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Sounds like the raspberry refermented in the can.

(07-12-2017 09:24 PM)Fatmonarch Wrote:  Sounds like the raspberry refermented in the can.

I'm a good sport, no harm no foul, but it scared the piss out of me. I was wearing a white t-shirt too. Luckily the landlord didn't come knocking, because between the spray on the shirt and the mess from where I chucked the bottle in the tub, it looked kinda suspect

Any prevailing sentiments on chile beers/beers brewed with some sort of pepper as a prominent flavor note? I'm sipping Scuttlebutt's Jalapeno Tripel 7 trying to build an informed opinion on such things. Had the Jailbreak Welcome to Scoville and thought it was "meh". Enjoyed the winter seasonal Flying Dog Jalapeno white ale, haven't taken the plunge on their heat series 12 pack yet.

(07-14-2017 10:13 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Any prevailing sentiments on chile beers/beers brewed with some sort of pepper as a prominent flavor note? I'm sipping Scuttlebutt's Jalapeno Tripel 7 trying to build an informed opinion on such things. Had the Jailbreak Welcome to Scoville and thought it was "meh". Enjoyed the winter seasonal Flying Dog Jalapeno white ale, haven't taken the plunge on their heat series 12 pack yet.

Big fan of pepper beers. To date, I haven't had one better than New Belgium's Cocoa Mole from their lips of faith series. Another one of note is the Pepper Ale from Maine Beer Company.

(07-14-2017 10:35 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(07-14-2017 10:13 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Any prevailing sentiments on chile beers/beers brewed with some sort of pepper as a prominent flavor note? I'm sipping Scuttlebutt's Jalapeno Tripel 7 trying to build an informed opinion on such things. Had the Jailbreak Welcome to Scoville and thought it was "meh". Enjoyed the winter seasonal Flying Dog Jalapeno white ale, haven't taken the plunge on their heat series 12 pack yet.

Big fan of pepper beers. To date, I haven't had one better than New Belgium's Cocoa Mole from their lips of faith series. Another one of note is the Pepper Ale from Maine Beer Company.

Cocoa mole was great. I think you are thinking of Maine peeper ale. No peppers in that. Just a plain pale ale.

The key to a great pepper beer is meshing normal beer flavors with whatever peppers you use without drawing unbearable heat. I did a jalapeño pale ale at my last brewery using really citrusy hops to balance out the pepper with just enough heat to remind you there were jalapeños there, but not enough to limit you to one pint. Honestly, this was one of the beers I was most proud of because peppers are a difficult ingredient.

On an even more biased note, we make an imperial stout called dia de los Serranos that incorporates Serrano peppers without bringing a lot of heat. It's also one of my favorite pepper beers. If you want heat, age a habanero sculpin a couple months or a founders mango magnifico. Both those with age produce a ton of heat, fresh they are great.

I have eyed Flying Dog's Fever Dream (Mango & Habanero) cautiously. It looks like a bit of a flavor trip, although not so heavy (max 7.5% from what I remember). Rogue's Chipotle Ale and Sriracha Stout wink at me from the shelf.

I went to Bottlebox and picked up the collab between Evil Twin and Westbrook Brewing, the Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break. It's an imperial Stout w/ Coffee, Cinnamon, Almonds, Cocoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, & Habanero Peppers). Will report back.

I thought that the original Imperial Biscotti was wild as is. That sounds very interesting

Meant to grab one of these, then got busy and forgot. Looking forward to your review.

Went to Wasserhund Brewing Co. last night. It's at Hilltop in Va. Beach. We tried several including German Shephewiezen, Doggy Paddle IPA, Atta Boy Altbier and the Bitchin' Bacon Stout. I enjoyed all of them, but was disappointed in the stout. It tasted a little sour and I detected almost no hint of bacon...

We enjoyed the Shephewiezen enough to bring home a six-pack. It is certainly worth a try if you are in the area.

(06-18-2017 10:08 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Tonight was an interesting one: the Brothers "Eight Bells" French Toast Ale.

Everyone who has been tuning in for my semi-frequent beer adventures should know that I am generally high on Brothers, with the Daylight Cravings breakfast stout being one of the highlights of my 2017 craft beer experience so far. It was that fateful experience that convinced me to buy this particular beer.

The Eight Bells pours a light brown, very much like french toast fresh out of the oven. I'm not talking overly-toasted off-brand freezer bait french toast. This is the color of a gourmet product.

The nose on this beer is one of the most fantastic sampling experiences that I have had on any beer, ever. The beer was chilled at the initial pour; I had it in the fridge for a few days before I got around to it. (I obeyed the Brothers credo: "Keep 'em cold / Drink 'em in a glass") At that point, I got pronounced notes of blueberries, cinnamon, maple, vanilla, and some bready malt.

On the taste, the Eight Bells was blueberries, maple, some cinnamon, and a touch of vanilla. By this point, the beer had warmed a bit in the glass. I thought that I detected a bit of noticeable bitterness with the blueberries on the opening note, but after a while it became less noticeable. The Eight Bells tastes like a whole french toast breakfast at once; a spoonful of blueberries off the side of the plate first, then a forkful of french toast with a light drizzle of maple syrup on top. Think it sounds vivid? I'm not even doing it justice. Fantastic.

The mouthfeel is moderate and slightly creamy. It definitely doesn't feel as full, rich, or decadent as a full french toast breakfast would be, and maybe that is a good thing. The comparative lightness allows me to focus on the complexity and the flavors. Nice.

Before I get to the finish, I need to rave about the nose again. The nose on this beer actively changes as the beer warms. (Read: pour chilled, then take it slow ) The opening nose was blueberry-first, but as the beer warms it becomes more cinnamon and bready-malt. Once the beer has warmed just about to room temperature, the nose is a dead ringer for the best french toast that you have ever had. There's cinnamon, a touch of vanilla, a touch of maple, and bready malt that emulates that fresh french toast that is just toasted enough. Sensational.

The finish is vanilla, maple, some of that bready malt, a touch of blueberries, and a lingering touch of cinnamon with accompanying bitterness. The finish is fairly smooth, and altogether quite pleasant.

Chalk up another Brothers brew for the win column, gents. This one is something special.

Got my introduction to Brothers Craft through their most excellent Daylight Cravings, a bottle of which is in my fridge right now. This sounds like it's right in my wheelhouse. Am I wrong to think of this in the same vein as Southern Tier's Creme Brulee Stout, only fruitier and not as dark?

Daylight Cravings is sensational. The Eight Bells will be much lighter in body than the Creme Brulee (the ST Blackwater series leans creamy & thick, including that one) and it is fruitier. There is some of that sweetness, but not to the level of decadence that Southern Tier brews it. The bready base ale that Brothers uses for the Eight Bells tastes like a soft Vienna-style beer and it keeps the sweeter and fruitier notes from flying too high per se.

Got my fresh bottle of Bruery - Autumn Maple and I'm cellaring it until it starts to get cold in October. Also picked up this years's bottle of the Deschutes - Black Butte Anniversary (29) and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Blue Mountain Barrel House - Spooky. With the summer styles fading, the Oktoberfest biers peaking and the pumpkin beers/imperial porters/stouts peeking over the horizon, fall is definitely my favorite beer season

(08-14-2017 11:06 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Got my fresh bottle of Bruery - Autumn Maple and I'm cellaring it until it starts to get cold in October. Also picked up this years's bottle of the Deschutes - Black Butte Anniversary (29) and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Blue Mountain Barrel House - Spooky. With the summer styles fading, the Oktoberfest biers peaking and the pumpkin beers/imperial porters/stouts peeking over the horizon, fall is definitely my favorite beer season

With you there. Fall/early winter is my beer jam. Away with the ubiquitous hop bombs (though I do like the juicy/New England IPAs), in with the stouts and pumpkins and things aged in bourbon barrels.

Got my first taste of Prairie Bomb recently. It's pricey ($11 for a 12-ouncer) but damn this was good. Intense but smooth up front with the coffee and chocolate, and a nice heat kick from the ancho chiles in the end; it's 13 percent ABV but it doesn't drink like it. Would definitely try the Birthday Bomb next.

My local establishment had Prairie Bomb! on tap for growler fills and I regret not getting a 32 of it at least. I sampled it as part of a weekly tasting and thought it was pleasantly complex for something that heavy-hitting. Pretty good finish between the roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and the bit of peppers at the end. Was pretty surprised that something so interesting could come from a place that I generally view as boring (Oklahoma).

Meanwhile I'm in Richmond at Hardywood for their debut of this year's Foolery. Seriously, I don't care if it's 115 degrees with 99.44 percent humidity, they must always offer at least one bourbon barrel stout because they've really nailed that formula. Definitely not one of you don't have a sweet tooth, but a great high-velocity milk stout. Gonna grab a bottle of that and maybe the coconut cassowary

I haven't really been into Hardywood this year, not really sure why. Had the Rye Whiskey Barrel Pumpkin and the Farmhouse Pumpkin last fall and really enjoyed both. (Was only able to grab one bottle of the Rye before it disappeared, will have to do better this year.) Was lucky enough to get my hands on a Kentucky Christmas Morning last December, but not the regular Gingerbread stout. I have my work cut out for me in the next few months

I sort of returned to the beer scene after a year or so of only drinking a handful of go-to brews, so I didn't realize Kentucky Christmas Morning was even a thing last season until it was too late to do anything about it. The rum-barrel GBS is my favorite beer of theirs and one of my favorites period, but this year's Foolery is definitely in the discussion. Bought two bottles and regret not getting the four-bottle max. The coconut cassowary wasn't bad, but after drinking the Foolery, it felt like it was a bit lacking (insomuch as an 11 percent abv stout can be lacking).

(07-04-2017 10:11 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Now for something fresh, as in brewed Wednesday of last week.

Kindred Spirit Strawberry Milkshake



Color: Gold, leaning pale
I was expecting a bit more of a ruby tint to it, but then again I strongly associate strawberry with red.

Nose: Strawberry, some pale malt, some sweet cream
I'm not going to make the assertion that this smells authentic, but I will say that the strawberry is subtle enough that it could be. It isn't subtle as in "barely perceptible" subtle...more like "it doesn't have the over-saturated twang of strawberry soda" subtle. I suppose that is a good thing.

Taste: Sweet strawberry, some pale malt, a touch of yeast (maybe), and a touch of cream
This beer was brewed with lactose, which I automatically thought would make it technically a cream ale. If it is, it doesn't behave like one. It has the strawberry flavor that is advertised, and the cream to go along with it, but at no point does it get bogged down by excessive notes. The alcohol doesn't factor into the taste, which is nice considering it is 8%.

Mouthfeel: Light, slightly warming
The cream ale/fruit beer distinction becomes apparent when one examines the mouthfeel. It is light, the lactose doesn't become apparent as a thickening agent, and there isn't really much textural creaminess to be had. The 8% ABV is apparent in the warming, but not in a distracting way.

Finish: Sweet strawberry, some cream, some pale malt, lingering touch of strawberry sweetness
The lingering sweetness is not sugar-sweet, but rather blend of pale malt sweetness, the strawberry note, and just a hint of cream. It was an impressive finish for what I initially thought to be just another novelty fruit beer.

I was actually kinda impressed by this beer. Substantial despite the novelty. I think an iteration leaning more towards the texture and consistency of a traditional cream ale would be interesting.

One of the strangest beers I've had, but enjoyed it. Too sweet for me to have more than one at a time.

(08-21-2017 06:57 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(08-14-2017 11:06 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  Got my fresh bottle of Bruery - Autumn Maple and I'm cellaring it until it starts to get cold in October. Also picked up this years's bottle of the Deschutes - Black Butte Anniversary (29) and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Blue Mountain Barrel House - Spooky. With the summer styles fading, the Oktoberfest biers peaking and the pumpkin beers/imperial porters/stouts peeking over the horizon, fall is definitely my favorite beer season

With you there. Fall/early winter is my beer jam. Away with the ubiquitous hop bombs (though I do like the juicy/New England IPAs), in with the stouts and pumpkins and things aged in bourbon barrels.

Got my first taste of Prairie Bomb recently. It's pricey ($11 for a 12-ouncer) but damn this was good. Intense but smooth up front with the coffee and chocolate, and a nice heat kick from the ancho chiles in the end; it's 13 percent ABV but it doesn't drink like it. Would definitely try the Birthday Bomb next.

I hope you've visited/tried The Veil and Triple Crossing in RVA then...both have very good New England Style IPAs.