Double IPA

New Beer Blog Fort Street Brewery Visit

In this beer blog, we are going to get into the second brewery that I visited last weekend with friends. It is Fort Street Brewery. This brewery was started in 2005 in my hometown of Lincoln Park. I grew up there for 18 years. They offer a new Firkin every week. This brewery has been around for 10 years and Congrats to that. Let us get into the beer.

They cover just about every beer style. I did not see a normal IPA or Double IPA. There was a session IPA and it was pretty good. The Lincoln Lager is gone and was replace with a good Cream Ale. There is a nice English Style ESB. This brew was my favorite. They also had a great Imperial Pilsner. Their White Ale was pretty average but I am not a wheat beer fan. I can see beer drinkers liking this brew. Black Hole was another great beer that I loved. They had a Root Beer on tap. It was pretty interesting. It came out as a golden ale and root beer notes were slight. It was not overpowering the brew. Overall, I will make the trip downriver to visit this brewpub again.

I did not order any food but I did look through their menus. It did look good and prices were just right for anyone’s budge. My friend order some food and his food did look good. This is a great place also to watch some sports games. I would say this brewpub is the whole package. Great beer and food while watching some of the local sports teams on TV.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.fortstreetbeer.com

Twitter: @fortstreetbeer

Ending, I have to say that I was pretty impressed. I know I heard mix thoughts on this place. Most of those thoughts were wrong. This brewery is making some good beers. They are making beers that fit their neighborhood. The place is pretty busy with regulars in the area. I love their beers and they have some nice balance from each of the styles. There is a nice selection of beer. I also love environment in this brewpub. I will come back. I recommend this place if you are in the downriver area. 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 North Center Brewing Visit

In this special beer blog, I finally had a chance to get by one of the newer craft brewery in the State of Michigan. I will get into the history and then the beer. This brewery opened in April 2015 in Northville, Michigan. This brewery founded by Kevin DeGrood and a few other individuals. Let us get into the place.

This small and upcoming craft brewery has a nice place just off busy 8 mile. The place is welcoming and has a nice modern look. I love the wood work. They took some time to think about where to put everything in this brewpub. I love the lay out of this brewpub. It has a better layout than Farmington Brewery and Canton Brew Works. North Center Brewing does not service food, however, they will let you bring food in or order from the two restaurants nearby them. There will be a Kroger opening soon across the street from them. They have some awesome cheese and salsa, which I recommend you trying both of them. Let us get into the beer.

You are coming here for the beer and I will say they will not let you down. I recommend the flight. You will sample all of them but one. Kevin and his crew are making some great and awesome beers. You can see that they worked on their craft before opening up this brewery. They know what they are doing and it is showing. I am not a wheat beer fan but they have a solid American Wheat Ale. What I love about their Cherry Saison, the cherry is not in your face and that was by design. They have awesome blueberry ale that is heavy on the blueberries. This is one of the best fruit beers that I had from Michigan craft brewery. There Imperial Stout is off the charts good. The Triple is still making me trip on how clear it was. There is not too many clear triples on the market. You can correct me if I am wrong unless they are filtering it. They are not doing that here. Their pale ale is really good. The IPA is good but I just wished it was more bitter and hopper. It is nice Midwest IPA. What I love about this brewpub and their beers, they are all different and they do not taste the same unlike some breweries. There is several breweries where all their beers taste the same. Most cases, it is because they are using the same yeast strain. This brewery does not do that.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.northcenterbrewing.com

Twitter: @northcenterbrew

Closing, I have been too many brewpubs and new ones too. Craft beer machine keeps on going with new breweries opening up all the time. There is some you can see people just jumping in to make a quick dollar. There are several of them opening up in Michigan. North Center Brewing is not like that. They are here for the love of making and enjoying beer. They fine their art and brought their A game. The staff that they hired or brought in are super nice and willing to talk beer with you. They will help you pick the beer to fit your taste profile. This craft brewery is here to stay and I am looking forward to my next visit. I will make sure I eat next time. I had to cut it short because of that. I highly recommend this brewery. I cannot say it enough. 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 The Brew Kettle White Rajak India Pale Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a brew from The Brew Kettle Brewery. This is the first time that this craft brewery is being featured on this beer blog. The beer is White Rajak India Pale Ale. This Ohio base craft brewery was founded in 1995 under the name of Ringneck Brewing. They later changed their name to Brew Kettle. They have distribution throughout Ohio and Kentucky. Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a heavy grapefruit notes. The taste has a heavy grapefruit notes with a dry bitter aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

An India Pale Ale

A West Coast style IPA full of citrus-like and tropical fruit like hop flavor and aroma with an assertive yet smooth bitter finish….malt, take a back seat please

