In this beer blog, we are going to sample Double D Double IPA from Old Dominion Brewing. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Morning Glory Espresso Stout, you know the history of this East Coast Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read that beer blog post to get to know Old Dominion Brewing. Let us get into the brew.
This Double IPA has a clear slightly dark copper color with a nice white head on it. The aroma has tropical fruit notes. The taste has mango to citrus notes with a dry hop aftertaste. It is a sipping beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
Her parents named her Deanie Davis. Uncle Same assigned her call letters: Double D. This daring Imperial IPA detonates at 50 IBU’s and 9% ALC. by Vol.
Here is a description from their website (www.fordhamanddominion.com):
Double D Double IPA
Double D is a full-bodied Imperial India Pale Ale, flaunting sultry guava, mango, and tropical fruit aromas as a result of dry hopping with Citra, Zythos and Crystal hops. Brewed with light toasted malt and Bravo bittering hops, this double delights with smooth warming alcohols and a torrid finish.
- 9.0% alc/vol
- 90 IBUS
- Best IPA Atlantic City Beer Festival
- Pale, Munich and Chocolate Malts
- Zythos, Crystal, Citra and Bravo Hops
- Available In 12oz bottles, draft and in the Pinup Pack
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.fordhamanddominion.com
Twitter: @DominionBrewing
In the end, I have enjoyed most of their beers. I know being a reader and someone who knows me away from the words of this blog. I am pretty big fan of this brewery. I love how this Double IPA drinks. It has all the hop character that I love. I love how the hops kick off tropical fruit notes. I just think it is pretty funny how I am not a fan of tropical fruits. LOL! I love them in my beer. This beer is not a drinkable beer but it is a nice sipping beer for a hot summer day or night. This is a great beer with nice packaging. I love the play on words for the name of this beer. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Flying Dog In Heat Wheat
While at Ashley’s Westland, I had a chance to sample another brew from Flying Dog. It is their In Heat Wheat. It is a German Style Hefeweizen, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite beer styles. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Doggy Style Pale Ale, you know the history of this East Coast Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read to get to know Flying Dog Brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a cloudy golden color with out a head. It had a white head at first but disappeared pretty quickly. The aroma has notes of wheat, yeast, and banana. The drinking experience is light in body with light carbonated wheaty notes. The aftertaste is a nice banana notes finish that leaves the palate fast. It is pretty drinkable.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.flyingdogales.com
Twitter:
@FlyingDogIn the end, I am not a huge wheat beer fan but Hefeweizen has won me over. I love my porter, stouts, and India Pale Ales. For the longest, I have kept myself in the area of brews. Since I am writing and blogging now, I have been exploring more beer styles for reviews asides my favorite beer styles. The first thing I love about In Heat Wheat. It is a refreshing and a nice drinkable beer. I love the aroma and tasting experience. It has a nice banana notes. 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 Harpoon Brewery Rich And Dan’s Rye IPA
In this beer blog, we are going to get into the second brew from Harpoon Brewery. It is their Rye India Pale Ale. If you read my beer blog post from two days ago, you know the history of this East Coast Craft Brewery. If you have not read that beer blog post, please, read it to get to know Harpoon Brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a clear copper color with nice white head on this Rye IPA. The aroma has a spicy hop notes. The taste has a slight carbonated spicy citrus notes with a dry hop finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
A new take on IPA style, this beer has a dry, subtly spicy character derived from the rye malt, and a complex body balanced by a marked hop flavor and aroma. Cheers!
Here is a description from their website (www.harpoonbrewery.com):
After 25 years of running a brewery, Harpoon founders Rich and Dan thought it was high time they brewed a beer together. Truth be told, they didn’t want their name on it. Truth really be told, they have a running joke as to whether it’s Rich and Dan’s Rye IPA or Dan and Rich’s Rye IPA. Regardless of the order, the point is the same: they’ve been friends for three decades and still love having a beer together. It’s a testament to great beer and friendship, and it made sense, in this case, to name names. Grab your pals and toast to friendship with this Rye IPA!
