Review #14 Green Flash Brewing Co.: Barleywine

Barleywine.  Whenever I drink one it transports me to one of two places.  The first is being 18 years old (hey kids, don't drink until you are 21) and drinking my first '96 Samuel Adam's Triple Bock.  The second and most prominent is the same stool I have occupied right beside Katie at the Toronado's Barleywine Fest during SF Beer Week for the past four years.  Great memories, great beers.  If I see a Barleywine when I am out, I will almost always order it first thing, usually to the astonishment of the waiter, bartender, and patrons.  "Starting with the hard stuff, eh?"  Yes, but I am starting with great memories, and a beer that takes a great deal to make well.  

This lovely bottle was everything I wanted it to be.  The pour was reddish copper, with a creamy head that explodes with aromas of toffee, herbs, hops, pine, mango and pineapple, malt, and a slight hint of vanilla.  The mouth feel is syrupy, and lightly carbonated.  It drinks very balanced between the hop resins, intensely sweetened malts, caramel, and the slight alcohol burn. 

Yo son, is this the bombdiggity?:   At $6.99 in NYC, this is absolutely, 100%, beyond a doubt, star-studded, sloth eating a tasty leaf (?) joy!  Short on money, but want something complex that will get your buzz on?  Train soda or economic pre-game beer?  Blah, blah, blah.  It is not the best barleywine out there, but for the price; it's the right barleywine for you.  And me.

TNP. Tactical Nuclear Pigeon #1: Lagunitas Imperial Stout

By now most everyone who even drinks craft beer occasionally has heard of Brew Dog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin, and Sink the Bismark.  These beers are ice bocks, a process of distillation, not fermentation which is technically illegal in the U.S.  I won't bore you with semantics, just google it; there is plenty to read.  The gist is: water freezes at  32 degrees Farenheit, and ethanol (the stuff that gets you drunk) freezes at -173 degrees.  By freezing the water in a beer, you can remove it and have a higher alcohol product left over.  Pretty sweet eh?  This process is not illegal anywhere else, and even though it is illegal to produce an ice bock in the U.S., it is perfectly legal to import one for sale.  I know, go figure.

This production method is pretty labor intensive for breweries who usually need to transport the beer to big freezers at places like ice cream factories (like Brew Dog does) multiple times between removing the frozen water.  This fact, consumer demand, and shipping can drive prices through the roof.  It will cost you about $90 to get a bottle of the penguin delivered to your door here in the States.  Not to mention, it's not always available and you might have to wait.  I am impatient, and I don't normally want to spend $90 on one beer, so I got really bummed for a while until I remembered something:

I HAVE A FREEZER AND ACCESS TO TONS OF GREAT BEERS!

So I decided that once a week, I will take one of my favorite strong beers, freeze it, strain it, drink it, and then let you know what I think.  I will call it Tactical Nuclear Pigeon, because I will never have enough money to see a penguin in its natural habitat, but seeing pigeons is pretty much free.

Enough P.S. on to the beer.  First up:

Lagunitas Imperial Stout.  I chose this beer because it is delicious on its own, and it's only $4.99 for a bomber here in NYC.  It still weighs in with an original 9.6% ABV, which I planned to increase dramatically. 

My original plan was to freeze it in the bottle with the cap off, but then I realized it would overflow or explode, so I opted for a large plastic container.  I covered it loosely with the lid, and let it go in the freezer for 24 hours. 

What I got was three ounces of a very strong, concentrated version of the original beer.  A little more oily in mouthfeel, and with about 25% of the alcohol burn I expected.  It still retained all of the delicious molasses, caramel, and maltiness of the original brew.  Plus, it got me kinda tipsy, even though I was nursing it.

I realized a few mistakes from this original experiment, which I will correct next week to get an even better yield, but suffice to say: the pigeon is in the house, and here to stay! 

