New Beer Sunday (week 460)

No pic. But I tried Clown Shoes Hammer of the Holy last night...outstanding! I put my review up on that listing. Very smooth and a bit smoky. A wonderful sipper for a cold, winter's night. As good as my favorite Clown Shoes brew: Very Angry Beast.

 

Terrific job emceeing the thread so far RIO!

 

Happy new Beer Sunday everyone! As usual I am up before the sun and today I am drinking Southern Tier Choklat. I like this beer but not as much as some . This had the distinct smell of a tootsie roll and to me that means sugar. It was sweet, and I am not one for novelty candies. There is authentic Belgian chocolate on this and how many times do you say the word "chocolate" when you review this beer? The roast is a bit lost although it does make a healthy enough stand to push this beer to a 4/5 in my ratings.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/40058/?ba=utopiajane

It snowed all day yesterday and was so white - the day. It's the stuff poems are made of. The whiteness of the sky the air and the ground plus the sparkle that new fallen snow gives off is just the most serene thing I have ever seen. It's festive with a touch of sadness too like these musical works from Tomaso Albinoni. Cheers and until next Sunday =)

I put my pics in WBAYDN. Have a nice day please.

 

Howdy, dudes and dudettes,

Great snowy day all day yesterday, but late last night turned wet and rainy, and now this morning there's nothing but a smattering of remaining snow. Sun and clouds vie in the sky.

My line-up today features Hairy Eyeball and Even More Jesus.

False start penalty this morning as I thought I'd be reviewing West Coast IPA from Green Flash, but it turns out I already had it (lol - *beer memory fail*)...

I doubt that my bottle was all that fresh, but it was a fine beer none-the-less.

Now, onto an actual new beer...

I don't pour timidly if I don't have to...

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball Ale

Goo enough ale, but not typically the sort which I seek out or return to.
Sweet dark ale, a rather straightforward American strong ale.


Paired it up with some scallops wrapped in bacon - nice combo.


As always this time of year, looking forward to some great NFL action.
Hoping for the Seahawks to beat my Giants (whaaaaat? Yep. I said it) and I guess I'm basically hoping all the big teams win ('Hawks, Niners, Pats, Chiefs, for example) so I can watch 'em duke it out in the playoffs.
Disclaimer: My teams' collective goose was cooked a long time ago, so now I'm just in it for the picks (lol).

See ya later with the 'Jesus. Hope y'all have a good new beer experience today.
Peace!

 

Yesterday I was lucky enough to try an amazing line-up of draft beers at Nightmare Before Christmas….

Tried West Coast I.P.A., my home-brew DIPA Friday then this list Saturday….

KBS (1st time trying)
Parabola (2nd)
BCBW (1st)
Sucuba(1st)
Rya Barrel Aged Cappuccino(1st)
4 Hands Volume #1 (1st Time)
Emilesse Creme Brûlée (1st time)
Stone Expresso RIS (1st Time)
Founder's imperial stout (1st time)
BCBS (umpteenth time)
Stone Smoked porter w/vanilla (1st time)
Abraxas (2nd)

Safe to say I was not sober after that line-up
Thankful for such a wonderful day and the chance to share this experience with friends

Cheers!

 

Great beers but ISO those scallops =) I always find my proper pour does not produce the same head as a vigorous pour. Oh are you gonna like "Jesus." I wish I had rated it higher.

 

lol - thanks!
Scallops came out great, eh?
My pint glass is my best friend - I can dump beer into it with abandon (for appropriate beers only *glassware geek alert*) and always recover in time if it risks an overflow.
And, ...yeah, really looking forward to Jesus (lol) - but I loved Aun Mas Café Jesus - is this gonna compare? TBD

 

These Op. 10 concertos are sublime. Switching now to Albinoni from the brutally horrific Esoteric of the UK.

SI Choklat in the morning would destroy me. Only 4 hours and counting from my first Old Horizontal.

 

I didn't have the aun mas cafe jesus only the even more jesus so I can't say.

 

I couldn't stand it.

Not interested in the rest of my Hairy Eyeball right now, so that got stoppered and put into the fridge.
I've got my sights set on getting a little more Jesus in my life...

EvilTwin Brewing's Even More Jesus, that is...

Behold!

Spot-on double stout, with all the associated flavors, smells, and feels - no denying the craftsmanship. 12% from Twelve Percent...
Also, my second review in-a-row that was dead even with the average.

It'll have to take a backseat to my experience with Aun Mas Café Jesus.

Familiar territory from here on out...

Cheers, NBS!

 

New Witbier Sunday​

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/86393/?ba=mattcrill

Thanks to Ri0 for kicking things off this week!

Had a lovely weekend up in Independence, OH where we picked up the Cuyahoga Valley Rail System's "Polar Express" and headed to the "North Pole" for the afternoon on Saturday.

Got a chance to try Fat Head's Holly Jolly (which, dare I say, is better than Great Lakes Christmas Ale in my humble opinion) at a nice little Irish pub on Friday and Full Pints "Chinookie IPA" which was a lovely burst of pine and grapefruit in a pint at the Melt Grill last night.

We got home around noon today but didn't want to hold y'all back on the account of my travel schedule which is why Ri0 is driving today.

Looking forward to seeing all the good descriptions and/or linked reviews to keep us focused on this lovely, festive NBS.

Peace, love, and malty-ness,

Matt

 

This is a nice blended saison that has some good tart flavors especially on the tail end. It is very clean and easy to drink, but the wine barrel is definitely present in a great way!

 

NEW AMBER ALE SUNDAY

More snow to shovel today, a task I find to be strangely satisfying. The little guy seems indifferent to the snow so far. He'll come around. The outdoor work is done so while he naps I'm reading the paper and enjoying a nice hoppy amber.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10607/104466/?ba=DIM



Hope everyone having a great NBS!

 

Given my alone time today....unexpected alone time at that, I plan to try 3 new ones. '13 doggie claws, '13 bcbcs, dirt wolf. Spaced out evenly over football watching/couch laying/dinner prep. Enjoy this thread each week. Happy Sunday.

Crooked stave was new to me yesterday. Really impressed.

 

To expand upon this here is a link to the event which they will be duplicating This upcoming saturday at Itap in Chesterfield, MO

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2013/12/itaps_nightmare_before_christmas.php

KBS was my stand out beer for this event as I figured it would be with the hype surrounding this beer.
Notes from my Review of KBS

On Tap at Nightmare Before Christmas Itap Soulard This along with many other whales on draft…
Was so excited to try this… First server said they were out, asked a couple others and got 4 8 ounce pours of this guy. Probably approaching roughly 700 unique beers. Much of that coming in the last year

A - Motor oil thick dark beautiful pour with the dark khaki foam half inch head. Lacing is amazing.
S - Amazing coffee aroma in this beer that stood out incredibly.. smell blended very well with cocoa and very well hidden bourbon notes.
T - This was the best tasting beer IMO at this event with the likes of many other top 100 beers. This beer warmed up amazingly and more and more coffee, cocoa flavors came out as it approached 55-60. Alcohol is extremely well hidden in the taste as bourbon hints come through at the end. This taste exceeded my expectations regarding the hype surrounding this beer.
M - This beer was served too cold so waited for it to warm.. it because much thicker, creamier, smoother as it warmed up with a full bodied mouthfeel. Awesome finish on this beer.
THis beer exceed my expectations in terms of taste and finish.
O - First time having this and it was on draft… I've been blessed to get my hands on a few bottles in the last couple weeks and will be opening 1-2 on Christmas Eve. This beer is well worth the hype and lived up or exceeded my expectations.


An my Surprise beer of the evening was the Rye Barrel Aged Cappuccino - Cocoa, Coconut, Vanilla, and whiskey.
This seemed as though it was a common theme. Others i chatted with loved this beer and even put it at the top of their list. Seek this one out. Lagunitas has something good here.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/95739

Thanks guys - First Post in here.