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New Beer Blog Goose Island Oktoberfest

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In this 400th blog post, we are going to get into new fall seasonal from Goose Island.  It is the return of their Oktoberfest after six years absence.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Chicago craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blogs to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear amber copper color without a head on the beer.  The smell is caramel.  The taste is a heavy sweet creamy caramel without an aftertaste.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

Brewer’s Notes:

Brewed in the traditional Märzen style our Oktoberfest pours a brilliant copper over rose color with a bone white head. Notes of toffee and burnt sugar in the aroma and flavors of sweet dried apricots are delivered in a dry malty body with the mild earthy bitterness that is the hallmark of Hallertau hops.

Recipe Information:

Style: Märzen Alcohol by Volume: 6.4% International Bitterness Units: 17 Color: Copper Hops: Hallertau Malts: 2-Row, Carapils, Munich 10, C-20, C-40,  C-120

Availability

Seasonal Bottles: 6pks Draft: 1/6 & 1/2bbl

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.gooseisland.com

Twitter;  @gooseisland

In closing, over the years, I have grown to start to dislike fall beers.  It just seems like they disappointment me every year to year.  I was happy to hear that Goose Island brought back their Oktoberfest in package.  This beer does not have that Goose Island taste like the rest of their beers.  This beer is a little different.  It is little bit more hoppier than the normal Oktoberfest.  This beer is not my favorite but it is really good brew.  It also gives me hope for all the fall seasonals again.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Stone Brewing Wootstout

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In this beer blog,  we are going to get into a special limited release and special beer to me.  It is from Stone Brewery and the beer is their Wootstout.  This brew was team brewing process from Drew Curtis, Greg Koch, and Wil Wheaton.  If you read my early beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read those posts, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

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It has a jet black color with a constant tan to light brown head on the beer.  The smell is chocolate cover pecans.  The taste of this light to medium body beer is chocolate cover pecans notes. There is some vanilla notes that blends nicely with the pecans. The aftertaste is a dry coffee to toffee pecan aftertaste.  For being a stout, this is scary and extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

“Wil Wheaton first called us in 2004 to ask if it’d be OK for him to put the Arrogant Bastard logo on this blog’s website (back when people still asked permission to do such things), and I just so happened to answer the phone (back when I still answered the main line sometimes).  Since he was so damn enthusiastic about our beers, I said ‘Sure, no problem.’ all the while thinking ‘ Hmmm… this guy’s name sounds familiar.’

Months later, in a serendipitous turn of fate, I reached out to our 10,000th email newsletter subscriber … drumroll … Wil Wheaton.  Since his gigs in the iconic Stand By Me and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Wil has become quite the renaissance man, adding author, w00tstock innovator, and homebrewer to his resume.  His enthusiasm for the fermentable arts and our beer was such that after many occasions of sharing grog over the years, we decided it was time to brew in collaboration.

It was no-brainer for us to choose Drew Curtis – who many know as the twisted mind behind Fark.com – as our third cohort.  Drew was an old friend of Wil’s that I had serendipitously met (when he saw me and told me, ‘Dude, I love your beer!’) and enjoyed many beers with at the famous TED confenece three years in a row.  The beer you told before you is an Imperial stout made with wheat (Wil pretty much insisted), and we also paid tribute to Drew’s Kentucky roots by adding rye and pecans to the mix and partially aging the beer in bourbon barrels.  The result?  Nothing short of serendipitous.”

Greg Koch @stonegreg CEO and Co-founder, Stone Brewing

“Being a geek isn’t about what you love:  it’s about how you love it.  I’m a sci-fi geek, a disruptive technology geek, and a tabletop  game geek.  I’ve been lucky to do lots of work in those fields, but this is the first time I got to be a professional beer geek, and it was awesome.”

Wil Wheaton @wilw Actor, Homebrewer and Professional Geek

“Beer tastes like my website … all over the map, but I’ve never met a beer I didn’t like.”

Drew Curtis @drewcurtis Founder, Fark.com & News Geek

www.stonebrewing.com/collab

Here is a description from their website (www.stonebrewing.com/collab):

From the most unlikely yet intensely imaginative trio that is actor and uber-geek champion Wil Wheaton, alternative news website Fark.com creator Drew Curtis and Stone CEO/Co-founder Greg Koch, comes an imperial stout unlike any ever made. Brewed with rye, wheat malt and pecans and partially aged in Bourbon whiskey barrels, this viscous yet silken brew erupts with an oaky, nutty bouquet and rich flavors of vanilla, toast and bitter chocolate. Enjoy now or cellar this celebration of nth degree passion and geekery applied most gracefully to the craft of brewing and collaboration-Drew Curtis/Wil Wheaton/Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.stonebrewing.com/collab

Twitter:  @stonegreg @wilw @drewcurtis and @stonebrewingco

Closing out, many of these beers hit the shelf and go pretty quickly.  In most cases, these beers let many of the beer drinkers down with the liquid.  This brew is totally different.  These three guys put a ton of thought behind it and put their stamp on it, which you can see the details above in description from the beer bottle selection.  This is a great brew.  I love the stout and the wheat malt makes this stout light in body.   I love the chocolate and the pecans gives this brew another element.  It blends nicely with the beer and then age the beer in barrels that gives some nice vanilla notes.  If you can find this beer, 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 Fuller’s London Porter

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Fuller’s London Porter is the next  brew that will be featured on this beer blog.  If you read my beer blog post on their ESB, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read that beer blog post, please, that beer blog post to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a jet black color without a head on the beer.  The smell is rich chocolate black coffee.   The taste of this light to medium body beer is dark chocolate and coffee with a dry dark chocolate aftertaste. It is not drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Fuller’s London Porter is an award-winning example of this historic English style; smooth and creamy with delicious chocolate and coffee flavors derived from the roasted malts.

The Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London, has been brewing fine ales since 1654.

The Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, dating back to 1845, brews an excellent range of award-winning ales, many of which are available in the USA, including London Pride pale ale and the world’s original ESB.  I hope you will enjoy trying all our fine ales.

Here is a description from their website (www.fullers.co.uk):

London Porter

Fuller’s London Porter, is widely regarded as the World’s Finest Porter: having won awards all over the world, London Porter is regularly voted the number one Porter on beer websites such as http://www.ratebeer.com, a tremendous accolade to our brewing team. The origins of Porter date back to London in the early eighteenth century, and the beer has seen fame around the world, from Ireland to the USA and Australia. It was the dominant beer style in London for quite some time, and takes its name from the street and river porters of the city who carried goods around the streets.

Tasting notes

Fuller’s London Porter captures the flavours of those original brews perfectly, although you won’t find a cloudy pint these days! Rich, dark and complex, at 5.4% ABV the beer has an outstanding depth of flavour.
It is brewed from a blend of Brown, Crystal and Chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggles hops. The range of flavours works well with a wide variety of foods, ranging from rich meat dishes, to oysters, and even chocolate puddings.

Here is their website and twitter addresses;

Website:  www.fullers.co.uk

Twitter;  @London_Pride

In the end, this is a great classic porter from Fuller’s.  This beer is rich and smooth with a ton of chocolate and coffee notes.  There is a lot going in this brew.  I can see many American Craft Breweries trying to make their own version of this great beer.  If you love porters, this is one porter you have to try before you make any judgement on other porters in the world.  This porter is in my top five porters of all time.  I recommend you trying 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 Fuller’s London Pride

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into the flagship from Fuller’s Brewery and the beer is London Pride Pale Ale.  If you read my beer blog post on their ESB, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read that beer blog post, please, read that post to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into beer.

It has a clear copper color with a constant white head.  There is no smell to this beer.  The taste is a malty caramel with a light carbonation with a tropical fruit aftertaste.  It is drinkable and refreshing beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Fuller’s London Pride is an award-winning English classic premium beer, rich and smooth, with a good malty base and well-developed hop notes in the finish.

The Griffin Brewery in Chiswichk, London, has been brewing fine beers since 1654.

The Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, dating back to 1845, brews an excellent range of award-winning beers, many of which are available in the USA, including London Pride premium beer and the world’s original ESB.  I hope you will enjoy trying all our fine beers.

Here is description from their website (www.fullers.co.uk):

London Pride

Fuller’s London Pride is the UK’s leading premium ale.

An intrinsic part of London, London Pride has been brewed by the banks of the Thames from the very first brew.

Known and loved for its smooth, distinctive malty base and rich balance of hops flavours, London Pride is London and the UK’s favourite premium ale.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fullers.co.uk

Twitter;  @London_Pride

Ending, this is a great beer but I am not a huge fan of the malty base pale ales.  This is how all English Pale Ales.  There is nothing wrong that brewing styles.  Europe set the standard for the classic beer styles.  I love the hops that they use in this brew but I just feel this beer would be better if it did not have a huge malty backbone.  This is what the brewery and the brewmaster at the time was going for in the recipe.  So for what it is, it is well made beer. 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 Dark Horse Safety Meeting IPA

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into an India Pale Ale from Dark Horse Brewing.  I had  their Safety Meeting IPA on National India Pale Ale Day.   Dark Horse Brewing was founded in 1998 by Bill Morse and Aaron Morse.  They opened in Marshall, Michigan.  They later moved to their current location off South Kalamazoo Road in 2000.  They brew several different beer styles.  They are known for their flagship which is called Crooked Tree IPA.  Let us get into the beer.

It has cloudy amber color without a head on the beer.  The smell is piney and citrus.  The taste of this medium body beer is citrus to hints of pine with a wet hop finish.  It is pretty drinkable.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.darkhorsebrewery.com

Twitter:  @DarkHorseBrewCo

Happy IPA Day!, I enjoyed this beer and I love the hops that they used in this beer.  This beer was pretty well-balanced beer.  I was pretty stun by it.  I was on my way back to Michigan from Chicago and I wanted to stop by the brewpub to have lunch.  I had a few IPA’s at the brewpub and enjoyed them.  I had a chance to talk to some of the regulars that come into the brewpub.  Chuck was a really nice guy and I hope to meet him again the next time I come back through the brewpub.  The food was great and everyone was really nice.  I highly recommend this beer if it is still available and checking out the brewpub.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Blue Point Hoptical Illusion India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into one of my favorite India Pale Ales.  I am talking about Blue Point Brewing and the beer is their Hoptical Illusion India Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on this brewery, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not read those beer posts, please, read them to know everything about this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark golden color without a head on the beer.  The smell is weird malt to the beer.  There is really no hop smell.  The taste of this full body IPA is earthy to piney with a slight dry hop finish.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

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

We won’t go as far as saying you’ll see things after partaking in a few, but one or two will leave you craving more. Ancient Egyptians stuffed their pillows with fresh hops, believing the hop’s aroma brought on intense, vivid dreams. Today, our classic, American-style India Pale Ale (IPA) features a rare hop grown exclusively on a small farm in Oregon. One taste and you’ll understand why we bought the entire crop. Our Hoptical Illusion IPA is brewed with a generous amount of this select hop that’s added five different ways for maximum hop flavor. The delicious, resiny, citrus-burst that you taste is the “Essence of the Hop” which is balanced by a malty backbone yielding an intense, golden ale. Hoptical Illusion tantalizes beer lovers’ taste-buds, while its colorful, psychedelic packaging is candy for the eyes.

1.064 OG and 66 IBU’s 6.8% ABV

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.bluepointbrewing.com

Twitter:  @bluepointbrewer

Ending, I miss getting this beer in the Chicago market.  However, I was visiting friends and family in Michigan, I was able to pick up some beer and this one of them.  I love this India Pale Ale while I was there.  I always call this beer the “Hippie Package” or “Hippie IPA.”   I love the hops that they are using in this beer.  I highly recommend you trying this great beer from the Long Island, New York brewery.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Fuller’s ESB

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into an import and craft brewery from England.  It is Fuller’s and the beer is their ESB.  This is family owned business since 1845.  This brewery is just outside of London, England.  They brew several different beer styles that is true to classic England beer styles.  There beers are not over hopped like most American craft brews.    Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear amber color without a head on the beer.  The smell is almost like a caramel.  The taste of medium body beer is carbonated caramel with dry hazelnut hop finish.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Fuller’s ESB is the famous winner of many awards around the world; bursting with powerful, sustained malt and hop flavors, it is the world’s original and the one by which others are judged!

The Griffin Brewery in Chiswich, London, has been brewing fine ales since 1654.

The Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, dating back to 1845, brews an excellent range of award-winning ales, many of which are available in the USA, including London Pride pale ale and the world’s original ESB.  I hope you will enjoy trying all our fine ales.

Here is a description from their website (www.fullers.co.uk):

ESB was launched into the Fuller’s family in 1971, as a winter brew to replace a beer named Old Burton Extra. The potential of the beer was soon realised and ESB was installed as a permanent fixture, creating an immediate impact.

Not only was it one of the strongest regularly brewed draught beers in the country (at 5.5% ABV), it was also one of the tastiest, and as the awareness of the beer grew, so did its popularity. ESB’s reputation was soon enhanced after being named CAMRA’s (Campaign for Real Ale) Beer of the Year in 1978, and the beer has not stopped winning since!

