Special Double Cream Stout

Bell's

Special Double Cream Stout

(Specs) 6.1 ABV

Colour: Black

Aroma: roasted malt, chocolate

Head: light brown, small amount

Initial Taste: sweet chocolate notes

Mouthfeel: velvity and bitter, coffee notes medium-heavy body

Aftertaste: intense coffee sourness, but not unpleasant

Note: As the beer sits in the air / warms up, its flavours really develop

Verdict: This beer is a keeper, you really get a huge amount of chocolate and coffee wrapped within a velvety cushion without the crushing heaviness that usually accompanies it.

Yes, the beer is hard to find. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, you should buy it.

You'll thank me.

Boatswain Double IPA

(Trader Joe's) Boatswain

Double IPA

(Specs) 7.5 IBU, 8.4 ABV, 17.15 OG

Colour: dark amber

Aroma: hops, slight malty sweetness

Head: white

Initial Taste: slightly hoppy

Mouthfeel: sweet malt, nice hoppy flavour develops

Aftertaste: slight sweet, fermented aftertaste

Dead Reckoning Porter

Tröegs

Dead Reckoning Porter

(Specs) 4.2 ABV

Colour: Dark Brown

Aroma: dark roasted grains

Head: small, off-white bubbles, small amount

Initial Taste: sweet roasted notes

Mouthfeel: smooth

Aftertaste: hoppy, slightly bitter

Nighty Night

Buckeye Brewing

Nighty Night

Colour:

Aroma: hoppy, slightly roasted/sweet (fruity)

Head: light brown, small bubbles, small quantity

Initial Taste: sweet, fruity

Mouthfeel: smooth, medium body, (fruity sweetness develops)

Aftertaste: slightly sour/sweet aftertaste

Maple Bacon Ale

Rogue / Voodoo Donut

Maple Bacon Ale

(Specs) 6.1 ABV

Colour: 

Aroma: Slightly hoppy, very maple-y, very bacon-y

Head: 

Initial Taste: intense maple and bacon flavours,

Mouthfeel: very rich, medium body, a hoppiness develops

Aftertaste: slightly sweet, maple-y aftertaste

Verdict: I don't know how they did it, but it literally tastes like Maple Bacon Donut, combined with beer. Though the flavours are bold, I don't find it tastes like chemicals or artificial flavouring, just the real deal. Your opinion of this beer will depend entirely on your opinion of Maple, Bacon, and their combination--if you don't like either, you won't like it; if you do, then you won't be able to get enough.

That said, as with many super small-batch beers, I highly recommend checking this beer out if you have the chance. It is an experience to have and to share. Especially since you probably won't be able to finish a bottle yourself, I suggest getting a couple of friends and splitting it after dinner or something. Maybe with some donuts.

The Buckeye Beer Engine

Recently I moved back to the Cleveland area for foreseeable future to try to find or make a job. However, as is my modus operandi for whenever I end up in a new area, I had to start asking and looking around places to great some great drafts. Fortunately, I have discovered that craft beer in my area is the norm rather than the exception and so I feel I have made the correct choice in my move.

On the first night I arrived, on a recommendation from my apartment manager, my family (who were helping me move) and I headed to a place called the Buckeye Beer Engine. Not really expecting much we were a bit surprised when we were greeted with a very unassuming fastfood looking joint with its windows covered in custom neon lights. Even more surprising was when we walked inside and we saw the absolutely huge U-shaped bar tucked into the place and the ceiling lined with old taps handles. Surprised continued with the incredible selection of beers on tap (and in cask!) and bottles available not to say anything about the fantastic burgers and sandwiches we ate for dinner.

If are ever in the Cleveland area and are looking for great food and great beer, I highly recommend checking this place out. They even have a Bike-In special on Monday where you get a discount on your order and so I will definitely be back before long and (un)fortunately, probably pretty often thereafter.

