stout is loaded with inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee and hide a hefty 98 IBUs underneath the smooth blanket of malt. Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV) is made with enormous amounts of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Ten FIDY is the ultimate celebration of dark malts and boundary-stretching beer.

According to the date on the bottom of the can, it was canned on 10-19-2012. Guess I should have gotten around to this sooner. No idea why I put it off.

Will be interesting to see how this has held up in a can. I know a bottle would not be an issue.

Poured dark black into a Snifter with a moderately thick brown head that disappeared surprisingly quickly. Smells of malty cocoa and just a little coffee. Tastes of very sweet malt chocolate, some coffee, and is quite a bit boozy. Very thick body. Perhaps one of the thicker beers I've had. Very impressive! As it states in the official description, it is 10.5% ABV so it is no slouch. Very smooth drinking. Don't know if the "cellaring" helped that out any. Good stuff!

[MinutemanCO]

Oskar Blues is the brewery I dragged American Patriot to for a burger and a brew. They mix a decent poison. I think we should have a TAA barbecue here in Colorado and let OB cater.

Good news! I got kinda bummed out that virtually every beer Ryan reviews I can't get here in this forsaken land of western beers only. So, I looked up Clown Shoes online and found that I can pick it up in Boulder. Sad part about that is: I have to go to Boulder. The beer I think is worth it according to our resident cicerone.

[Ryan Ruck]

Up next is another bourbon barrel aged brew, this one is from Jackie-O. It is called Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln Barleywine.

A blend of Willett barrel aged Brick Kiln aged for 14 months and an assortment of Buffalo Trace barrels that were aged for 9 months. Incredible blend, very delicious, and full.

Poured a dark brown into a Snifter with a very thin, light tan head. The nose has a blend of raisin, toffee, oak, and bourbon. Very sweet smelling. A very nice opening taste of oakey bourbon with dark fruits, caramel, and a slight booziness. No surprise on the alcohol taste since this is 11.5%. Moderately thick body. Very smooth overall. This is a great brew! I've only had 2 beers from Jackie-O (and both bourbon barrel aged) and both have been excellent!

I've got another Jackie-O brew sitting in the fridge, their non-barrel aged version of Dark Apparition, that I'll do next.

[Ryan Ruck]

Here is the promised review of Jackie-Os Dark Apparition Imperial Stout.

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. 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.

Poured dark black into a Snifter with a very minimal light brown head that didn't last long. Smells primarily of chocolate and slight malt. Maybe some caramel and vanilla in there too. Taste is definitely sweet chocolate along with a little bit of roasted coffee. A little bitterness on the back end. Not as complex and smooth as the bourbon barrel version but no less good! A healthy 10.5% ABV and a fairly thick body round this out. Another fine brew from Jackie-O!

[MinutemanCO]

After reading today's headlines, I'd like to sit quietly and have a beer. Maybe some chips. My head hurts.

I've got a couple Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPAs in the fridge. I think I might visit them later.

[Ryan Ruck]

That sounds like a fool proof plan.

Or, if you feel like risking alcohol poisoning, you could just slam a brew every time Obama says "I/me" during the SotU tonight.

[MinutemanCO]

I don't have that kind of alcohol tolerance.

[Ryan Ruck]

Opened up a bottle I just picked up a few days ago. It's the newest Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts collaboration - Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale.



Poured a translucent gold into a Shaker glass with a decent sized gold tinged, moderately persistent head. The nose on this is distinctly lemon creme. Nice! Taste is lemon with only a little tartness, malts, vanilla cake, and some light herbal notes. Body is light to moderate and crisp. This is not half bad! Rather drinkable and refreshing. 6.9% ABV so it shouldn't get you in trouble too quickly.

I see a bit of hate (reflected in the ratings) toward the Voodoo Doughnut offerings from Rogue. Not sure why that is. Haven't had one that is bad or otherwise undrinkable. I see these as fun, experimental brews Rogue has decided to try and near as I can tell, although they've had varying degrees of success, they've come up with some interesting concoctions.

[Ryan Ruck]

A second up tonight picked up at the same time as the Voodoo Doughnut. This one is a collaboration between Stone, Baird, and Ishii called Japanese Green Tea IPA.


(Note: That's the old bottle design, new one is a little different)

A wonderful spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and mutual support exists in the world of craft brewing. We have harnessed this spirit fully in the crafting of this special collaborative brew dedicated to the resilient people of Japan who are bravely endeavoring to overcome the tragedy of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. We tip our brewing hats to the quiet elegance and humble sophistication of Japanese culture through the judicious addition of Japanese whole leaf green tea to this big, bold, spicy and herbal IPA. Cheers, Japan!

Poured into a Shaker a lot like the Voodoo Doughnut except the head was a little more white. Heavy floral hops on the nose with lemon and a definite green tea scent. Big green tea taste with hops. Some notable bitterness up front but it doesn't last at all. Alcohol warming on the back end. Despite the bitterness it is an overall mellow experience. The old formula is listed as 9.2% but, along with the bottle change, the ABV has been punched up to 10.1%. Medium weight body. Green Tea flavors in beer! Quite an interesting taste experience to say the least!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's choice is Rogue's Juniper Pale Ale.



Poured bright gold into a Shaker with a moderate, gold tinged head. Smells malty and sweet, a little hoppy. A fair bit of sweet malts in the taste. There's some bitterness but it isn't biting, more gradual and mellow. You're not going to find anything overtly "junipery" in this. Body is thinner and fizzy. Only 5.2% ABV. S'okay. Nothing too special about this.

