Jadyn and I went to Ireland to visit her sister the week of Thanksgiving 2010. Since Ireland's not a "Beer Country" like Belgium/Germany/England/Czech Republic, I didn't spend a lot of time seeking out Irish beer. Though I probably drank more Guinness in one week than I did in the last three to four years, and we did take a tour of the Guinness Brewery
On Saturday evening Jadyn and I went to a show at Whelan's with her sister. We stopped for a beer at The Dice Bar. I went with Sparta Pils, which I mistakenly thought might be Irish.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden, and is topped by a white head that's fed by lots of bubbles. The aroma has notes of cooked grain, and a bit of malty sweetness.
The taste is clean and crisp with a mild sweetness, and a grassy bitterness in the finish. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good deal of carbonation.
Overall this was a pretty good pils, not the best, but solid.
Jadyn and I spent Monday the 22nd taking her nephews around Dublin. After dropping them off with Jadyn's sister we had dinner and beer at The Porterhouse in Temple Bar after walking around a bit.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
This stout pours an opaque black, and is topped by a thick, creamy, brown head that retains well. The aroma is chocolatey with roasted malt notes. The chocolate gives the aroma an almost fruity aspect.
This stout has a roasted backbone, which moves into a milder center with a bit of bite and roasted bitterness in the finish that's cut by a mild sweetness. Light-bodied and smooth with mild carbonation.
I thought this was a very nice stout.
After dinner I had a three beer sampler, and Jadyn had another beer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager
Pours a clear, light golden with a creamy head. The aroma is clean with grassy notes. It's grainy with a mildly sweet finish. Pretty ho-hum.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a dark brown that's clear up to the light. It's topped by a dense, creamy head. The aroma is chocolatey and sweet with roasted notes and not a lot of fruit. There are mild roasted malts throughout with only a very mild sweetness. The finish is lightly bitter.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear brow with a creamy brown head. The aroma is roasted malts with a bit of a sharp edge. This stout is very mild with only a mild roasty character. The finish has a mild sweetness and light spiciness.
On Tuesday Jadyn and I took a tour of the Guinness Brewery. The tour was pretty slick and marketing heavy. The brewing process was discussed, but not in depth. The most interesting part of the tour was the video that discussed cooperage. The highlight by far was having beers in the Gravity Bar, which had great views of the city.
A slick waterfall.
I picked this beer up at a grocery store, either Tesco or SuperValu, and had it at Jadyn's sister's house on Thanksgiving.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Carlow Brewing Comany
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.3
This beer pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that fades to a thin layer, but leaves clinging lace. The aroma is wheaty and grainy with notes of fruit and spicy hops.
This beer is grainy upfront with a grassy backbone. There are enough spicy, leafy hops in the finish, just enough to prevent it from being bland. This beer is crisp, light-bodied and slightly dry.
Not super flavorful, but refreshing enough.
On Saturday evening Jadyn and I went to a show at Whelan's with her sister. We stopped for a beer at The Dice Bar. I went with Sparta Pils, which I mistakenly thought might be Irish.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden, and is topped by a white head that's fed by lots of bubbles. The aroma has notes of cooked grain, and a bit of malty sweetness.
The taste is clean and crisp with a mild sweetness, and a grassy bitterness in the finish. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good deal of carbonation.
Overall this was a pretty good pils, not the best, but solid.
Jadyn and I spent Monday the 22nd taking her nephews around Dublin. After dropping them off with Jadyn's sister we had dinner and beer at The Porterhouse in Temple Bar after walking around a bit.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
This stout pours an opaque black, and is topped by a thick, creamy, brown head that retains well. The aroma is chocolatey with roasted malt notes. The chocolate gives the aroma an almost fruity aspect.
This stout has a roasted backbone, which moves into a milder center with a bit of bite and roasted bitterness in the finish that's cut by a mild sweetness. Light-bodied and smooth with mild carbonation.
I thought this was a very nice stout.
After dinner I had a three beer sampler, and Jadyn had another beer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager
Pours a clear, light golden with a creamy head. The aroma is clean with grassy notes. It's grainy with a mildly sweet finish. Pretty ho-hum.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a dark brown that's clear up to the light. It's topped by a dense, creamy head. The aroma is chocolatey and sweet with roasted notes and not a lot of fruit. There are mild roasted malts throughout with only a very mild sweetness. The finish is lightly bitter.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear brow with a creamy brown head. The aroma is roasted malts with a bit of a sharp edge. This stout is very mild with only a mild roasty character. The finish has a mild sweetness and light spiciness.
On Tuesday Jadyn and I took a tour of the Guinness Brewery. The tour was pretty slick and marketing heavy. The brewing process was discussed, but not in depth. The most interesting part of the tour was the video that discussed cooperage. The highlight by far was having beers in the Gravity Bar, which had great views of the city.
A slick waterfall.
I picked this beer up at a grocery store, either Tesco or SuperValu, and had it at Jadyn's sister's house on Thanksgiving.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Carlow Brewing Comany
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.3
This beer pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that fades to a thin layer, but leaves clinging lace. The aroma is wheaty and grainy with notes of fruit and spicy hops.
This beer is grainy upfront with a grassy backbone. There are enough spicy, leafy hops in the finish, just enough to prevent it from being bland. This beer is crisp, light-bodied and slightly dry.
Not super flavorful, but refreshing enough.
Labels: Czech Pilsener, Euro Pale Lager, Irish Dry Stout, Travel
We spent most of our time in California at Jadyn's Family's cabin at Tahoe. While there we had the bottled beer that I'd purchased at Russian River, as well as a growler that we'd purchased at The Brewery at Lake Tahoe.
1068. Damnation
Jadyn and I shared this bottle with her sister on August 3rd.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.75%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL, Batch 048
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 5.0| Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.85
Damnation pours a mildly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a thick, white head that retains well, but eventually fades to a thin layer. The aroma is spot on for the style. There are notes of banana, peppery spice, and yeast above a grassy, grainy undercurrent. Swirling brings out more graininess, pepper, and some alcoholic spice.
There's an initial sweetness that's mild, but builds into a fruity esters in the center: bananas, hints of juicy, tropical fruit, and citrus. The finish has a bite from the peppery spiciness and the alcohol. There are lingering hints of yeast, and a mild, hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Damnation is medium-bodied, but the crisp carbonation, along with a dry finish make this beer seem a bit lighter-bodied.
This beer was excellent. It's probably one of the best examples of the style that I've had.
1069. The Brewery at Lake Tahoe's Witbier
We picked up a growler of The Brewery's Witbier on a trip into South Lake Tahoe on August 6th.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Brewery at Lake Tahoe
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Growler
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 2.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5| Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.1
This witbier pours a cloudy, peachy, golden-orange color. Topped by a thin, white head that fades to nothing. The aroma has notes of powdery yeast, and nice, fruity notes of peach and banana. There are also the classic aromas of orange-peel and peppery coriander.
