Twenty Eighth Meeting

Here we are at Chef Belfry's house. As is his wont, he presents us various cheeses, preserves, and pretzels of pickled origin. Tonight's theme is "Brent A Beer," which is a nod to Brent never having given a beer an A in beer club. There will be a lot of offerings tonight all meant to tickle his fickle palate. Let's get this started.

Beer one: Belfry brings us North Coast Pranqster, which is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. This hazy yellow brew is 7.6% ABV. This is a really solid beer, IMHO. Mike this it's good, but not great. Same with Belf. Good drinkin'. It's rating time.

BPA: 3.36

Next up is one of my personal favorites. I knew this is an A before it was uncorked. Duchesse de Bourgogne is a Flanders Red Ale that comes in at 6.4%. Corky cagey. It pours a dark red num num num num. It smells like tart cherries. Oh boy this is good. My side beer is Deschutes Dissident, which is about the same style, and I would actually say the Duchesse is better.

BPA: 3.88

Thirdly we have Lampe's offering. He brought us a beer from Odell's Woodcut Series, which is a Double Marzen, or basically an Imperial Oktoberfest. This one is 11%, which is pretty much unheard of for a lager. It pours pretty dark for an oktoberfest. It's pretty sweet, oaky, and caramelly with an alky finish.

BPA: 3.41

Brent brings us The Bruery Rugbrod, which is a rye ale. This one is a solid 8% and is the first of 2 Bruery offerings tonight. If Brent can't bring an A beer to the "Bring a beer that you think Brent will give an A" theme, he has a horrendously low self-esteem. It's hard to describe the flavor of this. On to the ratings, stupid.

BPA: 3.09

Our first and only Double IPA of the night is Boulevard Double Wide IPA. This one is 8.5%. High alcohol seems to be a common theme tomorrow. It smells like hop syrup. A nice amount of citrus and hops. Time to rate.

BPA: 2.93

Our next beer is Odell DeConstruction Ale. It labels itself a Golden Ale, but BA lists it as an American Strong Ale. It's 10.5% and is a blend of a few types of beer. It pours a cloudy yellow color. Boy, this is tasty. It has a strong, light flavor similar to that of a Belgian Tripel. Brent just called Joe a fat slob because of his attendance. There is definitely a wild yeast presence in there. Early indications are that Brent will give an A.

BPA: 3.8

The next taste is of Delirium Tremens. It's another Belgian Strong Pale Ale comin' in at 8.5% ABV. It pours a pretty light color and smells of candi sugar. In the mid-90's, one of the earliest craft beer enthusiasts, Michael Jackson, labeled this the best beer in the world. Not this Michael Jackson, this Michael Jackson. It has elements of a tripel, but it's smoother. The 8.5% alcohol is completely undetectable.

BPA: 3.29

Last up, we have The Bruery Orchard White, which is a Witbier. This one is a meager 5.7% booze. How will I maintain my buzz? This smells like pineapple k2. This is extremely light and lemony. Very carbonated and full of lavendar. Mike loves lavendar. This is a strange beer indeed.

BPA: 2.94

Twenty Seventh Meeting

We're at Joe's place tonight for Doppelbocks. It's a high alcohol German lager that will hopefully keep us warm now that Joe's furnace went out and it's supposed to get down to 4 degrees tonight. Joe's pulled out all the stops tonight and brought out the Friendsgiving table. This is a new record for turnout. To my left and clockwise are: Turnbull, Woodpond, Colin, Joe, Derek, Belfry, Brent, Mike, Lampe, and me. This is going to take a while.

As is tradition, Joe, the host, is the first to offer. He offers to us Capital Imperial Doppelbock, which is 9%. Doppelbocks are fairly foreign to most of us. It pours a relatively transparent color for how dark it is. Caramel on the nose. This tastes quite a bit like a strongly-flavored scotch ale, and it's difficult to make out the alcohol.

BPA: 3.36

Next up we have a smoky salad sandwich. Aecht Schlenkerla Smoked Doppelbock is Derek's pick. It looks like a harmless lager after poured, but it smells like the inside of Derek's cabin when the fireplace wasn't working. This tastes like a smore that roasted on the bonfire for 2 hours too long. I would rather drink a 2.5 oz pour of Bud Light.

BPA: 1.43 (Editor's note.... Generous)

Thirdly we have Boulevard Seeyoulator Doppelbock. This one is 8 and a halfies. It pours a little cloudier and lighter than the first one. I won't use the second beer as any sort of Doppelbock benchmark. Hops are evident in this one. This really just tastes like a somewhat malty IPA.

BPA: 3.07

Brent is currently pouring us some Tucher Bajuvator Doppelbock which comes in at 7.2%. It smells like the first one. This tastes smoother than Mike Gabbert at the Shouthouse on a Wednesday night. Which is to say, SMOOOOOOOOTH. You're gonna like it, you're you're gonna like it CHEEEEESE.

BPA: 3.56

Mike brought us the Buronator Doppelbock which is 7.5% ABV. This pours a more transparent amber color. It tastes caramelly and a little sweeter than the first one. I'm ready to rate. Who ain't?

BPA: 3.04

Swingtop alert! Swingtop alert! IAAAALLLLTTOOOOO SWINGTOP!!! AWOOOOOGA! AWOOOGA! Lampe brought Sprecher Oak Aged Doppelbock. This is the darkest pour we've had yet. Also, the bottle might be 90 ounces. 9%, it is. This one is changing perceptions. Roasty, vanilla, and booze come through. Different from the rest, yet delicious.

BPA: 3.68

Next up is Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock. It's one of the original benchmark doppelbocks. Belfry spots sea monkeys. Derek just said "that pizza smells so dank." Joe- "It's just the oven, I haven't put the pizza in yet." Derek has the ability to smell potential pizza. It looks like a wheat beer in the glass.

BPA: 3.28

Turnbull brings us Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock. This shows how much range there is within this style. This one is 7.5%. It certainly smells like there's more coffee in here than any other beer. It's a pretty interesting taste- but quite good. It's heavily coffee, but it doesn't seem out of place. Out of nowhere: "So who makes the best Christmas cider." -Michael McNoobslur

BPA: 2.99

Last up is Sam Adams Imperial Doppelbock. 9.5. Oh boy, this is in there. Caramelly and similar to the first one. I'm running out of battery and we need to end of this.

BPA: 3.37

That'll do it. Stay tuned as we have some good ideas for upcoming beer clubs.

Twenty Sixth Meeting

Merry Christmas from the WTBC, Gabe, and Jeff

Merry Christmas to all! It's our 26th meeting, which is taking place at Gabbert's house with a big crowd. Tonight, Santa brings us Christmas Ales, which go under the category of Winter Warmer. They're always delicious this time of year, especially when drinking around a Christmas tree like we are now.

First up is Goose Island's Christmas Ale. This one comes in at 5.6% (like Michael!). Despite it being a Christmas Ale, it's listed as an American Brown Ale. Even CRAZIER, it tastes just like a scotch ale! It's not very spicy like most Christmas ales, but more caramelly.

BPA: 3.08

Next up is Rogue Santa's Private Reserve, which is 6%. It pours a pretty thin-looking caramel color. Goo. This has a similar mouthfeel as Brau Bros Rainwater Stout, as in tastes like rainwater is mixed with beer. This isn't good. Tough to finish. I had to grab an Expedition Stout to dance myself clean. This BPA will be similar to Joe's freshman year GPA.

BPA: 2.04

Thirdly we have Belfry's offering, which is Breckenridge Christmas Ale. I think this is the first one we've had from this brewery. This one is finally an actual winter warmer coming in at 7.4%. This one's also thin, but it's masked a little bit by the spicy spices.

BPA: 2.55

Batting cleanup is St. Bernardus, which is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale coming in at 10%. I can tell this guy is going to be good by the amount Tom J just poured on the coffee table. It pours a medium-thick brown color. It smells like fruit and spice. Mike's nose feels great. It tastes like a spicy Bernardus Quad. Very very good. A popular pick.

BPA: 3.63

Next up is Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, which is an AMERICAN IPA. This Christmas category sure is broad. Evidently they used fresh hops this year and they can be tasted. Mike: "Pine (sip)..... Hops (sip)...... Malts (sip)...... That guy sweats out smugness. "I gave my cat some turkey on Thanksgiving and now he doesn't eat his food." -Belfry. Yep, this tastes pretty much like a regular wet hop IPA.

BPA: 3.33

Lampe brought us Anchor Our Special Ale 2010, which is a 5.5% winter warmer. This pours a very dark crimson that smells like a gingerbread salad sandwich. We're wandering dangerously off-topic.

BPA: 3.13

What do we got next? Great Lakes Christmas Ale is up next. Brought by, guess who, Colin McCarty. This one is really gingerbready like the last. This is the type of Christmas Ale I imagine myself drinking with Bing Crosby on a bear skin rug in a quiet secluded cabin in Montana. Or something.

BPA: 3.34

Nextly we have Deschutes Jubelale. This one is 6.7% ABV. This one is a little hoppier than the last few, but there's still a bit of spice. Let's rate this.. we still have one left.

BPA: 2.95

Lastly we have Ridgeway Brewing's Criminally Bad Elf, which is a Barleywine comin' in at 10.5%. Pretty good barleywine. That's all I have.

BPA: 3

Welp we have one more. Goodness. This is Bell's Third Coast Ale which comes in at 10.6%. This is the last one I need. A good beer I've had many a-time. Tom J is stretching because of beer cramps. Let's end this now.

BPA: 3.19

Twenty Fifth Meeting

Welcome to the all-important 25th meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. We've shared plenty of laughs and tears along the way, but we're glad to have you with us. I would first like to thank you, the reader, because without you, I couldn't afford to keep this humble blog afloat.

