Central Waters Brewing Company – Cassian Sunset

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Central Waters Brewing Company, Craft Beer, Stout, Winter

One of my greatest discoveries while blogging here has been the Central Waters Brewers Reserve Series.  So far I have tried and reviewed four beers from this series and each of them left me impressed. Could this one continue the trend?

Beer Name: Cassian Sunset

Brewery: Central Waters Brewing Company (Amherst, WI)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.7%

Description: An imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee, vanilla beans, and cinnamon.

Appearance: Poured into surprising nice hotel-furnished glassware with a thick, black body topped by a foamy off-white head.

Smell: An incredible mix of creamy sweetness and chocolate fudge, capped off by a moderate bourbon finish.

Taste: Deliciously close to the smell.  It opened with creamy, rich dark malts followed by a big chocolately/fudge presence with hints of cinnamon and vanilla mixed in for good measure.  A moderate and smooth bourbon barrel finish brought the beer to a pleasantly warm finish.  Seemed like the longer this sat in the glass, the better it kept on getting.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, thick body with very low level carbonation.

Hype: I certainly had high hopes going in, but I can’t really say how the beer community at large feels about this.  I have seen plenty of online enthusiasm for this series though.

Overall: This one wowed me.  Huge creamy dark malts and sweet chocolate notes kept the cinnamon and vanilla in their ideal roles as supporting flavors while the finish nicely showcased the barrel aging process.  A four pack of these bottles in the $15-16 range is an easy buy and one I intend to repeat. If big dessert-like stouts are your thing, you need to try this.

Treehouse Brewing Company – Snow

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, DIPA, New England, Snow, Tree House Brewing Company, Winter

Last weekend was pretty eventful in these parts.  Months ago my wife and I had made plans to spend the long weekend in New Jersey and despite the threat of major winter storm we decided to make the journey anyway.  On the way down we made a pit stop at Treehouse Brewing Company in Charlton, MA to pick up some provisions for the hotel and hit up the Cracker Barrel down the street.  Luckily for us we picked a rather fortuitous day to visit the brewery; not only did they announce a couple of releases that morning (more on those later) but they also had this seasonally appropriate brew available as well.

Beer Name: Snow

Brewery: Treehouse Brewing Company (Charlton, MA)

Style: Wheat Double NEIPA

ABV: 7.8%

Description: A double IPA brewed with a “boatload” of Citra, Centennial, and Sabro hops as well as what sounds like a good amount of malted white wheat.

Appearance: Poured a hazy, juice-like yellowish orange body with a thin foamy white head.

Smell: Huge tropical fruit notes coming right out of the can.  Takes on a bit of additional pale malt/light wheat aromas in the glass.

Taste: Straight up tropical fruit juice upfront.  After the initial sweetness the beer took on creamy grainy/wheaty notes in middle before coming to a lingering bitter finish highlighted by citrus zest and perhaps a hint of lime.

Mouthfeel: It had a smooth drinking fluffy, medium body with a fairly moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: Elevated considering the source.  Add in a bit of my own expectations as well given its seasonally appropriate name.

Overall: I thought this was a very good beer that left a very positive impression upon me.  I know I recently lamented being somewhat burned out on the NEIPA style, but between the addition of wheat and the somewhat atypical hop mixture (I don’t come across Sabro all that often) I thought this one distinguished itself from the pack.

Ipswich Ale Brewery – Defrost

Tags

8th Annual Christmas Tree Burn Fundraiser, Beer, Beer Review, Fire, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts, New England, Newbury, Winter

My wife and I took advantage of my mom’s offer to babysit last Saturday and went out for our first proper “date night” in quite some time.  Our destination of choice was lovely Newbury, MA for the 8th Annual Christmas Tree Burn Fundraiser.  Braving temperatures dropping below 20°F, we had an excellent time walking the farm, watching an ice sculptor, and, of course, taking in the giant bonfire that sent all the Christmas trees thrown away this year out in a blaze of glory.  

Another point of interest, particularly for me, was a beer called Defrost, a special release local favorite Ipswich Ale Brewery prepared specifically for the event.

Beer Name: Defrost

Brewery: Ipswich Ale Brewery

Style: Weizenbock

ABV: 7.7%

Description: Brewed for the event and to help fight the winter blues, the release notes promise a beer that balances “iconic German yeast flavors… against a complex malt base with notes of chocolate and dark fruit.”  Proceeds of its sale go to benefit the Newbury Volunteer Fire Department.

Appearance: Fresh off the draft lines of one of the brewery’s handy little tap mobiles, it poured an opaque caramel colored body with some light tan lacing spread out across the top.

Smell: Crisp malts mixed with a slightly spicy, wheaty presence.