There's a mild, grainy sweetness upfront, moving into a fruity sweetness in the center: banana, and orangey-citrus. The finish has a peppery, corriander spice. The right flavors are there, but they're very mild overall. This witbier is light-bodied with good carbonation, and a mild dryness.
This beer isn't bad, but it's fairly middle of the road. Again, everything is a bit too subdied.
1070. Pliny the Elder
I opened up this beer on August 7th.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
Pliny the Elder is mildly hazy and copper in color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well and leaves fluffy lace clinging to the glass. The aroma can be summed up in two words "intensly hoppy". The hops are herbal, piney and strongly resiny. Swirling the beer brings out even more resiny hops. There are fruity notes of apricots and oranges, malty sweetness, and toastiness that comes out on swirling. It's like sticking your nose into a bag of hops.
Overall this beer is pretty balanced. It's not overly sweet like a lot of other DIPAs. The intial malt impressions are toasty and bready with only a mild sweetness. Malts move towards a sweeter, caramel flavor in the center, but still not overly sweet. Hop flavors also make themselves known towards the center. There's a citric bite with a floral, orange blossom quality. Towards the finish there's a mild peppery bite with a good slighty herbal, strongly resiny hop bitterness in the finish that lingers long into the aftertaste. Pliny the Elder is medium-bodied, and has a prickly carbonation that cuts the sweetness somewhat. There's an oiliness towards the swallow that trails off leaving a final impression of thinness.
This DIPA is very balanced. The malts are present, but aren't cloyingly sweet like other examples of the style. The hops are present, but their main contribution is a nice finishing flavor and wonderful lingering bitterness.
1068. Damnation
Jadyn and I shared this bottle with her sister on August 3rd.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.75%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL, Batch 048
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 5.0| Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.85
Damnation pours a mildly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a thick, white head that retains well, but eventually fades to a thin layer. The aroma is spot on for the style. There are notes of banana, peppery spice, and yeast above a grassy, grainy undercurrent. Swirling brings out more graininess, pepper, and some alcoholic spice.
There's an initial sweetness that's mild, but builds into a fruity esters in the center: bananas, hints of juicy, tropical fruit, and citrus. The finish has a bite from the peppery spiciness and the alcohol. There are lingering hints of yeast, and a mild, hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Damnation is medium-bodied, but the crisp carbonation, along with a dry finish make this beer seem a bit lighter-bodied.
This beer was excellent. It's probably one of the best examples of the style that I've had.
1069. The Brewery at Lake Tahoe's Witbier
We picked up a growler of The Brewery's Witbier on a trip into South Lake Tahoe on August 6th.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Brewery at Lake Tahoe
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Growler
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 2.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5| Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.1
This witbier pours a cloudy, peachy, golden-orange color. Topped by a thin, white head that fades to nothing. The aroma has notes of powdery yeast, and nice, fruity notes of peach and banana. There are also the classic aromas of orange-peel and peppery coriander.
There's a mild, grainy sweetness upfront, moving into a fruity sweetness in the center: banana, and orangey-citrus. The finish has a peppery, corriander spice. The right flavors are there, but they're very mild overall. This witbier is light-bodied with good carbonation, and a mild dryness.
This beer isn't bad, but it's fairly middle of the road. Again, everything is a bit too subdied.
1070. Pliny the Elder
I opened up this beer on August 7th.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
Pliny the Elder is mildly hazy and copper in color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well and leaves fluffy lace clinging to the glass. The aroma can be summed up in two words "intensly hoppy". The hops are herbal, piney and strongly resiny. Swirling the beer brings out even more resiny hops. There are fruity notes of apricots and oranges, malty sweetness, and toastiness that comes out on swirling. It's like sticking your nose into a bag of hops.
Overall this beer is pretty balanced. It's not overly sweet like a lot of other DIPAs. The intial malt impressions are toasty and bready with only a mild sweetness. Malts move towards a sweeter, caramel flavor in the center, but still not overly sweet. Hop flavors also make themselves known towards the center. There's a citric bite with a floral, orange blossom quality. Towards the finish there's a mild peppery bite with a good slighty herbal, strongly resiny hop bitterness in the finish that lingers long into the aftertaste. Pliny the Elder is medium-bodied, and has a prickly carbonation that cuts the sweetness somewhat. There's an oiliness towards the swallow that trails off leaving a final impression of thinness.
This DIPA is very balanced. The malts are present, but aren't cloyingly sweet like other examples of the style. The hops are present, but their main contribution is a nice finishing flavor and wonderful lingering bitterness.
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Travel
1066- 1067. Russian River Brewing Company
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
Jadyn and I spent a week in California visiting her family in early August. We made a side trip to Santa Rosa on the way to Lake Tahoe so I could finally try some of Russian River's sour beers. We made the mistake of driving through, rather than around, San Francisco, which tacked on an hour or so to our trip, but we did get to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
We arrived in Santa Rosa in time for a late lunch at the brewpub. I had a tasty meatball sub for lunch, but the real highlight was the beer. The bottles of Temptation were too expensive, especially since I wasn't planning on taking any beer back on the plane. Instead I got two bottles of Damnation, and one bottle of Pliny the Elder.
1066. Temptation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.25%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 5.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.8
Temptation pours a slightly hazed, golden color. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a thin layer leaving thick, frothy lace. The aroma has all of the elements of a good sour beer. There's a good amount of acidity, as well as bright citric notes. The characteristic "hop sack" aroma from the Brettanomyces used in fermentation is present, as well as an earthy, woody undertone.
Temptation is very gueuze-like. There's a coarse, grassy quality to the malts upfront, but these characters are quickly overshadowed by an escalating, citric and acidic sourness that's present through the finish. Earthy Brett flavors and a mild bitterness round things up in the finish. Temptation is crisply carbonated and light-bodied with an intense dryness in the finish.
Temptation is a very good beer. The sourness, Brett, and barrel-aging give it a distinclty Gueuze-like quality. It's mouth-puckeringly sour, and awesome.
1067. Sanctification
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.47%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.45
Sanctification pours a cloudy, straw-golden color. It's topped by a white head that fades to a thin layer leaving good lace. The aroma is intensely and wonderfully fruity. There are notes of banana, tropical fruit, and a hint of Brettanomyces. Swirling brings out an earthy aroma, and a slight funkiness.
Upfront, this beer is fruity with banana and tropical fruit flavors. A moderate tartness appears early on and is present through to the finish, which has earthy and funky Brett flavors, and a leafy bitterness in the finish. Prickly carbonation gives way to a creamy mouthfeel.
I thought this beer had a nice interplay between the fruitiness and earthy Brettanomyces characters.
We arrived in Santa Rosa in time for a late lunch at the brewpub. I had a tasty meatball sub for lunch, but the real highlight was the beer. The bottles of Temptation were too expensive, especially since I wasn't planning on taking any beer back on the plane. Instead I got two bottles of Damnation, and one bottle of Pliny the Elder.
