Viewing entries tagged
beer porn
A lot of people try to mimic the bold style of a west coast IPA, and few get it right. Odd Side kind of nails it. As far as I'm concerned, it's the mid-west equivalent of Pliny the Elder. Had that beer before? Think my claim is ridiculous? Suck it. I've done the taste test and they're not far from each other. Dankerino is a juicy double IPA with notes of citrus, pineapple and a nice pine bite. Just bitter enough but still smooth drinking. Packs a sly punch at 10% too. The name just seals the deal for me. It really is a "dank" beer and the artwork is great. OVER THE LINE!
My Score: 90
Beer Advocate: 89
Rate Beer: 92
All pumpkin everything. So, I already covered Pumking, why not keep it going? All you pumpkin haters can suck it, don't drink it if you don't like it. Still haven't gotten your fix? Southern Tier offers another pumpkin-packed brew for your throat hole. This time, a stout. Expect big, bold flavors commonly offered by Southern Tier. Don't leave out big abv's. Dust off those ugg boots because it's time to get white girl wasted on the tasty fall nectars. There isn't much to say separate from what I had said on Pumking, just this time it's darker, more bold and still delicious. This treat comes in 22oz bottles only or draft if you're lucky. Pair it with some chilly ass weather and your favorite boo thang. Cheers, babes.
My Score: 89
Rate Beer: 97
Beer Advocate: 89
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
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
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
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
