Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's review is a fairly rare offering from Brew Dog, Paradox Jura Imperial Stout.



Allowed to warm. Poured a deep, almost black, red-brown into a Snifter with zero head. This has a very aromatic scent! Smells of licorice, oak, roasted malt, and alcohol. Probably a lot I'm missing as it has a lot going on! Wow! The taste is flat out amazing! Like the smell there is just so much going on that mixes and melds. I get molasses, oakey vanilla, chocolate, brown sugar, and some whiskey. Pretty sweet. Body is medium thick. An astounding 15% ABV but masked totally except for a warming on the back end. A damned amazing beer! So very good!

I was kicking myself for paying $14 for a 12oz bottle but not now! This really was worth it to try.

[Ryan Ruck]

Got a new brew from Quaff Bros. I'm trying tonight. Their first of 2015 actually. Brewed with the help of Listermann.

This is S'more of What Imperial Stout.

Imperial stout with marshmallows aged in bourbon barrels.

Poured black into a Snifter with a very minimal head. Awesome aroma of malt chocolate, toasted marshmallow, and bourbon. A lot of delicious, well blended s'mores flavor (though lacking any graham flavor) with some malt and oakey bourbon to go with it. Quite boozy. Doesn't even try to hide the alcohol! Very sweet and fairly thick. A very respectable 9% ABV. This is a fantastic desert beer to indulge in! up to Quaff Bros. and Listermann!

[MinutemanCO]

Ryan, have you tasted Dogfish Head's Sixty-One? If so, what were your thoughts?

Just picked up a four pack from the local liquor store. Had one last night with a pizza. Still uncertain whether or not I liked the mixture of IPA brew with syrah.

[Ryan Ruck]

I have had it. I got it right after it first came out from Dogfish.

I thought it was pretty decent. Didn't knock my socks off or anything but, if it was being served up, I'd drink it without hesitation. I thought the flavor was nice.

That said, I haven't had it since. Just too many other brews to try and that one didn't score high enough to make me a regular drinker of it. I think I'd give it a 6-6.5/10.

[MinutemanCO]

Seems about right. It was a little fruity. Not sure the wine complimented the hoppy bitterness of the IPA. That's why my jury's still out. I don't think I'd buy it again. Dogfish Sixty, however, is on my regular standby list.

[Ryan Ruck]

Stumbled across a new Southern Tier brew earlier today! I just could not resist having it tonight even though I've got a ton of others ahead of it.

This one is related to another of their beers but has a bit of a twist. This is Choklat Oranj.

So new it only has 2 votes on RateBeer so far! I'm hoping this one works out a bit better than Stone's chocolate/orange peel brew I had a little while back (which wasn't bad but would have liked a better showing on).

Choklat Oranj is the fifth beer currently in our highly regarded Blackwater series. Warlock, Crème Brûlée, Mokah and Choklat have RateBeer scores of 97, 98, 99 and 100, respectively. Choklat Oranj is a stout brewed with chocolate and orange peels, opaque black in color, 10.0% Alc/ Vol, and a delicious dessert beer. Perfect alone, or enjoyed as a float. Scoop organic vanilla bean ice cream into a snifter or pint glass and top with Choklat Oranj. It’s impossible to be disappointed.

Poured a deep black into a Snifter with a light brown, medium head. Smells of rich cocoa with a splash of citrus. Huge sweet chocolate, a little bitter acidic orange, and a boozy undercurrent to the whole taste thanks to its 10% ABV. Southern Tier nailed exactly what I had in my head with what I thought I was getting with Stone's Chocolate Orange Peel Smoked Porter. Body is definitely on the heavy side, nice and thick. Damn! Just a spot on job by Southern Tier!

[Ryan Ruck]

Time for a new Stone brew tonight. This is Imperial Russian Stout - Chai Spiced

This one-time-only beer, a fascinating addition to our “Odd Beers for Odd Years” series, incorporates cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, a dash of black pepper and a dose of black tea to emulate the aroma and taste of authentic chai tea. Combine these strikingly piquant ingredients with the classic version of Stone Imperial Russian Stout―with its incumbent flavors of chocolate, black currants, coffee and roastiness―and an already profoundly rewarding beer ascends to new, flavorful dimensions.

Poured nearly black into a Snifter with a super thin light brown head. Highly aromatic chai-like scent! Broken down I get cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin spice to name a couple. Same spiciness in the flavor with sweetness, some malt, and a hint of chocolate. This is a real spice bomb! The spices overshadow the base Imperial Russian Stout. Not bad if you don't mind such a bold flavor taking center stage over the stout flavors. Personally, I really like the unique taste! Stone seems to be doing a great job with these tea accented brews like this one and their Green Tea infused brew. The body is medium-heavy and the 10.6% ABV is well masked leaving only a slight warming on the finish.

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight is going to be a Prairie kind of night. I've got a couple bottles of their brews I need to clear out, a couple which have been "cellaring" for a while.

First up is Limo Tint Sweet Stout

Limo Tint is a silky smooth milk stout aged on chocolate. This beer is creamy with a touch of sweetness. We took the raw cacao that we use for Bomb! to add big complexity to this smaller beer. Limo Tint packs big notes of chocolate, carmel and oats, and is layered with a nice creaminess from the lactose. All these flavors combine to make the perfect milk stout.

Poured pitch black into a Shaker glass with a dark brown topping for a head. Coffee and chocolate dominate the smell with a bit of malt. Tastes like chocolate and a little coffee with a bit of a funky lactic twist that lasts in the mouth for a little while. Also some ashyness. Disappointingly low 5.65% ABV for a stout. Fairly thin and watery body. The lactic funk is interesting but I think it overstays its welcome and begins to taste iffy. This only rates a "meh" from me.

Just not overly impressed with this and to tell the truth, this is starting to become a trend with Prairie. They've had a couple good ones I've tried (Bible Belt, Cherry Funk) but I'm just not finding a lot of their stuff that is making a good impression.

[Ryan Ruck]

Next up is Prairie's The Beer That Saved Christmas.

Yeah, I know. We're a little past the season of merrymaking. Like I said, it's been cellaring a while.

The Beer that Saved Christmas is an old ale aged in oak barrels with a mixture of wild bacteria. Notes of chocolate, cherry, vanilla and carmel can be found in this holiday beer.

Poured a dark, red-brown into a Snifter with a medium off-white head. This smells of spicy fruit with a slight tangyness. Flavor of mildly tart cherry, some vanilla, and oak. A bit of warming thanks to the 10% ABV. Body is medium and fairly fizzy. A fair sight better than Limo Tint. Not overly memorable but above average and a good showing from Prairie.

[Ryan Ruck]

Last up is Prairie's Christmas Bomb! Imperial Stout.



Poured dark black into a Snifter with a small brown head. Smells of coffee, chocolate, and holiday spice. The taste opens up with bitter spice and then some chocolate, maybe gingerbread, and a bit of alcohol burn. ABV comes in at a respectable 11.5%. Light-medium body. I'd say it's probably the best of the three tried to night. This one is pretty good. Would be good around the holidays if this wasn't so hard to get (I was limited to a single bottle when buying). If I had one complaint, it'd be to tone down the bitter bite a little.

It's too bad it seems to be a coin toss with Prairie...

[Ryan Ruck]

Going to try and clear though a couple more brews that have been occupying space in the fridge for a while.

First up is The Perfect Crime's Smoking Gun Smoked Imperial Stout.



Poured dark brown into a Snifter with a big khaki head that shrinks but won't go completely away. This has a smell of roasted malt, alcohol, dark fruit, and just the right amount of smoke. Big smoke and big alcohol flavors with some bitter coffee and sweet, malt chocolate. The body on this is quite hearty. 10% ABV which comes through clearly in the taste and smell. Quite a good brew! Wonder if it is better since I stored it for so long.

[Ryan Ruck]

Next is Pride & Joy Mild Ale from Three Floyds.

Three Floyds interpretation of an American mild. A smooth medium bodied session beer with a bright citrus hop aroma and finish.

Poured a clear gold into a Shaker glass with a huge, white head. This does indeed have a notable citrus hop scent as well as malt and honey. Taste is a lot like the smell. Mild bitterness. Medium bodied and 5% ABV. Quite drinkable!

[Ryan Ruck]

Now up is a beer from Evil Twin, I Love You With My Stout.



Commercial description:

“When I copied the famous Even More Jesus, I had to ask myself as an artist, why am I doing this? I didn’t honestly know. It was just an instinct about beer as pure form… in a sense this stout is like a metaphor for freedom - the sum of all the beauty that surrounds me and my perfect contemporary existence.”

Okay, if you say so...



Poured a jet black into a Snifter with a smallish dark brown head. Since this is a high test Stout, allowed to warm a bit. First thing I notice of the smell is a bit of smoke then roasted malt, sweet caramel chocolate, and a little bit of coffee. Taste is rich, roasted cocoa chocolate and bitter coffee. A slight booziness overall. Surprising that the alcohol isn't more pronounced since this is 12%. A remaining warmth thanks to it though! Very thick and chewy body. This is a damn fine stout! Hats off to Evil Twin!

[Ryan Ruck]

Doing a review tonight.

Tonight's beer is a bottle of Quaff Bros. Amberdextrous that I've had left over from the original 6 pack I drank up a while back without reviewing.

“Amberdextrous” is named after being equally adept when it comes to both Bourbon and beer, retailer and brewery as well as affordability and quality. This Imperial Amber based beer was soaked and saturated in fresh Bourbon barrels for many months. The end result is a classic Quaff, featuring Bourbon notes in the background as opposed to the forefront. Notes of leather, molasses, oak stave and caramel pecans, the bone-dry finish is lick-your-lips fantastic.

A huge thanks to the gang at Rivertown Brewing Co. for the performance and result of what we feel is a delicious brew and for the help making the dream of a Quaff Bros. six-pack a reality. Cheers!

Poured a dark, red-brown with basically no head into a Snifter. Smells of bourbon, butter toffee, and alcohol. Taste is a lot like the smell. Has some vanilla and caramel as well. Very smooth and mellow with some alcohol warming on the back. Body is thin and dry on the finish. Features 8.5% ABV. A very nice, easy drinking brew.

[Ryan Ruck]

Doing a review tonight.

Tonight's beer is a bottle of Quaff Bros. Amberdextrous that I've had left over from the original 6 pack I drank up a while back without reviewing.

“Amberdextrous” is named after being equally adept when it comes to both Bourbon and beer, retailer and brewery as well as affordability and quality. This Imperial Amber based beer was soaked and saturated in fresh Bourbon barrels for many months. The end result is a classic Quaff, featuring Bourbon notes in the background as opposed to the forefront. Notes of leather, molasses, oak stave and caramel pecans, the bone-dry finish is lick-your-lips fantastic.

A huge thanks to the gang at Rivertown Brewing Co. for the performance and result of what we feel is a delicious brew and for the help making the dream of a Quaff Bros. six-pack a reality. Cheers!

Poured a dark, red-brown with basically no head into a Snifter. Smells of bourbon, butter toffee, and alcohol. Taste is a lot like the smell. Has some vanilla and caramel as well. Very smooth and mellow with some alcohol warming on the back. Body is thin and dry on the finish. Features 8.5% ABV. A very nice, easy drinking brew.

[MinutemanCO]

Sounds like you had a bit of a party the last few nights, Ryan.

[Ryan Ruck]

The sacrifices I go to to bring beer knowledge to the masses.

[MinutemanCO]

Tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight I have the pleasure of having the next release in Bell's Plants series!

Once again compliments of a most helpful ARFCOMmer in Michigan. I ended up trading him a bottle of S'more of What and Nutcase for this.

This one is Uranus - The Magician.

The sixth release in our Planets Series, Uranus, is a Black Double IPA. It is also our first large release of this style of beer. The hop profile is enormous and complex with help from Citra, Galaxy, Polaris and other hard to find hops. The use of de-bittered or de-husked black malt lends color without the overly astringent or roasty flavors normally associated with stouts and porters. Don’t let the illusion of The Magician deceive you. Dank, tropical, stone fruit, citrus, floral and pine hop characteristics with a touch of light chocolate are all revealed.

The hops just explode out of the bottle on opening! Very aromatic. Poured black into a Snifter with a sizable tan head. Most all of the scent is citrus hops but there's a very little bit of chocolate and malts. A lot of hop on the taste but a very mellow and mild bitterness with them. The sweet chocolate and toasted malt is there as well, but in lesser quantity, making for a nicely balanced brew. There's an underlying alcohol taste to all of it. This has a 9.5% ABV. Medium body with a dry finish. I think I've only had a couple other black IPAs so I don't have a whole lot to compare this to but, that said, this is a very good IPA that does a great job balancing the bitter and the sweet.

Here's Gustav Holst's Uranus to accompany this review:

[Ryan Ruck]

Felt like doing a second tonight so I'm going to try Rivertown's Death

Death is a high gravity Russian imperial stout. Rich malt complexity from a blend of dark malts, paired with Jolokia peppers (ghost chili peppers) emphasize the finality of the series and the horseman himself.

To be honest, between the name, the label, and the description I'm a little intimidated to try this.

Poured black into a Snifter with a small-medium tan head. Smells slightly smokey and malty. Also a little chocolate and some pepper. The smell is overall a bit weak and not a whole lot jumps out in one way or another. Here we go... Taste is sweet chocolate and malt. Surprisingly you don't start getting much heat until a couple sips in. When it does start it isn't much and is in the back of the throat which builds a little in the mouth and then lips. Not at all as spicy as I was anticipating. I think Stone's Crime has forever scarred me when it comes to spicy beers and fearing the worst. Not much alcohol flavor despite the ABV which is a more than adequate 11.7%. Body is medium. Pretty darn good!