Beer #355 – Mother’s Milk by Keegan Ales

Mother's Milk by Keegan Ales

And as the beers roll on we find KingBob and his glorious band of adventurers (I’m feeling in a Skyrim mood…look it up) rolling into the state of New York for the next beer, #355, Mother’s Milk by Keegan Ales.  Brewed and bottled in Saratoga Springs, New York, this Milk or Sweet Stout has an ABV of 6%.  According to the label, Keegan Ales is The Hudson Valley’s Brewery.  This is also my first beer from Keegan Ales and that in itself is very cool!

To the pour…and this was another beer that was black in color with a small light brown head.  The nose was a fairly mild malty roasted concoction made up of cocoa, coffee, chocolate, and a bit of a smoky camp fire-esque aroma.  I took a sip and was greeted by a ever so slight sweetness.  I tasted milk chocolate followed by the slightly bitter and a bit course in texture cocoa mixed with a bit of smoke.  It finished with a dark roasted coffee flavor that lasted into the aftertaste.  It had a slightly heavier than medium body with some light tingling carbonation.  It was quite easy to drink.

This was a solid brew that I only wish was a tiny bit smoother and creamier.  Now it is off to plan out my last 10 beers of this 365.  I really am thinking of going all American big brewers like Bud, Miller and Coors for those last 10…I kid.  It will be a cold day in KingBob’s realm before I sink that low.  And now KingBob and his merry band of adventures must pack up and move on to our next destination…where that is I have no idea.  I still haven’t visited my go to beer store to know the answer to that.

And then there were 10…

Rating: B

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Beer #354 – Olde School by Dogfish Head

Olde School by Dogfish Head

Wow…as the end is near on this journey to drink 365 beers, I can’t believe tonight’s beer, #354, will be my 18th I have had from Dogfish Head.  Olde School is that 18th beer and it is a American Barleywine with a hefty ABV of 15%.  I have said it numerous times before, Dogfish tends to do nothing on the subtle side.

I broke out a glass I haven’t used in a while, my Stella Artois glass from a fellow blogger for the pour.  It had a slightly hazy amber color with hints of ruby red to it.  The head was the smallest of off-white rings.  I smelled booze, brown sugar, and raisins.  Man…was this sweet and very boozy in the taste.  There was the familiar flavor of caramel malts and a woodsy earthy thing going on in here.  Add in a dark cherry flavor very reminiscent of cherry flavored NyQuil and there you have it.  It had quite the warming effect from the high ABV.  It was quite thick and syrupy with the carbonation on the low side.  For me and I imagine anyone who drinks this, it was a sipping brew.

For me, this was just OK.  I’m not a big fan of Barelywines in general (although I have found some that I do enjoy) and this did nothing to change my feeling on them.  It really wasn’t what I was looking for in a beer this evening but it is what came up in the rotation.  Speaking of which, I am out of beer and need to make my final beer run for this 365.

And then there were 11 (these go to 11)…

Rating: C

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Beer #353 – Fade To Black Volume 3 by Left Hand Brewing Company

Fade To Black Volume 3 by Left Hand Brewing Company

My next beer, #353, has a cool name, Fade To Black Volume 3.  It is also the name of a great, great song by Metallica (Fade To Black).  Left Hand Brewing Company is the brewer and they brew this Foreign/Export Stout in Colorado in town that goes by the name of Longmont.  The ABV comes in at a nice 8.5%.  This is their 3rd beer in the Fade To Black series.

This sucker poured a black color, none more black, with a nice almost two finger width tan head.  I took a whiff…smelled good with  chocolate and smoke and lots of big roasted malts aromas.  With my mouth starting to water, I took a sip.  Holy crap…there is a hot, spiciness here that caught me off guard.  This had the flavor of something like a piece of dark chocolate infused with habaneros or some other type of spicy chili pepper.  There was also a noticeable dark roasted coffee flavor here too and cocoa…but with a bitterness, not sweet at all.  It had a smoky essence to it also that was quite nice.  I loved how this had that spicy pepper burn in the back of the throat also.  There was no sweetness to speak of and it had a nice dry finish to it.  To be honest, the taste put a big smile on my face…dark chocolate, coffee, some sort of spicy pepper…my kind of drink.  It had a medium body with plenty of stinging carbonation but still had a kind of slickness to it…like oil that is.