Review # 13 Eel River Brewing Company: Triple Exultation

Hey!  It's another Old Ale!  This one is Certified Organic to boot!  The folks at Eel River have won a number of awards for this fine beer, so when better to review it than right after Founder's Curmudgeon?

I really dig this beer and have bought on many occasions.  It pours a hazy amber color with a cream colored head that lasts a good while.  The nose of this beer is mostly what you would expect from an Old Ale, prunes or raisins, molasses, and malt.  But wait, whats that?  Are those hops I smell?  Yessir they certainly are.  Unlike most Old Ales the nice folks at Eel River have jacked up the IBU's in this guy to 100, adding some nice, although faint citrus aromas.

It has a very malty start with a sweet hop finish, notes of wood, tobacco,  molasses, caramel, and the above mentioned fruits.  The first few sips will create a slight alcohol tingle, as this bad boy clocks in at 9.7% ABV, but it diminishes quickly as the rest of the flavors do the talking.

What do I do?:  Drink it, silly!  If you are a fan of Old Ales, IPAs, or a tasty cheap buzz, this should be high up on your list.  It is widely distributed so there shouldn't be much trouble finding it at one of the quality craft beer stores in your hood.

Review # 12 Founder's Brewery: Curmudgeon Old Ale

When new stuff from Founder's comes into work I get pretty excited.  We have been lucky to get our hands on most of the seasonals this year, and none of them have been a disappointment.  In fact, living here in New York, I have been able to try about a dozen of their offerings on taps and in bottles around the area and I can honestly say that they do not make a bad beer.  Going a little further than that, I feel that every beer I have tried of theirs is at or near the top of its category. 

Founder's wants you to think of olde thyme fishing ports, old fisherman, and the pubs they frequented when drinking this beer.  I will tell you what, if this is the beer of fishermen, sign me up for a job!

This Old Ale pours a wonderful amber color with a very tiny head.  The nose is malty with notes of molasses, butterscotch, raisins or prunes, and a hint of vanilla.  It is easy to drink despite its alcohol content (9.8% ABV) with a smooth, soft mouth feel.  The malt and molasses continues in tasting, and just when you might think it's too sweet, there is a nice mild hop kick (50 IBU's) that balances out the sweetness perfectly.  There is a slight flavor of the oak aging present in the finish right before you taste just a little bit of the alcohol on the back of your tongue.  A wonderful drinking experience. 

OK, really fan boy? :  Yes, really.  Easily one of the best Old Ales I have ever had.  If you like Old Ales, Strong Ales, or Barleywine, you are going to love this brew.  If you don't, I would still give anything with a Founder's label on it a try if you come across it.

Review # 11 Samuel Adams: Summer Ale

I will start by saying this:  I am not a Sam Adams hater.  There is a lot of talk about Sammy being the biggest craft brewery and getting too big for their britches.  So what?  They have delivered decent beers to America as a small company for years, and have been successful in doing so.  If they make two million and one barrels, should they have to lose their "craft beer" label.  Not in my opinion.  As long as they still produce the same beer with the same quality ingredients, what is the problem with a business growing and appealing to more people, especially as the craft beer movement keeps gaining strength?  Samuel Adam's has always made a consistent product, that appeals to people across all markets, and in turn introduces many people to craft beer who would normally not drink it.  Not to mention the fact that their successful year-round brews and seasonal beers allow them to make things like Utopia, Triple Bock, and sponsor a home brewer contest where winners get to have their beers produced by Sam and distributed to the entire country.  Not so evil, eh?

So what are you trying to say Kenny?:  I don't like this beer.  It lacks character, body, and flavor.  While this does make it surprisingly easy to drink, it does no justice for the price tag.  I might call it the Miller Lite of Summer beers.   Yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up.

Review#10 Lagunitas: Wilco Tango Foxtrot

I am going to say something here that I have probably said 100 times at work in the last three months:  This is my favorite limited/seasonal release of this year so far.  There are many close seconds, but each time I grab one of these I remind myself of just how much I love this beer.