6.8% Alc/ Vol. 70 IBUs

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.thebrewkettle.com

Twitter: @brewkettle

In the end, I have been looking for a great Ohio beer outside of Great Lakes Brewery from Ohio base craft brewery. I was happy to find this great IPA from Ohio. I also love Hoppin Frog Brewery. I believe Brew Kettle might be my favorite Ohio Brewery. I will need to try some of their other beers asides this IPA. I only had this brew. This is by far the best everyday Ohio made IPA. I love it. I am really impressed. There is a nice well-built malty backbone and they picked the right mix of hops. This is a really good IPA and being a hophead. I cannot wait to get more of this brew on my next trip to Ohio next month. I will be looking for their Fall Seasonal when I am down there. 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 Stone Thunderstruck IPA

In this special beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Stone Brewery. It is their 19th Anniversary IPA. It is their Thunderstruck IPA. 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 California craft brewery. Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a floral to slight citrus notes. The taste of this medium body has a citrus notes with hints of hop bitter. The aftertaste has a hop bitter finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Our 19th anniversary beer brings the boom, delivering it to the palate in a voluminous, hop-driven thunderclap backed by the power of our brewing passion and intensity. This double IPA owes its considerable oomph to a quartet of Australian hops—Topaz and Galaxy, plus newcomers Ella and Vic Secret. We also had Fairview malt shipped in from Australia just for this brew. The beer’s striking tropical fruit, citrus and peach hop flavors and slightly resinous and aromatically dank earthiness are sure to electrify your senses.

We have many special beers planned for release to celebrate our 20 years of brewing, so let this serve as the first course to what will be an undoubtedly epic feast for craft beer enthusiasts, with particular thanks to those who’ve been with us for the long haul and helped us attain such longevity. Consider this the first of many Thank-Yous…for years to come!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.stonebrewing.com

Twitter: @stonebrewingco

Ending, I always pick up their new IPA’s. I am a huge fan of this craft brewery. i love the fact that they are always trying something different and new in beer. I love taste profile and nice balance in this beer. This craft brewery knows how to make IPA’s. I trust this craft brewery more than any other craft brewery. This is a nice IPA and I am glad I checked it out. I highly recommend this beer. I like it but is taste like a normal IPA. There is nothing wrong with that. 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 The Alchemist Heady Topper

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a brew that I have been wanting to try in a long time. The brewery is The Alchemist and the beer is Heady Topper. Alchemist is from Vermont. It is a small brewery that focus on this brew. They do brew other beers. This brewery started in 2003. They opened a larger brewery in 2011. There is not much history on this brewery. This beer is hard to get and people go out of their way to get this brew. Let us get into this beer.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The carbonation is pretty alive. The aroma has a heavy earthly to floral like notes. The tastes of this full body double India Pale Ale has a slight citrus to piney like notes. The aftertaste has an orange to grapefruit like finish. It is extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer can:

Heady Topper is an American Double India Pale Ale. This beer is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in you mouth.

So drinkable. It’s scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can. Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain. If you MUST pour it into the glass, you mind find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom – leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice-cold. Drink this immediately, we are always making more.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.alchemistbeer.com

Twitter: @alchemistbeer

Ending, I will say this beer did not disappoint me for the wait and hunting to get this brew. This is a great beer and I can see why it is rated so high. It is well-balanced for double IPA. This is the best Double IPA that I have ever had. There is a nice balance and it does not drink like a Double IPA. They did an awesome job on this brew. I want more. This is the brew that I will base other Double IPA’s on in the future. I bet others do the same. I highly recommend this beer and I cannot say it enough. 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 New Holland Brewing Mad Hatter Midwest India Pale Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from New Holland Brewery. This brew has been redesign recipe and new packaging. 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 IPA.

It has a cloudy to unfiltered golden color with a white constant head. The aroma has a citrus like notes. The taste has a nice balance of citrus that bends into a nice dry bitter aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Mad Hatter’s whimsy is celebrated with floral aromatics from assertive dry hopping, and a bright, hoppy body, punctuated with Centennial, Citra, and Michigan grown Cascade hops. Citrus notes and pleasant bitterness excite your palate before welcoming a balancing malty finish. Pairings: aged cheddars, herb roasted poultry, vinaigrettes and six o’clock.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.newhollandbrew.com

Twitter: @newhollandbrew

In the end, New Holland finally took noticed that their old IPA was not really good. They redesign it and put a new recipe in their beer bottles. I love citrus notes and it turned out pretty good. They finally did something right with one of their everyday beers. I believe it is turn off for what you have to pay to get this beer. I am not paying 9.99 to 11.99 for this beer. This is made in Michigan not New York or California. I understand that IPA’s are not cheap to make. I just do not understand why the price being high in Michigan. I recommend it, however, you will see what I am talking about. I can get the same beer but cheaper. 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 Farmington Brewery Visit

In this beer blog, I had a chance to stop in to visit Farmington Brewery. Jason Hendricks and Jason Schlaff started to put together plans to open a brewery in downtown Farmington in 2013. Jason Schlaff’s father, who is Gary Schlaff, joined the team. Later on that year, Farmington Brewery finally opened up in 2014 and offer eight different beers. They are offering up to twenty-one and two to three different ciders. The building itself is small but it is perfect for them right now. It has a nice location in downtown Farmington, Michigan. They are right next door to an Irish Bar. It also has a nice outside sitting facing the main street. Customers get to enjoy the nice weather with some good craft beers. It has a nice welcoming inside this brewpub.