Black Beer Stout

Hite Jinro Co

Black Beer Stout

(Specs) 5.0 ABV

Colour: dark brown, almost like a dark maple syrup

Aroma: dark, roasted malt, cocoa

Head: tan, very little

Initial Taste: slightly roasted hoppy taste

Mouthfeel: light-to-medium body

Aftertaste: light roasted aftertaste

Bad Elf Winter's Ale

Ridgeway Brewing Company

Bad Elf Winter's Ale

(Specs) 6.0 ABV

Colour: golden-orange colour

Aroma: slightly roasted, carmelised malt

Head: white, medium-sized head

Initial Taste: carmelised malt, slightly sweet

Mouthfeel: fairy smooth, medium body

Aftertaste: bitter, slightly astringent

Gossamer Golden Ale

Half Acre Beer Company

Gossamer Golden Ale

(Specs) 4.2 ABV

Colour: light gold, with a hint of orange

Aroma: spicy, hoppy

Head: white, small amount

Initial Taste: spicy

Mouthfeel: medium body

Aftertaste: slightly bitter

Paradox Smokehead (Cask)

Brewdog
Paradox Smokehead

There are few things that I always seem to order when I am presented with a long list of beers, and they are 1) Cask Ales 2) Interesting Named Beers and 3) Beers with intensely visual descriptors of they flavour. When I returned back to Houston to visit my family and we headed out to the phenomenal Hay Merchant, this beer checked all of my tics.

Now, before I continue, It should be noted that I am not a whiskey drinker--I am working on it, but haven't gained the taste yet--and that definitely coloured my experience with the beer.

(Specs) ABV 10%


Colour: Dark Brown
Aroma: Smoky
Head: Off white cream

Inital Taste: no initial taste
Mouthfeel: medium body, intensely peaty
Aftertaste: very smoky aftertaste

Verdict: I couldn't finish this beer, because of the overwhelming taste of smoke and peat. I can imagine that if you like whiskey, and you like it chock full of smoke, this could be a beer you fall in love with, but if you don't I'd recommend you try something else.

Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout

Ridgeway Brewing Company

Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout

(Specs) 8.0 ABV

Colour: dark dark brown

Aroma: roasted hops

Head: light tan

Initial Taste: bitter, rich, slightly hoppy

Mouthfeel: medium body

Aftertaste: bitter, spicy aftertaste

Note: as the beer sat, the sharper flavours mellowed noticeably

Dortmunder Gold

Great Lakes Brewery
Dortmunder Gold

One of the great things about living in the Midwest, and specifically Ohio is the craft beer scene and at the top of that list is Great Lakes Brewery. That is not to say that everything they make is the bee's knees but they generally keep to a high standard. The other great thing is that they are everwhere, even a shitty dive with only corporate "Lite" beers, will often have a tap, which makes trying to get a decent beer, no matter where you are, a much easier task.



Colour: Golden
Head: White, almost creamy head

Inital Taste: Slightly hoppy
Mouthfeel: Incredibly smooth, medium body
Aftertaste: Slight spice aftertaste

Verdict: This is one of my favourite beers from Great Lakes. It isn't knock your socks off amazing, but I find that whenever I want a beer, this usually kits the spot, no matter the occasion. If you see if on draft or bottled and you haven't had, I highly recommend checking it out.

Delirium Noël

Brouwerij Huyghe
Delirium Noël

It seems like ever since I first went to Bruxelles (Brussels, BE) and had Delirium Cafe's signature beer, Delirium Tremens on tap, it has exploded onto the world beer scene. Almost as long I have been seeing it's Christmas-themed relative, Delirium Noël, but I have always made excuses for not buying it, but as summer time looms and I will be swamped in citrus-ey summer seasonals (my least favourite of all seasonal trends), I finally took the plunge and got a bottle.

(Specs) ABV 10%


Colour: Dark amber
Aroma: Fruity, Sweet fermented hops
Head: Creamy, very foamy

Inital Taste: Sweet hops, almost fruity
Mouthfeel: Incredibly smooth
Aftertaste: Slightly overbearing, fruit aftertaste

Rocky River Brewing Company Tasting

Rocky River Brewing Company
Assorted Brews

For the past four years, while in college, I have been working for the "Student Union" as a live sound engineer. It was a pretty awesome gig (pun intended) and consisted of me spending a prodigious amount of time working with and thinking about sound equipment. Though mostly I did was human volume control at lectures at luncheons, I did mix variety of theatre productions, art installations, and live shows--every now and then, I even got to be the head engineer for nationally touring act.

Regardless, the reason why I am telling you this is because as a reward for my  (and my fellow graduating seniors) years of tireless service for too little pay, our boss took us out to lunch. And because he was a more than a little bit awesome, he took us to a small brewpub in Cleveland and bought us pitchers of everything on tap. Of course I had to try it all.

Cooper's Gold Kolsch
(Specs) IBU 27, ABV 5.0, OG 1.048

Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White

Inital Taste: Slightly hoppy, sweet, fruity taste
Mouthfeel: mild flavour, medium body
Aftertaste: a little sour


Punchin the Nuts Amber Ale
(Specs) IBU 20.8, ABV 5.3, OG 1.053

Colour:
Aroma: Very peanut-ty
Head:

Inital Taste: Slightly sweet
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: slightly peanuty

Blueberry Ale
(Specs) IBU 18, ABV 4.7, OG 1.041

Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White

Inital Taste: intense taste of blueberry
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: sweet blueberry

Flapjack Porter
(Specs) IBU 28, ABV 4.2, OG 1.056

Colour: Dark brown
Aroma: Coffee / caramel-ly
Head: White, almost creamy

Inital Taste: Notes of coffee, roasted hops
Mouthfeel: medium body
Aftertaste: mildly bitter

Unfortunately, I did not take notes on the other beers we had, the Rocky River  Boondock Walker Saison but if I remember correctly, it reminded me Belgian trappist beers, both sweet and hoppy.

Verdict: First of all, I have to give my compliments to the chef. Though the main reason I came was to drink a lot of free craft brews and get a free lunch in the process, the food really was top notch and even if the beers were so-so, I would definitely be coming back if I was in the area.

That said, the beers were very good. Though they really ranged from the pretty standard (Kolsch) to the pretty divisive (Blueberry, you just like it or you don't. period.) to the literally nuts (Punchin the Nuts), I would say that, regardless of my personal opinions on each, the base level of craftsmanship was pretty high. In addition, the range of options provided even though it had such a small brewing capacity was really commendable. In the end though, unsurprisingly, the Flapjack porter was my favourite. It wasn't super rich, but it wasn't watery either and was just what I wanted on summer day.

Chocolate Stout

Rogue Brewery
Chocolate Stout

After eyeing this beer for a few months, as I often do with most issues by Rogue, I finally broke down and bought it.

(Specs) ABV 9.6%


Colour: Black
Aroma: Roasted hops, oak

Head: Light brown, slight head

Inital Taste: Slightly sweet of taste of hops, hint of bitter chocolate and coffee
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied beer
Aftertaste: Slightly sour

Hel & Verdoemenis

Brouwerij Van Molen:
Hel & Verdoemenis

I picked up this beer while late one night while I was wondering through the Castro in San Francisco on a tip from bartender who I had met a few hours before. Like the happenstance occurrence that caused me to be walked down the street, it was pure whimsy that I decided to head into the nearest little corner store I could find and pick up a beer or two for my night's adventures.

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Little did I know that I had just happened across one of the true hidden gems of the city, a tiny little place called Healthy Spirits, that is backed wall-to-wall, and floor to ceiling with beer and wine. And most surprising to me at least is that sheer number of beers I had never even seen of before, let alone heard of, and I have spent more than my fair share of time buying and hanging around beer selling establishments. Anyway, on to the beer...

(Specs) IBU 99.9, ABV 10.2%

Colour: Black
Aroma: Slightly alcoholic, dark and sweet fermented smell slightly hoppy
Head: Small bubbles, dark brown

Inital Taste: Bittersweet, slight coffee
Mouthfeel: Very full bodied, very dark (almost tasted similar to soy sauce)
Aftertaste: Spicy, bitter

Verdict: This was truly one of the most unique beers I have ever had, from the cellaring instructions, to the sealing wax, to the taste. However, there are some beers that you really have to be in the mood in order to drink them and I think I picked an off day. However, since I have only ever seen this bottle once, if I saw it again I would pick it up in a heartbeat.

La Fin Du Monde

Unibroue
La Fin du Monde

Colour: Cloudy Yellow
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: White, very small bubbles

Initial Taste: Hoppy
Mouth-feel: Medium bodied beer, sweetness comes out with a honey-ey roasted flavour, but doesn't become over powering
Aftertaste: Slightly sweet

Verdict: Surprisingly enough, I really liked this beer.

Fully Updated And Moving Forward

I know I posted last week that I had fully back posted and brought everything up to scratch with my beer blog for 2011. Unfortunately that was not entire true, as I had a few reviews on my netbook that was not in possession at the time. Additionally, I had a few beers to double check the names of, etcetera, etcetera. Anyway, those are all now fully completed and the final tally of 2011 is 74-76 beers (74 are listed either in reviews or here).

That said, the main reason I wanted to write this post is to mention some exciting new things going forward. First of all, this blog will be changing it's focus specifically from beer reviews to beer-related things in general. I started this blog a little over a year ago to teach myself how to think about beer and I've had a blast, but that has also become a bit dry (no pun intended) for me. In the last few days of 2011, I wrote one post about buying/drinking beer and I had a blast writing that, and so I think that is a direction I will be trying to explore more in the coming months.

Additionally, I am well aware of how boring straight text is and I was planning on having photographs to accompany my beer reviews for the past few months. The worst part is that I even took that photographs, just due to technical difficulties (okay, I'll come clean, laziness) I never posted them. Then, when I finally got together enough gumption to do it, my pro flickr account (where I host my photos) was suspended because I forgot to pay my bill. Anyway, henceforth, there will be photos to accompany all my posts, which will hopefully add some spice to my otherwise, kind of staid blog.

Finally, I will be trying to get my site more out there on the intarwebs. As such, I will now be posting new entries to my tumblr and maybe rolling out some other stuff soon too. I won't be, however, doing "Adsense" or any monetization at the moment, so don't worry about that.

p.s.

thanks for reading,
Danley

La Trappe Quadrupel

This was the second beer that I picked up on my trip to Bier Markt, a quadruple, or a beer that has been fermented four times. Another interesting thing about this beer is that is bears the official designation of being a trappist beer, the specifics of which can be found here, but mostly stem from being made in a trappist monastery in the Benelux area (in this case Holland).

Name: La Trappe Quadrupel
Year: 2011
ABV: 10.0%
poured from a 11.2oz bottle into a pilsner glass
(site)


Colour: A reddish gold, cloudy (due to yeast, presumably)
Aroma: Medium distinctly hoppy smell
Head: Small head with creamy, offwhite bubbles


Initial Taste: Slightly sweet fermented hop taste
Mouth-feel: Medium bodied beer, sweetness of hops grows, but is not spicy or saccharine
Aftertaste: Slightly sour fermented taste, slightly taste the alcohol*

*initially this was very overpowering but I let the beer air for a few seconds and it decreased noticeably.

Verdict: It is definitely an interesting beer and the the history is pretty cool, so if someone is buying and it's on the menu, check it out, I probably 

Kasteel Rouge

Yesterday, while at Bier Markt, (see my description of in my last post here), I picked up this beer kind of because of a friend. While we were perusing the menu, I was called upon to give advice on what beers my compatriots should buy, and since I'd known that one of them had liked Lindemans Kriek, I suggested that she go for a lambic, if they had them.

Fortunately for us, we were in luck and they had six different bottles available for purchase. She settled on the Kasteel Rouge because not only did it sound good, but neither of us had seen it anywhere in our area, so we thought it was worth the splurge. After spending so much time talking about the brew, I just had to pick up a bottle because I was so curious about how it would be.

Name: Kasteel Rouge
Year: 2011
ABV: 8.0%
poured from a 33cl bottle into a glass stein


Colour: A deep brown red, with a red tint in the light
Aroma: Sweet smell of cherries, with slight earthy undertones (initially also smells faintly of cough syrup, but that dissipates over time)
Head: Small head with medium-sized bubbles, slightly pink


Initial Taste: Sweet, yet sour cherry taste (presumably sweet from the juice, and sour from the pits) with a slight earthiness of hops
Mouth-feel: Medium bodied beer, all of the flavours are balanced very well
Aftertaste: Slightly bitter, but diminishes almost immediately


NOTES:
Kasteel Rouge is a lambic (or fruity wheat beer) by the Belgian Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck (no direct link because the site is in flash, but if you click on the bell and chain you should get an English version which is more navigable). Though I initially disliked it because I thought it initially had an artificial, almost cough-syrupy taste, that went completely away after two or three sips and it turned out to be a pretty great beverage. You could definitely taste the sweet/sour of the bing cherries (added late in the brewing process) and their wasn't any competing beer flavour as often befalls cheaper flavoured beers.

Final Verdict: If you don't like beer that much or like lambics, give this beer a try. Even if you don't think much of it the first few sips, I would implore you to give the beer some time, and you may discover you like it after all.