midwest craft beers

New Beer Blog Right Brain Brewery Concrete Dinosaur Brown Rye IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Right Brain Brewery.  It is their Concrete Dinosaur Brown Rye IPA.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan base craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear dark brown color with a tan constant color head. The aroma has a malty to citrus notes. The taste has a sweet malty to nutty notes with a rye and hop bitter aftertaste.  There is a slight citrus note that comes across. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

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

CONCRETE DINOSAUR
Style: Brown Rye IPA
ABV: 7.2%
Giant notes of Rye accented by subtle citrus undertones. The final flavor experience is very similar to a strongly spiced Pumpernickel bread. 2015 Silver Medal Winner for Best Rye Beer at the Great American Beer Festival®.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.rightbrainbrewery.com

Twitter:  @rightbrainbrew

In the end, I love this brewery.  I just wished this was in a smaller package.  I love their packaging design graphics.  I am not a fan of 16oz cans.  This brewery makes some really good beer and this beer is no different.  This beer has a nice balance.  I love how they added rye to this beer.  This beer is different than Dogfish Head India Brown Ale and there is not too many brown IPA’s on the market.  It is a pretty good beer. I love it. 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 The Brew Kettle Dark Helmet Bier

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Brew Kettle Brewery.  It is their Dark Helmet Bier.  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 Brew Kettle Brewery.  Let us get into this dark lager.

It has a jet black color with a white constant head. The aroma has a chocolate to slight alcohol notes. The taste has a chocolate and malty notes with a slight alcohol notes. The aftertaste has a chocolate to malty crisp dry finish. It is kind of drinkable beer.

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

Dark Helmet

A true TBK original, we kick this German-style black lager up a couple notches. Big clean malty flavor with just a hint of roasted malt. “May the Schwartz be with you!”

8.0% ABV 35 IBUs

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.thebrewkettle.com

Twitter:  @brewkettle

In the end, I am not huge fan of lagers.  I do like black lagers.  I will drink them over a normal golden or amber lager.  With all that said, I do like the balance in this brew.  I believe the Imperial side makes this beer special.  I do not think a normal black lager would be good from this brewery. I could be wrong.  I am not saying they cannot make a good one.  I believe they went the right way and made it an Imperial black lager.  It is pretty good beer. It is a nice Imperial beer. I love it.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Metal it!  Enjoy it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Goose Island Rasselbock

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the first beer from Fulton Street beer series from Goose Island Brewery for this year.  This is the first of four in the series that are in package.  There are four beers on the package and draft.  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 craft brewery.  Let us get into this Dark Rye Bock beer.

It has a cloudy light brownish copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a sweet malty with a heavy banana notes. The taste has a heavy banana notes with a sweet malty to rye notes. The aftertaste has a dry finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Brewer’s Notes

There was particular attention to the malt bill using pale munich, wheat and rye. There was no fruit harmed in the making of this beer, however you can’t avoid the beautiful banana esters and clove phenals that the Weihenstephan weizen yeast expresses. Rasselbock is a German style Dark, Rye, Wheat beer.

Recipe Information

  • Style: Dunkelroggenweizenbock

  • Alcohol by Volume: 6.8%

  • International Bitterness Units: 28
  • Color: Pumpernickel

  • Hops: Hallertau
  • Malts: Munich, Rye, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Rice Hulls

Here is a their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.gooseisland.com

Twitter:  @gooseisland

Closing, I remember when the Fulton Foods series started.  It was like six to seven years ago.  These beers are spin-off from that series of beers.  They renamed it Fulton Street beers.  They are doing package and draft.  I am pretty happy that they are releasing these beers outside of the Chicago market.  This gives other markets something new and exciting for Goose Island.  When I heard about this beer, I was looking forward to trying this beer.  This complex ale has many tasting notes in it. It is drinkable but perfect for a Midwest spring and summer season.  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 Rochester Mills Newton Alechemy Double IPA

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In this special beer blog, we are going to get into for the first time in package a beer from Rochester Mills Brewery.  It is their Double IPA, which is called Newton Alechemy.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan base craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery.  Let us get into this Double IPA.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The aroma has a heavy grapefruit to citrus notes. The taste has a nice grapefruit notes with a dry bitter aftertaste. It is a sipping beer.

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

Newton’s ALEchemy

8.8∞% abv. – IBUs: 88 – Double IPA

Brewed with a precisely calculated “mountain of hops” to exploit the gravitational pull of today’s craft beer drinker toward the big and delightful bitterness bliss commonly found in American Double IPAs of the highest caliber. Newton’s ALEchemy gets the bulk of its flavor from Pure Michigan™ Cascade hops grown just a few miles up the road from the brewery. It’s smooth bitterness is derived from the power of Magnum hops. The brew is finished with dry hopped additions of Citra & Calypso hops for a complex fruity, citrusy aroma. The result is truly liquid Gold, the elusive quest of Newton and alchemists of his day.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.beercos.com

Twitter:  @rochmillsbeerco

Ending, every IPA today has to be fresh for it to taste the way the brewery wants us to consume it.  This goes for every beer on the market.  There are some beer styles that are very sensitive to age.  I do not know if I received an older Alechemy before.  I still liked it but not as much as I liked it this time around.  I know it was fresh because they just released the cans.  I love it but it needs to fresh like most IPA.  They did a great job on this beer.  I would hunt it down and make sure it is fresh batch.  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 Petoskey Brewing Hopsessed Double IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a special release from Petoskey Brewing.  It is their Hopsessed Double IPA.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan base craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery.  Let us get into this double IPA.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a citrus with hints of passion fruit notes. The taste has a citrus notes with a passion fruit and dry hop bitter aftertaste.  It is a sipping beer.

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

Hold on to your taste buds & make sure you have a designated driver! This mouth-exploding double I.P.A. starts with the unique citrus aroma provided by a 100% Simcoe dry hop. The high bitterness is slightly toned down by the caramel sweetness imparted by the large quantities of malted barley needed to achieve such a high ABV. (Limited time only!)
9.1% ABV, 119 IBU

Here is a their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.petoskeybrewing.com

Twitter:  @petoskeybrewing

Closing, this is by far my favorite double IPA.  I love the malty backbone and how the hops blend in with it.  They did a great job on balance.  It might come across as 119 IBU but it does not drink like that.  It is still a sipping beer but drinkable in that beer style.  I love it.  This is so much better than Bell’s Hopslam.  I believe people try this beer.  They will realize that statement.  I highly 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 Old Nation Brewery Ten Penny Bit Scottish Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into Old Nation Brewery for the first time on this blog.  It is their Ten Penny Bit Scottish Ale.  There is not much of history on their website and Facebook sites.  I just looked up information on other sites and still no luck.  I know this is a fairly newer brewery.  I would say two to three years old.  One of the owners or brewmaster came from Detroit Brewery Company.  Let us get into this Scottish ale.

It has a slightly cloudy amber color with a constant white head. The aroma has a slight malty to biscuit notes. The taste has a dry malty, biscuit, and some bread notes with a dry slight burn alcohol aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a desecration from their website (www.oldnationbrewing.com):

Tastes of biscuit, caramel and toasted bread. Just enough Michigan hops to balance.

ABV 5.1% • IBU 35

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.oldnationbrewing.com

Twitter:  @oldnationbrew

Closing, I am not a huge fan of this beer style.  There is nothing wrong with this beer style.  I just love hops and this beer style is traditional does not have hops in the beer.  This is a pretty solid beer but it is not my cup of beer.  It is a well build beer and they did a great job.  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 Roak Chestnut Head Maple Porter

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In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample another beer from Roak 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 base craft brewery.  Let us get into this porter.

This American style porter has a jet black color with a semi on tan color head on it. The aroma has a sweet maple notes. The taste has a slight burn chocolate notes with hints of the Michigan chestnuts in it. The aftertaste has a slight sweet maple notes. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.roakbrewing.com

Twitter:  @roakbrewing

Closing, I have been saying this again and again about this brewery.  It is all positive thing.  I love how they are doing something different with their seasonal.  I am getting tired of seeing the same old beer styles from different craft breweries.  I was happy to see Roak Brewery doing something different with Porter beer style.  They use Michigan grown maple syrpy and chestnuts.  There is a nice balance and kind of drinkable.  They did a great job on this brew. I like it. I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Enjoy it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Oddside Ales Jesse’s Party IPA

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In this  beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Oddside Ales.  It is their Jesse’s Party IPA.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan base craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The aroma has a citrus to grapefruit like notes. The taste has a citrus to grapefruit notes with orange and citrus aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.oddsideales.com

Twitter:  @oddsideales

Closing, this is one of the seasonals that I do hunt down from Oddside Ales.  I am guessing it is a seasonal.  I would love to hear the story behind the beer name.  Is it named after a guy that wanted a IPA to drink at his party?  Or is it name for a guy that parties all the time?  These are great questions and the only way to find out is to ask the brewery.  There is a nice balance from the citrus to grapefruit notes in this beer.  IPA’s are normally heavy with grapefruit notes.  This beer lives up to both of them.  I like it and I will get more. There is a ton going on 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 Founders Azacca India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample a new seasonal beer from Founders Brewery.  It is called Azacca India Pale Ale.  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 base craft brewery.  Let us get into this IPA.

It has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has a tropical to mango like notes. The taste has a heavy mango to tropical notes. I can pick up some passion fruit in there. The aftertaste has a dry tropical notes. It is a nice drinkable beer.

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

Named for the Haitian god of agriculture, the Azacca hop boasts intense, tropical fruit notes. Azacca IPA includes a touch of caramel malt to provide a sweet backbone to the citrus, mango and orchard fruit notes in this 7% ABV, 70 IBUs beer. The label artwork symbolizes the god of agriculture watching over a field where the ingredients used to make the beer are being grown.

  • ABV: 7%
  • IBUs: 70
  • RateBeer Rating: 96
  • Availability: Jan – Mar

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.foundersbrewing.com

Twitter:  @foundersbrewing

Ending, Azacca Hop is the new trending hop to use in your beer today.  You will find this hop mainly in IPA’s.  I would not be shocked to see someone use it in a pale ale or session IPA.  I am a huge fan of Tropical fruits.  I am due to go to the fruit store to buy some mango, passion fruit, or star fruit.  I love this hop just like most of the tropical hop types.  There is a nice balance to this beer.  Plus, the hop is not overly bitter like most hops in IPA’s.  It is a nice drinkable beer and I love it.  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 Tri-City Brownhoist Nut Brown Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample another brew from Tri-City Brewery.  It is their Brownhoist Nut Brown Ale.  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 base craft brewery.  Let us get into this

It has a dark brown color with a tan constant color head. The aroma has a sweet malty with nutty notes. The taste has a sweet malty to nutty notes with a nutty aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.tricitybrewing.com

Twitter:  No Twitter Address

In the end, ever since Goose Island stop making their Nut Brown ale, I have been looking for a nice crafr English style Nut Brown Ale.  I know that I could just pick up Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale.  I want a nice United States Craft Nut Brown Ale.  I believe that I have found my Nut Brown Ale and it comes from a small craft brewery in Michigan.  This is a nice Nut Brown Ale.  Tri-City Brewery did a great job on this beer.  It is almost like they brewed it in Europe and brought it back over.  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