To celebrate our 25th, Tom B has chosen "BA Top 100" beers that we haven't tasted yet as a category. As a result, this could be our strongest lineup of beer yet. Expect some high scores (and maybe an A from Brent).

First up... the #6 beer in the world on BA, Trappist Rochefort 10. This tasty quad comes in at 11.3%. Surprisingly, we never tried this on quad night. This one pours a dark maroon with a tiny little head. The carbonation isn't absent from the mouthfeel, though. It tastes of dark fruit, like raisins, figs, and Drew's drungles. Some of us like it a lot, and the others just appreciate it as a good quad.

BPA: 3.66

Next up is probably the most anticipated beer we've had in a long time. Deschutes Abyss is #4 on Beer Advocate, however, about 1/4 of the 2009 batch is "infected." Apparently quite a bit of the beer is infected with some wild yeast, giving it a sour flavor. Some people who have tried the infected stuff go as far as to pour it down a drain. This stuff is 11%. First diagnosis...... INFECTED!! INFECTED!!! MIKE INFECTED US WITH AIDS!!! Alright, let's see if we can finish this weirdly sour stout. It tastes like a coffee saison. Not very good. Tastes and smells like testes.

BPA: (no rating given)

Rogue Shakespeare Stout is up next. This one is #66 on BA. Only 6.1%?!? Hahh Bizaahh. Smells like coffee and oats. "What do you feed him?" "Ohh, oats and hay, oats and hay." Tastes like coffee and oats as well. It has a fairly thin mouthfeel. At least thinner than Quaker Oats.

BPA: 3.12

Fourthly, we have Great Divide Oak-Aged Yeti. We've had two other derivations of this, but both of them have been aged and/or chocolated, yet not by oak. This one is #44 on BA. When we had the original Yeti, Mike and Lampe were pre-noob status, even fetus status. This pours a dark brown color, and smells exactly how it tastes. It's a solid imperial stout that tastes like oak chips have floated in it for an indeterminate amount of time. Oh yeah, 9.5%.

BPA: 3.62

Next we have the top-rated IPA in the world. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is 16 overall and very tasty. 7% alcohol is undetectable. This beer is quite hoppy, but it's followed by grapefruit and then some tender malts, so it balances the beer out. I had this side-by-side with Blind Pig last week and I thought this one was better.

BPA. 3.94 (Note: Everyone gave it a 4, and Brent was last to vote. He wouldn't give up his A V-card, so we now have a 3.94)

Last beer is Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which is 9% abv. This is a double IPA which is oddly not as hoppy as the last beer. There's definitely more of a syrupy sweetness to this one. Not as good as the last beer, but still one heck of a darn beer. Ding ding! Intoxication is knocking at my brain's door. Either that, or it's some terrible brain parasite brought on by that infected Abyss. As long as the parasite zonks me out for work tomorrow and makes me act like a drone bee, I welcome my new invader.

BPA: 3.46

Well that will do it. Right now we're engaged in very off-topic conversations and watching the Wild game. Next up: Mike's house.

Individual Stats

As we all know, beer drinking is a team game. However, sometimes you have to look beyond wins and losses to see how the team is doing. Welcome to sabermetric country.

Here are some individual stats for each drinker since we started recording individual scores at the seventh meeting.

Below is the average score given by each club member:

Joe- 3.33
Brent- 3.13
Colin- 3.08
Mike- 3.04
Tom B- 3.03
Derek- 2.99
Tom J- 2.96
Belfry- 2.85

Number of A's given out (F's)

Colin- 7(0)
Tom B- 7(0)
Joe- 6(0)
Belfry- 2(0)
Mike- 2(0)
Derek- 2(0)
Tom J- 1(1)
Brent- 0(0)

Tom J gave his F to Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti, though not as inexplicable as Brent's lack of A's

Number of meetings attended, out of 17 (Beers tasted)

Colin- 17 (117)
Mike- 16 (109)
Tom B- 14 (100)
Belfry- 13 (92)
Derek- 13 (91)
Brent- 12 (85)
Joe- 8 (54)
Tom J- 7 (47)

Congrats to Colin for perfect attendance. At the meeting tomorrow I will be unveiling a new technological advancement for beer club. The anticipation is palpable via email.

Reppin WTBC at Stone Brewery. Nobody has asked for our web address yet.

Twenty Fourth Meeting

Editor's Note: Once again, I missed beer club, but this time it was due to working late prior to my voyage to San Diego Beer Week. Guest blogster Belfry aka "Henry David" Thero wrote this post


11/9/10 WTBC - Barelywine [Unedited Freudian slip by Belfry, wine lover extraordinaire]

Rogue - Old Crustacean 2008 11.5%

Grolsh swing-top seal and capped. Strong alcohol smell and taste even after two years! Coast the throat with a nice lingering taste. The free range coastal water is very present, giving it a nice briny zing presumably from the crustaceans caught while harvesting the costal water. Booooozy and pretty darn tasty. Quality beer but a 4oz pour is about the maximum tasting in one sitting.

BPA 3.31


Anchor - Old Foghorn 8.8%

Markedly different, much more drinkable that the previous offering. Far sweeter, excellent mouthfeel(Joe would know). Reminds some people of mexican time-share vacation homes, might be the label’s flora. There’s a more pronounced hop flavor with this one. Suggested pairing: pretzels. More drinkable, yes repetitive but i was asked to write it again, but a little on the thin side for what we expected in a barleywine.

BPA 3.08


Colin’s Home Brewed Barleywine, potential name Mysterious Missale approx. 9-11% Brewed in Feb. 2010

Darker caramel color lingering head, nice lacing on the glass,very nice carbonation level. Very drinkable, nice balance of sweet and booze, This just in: Joe has never checked the blog, giving me and any other blogger for WTBC to freely comment on his character with no danger of retaliation. Colin’s beer has a nice caramel finish with a mild alcohol burn, highly regarded here tonight,for sure contends with our other tastings so far.

BPA 3.4


Avery Hog Heaven 9.2%

Lots of little sea monkeys, perhaps a new breed of mini-monkeys or a young spawn of regular sized monkeys. Very hoppy, has been a combination of all thus far, hoppy like anchor, sweet like Mysterious Missale, and slightly less boozy than the Rogue. It borders on being a strong ale to our pallets. Seems to be pretty favored.

BPA 3.47


Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Ale Black Barley Wine 10.2%

Pours black with some light at the edges, and a healthy amount of head. Super smooth, nice roasted malt flavor, MIke is revealing his climb to the top of Corburn’s something about starting as a bagger of tea, we didn’t ask about the details, sound like he get some great perks though. Derek saw some really nice sausage at the wedge co-op. At this point it is safe to say that the high barley content of these beers(Average Barley Volume or ABV) is affecting people’s ability to stay on topic. This doesn’t however have the pronounced caramel finish that most have had tonight, and a generally thinner mouthfeel. Everyone seems to have favorable leaning prior to ratings.

BPA 3.72


Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot 11.1%

Right up Michael’s alley as its’ name is conducive to slurring. Much stronger caramel and tastes of Belgian yeasts, alcohol is very hidden, almost undetectable for 11%. This is also our 7th tasting for whatever that’s worth. Aprecerate. That about says it all, the review of this beer has fallen victim to its’ own success as a great beer with a well disguised ABV(alcohol by volume).

BPA 3.41


Rogue - Old Crustacean 2008 11.5%

No this is not a typo, “brother” Derek has brought a duplicate which we decided to bookend for tonight’s tasting in the name of science. For some reason the alcohol is far less present than when we tried this EXACT SAME BEER at the beginning of our tasting. If ANY of you readers out there have a science background I beg you please tell us why this is there is likely a nobel prize at the end of this study, no promises.
Scores in () were given at the beginning of the evening
Derek 3.3 (3.3)
Brent 3.3 (3.0)
Colin 3.3 (3.3)
Joe 3.3 (3.3)
Dan 3.7 (3.3)
Mike 3.3 (3.3)
Ryan 3.3 (3.7)
BPA 3.35

Twenty Third Meeting

Here we are for our 23rd meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. Derek's hosting during his last week at Trillville. He will soon be moving to be closer to his hipster roots near Minneapolis Hipster Mecca, Bryant Lake Bowl. Now those are some condescending hipsters. Derek will be joined by Brent, Colin, Joe, Mike, and me. The theme is Belgian IPA/Pale Ale/Strong Pale Ale. It should be interesting becuase we haven't tried any of these beers yet. Let's get this show on the road.

First off is Piraat Ale. This one is brewed in Somalia by clan leaders, but since they cut off the tongues of those that drink alcohol, they only import this beer. Much to our delight! This one is 10.5%. It looks like a nice orange IPA. It smells a little hoppy and a little sweet. Taste: It tastes basically like a tripel with some hops. I'm impressed at how the alcohol is hidden. Those Soms sure can brew!

BPA: 3.27

Next up is Flying Dog Raging Bitch. This comes in at 8.3% ABV. This one is way hoppier-smelling than the last. If you served this one to me and told me it's a regular American IPA, I wouldn't know you were fibbing. However, this is pretty good anyway.

BPA: 3.1

Thirdly we have Stone Cali-Belgique. A few of us have had this before and it's reputation of nummy-ness precedes it. This is a 6.9er. BW wants a lot of head on his pour. He's on the prowl. It pours a hazy orange. The hops are clearly the same as the hops in Ruination, except they're smoothed by the Belgiany goodness.

BPA: 3.4

Editor's note: Due to internet connectivity problems, we lost the last half of the original blog post. The rest will be a bare bones recap.


Next up is Goose Island Matilda. It tastes more like a Golden Ale than a Pale.

