Foundation Brewing Company – Forge

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Foundation Brewing Company, Maine, New England, Stout

We’re well into the winter season now, so I’ll do my part to keep us all warm by sharing some more stout.

 Beer Name: Forge

Brewery: Foundation Brewing Company (Portland, ME)

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 10%

Description: A “potent” stout brimming with roasted malt and chocolate flavors, this brew features a robust malt bill and fair among hops as well.  You can find some pretty detailed specs here on the company website.

Appearance: It poured a dark cola brown/black body with tan lacing across the edges of the glass.

Smell: Sweet chocolate with a mild amount of bitter roast in the background.

Taste: Rich dark malts dominate the front of this brew, accentuated by notes of cream and chocolate.  The roast returns on the finish where it is joined by a robust piney bitterness and just a touch of alcohol after sitting for a bit.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-plus body with low carbonation.

Hype: Elevated.  I’ve really enjoyed most beers I’ve had from this brewery.

Overall: Really tasty.  It had been a little while since the last time I had a brew that hit all these different flavor notes and this one reminded me.of how great they can be together.  Must try for fans of the style.

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New England Brewing Company – Face Hugger

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Connecticut, New England, New England Brewing Company

I feel like I should have some kind of witty story or fun picture to go with this one, but I don’t.  Although I knew enough to catch the reference, I just never got into the Alien franchise to get particularly excited about this one by name alone.  I am, however, a very big fan of NEBCO’s beers so here we are.

Beer Name: Face Hugger

Brewery: New England Brewing Company (Woodbridge, CT)

Style: NE IPA

ABV: 6.8%

Description: A New England IPA featuring an “in your face” level of hops and dank citrus notes.

Appearance: It poured to a yellow/light amber body topped by a thin bit of white foam.

Smell: Huge citrus nose in the can and in the glass.  I was seriously able to smell this one from a good twenty feet away.

Taste: Sugary sweet citrus fruit atop a refreshing  pale malt base. The finish fully delivered upon the promises of dank, sticky pine/citrus hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a carbonation level just below moderate.

Hype: Moderate.  This wasn’t the thing that brought us into the brewery, but I’m excited about their beers on general at this point.

Overall: Excellent brew, be on the lookout for this one folks!  Full disclosure this post is from my backlog, but as of this post it seems to be on tap at the brewery so check it out if you are able.

Book Review: The Test, by Sylvain Neuvel

Tags

Book, Book Review, Fiction, Politics, Reading, Sylvain Neuvel

And here we go with my first book review of 2020!  Checking in at 254 pages, this February 2019 release is also my first foray into focusing shorter works this year.

Set in near-future England, we meet a man named Idir who who is preparing to take a citizenship exam.  In the first chapter we experience the test from his point of view, reading along with the questions and learning through his internal monologue about how he and his wife Tidir came to the country some years prior from Iran after no longer feeling safe there.  Things are going great after the first few questions until suddenly armed men storm the room and Idir finds himself tested in an entirely different manner; for every fifteen minutes that go by without their demands being met, the terrorist leader will force him to assess two hostages and determine which will die.

Talk about starting the year off strong!  This was an intense read that I could not put down.  The author did an excellent job making Idir an immensely likeable and sympathetic character before the absolutely jarring introduction of the terrorists.  To say he inspired in the reader some of Idir’s feelings of shock and helplessness is perhaps an understatement. Moving beyond the raw emotion and the abrupt surprise, there was a lot to unpack with this one.  It raised a lot of questions, not just about immigration policy, but also about professional ethics and how certain forces within a society (de)humanize some individuals at the expense of others.

There were a few other twists and turns to this story that I won’t mention here, but suffice to say I really enjoyed this work.  It was smart, it was gripping, and it was powerful. My relatively short amount of time in this world was an intense, emotional roller coaster so I am calling this book an incredible success for the author.  It is most definitely a read that I recommend checking out.

Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery – Garland, TX

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BBQ, Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Visit, Food, Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery, Texas

This may seem like quite the statement after my previous post, but I have truly saved my best Texas beer experience for last.  Feeling a bit adventurous, I took a 20 minute Uber ride out to downtown Garland, TX to check out Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery.  I found this place through the magic of the internet, but one of my coworkers the next day expressed their love for the place as well.

This place was so amazing, I’m not even sure where to start!  Walking in the front door immediately enters you into brewing heaven.  There were some assorted knickknacks off to the left followed quickly by a stack of barrels, a cooler full of beer to go, and finally the bar counter.  Beyond that lay a bunch of wooden tables and benches before ultimately arriving at the BBQ serving counter in the very back. The old brick walls allowed the place to maintain it’s old warehouse feel and the colorful, funky art adorning them added a bit of fun.  It seemed like there was something cool in every corner of this place and if it was a bit less crowded I would have loved to wander around taking it all.  Unbeknownst to me until my final beer, the double doors across from the bar lead to an indoor patio of sorts. It had the same warehouse vibe (though a bit less finished) and featured large windows upfront.

My first order of business upon arriving was procuring food so my first destination was to the BBQ counter in the back.  Everything looked great, but I finally decided upon a two meat combo featuring pulled pork and brisket along with slow cooked greens (with bacon!) and coleslaw.  It was all delicious, but the stars of the plate where the brisket and the greens. The flavorful, crispy edges and tender insides were exactly what I was looking for and the bit of spice on the greens was complimented perfectly the presence of bacon.  

And now, finally, we arrive at the beer.  My first brew of the evening, Texas Shake (shown below with dinner), was probably my favorite of the trip.  A 6.7% “Milkshake” IPA brewed with lactose and local peaches.  It had a glowing, pale yellow body and an insane nose full of apricot and peach aromas.  The taste matched the smell, and the added lactose gave this a creamy smooth fruitiness that had this living up to the “shake” name more than any other beer if this style I have tried thus far.  This was the beer of the trip for me and I have no regrets about having two of these!

Beer number two was their 7.8% Barrel Aged Donut Milk Stout.  Aged in bourbon barrels, it poured to deep, dark brown/black body and smelled of dark malts and barrel notes.  The taste was equally impressive, with sweetness upfront reminiscent of molasses and chocolate sitting atop a doughy malt base.  It finished with a very well developed barrel presence and some sweet heat. The thick mouthfeel held the flavors perfectly, making this another fantastic brew!

My final unique beer of the evening was a 9.3% DIPA named Chubby Unicorn.  It poured to a surprisingly non-hazy yellowish/gold body and had a big, fruity nose that almost rivaled that of Texas Shake.  This brew, however, while starting out sweet with a citrusy/tropical blend, it also had a moderate biscuity malt backbone and some slight toasty notes before ending with a piney/earthy bitterness.  I liked this one, but for me it lacked the “wow” factor of the previous beers.

And that’s about where I wrapped up my evening.  This place without any doubt or reservation gets my absolute highest recommendations.  If you’re in the area (even remotely) find a way to get yourself in here. Between the food, the beer, and the atmosphere I promise you won’t be disappointed!  For some bonus content, I’ll throw in a couple more of my favorite pictures from this visit below:

The Dog Haus – Richardson, TX

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Dog Haus, Food, Lakewood Brewing Company, Oak Highlands Brewery, Peticolas Brewing Company, Texas

Taking some advice from my coworkers, I ventured forth from my hotel room to check out a place called the Dog Haus.  Featuring an impressive tap list full of local brews and an intense menu full of meaty, cheesy, comfort food goodness I felt confident that this was a place I needed to go.

