Blind BIF 6: Reviews Part 3

I'm still patiently waiting for Neorunner's reviews. I just hope he's finished all the IPA's at this point!

 

Yea, and I think Cuzco has some left to go as well.

 

for the most part - we are 95% done with this round. there are a couple folks who still have a handful of reviews to still get posted. will try to get round 7 set up and running before the hot summer hits.

IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT ROUND - please let me know. I will continue to run this BIF until it drives me nuts.

 

IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT ROUND - please let me know. I will continue to run this BIF until it drives me nuts.[/quote]

I got an idea for next round. The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. The Good a beer that is pretty universally liked and admired. The Bad is a beer that many people do not like; however, the sender likes this beer. The Ugly something that is pretty much universally hated.

 

I'm just spitballin', here.... how about a "side by side" requirement, where at least two or three of the beers are marked to be tried together, either at the same time or at least in close succession. This could multiple vintages of the same beer; a beer and its corresponding barrel treatment or other variations; a selection of the top beers in a style; etc. Whatever the sender thinks would be appropriate for a blind, side-by-side tasting.

The recipient would have to drink and review all of the beers in the marked side-by-side before revealing any of them.

 

I love this idea, and hope oline73 enjoyed drinking his 3 gueuzes side by side in this BIF. Definitely a cool twist if you do different vintages or BA and non-BA version. Consider me a big fan of this idea. I would caveat it and say something like "Must be at least 2 sets of side-by-side blind beers." That way you still have tons of flexibility with the rest of the box.

 

I like both of those ideas.

Another one I had - 12 different ABV's (rounded off). So one bottle each at 4%, 5%, 6%, 10%, 12%, etc, etc. Gets real interesting for those last couple... ABV's all blind of course, to add to the excitement.

 

Yeah, the gueuzes definitely helped inspire the idea, but I couldn't remember who sent/received that box. I don't think more than one side-by-side should be required, though. If people want to include more, that's awesome, but I'd want to leave as much flexibility as possible while still having an interesting theme.

 

Ok, ok, I am late on this, but pasting in my missing reviews

A: It's a gusher! Luckily, I am a helluva bartender and had a pint glass close at hand. Lost about a teaspoon (off my game). Bizarrely, this seems to be almost the exact same color as the Troegs beer, except totally opaque. The fear, it was just starting to subside, but it is back in a big way. This is like some kind of Japanese horror movie that I cannot understand. 3/5

S: Hrm, not a ton on the nose, but it could just be my sense of smell. It smells just a little boozy and some syrupy-fruit sweetness, but nothing stands out a bunch. 2.5/5

T: Well, the nose definitely wrote a check on sweet that the taste could cash. The booze is not super evident, though. It is kind of muted like the smell except for a small amount of something just a tad evil on the finish. Acrid? Not sure the word that should describe it, but it isn't pleasant, whatever it is. 2/5

M: The mouthfeel is fine, like the nose there is nothing that stands out much, and unlike the taste, there is nothing a little evil about the mouthfeel. It seems more or less fine. 2.5/5

O: I dunno what to think about this. I definitely can't nail the style. I am going to guess it is either something I don't drink or a botched attempt at a style I do frequent. I can't say I would seek this out, but it is interesting. 2.5/5

The reveal: Troegenator Double Bock! Hah. I am not sure I've ever had a doppelbock, but I can say I am either not a fan of the style or this invocation of it. I seem to be in the minority on this so I will chalk this up to different strokes.

 

A: Looks like flamethrowered toffee with a minimal head. I happen to really like toffee, burned to oblivion or otherwise so this is a pretty good start to my drink. (3.5/5)

S: I like bourbon. Hell, I drink bourbon. This, nose, though, it's like a hyper aggressive alley-crawling, bourbon-soaked, vagrant. It's like I crawled into a full bourbon barrel and then died there. Some booze on the nose, you dig? It's actually not as good as it sounds, but as a guy who loves this kind of stuff I wasn't as put off as a normal human might be. The alcohol dwarfs everything else that could possibly be there. I think I could light the vapors and reheat macaroni and cheese over it. (3/5)

T: Oddly, and probably for the better, not a tremendous follow-through on the nose. Decent barrel flavors, just a hint of the booze from the nose and not much bourbon flavor. Just some suggestion of dark roastiness, some vanilla, some savory notes and some overripe stone fruits. Plenty of competition among subtle flavors. This smells a lot stronger and crazier than it tastes. If anything, I actually would have enjoyed it had at least one of the present tastes been dialed up just a little. (3/5)

M: Hrm….a bit thin and overcarbonated for all the other crap that's going on here. This should have been syrup-thick. (2/5)

O: This is a kind of confusing beer that is all over the damned place. A beer that isn't entirely sure about its sexuality or what it wants to be when it grows up. I am going to guess this is some kind of grand cru thing, but am baffled beyond that. Those experiments only seem half successful, half of the time. I am not sure I'd kill a tiger with my bare hands for another bottle of this, but I found it intriguing. I'd be really curious to see if something jumps out with a little age. (3/5)

The reveal... Jackie O's Cellar Cuvee #5! I really wanted to try this, and am glad for the opportunity. If I ever stumble across another bottle, I think I will forget about it in my cellar for a couple years and try again in the hopes that something takes center stage.

 

Last one! "Enjoy with lots of friends" is scrawled ominously on the plain brown wrapper... One other person qualifies as "lots" if he is tall enough, right? I'm not scared.

A: Well, now, this doesn't look like liquid evil. Opaque and amber. This already appears to be in my wheelhouse. Cute lil fella, wagging his tail at me. Starting to think this is a snipe hunt. (3.5/5)

S: Hrm. Loads of molasses and honey on the nose. Sweet, creamy, and just a hint of booze. Something spicy. Intriguing. I think about barleywines for an instant, but I don't love them and this seems alright, so I move past barleywine. It smells pretty good, to be honest. Kind of smells like mead. Still not scared. (3/5)

T: Whoa, nelly. Sweet as Valentine's Day. Sweet as a 65-yard TD run by Walter Payton over a field made of spun sugar while a massive gumdrop sun shines through marshmallow clouds. Sweet, MFer. Also picking up nutmet, cinnamon, other spices? This is far out. Loads of honey again. Is this a mead? I have no idea. Some fruits...apple? Citrus? There is booze here, but it is hiding really well. Like a ninja. I am scared now. The booze is hidden too well. Something wicked this way comes. (3.5/5)

M: For whatever the hell this thing is, the mouthfeel is spot-on. Just the right amount of thickness and carbonation for something that I am now worried is higher than 10% ABV. (4.5/5)

O: Ok, like a Ukrainian presidential candidate, I am worried I've been surreptitiously poisoned by a maniacal rival. I'm a pint and a half through this and I feel like punching a cop. I really like this, but I was a fool for underestimating it. Dear lord, what have I done? (3.5/5)

The reveal: DuClaw Colossus. Holy crap on a pancake... nearly 22% ABV. I am headed to the hospital to get my stomach pumped before my liver escapes, screaming, out of my ass.

 

I'd definitely want to get in on the next one if possible - I've looked on the last couple with envy

 

I am also down for the next one. Abraxel's suggestion is a good one.

 

trying to wrap this one up. 375 c+c into tulip.

Large off-white head, beer is hazy golden in the pour but looks inky in the glass.

Heavy dark fruit, sweet malt, lots of molasses too. Very aromatic. A hint of alcohol.

Taste is shocking- good, but very unusual. Like concord grapes. Very vinous. Moderately hot. Very satisfying fruity malty finish.

This beer has some heat but it plays in to the heavy grape flavors. Very rich and layered, this is one decadent beer.

Wow, two thumbs up. Biiig time good beer here.


Reveal: RR Salvation. Nice! I have another bottle in my fridge but this is my first time trying it. Really digging this! Thanks, pitasoup!

I think I might have one more kicking around..

 

Let's shake this thing dry and get to the next one!

 

Here we go, Sorry Kevin for the delay, but everything is all good and I finished up the box over the weekend. And here we go.

Starting off with the big boy, C&C 750, into a tulip.

A-pours a murky brown color with a Huge white fluffy head after a pretty tame pour. 3.5

S-Wow, not quite sure what to think here, as the smell is a bit confusing. At first you get orange/citrus, and then a lot of raisin, plum and burnt sugar. Overall very nice, just took my by suprise a bit. 4.0

T-Very sweet upfront, dark fruits and molasses with a little bit of yeast. Cherry and honey and then you get the same orange peel that I smelled previously. Some spice as well, that I cant quite put my finger on.After it warms it opens up even more and is very enjoyable.4.0

M-I would say this is meduim bodied, with a lot of carbonation which leads to a nice, dry finish. 4.0

O-I really enjoyed this one, and would love to have again. This is something Belgian for sure, but i know I have not had this before. The reveal...Brooklyn Local #2. Nice, would absolutely drink this again. Thanks!!

 

This one appears to be a can of Red Bull haha, never seen a beer in this format, but here we go!

A-Pale yellow with a think white head that dissipates quickly. Not too much going on here.3

S- Looks like we have an A.L.L here lol. Grainy corn, malt liquor maybe?Not sure, but we'll see how it tastes. 2.5

T-Biscuit, corn and some grain. Pretty watery, but im thinking malt liquor because of the harsh, somewhat chemical aftertaste. Woof lol, this beer is bad. 1.5

M-Kinda smooth, would be easy to drink if it didnt taste so bad. Medium carbonation with a somewhat slick finish. 2.5

O- Was not a fan, tastes like a really old Icehouse or something along those lines. The reveal...Molson Canadian Cold Shots 6% abv. LOL nicely done. This could be my punishment for taking so long haha. Thanks!! 2.0

 

Looks like this one has been put to bed?

 

I know I am still waiting for several reviews from neorunner...

 

I guess I will just give up hope Cuzco rates the last 4 or 5 beers from the box <sigh>

either that or the killshot...well...killed him