Month: January 2014

New Beer Blog Great Lakes Brewing Blackout Stout

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Lights out, we are going to sample a beer from Great Lakes Brewing that was named after the “Blackout Of 2003.”  It is their Blackout Stout.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their Christmas Ale, you know history of this Ohio brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

This stout has a jet black color without a head.  The smell of this Russian Imperial Stout has a chocolate to coffee notes.  The taste is a creamy chocolate with notes of burned malt with a slight burned chocolate bitterest.  It is a sipping stout.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our robust Blackout Stout is named after the infamous “Blackout of 2003” that left the northeastern United States without power for days…. A nuisance for some, an enjoyable 36 hours of energy conservation and beer drinking with neighbors for others

Who needs the power grid when you’ve got the full moon, bright stars, good friends and Blackout Stout, our Russian Imperial Stout with a hearty malt body and bold hop favor.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Twitter:  @GLBC_Cleveland

Lights back on, I enjoyed this brew and I forgot how good this brew really is.  Every year this beer is released.  I used to pick up a few like a few years ago and I would see it.  I keep forgetting to pick up.  Shame on me, this is a great stout.  I almost want to make a road trip to try this as a barrel aged stout.  This is a nice sipping Imperial Stout.  I love the chocolate and slight coffee notes.  I know there is a code date but I could see this brew aging well in the bottle.  This is on my own thing and it did not come from the brewery.  I highly recommend this brew and I would hunt it down before it disappear until next season.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Church Street Brewing Heavenly Helles Lager

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In beginnings, Church Street Brewing Heavenly Helles Lager is the feature craft brewery and brew in this beer blog post.  If you read beer blog post from yesterday, you know the history of Church Street Brewing.  If you have not read that post from yesterday, please, read the post to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear golden color without a head on this Helles Lager.  There is no smell to this lager.  The taste has a slight carbonated malt to a light hop notes.  The aftertaste is a dry crisp finish.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.churchstreetbrew.com):

Heavenly Helles

One of Bavaria’s quintessential beverages, now the best lager in Chicagoland. Utilizing old world decoction mashing techniques for a truly unique malt complexity, this gentle drink also features a straw colored-clarity that’s clearly heavenly!

  • ABV 5.4%
  • IBU 30
  • SRM 6

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.churchstreetbrew.com

Twitter:  @ChurchStBrew

In the end, I love this German beer style.  It is one of my favorite Lager beer styles.  One of my favorite Helles beer is out of the little brewery out of Shiner, Texas, who is Shiner Brewery.  I have always compare other Helles to that one.  It is my staple, however, it is not fair.  This is why it is not fair because they smoked  their malt.  It gave off a smokey notes in aroma and taste. I know for a fact that other craft breweries that make Helles do not that to their malt.  I could be wrong. I am going to stop judging other Helles Lager to the Shiner one, since, they do not make this beer anymore.  I like this one and this will be my staple until another one can knock it off the top of the list.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Church Street Brewing Continental Lager

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In this beer blog, Church Street Brewing is making its first appearance on this blog with their Continental Lager.  Joe Gregor traveled around checking out local beers around the world and found a nice location in the Northwest Burbs of Chicago.  Joe loves German Lagers and the craft beer drinkers will see a few Lagers in their beer line ups.  This brewery opened the doors for the first time in 2012.  They brew several different beer styles asides Lagers.  Let us get into this Lager.

It has golden color with a big white constants head.  The carbonation is heavy on this lager.  There is really no smell.  The taste has a light carbonation with a slight malty to hoppy notes.  The aftertaste is clean crisp finish.  It is a pretty drinkable lager.

Here is a description from their website (www.churchstreetbrew.com):

Smooth and drinkable, yet malty and complex with a noble hop kick. Church Street’s Continental Lager marries four German malts with three German hop varieties to create our quintessential pilsner.  Notes of biscuit and grassy/floral hops make this a great beer to kick back with anytime. Enjoy!

  • ABV 5.3%
  • IBU 39
  • SRM 7

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.churchstreetbrew.com 

Twitter:  @ChurchStBrew

In the end, I have been on a search for a good craft lager.  I believe this one from Church Street Brewing has come pretty close to it.  This lager to me is too close to the European Lager Style.  It is still good brew.  I wished I could get another bottle of this brew but they are not available in the Southeast part of Michigan.   I really did enjoy this Lager and it is towards the top of my lager list. I recommend this brew and I hope to hear your thoughts on this brew.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Off Color Brewing Troublesome Wheat Beer

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Another beer before the road, Troublesome Wheat Beer from Off Color Brewing is the second brew to be reviewed on this beer blog.  If you read my beer blog from yesterday of their Scurry, you know the history of this upcoming craft brewery out of Chicago.  If you have not, please, read yesterday’s beer blog post to get to know Off Color Brewing.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a cloudy yellow color with a semi white head on this wheat ale.  The smell is lemon like but that comes from coriander notes.  The taste is a heavy citrus to coriander notes with a citrus aftertaste.  It is pretty drinkable.

Here is a description from their website (www.offcolorbrwing.com):

TROUBLESOME

Blended Wheat Beer

Most brewers spend a lot of time and effort keeping lactobacillus out of their breweries; it was the first thing we brought in (it still has to stay in the corner though). We blend together two different beers to make Troublesome. The first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. We blend the two beers together with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel. And yes, it’s hard to make.

ABV:4.5%
HOPS:Northern Brewer
IBU:10
MALTS:Pils, Wheat Malt, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Oats

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.offcolorbrwing.com

Twitter:  @OffcolorBrewing

Closing out the beer tab, I am not a fan of wheat beers.  I love German Hefeweizen but not too many wheats.  I love Upland Brewing Wheat and this beer from Off Color.  I just realized both of these craft beers are not even in my market.  Now that is pretty funny.  I will have to do some road trips.  What I like about this Wheat Beer, you do not taste the wheat or yeast like most American wheat beers.  I love the coriander that is used in this brew.  It has a nice lemon notes that kick off through out the beer drinking experience.  There is not over the top aftertaste from the beer and lemon notes.  It is just right.  They do some brewery tours and I would check into that to get to know this brewery a little bit more.  I highly recommend this brew.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Off Color Brewing Scurry

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Starting new beer tab, Off Color Brewing is the featured craft brewery on this beer blog.  This is their frist appearance on this blog.  The beer that will be sampling is Scurry and tomorrow will be their Troublesome Wheat Beer.  Off Color Brewing was founded in the later part of 2012 to early part of 2013 in the western part Logan Square in Chicago.  The founder are John Laffler, who was part of Goose Island brewery team, and Dave Bleitner, who was part of Two Brothers Brewery team.  Their goal is to brew beer that they will enjoy and something different then the norm on the market today.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark brown to a slight amber or dark brown reddish color with a semi constant white head.  The smell is honey with hints of caramel.  The taste is a smooth and slight creamy honey with a nice creamy chocolate aftertaste.  It is a extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from their website (www.offcolorbrewing.com):

SCURRY

Dark Honey Ale

This surprisingly dry beer retains all the aroma and nuance of honey (from bees) and molasses (not from bees) creating a perception of sweetness through cool, controlled fermentation. Because we’re sweet enough damn it.

ABV:5.3%
HOPS:Strisselspalt, Nothern Brewer, Hallertau Hersbrucker
IBU:18