1066. Temptation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.25%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 5.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.8
Temptation pours a slightly hazed, golden color. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a thin layer leaving thick, frothy lace. The aroma has all of the elements of a good sour beer. There's a good amount of acidity, as well as bright citric notes. The characteristic "hop sack" aroma from the Brettanomyces used in fermentation is present, as well as an earthy, woody undertone.
Temptation is very gueuze-like. There's a coarse, grassy quality to the malts upfront, but these characters are quickly overshadowed by an escalating, citric and acidic sourness that's present through the finish. Earthy Brett flavors and a mild bitterness round things up in the finish. Temptation is crisply carbonated and light-bodied with an intense dryness in the finish.
Temptation is a very good beer. The sourness, Brett, and barrel-aging give it a distinclty Gueuze-like quality. It's mouth-puckeringly sour, and awesome.
1067. Sanctification
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.47%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.45
Sanctification pours a cloudy, straw-golden color. It's topped by a white head that fades to a thin layer leaving good lace. The aroma is intensely and wonderfully fruity. There are notes of banana, tropical fruit, and a hint of Brettanomyces. Swirling brings out an earthy aroma, and a slight funkiness.
Upfront, this beer is fruity with banana and tropical fruit flavors. A moderate tartness appears early on and is present through to the finish, which has earthy and funky Brett flavors, and a leafy bitterness in the finish. Prickly carbonation gives way to a creamy mouthfeel.
I thought this beer had a nice interplay between the fruitiness and earthy Brettanomyces characters.
Labels: Russian River Brewing Company, Travel
Win came to New York for the June 9th-11th Mets-Phillies series at the new Mets stadium. I took off early on Tuesday the 9th and caught the noon Fung-Wah bus to New York. Win's flight was delayed so I headed to The Blind Tiger to wait for David to get off work.
1023. He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009 (Year of the Date)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Cask
Style: American Strong Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Perhaps this wasn't the wisest beer to start the evening with, but I didn't realize that it was such a strong beer. This beer was served on cask, barley chilled in a thick, glass mug.
Year of the Date pours a mildly hazy, ruby-tinted brown. Its off-white head quickly fades to nothing, though the low head retention could have been the result of being served on cask. This beer has the dark, malty aroma of a Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, mostly due to the addition of dates, which are the predominant aroma. Additionally, there are notes of brown sugar, toffee, a sharp note, and a mild peppery spice.
Upfront there are sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, before moving into a dark fruitiness in the center that's dominated by date flavors, which are accented by a sharp character. The finish is peppery and spicy with an underlying, mild, roasty bitterness. The beer was thick, rich and smooth with low carbonation.
I enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure what the style they were going for was, but the use of dates gave it a distinctly Belgian feel.
1024. River Horse Special Ale ESB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: River Horse Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
This was another beer served on cask. Again, it was served lightly chilled in a mug. River Horse ESP pours a very cloudy, copper color. The aroma is mild overall, but what's there is pleasant: toasty malts, and citric and fruity hops. The aromas could stand to grab you a little bit more.
Toasty malts first hit the tongue followed by a light, bready sweetness. The flavors quickly move into a citric and herbal hop finish. The flavors are pleasant, but seem a bit muddled, with nothing really standing out. This ESB is light-bodied with low carbonation and a husky texture in the finish.
This is a decent session beer, though I think it could be a bit bolder without sacrificing drinkability. My score seems to be a bit above the Beer Advocate average, perhaps this beer benefits from being served on cask.
1025. St. Boisterous
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This was our final beer at The Blind Tiger before Win called and we headed off to meet him at Penn Station. It was served chilled in a tulip glass. St. Boisterous pours a crystal clear golden. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a film leaving clinging lace. The aroma has a crisp graininess to it, as well as some nice apple esters, and bit of leafy, grassy hops.
This maibock starts off with a crisp, neutral graininess that moves into a mild, apple fruitiness in the center. The finish has a nice citric bite and an herbal hop bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, highly carbonated and very crisp.
This is a nice summer beer. It's flavorful, crisp and refreshing.
We met Win at Penn Station, and then took the 7 to TARP field. We arrived at the end of the 4th inning because Win's flight was delayed. I was pretty impressed with the new field. The open concourses were nice, as were the improved amenities.
We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went to the food section on the right field side. We got BBQ from Blue Smoke, beef ribs, wings, and a pulled pork sandwich, as well as fries from Box Frites. It was definitely the best stadium food I've had, though my experience is pretty limited. The craft beer selection was decent. They had some good options at Big Apple Brews, and both Blue Smoke and Box Frites had Brooklyn on tap. I ended up having a Brooklyn Blue Smoke with dinner, as well as a Blanche de Queens, which I assume is a rebranded Blanche de Brooklyn.
1026. Brooklyn Blue Smoke Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Blue Smoke pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a sticky, off-white head. The aroma is light, but there are notes of caramel, toasty malts and fruity hops. It's toasty upfront with and underlying bready sweetness. There are good hop flavors in the finish, but only a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. I though this beer was a good sessioner, but it could have been a bit hoppier.
1023. He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009 (Year of the Date)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Cask
Style: American Strong Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
Perhaps this wasn't the wisest beer to start the evening with, but I didn't realize that it was such a strong beer. This beer was served on cask, barley chilled in a thick, glass mug.
Year of the Date pours a mildly hazy, ruby-tinted brown. Its off-white head quickly fades to nothing, though the low head retention could have been the result of being served on cask. This beer has the dark, malty aroma of a Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, mostly due to the addition of dates, which are the predominant aroma. Additionally, there are notes of brown sugar, toffee, a sharp note, and a mild peppery spice.
Upfront there are sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, before moving into a dark fruitiness in the center that's dominated by date flavors, which are accented by a sharp character. The finish is peppery and spicy with an underlying, mild, roasty bitterness. The beer was thick, rich and smooth with low carbonation.
I enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure what the style they were going for was, but the use of dates gave it a distinctly Belgian feel.
1024. River Horse Special Ale ESB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: River Horse Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
This was another beer served on cask. Again, it was served lightly chilled in a mug. River Horse ESP pours a very cloudy, copper color. The aroma is mild overall, but what's there is pleasant: toasty malts, and citric and fruity hops. The aromas could stand to grab you a little bit more.
Toasty malts first hit the tongue followed by a light, bready sweetness. The flavors quickly move into a citric and herbal hop finish. The flavors are pleasant, but seem a bit muddled, with nothing really standing out. This ESB is light-bodied with low carbonation and a husky texture in the finish.
This is a decent session beer, though I think it could be a bit bolder without sacrificing drinkability. My score seems to be a bit above the Beer Advocate average, perhaps this beer benefits from being served on cask.
1025. St. Boisterous
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This was our final beer at The Blind Tiger before Win called and we headed off to meet him at Penn Station. It was served chilled in a tulip glass. St. Boisterous pours a crystal clear golden. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a film leaving clinging lace. The aroma has a crisp graininess to it, as well as some nice apple esters, and bit of leafy, grassy hops.
This maibock starts off with a crisp, neutral graininess that moves into a mild, apple fruitiness in the center. The finish has a nice citric bite and an herbal hop bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, highly carbonated and very crisp.
