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Thirsty thursdays
So I've probably written on more beers from Lagunitas than anyone, but, it's sort of hard not to talk about all of their work when it's some of the best around and certainly one of my top favorite breweries. For so many reasons beyond beer, too. So they have this seasonal release called Brown Shugga' and at one point in time they were setting out to make another yearly batch, but something didn't turn out quite right and what they had was an entirely different beast. They decided to call it Sucks, mostly as a joke that Lagunitas can't get anything right. Bunch of damn stoners. But, alas, as an accident they just so happened to create one of my favorite beers. But even it too, was to be released seasonally, Not anymore. Ladies and Gents, I give you the year-round, 32oz (that's 1 quart) of liquid gold. Sucks can now be found everywhere, forever. Thanks to the new Chicago brewery Lagunitas can keep up with their ever increasing demands. If you ever find yourself in Chicago with a spare several hours, do yourself a favor and go to the brewery. I promise you'll be blown away. Sucks is a cereal medley of grains; barley, rye, wheat and oats. Liberally dry hopped for dankness. I can't tell you what hops they use because, well, they don't tell anyone. Jerks. Just trust me, go drink a lot of this beer. Cheers!
My Score: 99
Rate Beer: 100
Beer Advocate: 97
Originally a Bavarian style beer in a time when you were only allowed to brew between September and April. The beer was often stored through summer until the next Oktoberfest so it was liberally hopped and the alcohol content was higher. Ayinger seems to have the style down pat. Malty, bready beer. Great medium body makes it very easy to drink. You may get a hint of caramel on the back end of your sip and that's okay too. Really, for the cooler month ahead, this will be my go to beer for many nights to come. Pair with a campfire. Cheers!
My score: 90
Based on Gustav Holst's orchestral interpretation of the Planets, named The Planets, Bell's has decided that if someone can make music to represent them, they can make beer that does just the same.
The first in the series, Mars, is a very bold but easy drinking double IPA. Big on the hops but also big on the malt, this beer finds the perfect balance of the two which imparts a huge mouth feel but also somehow manages to mask the 10.1% alcohol content. Notes of lime and pineapple and citrus, some pine maybe. This beer is, to me, like a bigger version of Two Hearted. Only brewed and released once so hopefully you found some. Get in with your local beer guy now as the rest of the series will be showing up from now until July of next year. Cheers!
Beer Advocate: 93
My score: 97
It's coming whether we like it or not. That old-ass bitch, winter. I often like to stave off the brutal Michigan chill with beverages of the higher alcohol content variety. Including barley wines, quads and every once in a while, a cider. Hard ciders are gaining popularity at an insane speed here in the US and people are going nuts for them. Whether you think you have a gluten intolerance(you don't) or you just simply don't like beer, ciders are becoming the choice for a lot of people now. One cider I had tried last year simply blew me away as I had never heard of ciders being made this way. Aged in whiskey barrels. And why not? Beer is. Mead is. Virtue cider out of Fennville, MI makes tons of great ciders, but The Mitten just does a mouth good. A blend of seasons past ciders and fresh pressed cider brings not only tartness, but the unique qualities a whiskey barrel can impart. Vanilla, caramel and hints of oak mix with sweet and sour aged and fresh apples. It's one of life's perfect marriage of flavors. Pair with friends and fires. Oh, and donuts. Cheers!
My Score: 90
I like my blondes like I like my coffee... tasting like coffee. Bean Flicker by Odd Side Ales is sure to blow your mind a little. It's a blonde ale so it's translucent yellow in color but when you put it in your mouth your pallet is overcome with coffee. I don't know how they did it, but I'm glad they did. They removed all the gut heavy weight of a coffee stout but left the flavor and shoved it into a sessionable, easy drinking blonde. Perfect for a summer day and easy on the alcohol. Smooth on the pallet with light carbonation. A nose of vanilla, almost brownies. Pair this beer with more of these beers. They're tasty as hell. Cheers!
Beer Advocate: 87
Rate Beer: 95
My score: 84
Finally a style that's slowly becoming more easily available. The Berliner Weisse. A beer native to Germany, this is a funky take on a wheat beer (weisse). Light in color, cloudy and best of all, sour. Usually a Berliner will vary from light tart to that back-of-the-mouth sour bite you get chomping into a fresh granny smith apple. Typically, in this beers homeland, it is sweetened with a raspberry or woodruff syrup but this hasn't even come close to catching on in the states. Evil twin has decided to create a most easily drinkable Berliner that, while still having an abv of 4%, is still packing that great sour punch. The 6 pack of cans may be my favorite container to face delivery method. Found wherever specialty beers are sold. And as always, if you can't find any of these beers I review, don't hesitate to ask your favorite local beer store. More often than not than can get what you need. Cheers!
