Weyerbacher - Blithering Idiot

This evenings review is going to be quick and dirty.  As expected, today was a crazy work day.  After getting home I started a marathon study session for a little over three hours and powered through about 70 pages of information.  My brain hurts, my eyes are tired, and the Twins lost to the crap-ass Yankees.  The most logical next step for me is not sleep, its a delicious recovery beer.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot is a barley wine style ale clocking in at just over 11% ABV.  A few of these will certainly turn you into this brews namesake.  I decided to pour this into my Oktoberfest glass because it looked neglected amongst all of my other beer drinking apparatuses.  Just because its not full of Marzen style beer doesn't mean it cant get some lovin'!

A viscous looking pour yields a slightly cloudy amber colored brew within my beer stein.  A minimal off white head forms and recedes into the body.  A very prominent caramelized malt aroma mixes with figs and a mild hop smell to create a very pungent profile.  My first sip is surprisingly smooth with just enough carbonation to make the flavors pop off my tongue.  Some of those dark fruits are there but get lost in a bold malt profile and alcohol. After a bit of warming the alcohol becomes more pronounced and finishes this beer a bit hot and thin.

Overall 2.7/6.0 - I actually liked this beer the first time I had it.  These come in a four pack and I finished the other three off a long time ago.  I must have powered through them before they warmed because now that Im drinking it for a review Im noticing its flaws much more prominently.  Its not bad while its cold but there are better choices for an American barely wine on the market today.

Great Divide - Titan IPA

Time for beer!  Today I'll be drinking Great Divide's Titan IPA - according to their website, this is a big, assertive, aggressively hopped IPA "brewed for hop disciples", a category that I comfortably fit into.  This is a 7.1%ABV ale that has won some medals in the past few years.  It pairs with Halibut, Thai curry, or cow's milk cheeses, none of which I will be eating anytime soon.

Great Divide manages to pack a ton of information onto their labels - they include a brew description, medals won, food pairings, and a full copy of Hemingway's Farewell to Arms.  After a gentle pour, this beer yields very little head.  Lacing is nice and sticky.  The color is an amber/orange that is ever so slightly hazy.  Quick disclaimer:  my nose is extremely stuffy today, at the moment only my left nostril is permitting air through.  So my smell-quality isn't 100%.  That being said, this beer is able to break through the barrier and present pine and lime....and a lot of it.  The taste starts of very bitter - it's actually opening up my nasal a bit!  It's a pure, non-flavored bitterness at first, but soon after the flavors of pine-sol and cleaning supplies come forward.  There is a small touch of gritty caramel malts that sneak through, but not enough to help pull this cleaning solution out of the gutter.  The body is crisp and highly carbonated, and the finish is slick and oily.

Overall Rating:  (2.0 out of 6.0)  It's been a while since I had this beer, but I remember enjoying it a lot more last time than I did tonight.  I think Great Divide may have tried to hard to make this an american hop-slammer, and ended up with a bottle of pine-sol.  It turned out too harsh and unpleasant, with an aftertaste that followed suit.  It's possible (probable) my stuffy nose and cold symptoms are affecting the flavor.....I'll have to revisit this one again in a month or two for a fair and balanced, Fox News style review.

Tallgrass - IPA

I would like to start things off tonight with a little NCAA basketball rant.  Is anyone else sick of hearing about Jimmer Fredette in the NCAA tournament?  Seriously, this guy's got the sports media in a manic, obssessive-compulsive hype-fest that that is never-ending...it's starting to get old.  What kind of name is Jimmer, anyway.  Enough is enough, I hope BYU loses to Florida tonight!

Tonight will be my first foray into the Tallgrass Brewing Company based out in Manhattan, KS. This is another craft brewery that had an epiphany and decided to use cans to package their brews.  I wonder if cans are a cheaper packaging option than bottles?  Anybody have any insight on this?

This beer is an American IPA registering 6.3%ABV and 60 IBUs.  It comes in a 16oz can with a big elephant on the front.  Very random design....not sure what, if anything, it's supposed to signify.  The beer pours an orange golden color, a bit cloudy, with a plume of frothy white head.  Sweet, buttery, bready biscuit notes in the aroma.  Also some grassy hop notes in there. 

The taste starts off bitter with some lemon zest, but there's an acidic, astringent flavor that isn't pleasant.  There's an herbal note that hits the back of my throat, and lingers there for a good portion of the drink.  Caramel, biscuit malt backbone with a buttery taste towards the end.  Almost reminds me of an english style IPA....but not quite.  The body is medium and the carbonation is fairly heavy, there is an oily texture throughout.

Overall Rating:  (2.8 out of 6.0)  This was an average American IPA, nothing memorable.  While the malts were almost pleasant, there are some off-flavors in there that cause a bad mouth-pucker....Acidic.  Probably not something I will drink again.

Breckenridge Lucky U IPA

This is an ale from Breckenridge Brewery for "everyone who believes you make your own luck."  This beer is brewed with a gaggle of American and English hops, with 68 IBUs and 5%ABV.  The label states "A hoppy homage to a Denver Landmark."  "A Tivoli Brewery."  And on the bottom, "Drink Up Fortuitous One."  You got it Breckenridge!

As you can see, this pour was an Epic Fail.  Actually, I knocked this bottle over in the fridge about 10 minutes before opening it up, so I think it was still a little charged up when I poured.  That, combined with my general clumsiness, led to this glass of foam.  This pours a clear, bright-orange copper hue with a sticky off-white head.  The nose is a combination of musky caramel malts and earthy citrus peels.  I'm also reminded of freshly cut cantaloupe.  It took another 10 minutes for that froth to recede enough to get a drink out of it.  First sip is similar to the nose - starts off with an earthy hoppiness of lemon rind and a hint of orange.  Then comes a light and transparent layer of malts - very thin.  The dots don't seem to be connecting with the flavors, they are all gritty and somewhat bland.  At the end, there is a hint of pepper in the background, and a dry finish.  The carbonation is overbearing, and the mouthfeel is thin.

Overall Rating:  (2.7 out of 6.0)  Although it was balanced, this was a bland, uneventful, boring IPA.  Not a beer I would recommend.

Napa Smith - Organic IPA

Tonight's beer comes from a brewery that I haven't seen before - Napa Smith Brewery.  This is a small shop based out in California - according to their website their goal is to brew beers with food pairings in mind, and tailor the brews accordingly.  For some reason, my computer doesn't like their website and certain sections refuse to load, so I'm not sure what their intended food pairing is for this beer.  Oh well!

The label design is very stately and professional-looking, it almost looks like a wine label.  It depicts a drawing of the brewery, and it notes on the bottom "certified organic by CCOF".  Lord Wikipedia tells me that this is the California Certified Organic Farmers, a certification and trade association.  The beer pours a dark, hazy orange with a billowing. clingy inch+ of white froth.  The aroma is musky and earthy, with sour oranges playing the primary role.  There is also a harsh smell in there, maybe from the 7% alcohol? 

The flavor is sharp and doesn't match exactly with the nose.  There are some harsh pangs of Pine Sol - the bitterness is tolerable but the flavor is somewhat chemical...ly.  Also, some tart lemon and pepper mixes in with the Pine Sol to create a very strange hop profile.  There is a burnt caramel malt backbone that also has a harshness to it.  The finish and general mouthfeel is oily and resiny, and carbonation is champagne-bubbly. 

Overall Rating:  (2.5 out of 6.0)  This beer did not go down well.  There was a chemical, medicinal quality to it that was entirely unpleasant.  I could easily sacrifice this to the drain-gods, but I think I'll finish it and pretend I'm still in college.

Tyranena Three Beaches Honey Blonde

Tonight's beer of choice is going to be the Three Beaches Honey Blonde Ale from Tyranena Brewing.  According to their website, this is a "Wisconsin version of the American Blonde Ale."  This beer is designed to taste like a day at the beach, light, bleached blonde, effervescent, free from bitterness.  I'm not sure I agree with this analogy......a day at the beach typically results in sand in my eyes/nose/ears, a sunburn, cut feet, and sticky oily sunscreen all over my body that didn't do it's job.  Hopefully this beer takes on Tyrnena's perspective of the beach!

