Initial impressions were strong on the rum. After a bit, it becomes a standard, if a bit young tasting, brown ale. The hazelnut is barely noticeable on the back end. The rum barrel aging definitely dominates. Viscosity is a bit high to be comfortable in a brown ale and not very well carbed. Not very sweet. Disappointing now, but maybe it'll get better with age.
I had a few coffee recently that I haven't bothered posting for various reasons. At this point, I've more or less switched to Community Coffee from Amazon which is most excellent. The beans are the freshest I've had aside from Boca Java, though it only really applies to the standard dark roast. The French was a little dry, and the Kenya was very old. I did have a bag of Peet's that was reasonably good but too pricey for regular consumption.
I saw a good Amazon deal for Eight O'clock Bokar which I had never seen before. As always, I am a sucker for limited availability and novelty.
First hit is the multigrain sweetness like the original flavor. Mild jack, pepperjack taste. A mild hint of heat. A lot of potential but very underwhelming.
A nice doppelbock from Troegs, 8.2%ABV. Malty, caramel, proportionally heavier body. Mild hop bitter on the backend, caramel gets a little burnt. Slick mouthfeel. Maybe a little hot. I forget the price point on it, but I'd rather go for a Celebrator.
Compared to Optimator, it's definitely heavier and a different expression for the style. I remember not caring much for Optimator as I found it watery and a little lacking in flavor. So this more robust, but maybe too heavy for the style.
2008, Morris Fay vineyard. Can't find anything distinctive to say. Rich, jammy, tannin-y just enough. A solid cab.
A blend of 7 Jewbelation recipes and aged in Sazerac Rye barrels. Thick, creamy head, dark, opaque pour. Super malty, grape, wine, prune, raisin, oak, a touch of spiciness from the rye. Finishes with a touch of bitter and heat. Gets heady pretty quickly. Full, smooth body.
T&M had a take over last year with Victory which was great. First, getting to see a full bar of Victory handles is awesome. Two, there is an accompanying pig roast which sold out on me. Three, beer blends. I managed to copy down/remember a few of them which I actually haven't gotten around to trying. I wasn't able to enjoy it fully last year since I had some work things going on but this year's takeover had very nice timing.
Disappointed there were no blends available, but there was a three-year vertical of Bigfoot Barley Wine which was cool. And I did get the pig roast which was great. I managed to hit everything on my TODO list except for the Ghidora IPA so all in all, it was a win.
'09,'10,'11 Bigfoot Vertical: Naturally, a big beer like a barley wine ages well and starts to take on very distinctive flavor profiles. Expectedly, the '09 showed a bigger malt profile, lots of sweetness without being stick. I did start to pick up on some heat, which was unfortunate for being slightly young as far as aging goes, and some leather. The '10 has a better hop presence, lighter on the palate, and ultimately smoother I enjoyed my first encounter with Bigfoot but this was decidedly more mature and definitely tasty. The '11 is obviously young, floral, fruity, lightest, slickest, and mildest of the three. Of the three, I like '10 the best.
Jack & Ken's Black Barley Wine: Goddamnit. I hate all this black shit, not racist. Cascadian ale/Black IPA rage. Stout-like, lots of cola, black malt, bitter finish, no hop But mostly stout-like. This is a barley wine, right?
Sn & DHF Wood-aged Life & Limb: Asked for the regular, but they brought be the wood-aged instead. Porter-like. Oak and cedar, prunes, coffee, blended scotch tones. Low carb, light but coherent body. Chocolate and heat in the nose.
Vice: Local collaboration with SN. Read on BA that this was the spicier version of the two local collaborations (Versa). Somewhat pilsner-like, rather effervescent. A bit tannin-y and drying.
Grand Cru: Super malty up front, mellows quickly. Overall, very fleeting, melon, mild biscuit, clean finish, but a little frothy.
RIS: Comparable to Rasputin but a little spongier. Nothing out of character though a bit foamy on the finish. I think not as bitter as Rasputin, but a good candidate for a RIS tasting.
