Due to a stroke of bad luck and technical difficulty with gravity (I dropped my computer) I was not able to attend last night's WTBC meeting. But brother Derek stepped in and stepped up. See above photos a drastic improvement on his last entry.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Fifty Third Meeting
Due to a stroke of bad luck and technical difficulty with gravity (I dropped my computer) I was not able to attend last night's WTBC meeting. But brother Derek stepped in and stepped up. See above photos a drastic improvement on his last entry.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Fifty Second Meeting
Collaboration Beer Night
Life and Limb
Is a collaboration of Dog Fish Head and Sierra Nevada, and classified as an American Strong Ale. Pours with a light head and a dark black color. Taste is a little oakey, I taste a good amount of licorice, others do not share this view. Mouthfeel is universally agreed to be thick and Mrs. Butterworth’s Maple-syrupy. At 10.2% this one is very drinkable booze is well disguised in a heavy malt profile and licorice (for some of us).
3.05
Allies Win the War!
Collab between 21st Amendment and Ninkasi. And Turnbull makes the pre-emptive strike on grading and kicks us off with an A and thereby infecting all our minds in advance, nice tactic, this is war. Dark amber, light lingering head. Grammatical error found on the can! A prize to who sends me the error and correction (excluding member that are present at this meeting). Smells of west coast hops, strange considering it is brewed here in MN, and some nice malt. Can says that there are some dates in here, I agree. Nice subtle, fruity, sweetness at the end. M: is on point, not too thick but lingers nicely.
3.17
Ovila – Saision
Collab between Sierra Nevada and Abbey of New Clairvaux , beginning to wonder if SN does any of their own beer… this one is best drank while listening to a Phish song. A: Orange-blonde nice lingering light colored head. S: Is that of hay and other farmhouse odors T: Is fruity and lots of wild yeasty flavor as one would expect M: Thin, nice, refreshing, perfect for summer day D: HIGH
3.10
Blackheart
Collab between 3 Floyds and a tattoo artist in SF (the artist made the label). A: A tangerine orange light dissipating head S: Very citrus nose, T: very citrus taste followed by some Belgian yeast flavors finishes clean and super delicious. M: spot on bold and refreshing at the finish D: HIGH as beans.
3.63
Van Twee
Collab between Bell’s and De Proef. A: Sliver of light at the edges otherwise very dark, SEA MONKIES! And lots of thick head. S: Dark malt and lots of Cherry nose T: Cherry is prominent in flavor as well, finishes nice and tart. Taste is very similar to Bell’s cherry stout, but strong and takes more of a front seat. M: mildy thick nice and lingering cherry flavor which has a sharp finish. D: High
3.37
Signature Ale
Collab between Port Brewing and De Proef. A: Nice golden blonde thick and plentiful head S: Is fruity and a hint of citrus hint of yeast farm scent T: Is hoppy and citrus, likely a Port influence has some nice yeast flavor notes M: Nice and clean, good summer drinking I’d say, and I do say. D: Orange alert
3.05
Collaboration not Litigation
Collab between Avery and Russian River, whooooey expectations are high for this one, two great breweries. A: Rosey golden light lacey head S: hoppy and Belgian yeast T: Citrusy M: don’t remember we’re already onto the next one after a lengthy debate on the finer points of Big Eddy. D: OK or yellow alert, overall a let down considering the contributing breweries.
2.80
Barrel Aged Brrrbon
Not a collab but this is part of a double beer bonus. A: Dark Amber light amount of head S: Smell is promising, oakey and good T: Is brrrrbony, nice depth of barrel M: Thinner than expected from the nose but there is a lingering burn. D: pretty, pretty, pretty good
3.10
TRIPLE BEER BONUS!
Jubel 2010
Deschutes Jubel, a once in a decade ale and Colin has pulled out all stops in this triple beer bonus! A: Dark Ruby quickly dissipating head S: Cereal maybe frosted flakes T: Sweet and malty, some spice M: thick and lingering D: Orange P.S. I am not where near to doing justice to this review, we’ve been side-tracked multiple times and this is a triple beer bonus, give me an effing break. This is a great beer, and IMHO could use some more time, this isn’t agreed by many on the tasting but I still assert that this would be great in another 3 years. Too sweet and and too thick even now for my tastes.
3.68
Monday, November 14, 2011
Fifty First Meeting
BORDER BATTLE
Derek keeps up the tradition of f-ing things up ROYALLY. It should be said that Derek is probably the most active home-brewer in the WTBC and as such always has beer flowing from one of the four taps from his kegerator. NOT TODAY. Every single person asked if he had a side beer for them and they all got the same answer “I do but I’m out of CO2”. What a let down.
ABT
The battle starts with a WI beer, perhaps appropriately as GB just returned a punt for a TD and also started the NFL border battle. This one pours dark ruby red, thin lacy head. Smell is sweet with a good amount of fruity esters, some cherry and other berries. Taste is fruity sweet but not overly like some jam with honey balanced. Good amount of carbonation and a slightly thick mouthfeel. At 9.75 this is highly drinkable as booze is all but undetectable.
2.94
Devine Oculust
And onto a MN beer during what will hopefully be the first of many successful Viking drives. Nice golden color light amount of head dissipates quickly. Smell is of banana and fruity ester nice yeasty smell as it should be. Taste is bitter up front and a tart citrusy finish. Mouthfeel is good slightly on the thick side. Pretty fair drinkability Jeff says that after two pints it can get kind of trying. Speaking of trying this drive is trying everyone’s patience and resulted in a failed field goal attempt.
3.56
Bitter Woman
We’re back on the wrong side of the river for this one. Can’t blame her for being bitter she does live her life in Wisconsin. Pours golden with a red hue head is light in color and doesn’t stick around. Smell is slightly graprefruit and strong presence of malt. Taste follow closely and finished out a tart-bitter citrus and finishes clean. M: good, carbonation is acceptable. My bitterness for WI is growing by the second.
2.80
Glacial IPA
Yet ANOTHER sconny beer, mother F. Foggy apricot in color thick white head and lingers for a bit. Smell is more piney than the last but there is a hint of a truer citrus (I don’t’ consider grapefruit a real citrus, cause I hate it). Taste is strong hops up front, but not overly bitter as it quickly followed by sweetness from the malts. Great mouthfeel and drinkability is higher than the last one. Consensus is the last one was better but hatred of grapefruit is tainting my opinion.
2.74
Rainmaker
Back in the homeland of t-puppies, viqueens, and lynx. A: Deep amber nice frothy head. S: punches in the nose with hops it is SUPER hoppy even compared to the last two IPAs. Goes to show that while WI can put together a football team they are really slipping when it comes to the beer department. M: Good D: very good, this is a great beer and would recommend drinking at any opportunity.
3.38
Great Northern Porter
A; Lots of light colored head, and dark! S: is great! As helped by Colin’s pouring snafu the room is filled with a delicious roasty aroma. T: We don’t like the initial taste but like the after taste, the nose exceeds the taste for this one, slightly disappointing. But still good mind you. M: Is thin maybe slightly too carbonated in my opinion. D: Pretty, pretty high.
3.06
Mud Puppy
A: Cream colored head healthy amount of it too S: is as good as the last one although we don’t have the added benefit of a exxon valdez style spill (is that still relevant after the BP/gulf of mexico thing?) T: This one starts roasty and finishes with some chocolate notes, more dimensional flavor than the last one. M: Nice, slightly thicker but still over carbonated. D: high
Cygnus X-1 Espresso
A: Lots of foamy head, light in color and lingers S: Lots of coffee/espresso aroma almost overwhelming, and strong roasty presence. T: Is almost solely dominated by roasty coffee flavor there’s not a lot else discernible in this one, it is decidedly good though mind you. M: Strong flavor lingers mouthfeel is light and carbonation is good. D: a little strong on the coffee but if you want a coffee porter this is what you need.
3.38
Bancreagie
A; Medium amber color and a fair amount of head. S: immediately earthy and smoky and a sweet finish T: has a nice barrel flavor and a grounding earthy flavor, pun intended. M: pretty good thick and lingering D; good I could put a few of these away if it wasn’t the last beer of the night, before bonus beer! I thought this one was pretty decent I think that others disagreed, but there is a stigma about Brau Bros in this particular club.
2.48Wednesday, November 9, 2011
WTBC Turns 50!
Hurrah! Happy 50th(meeting) Birthday WTBC! Looks like we’ve got IPA’s and stouts for the most part, not a surprise for those familiar with the WTBC. Here we go!
Stone Ruination
Tom J’s offering kicks us off here, and a fine offering it is. Nose is citrusy and a hint of booze. Taste follows nose, hops are strong flavor of grapefruit and finish dry, good malt presence. Brent’s favorite of the line-up form Stone. It was described by the group as Stoney (that one’s for you Derek).
