Weekend Rewind

The new craft beer store I checked out this week has already impressed me with the first recommendation that I got. Saturday night I started things off with what was described as "the Peach Beer to end all Peach Beers". Pretty lofty claim, right?

This one is a foreign beer [from Belgium] so I don't really have good intel on what the brewer has going on, or additional insight into the brew, but I can tell you that it is a big of a peach beer as you can get. It's called Scaldis Peche Mel. Honestly it tasted  like the beer equivalent of eating a peach. Very sweet, almost 'nectary' tasting. I think that you have to be a fan of peaches in order to really like this beer. Lucky for me, I love 'em. I was kind of worried that this brew would be way too overbearing with the fruit flavor but that wasn't the case. They balanced a belgian style beer with the maximum amount of peachyness. I can wholeheartedly agree that it should be endgame when it comes to peach beer.

Today I returned to the local roots and went with a Terrapin Hop Karma Brown IPA. I'm actually doing a little 'research' for a brew that is going to be concocted very soon, and I am looking to try an assortment of Brown Ales. This guy, however, is technically a Black IPA [yes, I know the name says brown, not black] and comes with a heavy dosage of hops flavors that you wouldn't normally find in a brown. As with most hybrid style beers the best way to describe it is by saying it combines the two components. In this case it's a West Coast IPA with Brown Ale. They did a really good job in creating an IPA that has a different flavor profile than you're used to. I definitely give it a thumbs up. Also because this one is available year round.

On a side note, I really want to know how this blog is getting so many hits in Russia. Very random. But Cheers none the less!

Scaldis
Peche Mel
Fruit Beer
8.5% abv

Terrapin
Hop Karma Brown IPA
Black IPA


6.9% abv

Mich-again

So I'm sure you loyal followers [haha] know by now that I live in Atlanta. Not sure if you realize that I used to live in Michigan, and was ingrained with love for nearly all things Mitten State. Sports and Beer are two areas that I've got a whole lot of love. Honestly this whole beer craze started when I got hooked on Bell's line up of brews. But my affinity for things from the land of America's High Five doesn't stop there.

Last night, after getting home way too late from the daily grind, I sat down with a Bell's Oarsman Ale. It's technically a wheat, so I learned, but I would categorize this beer as a 'sour'. It has an unmistakable tartness that you don't find in most beers out there. A while back I had this beer after picking up a 6pk of it randomly from the store. Without any expectations I was not a fan after the first couple. And rightfully so, it is a different type of beer than what I am used to. As with almost all new styles there is an acclimation period in order to develop a taste for a certain beer.

I gave the Oarsman a second try yesterday and came away with a much more positive view. It was slightly citrusy, and definitely tart. However it wasn't as overbearing as I remembered it. The alcohol was low enough to categorize it as a Session beer, and you could tell that it was tailored to be an easy drinking beer that still has flavor. Crisp and clean. Also seemed to cleanse my palette [remember, I hate talking like that unless it's true] after each sip. The Bell's site says that it pairs well with food because of this, and I have to agree. In general I'd say that I will be likely to pick it up again from the LHBS, but mostly because it's a Bell's beer, and less because of it being a favorite beer of mine. I'll put it right in the middle of the spectrum in that regard.

Today I continued the mini-streak of Michigan brews, with a beer I have been waiting to try for quite a while. If you didn't know already Michigan has a huge agricultural side of it's economy. One thing that Michigan is known for (aside from great beer) is it's cherries. Traverse City, MI is actually the self-proclaimed 'Cherry Capital of the World'. [If you look at the palm of your right hand, and pretend it is Michigan, then Traverse City would be by the tip of your pinky finger.] They are specifically known for their tart cherries, and you can find the beer equivalent in Founder's Cerise.

Honestly this beer is awesome. I happen to love cherry pie and that is the best taste descriptor I can come up with to tell you what the Cerise tastes like. The malts give you a slight taste of the pie crust, and the sweetness and tartness from the Michigan cherries used in the fermentation process give you the pie filling. I love how they went local with a brew like this -- it really speaks to the spirit of craft beer, in my opinion.

Can't say I was disappointed in the least with the way the beer-week ended. Got the chance to visit a new craft beer store, meet a new beer guru, and was recommended some awesome beers for the next week or so. Great change of pace and a slightly different opinion on some beers was welcomed! I'm very excited for the upcoming beers. Hopefully you'll come back to read about them? Yes? Ok then.