This is a nice summer beer. It's flavorful, crisp and refreshing.
We met Win at Penn Station, and then took the 7 to TARP field. We arrived at the end of the 4th inning because Win's flight was delayed. I was pretty impressed with the new field. The open concourses were nice, as were the improved amenities.
We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went to the food section on the right field side. We got BBQ from Blue Smoke, beef ribs, wings, and a pulled pork sandwich, as well as fries from Box Frites. It was definitely the best stadium food I've had, though my experience is pretty limited. The craft beer selection was decent. They had some good options at Big Apple Brews, and both Blue Smoke and Box Frites had Brooklyn on tap. I ended up having a Brooklyn Blue Smoke with dinner, as well as a Blanche de Queens, which I assume is a rebranded Blanche de Brooklyn.
1026. Brooklyn Blue Smoke Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Blue Smoke pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a sticky, off-white head. The aroma is light, but there are notes of caramel, toasty malts and fruity hops. It's toasty upfront with and underlying bready sweetness. There are good hop flavors in the finish, but only a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. I though this beer was a good sessioner, but it could have been a bit hoppier.
Labels: American Strong Ale, Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), Travel
After Spitzer's Corner we returned to David's apartment and played poker and had beer there. Several 750 mL bottles of beer had been purchased for our arrival: Ommegeddon, Ommegang Witte, Hennepin, Rare Vos, Duvel, and Koningshoeven Dubbel. We played a couple rounds of poker. One in which we just played with chips, and a second where David and I lost $20 each to Win. We managed to make it through all six bottles. The Koningshoeven Dubbel was the only beer of the six that I hadn't had before.
959. Koningshoeven Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
My notes are abbreviated due to inebriation and the fact that this beer was served in a red Solo cup.
Pours a hazed-brown. Topped by a thick brown head that fades to a film. The aroma has notes of chocolate malts and raisins with a mild boozy quality. Sweet malts upfront and throughout. There are notes of chocolate, raisins and other dark fruit. There's a good amount of peppery spiciness in the finish as well.
959. Koningshoeven Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
My notes are abbreviated due to inebriation and the fact that this beer was served in a red Solo cup.
Pours a hazed-brown. Topped by a thick brown head that fades to a film. The aroma has notes of chocolate malts and raisins with a mild boozy quality. Sweet malts upfront and throughout. There are notes of chocolate, raisins and other dark fruit. There's a good amount of peppery spiciness in the finish as well.
On Sunday morning we woke up late, much to David's chagrin, and had brunch at Toast near David's old apartment. Afterwards we looked around in a few bookstores before going to see Frost/Nixon. Win was in the mookd for something ethnic for dinner, so we used the Urban Spoon application on my iPhone to find a small Ethiopian restaurant that turned out to be a winner.
After dinner we stopped at Spitzer's Corner for a round of beers, a bar I'd previously been to with David. We had a round there before returning to David's apartment.
957. Coney Island Sword Swallower
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a hazed, light copper color. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer while clinging to the side of the glass, leaving good lace. The aroma is hoppy. There are peppery and leafy notes with a bit of citrus. There's also the undertone of fruity sweetness.
Mild breadiness upfront gives way to a lightly sweet character. The malty backbone continues to be prevalent through to the center, but is overtaken bit the hoppy finish, which has notes of citrus and pepper. The sweetness becomes more prevalent overall as the beer warms. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
A tad sweet overall, but nicely hoppy.
958. Tröegs Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Pours a clear copper. The head thins to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. The aroma is relatively simple: predominantly resiny hops with a bit of caramel maltiness.
Toasty malts upfront, a bit of breadiness, and caramel sweetness with a pleasantly coarse leafy hop flavor in the finish. Medium-bodied, highly carbonated with a rough quality from the hops.
A good session beer.
After dinner we stopped at Spitzer's Corner for a round of beers, a bar I'd previously been to with David. We had a round there before returning to David's apartment.
957. Coney Island Sword Swallower
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a hazed, light copper color. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer while clinging to the side of the glass, leaving good lace. The aroma is hoppy. There are peppery and leafy notes with a bit of citrus. There's also the undertone of fruity sweetness.
Mild breadiness upfront gives way to a lightly sweet character. The malty backbone continues to be prevalent through to the center, but is overtaken bit the hoppy finish, which has notes of citrus and pepper. The sweetness becomes more prevalent overall as the beer warms. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
A tad sweet overall, but nicely hoppy.
958. Tröegs Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Pours a clear copper. The head thins to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. The aroma is relatively simple: predominantly resiny hops with a bit of caramel maltiness.
Toasty malts upfront, a bit of breadiness, and caramel sweetness with a pleasantly coarse leafy hop flavor in the finish. Medium-bodied, highly carbonated with a rough quality from the hops.
A good session beer.
Labels: American Pale Ale, American Pale Lager, Travel
After dinner we walked to d.b.a. in Willamsburg. We split a large bottle of Bière Darbyste as our only round at the bar.
956. Bière Darbyste
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability:4.0
Overall: 4.15
This is a nice Belgian Saison brewed with figs or fig juice. I didn't get a distinct fig impression, but rather a vague impression of sweet fruit. Any fig characteristics were likely fermented away leaving only a residual hint of fruitiness.
Pours a very cloudy golden. Topped by a white head that thins to a film. The aroma is peasant. Fruity esters are predominant: notes of banana and citrus. There's also a nice bit of sharp acidity evident. Like I said, no overt fig aromas, but plenty of fruit characters to go around.
Upfront there's a light sweetness on top of a husky, grainy character. The beer sweetens up in the center with bananas, citrus and other fruitiness. There's also a good bit of leafy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, highly carbonated, with a nice dry finish.
Tasty with a nice dryness that keeps you drinking.
956. Bière Darbyste
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability:4.0
Overall: 4.15
This is a nice Belgian Saison brewed with figs or fig juice. I didn't get a distinct fig impression, but rather a vague impression of sweet fruit. Any fig characteristics were likely fermented away leaving only a residual hint of fruitiness.
Pours a very cloudy golden. Topped by a white head that thins to a film. The aroma is peasant. Fruity esters are predominant: notes of banana and citrus. There's also a nice bit of sharp acidity evident. Like I said, no overt fig aromas, but plenty of fruit characters to go around.
Upfront there's a light sweetness on top of a husky, grainy character. The beer sweetens up in the center with bananas, citrus and other fruitiness. There's also a good bit of leafy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, highly carbonated, with a nice dry finish.
Tasty with a nice dryness that keeps you drinking.
After leaving Black Rabbit in Greenpoint, we set off in search of food. Being an historically Polish area of Brooklyn it's perhaps not surprising that we ended up eating at a Polish restaurant called Krolewskie Jadlo (King's Feast). Win had the Traditional Stew, David had the Beef Stroganow, which was served in a breadbowl, and I - because I'm a sucker for potato pancakes and perogies - had the sampler.
