What beer are you drinking now? #1891

This is more like it!! I just drain poured my $15 bottle of ghost pepper stout — it tastes like straight whisky. I’m going to be drinking beer I know I love the rest of the day.

 

An amazing beer!

 

Actually, my favorite Rogue beer!

 

6.2% alcohol. 20 IBU. Brewed in Louisiana, by Gnarly Barley Brewing Company.

 

FINALLY got enough snow for Jr (and I) to go out and shovel. This is a great way to warm up. 2016's could be called Cinnamon Bomb! right about now.

Gonna start with my favorite Christmas song.

See you around the virtual bar throughout the day, Advocates, but right now I'll wish you and your families a safe and happy Christmas Eve!

 

That looks amazing. Taste as good as it looks?

 

Absolutely. Comes around this time every year and I make sure I pick some up. Helps that the coffee it's make with (Higher Grounds in Traverse City, MI) is pretty good!

 

Happy Christmas Eve Ba’s.
Pacing myself so starting with a low abv for an eye opener

As I’m taking this pic my wife is singing that old favorite Christmas carol “ Get that off the piano, are you F’n crazy”

 

Popping in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas Eve! The day will get busy and I have a couple beers to review over in NBS. I've never posted a non beer picture until today, but mimosas and wine are all that's on the menu here after a 5k fun run for charity in Chesterton. The snow began to fall as the run started setting the tone for a nice event and better cause. Count your blessings people.....

 

A little breakfast stout with Breakfast!

 

Cheers you all! Coming up . . the Beer Advocate Breakfast. It's just a sign of the times.


Sometime love passed me by
and I couldn't understand the way they saw me

don't throw a stone unless you mean to give it your life

today is the day to greet everyone with something new
something promised and something new



I have been growing plants indoors in deference to the weather. I like my hydroponic tomatoes more than the grocery tomatoes. I think I'll keep them. This is thyme I untangled it last night before this photo.

How much beer do you need? Well what time is it?

 

Merry Christmas Eve BA's

I wrestled the last four pack from a couple customers at the Jewels yesterday. $9, a black eye, and a bruised upper thigh later I left those customer's husbands Antwerpen-less.

 

Time to wrap some presents. Cheers!

 

Merry Christmas Eve Day, BA...

Go big, Daddy-O...

Barrier's Daddy Warbucks 9.8% DIPA, canned 12/11...


--> Lemmy, 12/24/45 - 12/28/15



Cheers...

 

Santa brought 6 New Naughty Stouts in December in descending order (looks like everyone's enjoying Black beers) ;-) Christmas Eve 2017 -

Sunday Molé Stout | Weyerbacher
4.5/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Certain innovative beers deserve more than the BA average, even if slightly flawed, this Sunday Molé is one. Love it. Try 24.
a) Pours an opaque, viscous black body with only a half finger of dark tan head that leaves film islands and dotty bulleted lace. (Fruit and additives kill the head retention in beer).
s) Strong aromas of molé: dark chocolate, black beans, coffee roasted beans, grilled chilé, cinnamon, and roasted malts. A great sniffer in a snifter, let it warm to cask for full effect.
t) Upfront ample roasted malts with battle between chocolate, caramel and molasses sweetness, and chile pepper and cinnamon and spice. Along the way there's sweet dark chocolate, cold brew coffee, dark fresh roasted coffee beans, molé, salsa, and heat. The alcohol is fine for this beer as it's tempered by the gravity of the rich battling flavors.
f) Syrupy, full bodied, with low carbonation and a silky, wine-like, liquore-like finish that warms like tequila.
o) Nothing average here. Great last beer of the evening. Worth it as a sipper. Happy Christmas eve 2017.

Void Of Light | Gun Hill Brewing
4.2/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Honored to be early reviewer of this best of Foreign Stout beer.
A) pours void of light - a dark deep black hole, with a tight one finger foamy head, and arcs of lacing on the glass.
S) Smells abundant of fall leaves, wood fire, char, smoke, chocolate, dark roast cold brew coffee, raisins, grass, earthy forest floor. Complex. Meditative.
T) Follows the smell with the right smokiness and dried prune / raisin fruit with chocolate, some grassy hops, ash. and roast coffee.
F) Full body, creamy, drying and toasty like a good stout
O) Try 24.

Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout | Left Hand
4.07/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Quite amazing look and initial mouth feel.
a) Because I did not invert the bottle over the snifter, it started flat, then built a lasting, lacing, thick and creamy tan head.
s) I find Nitro beers make a great first sip impression but lacking in aroma. Light in aroma, deep in flavor. Nutty, dark roast coffee, and roast malt aroma.
t) ABV well hidden. Rich, dark roasted grain flavor, well built with coffee, chocolate, fennel, and licorice. Complex burnt and flavors, less fruit. A meditation sipper. Excellent bitter/sweet battle starts sweet and ends twisty bitter.
F) Initial creamy feel is great. Then medium body, less than 10Fidy, with a creamy shoulder and plenty of liquor like alcohol heat.
o) Not miss but lately Sunday Mole, TenFidy have this beat. Try 12.

Bittersweet Nitro Imperial Coffee Milk Stout | Left Hand
4.06/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

You'll reach for chocolate chip cookies with this one.
a) Brown black with ruby highlights. the short nitro head lasts and remains a lunar film
s) Dark roast coffee, coffee milk, espresso, caramel, raisin, plum. Complex - a meditation beer.
t) Follows the smell, remains complex but smooth.
f) Full to mid-bodied, smooth, silky, easy, abv hidden.
o) nice last beer of the evening.

Out Of Bounds Stout | Avery
3.9/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Everyday stout. Not outrageous.
a) Black, good 1 inch loose head, lasts, and provides lacing all the way down glass.
s) Too faint, and while hops, coffee, malt, char - another oily smell lowers the mark.
t) Ample bittered of charcoal, coffee, chocolate, hops, and malt. Hoppy dry stout.
f) Pleasing but light feel, bittering on tongue, nice finish, char remains.
o) Solid every day stout. I'd have one a day.

Neapolitan Milk Stout | Saugatuck
3.9/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Surprised by the success of this combination, because normally ice cream strawberry doesnt mix well with beer.
Not so here, where we get an original and heroic combination.
a) I look for more lasting and creamy head and lace than founder here, but it's solid.
s) Exceptional creamy aroma of vanilla and berry set off by sufficient char, and heft, to balance.
t) Likewise, the sweet and flavorful additions are tempered by a roast char body, that's solid malt, roast, wood, pepper, and charcoal.
f) A bit thinner than I like, but more flavor and punch that a 6.0 abv,
Best beer of their lot? Did not like their flavored stouts otherwise.

 

Keeping this BA coffee stout theme rolling with a great local one.