For me, this beer achieves the perfect balance between hops and malt, which is kind of unusual for the folks at Lagunitas.  It pours brownish red, with a white head that disappears very quickly.  There are hints of sweet malt, toffee, caramel, some hops, yeast, raisins and berries in the nose.  Most of these take a back seat in the taste when the malt kicks in with a hint of sweetness and the hops come around every now and again to give your taste buds a little wallop.  It finishes a little dry with just the slightest bit of bitters, and makes you want another swig.

Just thinking about it makes me want one right now.

It's not a lightweight either, as its 7.83% ABV will attest too.  And priced between $4-5 for a 22 oz. bottle, its also not a drain on your wallet.

So do you really like this beer?:  Hell yes I do!  I would recommend this beer to anyone, even if you are new to craft beer, or have never had one, this could be a great starting point.  I would just like to know one thing from Lagunitas; Why The Fuck isn't this available year round?  I guess I will just have to stock up, or just wait until October when my other Lagunitas favorite, Brown Shugga' becomes available.

Review #9 Captain Lawrence: Smoke from the Oak batch #4

I didn't get to make it to the release for this beer a few weeks ago, but luckily my buddy and fellow beer lover @paul_mar hooked me up with a couple of bottles.

This is the fourth batch of Smoke from the Oak, a smoked porter that was aged in wine barrels.  The three previous releases were done in rum, apple brandy, and port barrels.  The next one in line is currently being aged in bourbon barrels.  Get pumped!

The white label on the bottle reads:
Highly Carbonated
Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving

What it should have said:
Grab a fucking tarp and a mop, its gon' rain!

All joking aside.  Open this in the sink, or maybe the bath tub.  Once the geyser is done erupting you are left with one hell of an awesome beer.  It is very deep brown in color, almost like a cola, and smells sour, fruity, vinous (thanks thesaurus.com), and malty.  The flavors of roasted malt, sour fruit, and wine permeate through the beer.  There is a definite acidity present, along with a little vanilla, a little smoke, and call me crazy; but I detected some chocolate in there too.  This beer is awesome.  Everyone who tried it with me seemed to agree as well.

What it is, yo?:  I don't think you can get this anymore, so I can't really say "GO GET IT!" like I would want to.  What I can say is that if you are in the NYC area for one of the upcoming Smoke from the Oak releases at Captain Lawrence, you should definitely check it out.  I will be there.  Also, luckily for me, I have another bottle in my fridge.

Review #8 Peak Organics Summer Session

Ahhhhhh, Summer.  Baking in the sun.  Being covered in sweat just from walking to the corner bodega.  When the subway is a sauna and everyone smells pretty gross.  Yet it is still one of our favorite times of the year, but why?

Drinking outside.

There are not many things as enjoyable as a great cold beer on a hot Summer afternoon outdoors.  It is for this reason I will try to review every Summer beer I can get my hands on this season, starting with Peak Organics Summer Session.

Normally I am not really excited by Peak's offerings.  They just strike me as kind of "meh".  They aren't bad, but I would definitely choose something else to drink.  But, when I heard that this was actually a Three Floyd's recipe (unconfirmed, but from a reliable source) I wanted to give it a go.

What I found was a smooth, summery beer with a creamy white head, that smelled and tasted like lemon and wheat the whole way through.  That's it.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It is simple, but not boring, very refreshing, and remarkably easy to drink.  There is a slight hint of sweetness and a dry finish that make it a great beer for pairing with almost any Summer food.  In true session fashion it is only has 5% ABV, which I think is great for those long days of drinking and barbecuing.

What do I think?:  If you are tailgating, barbecuing, or just hanging out in the park, this beer will do you no wrong.  I cannot for the life of me think of anything that I will eat in the next three months that would not pair well with this beer.  I will definitely buy this again, and you should too.  Plus, it's organic for crying out loud, at least your drinking could have some benefit for the planet.

Review #7 Avery Brewing Co: Dépuceleuse

One of my beer guys at work told me about this beer just after ordering it.  Immediately the words zinfandel barrel-aged, and sour cherries peaked my interest.  This is the 4th beer in the series of Wild Ales that Avery is producing, which really don't conform to any standard style or categories.  I knew I would have to snag one when they came in, I mean c'mon, sour cherries?  I love sour things!  (Beers included).

When the beer came in I was alerted and went to grab a bottle before they hit the shelf.  Then they pointed out the name.  Funny.  Nice giggle factor.  I have definitely had a few good chuckles with it, especially when customers ask about it, or try to phonetically sound it out.  Go ahead, do it.  Cute, huh?

On to the beer itself.  It pours a hazy reddish copper, with just a tiny bit of creamy head that doesn't stick around too long.  Aromas of oak, cherries, wine and a little funk give it a pretty awesome character.  It's almost prickly, but still creamy carbonation (probably from the Brettanomycyes fermentation), gives way to a really pleasing sour beer.  It's tart, and sour, and pretty much tastes just like a Flemish, only with a great flavor of oak, and a hint of zinfandel from start to finish.  It is very easy to drink, and I really couldn't tell that it clocks in at 9.59% ABV.

OK, so what now?:  If you like sours, definitely give this one a try if you can find it.  It has me excited for the rest of the barrel-aged series from Avery as they become available.  Who knows what they will come up with next?

Review #6 Founders Brewery: Kentucky Breakfast Stout

This is one of those beers that you hear about constantly.  Everyone is talking about it like its gods gift to humanity in a bottle.  But, you just can't seem to get your hands on it.  From the initial rumblings I had heard about Founders while living in San Francisco, I couldn't wait to someday try some of their beer.  Luckily, Founders has made its way to NYC, and I could finally see what all of the hype has been about. Coincidentally, the hype is well deserved.

I can't say much about this beer except- buy it.  Do it now.  Stop reading, open a new tab, and try to Google where you can get some.

... Ok, are you back now?  Whether you found some, or didn't (make sure you do next year), what you are about to experience is going to be amazing.

It pours absolutely black with a light tan head that diminishes very quickly.  It's nose is a heavy bourbon whiskey, with coffee, chocolate, and a little oatmeal.  The bourbon continues as you drink, from beginning to end, being paired at the start with the oatmeal, some malt, and some maple syrup; and finishing with the coffee and chocolate.   It's pretty much perfect. 

I have had it on draft several times now, and in the bottle for breakfast.  What, it was my day off, and its has breakfast in the name.  Each and every time it is a wonderful taste sensation that makes me want it more and more.

What I say:  I think I have already been over that.  Order it if you see it on draft.  If you find some bottles, grab 'em.  I bought all I could afford at the time, and they are currently sitting in my cellar until a special occasion (like breakfast) arises, or in case someone who can't find it in their area wants to do a beer trade.  I probably won't part with it too easily though, just sayin'.

Review #5 Three beers from my hometown craft brewery

It's time for the Hometown Beer review!  Lancaster, or The Lanc-Lanc, has been putting itself on the craft beer map for a little while now, you know, since 1810 when it was producing 7% of the beer for the whole U.S.  Enough history, let's just get on to the beers.  These are 3 of the 4 beers that come in the variety 12 pack (what's missing is the Strawberry Wheat- my fave- which I drank all of and didn't save a bottle.  Just order it, it is epic.)

The variety 12 pack is shaped like an origami barn.  How cute!  It's fun!  Amish people, barns- get it?  O.K., I am killing space.  Why you ask?  Because the beer on the top-left (Amish Four Grain) isn't really worth drinking.  Sorry LMB, hometown, and friends.  This is way too bitter for a Pale Ale, and tastes really funky.  Like swamp funky.  You might like it though, if you like that sort of thing.  If you do, please contact me about my new script for 'Toxic Avenger 3D'.  I will be pitching it soon.