With three CAMRA Beer of the Year awards, two World Champion Beer awards, and numerous other gold medals to speak of, ESB is, quite simply, the Champion Ale.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fullers.co.uk

Twitter:  @London_Pride

In closing, what can you say about this beer?  It is a classic beer and this brewery shows most craft breweries in the United States how to brew the classic beer styles.  They keep teaching their wrongs or maybe they are not paying attention to it.  I am talking the old and new world breweries. There is some rich flavors here and I really enjoyed drinking this brew.  I love the malt characters that this brew produces to the beer drinker.  I am not much into import breweries but this brewery pops off the shelf.  I had to give it a try again.  I recommend you trying this brew to get an idea what ESB is supposed to taste like.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Fruli Strawberry Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into import fruit beer.  I am talking about Fruli and the beer is their Strawberry Ale.  There is not too much history on this brewery.  I could not find any history.  I do know they are an extremely small brewery in Belgium.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a reddish to amber color without head on the beer.  The smell is a heavy strawberry.  The taste of this medium beer is heavy strawberry notes with light carbonated.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.fruli.be):

Fruli is a high quality Strawberry Belgian fruit beer, produced at a craft brewery near Ghent. It is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The juice complements the zestiness of the wheat beer and the result is a balanced and refreshing beer that is packed with strawberry fruit flavour.

It is simply delicious.

Fruli is a high quality Strawberry Belgian fruit beer, produced at a craft brewery near Ghent. It is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The … has a delicious and refreshing taste that has been compared by Time Out magazine to a smoothie with bite….a completely different experience in beer

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.fruli.be

Twitter:  @Fruli

Closing, I do get into some fruit beers but I am not a huge fan.  I have to say this import craft fruit beer is really good beer.  It is pretty well balanced with the beer and the fruit in the beer.  It is pretty refreshing and perfect for the hot summer days.  They did a great job on this beer and 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 Blue Point Brewing Blueberry Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Blue Point Brewing.  It is their Blueberry Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Long Island, New York brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this brewery.  Let us get into beer.

It has a clear golden color without a head.  The smell is heavy blueberry.  The taste of this light body beer is heavy blueberry notes.  It is extremely drinkable beer.

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

Who knew that throwing some blueberries into a batch of beer one day would have worked out so well? While there’s no Oompa-Loompas involved in its production; there’s definitely something special that makes Blueberry Ale one of our top-sellers. First brewed in 1998, this delicious golden ale quickly became a year-round favorite. Our fresh Blueberry Ale offers an unusual twist on brewing that turns out to be a wonderful blend of fresh blueberries matched with a distinctive, thirst quenching ale. We carefully add 732 pounds of fresh, plump and juicy, handpicked, USA Northern Highbush Blueberries to every batch. Even before your first sip of Blueberry Ale, a strong, refreshing sweet fruit aroma emanates from the bottle, kicking your taste-buds into overdrive.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.bluepointbrewing.com

Twitter:  @bluepointbrewer

Closing, I do get into my fair share of fruit beers.  I love pretty much everything I have had from Blue Point Brewing.  I had this beer for the first time in Cooperstown, New York.  I have to say I was pretty impressed.  I picked up this bottle on my way back to Chicago from Detroit.  I wanted to re-try this brew just to make sure I still like it.  This beer is pretty balanced from the golden ale and the blueberries.  It is sweet but not overly sweet.  I recommend you trying 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 Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf Imperial India Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Three Floyds and the brew is Arctic Panzer Wolf Imperial India Pale Ale.  If you read my read my earlier beer blog, you know the history of this brewery.  If you have not, please, read the history of this brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear dark copper to light amber color without a head on the beer.  The smell is a fruity notes like mango.  The taste is a huge and heavy mango notes with a dry fruit hop aftertaste.  It is kind of drinkable beer.  For an experience beer drinker, it is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

A dry and stupendous hopped medium bodied Imperial India Pale Ale brewed with Canadian 2-row malt, dextrose sugar and lots of American hops.  Arctic Panzer Wolf has superior aroma’s of marmalade, white wine, pine and apricot all mixed with an intense American hop bitterness.  Cheers!

Here is a description from their website (www.3floyds.com):

9.5% ABV 100 IBUs

A massive IPA that will leave your palate its hapless victim. Scorched earth is our brewery policy.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.3floyds.com

Twitter:  @3floyds

In closing, I will be first to say I am not a huge fan of this brewery because I believe their beers are overrated and over priced.  I have to say I have been pretty impressed by this brew.  I love the hops and the balanced from the malts.  I love the aroma and the nice hops taste is really good.  This brewery took their time to find the right hops for this brew.  This is a well made beer and nice balance.  I recommend you trying this beer.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this brew and the brewery.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser