Beer #317 – Imperial Red Ale by Epic Brewing Company

Imperial Red Ale by Epic Brewing Company

It has been 4 days since I mentioned anything about the Yankees as a follower of this blog, Bill, has pointed out.  I really didn’t think I needed to.  They got beat…plain and simple.  I personally think they had a fine season anyways.  No one expected them to finish with 97 wins (including me) with the like of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon as two of their starting five pitchers let alone win the American League East.  That was reserved for the Red Sox…and we all saw how that worked out.  I have been a fan for a long long time…way before their current run that started in the mid 90′s.  With the money they generate and can spend, they will back…as Craig Carton says ” you can la la lock it up!”.

Beer #317 is Imperial Red Ale by Epic Brewing Company from Salt Lake City, Utah.  This American Amber or Red Ale has an ABV of 7.8%.  It is part of Epics Exponential Series…from their website “Epic’s special line of ales and lagers for the accomplished consumer or the ever-curious.”  OK…now I’m curious.

This beer poured a reddish brown with a thin off-white head.  The nose was very malty with a big caramel aroma.  I also got a nice hoppy smell with a bit of pine and citrus.  Soap…yep…there was a bit of a soapy smell also.  It started off in the taste with those caramel malts…a bit of the toasted side.  About mid mouthful, pine takes over and then it finishes with a white grapefruit flavor and bitterness.  The aftertaste was that of bread.  It had a nice mouthfeel, the body was north of medium but not quite heavy.  It bordered on being a bit stick and syrupy.  It had a decent amount of carbonation but it still managed to be a bit creamy.

This was quite tasty and I enjoyed it to the bitter end…as I did the Yankees season.  Oh yeah…hey A-Rod, Swish, and Tex…take a few notes from what Jorge (Georgie) Posada did in the playoffs this year. If this was his last year as a Yankee…he went out shining like a star.  Cheers to Jorge!!!  Now, how many days before pitchers and catchers report?

Rating: B+

Read Full Post »

Beer #312 – Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale by Stone Brewing Company

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale by Stone Brewing Company

Lets go Yankees!!!  Game 5…do or die.  Win or go home (even know they are home).  Should be a good one and I know exactly where I will be at 8:07 pm tonight.  For the time being though, it is time for my next beer.

Beer #312 is Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale by Stone Brewing Company.  You have to love those names Stone gives their beers.  This American Black Ale is brewed in Escondido, California and has an ABV of 8.7%.

It poured a very dark brown, it could have been black.  When I held it up to the light it had a faint ruby red color.  It had a nice light brown head sitting atop of it.  The nose was pine and grapefruit.  It had a very nice floral smell to it also.  Throw in a lesser aroma of dark roasted malts similar to coffee and I thought it was one fine smelling beer.  It started with the malts in the taste with a nice bitter black coffee taste with a bit of vanilla.  It worked its way to being quite hoppy with pine being the biggest flavor.  The coffee comes back at the end and into the aftertaste.  It was nice and bitter but not over the top like some of Stones offerings.  The body was leaning much more to the heavy and sticky and syrupy side.  It had an ample amount of carbonation.  For the high ABV, this was quite drinkable with the alcohol content hidden very nicely.

This was an excellent brew.  This was very yummy…I really enjoyed the mixing of the dark roasted malts with the IPA qualities.  Find it…drink it…enjoy it!!!  Oh yeah…go Yanks!!!

Rating: A

Read Full Post »

Beer #310 – India Pale Ale by Climax Brewing Company

I was jonesing for something a bit different than all the Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers I have had…so I chose an American IPA.  I am also hoping for a bunch of other things like a win by the Yankees tonight, a loss by the Phillies, the Mets to finally decide they are nothing better than a Minor League team, & Scarlett Johansson (sexy as all get up) deciding she wants to live with me & my wife in a faux-polygamist marriage.  Wait…what?  A man can dream…no?

Anyways…I pulled out all the stops for a Yankee win tonight as you can see in the above photo.  My Don Mattingly Yankee jersey, my well-worn Yankee cap, my Yankee hefeweizen glass, my Yankee underoos…OK…you can’t see them in the photo but trust me…I have them on.  Can you tell I’m amped up for this game tonight?  I think I need a beer to calm myself down…

And that beer, #310, is India Pale Ale by Climax Brewing Company from Roselle Park , New Jersey.  Their version of an American IPA has an ABV of 6%.  I wonder if I should have picked up a beer from New York?

Into my Yankees hefeweizen glass went this hazy amber with a bit of orange color to it brew.  The cream colored head was massive & fluffy and left excellent lacing behind.  I dipped my nose into the glass…pine  and caramel and floral and bread and citrus and even some grass greeted said nose.  I took a sip…first thought was yum…white grapefruit.  There was a nice slightly sweet caramel maltiness and a bit of a bread like flavor that mixed well with the slightly bitter hops.  Towards the back end of this it had a pine like flavor and it finished with the same taste and acidic sensation (not truly acidic..something similar) as you get when drinking white grapefruit juice.  It had a medium body and coupled with lower amounts of carbonation made this quite smooth and creamy.  This was extremely drinkable…I know they make this in growlers and I think I wouldn’t have any issues finishing one off.

Quite simply…this was very, very good.  This is my type of beer for sure.  American IPAs FTW (for the win)!!!  Oh yeah…lets go Yanks!!!  And Scarlett…if you are reading this (I know you are)…call me…

Rating: A

Read Full Post »

Beer #307 – Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company

Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company

I think during the month of September and now the start of October, NJ somehow moved to Seattle.  It seems like everyday we have had rain…very annoying.  I don’t mind the rain but man…enough is enough.

Beer #307 is Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company.  This is another in my Oktoberfest fest from the home of the Amish…Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Their version of an Oktoberfest or Marzen has an ABV of 6.5%.

Into my Yankee (go Yanks!) glass this went with a nice amber color with no head.  There was quite a lot of tiny little bubbles rising to the top.  The nose was light again with caramel and bread but no grassy hop like aroma from the previous Oktoberfests I have had.  The taste was mostly sweet (slightly) caramel with some bread.  There was a bit of wheat and grains here also.  It had a nice crisp finish to it, moderate carbonation, and medium body.  This was another Oktoberfest that was quite drinkable.  I guess that is the point since anytime I have seen photos of people with a beer in hand at an Oktoberfet in Germany, the glasses are huge.  They are 1 liter or 2.11 pints of beer…yum!!!

This was a decent version of a Marzen.  The version from Brooklyn was better though.  Prost!

Rating: C

Read Full Post »

Beer #306 – Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery

Yeah baby!!!  Playoff baseball tonight with my Yankees going up against the best pitcher in the MLB, Jutin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.  I have been lucky to be able to get to see the Yankees in so many playoff series since 1996 and I have enjoyed everyone one of them…win or lose.  It is a bit sad though to know that this is probably the last time I will get a chance to see Jorge Posada suit up as a Yankee.  I’m glad Posada will be getting some playing time this series with all the righties Detroit will be throwing against the Yanks.  Go get ‘em Jorge!!!

Time to drink some beer!  Beer #305, another in my Oktoberfest fest, is Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery.  Brewed in Utica, New York, this Marzen or Oktoberfest had an ABV of 5.5%.

I poured this in my River Horse glass and than I slapped myself, I have some nice Yankee glasses given to be by a friend a few years ago.  The color of this brew was a nice clear amber.  The head was off-white and small.  The nose was light, I’m getting the impression that an Oktoberfest or Marzen has that characteristic.  It was slightly stronger in the smell than yesterdays beer with the same caramel malts, toasted bread, and grass.  It had a similar taste profile also with a slightly sweet caramel flavor and toasted bread but where this was different was the the grassy flavor from the hops was more prominent.  It had a honey nutty like taste (the best way I could describe it) near the end that lasted into the aftertaste.  The body was medium and the carbonation was on the moderate side with just a slight stinging quality.  This was quite drinkable…I finished it a bit too fast.

I enjoyed this Oktoberfest much more than Sly Fox’s version.  I’m not quite sure I dig the style…I may have to have a few more to make that  determination.  Ah well…time to get ready for some baseball…lets go Yanks!!!!