Ratebeer: 82
Beer advocate: 85
My score: 85
Short's Soft Parade. You've had it. Bitches love that shit. Unfortunately, however, they have no idea what they're drinking. They just "want something fruity that isn't really like a beer.". Au contraire, mon cheri, it's still very much a beer you're drinking. In fact, it's a rye beer so it's even more beer than you realize. Included in that rye wort is 200 pounds of pureed strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. On paper this is very much a beer but once it's in your face hole it feels more like a wine. At 7.5% abv this is still a kick in the groin region (that's right ladies, it's no longer 9%). Not the best fruit beer you could come across, especially if you live in the Mitten (the only place Short's distributes their beer to), but it sure is good. Guy's it's okay to order this beer too. Don't worry, you won't ever see your bartender roll his eyes at you. Cheers!
Beer Advocate: 82/85
Rate Beer: 68/91
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer! A top of it's class Belgian dark strong ale brewed every year on the 24th of February to celebrate the birth of Charles the Fifth. Also known as Cuvée of the Emperor this exceptional beer is a special version of the Golden Carolus Classic, with a huge flavor profile and mysterious aromas added. Sweeter malts and elevated abv at 11% give this beer an almost wine sensation in the mouth. Kept with a cork and cage, perfect for sticking in your basement and forgetting about it for a year or so (but age-able for up to 10 years!). Shit, I'd get two and drink one fresh and sit on one. This is such an incredible, flavorful beer. Something that is so special it should never be drank alone. Get someone you know who has never had anything bigger than a Bud light and let them have a glass. Not only will they be drunk before they know what hits them, they may fall in love with better beer! That's win/win in my book. Cheers!
Rate Beer: 100
Beer Advocate: 96
It's like a super beer. Three styles in one. Dogfish Head's India brown ale is a Scotch ale, an IPA and an American Brown ale all in one. The balance on this beer is ridiculous and because Dogfish doesn't like to brew weak beers, this one is up there at 7.2% abv but drinks like a 5%, due to organic brown sugar. Dry hopped to give the nose a huge punch of hops much like the 60 and 90 minute IPA's they make. Sweet like molasses, chocolatey-coffee type flavors and great hop profiles in the middle range of about 50 IBU. This beer is one of my favorites and it can be yours too. Pair with smoked meats, braised meats and I guess most barbeque. Because it's that time of year anyway, stick this in your throat hole and thank me later. Cheers!
Rate Beer: 98
Beer Advocate: 92
Plzeňský Prazdroj. You figure it out. Pilsner Urquell. Since 1852, this czech pilsner has been the forefront of thr style as it is the very first. Using Saaz hops, Urquell has a bit more of a bite, but still easily drinkable. A nice crisp summer beer. Overall, the beer just makes sense As an ambassador for the style, often imitated and most certainly compared to. Available everywhere. Low abv and supreme drinkability. Put some in your face already.
Cheers! -DAVE
American Pale Ale. Not quite an IPA, but some come damn near. If you live near Indiana you're fortunate enough to get a hold of one of the better representations of the style. Three Floyd's Zombie Dust. This beer showcases the Citra hop and while it's only 50 ibu, it's still very full bodied, aromatic and hoppy. Citra hops are just what they sound like, giving off orange and grapefruit aromas. Three Floyd's doesn't have a far distribution, as they are still a fairly smaller brewery, so if you're ever travelling to the Chicago area I'd suggest making a detour. They make other amazing beers but this is made year round and it's worth the trip. Drink This beer for breakfast.
Cheers! -Dave
Beer Advocate: 100
Rate Beer: 100
Hoppy and roasty. Think big coffee porter style but also with a large focus on the hop profile. American black ales or, black ipa's, when done well can empart a huge amount of flavors. Stone's Sublimely self-righteous black ipa nails this style and luckily it's available year round. Roasted malts give the toffee, coffee notes while the large amount of hops bring out juicy grapefruit. Big abv at 8.7. This beer hits every time and pairs great with damn near anything barbequed. Most places that carry Stone's beers can get this if they don't already carry it. You should probably already be drinking this. Cheers! -Dave
Beer advocate: 94
Ratebeer: 100
A barley wine is an English style strong ale. Typically high in alcohol and despite it's name, it's still very much a beer.They called it a "wine" because of it's high booze content but the barley implies it is made from grain instead of fruit. Victory brewing's Old Horizontal seems to really embody this style. Deep colors and smells of dark fruits and sweet candy make up this 11% abv beast. Meant as a night cap on the cool winter nights or to just get really drunk. really fast. Barley wines were meant for aging. Extensively at that. I would suggest buying two! One to obviously try the style if you never have, and another to sit in a cool dark place for a few years. It's amazing what some time will do to a beer that ages well. This beer can beer found where finer beers are sold and usually, if you have a nice beer store you go to and they don't carry something you've heard of, ask! Chances are it's distributed to your state but your beer store didn't know to carry it. Cheers! -Dave
Rate beer: 100
Even your mom will love this one. Mine did and she hates beer. Lindeman's Framboise (fram-bwah) is a raspberry fermented lambic beer. Lambics are a certain kind of beer made in the open fermentaion style. This allows wiild bacteria and yeast local to the area to enter the beer. This sours the taste but also gives a dry, cider like taste. When fermented with raspberrys you have what is called a framboise. Very sweet, tart, strong raspberry flavor. Very low alcohol. If you find yourself liking sour beers more, getting into the world of gueuzes and krieks and oud bruins is worth finding out more on. There are not too many breweries doing these great low alcohol beers but can usually be found pretty easily these days in most specialty drink stores. Pairs great with so many chocolaty things.
Cheers! -Dave
Mead is one of the oldest fermented beverages known to us, some say dating back before we knew how to cultivate the Earth. That's old. Often called honey-wine, mead is typically just that. Fermented honey. Spices or fruits can be added to create many desired flavors. Your average mead can have an ABV as high as 19%, but the good folks over at B. Nektar have been bottling lower alcohol meads for sometime now. Their most popular? A tart, sweet little number known only as Zombie Killer. Made with Michigan cherry juice, apples and honey, this thing clocks in at only 6% abv but be careful, it's ridiculously refreshing and far too easy to drink. Which means on a nice summer day, you'll be set up real nice after just a few of these. Pair with chocolate deserts, smoked white fish or pasta but, don't pair with driving. That shit is not cool. Cheers and mahalo! -Dave
Rate Beer: 98
Simple, Dubbel and Tripel or Trippel, not triple. Tripel's have triple the amount of malt which give them a much higher abv. Big frothy heads, notes of cloves and bananas. Lightly hopped only for preservation, the bitterness is almost unnoticeable. Tripels finish with a spicy sweet taste but the mouth feel is light and easy, due to Belgian candy sugar. Despite the higher alcohol content, the best Tripels are the one's where you can't tell you're getting hammered until you stand up. Dragonmead brewery offers this in a nice light-proof box with Final Absolution. Keeping true to the style most often done by Trappist monks, Final Absolution is a fine example of an American-style tripel. Native to Michigan, found at all finer beer stores and the Vile Co. homebase fridge. Meant for sipping, if you're a girl. To be paired with cheeses and bbq'd meats or, just for those cold nights when the only warmth is the glowing laptop screen on your face... Cheers rubes!
Beer Advocate: 90
Rate Beer: 94
I have to tell you about Evil Twin's two Jesus stouts. First, Even More Jesus. The giant flavors of this stout keep up with any of the near mythical, once a year stouts from Founders or Goose Island. Deep colors, huge chocolate and coffee notes. Big abv, big mouth feel. It's a beer to savor. Brewed in limited quantities but this beer seems to be everywhere right now. Get your hands on this work of art. Had it? Loved it? Go big then, tough guy. Double Barrel Jesus awaits your confessions, with what seems like double the intense flavors of even more jesus. Both at 12% abv. Evil Twin makes all their beers at other breweries, every beer is a collaboration. This one is done with Westbrook Brewing, who make an incredible line of beers. Hunt these stouts down and grill something. Preferably something bloody. Praise Jebus!
Even More Jesus
Beer Advocate: 95
Rate Beer: 100
Double Barrel Jesus
Beer Advocate: 98
Rate Beer: 100
Ever drink a baseball glove mixed with barn hay but kind of sparkling and lightly fruity? Well you should. Saisons are beers that some find just too offensive to the palate, but the right one can resemble a fine white wine or champagne. The style is open-fermented which allows wild yeast and bacteria to become part of the process, which is what leads to the funky, dry flavors of a saison. Even to myself some saisons are hit or miss, but if you had to ask me to pick you one that would best define the style, Saison Dupont is the way to go. Hazy and golden with a nice white head, crisp, dry and sparkling. A light spice is noticeable. Good spring/summer beer. Pair with chicken, fish or a whole mess of hot, nude women. Cheers! -Dave
RATE BEER 99
This one is for the ladies and dudes with vaginas. Only kidding, but really, this beer is fucking delish. Brewed with a shit-ton of fresh Michigan raspberries, it's not only refreshing but it keeps you wanting more and more. Not overly sweet, there's a huge malt bill to balance out the sour/tart from the berries. To hell with your summer shandy, with a 5.7% abv this is going to be my frequent lawn mowing beer this summer. You want to get real crazy? Pour yourself a glass of your favorite IPA and top it off with a bit of Rubaeus, thank me later. A seasonal release but you should be able to find this wherever finer beers are sold and poured. Cheers and mahalo! -Dave
Rate Beer: 99
Beer Advocate: 90