I'm going to a tapping party tonight for this beer.

The "Champagne of the North"

Based on a centuries-old German style of Berlinerweiss, this Imperial version opens with lemon, citrus and delicate floral tones. The beer is naturally sour from a lactic fermentation and a dash of Brettanomyces. Berlinerweiss pours slightly hazy with a pleasantly dry finish. ABV 7.5% Hops/Spicing: Target hops, Brettanomyces

I gotta say, I've only had two Helles (that were called by that name), but it's a damn good summer beer.

As far as American breweries: I've had the Stoudts pictured above and Abita's Andy Gator. Looks like Schlafly made one, but I think it was a small batch deal. Victory's Lager is a Helles as well. And even Rock Bottom Brewery makes/made a "Munich Gold".

It seems to be a very prevalent/common German brew, and and their answer to Czech pilsners with a touch more malt.

This is my beer of choice tonight along with some left over Staropramen from Friday Night.
I had a few bottles of Goose Island Honkers Ale and Summertime last night at Ribfest. Honkers Ale is much better than I remember it, or I just wasn't giving it a fair shake the first time around.

not sure if i've ever had the 10 before. it was good and i kind of got a little buzz from it since i hadn't eaten since 1.



this is alright. kind of a weird smell to it, as it's brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. tastes good though i couldn't see drinking more than 2 of them.

Recents:

Bad cellphone pic of Goose Island - IPA

You know, this was a really fucking good little IPA. I don't buy IPA's anymore expecting to be surprised, but this was different somehow. It's more bready, more balanced, there's something sweeter about the hop finish... I really really enjoyed this 6er and was sad to see it go. A-

Great Divide - Espresso Oak Aged Yeti

I like me some big hairy stout, and this by all advertising accounts claims to be the real deal. So it was with some surprise that I sipped what was really just a "good" stout - no bigger, bolder, stronger, sweeter, or rarer than a lot of other stuff out there. It was a decent stout, but to claim 2 flavor add-ins, and come up with that finished product, is reaching for something higher and (sadly) missing. I could barely taste anything of the oak OR coffee. B


Wine By Some Young Punks (South Australia) - The Squid's Fist

Alright it's a wine, which is cheating, but how fucking great is this label? I couldn't just not share. Had this bottle with the Mrs and Neuro out on the greenway downtown among the high rises, friday afternoon, sitting in the grass, bullshitting.

Cisco Brewers (Nantucket) - Formaggio Kitchen Hefeweizen

Formaggio is where we get our saturday bbq. They've got a deal with Cisco on the island to make them some custom-brewed stuff. I was sick saturday, throat sore as a motherfucker, so I figured I'd take it easy and just drink a wheat beer. This was really bland, or maybe my tastebuds were out of whack. But I don't think it was me. C+

...I couldn't finish the wheat beer at lunch so I took it to go on the bike.



The Tyrconnell - Port Aged, 10 yrs

Cheating again, but I ran out of beer for a day. I brought this back from Ireland last time I was there. It's fucking SMOOVE. There's a big push there to get irish whiskey back into the same worldwide regard (and sales / price bracket) as scotch whiskey. One of my drivers told me they were riiiiight there when Kennedy got elected, but when the big quality irish distillers were asked to ramp up production to be able to export to the US in sufficient quantities, they couldn't do it, so scotch took over. -shrug-

Brooklyn - Lager

I haven't had this in awhile, couldn't remember if I'd posted about it. It's darker and more ... german... than I realized. It tastes like an honest to god deutsch beer, pretty much. American brewers always tinker and "improve" german recipes, so they never taste like this. But it's got the right yeast and hop notes, and everything's in check. As with most of their beers, I dig. B+

21st Amendment Brewery - Live Free Or Die IPA

Crack texted me a while back asking about their Hell Or High Watermelon beer, and I'd never had anything by them. Decided to wade in this weekend with their IPA. As has been well-westablished, I tend to like canned beers, if only for the minimized space in the recycling bin and the geeky supply chain savings. So I was hopeful. I, uh, I don't know what to make of this. It tasted JUST like I put a big drop of dish soap into the mug first. My wife could smell it from a few feet away. Hey baby, what do you smell in this that shouldn't be there? "...Detergent?" Ayup. So either that glass wasn't rinsed right, or I have 5 more Soapenbrau's to slog through in the fridge. If the soap was MY fault, it was a decent IPA I think, kinda dry for my taste but whatever. If the soap is their fault, then what the FUCK, that is disgusting. F-/B-

i don't think i've had their ipa but all their others (hell or high watermelon, back in black, monk's blood) are pretty good.

yeah i like that Back in Black quite a bit.

Good beer. Great quality for the price too.

I think it's interesting you seem to really like that Brooklyn Brewery, Cap. Maybe its because their Brown Ale is the most widely available, and If I never drink a brown ale again my entire life it will still be too soon, but everything I've had from them is beyond meh. It's equivalent to Smuttynose, IMO.

See I like Smuttynose, too. Not as much, but I do enjoy them. Actually I have a belgian quadruple from them in the fridge as we speak. I strongly suspect they cannot pull off a good belgian, but... we'll see.

SoapenBrau Update: It was my glass, not the beer. Had one again last night and it was pretty good. Solid B+ IPA.

It has to be up there for one of my least favorite styles of beer, but there are still some interesting brown ales out there, especially the stuff that has been dry hopped at the end of the brewing process.
I think they are usually worth the price of one pint and that's about it.

ditto. You think it's the most boring style ever, but then once in awhile someone manages to make something interesting with it. Hell I really enjoy Smutty's, called Old Brown Dog. If you're honest with yourself about it, there is not one damn thing wrong with that beer, and a lot right. I don't buy it often, but I do get it in the sampler packs once every few months.

I was at an amazing gastropub in Newport (which remains to me Orange County's only redeeming quality) last weekend and had the Dogfish Head Theobroma.



It might have been the fact that I was downing it with fancy cheese and dried meats, but it was really, really good. A chocolate beer, but like a crisp ale.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A new brew concocted by Jean Van Roy to celebrate the 2003-2004 Division III title for the local Union St. Gilles football team and its upgrade to Division II.

Cuvee des Champions is not a traditional 'gueuze,' in that it is made from only two year-old 2001 lambic, not from a blend of older and younger lambics. It is also dry-hopped in the cask for three weeks with fresh Styrian Goldings hops. Re-fermentation in the bottle is achieved with the addition of a small amount of candi sugar.

had this last night. twas alright. i thought it might be different because it's brewed with liquorice but it really didn't add much to the beer.

goose island matilda tonight. yum.

For some reason, the bar we go to trivia on Wednesday nights had Anchor Christmas Ale and Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter on special tonight, so I had two and one of those, respectively.

The Christmas Ale definitely tastes like Christmas in its spiciness. A- on Beer Advocate.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28/53863

The Baltic Porter is pretty much black and packs a kick at 9% abv and I couldn't have more than one or I'd be shitfaced. Also an A- on Beer Advocate.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9790/32180

Shiv I think I had a different one of theirs a few months back, not something with liquorice.

My lord I hated that beer. i could barely finish the 12oz bottle..For All 3 of those brewers to be involved and make that crap, I was very disappointing.

Mikkeller It's Alive Belgian Wild/Strong Ale
I had this last night on tap at a local brew pup

It’s Alive! is Mikkellers answer and tribute to the trappist beer Orval. It’s Alive is an easy-to-drink beer, with a lot of hops. The color is amber, the foam is high, white and dense. The potent Brettanomyces culture makes It’s Alive continue to develop in the bottle.
Ingredients : Water, malt (pale and cara), light candy, hops (hallertauer and styrian goldings), yeast and brettanomyces.

Ratebeer score: 97
Beer Advocate score: B

Recents:

Drinking cans in style, thanks to a chance back-of-the-cabinet find: an old Groomsman gift from my buddy Lowe's first wedding like ten years ago.


Smuttynose - Gravitation Quadruppel

A big malty-sweet belgian from Smutty. I expected it to be so-so and it exceeded that. I thought it was good, but not amazing. B. Shiv what'd you think?



Magic Hat - Blind Faith
Long Trail - Blackbeary (sic) Wheat

At my buddy porter's place in VT this weekend. He bought the first set of beer, and I wasn't gonna be picky. So as Magic Hat beers go, this was a perfectly decent IPA. Figures that it was a seasonal - it was much too decent to be something they'd make on a regular basis. Have to get some apricots and beaver semen in there to make it up to their normal specs. the blackberry wheat is, if I'm honest, not a great beer, it's too watery. But I like it because I used to get it before going camping in the woods, so I associate it with some very, very good times. -shrug- B+ and a B.

Otter Creek - Octoberfest

Another of porter's picks, and a VT brewery i have limited experience with. So here's the big question: Is this just VERY early for next year's season, or is it VERY old for this years? It tasted ok. From what I can gather, OC is a very solid B- brewery. Everything's just sorta... beer. This is no exception. Stodgey, solid, meh. B-


Trout River - Red Rainbow Ale

More nature-themed VT beer choices. This was also kinda watery. Most beers up here seem to be made that way. It's a decent enough flavor, but it's 50/50 flavor to water. B-


Otter Creek - Stovepipe Porter

Holy crap this was good! I really dug it for a "normal" porter, causing me to once again think that maybe I just really fucking like porters. Granted it was compared to the above watery stuff, plus several Amstel Lights he jad hiding in the fridge, but still. Smokey, matly, sweet, and with a good hop kick at the end.


Long Trail - Pale Ale

I don't get this one much. It's as good as everything else they make, I guess. Light, watery, pleasant. B-.

Dogfish Head - IBA

He doesn't like them much but to my tastebuds it was heaven, at the time. Full flavor, complex stuff going on, great body, and nary a hint of wateryness. A-


The Vermonster

I've reviewed this one before - it's a big bad hairy double IPA with something like 10% (they don't post it.) This is the last thing we had for the night, somewhere around 1am, and it ensured that my eventual 5:45 wakeup (thank you, baby) would be aaawwwwful. My fault, either way, but still. DADDY NEEDS YOU TO BE A GOOD GIRL AND SLEEP TIL 9:30.

i liked it. i always expect smuttynose to be just okay but this was tasty.

and i always kind of stay away from trout river and rock art because of the labels but i'll probably give them a shot one of these days.

finishing up this tonight.



and gonna get to these later in the week.

Hades is brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives a complex spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it an extremely well-balanced, crisp ale. Hades goes great with a bowl of fresh mussels, crusty bread, and virtually any artesian cheese

It's a very good, high ABV Belgian style Pale or Golden Ale that might not meet the standards of those who love Duvel.

drank the abbot 12 tonight. it was pretty, pretty good. 9.9%

then had the last of the back in black.


ok and i've only had one sip of this but it might be better than dogfish head punkin, which is my favorite pumpkin ale (tho i haven't had a lot of them).

dude, Stay AWAY from the Trout River stuff. Had the chocolate oatmeal stout last night... worst beer I can remember having since Iron City. I couldn't finish it. It tasted like foot medicine smells.

Last night, I had a couple of these out of a sixer. First drank a sample of Boulder Beer's Hazed and Infused at a "Science of Beer" tasting event at our local science center and have gone through a few six-packs over the last year. For my palette, it was just the right amount of hops for an ale.

Hopped with: Nugget, Willamette and dry-hopped with Crystal and Centennial.

In the meantime femdisco was having a couple of these: