New Beer Sunday (Week 530)

The weather has taken a decided turn for the gorgeous again, and I feel the mild tug of regret at working nights, and having to miss this wonderous irradiated period of exposure to that fabled far flung ball of burning plasma that we hear so much about. With the sky clear our mighty Mt. Rainier, namesake of the nectar of OG hipsters everywhere, that veritas-tic Vitamin R comes out and looms over the city not in an ominous manner, not reminding us of shades of 1980, but of matrilineal majesty. Eh, I'm running on fumes at this point: the alliteration-ing is ended. Point being: it's gorgeous out. The mountain is killing it on the horizon.

(pictures never really do justice, do they...)
Lives come, lives go.
For each friend's dad who dies, a best friend gives birth to a healthy baby boy. For each weekend featuring too many RRTs and PICU transfers and deaths, I get a 1st birthday for my Porter goompa. Lives come, lives go.

In celebration of the latter item on that list, I grabbed a bottle of Drew & Steve's Imperial Mutt Brown Ale. Brown ales I feel fall in that crack of modern beer drinking where they're not big and bold enough to draw interest from the stereotypes, nor quite fully classic enough to gain a huge cult following from the 'classicalist' other stereotypes, nor odd/out-of-left-field enough for the other other stereotypes, nor cutting edge enough for the OTHER other stereotypes. This particular offering is quite well executed, and quite enjoyable. Nose is nutty and creamy creamy creamy. Fiercely carbonated, the sharp bubbles draw the attention away until the nutty notes, dry bakers chocolate and roast and char can flank your tastebuds and showcase their wares. The finish is ashy char and bitter, though with a sharp balancing sweetness that is careful not to overdo itself. It's a very enjoyable brew, and though I generally try not to get TOO caught up in such things, I can't help but ponder: where IS the line between brown and porter? Porter and stout? APA and IPA? etc etc etc...

She's very much a mutt. Hence the brew for this Sunday. Besides, the crude drawing even looks a little like her with a shorter snout!! She even hauled this (and another I may debut later, when I wake up) back from the beer store herself, in her new birthday present backpack!!! I could have sworn I stopped and took a picture of her and it and them, but scouring my phone/camera yields no results, so maybe I just thought about it...

One years old on Friday!! (other memorable milestones share that same date, but we shan't sink to discussing those here.)


Get it?


Cheers!

 

I spoil the hell out of them. That is fresh from Mills River. Bunch of lucky dogs around here.

 

Loved that brew when I had it, it was like drinking liquid whipping cream... really enjoyed it. Nice mutt also

 

I'd take both (no, not the gun - the cannoli and sfogliatelle )

 

Will be back later on with a new brew.

Cheers!

 

yes

 

While I must admit that I'm not as huge a fan of citrus in pastry as some, from a craftsman standpoint, sfogliatelle are a work of beauty and definitely something I'd like to tackle baking at some point

Was it @beertunes who proposed the New Crappy Beer Sunday, wherein we all undertake something that would seem more apropos at a frat party than on such a distinguished and be-monocled a gathering as this? Well, whoever it was, applaud this brave soul for devouring the flame of such a quench and presenting it as is, affording it the same dignity or lack thereof of any other liquid here. Uh... that sounds super douchy I'm sure, but the point is, bad beers need love (or at least honest appraisal) too!!

 

New Good Ol' American IPA Sunday!

Greetings from right here at The Jersey Shore, where it's sunny breezy and a cool 60 degrees. Ha, it's always cool around here, no matter the temperature!
I've done the golf, the chores, the new BEER:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34780/141744/?ba=NiceTaps

It's a winner. A new beer is always better when it hits the spot; this one did the job. Spellbound is in Mount Holly, less than an hour's drive for me, and there's a taproom. There may be a visit in store soon.



Miss Rory Block provides the soundtrack today.


All the best!

 

Absolutely. We've recently stated getting what seems like their whole lineup. Great stuff.

 

Really wanted to go today but I can't. A worthwhile addition to their lineup?

 

Haha, yeah after I finished my review, when I was going to link to it I scrolled down and recognized your avatar (Can't tell with the small square we're afforded, but it always looked like Vork from The Guild to me.) as the OG review
I didn't get quite as many nuanced fruit/sweet notes as you did, nor do I have your skill with words, but ultimately I agree that it is something I would happily drink again.

 

lift bridge: silhoutte barrel aged imperial stout.
wafts of dark semi-sweet/bitter cacao chocolate, vanilla, coconut.
mouthfeel: a nice soft mouth feel with a nice carb to keep it moving.
taste: vanilla, chocolate, black strap molasses, some dark fruit notes, but not tannic.

prairie bomb: fantastic mouth feel, nice moderately coffee roasted aroma, along with vanilla. mouthfeel is fantastic. taste is sweet, but not cloying. i get malted chocolate like a whopper candy, balanced nicely with subtle carbonation, coffee roast and then a nice faint touch of chile to keep it even more interesting, but definitely not a chile bomb, which is really nice.

 

Greetings again,
This beer was handed to me to try and I did. This is Unibroue Ephemere/Cranberry. This is a genuine Belgian tasting ale, with subtle cranberry flavors- but it's all jammed up trying to be a good beer and fails. The nose is off-putting and the first sip provides all you need to know. I would never buy this beer and there are literally hundreds that I would drink before I cracked another of these.
Well, here is some sunshine. Carlos Effing Santana.

 

Forget the pictures and the review... you put up Light the Torch. Like X 5.

 

Not Handel's Messiah?

 

I'm with @Roguer on this. A little Baroque goes a long way with me. My classical music faves tend to be the late-Classical, Romantic and (some) Modern era stuff. Some Mozart-heads have called me an apostate, and I'm fine with it.

 

I thought this beer was absolutely fantastic when I had it recently. Granted it was after a long day work and enjoyed in a shower, but it was very well balanced and tasty!

 

Sure, not saying "Handel sux," or anything like that, but I always have felt Beethoven carried a lot more emotional "heft," and I can't help wonder how much acclaim Handel would have received if he hadn't been the favorite composer of the British Empire at it's height, at least until Elgar came along.

 

New Tripel Sunday

Hello all! A chilly day here in Milwaukee...but not unseasonably so, I suppose - you never know with April!

Anyway, today's brew is an EXCELLENT example of a Tripel. Citric and dry, yet not too hoppy. A candy-like sweetness in the balance and Belgian yeast in the mix. Very well-done. It's from Lakefront's "My Turn" series. If you can get a hold of "Kyle" I recommend it!

Here's the link to the review:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/167369/

Cheers!