The Beer I Drink

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

sirfice — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:16:34 +0000

Brewery: Mikkeller (Copenhagen V, Denmark)

Type: Foreign / Export Stout

ABV: 7.5%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Pilsner Glass

Recent batch of this has been brewed by Mikkeller at Nøgne Ø.
An oatmeal stout with 25.0% oat-based ingredients and a nice touch of gourmet coffee. A beer that goes extremely well with breakfast.
Ingredients : Water, malt (pils, oat, smoked, caramunich, brown, pale chocolate and chocolate), roasted barley, flaked oats, hops (centennial and cascade), ale yeast and gourmet coffee.

Left Hand Fade to Black Vol. 1 – Foreign Export Stout

sirfice — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:18:28 +0000

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO)

Type: Foreign / Export Stout

ABV: 8.5%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless Wine Glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

Welcome to Fade to Black. That time of year when the day seems to fade away. Drifing further into the darkness with each passing day.

-Left Hand Brewing

Tasting Notes:

Pours dark black, can’t see through it. Thin brown head that leaves medium lacing. Smells of dark roasted malts, coffee and cocoa. Taste is of dark/burnt malts, coffee, and dark chocolate that coats the mouth as you progress through the glass. Smooth, not very carbonated, and finishes with a slight hint of chocolate bitterness

Drinkability:
Delicious. Will gladly be drinking this again and getting some more to save for a later date.

Notes:

Only brewed once.

Three Floyds Alpha Klaus

sirfice — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:26:44 +0000

Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing (Munster, IN)

Type: Porter

ABV: 7.5%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Pint Glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

Alpha Klaus is Alpha King’s cousin. A big American X-mas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt and Mexican sugar and of course tons of strange American hops! Cheers.

- Three Floyds

Tasting Notes:

Pours nearly solid black with large brown head that sticks around for a long time, leaving great, sticky lacing around the glass. Smells of roasted malts, a hint of chocolate and coffee, and citrus-y hops as well. Tastes of malts and darker, non-sweet chocolate, and has a distinct bitterness from the hops. Very tasty. Crisp mouthfeel, slight carbonation which finishes nice and smooth, almost a smokey feel in your throat.
Drinkability:

Great beer, but definitely not meant for sessioning, even though I split 2 of these in one sitting. Great brew, gonna be sad to see it go when the season is over.

Alpha Klaus is Alpha King’s cousin. A big American X-mas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt and Mexican sugar and of course tons of strange American hops! Cheers.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

sirfice — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:40:46 +0000

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co (Chico, CA)

Type: IPA

ABV: 6.8%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless Wine Glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration^® Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration^® Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home.

-Sierra Nevada

Tasting Notes:

Pours a nice burnt orange/amber color with a little cloudiness and a nice off-white head. Great lacing. Smell is exactly as noted above. Very intense citrus/piney hops. Tastes slightly of citrus and fairly hoppy, but not overbearing, just right. Light mouthfeel that goes down smooth and almost creamy. A very delicious beer.

Drinkability:

I will drink this all winter long. I’ll also be really sad when it’s not winter and this is gone. Perhaps a couple of bombers shall be saved. Hell, the price is right!

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

sirfice — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:04:05 +0000

dogfish head punkin ale

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE)

Type: Pumpkin Brown Ale

ABV: 7.0%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless Wine Glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices. This is the perfect beer to warm-up with, as the season cools.

-Dogfish Head

Tasting Notes:

Pours a very clear amber/orange color, not a big amount of head or lacing to be found. Smells right away of pumpkin and spices such cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, etc. Tastes big of pumkin and spices, nice and crisp in the mouth. As it goes down it leaves a nice spice in the back of your throat which intensifies as the beer warms a bit.

Drinkability:

Great session beer. Just a great beer in general. My favorite pumpkin beer that I’ve tried.

Sand Creek Oscar’s Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

sirfice — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:05:03 +0000

Brewery: Sand Creek Brewing Co (Black River Falls, WI)

Type: Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 4.5%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Bottle

Tasting notes after the jump…

A very full-bodied yet smooth-drinking stout with a complex nutty finish.

-Sand Creek Brewing Co.

Tasting Notes:

Got this in a bar with no glass, but fortunately my wife is from Black River Falls and we always visit the brewery when we’re in town so I’ve had this beer plenty. This brewery holds a special place in my heart and if you’re ever in BRF on a Friday night, I highly encourage stopping in and hoisting a few pints and enjoying some great munchies they provide..

