Sunday Brewday!

It's Sunday and I've got the goods to get another homebrew up and running!  Only the 3rd one and I'm taking a bit of a risk here..   still goin with the 'kit' but they didn't have a wit, so the shop found the ingredient card for an old wit kit they used to see.  So I substituted whole grain for the extract in the recipe, threw in some bitter orange peel, light Belgian candi sugar and.......  *drum roll*  PINEAPPLE!  Gonna do some crushed pineapple in the boil, then a mild dry-hop with some more crushed pineapple in a semi-secondary fermentation.  Totally winging it on this one!  I'll check back in a few weeks with ya'll.  (oh, and the most recent one, the Arrogant Bastard clone - Smug Sonofabitch - was a hit!  The review will be up shortly)  (pps..  had a helper with this brew, so if it actually comes out good, I may not own all the brews =(  but it's worth it, cause she's cute!)

Highway 78

Another one of the Stone collabos from the stash..

Highway 78 Scotch Ale..  A collabo between Stone, Green Flash and Pizza Port, the big boys in the California craft scene!  8.8% ABV and hovering somewhere around 30 IBUs..  almost a translucent coppery amber pour and thick fluffy head.  Nutty malts and rich, sweet stone fruit hits the nose first.  Some smoke and peat with the faintest floral hops..  An incredibly light-bodied but hugely flavorful brew.  Had one from the cellar a few months back, definitely mellowed out with age and more of the scotch flavors came through
Molasses, sweet plum, oak, smooth cocoa, some vanilla and touches of piney/floral hops.  As it warms the higher ABV gets a little hot, but is pleasant, lending itself along with the smoky and peat notes in the finish to the scotch moniker.  As complex as a great single malt, yet much easier drinking (and hella cheaper!)  Another Stone collabo that's spot-on!

Winter 2012 pt III

Let's keep going!



Geary's - Winter Ale... listed as a 6.0% ABV winter IPA.  This is one hella dark IPA, if that's the case!  Sweet caramel on the nose, heavy on the vanilla with some nutty undertones, all in a HUGE way.  Not really anything in the way of hops here..   Incredibly smooth, creamy malty beer.. every kind of malt you'd want on a cold night.  Lower ABV, but it warms through roasty and toasty malts.  More vanilla pokes through here, some light molasses.. and here, here my friends lies a bit of the hops, actually sort of lip-smackingly tart hops.  A bit of some citrusy notes and it goes quickly to, yup you guessed it, a malty finish.  Ask me if this is a good IPA..  hell no!  Ask me if this is a good Winter Warmer..  damn straight!  Not sure where Geary's mind is in saying this is an IPA, just call it good and all parties are satisfied!!

Winter 2012 pt II

Might as well keep going with the winter beers as winter still hasn't reared it's frosty elbow yet..

Peak Organic - Winter Session Ale...  5.0% ABV and 62 IBUs.. a dark winter Wheat.  Nice clear ruby-brown pour with a decent head that stays through and through.  A mainly spicy.. rich and sweet nose, hints of molasses, brown sugar, roasty malts and nuts, a bit of citrusy hops and deep stone fruits.  Wicked busy, but nicely balanced.  A rich, malty brew that's nicely light...  true to it's session name.  Nice smooth toasted malts and nuts start off the taste, followed by rich, sticky caramel and some characteristic spice..just a touch of plum/black cherry/fig.  A brief amount of lemon peel and citrus hops followed up by some cocoa and woody notes in a malty finish.  Great flavorful session brew for those winter days!

Heady Topper

When you find out a local bar just got Heady Topper cans in stock.. YOU GO!  Already widely regarded as one of the top double IPAs in the country, it's gained a new status since last spring when Hurricane Irene damaged the brewpub (which will not re-open, technically..  ask if you're confused, or google it).  They were already super-small batch beers.. this is now on must-have lists whenever it's released.

First of all, I LOVE being able to buy CRAFT tall boys at a bar!  A sleek, sexy can at that!  As mentioned above it's a DIPA/Imperial at 8.0% ABV and a whopping 120 IBU's!!!!!  Go Alchemist!  An unbelievable hazy golden orange/yellow pour with the perfect head.  (yeah, yeah.. it says to only drink from the can.. but sweet swaddled baby Jesus.. I HATE cans..  even the craft ones give a horrible metallic tinge to the taste)
Beautiful pine and floral hop notes, underlying citrus fruits, actually some mango and sweet apple as well with just hints of spice and bready malts to back it up.  A hop bomb, for sure, but nowhere near overpowering.  Complex, yet perfectly balanced.  Spicy, almost gin-like hops at some point, then bright citrus floral at others. Piney to grapefruit with a nice sweetness kicking around in between.  Again.. I can't stress it enough, ultra-balanced beer.  Totally love the inclusion of the tropical citrus in this and the hidden ABV is killer..  completely unlike all the others, the bitterness is smooth not thick or resiny.  If you see this at a bar, or if it ever makes it way to MA packies.. GET IT GET IT GET IT!!!

Winter 2012 Begins

..well, not really.  We haven't had a rat's ass of a winter this year..sucks!  Might as well drink the sorrows of 45* days in February with some winter seasonals!

Kinda fun when the name rhymes, too!  Starting off this review with Hinterland - Winterland.  a 7.5% ABV, 52 IBU winter ale brewed with Juniper berries.  I had the Coffee Stout and Cherry Wheat by them, one hit, one miss.. so I wasn't expecting the world from this beer.  Technically a Porter, it sure as shit poured like one.  The nose was rather light, however, but definitely some cocoa, faint coffee, roasty earthy notes.. but all faint.  Some molasses and a sweet, rich berry are also present, but in an off, funky faint way.  The taste is a sweet, fruity porter, but light again.  Tastes charred, but fruity...  couldn't finish it.  Read some good things while drinking it.. but maybe it doesn't travel too well from Green Bay.  Overall.. Meh.  No more Hinterland for me.

Random Beer Saturday pt II

Yeah..  home alone on a Saturday night.. what about it?!  I went out last night, OK?  And tomorrow being Super Bowl Sunday, a low-key night sounds about right.  So I threw 2 randos in the fridge to enjoy...