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New Beer Blog Speakeasy Vendetta India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, another Speakeasy brew will be feature and it is called Vendetta India Pale Ale.  If you read my blogs so far, you know I have already wrote several posts on their beers.  If you have not, I would go back and read that Speakeasy posts.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head on this India Pale Ale. The smell is a citrus grapefruit to it. The taste is carbonated grapefruit with a dry hop to a touch of slight mango. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

As the fire rages on, an enduring rivalry reaches the breaking point.

Vendetta IPA is the taste of sweet revenge.  Aggressively bitter with a cutthroat convergence of Citra and Amarillo hops, this Vendetta won’t soon be forgotten.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.goodbeer.com

Twitter:  @speakeasybeer

In closing, this beer message on the bottle is not a joke.  If you are a hophead, you will want to have this beer again down the road.  I just kind wish it bottle into 12oz bottles not 22oz.  I am complaining either way.  It comes with a really good price for a great beer.  It helps that I am a huge fan of the hops, which are Citra and Amarillo, that they use in the beer.  Speakeasy made a great beer with no faults in it.  It has a nice malty backbone but enough hop build up that is not over the top.  I highly recommend you trying this beer if you are hophead or want to explore the world of India Pale Ales.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill  DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Arbor Brewing Espresso Love Breakfast Stout

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In this beer blog, we are going to check out another beer from the Arbor Brewing.  It is their Espresso Love Breakfast Stout.  If you read my earlier beer blog post when I tried all their beers in a beer flight, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the first part or the whole beer blog post.  This post is perfect because I am on my way back to Michigan for a beer festival. Let us get into beer.

This beer has a jet black color with a semi tan head on it. The smell is a heavy coffee to it. The taste is a chocolate cover coffee that is smooth but still a full body. There is really no aftertaste.  It is a sipping beer.

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

Espresso Love Breakfast Stout

Availability

Available on draft at the brewpub every March while supplies last. Available on draft at Corner Brewery every February–April.

Description

Oatmeal and 20 pounds of fresh roasted coffee from the Ugly Mug Café contribute to a mildly chalky espresso character balanced by a rich, sweet creamy maltiness. Coffee finish dissolves into chocolate with a slight roasty bitterness.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.arborbrewing.com

Twitter:  @CornerBrew @ArborBrew

In closing, this is one of my favorite beer styles.  This is the only way I get most of my coffee fix.  I know I am a little weird because I do not like drinking my coffee hot or warm.  I need it to be cold or coffee beans.  This beer is nice and creamy but yet has the heavy stout taste to it.  It is not drinkable but I can have one after dinner or for dessert.  There is a ton going on in this full body brew.  I have to say this is one of the best brews I have had in this beer style.  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 Flossmoor Station Rail Hopper IPA

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In this beer blog, we will be drinking a beer from Flossmoor Station Brewing and the beer is called Rail Hopper IPA.  Flossmoor Station is located in an old railroad station build in 1906.  The brewery opened in 1996 after a ton of work to the old railway station.  Today this brewery makes several different beer styles and bottles their beers in 22oz.  They have kept up the railroad theme throughout the brewpub.  I highly recommend the restaurant if you are not a beer drinker.  Let us get into the beer.

This India Pale Ale has a hazel copper color with a white constant head. The smell has a piney to it. The taste has a piney with a dry hop finish. It has a nice fresh hop taste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

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

India Pale Ale
A traditional American IPA with intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma.
7.5% abv

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.flossmoorstation.com

Twitter:  @FlossmoorBrewCo

In closing, if you get this beer within its life, it is awesome beer.  The hops are not over the top but there are still there living in the beer.  It has a great malty backbone to keep you coming back for more.  There is not faults in this India Pale Ale unlike most  IPAs on the market.  I would be careful what you but out in the stores in the Chicago market.  I recommend trying 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 Gigantic Brewing The Royale Beer

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from Gigantic Brewing.  It is one of their everyday beer and it is called The Royale Beer, which is their Belgian Pale Ale.  If you have not read the earlier beer blog posts, please, read those beer blogs to get to know this great brewery.  If you have read those beer post, you know history and of this beer.  Let us get into beer.

