Theme: Craft Beer Intermezzo Host: Brig Campbell Matching donors: ky1em!ttskus Date: December 13th - December 20th Format: $5 per Tasting Note - They can be long, short, good, or bad. Just post a note and you’ve done your good deed.
About the Charity:
https://www.unidosporpuertorico.com/
Unidos por Puerto Rico es una iniciativa creada por la oficina de la Primera Dama, Beatriz Rosselló y un grupo del sector privado que se unieron con el propósito de brindar ayudar a aquellos que perdieron sus pertenencias durante el paso de los huracanes Irma y María por Puerto Rico.
Translation:United for Puerto Rico is an initiative created by the Office of the First Lady, Beatriz Rosselló and a group from the private sector that came together with the purpose of helping those who lost their belongings during the passage of hurricanes Irma and María por Puerto Rich.
As many know this is typically the week which Carlos host and comes up with a creative idea to support a charity. Remember when he shaved his head for cancer? Well, he’s a little busy right now and I asked if I could take his theme and run the week for Puerto Rico.
Really good IPA but the Guava made me a little nervous. Fear not, delicious. Nose is skunky hops. Citrus and herbal flavors and I’m not getting much Guava which is okay and slightly bitter edgy finish. Medium weight.
Cold-brewed coffee is specifically called out on the label. I like me a stout and I like coffee, so this seemed like a slam dunk. And so it is. A bit of bitterness, especially on the finish, but generally a nice rich, dark stout.
New Glarus Spotted Cow, from WI. It is supposed to be a farmhouse Ale but it was a bit darker and richer tasting than most farmhouses. It was good, but not what I expected.
Nice coffee profile. Smokey and dark. I wish it had more viscosity and a tad less carbonation. Good stuff, though. I wish I had some good vanilla ice cream to put in this.
Daaayyum! This is, quite prosabably, the best NE IPA I’ve had. Definitely has more cut/bite than your daily average, and I love that about it. 6.5% is a welcomed notch or two below what one frequently gets from Monkish with this type of beer. Lots of white grapefruit on the palate here. Truly excellent.
It’s just OK plus I’m not a huge tangerine fan to begin with. Thankfully the tangerine shows mostly on the nose. Decent citrus hops and mild maltiness.
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus - new winter release from Three Floyds brewery in IN.
100 pts on the label. Probably my favorite Three Floyds label yet.
Solid, chocolate-y porter with a bit of clove spice, hops, and finishing a touch bitter. I like but don’t love it. I’ll keep a few around, but it’s not going to replace the Stone Xocoveza any time as my go-to porter.
I actually happened to have this same beer last night as well. Agree wholeheartedly with your comments, especially about the bitterness on the finish. I was hoping for more ‘oomph’ and even more coffee/espresso concentration. Just okay - but I could see this as an ‘every day drinker’ if you like coffee essence in your stout (I very much prefer the Smog City Coffee Porter but alas that is NOT an every day beer!!!)
Avery Brewing Company
Uncle Jacob’s Stout, Batch #5
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
Bottled February, 2016
17.1% ABV; 12oz bottle
Served at room temperature
This is certainly not a shy beer whatsoever! Explosive aromas led by bourbon, oak, a touch of coconut, caramel
The higher alcohol leads to a sweetness on the palate, with a wonderfully warming richness with coffee, dark bitter chocolate, and oak notes . . . and yes, a touch of heat.
Singular expression that shows its ‘bourbon’ quality a bit more than it’s ‘stout’, but still quite enjoyable. And glad that I have about 1/2 dozen of these left to try over the next few years . . .
Monkish Coffee Carl – coffee stout
From 12 fl oz can. Opaque black color, minimal head. Nose richly aromatic, dark chocolate and coffee. Palate initially bright and bubbly, dark chocolate with faint bitterness, some residual sweetness. Not as interestingly complex as their lighter Belgians or DIPAs and somewhat heavy on the palate but still cool to try. Probably would be good with dessert, the bitterness would contrast well with some sweetness. From brewery notes, coffee sourced from Portola in the OC.
Ommegang Rosetta.
Ale aged on cherries. Brewed at liefmans in Belgium. 5.6% abv
Thick head. Bright acidity, subtle sour cherries with hint of malty flavor. Really well balanced and very pleasant to drink, great with pizza. I’ve had my reservations recently about Ommegang given how they were bought out, but was very pleasantly surprised by this, I really liked it.
This is awesome. Bitter, slightly hoppy, lots of really dark chocolate and coffee notes. Not one to reach for if you have a sweet tooth, but this goes well with spicy Indian kebabs. I don’t get the spicy/vanilla/milky notes that others apparently do.
Grimm Passion Dome - dry hopped sour with passion fruit conditioned on oak. Decent funk but just a trace of the passion fruit. Moderately sour but kind of one note. A ”grood” but not great Grimm.
NV Newcastle Brown Ale- England, Yorkshire (12/16/2017)
A good beer, not a great beer. Opened for the WineBerserkers craft beer charity intermezzo for Puerto Rican Hurricane Relief. I hope this qualifies as a craft beer. More malt, less hops. Just a tiny bit of bitter at the back. Malty ale flavor, not quite Belgian, with a touch of caramel sweetness. The finish is rather long. 4.7% ABV. (86 pts.)
NV Ommegang Fruition- Cooperstown, New York, USA (12/16/2017)
Purchased at the brewery and then bottle conditioned for six months. Fruit driven with citrus highlights and guava. Creamy cloudy color with a nice head.Moderate finish.
Equilibrium MC^2 IIPA from growler - fine juicy NE character with a firm smack of hops. Impressive but a sloppy finish suggests too old or maybe their lines aren’t well maintained.
A few from No Vermont:
14th Star Tribute IIPA - better when it was fresher but still solid.
Zero Gravity Little Wolf APA - a more than decent session. Tough to taste after prior 2.
Zero Gravity Conehead American IPA - good body and well balanced though not as citrusy and juicy as I prefer
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