This was a fantastic beer.  I love how they incorporated the pepper hotness and spiciness into this and how it wasn’t totally overpowering.  For me, it was highly drinkable.  I am a lover of hot and spicy anything…and if you are too, and love Stouts…give this try!  I want a few more of these…and I want them now…wonder if I can convince my wife to pick up some more for me on her way home from work???  And oh yeah…I was listening to Metallica’s Fade To Black as I was drinking this…and now I have a hankering for Thai food…the hotter the better…oh well…enough of my yackin’…

And then there were 12…

Rating: A+

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Beer #352 – Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company

Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company

Nothing like coming home to a lot of water on the kitchen floor.  It turns out that the drain pipe from the sink decided to give away making the water that was being expelled from the dishwasher leak out onto the floor.  Looks like a ride to Home Depot is on order to fix this issue.  In the meatime, with my tools in hand and a beer of course…I decide to blog first then fix the pipe later…

Beer #352 is Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company.  This Oktoberfest/Marzen is brewed right here in New Jersey and has an ABV of 6.2%.

Appearance – Amber color with quite a bit of an orange glow.  The head was just a sliver of white.

Nose – Hmm…it had a sour funky smell to it and a smell very much like baked apples.  My grandmother used to bake apples as a treat and this is what it reminded me of.

Taste – A sour taste hit me first followed with a heavy dose of bread.  There was a perfume like thing towards the back end of this also…all in all…a very odd tasting beer.  I started to think that maybe this was actually spoiled in some way.

Mouthfeel – It had a body just south of medium and some really low amounts of carbonation.

Overall – I’m not quite sure what to think here.  Did I get a bad beer or was this supposed to taste like this?  I think something was wrong to be honest as I researched this beer later and my observations on the nose and taste were quite unlike any review I found.  I have come to expect a quality product from Climax Brewing Company so I’ m thinking there is no way they brewed it to have these flavors and smells.  I’m not going to rate this because I feel this is a spoiled beer.  I will see if I can get this again in the next few days and will come back and update this entry…stayed tuned…

And then there were 13…

Rating: n/a

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Beer #351 – Double Stout Black Ale by Green Flash Brewing Company

Double Stout Black Ale by Green Flash Brewing Company

Wow…driving home from work tonight and I saw a house with Christmas decorations setup and lit up.  Really?  It isn’t even Thanksgiving yet…

Beer #351 is Double Stout Black Ale by Green Flash Brewing Company from San Diego, California.  This American Double/Imperial Stout has an ABV of 8.8%.

Appearance – The color of night…black.  The head was huge and creamy and light brown.

Nose – Dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, vanilla and a bit of smoke.

Taste – It starts off bittersweet with dark chocolate.  It had a nice dark roast, slightly sweetened coffee flavor towards the back end…almost like a bitter mocha coffee drink from Starbucks.  There was a very subtle burnt or smoky thing here also…but it was really in the background.  The ABV was hidden very nicely here.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied, light carbonation, & quite smooth.

Overall – This was very nice.  With dark chocolate being my favorite of all chocolates and my love of coffee, this was right up my alley.

And then there were 14…

Rating: B+

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Beer #350 – Hopivore by New Holland Breweing Company

Hopivore by New Holland Breweing Company

I am feeling better today and the Dallas Cowboys are winning and winning big…good day indeed.

Beer #350 is Hopivore by New Holland Breweing Company.  This American Pale Ale is brewed in Holland, Michigan and has an ABV of 6%.  According to the label, this is brewed with Michigan grown hops and they are used wet-hopped…which means they are added fresh and not dried.  Interesting…

Appearance – Amber color with hints of red when held up to the light.  The head was tiny and white.

Nose – OK…I know I’m coming off of being sick but I couldn’t smell much of anything other than the faintest aroma of malts..caramel possibly?

Taste – Again…pretty much nothing.  There was maybe a bit of a bitter pine flavor but other than that there was nothing distinguishable here.

Mouthfeel – A bit north of light in the body with a low amount of carbonation.

Overall – Horrible…there was nothing here that would make me recommend this to anyone.  Skip this.

And then there were 15…

Rating: F

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Beer #349 – Pale Ale by Troegs Brewing Company

Pale Ale by Troegs Brewing Company

I hate being sick…nothing tastes right or smells good.

So this will be another non-review but I will drink it…it shouldn’t react with DayQuil or Zicam right…right???

Beer #349 is Pale Ale by Troegs Brewing Company from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  This is an American Pale Ale with an ABV of 5.4%.

I poured it, I drank it.

Maybe tomorrow I will feel better…I hope…

And then there were 16…

Rating: n/a

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Beer #348 – Road Dog Porter by Flying Dog Brewery

Road Dog Porter by Flying Dog Brewery

Today is Veterans Day in the United States…make sure you let any veterans you may know how much you appreciate the sacrifice they have made to keep this great country of ours free.   It is because of them you and I can enjoy the liberties and freedom we enjoy every day of our lives.

This is also Nigel Tufnel Day (The Nigel Tufnel Day Appreciation Society and Quilting Bee in Favor of Declaring & Observing November 11, 2011 as Nigel Tufnel Day (in Recognition of Its Maximum Elevenness), legendary guitarist from Spinal Tap.  If you haven’t seen This Is Spinal Tap…do so.  It is one of the funniest movies you will ever see…you have my word on that.

Unfortunately, I am quite under the weather today.  Lots of congestion and just feeling plain yucky.  So I will not review beer #348, Road Dog Porter by Flying Dog Brewery, since I can’t smell or taste much of anything.  In the spirit of the 365, I will drink it though.

Here is to hoping I feel better tomorrow.

And I will leave you with one of the most famous quotes of all time “These go to 11.”

And there were 17…

Rating: n/a

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Beer #347 – Humming Ale by Anchor Brewing Company

Humming Ale by Anchor Brewing Company

I happened to glance at the night sky on my way home tonight…the moon was out and it looked beautiful.  It was full and there were clouds partially blocking it…it was quite a sight.  On to beer #347.

Humming Ale by Anchor Brewing Company is brewed in San Fransisco, California.  Anchor has been brewing this American Pale since 2009.  The ABV comes in nicely at 5.9%.

Appearance – Clear golden with tiny white head.

Nose – All hops…grapefruit, oranges, & earthy.

Taste – Ahh…there are the malts giving it a nice bready flavor and the citrus, grapefruit in particular, were evident in this lightly bitter brew.

Mouthfeel – Medium body, lively stinging carbonation.  It was quite crisp.  Very refreshing.

Overall – Solid beer that was refreshing and easy to drink.

And then there were 18…

Rating: B

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Beer #346 – Autumn Ale by Breckenridge Brewery

Autumn Ale by Breckenridge Brewery

When I visited Breckenridge, Colorado a few years ago, I lived on Breckenridge Breweries offerings the entire week I was there.  They had a brewpub right in town that we frequented often.  I seem to remember those beers actually being quite good (and very fresh) but all of their offerings I have had so far have not lived up to my memories.  I must admit, I was in my infancy when it came to craft beer back then and I was looking for something similar to my Holy Grail of beers at the time, Fat Tire.  Lets see if tonight’s beer will live up to those memories or will it fall to the wayside of many an empty bottle I have in my basement of sub-par beer.

Beer #346 is Autumn Ale by Breckenridge Brewery.  Breckenridge Brewery brews their version of an American Brown Ale in the Mile High city of Denver with an ABV of 6.7%

Appearance – Dark brown with no head whatsoever.

Nose – Pretty faint but I did get some roasted malts…a bit like coffee.

Taste – Coffee was the most recognizable flavor here.  It had a smoky & nutty quality to it also.  It was really all about the malts here…hops be damned.  It had a chocolate finish and aftertaste to it.  In a weird way it reminded me of Indian Corn, a take on Candy Corn but with chocolate…I know, weird.

Mouthfeel – Lighter than it looked in the body with low amounts of carbonation.  It was creamy and very smooth.

Overall – Pretty average…there are much better beers in this style.

And then there were 19…

Rating: C

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