Description
This beer is brewed with hops, a variety of malts, our proprietary yeast – the same yeast we’ve used since first brewing Harpoon Ale – and more hops. A lot more hops. Centennial and Chinook, and the dry hop addition of Falconer’s Flight add a multidimensional hop character, and the combination of Pale, Rye, Caramel 60, Flaked Rye, and Vienna yield a complex malt body that stands up to the spiciness of the rye and the pronounced hop flavor.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: hazy, deep orange with a reddish hue
- Aroma: citrus, fruity aroma with an underlying spice note
- Mouth feel: medium-bodied, slightly chewy
- Taste: the spice from the rye is balanced by the malt blend
- Finish: dry, distinct hop finish
Here is a video from their website (www.harpoonbrewery.com) and YouTube (www.youtube.com):
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.harpoonbrewery.com
Twitter:
@harpoon_breweryEnding, Rye IPA are fastly becoming a very popular and growing beer style in the India Pale Ale styles. It gives the craft beer and hophead drinker something else then the normal India Pale Ale. White IPA, IPL, and Rye IPA are new and growing. There are craft breweries pushing the limits of their brewery to give the craft beer drinker something different. I like this Rye IPA but I know there are better ones on the market. This one is in my top five of Rye IPA’s. Unlike most Rye IPA’s on the market, this is one of the few that is available all year-long. 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 Harpoon Brewery Leviathan IPA
In this beer blog, we are going to sample the first beer on this blog from Harpoon Brewery. It is their Leviathan IPA. I have been meaning to get around to write reviews on this brewery. I am a fan of their IPA. Harpoon Brewery was born in 1986 by Rich Doyle on a piece of paper while in Harvard Business School. He teamed up with Dan Kenary and George Ligeti to start brewing their beers. Harpoon Brewery brews several different beer styles and cider. They are best known for their IPA and Hefeweizen. Let us get into this beer.
It has a clear copper color with a nice white head. The aroma has some tropical fruit notes. The taste has some tropical fruit notes with a nice malty backbone. The aftertaste is a bitter hop finish. It is not over overpowering. It is a sipping beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
Massive and complex hop additions yield a powerful bitterness that is steadied by sweet malt backbone in this colossal IPA.
Here is a description from their website (www.harpoonbrewery.com):
We welcomed the challenge of brewing a 90 IBU Imperial IPA that would showcase glorious American hops while maintaining a multi-dimensional character. Bring on the hops!
Description
This Imperial IPA is brewed with loads of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt backbone to balance the hop intensity. We used a mix of our favorite American hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo to create a complex hop flavor and lingering bitterness. Harpoon’s proprietary yeast lends fruity esters, while dry-hopping at the rate of over one pound per barrel produces this beer’s massive aroma.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Clear, yellow/orangey in color
- Aroma: Tropical fruit hop
- Mouth feel: Full-bodied
- Taste: Tropical fruit hop
- Finish: Dry, bitter finish
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.harpoonbrewery.com
Twitter:
@harpoon_breweryIn the end, Harpoon Brewery did a great job on this brew. I love the color and aroma. The aroma comes from the hops that kick off some nice tropical fruit notes. The drinking experience is the same as the aroma. The presentation is nice from the color and head on this Double India Pale Ale. I really enjoyed drinking this brew. It has everything that a hophead could want in an Imperial IPA. 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 Stone Brewery Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Stone Brewery. It is their Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog post, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know Stone Brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a jet black color with an off white color head. The aroma has a slight chocolate but a heavy citrus notes. The taste has a chocolate to citrus notes with a dry chocolate to hoppy bitter finish for the aftertaste. It is a sipping beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
We’re brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently creat works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous ale. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Thus the name we are compelled to give it – Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale – serves as a remember of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form.
First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn’t last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn’t be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we now bless ourselves, and you, the enlightened, with this ale full-time. Thusly, you may now revel in you own self-righteousness as you see it with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.
