pale ale

New Beer Blog Ram Tap Party Wheeling Location

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Ram Brewery in Wheeling.  This is another seasonal release and tap party.  If you read my earlier beer blog post, you know the history of this west coast brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a slight hazel dark copper color with semi constant white head.  The smell is a citrus to piney.  The taste is carbonated citrus with a nice dry hop finish.  It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the tap party:

Lotsahops Double IPA

A big bold citrusy IPA taken up a notch to approximately 80-90 IBU’s.  It starts off with a good malt base to keep the bitterness in check and finishes with a good hop punch to wake up the palate.  ABV about 7.0%.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.theram.com

Twitter:  @theram

In closing, this is a well made beer from this brewpub.  I enjoyed drinking their beers.  They have great deals on their beers and you cannot complain about their food.  This Imperial IPA is really well balance from the hops and malts.  They did a great job with picking the hops.  I love the hop character in this brew.  I really recommend you driving and 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 Stone Ruin Ten IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew, which is Ruin Ten IPA, from Stone Brewery.  If you read my earlier beer blog post, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog post to get to know this great California brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color with a constant white head on the ale.  The smell is a piney to earthy notes.  The taste is about the same with carbonated piney to earthy notes.  The aftertaste has a dry hop finish. It is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle and website (www.stonebrewing.com):

IBUs 110ABV 10.8%Release Date June 17th, 2013

We first released this decidedly indelicate beer in 2012, as Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our belovedly bitter Stone Ruination IPA. Stone RuinTen IPA uses the same recklessly hoppy recipe as the 2012 release; only the name has changed, as we plan to unleash this belligerently delicious hop monster upon the public annually from now on. We packed a whopping five pounds of hops into each barrel, and cranked up the ABV to stand up to the hop onslaught. The results are glorious, and we know you’ll rejoice in tasting this audacious gem of hoppy splendor once again. You’re welcome.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.stonebrewing.com

Twitter:  @StoneBrewingCo

In closing, Stone has a hop beast on their hands here.  I have to say I enjoyed it very much, however, I just feel like this brew is over hopped too much.  Even their normal brew, Stone Ruination IPA is over hopped to me.  It could be the type of hops they are using makes me feel  this way.  I have to say it is a great beers.  Please, do not think this is a negative note.  There are IPA’s or Imperial IPA’s that are design just like this one.  I love my fair share of them.  This is a great beer but not a beer I will be drinking all the time.  I will mix it in and out of my line up of beers once in a while.  I recommend you trying this beer and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.  I love talking about beer and hearing what other people think about it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Ram Tap Party In Schaumburg Location

In this beer blog, we are going to get into two brews from Ram Tap Party in Schaumburg location.  If you read my earlier beer blog on their beers, you know the history of this west coast brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

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This Barrel ’71 Pale Ale has heavy cloudy mud color with a constant white head on it.  The smell is a sweet slight chocolate bourbon to the beer.  The taste is a heavy bourbon to a slight citrus from pale ale side.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

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The Firecracker IPA has a dark amber color with a constant fluffy white head on it. There is really no smell to this beer. The taste is like their IPA but the aftertaste has burning from the peppers. It does sit around a bit. It is kind of drinkable at first and then becomes a sipping beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.theram.com

Twitter:  @theram

Closing, I have been away from the Tap Parties because of being out-of-town.  I was pretty excited to get back into the Tap Parties.  I will have the Wheeling location this week but I was able to get by the Schaumburg location to try their two beer release.  The first one was Ram’s 71 Pale Ale aged in Bourdon barrels for seven months.  Yes, agree it looks like chocolate milk because of the flash from my phone.  It had a mud to wood color to it.  I had my fair share of bourdon ales.  I have to say this one is heavy bourdon to it.  I cannot taste any of the pale ale.  I do not mind the bourdon in the beer.  I need some beer taste.  I thought it was below average, however, this does not mean you will not like this beer.  The next one brew was their Firecracker IPA.  It is dry hopped with Habanero peppers.  I have to say the India Pale Ale, which is their Big Red, part is still there.  The hops were mild down a bit.  Peppers kick in aftertaste with a slight burn in the throat.  At first, it was pretty mild on the hot to burn side.  However, it will build up over time, for me, it became too much.  This beer should be in a smaller glass like 10oz.  I think a 120z pour is too much and pint is out of the question.  I recommend these beers because of how unique they are to the market.  Please let me know what you think of these brews.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample another brew from Flying Dog Brewery.  The beer is their Double Dog Double Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier post on their flagship Doggy Style Pale Ale, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read that post, please, read that beer blog post.  Let us get into the beer.

It has at golden amber color with white head.  The smell is a grapefruit to this Double Pale Ale.  The taste is grapefruit with malt character.  The aftertaste has a huge hop finish.  It is sipping beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.flyingdogales.com

Twitter:  @FlyingDog

In closing, this is a pretty big beer and I loved it.  This is not a drinkable beer and that is not a bad thing.  I love how it is a sipping beer.  This is a beer you can enjoy at the end of the day and relax with it.  I love the hops that they use in the beer.  It kicks off a huge grapefruit aroma and taste.  There is a nice malty backbone to this beer.  I highly recommend this beer and 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 Starr Hill Grateful Pale Ale

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In this beer bog, we are going to get into another brew from Starr Hill Brewery.  It is their Grateful Pale Ale. If you read my earlier blog on their Amber Ale, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read that post, please, read that post.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear golden to dark yellow color with a white head.  The smell has a citrus with a touch of mango and grapefruit.   The taste of this light to medium body ale has a light carbonated citrus with a slight dry hop finish.  It extremely drinkable beer.

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

Grateful

Pale Ale

Grateful creates a fresh spin on the American Pale Ale tradition. A strong citrusy, resinous aroma from the hops leads into a light body with subtle malt flavor. Grateful is a sessionable brew at 4.7% abv.

Ingredients

Malted Barley: Two Row, Wheat & Caramel
Kettle Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Topaz & Cascade
Yeast: Ale Yeast

Characteristics

Flavor: Aromatic hops with a light body
Color: Light Gold
Style: American Pale Ale
IBUs: 26
ABV: 4.7%

Other Info

Availability: Seasonal
Release Date: May 01, 2013
Draught: 1/2 Barrel, 1/6 Barrel
Package: 4/6 LNNR

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.starrhill.com

Twitter:  @StarrHill

In closing, I have heard great things about their beers and I had one of their beers when I was in Washington D.C.  I was pretty impressed with their  Amber Ale.  I just felt this was a great brew, however, this beer is too much of a light body for my taste.  I love the hop they use in the beer.  I understand where they were going with it being their summer seasonal.  I was not impressed but I know for a fact this beer will sell.  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 Beer Blog Widmer Brothers Brewing Alchemy Ale

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Starting a new tab, Widmer Brothers Brewing Alchemy Ale is the brewery and beer that is being featured in this beer blog.  If you read my beer blog post on their beers, you know history of this great brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color without a head on the beer. The smell is citrus. The taste of this full body has a sweet carbonated citrus with a dry hop finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Alchemy Ale turns hops, water, malt and yeast into liquid gold.  It’s the purest expression of our beliefs about great beer.  perfectly balanced, perfectly hopped and perfectly refreshing.

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

Alchemy Ale
Unlock the Mystery.

We practice alchemy every day turning water, malt, hops and yeast into liquid gold. Alchemy Ale melds years of experimentation and our special Alchemy hop blend, in a pure expression of brewing art and science. Join us in unlocking the mystery to the perfectly balanced, perfectly hopped ale. Alchemy Ale has a bright, distinct hop character balanced with hints of caramel and a remarkably smooth finish.

Availability Bitterness Alcohol by Volume
Year-round 40 IBU 5.8%
Original Gravity Malts Hops
13.8 Plato Pale, Caramel, Munich, Vienna Extra Special Alchemy

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.widmerbrothers.com

Twitter:  @widmer_brothers

Closing out, Alchemy Ale is great and made very well.  They put some thought behind this beer.  There is a nice balance between the hops and the malt.  It is pretty drinkable beer and it will get you in trouble if you are not paying attention.  This is a great beer however, I am pretty disappointed that they dropped and stop making their Drifted Pale Ale.  I will be honest.  I was not a fan of this beer right away but it grew on me.  I am not saying this beer made me forget the Drifted Pale Ale and it will not.  I recommend you trying this beer.  Go get some!  Drink i!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Furthermore Brewery Proper

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a new brewery, which is called Furthermore Brewery, and the beer is called Proper.  There is no history on Furthermore Brewery.  There is nothing on their website.  The only thing I know this brewery is from Spring Green, Wisconsin.  Let us get into the brew.