Bell's
Oarsman Ale
Sour Ale
4.0% abv

Founders Brewery
Cerise
Fruit Beer
6.5% abv

Why does work always get in the way?

Last night I didn't get my post in because I had to travel for work, didn't get back until 11:30pm... which is less than ideal. How did I remedy my situation? I'm sure you guessed, "with a delicious local brew" -- right? If so you'd be correct.

I had the Wild Heaven Invocation when I finally made it back home, and it really helped to ease out the day. This is the [other half of Wild Heaven's current line up], seeings that they are a very new brewery in the Atlanta area. Word on the street is that they are getting ready to release their third brew...

Anyways the Invocation is a belgian style Strong Golden Ale that really takes it to the next level. For the most part I am not a fan of belgians [the beers, not waffles]. But when you drink this one you can really tell that it is an excellent beer. So well rounded from start to finish. It has that unmistakable taste associated with the style; fruity, citrusy, and spicy. However the malts really mellow it out to the point that you end up with a rather clean taste. I like it. Higher up on the alcohol content so you wouldn't want to down a 6er... which, now that I think about it, is probably why they sell them in 4 packs.

I try to follow what these guys are up to as much as I can because they make really great beer. Also because they are doing exactly what I want to be doing. But mostly because of the beer. I'm very much looking forward to getting some of their beer #3 in the near future. You can be assured that it will show up here when I do.

Wild Heaven

Invocation

Belgian (Golden)

8.5% abv

Today I got to have the Harvest Ale from Weyerbacher. With it being the end of hops harvest (late August through September) there have been a bunch of 'harvest' brews hitting the shelves. What this means is that the brewers are using the freshest hops possible in the beer, by a process called 'wet hopping'. I don't know too much about this, but what little I know is that you need to use significantly more hops when you brew in order to get the flavor. However this gives you amazing floral notes and crisp clean flavor. Every part of the hops profile is magnified in a good way.

This version of Harvest Ale is very good. Yet it's not the best one that I've had so I can't give it the A+ rating. It is at no fault to Weyerbacher, because I really enjoyed the freshness that this beer has. I'll be featuring the other beer in the coming weeks so be sure to check back for it. Harvest Ale is a great IPA that has amazing balance and freshness, so if you see it (or any other 'harvest' brew) over the next few weeks, definitely grab it.

Weyerbacher

Harvest Ale

India Pale Ale

6.2% abv

One last Summertime brew

Today I decided to go with a random purchase brew. Only real reason I picked it up was because it stood out from the rest of the assorted beers on the shelf. It seems like most of the time when I use this tactic for picking beers it is really hit or miss. With the Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale I believe I found one that is right in the middle.

This golden ale was very much a 'you can drink me and not dislike me' type of beer. Simple in the flavors: somewhat crisp, not too bitter and not too malty. Although I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. Tonight I was looking to just have a beer that wasn't going to go overboard with flavors. That is exactly what I got. Honestly though I was surprised to see how low this beer was rated on some of the beer rating sites. But hey-- to each their own.

Flying Dog Brewery appears to be centered around the idea that "it is amazing what you can achieve if nobody tells you what you can't." This actually stems from how they got their name, Flying Dog. One of the owners/founders became infatuated with a picture of this dog that had wings. Everyone knows a dog can't fly. But nobody told that dog, who had wings, that it was impossible. Thus the philosophy.

I've seen quite a number of Flying Dog beers on the shelves, and will undoubtedly be having more in the future. They're available at most large chain grocery stores too, so I'm sure you can find some wherever you may be. Except for you crazies over in Russia. I don't think they have it over there. [Yes, there are people from Russia who have been reading this blog on a regular basis. And it's hilarious/weird.]

Flying Dog Ales
Tire Bite
Golden Ale
5.1%
"Good people drink good beer."

How did I get so backed up on the beers that I needed to post on here?! I've got a week's worth of beer to tell you about and all I can bring myself to do is watch a combination of the Science channel and football, and continue to devour this trail mix I bought. [Seriously addicted to it right now]

Instead of digressing and talking about randomness, I'll just jump into this week's beers.

Monday:
Started off with a tried and true favorite brewery, Southern Tier. This time I picked up their Harvest Ale to accompany the changing of the seasons. [It's finally cool outside here in Atlanta] This one is an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) that is a common English style brew. It was very well balanced, and very very good. Dark amber in color. The hops character played off the malt profile in an awesome way that really makes this brew enjoyable. Harvest Ale is one of those brews that you will love to have during the next couple of months. It came in at 6.7% abv.

Tuesday:
Next was the most disappointing brew of the week, by far. It was the Shiner Black Lager. It is a 4.9% abv, 'schwarzbier' styled brew, and the second of which I've tried so far. The first one didn't fare too well, and neither did this one. As a matter of fact I stopped drinking it about 1/4 the way through. Yuck. Shiner is 0 for 2 so far... although I have yet to have their flagship, Shiner Bock. Forgive me if I'm not racing to try it...

Wednesday:
Reverted back to the friendly confines of the india pale ale world with the Smuttynose IPA. Until then I had never had a beer from these guys but I see them all over the place. All the mainstay styles available, and they have a unique graphics theme which make's their brews easy to pick out from the shelves. I'll have to get into more detail later, as this is a 'get caught up post'. This IPA was citrusy, light, and crisp. I enjoyed it mostly because it was a slightly different style than most of the other IPA's that I've been having recently. 6.6% abv for this one.

Thursday:
Ok Thursday's beer I am most excited about. The brewery is called Duck-Rabbit, which I always found odd and never understood where it came from. So I picked up one of their brews, this time the Milk Stout. If you look at the label, it looks like a Duck. But then when you look at it sideways, your mind gets blown. And that is pretty much the best beer logo I've yet to see. Anyways-- the beer. YUM. I'm beginning to think that Milk Stouts are among my favorites in the beer world. DR's was very creamy/smooth, chocolatey, and had the perfect amount of roasted notes. Basically a good brewer cannot go wrong by making a Milk Stout. DR's came in at 5.7% abv.

Friday:
In addition to beer, I cannot function without coffee. Because of which it was an easy decision to try a beer that is called Fuel Cafe by Lakefront Brewery, and has a bunch of coffee beans featured on the label. This was a Sweet Stout styled beer that is brewed with coffee beans during the process. Taste test gave it an alright review, but far from terrible. It was sweet, malty, roasty... pretty run of the mill for this style. Worth giving a try but I probably won't pick it up again unless, because there are a ton of other options. Only 4.4% abv, which I was surprised about.

Saturday:
One of my favorite brands/themes for a brewery is Heavy Seas. Everything pirate themed, and awesome. The graphic design and creative nerd inside of me loves it. This brew, the Small Craft Warning, however, wasn't one of my favorites. It is an imperial pilsener style, or a strong pale lager, and was too bitter for my liking. What I can say is that you like beers similar to Stella Artois then you would like this one. Just not my cup of tea. Or beer. 7.0% abv

Not gonna lie...

This post is gonna have to wait. I've been sucked in by baseball. Go Tigers. Top of the 9th -- lets close 'em out!

Continuing the recap

So today I want to talk about some of the beers that I had while I was in Chicago. Each day I was there had a very different experiences with the brews.

When I first arrived, pretty much right away I headed to a German Brauhaus. This place was as authentic as they come. As it was so aptly put that day, "We got sour with some krauts." If this were a foodie blog I could tell you about the german potatoes, sauerkraut, knockwurst and brats that I had. But it's not. I'm more concerned with the other carbs I consumed that night.

Staying true to the locale, we started off with 1L sized mugs of German brew. The one I had was called 'BBK' by the server. I had no idea what that was.... so I ordered it. Turns out the official name is Binding Romer Pils. I think the best way to describe it is that of a typical German style pilsner. I really enjoyed it, but honestly don't remember too much detail of the way it tastes. Probably due to...

... the Das Boot that we ordered afterwards. I think that it was a Steigl, although it might have been a Spaten Oktoberfest. Either way, we downed that bad boy in no time because it was quite good. This place was serious with their Boots and took a credit card for deposit in case we broke it. [We didn't] I gotta say that was my first time drinking out of a boot that I ordered and it was quite a feat. I'll definitely have to do this again sometime. Especially if there is a yodeling competition going on at the same time.

The next day, being a Saturday, we had to find some place to watch college football. [Obviously] So after finding a place within walking distance of our hotel, we got right to it and ordered up some local brew. Goose Island is the Chicago based craft brewery that you can find every where. I was somewhat skeptical to dive into this brew because of their recent acquisition by A-B InBev. Essentially now they are just a brand owned by one of the Big 3. But alas, I wasn't gonna travel to a city and not try their hometown stuff.

I had two at this place, and wasn't overly impressed by them. First was the G.I. 312 Urban Wheat Ale. That's pronounced 'Three One Two' by the way. Don't make the mistake and call it 'three twelve'. There wasn't much in terms of flavor. Too watered down for my liking. Next was the Summertime seasonal brew. Again, very disappointed. I've been lucky enough to have a good number of summer seasonals that bring something refreshing to the table. This one did not.

Finally on Sunday, before the wedding, a group of us decided to head over to the Goose Island brewpub to see what else they have to dial up. We were short on time and decided to all get the Flights so we could sample 4 different brews. They had a wide assortment of styles, [that you can see here.] I took the descriptions of each that I had (except one that isn't listed) and copied them below. Overall I gotta say I was way more pleased with this selection, over the flagship brews they put out.

Uncle Dunkel - European Syle Dunkelbier - 4% abv
Rich mahogany color, biscuit aroma, milk chocolate flavor, light body

Daywalker IPA - India Pale Ale - 6.4% abv
Caramel color, mango aroma, Bulgarian pepper flavors, medium body
*Brewed with Bulgarian peppers from Leaning Shed Farms, Berrien Springs, IL

Peach Pundit - German Style Hefeweizen - 5.5% abv
Pale amber color, peach aroma, banana flavor, medium body

The last was called 'Weizenbock'. One of my favorites of the bunch, but I have no additional info on it.

Well that concludes the brews I had during my trip to Chicago. I'm gonna be heading back up in a couple weeks, so it's quite possible you'll see some other local brews here on CDR. Tomorrow I'll get caught up to speed on the beers I've had over the past 2-3 days. As always, stay tuned...

I'm back!

I know you all have been antsy, wondering "Where did that guy who writes about beer (and sometimes about his daily life) go? I miss his 'only alright' ability to write creatively, and I am finding out about so many less beers now!" Well, I've been on quite a journey the past week and I've had a great assortment of brews. You didn't think I'd break the streak, would ya?

To give a little recap, I was in Chicago for the weekend at two long-time friends' wedding, and more than a couple GnT's at the open bar. It was a beautiful scene, and I gotta give a nod to them. Tyler & Michelle, if you read this, congratulations again! Love you guys.

Leading up to that trip I pretty much was in chaos-mode for work, trying to tie up all the lose ends so I could take time off. That's the reason I didn't get posts up on Weds & Thurs of last week. I can't remember exactly which days I drank each of the following, but in the end its not that serious.

What I am going to do, though, is break up the beers in chunks -- because I want you to actually read these posts. And if they are super long, I wouldn't even want to read them. So here we go.

First up will be the Orange Blossom Pilsner Squared (OBP2). Was very eager to try this guy since the OBP (not squared) is labeled as ['Florida's Honey Beer']. I am kind of confused as to who actually brews this beer, since the site says it's Unique Beers (based in Orlando, FL), but that it's brewed for them by Thomas Creek Brewery (based in South Carolina). Anyways I kind of liked this brew, but it was really intense. Very strong with honey flavor and you could definitely taste it's high alcohol content. Chugging this beer is ill advised. I enjoyed one glass of this, but not sure if that would continue with more than that. Also of note was how clear this beer was. Not sure which was more transparent: the beer or the pint glass.

Unique Beers
Orange Blossom Pilsner Squared
Strong Pale Lager
11% abv

Next will be the [Peak Organic] Pomegranate Wheat Ale. This one is pretty much the exact opposite of the OBP2. Super light, very easy-drinking flavor, and very crisp. The best comparison I could come up with is that of the Sweetwater Blue. It's a wheat ale, but there is zero haze in this brew. Pretty refreshing, and ends with a notable pomegranate flavor that doesn't steal the show. After checking out Peak Organic Brewing I came away very impressed with how they aim to have their beers paired with food. Check out the link above to see what I'm talking about. Every picture of their brew actually features food. Apparently the Pom. Wheat  goes well with 'chevre goat cheese' whatever the hell that is.

Peak Organic Brewery
Pomegranate Wheat Ale
Wheat Ale
5.9% abv

The last of my pre-Chicago beers was the Thomas Hooker American Pale Ale. Not going to lie, I picked up this beer because it prominently said 'HOOKER' across the front of the bottle. I don't have a ton to say about this one, except that it is simply a really good APA. It had malty aspects that paired well with the hop's floral and bitter tastes. It almost tasted like a West Coast IPA, but didn't have the hop profile to get there. If you're looking for an all-around enjoyable beer, this will definitely fit the bill.

Thomas Hooker Brewing Company
American Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
5.2% abv