3.73
Surly Furious
Now onto Jeff’s offering, he brought his personal favorite with Furious, which pleases the hometown crowd. Super solid IPA selection. Nose is of citrus and pine nice lacey head. Taste is 100% Surly, well blended hop and malt profile, resiny hop finish. Good beer. Furiousy.
3.83
Masala Mama
For Turnbull’s offering we have another hometown favorite. Town Hall’s Masala Mama. Lingering head aroma is sweeter and less citrusy than Furious, one might say more balanced…flavor is also more balanced nice hop punch of front and a present malt backbone. REFILL, this growler is going to take a team effort to kill. Carbonation is spot on. MMMMMM
3.87
Moloko
Brent’s offering comes from Three Floyd’s a highly favored brewery amongst us as they consistently are making delicious offerings. This is their milk/sweet stout and I’m excited to try it. My pour has a root beer float style head, dark tan, creamy, and lingering. Nose is a sweet/bitter with roasty notes. Taste is smooth and creamy with a pronounced roasted finish. Milky, milky whiiiite. Label gets some serious props form the author.
3.69
Abyss
Let’s everyone fall into the Abyss. I pity Emily’s task of cleaning the floor after this one, from our man stains. Darkness’ cage match for tonight. Lighter colored head sticks around. Nose is expectedly roasty and heavy on chocolate and thirdly coffee. Taste is strong of bitter chocolate, and roasted malt some hints of vanilla. Makes one feel complete…
4.0
Darkness
Pondziiiiiiii brings the Darkness stamped on top with a 2011 indicating its’ origin from Darkness Day rumor has it the this one might have belonged to a member of WTBC that has since moved to a whale’s vagina consensus is that this is sweeter and Lukcysmoother than the Abyss and has some more hop presence and darker head overall appearance to me is better fucking awesome is a quote from a member that previously hated coffee and chocolate the mouthfeel is similar to Moloko nice and creamy and ranks slightly thinner than the Abyss
…,,,…..,,,…..,,….,.,,,.,
4.0
OK so here’s the tally
Abyss: 6
Darkness: 2
Smoke Stack Imperial Stout partially aged in whiskey barrels
Lampe has graced us with a delicious offering tonight, one of my personal faves. Light head and quickly dissipating. Nose is barrel and sweet boozy followed by the expected malts. Taste is deep really nice barrel flavoring that coats the tongue. This is incredible I must say although it is generally agreed that this could benefit from a little more time as the booze is a little hot. My personal favorite of the last three.
3.71
Lucky Bastard (Lukcy Basartd)
My offering is my offering. See above for the name spelling corrected for those of us who are naturally dyslexic and my apologies to the Alstrom Bros to whom I sent a correction on the BA entry for this beer to correct the spelling prior to reading the label. Oops. SO first off this is a shift from our last tastings. But nose id sweet of caramel and the remnants of citrus hops. Taste is nicely oaked sweet caramel and a finish of booze. Everyone seems to like this one. It is a great beer; Turnbull says he’d have one if he had to.
3.56
Oaked Arrogant Bastard
Sorry reviewer out of order. Try it yourself and save a quarter.
3.41
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Forty Ninth Meeting
As I was unable to attend this weeks meeting it appears brother Derek took the blogging duties and decided to re-work the format a little bit. See the image above for what I've received to make this post, if someone has a Rosetta Stone for the scribble in the margins please let me know because I'm curious as to its contents. While I admire innovation within the WTBC, I think we'll go back to a more traditional format for our 50th meeting. Which includes tasting notes beyond taking words from the label to describe the beer.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Forty Eighth Meeting
Big things happenin'. Since we've last convened, Mike announced that he's moving to Seattle to take a job at Amazon. He already left, so we're down one member.
Even more recently, I made the announcement that I'll be moving to San Diego to take a position as a hobo, so this will be my final beer club as Blogmaster. The club plans to continue on without skipping a beat as Belfry and Turnbull will likely take turns as scribes.
We're at Belfry's tonight and the theme is "Non-California beers," in honor of my dishonorable discharge from the state. There should be a few tasty treats tonight at my last regular meeting.
We're grouping the beers tonight by style, so we won't go in the usual host-goes-first order. Joe goes first with Moylan's Chelsea Porter, which is brewed in CA. Welp, we're off to an off-topic start. This one comes in at 5%. It pours a pretty dark, but not completely opaque. It smells sticky and sweet. It has a pretty thin consistency and tastes of caramel. Creamy. Pretty good.
BPA: 2.94
Next up, I bring to the table Maui Brewing Coconut Porter, which comes in at 5.7%. This porter is much thicker than the last porter and smells more chocolatey. The coconut definitely takes a backseat to the chocolate and oatmeal qualities in this one. A pretty solid porter, but everyone was expecting more coconut.
BPA: 2.84
Tom J is up with a Rodenbach 2007 Reserve, which is a delicious Flanders Red. It's hard to screw up this style, unless you tell people there's coconut in it and don't come through. This one comes in at 7% and is aged in oak barrels. This stuff is pretty cloudy, a reddish color that is barely transparent. It has a strong fruit taste, but doesn't seem as tart as the regular Grand Cru version. A very strong beer, we agree.
BPA: 3.65
UberNoob John brings to us Gude Greg's barrel-aged scotch ale from Berkshire Brewery. It doesn't have much of a scent but it's full o flavor. This is spot on for the style. A strong caramel flavor that isn't too sweet, and you can get a taste of the barrel flavors as well.
BPA: 4.0
Ddubs has a tough act to follow with our next Scotch ale offering. This one is straight outta Montiggity, a brewpub in Missoula called Kettlehouse. Their Coldsmoke Scotch Ale is 6.5%. This one pours a deeper color, but is more transparent. Derek brought his cans very cold, and thought it was a good idea to run them under warm water to bring the flavors to life. He won't admit it, but I bet he put it in the microwave and forgot about it. It's difficult to discern the flavors at this temperature. Anyways, it's pretty smoove. Welp, that was a weird experience.
BPA: 2.68
Lampe brings us an Old Ale aged in 16 year scotch barrels. Harviestoun Ola Dubh is the name. This one comes in at 8% and is one of the first old ales we've had at beer club. It pours pitch black and smells caramelly and boozy. It's a nice malty ale which has a strong wood taste. It's like taking a scotch ale shot then licking the trunk of an oak. Kind of like a Highlander version of a tequila shot with the wheels.
BPA: 3.79
Belfry brings us a hot trick that I haven't seen before. Three Floyd's Behemoth Blonde Barleywine comes in at 10.5%. It pours a standard barleywine color- brown and foggy. It's pretty hoppy and smooooth for 10.5%.
BPA: 3.75
Turnbull brings us Southern Tier Gemini, which is a Double IPA that comes in at 10.5%. Southern Tier sure does make a lot of Double IPAs. This one has strong flavors involved. It's a mix of Hoppe and Unearthly, which results in another SURPRISE! hoppy, boozy double IPA. It pours your standard cloudy orange color and smells of citrusy hops.
BPA: 3.21
Next up we have the first of three fresh hop beers. Woodpond brings to us Fresh Hopped Mirror Pond by Deschutes. I have more than a hunch he chose it because it includes "pond" in the name. This one is technically an APA, so it shouldn't be as hoppy as the next two. It's definitely oily, so you can tell there are fresh hops, but it's not a hop bomb. Quite tasty and drinkable for 5%.
BPA: 2.9
Colin brings one of my favorite Surly beers to the table- Wet. It's a fresh hopped IPA where they pick the hops on day 1, overnight them to Surly on day 2, and throw them in the beer on day 3. It smells like freshly hewn lawns. A very hoppy beer, but its not over the top or syrupy. Very citrusy hops. Probably because this year's batch was 100% Citra hops. I just wish our pours were bigger...
BPA: 3.72
FIRST BONUS BEER! I bring to the table Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA. This one comes in at 6.5%. It's skunkier than the Wet, and doesn't smell or taste as oily. You can still smell the fresh hops though, and it's a lot more bitter.
BPA: 3.42
Lastly, Belfry brings us his bonus beer. It took several minutes of digging through his well-organized cellar to determine which beer(s) he's offering. Belfry brings Alaskan Brewing's Perseverance Ale, which is their Imperial Stout. 9%, it is. It's a thick black color that smells a little bit like licorice. It's mouthfeel is medium. Pretty tasty... let's keep this moving.
BPA: 3.37
Not lastly- Belfry brings us Old Viscosity from Port Brewing. It's a regular ole Russian Imperial Stout which comes in at 10%. Standard look, standard smell. Delicious taste indeed.
BPA: 3.61
Finally, Belfry brings us Old Viscosity's older cousin, Older Viscosity. This one comes in at 12% but is not a blend like the last. This is one of the world's finest imperial stouts. Smells bourbon. Tastes heaven. I'm glad this is my last beer in standard beer club. It's just a chocolatey bourbon sandwich, topped with chocolate sauce. A's.
BPA: 3.9 (not an A from Tom J)
Well that was a humdinger for my last beer club. Goodnight and God bless.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Forty Seventh Meeting
Guten Abend! We're here at Herr Cheezener's hauB with some German lagers tonight. Joe, Colin, Woodpond, Brent and I are currently here, while Belfry is joining us later. Trink mit mir, ja?
We're breaking tradition by starting with a non-host beer tonight. Belfry put in a special, selfish request to have us wait for him before we try Brent's beer. So, I bring to the table Spaten Optimator Doppelbock. One of the few dops we haven't had, this one comes in at 7.8%. It pours a standard thinnish dark brown color. Not too carbonated- smells caramellly. Small amounts of hops, but the caramel dominates. One can't really taste the booze too much. It tastes fairly thin and flat, but an easy drinker. Solid.
BPA: 2.9
Next up, we're going back to Brent. He brings us a taped 'n' swing-capped beer straight from der Mutterlande. This one is Brauhaus Schillerbad Helles, which is a light German lager. 4.9%, it is. It pours a cloudy copper color. It's nearly odorless and has very little carbonation. There's a bit of barnyard (and according to Woodpond, mothballs) present. It's pretty mild up front, but comes back with some interesting malt and hop tastes.
BPA: 3.17
Woodpond, bring us your beer! He has Paulaner Original Munich Lager. It pours a very transparent golden color. Smells like a lager tastes like a lager.
BPA: 2.72
Colin brings us the first domestic offering- Surly Hell. 5.1% ABV on this one. Definitely a bolder flavor than the German versions. There are some hops present, but it's mostly more malty.
BPA: 3.2
Joe brings us Kostritzer, which is a schwarzbier. Or black beer for the non Germanophile. A thin lager mouthfeel and tastes much like a lager. Sweet, present malts ovewhelm your tongue-holes. There are some ambient hops as well.
BPA: 3.23
Belf brings us Southern Tier Krampus Imperial Pilsner. This Pils comes in at 9%, which is very un-pilslike. It pours like a standard pils, but it smells much sweeter, which is undoubtedly due to the booze involved in this one. It pretty much tastes sweet as well. The booze is prevalent. Pretty good though.
BPA: 3.2
BONUS BEER #1 of HOPEFULLY 2!
Brent brings us Conflux #2, which is a collaboration between Boulevard and Deschutes, which are two solid breweries. It's billed as a Belgian IPA at 7.3%, but they brewed it with wheat beer, which may create some pale wheat ale flavors. Let's get it onnnn. It smells spicy and Belgiany. Black pepper, wheat, orange, and an aquarium of sea monkeys. I think this one is served a bit cold because the booze is fairly prevalent. It's quite crisp and strongly flavored, but fairly refreshing. This seems to be a repeat buy at merely $7 a bottle.
BPA: 3.38
Lastly, Brent brings us another bonus beer. This one is out of Salt Lake City- Epic 825 State Stout. This one is a 6% oatmeal stout. It's a nice, roasty stout. Not imperial- thinner on the mouth and less hot booze. Definitely a complex enough stout to be much different than a Guinness, but not too much where you can't drink more than 1.
BPA: 2.9
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Forty Fifth Meeting
We're over at Lampe's house for his first meeting since his return from Europe. The style is Belgian IPAs, but we expanded the category to include Belgian Pale Ales as well.
First, Lampe brings to us Troubadour Magma. This Belgian IPA comes in at 9% and I don't believe I've seen this one before. This one pours a dark, solid orange color with a heavy sea monkey presence. There is definite candi sugar present, but it's balanced nicely by the hops. Lampe brought this all the way from the land of Belgium. Let's rate
BPA: 3.25
Turnbull's up next. Gouden Caroulus Hopsinjoor sounds like an Indian curry dish, but it's not! Actually, Belfry and Turnbull both brought the same one, but some clever sleuth (Trevor Plouffe?) discovered that one is labeled a blond, one an amber. However, every other bit of information is the same on the bottle, and BA lists it as one, so it is henceforth known as the same beer. Either way, we're going to swap half way through.
BPA: 2.9
Mike brings to us Leffe Blond, which is a widely distributed Belgian Pale Ale that rolls in at 6.6%. It's pretty transparent and golden in color, it is. The candi sugars are far more prevalent than the hops. Pretty easy drinking, though. That's just O-K.
BPA: 2.68
Tom B brings Ommegang BPA, which is aptly named considering our rating system, yuk yuk. It's yet another Belgian Pale Ale which is 6.2% ABV. It pours a semi-transparent orange/golden color. It smells of a tripel a bit.
BPA: 2.83
Tom B brings his redemption beer, which is to style. Unibroue Don de Dieu rolls in at 9% as a strong pale ale. Quite tasty- orange peels, a little hop fizz.
BPA: 3.18
Colin supplies Houblon Chouffe IPA Tripel, which is a Belgian IPA that comes in at 9%. It's strange that all the Belgian IPAs are 8 or 9 percent, but American IPAs rarely top 7. Huh. So, this beer tastes more like an American IPA. It's one of the hoppier beers we've had tonight.
BPA: 3.33
Mike brings super-sweet redemption beer named Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout, which is 10.5%. This style of IRS is new this year to Stone's lineup. It smells like a flaming Sambuca. Way too much Anus in the Anise.
BPA: 2.51
Lastly, and bestly, Mike outdoes himself yet again. He brings the last Russian River wild ale- probably the lats mainstream one we haven't had. This one comes in at a colossal 10%- for a wild ale. Quite spectacular, it is agreed. Yes, Khaleesi, it is known.
BPA: 4
TRIPLE BUCK BONUS BEER!!! Lampe brings us Boulevard Smokestack Series Imperial Stout which rides towards us on the 11 Donkeys of ABV! Very tasty.
BPA: 3.85
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Forty Fourth Meeting
On this tasty day on Mike's deck we're sampling us some APAs. A style that's generally more balanced than the IPA, with about the same alcohol content. There are only four of us here today, so let's get this started.
First up is Odell St. Lupulin which rolls in at 6.5%, which is probably towards the upper reaches of ABV for the style. It's a pretty transparent, light amber color. It's not as cold as it probably should be, but it's still pretty tasty. Welp, time to rate.
*BOOM EDITOR's NOTE- we've already had this one. Redemption beer!
BPA: 3.1
Next up is Capital US Pale Ale. This one's a 5%er. It pours a similar color to the last one but holy moly it smells caramelly. It smells more like a scotch or oktoberfest. I don't think I've had a pale ale that matched the sugariness of this one. Consensus is maltier yet less hoppy than the last one. Pretty standard, but nothing to call your trade buddies on BA about.
BPA: 2.85
Thirdly we have Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale. This one deviates from style, so Colin now has to bring a redemption rule next week pursuant to the new rule. I like this one- it has more of a tart lemon hoppy flavor that's present but not too abundant. Pretty blended and it's tasty indeed for 5.2%.
BPA: 3.15
Our next beer is from a brewery that we haven't sampled before- Abita which is right out of Louisiana. This one comes in at 5%. It pours slightly lighter but it seems a bit hoppier than the previous ones.
BPA: 3.23
Yet another beer we've had before-- Grand Teton Sweetgrass IPA. I can't believe we've had this before- I didn't think I'd ever had anything from the Tetons. Welp, we're drinking and rating regardless, however it won't go on the side bar. We all think this is much closer to an IPA than an APA. Pretty tasty.
BPA: 3.3
I'm way behind on blogging here. There is some loud arguing due to the new redemption rule. Our last beer-to-style of the night is Great Divide Denver Pale Ale. Which is not-to-style at all. It's an English Pale Ale. Oh well, gubna. Off to da clink wif ya's.
BPA: 3.08
BONUS BEER! This one is a big fat joke called Fat Cat. This is one of Mike's favorite lagers and it comes in a cool orange can.
BPA: 2.15
BONUS BEER, PART II! This one is a teensy bit fancier. The Bruery Provisions Series Premiere is the name, and 10% is its game. It's classified as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, but it's advertised as a Belgian golden ale aged in bourbon barrels. After tasting it, the closest thing I've had to it is Odell Deconstruction, which is quite the compliment.
BPA: 3.78
FINAL BONUS BEER FANTASY! This is a legit bonus beer to say the least. Mike may have raised the bar to a nearly unattainable level by bringing Cigar City Hunahpu Imperial Stout. Standard darker-than-north-of-the-wall color with a slight head on top. The smell is fairly subdued- but it's normally tought to tell with these stouts. There is definite chocolate, some coffee, but the chilis may take the place of hops. It's hard to say. I can't tell if the bite comes from chilis, hops, or Chile. Santiago. A tasty beer indeed. But a 4.0? We'll find out after the break......
BPA: 4.0
Boom shaka la ka
First up is Odell St. Lupulin which rolls in at 6.5%, which is probably towards the upper reaches of ABV for the style. It's a pretty transparent, light amber color. It's not as cold as it probably should be, but it's still pretty tasty. Welp, time to rate.
*BOOM EDITOR's NOTE- we've already had this one. Redemption beer!
BPA: 3.1
Next up is Capital US Pale Ale. This one's a 5%er. It pours a similar color to the last one but holy moly it smells caramelly. It smells more like a scotch or oktoberfest. I don't think I've had a pale ale that matched the sugariness of this one. Consensus is maltier yet less hoppy than the last one. Pretty standard, but nothing to call your trade buddies on BA about.
BPA: 2.85
Thirdly we have Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale. This one deviates from style, so Colin now has to bring a redemption rule next week pursuant to the new rule. I like this one- it has more of a tart lemon hoppy flavor that's present but not too abundant. Pretty blended and it's tasty indeed for 5.2%.
BPA: 3.15
Our next beer is from a brewery that we haven't sampled before- Abita which is right out of Louisiana. This one comes in at 5%. It pours slightly lighter but it seems a bit hoppier than the previous ones.
BPA: 3.23
Yet another beer we've had before-- Grand Teton Sweetgrass IPA. I can't believe we've had this before- I didn't think I'd ever had anything from the Tetons. Welp, we're drinking and rating regardless, however it won't go on the side bar. We all think this is much closer to an IPA than an APA. Pretty tasty.
BPA: 3.3
I'm way behind on blogging here. There is some loud arguing due to the new redemption rule. Our last beer-to-style of the night is Great Divide Denver Pale Ale. Which is not-to-style at all. It's an English Pale Ale. Oh well, gubna. Off to da clink wif ya's.
BPA: 3.08
BONUS BEER! This one is a big fat joke called Fat Cat. This is one of Mike's favorite lagers and it comes in a cool orange can.
BPA: 2.15
BONUS BEER, PART II! This one is a teensy bit fancier. The Bruery Provisions Series Premiere is the name, and 10% is its game. It's classified as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, but it's advertised as a Belgian golden ale aged in bourbon barrels. After tasting it, the closest thing I've had to it is Odell Deconstruction, which is quite the compliment.
BPA: 3.78
FINAL BONUS BEER FANTASY! This is a legit bonus beer to say the least. Mike may have raised the bar to a nearly unattainable level by bringing Cigar City Hunahpu Imperial Stout. Standard darker-than-north-of-the-wall color with a slight head on top. The smell is fairly subdued- but it's normally tought to tell with these stouts. There is definite chocolate, some coffee, but the chilis may take the place of hops. It's hard to say. I can't tell if the bite comes from chilis, hops, or Chile. Santiago. A tasty beer indeed. But a 4.0? We'll find out after the break......
BPA: 4.0
Boom shaka la ka
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Forty Third Meeting
It's been almost a month since we've had beer club, but here we are at Tom B's house to celebrate the Lambic. We've only done this category once before and it looks like we have a pretty good lineup.
As tradition dictates, I present to us the first beer of the evening. We have Lindeman's Gueuze Cuvee Renee which is 5%. Oh boy, this is funky. It's full of Brett and has a little sour apple kick. Once again, things have gone off-topic early. This beer seems to be somewhat popular but I reckon we'll be able to tell by the BPA.
BPA: 3.17
Next up, Colin brings us wrapping paper + corked and caged. Happy Hannukah Marv. This is Liefman's Cuvee Brut, which is 6%. This one pours substantially darker than the last. It smells slightly of cherries. Thick and juicy mmmm.
BPA: 3.5
Third, Mike brings to us the most distributed lambic in the US. Lindeman's Framboise lambic is a raspberry lambic that comes in at a mighty 2.5%, which is pretty similar to O'Doul's. Shortly after Mike bought this at the Firkins, Alvey came up and said that other lambic breweries in Belgium make fun of this one for cutting corners. All I can say is this smells and tastes like Raspberry Smirnoff with less burn.
BPA: 3.1
Turnboise brings Chapeau Peche. This cool-lookin' bottle comes in at 3%, which is our first peach-flavored beer in the history of this club. It pours a cloudy golden color. Somewhat peachy nosefeel. Boise, this one is chock full of corn syrup. I taste sugar first, peach extract second, and then nothing. I've had Mike's Hard Lemonades that offered more complexity.
BPA: 2.38
Brent brings another beer from the Lindeman's family, which is their Kriek (cherry) lambic. This is pretty much like the rest of the lambics. One note- but pretty tasty.
BPA: 2.8
Derek brings Timmerman's Strawberry lambic. I actually can't taste that beer because it's strawberry. I'm allergic to it. Nosefeel: strawbs. Allergyfeel: swollen throat and tongue. On to the rating!
BPA: 2.22
Derek brought another Timmerman's, except this one is cherry. It tastes like Junior Juice. They don't seem like true lambics, but just bland ales with fruit extract.
BPA: 2.65
B-B-B-Bonus beer! We have a whole new brewery for the club. This is Epic Brewing Brainless on Cherries, which is a Belgian ale with peaches aged in oak, and 10.5% at that. It smells oaky, but judging by the way Mike is smacking his chops, it's chock-full-o-flavor. Derek characterized this as smokey/oaky, which is fairly accurate.
BPA: 2.88
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Forty Second Meeting
We're having our 42nd meeting outdoors at Colin's house this evening. It's a perfect night for outdoor beer club and we're sampling the somewhat obscure style of Kolsch. It's a German lager-like ale. Colin's children are hanging around the outskirts, mostly because they can't walk or crawl yet, but I'm guessing they're just hoping Sarah falls asleep and we give them a taste.
Firstly Colin brings to us Alaskan Summer Ale. I do believe that this is the first offering from Alaskan Brewery, which began distributing to our state this year. This ol' Kolschy boy comes in at 5.3%. It pours golden and smells slightly sour. It tastes pretty much like a lager... fairly bland and refreshing. Not a lot of flavors are jumping out at me.
BPA: 3.27
Derek brings to us Lake Superior Kayak Kolsch. This here brewery may be the most unrepresented local breweries in the WTBC. The ABV is a gigantic mystery. I find this beer more flavorful than the last. This is wildly off topic- we're talking about Game of Thrones.
BPA: 2.95
Auf drei, Herr Bequette bringt Ihr Reissdorf Kolsch. It's the top-rated Kolsch on BA, and comes in at... unknown. Beeradvocate is currently down. It's pretty hoppy for a kolsch. Reissdorf:Kolsch::Victory Prima Pils:Pilsner.
BPA: 3.07
Turnbull brings us InBev's finest: Goose Island Summer Ale. This one smells like the first two... but it's a bit thinner on the mouth. It's fairly tame and easy to drink. Not a lot of words surrounding this one.
BPA: 2.27
Michael James Lannister brings to us a beer spun from nothing less than gold. The rich color privileges us with its light; it's nosefeel entrances our underappreciative nos-trils. The smell is not too sour, not too malty, but just... so.
BPA: 2.93
Belfry brings to us our final standard beer of the evening. We have Flying Dog Tire Bite. It's alright I guess, but our conversation has shifted to other things. Colin just slurred like Michael saying "GITTT OVEEERRR HERRR Y?OU DAMN DAWG" before he strikes young Gabe. Colin said "Smituation."
BPA: 2.63
BOOOONUS BEEEER!!! Mr. McC comes through with a monster. Goose Island Big John Imperial Stout comes in at 11.5%. Shazaaam this stuff is the tops. Boozy and chocolatey are my two favorite beer-related adjectives.
BPA: 3.67
Last up: second bonus beer. Colin brings to us Goose Island Fleur. It smells like a standard sour. It basically tastes like a floral saison. Welp, let's rate.
BPA: 3.5
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Forty First Meeting
Beer Club 6/2/11
Derek’s House
Derek, Colin, Belfry, Tbull, Gabbo in attendance.
fitgers cherry wee heavy:
this one’s coming in at 10.3%. quite thin on the malt and quite boozy. tbull says we could use a little more malt, but it’s not bad. not very much cherry flavor. people are not that impressed with this fitger’s offering. also, this is not to style for the beer club night, so overall a very poor offering from our host.
BPA:
D:c C: c+ M: c- T: b- B: c+
Samuel Smith’s Raspberry fruit ale:
This ones coming in at 5.1% and tastes like raspberrys. peeps say this should be served 1 degree cooler. i say it is fine. nice, tart finish. good balance, not overwhelmingly sweet. discussion has moved back to fitgers and the wildfire beer. one of the most disgusting beers available behind cave creek.
M: b+ T: a- B: b+ D: b+ C b+
Cherish Raspberry Lambic:
5%. “nosefeel is good” gabbo. nice raspberry taste up front, followed by a crisp finish. mike thinks it finishes weak. at least a degree .5 cooler... maybe 2 ish and this would be delightful.
C: b G: b- T: b B: b+ D: b
Dark Horse raspberry ale:
any comments? “havent even tried it yet” colin. light on the raspberry taste, much more of a pale ale flavor. smells more of raspberry than tastes. “it does not live up to it’s smell” belfry. “i dont like this beer... statement. i think its better than the first POS beer”
T: b- B: b D: b- C: b- G: c+
Timmermans Framboise Lambic:
4.5%. nosefeel: tart. derek thinks it smells like poop. literally. no one else agrees. could possibly be a brown smell. tart vs fart. taste is tart and raspberry’y. losing focus. blogging is tough.
C: b M: b+ T: b- B: b D: b
great divide wild raspberry ale
5.6% still pretty ale’y. darkhorse was better. smells more tart than the darkhorse but it is so thin. color is very red, you would expect more of a raspberry flavor.
B: b D: c+ C: c+ M: b- T: b-
BONUS BEER!!!!!!!!! LOL LMAO ROTFLMAO
lake erie monster
holy guacamole this is a citrus bomb! dank smells up front of citrus hops. this is a quite tasty imperial IPA coming in at 9.2%. incredibly pale beer with a nice balance between citrus hops and malt. great beer overall.
D: a- C: a- M: a- T: a- B: a-
ALLL A-ssssss what what!! woop woop!!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Fortieth Meeting
We're here at Tom J's house for the 40th meeting of beer club and I'm joined by Lampe, Belfry, Colin, and Tom J, obviously. Lampe said we should have done 40s as the theme and I think that would have been a wonderful idea. The theme is wheat beers, so we have a selection of the various wheat styles.
First up- Tom J brings to us Ayinger Brau Weisse, which is a delicious German wheat beer that's 5.1%. LET ME HEAR YOU SAY THIS STUFF IS BANANAS, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Quite banana-y smelling and tasting. This is light and refreshing. I guess all you can say about it is that it's light, banana-y, and tasty. Banana split sandwich, Gwen Stefani, Citrus... those are all the words being thrown at me when I asked what people's impressions were.
BPA: 3.46
Lampe brings us yet another Trade Joe's original. This one is brewed by Steinhaus and is called Mission Street Hefeweizen. This one is 4.7% ABV. There's not a lot on the nose, and equally not as much going on the palette. It's just a pretty bland beer. There's just a little yeasty, wheaty kick, but that's about it. This is unanimously decided.
BPA: 2.06
Belfry brought 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer. Mouthful. This is classified as a Fruit/Vegetable beer and is 4.9%. Yikes, this sure smells like an African Ham(copyright Urban Dictionary)! I thought I'd had this before, but apparently not. This is watermelon first, wheat second. Pretty unique and I guess I could see myself drinking one on a hot summer day. Tom J left a wrapper on the salami. And that's not a sexual innuendo.
BPA: 2.82
Colin brang to us New Belgium Mothership Wit, which is a witbier rolling at 4.8%. It looks like a hef but it smells SPICY. Black pepper, and a nice wheat taste. The black pepper is quite notable. I believe I also detect some Belgian candi sugar. Pretty decent, but it's nothing that would knock one's socks off.
BPA: 2.82
Tom B brings New Belgium Lips of Faith Dunkel Weiss. It's basically a dark malty 9% wheat beer. The Lips of Faith series rarely goes wrong, so hopefully this is solid. It's quite smooth and a black pepper mamba, according to Colin. It's pretty peppery, smooth and light, but then ends with a sugary kick which is where the high ABV comes from.
BPA: 3.12
BOOOOONUS BEEEEER! Tonight Tom J, Colin, and I decided to bring bonus beers. Tom J is up first with his mystery beer. And it is.....
Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine, ABV 9%. It pours a dark, thick brown color and doesn't emit much odor. It's a pretty good barleywine, but the conversation has shifted wildly off topic.
BPA: 3.04
Next, I brought us a trade throw-in. I've had this a few times before and it's a solid Belgian Strong Pale Ale from my favorite brewery. Russian River Damnation comes in at 7.75%. It pours a cloudy gold color, and it tastes of candi sugar and hops.
BPA: 3.3 (Ed. Note- B+s all around!)
Last up is a rare, fine treat. This one can be obtained from Town Hall once or twice a year, and it's a pain in the ass to get. It's Town Hall Czar Jack, which is their imperial stout aged in Jack Daniels barrels. It's 9.3% and can be traded for just about anything on beeradvocate.com. This is just magical- boozy, bourbony, a little coffee bitter... fantastic.
BPA: 3.86
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Thirty Ninth Meeting
Here we are in Brent's dark, dank basement on the nicest day of the year so far. But, there's beer to be drank and it's up to us to rate it subjectively. I'm joined by Belfry, Brent, Turnbull, Mike, and Woodpond. The theme is Rogue beers. As in the brewery, not the outlaw.
First up, as tradition dictates, is Brent. He brings to us Rogue First Growth Creek Ale. I think it's just river water that comes in at 6%. It's dark and murky like the Mississippi, but tastes dark and fruity. It has a pretty muted, sour taste- not spicy like you'd think a dubbel would taste like.
BPA: 3.09
Next, Turnbull brings us Rogue Brutal Bitter, which is an American IPA at 5.8%. It pours a cloudy, golden color not atypical for the style. There's not a lot of nosefeel. The taste is really bitter- but BA only lists it at 59 IBU. It's just a very dry hoppy flavor that dominates without much malt to back it up. There isn't much beer talk going on; mostly just trying to piece together Saturday night's bachelor party.
BPA: 3.19
Colin brought Rogue Juniper Pale Ale, which is classified as an Herbed/Spiced beer, but is really just a pale ale spiced with juniper. It looks like an IPA like the last beer, but it's a little less hoppy than that. To be honest, I'm having a hard time picking out the juniper flavor. It's fine, but unremarkable.
BPA: 2.87
This next one is a Red Ale brought to us by Mike. We’re having some serious internet issues and talk about Saturday night. On to the bpa, I guess!
BPA: 3.23
Woodpond brings us Rogue’s Younger Special Bitter. I don’t have the internet, but I believe this is an English IPA. Dang, this is pretty tasty. It’s nice and balanced, with some citrus-y hops. Not exactly what I’d think of when I think of an English IPA.
BPA: 3.17
300!! 300th beer!! This is the 300th beer we’ve tried in beer club. Tom brings to us Rogue Hazelnut Brown Ale. It pours a brown color. Mmm smells hazelnutty. I enjoy this, especially as far as brown ales go.
BPA: 3.17
Therobot brings to us Rogue First Growth OREgasmic Ale. Eww, gross! This one is 6% and is an APA. It’s citrusy and skrunkly sandwich. Definitely my favorite beer of the night.
BPA: 3.42
B-B-B-Bonus beeeer! Next up we have Brent’s bonus offering which is capped and foiled! It’s Great Divide’s 16th Anniversary Ale, which is a Double IPA aged in oak barrels. It should right pack a punch, as any good bonus beer should. It’s darker and a little more clear than most pale ales. It smells hoppy and a bit citrusy, but ZING there’s a lot of oak. I would equate this to taking a shot of hops and then chasing it by licking oak bark.
BPA: 3.56
Monday, April 11, 2011
Thirty Eighth Meeting
Survivor Edition WTBC
By far the weakest culinary showing out of Brother Belfry. The group has shown no mercy for the fact that there isn’t even furniture in the house let alone food and an equipped kitchen.
Squatter's IPA- 6.5%. A slight error has resulted in this beer’s appearance tonight, I mistakenly grabbed this one instead of 2 Hop Rising’s. Light mildy hoppy very drinkable, not getting voted off the island thus far, Joseph Smith would be proud. Good balance of citrus hops for a more well rounded offering.
BPA: 3.09
Squatter's Hop Rising- 9%. Nice hop profile again, good citrus balance, again very drinkable , right now more interested in watching chicks fight on survivor. This one is the host’s desert island beer.
BPA: 3.09
Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company, Auroch's Horn- 10%. A braggot and and new MN brewery, a braggot for those of you that don’t know, is a historic ale which changes opacities over night. According to Joe it was clear last night and filled with sea monkeys this morning, they must have been spawning furiously. It should be noted that this is the only beer this brewery makes, eggs in one basket anyone? Very yeasty, and wild tasting. Light and fruity just the way Brent likes them (his quote). BTW will someone tell me what Auroch is?
BPA: 3.21
Baja-?%. Our first Central American offering. smells like Mexican beer night. This one is voted off the island. “You can put me on a bleach and I would drink that” – Michael
BPA: .76
Boulevard Chocolate Ale- 9.1%. Very chocolaty, could probably only finish this sample size. Others stated they could finish a larger sample. Color is surprising at dark amber, I think all of us were expecting something much darker. This one is coming in hot for Joe. One of the favorites so far tonight. Great dessert beer. Michael must have had a brain slur and confused dessert beer with desert island beer. Good none the less.
BPA: 2.86
Central Waters Illumination- 9%. Hop sandwich in my salad. Hop bomb. Very great IIPA, super great, very drinkable generally very well liked. IMHO not as well balanced as the hop rising, I may be biased.
BPA: 3.41
Stone Old Guardian Belgo Barleywine- 12%. Welcome to flavor country. Nice combination of Belgian yeast and caramel punches you in the face. Lots of heat, the poster is conflicted about the combination of Belgian yeast and sweet caramel of the barleywine. HOT HOT HOT. It’s a spicy meatball! Jury says if you were stuck on a desert island at least it would F*@# you up.
BPA: 2.86
Lagunitas Imperial Stout- 9.9%. Mouthfeel a little on the light side but we’re going to give this the benefit of the doubt considering its’ predecessor sample. A very boozy version of a stout. Thin not roasty, not chocolaty.
BPA: 3.04
Bonus! Three Floyd's Robert the Bruce- 6.15%. Michael has shown us a beautiful girl in this season of Survivor, we all admired her mammaries and then Michael told us she died of breast cancer. :(
BPA: 3.21
Bonus:
Chosen survivor style from my cellar, everyone picked something from the cellar and we’re voting them off the island the winner gets sampled.
Deliverance is voted the winner. You’ve got a perty mouth!
BPA: 3.71
Also pictured is a prototype Brewbicle, visit brewbicle.com or friend it on facebook
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thirty Seventh Meeting
We've got a nice gathering of folks for this 37th meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. We gather here at Joe's house for session ales. It's not necessarily a style, but we've narrowed it down to beers that are less than 5% ABV. Joe, Derek, Turnbull, Lampe, Mike, Colin, Brent, Woodpond, and I are here this evening.
First up, Joe has Victory Headwaters Pale Ale. This is technically an American Pale Ale. Joe started the night off by violating his own style rules and bringing a beer that's 5.1%. It's a pretty light smell- tastes and looks like a Pils. It's real light tasting... some hops, but thin. Most of the conversation is centered around recalling Firkin Fest right now.
BPA: 2.85
Next up, Derek brings us New Glarus Unplugged Apple Ale, which comes in at 4%. It's considered a Fruit beer, and if there's one thing NG is known for, it's fruit beers. It smells like a cinnamony, spicy cider. It pretty much tastes like an apple cider with a cinnamon kick at the end. That's about all I can write about this one.
BPA: 3.32
Turnbull brings us Fuller's London Pride, which is an English Pale Ale that boasts 4.7% alcohol. Described to us by Turnbull as a classic pub ale, this one pours a golden amber with small foam presence. This smells sweet and spicy- not what I expected. It certainly has a caramelly kick for a pale ale. Pretty good stuff.
BPA: 2.89
Next we have Warsteiner Premium Verum, brought to us by Lampe. This German Pilsener is 4.8%. I don't believe I've seen this one before. It smells sweet and Pils-y. It's malty and fairly bitter- a pretty flavorful lager.
BPA: 2.76
Our next beer is our first wheat of the night- Hoegaarden. Everyone's had this one before. It's surprisingly tasty for a macro-ish European beer. It pours a cloudy golden color. It's drinkable with a light wheaty, yeasty flavor with some lemon tartness.
BPA: 3.07
This week marks the first week Stone distributes to MN, and Colin brings to us Levitation Ale. It looks and smells like a red, but it's pretty bitter and lacks some malt. However, it's surprising that it's 4.4%. It starts off bitter but ends pretty light. Mixed reviews on this one.
BPA: 2.91
Brent brings us 21st Amendment Bitter American, which is an American Pale Ale. This has a nice balance between the hops and malts for a beer of 4.4%. It's pretty tasty and going down easy. Too bad this isn't the same price as Bud Light otherwise it would be my softball beer of choice.
BPA: 3.43
Goose Island 312 Wheat aka Budweiser 312 Wheat is next. This one smells of wheat, lemon, and yeast and that's exactly how it tastes. It's probably GI's top selling beer and one of the main reasons Anheuser Busch just bought Goose Island yesterday. It's a pretty drinkable, light wheat beer. It's considered an American Pale Wheat Ale.
BPA: 2.87
Bell Oarsman is up next. I've seen this around the liquor stores for some time and I've always enjoyed the picture on the bottle. It's classified as an American Pale Wheat Ale, but it's definitely more sour than that. It definitely tastes like a Berlinerweiss, because it's light and sour. Lemongrass notes are pretty even throughout the flavor.
BPA: 3.29
Last up is Deception by Fitgers. BONUS BEER!! This is an extreme derivation from tonight's theme. This is an Imperial Stout with Cherries and Lacto added, which gives it a sour taste. It's boozy, but pretty dang tasty. Derek brought us a growler down from Duluth.
BPA: 3.61
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thirty Sixth Meeting
Meeting #36! Here we are at Dan Turnbull's home for the latest installment of beer club. He's going from noob to brother right before our eyes. He chose a style we haven't done yet- Maibocks. It's just a little bit early so not all of the breweries have released their version yet, but we have enough to field a solid beer club.
First up we have a German version of this beer brought to you by Aktien-Braureri Kaufbeuren Heller Belli Bock! Abv = 6.9%. It pours a really clear, thin looking gold color. It has little to no head on it. It's thin and wet at the beginning but ends up with a sweetish, caramelly spicy kick. Some similar notes as an Oktoberfest.
BPA: 3.11
Secondly we have Smuttynose Maibock, which is described as A Robust Seasonal Lager. No duh, this thing comes in at 8.7% LOL! This one pours much cloudier than the last, but it smells the same. It's pretty strong tasting- here's an accurate formula. This beer:Last beer::Double IPA:IPA. We have just found out this is the highest rated beer of the night and second highest Maibock on BA. Let's rate
BPA: 3.28
Next up we have another German beer. The name of the brewery is too long to type but the beer is called Wohn's Heller Bock. This one is also surprisingly strong- 7.2%. This pours similar to the last German one- a little more clear than the American one. However, this is pretty smooth, yet it has a nice lager kick. So far all three beers have had very similar flavors. Tastes like May.
BPA: 2.76
Tom J brings us not a bonus beer, but bonus quantity! Somehow, somewhere he came upon a growler of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Which doesn't make a ton of sense, considering Maibocks are lagers. This one also pours a cloudier like the other American one. It smells sweet and scrumptious. This is quite an interesting tasting cup of liquid. This is definitely the hoppiest one we've had yet- but it's a smooth hoppy.
BPA: 3.13
Schell's Maifest is our next beer. This is the first American Maifest that looks like a German one. It smells spicy and sweet, as is the wont of the style. This one definitely has a big kick at the end and I can't tell if it's alcohol or hops or the sweetness of the malts. This is another sneaky 7.2%. Our first MN beer in quite a while, I think.
BPA: 2.99
We decided to switch up the order a bit so we can pit the two locals in a head to head matchup.... presenting Summit Maibock at 6.7%. This is another clear pour with a slight sticky head. Wow- this has quite a different smell than the last several. Malts malts malts, all I taste is malts. It tastes like crackers or bread- really malty with just a slight tinge of the Maibock taste we've seen with every previous offering.
BPA: 2.61
Capital Brewery's Maibock is up next @ 6.2%. 6.2%?? We haven't had anything this low in over a month. Another crispy, clear pour... perhaps it's not a continental thing, but rather a high alcohol trend. This is yet another malty, bready offering. Although, this one is a little smoother than the last.
BPA: 2.75
I believe this is our last Maibock of the night before BONUS BEER! We have Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock. It looks, pours, and smells the same as the original few. There is a nice malty presence with this guy. Well the beer club has become more involved with Tosh.0, once again, so let's move on.
BPA: 2.86
BONUS BEER TIME! Derek brings to us Green Flash Imperial IPA. Daddy, this one is 9.4%. It pours a slightly cloudy orange. Oh boy- that's pretty tasty. Citrus, tons of hops... good stuff. This beer is eliciting howls from the gallery. It's just a strong flavor- lots of hops, malts, and alcohol. Let's rate
BPA: 3.55.
Last beer of the night is another BONUS BEER. We have a beer that was literally released today. Odell Friek is a lambic with cherries added, then raspberries were added later in the process. It was later aged in Woodcut barrels for 2 years. It's pour looks like raspberry juice. It smells slightly tart- similar to Supplication. Wow this stuff is really really dank. To all the readers of this blog that aren't in the club (Dan Carroll), I would recommend buying or trading for this beer if you're into sours. It's not quite as sour as a standard sour, but it still has a brett kick that works with the tart cherries. I somewhat regret sharing this with the rest of beer club.
BPA: 3.8
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thirty Fifth Meeting
Here we are at Mike's house for the 35th meeting of beer club. Tonight we're tasting double IPAs for the second time. The first time was a drunken disaster. We'll see how this round goes with slightly less samples. We have a promising list of beers that we haven't had before, including our first beer from the American Southeast. There are merely 5 brothers here tonight: Mike, Tom B, Turnbull, Colin, and Belfry, but that has nary stopped us from having a good time! Bring forth the grog!
First we have a top-notch double IPA from a top-notch brewery. Three Floyd's Dreadnaught comes in at 9.5%. It pours a dark gold color that is surprisingly transparent. It smells of flowers and grapefruit. It has some nice bittering hops, but then... wouldn't you know, tropical fruits drop ordnance on my tongue! It's Turnbull's bday today, so there is no doubt about him catching a hot buzz.
BPA: 3.7
Next we have a beer nobody north of the Mason-Dixon has tried before. Olde Hickory Death By Hops. The beginning of the name screams "old," but the end screams "2012 is coming." Turnbull poses "should we drink this...?" This one comes from North Carolina at a mere 7%. It pours a pretty cloudy golden color. The label looks like it was printed out on one's personal computer. This one tastes hoppy, but it seems like it doesn't have a lot of malt to mix with it. Ehh.
BPA: 2.88
Third up is the first of Turnbull's offerings: Double Bubble which is 9.2% and comes at us from just over the border in River Falls. This one is more of a light golden color with a nice foam head. If that last one was overly hoppy, this one is overly malty. This is definitely pretty smooth, and at this ABV, this could be a steal of a deal if you're looking to catch a yeoman's buzz on a nice summer afternoon.
BPA: 3.06
Turnbull's second beer is Moylan's Moylander. There can be only one Moylander (which should be their slogan). 8.5%, I've been told. This one is fairly balanced and tasty. Yikes, on to the next already.
BPA: 2.94
Belfry's offering is Lagunitas Maximus. This one comes in at 8.2%. This one pours an extremely transparent color. It smells fruity and hoppy. This is a nice, balanced beer. It's smooth and the hops come on towards the end. It has a nice blend of fruit, malts, and hops. Belfry has terrible taste in beers! I had no idea.
BPA: 3.02
Next we have Port's 4th Anniversary Double IPA. This one comes in at an even 10%. We've reached double digits! It pours a cloudy golden color- which is what I expect ouf of this style. It smells really fruity with a hoppy nosekick sandwich. Boy, that is a mango taste. Almost as mango-y as Mango Mama. This one is going over with the gallery. Citrus bomb, hop backbone, with enough malts to make it bearable.
BPA: 3.76
Colin's beer is Southern Tier's Oak-Aged Unearthly. This one is going to bring a hop presence to our mouth holes. This one is 11%. Special note: we're doing this side-by-side with a regular Unearthly. An unprecedented experiment funded exclusively by the WTBC. Innovation happens here (TM). They pour a similar color. Time for smellz. The smell of the oak is pretty subdued and it tastes very smooth. Colin sez "I noob slurz." The oak aged version is definitely smoother, but both are delicious. Things are flying off topic. Let's rate!
BPA: 3.78
Note: Due to crappy internet connections, the last two reviews weren't saved and were lost forever in space and time. See below.
Troeg's Nugget Nectar
BPA: 3.46
Fantome Saison
BPA: 3.4
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Thirty Fourth Meeting
Inside this beer picture I've carefully hidden a cast member of Real World Las Vegas. Look closely. Can you find her??
Here we are at my house on Dubbel night. We haven't tried this delicious style yet and we're long overdue. Tonight, in attendence is Joe, Lampe, Brent, Derek, Belfry, Colin, and Tom B, with Casey and Bob here for moral support.
Colin's here. Let's get this party staaaaarted!!
First, we have St. Bernardus Prior 8. The Nard Dog generally brews a strong beer, but when I buy his craft I normally reach for the quad. This one rolls in at 8%. It pours a dark red/maroon color. It smells strongly of dark fruit- a similar smell to Bernardus quad. Adjectives being thrown at me, "earthy," "esters," "raspberry snuffy." I find this quite flavorul and its a lot sweeter and lighter than the quad. Quite good and I can't wait to see how this lines up against the others.
BPA: 3.31
Next we have an American offering. Goose Island has recently gotten into Belgian styles and they seem to be a lot better than their regular line. Colin brought Pere Jacques which is another 8%er. This one is a similar color but pours a lot lighter. It smells a little fruity but a lot hoppier than the last one. Joe said "OOOF, mouthfeel.com." Yes, definitely hoppy. Suspended sea monkeys! They're suspended in the liquid much like Project Alice. This is way different than the last one.
BPA: 3.13
Trappistes Rochefort 6 is our next beer. I'm really excited for it and I'm not sure if I've ever had it. It's a 7.5%er, which seems to be the norm for the style. This smells like more biscuits and triscuits than sweet candi sugar. Definitely full of malt and it ends with a kick of Belgian candi. There couldn't be three more beers of the same style that are more different.
BPA: 3.30
Derek brings to us Ommegang Abbey Ale. This one is 8.5% and garners an A+ rating from the Bros. This pours a darker maroon color. This one smells of intense fruit, a lot like the first one. It starts with the same fruits as the Bernardus, but then a really malty, roasty flavor kicks in. Another beer that tastes quite different, but still delicious.
BPA: 3.27
Lampe says corked and caged. He brings to us La Trappe dubble, which is by Koenigshoeven. 7%, this ale is. Boy it smells goooood. It probably pours the darkest and thickest of them all. It's basically a quad with less alcohol. Most people agree this is the best one of the night. Dark fruits and caramel is evident. Let's rate.
BPA: 3.53
Up next, we have Trappist Achel 8 Bruin. I don't know what most of that title means. Except for the 8, because this is 8%. This one has plenty of fruit, but is followed up by hops. This one is fruity, and SURPRISE!... Joe brought it.
BPA: 3.17
Last, Brent brings us Affligem Dubbel. 7%, yarrrr! Standard dark maroon, caramelly, dark fruity. This might be the average of all the flavors. I think people are more interested in Tosh.0 than the beers at hand. Whoa I'm pumped for the bonus beer.
BPA: 3.04
Last! Bonus beer! And it's a good'un. We have Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout. It's coming in at ???? This is one beer that doesn't advertise its ABV. It smells mostly of coffee and chocolate. Where's the cherry? Only time will tell. Oh boy, that's tasty. There's bourbon, chocolate, coffee, and finally cherry. Time for the puppy bowl!!!
BPA: 3.23
That was an extremely tasty beer club, where almost every beer fell within a small range.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Thirty Third Meeting (1 Year Anniversary)
Tonight's meeting is marked by a momentous occasion- tomorrow night is the Wild Turkey Beer Club's 1 year anniversary. We have the most spectacular selection of beers seen in a beer club and one that would rival even the most prestigious beer event. We have several of the toughest-to-get and most highly regarded beers of their style. The meeting includes everyone to have participated in beer club- all 11 of us- which is a record.
We're going in a slightly different order tonight. We want to keep similar styles together, so we're starting off with sours and lighter beers and ending with the imperial stouts.
First up, Tom B brought Deschutes The Dissident. This Flanders Oud Bruin is 10.5% alcohol. There are cherries and a certain sour kick at the end, but it won't make you pucker. You can taste the alcohol in this one as well, which is unusual for the style. Tasty for sure, although it's not my favorite sour. It is a little too much for a style that is known for subtlety.
BPA: 3.31
Batting second is Joe's beer, Westmalle Tripel. This one is #58 on BA and comes in at 9.5%. This might be one of the lighter beers of the evening. It pours a cloudy golden color and smells of candi sugars and black pepper. There is definitely a bite to this one. Not the smoothest tripel but a solid beer.
BPA: 3.23
Next, Tom J brings us Chimay Blue, which is a delicious Belgian Strong Dark Ale. This one is brewed at a monastery in Belgium by religious guys. 9%! This one is the lightest yet. It's a dark maroon color and smells of gingerbread and plums. Gingerbread salad. Joe says "Mark me down for an A." Too bad he's rating out of turn! Hehe : ) Mmmmmboy, that's refreshment.
BPA: 3.71
Mike obtained the next beer in a trade. Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter is its full name and it comes in at 10.5%. I was probably most excited for this and Parabola when I saw the beer list for tonight. it pours a jet black with a brown head. Coffee smell (TOM J F!!! TOM J F!!!). It tastes like a coffee... vanilla... porter. Boy, that's a taster, alright. I'm not normally a big porter guy but that's the tops.
BPA: 3.61
Turnbull brings us Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. I remember drinking this with my fake ID at Old Chicago in Uptown a smooth decade ago. This comes in at a standard English Stout level of 5%. It's jet black but relatively light on the tongue. It's slightly sweet and easy to drink.
BPA: 3.05
Derek procured a Surly 4, their 4th anniversary ale. Obviously this has been aged for about a year because their 5th anniversary is going on right now. It's known as a Milk Stout which is 10% booze. Derek seems to be having trouble with the wax. It pours another dark black color and smells a little coffee-y. Woodpond thinks it tastes like a good cup o Joe. What say you?
BPA: 3.07
Wild card Woodpond was a last minute addition to the meeting. He brings to us New Holland Night Tripper Imperial Stout, which I may or may not think is a nod to Girl Talk. This one is a 10.8% Imperial Stout that I nary have seen before. This is a hoppy stout, that's for sure. Not dissimilar to Victory Storm King. It's not quite as smooth so the booze is evident. Let's get this meeting moving...
BPA: 2.65
Belfry brings us Firestone Walker. This one comes in a box, yo. It's packaged similar to a scotch and approaches its ABV. 13% boyeeeee. I've been waiting to try this one forever. Mike thinks this one is a pair 'o' bolas. Oh boy, this one smells delicious. Smells of molasses, chocolate, and burnt hot dog salad sandwiches. A pretty serious Imperial Stout experience. You're a serious goofball if you ain't think this an A.
BPA: 3.73
Colin was kind enough to donate to us a Surly Darkness. This is one delicious stout that comes in at 10.3%. I think there is some serious beer degrading going on here. We have so many delicious beers tonight that it's hard for "some people" to give all A's, although if we brought the worst beer of the night to Mexican night it would be an easy A. Well, this Darkness has more noticeable chocolate and hops than the last, but I don't like it quite as much.
BPA: 3.76
Next in the ultimate Imperial Stout showdown is The Abyss, by Deschutes. This one is 11%. Brent brought us this delicious treat and I think he just slammed his glass. I'm pretty sure everyone is feeling the healthy buzz provided by all these beers. Obviously side topics are reigning.
BPA: 3.55
Lastly, we have Lampe's Mirror Mirror Barleywine. Always a good option, this one comes in at 11%. This is a solid barleywine- spicy and... barleyish? I always find it difficult to describe a barleywine, like a strong ale. Either way, it's tasty. We're now talking about shirt matches and the boo box.
BPA: 3.63
SUPPLIES BEER!! Colin's taking a page from Lampe's book and bringing an extra surprise beer. We have Deschutes Black Butte XXI, which is an American Porter at 11%. A dark black, but this one is much roastier than the Ballast Point one. It has a thinner mouth and tastes much more like a standard porter.
BPA: 3.29
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thirty Second Meeting
Tonight we are here to celebrate the baptism of Lampe into official brotherhood. He's on top of hosting duties for the first time and the theme is canned beers. Tonight, Lampe will be joined by Derek, Mike, Colin, Brent, and I.
First up, Lampe brings to us Tallgrass Oasis. A beer I've never tried from a brewery I've never tried. This guy is a double IPA coming in at 7.2% ABV. This pours a darker amber color than most double IPAs and there is a definitely sea monkey presence. It smells bitter and citrusy, but it has a pretty thin mouthfeel. There are some bitter hops in the beginning, but they kind of dissipate.
BPA: 2.57
Next up is an old familiar face- Surly Coffee Bender. We've all had this several times and its a taste festival. It's classified as an American Brown Ale, but there's an obvious coffee kick. The beer we just tried was a bit cold, so it dulled the flavor a bit, but we all know what this tastes like. Let's rate...
BPA: 3.15
Derek brings us Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale. This one comes from Denver by way of Hudson, Wisconsin. Wow, new record for noob slur! Mike just misconjugated a really easy verb. Let's not Dale's Pale Ale with Casey's roommate Dale. This beer does not DVR the O'Reilly Factor and watch it, standing up, with the volume turned all the way up. This stuff is just a standard, tasty pale ale. Standard hazy orange color, nice medium mouthfeel, and a good balance.
BPA: 3.57
Next we have Surly CynicAle. This is sort of a cross between a Belgian Golden Ale and a Saison. It pours a relatively clear golden color and smells of candi sugar. It's just a perfect blend of candi sugar and smoooooooth aaaaale flavorrrrr. Hide your kids, hide yo wife, it's time to rate.
BPA: 3.27
Up next, we have HOLY CRAP DEREK JUST BROKE ONE OF KELLY LAMPE'S CHAIRS! BAAAAHAHAHAHA! On to da next... Mike brings us Young's Double Chocolate Stout. It's a tallboy can, much like Guinness. It also tastes similar to Guinness... quite roasty and smooth, but not boozy or too flavorful. I definitely think the chocolate goes a long way.
BPA: 2.95
See Derek, this is why we can't have nice things
Lastly we have 21st Amendment Back in Black IPA. Black IPAs are the trendy new thing amongst brewers- even newer and trendier than sours. If you want to impress your beer geek friends at the Bryant Lake Bowl, make sure you say you went to an underground beer festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that featured strictly East coast Black IPAs. This beer pours... SUPPLIES!.. a dark, almost black color. It smells and tastes hoppy, even fruity. Let's end this session.
BPA: 3.07
Surprise last beer! We have Panil Barriquee Riserva which is a Flanders Red Ale from Italy. How bizaaa! It looks and smells like a standard Flanders Red, but there is a definite Brett kick on the tongue. A delicious surprise, it is.
BPA: 3.57
We're approaching our 1 year anniversary, although we're not sure what we're doing for it. Stay tuned, all 6 non-member readers!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thirty First Meeting
We're at Derek's house for our 31st meeting with a grab bag of beers. There are some interesting options tonight that can't be obtained in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul/Golden Valley metroplex. Let us begin.
First up, we have a brand new style unseen in this beer club. Dogfish Head's Theobroma is a Chile beer. A chile beer that comes in at 9%. It pours pretty transparent, but it has a lot of flavor. It's relatively flat but has a full mouthfeel. Sweet, with a slight chili pepper taste at the end. I guess it's pretty good. The cocoa powder is the most notable flavor in this thing. PS- we're drinking out of Northwest Airlines cups served in an NWA tray.
BPA: 2.89
Nextly we have Avery The Czar. This is a repeat offender, but we haven't had the newest vintage. This is a hoppy imperial stout. Let's see how this rates compared to the last time we had it.
BPA: 3
Third up is Dogfish Head Bitches Brew. This is a much-coveted Imperial Stout that nobody here has tasted yet. This is another 9 percenter. Belfry is reading the story on the bottle, yet people keep interrupting. This pours like a standard RIS. It has a little bitter chocolate taste in it, as well as a little coffee. It has a slightly thinner mouthfeel than most of the big RIS's that we've tasted. A pretty smooth, well-rounded beer.
BPA: 3.56
Batting fourth is Half Acre Big Hugs. That sure is a silly name for an imperial stout! This one is 9.5%. It sounds like the theme is catch-a-buzz night. The picture on the bottle tittilates me. Oh boy, THAT'S-A COFFEE MEAT-A-BALL!! There's a lot of coffee and a little bitter chocolate. Let's rate.
BPA: 3.09
Next up is Bell's Double Cream Stout. It's milky millky riiiiiiiiiight. This one is an American Stout, which comes in at 6.1%. The cream refers to the mouthfeel, not the ingredients. That's what BA says, folks, and I'm sticking to it. It's way less flavorful than the previous stouts we've had.
BPA: 2.93
Mike brought a beer that I've never heard of from a brewery I've never seen before, yet it pours a beutiful orange. It's Gandhi Bot DIPA from New England Brewing Co! C Everett Koop, that's hoppy smelling! It's a bitter ale, that's for sho. Not a lot of citrus hops, though.
BPA: 3.4
Brent brings to us Lagunitas Sumpin' Wild. This is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale that comes in 8.8%. Tastes a little bit like Cynic. A very tasty Belgian Ale, indeed.
BPA: 3.54
Last up, we have Lampe's signature beer. It's Trader Joe's Vintage 2010 Ale, which they release around Christmas. Meeeeeerry Christmas, WTBC! This stuff tastes like cinnamon. It's a dark plum color. I'm running out of words to write about things. There are far too many distractions- Mount K2 debates, banjos, Gophers basketball, and Jimmer Fredette. Let's rate this before we have to pull out sleeping bags.
BPA: 3.05
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