Taste: Sweet bready malts upfront, followed by notes of dark fruit, wheat, and banana-like esters in the middle.  A very subtle noble hop presence brought it all together with just the barest hint of spicy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a slightly above moderate carbonation level.

Hype: Relative to the beer scene in general I would say not much, but I was certainly interested in trying this out and the lines for beer suggested that I was not alone in this.

Overall: A very flavorful brew that certainly did its part keeping me warm on a rather chilly evening.  I had a couple of these that night and might even have a few more if it crosses my path again.

 

 

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Twelve: Rogue Ales – Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

Tags

12 Beers, Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, Holidays, Rogue Ales, Santa, Winter

And here we are on Christmas morning and the end of my 12 beers series!  Whether you are celebrating today or not, I want to wish everyone out there a safe and happy day.  As for myself, I got something a little stronger than milk and cookies left out for me last night.

Beer Name: Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

Brewery: Rogue Ales (Newport, OR)

Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale

ABV: 7.9%

Description: The 2018 version of Rogue’s winter seasonal is a Belgian Dark Ale brewed with tangerines and boysenberries.  The full list of ingredients is available here.

Appearance: Poured a deep ruby-red/brownish body with a bubbly tan head.

Smell: Sweetness from malt and berries, offset by moderate tartness.

Taste: The very start of the sip was sweet, but quickly got overtaken by a heavy tart presence, presumably boysenberry, and tangerine rind.  The tartness carried on through to the end, where it mingled with peppery Belgian-style yeast.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with plus carbonation.

Hype: I’ll admit I was hoping to end strong.  It had a good name for it as well.

Overall: It was good, but be warned that it was also really tart!  That said I did enjoy sipping at it, but for best results I would recommend pairing it with some food.

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Eight: Samuel Smith’s Brewery – Winter Welcome Ale

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, December, Holidays, Samuel Smith's Brewery, United Kingdom, Winter, Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!  When looking through the haul of beers I grabbed for this review series, which in all honesty was mostly compiled in one grab through the singles section at one of my local stores, it seemed like this one had a particular day I should drink it on.

Beer Name: Winter Welcome Ale

Brewery: Samuel Smith’s Brewery (Tadcaster, United Kingdom)

Style: Winter Ale

ABV: 6.0%

Description: A seasonal beer brewed with a variety of malts and hopped with Fuggle and Golding.

Appearance: Reddish light brown body with a lacing of white bubbles across the top.

Smell: Faint hints of toasted malt and sweetness.

Taste: A mix of caramel and lightly toasted malt upfront.  A light, earthy/spicy bitterness came on about midway and mingled with more toasted malt for the ending.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body with moderate carbonation.

Hype: None really, but I have had some quietly delicious stouts from this brewery.

Overall: Not bad a brew, but somewhat underwhelming. I personally would have welcomed in winter with something a bit more robust, but it was the luck, or not, of the draw that put this in my glass.  Decent malty ale, but ultimately nothing to write home about.

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Seven: Troegs Independent Brewing – Mad Elf

Tags

12 Beers, Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, December, Elf, Holidays, Mad Elf, Troegs Independent Brewing, Winter

Checking in today with another beer named for a troubled elf and I am once again wondering about the working conditions at Santa’s shop.  I’m taking us on a tangent here, but having just watched that old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer special I think I can understand why: people in Christmas village are jerks.  Would anyone really have blamed Rudolph and Hermie if they just said “fuck y’all” and never turned back?

Beer Name: Mad Elf

Brewery: Troegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA)

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV: 11.0%

Description: The brewery’s winter seasonal featuring (among other things) spicy Belgian yeast, raw honey, and cherries.  Check out the complete story here.

Appearance: Deep ruby-red/light brownish body with a lacing of white bubbles up top.

Smell: A mixture of sweet honey and cherry tartness backed by notes of peppery Belgian yeast.

Taste: Again sweetness upfront in the form of rich malts, honey, and cherry.  The ending was somewhat warming and featured a blend of peppery yeast and winter spices.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body that despite feeling fizzy at times had low carbonation.

Hype: I don’t recall having this before, but I remember at one point this beer had a bit of a seasonal following.

Overall: Very solid brew.  I don’t think I could do more than one of these in a sitting, but it’s a nice beer to sit back with and keep warm with.

Merry December!

Tags

Blog Life, December, Holidays, Winter

I know I’m a few days late with this greeting, but I feel like that’s pretty unavoidable this time of year.  I’ve long held that Halloween marks the last chance to truly let loose and have fun before the mad rush through Thanksgiving, the December Holidays, and New Year’s and that seems especially true for me this year.  I’m not saying there’s no fun to be had from these things (indeed I have a newfound appreciation for these holidays upon experiencing them with a two-year old), but this time of year certainly brings with it a level of stress and obligation that can really weigh one down.

On account of this I haven’t had as much time to work on posts as I would have liked and am taking a week or so off to gather my thoughts while preparing to end the year strong.  I have one more epic book review coming up that I am very excited to share with you all and on our around December 14th I have a festive lineup of beers I’ll start reviewing. I also have some end of year type posts in the works, though I will have to wait and see whether or not those make the December cut or get pushed to early January.

It’s a hectic time of year right now, so I’ll close this with a reminder to be careful out there.  Stay warm, safe, and sane my friends!

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company – Trip in the Woods: Cocoa Coconut Narwhal

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, California, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Stout, Stout Season, Winter

My first beer review of 2018!  Seems fitting that I go with the beer i purchased specifically for drinking on New Year’s Eve.  My wife and I hope to spend more time hiking this coming year, so I kind of felt like this one was calling out to me from the shelf.

 

Beer Name: Trip in the Woods: Cocoa Coconut Narwhal

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Chico, CA)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.8%

Description: Part of the Trip in the Woods series featuring barrel aged versions of some of Sierra Nevada’s favorite brews, this offering saw their Narwhal Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with coconut and cocoa nibs.  The 25.4 oz. bottle cost about $20.

Appearance: Thick, black body that generated a thin tan head of foam with the pour.

Smell: Inviting blend of chocolate, coconut, and sweet bourbon.

Taste: Rich dark malts at the very start were soon followed by notes of semi-sweet chocolate and mild coconut.  A smooth, creamy sweet blend of these flavors was joined on the finish by a bit of bourbon that brought the beer to a finish that was warm and sweet,

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy thickness with a low-level of carbonation.

Hype: I suppose no hype.  Most seasoned beer enthusiasts have a personal favorite or three from Sierra Nevada’s lineup, but the brewery doesn’t usually create a big stir in the hype department.

Overall: I really liked this.  It happily did not go too heavy on the coconut and instead offered a nice, smooth blend of flavors that accentuated a sweet bourbon finish.  The beer did come with a fairly significant price tag attached (at least in relation to the brewery’s regular offerings), but I do think it was pretty in-line with comparable releases.  A very, very tasty treat.

Brewery Ommegang – Three Philosophers

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Brewery Ommegang, Craft Beer, New York, Winter

This bottle had been in my refrigerator for a little while and finally found time the other night to revisit another old friend of mine.  I was really into this beer a few years ago, but hadn’t gotten around to drinking it since I’ve been blogging here.  Time to change that.

Beer Name: Three Philosophers

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)

Style: Quadrupel Ale

ABV: 9.7%

Description: The brewers describe this as a unique blend of a Belgian dark ale and Liefman’s Kriek, a traditional Belgian cherry ale.

Appearance: It had a reddish/brown body topped by a thin, fizzy layer of light tan foam.

Smell: On the sweeter side with dark fruit and cherry standing out against undertones of malt and yeast.

Taste: Opened sweet with notes of cherry, plum, and caramel malts.  These flavors carried into the finish where they were joined by a slightly spicy bubblegum yeast, a minor clove presence, and a nice little kick of heat.  As the beer settled into the glass it blended into a warm combination of cherry, caramel, and Belgian yeast.

Mouthfeel: Roughly medium bodied with a slightly effervescent finish.

Hype: Not particularly hyped at all.  Just another example of a readily available, high quality beverage that is way too easy to walk by.

Overall: I enjoyed this and once again had a wonderful time drinking a beer I haven’t had in a while.  The cherry aspect of the Kriek blend really gave the beer a delicious sweetness that makes this standout for me.

Great Divide Brewing Company – Hibernation Ale

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Colorado, Craft Beer, Denver, Great Divide Brewing Company, Winter

I found this can lurking in the back of my beer fridge, waiting for the perfect winter evening in which emerge.

Beer Name: Hibernation Ale

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO)

Style: Old Ale

ABV: 8.7%

Description: The brewery’s dry-hopped winter seasonal is described by the brewery as having a malty richness and a hearty, warming character.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown body topped off by a foamy light tan head.

Smell: A blend of toasty malts and sweet dark fruits.

Taste: A mix of toasted and sweet malts, with the clear edge going to the former.  When first poured, the beer ended with a lingering bitter and roasty taste.  After sitting in the glass for a bit this finish evened out somewhat and took on a hint of the initial sweetness, but remained predominantly roasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation that was most noticeable with a little bit of foam at the start of each sip and a slight tingling of bubbles at the end..

Hype: Nothing external.  This was another beer that my wife purchased on the recommendation of a shop employee, so I was interested in seeing what they would pick out for her.

Overall: Well made, but I wasn’t really that into this one.  There weren’t really any discernible flaws, I just wasn’t a fan of the malt profile.  If it was a just a bit sweeter or more subtle in its existing flavors I might have liked it a bit more, but alas, not my thing.