Now on to the Milk Stout.  It's creamy, almost buttery, silky smooth, with notes of burnt caramel, and a nice finish- wait is that- OMG yes it is, it tastes like marshmallows floating in coffee and cream.  This beer is ridiculous.  Ridiculously good that is.  I have never tasted a milk stout like it, nor a stout for that matter.

I can imagine drinking this beer ice cold in the middle of summer and not blinking an eye.  It's the Yoo-Hoo of beer.  The fresh Amish chocolate milk for adults that the Central Market should be serving on a daily basis.  Cot Damney, this beer is amazing.  So easy to drink.  Heavy, but oddly light.  This is a beer to be treasured.  It ALMOST makes me want to drive home again just to have it.

One more:
If the Hop Hog is one thing, it ain't hoppy.  Reminds me more of a traditional Pale than anything else.  It has some really amazing cherry, pine, and dry hop notes in the nose.  It has an underlying malty sweetness that dominates the rest of the flavor of the brew.  This is NOT a problem for me as I would prefer most of my beers this way.  The pour is caramel/golden and has little head.  The carbonation is perfect in the bottle and on draft.  The warthog drawing is pretty awesome too.

WWKD (What Would Kenny Do): If you want a mind blowing IPA, sorry.  If you want a great Pale Ale, get the Hop Hog.  If you want ecstasy in liquid form get the Milk Stout, Strawberry Wheat, or the sinfully sweet Shoo-Fly Porter.  They also have awesome food and some other great seasonal brews.  If you happen to be in the Lanc-Lanc, it is a definite must visit.

Review #4 The Bruery: Saison de Lente

I love saisons.  Their appearance on the beer market means that it is spring, and soon to be summer.  All of them vary so greatly in taste, aroma, and finish that you kind of have to try each and every one you can get your hands on.  But this beer pissed me off.  I am impatient, always punctual, and kind of expect my beer to be the same- ready to drink when I want it.

So I open this bottle, recommended to me by a co-worker, and BAM!  There is enough carbonation in here to scare Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story' into never drinking a beer in his life.  I literally thought I shot my eye out.  I pour a glass of the beer, and by beer I mean head.  Lots of it.  It takes up 75% of the glass with its amazing aromas of citrus, flowers, yeast, and peppercorns.  I figure I just need to wait a second, but no, it doesn't let up.  This head is here to stay- at least as long as the beer is cold.  So I wait.  And wait.  After about 15 minutes I am able to make an actual glass of beer appear by sloooowly adding more from the bottle as the head sloooowly dies.  Thank God because I really want to drink this!

Underneath the everlasting one inch head lies fruity notes, a great yeasty flavor, some wonderful bitters, a nice hop kick, and a great peppery finish that I detected in the nose.  It was spicy, dry, fruity, oh hell; it was each and every thing a great saison should be.  Absolutely delicious.

What it do: Totally awesome.  Just do yourself a favor and drink another beer while you start pouring this.  Unless you aren't overly impatient like me, but with something this good, it is hard not to be.

Review #3 Oskar Blues: Gubna

Let me preface this review with this: I am not a hop head. A lot of IPAs are far too hoppy for my liking, although I am getting used to them and learning to appreciate them more. But then there was the fated afternoon I met the Gubna.

I was at an industry tasting in Manhattan, casually drinking my way around the U.S. Brewery Room (coincidentally missing the Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismark! tastings...) when I came up to the Oskar Blues table. At that point I had imbibed all of the widely available offering from the Blues, and was about to settle for a taste of my fave- the Ten Fiddy. Then a light shone down from above and the kind gentleman asked if we had heard of their newest offering, which would be available in a few short weeks. I shrugged my shoulders as he poured me some of the golden liquid with a thin head I would later know as The Gubna. My outlook on IPAs would be forever changed. I took a deep breath. Huge hops (100 IBUs), large hints of pine, and some good orange and grapefruit citrus notes. The taste was malty, a little sweet, and still held some of the citrus and pine. It had a heavy mouth feel, and you could definitely taste the alcohol content (10% ABV). The hops come in and finish off the beer on the back end in a big way. It is surprisingly easy to drink, even for me. I have had it a few times since, all in cans, and it has not disappointed. Nice one, Oskar Blues.

