Devilish…

I love supporting local beer brewers… and they’ve really been popping up everywhere here in Virginia lately!

Okay… so I realize that Devil’s Backbone has been around for a few years, but I swear it seems like they just came out of nowhere!  I see a Virginia Beer display in almost every grocery store these days, and Devil’s Backbone always has a couple of different styles to choose from.

I tried their “Belgian Congo Pale Ale” and found it rather tasty!  No only do I love Pale Ales, I adore Belgian Yeast – as it makes things a little more “fruity” and “bubbly”.  The combination of hops along with the distinctive Belgian taste makes this a yummy brew – put it on your “must try” list.

Make sure to keep supporting your local beer brewers; They make some amazing stuff!
Cheers!

Barrel Trolley – eh…

 

There was this beer, on the shelf, that I hadn’t tried – so I tried it.  Anything that says “Nut Brown Ale” gets my attention, as I am a “Brown Ale Girl”.

This beer was a little malty, but more for the amateur drinker and a little watered down for my taste.  When I’m drinking a Brown Ale, I want it to be bold and have a malty kick in the pants – much like my beloved Legend Brown Ale.  I didn’t get the nuttiness either… just some malt with some water.   Did I dump it out??  No, of course not – I’m not that harsh… I just think my expectations were a little high for this one.

Sure, this is a good beer for the average drinker, but if you love your Brown Ales – you may want to look elsewhere; Just saying.

 

Holy Sorghum

Do you have a gluten allergy and can’t drink regular beer?? Never fear – sorghum beer is here! New Grist, by Lakefront Brewery, is made with out barley!! I’m sure the thought makes you shutter, as it did me – until I actually tasted this concoction!

When it was poured into my glass, I thought… Who is this watered down beer supposed to satisfy?? It actually has lots of flavor though! It starts out a little grainy and it had a wonderful fruity finish- impressive.

I love that breweries are embracing different types of ingredients and brewing styles, as the traditional beer doesn’t always work for everyone.

So give something different a try, you just might like it! Cheers!!

Lips of Faith

Ever tried a “bier de garde”? Here’s a great example of the style brewed by New Belgium Brewing. Full of spicy flavor, it really leaves a bite. The yeast creates a “horse blanket” quality called brettanomyces- giving the beer an earthy and hay-like flavor.

It sounds strange, but it’s really pretty delicious. Kudos to New Belgium! Cheers!

That’s a Big Monkey!

Ever heard of the 400 Pound Monkey? If not, you’re missing out; this English IPA from Left Hand Brewing is delicious!

This fine brew starts out malty and ends with a bitter, but not overpowering, hops flavor. It totally has that “English Bitter” taste to it as well.

Try one.. or two! Cheers!

Killer Penguin

This weekend I had a barley wine from Boulder Beer Company called Killer Penguin. It was a bit hoppier than I expected, at first taste, but by the time I swallowed this malty beer – I taste the smooth caramel finish.

Killer Penguin is totally worth picking up… just don’t expect it to taste like your everyday smooth barley wine. I imagine this would be an awesome beer to age, as it would mellow out that initial hop bite.  So stock up – age… and share one with me in a year or so!

Cheers!!

Palo Santo 2008

Dogfish Head is one of my favorite breweries ever! Tonight my sampler included a 2008 Palo Santo Marron. If you haven’t had this beer, it’s fabulous! It’s brewed and aged in a Palo Santo Wood barrel. I love the fresh version, but the 2008 aged version is like drinking maple syrup! I can handle a small sampler but I can’t imagine drinking a whole glass!
If you haven’t been to Dogfish, or tried their beers, you should – awesome stuff!!

The road to success is paved with good beer!

I feel like I’ve posted less and less because I’m not really a “beer review” person. Yes, I love to drink good beer, but I’m bad at describing it to everyone else – besides saying it’s “nutty” or it’s “fruity” or “hoppy”. I thought this year I’d focus more on the beer/beer cap pictures, because that’s the part I really love. So… cheers to beers! 🙂

Winter… with a Belgian Twist

 

I’ve always loved Smuttynose Brewing, as they make awesome beer – but this was the first time I’ve tried their Winter Ale.

It’s an Abby Double, so it’s brewed with Belgian yeast – but it only rates a 5.1% ABV… which means, you can drink more than just one.  😉

I thought it was pretty tasty, but my personal favorite is still the Smuttynose Brown Ale.

Wrath of Picant – Holy Bacon!

 

 

When I first tried this brew, all I could taste was malt and bacon!  Now, this beer isn’t brewed with bacon, but the smokiness along with the overly sweet brown sugar flavor certainly makes me think of it.  I do love some bacon, but I’d perfer to eat it, not drink it. Some other people that shared this beer enjoyed it, but the consensus was it was a little weird and overly smoky.  With this being said – The Wrath of Pecant is the probably one of the only beers brewed by Dogfish Head that I don’t care for; I actually adore most of them – Palo Santo, Red & White and their Brown Ale – just to name a few.

I applaud Dogfish for always trying something new and pushing the boundaries of craft brewing, but maybe they could go for a new chocolate beer next time.