954. Warka Beer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Browary Warka
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear copper color. The head thins to noting almost immediately. The aroma is light with a hint of caramel sweetness. This beer is predominantly malty. Bready and caramel notes upfront. There's a bit of alcoholic spice in the finish, but not a lot of bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. Overall a decent beer.
955. Lech Premium
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lech Browary Wielkopolski
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Euro Pale Lager
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a thick, light, fluffy, white head that fades to a patchy film. The aroma is sweet and malty, but nothing distinct. Sweet malts upfront give way to a moderate hop bitterness. Light-bodied and crisp.
954. Warka Beer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Browary Warka
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear copper color. The head thins to noting almost immediately. The aroma is light with a hint of caramel sweetness. This beer is predominantly malty. Bready and caramel notes upfront. There's a bit of alcoholic spice in the finish, but not a lot of bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. Overall a decent beer.
955. Lech Premium
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lech Browary Wielkopolski
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Euro Pale Lager
Pours a clear golden. Topped by a thick, light, fluffy, white head that fades to a patchy film. The aroma is sweet and malty, but nothing distinct. Sweet malts upfront give way to a moderate hop bitterness. Light-bodied and crisp.
Labels: Euro Pale Lager, Märzen / Oktoberfest, Travel
We woke up late on Saturday morning. I was in a bad state until I got delicious, delicious brunch at Kitchenette. After brunch we headed up to the Bronx to see the grave of Gouverneur Morris, author of much of the Constitution. We sat in a nearby part for half-an-hour or so, and then headed out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn for some more beer.Our first stop in Greenpoint was Black Rabbit, a newish looking bar. Black Rabbit has a nice atmosphere. The ceiling is painted bright red, but the rest of the bar is almost monochrome with dark-brown, almost black wood paneling on the lower-half of the walls and off-white paint on the top half. The booths have doors and a button to press for service, and there's a retro television near the front of the bar. David and Win played backgammon and we had Welsh rarebit fondue and a cheese plate.
951. Captain Lawrence Brown Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.7
Captain Lawrence is another New York brewery that I don't see in Boston. I was impressed last time I went to New York. Their Brown Ale pours a clear, garnet brown and is topped by a light brown head that fades to a film leaving spots of lace. The aroma is malty: toasty, bready, and chocolate notes as well a hint of fruit.
Toasty and roasty upfront. Chocolate notes and a bit of sweetness in the center. The finish has a light, roasted bitterness. Light-to-medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation. The roasted malts give a nice husky character.
A nice session beer.
952. Trader IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.3
Pours a cloudy copper. Topped by a white head that fades to a film, leaving no lace. The aroma has notes of resiny hops, caramel malts and an apricot fruitiness.
Sweet, bready malts upfront move through more of the same in the center to a mildly bitter hop finish. There's also a bit of residual sweetness in the finish. Could use a good bit more bitterness. Thin feeling with moderate carbonation.
Needs a bit more hop bitterness and flavor.
953. Kelso Chocolate Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Greenpoint Beerworks
Alcohol: 6.75%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Kelso's Chocolate Lager is a clear, garnet brown in color. A thick, light brown head fades to a film. Roasty malts on the nose with a strong chocolate component.
Roasted malts and chocolate sweetness are the predominant characters in the beer. The chocolate starts off sweet, but then melds nicely into the roasted malt flavors in the finish. Medium-bodied and nicely carbonated.
The chocolate is very dominant in the beer, and could perhaps be toned down for the sake of balance, but otherwise delicious.
Labels: American Brown Ale, American IPA, Schwarzbier, Travel
Our last stop of the night was Blind Tiger, a beer bar that I'd previously been to with David. I would have been content finishing off the night with some familiar beers, but David insisted that we have one more round of new beers. We finished the night with several bottles of Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze.
948. Obovoid
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulder Beer
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black. Topped by a beige head that retains well and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and dark fruit.
Lightly roasty to start, but quickly moves into s strong malty sweetness: raisins, dates and chocolate. There's a roasty, coffee bitterness in the finish along with a few hop characters. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
949. BiFrost Winter Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades to a film, but that leaves good lacing. The aroma is strong. There are malty aromas of fruit and bread along with a good bit of spice.
Toasty upfront, moving into a sweet center with caramel and some fruitiness. The finish is lightly spicy with a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
950. Brooklyn Blunderbuss Old Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear brown. Topped by a beige head that fades to a thin ring. The aroma is boozy and malty with notes of caramel, molasses and a hint of roast. Very appealing.
Malty throughout: notes of toffee, molasses and dark fruit. The finish is roasty with a boozy kick. Thick and full-bodied with moderate carbonation.
948. Obovoid
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulder Beer
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black. Topped by a beige head that retains well and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and dark fruit.
Lightly roasty to start, but quickly moves into s strong malty sweetness: raisins, dates and chocolate. There's a roasty, coffee bitterness in the finish along with a few hop characters. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
949. BiFrost Winter Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades to a film, but that leaves good lacing. The aroma is strong. There are malty aromas of fruit and bread along with a good bit of spice.
Toasty upfront, moving into a sweet center with caramel and some fruitiness. The finish is lightly spicy with a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.
950. Brooklyn Blunderbuss Old Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear brown. Topped by a beige head that fades to a thin ring. The aroma is boozy and malty with notes of caramel, molasses and a hint of roast. Very appealing.
Malty throughout: notes of toffee, molasses and dark fruit. The finish is roasty with a boozy kick. Thick and full-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Labels: Old Ale, Russian Imperial Stout, Travel, Winter Warmer
After a round at Against the Grain, David's next Friday night stop was Klimat, a small Polish bar with good selection of Easter European brews. I sampled three new beers and had a bit of the free pub food that was available.
945. Krušovice Imperial
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.6
Pours a lightly hazed golden. Topped by a fluffy, one-inch, white head with good retention and lacing. The aroma is fairly mild: grassy and citric notes.
Lightly sweet malts upfront, predominantly bready with some grainy hints. The finish is lightly grassy with a mild bitterness. Light-bodied, crisp and moderately carbonated.
Pretty straightforward, but tasty enough to be worth a pint.
946. Golden Pheasant
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivovar Zlaty Bazant
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Poured a hazed, copper golden. Topped by a white head that faded to a film. The aroma is malty with nice notes of caramel and fruit on swirling. There's not a lot in the way of hop aroma though.
Sweet bready malts with a milder caramel flavor upfront. Malts are attenuated through the center leading to a grassy hop bitterness with a hint of peppery spice. Light-bodied. highly carbonated, and crisp.
I was pleasantly surprised by a good bit of flavor in this beer. It was definitely the best of the round.
947. Baltika #7 Export
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivzavod Baltika
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Dortmunder / Export Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 2.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 2.55
Pours a pale golden. What little head there is quickly fades to nothing. The aroma is very light. If you're paying attention you can pick out herbal hops and a bit of citrus.
Sweet, pale malts. Mild grassiness, not much in the way of bitterness. Light-bodied, moderately carbonated. Lacks the crispness that would make the beer seem less watery.
Inoffensive, no outright unpleasant characters, but nothing special.