It has a clear golden color with a constant white head. The smell has a grapefruit to the it. The taste has a heavy grapefruit without an aftertaste. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

The Royale

A beer fit for sophisticates and flaneurs, The Royale is a golden concoction of fruity and citrusy flavors meant for whiling away one’s time in Brasseries, cafes and pubs, or anywhere friends can found.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.giganticbrewing.com

Twitter:  @giganticbrewing

In closing, I am a huge fan of this brewery and Belgian Pale Ales.  This beer has everything you expect from a Belgian style ale.  It has a pretty big hop forward to it.  It has a full body but yet easy drinkablity that will have the beer drinker coming back for more of it.  I am not a huge fan of it and I believe this is not the best beer that Gigantic brews.  However, it is not the bad, I just prefer their India Pale Ales.  I 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 Sixty-One

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In this beer blog, we are going to try an unique beer from Dogfish Head Brewery.  The beer is called Sixty-One.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their flagship beer, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog to get to know this brewery from Delaware.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear crimson red color without a head on the beer. The smell has a citrus grapefruit. The taste has slight carbonated to heavy grapefruit with no aftertaste. It is not drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

The continually hopped India Pale Ale brewed with Syrah grape must.

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

Availability:  Year Round

Sixty-One, our first new core beer since 2007, was born at the crossroads of serendipity, experimentation and brotherhood.

Whenever Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends gather for drinks, they give each other a big ol’ man-hug and order a round of 60 Minute IPA. A few years ago, Sam also ordered a glass of his favorite red wine and poured a little into each pint of 60 Minute. They all dug the combination of fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness, and the blend became a beloved tradition.

Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids — which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D’être — and continually-hopped IPAs.

The name Sixty-One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head’s best-selling 60 Minute IPA plus one new ingredient: syrah grape must from California. The label, painted by Sam, is a twist on a typical watercolor. Rather than using water, Sam mixed the green pigment with beer and the red pigment with wine. And because Sixty-One pairs so well with chocolate, he painted the browns on the label with melted chocolate.

Sixty-One will debut in March 2013.

Four-packs will be available four times a year throughout Dogfish Head’s 27-state distribution network.

Original Release Date:  03/2013
Food Pairing Recommendations:  Grilled pork tenderloin, sushi, fresh vegetables, summer berries and cream, apple pie, gruyere cheese, young gouda cheese
Glassware Recommendation:  IPA glass
Wine Comparable:   Syrah

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.dogfish.com

Twitter:  @dogfishbeer

In closing, this beer is pretty unique beer.   I still do not know how I feel towards it.  To me, it taste like fruit punch India Pale Ale.   I can see this brewery doing well with this beer because of how unique it is to the beer market.  I know many people will be picking this beer to see what is in this beer bottle.  I recommend this beer because of how unique it is .  Please let me know what your thoughts are on 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 Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask Scottish Stout

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Innis & Gunn.  It is Oak Aged Beer that is Irish Whiskey Barrels with their Scottish Stout.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their flagship, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer post.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a black color without a head on the beer. The smell is chocolate whiskey to the beer. The taste has a chocolate with a nice well balance taste.  The aftertaste has a slight bite like whiskey to it. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This special bottling of Innis & Gunn has been matured in rare oak barrels from a famous distillery in Ireland.  These barrels had been used to mature one of the unique maturation is a big, full flavored, complex beer with a delightful warming finish.

We hope you enjoy this beer as much as we do.

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

Irish Whiskey Cask

7.4% ABV

Our sturdy Scottish Stout gains even greater flavour during its maturation in rare oak casks, obtained from a renowned Irish Whiskey distillery. The resulting beer is rich, complex and velvety smooth with notes of coffee and dark chocolate, and proves that it pays to have friends in the beverage business.

Awards

Irish Whiskey Cask garnered a gold medal in the International Beer Challenge 2012.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.innisandgunn.com

Twitter:  @innisandgunn

In closing, I really enjoyed this beer.  They are doing something different than most breweries.  They make some killer beers and then age them in barrels.  I know this has been a huge trend in the craft beer world but there is not too many breweries that all of their beers they make are aged in barrels.  This brewery is one of the few and the only one I know of out there.    This stout is something else.  I would love to try it before they put it in the barrels.  I know the price might be a little pricey, however, it is well worth the price.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Crown Valley Gunslinger Imperial India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a beer from Crown Valley Brewing.  The beer is Gunslinger Imperial India Pale Ale.  There is not too much information on this brewery.  I know they are from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.  I know the brewmaster came from Anheuser Busch.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a cloudy copper color with a constant white head. The smell has a fade grapefruit to citrus and orange citrus. The taste has a carbonated citrus with a dry hop finish. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

Gunslinger Double IPA is a robust and malty beer, with an intense hop profile.  Well balanced, rich malt flavors with powerful hop notes from the use of five different hop varieties.

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

Double India Pale Ale

Double IPA8.3% ABVHistoryDouble IPA brewed in 1994 by Vinnie Cilurzo, then head brewer of Blind Pig Brewing Company of Temecula, Californi. Cilurzo claims he “accidentally” created the style by adding 50% too much malt to his mash tun. He then “corrected” this mistake by adding 100% more hops. This is up for some debate, however, as the local San Diego Pizza Port brewery claims to have been brewing “the original San Diego IPA” since 1992 when they opened their brewery (two years before Cilurzo and Blind Pig). Still others attribute the creation of this style to Rouge Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon, and its I2PA beer, brewed in 1990.

Impression
This beer has the most hops of any beer we produce.
Tasting Notes
Our Gunslinger Double India Pale Ale starts with a rich malt base to which we add hops, hops and more hops. This skillful blend of malt sweetness and aggressive hoppiness will rule your senses! After the addition of Columbus, simcoe, centennial and citra hops at various points of the brewing process, we reach the final IBU count of 93.
Hops – Zeus, Centenial, Falconers Flight, Citra
Malts – Pilsner, Crystal10, Crystal 80, Carapils, Pale, CBW Golden Light
IBU – 93

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.crownvalleybrewery.com

Twitter:  @CrownValleyBrew

In the end, I enjoyed drinking this beer.  It has nice malty backbone with hop impact to make this a great Double India Pale Ale.  I just wish there was some more information on this brewery and I wish they would put code dates on their beers.  I am afraid to buy any in the Chicago market because it might be out of code.  If you have a chance to try it, please, do so.  I recommend ordering from the brewery’s brewpub.  It is a great beer and I recommend trying this beer.  Let me 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 Tallgrass Velvet Rooster Belgian-Style Triple Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to take a look at another beer from Tallgrass Brewing.  The beer is called Velvet Rooster Belgian-Style Triple Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their flagship beer, which is 8-Bit Pale Ale, you know about Tallgrass Brewing.  If you have not read that beer and just saw this one, please, read that beer blog to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has cloudy yellow color with a constant white head on the beer. The smell is Belgian spices to a slight citrus to the beer. The taste of this full body beer has a citrus with species. The aftertaste is a weird dry cinnamon that is pretty fade. It is drinkable beer however, beer drinker can only have one or two and have to move on to another beer.

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

Style: Belgian-Style Tripel

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: 30

Full Brew Birthday: October 2011

Interesting fact: The first Belgian-style tripel in a can in the world.

Velvet Rooster is a Belgian-style tripel that lives up to its name. Smooth and carefully crafted like a fine velvet painting, but with an 8.5% ABV this bird has some spurs! The beer pours a golden straw color with brilliant clarity. Topped with a lofty pure white head the beer has a wonderful floral nose, with subtle fruit notes.