BPA: 3

Flying Dog Raging Bitch is the next pour. Pretty good sample of the style

BPA: 3.1

Last up is Tyranena La Femme Amere. This is definitely the worst one we've tried tonight.. pretty much unanimously. Bad job, whoever brought this beer.

BPA: 2.57


That'll about do it. Some fairly high scores, as is the norm for the Belgian styles. So very delicious. So very sensual.

Twenty Second Meeting

This is the 22nd meeting of the WTBC. I couldn't make it, so once again Tom J took over blogging duties. Here it is, in its slightly edited form.


Gouden Carolus Kuvee van de Keizer
Abv: 11%

Colin - wow this is really ripping good
Tom - A chocolate whisky taste
Dan/Mike - licorice taste

Tastes like Licorice and booze
It's figgy, that's fo sho doe
Tastes like Chone Figgins

BPA: 3.08


Straffe Hendrik Bruges Tripel
Abv: 9%

We're going double, triple, then quads. Pump it up!
Note the lighter color

It's a simpleton drink
It's less complex than the double
Less figgy and less candy flavor
It's golden, not red

BPA: 2.85


Lost Abbey Judgment Day
Abv: 10.5%

This is comin' in hot
Seems pretty complex
Good mouth feel
tastes of a winter night in Moscow, Actually, it tastes like the Rapture
I like this quite a biiiittttt (Colin's girley voice)

BPA: 3.15

Town Hall Mango Mama
Av: 6%

Strikes a good balance between the mango
It's a good contrast
I like this beer
I wish we had this first, tastes good
It's pretty Mango. Tastes quite a bit like Mango juice
I'm a big fan of the appearance
It's a lighter beer with good flavor. Can't say it enough, great balance

BPA: 3.23

Ommegang Witte
ABV: 5.1%

I enjoy this quite a bit
Tastes like a barn (in a good way)
yes, like hay
This is a good one
It's a really good hefewiesen. Good, but not great. Solid. Something I can pound a ton of.
Tastes like a barnyard berrian, I could crush 1000 of them
I could drink as many in the summer as in the winter

BPA: 2.9

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
ABV: 9.5%

It smells very chocolate
I can't wait to dip my balls in it
This would be a good one to dip your balls in
this is a good one
Muy complex
beans this is good
lot of coffee, lot of chocolate
This is terrible. I hate this beer. I hate coffee just as much as I hate chocolate. This was a double whammy of suckness. First F of beer club. Put it on the board!

BPA: 2.68

Twenty First Meeting

Here we are for the 21st meeting of our club. We're at Brent's house on Monday night prior to the return of Randy Moss to the Vikings. The beer chat could be abbreviated due to Vikings fever.

Glitter. Glisten. Gloss. Floss.

Let's get this started before the game starts. BARROOOOO!!

First up is Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter. BAC of 7.8% gives it a boozy taste and classifies it as an Imperial Porter, however BA lists the BAC as 9.2%. The bottle art and name is in honor of the great Hunter S. Thompson, a former mayoral candidate from Aspen, CO. It's boozy at first, but it becomes smoother and more chocolatey as you go along.

BPA: 2.96

Next up is Odell Cutthroat Porter, which rolls in at 5%. This smells roastier and is extremely light compared to the last one. Much more sessionable, according to some people who are sitting here.

BPA: 2.44

Thirdly we have Surly Smoke. This is a pretty limited release, and is a smoked porter that comes in at 8.2%. Waxed and corked! Waxed and corked! Mike says it's far more complex on his tongue. Joe said the last one was like a palette cleanser. It smells like a bonfire. I still think the smoke flavor is too dominant.

BPA: 3.63

Michael, trader extraordinaire, has procured for us this fourth beer, which is Berkshire Coffeehouse Stout. It is quite thin, but with a pronounced coffee flavor.

BPA: 3.11

Stone Smoked Porter is up next. This one is a smoked porter, like Surly's, and comes in at 5.9%. Some of us think this is less smoky, some things it's smokier.

BPA: 3

We're getting close to game time!!! Delayed due to lightning, or due to Beer Club running a little long. Randy Moss thinks your haircut makes you look like a girl. Up next we have Deschutes Black Butte. Oh my god Randy Moss to Brett Favre for a first down.

BPA: 2.81

Lastly, we have Nogne Porter. This is our first Norwegian brewery. Yada Yada Yada the Vikings are on now. Let's play

BPA: 3.09

That's it. And may God be with the Vikings.

Drunkenness is setting in.

Waiting in line to wait in line for vanilla bcs. Nerds!

Autumn Brew Review/Beer Prom

This is the day for which we've been waiting all year. ABR AKA Beer Prom. I will be blogging LIVE from the action. Updates to follow!

Twentieth Meeting

Editor's Note: Every blue moon, Tom J takes over blogging responsibilities on this here site when I'm absent. The following was written by him with quilled pen and squid ink, and it is heretofore transcribed into digital form.

Author’s note: Erica, a guest host by relation to living with Dan, is trying out her new beer that she picked up from Four Firkens – J.K.’s Scrumpy Hard Cider. Erica – “Ugghhggghhhgg. “ Tom J “is it bad?”, Erica, “no, it tastes like juice.”

Brent - “Is that a Batman shirt?” Tom J. - “Yeah” Brent - “Yeah, that’s pretty sweet”.

Another author’s note: Joe has never been to a meeting that I’ve gone to. Is Joe in Beer Club?

We have a special guest tasting with us in lieu of Joe’s constant tardiness, and Tom B’s unfortunate scheduling conflict. Erica Holtan (soon to be Belfry) will be joining us!

Beer #1 Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale 5.7% ABV
Derek – “it tastes like pumpkins. The smell? Like pumpkins”
Dan/Erica – “I smell the Harvest” “Yeah, I taste the harvest”
(the conversation has turned to yams and sweet potatoes. Evidently not many people know or like them)
Brent – “It’s pretty malty”
Brent – “Do you know why Tom B didn’t come tonight? Cause he doesn’t like pumpkin”. What a pumpkin cake
Tom J – “Smells like a regular beer, but doesn’t taste like one.”
Mike – “I got nothing”

BPA: 2.93

Beer #2 Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale 9.0% ABV
Mike - “wow, that’s, that’s pumpkin”
Brent - “That’s good, it’s more spiced than pumpkiny”
Derek – “Holy crap that was pumpkiny. This is full on pumpkins”
Tom J. – “this tastes like a festive holiday drink”. The sense was confirmed when Brent read the ingredients, featuring nutmeg.
Belfry – “Tastes like the season. It kind of lingers”
Erica – “It’s not for me. It’s like a taste explosion…. On your tongue”
Colin – “That’s a beer, that’s something that’s crazy”

BPA: 3.38

Beer #3 Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale 8.0% ABV
Mike – “This one tastes like a lot more pumpkins and a lot less spice than the last one”
Erica – “This wasn’t quite the explosion. I like this one better than I like the last one”
Belfry – “It tastes really cinnamon too”
Tom J. – “Definitely smells like cinnamon, but there’s only a hint of it in the flavor”
Brent – “The cinnamon is for sure….. it’s all cinnamon to me”
Derek – “I think it is overwhelmingly spicy.”
Belfry – Lame joke that everyone called him out on (including Erica) “May the spice be with you”

BPA: 2.73

Beer #4 New Holland Brewery Ichabod Pumpkin Ale 5.5% ABV
Brent - “It’s really pumpkiny. That’s the most pumpkin flavor. But it loses it quick, really thin”
Mike - “It’s very thin. Thin like an anorexic model”
Side conversation – Chili. Everyone likes bacon. Joe likes Colin’s, Erica likes Belfry’s, but everyone agrees that chili and bacon are delicious.
Tom J – “Has a cinnamon smell, but tasted more seasonal eggnogish”
Derek – “Um, I don’t remember what it tastes like”
Colin – “I give that beer a B grade”

(side note: Michael is 4 for 4 in his rankings compared to Beer Advocate’s rankings. Coincidence? I think not)

BPA: 2.75

Beer #5 Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking 9.0% ABV
Belfry – “This is weird”
The Group – “It is WEIRD!”
Belfry – “It tastes like malted milk powder”
The Group – “What the hell does malted milk powder taste like??”
(Side conversation -- Belfry’s new name is Belfast)
Colin – “That’s bizarre”
Derek – “Dude, it doesn’t taste anything like pumpkins”

BPA: 2.52

Beer #6 Blue Moon Harvest Moon 5.7% ABV
Erica – “
Editors note: We have completely skipped the quotes, and everyone’s yelling their grade. All members have lost any interest in the beer, and are talking about concerts, ABR and anything other than the meeting.

BPA: 2.57

Surlyfest

On September 18, Tom B, Brent, Joe, Colin, Tom J, and Derek attended Surlyfest along with various significant others and hangers-on. The highlights include perfect weather, the sweet Surlyfest shirts most people bought, the extreme drunkenness, and the terrrrrriffico tacos we had afterwards. Tom J stole the show, as in he was not only the drunkest person in our group, but the drunkest person at Surlyfest. And there were even babies there! (I assume they were drinking too) Anyways, the below statements were sent LIVE from the action.

Took a picture with the owner of surly, Omar, and noob Tom J was conspicuously absent.

Derek to Erin: if I give you a token, how many cigarettes can I have?

Kayla is sporting the Turnbull Tux. Awfully formal for this occasion

Colin just bought a surly jumper for his unborn child

Nineteenth Meeting

This Oktoberfest tasting is being hosted by Porter, over at Kayla and Joe's house. However, the host will spend most of the meeting cowering in the corner while sizing up his potential foes.