Here is a description from their website (www.stonebrew.com):
- Style: Black IPA
- Alc/Vol: 8.7%
- IBUs: 90
- Available in: 22oz, 12oz Bottles & draft
We’re brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous black IPA. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it — Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA — serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form.We’re certainly not perfect. Too often, we allow our modesty to get the best of us as we’re simply not inclined towards senseless braggadocio. When you’re good, you’re good. And when you do something great, the least you can do is acknowledge it. Others benefit from knowing. In this case, we find that we are compelled to point out how amazing this ale is that we rightly call the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.
First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn’t last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn’t be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.stonebrew.com
Twitter: @stonebrewing
In closing, I enjoy myself a nice Black IPA. I have been searching for a better one that would top the last one. I am a huge fan of Porters, Stouts, and IPA’s. This is a great combination for the Hophead and Porter or Stout fans in the world and it is Black IPA. I love the hop character of the citrus with some nice chocolate notes. The hops are pretty strong on this Black IPA. I enjoyed this Black IPA. I hope you try this beer and let me know what you think. Stone Brewery did a great job on it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout
In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Anderson Valley Brewery. I loved their Winter Warmer. I have been wanting to get into more of their beers. I saw this from a friend’s check and photo on Instagram. I had to pick up a bottle. I am talking about their Bourdon Barrel Stout. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their Winter Solstice, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not read that post, please, read to get to know this brewery. Let us get into this brew.
It has a jet black color with a creamy fluffy tan head on this stout. The aroma has chocolate notes with hints of coffee but a strong bourbon whiskey notes. The taste is a whiskey chocolate notes at first. The back half of the drinking experience just before the aftertaste has a smooth chocolate notes. The aftertaste is a chocolate with a light bourbon notes. It is pretty drinkable for the beer style. It is not like rest of bourbon barrel age stouts on the market.
Here is a description from their website (www.avbc.com):
Complexity. Aged for three months in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels, this luxurious stout has a deep ebony hue and a beautiful mahogany head. The woody, vanilla-like notes imparted by the barrels mingle with aromas of fresh-baked bread, toffee, and espresso and envelop the rich chocolate and roasted barley flavors with a fine bourbon character. Our exclusive partnership with Wild Turkey gives Anderson Valley a world-class, consistent source of barrelage, allowing our brewers to explore new frontiers in barrel-aged craft beer.
Since its introduction, Wild Turkey has maintained a distinctive distillation and ageing process that gives it a smooth taste and a lingering flavor. Wild Turkey uses a differentiated process whereby the bourbon is distilled at a low proof to seal in its flavors. Very little water is added to Wild Turkey, resulting in a full-flavored authentic bourbon taste similar to what one would get straight out of the barrel. Wild Turkey is a genuine drink with a sought after “burn” that comes from its high-proof, an attribute fundamental to the brand and critical in maintaining its authentic bourbon characteristics.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.avbc.com
Twitter:
@avbcClosing, I loved this Bourbon Barrel Stout. This beer is drinkable compare to other Bourbon Barrel stouts. It is still a sipping beer but compare to others it is more drinkable. I enjoy the chocolate, bourdon, to a slight whiskey notes. I was pretty impressed by this brew. This brewery is going to do a full other line when they run through the Wild Turkey Barrel. I am pretty excited to see what the next stout will get from those Bourdon Barrel. I recommend this brew if you can find it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Buckle Down Brewery Stompbox Stout
When in Chicagoland area, I had to chance to stop by one of my new favorite craft breweries in the Midwest. I am talking about Buckle Down Brewery. When I was in town, they launched one of their newer beers, which is Stompbox Stout. If you read my earlier beer blog posts, you know the history of this new Midwest Craft brewery. If you have not, please, go back and read those blog posts to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into the brew.
It has a jet black color with a nice lace tan head. The aroma of this stout has chocolate notes. The taste has a chocolate with roasted malt. The aftertaste has an alcohol finish that bites at the end. It is a sipping beer.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.buckledownbrewing.com
Twitter:
@BuckleDownBeerLeaving town, I will be back to this brewery in some shape or form. Buckle Down Brewery makes some great beers. I was glad I was in town for the launch of their Stout. I knew if their Porter was awesome. There is no way in Blue Hell they would find away to mess up their Stout. I was clearly right. This is a great Stout with a nice chocolate notes and a nice bite of alcohol at the aftertaste. If I still lived in Chicago, this brewery would be my source of beer. I will be back visiting them now and then. I highly recommend you trying this beer. They are worth the road trip into the south side of Chicago. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Ram Brewery Dubbel Trouble
When in Chicagoland area, from my blog post from a few days ago, I stopped by one of my old hang outs. It is Ram Brewery. The beer that I had a chance to try is their Dubbel Trouble. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this craft brewpub, you know the history of this west coast brewery. If you have not, please, read those earlier beer blog post to get to know this brewery. Let us get into the beer.
This Dubbel is a dark brown to black color without a head on this Belgian style ale. The smell has a sweet candy. The taste is a sweet candy licorice with a licorice aftertaste. It is a sipping beer.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.theram.com
Twitter: @theRAM
In closing, there are little craft brewpubs or craft breweries. They always find ways to mess up a good Belgian Style Dubbel. I have to say I was pretty impressed with Ram’s version of this Belgian classic. I love the color, aroma, and tasting experience. It is like a sweet candy throughout the drinking experience. It is a nice sipping beer. I am so glad I stopped in and say hi to everyone. I had to chance to sample out these two great brews. I highly recommend you trying this brew, if you are in the Wheeling, IL area. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Ram Brewery Ice Breaker Oatmeal Stout
When in Chicagoland area, I was able to stop by one of my old watering holes. I am talking about the Ram Brewery. I was able to try their Ice Breaker Oatmeal Stout. If you read my earlier blog posts on this craft brewery, you know the history of it. If you have not, please, read those post to get to know this brewpub. Let us get into this Oatmeal Stout.
It has a jet black color with a nice creamy tan head. The smell is a chocolate and coffee notes for this stout. The taste has a chocolate and coffee at the middle of pallet to watery notes on back half. The aftertaste has chocolate that hangs around a bit. It is a sipping beer.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.theram.com
Twitter:
@theRAMIn closing, this would be a stout if I still lived down the street. I would be filling my growlers up on weekend with this stout. This is an awesome stout. This is one of the best brews that this little brewpub made. I also love their IPA’s. I know the brewmaster pretty well and I was happy to see the assistant moved over to the other location in the Chicagoland area. I know for a fact he will be brewing some awesome beers and improving the beers from the last brewmaster. The last brewmaster was good but not good enough. If you are in the area, I recommend you getting by the Wheeling location to try to brew. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Troubador Obscura
In a foreign land, we are going to sample out of Troubador Obscura during Belgian Week at Ashley’s Westland. The brewery was founded in 2000 by Kristof De Roo, Rikkert Maertens, Stefaan Soetemans and Sven Suys. They are known around Europe as the 4 ‘Musketeers’. They brew in the traditional and classic Belgian beer styles in past. This brewery brew several beer styles and they do them well. They do not let anything out of their brewery unless it is up to their standards. I like that. Let us get into the beer.
It has a dark brown with some reddish tones for the color with a constant white head. The aroma has slight chocolate with notes of cherry to fruit. The taste has an aged malty chocolate notes with a cherry aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from their website (www.troubadourbeers.com):
Troubadour Obscura is a dark red-brown colored beer, with a rich, malty body combined with different touches of a stout but in a very nice balanced way: roast, chocolate, coffee, vanilla. A mild stout with a Belgian body!
Specifications:Alcohol (V/V): 8,2%
Stamwort: 18
Plato EBC: 110
IBU: 35
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.troubadourbeers.com
Twitter:
@TroubadourbeerIn first glance, it took one sip of Obscura. I was in love with this brew. It took me a few sips to get to know everything that is going on in this complex ale. I love the chocolate cover cherry notes I received out of the this brew. I can see the vanilla and coffee notes also. I tasted that towards the end of the glass. There is a ton going on in this beer and I love that. It is a drinkable beer but I found myself sipping it. I wanted to taste everything that was going on in this brew. 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
DJ Weiser 