east coast

New Beer Blog Heavy Seas Brewing Gold Ale

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In this beer blog, here is another beer from Heavy Seas Brewing and the beer is called Gold Ale.  This is another brew from my Beer of the Month.  If you read my earlier blog on their flagship beer while I was in Washington DC, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog post.  Let us get into the beer.

This gold ale is what it is a golden color without a head on the beer. The smell is very fade and hard to smell. The taste is a sweet carbonation malty with a small touch of hops. It is not overly hopped. The aftertaste is a dry earthly to a little malty. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

American gold ale with floral hop aroma.  Well rounded, fruity, and complex.

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

Gold

Year Round

This easy-drinking session beer pours a deep golden color. It smells slightly floral and herbal, thanks to a hopback full of Cascade and Centennial hops. Gold is tasty and refreshing, with a round mouthfeel. In 2010, it took awards at both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.hsbeer.com

Twitter:  @heavyseasbeer

Closing, I am not a fan of most of these gold ales or golden ales.  I went with a positive attitude to give this beer a chances.  The one thing that I love about this beer it is a session beer.  Sometimes you need to drink some of these beers to give you a break from the over hop to heavy stout and porters.  However, this gold ale gives you some hop finish to keep the hophead happy, I recommend you trying this beer.  If you are an experience craft beer or just an American lager drinker, this beer will give you a different pace as an experience beer drinker or set you on the road to drinking more craft beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Sixpoint Brewing 3Beans

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Sixpoint Brewing.  This is a new beer from this Brooklyn base brewery and the beer is called 3Beans.  If you read my earlier beer blog post on their beers, you know about the history this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

The color of this unique beer from Sixpoint Brewing is a brown to dark brown color with a slight brown white color head on it. The smell is a heavy coffee bean to the beer. The taste is a full body of complex taste. It has coffee to toffee and a little chocolate. It is a understatement to say there is a ton going on in this beer. It is not drinkable beer but good beer with a cigar on a Sunday afternoon. Even though, I do not smoke.

Here is a description from the beer can:

Take thou also unte thee wheat, and barley, and beans…and part them in one vessel.  The beans of bygone brewers, united with cacao and coffee, to creat a trinity of roasted, rich, and savory flavors.

Here is a desecration of the beans off the packaging of the beer:

Romano Beans

Favored by brewers in centuries past, these hardy legumes are blended with barley malt during the mashing to feed the fermentation, while their proteins add texture and complexity.

Cacao Beans

Liberated from their lager pods, the fermented husks of the roasted cacao beans add notes of rich chocolate to brew. Provided by Mast Brothers Chocolate

Coffee Beans

A cold-brewed concoction of hand-picked, meticulously roasted coffee beans infuses the brew before aging on oak.  Provided by Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Beans And Beers:

A brief history, As the culture of beer spread around the globe, diverse new brewing styles emerged.  When the brewers of old Baltic Europe riffed on a popular foreign style, they formulated new recipes by harnessing familiar techniques and locally available ingredients.  3Beans is a Sixpoint’s tribute to these bygone brewers: a rich, oak-aged brew with our own additions of chocolate and coffee.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.sixpoint.com

Twitter:  @sixpoint

In closing, this beer has a ton going on in it.  It has a full body while giving the craft beer drinker a complex taste that will keep them coming back for more.  Every sip, the drinking experience gives the beer drinker something different every time.  At first, you will smell and taste the coffee but when you break it down more you will notice a few other things in the beer.  I really enjoyed this beer and I will be picking it as long as it is available.  I need to get back to Brooklyn to visit their brewery.  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 Dogfish Brewery 90 Minute Imperial IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get another beer from the Dogfish Head Brewery.  The beer is called 90 Minute Imperial IPA.  If you have read my earlier blogs on their beers, you know the history of this brewery.   If you have not read them, please, read those blogs to get to know this brewery.  Dogfish Head Brewery is pretty well-known so you might be up to speed on this brewery.  Let us get the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a white head on the beer.  The smell is earthly. The taste is earthy with a touch of malts. The aftertaste has a dry with a touch of earthy notes.  It is a pretty drinkable beer for being a big beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

What you have here is an Imperial India Pale Ale featuring a single, constant 90-minute hop addition.  It’s balanced by a ridiculous amount of English Two-row Barley.  Then we dry-hop it in every tank.

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

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute IPA “perhaps the best IPA in America.” An imperial IPA best savored from a snifter, 90 Minute has a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.

90 Minute IPA was the first beer we continuously hopped, allowing for a pungent — but not crushing — hop flavor.

Since introducing the world to the continuous-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we’ve since released the continuously hopped 60 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 and 90 Minute IPAs).

In addition to the continuous hopping, 90 Minute IPA is also dry hopped with our ‘Me So Hoppy’ device during conditioning (check it out in the video below).

This beer is an excellent candidate for use with our Randall The Enamel Animal filter!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.dogfish.com

Twitter:  @dogfishbeer

In closing, I do enjoy this beer. This is a pretty good beer.  I just feel like most of the beers from this brewery is overpriced.  I am not saying this is a bad beer.  It is a pretty good beer and for Imperial IPA it is a pretty drinkable beer.  There are several Imperial India Pale Ale just feel like they are extremely over hopped.  There are several that are not drinkable beer.  This Imperial India Pale Ale from Dogfish Head Brewery is pretty balance and drinkable.  The key is it makes the hop head pretty happy.  This is good but I am a huge fan of Sixpoint Resin.  I like this beer. Let me know what you think.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Uber Pils

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In this beer blog, we are going to take a look at another beer from Heavy Seas Brewing.  Thanks to my loving sister for getting the beer of the month for Christmas to write about this beer.  This time around we are sampling their Small Craft Warning Uber Pils.  If you read my earlier blog on their Loose Cannon Ale, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read that beer blog, please, read that beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

This Pils has a clear golden color without a head on the beer.  The smell is extremely fate and I am having a hard time picking up what the smell.  The taste is a sweet carbonation hoppy and the aftertaste is a malty dry crisp finish. It is a session beer and I am looking forward to go back to Michigan to drink some Heavy Seas beers.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Unofficially the original American Uber Pils, Small Craft Warning is a rich, golden bock lager with big malt flavor and a crisp hop finish.  7.0% Alc./Vol.

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

Small Craft Warning

Year Round

Arguably our most well-balanced beer, Small Craft Warning seems at once hop-forward and malt-forward; our brewers debate over which flavor force prevails in the beer. Small Craft exemplifies a robust pilsner—it’s crisp, well-carbonated, and slightly sweet. The beer is characterized by a firm malt backbone and a pronounced hop character. A fine aroma, from an array of hops, completes this quaffable beer.

Beer Details

  • Style: Über Pils
  • ABV: 7%
  • IBUs: 35
  • Availability: Year-round
  • Hops: Warrior, Palisade, French Strisselspalt, Saaz, Simcoe, Cascade
  • Malts: 2-row, Munich, Caramalt

Suggestions

  • Food Pairings: Baked chicken, mild cheddar cheese, shortbread cookies
  • Glassware: Pilsner

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.hsbeer.com

Twitter:  @heavyseasbeer

Closing, I have grown to love these beer styles, which is craft lager and pils.  I have enjoyed several beers I have had from this brewery.  They are not shy to boost the ABV in their beers.  I do not think I have ever saw a beer less than 5.0% ABV in their beers.  I could be wrong.  I have not had all their beers.  I love the smoothest and drinkablity of this beer.  It comes with a shark bite that will sneak up on you if you are not careful.  I hope they come to Chicago, if not I know where to find them in Michigan.  They make some great classic beers with their own twist.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Sixpoint Brewing Diesel

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into one of my favorite breweries out of New York City.  The brewery is Sixpoint Brewing and the beer is their winter seasonal called Diesel Stout.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their beers, you know how I feel towards this brewery and the history of it.   If you have not, please, read the beer blog called Sixpoint Brewing Apollo.  Let us get into this great stout.

This winter seasonal has a jet black color with a light tan color head to the stout. The smell is a chocolate with a citrus to the beer. The taste is a complex full body beer. It has a chocolate to coffee with piney with a dry chocolate aftertaste. It is drinkable beer to me but I can see people thinking it is not a drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer can:

Each dawn is clear cold air bites the throat.  Thick frost on the pine bough leaps from the tree snapped by the diesel.  On the darkest days of the year, light becomes a luxury.  Just when you think you cannot penetrate the darkness…SNAP!  Light pieces through the roasted pine forest.