First tasting is Bell's Oktoberfest, coming in at 5.5%. It pours a light golden amber color. It smells caramelly and malty. Tastes like a standard Oktoberfest- smooth and malty. It's worth noting that we chose Oktoberfest as a style this week because we're going to Surlyfest on Saturday.

BPA: 2.8

BOOM! Next up is Avery Kaiser, which is an "Imperial Oktoberfest." A style that doesn't really exist, but makes sense because it's pretty much an oktoberfest wtih lots of booze. 9.7%, that is. This pours a little darker, and smells more like a scotch ale than the last. This one's a popular one. It really tastes a bit like a wee heavy scotch ale.

BPA: 3.15

A delicious local brew is next. Schell's Oktoberfest also comes in at 5.5 percentage points. This looks like, smells like, and rhymes with Bells.

BPA: 3.35

Next up is Victory Festbier. Ja? Ja, stimmt. Es ist funf punkt sieben auf Alkohol. Es hat ein dunkel rote Farbe, und es schmeckt mir sehr gut! Mehr Hoppy, sagt alles! Joe hat nicht sehen es. Wir sollen Rate es? Ja.

BPA: 2.37

Another local brew is up next. Summit Oktoberfest yodels in at 7.4%! This stuff is unanimously declared tasty. First we rate, then we felony!

BPA: 3.45

Our next beer is the first one that's actually from Germany. Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest is the next beer in the True Blood Beer Club. The True Blood Beer Club has everyone from the WTBC, minus Brent. This one is 5.8%. This one smells a little sweeter and pours a little darker than the rest. This tastes a lot different than all the rest, and it's very delicious.

BPA: 3.7

Lastly, we have Great Lakes Oktoberfest. Which I'm surprised Colin hasn't brought yet, because he seems to be on the Great Lakes payroll. This stuff is purty good.

BPA: 3.17


Overall, a very drinkable style, and it was nice to finally put them side by side. Next time I buy some of this I'll get Summit, or Hacker Pschorr if money starts growing on trees.

Eighteenth Meeting

Tonight we have Russian Imperial Stout night, part II. The first installment ranks as one of our drunkest beer clubs ever. Tonight we're going to do this in a hurry so we get JUICED up for the Vikings game in an hour. Baroooooo!

First up; North Coast Old Rasputin. #34 on BA and it comes in at 9%. This stuff pours darker than Drew Brees' birth mark. It tastes like bitter chocolate and coffee.

BPA: 3.76

Next up is Founders Breakfast Stout. Supplies! This one was a last minute addition that is also found at #7 on BA. It's 8.3% of pure dankins. This one is noticeably smoother than the last one, with more of a coffee feel. These reviews will be brief, because we're pumping it up for the Vikes.

BPA: 3.76, samesies

Third up is my favorite beer on Earth. It's #1 on BA's top buzzed list, and was only released about 6 months ago. Goose Island Bourbon Coffee Stout is 13% alcohol and you can't taste any of it. Pours the same thick black color, and it smells like pure coffee. It starts out with coffee then goes into a bourbon-y sweet burn. Larson thinks it tastes more like a liqueur than a beer. 99 Bananas, he says!

BPA: 3.88

Southern Tier Imperial Oat is up next. It's a 9.6 percenter. This is more of an American Double Stout, and it has a far thinner mouth than the last few. Flavor is good, but this won't get the scores of the last ones. Let's rate this; T minus 20.

BPA: 3.3

Next up is Kuhnhenn Solar Eclipse which really comes in at 18%. That's twice as strong as a strong beer. And 4.5 times stronger than the strongest beer Larson has tasted. It tastes fairly sweet, with an above average nosefeel. Burns down the ole gullet, it does.

BPA: 3.48

The next beer that we're tasting is Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher. 9.4%, this one's going to taste like a Corona Light. OOH boy, I find that tasty. 6 MINUTES WE BETTER HURRY HARF HARF.

BPA: 3.54

Avery Czar up next. This is the first time I've had this one. Some sort of African American marching band is playing on the teevee. Wow, this is the first one that's quite a bit different. There are a ton of hops.

BPA: 2.83

Time to molest the Saints! Last beer: Central Waters Satin Solstice. Pump it up! Pours: Black. Smells: Coffee. Taste: Mmmm i dont know, tell em how it tastes steve. oh alright. no way jose am i spittin this stuff out it tastes like fruit. Let's quickly rate this before they get kicked over.

BPA: 2.9

That's it, and the Vikes are already looking like a bunch of dingus. Ugh.

Seventeenth Meeting

Welcome! Tonight we have a special treat: the Blind Taste of Light American Adjunct Lager! It's St. Louis vs. Milwaukee in a racquetball throwdown showdown. Everyone will be tasting Mich Golden, Busch Light, Bud Light, Miller Lite and Natural Light, and we'll be trying to guess which is which, as well as rating the beer. Let's get started!

Beer A (Mich Golden Light): This one pours a copper color, with just a small amount of carbonation. Wait, almost no carbonation. It's not too cold. On the warm side, indeed. The nosefeel is that of our downstairs after a blood-spattered, thursday night beer pong festival. Taste: NA

BPA: .68

Beer B (Busch Light): This one pours the exact same copper color. Similar carbonation and same icky smell. They just re-played the Kirby Puckett '91 HR, and Derek asks "What's up with that glass wall? Do they have to hit it over it?" LOL.

BPA: 1.48

Beer C (Natural Light): This one smells less like vomit, and more like nothing. Which, on a hot day while drinking on a pontoon, is the way this is supposed to taste. Colin thinks it tastes like a rifle barrel... vortexy? WINK!

BPA: .92

Beer D (Bud Light): This one pours a coppery copper with a crappy foam head. Smells complex... mouthfeel... like a syrup drawn from the flowers that populate the garden of eden. The flavor is complex; more complex than the complex level on goldeneye.

BPA: 1.02

Beer E (Miller Lite): Here goes nothing. Once each of us take the first taste, we'll know if we completely screwed up our guesses. The winner of the blind test challenge gets a special mention on the blog. If anyone goes 5/5, they get to write a paragraph on the blog themselves. I'm nervy. If you get none of them right, you're kicked out of beer club.

BPA: .67

Alright... the moment of truth. We're passing our guess cards to our neighbor and grading those.

Final Standings: Colin and Derek: 2; Tom: 1; Belfry and Mike: 0

Welp, it looks like we're kicking Belfry and Mike out of beer club. They're starting the Grey Goose Beer Club, and we'll be rivals. There will be spilt blood at ABR come October.

Highlight: The lowest graded beer, and the one Colin rated the lowest, was Natty Light. His "favorite."

The top billing went to Busch Light.

Sixteenth Meeting

We're on our sixteenth meeting this evening, which was supposed to be our maritime beer club. However, we're holding it on Colin's deck because the sea was angry tonight. The theme was supposed to be aquatic, but due to the change in venue we just have a grab bag.

Colin decided to bring a bunch of Great Lakes beer tonight. The first one is Dortmunder Gold, which is a Dortmunder, a type of German lager. This harbors a 5.8% ABV, which is well hidden. It pours a slightly amber color and tastes smooth and light. I still can't believe this beer's ABV is equal to Mike's height. Let's rate this:

BPA: 3.44

Our next taste is La Goudale, which is our first French brew. Ribbit. It's a Bier de Garde which comes in at 7.8%. Corked and Caged!! It pours a hazy orange, which makes it look quite a bit like a Hef. This stuff is real tasty. It's somewhat similar to a saison in taste. Not sure how else to describe it. On to the ratings...

BPA: 3.23

Eliot Ness Amber Lager is our next pour, brewed by Great Lakes out of the Mistake By The Lake, Ohio. It's an amber lager, and pours a color that is similar to amber. That's how they get that dino DNA, ya know. Solid beer, in my opinion. So-so, says Mike. Asi Asi, says Colin. Mike then said "Cum see, Cum saw."

BPA: 2.47

Next up is Ayinger Oktoberfest. This one is yet another 5.8%er. Very relevent, because we all just purchased our Surlyfest tickets. It's pretty light on the tongue, and tastes like something is missing. The brothers are being hesitant to discuss the beer. Most of the conversation is revolving around the Twins and whether or not it's possible to listen to them via the internet. Let's rate:

BPA: 2.87

On deck is Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi. This is yet another Biere de Garde, except this one is a tasty 10 percent booooze. It looks and smells like caramel. It really tastes like a caramelly treat with a slight boozy burn on the back end. Mike was complaining about a burn on the back end a few minutes ago. RIMSHOT! People like this a lot.

BPA: 3.64

Great Lakes Burning River, Great Lakes Burning River, the Rippin and the Tearin, the Rippin and the Tearin. We've discovered Colin is on Great Lakes' payroll. This stuff is a standard 6% pale ale.

BPA: 3

Next up is Stone's 14th Anniversary Ale, which they call and Emperial IPA. It's basically a double English IPA. I've had it before, and it's tasty. It's an 8.9% English IPA. It pours a light orange/yellow color, and smells hoppy and bitter. It has a really dry, hoppy flavor. I find it tasty.

BPA: 3.40

Michael has brought to us Ska's Decadence, which is yet another beer not available in MN. It's a double IPA, which happens to be Mike's favorite style. It's a solid 10% ABV. This tastes strange to the extent that Derek inquired as to the freshness of this. It's really sweet and malty. "I don't like this beer." - Derek, Tom J, and Mike. This is a strange beer that is an amalgamation of strange flavors thrown together. This reminds me of Brau Bros Rainwater Stout. Brent just said "For acting like such a hardass, Joe is actually a [frickin] pussy(cat)." This quote is unrelated to beer club, as Joe is "working late [escaping to a pixelated fantasy world on his PC]."

BPA: 2.41

Next up: Stone Imperial Russian Stout. I've been "aging" this one in my wine rack for four months. This one is #10 on BA, and comes in at 10.5%. I was too antsy in my pantsy to save this for our second stout night. It pours a dark black, and smells of roasty, malty, chocolate factory by R. Kelly. There is a little hop kick at the beginning, then it opens up with some coffee and chocolate flavors. There is a substantial coffee flavor, and it tastes real smooth, according to Brent.

BPA: 3.29

Lastly, we have Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, which is the highest rated porter on BA. This one comes in at 5.8%. There are highly polarized reviews on this one so far- and seemingly those who liked the last one don't like this one so much, and vice versa. I'm personally not a huge porter fan. This one seems like it tastes a little flatter and less complex than an RIS.

BPA: 2.84

This concludes our beer club. We're now retiring to Club Wingspan to watch the Twins-Sox game.

Fifteenth Meeting

Tonight we're tasting American IPAs, brought to you by Brother Derek Weinberger. Colin, Derek, Joe, Mike, and myself are present this evening, so a few people brought multiple beers. This week we'll be tasting quite a few that are familiar to us, while there might be 1 or 2 that we haven't seen before.

Normally the host would present the first beer, however Derek's isn't properly chilled, so on to Mike's Bear Republic Racer 5. I've been excited to try this one, as it's not available in MN. It has a nice A- rating, and it comes in at 7% ABV. It's the standard IPA color and it has a quality nasal feel. It's on the citrusy side of IPAs. It's got a good malty, thick flavor. Joe said, "I like them when they're thick." That's what she said. On to the rating...

BPA: 3.46

Next up: New Glarus Moon Man. I've never seen nor heard of this IPA, but it gets a ncie rating on BA. It's a mere 5%, and it's yellower and cloudier than the last one. It smells hoppy, but it is completely balanced. It's crisp, with a pronounced presence of sea monkeys in my glass. A popular beer.

BPA: 3

This next one is very familiar to all of us. We pwned a lot of these during our fantasy baseball draft. Rush River Bubblejack IPA is the name, and 6% is the game. We're now reminiscing about how drunk we were after 12 guys drank a 16 gallon keg of this stuff a few months ago. It's a little lighter in color than the last few. It's not quite the way we remembered it tasting in contrast to the other IPAs we just tasted. It seems maltier than I remember from that fateful night in mid-March.

BPA: 2.94

Neggs up we have Great Lakes Commodore Perry. Great Lakes is a solid brewery that recently made its debut on the MN beer scene. This is also our first beer from the great state of O-H! I-O! Comes in at 7.5%. Newwwww rrrrrecooord! (Mariokart) A little more amber in color. A mild hoppy smell floods the nose to those who are bold enough to allow it entrance. It's pretty hoppy, but there is a strong bitter taste on the back end. This is on the opposite side of the spectrum as Racer 5. The Racer 5 was citrus, followed by malt. This one is hops, then bitterness at the end.

BPA: 3.14

Another familiar brew is Surly Furious. This is #50 on the BA top 100, and the fourth ranked overall IPA. It pours a darker amber and smells of sweet, syrupy hops. It's about as hoppy as a single IPA gets, however the alcohol content qualifies it as an IPA instead of a double IPA. Let it be known this has been consumed at a previous baseball draft as well.

BPA: 3.94

Odell is another brewery that's new to MN. St. Lupulin is their APA. You dig? It's 6.5% booze. There hasn't been a lot of conversation regarding this beer due to us finding Lebowski on none other than the Tv Guide Channel. Howbizaaa. On to the score.

BPA: 3.06

Now we are going to taste Sierra Nevada Ianthorpedo. Brewed in an Olympic-sized pool in Canberra, or so I've been told. 7.2. Another dark amber color, with a fairly hoppy nose-spot. This one tastes pretty syrupy and has a nice pine flavor.

BPA: 3.18

Lastly, we have Grand Teton Sweetgrass, which is an IPA that comes in at 6.5%. This one is tastier than I thought it would be. WOW, the first reactins to this beer are positive. Derek just spilled his beer all over the place. Photographic evidence to follow. Derek is having issues. Noob brain slur?

BPA: 3.32

Well that was a high quality tasting. Next up: maritime beer club aboard the SS Sarah Menden. Ahoy!

Beer Stats

Since we've sampled over 100 beers, I thought I'd provide an update on the statistics about the delicious stuff we've been drinking.

By Country:

US- 72
Belgium- 18
Germany- 9
Canada- 2
Austria- 2
Czech Republic- 1
Scotland- 1

By State:

California- 20
Colorado- 11
Minnesota- 10
Michigan- 9
New York- 5
Oregon- 4
Wisconsin- 4
Illinois- 3
Pennsylvania- 3
Massachusetts- 1
Missourri- 1
Montana- 1

By Brewery (Min. 3):

Town Hall- 5
Bell's- 4
Stone- 4
Founders, Goose Island, Great Divide, Lagunitas, New Belgium, Ommegang, Russian River, Sierra Nevada, Victory- 3

And beers we've tried that are in the top 100 of BeerAdvocate:

16

In our upcoming meetings, we'll probably do another IPA night, and we're also planning on padding Missourri, Colorado, and Wisconsin's stats when we do a lite beer taste test night.

I also took the time to calculate the average BPA given by each Brother over the course of the last few months. Keep in mind we didn't start giving a BPA until a few meetings in, and some people have missed meetings, which could affect their score depending on what meetings they missed. Here are the stats:

Joe- 3.492
Colin- 3.178
Tom B- 3.116
Derek- 3.114
Tom J- 3.092
Mike- 3.073
Brent- 3.012
Belfry- 2.98

All scores- 3.10

As you can see, all of us are really close, except for Joe, which is due to him missing a number of meetings and being present for high scoring categories, such as sours.

Fourteenth Meeting

We meet at Noob Tom J's house to initiate him into non-Noobhood. This will be our first repeat category, but seeing as how it's 95 and humid outside, hefeweizen seems to be appropriate. We'll also be celebrating the tasting of our 100th beer today.

First up is Franziskaner Hefe-weisse. This hef is from Germany and garners an A- rating on BA. COMIN IN AT 5! Pours a nice cloudy orange and it smells of orange peels and diatemacious earth. Bananarama concert in the mouth. Has the mouthfeel of a classic Deutsch Hef. Ja? Was machst du am Wochenende? Ich trinke Franziskaner!

BPA: 3.37

Next up is Colin's web redemption. Last time we had a hef night, he brought Weihenstephaner's Pils instead of the Hef. Tonight, he brings the hef. This is regarded as the gold standard among German hefs. This one goes down our throats at 5.4% ABV. It also holds the #38 spot on BA's top 100. Also, this happens to be the 100th beer we've tasted during Beer Club! Prost! This pours a similar cloudy orange. Colin just shouted "Penis in the butt!" This one tastes slightly different than the last one. It's a little less fruity, but it's crispier.

BPA: 3.38

Belfry's offering is Schneider Hopfenweiss, which is classified as a Weizenbock, although the bottle claims to be a hefeweizen. We theorized that a Weizenbock is basically a high ABV hef, because this one comes in at 8.2%. This one is a collaboration between the Schneider and Brooklyn breweries, and is a combination of a hef and a pale ale. This one pours about the same color as the others, except it definitely has a hop profile coming in through the nose. It's pretty tasty. Basically a good hef with some hops.

BPA: 3.42

New Glarus Crack'd Wheat is our next sampling. New Glarus generally has some solid offerings, so I'm excited to give this a taste. This received yet another A- on BA, and it's 5.2%. This one pours a bit lighter than the previous ones. There's a slight hoppy taste, and that's confirmed by the fact that it says "Amarillo hops" on the bottle. DOUBLE RAINBOWWWWS!! WHAT DOES THIS MEEEAN??

BPA: 3

We will now be tasting Hacker Pschorr Hefeweiss. Another A- on BA, and another comin' in at 5.5%. The smell is yeasty and barny. It tastes light, wheaty, and a bit fruity. A pretty classic-tasting hefeweizen. It's a bit on the wheaty side, but refreshing on an evening such as this.

BPA: 2.8

Welp, we're diverting from the style a bit here. Derek brought Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen. Which is a smoke beer. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just a goofy pick. It tastes SSSSMOOOKIN!!. This stuff really tastes like it smells: a bonfire. There's talk about not even ranking this because of how off-topic this is.

BPA: 2.23

Last, we have Widmer's Hefeweizen. It's actually labeled an American Pale Wheat ale on BA. It's definitely a lot lighter tasting than the others. It's very drinkable, and I could drink a ton of these on a hot day. We're watching the ESPYS, and they're boring, except for Erin Andrews. Oh Snap. Mike just accused Derek of bringing skunky beer.

BPA: 3.1

That'll do it. We had 6 pretty refreshing hefs, and 1 beer that cleared the sinuses. It's still hot as beans outside, so I'm not going to leave until I have at least a couple more side beers.

Thirteenth Meeting

Editor's Note: This post was written by Ex-Noob, Current Brother, and future married guy Tom J. I've made a few edits to the post to make it conform with the site's format.

Tonight we're doing sour ales. Derek starts the meeting off with “HIPPA!!” … and commence the drinking.


Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale
This one’s cummin in at ____
Welp, on to the next
(but everyone seemed to like it)
There’s a lack of bread, not very complex
Brett, as in Favre
You can write about that, it’s Belgium
That was some damn good sour
Damn good way to start the night
“Belfry?” “One million”
I’ll buy that one at whatever price they’re charging. At whatever

BPA: 3.33

Gueuze Girardin
CORKED AND CAGED!!
Oooo, what the heck? Jesus. What hecking crap is this? What the crap is that?
The club was not enamored with the cork.
Oh, that’s really good
It’s definitely very champagne esque (Derek)
This is a super funky one (Joe)
Smells skunky (Tom J)
Tart too, really tart. You could say it’s gold (Brent)
Tom B would hate this, cause he likes boys.
CoLo, RiDo, Colorado beer. Sounds like a Gaga song
It’s more tart than the usual
More bubbly than champagny…
The color is more gold than it is red

BPA: 3.29

New Glarus Enigma
The color of this is more Christmas than summer
Like a cinnamony spice
Smells cinnamony, tastes cinnamony
I like the little bit of tart/sourness
It was a good lookin cut (Derek for Fbomb)
Reddish, raspberry in color
Clean finish
Color similar to more red than gold
Overall, pleasant
Colin mumbled something “intelligent”

BPA: 3.04

Cantillon Gueuze is “capped cork”
Michael struggled to open it (like real bad, Brent had to help him out)
Michael - “obvioushly” I could have done it, but …….
Aged in oak
Man, nothing wrong with that
Smells like hay, tastes like hay, wow, good stuff
Smells like acidic, tastes, acidic, like Jews. Man, we may have found a winner
We might have found a new blogger!
Oh, I like this a lot
It’s so much different in your mouth
It’s so much more complex
It’s way more bitter than anything we’ve tried tonight
It’s yellowish in hue, and cloudy
Looks like the hay from barnyard barrion
The aftertaste is almost wheat

BPA: 3.26


Cuvee De Ranke
Paper wrapped…. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Joe rubbed the tip like caressing a p p
Cummin in hot
Oh, ah, oh, ah
Joe destroyed the cap like a doctor does a penis the first time he does a circumcision – crocked
Oh, I like the smell of this a lot
This one’s pretty complex too
It doesn’t smell as funky as the next
It’s got a little bit more tartness
This is less acidic as the last few
I think the last one had a stronger flavor, but this one has a better flavor
Should we start testing the PH Balance?
“Tom B is gonna take this personally and step his game up” ….. in reference to Tom B’s lame blogging skills
Oh man, that’s very tart
Sweet sassy mallassy, that’s tartie
It looks like a dunkle

BPA: 3.26

Ommegang Zuur
Tell me how much you taste the cherries in this one
Yeah, I can taste the cherries a little bit
I think the sour taste lends itself to the bitter taste
This is really good
Yeah, I like this
It’s obviously a lot more subtle than the last one
Looks like a flanders red. What is it technically? A flanders red
Michael likes to rub his fingers together like he’s planning on doing something wrong

BPA: 3.33

Rodenbach Classic
Corked and caged (rack um and stack em)
Spouse? No spouse. Misses? No misses.
I’ll be calling the St. Louis Park police to test that theory
I got my blinky light, I’m good
Belfry took a spill on the floor
(Joe) Very young tasting (Tom) That’s what she said
Noob tickled Brent, loved it …. Brent uncomfortable
Life is good, isn’t it?
Smells and tastes a little like jungle fever (in other words – black)
Lots of talk about capping beer club, blah blah blah. I think Brent’s a racist
You’re either on to something, or on something
Those side beers look good
I like this one
Like Joe said, it’s very young
Compared to the other ones, it tastes like a flavorless ale
I don’t know, I just enjoy this
Oh, it’s um, nice, very drinkable, light mouth feel
I could drink a bunch of these on a summer day (Brent)

BPA: 3.37

Rodenbach Grand Cru
Corked and caged
Huge noob argument… doesn’t matter, overwhelming consensus, we have a new blogger
This is fuckin dank
Good job Tom J, this is awesome (People seem to like the beer)
Pretty fuckin good
This is really fantastic
I really like both of them, but this is better
I have to have a feeling that sour is going to happen another night. This category is really good
“Belchhhhhhh” (Derek likes it)
Man, this is good beer
(talking about a guy they know that trips balls… sweats out of his eyes, and clearly is a questionable character who flops around urinals)
Colin quoting the shit out of the classic movie “The Fugitive”. Good stuff
Huge discussion about Rambo IV…. Look out, We just put Sly Stallone in the HOF
Colin is being really creepy towards Kate when Brent picked up the phone, and now all of us are singing “believe it or not, George isn’t at home. Where could he be??”
“Oh Michael hold me” – Michaels feminine homo dog
“I am NOT a noob, how dare you!!!!!” -- Michael

BPA: 3.69

Twelfth Meeting

Here we are in Uptown for Noob Belfry's initiation into Brotherhood. He's upstaged us all by providing handmade pierogies and blue cheese with honey. Next week Brent will be lucky if he remembers pretzels. This week we're enjoying Czech Pilsners. Since it's a fairly small category, there will be some slight derivations.

First up: Brau Bros Bohemian Pilsner, which comes in at 5.5% ABV. There's a nice initial taste, but it dies fairly quickly and may lack bite. Like any good pils, it's easy drinking on a warm day such as this.

BPA: 2.72

Secondly, some nerds are talking about Whale Wars. That show is seriously for fags. On to the next beer: Czechvar. This is the American alias of Budweiser Budvar, which is the original Budweiser. However, the MAN won't let us call it that stateside. The taste is "a little grassy," "tastes like hay," and "horses sleep on this." This is a pretty authentic beer. The king of pilsners should be their slogan.

BPA: 3.27

Next up is Hirter Privat Pils. It's 5.2% ackahol. It smells a little cleaner than the last one. It's a pretty light pils. Some people like it better than the Czechvar. Some people like it less. And some people like it the exact same. Gabbert just said he needs his Pilsner "Ice Fing cold." And that was edited for the blog.

BPA: 3.05

Schell's Pilsner is the next pour. This one is slightly heavier, at 5.6%. However, once again, it's pretty smooth and light. There's not a lot of input on this one because the conversation was sidetracked.

BPA: 2.43

Next pour is Sierra Nevada Summerfest. This one has a B on Beeradvocate, which is on the high end for this style. This brewery usually puts out some quality beers, so it should be pretty tasty. It's a pretty good beer, but it just doesn't taste like a standard pilsner. Derek believes it's an American Steez pilsner.

BPA: 2.33

Colin's second pour is Bell's Lager. This one is another that's not technically a Czech Pilsner, but is close enough to it to drink tonight. It's probably the best of the domestic ones we've tasted. Once again, we're off topic, but this time talking about our first Beer Club Field Trip.

BPA: 2.75

Derek brings to us Lagunitas Pils. This one is 5.3% alcohol by volume. This one tastes like it has a little more hop to it. Hip hops. It don't remind Derek of none "Check style pills." Whatever that means. Brent thinks it's way off target. The consensus is that it deviates from the style, yet has the cheek to brand itself as a Czech Pils. The audacity of those hipsters!

BPA: 2.28

Next we have Victory Prima Pils. This one garners an A- rating on BA, and comes in at 5.3% ABV. This one is definitely the only one with a different look. It's a little cloudier. It's definitely a little hoppier than the others, and it's cold and crisp.

BPA: 3.12

Last, and maybe least, is another Austrian brew. Stiegl Pils is the final tasting of the night, and I'm not quite as drunk as normal. Mike has only slurred once, which makes this meeting unique. It smells a little sweeter, and it's fairly tasty. This one has the lightest color of any we've seen so far.

BPA: 2.9

That about does it. This was the first beer club where the theme was not an ale. It was weather-appropriate, and the killer apps were envious of Guy Fieri, who Brent is envious of. Next week I won't be in attendance, so there will be a guest blogger(s). Alright, Johnny Weir signing off.

Eleventh Meeting

We're here in Crystal for the eleventh meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. The theme: Scotch Ale. The mascot: Mr. P. We're missing Tom J and Derek from the mix, and we may have a female guest taster in Kayla McFarm Ham.

First Beer: Moylan's Kilt Lifter. This CA Wee Heavy checks in at 8% ABV. It pours a dark copper. The taste is caramel and bread crust. This is Joe's selection, and one of his favorite beers of all time. People are eating brats right now so the conversation has pretty much ceased.

BPA: 3.32

Next up, we have Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale. Suggested pairing is lamb shank, after you kill it by hand. This one is 7.7%, but it pours awfully dark. "This is really yummy, and you can quote me Tom." -Brent This beer doesn't have a malty introduction, according to Belfry, and agreed by everyone. It's far more bitter than the last beer we tried, without any of the sweetness.

BPA: 3.1

Colin's second offering is Founders Dirty Bastard. Founders is among the top breweries around, so we all expect this one to garner among the highest ratings. This doggy arfs around 8.3%. This one is quite a bit hoppier than a last few, which is unusual for the style. The conversation is wandering off topic to the land of reading. Which some believe poisons the mind.

BPA: 3 (ed. note: surprisingly low)

Colin has a single 12 oz pour of our only Scottish produced Scotch Ale tonight, Orkney Skullsplitter. This one is 8.5% and was brewed by the one and only Highlander. It was stirred with his Kurgan sword. It smells of Werthers originals, just like a standard nursing home. It's sweet and boozy, but with a malt backbone.

BPA: 3.67

Tom's offering is a growler of Town Hall's Hope and King. Nope, we don't. I forgot it at home. DAMMIT. We'll review it next week or something, so what, I don't care.

EDIT: It's the week after, and I've remembered the growler of the Scotch Ale. Let's do this! It's a pretty smooth drinking Scotch, and not nearly as flavorful as the other ones. I think our taste buds are calibrated to Pilsners right now, so we're going to rate this right away.

BPA: 2.9

Guhhhh

Next is French Broad's Wee Heavy-er. I've neve heard of this brewery, so we're all interested to give it a try. It smells of Belgian candi. Wow, this is a Weir one. It's quite sour, but the malts and cinnamon are obvious.

BPA: 2.28

Waxed. Swing-topped- Grolsch style. This one is Sprecher Scotch Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels, coming in at 10.2%. It smells of boooooze. Holy cow, it is just a big fat liquid Werthers. It has a slight boozy burn, but it's sweet and caramelly. BOOM! That was a popular beer for sure. And the least likely of the bunch.

BPA: 3.75

Last, but maybe least, is Brent's Odell 90 Shilling. Zang! There are some hops there! It's only 5.3%, and you can tell that it's not quite the same as the last few. It tastes more like an IPA or a lager than a Scotch.

BPA: 3.10

Welp, that's it for now. I forgot my growler of Town Hall, but I'll bring it next week, and it will wreak drunken vengeance on us after we're through with whatever we taste.

Epic Statistical Breakdown

Now that we've sampled a good deal of beers, I've decided to do some statistical analysis of the beers we've tried. So far, we've tried 74 different beers. Here's how they break down by country:

US: 56
Belgium: 12
Germany: 4
Canada: 2

And within US beers, this is how they break down by state:

California: 17
Colorado: 10
Michigan: 7
Minnesota: 6
New York: 4
Illinois: 3
Oregon: 3
Pennsylvania: 2
Massachusetts: 1
Missouri: 1
Montana: 1
Wisconsin: 1

And here are the breweries we've sampled most (min. 2):

Town Hall: 4
Stone: 4
Russian River: 3
Goose Island: 3
Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Great Divide, Left Hand, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Bell's, Founders, Ommegang, Southern Tier, Rogue, Victory, Brasserie Dupont, Unibroue: 2

And finally, here's the number of beers we've tried that are in BeerAdvocate's Top 100:

13


Clearly we'll sample more and more beers from the top 100, as that's one of the goals when trying each style. We'll also try more Surly, because we're planning a Surly night, and New Glarus, because there's a Fruit meeting on the horizon. I also can't wait to have a Mexican night to get those guys on the board. Because the world's leader in Pina Colada production needs to be seen on a beer blog.

Tenth Meeting

Here we are folks, for a very special meeting. Not only is it our tenth meeting, but it's also Mike's initiation into official brotherhood. He chose American Strong Ale, so LET'S GET IT AWN!

First, and most importantly, is Sam Adams Utopias. This guy doesn't come in at any ABV. IT RIDES A RHINO AND CRASHES INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM AT 27% ABV, BOYEEEEE!!!! This one costs a purty penny, so we're having but a sip of Mike's stash. It currently sits on the Top 100 on BA, and is the highest alcohol content on the list. First up: it smells like vanilla and booze. The taste is similar to the smell. It's very boozy, but it tastes similar to port. Colin thinks it tastes like maple syrup. Quite good, but not really like beer.

BPA: 3.55

Double Dead Guy Ale, by Rogue, is our next beer. It comes in a sweet opaque red bottle. Bitchin. 9% is the ABV at which it comes. Sea monkeys are floating around the glass. Some think it's yeast, but I think it's a colony of sea monkeys. It pours a nice orange color, and it smells malty. I think the utopia burnt my taste buds, but I'm pretty sure this one is malty, followed up with some hops. It's fairly sweet, and the alcohol isn't easily detectable. Once again, this may be because of the grain alcohol I just consumed.

BPA: 3.10

Batting third, Friar brings to us Left Hand Chainsaw Ale. I've never before seen or tasted this beer. This is also a 9%er. Did I catch a niner in there? This one tastes more like a DIPA. Actually, more like an imperial Summit. It's not just double the hops, but also double the malts, which makes it pretty balanced. The hops show up on the tongue, and just hop away, like a friggity frog! According to Mike.

BPA: 2.9

Next up; Oskar Blues Gordon Ale. This is classified by the brewery as an Imperial Red, but to the rest of us, it's an American Strong Ale. This stuff is 8.7%. It pours a fine amber, much like Kitty Kat's flowing locks. The taste is on the hoppy side. SEASON 4 OF LOST WAS THE BEST!! NO!! EVERYONE WHO SAYS THEY LIKE THE FINALE WAS LYING! NOOO YOU IDIOT!! People are shouting about LOST right now, for whatever reason. Back to the beer.

BPA: 3.52

On to da next. This one is a collaboration between Stone, Firestone Walker, and 21st Amendment, and the name is a mouthful. "El Camino Unreal Black Ale." This dark, dark ale is a 9.5%er. It smells stouter than everything else we've had. Noob slur! Mike just called a table "taber." And his slur streak continues. Yep, this really just tastes like a stout. I'm not sure why it's classified as a strong ale, though. Eureka! It's figs! I have some fig jam! The three previous sentences were excitedly uttered by noob Belfry.

BPA: 3.20

Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown Ale is our next pour. This one pours a reddish-brown, but who am I to judge because I'm significantly colorblind. It's 9.7% ABV. It tastes just like what I think of when I think of a strong ale. It's malty, slightly hoppy, and caramelly. Not too different from Double Bastard.

BPA: 3.40

Lastly, we have Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale. It pours a dark brown, and it's truly sublime. It's malty like Double Bastard, but has the same hop profile as Ruination. It's a bitter hoppy flavor. Smooth. Mine's gone. I liked that. I liked it. The previous statements were all said around the table regarding this beer.

BPA: 3.43

That does it. I'm about to finish my side beer which happens to be New Glarus Belgian Red. We went to Hudson today to get a bunch of delicious brews not available Minnesota-side. Good times

Ninth Meeting

We're convening for our ninth meeting at Tom and Derek's house in Golden Valley. This week, we're sampling Belgian Tripels. They were selected by Brother Tom, as it is the style of his favorite beer.

Our first beer tonight is Affligem Tripel. This is a gin-u-wine Belgian tripel that comes in at 9.5%. The smell seems a litle earthier than the tripels I'm used to, and it pours the standard tripel color, which is a cloudy hef-like color. Notes of citrus and Belgian candi sugar coat the tongue.

BPA: 3.41

The next beer is Unibroue La Fin du Monde, which is my personal favorite beer. It pours a slightly lighter color, and it smells floral and wonderful. It's very carbonated, citrusy, and candied. Joe: "This stuff is just a treat." Colin thinks this club is just about free-flowing discussion about beer, after we attacked Belfry for thinking the first one is better than this one. On to the ratings

BPA: 3.71

Third up is Big Sky Buckin Monk, brought to us (obviously) by Brother Derek. This one is a delicious 10.5% ABV. "There is some serious chunking in this one," and "It looks like my door being screw-drived" are such comments coming from the group. It's pretty chunky nums. It's tasty, and it gets hotter the longer it stays on the tongue. Pretty dang tasty. As soon as it warms up, it sucks, says Joe.

BPA: 2.61

Batting cleanup is Maredsous Tripel, which is another true Belgian. It's a darker pour than most of the other tripels. Everyone agrees it has a smooth, balanced taste. I've never had this before, and it's quite impressive. Brent's diggin' this a lot.

BPA: 3.43

Next up is Kasteel Tripel. Friar Belf brought this one to us. It smells just like the Maredsous and Unibroue beers. It tastes just like it smells. DELICIOUS! Once again, conversation is veering off the road. We're making grand plans of wearing Dri-Fit tuxedo shirts to ABR. Next!

BPA: 3.40

Our second to last pour is Bell's Sparkling Ale. A few of us first tasted this at the food and wine festival the last couple of years, and I remember it being delicious. Keep in mind this was after 5 hours of eating random cheeses and drinking skanky beers and wines. This one pours the color of lager. It's a very smooth taste, but you can taste the candi sugars at the end.

BPA: 3.63

Last up: Gouden Carolus Tripel. It smells a little bit more floral than the last few. It's a light, carbonated beer that's pretty delicious. This last segment has gotten off-topic, as we've shown Check it Out! with Dr. Steve Brule. I recommend it if you'd like to learn about foods.

BPA: 3.29

And we're done. That was a pretty tasty theme tonight, and it may have garnered some of the highest ratings. But that is for scientists to decide. Cat Scraps!

Eighth Meeting

Tonight is the first of the Belgian tastings to which we've all been looking forward. For we thirst for Quads! A quadrupel is a dark, strong Belgian ale that also happens to be the style of the #1 beer on BA. Since none of us have taken a trip to the Belgian plains lately, we've been unable to obtain it. We're settling for five lesser, yet high quality brews.

Tonight, we're joined by Brothers Colin, Tom, and Brent, and Noobs Tom J and Mike. Our side-sippin' beers include Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Surly Coffee Bender.

First up: Urthel Samaranth. This one is corked and caged, as is any good Belgian. This one's 11% ABV and pours a dark reddish brown. It smells sweet with a slight hint of booze. It tastes smoother than Wally Sczerbiak's J, and wetter than his hair gel. One can tell there's booze in it, but it doesn't negatively affect the taste at all. Brent says he's already drunk from his first 3 ounces, but that's because he showed up with a new haircut. Most of us feel it tastes like a strong ale.

BPA: 2.94

Next up is the St. Bernardus Abt 12, nicknamed "Nard Dawg." It's #26 on BA, and one of the top quads. I've had this enough at the Bulldog NE to know this is an A. It pours much darker than the last one. "Oh God, it's so carbonated and dark fruity mmmm!" -Me. Colin just threw Bailey a pretzel and it bounced out of her mouth and back into the pretzel bowl so we don't know which one it is OMG grossss! Mouthfeel: It fills Mike's whole mouth. Tastes like pop rocks to Tom J.