[Ryan Ruck]

Okay... It's time for a little bit of slumming.

I picked this Lithuanian beer up because the label is just so kick ass and on a dare from my brother (after we looked up the ratings online while in store)!


As you can see on RateBeer, Rinkuškiai Dragon Lady Doppelbock, gets an 8 on there. That's not 8 out of 10. That's 8 out of 100.



Seriously, how can you not buy this! Looks like it belongs on the side of a 1973 Dodge van!



Poured into a Shaker glass because who gives a shit with an 8/100 beer and it's what I had handy. Don't think it really matters. It was a clear, dark brown with a moderate off-white head. The nose on this is pretty weak but I do manage to get some sweet malt. Very overly sweet and malty taste. An odd bitterness to it and an unusual, persistent metallic after taste. This is like the mutant cousin to 3 Floyds Robert the Bruce. Body is a bit syrupy. It's a malt bomb but completely unrefined. It is not undrinkable however. It weighs in at 9.7% ABV, the alcohol is amazingly unnoticeable. At less than $3 per 740ml, it does do well at getting you good and buzzed on the cheap!

Hell, give this one a try if you have it where you are because YOLO! It's still better than most every American macro.

Jungle Jim's did have other Rinkuškiai brews. I just might have to go back and grab some others.

[Ryan Ruck]

Next up is Epic's Hop Zombie. Got this just before Halloween.

NEED...MORE...HOPS...
Hops have taken over the world. Permeated the senses of the minions. Hop Zombies now roam the streets. Lupulin ichor oozing from ravaged legions. Gorging, gouging, masticating. Salivating over insane hop flavours and aromas. The time is nigh. No more festering away in hopless oblivion. Join the HopZombie Revolution.

Poured a bright, clear gold into a Shaker with a medium sized white head. Smells of pungent, fruity hops as well as a little citrus. Very hoppy taste with a malt background and a slight, lingering bitterness on the back end. A little sweet. Body is medium. 8.5% ABV so it's on par with most other DIPAs. This is rated very highly by many. I find it to be not bad but, personally, I don't put this on the same level as other DIPAs I really like such as 120, Mars, and Hopslam. To me this just doesn't seem as "polished" as those.

[Ryan Ruck]

Going to try and clear out several 12oz singles I have taking up space in the fridge today.

First up is a collaboration between Resignation and Red Hook called Resignation / Redhook KCCO Black Lager

A Resignation Recipe Brewed In Collaboration with Redhook. A toast lager with notes of chocolate and coffee. Unlike a heavy porter or a stout it’s amazingly light, crispy, and sessionable. KCCO Black is a delicious misfit.

KCCO obviously for The Chive's famous "Keep Calm and Chive On" phrase. Don't really have much to do with The Chive myself but I bought this figuring I may as well give the brew a try.

Poured a dark but clear brown into a Shaker with a medium, light brown head that took it's time fading. The nose has malt, coffee, and a little bit of chocolate. Taste is a bit of roasted malts and a bit of sweet chocolate with a little coffee bitterness to go with it, all like the nose. Body is pretty thin. 5.1% ABV. Not bad, not great. Guess there's a reason Jungle Jim's is clearing their remaining 6ers of this out at $3 each.

And since were dealing with The Chive, here's a couple very NSFW KCCO brew related pics.

Spoiler for Click for pics:

[Ryan Ruck]

Next up is Victory's Dirt Wolf DIPA.

Wildly assertive, intentionally untamed and dangerously satisfying, DirtWolf Double IPA is the culmination of Victory’s double IPA series experiment with whole flower American-grown hops. With two-row German malts and a well-balanced combination of whole flower Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic hops, this 8.7% abv brew blends the powerful citrus aroma and fruity flavors, with the piney, earthy and mildly floral characteristics found in these intriguing hop varieties. Replacing Victory’s Hop Wallop® Ale, which will take a hiatus from the market for the time being, DirtWolf Double IPA will launch the brewery’s entry into four-packs when it begins to hit markets in October". “So a wolf and a prospector walked into a bar…,” joked President and Brewmaster, Bill Covaleski. “No, in all seriousness, Hop Wallop will be missed, but isn’t necessarily gone forever. We developed that brand 10 years ago as our flavorful response to the hop-bomb vogue of the time. But as brewers who enjoy experimenting with beer styles and ingredient varieties, we looked for the opportunity to do other interesting recipes as time passed. Making the decision to put Hop Wallop aside for a few years allows us to bring this delicious new double IPA, DirtWolf, to the market in bottles.

Darkly heroic, Humulus Lupulus (hops) have empowered brews with bite and character since the 11th century. DirtWolf is a tribute to these untamed vines which rise from the earth with the voracity of a ’wolf among sheep.’ Hops have made an assertive comeback in American craft brewing. Revel in the best US varieties of hops, in their natural, whole flower form, as they bring a vital, pungent reality to the soul of a wild element in our dangerously satisfying DirtWolf. Cheers, Bill, Ron, The Brewmasters of Victory.

Poured a bright gold into a Shaker glass with a fluffy, white head that was slow to pull back. I've got some bits floating around in the glass but that could be just because I've had it since, I think, late Summer/early Fall. Big citrus and tropical fruit hop scent. The taste on this is a lot like the nose but with some caramel. Not much else, just a lot of hop flavor. Moderate, somewhat lingering bitterness. Body is moderately heavy and it comes in at 8.7% ABV. Mostly smooth taste overall but personally would prefer just a little less bitterness. Still a very well done done DIPA. Almost top tier with my often mentioned favorites.