On to the tasting notes. This beer is definitely dark and has a tanish/brown head. Doesn’t last long, and there’s not a lot of lacing to be seen. Right away you get the aromas of oatmeal and sugar with strong malts, very pleasing. Tastes of roasted malts, sugars, coffee, and slight chocolate. Mouthfeel is light for a stout but pretty carbonated. Although this one’s not very strong, weighing in only at 4.5%, it makes this a great session brew.

Drinkability:

If you’re looking for a good, dark beer that you can keep drinking all night, this is the one..

New Holland Night Tripper

sirfice — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:24:24 +0000

Brewery: New Holland Brewing (Holland, MI)

Type: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.8%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless wine glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

Night Tripper is an Imperial Stout for a Fat Tuesday release. Dark, mysterious and poetic, Night Tripper’s abundance of roasted malts, combined with flaked barley create a rich, roasty beer with deeply intense and lush flavors. Night Tripper’s layered, nuanced tones invite intrigue and reward a curious palate.

Beads and masks aren’t required, but are encouraged.

- New Holland Brewing

Tasting Notes

Pours a dark brown/black with a thin tan head. Has a nose of chocolate and roasted malts. Chocolate and Vanilla coat the pallet, and the roasted malts come in nicely after that, leaving a nice warmth from the alcohol in your throat and body as you work through the beer. More carbonated than I would’ve thought for a stout, but it’s not a bad thing. Probably a good beer to age (what good stout isn’t?).

Drinkability:

Would definitely try this one again. Would like to try all their brews.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

sirfice — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:24:30 +0000

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland, OH)

Type: Winter Warmer

ABV: 7.5%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless wine glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

A holiday ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon.

-Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Tasting Notes:

Pours a deep red color with a crisp head that goes away quickly. Not much lacing. Smells of spices (cinnamon, clove), malts, very nice. taste hits you with spices upfront and earthy maltiness following. Very crisp and spicy, perfect for a winter brew. Leaves you with a warm, spicy finsh that builds as the beer warms.

Drinkability:

As long as this brew is available, I’ll have a little stash…

Oso Brewing Lupulin Maximus

sirfice — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:17:21 +0000

Brewery: Oso Brewing (Plover, WI)

Type: Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.0%

Serving Type: Bottle (4pk)

Glass Type: Stemless wine glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

The second you open this bottle there is no mistaking that this is not your average IPA. Massive hop additions of the most obnoxious breeds put this taste bud burner in a league all it’s own. Our bet is that you will think it is O’so Freakishly good! Caution! This brew is 9% and may contain a hop cone in every bottle!!!

Approximate Release Date October 14th 2009

- Oso Brewing

Tasting Notes:

My wife brought this one home and was all excited that she had it for me. Poured out a nice deep amber color, and at the end a whole hop cone drops out and floats in your beer. Awesome. Smell is huge of hops. Not much of a head, but very nice, sticky lacing on what’s there. Very intesnse beer, almost more like a barley wine than an IPA. Smacks you right in the face with it’s sweet, yet very alcoholic flavor. Goes down smooth and almost has a stout feel.

Drinkability:

I would definitely give this one another ride. It’s a serious beer that’ll make you drunk very quickly though, so be warned!

Ale Asylum Tripel Nova

sirfice — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:14:11 +0000

Brewery: Ale Asylum (Madison, WI)

Type: Tripel

ABV: 9.9%

Serving Type: Bottle

Glass Type: Stemless wine glass

Tasting notes after the jump…

The light fruity aroma and subtle flavors of Tripel Nova disguise the euphoric kick that comes after just one serving of this Belgian ale.

- ale asylum

Tasting Notes:

Pours a bright hazy golden color, just a bit darker than a pilsner. Little to medium head, but the lacing is excellent and lines the glass beautifully as you continue drinking. sweet, bready malty smell with of fruit and citrus smell. Tastes of belgian yeasts, malt, fairly sweet from the yeast, slight hints of apple. smooth, but crisp going down and when it warms up a bit it brings on a bit of spice. can taste the alcohol a bit as well, but it’s not overpowering, just a slight warm sensation…

Drinkability:

I would drink this over and over. The price is right, and Ale Asylum is really bringing their “A” game to the table. go Wisconsin!