Rating: B

Read Full Post »

Beer #304 – Pumpkin Imperial Spruce Stout by Rock Art Brewery

Pumpkin Imperial Spruce Stout by Rock Art Brewery

Tonight is the last night of the MLB regular season and the Yankees (in the playoffs…again) are doing their best to eliminate those pesky Tampa Bay Devil Rays….oh…sorry…can’t say Devil now a days.  I wish there was a way the Yanks could also eliminate the Red Sox.  I just have this feeling the Red Sox are going get things going again.  Maybe we will see a Yanks/Red Sox ALCS?

Anyways…on to beer #304, Pumpkin Imperial Spruce Stout by Rock Art Brewery brewed in Morrisville, Vermont.  This is brewed in the style of an American Double or Imperial Stout with an ABV of 8%.  Of note here is that this is brewed with pumpkin and spruce tips just like in colonial times for flavor and bittering.  I love the little saying on the label…”This ain’t for no mama’s boy or daddy’s girl”.

It poured black as night with a one finger width tan head.  It had a vegetable like aroma (must be the pumpkin) along with the typical Stout smells of chocolate and coffee.  It started off with a pine like flavor from the hops and then got into some roasted, almost burnt coffee flavors from those lovely malts.  There was an herbal quality to the flavor also.  It had a decent bitter bite near the end of it.  I didn’t get anything in the taste resembling pumpkin.  It was lighter in the body that I was expecting being somewhere between medium and light.  The carbonation was fairly low and the alcohol was hidden very well.

For me, this was pretty average.  I was expecting the pumpkin to make a bigger splash here taste wise and it just didn’t.  It showed in the nose though.  I still love Rock Arts use of Kokopelli though.

Rating: C

Read Full Post »

Beer #250 – 90 Minute Imperial IPA by Dogfish Head

90 Minute Imperial IPA by Dogfish Head

Today is a great day.  Why you ask?  Well to start it is International Beer Day.  A day started back in 2007 to celebrate…beer!  Today is also the start of the Yankees vs. the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  A three game battle to see who will be in first place (they are tied for first right now) in the American League East at the end of Sunday.  And last but not least…it is my birthday!  Is it a coincidence that International Beer Day is on my birthday?  I think not…

To celebrate all of these, I will be having beer #250…90 Minute Imperial IPA by Dogfish Head.  Brewed in Milton, Delaware, this American Double or Imperial IPA has an ABV of 9%.

The color of this beer is an amber with an orange tint.  It had a one finger width cream colored head.  The nose was heavy with grapefruit and pine and heavy with caramel malts.  For a higher alcohol content beer, I didn’t pick up any of that in the nose.  It smelled right up my alley.  The taste starts with some big sweet malts which then melts into the even bigger grapefruit and floral flavors of the hops.  Towards the end of the mouthful, you get what I could best describe as what pine needles probably taste like if you were chewing on them. It wasn’t nearly as bitter as I thought it might be.  The mouthfeel was thick and syrupy, bordering on heavy.  It was nicely carbonated but still had a tendency to be smooth.  I didn’t pick up any alcohol in the taste either.

This was another winner from Dogfish.  The only knock I had was that is was a tad bit too sweet.  Other than that…it was damn good!

One more thing…lets go Yankees!

Rating: A

Read Full Post »

Beer #223 – My Antonia by Dogfish Head

My Antonia by Dogfish Head

With the jammed packed crowd at Yankee Stadium chanting “Derek Jeter”, Derek sends a 3 and 2 slider into the left field seats for hit #3000.  Talk about a flair for the dramatic.  To put it into perspective, some 16000+ players have played in the MLB.  Derek is only the 28th player to hit that lofty milestone.  No matter how you cut it…that is pretty damn impressive.  I could go on and on about Jeter, but I do have some beer tasting to do.

The first thing I thought of when I saw beer #223, My Antonia by Dogfish Head, was My Sharona.  Don’t know why that came to my mind but it did.  This is an American Double Pilsner or an Imperial Pilsner which is a new category for me…yeah baby!  The ABV for this beer from Milton, Delaware is sitting pretty at 7.5%.

It poured a hazy pale yellow or gold and had the most lovely frothy white head that left quite possibly the best lacing of any beer I have had so far.  Lacing for the uninitiated is the when the head of a beer clings to the glass.  It can leave some really neat random patterns as it clings.  The nose was full of bread, grains, and lemon with a nice earthy aroma.  The hops really took over in the taste with a grass like flavor up front then it gets malty with those bready flavors.  It finished slightly bitter with a lemony flavor.  The mouthefeel was heavier than I expected and very smooth, almost creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation.  Weird thing about this beer was at times it was smooth and creamy and another sip would find it quite crisp…odd.  With the alcohol hidden nicely, this was nice and drinkable for myself.

I kind of liked this even know I’m not a big Pilsner fan.  It may be my favorite Pilsner style beer I have had so far.

Once again…I raise a glass to the greatest shortstop, and future Hall Of Famer, to ever don the Yankee pinstripes.  Let the chanting begin… “Derek Jeter” “Derek Jeter”….

Rating: B+

Read Full Post »

Beer #222 – Lilja’s Sasquatch Stout by Pangaea Beer Company

Lilja's Sasquatch Stout by Pangaea Beer Company

Bigfoot has always fascinated me.  That fascination goes back to when I was a kid and saw the famous Patterson-Gimlin footage shot at Bluff Creek, California.  Was it a fake?  I don’t know but I do know it left a lasting impression on me.  So much so that every once in a while I find myself hunting for Sasquatch (love that word) but imagine my surprise when I found the big footed fellow not in the deep woods of New Jersey, but in the big aisles of my local Joe Canal’s…not that I actually found Bigfoot but a beer named after him.

That beer, #222, is Lilja’s Sasquatch Stout by Pangaea Beer Company.  Pangaea Beer Company hails from Wisconsin and they brew this American Stout with an ABV of 7%.

Just a word of caution to all the New York Yankee and Derek Jeter haters, from now until Mr. Jeter gets his 3000th hit, of which he is 2 away, I will be using my Yankees glass.  So into that said Yankee went this black brew.  The head of this was light brown and dense.  Lots of cool lacing was left on the glass from that head.  I took smell, it had a nice roasted malty aroma with dark chocolate and a faint sweet thing going on.  The dark chocolate flavors hit me first in the taste followed by a sweet almost fruity flavor, what fruit though was beyond me.  It finishes with just a slight coffee flavor that disappears very quickly.  It had low carbonation, was quite smooth and had a body midway between light and medium.  I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting something a bit more sticky and full bodied.

Overall a decent beer and a fine way to end the week.

Rating: B

Read Full Post »

Beer #216 – Cerise by Founders Brewing Company

Cerise by Founders Brewing Company

“Ballgame over!  Yankees win!  Theeeeee Yankees win!”.  If you listen to the Yankees on the radio, you know the previous quote is from John Sterling, Yankees radio play-by-play announcer.  The Yanks beat those pesky Mets for the 2nd time in two days (going for the sweep tomorrow) which also means they have won the 2011 version of the Subway Series.  Yeah baby!

That being said, today was also a day for beer #216, Cerise by Founders Brewing Company from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Cerise is a Fruit Beer with an ABV of 6.5% and that fruit it is brewed with is cherry.  What does Cerise mean you may ask…why it is the French word for cherry.

This brew had an amber color with a slight reddish tint to it and thin white head that disappeared very quickly.  The nose was very light but what did show up was of course cherry and a bit of a malty bread like aroma.  It had a nice pleasant tart cherry taste with that nice malty backbone running through it. What I liked was that this wasn’t that fake cherry flavor like Nyquil has…that is just plain nasty.  The more I thought about it when drinking this was that in an odd sort of way it kind of reminded me of cherry pie, a liquid cherry pie so to say, with the malts almost giving that crust like flavor and the cherries the filling. It finished very clean with no aftertaste whatsoever.  The body was just north of light and just south of medium with some lively carbonation.

I tend to be a sucker for these Fruit Beers so I was sort of digging this one as I found it refreshing and easy to drink.  If you like cherries or cherry pie…give it a go…you just may like it too!

Rating: B

Read Full Post »