The taste is clean and crisp, with subtle fruit notes and a touch of candy like sweetness. Rooster’s light carbonation gives it a Champagne-like effervescent that provides a crisp offset to its sweet finish. While a pint glass is always nice, Velvet Rooster would also be at home in a tulip glass or Champagne flute. It is the cock of the walk.

Malts: Pilsner, Munich Hops: Northern Brewer, Centennial, Willamette

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.tallgrassbeer.com

Twitter:  @tallgrassbeer

In closing, This is a pretty good beer.  I am not a huge fan of Belgian style beers.  This one is pretty unique because it is the first and only Triple Ale in a can in the United States and I believe the world.  I am pretty excited this brewery is hitting the Chicago Market.  I am a huge fan of this brewery.  I love their 8-Bit Pale Ale.  I might not be a fan of Belgian-Style Triple Ales but this is a well made beer.  I know people will be enjoy this beer.  I recommend all of their beers and you need to seek these beers out.  Please let me hear your thoughts and  let the brewery know.  They love to hear your thoughts.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Tallgrass Ethos IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into Tallgrass’s latest India Pale Ale and it is called Ethos IPA.  They are coming to Chicago market in June and I cannot wait.  I know this brewery and my friends know that I am a huge fan of Tallgrass Brewing.  If you read my earlier blog on their flagship called 8-Bit Pale Ale, you know the history of this awesome brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog to get up to speed on this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The smell is earthy to it. The taste is piney to a fresh-cut grass with a dry hoppy aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer. It is one or two and I need to move onto the next one.

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

Dry-Hopped India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 110

The beer foretold in legend. Six types of hops are gathered from the corners of the world to make this legendary brew. This is no earthly IPA. They will write ballads, build monuments, paint caves, and sacrifice goats to this beer. They will drink Ethos and dance to shake the heavens. The aroma is the harbinger of the tastes to come. Big, bright, and beautiful, this beer exceeds all expectations and grants wishes. Twice dry-hopped and brewed with the aid of a dark alliance from another realm, this beer bestows upon you all the complexity of the hops’ flavors without overwhelming your senses. Ethos IPA is a gift to you, beer mortals. Drink it and fulfill your destiny.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.tallgrassbeer.com

Twitter:  @TallgrassBeer

In closing, I love this beer and I once again I am very happy to hear this brewery has made it to Chicago.  I like this IPA over their other IPA.  There was nothing wrong with the other IPA.  I just felt it was more of an English style IPA.  You can taste the IBU in this beer but it is well balance with the great malt backbone.  I love the hops that they use in this IPA.  This brewery is a perfect storm.  What I mean by this, they have a great liquid and great packaging.  I know Chicago craft beer drinker will love this beer and I recommend all their beers.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Gigantic Whole In The Head Imperial IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Gigantic.  The beer is called Whole In The Head Imperial IPA.  If you read my last beer blog on their IPA, you know the history.  If you have not read the last post, please, read the post on their IPA.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear cooper with a constant white head. The smell has a citrus to the beer. The taste has a sweet citrus with a dry aftertaste. This is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Whole In The Head Imperial IPA

A freakin’ hop bomb.  Bright, multilayered citrus hop aromas and flavors blow up your face, with just the right amount of hop bitterness to back it all up.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.giganticbrewing.com

Twitter:  @GiganticBrewing

Closing, just like their normal IPA, this Imperial IPA is something else.  It is well made and balance.  It has a big hop flavor but a great malty backbone.  There is no faults in this beer like most India Pale Ales in the market.  These two brewmasters know what they are doing and they are good job at it.  It only comes in 22oz bottles but it is well worth the price for this great beer.  Once this beer is sold out they will never make anymore of this beer. I cannot wait to see what else this brewery has up their hat.  I highly recommend this beer and let me know what you think of it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser