Blind BIF 7 - Visually ImPAIRed - Reviews

I thought that the Harpoon White IPA had orange, and spice in it?

 

Small green, corked, and caged bottle?

Cork shoots out of bottle while removing the cage, it does not gush though. This beer pours hazy, sunset orange in color. Three fingers of foamy eggshell white head. You can hear this beer, sounds like rice krispies. The head is slow to fall, it leaves a thick top-coating that leaves sheets of foam that slide back into the drink.(5.0)

Wow, what an amazing aroma! Even with the glass sitting a couple feet away from me, I still smell ripe apples. Upon closer inspection I smell the whole cider mill. Apples, (both tart, and sweet), "barnyard funk," hints of vinegar, as it warms the funk comes to life.(5.0)

The tart, & sweet apples carry over into the flavor along with tart cherries, the faintest hint of lime, a slight mineral character, its funky too...and oh so sexy!(5.0)

Medium body, lots of scrubbing carbonation, just slightly tart, with a long lasting finish.(4.5)

One of the most unique beers that Ive ever had. I can get lost in this!(4.9)

Its a Fonteinen-Geuze. My first Geuze, I believe. Ive often contemplated picking a bottle of this up, glad I finally got to try it.

 

Oh, I guess it does have orange peel and coriander. The label's a little ambiguous ("Simcoe, cascade, and citra hops give this beer the citrus and floral notes of an IPA..."). I guess I wasn't quite as off as I thought I was!

 

Alright, gonna get some reviews started! Figured I'd go in numerical order for the sake of it, so it's 1A and 1B up to the plate:

1A:
A 12oz-er served in a small snifter.

A - Very dark black-brown, like an inky cola, topped by a strong finger of dusty khaki foam.
S - brown sugar, light cinnamon, clove, light cocoa powder ... I'm thinking this is some sort of Belgian-style deal...
T - cola, brown sugar, molasses, light hickory smoke, clove ... hmmm, a smoked Belgian? Or some smoked porter?
M - light medium, moderate carbonation, thinly smooth feel
O - Overall, I kinda like this stuff. Definitely seems like some sort of smoked beer, which is always welcome in my fridge, though it comes across as a touch thin, as though it could be bulkier if only it tried a bit of a weight-lifting regimen. I'd give it a B/B+.

1B:
What seems like a bomber (this franken-paper wrapping makes truly accurate size-eying kinda tough) served in a Bruery snifter (these are the only non-shaker glasses close enough for such a side-by-side comparison).

A - pretty much identical to 1A, maybe with a slightly taller head.
S - wood, black pepper, light clove, light whiskey (comes through almost Early Times-esque), light roast
T - mostly the same, deeper roast, cinnamon, brown sugar, light cola
M - light medium, light moderate carbonation, smooth feel
O - Not bad. Seems very similar to 1A, though without the smoke character. Still, a tasty little brew, a spicy, seemingly Belgian-style deal. I'd drink this often if available to me.

Let's get a reveal up in here, eh? 1A: Cape Ann Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout. ...okay, I guess that smoke I was getting was actually toasted pumpkin seeds? How 'bout 1B: Cape Ann Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout.

Well, this explains the similarity between the two, doesn't it? I find it odd that the impy version isn't much thicker, but, hey, so long as they're both tasty., right? Good times with the first pair.

 

Wow, glad that we made that happen for you and that you enjoyed it! It didn't occur to either of us that it would be a first, just that it would be something delicious to include.

 

Moving on to Pairing 3 and 4 poured into matching bruery snifters

#3 and #4 both pour very similar. a golden color with #3 being slightly darker with an orangish tint. Both with a 1/2 inch head that quickly falls to a ring and an island. 4.0

#3 has a strong dark fruit smell, primarily cherries with a strong acetic/sour aroma. 4.0
#4 smells like apple jolly ranchers 4.5

#3 Tastes like my grandmothers dutch cherry apple pie. I think this is a beer I've had once before and loved.
#4 The smell of apples is much stronger than the taste. It tastes like a sour apple cider with a very sweet and pleasant after taste. I really enjoy this beer! 4.5

#3 and #4 are both light bodied and fitting of the style. Going back to #3 as it warms what I think is cherries come through and are more dominant with a tart finish 4.0 I don't think this is the beer I originally thought it was #4 is much less sour 4.25

Overall I really enjoy both of these beers and think this was a great pairing. Similar yet very different. I would give both beers a 4.5. I would have originally guessed that #3 was Enigma but I think it may be another of the sour unplugged beers. I had pegged #4 as Apple Ale because I thought this was a NG pairing.

And the reveal:


Untitled by usofar, on Flickr

#3 - New Glarus Cranbic
#4 - New Glarus Apple Ale

So it was Cranberries not cherries. I really enjoyed both of these and they are definitely staying on my wants list. Thanks again Retail1LO!

 

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that got cola and smoke, and totally missed the pumpkin

 

The Lumberyard actually just won silver for IPAs at GABF. Usually very tasty. Maybe these cans weren't too fresh?

 

The Old World was your kill shot. A local brewery that puts out some heinous beers. They actually recently got shut down temporarily by the health board.

 

Blind Beer reviews #3 and #4.

Both bottles into a snifter.

#3 Bottle is a bomber.

A- 2.5 This beer looks like murky ice tea when poured into my glass. Man its ugly! The head was a very light tan coloration and it immediately fell apart. No lacing is noted on my glass.

S- 4.0 Vanilla and bourbon boozeyness charges out of the glass. Various levels of toasted malt, peat, raisins, figs, prunes, cherries. Again very boozey in a bourbon way.

T- 4.0 Shrek set off a bourbon bomb! Seriously Bourbon dominates the flavors. Lucky for me I am a big bourbon fan. Vanilla, brown sugar candied citrus, cherries, dates and raisins plenty of malty sweetness. The alcohol is a bit peppery but works out well. This beer taste like my grandmothers fruit cake. The beer is plenty sweet but the finish is dry.

M- 4.0 This beer has a big fat ass! The body of the beer has curves. Its very smooth carbonation is low but its not flat. The alcohol is a little warm but no heat.

O 4.5 This beer is a very nice sipper for this cool morning. The bourbon dominates this beer if you dont like bourbon piss off and get another bottle. The beer reminds me of my grandmothers fruit cakes dam tasty.

#4 Bottle is a 12 oz bottle

A- 3.5 The body of the beer is a bright orange coloration. The head is white and resolves immediately. No lacing noted on the glass.

S- 4.0 The aroma of the beer is sweet malts figs, and plums brown sugar, and caramel. The aroma is very boozy reminds me of rum cake.

T 4.0 Huge maltyness caramel, cherries, figs, raisins peppery alcohol nothing that stikes me as hoppy but it doesnt need it. I swear I am getting rum notes from the flavor.

M- 4.0 The body of the beer is medium plus. Very gentle carbonation but not still. The alcohol is super smooth and tamed.

O- 4.0 The beer is boozey and its over the top. The alcohol is buzzing in my system so I know its pretty kick ass. I want some more.

The reveal # 3 Flight Level 410 Barley Wine aged in Bourbon Barrels. This beer is dam tasty and the more interesting of these 2 beers.

The reveal #4 Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot. This beer is far smoother than I remember it. Has this beer had a little age on it to tame the alcohol?

Both beers are very nice examples of English Barley wine. Thanks Shrek!

 

I always suspected the pumpkin in these beers is quite subtle, but the mind plays tricks when you know what you are drinking. At festivals in the fall they serve the pumpkin stout out of a "cask" made from a giant pumpkin - now that is pumpkin-y.

Glad you liked the first course!

 

I am glad you enjoyed the 410, the look doesnt match the taste. i think you will find the same with the look of another pairing.

 

My head hurts from 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 3c , 3d & 7 which were reviewed last night by myself and Benimaru. I will post the reviews when I get home this evening. Awesome stuff so far, Sitarist!

 

That was a lot of alcohol!

 

Even without knowing the contents, I think I could do worse... (hint to my ever-patient target)

 

3a,b,c,d were all over 11%. Nothing too bad.

 

I love big, alcoholly beers and rarely feel them the next day. For some reason though, they are kicking my ass today, lol. I believe all 7 beers were around 10%+ up to 11.9%

 

I'm thinking that's possible. The beer had aspects to it that were enjoyable, but...I dunno. Not the end of the world by anymeans.

 

LOL...I cant wait to see you reviews.

 

I think someone is trying to kill me (please don't mistake that for a complaint)

Bottles 5 and 6:
Both open and pour a dark brown, with # 5 clearly being darker and with a far less substantial head. They both look nice in their own way. I'd have pegged these guys as brown ales - until I got my nose anywhere near them and realized that there is a huge malt presence. The nose on these beers is just bursting with maltiness. #6 is sweeter and a bit more refined with flavors of caramel whereas #5 is darker and deeper in sweet malt and also has a substantial suggestion of generic hoppiness. #6 is really freaking hoppy. Deep sweet malt flavors and big, hops - this is the quintessential gigantic American barleywine for sure. The sweetness brings you through and the hops just batter your palette. #5 is a different story. Sweeter and far more refined. Finishes with some hop burn, but not like #6. There is, what I am guessing is the slightest amount of oxidation. The mouthfeel on #6 is huge. Big beer that leaves a looooong hop finish. #5 is slightly thinner, but still leaves a lot on the tongue. There is something compelling about how unabashedly flavorful #6 is. I would guess that #5 is an aged version of #6 and age acts very nicely to this beer, but I cannot say that I definitely like either better than the other overall. They both impress me as they both clearly hate me and want me to die.
App - #6 - 4.0, #5- 4.0
Nose - #6 - 3.5, #5 - 4.0
Taste - #6 - 3.5, #5 - 4.0
Mouth - #6 - 4.0, #5 - 3.5
Overall - #6 - 4.0, #5 - 4.0

As soon as I tasted #6, I assumed it was Bigfoot from a fairly recent vintage. #5, I am guessing, is a few years older Bigfoot. So, I'm going to go ahead and guess #6 is 2012 Bigfoot and #5 is, shot in the dark, 2009 and that this comparison was bad ass. If it's not Bigfoot, it's someone else's big ass american barleywine and #5 has age on #6. If they are different beers between the two of them, then I have no idea.

...the reveal...

woah (note, these got flipped, I matched the glass to the dregs in the bottle after reveal, so I may have these numbers backwards, and...I just drank like 16oz of BF in < 1 hour, gimme a break) - - I am not surprised I got Bigfoot right, or even 2012, but 2006? Wow! This beer really holds it's hoppiness for a while! Another fantastic Blind BIF experiment! Thanks again!