samuel adams

New Beer Blog Evil Twin and Local Option Plastic Man

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Starting a new tab, we are going to get into another brew from Evil Twin Brewing.  If you read my earlier beer post on Evil Twin Brewing, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read that beer blog post.  However, this beer has Local Option teamed up with Evil Twin Brewing to brew this beer, Let us get into the history of Local Option.  There is really no history on the internet for Local Option.  They are based in Chicago.  Let us get into the beer.

It is cloudy peach color with a constant white head. It is like they put whole peaches in the bottle without the skin. The smell has a peach aroma to this Saison Style Ale. The taste is a slight carbonated peaches with peach aftertaste. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Taste the Colors, Hear the Aromas, Smell the Carbonation.

Here is a their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.eviltwin.dk and www.localoptionbier.com

Twitter:  @LocalOption and @EvilTwinBrewing

Closing out, this beer was something else.  Local Option and Evil Twin teamed up and did a great job on this beer.  I am pretty impressed with this beer.  I have not had too many beers from Local Option.  I will be heading down to check out their brewpub.  Evil Twin, I had several different brews from Evil Twin Brewing.  I am not a fan of peaches but the peaches in this brew are awesome.  I highly recommend this beer and I want you to hunt this beer down.  Please, 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

New Beer Blog Evil Twin Brewing Aun Mas Cafe Jesus

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the first brew on this blog ever from Evil Twin Brewing.  The beer is their Aun Mas Cafe Jesus Imperial Stout.  Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø founded Evil Twin Brewing in 2010.  Evil Twin Brewing started out as a rogue brewery, which means he would use other people’s brewery to brew his beers.  There are several breweries like that out there in the market.  To-Ol and Stillwater are two other popular craft breweries on the market right now.  The state of Denmark beers styles made him and a few of his friends to start brewing their own beers.  Evil Twin was not the only craft brewery to pop up in Denmark.  He knows and is friends with the founder from Mikkeler Brewery.  Evil Twin has teamed up with several different breweries to make brews together.  They also brew several different beer styles and pushing the limits of classic beer styles.   Two Rogue Breweries or they like to called themselves Gypsy Breweries has teamed up to build their own brewery together.  I do not know how true this right now.  It is all a rumor and I cannot find any facts on this rumor.  It is an Urban Legend and do not hold this to me, however, Evil Twin has been working moving more brewing to The States.  Let us get into this brew.

This Imperial Stout has a jet black color with a nice tan and light brown constant head. The smell is slight toffee and chocolate with some coffee bean. The taste of this full body beer is a chocolate and toffee with a heavy coffee notes.  It is a nice sipping beer.

Here is a description from the bottle:

On a pilgrimage for immortal craft beer we tripped on these heavenly coffee beans – threw them in and created damn good aromas, a thick fudge-like body, pitch black color and obviously only made it in limited amounts.  And the taste… furthermore jesus!!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.eviltwin.dk

Twitter:  @eviltwinbrewing @twelve_percent

In closing, I am speechless on how good this beer is and was in my beer glass.  I have had some great Imperial Stouts and Coffee Stouts in my time on this planet.  This is one of my favorite beer styles.  I have to say this beer from Evil Twin is up there in my top ten in the stout styles. In every sip, that I take from my beer glass I pick up something new and exciting from this beer.  There is a nice balance between the stout and the coffee beans itself.   I will have to explore more Evil Twin brews in the near future.  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 Stillwater Artisanal Existent

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a beer from Stillwater Artisanal.  The beer that will be feature is Existent.  Brian Strumke founded Stillwater after retiring music producing.  Brian did not own a brewery so he traveled to several different breweries and brew his beers using their equipment.  He just like many other brewers like Evil Twin became rogue or gypsy breweries.  He just brews Farmhouse Saison Ales.  He would use different yeast or malts to make different Saisons.  Brian has team up with several different breweries to make brews together.  Stillwater has done a beer with Stone Brewing and Evil Twin Brewing.   Let us get into the brew.

It is has a black color or dark deep brown color. There is a tan to light brown color head. The smell is a chocolate to farmhouse to it. The taste has a slight spicy to some chocolate notes. There is a slight dry coco or chocolate aftertaste finish. It is extremely drinkable.

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

Existent
Existent represents the philosophy behind Stillwater Artisanal. We strive to define ourselves through our passion and sincerity while accepting that not all aspects of life are readily explainable. To manifest this ideology we present an ale of intrigue. Deep & dark though deceptively dry, braced by a firm yet smooth bitterness and accented with an earthy hop and mild roast aroma. This is an ale for you to define..’and if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’ –Nietzsche

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.stillwaterales.blogspot.com

Twitter:  @stillwaterales @twelve_percent

Closing out, I am pretty big fan of Saison Ales.  I was pretty interested in this brewery and I have had several of his beers in the past. I do not know why I have not write on any in the past.  The problem I have with this brewery is the fact he does one beer style.  If you are good at one thing, you better stick to it.  I love how he keeps doing different styles of the one beer styles.  I also love the fact he teams up with other breweries to make other beer styles.  I love this beer and this is why.  It is dark and still has the Saison taste to it.  I love the slight chocolate to smoke malts in this beer.  I love the spicy notes.  I highly recommend this beer and it is now available in 4pk 12oz bottles along with their Cellar Door and Stateside Saison.  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 Knot Stock

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Starting a new tab, we are going to get into another brew from Furthermore Brewery and the beer is called Knot Stock.  Just what I said in yesterday beer blog.  I could not find any history on this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a slightly cloudy amber color with  a white constant head. The smell is black peppercorn. The taste is a sweet malty pepper with black peppercorn aftertaste. To me, it is not drinkable because of the pepper in the beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Beer brewed with black pepper.

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

Availability: Year-Round

ABV: 5.5%

Black, cracked, stuffed in a sack, boiled and cold-infused. The real treat of our A.P.A. is the tangle of flavors that fresh cracked pepper and Northern Brewer Hops create. At 65 IBUs (bitterness units) there’s plenty of zing for the Hop Heads or Bitter Bettys, but not so much to overpower the tingle of the black pepper as it slowly kicks in. Likewise, the 15° Plato malt bill features a healthy dose of caramel malt meant to soften (but not stifle) the play of pepper and hops on the palate.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.furthermorebeer.com

Twitter: @FurthermoreBeer

Closing out the tab, this beer is worth it.  It is has a ton of flavors and I love the peppercorn that is in the beer.  The beer is full body and comes with a ton of flavors.  The black pepper is not overpowering to the rest of the beer.  It has a nice balance of the pepper and the hops that are being used in this beer.  This beer is worth the price.  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 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 Revolution Brewing Rosa Hibiscus Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Revolution Brewing.  The brew that will be featured in this beer blog post is their Rosa Hibiscus Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Anti-Hero IPA, you know the history of this young Chicago based brewery.  If you have not, please, read that Anti-Hero IPA post.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark copper color with a shade of rose tones without a head on it. To me, there is not a smell in this beer. The taste is a sweet carbonated with some spicy kicks.There is a touch of tart in the drinking experience.  There is no aftertaste. It is extremely drinkable.

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

Rosa Hibiscus Ale

A highly drinkable ale steeped with hibiscus flowers and a touch of orange peel for a natural tartness and slight pink hue.

Hibiscus Ale

ABV  5.8%IBU  15

Profile: A highly drinkable ale steeped with hibiscus

Availability: 1/6 & 1/2 bbl, 12oz cans (in 2013)

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.revbrew.com

Twitter:  @revbrewchicago

In closing, I did not know what to expect from this brew.  I have to be honest.  I still do not know how I feel about this beer.  It is an easy drinkable beer.  They were successful at making this a session beer.  This is a good beer and I enjoyed drinking it. I will have to say I will never have this beer again.  Here is my thought pattern and it goes with all their six-pack cans.  This brewery makes some great beers.  I just feel the price you are paying for their beers at retail is not worth the price.  It goes for most of their twenty-two ounce bottles.  I just feel their beers should be a little bit cheaper since they are brewed here in Chicago.  I would say try it and tell me what your thoughts are about 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 Speakeasy Double Daddy IPA

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Speakeasy Brewery Double Daddy IPA is the next brew that is being featured in this beer blog.  As many of you know, I have blogged on this brewery and I am huge fan of their brews.  If you have not read those posts, please, read those beer posts to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into another everyday brew from Speakeasy Brewery.

It has a deep dark copper color with a white constant head. The smell is a mango or tropical fruit to the beer. The taste is a carbonated mango without an aftertaste. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Doubling down on malt and hops, Double Daddy raises the stakes.  With its good looks and no-limit style, Double Daddy takes the pot every time.

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

IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

Doubling down on malt & hops, Double Daddy raises the stakes. With its good looks and no-limit style, DD takes the pot every time.

Style: Imperial India Pale Ale

Release Date: January, 2003

Alcohol Content: 8.5% by volume

Malts: Pale malted barley, English Munich Malts

Hops: 4 Varieties of Pacific Northwest Hops, 3 hop additions, including dry hopping

Yeast: Speakeasy Ale Yeast

Tasting Notes: Copper color. Huge hop aroma. Bitter, hoppy and warming alcohol on the palate. Finishes incredibly dry and clean for such a big beer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.goodbeer.com

Twitter:  @speakeasybeer

Closing out, Double Daddy is not a joke and you should not mess with this dude.  They took their Big Daddy IPA to the next level.  If you are a fan of their everyday six-pack IPA, you will love this Imperial IPA.  There is a nice balance between the hops and malt unlike most Imperial India Pale Ales on the market.  I would put this up against many Imperial IPAs in my market.  It is drinkable but has the punch like most Imperial IPAs on the market.  It is not over powering like you get from most Imperial IPAs.  I highly recommend this brew from Speakeasy.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Capital Brewery Mutiny IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into a new brew from Capital Brewery and it is their Mutiny IPA.  Capital Brewery started in 1984 by Ed Janus in Middleton, Wisconsin.  This brewery is based on the on German brewing styles, however, they have moved into non tradition German Styles like this India Pale Ale, pale ale, and wheat ale.   This brewery is trying to do different things with hops in their IPA to give series of hoppy beers to beer market.  They are best known for their seasonals and their two different Doppelbock, which are Blonde Doppelbock in the spring time and Autumnal Fire in the fall time.  Let us get into this new brew.

It has a clear golden color to a slight copper tone without a head on the beer. The smell is of a mango. The taste is mango but bitterest is over bearing. The aftertaste is hoppy finish. It is drinkable.

Here is a description from their website (www.capital-brewery.com):

Mutiny IPA

Capital’s first India Pale Ale has a bright amber hue with an upfront florally citrus hop aroma. Mutiny packs a punch yet remains remarkably drinkable. It’s time for a MUTINY from one of Wisconsin’s largest independent craft breweries.OG – 16.2%

IBU – 70

ABV – 6.2%

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.capital-brewery.com

Twitter:  @capbrew

Ending, I will have to say that I am very impressed with this brew.  Capital has done a great job finally on one of their everyday beers.  I have talked to several of my craft beer drinker friends and we agreed that their everyday beers are not very good.  They are average to below average.  I am happy that this brewery is taking steps to improve themselves on their everyday beers.  We did agree that their seasonals were extremely good.   I am a huge fan of their Blonde Doppelbock and Autumnal Fire.  This India Pale Ale is well-balanced between the hops and malt.  I recommend you trying this beer and give me your thoughts on it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

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