Beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's beer is another one from Listermann. This is called Chuck's Regular Ol' Porter - Four Roses. There are 7 versions of Regular Ol' Porter that have been aged in bourbon barrels Listermann uses to include: High West, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, A. Smith Bowman, and one in all 6.



Poured a deep black into an English Pint with a big, khaki colored head. Big smells of bourbon and oak as well as some sweet malts and maybe a little chocolate. Flavors of roasted malts, sweet caramel, oak, and, of course, bourbon that is warming and very mellow. Body has some nice weight to it. Since this one isn't listed, and it isn't printed on the bottle, I'm not sure what the ABV is. The other varieties aged in the individual barrels come in at 6.7% ABV. Seems reasonable for this. This is a very tasty brew! Really like how mellow the bourbon flavors come across in this. Very nice!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's review is going back to Clown Shoes to review a fairly new IPA from them called Aurora Orangealis

Miracle Mike and his bulldog stopped by a strange planet and planted the Clown Shoes flag there. That’s when they realized they were standing on a gigantic orange in outer space. They were just as baffled as you are now. We brewed this IPA with citrusy hops and orange zest for the occasion. Next time you look up into the night sky, look out for a spectacular light show: The Aurora Orangealis.

Poured medium-dark gold into a Tulip glass with a medium sized golden-white head. A decidedly orange citrus hop scent with a little bit of malt. Tastes just like it smells. Medium bitterness. Body is on the lighter side of medium and a bit fizzy. Has a 5.5% ABV. A fair, inoffensive IPA but doesn't really stand out particularly. Clown Shoes can certainly do better but didn't do badly. Maybe more noticeable orange flavors?

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's beer came on a recommendation from a coworker.

This is from a local brewer/winery called Valley Vineyards and is their Cellar Dweller beer brand's Eye Opener Hazelnut Coffee Stout.



Poured black into an English Pint with a thin, light brown head topping it off. Very aromatic with a huge hazelnut coffee scent. I love a big scent on a beer! Definite hazelnut and coffee flavors with some sweet cocoa and roasted malts. A very slight bitterness to go with the coffee flavors. Medium bodied and has a 6% ABV. This is a pretty damn good brew! Talk about a sleeper brewery! Nice job Valley Vineyards!

[Ryan Ruck]

For tonight's beer I'm going back to Listermann for a brand new release of theirs. So new, there's not even a RateBeer page for it yet.

This is their Blueberry Lime Tart Gose.

Poured pinkish-copper into a Weizen glass with a giant pink-tinged white head. Has a lime and slight malt smell with a bit of a tart note you can feel on your tongue before you even start drinking it! Has flavors of wheat, lime, and a little blueberry. Not as tart as I was expecting. Fairly light body that finishes crisp and dry. Not sure of ABV but I'd guess 4-5%. Nice warm weather beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

I was very eager to try this beer so I just had to review it tonight. Spotted this new release from Southern Tier the other day when I stopped by Jungle Jim's for an Oberon pickup and had to give it a try.

This is Southern Tier's Thick Mint Imperial Stout.

Stout brewed with Chocolate & Mint

Recently featured in Food & Wine & Beer Street Journal among dozens more outlets.

The newest in the Blackwater Series. Inspired by the legendary cookie, Thick Mint joins our world-class rated Blackwater Series of dessert beers alongside Creme Brulee, Choklat Oranj, Salted Caramel & Choklat in 2017. This imperial stout is a mouthful of perfectly balanced mint & chocolate. Roasty malts coalesce with notes of belgian dark chocolate, sweet mint & just a touch of sweet caramel. So decadently delicious, you’ll wish you’d bought another box… er,
bottle.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Delicious cookies, chocolate lava cake or as a float with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

Poured nearly black into a Snifter with a medium sized brown head. Allowed to warm slightly. Has a very big mint chocolate scent and that's pretty much it. The taste is just like the fairly rich and inviting smell! Finishes with warmth thanks to it's 10% ABV. Thick, creamy, and rich bodied. This brew definitely lives up to it's name! Like drinking liquid Thin Mints with booze! Southern Tier turns out yet another awesome brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight I'm going to have a brand new collaboration release from 2 local breweries, Quaff Bros and Braxton.

This is The Pot Calling The Kettle Sour.

Quaff Bros. represents and stands for brotherhood within our local brewing community. These small batch beers represent the passion and respect for artisan Barrel-Aged Ales as well as shocase the talents of the men and women that make up our wonderful industry. This brotherhood is incredibly unique, just like the ales that fall under the Quaff Bros. namesake.