This beer comes in a 12oz bottle with a label that depicts three beaches, er, women, in old style swimsuits.  It also notes that the beer is brewed with honey.  Pouring this into my ale glass, this beer pours a clear, bubbly straw-gold color with about an inch of white head.  The nose is full of adjuncts - corn meal and old wheat, fairly skunky.  There is a bit of honey sweetness and lemongrass that barely sneaks through.  The first sip brings a lot of corn and light malts.  If you search for it, you can find some honey in there, and just a hint of that lemon that was in the nose.  The body is light and the carbonation is very high.

Overall Rating:  (2.6 out of 6.0)  While this beer was light and drinkable, I was pretty disappointed with it.  It didn't have a whole lot of flavor, and there were a lot of off-flavors that reminded me of... Natty Light.  Tyranena missed the mark on this one, it's probably not something that I will pick up again.  

*Side Note*  During a recent vacation, I was flipping through the always-entertaining Sky Mall magazine, and came across this little gem.  A Garden Zombie!  Had to take a picture......

$89.95?  A steal if you ask me.

Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout

First off, I would like to vent on a pet peeve of mine.  Multiple times in the last couple days, I've been asked if I could "borrow" someone an item.  Here's a specific example, "Hey Dunz, could you please borrow me your pen?"  {Enter angry emoticon here}  No I cannot borrow you my pen, because that doesn't make any F'ing sense.  This is basic, kindergarden grammer!  I will never lend anything to anyone that asks me to borrow it to them.

Now, on to the beer - tonight I'm drinking Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout.  This is actually their Old Heathen Imperial stout, which is aged in oak barrels that were used in their previous lives for making top-shelf Kentucky bourbon.  The beer-geek stats aren't available on the brewery's website, but we do know this comes in at 8%ABV.  I picked this up in a 4 pack of 12oz bottles - the bottle design is definitely eye-catching, with a lightning bolt streaking across the background of the label. 

The beer pours a very dark brown, a burnt brownie color, into a snifter glass.  The nose is an intriguing mix of cocoa, toasted malts, whiskey, and a bit of raisin.  The first sip is quite a bit thinner than I expected, with chocoloate roasted malts setting in initially, and quickly disappearing.  Then there is a dry, woody flavor with a hint of whiskey.  Even more wood lingers in the finish, along with a fleeting fruity sourness on the tail-end.  The texture looks thick and syrupy, but the mouthfeel is actually quite thin (for an RIS), almost watered-down. 

After letting this sit and warm for a while, the flavors become a bit more pronounced, but the mouthfeel remains thin and light. 

Overall Rating:  (2.8 out of 6.0)  While this beer did bring some interesting flavors to the table (oak/bourbon), it left me wanting for more.  There wasn't enough muscle in the beer to balance and compliment the oak flavors.  It's extremely drinkable, and the alcohol is well-hidden, but overall I was disappointed. 

Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale

Tommyknocker Brewery is located out in Idaho Springs, CO just west of Denver.  I don't have a lot of experience with their brews, but this one caught my eye when I saw that it was brewed with maple syrup.  Pancakes, sure.  Beer....not so sure, but definitely worth a try.  This one comes in at 9%ABV, and is brewed with chocolate, crystal malts and a blend of European/American hops. 

The 12oz bottle has a vintage look to it.  I'm pouring this into my snifter, aggressive pour brings up a light tan head a little under an inch, receeds fairly quickly.  The color is a blackish brown, and there are some particles floating around in there when held against the light.  The aroma is full of nutty malts, molasses, some coffee and just a hint of alcohol.  The drink starts with a sweet yet slightly tart nutty flavor, the tart is just a pinch of dark fruit.  Chocolate malts also show up and are a nice break from the initial sweetness, but not enough of a break.  The sweetness bomb continues in the middle with brown sugar, and then the alcohol warmth kicks in, ending it off with a warm buttery finish.  I'm not able to detect any hops at all.  The body is thick and syruppy (pun intended).

Overall Rating:  (2.7 out of 6.0)  I'm not a big fan of this description, but I'm sorry to say it....this beer is "cloyingly" sweet.  For those of you that enjoy sweet dessert-type beers, this is worth a try.  But this just doesn't sit well on my taste buds......I guess I'll have to save maple syrup for the pancakes.

Eel River Brewing Climax Noel Belgian Imperial Red

I picked up this 22 oz bottle randomly about a week ago - it's a Belgian Imperial Red Ale that caught my eye.  The bottle notes that Eel River is America's 1st certified organic brewery.  I wonder what that means?  The barley and hops used are grown naturally without pesticides??  Makes no difference to me as long as the beer tastes good!

I'm pouring the beer into my new ale goblet - it pours a hazy amber with a mega-blast of head that holds very strong, and with sticky lacing at each level of the glass.  The nose is extremely fruity with cherries, along with spices....I can definitely smell the belgian yeast in there.

First drink took me by surprise - there is a wave of bitter dark fruits that hit me immediately - raisins and cherries and sour grapes.  There is also some malty sweetness alongside the fruity sweetness.  No hops are present at all, there is a slightly grassy flavor that may be hop-related, but sweetness reigns supreme.  After the sweet-train, there is a strange metallic flavor that is pretty unpleasant - a 'tin can' flavor.  The texture of the beer is deceiving...it looks heavy and thick, but in reality this beer is relatively thin-bodied and watery. 

Overall Rating (2.5 out of 6.0):  I'm not sure if Eel River intended this beer to be an Imperial Red ale, or a Belgian Dubbel.  I definitely felt it was more of a dubbel, and not a very good one.  It was thin and watered-down, and that metallic flavor singed my tongue.  I just wasn't a big fan of this beer.

Green's - Dubbel Dark Ale (Gluten Free)

Gluten free beers are something that I have never experimented with before in my beer drinking life.  With that disclaimer out of the way, I will do my best to review this as an unbiased beer drinker.

Gluten free beers are made with ingredients that don't include glycoproteins.  These types of brews are marketed towards those who have gluten intolerances or have allergic reactions to wheat or barley.  The ingredients you will typically find in gluten free beers are rice, sorghum, buckwheat and corn.  There are a number of these types of beers sprouting up within breweries across the globe.  I was able to find a pretty solid list here.  In fact, gluten free beers have even become popular enough to warrant their own festival back in 2006!  A quick glance at that site shows that they seem to have all the information you would ever want to know about gluten free beers.  Check it out if you want to learn more.

Todays review is of the first gluten free beer I was able to find at my local beer store (the giant "GLUTEN FREE" on the label helped in my search).  They have a massive selection of beer so I am sure there are more gluten free beers to be found if you were to dig for longer than 30 seconds like I did.  Green's specializes in gluten free beer as emphasized on their site.  They have three of their beers that they ship over the pond to us here in the states: Discovery, Endeavour and Quest.  Although, my bottle says Dubbel Dark Ale.  It looks like they change the name on the bottles for the beers that find their way to America.  Either way, I think its time to prost!

The first thing I notice with this beer is the high carbonation.  As I poured it into my mug it started to foam up fast.  Since this is my first experience with gluten free beers I dont know if that is normal or not. No worries though... I press on.  The color is clear and dark.  When held to the light you see shades of ruby red.  The foam lingers for quite a long time and finally collapses into a thick layer floating on top and never quite goes away.  The aroma is a caramelized fruit and is what I would expect from a beer made with Belgian yeast.  My first taste is better than I had anticipated.  Thin to medium body and a carbonation level that is lower than what the initial pour led me to believe.  A lot of dark fruit flavors are present.  After a few sips the sweetness begins to sneak up on you.  Probably due to the brew warming up.  The finish is a little watery.  The hop bitterness is there but the sweetness overpowers it a bit.  The alcohol is nowhere to be found which is nice considering its 7% ABV.

Overall 2.7/6.0 - I was surprised by how drinkable this gluten free beer was.  Just because its drinkable doesn't mean I want to drink a lot of it though.  Once it warmed up it really became overly sweet.  Be sure to have this one nicely chilled.  For my taste this was a little too sweet to start.  The style lends itself to being sweet but I think I could perceive the difference between a malty sweetness and a "millet, buckwheat, rice and sorghum" sweetness.  You will definitely need to enjoy a sweeter beer in order to get through the entire pint.  For what its worth, the brew was good enough to make me a semi-believer in gluten free beers.  I'm sure I'll review another beer from Green's.