brewery

New Beer Blog Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop IPA

In this special beer blog, we are going to sample another special release from Sierra Nevada. It is their Wet Hop IPA. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know Sierra Nevada. Let us get into this IPA.

It has a nice hue of copper and light bronze color with a white constant head. The smell has an earthly, rose, piney, and grapefruit notes. The taste has a carbonated grapefruit with a nice dry slight bitter aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

The fourth in our 2014 harvest series, Northern Hemisphere Harvest spans a flavor spectrum from bold, earthy, green hop flavors to hints of citrus, fresh herbs and pine.

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

Available September 2014.
Northern Hemisphere was the first wet hop ale and it inspired the wet hop craze here in America. Wet—undried—hops go straight from the fields into our kettles within 24 hours. Because hops are incredibly perishable, using hops wet preserves all of the precious oils and resins for a unique drinking experience as evidenced by the intense herbal green flavors and citrus-like and floral aromas. Northern Hemisphere is part of our five-bottle Harvest series which features single hop, fresh hop, wet hop, and wild hop beers.

Wet Hop versus Fresh Hop

Over recent years, there has been some confusion about the difference between fresh and wet hops. While it may seem like semantics, to us it’s an important distinction.

Wet Hops are un-dried hops, picked and shipped from the growing fields within 24 hours.

Fresh Hops are the freshest dried hops to come from the fields, typically within seven days of harvest.
Over 90% of the world’s hop harvest happens between August 31 and October 31, and these hops are used throughout the calendar year. Can hops possibly be the same on November 1, one day after harvest, as they are on July 25, nearly one year after growing in the fields? The answer is no. We think of hops like dry kitchen spices—the flavor of thyme or rosemary right after the jar is opened is far more intense than it is six months later. The same can be said for hops. There are ways to control the way hops age and to reformulate and readjust as some of the aromas fade, but there’s nothing like the magic of the first bales of hops as fresh as can be. That is the stuff dreams are made of!

Dry Hops

We work hard to get strong hop flavors into our beers and one of the ways we do that is through dry hopping. Dry hopping refers to the addition of whole-cone hops to the fermentation tanks. The addition of hops to cold beer allows the aromatic oils and resins to infuse the beer with flavor and aroma without adding any additional bitterness.

Experimental Hops

Hop farmers, breeders, brewers, and brokers are always looking for new and interesting hop varietals with compelling flavor characteristics and intriguing properties. Sierra Nevada has a unique relationship with hop growers, and often has access to limited and experimental varieties. Some of the varietals, while interesting, don’t add enough value and never make it into commercial production, while others—like the recent hop Citra—take the brewing world by storm. Every day new varietals are being tested and some have become signature flavors for Sierra Nevada.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sierranevada.com

Twitter: @sierranevada

Closing, I am always looking forward to the next single hop beers from Sierra Nevada. I enjoyed these brews very much. I have always just brought one bottle but starting this year editions. I will be picking up more than one. I just picked up one because they are one of the hardest beers to find in the Midwest. This beer was no different then the rest of their limited releases. Of course, the beer was different. I mean is it was awesome brew. They have all been awesome beers. They know how to build a nice malty backbone. They picked some nice hops throughout this hop series. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer (Cider) Blog Blake’s El Chavo

In this cider blog, we are going to the first cider from Blake’s. It is their El Chavo. There is not much history on their website. I do know they have been in business less than five years. They make several different Hard Cider. There is about 12 different Hard Cider on tap in their Taproom. Let us get into this Hard Cider.

This cider has a clear light yellow color without a head. The smell has a slight mango and hints of Habanero peppers. The taste has a mango to earthly notes with pepper hot aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable but I can see becoming sipping cider.

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

We like spicing things up. That’s why we put dimmers on the lights in our Cider House. And it’s why we created this sweet, heated blend of Habanero Pepper, mango and our famous Blake’s apple. Experience a hard cider that’s really, honestly, truly like no other. Experience El Chavo.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.blakeshardcider.com

Twitter: @BlakesHardCider

Closing, I have to say I am not a huge hard cider fan. I am always willing to try it at least two times to see if I can find one that I like. I have to say between Woodchuck and Blake’s Hard Cider. I have found two cider companies that I enjoyed drinking their products. In the few times, I had some of Blake’s Hard Ciders. I did not have time to write tasting notes. I had to write-up for this special and unique cider. I like it. I did not know how the peppers would go over with apple and mango notes. The Habanero Pepper starts to shine through the end part of the pint. It is not overpowering which I liked. There is a nice balance in this Hard Cider. I highly recommend this cider. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Sierra Nevada Brewery Porter

In this beer blog, we are going to sample one of my favorite porters in the craft beer world. It is Sierra Nevada Porter. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this California craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know one of the legends in the craft beer world. Let us get into this porter.

This porter has a black color with a semi on light brown color head. The smell has a burned to slight notes of chocolate. The taste has a creamy roasted chocolate with a roasted malty to dry chocolate aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable for the beer style.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Sierra Nevada Classic Porter is a testament to roasted malts which give it a rich bittersweet and roasted coffee like flavor. This all-American adaptation of the traditional workingman’s ale is well-balanced and a perfect complement to a variety of foods.

Before Sierra Nevada was a reality, nights were spent perfecting homebrew recipes and dreaming of starting a brewery. One of our favorite beers was a porter. Made before roasted malts were readily available, we spent time in the kitchen roasting barley for our own malt. The result is big malt flavor – rich, bittersweet, and roasted.

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

Porters were invented as a fortifying drink for the rough-and-tumble working class of London’s bustling markets. It was brewed for good folks with calluses on their hands, doing work that needed to be done. We salute those working-class heroes with our classic Porter, brewed in the hop-forward American style and featuring a depth of malt flavor and complexity with roasted notes of black coffee and cocoa.

Origin of Porter

The origins of porter are shrouded in mystery, but most agree that by the middle 1600s there were many beers of various styles referred to as porters not because of a singular flavor characteristic, but because of their intended audience—the hardworking folks shuttling gear in England’s bustling markets. In fact, porter as we know it today—roasty, dry and dark as midnight—would have been impossible to achieve because efficient and reliable malt roasters weren’t invented for another hundred years. One thing is certain though, porters developed alongside the Industrial Revolution and as brewing technology improved, so did the technique and quality of the beer. Porter was the first mass-produced style of beer and the beer that helped build the mighty British brewing industry. It will forever be associated with London’s working class.

Stout versus Porter

While the exact origins of porter are hazy, the development of stout is more straightforward. By the 1700s bolder, high-alcohol versions of any style of beer were referred to as “stout” or strong. By then, porter was far and away the most popular beer style in the British Isles, and clever breweries began advertising the stronger versions of their beers as “stout porter.” By the late 1800s, regular porters had fallen out of favor and stout porter, or simply stout, took their place. There are many different varieties of stout ranging from the light bodied, low-alcohol Dry Irish Stout to the vicious, rich and strong Imperial Stout.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sierranevada.com

Twitter: @sierranevada

In the end, Sierra Nevada is so beyond under rated to us here in midwest and east coast. I am not sure on how they are viewed on the west coast. I believe pretty highly. I just feel most craft beer drinkers just see Sierra Nevada as the brewery that makes one really good brew, which is their Pale Ale. I love their Pale Ale but they offer so much more to their beer drinkers. This porter is one of their finest brews that they make. I can enjoy this beer in any season. It is pretty drinkable and full of flavor. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Founders Backwoods Bastard Ale (2014)

In this special beer blog, we are going to sample a special limited beer, which is Backwoods Bastard Ale, from Founders Brewery. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Midwest Craft Brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this beer.

It has a nice dark ruby-red color without a head on this barrel aged ale. The aroma has a sweet malty to slight bourdon along with some vanilla and other earthly notes. The taste has a sweet malty, alcohol, and earthly notes. The aftertaste has a nice warm alcohol finish. It is a nice sipping beer.

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

Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts, a bit of earthy spice, and a scintilla of dark fruit. It’s a kick-back sipper made to excite the palate.

ABV: 10.2%

IBUs: 50

Availability: November

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.foundersbrewing.com

Twitter: @foundersbrewing

In the end, I kept on hearing this is the beer that you need to try from a Michigan craft brewery. It is a must find and try. When I hear it was released, I rushed out and found a few bottles. I was pretty excited this beer. I love ales aged in barrels. I am a huge fan of old ales, wheat wines, and barley wines. I have said it is a nice sipping beer. I love the sweet malty to alcohol notes. There is a pretty nice balance. I have to say for the price and I was looking for more out of this beer. I just believe it is not worth it. I will get at least a bottle every year but I am not going out of my way like I did this year. It is beyond overrated. Let me put it this way. It is very good beer but not the best in this beer style that I have had in my lifetime. If you see it, try it. I would love to hear your thoughts. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gamil.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Coronado Brewing Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

In this beer blog, we are going to sample the second beer from Coronado Brewing. It is their Blue Bridge Coffee Stout. If you read my earlier beer blog on their everyday IPA, you know the history of this California craft brewery. If you have not, please, read it to get to know Coronado Brewing. Let us get into this coffee stout.

It has a jet black color with a tan to light brown color head. The aroma has a heavy coffee with a burn chocolate notes. The taste has a smooth creamy chocolate with a dry coffee aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Just as the iconic Coronado Bay Bridge connects our island home to the mainland, this java-tinged dry stout, brewed using dark roasted coffee beans from a local San Diego artisanal roaster, provides a bridge uniting craft beer drinkers with CBC’s rich, flavorful SoCal brewing traditions.

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

Just as the iconic Coronado Bay Bridge connects our island home to the mainland, this java-tinged dry stout, brewed using dark roasted coffee beans from a local San Diego artisanal roaster, provides a bridge uniting craft beer drinkers with CBC’s rich, flavorful SoCal brewing traditions.

Details
Style: Coffee Stout Malt Profile: 2-Row, Crisp 45, Simpson R.B. Ingredients: Café to dark roast coffee-10lbs per 10bbl Hop Profile: Northern Brewer Yeast Profile: Cal Ale IBUs: 27 Alcohol by Vol: 5.40% Sizes: Bottles: 22 oz. | Draft: 1/6bbl & 1/2bbl

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.coronadobrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @CoronadoBrewing

In the end, I was pretty excited when this craft brewery hit the shelves here in Michigan. I have been wanting to try their beers. I love my coffee stouts. It was a no brainer to pick up bottle of their coffee stout. I was not impressed with this beer. It just seems a little water down. It is not good and it could be better. It is pretty than most on the market. There is better coffee stouts on the market. It might be ok in the warm weather in California. Here in the Midwest, we need a heavy stouts and porters. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Bell’s Christmas Ale (2014)

In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Bell’s Brewing. It is their Christmas Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know Bell’s Brewery. Let us get into this Christmas Ale.

It has a clear dark copper to amber color with a white constant head. The smell has sweet malty to other spices that are fated to hard to pick up. The taste of this winter warmer has a slight carbonation to sweet malty with a slight alcohol burn for theaftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

The basic inspiration for Bell’s Christmas Ale was to create a sessionable holiday beer, using locally grown malt, which would stand apart from the array of spiced winter warmers that are typically introduced this time of year. In contrast to many other seasonals, Christmas Ale doesn’t contain any spices: all of the dry, toasted notes & subtle toffee flavors come from the 100% Michigan-grown barley, custom malted by Briess Malting, while a blend of hops from Michigan & the Pacific Northwest lend earthy, herbal aromas. At 5.5% ABV, it stands as a smooth, highly drinkable beer intended to complement holiday menus, not overshadow them.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.bellsbeer.com

Twitter: @BellsBrewery

In the end, I enjoyed this winter or Christmas beer. I have to say this. Christmas has come and gone once again. This does not mean that is beer is bad or out of code, if it is still on the shelf. This goes for all seasonals. Will it go out of code later on? Yes, I am not an idiot. I just hate hearing beer drinkers saying these beers are out of code the day after the holiday. There is a nice balance but I love the nice alcohol notes for the finish. This is one of my favorite beers from Bell’s Brewery. If you see this beer, I would try it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Stone Brewing Smoked Porter Chocolate And Orange Peel

In this seasonal beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Stone Brewing. It is Smoked Porter Chocolate and Orange Peel. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know Stone Brewing. Let us get into this porter.

It has a jet black color with a nice tan head that disappears. It is semi on there. The smell has a smoke chocolate notes. The taste has a slight smoke chocolate with an orange aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

We decided early on that we wouldn’t do seasonal beers for the sake of doing seasonal beers. Summer ales and winter lagers certainly have a ring to them. Big-beer focus groups prove consumers get a kick out of them and macrobrew marketing analyses suggest they sell well. But for us, beer comes first, much as Stone Smoked Porter came first. Actually, it came second – oddly enough, in the form of a seasonal. Our co-founder and original brewmaster, Steve Wagner, thought it would be an innovative creation suited for winter…and it was. Legend has it Greg’s Mom agreed. So, rather than relegating fans to nine peat-smoked-porterless months and building revenue-generating fervor for the cold season, we made it a year-round release. Nowadays, we brew a trio of tasty takes on this smoky, sultry vanguard. But the closest they come to being “seasonals” is that they are enhanced with seasonally driven ingredients such as vanilla bean and chipotle peppers. This version, released in the literally gray area separating sunshine and snowfall, incorporates dark chocolate and dried orange peel, making for a semisweet, citrus-nuanced porter that comes across like a break-apart chocolate orange enjoyed by a campfire. It’s not a seasonal – it’s just a phenomenal beer, regardless of the time of year. Throw out the calender and enjoy.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.stonebrewing.com

Twitter: @stonebrewingco

Ending, I never thought I would see the day that Stone Brewing is doing a seasonal. It is kind of crazy to think about it. This craft brewery thinks and runs in their drum beat. They do not what everyone else is doing in the world of craft beers. They felt the time is now to make a seasonal. I have to say they did a great job on this brew. I did not know how the orange peel would go well with the smoked porter. I do enjoy it. It has a weird twist and this is how this craft brewery is successful. There is a nice balance from the chocolate, porter, and orange peel. The smoke porter part is not overpowering everything in this beer. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Southern Tier Imperial Rum Barrel Aged Pumking Ale

In this beer, we are going to get into a special release from Southern Tier Brewery. It is Imperial Rum Barrel Aged Pumking Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this east coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into this Pumpkin Ale

It has a clear copper color without a head on this barrel aged ale. The aroma has a slight rum to heavy cinnamon to nutmeg notes. The taste has a rum to vanilla and cinnamon to nutmeg notes with a dry cinnamon finish. It is sipping beer to slightly drinkable.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.stbcbeer.com

Twitter: @stbcbeer

In the end, I have to say I was pretty nervous because I am not a fan of their normal Pumking Ale. I know this is pretty popular. I understand that beer is not for everyone. It is not for me and people do like it. I was wondering how the rum barrel effected the beer. I have to say it turned out really well. The rum barrel cuts through the heavy cinnamon and nutmeg. This is a better version of the normal one. I hope they keep on making this because I will pick up more next season. If you can find it, buy it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Sierra Nevada Boomerang IPA

In this beer blog, we are going to get into Boomerang IPA from Sierra Nevada. This beer came out of the their new Snow Pack Sampler pack. This is the only way to enjoy this brew. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this West Coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this American craft brewery. Let us get into this IPA.

This India Pale Ale has a clear golden color with a nice white constant head. The smell has a citrus notes. The taste has a citrus notes with a dry bitter aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Boomerrang is an American IPA that slings fruit-forward and floral flavors of Australian hops for an assertive intercontinental escape from winter’s grasp.

Over the years we’ve developed a love for hops from the Southern Hemisphere. These ‘down under” varietals taste like no other, and we’ve thrown heaps of them into Boomrang IPA to showcase their unique tropical, floral and fruity aromas.

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

Certain regions produce hops whose flavors are simply unlike any others. This is the case for many of the hops coming out of the Southern Hemisphere—specifically, those from Australia where the hops are famous for their floral character and enticing fruit-forward aromas. These one-of-a-kind hops were the inspiration for Boomerang, a “Yankee-Aussie” IPA featuring the light malt body of an American IPA blended with the robust flavors of Southern Hemisphere hops.

Hop farmers, breeders, brewers and brokers are always looking for new and interesting hop varietals with compelling flavor characteristics and intriguing properties. Sierra Nevada has a unique relationship with hop growers and often has access to limited and experimental varieties. Some of the varietals, while interesting, don’t add enough value and never make it into commercial production, while others—like the recent hop Citra—take the brewing world by storm. Every day new varietals are being tested and some have become signature flavors for Sierra Nevada.

We work hard to get strong hop flavors into our beers and one of the ways we do that is through dry hopping. Dry hopping refers to the addition of whole-cone hops to the fermentation tanks. The addition of hops to cold beer allows the aromatic oils and resins to infuse the beer with flavor and aroma without adding any additional bitterness.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sierranevada.com):

Twitter: @sierranevada

Closing, I loved this beer. I just wish it was one of their everyday beers. I understand why it is not one of their everyday six-pack. They are using a special hops just like their single hop and harvest ales. It makes a ton of senses why it is in their sampler pack. There is some nice tropical to floral notes. I really enjoyed aroma and taste profile from this beer because of the hops they picked in it. There is a nice well build malty backbone. Sierra Nevada has proved with this beer alone that they are pushing the limits of craft brewery. If you can find this sampler pack, I highly recommend you trying this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Sierra Nevada Coffee Stout

We are going to sample another brew from their new sampler pack, which is called Snow Pack. It is their Coffee Stout. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this West Coast Legend craft brewery, you know the rich history of Sierra Nevada. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into this Coffee Stout.

It has a jet black color with a creamy tan color head. The aroma has a slight chocolate and a heavy coffee notes. The taste has a burn malty and coffee notes with a dry chocolate to coffee aftertaste. It is a nice sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our coffee stout combines malt flavor and roasty coffee for notes of baker’s cocoa dark fruit and espresso in a complex blend of warming flavors.

A cup of joe and a bold beer can thwart the winter cold, so we blended them for the ultimate warmer. Our Coffee Stout is a fusion of dark roasted malts and rich cold-brewed coffee for layers of bittersweet, fruity, dark chocolate and carmel-like flavors.

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

Coffee and craft beer are both drinks that inspire passion in the faithful. As we dreamed up ideas for a winter beer, they seemed destined to come together. There isn’t much that’s more comforting on a cold day than a cup of great coffee, and even more so when blended with the rich flavors of a dark and roasty stout. Our Coffee Stout brings the best of both brews with flavors of baker’s cocoa, dark fruit, and a bittersweet roasted malt body.

While the exact origins of porter are hazy, the development of stout is more straightforward. By the 1700s bolder, high-alcohol versions of any style of beer were referred to as “stout” or strong. By then, porter was far and away the most popular beer style in the British Isles, and clever breweries began advertising the stronger versions of their beers as “stout porter.” By the late 1800s, regular porters had fallen out of favor and stout porter, or simply stout, took their place. There are many different varieties of stout ranging from the light bodied, low-alcohol Dry Irish Stout to the viscous, rich and strong Imperial Stout.

Malted barley generally falls into two camps: base malt and specialty malt. Base malt is highly modified malt that is responsible for producing the bulk of the fermentable sugars in the beer. Specialty malt is malt added for its flavor, color or effect on the body and mouthfeel of the finished beer. Specialty malts are typically produced by kilning and/or roasting barley. Caramel malt is made by placing germinated barley with a high moisture content directly into a roaster. The resulting malt produces unfermentable sugars during the mashing process, adding sweetness and body to finished beer. Roasted malt is base malt that has been placed in a roaster similar to a coffee roaster to produce deeper, darker, baker’s cocoa and espresso flavors like those common in a porter or a stout.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sierranevada.com

Twitter: @sierranevada

Closing, I was pretty excited to see Sierra Nevada was making a coffee stout. Their normal stout is beyond underrated on the craft beer market. Sierra Nevada does not make a bad beer. All their beers are beyond better than most craft breweries. This coffee stout is a nice gateway beer to stout and coffee stout world. The coffee beans are not overpowering like most coffee stout. There is a nice balance that makes it uniquely drinkable for the beer style. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

Wet Hop versus Fresh Hop

Dry Hops

Experimental Hops

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