It has a slightly cloudy golden color with small constant bubbles. It has a constant white head on the beer. There is really no smell to this English style ale. The taste of this medium body is a carbonation malty to almost hazelnut to it. The aftertaste is dry with a slightly hazelnut to it. It is drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Our classic, Light-bodied ale is proudly crafted in honor of American Players Theatre, our friends and a Spring Green cultural treasure.

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

Availability: Year-Round

ABV: 4.5%

It’s not just about the best beer, but the best places to enjoy it. APT and its festive, open-air venue have inspired us to craft an elegant, light-bodied and “proper” English Ale. At 12° Plato, the Proper is fairly light, with subtle toasty notes and a slight sweetness garnered from a touch of Munich and Caramel Malts. 15.5 IBUs (bitterness units) is enough to sharpen the mouthfeel without coming across as bitter. The hop bill is at its core, English—Kent Golding being the dominant player but we’ve employed “Brewer’s License” and thrown in some very non-English Tettnang hops—because it tastes good. Furthermore Proper is a toast to APT, a Spring Green gem.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.furthermorebeer.com

Twitter:  @FurthermoreBeer

Closing, this is pretty good beer and well made.  The problem is the price.  I just feel  the price point devalues the beer in the bottle.  It might be just me but I just feel this beer is too light in body for my taste buds.  Asides all that, they did a great job on the beer and this is a perfect beer for the American lager drinkers.  Just because, I did not like this beer.  It does not mean you might like this beer.  I recommend you trying this beer because of that fact.  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 Redhook Audible Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from the Redhook Brewery.  The beer is collaboration with the Dan Patrick Show.  If you do not know, Dan Patrick is a huge fan of Redhook brews.  He would always talk about their beers on his show which is live.  Redhook decided to do a brew with Dan Patrick.  If you read my earlier beer blogs on their beers, you know the history of this brewery and how much this craft beer drinker enjoy their beers too.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog to find out the rich history of this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear darker golden color with a semi white head on the beer. The smell is malty to a slightly citrus to it. The taste is light carbonated malty citrus with a dry hop finish. It is extremely drink beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Fill your passion bucket with the ultimate crushable ale.

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

Redhook has teamed up with Dan Patrick to brew the ultimate craft beer for watching sports: plenty of flavor and aroma, and crushable enough to make you want another — without making you sloppy by halftime. So, whether you’re watching the Dan Patrick Show in your mancave, or tailgating in a parking lot, it’s time to fill your passion bucket with crushable craft. Listen to your thirst. It’s Audible.

Style………………….Pale Ale

Abv…………………….4.7%

IBUs…………………..22 IBU

Original Gravity..degrees plato

Brewed Since………2013

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.redhook.com

Twitter:  @redhook_brewery

In closing, Redhook Brewing has stepped up again and made a great beer.  Redhook makes some great drinkable beers and this Audible Ale is no different.  It has some a ton of flavor and enough hop character in the beer.  I just kind wish this beer was available in six-pack but I will complain that have to buy a twelve pack.  Since  posting on twitter that I had this beer, I have had several people asking me where to get it.  I would keep on requesting it and ask for the beer.  I would find out who your local Anheuser Busch wholesale is and get hold of them.  They could tell you what stores are selling the beer.  This is a great beer and I highly 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 Mendocino Brewing Blue Heron Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample out Mendocino Brewing Blue Heron Pale Ale.  Mendocino Brewing was founded in 1983 under the name Hopland Brewery in Hopland, California.  They moved their brewery to Ukiah, California but left their brewpub in Hopland where their original brewery was located.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear golden color with a semi white head. The smell has a citrus to the beer. The taste is a citrus with a malty with a dull hop aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Blue Heron Pale Ale is a delightful, medium bodied smooth ale, with a distinctive crisp mouth-feel and a fresh hoppy finish. It is brewed using premium two-row Pale malted barley, generous amounts of both Cluster bittering hops and Cascade finishing hops and our own special proprietary yeast strain.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.mendobrew.com

Twitter:  @MendoBrew

In closing, this is a great beer.  I enjoyed this and I was pretty stun by it.  I had this beer a long time ago and I could not remember it.  It is drinkable and has a ton going on in it.  This brewmaster put some thought behind it.  I am not a fan of the packaging but it is what it is.  The history of the brewery explains why they have packaging they have.  There is nothing wrong with it.  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