What I say: Whether you like IPAs or don't. Get you some! At least once.

Review #2 Stone, Ken Schmidt, Maui: Kona Coffee, Macadamia, Coconut Porter

So I suppose I will do the first collab in this series next, kind of working backwards, but whatever.

This wondrous creation of all that is good in the world tastes like a chocolate macaroon being served with a great cup of coffee. I really dig porters, but I have been not so happy with most of the ones I have recently tried. It's not that they were bad, they just weren't something special. This brew ends that streak.

It pours out black, with little to no head. Then it punches you in the nose with a HUGE sweetened coconut right hook, and follows up with a left jab of coffee and chocolate. It's silky and smooth to the taste where the coffee takes over, and the coconut and chocolate become a pleasant backdrop. Then you get some nice fruity hints from the hops. But wait- there's more! Just as it hits the back of your tongue and you are ready to swallow you get a nice kick of tasty roasted macadamia nut goodness. OMG!

My verdict: This beer should be available all the time! I would shell out the $6.99 to drink 12 ounces of this again and again. But it's not, so I have cellared a few for a rainy day, as you should too.

Review #1 21st Amendment, Firestone Walker, Stone Brewery El Camino (Un)Real Ale

The second this beer was ready to hit the shelf at work I snagged one and was pumped to drink it. I love strong ales of all types, but was especially ready to try this one because of all of the odd ingredients put into the brew. Fennel seeds, figs, pink peppercorns and chia seeds. I mean, who puts chia seeds (one of the newer health food fads) into a beer? But hey, I like all three breweries on the collab, and knew it would be awesome. It did not disappoint.

Once you pour this 12 ounces of joy into your glass, you will notice that it is almost pitch black and has a nice tan head that hangs around for a long time. It has a nice grassy, floral, peppercorn, and tobacco aroma which only made me want to drink it more. Once I did, I was delighted by the sweet fig (almost date) flavor that blended perfectly with the dark chocolate malts, hints of caramel, and slight citrus notes. This beer has girth, it's meaty, creamy, kind of chewy, and you can barely tell that it has an ABV of 9.5%. It kind of reminded me of the perfect adult granola bar.

My verdict: I bought more. You should get some if you can. But beware, it goes down VERY easy for a 9.5%, and could be dangerous.

I love beer.

Odds are, if you are reading this you do too. Or you might just know me from csadelivery, or from drinking beers with me somewhere. I decided to start a beer blog because of how much awesome beer I drink (especially now working in the beer industry), and for the simple fact that I should have done it years ago.

I love craft brews, and have always been in search of the best beer possible- ever since we were able to buy beer at the tender age of 16. (ooooh fake IDs, and beards). I have East and West Coast roots and love all of the things that go into all the craft beers from both areas, and everywhere in between.

But let's get down to the meat of the situation. There are other beer bloggers whom I love, and enjoy their preciseness and well written reviews. I am not going to be one of them, mostly because I can't quantify a number or star system. This blog will be all about me drinking beer and giving it to you real. If I get stuck on a review, you best bet I am going to reference other blogs, but my rating system will range between:

HELLL NAW- I will never put this in my mouth again.
meh- might be good for the price
OMFG THIS IS SO AMAZING!- self explanatory

So I am gonna drink it. I will tell you what I think. I won't be as concise as all the blogs I (and hopefully you) will read, [see links at right] but I hope to give you some realtalk on what I think are great, and not-so-great brews.

Man I am rambling, good thing I am honestlydrunk. Damn Avery- Depuceluece (please read into the name), and the Firestone, Stone, 21A collab. (reviews to follow).

Anyway, drink up. Have a good time. Be safe.

Kenny

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