Here is passed-out baby that I saw.
Here is the roast dinner. Sides were an apple slaw, cornbread, soggy bok choy, and a pasta salad. The pig was good, but I've had better sauces.
Nice red amber, translucent pour. Mild, super fine head. Modest malt gives way to raisins, almost like prunes. At 10.6%ABV, it covers pretty well but is otherwise uninteresting. Lingering aftertaste, something like burnt creme and caramel. Meh.
Light gold copper color. First pour had a thin head, so I gave the second a bit more vigor. Fine , creamy head, adds a little lacing. Mild aroma, but a deeper whiff will reveal some heat. Body is nicely silky with legs, not overly heavy given the 8%ABV. Some sweetness and toffee tones. A flavorful bitterness but not overpowering or astringent, even though it's rated for 102IBU. A real easy drinker.
I've had Green Flash on tap a few times and really enjoyed it, so I figured I'd pick up a bottle to try more seriously. Pour is an orange copper. Some sediment. Rich, fluffy head, achieves some nice lacing. Rated at 7.3%ABV so a little higher than a standard IPA but not quite imperial in my book. 95 IBU which is great. Lots of hop biter, citrus, strong lingering finish that's not overly bitter. Clean on the palate. Classic west coast-style IPA. Mouthfeel is light-medium, lower viscosity than other IPAs that try to bring this much alcohol to the table. Overall, drinkability is quite good, can easily see it going with spicy Indian food or some strong cheese, as well as sitting around on its own. Potentially a dangerous beer. I dig enough that I would put it into my regular rotation.
Orange copper pour. Modest, fine head. Nice, hoppy aroma. Taste is interesting, an even bitterness with a continuous caramel, roasted taste. A little on the sewet side, especially on the finish. With a name like Maximus, I would have expected a stronger hop presence. Enjoyable but a little disappointing.
I generally don't care much for ambers, but I've stated on several occasions that Troegs makes a grat amber that I enjoy. I picked up this one since I had a gift cert and a lot of session beer on hand and wanted to try some new stuff. Pours clear, reddish brown color. Classic, lightly malted amber taste, gentle hop bittering with a lot of fruit notes, mostly melon, finishing with a lingering but easy-going hop bitter. Low carbonation makes it a smooth drinker, but I'd like a little more carb to try to cut through the body a bit more. The imperial body is a little too thick for an amber, I think. I could sit a drink a couple of these, but I think I'd get full after that.
I actually found a bottle at happy hour and had a taste there. The rye was clear and crisp, almost spicy a la a witbier. A little foamy, mouthfeel was too creamy. Mixed feelings.
Poured this bottle into a straight-walled glass. Clear brown with a nice glow. Thin, dense head that breaks down quickly. This one is much milder up front but has a lingering rye bite on the finish. I keep wanting to say malty but it's really not unusually so. Don't detect as much of the other spiciness. Overall, not bad. Reminds me of a GI Mild Winter crossed with a Newcastle.
Very fresh, green, grassy hope smell after being poured. Good head retention. Medium body, clean finish, not sticky or resiny. Could have used more bittering but the nose is really great. I would actually like to try it again since I wasn't taking notes immediately. Felt rather mild and approachable for being an imperial IPA.
Blended some recipes from Kevin and Elise. Nothing surprising. It was pretty tasty.
Hadn't seen this one around in stores but I got to try it at the brewery tour. I tasted a few others that aren't readily available to me, but I stuck with this one for most of the tasting period and picked up a growler to go. I didn't get the matching BPA glass (this time [(but got two others instead]) because I thought the lettering was too retro-looking and wasn't terribly unique.
Pours a clear, vibrant amber.A little flat coming out of the growler, but I know that the head and retention is good. Slightly maltier than a pale ale, on par with hoppiness for an IPA. Nice spice twist with the Belgian yeast. Pleasant, resiny pine aroma. Crisp hop bitter, tones of wet grass in high heat. Medium body, good carb, clean finish. Solid enough to be enjoyed, light enough to have a few and not feel too heavy. A very classic BPA. Compared to Flying Dog's BIPA, it's a little less spicy. Tough call between the two.
Went to Boston for the weekend to hit up Pax East with a friend. Naturally, we hit up some of the local beer scene (though we missed out on EBF and Night of the Barrels) naturally. Had some seafood at Summer Shack where I've been before. Had Pizza at Reginas. Hit up the Sam Adams tour in the morning rain. This tour guide was not as funny as Kale and found out many of the jokes are scripted. Bummer. Still got to try a new beer in the tasting, a Maplewood Porter. There was a tap in the middle that didn't look familiar but I forgot to check it on the way out.
I know I respected the Cherry Wheat as being the least terrible of fruit beer and the chocolate bock was tame in comparison to the other chocolate beers I've had, but this blend was pretty fantastic. Both beers showcase very well, and the effect is very akin to a chocolate-covered cherry. Spot on. Bummed that the winter seasonal pack is out of production and can't get the Chocolate Bock until next season.
CBC Banryu Ichi - OG 1.124, FG 1.009, 15%ABV. A rice-based beer in that it's essentially a sake blend. Dark, reddish amber, low carb, baked bread nose, sake finish, viscous but not sticky, expanding in the mouth, mild toast brown ale, too much sake. Overall, interesting but a definite miss.
CBC Project Venus - OG 1.082, FG 1.013, 9%ABV, supposed to be a dubbel, collaboration amongst lady-brewers from CBC, Stone, and Victory, malty, chewy, low carb, semi-translucent brown, no head or lacing, less intense version of a DHF Raison d'etre, served well with a tomato-based seafood soup. A miss for the style but a nice pairing with my meal.
CBC Spring Training IPA - OG 1.058, FG 1.010, 6%ABV. muted wet grass, blunted, dull, no head, no lacing, orange amber color, cool grassy finish, not as much hop as I would expected or liked, Ahtanum & Palisade hops, barley and wheat malt. An interesting miss.
CBC Resolution #9 - Had just a sample. OG 1.0754, FG 1.008, 8.8%ABV. Barrel-aged Sour Brown Ale. Sour to the point of vinegar, like Worcestershire without the salt. Always have to try a sour when I see one. Never a convert.
CBC Bannatyne's Scotch Ale - OG 1.085, FG 1.015, 9.2%ABV. dark brown-red, almost porter-like. Taste is really malty, more like stout, but less toast bitter and more hops. Sweet, continuous. Viscous mouthfeel. Too much molasses taste, toffee, caramel, treacle. Fuggle cold-conditioned. One of the tastier scotch beers I've had but still not a fan.
Tour at the Harpoon brewery was cool, unlimited tastings in a fixed time. Lots of great stuff on tap. I hit up Oyster Creek since that was long-aging keg. It loses some of its character, I think. Also hit the Belgian Pale Ale which was great and I drank mostly that; BPA is becoming one of my favorite styles. Most of the others were nothing special. The line of UFOs were on tap but not interested in those really. The raspberry UFO is red though. Hit the Munich Dark since I had never seen that in stores. Tasty, filling brew, as expected. Much new respect for Harpoon.
Thick, creamy head. Darker golden straw colored, clove in the nose, refreshing. Good carbonation, milder spice profile than Heogaarden which makes it more drinkable. Only 7.5%ABV. Rich and satisfying without being filling. Easily a contender for my top tripel.
Dense, creamy head. Earthy, coffee notes in the nose. Taste is a solid, drinkable stout, maybe less bitter and chewy than the Extra Stout. Smooth mouthfeel, toffee finish. Superbly drinkable with board food in cooler weather.
Tasting on its own, a pretty excellent standard stout. This is exactly what a stout should be. I would like to try it next to a Rasputin Imperial stout. Tasting with Guinness Extra Stout pending.
Addendum: Had it side by side with an Extra Stout recently. Foreign is actually more bitter, but more flavorful, picked up on a lot of coffee this time. I prefer it over Extra Stout, but Extra Stout is probably more appropriate for cooking purposes.
