Saturday, November 3, 2012

Mountain Sun F.Y.I.P.A.

I ordered a glass of F.Y.I.P.A. while at Mountain Sun Brewery in Boulder. The beer pours a brilliant amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, pine, orange, and lemon. The taste is bitter with tangerine, orange, pepper, and grapefruit. The finish has some caramel and plenty of hop oils that linger on the tongue after the beer is finished. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I was looking for a fresh tasting IPA with lots of citrus flavors and an oily goodness, and I absolutely found the beer I was looking for in the F.Y.I.P.A.

Twisted Pine Honey Brown Ale

When my fiancee and I went out to lunch in Boulder, I ordered a glass of Twisted Pine Honey Brown Ale. The beer pours a brown color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of toasted malts, coffee, caramel, and honey. The taste is not as dry as most brown ales, as the honey smoothes out the flavor. Toasted malts hide in the background with hints of coffee, mocha, and a touch of caramel. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. The slight honey sweetness to this beer made all of the difference and made it easy to drink while bringing along the typical brown ale flavors.

Friday, November 2, 2012

New Belgium Lips of Faith Cocoa Mole

At New Belgium in Fort Collins, my fiancee ordered a glass of Lips of Faith Cocoa Mole, so I decided to try it. The beer pours a black color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of spicy chili pepper, chocolate, toasted malts, and caramel. The taste is chocolaty at first with a nice spicy chili pepper accent that is absolutely not overdone. A lingering spice is coupled with cinnamon and a hint of coffee in the background. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. As far as chili beers go, this was one of the better ones since the chili was not overdone or overpowering. Furthermore, the chocolate base to this beer was impeccable.

Odell Deconstruction

I also ordered a glass of Odell Deconstruction while at the brewery in Fort Collins. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma is tart, cherry, sour, and has a strong vinegar smell. The taste is lightly tart like a wine with grape and lemon flavors. There is a strong vinegar bite and a dry oak finish. A lingering caramel and grape flavor remind you of how delicious this beer actually was. The alcohol content is 10.5% ABV. This was a very enjoyable beer that had some wine-like qualities, but it was unmistakably a beer with the tart cherry and vinegar flavors.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Odell Peach IPA cask

When my fiancee and I stopped in to the Odell Brewery, I saw that they had their Peach IPA on cask, so I decided to order a glass. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of peach, fresh juices, lemon, and pine. The taste is smooth and lightly dry with a huge peach flavor that can be likened to biting into the fruit. Hints of lemon, pine, and pepper come out on the finish that is dry. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I would give this beer a big “Wow!” because of its likeness to an actual peach, but also due to the sweet and bitter flavors that encompassed the experience.

Fort Collins Obsessed Barley Wine

I ordered a glass of Fort Collins Obsessed Barley Wine while at the brewery for lunch. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma consists of caramel and raisin but overall it has a very faint smell. The taste is smooth and sweet with caramel, raisin, and toasted toffee. A peppery spice shows up on the finish and dries the mouth a little. The alcohol content is 9.6% ABV. I enjoyed this barleywine, as it had a nice blend of sweetness and spiciness. I can't say it was far better than any other in the style that I have had, but it was a most excellent performer.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Fort Collins Incredible Hop Rye Imperial IPA

Once we landed in Denver, we made the trip to Fort Collins, Colorado and the first stop was Fort Collins Brewery for lunch. The first beer I ordered was from the Incredible Hop Series and was a Rye Imperial IPA. The beer pours an orange amber color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a moderate lacing on the glass. The aroma is spicy with rye, pepper, lemon, and caramel. The taste has a strong caramel base with a sharp lemon and rye bite. A peppery finish brings along some pine with it. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. Some great rye accents were added to this beer, as the Imperial IPA base was able to provide great balancing sweetness and citrus flavors.

Lincoln Abbey Fallgasm

My seventh batch of homebrew was a collaboration with my friends Tierney from Stouts and Stilettos and Colleen. We were inspired by Blue Moon’s Caramel Apple Spiced Ale, and decided to make Fallgasm, a caramel apple spiced ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, caramel, green apple, and a hint of cider. The taste is smooth with a dry spicy flavor that doesn’t take over the mouth too much. Nutmeg and cinnamon are the strongest with light hints of allspice. The finish has a dry apple flavor with the sweetness of cider and caramel. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I’d say it doesn’t taste like a caramel apple, but it does taste like one of those spiced teas that you can pick up during the fall season. Maybe next time I’ll add some chai and it’ll be a real winner.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Boulevard-Pretty Things Smokestack Series Collaboration No. 3- Stingo

I ordered a bottle of the Boulevard-Pretty Things Smokestack Series Collaboration No. 3- Stingo while at Max's in Baltimore. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, grass, and wet leaves. The taste is sweet and spicy with raisin, toffee, and caramel flavors on the front end. There is a grassy finish with a coffee after taste that lingers. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. I've only had the Yorkshire Stingo to compare this beer to, but it was absolutely incredible. Nice earth tones provided spiciness while the yeast and malts gave the beer a balancing sweetness.

Smuttynose Scotch Red Wine Barrel

Another beer I ordered at Max's in Baltimore was the Smuttynose Scotch Red Wine Barrel. The beer pours a brown color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of caramel, oak, and red wine. The taste is dry with a light caramel background that is overshadowed by red wine. An oak finish with toffee surfaces with some earth tones and a touch of vanilla. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. The wine and oak flavors in this beer were very prevalent, but also quite enjoyable. The scotch ale gave the beer enough of a base to not be overpowered while providing a good backbone.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Union Craft Brewing Duckpin Pale Ale

While at Max's in Baltimore, I ordered a glass of Union Craft Brewing Duckpin Pale Ale. The beer pours a golden color with a filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of tangerine, grapefruit, orange, and hop funk. The taste is bitter and very hoppy with a hop funk. Plenty of citrus flavors appear including tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and passion fruit before a hint of pepper and spruce with caramel on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. For a pale ale, this was very bitter and hoppy, so I would consider it an excellent drinking beer that I would come back to and order again.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Porch Lounger

I ordered a glass of New Belgium Lips of Faith Porch Lounger at Max's in Baltimore prior to leaving for Denver. The beer pours a golden color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of peach, funk, pepper, lemon, brett, and a hint of hay. The taste is sweet with peach, light barnyard funk, lemon, and hay. The finish has some pepper that spices up the beer with a nice earthy tone. The alcohol content is 9.4%  ABV. I though that the addition of peach to this beer provided quite the drinking experience, as it was slightly funky and very earthy but the peach gave it another dimension.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

De Proef Brouwerij Flemish Primitive Wild Ale

The September shipment of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club brought a bottle of De Proef Brouwerij Flemish Primitive Wild Ale. The beer pours a golden color with an overly lofty bubbly white colored head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass on as it subsides. The aroma consists of horse blanket, hay, barnyard funk, lemon, and earthy tones. The taste is funky with a strong lemon presence on the front end before lots of horse blanket, hay, barnyard funk and earthiness settles in. There is some peppery and grassy notes in the finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I enjoyed the funkiness of this beer with its wonderful farm-like aspects and nice earthy tones.

Pizza Boy Brewing Sunny Side Up Little Amps Double Coffee

For my buddy Adam's after rehearsal dinner party, I picked up a growler of Pizza Boy Brewing Sunny Side Up Little Amps Double Coffee. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of strong coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. The taste is dry and full of fresh and bitter coffee. A solid chocolate backing is what really makes this beer, while some vanilla and caramel add touches of sweetness. The alcohol content is 11.0% ABV. Make no mistake about it, this beer knows how to deliver the coffee flavors. It was almost as if I was drinking black coffee in the morning, and that is how I love my coffee stouts.