945. Krušovice Imperial
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.6
Pours a lightly hazed golden. Topped by a fluffy, one-inch, white head with good retention and lacing. The aroma is fairly mild: grassy and citric notes.
Lightly sweet malts upfront, predominantly bready with some grainy hints. The finish is lightly grassy with a mild bitterness. Light-bodied, crisp and moderately carbonated.
Pretty straightforward, but tasty enough to be worth a pint.
946. Golden Pheasant
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivovar Zlaty Bazant
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Poured a hazed, copper golden. Topped by a white head that faded to a film. The aroma is malty with nice notes of caramel and fruit on swirling. There's not a lot in the way of hop aroma though.
Sweet bready malts with a milder caramel flavor upfront. Malts are attenuated through the center leading to a grassy hop bitterness with a hint of peppery spice. Light-bodied. highly carbonated, and crisp.
I was pleasantly surprised by a good bit of flavor in this beer. It was definitely the best of the round.
947. Baltika #7 Export
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivzavod Baltika
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Dortmunder / Export Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 2.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 2.55
Pours a pale golden. What little head there is quickly fades to nothing. The aroma is very light. If you're paying attention you can pick out herbal hops and a bit of citrus.
Sweet, pale malts. Mild grassiness, not much in the way of bitterness. Light-bodied, moderately carbonated. Lacks the crispness that would make the beer seem less watery.
Inoffensive, no outright unpleasant characters, but nothing special.
Labels: Czech Pilsener, Dortmunder/Export Lager, Travel
After leaving Jimmy's No. 43 we headed to Against the Grain, another beer bar in New York that I hadn't been to. The bar is small, it's narrow and not very deep. There are two rows of seating on either side of the bar with a narrow table in the center. There's a pressed tin ceiling and dark brick walls. The bartender was friendly, knowledgeable, and described the beers to us as he was pouring. These reviews are also based on split beers.
Wexford's, Bell's and the Cuvee.
942. Two Hearted Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.55
Pours a cloudy copper. Topped by a fluffy, meringue-like, white head with good retention. The aroma is hop-focused: delicious orange-blossom citrus and resiny hops. There's also a bit of a raw sugar undercurrent.
There's a toasty malt backbone with a light, raw sweetness. There's a nice citric hop flavor with a light herbal, resiny kick. Well balanced, there's a focus on the hop flavors rather than the hop bitterness. Light-bodied with a nice kick from the carbonation.
Well balanced. All of the hop flavor is there with just enough of the bitterness.
943. Cuvée Du 8ème
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a very nice, hazed, reddish amber. The head thins to a wispy film. The aroma is sharp with acidic cherry notes. Wonderfully tart smelling.
Much milder on the palate than suggested by the aroma. On the sweet side of sour, but only mildy so. There's a nice tart fruitiness. The finish has a hint of cocoa. Mild overall, but tasty. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Nice for a milder sour ale.
944. Wexford Irish Cream Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Greene King / Morland Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: Cream Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.4
Pours a slightly hazed copper color. The thick, fluffy head retains as a half-inch layer leaving sheets of lace. Malty aroma caramel, toffee and golden raisins.
There's a sweet, malty backbone: caramel and toffee with a mild bitterness in the finish. There are some decent flavors, but it comes off a bit bland overall. Smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation and a sticky, sugary finish.
Flavorful in certain aspects, but a but bland overall.
Wexford's, Bell's and the Cuvee.
942. Two Hearted Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.55
Pours a cloudy copper. Topped by a fluffy, meringue-like, white head with good retention. The aroma is hop-focused: delicious orange-blossom citrus and resiny hops. There's also a bit of a raw sugar undercurrent.
There's a toasty malt backbone with a light, raw sweetness. There's a nice citric hop flavor with a light herbal, resiny kick. Well balanced, there's a focus on the hop flavors rather than the hop bitterness. Light-bodied with a nice kick from the carbonation.
Well balanced. All of the hop flavor is there with just enough of the bitterness.
943. Cuvée Du 8ème
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a very nice, hazed, reddish amber. The head thins to a wispy film. The aroma is sharp with acidic cherry notes. Wonderfully tart smelling.
Much milder on the palate than suggested by the aroma. On the sweet side of sour, but only mildy so. There's a nice tart fruitiness. The finish has a hint of cocoa. Mild overall, but tasty. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Nice for a milder sour ale.
944. Wexford Irish Cream Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Greene King / Morland Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: Cream Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.4
Pours a slightly hazed copper color. The thick, fluffy head retains as a half-inch layer leaving sheets of lace. Malty aroma caramel, toffee and golden raisins.
There's a sweet, malty backbone: caramel and toffee with a mild bitterness in the finish. There are some decent flavors, but it comes off a bit bland overall. Smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation and a sticky, sugary finish.
Flavorful in certain aspects, but a but bland overall.
Labels: American IPA, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Cream Ale, Travel
Win flew to New York on the Friday of President's day weekend. I rode the Fung Wah bus down Friday afternoon and met up with him and David in the East Village. Our first stop was Jimmy's No. 43, which David characterized as a "gastropub", for dinner.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Labels: American Dark Wheat Ale, American IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Travel
David's wedding was on the 4th of August on Shelter Island, NY. David brought his remaining Westvleterns that we'd picked up on our trip to Belgium last November: two blondes and three 12s. David, Bennett, Win, Ward, Cindy, Jadyn and I toasted with them before the reception got started.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Brouwerij Westvleteren, Quadrupel, Trappist, Travel
I went to New York on July 31st for David's wedding. He was busy and had to work on Wednesday, but I stayed with Dave in Park Slope on Tuesday night. After arriving, I headed out to Park Slope and waited for Dave and Kristin, his girlfriend, in the Tea Lounge. We dropped my bags off at Dave's place and took a bottle of Tripel Karmeliet and a bottle of red wine to The Olive Tree Cafe. We had a couple of their pizzas, one with spiced, ground lamb, and the other with eggplant, zucchini, artichokes and mozzarella.
After dinner we went to the Brazen Head for some beers.
694. Hoptical Illusion
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy copper. A fluffy, beige head thins to a half-inch layer, laving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): Lightly toasty malts and citric, resiny hops.
Taste (3.0): Toasty malts, with some mild sweetness. The finish is resiny, herbal and leafy hops. Needs a bit more sweetness to balance.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation. Feels a bit thin
Drinkability (3.5): It's hurt by the lack of balance.
Overall (3.45)
695. Titan IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper. A foamy, beige head thins to a film.
Smell (4.0): Sweet caramel, fruity malts, some spiciness and light resiny hops.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, light caramel sweetness, grassy bitterness, with a nice peppery finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, medium-bodied, quite refreshing feeling.
Drinkability (4.0): Well balanced.
Overall (4.0)
696. Black Hole XXX Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours an opaque black/brown. It's topped by a thin, beige head that subsides to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Roasted malts: coffee and chocolate with some mild fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): There's a fruity soda like sweetness upfront. The finish is some nice roasted coffee and dark chocolate flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied. Low carbonation. Smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but nice.
Overall (3.75)
697. Raspberry Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a hazy, reddish copper. Topped by a thin head that leaves light patches of lace.
Smell (3.5): Just raspberries, but still pleasant.
Taste (3.5): Pretty standard for a wheat beer brewed with fruit. Some neutral graininess with raspberries to add some sweet and tart notes. There's a light bitterness, which was nice.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, grainy, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty tasty and drinkable.
Overall (3.45)
After dinner we went to the Brazen Head for some beers.
694. Hoptical Illusion
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy copper. A fluffy, beige head thins to a half-inch layer, laving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): Lightly toasty malts and citric, resiny hops.
Taste (3.0): Toasty malts, with some mild sweetness. The finish is resiny, herbal and leafy hops. Needs a bit more sweetness to balance.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation. Feels a bit thin
Drinkability (3.5): It's hurt by the lack of balance.
Overall (3.45)
695. Titan IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper. A foamy, beige head thins to a film.
Smell (4.0): Sweet caramel, fruity malts, some spiciness and light resiny hops.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, light caramel sweetness, grassy bitterness, with a nice peppery finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, medium-bodied, quite refreshing feeling.
Drinkability (4.0): Well balanced.
Overall (4.0)
696. Black Hole XXX Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours an opaque black/brown. It's topped by a thin, beige head that subsides to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Roasted malts: coffee and chocolate with some mild fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): There's a fruity soda like sweetness upfront. The finish is some nice roasted coffee and dark chocolate flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied. Low carbonation. Smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but nice.
Overall (3.75)
697. Raspberry Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a hazy, reddish copper. Topped by a thin head that leaves light patches of lace.
Smell (3.5): Just raspberries, but still pleasant.
Taste (3.5): Pretty standard for a wheat beer brewed with fruit. Some neutral graininess with raspberries to add some sweet and tart notes. There's a light bitterness, which was nice.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, grainy, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty tasty and drinkable.
Overall (3.45)
Labels: American IPA, Blue Point Brewing Company, Chelsea Brewing Company, Export Stout, Fruit/Vegetable Beer, Great Divide Brewing Company, Travel
I went to NYC to visit David last weekend. Friday night we saw the Mets play the Diamondbacks at Shea, and then went to Spuyten Duyvil afterwards for a couple rounds. Saturday we drove out to Megan's family's place on Shelter Island and then biked out 10 miles on the North Fork and hit up the tasting rooms of several wineries.
The beer at the baseball game was overpriced and of poor quality, but that didn't stop us from drinking. We had three beers each. The one new beer that I had was the abysmal Budweiser Select.
674. Budweiser Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Aluminum Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I consumed this beer right out of the can. This is a pretty standard light lager. The aroma is fairly light, mostly cooked grain. The taste is lightly malty and sweet. There's an unpleasant graininess as the beer warms. Dry huskiness and watery in the mouthfeel. Not pleasant to drink.
After the game we went to Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, an excellent beer bar. I liked the bar a lot. The ceiling was pressed tin and the walls were decorated with educational charts circa 1950s. There were seats in the windows and a couch against one wall. The walls in the restrooms were covered with chalkboards and there was a bucket of chalk provided. The bar seemed popular with the Hipster crowd. The selection was really good. There were 6 beers on tap, none of which I'd had, and an impressive bottle list, including a Rare/Odd category. The food was reminiscent of the bar food we had at Boulevard in Belgium. There was a list of meats, cheeses and other items. We had a plate that included sweet dry sausage, Stilton, olives and bread. I firmly believe that all bars should offer this type of food. We had two rounds, but switched off halfway in each for a total of four new beers.
675. Ramstein Double Platinum
Beer Stats:
Brewery: High Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.5%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, very nice color. A half-finger white head fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, with caramel, sugar, light spice and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet banana fruitiness upfront as well as some caramel malts. It moves into a lightly spicy but still sweet finish. There's also a light grassy bitterness to balance things out.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty nice to drink, it's nicely malty but not overly sweet.
Overall (3.9)
676. Old Engine Oil
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark brown/black with a thin, one-finger, beige head that fades to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Very strong malty aromas. Caramel, toffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, with a roasty coffee aroma on swirling.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts: dates and caramel. Lightly spicy with a light balancing coffee bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation, thick, silky.
Drinkability (4.0): Smooth and balanced, strong flavors, but enjoyable.
Overall (4.4)
677. Jaipur IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Cask
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Lightly hazy, straw golden. Pours with a thick, overflowing, fluffy, white head. Leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Wonderfully citric, grapefruity hops, some grassy aromas as well. A little bit of toasty/sweet maltiness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, briefly sweet fruit in the center, before moving into a dominant, but not overpowering citric hoppy bitterness. A classic English IPA.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, lightly oily.
Drinkability (5.0): Almost the definition of a session beer.
Overall (4.15)
678. Slacker Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear reddish-brown with a thin beige head that fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Light overall. Sweet malts, caramel.
Taste (3.0): Sweet malts. Fruity throughout. Too sweet with little to balance it. Not unpleasant, just way too sweet.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (3.0): Way too sweet, needs something to balance.
Overall (3.15)
The beer at the baseball game was overpriced and of poor quality, but that didn't stop us from drinking. We had three beers each. The one new beer that I had was the abysmal Budweiser Select.
674. Budweiser Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Aluminum Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I consumed this beer right out of the can. This is a pretty standard light lager. The aroma is fairly light, mostly cooked grain. The taste is lightly malty and sweet. There's an unpleasant graininess as the beer warms. Dry huskiness and watery in the mouthfeel. Not pleasant to drink.
After the game we went to Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, an excellent beer bar. I liked the bar a lot. The ceiling was pressed tin and the walls were decorated with educational charts circa 1950s. There were seats in the windows and a couch against one wall. The walls in the restrooms were covered with chalkboards and there was a bucket of chalk provided. The bar seemed popular with the Hipster crowd. The selection was really good. There were 6 beers on tap, none of which I'd had, and an impressive bottle list, including a Rare/Odd category. The food was reminiscent of the bar food we had at Boulevard in Belgium. There was a list of meats, cheeses and other items. We had a plate that included sweet dry sausage, Stilton, olives and bread. I firmly believe that all bars should offer this type of food. We had two rounds, but switched off halfway in each for a total of four new beers.
675. Ramstein Double Platinum
Beer Stats:
Brewery: High Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.5%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, very nice color. A half-finger white head fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, with caramel, sugar, light spice and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet banana fruitiness upfront as well as some caramel malts. It moves into a lightly spicy but still sweet finish. There's also a light grassy bitterness to balance things out.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty nice to drink, it's nicely malty but not overly sweet.
Overall (3.9)
676. Old Engine Oil
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark brown/black with a thin, one-finger, beige head that fades to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Very strong malty aromas. Caramel, toffee, burnt sugar, dark fruit, with a roasty coffee aroma on swirling.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts: dates and caramel. Lightly spicy with a light balancing coffee bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation, thick, silky.
