Cigar Beer?

Brown ales are one of my favorite styles of beer, so when I saw this Brown I hadn’t tried, by Cigar City- I had to order it!

It did mention in the description that it went well with cigars, what it didn’t mention is that it actually tasted like a glass of cigars. I’ve been know to smoke a good cigar in my days, but when I drink a yummy ale, I don’t find the cigar taste very appealing.

I’m sure some people may enjoy the complexity of this “cigar” beer… but I will stick with a brown ale that tastes of rich, caramel malts!

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Gingerbread love

I’ve been horrible about keeping up with posting my beer pics… But I have been drinking and shooting over the holidays- so I will post more soon!

This Gingerbread Stout was brewed by Richmond’s newest brewery- Hardywood! I haven’t had the pleasure to visit them yet, but our friends shared this bottle with us recently.

The thought of gingerbread flavor in a stout was exciting to me, and with the first sip, I knew this new brewery hadn’t let me down. This stout is full of rich chocolate flavor with the spicy ginger bite at the end. I had my glass for desert and was completely satisfied!

I’m looking forward to visiting this brewery soon to sample more, as I was really impressed!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!

Lovin’ Some Punkin

 

Ah Fall – that wonderful time of year again that brings cooler weather, changing leaves, the smell of roasted marshmallows around outdoor campfires – and Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale!  I LOVE THIS BEER!  It’s no secret that I’m a huge Dogfish fan, and this Punkin is one of my favorite seasonal brews.  Tonight, I picked up a four pack and lavished myself with this spicy treat!  Rich with spices like pumpkin (yes, you probably guessed that), cinnamon, clove and nutmeg – the first sip will have you reveling in the joy of the Fall season!  My only complaint about this beer is that it doesn’t come in a sixer!  😦

Cheers and Happy Fall!!

 

Flying Dog – Hoppy Hopness!

 

Flying Dog represented with a display of fresh hops, stickers and lots of great beer – at the Mashout Festival this weekend (see my previous post for an explanation of Mashout).  They had two delicious brews on tap, “Raging Bitch” and ” Gonzo”.

The “Raging Bitch” is a Belgian Style IPA which has great body and a lot of hops!  I loved the malty Belgian taste that this beer had and the hoppiness to make this a well balanced beer.  I do believe I filled my glass up a couple of times.  The name, in my opinion, is pretty funny – but I do know they’ve received some grief about it; come on people – it’s beer – have one and lighten up!

The “Gonzo” is an Imperial Porter and full of rich roasted malt.  Think strong coffee, with alcohol!  There is a bit more hops in this Porter than in others I’ve tried – but from trying their other beers, I think Flying Dog just loves the hops!

I’m impressed that Flying Dog donated some of its beers and merchandise to this Maryland event.  While it’s an event of homebrewers – most craft breweries were started by homebrewers!

Cheers!

Widmer Pale – Glass o’ Grapefruit!

 

If you like grapefruit, you’ll love Widmer Brothers Brewing’s Drifter Pale Ale!  With a fruity aroma and a crazy citrus flavor – this brew will make you pucker!  Personally, I love a great Pale Ale but can’t deal with the grapefruit flavors some of the different hops produce; it’s just too tart for me.

Widmer makes some good beers, so if this one doesn’t make your taste buds happy, be sure to check out one of their other flavors!

Cheers!!

Clown Shoes – Good Beer, Even Better Names…

 

Yes, I admit it, I picked up this beer mainly because of the name and the picture.  I chuckled to myself in the store when I spotted it, and couldn’t resist its charm!  The only down fall, is the cap is just gold – no imprint.  I’ll forgive them that though, as the label is so photo worthy!

If you haven’t tried a beer by Clown Shoes, you should.  This brewery seemed to come out of nowhere with their clever names and tasty brew – and I’m glad they did.

The “Tramp Stamp” is a Belgian Style IPA, using Belgian yeasts and still packing lots of hop flavor.  It was a bit citrusy tasting, brewed with a little bit of orange peel – but over all it was pretty mellow and tasty.  The Belgian style yeast gives the brew a super bubbly mouth feel – one that I enjoy.

I’m into Clown Shoes lately, so be on the lookout for more pictures of their labels!

A Pale for Your Pail!

 

After spending the weekend at the beach and the pool, we had to find some great canned beers to take with us!

Seeing as Oskar Blues brewery prides itself on being the brewery who serves all of it’s craft brew in a can, what better beer to choose for a “glass free” weekend?  I already have a love for the “Old Chub” which is Oskar Blues’ Scotch Ale.   I branched out and tried the Dale’s Pale and really enjoyed it.  This brew is a little more hoppy than my standard Sierra Nevada Pale, but I love it!

Add this can to your list of beer to pack in your sand bucket on the way to the beach!  Cheers!

Harpoon Leviathan Series – Imperial IPA

HOLY HOPS… at least that was the first thing that came to mind when I took a sip of this complex Imperial IPA from Harpoon.  This beer was packed with a ton of hop flavor, but surprisingly (and thankfully) it wasn’t too much on the grapefruit side.  I really enjoyed the thickness and body in this brew, which also weighs in at 10% ABV.

Harpoon makes great brews, and I’m interested in trying out some additional beers in this Leviathan Series.  I hear there’s a dark wheat wine-style ale out called “The Triticus”, that I haven’t tried… it’s now on my list!  Cheers!

Hobgoblin – Yum, English beer!

My husband purchased an English Dark Ale today made by Wychwood Brewery.  I’m an English beer fan, embracing some of their more popular beers like Fuller’s ESB and New Castle, but this beer was more roasty and complex than my normal taste of England.  The “Hobgoblin” boasts rich but smooth toasted malt and chocolate flavors.  Upon my first sip, I didn’t think it was going to taste so dark, but you really get a bitter chocolate finish.  It’s a pretty tasty brew, although a little too rich for me to have more than one (500ml bottle, that is).

English beers always have a distinctive taste that can’t be found in American beers.  I remember asking my home-brewer husband to make me a New Castle Brown Ale Clone.  He said he probably wouldn’t be able to duplicate it exactly since it was “English”.  Evidently the water in England has different minerals than our water (makes sense being a different country and all) so even if we copied and English Beer recipe exactly, it wouldn’t taste the same as the recipe being brewed over in Jolly Old England!  So… enjoy those delicious English Ales and appreciate that distinctive taste that’s all its own!

A Flying Fish… What the What?

Yes, it’s true, there is such a thing as a “Flying Fish” and it makes good brew!

 

Flying Fish Brewery is proud to call New Jersey “home”, even boasting a new “Exit Series” of beers – naming each beer in the series after an exit number off of the New Jersey Turnpike.  Each beer in this series by Flying Fish is a different style – and you don’t know what style it’s going to be until it’s released – Brilliant!

The “Exit 9” is a bottle conditioned “Hoppy Scarlet Ale”.  Bottle conditioned means that the yeast fermented inside the bottle.  This bottle fermentation leaves a settling of yeast and stuff at the bottom of the bottle, so you should leave the last bit of beer in the bottle – unless, of course, you like a glass full of yeast.

I have a friend who has made it his mission in life to have each one of these beers, and to keep the bottles as proof.  He was kind enough to share his “Exit 9” beer with us, his friends, a couple of weekends ago.  This ale was malty with a slight bitterness and a hoppy finish.  All in all, I’d totally drink another one! If the rest of the series is as good as the “Exit 9”, I’m sure New Jersey is proud to be the home of Flying Fish Brewery!