They do not service any food, however, you can bring food in or have it order to be delivered. They do not mind and they coverage it. This is a small place so keep that in mind when you go out during prime bar nights. Let us talk about the beer because this is the reason why people would come here. I did like their Pale Ale, Dry Stout, and 4 c’z Slam MI IPA. I love their Mt.Olympus Double IPA, I like the Dry Stout but it is pretty average. The Wheat is below average. I will be back to try some more of their brews.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.fbcbrewing.com

Twitter: @farmingtonbeer

Closing, overall, I believe this craft brewery is going in right direction. They just need to slow down and take in what they are successful to build on it. Most craft breweries do see their faults and keep doing the same mistakes. I am not saying Farmington Brewery. I am talking in general. Farmington Brewery are working to be successful on everything. I can see them starting to do it after one visit. I had some of their at a beer party and at some of neighborhood craft beer bars. I enjoyed their beers and I will be back to try more. I recommend checking out this craft brewery. 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 Great Lakes Brewing Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA

In this beer blog, we are going to sample another brew from Great Lakes Brewery. It is their Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA. If you read my earlier beer blog posts, you know the history of this Ohio base craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery. Let us get into this Imperial IPA.

It has a clear golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a tropical to almost mango like notes. The taste has a some nice sweet citrus to tropical fruit notes like a mango. The aftertaste has a lasting dry bitter finish. It is a sipping beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.greatlakesbrewing.com

Twitter:@GLBC_Cleveland

Ending, I look forward every year for this beer to be released. I was pretty stun to see that I never blogged about this brew. This brew has a well built malty backbone to give off a nice balance for Imperial IPA. The malty backbone let the hops shine nicely throughout the drinking experience. I love this beer. I love the mango and tropical like notes. This is a great beer and I wish it was one of their everyday brews. I highly recommend this brew. 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 Coronado Brewing Idiot IPA

In this beer blog, we are going to get into a special release every year from Coronado Brewing Company. It is their Idiot IPA Imperial India Pale Ale. 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 Coronado Brewing. Let us get into Imperial India Pale Ale.

It has a cloudy golden color without a head on this Imperial IPA. The aroma has a heavy citrus notes. The taste has a heavy citrus notes. The aftertaste has a heavy citrus to hop bitter finish. It is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

It doesn’t take a genius to know quality West Coast IPA’s require a stupid amount of hops. A generous blend of Nugget hops and the four C’s – Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus – brings forth a myriad of tropical fruit flavors and a brawny, persistent bitterness that makes for a highly intelligent brew.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.coronadobrewingcompany.com

Twitter: @coronadobrewing

Closing, Anyone can make imperial IPA. The question is you need to ask. Is this one a good one? Idiots can throw a ton a hops into a brew kettle to hide a ton of mistakes in their beer. This Double IPA is one of the bad ones. The malty backbone is pretty weak and it is not strong enough to cut through the hop bitterest. This beer to me taste like hop water beer. It takes a genius and smart brewmaster to make a good Imperial IPA. I think you need to take some lessons from your neighbor down the street. They are always finding away to change and do something different with their Double and Imperial IPA. I do not really recommend this beer. Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Nickel Brook Brewery Head Stock India Pale Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into Nickel Brook Brewery from Canada. The beer that we are going to get into is Head Stock India Pale Ale. There is not much information on their website about their history. I do know they are part of the group of craft breweries that is back by Canadian Government. Let us get into this IPA.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The aroma has a tropical fruit notes. The taste has a smooth light carbonated notes with hints of tropical fruit notes. The aftertaste has a slight bitter but it is dry crisp finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

About: We admit it. We have a problem… We love our hops. We especially adore the amazing science of hops! As homage to our favourite wonders of nature, we present to you our award-winning Headstock IPA. The flowering humulus lupulus hop-cone provides us with the vital acids, essential oils and resins that permeate throughout our IPA. The result is a deliciously obscene wallop of tropical fruit, citrus and pine flavours and aromas any hop-head would gladly give a DNA sample for. We conclude that hop science is one tasty passion.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.nickelbrook.com

Twitter: @nickelbrookbeer

In the end, I was pretty impressed with this brew. I love the play on the words. It looks Nickelback, who is the Canada Hard Rock band. I love the tasting notes and this is one of best Canadian Craft beer that I had. I know that I have not had many. It is a pretty good IPA. I have to say that I had better. I would have this beer over the Flying Monkey Atom Smash Bomb IPA any day of the week. There is a better balance than Flying Monkey Brewery IPA. They put more thought behind on what hops to use in this beer. There is a nice well build malty backbone. I highly recommend this beer. I wish it was in Michigan or just the United States. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

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