From Covington to Bellevue our teams crafted up a kettle sour then aged it for six months in bourbon barrels that were freshly dumped. What came of it, was a sour ale reminiscent of an old fashion packed with a beautiful splash of cherry.

Poured ruddy brown into a Snifter with a minimal khaki head. Allowed to warm a bit due to the 11.2% ABV. Smells of oaky bourbon and sour cherry with a tangyness you can taste as you smell. Definite tart cherry flavor with oaky bourbon along with molasses and a little vanilla. As I've mentioned I like a tart/sour beer and this one will definitely make your lips pucker but, it's not overpowering. Medium bodied. The rather healthy 11.2% ABV is hidden extremely well making this dangerously drinkable! Definitely an enjoyable brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

What can I say, it's a weekend for sours!

Tonight I'm having another brand new brew, this time from Rogue. This is their Paradise Pucker.

In a tropical collision of kindred spirits, Oregon’s Rogue Ales and Hawaii’s Paradise Beverage announce the release of Paradise Pucker, a Hawaiian-inspired sour ale brewed with passion fruit, orange and guava – better known as simply “POG.”

Inspired by Rogue’s longtime admiration for the state of Hawaii, Paradise Pucker is dedicated to the Mahalo spirit as well as Rogue’s late founder, Jack Joyce, a lifelong lover of the islands and part-time resident.

“We’ve been wearing Tiki shirts for the last 768 Tuesdays,” said Rogue President Brett Joyce, “So you could say we had some pre-existing inspiration to make a POG beer.”

POG will be available on draft and in serigraphed 22oz bottles throughout the state of Hawaii starting September 1, as the first ever bottled sour from Rogue Ales. It can also be found on draft in limited quantities at all Rogue locations. For more information, visit our Rogue.com.

Can't really think of a better time to be drinking this than right now on a nice cool evening with a slight, pleasant breeze.

Poured a hazy gold into a Tulip glass with a medium sized white head. Has a very nice aroma of the aforementioned fruits it has been brewed with. More of the fruit in the taste with a nice mild tart twist and slight malt flavors. Fairly light bodied and crisp with a dry finish and balanced 6% ABV. This wants to be a tropical beer and it pulls it off in spades! Very nice!

[Ryan Ruck]

Alright, I'm doing a second review tonight because I've really been wanting to try this one.

So, switching gears to the exact opposite end of the beer spectrum from tropical sour, I'm now going to try another Quaff Bros collaboration. This time it was brewed with the assistance of my newly discovered brewery Cellar Dweller and the Greater Cincinnati Craft Beer Society.

This is GCCBSX2 Imperial Stout.

German chocolate cake barrel stout brewed at Cellar Dweller in collaboration with Quaff Bros. and Greater Cincinnati Craft Beer Society.

Poured very deep brown into a Snifter with a large, dark brown head. Allowed to warm. Has a deep, rich smell of oaky bourbon and sweet chocolate as well as coconut you'd associate with German Chocolate Cake, Smells dead on it! Thankfully the smell is just like the taste on this and it tastes just like German Chocolate Cake from the sweet chocolate to the roasted coconut. The hefty 11% ABV is very well hidden making this tasty brew dangerously sneaky. Body is appropriately heavy for the style. The group did an excellent job on this damn fine beer!

[Ryan Ruck]

Just opened up a bottle of a new release collaboration from local breweries Quaff Bros and Rhinegeist. A barrel aged Belgian style Dubbel called Grand Cru. No link since it's so new!

Chateau Series Grand Cru hits the Party Source shelves May 12th.

Grand Cru is an Oregon Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged Belgian Style Dubbel, that captures the true meaning of clever dreamers, well thought out recipes, talented brewers and true friendships.

With firm tannins and dark fruit, this beer was able to showcase the essence of "skin contact" without loosing the wonderful malt of the Dubbel base beer.

This is like no other beer produced in the Tri-State. It is truly something special (and very limited).

This top shelf Ale was aged in very specific Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir barrels and evokes the terroir of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Qauff Bros. would like to take this time to use this platform to thank the wonderful crew of Rhinegeist Brewery and express our gratitude for thier flawless execution.

Cheers!

Poured golden-brown into a Trappist glass with a very minimal, off-white head. Smells of malt, grape must, and Belgian spices. Very nice flavors of oak barrel, Pinot Noir, slight Belgian spice in the background, and a slight booziness. Medium-light bodied and a bit slick. Boasts a substantial 10% ABV. A very interesting take on a Dubbel!

[Ryan Ruck]

Staying on the cutting edge of new releases, tonight's is another one!

This time, not a local but one from Ommegang. The next in their line of Game Of Thrones beers, Bend The Knee Golden Ale.



Naturally I bought the 3 bottles.


Poured a bright and clear gold into an English Pint with a massive, foamy white head. Big smell of Belgian spices, some sweet honey, and a bit of citrus hop. The taste has all of the smells with the spices being most prominent and the honey making a larger showing, accompanied by a bit of malt. The citrus hop is there but any bitterness is overwhelmed by the honey and malt sweetness. Solid medium body with a respectable 9% ABV. Has a semi-dry finish. This is a pretty good brew!

[Ryan Ruck]

Felt like trying a new brew tonight I picked up recently.

This one is a new release from Rhinegeist called Slow Jam IPA.

Our third annual release for Record Store Day, Slow Jam IPA builds a deep baseline of dank fruit from Amarillo hops in harmony with Cascade and Centennial delivering supple chords of citrus and waves of bright piney beats.

Poured a medium gold into a Tulip glass with a good sized white head. Smells of floral and citrus hops with some sweet malt and a very slight spice. Tastes a lot like it smells. Has a very slight bitterness that lingers on the finish. Medium bodied with a 6.8% ABV. A very easy drinking IPA!

[Ryan Ruck]

Tonight's review is for a fairly recently released brew, a collaborative between Stone and Maine Beer, called Dayslayer India Pale Lager

AN IMPERIAL PILSNER FIT FOR BLOTTING OUT THE SUN Bold. Sharp. Golden. Like an axe used to cleave the bitter tongue of its drinkers, Day Slayer is here to delight in the destruction of your palate. Deep in the darkest reaches exists an elite group of brewers formed in the image of chaos. Destined to ravage the earth, sowing bitterness upon the tongues of beer drinkers everywhere, the warrior brewers of Maine Beer, Societe Brewing and Stone Brewing have sharpened their axes and grown in might and fury, anticipating this day of reckoning. A swath of nobly-hopped damnation has been carved, eradicating the sun, yet lulling you into confidence with its soft golden hue. Day Slayer is here to destroy the weak and huddled masses, unleashing upon the world a mouth-shattering crescendo of palate destroying hops, fermented with the finest of Pilsner strains, delivering a beer as sharp as their blades. Enjoy fresh. Rock hard. Tasting Notes: Bold in character, this clean and crisp imperial pilsner has intense bready character before turning sharply bitter with hints of pink peppercorns on the mid-palate. Finishes clean and dry.

Poured bright and clear gold into a Lager glass with a healthy white head. Has a lemon citrus hop scent and biscuit malts. Taste is like the smell. Medium hop bitterness. A little bit of alcohol taste thanks to the 7.5% ABV. Light-medium body that is crisp and dry throughout. Pretty good for the style!

[Ryan Ruck]

The beer up tonight is a recent release from Three Floyds I picked up a couple weeks back called Lazersnake IPA

LazerSnake is a good old fashioned Indiana Pale Ale. Brewed with Special Bavarian hops that give LazerSnake it’s smooth non-filtered appeal to all craft beer and macro enthusiasts.

Poured a bright gold into a Shaker glass with a fairly substantial white head. Strong tropical fruit and citrus hop scent and some sweet caramel malt. Has flavors of pine and sweet biscuit malts. Starts out with a bit of a bitterness that mellows quickly. Medium and creamy bodied with a 7% ABV. A solid example of a drinkable IPA.

[Ryan Ruck]

New beer tonight!

A brand new release from Rhinegeist that doesn't even have a page yet.

Called Maracuja, a Passion Fruit Gose Sour Ale.

Poured a medium gold into an English Pint with a good sized but short lived golden-white head. Nice sour aroma with clear Passion Fruit and some wheat and malt. Tastes just like it smells, which is really good! Pretty sweet and fairly sour. Right up my alley for sours and a good beer for the heat! Once again a great showing from Rhinegeist!

[Ryan Ruck]

I'm on vacation this week so doing a review tonight.

Here's a new release from Stone. An IPA called Ghost Hammer.

A fermenting beer never slumbers. Consequently, there is always scattered activity tending our precious beers throughout the dark hours. In these late nights and wee hours that hallowed responsibility falls to the shoulders of the overnight Brew Crew. These brewing soloists brave the long nights, often alone, to do what needs to be done. Most areas of the brewery are dark or in shadows. Throughout the night the cellars resonate with the occasional knocking of expanding and contracting pipes. It can be a bit spooky to hear the brewery creak and groan as if possessed by a spirit randomly knocking about with a mallet. This IPA, liberally hopped with Loral, honors our intrepid overnight team by naming it after their mischievous poltergeist companion – the Ghost Hammer.

Poured medium gold into a Tulip glass with a big, fluffy white head. Lots of fruit hops on the nose with an emphasis on some tart apple. Slightly malty. Flavor is a bit malty, creamy, with tropical fruit and a hoppy bitterness that's strong enough to let you know this is an IPA but not so much to be offensive. The body is light-medium. Has a 6.7% ABV. Not a bad IPA at all!

[American Patriot]

We entered our beer in a contest here in the town we're in. We find out the winner on Saturday. We made an Amber Ale - with a small twist. It is really a "red" (but so you know, red ales are in the "amber" family) and it had cherries and honey and a Citra hops.

The beer pours red and has a frothy head, with slight color from the cherries. Has a slightly malty taste at first and finishes with a good bit of grapefruit from the hops. The ABV is roughly 6.1 or 6.2% (that's a calculation based on the materials in the cook, not actual hydrometer readings because we didn't have a hydrometer).

When we arrived in Colorado, we made a second, full batch of the beer with our kids. They should have bottled it by now already. Hopefully it came out just as good or better than the first batch.

[Ryan Ruck]

So... Where's my bottles of it?






Going to do a review tonight to wrap up my week off.

Trying a brand new release from Breckenridge, Orange Cream Ale.

Nitro Orange Cream Ale is a unique and easy drinking summer beer that got its inspiration from history and nostalgia. Our Nitro seasonals bring to life each season through inventive flavor combinations. The Nitro Series as a whole is the result of years of experimentation with nitrogen, exploring how it enhances flavor and texture. A nitrogen-infused beer’s cascading pour is mesmerizing, and the softness of its mouthfeel has inspired us to play with different styles and ingredients.

Poured medium gold into a Shaker glass with a decent sized, thick white head. Smells of orange citrus as well as a slight creamy and malty note. The orange and cream flavors come through but are a little on the weak side, to be honest. The malt is also present, perhaps a bit too much. Body is on the lighter side with a creamy mouthfeel. A reasonable 5.5% ABV. Overall, not bad but I feel like it's a bit lacking. Would have liked to have seen the orange and cream flavors amplified and the malt made more subtle. Also would have liked to have seen a heavier body to better convey the creamy feel. Couldn't hurt to punch up the ABV slightly too.

[American Patriot]

We only made a half-batch. It went quickly with several bottles going to the contest and the rest going to Colorado with us. lol

Unfortunately, we didn't win.

The three that took the prizes were a Saison (which was very flat, and didn't come out all that well in my opinion) for third place. Second was a porter I think and first was a "Sweet Stout" which was ok... I actually liked it, but didn't like it as well as my own.

Here's an interesting thing.

The "judges" chatted to the winners as if they knew them. I've never once seen these guys in the tap room since we've been here, and we go up several times a week. Not saying it was "fixed" but the "Brewmaster" made a really big deal out of talking about "fixed contests" and making a deal out of making sure "this one won't be fixed"....

I'm suspicious at best. Oh well.

[Ryan Ruck]

Brand new beer from Clown Shoes tonight! One you guys will probably like the description of.

This is their Crasher In The Rye 2017 Imperial Stout.

Ahh, what better smell is there than chupacabras, defeated, burning in a field of rye? Ummm perhaps the complex aromatics of Crasher in the Rye? For 2017, we brewed the base beer, Undead Party Crasher, and replaced the smoked malt with rye malt to complement the roasted chocolate core of the brew. Then we aged the beer in 100% rye barrels to create a new version of Crasher in the Rye.

Poured ink black into a snifter with a moderate khaki head. Allowed to warm. Smells of rye, oak, cocoa, and smokey malts. Flavors of lactose, rye, chocolate, oak, and char. Fairly sweet! The high ABV is pretty mellow but does make itself known. Body is decently heavy with a hefty 11.5% ABV. Amazingly complex and delicious for an excellent beer! As usual, pretty hard to go wrong with Clown Shoes!

[Ryan Ruck]

Just opened up a new beer for tonight, a brand new release from Rhinegeist called Quadra Funk Hoppy Wild Ale.



Poured a medium, hazy gold into a Tulip glass with a substantial white head. Smell is dominated by tart berry and followed up with wheat and grassy hops. The taste is similar to the smell in that all the ingredients are there but in a different order. Nowhere near as tart tasting as it smells which, as a fan of sours, disappointed me slightly. The taste is dominated by the wheat and paired with the grassy hops. Not bitter. There is only a faint tartness that comes in the after taste. An interesting mix... Body is medium with a respectable 6.5% ABV. Doesn't really knock my socks off but is decent to sit on the porch and sip in the nice weather we're having now.