I’ll admit that I was a bit overwhelmed walking up to the counter here.  The menu, while not huge, was full of all the deliciousness I had been lead to expect.  After eliminating hotdogs and narrowing my options down to burgers or sausages, I decided to go with their popular Fonz dish – a spicy Italian sausage in a Hawaiian roll bun topped with enough pastrami and melted cheese to make a standalone sandwich.  I added a side of cheesy tots for good measure and was on my way to flavor country. I have no delusions about the healthiness of my meal, but I sure do recommend it! The sweetness of the Hawaiian bun and the spiciness of the sausage worked beautifully together with the pastrami and cheese an added bonus.  My only regret is not getting to try a burger there as well.

As for the beer, they had twenty or so taps offering a good mix of national breweries and local favorites.  I always tend to go local in situations like this and as such started out with Velvet Hammer from Dallas-based Peticolas Brewing Company.  It was a 9.0% Red IPA (my favorite!) that poured a delightful deep red body with a thin, slightly off-white head.  Taste-wise, it offered a moderate blend of caramel and lightly toasted malts that were complemented in roughly equal proportion by a moderate piney bitterness with some slight floral influence.  The medium, moderately carbonated mouthfeel was perfect for the style, making this an enjoyable brew for sure!

My second beer of the evening was the Oatmeal Stout from nearby Oak Highlands Brewery.  Checking in at 5.3%, it poured to a black body topped by a thin tan head.  It tasted of rich, creamy malts accompanied by a heavy oat presence in the middle and notes of dark chocolate and light on the finish.  It had a thick body that held the flavors well and made this one solid little stout.

Closing out my evening was The Temptress (Nitro), from Lakewood Brewing Company.  This one caught my eye immediately upon looking over the menu and I somehow just knew that this was where my night would be ending.  Coming in at a healthy 9.1%, this decadent Imperial Milk Stout featured huge notes of sweet dark malt, cream, chocolate, and molasses.  It had a sweet, light heat on the finish and the cream and chocolate notes got more intense the longer the beer sat. It had a perfect thick and smooth body with almost no carbonation to speak of.  I was very impressed with this one and couldn’t have asked for a better dessert.

As you can imagine, I had an excellent time at the Dog Haus.  Between the food and the beer it is definitely a stop I would recommend.  They’re apparently a chain, so be on the lookout for one near you!

Hotel Beer: The Westin Dallas Park Central (Dallas, TX)

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Bitter Sisters Brewing Company, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Texas

Hi everyone!  Things were fairly quiet around here last week on account of a semi-last minute work trip to Dallas, Texas, but now I’m home again and ready to get back into action.  While I didn’t really have a lot of time to much in the way of exploring, I did manage to come across a few good brews in my travels. Just to get things started, I’ll share a couple of beers I had on tap at my hotel, which actually had a pleasantly decent tap list.  It won’t blow away a dedicated beer enthusiast, but it also won’t make one feel like they had to settle either. My favorites were:

Deep Ellum Brewing Company (Dallas, TX) – IPA

My first beer of the trip, this 7.0% West Coast IPA that was a much needed pick me up following a nearly five hour flight and a few extra hours in the office.  Its sweet malt base was present throughout, lurking beneath more prominent notes of tropical fruits and a moderate bitterness mixing floral and piney hops. A very solid IPA and a nice throwback to the pre-haze days.  An excellent go to if you’re in the area.

Bitter Sisters Brewing Company (Addison, TX) – Family Trip

Mixing it up a bit, the other most noteworthy to come out of the hotel lobby was this 10.1% Tripel from another nearby brewery.  It had pale yellow body and smelled distinctly of sweet honey and Belgian yeast. Tastewise, it was again sweet upfront with notes of honey and caramel malt blending smoothly into telltale banana esters, Blegian yeast, and a slightly floral/herbal spice on the end.  Overall very light and easy drinking for a beer this big.

Well, that’s it from the lobby.  Be sure to check in later on in the week to see what I came across once I was finally able to get out for a little bit!

New England Brewing Company – Peanut Butter Fudge Imperial Stout Trooper

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Imperial Stout Trooper, New England, New England Brewing Company, Stout Season

On the drive home from visiting family, I convinced my wife to make a quick pit stop at New England Brewing Company to pick up some beer for the new year.  While our old favorite Fuzzy Baby Ducks was the main selling point, my desire to finally get my hands on one of my most sought after brews came in a close second!

Beer Name: Peanut Butter Fudge Imperial Stout Trooper

Brewery: New England Brewing Company (Woodbridge, CT)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

Description: Starting with their “force-ful” Imperial Stout Trooper and its mix of a dozen different grains and oats as a base, the brewers then added peanut butter and chocolate to make the dark side of beer even more alluring.

Appearance: It came out of the growler thick and black.  A thin tan lacing formed around the edges of the glass upon completion of the pour.

Smell: Sweet fudgy cake batter with hints of peanut butter around the edges.

Taste: Creamy milk chocolate and fudge upfront, followed by rich, lightly roasted dark malts that carried through to the finish.  The peanut butter was subtle at first, mainly confined to the after taste, until the beer sat in the glass for a few minutes.  After that, it became a bit more prominent as notes of thick, creamy peanut butter blended with the aforementioned fudge. A light bit of heat closed things out.

Mouthfeel: Thick, smooth body with low carbonation.

Hype: High.  The regular Imperial Stout Trooper is a beer that has long been on my must try list and finally being able to get my hands on a variant of it was rather exciting for me.

Overall: Decadent and delicious, the beer very much delivered on the promised additions.  The base stout seemed very good in its own right, so I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for a chance to pick up some of that as well.

Two Villains Brewing – Origin Story

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, NEIPA, New York, Two Villains Brewing

Coming at you all with one more brew from the good folks at Two Villains, this time with a beer my wife and I took home with us.

Beer Name: Origin Story

Brewery: Two Villains Brewing (Nyack, NY)

Style: NEIPA

ABV: 6.5%

Description: Brewed with oats and a blend of malt, it was then whirlpooled and dry hopped with some of the brewers’ favorite fruit-forward American and New Zealand varieties.

Appearance: It poured a hazy amber/pineapple juice colored body topped by a thin, slightly off-white head of foam.

Smell: Burst of sticky tropical fruit the moment I opened the crowler.

Taste: Sweet upfront, beginning with pulpy citrus fruits and apricot before some more mellow melon notes set in.  A nice pale malty/oaty base poked through around mission and was quickly followed a slightly resinous grapefruit bitterness that carried through to the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: High!  My first my time drinking an official Two Villains beer at home that wasn’t a home brew.  I also missed this one the brewery and my wife raved about it on the way back to the car.

Overall: I can certainly understand now why this was such a hit!  Great juicy flavor and just the right amount of bitterness on the end made this one a real winner.

Two Villains Brewing – Nyack, New York

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Visit, New York, Two Villains Brewing

My first brewery experience of the year is also a very special one for the BeerRantsAndBooks family.  The two gentlemen who run operations and make the beer at Two Villains Brewing have been in the circle of friends for many years now and it was absolutely amazing to see them realize their dream!  They officially opened up shop in mid-November of 2019 and my wife and I were thrilled we got a chance to stop by and visit some old friends over the Holidays.

The brewery is located on Main Street in downtown Nyack, NY and sits amongst a row of other storefronts.  There is no dedicated parking, but we had no problem finding ample (metered) public spaces literally right across the street.  Walking in the door you enter a beautifully finished taproom with a very industrial and modern vibe. It was well lit and had a very open and inviting feel.  Wooden tables and benches are spread throughout a rather roomy seating area and a long bar runs along the left wall. Beyond that and behind a short barrier lay the brewing floor with all the tanks and equipment one would generally expect to see at such a location.  The bathrooms downstairs are definitely worth a visit as well. There are four stalls (including one with a changing station), and each of them are wallpapered with old comics. It was a fun touch and great play on the “villain” name.

For the non-beer drinking crowd, they also pack a full bar and offer cocktail specials and have a craft soda fountain as well.  As of this post they are not serving food yet, but that is something that will be happening in the very near future. All I’ll say is that the descriptions of the chef-to-be’s cooking style certainly had my mouth watering!

And now it’s time to bring on the beer!  I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing several Two Villains home brews over the years and have likewise enjoyed the stuff they worked on at their previous gig, so I couldn’t wait to dive into the taplist.  There were several beers pouring that day and while I wasn’t going to be able to try them all, I did get a good sampling of what they had available. First up was Gummy World, an 8.5% NEIPA inspired by the brewers’ favorite gummy worms.  This particular batch was brewed with a strawberry and watermelon puree and dry hopped with El Dorado.  The oat/malt bill gave it a smooth base atop which the beer featured a light bitterness and a deliciously sweet blending of the featured fruits throughout.  Definitely an excellent start!

Beer number two was a 5% “Hoppy Norwegian Farmhouse Ale” named Sol Eater.  It opened with a nice wheat and rye backbone, followed by orange and apricot before coming to a rather dry finish with notes of pear and yeast.  This was probably my favorite farmhouse ale in quite some time!

My final full pour of the day was a 5.0% nitro milk stout called Neighbor Cat.  It was everything you could want from the style; light, smooth body and great notes of creamy and roasted malts.  In talking to the guys it sounds like they have some big plans for playing around with this one, so keep an eye out if you’re in the area.

As a bonus beer, I was treated to a sneak peek of a Kolsch they were working on at the time.  I know it’s not really a style people tend to get worked up over, but damn this was fantastic!  Light, super crisp, and featuring a subtle fruity sweetness this tasted like a real winner even when poured from the Brite tank.  It looks like they debuted this for New Year’s Eve, so get in there and get this while it lasts!

And that rounds out a very enjoyable day at the brewery.  I know I am a bit biased on this one, but seriously check this place out if and when you’re in the area.  It’s an awesome space and the beer will most definitely give you something to smile about.

PS – I’d like to add an additional thank you here to my wife, who took on some of the photography duties this visit!

 

The Third Annual BeerRantsAndBooks Blogger’s Choice Awards

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Ann Leckie, Becky Chambers, Blog Life, Blogger's Choice Awards, Brandon Sanderson, James S.A. Corey, Kim Stanley Robinson, KJ Parker, Liu Cixin, Madeline Miller, Peter Watts

Welcome to the Third Annual BeerRantsAndBooks Blogger’s Choice Awards!  I certainly came across many wonderful characters in 2019, and it is time now to pause and recognize some of my favorites.  We once again have an incredibly strong list of nominees, so I had to make some really hard choices in declaring a winner in each and every categy.

For a quick reminder of the rules, I am considering here all characters I came across in my 2019 reading.  The original publication date of the book for which they are nominated is irrelevant. With that out of the way, let’s bring on the nominees!

Best Leading Male Character

Orhan (Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, by K.J. Parker): An outsider on account of his race, Orhan is able to secure the respectable rank of Colonel of Engineers in the Robur Empire through skill, determination, and a shrewd understanding of graft.  When he finds himself leading the defense of a seemingly doomed city, he uses every last bit of strength and ingenuity to fight for every second of its survival.

Vasher (Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson): Hailing from the Shardworld of Nalthis, Vasher is a skilled swordsman and one of the Five Scholars devoted to mastering the local form of Investiture and pushing the boundaries of what it can do.  Irritable and often difficult to get along with, he nonetheless is a rather honorable man willing to help those with pure intentions.

Hamed Nasr (The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djeli Clark): A veteran detective in Egypt’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, Hamed finds himself partnered with a rookie to investigate some unusual happenings in a magical tram car.

Luo Ji (The Dark Forest, by Liu Cixin): A cynical and not particularly motivated man who finds himself one of humanity’s last hopes for resisting an alien invasion.

