stout

New Blog Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer

Starting a new tap, we are going to sample out another barrel age beer.  This time around it is Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer.  This brewery was started in 2003.  There is really nothing more on this brewery.  This beer is aged in a barrel for thirty days.  Let us get int othe beers.

When pour in the glass, the beer is a nice copper color with a kind of head.  It has that import smell. It has a malty earthy taste to it. It is very smooth for being a full body beer. It is very drinkable.  The more the beer drinker is drinking this beer. He or she will start to experience a little vanilla and oak taste from the beer.

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

This is our flagship beer, the one whose discovery led to the formation of the company back in 2003. Since then we’ve won a string of awards for Original, most recently a third consecutive Modern Monde Selection gold award.
Like the world’s great wine and whisky makers we strive for depth of flavour, complexity and mellowness in every beer we produce. Innis & Gunn Original typifies this approach.
Its lengthy 77-day maturation imparts flavours of toffee, vanilla and oak that perfectly complement the beer’s backbone of luscious malt and fruity hop notes.
The oak helps to give Innis & Gunn Original its appealing colour and also mellow the alcohol character, so although the beer is 6.6%, it’s very smooth and easy to drink.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

To make Innis & Gunn we hand-select barrels which are packed with the most delicious oak flavors.  Over many weeks our unique maturation slowly unlocks these flavors from deep inside the oake grain, the beer growing in character with every hour that passes.  Only when it has matured to perfection do we bottle and release it.  The result is a refreshing honey-hued beer with aromas of vanilla and toffee, and a malty, lightly oaked finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.innisandgunn.com

Twitter:  @innisandgunnuk

Closing out the tab, just like the Kentucky Barrel Aged Ale, this beer is not a stout but an ale.  I really love this beer but the price turns me off a little bit.  I understand the price point because it is an import beer and the process it goes through.  There is a ton of flavor going on in this beer.  To me, what makes this beer so special, it is the complex tasting that is being experience.  Your mind is telling you that you are tasting this but then your taste tells you something in the beer.  It is drinkable and exetremely fun to drink.  Thanks to my friend for sharing this beer with me!  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Starting a new blog, we are going towards the south of the United States to take a look at Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  The Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company has been in business since 2000.  A doctor that was doing beer brewing as a hobby wanted to do something he loves doing and that is making beer.  That is really how this brewery was born.  Let us get into the beer!

Kentucky Ale is put into some fresh drain bourbon barrel and is aged to make this beer called Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.  This beer is a nice amber color with a constant white head to it.  The smell is a nice earthly wood.  As far as the taste, it has an oak, vanilla to heavy bourbon going on in it.  It is very drinkable and dangerous for the ABV being 8.2%

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

Award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale®is a unique sipping beer with the distinctive nose of a well-crafted bourbon.  Our Kentucky Ale is aged for up to 6 weeks in freshly decanted bourbon barrels from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.

Subtle yet familiar flavors of vanilla and oak are imparted to this special ale as it rests in the charred barrels.  Pleasantly smooth and robust, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale may also be served as an aperitif or after dinner drink.

Here is a video from their website (www.kentuckyale.com) and Youtube (www.youtube.com):

Kentucky Ale

Here is their website and twitter addreses:

Website:  www.kentuckyale.com

Twitter:  @kentuckyale

Closing the tab, let me say this once and I know the brewery will love to hear this from me.  We, Chicago, gave birth to Goose Island Bourdon County Stout and when we hear Barrel Age Beers, we think it is going to be a stout.  This beer is NOT a stout.  Before the beer is put into the barrel, it is a their normal Kentucky ale, which is between an English Pale Ale and Irish Red Ale.  I really like this beer.  I am a huge fan of barrel age beers and this gives me a little something different then a porter or stout in a barrel.  You can taste more of the bourdon in this beer then a stout that is aged in it.  Stout over takes all the taste from the bourdon barrel.  This beer is very drinkable and I can drink this beer anytime of the year.  I can see a new trend in the craft beer world and I am proud to say this brewery has started.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Milwaukee Brewing Company Polish Moon Milk Stout

image

Starting a new blog, we are going to get into another beer from the Milwaukee Brewing Company.  If you read my earlier blog on their Pull Chain then I do not have to bored you about the history of this brewery,  the beer that will be feature in this blog is Polish Moon Milk Stout.  Let us start get into the beer.

This beer is black in color with a dirty white head. This milk stout has a ton of carbonation in the bottle. Be careful pouring out the beer into the glass.  The smell of the beer is chocolate to roast malts with some hints of coffee.  This stout is very smooth with some burn chocolate to coffee notes flowing through the drinking experience.  For being a dark beer with ABV 4.5%, it is extremely drinkable beer.

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

Beer

This pitch black stout is teaming with rich roasted malt and coffee flavors. The addition of milk sugar tames these intense flavors with a silky sweetness. A very easy drinking, full bodied beer.

History

Built in 1962, the Allen-Bradley clock tower has become a Milwaukee landmark. Until recently, it was the largest four sided clock in the world, rising 280 feet in the air with each face having a diameter of 40 feet.

Located on Milwaukee’s south side, the clock tower quickly got the nickname “Polish Moon” because of the large Polish population in the neighborhood. With a bar on every corner, it was a fun place for neighbors and friends to get together and have impromptu parties

Brewer

One of my favorite winter warmer beers, it’s also a fun beer to brew. First you get the super rich chocolate coffee aroma from all the dark malts. Then you add a couple hundred pound of sugar to the brew kettle, it’s almost like adding sweetner to a giant cup of coffee. What makes this a milk stout is the addition of milk sugar, or lactose sugar, to the wort. Yeast can’t eat this sugar so it remains behind after fermentation as a natural sweetner. Trying to get the balance between the milk sugar sweetness and the bitterness of the roasted malts is probably the trickiest part of this entire brew. We’ve been working on that balance for a couple of years now and I think we’re on the right track.

Here is a youtube video on their website (www.mkebrewing.com):

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.mkebrewing.com

Twitter:  @mkebrewco

Finishing up the beer, I really love this beer and it is in my top three beers from this brewery.  It is hard not to pick this one or their Hop Happy India Pale Ale.  It is smooth with a ton of flavor.  I love the chocolate and roasted malt notes throughout the drinking experience.  It is very well made and drinkable to where you could drink it even on the hot summer days or warm spring days.   You cannot say that about all the stouts that are in the market.  This beer has taken down Left Hand Milk Stout.  This is my number Milk Stout.  I would  try them side by side and you will see what I am talking about.  Go get some! Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Rhinelander Brewing Company Chocolate Bunny Stout

In this blog, we are going bunny hunting.  We are going to try a beer from the Rhinelander Brewing Company.  The beer is called Chocolate Bunny Stout.  I never heard of this brewery so this will be a learning lesson for me just like you.  Unless you hit up every brewery in Wisconsin.  Rhinelander Brewing Company is from Monroe, Wisconsin and was founded in 1882 as the orignal company.  Bad luck came to the brewery as it burned down in 1897.  They rebuild and then closed again because of Prohibition era.  They open in 1933 like every brewery and was in business until 1967.  They were purchased by Joseph Huber Brewing Company and then moved their brewing of their beers to Monroe, Wisconsin.  They are looking to move their brewing back to Rhinelander by 2014 with a two million project.  It sounds like this brewing a long history of up and downs is on its way to a very bright history.  Well here is the beer we will be trying.

This beer is black in color with a small constant white head. A ton of cocoa to chocolate smell going on in the beer along with a roasted to burn smell in it too. The taste of the beer is a sweet carbonation chocolate overload with ton of coco bitter aftertaste. It is very drinkable beer and worth the price.

Here is a description from their bottle:

Dark and silky rich stout loaded with chocolate flavor.  Is there chocolate in my beer or beer in my chocolate?

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.rhinelanderbrewery.com

Twitter:  no twitter account

In the end, this was a very interesting drinking beer experience for me.  The cocoa powder in this beer pops out too much during the experience.  The stout part in this beer is really solid but then add the cocoa powder that is added during the brewing process.  This beer is kind of drinkable but I can see many beer drinkers finishing this beer and then moving on to another one.  I really did not like this beer but I respect this brewery for doing something different.  Also I love the price.  It was only $3.99.  It comes with a huge value but at the same time you will get what you pay for in this beer.  If you are looking for something different with a good price, this beer might be the way to go for your next beer.  This beer is average to slightly below average.  Go get some! Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

(History information came from their website (www.rhinelanderbrewery.com) and Wikipedia)

New Blog DC Brau Brewery Hell’s Bottom Stout Ale

While in DC for Savor, I had this at the after party for Savor.  The owner was clearly a huge motorcycle fan because he had some classics throughout the bar.  This bar had a special beer menu for Savor and I saw this beer from DC Brau Brewery called Hell’s Bottom Stout Ale.  Here is a little back story of this brewery.  DC Brau Brewery was founded in 2011 and was the first brewery to package in DC city since 1956.  The founded is Brandon Skall and the Brewmaster is Jeff Hancock.  All their beers are packaged in cans which is a huge trend in Craft Beer World now.

This beer is black in the glass with not head to it. It has a nice chocolate smell. It has a chocolate to dry taste to the beer.  The aftertaste is dry chocolate going on in it.   This beer is kind of drinkable for being a stout.  This beer is perfect for any seasons of the year.  There are not too many stouts a beer drinker can say that about it.

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

Named after one of DC’s most notorious neighborhoods, Hell’s Bottom. Where in the late 1800’s there was little money, whiskey was cheap and virtually no police force. Enter Hell’s Bottom Oatmeal Stout. Brewed with a healthy amount of flaked oats, roasted barley and both chocolate and black malts. Hell’s Bottom starts with a heavy roast character that will definitely wake up the pallet. Followed by a small kick of bitterness contributed by Northern Brewer hops. Lastly, the flaked oats contribute a smooth, cream-like mouthfeel that must be tasted to be understood. With a medium to light body this oatmeal stout is one that drinks easy in the upcoming spring/ summer season.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.dcbrau.com

Twitter: @dcbrau

Coming to the end of the beer, I really enjoyed this beer.  I wish I had time to stop by their brewery to see it and try some more of their beers.  This is a very newer brewery and the future is bright by trying this beer and doing more research on them.  I hope to try some more of their beers in the near future.  I might just have to go back to DC just to visit this brewery.  I love how they put their beers in cans then the same boring ass brown bottle.  Cans protect the beer better then anything else that is out in the market.  Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Savor in DC 2012 Day Two (Story)

We are heading for lunch at Big Board. This place has wallstreet board for beer. The more beer is sold the cheaper the beer is throughout the day. This place has really bad services but food sounds good. The food was really good. The burgers and fries were off the chart. I was really hoping Slayer would have ate all the fries.

See Starr Hill Amber Ale for the beer blog.

We went to a brewpub that I wanted to try after lunch. The brewpub was called Old Dominion. I will have have a serparete blog for this brewpub.

See Old Dominion for about the brewpub and their beers.

For dinner, we went to Rosa Mexicano. It was an upscale restaurant in the city. I believe Kevin and Lolia picked this place. had the red snapper. Wow it was awesome just of a ton of favor. It was a nice time. After dinner, we were off to Savor. Of course, you know that story and dance.

New Blog Savor 2012 in DC Day One (Story)

Old Ebbitt Grill

It is an old school DC bar and grill. It is after work place and a traditional place. It has a nice beer selection and food. Nice place for lunch with my friends, who are Kevin, Slayer, Aphrodite, and Lolita.

See Heavy Sea Loose Cannon Ale for the beer blog.

J&G Steakhouse

For drinks in the sun talking about life. It is a little too hot here but just right. Asides that is a beautiful day.

See Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA for the beer blog.

We are going to Church’s Key for beers before dinner. I heard this place has a nice beer menu while sitting of the lobby of the hotel. Two old friends meet for the first time. Talking about moments that are long gone, it was a really good moment. The bar is packed with guests talking about their plans for the weekend in this fancy upscale hotel that looks like something out of the 1940s with a modern flare. This bar is packed with a nice lay back feeling to it.

See Troggers Nugget, Upland Dragonfly ale for the beer blog.

Marvin

We are to have dinner. It is very soulful in the food. This was some off the charts food. I was full but I could not stop eating it. Very good dinner.

See Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace Ale for the beer blog.

There were many other places and many more beer. It was a great start to this trip. We will have Savor tomorrow and I will be visiting at least one brewpub in the city.

Cheers

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @ djweiser

New Blog Sebago Brewery Lake Trout Stout

In this blog, we are going to talk about a beer I received through my Beer of the Month. This brewery is unknown to me just like this brew. This brewery was founded in 1998. They offer a full line of different beer styles all the east coast.

This beer is black in color like your normal stout with a constant light brown head.  The smell from the beer is strong chocolate. The taste is not very good to be honest. The beer starts out water tasting and then a chocolate taste along a strong chocolate aftertaste.

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

Lake Trout Stout is midnight black with a thick and creamy head.  It is a full bodied stout brewed with oatmeal and plenty of hops to balance the roasted barley. Our stout is an experience.  It tastes the same way it looks – dark and rich. It is named after the famous deep water Sebago Lake Togue or Lake Trout which inhabit the depths of Maine’s deepest lake. Enjoy.

BEER DETAILS:

Style: Stout

History: First Brewed in 1998

Orig. Gravity: 13.5 °P

Color: Midnight Black 170 SRM

ABV: 4.7%

IBU’s: 32

Pairing Suggestions: rich sauces, grilled meats, or chocolate

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.sebagobrewing.com

Twitter: @sebagobrewing

In closing, I love stouts in every style, however, Irish Dry Stout is very dry and I feel you need to drink a water with this style of beer. This beer is good but not bad. Since I cannot get this beer in Chicago, I will be enjoying my last two bottles of this brew. Drink it! Enjoy it l! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

In this blog, we are going to talk about another small brewery called Uinta Brewery from Salt Lake City, Utah.  We talked about Hyve in my earlier blog.  I voiced how it was very disappointed and I did not like it.  This time around we are going to talk about one of my favorite beer from them.  The beer we are going to sip and visit is called the Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA.  This beer style is a marriage of two awesome styles of beer.  Porter or stout meets IPAs.  You can’t go wrong with that.  This is the latest trending beer style out there right now.

This beer in the glass is black until you put it up to the light then it becomes a dark brown.  The smell of the beer is of sweet circus. The taste of the beer is slight chocolate and kick of carbonation to circus kick. The aftertaste is very dry but in a good way.  The dryness from this beer is from the hops and the IBU is over 130.  Just picture yourself eating chocolate cover orange and you will understand this style a little bit better.  It is not fully like that but it gives you a better idea.

Here is a descripation from their website (www.uintabrewing.com):

Toasted, chocolaty dark malts align with an astronomical amount of hops.

They put this also on their website (www.uintabrewing.com):

Named Utah’s Centennial Star in 1996, Dubhe (pronounced Doo-bee) illuminates the front of the big dipper from 124 light years away. Dubhe, also known as Alpha Ursae Majoris, is a red giant that appears orange in color and has a mass 4x that of the sun.

Here is a few places to get information on this brewery:

Website: www.uintabrewing.com

Twitter:  @uintabrewing

Setting up the tap again, I really love this beer.  I love all three beer styles that go into this one beer style.  It is a wet dream for people that enjoy all factors that this style and this beer brings to your coffee table or bar.  This is one of my favorite one in the Black IPA market along with Widmer Pitch Black IPA. Pitch Black and Dubhe are the same style but totally different.  I want you to go out and hunt this beer down and try it.  Please let me know what you think and send a message to the brewery.  Breweries love to hear from us beer drinkers.  Enjoy it!  Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Widmer Brothers Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout ’12

In this blog, we are going to talk about a very limited release around the country. I have been wanting to try this beer and I could not find a bottle.  I finally found a bottle but I had to get some help from a few people.  Widmer Brothers is the second oldest brewery from Portland, Oregon.  Bridgeport beat them by a few weeks to have the title of the Oldest Craft Brewery.  Well both breweries are really good at what they do.  Well back to Widmer, the whole idea of the brewery is give you something different from the classic beers from around the world.  I believe the brothers of Widmer has done a very good job.  There pale ale is different from what is out there now.  It has a heavy grapefruit smell and taste.  Let us talk about this beer now.

This beer is black as black can get with a dirty head that is constant. This beer smells like chocolate cover raspberry smell with hints of roasted malt smells. This beer taste like dark chocolate cover raspberry with a roasted and carbonation.  For this beer being a big beer style, it is a very drinkable beer.  You will only have one beer and make it with some kind of dessert.  I did my bottle with vanilla ice cream.

Here is a description from the bottle:

An extremely rich and complex beer.  The addition of raspberries during the fermentation process results in an almost purplish opaque color with a beautiful brown head.  Warm chocolate and roasty notes complement the hop bitterness.

Here is more information on this beer from their website (www.widmerbrothers.com):

ABV 9.3% IBU 70

Malts: Pale, Roast Barley, Caramel 60L, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate Malt

Hops: Alchemy, Willamette, Cascade

Here is a few sources to get more information on this great brewery:

Website: www.widmerbrothers.com

Twitter: @widmer_brothers

In closing, this is not one of my favorites from this brewery but it is still a great beer.  This beer is perfect for a beer dinner.  They pick the right fruit to put into this stout and make it perfect for a spring seasonal.  Rasberries are not over powering but enough for you to enjoy the sweetness of them and the chocolate in it.  If you see a bottle, I would pick it up.  This beer in the Chicagoland area I would say big craft stores where you can find this beer.  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it!

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser