New Beer Weekend #178

Good evening friends! I found one that looked interesting in my preferred bottle shop and gave it a shot. Always looking for good Michigan beer and this is one.

The pour is stout black with a medium brown head that took quite a while to dissipate.
The taste is pretty much everything in the description; the milk chocolate, cacao*, vanilla and lactose - the last one is almost more of a feel though.
Speaking of feel; soft and mouth filling flavor. Almost decadent.
*the distinction between milk chocolate and cacao is milk chocolate is, say Hershey’s chocolate bars and cacao, straight cacao is bitter but definitely flavorful.
Cheers all!

 

We had company over last night and many beers were consumed. The beer that got the most praise was Fidens Organic Shapes, a New England style IPA at 6.3%. A treat of a beer with soft mouthfeel, vibrant citrus aroma and flavor, and only a wee bitterness. A well crafted New England.

 

Curious what the date on that is. I had my first one of those with a bottle date many months prior and it was still really good.

 

Martin House Brewing Shell Shock Imp Stout, 10.5% ABV; 4.16 overall

Pours an effervescent Chestnut/Mahogany with a pinky of tan head.
Some head retention better lacing; vicious

S: Dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, a whiff of smoke, brown sugar, a kiss of booze, most fade down the stretch

T: Rich fudge, dryness, vanilla, cola notes; creme Brule' up front. Dry, more fudge & Brilee' plus pecans & oaky booze as this beer warms up. Finishes with some barrel; warmth, fudge & pecans

MF: Chewy, low carbonation, warming

Rich & decadent, but not all in harmony, a sipper that is pretty fun. Great for this time of year. True Dessert or Pastry Beer

 

I didn't even look...best before 020823. And yes it was really good.

 

My last beer of the weekend. My next been will likely be the start of a holiday week. Alaskan Smoked Porter (2023). I don't *think* it's actually the first time I've tried it, but it's the first time I've tried it in many years, at least since I started reviewing beers, so I'm going to count it as a new beer. It's also the first time I've tried it since I had any appreciation for rauchbier. I have a much more open mind about beer in general now than I did ~10 years ago, so here we go.

22oz bottle served in a little snifter. I am drinking this because I got it for @jonphisher and I thought I should try it again.

Pours extremely dark brown with a tiny, fluffy head. Smell is smoke, char, umami, maybe wood. Maybe heavily toasted pecans.

Taste is of course smoky. Lots of burnt pecan / charred wood. Some sweetness, not totally sure how to describe it, but probably would include nuttiness and might include maple syrup.

Mouthfeel is fairly light and pretty dry and clean, particularly for a porter. Overall, it's pretty good and I enjoy it, though I'm not sure I really want 22oz of it.

 

Mélange No. 1 by The Bruery, a barrel aged strong ale/barleywine/smoked ale. Thanks @2beerdogs and the stout and barleywine BIF for this one.

I only had a small sample as it was shared with a few folks given its intriguing melange of styles. For me, this beer took on too many angles and ended up with an uninspiring beer. Just too much going on. The smoked flavor was too light and the overall flavors were muted. I like to see brewers reach for new products. Sometimes it just doesn’t materialize as expected.

 

8 Maids-A-Milking - Bourbon Barrel-Aged by The Bruery. A 2016 bottle from @2beerdogs was flat out sensational. Everyone loved its deep chocolate flavor and aroma as well as the delicious barrel, not too hot but very present. Sumptuous mouthfeel. This one pushes all of my buttons. If you come across one, buy and enjoy!

 

Bummer. I really love this one. But it is what it is. If it doesn't fully inspire you, move on. I totally understand.

 

Well I'm glad that one pushed the right buttons. I really hoped this one would inspire because it's been one of my favorites from the 12 Days series.