three flyods

New Blog Big Horn 71 Pale Ale

In this blog, we are going to talk about another brew from the Big Horn Ram Brewery called 71 Pale Ale. You know the history of this brewery from my earlier blogs. This beer has the 71 for the year that the brewery was founded. In some cases, you can call this their flagship beer.

This beer sits in the glass as slightly cloudy golden color.  The smell of the beer is little earthy.  The taste is a nice well balance beer. It has a sweet then heavy carbonation taste. The aftertaste has a nice bitter hop kick to it. This beer is perfect in any season and very drinkable.

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

A distinctly drinkable pale ale brewed with a touch of rye and a blend of 5 hops. Deep copper in color with subtle spicy rye character and an enjoyable hoppy flavor.

Here is sources to get to know this brewery:

Website: www.theram.com

Twitter: @theram

On ending, like this beer and all the rest of the beers that are made at Big Horn Ram Brewery, they are designed for you to have more than one beer.  They are all very drinkable and sessional.  The 71 pale ale is one of my favorites at this great brewery.  It gives everything I am looking for in pale ale.  Go find your nearby Ram Brewery to eat and drink.  Enjoy it!  Drink it! Metal it !

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 Central Waters Illumination Double IPA

In this blog, we are going to take a look at a beer from a small brewery from Amherst, WI called Central Waters.  This brewery is powered by solar power.  They are very green on everything with packaging and energy use.  This brewery has been in business since 1996.  Mike McElwain and Jerome Ebel are the founders of this brewery.  Their packaging is very dull and boring, however, we do not judge on packing just the beer inside.  They brew several different styles. The one we will be talking from Central Waters called Illumination Double IPA (India Pale Ale).

This beer in the glass is a cloudy light copper color.  When smelling it, you will get a strong piny smell from the hops in the brew.  As far as tasting the beer, it is over load of circus to earthy sweetest with a very dry aftertaste leaving in your mouth.  I really do not like this beer because several factors.  The one thing I do not like, there is not enough malt backbone in this beer.  The other thing I do not like about this beer is the over hop in the beer.  This beer is another cookie cutter of all the rest of American Double IPAs out there.  I am not saying all are bad but there are better ones out there.  However, after killing this beer, the plus for this beer is it is a great value for the price you will be paying for it.

Here is a descripation from the bottle:

Can you say palate wrecker? This Double IPA comes in at 108 IBUs, as hoppy as it gets with a mouthful of citrus flavors.  Grab one today and Illuminate your taste buds.

Here is a few sources to get to know this brewery better:

Website: www.centralwaters.com

Twitter: Not one listed

Setting up the bill, this is not a beer I will run out and get when it comes out.  It is a seasonal four pack from Central Waters.  If I am in the mood and I see it, I will drink it.  If there is another Double IPA at the bar, I hate to say I will drink that.  Just because I did not like this beer.  This does not mean that you will not like this beer.  This brewery cannot be judge on this beer and you should not judge them for this beer nor blog.  They do brewery some awesome beers.  This one is not one of their best ones.  Enjoy it! Drink it!  Metal it!

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis

In this blog, we are going to talk about a brewery, who is called Perennial Artisan Ales, that was founded in 2011.  This brewery joins an awesome current lineup of craft breweries in and out of St Louis, MO. This blog will feature one, which is called Saison de Lis, and there will be two more blogs, which are called Hommel Bier and Hommel Bier,to follow.

Just like a normal farmhouse saison ale, it is cloudy and golden to yellow in color. The smell is slightly circus to very earthly.  This Saison just like others is very drinkable and refreshing, which is why this beer style is brew by farmers on their farms in Belgium for their workers.

Here is a few sources to get to know about this brewery:

Website: www.perennialbeer.com

Twitter: @PerennialBeer

On ending, this beer is in big bottles and I am really not a fan of beers in these big bottles.  Unless, it is a really big beer and this saison is only 5% in ABV.  This beer is pretty good but not for the packaging size and price.  They did a very good job doing the American version of this beer.  I would say try it and put your thoughts on this beer.  It would be neat to check out their Brewpub some time in the future.  I will have to hunt down their other beers.  They are brewing some interesting beers.  Overall, this beer has a market just like every beer but I am not the market.  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Perennial Artisan Ales Black Walnut Dunkel

In this blog, we are going to talk about the second of three beers from Perennial Artisan Ales.  The beer we are going to talk about from this brewery is called Black Walnut Dunkel, which is their spring seasonal.  If you read my blog on Sunday, which is Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis, you will know about the history.

While the beer is sitting in the glass, it comes across as a light brown in color with constant head.  The carbonation during the pouring process is pretty normal for a German Dunkel.  The smell is like roasted chestnuts over a fireplace during the Christmas holiday season. This beer has a taste of a black walnut ice cream. Going deep in detail with that statement. It comes across as a slight sweet chocolate taste with mild walnut sweet aftertaste.  You will taste the walnut throughout the drinking experience but it is there but not really there. I am not a brew master but for reason I am getting some vanilla taste.  I really do not know where that vanilla is coming from in this beer.  It is a very drinkable in the spring to fall season and that is why it is a seasonal.

Here is a description from the bottle:

Black Walnut Dunkel is our first foray into German-style beer.  Originally brewed for an underground beer dinner with our friends at entre, BWD is a rich, malty Dunkelweiss with 250 pounds of Missouri black walnuts.  Game birds, such as quail, pair nicely with the unique, earthy character of the walnuts.

Here is a few sources to get to know about this brewery:

Website: www.perennialbeer.com

Twitter: @PerennialBeer

Closing out the tap, I know what I said in my other blog about their other beer, however, this beer being so different then what is out in the market.  I will pick up a bottle of this beer to pair it with a dessert, salad, or what it says on the bottle wild game.    I am a huge fan of German Weiss more than another wheat out there.  I am a huge fan of this beer.  It is a very good beer and I believe you should search this beer out.  It will be available in all big craft beer stores.  Let me know what you think of this great beer.  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Perennial Artisan Ales Hommel Bier

In this blog, we are going to talk about the final beer from the Perennial Artisan Ales that I got my hands on in the Chicago market.  They have a few more beers that I believe will not be available just yet in this market.  The beer that will be feature is their Hommel Bier.  This brewery goal is take American and Belgian styles and do something different within reason.  Hommel Bier is a Belgian Style Ale.

This beer pours into glass with huge carbonation just like your normal Belgian Strong Golden Ale.  The head is very constant with a slightly cloudy golden color to the beer. It has species and slight circus smell. The taste is sweet and carbonation with a bit of a bitter aftertaste.   It is kind of dry for the aftertaste. This beer is drinkable at anytime of the year.  It has a nice spicy kicking in this beer just like your normal Belgian style.  Just reading the description, I believe the spices are coming from the Belgian Yeast.

Here is description from the bottle:

In the hop capital of Belgium, Hommel is the word for Humulus, the plant genus where hops reside. Our Hommel Bier defies tradition by combining North American malts, Pacific Northwest hops, and a Belgian yeast strain.  The result is a beer that combines earthy and spicy tones from the yeast with a slight orange note contributed by the hops.  We think it’s buzzworthy.

Here is a few places on the web to get some information about this brewery:

Website: www.perenialbeer.com

Twitter: @perenialbeer

Closing out the tap, this beer like their Saison.  I honestly do not think it is a good value in a 750ml bottle.  However, this beer has a lower ABV, which is 5.9%, then other Belgium or styel, it puts it at a value and drinkable then them.  What I mean by that, you can drink all day and do not have to worry about getting tank.  Duvel, for example, you will have to worry about the ABV because it is 8.5%.  Since this is a small brewery, there will be a limited supply in the market (I am assuming.  I could be totally wrong on this theory.  I am just using my experience at searching for beers from smaller breweries.  I hope I am wrong on this theory.).  I believe craft beer drinkers will hunt this beer down even more then other beers that are easier to find.  Go find this beer and let me know what you think. 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

New Blog Big Horn Ram No Name Imperial IPA

In this blog, we are going to talk about another brew from The Ram Brewery company called No Name Imperial IPA.  If you read my last blog, then you know this brewery.  I try this one at the Wheeling, IL location.  I do know this is available at other locations.  This is a seasonal so if you want to try.  I would say you need to act pretty fast.

When pouring this beer, the color of it is a brownish copper look with constant white head. Over time the head will go to nothing. Nice circus to earth smell to the beer. As far as taste, it is very sweet with an overpowering bitter aftertaste. For being an Imperial IPA, it is very well balance and drinkable beer.

In closing, as long as they have this beer on tap I will be getting by jug filled with it.  I can drink this beer all day without the dry mouth that I get from some normal IPAs to the overpowering Imperial IPAs.  I love this beer.  It is so much better then their normal Big Red IPA.  I realize these are two different IPA styles.  I would try this beer.  Enjoy it!  Drink it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale

In this beer blog, we are talk about this new brand, which is Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale, coming out from Spoetzl Brewery or better known as Shiner from Shiner, Texas.  This is their first Pale Ale and third ale.  Well a little history of this brewery, they are a German base brewing style.   They are the second oldest craft brewery behind Yuengling Brewery.  This brewery is about two hours outside of Austin, Texas.

Here is the information from the bottle about the beer:

Wild Hare is a classic American Pale Ale – richly hopped, fruity and floral.  Munich malt nicely balances the assertive character of the U.S. Golding and Bravo hop varieties that give this brew its signature bitterness and aroma. Enjoy!

This beer pours copper color with a constant head. Shiner Pale Ale smells of piney. Taste of this beer is closer to an English Pale Ale but has enough muscle to a west coast pale ale. This will make your normal american lager drinker to your hop head very happy drinkers . This is a very drinkable and session beer.   For this being their first pale ale, Brewmaster did a very excellent job.

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

Website: www.shiner.com

Twitter: @shinerbeer

In the end, this beer has a chance to be something out in the market.  It has the old school or throwback look on the label that you would see back in the 1930’s to 1950’s.  However, the most important is the beer that is inside the bottle, it is very drinkable but with enough favor that will make people happy and keep drinking it.  This beer will be out in June in Chicago market.  I am not sure about the rest of the market.  You will be able to get it around the country.  I love this beer and I am glad Shiner is doing something different.  You know what to do.  Go out and hunt this bunny down.  Enjoy it!  Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams IPA Hop-ology 12 Pack Sampler

Well this will be my second blog of the day and will be a pretty long one.  Boston Beer Company, I believe you will not need any history or information on this company.  Unless you live under a rock get hold of me and I will give you the information.  I will still put there twitter and website addresses on this blog. They were one of the first to get the craft beer business going in the states and the world.  Well for the last two years Sam Adams has put out sampler back for the hop heads of the world.  Latitude 48 IPA (India Pale Ale) came out last year from Sam Adams just to keep up with the growing sales of IPAs.  Last years sampler pack was a collection of Latitude 48 IPA brew with different hops.  It was one of my favorites set of beers last spring and summer.

A very sweet and to the point history on IPA.  England back in 1600s was looking to ship beer to their soldiers in India.  Well every shipment of beer went bad. The name escapes me but a brewmaster added more hops to make the beer last longer on the travel to India.  So a new beer style was borned from the England Pale Ales.  English India Pale Ales are not as high in the IBUs as the USA ones.  Most American West Coast Pale Ales are just as high as the English IPAs.

This years sampler pack will feature the following IPAs and each will be review in this blog:

Latitude 48 IPA

This beer is in an everyday six pack bottles.  It has your normal IPA amber to copper look to it with a white head.  Tasting this beer gives a nice hop taste with nice bitter ending.  You can taste beer from the front of the pallet which gives off sweet to bitter tastes.  The after taste is something I really don’t like about this beer.  For what Samuel Adams is today, this is a well made beer.  I hate to say it because I know it is a slap in the face to any brewmaster but this is a nice beginner IPA for people wanting to get into this great beer style.  Overall a nice drinkable and sessional beer.

This is the dscription the bottle:

A unique IPA brewed with a carefully selected blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th Latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The intense hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.  Cheers! Jim Koch

Dark Depths Baltic IPA

This IPA pours as a dark brown color.  This is a pretty big IPA with an ABV of 7.6%.  For most people calling this a Black IPA.  It is very light color black.  I really wouldn’t call it a Black IPA.  I realize it is taking from a Porter and mixing it with IPA.  You will see I read this from the decription off the bottle.  It just doesn’t taste that way to me.  This is just my thought on the beer.  I compare this Widmer Pitch Black IPA and Uinta Dubhe Black IPA.  There is a very little head on the beer when you are done pouring it.  Smell the beer gives off smells of malty and then hints of the hops.  The taste is sweet with slight roasted malt hints with a hop finish of bitterest.  The hops are not overpowering.  It is a very well balance IPA for the ABV being so high.  This beer is also available in 22oz single service bottles in any craft store in you.

This is the dscription the bottle:

Across the cold and brackish waters of the Baltic, the English porter was transformed, from a mild ale to a dark and complex lager that confounds definition.  Immersed in dark, roasted malts and a bold citrus hop character, these big and contrasting flavors are brought together with the smoothness of a lager for a brew that’s bold, mysterious, and full of flavor

White Water IPA

This beer is available in six pack bottles, part of this sampler, and also in their summer sampler pack.  Here is a IPA style that is starting to grow.  This a wheat ale that is brew with a ton of hops.  There a very few IPA Wheat Ales out there.  There is Three Fylod Gumballhead Wheat Ale and Shock Top Wheat IPA from the ABInbev Company.  Gumballhead is more of a wheat with a ton more IBUs then your average wheat ale out there.  Lagunitas Brewing Company has one called A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ ale.  It is more of a wheat mix with blond ale with a high IBU on it.  Yes it could get you in trouble with a pretty bartender.  Trust me I know.  Samuel Adams is slightly cloudly and you do get the wheat taste along with the hop finish.  It is pretty hoppy for a wheat ale.  The only problem I have with this beer, which is why I don’t like most wheat ales, it is too much of the yeast taste for me.  This beer fits into this new growing category.  Overall, it is a good beer and very drinkable.  I can see people enjoying this beer.

This is the dscription the bottle:

This hazy brew combines the crisp character of a white ale with the intense pine and citrus flavors of an India Pale Ale.  We took this unique combination to a new level with the subtle addition of apricots, which provide a slight sweetness to balance the bitterness of the hops.  Cheers! Jim Koch

Third Voyage Double IPA

This beer is a copper color when you are pouring it with the head always there.  Nice looking copper color beer with white head.  When smelling it, it has a  very strong pinely smell to it.  Just burn some pine trees and you will get the same feeling I am talking about.  Please don’t go out and burn a forest.  I am just giving an example of the smell you will experience from this beer.  Now let us get back to this beer. When drinking this beer, you will get a nice sweetness through out the beer tasting beer experience and then the slap of the bitterest at the end of beer. This is a very balance and drinkable IPA for the ABV being 8.0%.  It has a very nice grapefruit to circus taste to it.  Overall, this is a great beer.  I am very impressed for being made by Samuel Adams. This beer is also available in 22oz single service bottles in any craft store in you.

This is the dscription the bottle:

This unique double IPA takes the style’s origins a step futher.  IPAs were born out of making an ale that could sustain a long voyage.  For our take, we were inspired by the indomitable Capt. James Cook whose 3rd voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pactific Northwest.  Using Cascade hops from each of these regions, we created a brew that’s citrusy, earthy, and full of bold character.

Grumpy Monk Belgian IPA

This whole thing calling this a Belgian IPA is a bunch of bull shit.  Sorry for using it but it is true.  Belguin, the last time I check beer history didn’t make any IPAs, however, they did make a beer style from Monks called a Triple, which is pretty close to English and American IPAs.  American breweries get your facts straight and I hope you are talking about Triple. Not making up a style you think they made in this small sexy country.  Well Samuel Adams did a beer that they called Belgian IPA.  Guess what it is a Triple.  A light cooper color with barely no head.  Nice Monk yeast and hoppy taste.  This is really good beer for the style that is so wrong.  This is a Triple not an IPA.  Triples are Belguin’s IPA but with heavy spicies on their yeast.  Overall, this is a very good beer.  I am kind of impressed.  This beer is only available in this sampler pack.

This is the dscription the bottle:

The long held brewing traditions of Belgian monks aren’t meant to be broken. Yet, to the monk’s dismay, the distinctive character of Belgian yeast with its spicy clove and fruit notes can be reimagined when combined with the brazen hop character of an IPA.  These hops impart a citrusy, piney, and earthy flavor that’s balanced by a roasted malt sweetness for a complex and playful brew.

Tasman Red IPA

This beer pours red just like what the beer says on the label.  Picture this, a person with a burn face as red as red can get with blonde hair and this is what the  beer will look like in your glass when you hold it up to the light.  Pretty funny.  This is a very balance IPA with sweetness.  This is a very good beer.  I am really stun I like this because I am not a really a fan of Red Ales. If you read the decription below from the bottle, the red comes from the hop called Tasman.  I am not a brewmast but that is really interesting.  This beer is also available in 22oz single service bottles in any craft store in you.

This is the dscription the bottle:

This wily red IPA gets its character from the Tasmanian hops that are full of grapefruit, pine, and earthy notes., creating a bold flavor that threads throughout the taste.  The hops are balanced by a core the taste.  The hops are balanced by a core of roasty malts that give this brew body and richness with hints of toffee.  This flavorful brew is rounded and smooth with a dry and citrusy hop finish.

In closing, this is an awesome set of IPAs.  It is gives you a lesson of all the different IPAs around the world or in the states.  However, I really like the one fron last year.  I kind of wish they would have done that plus this one.  It is kind of good to get some of these beers that are in 22oz like Tasman Red IPA, Third Voyage Double IPA, and Dark Depths Baltic IPA in 12oz bottles.  Some of them I wish were in six pack bottles.  I understand why they are in 22oz bottles to get into that high in market that most craft beer companies are trying to reach.  Overall, great patch of IPAs, I say try it once to get your own thought on this pack.  Drink it! Enjoy it! and Metal it!

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Twitter @djweiser

Email djweiser13@comcast.net