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