And the winner is: Orhan.  I really enjoyed his story and the tales of his engineering feats.  His outsider status, engineering brilliance, and dark, self-effacing sense of humor made it pretty easy to look past some of his less desirable traits (and unreliable narrator status) and really root for the guy.

Best Leading Female Character

Swan Er Hong (2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson): A brilliant, eccentric artist and scientist, Swan found herself caught up in a conspiracy that spans the Solar System following the death of her grandmother, Mercury’s charismatic and influential ruler.

Elvi Okoye (Tiamat’s Wrath, by James S.A. Corey): A hard working and determined scientist whose unique understanding of an alien technology has landed her a prestigious research position.  The only problem is that is on behalf of an authoritarian regime forcing her cooperation.

Circe (Circe, by Madeline Miller): The sea nymph probably best known for her role in The Odyssey, she is given an entirely new and powerful voice in this retelling of her life.

Gen Octaviasdottir (New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson): An NYPD detective who grew up on the poor side of town, her presence in a story full of great characters looms even larger than her person: With her police boots on she was six foot four, and now she was helmeted, pistol in hand, a look that could freeze blood.  A big scary black woman cop, mad as hell and calm as heaven.

And the winner is: With many, many apologies to Gen I think this goes to Circe.  I went back and forth about this decision at least thrice, but I am pretty sure I got it right.  Circe carried her story single handed and put in such a powerful and emotional performance it was just too hard to pick against her.

Best Non-Gendered Character

Breq (Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie): Formerly the AI of a ship named Justice of Toren, Breq is presently confined to a single ancillary body that is for all other purposes mostly human.  A skilled leader and tactical mastermind, Breq also possessed a keen sense of social justice and responsibility.

Nightblood (Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson): A sentient sword with the unnerving ability to project its thoughts and emotions into the minds of the people around it.  Self-centered and always very eager to be of use, Nightblood was easily one of the highlights of Warbreaker.

Chimp (The Freeze Frame Revolution, by Peter Watts): The AI serving aboard a ship on a 65 million year mission building wormholes.  Despite its seemingly friendly nature, however, some in the crew suspect it is not only hiding information from them, but also starting to view significant numbers of them as expendable.

And the winner is: Nightblood, just barely edging out Breq.  I just find the story behind this character absolutely fascinating at the fact that it turns up again elsewhere in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere leaves me wondering about the possibilities ahead for this character.

Best Supporting Male Character

Mutt and Jeff (New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson): A pair of financial coders who after years working odd jobs decide the time is right to level the economic playing field.

Daedalus (Circe, by Madeline Miller): Friend and lover of Circe, Daedalus offered both a calming and tragic presence to a rather emotional tale.  He of course has a few rather interesting inventions to share as well.

Shi Qiang (The Dark Forest, by Liu Cixin): Former detective and bodyguard to Wallfacer Luo Ji, he earned his second nomination in this category once again on account of his cunning mind and hard outlook on life.

And the winner is: Mutt and Jeff.  I suppose it’s a bit unfair to give this to a duo, but there’s really no separating the two.  Imagine fusing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with the guys from Waiting for Godot and then making them hackers with a passion for social and economic justice.

Best Supporting Female Character

Sawdust (Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, by K.J. Parker): A former slave with a renowned talent for carpentry, she plays a key role in defending her city and in the process makes several significant advances in siege weaponry.

Kizzy Shao (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers): A fun loving machine technician aboard the Wayfarer, her side interests include video games, electronic dance music, and smoking something called Smash.

Amelia Black (New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson): Star of a viral environmental series and captain of her own personal airship, Amelia is willing to put everything she has on the line for the causes she believes in.

And the winner is: Sawdust.  She was an intriguing character and I have a soft spot for medieval siege engines.  She also made the perfect counterpart to Orhan (see above), making her one of the few people he could rely on without reservation in an emergency.

And with that I bring the awards season to a close.  I met a lot of great characters in 2019 and can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store!