BPA: 3.66

Our next flavor option is Ommegang's Three Philosophers. It's a Belgian-style ale brewed in Cooperstown, NY. This pours a dark mahogany, much like the smell of my classic book collection. This one is a hair fruitier than the other two. Brent and I agree that it's more candied than the first one, but still uncarbonated enough to be a strong ale.

BA: 3.46

Next we have Unibroue La Terrible. This is my personal favorite brewery. I've tasted this one before, but not in years. It's a Belgian-style brewery out of Montreal and this hot dog comes in at 10.5%. It pours a dark black. Darker than Ruben Sierra. And it tastes figgier than figgy pudding. It doesn't have a strong smell, but it goes from a stout like smoothness into figs and candi sugar.

BPA: 3.46

Finally, we have one that none of us have tried. It's called Lozen Boer, and it's a product of the Proefbrouwerij. It pours a dark brown and it smells just like the Nard Dawg. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than the Bernardus, but basically the same taste. Pretty tasty stuff, says all of us.

BPA: 3.54

There you have it. Not too drunk of an affair, but everyone has yet to stand up. Next week we'll have Tripels. Boner!

Here's a picture of an empty bottle of Westvleteren 12

Seventh Meeting

This week, we have an interesting mix of patrons. Joe and Brent have 'headaches' so they can't make it, and joining us for the first time is Noob Tom J. We also have Mike, Belfry, Colin, Tom, and the host, Derek. Derek chose a quaffable summer beer this week because of the weather, so we'll be sipping on Saison. Welcome, this is our farmhouse.

The first one is corked and caged. Saison Dupont is the 7th highest rated Saison on BA, and it's 6.5% alcohol. It smells really funky, but the taste is clearly Belgian. It's highly carbonated and you can taste the Belgian Candi sugars, and it finishes crisply.

BPA: 3.32

Next we have another corked and caged delight. Colin brought Ommegang Hennepin, which is the 6th ranked Saison on BA and weighs in at 7.7% ABV. It pours a fairly light yellow, and smells more like a tripel. Mike says it's way less subdued, but Derek is totally wrong in his opinion that it smells funkier than the last. "Less of the farm, more of the city,"- Derek is kind of making sense now. Tom J- "This leaves a film in the back of my throat." Tom B- "That's what she said." Let's rate this:

BPA: 2.93

Brasserie Dupont's Foret is our next pour, brought to you and I by Noob Belfry. Right off the bat, is smells like cheeeeeese. Matt Cooper has been kicked out of school for less. It's funky and tastes like the wet straw above which Baby Jesus was swaddled.

BPA: 3.05

We have our first repeat. Boulevard's Tank 7 Farmhouse is our first repeat tasting, as Noob Belfry didn't show proper knowledge of the blog. However, it was on behalf of Noob Tom J, who's even Noobier than Belfry. However, we're not disappointed, as it will give us a chance to compare it against other Saisons, and to give it a BPA. It pours a little cloudier than the last couple, and it smells a lot hoppier than the last few. It's good, but it doesn't taste anything like the last few. It seems more of an American take on the style.

BPA: 3.17

Our next stop on the saison tour is Les Biere des Collines. As far as we know, it's not on BA yet, and if it is, we've misspelled the name on multiple attempts. It pours the same color as a barleywine. It's 6.5%, but tastes like alcohol. It's very strange; it tastes like apples a little bit, and there's a little funk, but this is certainly unlike any beer I've ever had. I don't like the mouthfeel, and Derek doesn't like it at all. Let it be known: Noob Belfry feels his tastebuds have been adulterated by multiple Tom J flatulences.

BPA: 2.27

Our final taste comes from Brother Derek, in the form of Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire, which comes in at a surprising 4.3% ABV. This one pours a dark crimson, and looks like it should taste like a dubbel. There's a definite spicy smell. Meeeeerrrry Christmas, it tastes like gingerbread! It's another strange one, with hop presence and a rather thin mouthfeel.

BPA: 2.38


Well that will do it for the night. This style got probably the lowest rankings that we've had, which is kind of a surprise. We were joined by Noob Mike's new pooch, Gabe. Well, we're not really drunk, so we'll get on with some Belgians the next couple of weeks to remedy that situation.

Gabe has leap-frogged Mike in the Noob hierarchy

Sixth Meeting

And here we are at Brent's place for the sixth meeting of the beer club. The theme tonight is IPAs and Double IPAs, although the bulk of the harvest is of the latter variety. We welcome to our meeting our two newest noobs, Noob Mike and Noob Belfry. This will be Belfry's first club meeting, as well as his observation trial period.

First up: Left Hand's 400 Lb Monkey. We started off with a standard English IPA. Our thoughts are that we'd start off with the less hoppy and end up with the most hoppy beers. This one fits the bill as a drinkable IPA. This one comes in at 6.7% ABV. "Wait, how do we know already??" NOOB ALERT!! We're talking about ABV, noob salsa, not BPA. Blunder #1 has been noted by the elders. ON TO THE BPA!

BPA: 3.34

Next urp is Rogue Yellow Snow, which is another IPA. Who smells grapefruit? I do. Brent thinks this one is brewed with Zippy hopped. He also said "You don't need to write down my comments, they're super-jaded." It's bitter, but tasty. Just like Brent! ME-OW!

BPA: 3.23

On to da next! This next one is a beer we've all had multiple times, and is regarded as the second-highest rated IPA on BA. Town Hall Masala Mama BOOM! It's fruity, yet bitter, but extremely delicious. Since we've all tasted it multiple times, we'll get right to the rating.

BPA: 3.71

Our next flavorful flavoring is Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hope Ale, and 6.7% of it is firewater. Brent finds its earthy flavor challenging, yet soothing. We all agree it's fairly malty. The conversation has wandered dangerously off-topic during this tasting.

BPA: 2.88

Stone Ruination is the fifth beer on tap. Most of us have tasted this IPA before and it's known to be delicious. This one came to us from Escondido, CA by way of Colorado, via Brent's future parents-in-law. (oh snap) It pours a nice, hazy orange color, and tastes hoppy and bitter, much like Brent's future parents-in-law (double snap) There's a lot of pine involved in this one.

BPA: 3.59

Next up is Founders Centennial IPA, brought to you by Noob McBelfry. In walks Brother Derek's father. The oldest noob ever to noob. The hop is the same as in the last beer, but this beer is way maltier. "Malt bomb," says Joe.

BPA: 3.33

Our next beer is 21st Amendment IPA, AKA Brew Free or Die. It's another American IPA that rolls at us at a clean 7%. Upon the first taste, we find it sour. The sourest IPA I have thus far tasted. It smells and tastes like a saison at first, but finishes with a hoppy bitterness.

BPA: 3.7

We move on to the next beer, which happens to be Widmer Bros. Deadlift DIPA. It appears we've entered into double IPA territory, which means 8.5% booze. Mike is feeling toasty and slurry. "It's MY HOUSE, and MY SCHNOODLE!!" Quote taken out of context from Mike. Citrusy hops, and it proves to be better than I thought.

BPA: 3.09

Ska Modus Hoperandi is up next. It's Colorado's up and coming new brewery, and the music choice of James Simmons. Ruination-ish. We're getting drunk, and there's a lot of beer left to taste. Let's keep this rolling...

BPA: 3.53

Next up is Lagunitas' Double IPA, which comes in at 8 per cent and is called Hop
Stoopid. It's a fairly transparent beer, but isn't as hoppy as our last few. It's tasty, but as the night draws on we find ourselves with a higher bodily ABV.

BPA: 2.81

Bell's Hopslam is one of the top Double IPAs on BA. Some would call it a DIPA dandy. GET IT????!!?!?! LOLZ! This has also been tasted by everyone in the club, and it's Spring release is long-awaited by all. It pours a fairly transparent orange, and smells sour grapefruit omelette. BOOM our first 10%er! The last one made this one taste good, says Noob Belfers.

BPA: 3.7

We have Oskar Blues GUBNA Double IPA. It smells quite skunky for an IPA, but it still has the hop kick. It's pretty transparent in its appearance. Derek thinks it tastes like bacon. What a loser.

BPA: 3.3

Southern Tier Hoppe is the next pour. It's Southern Tier's less-hoppy offering of their two Double IPAs. It's also lower in the ABV dept., at 8%. Belfry thinks it has depth, and Brent says it dances upon his buds. The mouthfeel is exceptional, so it's getting fairly good ratings.

BPA: 3.21

Surly Abrasive is up next. This is the newest Surly brew on the market, and is only offered in the Spring. It's the spiritual successor to 16 grit, which is their now-defunct double IPA. It made it's debut on BA at 46 this week, and it's sure to rise. We all agree it's basically a concentrated Furious. Derek, "I NEED SOME GODDAMN SALT!!"

BPA: 3.83

The next, and not final, beer is Great Divide Hercules Double IPA. We're drunk, and this is a lot of samples. We all taste a strong ale, over Dub IPA. HOLY BISCUITS THE BRONCOS JUST DRAFT TEBOW!! PRAISE JESUS!!

BPA: 3.58

Last. Thank God. We have Southern Tier Unearthly, which is probably the hoppiest beer we've had. Here goes nothin'. Darker pour than most of our libations. This one comes in at 10 dot percent, which is the heavier of their two Dub IPAs. This stuff is a hop boulliabasse.

BPA: 3.23

Welp, this is for realz the last. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree. It's 13.6% ABV and it's an "Israeli beer" according to uber-noob Larzon. It's a lot more malts and caramel than a standard IPA, which is closer to a barleywine. Derek sat out this one. Derek is fighting Smiegel for the couch spot, and Gabbert accused Derek of salamandry. A duel, we shall have!

BPA: 3.43

It appears this disastrous chapter has ended. Our next session will feature less beers. Kudos to hops and hopkind.

Meet Mike's schnoodle, Gabe: