The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(08-17-2020 06:51 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  I had Back Bay's Peaches & Coconut Cream "Smoothie Ale" and it was meh IMO. I picked up a four-pack at my local establishment and they weren't storing it cold. End result is definitely peachy but a bit tart, with a cream note that blends nicely in but very fleeting. Another one of those "try once and forget" novelty beers I guess.

I also had the Virginia Beer Co. Elbow Patches Oatmeal Stout. Stouts are my game so this went very well. Chocolate and coffee on the nose, just enough roasted malt in the taste, and a very pleasant finish combining all three at the end. I will have to keep this one in mind for when it starts to get chilly.

Back Bay is a fairly mediocre brewery for the most part. They do well with lagers and pilsners, their Something in the Water beer was decent. But apart from that, they're not making anything I would go out of my way to grab. Their brewery locations are cool though.

Big fan of Virginia Beer Company. Haven't had anything from them I don't like yet.

Have you had their Biscuits & Honey? I am a big fan of English styles and I haven't had many American versions lately. Although I will hunt down Yards Brawler from time to time

I've been doing my annual survey of Oktoberfest beers and I have very much enjoyed this year's batches. Sam Adams Octoberfest remains the standard-bearer, but Founders Oktoberfest has gone over very well with the lads lately. Leinenkugel Oktoberfest still makes one but that one has eluded me through the years. Yuengling Oktoberfest was good, and I might use it as an excuse to start seeking out their Black & Tan where it is available. As far as "local" VA breweries participating, Solace Gute Nacht was good if on the sweet side. Down in Hampton Roads, O'Connor makes an Imperial Oktoberfest that I hear is quite good. Two other Imperial Marzen examples would be Three Notch'd Hansel & Kettle and Avery Kaiser.

I haven't had any authentic German versions so far this season, but Hacker-Pschorr is usually pretty good. Paulaner and Warsteiner are generally more widely distributed stateside. I haven't seen as much Ayinger or Spaten in recent years. I still have yet to sample Lowenbrau or Weihenstephaner, which saddens me.

I did some beer collection swaps with the lads the other day and I traded for, among other things, some New Holland Dragon's Milk White. I didn't see the born-on date of Mar 11 until we parted, and I felt a little cheated for a bit, but tonight I settled down and sampled the beer. It is supposedly a BA "White Stout", and since I have fond memories of the standard Dragon's Milk I jumped at the chance to get this stuff. I don't know how assertively Bourbon-y this stuff was fresh, but six months in the can in (hopefully) decent conditions has mellowed this beer into something interesting. The nose is just bourbon, vanilla, and a touch of unadulterated oak at this point, and that hit the spot tonight. There's no roasty notes to be had now in the taste, replaced by a rounded bourbon note cloaked in toasted coconut with vanilla lacing. Maybe there's still a light cocoa note down there somewhere, but the beer is broken down to three primary notes at the six-month mark: Bourbon, toasted coconut, and vanilla. So yes, the barrel-aging has effectively taken over the flavor composition of the beer. Overall, I'm content with it. I'll have to find some of it fresh if/when this gets released again.

I had the Smuttynose pumpkin ale today and it is a serviceable pumpkin beer. It has a nice balance between the pumpkin and spices (a bit more nutmeg than cinnamon) and I could see this being a go-to in the years to come if I am looking for a steady pumpkin ale. There's a lot to try every year, so I don't know if this gets a dedicated revisit for analysis. But hey, I have a decent pumpkin ale on record. DuClaw 31 rounds out the season as a decent pumpkin lager. I'd say that this year's pumpkin beer survey has been a success. I'll linger on the subject for another weekend or two while I soak up the remnants of Oktoberfest.

Chilly autumn evenings are here, and so arrives that enticing aroma of burning woodstoves. Perfect time to enjoy an evening of smoky flavor. One of these late October/early November Friday nights will be perfect for a bowl of well-seasoned hambone soup, a pint of Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, and then a Belicoso cigar of reputable make and origin. Preferably with a light breeze rustling the leaves, maybe with an occasional distant wolf or dog howl for ambience.

The thread hijack on the CUSA board reminded me of my past experiences with Dutch beer. I didn't recall it at the time I posted there, but Tsarina Esra by Brouwerij De Molen was a fun Baltic Porter. That was my first experience drinking a quality dark beer in high summer, and it sticks with me even now, years later.

I also realized that I haven't had a Grolsch since college. I need to see who carries them and where I can find it.

I had some of that Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter the other week, and I liked it. Definitely sweet, borderline cloying, but it never crossed that line. An interesting novelty beer that is good for at least one try IMO, maybe order it with dessert at your local haunt.

Yuengling Black & Tan has been a more consistent pursuit. Good base porter, slightly nutty malt quality on the finish, sessionable ABV. Usually one of the more inexpensive dark beers on the shelf, but it certainly does the work.

Growing up in Pottsville, Yuengling was more popular than milk in my upbringing. So, when I saw the Hershey's Porter, I had to pick it up. Totally agree that it's a good dessert beer, with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. You can taste the chocolate, but it was definitely not overwhelming. Just a good taste of home for me.

What is your opinion on the other new additions to the Yuengling portfolio that they have rolled out in recent years? Flight and Golden Pilsner are the two I know of

(11-30-2020 05:28 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  What is your opinion on the other new additions to the Yuengling portfolio that they have rolled out in recent years? Flight and Golden Pilsner are the two I know of

I’ve thought they were ok, but Lager and an occasional Black and Tan was all I knew for most of my life. If I want a taste of home, it’s always going to be one of them.

VT and Hardywood are teaming up to make Fightin’ Hokies, a helles lager.

https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/12/r...2Y.twitter

Now, we already have Bold Dominion from Bold Mariner. But if ODU partnered with a local brewery, who would you pick? Personally, I think they’d have to go with O’Connors, since Kevin is an ODU grad, an active donor and they actually sell their beer at our athletic venues.

I would be thrilled with an ODU/O'Connor collaboration, especially if the packaging graphics are as good as the rest of their offerings. I've enjoyed every Benchtop beer that I have ever had, so they get a vote too.

Devils Backbone is putting out a ODU beer. My friend works for them and asked me for some ideas for the name.

(12-02-2020 10:18 PM)bit_9 Wrote:  Devils Backbone is putting out a ODU beer. My friend works for them and asked me for some ideas for the name.

It should just have a number: 49-35.

(12-02-2020 10:18 PM)bit_9 Wrote:  Devils Backbone is putting out a ODU beer. My friend works for them and asked me for some ideas for the name.

Blueberry gose. Call it Big Blueberry.

(12-02-2020 10:54 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(12-02-2020 10:18 PM)bit_9 Wrote:  Devils Backbone is putting out a ODU beer. My friend works for them and asked me for some ideas for the name.

Blueberry gose. Call it Big Blueberry.

This would be both witty and delicious. Perfect.

Thankfully I'm not in charge. All I came up with was a chile pepper beer called "Hot Seat" or "Fire Everyone"

I am not a beer connoisseur. I have my favorites and occasionally I will try something new. I was at the grocery store yesterday and saw the Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager Variety Pack so I picked it up. It has four varieties of Vienna Lager (regular, Pumpkin Spice, Doppel, & Coffee). I have never tried Devil's Backbone before that I am aware of but I was inspired by you guys on here so I thought it might be a good introduction. I'll let you know what I think after I've tasted a few. I also saw nearby a six pack of Pineapple Grenade from Young Veterans Brewing Company. Never heard of them before, but I was intrigued by the description of a wheat ale with pineapple. I've had other fruity wheat beers that I liked before, but never with pineapple. I tried one last night and was mostly disappointed it did not live up to my expectations. Mostly bitter, did not expect that. I will finish the rest of the 6 pack, but they will go to the back of the fridge behind the Devil's Backbone. It might take me a few weeks to go through all that but if I am moved again I'll let you know my thoughts on them.

(12-04-2020 12:36 PM)Chillie Willie Wrote:  I am not a beer connoisseur. I have my favorites and occasionally I will try something new. I was at the grocery store yesterday and saw the Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager Variety Pack so I picked it up. It has four varieties of Vienna Lager (regular, Pumpkin Spice, Doppel, & Coffee). I have never tried Devil's Backbone before that I am aware of but I was inspired by you guys on here so I thought it might be a good introduction. I'll let you know what I think after I've tasted a few. I also saw nearby a six pack of Pineapple Grenade from Young Veterans Brewing Company. Never heard of them before, but I was intrigued by the description of a wheat ale with pineapple. I've had other fruity wheat beers that I liked before, but never with pineapple. I tried one last night and was mostly disappointed it did not live up to my expectations. Mostly bitter, did not expect that. I will finish the rest of the 6 pack, but they will go to the back of the fridge behind the Devil's Backbone. It might take me a few weeks to go through all that but if I am moved again I'll let you know my thoughts on them.

I had not had any of the DB Vienna lager variants, so I look forward to hearing your insight.

Looks like Three Notch’d is moving into the old Gordon Biersch space at VB Town Center. Seems like a great addition for them, as they make great beer and offer decent food at the IX Art Park location in CVille.

They were originally marketed as one of the lease holders at The Railyard at Lamberts Point, but I guess they got tired waiting for the development to become a reality.