Drinkability (4.0): Smooth and balanced, strong flavors, but enjoyable.
Overall (4.4)
677. Jaipur IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Cask
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Lightly hazy, straw golden. Pours with a thick, overflowing, fluffy, white head. Leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Wonderfully citric, grapefruity hops, some grassy aromas as well. A little bit of toasty/sweet maltiness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, briefly sweet fruit in the center, before moving into a dominant, but not overpowering citric hoppy bitterness. A classic English IPA.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, lightly oily.
Drinkability (5.0): Almost the definition of a session beer.
Overall (4.15)
678. Slacker Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear reddish-brown with a thin beige head that fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Light overall. Sweet malts, caramel.
Taste (3.0): Sweet malts. Fruity throughout. Too sweet with little to balance it. Not unpleasant, just way too sweet.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (3.0): Way too sweet, needs something to balance.
Overall (3.15)
Labels: Anheuser-Busch, Bock, English IPA, High Point Brewing Company, Light Lager, Old Ale, Sly Fox Brewing Company, Thornbridge Hall, Travel, Weizenbock
David, Dave and I are planning on taking a trip to Philly the first weekend in February. If any one has any recommendations for bars or brew pubs leave a comment.
Labels: Travel
On the morning of Thursday the 21st I rented a car and drove to my friend Scott's mom's house on the north side of San Antonio. Our friend Eric arrived shortly after I did and we packed up Scott's truck for our trip out to Scott's ranch near Junction, TX. We stopped by an HEB and bought some beer. Scott and Eric picked up two 18-packs of High Life Light, and two cans of Foster's. I picked up a six-pack of New Belgium 1554 and a 750 of Chimay Blue.
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
Labels: Light Lager, SABMiller, Travel
I've finally finished posting everything from our Belgium trip. Everything has the Belgium 2006 tag. I've listed the posts below in chronological order.
Brussels
Brussels
Day One: Flight; Grand Place; Manneken PisAntwerp
Day One: Brasserie Cantillon
Day One: Delirium Café
Day One: Dinner, Moeder Lambic
Day Two: Poechenellekelder, Mort Subite, Ploegmans
Day Two: Warm Water, Delirium Café, Absinthe
Day Three: Arrival in Antwerp, De Berenbak, Sightseeing, Oud ArsenaalGhent
Day Three: Dinner, Paters Vaetje, Waagstuk
Day Four: Lunch and Sightseeing, Kulminator, Dinner, Elfde Gebod
Day Five: Departure/Arrival, Aba-Jour, GravensteenBrugge
Day Five: De Hopduvel
Day Five: Deus, Trollekelder, Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Day Six: Sightseeing, Lunch, Brouwerij De Halve MaanWest Flanders
Day Six: Kelk, De Garre
Day Six: Brugs Beertje, Dickie's
Day Seven: Kortrijk, Ieper, Poperinge, Paix, Ter PosterieBrussels
Day Seven: Kortrijk, Boulevard
Day Eight: Westvleteren
Day Eight: Poechenellekelder, Delirium Café, PackingNew York
Day Nine: Flight, New York CityThere are few general observations about Belgium that I have.
1. I've been cheated out of knowing more than one language becuase I've grown up in the US. Almost everyone in Belgium spoke at least two to three languages. According to the bartender at Moeder Lambic they start teaching English in schools at around age 10 or 12.Stories that I didn't include in the main post.
2. Belgians are crazy drivers. We were constantly being passed at high speeds when we had rented the car, and we were speeding somewhat.
3. Belgian restrooms are strange. There's often a single door for men and women that opens into a room with a sink, that room has doors for men and women, but it also often contains a urinal.
1. An aspiring DJ in Antwerp helped us determine the best Tram stop for us, which also happened to be his stop. When we got off he waited until the very last minute before he went down into the subway to say "By the way, your president is an asshole."We've decided to go on beer trips to Germany, The UK and The Czech Republic at some point in the future. I think we've decided on The Czech Republic as our next stop.
2. We were getting cash from an ATM in Antwerp, Ghent or Brugge (David?) when a guy came up to us and started speaking in Dutch. When I said we only speak English he then said "Do you have a joint to spare."
Labels: Belgium 2006, Travel
Our flight left Brussels at around 10:00 on Sunday morning and arrived in New York at around noon. We woke up at around 6 AM, got ready and left before 7 AM. We made the mistake of walking from our hostel to Bruxelles-Nord, about a mile, which was painful with the two heavy bags. We took the express train to the airport, and were chastised by the guy who punched our tickets for sitting in the first-class section when we only had second-class tickets.
We checked in and had the bag with the beer labeled fragile. We went to the duty free shop so David could buy a book, and then went through security. We had breakfast and coffee at Coffee Corner near our gate. David later picked up a deck of Manneken Pis playing cards.
The flight was uneventful. We played Sudoku, mocked the Sky Mall catalog, read and played War with the cards. When the plane landed our oxygen masks fell down, not the entire plane's, just ours. The customs agent who I talked through was a pretty easy going guy with a thick New York accent. He asked what kind of beer I had. I told him it was brewed by monks. "Is it dark?" "Yeah." "Is it strong?" "Yeah" "Alright! Drink in moderation, and don't drive."
We made it back to David's apartment, dropped off our bags, and then went to Kitchenette for a late brunch. We stopped by Columbia Deli & Market and picked up a bottle of Southampton IPA, which we drank while watching South Park. Afterwards we went to see Casino Royale and then called it an early night.
580. Southampton IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy orange with a flufyy, off-white head that persists, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Some caramel maltiness with nice grassy, herbal and citric hop aromas.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts, with some light sweetness, followed by a nice resiny and herbal hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, with oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.0): Not too sweet, with a nice strong hop presence.
Overall (4.3)
We checked in and had the bag with the beer labeled fragile. We went to the duty free shop so David could buy a book, and then went through security. We had breakfast and coffee at Coffee Corner near our gate. David later picked up a deck of Manneken Pis playing cards.
The flight was uneventful. We played Sudoku, mocked the Sky Mall catalog, read and played War with the cards. When the plane landed our oxygen masks fell down, not the entire plane's, just ours. The customs agent who I talked through was a pretty easy going guy with a thick New York accent. He asked what kind of beer I had. I told him it was brewed by monks. "Is it dark?" "Yeah." "Is it strong?" "Yeah" "Alright! Drink in moderation, and don't drive."
We made it back to David's apartment, dropped off our bags, and then went to Kitchenette for a late brunch. We stopped by Columbia Deli & Market and picked up a bottle of Southampton IPA, which we drank while watching South Park. Afterwards we went to see Casino Royale and then called it an early night.
580. Southampton IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy orange with a flufyy, off-white head that persists, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Some caramel maltiness with nice grassy, herbal and citric hop aromas.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts, with some light sweetness, followed by a nice resiny and herbal hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, with oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.0): Not too sweet, with a nice strong hop presence.
Overall (4.3)
Labels: American IPA, Belgium 2006, Travel