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

Diesel

Winter

This undefinable black brew is part black IPA, part American Stout, but 100% Diesel powered. Robust chocolate and roasted flavors, with thick pine hop flavor and aroma.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.sixpoint.com

Twitter:  @sixpoint

Closing out the winter season, I am sadden by the fact that winter is ending because I love the fall and winter sesaonal beers.  Spring and summer seasonals beer are not one of my favorites.  I really loves this beer because it gives you something little different.  However Sixpoint Brewing gives the craft beer drinker something different, this is way I love Sixpoint.  The craft beer drinker will get the stout and then the snap of the piney at the back part of the tasting experience.  The piney hops echo in the aftertaste.  This is a beer that will give you more for the beer drinker.  If you are looking for the normal stout, this beer is not for you.  If you are a stout or hophead that is looking for something different in your beer, this beer is perfect for you.  I know this beer is not going to be for everyone.  I recommend you trying this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Thirsty Thursday Beer Blog Kona Brewing Longboard Island Lager

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the Longboard Island Lager, which is the flagship beer of Kona Brewing.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their Pipeline Porter, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a yellow color with a semi white head on the beer.  This beer is light body with a malty smell. The taste is sweet malty without an aftertaste to the beer.  It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Waikki Beach in Honolulu is the birth place of Longboard surfing.  Kona Brewing pays tribute to this iconic place with our own Longboard Island Lager.  A spirited, crisp and refreshing brew.  Longboard is a smooth ride all the way in.  Thirst’s Up!  Since 1994, Kona Brewing Co. has been committed to making handcrafted ales and lagers of uncompromised quality.  We invite you to visit our brewery and pubs whenever you visit Hawaii.  Mahalo!

Here is a description from the website (www.konabrewingco.com):

Exceptionally Smooth

Longboard Island Lager is a smooth refreshing lager fermented and aged for five weeks at cold temperatures to yield its exceptionally smooth flavor. A delicate, slightly spicy hop aroma complements the malty body of this beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.konabrewingco.com

Twitter:  @konabrewingco

Closing out, this flagship beer lives up to the spirit of Hawaii and rich history of the surfing.  I am not a fan of most craft lagers but this one is a gem of Hawaii.  It is light in body but has enough flavor to make you dream of islands and beaches.  This beer is extremely drinkable and I can see ton of six packs selling through stores throughout the country.  However, it is a craft lager, do you think craft beer drinker is ready to put down their over hopped ales to pick up craft lagers?  I believe craft beer drinker is starting to change to drink less hoppy beers and more classic styles or traditional beer styles.  I recommend you trying this beer and I believe you will be pretty stun on this Longboard.  Go get a Longboard Lager!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Kona Brewing Koko Brown Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the spring seasonal from Kona Brewing Co and it is called Koko Brown Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their Pipeline Porter, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into the beer.

This American Brown Ale has a brown color with a white head on this beer.  The smell is a heavy coconut to the beer. The taste is a sweet hazel and coconut with a roasted coconut aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer for heading into the spring and summer seasons.

Here is a description the beer bottle:

Koko Brown’s distinctive, nutty aroma and flavor comes from real.  Toasted coconut blended into each brew.  One sip of this roasty.  Smooth, mahogany colored ale and you will feel like you are on a warm sun-drenched beach in Hawaii.  Aloha!  Since 1994, Kona Brewing CO.  has been committed to making handcrafted ales and lagers of uncompromised quality.  We invite you to visit our brewery and pubs whenever you visit Hawaii.  Mahalo!

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

A Nut Brown Worth Cracking

Is there anything more iconic of the lush tropics than the coconut? The delicious heart of this island treasure has a nutty, toffee flavor and aroma that sends you straight to the beaches of Paradise. Kick back with a Koko Brown, brewed with real toasted coconut, and savor the mahogany color and smooth, roasty malt taste.

Available Winter/Spring

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.knonabrewingco.com

Twitter:  @knoabrewingco

Closing, this beer is different then what is out in any market asides Hawaii or any other warm spot.  I did enjoy this beer but I just feel that the brown ale is a wrong mix with the coconut.  Please, do not get me wrong this is a great beer and I can see people liking this beer.  I enjoyed this beer.  The taste is hazel nut cover coconut.  I just feel that the coconut goes better with a porter or a stout.  I could dream of a milk stout with a coconut in it.  I recommend this beer and I would love to hear your thoughts on this beer.  I can see this beer being a home run in the Midwest and the colder areas of the United States.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Kona Pipeline Porter

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to take a look at the Kona Brewing Company and the beer is their winter seasonal called Pipeline Porter.  Kona Brewing was founded in 1994 on the Big Island of Hawaii by Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa.  They are brewing beer to fit the lifestyle of people who live on the island and the tourist that visit Hawaii.  Their Longboard Lager is their flagship beer and is the top-selling craft beer in the state.  Kona Brewing is being sold in twenty-eight states in the United States.  They brew several brews like a pale ale, brown ale, golden ale, etc.  Let us get into the beer.

This winter seasonal from Kona Brewing, which is called Pipeline Porter,  has a black color without a head on the beer.  The smell is a heavy coffee bean to the beer.  The taste is a heavy coffee to a slight chocolate notes with a dry coffee bean aftertaste. The aftertaste is like eating whole coffee bean. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Since 1994, Kona Brewing CO. has been committed to making handcrafted ales and lagers of uncompromised quality.  We invite you to visit our Brewery and pubs whenever you visit Hawaii.  Mahala!  Pipeline Porter is full-bodied with a rich, smooth dark-roasted malt flavor.  A selection of premium hops and 100% Hawaiian Kona Coffee complete this limited brew.

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

Rich & Roasty

Pipeline Porter is smooth and dark with a distinctive roasty aroma and earthy complexity from its diverse blends of premium malted barley. This celebration of malt unites with freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee grown at Cornwell Estate on Hawaii’s Big Island, lending a unique roasted aroma and flavor. A delicate blend of hops rounds out this palate-pleasing brew.

Available Fall/Winter

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.konabrewingco.com

Twitter:  @konabrewingco

Aloha, this is a great beer.  I was excited to hear that they are finally coming to Chicago and this is the first beer to land a shore.  When I went to Hawaii on vacation, I was drinking a ton of Big Wave Golden Ale.  This porter is smooth and taste is coffee and beer drinker can smelling it.  It is not a drinkable beer but it is a beer that will last in your glass and frig for a while.  I recommend this beer and get ready for rest of there beers being review here on this blog.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it! Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Widmer Brothers Brewing Brrr Seasonal Ale

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample out another beer from Widmer Brothers Brewing and the beer is their winter seasonal called Brrr Seasonal Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their beer, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into brew.

Widmer Brothers Brrr seasonal ale has a light brown color with a semi white head on the beer. The smell is a citrus to it.  The taste is a sweet carbonation little malty with a citrus touch to the beer.  The aftertaste is a dry aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable hoppy beer for the winter seasonal.

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

Warm Up with a Cold One. Or Two. Our winter red ale is the perfect treat, naughty or nice. The deep red body fills your glass and a citrusy hop aroma fills your nose. Then caramel and chocolate malts reward you with a perfectly balanced, malty sweet flavor and velvety finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.widmerbrothers.com

Twitter:  @widmer_brothers

Closing, this is an awesome beer from the Widmer Brothers.  I really like what this brewery is doing.  They are going back to roots and pushing the limits of craft beer brewing.  This winter seasonal gives the craft beer drinker something you do not get from the other winter seasonal and it is hops and hops and more hops.  It has the malty and warming but gives it a hoppy finish.  It is like malty winter seasonal India Pale Ale.  Plus, it is extremely drinkable and it will get you in trouble so be careful.  This is a beer is part a sampler pack with Redhook Winter Hook and Kona Pipeline Porter.  It is hard to get so if you see it, you better grab it.  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 Redhook Winter Hook

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample out another beer from the Redhook Brewery and the beer is their winter seasonal called Winter Hook.  If you read my earlier beer blog on one of their beers, you know the rich history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part of that beer blog.  Let us get into beer.

Redhook Winter Hook has a nice amber color with a semi white head on the beer.  It has a sweet caramel. The taste is sweet carbonation caramel with a dry aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable winter seasonal.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Redhook likes a little nip in the air.

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

Winterhook is the perfect beer to keep warm during cold months after shoveling snow, shredding some powder,  or playing hooky to can catch the game. Since it was first brewed, Redhook’s Winterhook has changed slightly each year to celebrate the season and keep everyone on their toes. After all, no one likes getting the same gift twice. The 28th version of Winterhook brewed for this year offers a rich caramel body that balances a big malt backbone with the aggressively dry hopped brew, making this year’s winter ale slightly naughty and very nice.

Style………………….Winter Ale

Abv…………………….6%

IBUs…………………..45 IBU

Original Gravity..15 degrees plato

Brewed Since………1985

Time Frame………..Winter Seasonal

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.redhook.com

Twitter:  @redhook_brewery

Closing, this is one of my favorite beers from this brewery and winter seasonals in this season.  I love the malty taste this beer gives you in every sip.  Redhook Winter Hook is part of that awesome sampler pack with Kona Pipeline Porter and Widmer Brrr Seasonal Ale.  This gives you a nice malty and drinkable beer.  This beer is perfect for the coldest winter day but yet with a mild winter we are having in the Midwest, it is still perfect.  This is a great beer and I am glad to see it back in six packs in the Chicago market.  I recommend you trying this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser