Beer Advent: Day 1

Rude Elf's Reserve - Fegleys Brew Works
ABV - 10.5%
Beer Advent Day: 1

Down the Hall
Happy December, Hacksaw!  More importantly, Happy Beer Advent!  I'm glad your calendar showed up just in the nick of time to get started.  And Jiminy Christmas did it get started.

Beer Tasting: Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder

8% ABV

Enjoyed 11.15.14

Background: The quest for Pliny the Elder is something many an East Coast dwelling beer nerd has taken on. I can't remember exactly when I first heard about Pliny, but it is often discussed as an almost mythical and legendary type of beer that only the rarest of heroes has the privilege of drinking. It is placed upon a high mighty pedestal for Imperial IPA's and frequently thrown in conversations as the best beer people have ever had. Years have gone by since I've been into homebrewing without so much as seeing a bottle of Pliny. I have read reviews and even based recipes on what people claim would be similar to Pliny - yet I had never even tasted it! Finally on 11.15.14 Down the Hall delivered a bottle that he picked up on his California Beerventure to be consumed during an NC State tailgate.

Beer Tasting: Allagash Black

Allagash Black

7.5% ABV

Recently one of my local haunts hosted an Allagash tap takeover weekend.  I had limited experience with Allagash's beer, but knowing their reputation I had determined that I couldn't miss it.  Sure enough, the beer was phenomenal and led me on a hunt to basically buy any Allagash that I'd not had before.  I found this little guy, which played ever so nicely into the Belgian kick that I've been on recently.  

Beer Tasting: Ommegang Valar Morghulis

Ommegang Valar Morghulis Dubbel

8% ABV

We often will put descriptors in front of the word "nerd" to delineate between a certain field and a complete lifestyle. One prime example, which fits well with this blog, is the "beer nerd". We've covered this fairly extensively, but what happens when you start combining specific types of nerd-dom? I'll tell you what happened to me. I've known about Ommegang's Game of Thrones themed beer series for a while now, but I've never had the pleasure of tasting any. So when I saw this one on the shelf, it was a collision of worlds and an utter no-brainer--it was coming home with me.

Beer Tasting: Boulevard Long Strange Tripel

Boulevard Long Strange Tripel

9.2% ABV, 23 IBU

It’s funny how we all go through phases in various aspects of life.  In everything from how busy you are at work to what beers you end up with in the checkout line.  Of late, I’ve been on a bit of a Belgian kick.  I’m not entirely sure why, I suppose they seem to compliment the changing leaves and dropping temperatures rather well.  I was hitting the double IPAs pretty hard a few months ago, now it has been a lot of dubbels and tripels, and who knows what the early throes of winter will bring?

New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale Tasting

New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale

6.5% ABV,  36 IBU

Enjoyed 10.11.14

Background: An NC State football gets postponed leaving 2 men stranded at friend’s house with a fridge loaded with craft beer that needs to be sampled. There are worse scenarios I have imagined in my lifetime to say the least. Hacksaw and Down the Hall got to team up on drinking this delicious offering from the consistently solid New Belgium. Although our sampling and tasting notes were certainly influenced by the myriad of other beers consumed on this day – we did our best to focus while enjoying this one so an objective review could be given.

Beer Tasting: Dogfish Head Saison du BUFF

Dogfish Head Saison du BUFF

6.8% ABV
Enjoyed on 10.5.2014

So technically Saison du BUFF isn't exclusively a Dogfish Head beer.  It's actually a collaboration between them, Stone Brewing Company, and Victory Brewing Company.  I just happened to grab the Dogfish Head version.  As Hacksaw and I have done our share of collaborations, when the big boys get together, I'm always excited to see what they come up with.

Lagunitas Maximus Tasting

Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA

8.2% ABV, 72 IBU

Enjoyed 09.27.14

Background: Drinking on an NC State Football gameday always seems to bring out the best in me, or at least the best beers in my fridge… I have had Maximus sitting in the fridge for over a month and Down the Hall had been raving over it for much longer than that so finally I decided to crack her open after an NC State touchdown. Good thing I popped it when I did because it may have been the last touchdown my team will ever score. On to Maximus!

Sierra Nevada - Beer Camp 2014

As a Master’s graduation gift my mother in law bought me the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp pack. She didn’t know exactly what it was but she knew I would like it. It was an amazing gift that kept my tastebuds guessing all through the month of September as I worked my way through the wide range of styles. I’m just going to share a few notes on this journey. I’d love to know what you thought of the Beer Camp this year and if your experience was anything like mine!

Beer Tasting: Firestone Walker Double Jack

Firestone Walker Double Jack (Double IPA)

9.5% ABV, 85 IBU

Enjoyed on 9.28.2014

Ah, Firestone Walker.  I can’t say that I’ve ever had one of their beers that I didn’t enjoy.  This particular one, like many of the beers I write about, was another gift from the wife.  It had been in the fridge (and the back of my mind) for several weeks, so after a long drive back home from Charlotte, NC, I figured the time was right.  The foil wrapper on top makes you feel extra fancy and builds anticipation for this delightful brew.

Beer Tasting: Duck Rabbit Milk Stout

5.7% ABV

Enjoyed on 08.28.14

Football season. I think I drink twice as much beer during late summer/early fall due to football season.  So with the kickoff game between South Carolina and Texas A&M on the newly founded SEC Network, I knew it was time to pop the top on a beer I've been saving. Good thing I opened it before trying to get the game on - because the SEC has apparently decided that Time Warner customers will not be able to watch its prized new network on the WATCHESPN app.  No worries, I had this delicious brew to keep me company and plenty more football to watch later.

Beer Tasting: New Belgium Snapshot

New Belgium Snapshot

5% ABV, 13 IBU

Enjoyed 08.31.14

Every once in a while I go looking for something a little different than what I normally drink just to change it up. I’ve overdosed lately on IPA’s and imperial stouts, so this offering from New Belgium was enticing as I hadn’t had a wheat beer in a while. This used to be my favorite style when I first started getting into craft beer and while it isn’t my fave style anymore It’s a good standby.

Beer Tasting: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Enjoyed: 08.20.14

It was but a mundane Wednesday.  I remember well, my wife was having a rough day at work and strongly hinted that cheesecake would be a great help when she got home (apparently it was national cheesecake day… since that’s a thing).  So, being the dutiful and loving husband that I am, I went straight to the store after work to pick some up. 

Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue Label) Tasting

9% ABV, 20 IBU

Enjoyed 08.08.14

I came home from work to a totally unexpected surprise from my amazing wife Mrs. Hacksaw. I just finished my master’s degree from Penn State and was greeted with a steak dinner, balloons and most importantly - Chimay Grand Reserve or as I like to call it – Blue Label. I think of Chimay sometimes like I think of Johnny Walker – call me a rebel that’s just how my mind works. She chose the Blue Label to show enthusiasm for Penn State of course! I did a bit more than taste this 25.4 oz of Belgian Dark Strong excellency – I polished the bottle off over the course of the evening.

Beer Tasting: Hardywood Park Bourbon Double IPA

Hardywood Park Bourbon Double IPA
9.4% ABV, 80 IBU 
Enjoyed on 8.9.14

A particularly arduous business trip saw me returning home on Saturday evening with only a few hours of sleep. True to form, I opened the fridge and found that my wife and personal beer goddess had gotten me a surprise: Bourbon Double IPA. If that won’t chase the travelling blues away, I don’t know what will!

Beer Tasting: Green Flash Le Freak

Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Imperial IPA

9.2% ABV, 101 IBU

Enjoyed on 8.3.2014

I like to think of this beer as the nerdy kid who has a really hard time in high school. Then, when he gets to college, he learns to embrace his quirks, laugh at himself, and ends up rolling up to his high school reunion as the head of some multi-million dollar start-up company. In any case, this beer a prime example of when outside-the-box thinking has really paid off.

Beer Tasting: Southern Tier 2XIPA

Southern Tier 2XIPA

8.2% ABV

Enjoyed 07.25.14

An after work invitation to the local Ogden tap house provided the inspiration for this delightful ale. While many other options were available I had not had this particular beer on draft before.

Beer Tasting: Dogzilla Black IPA

Laughing Dog - Dogzilla Black IPA

6.8% ABV, 18.7 SRM, 69.3 IBU

Enjoyed 7.20.2014

My lovely wife came home with this one as a surprise after a particularly annoying week at work.  She’s a keeper, that one.

Recently I've noticed an uptick in the amount of black IPAs out there.  This style basically takes the dark, roasty malt character of a stout or porter and fuses it with the hop-centric flavors and aromas of an IPA. Dogzilla pours nice and dark, but not too thick, with a lovely cream-colored head, which recedes fairly quickly.  Immediately, you can detect the floral tones of the hops in the nose. There are not much of the coffee/chocolate aromas, but perhaps they are just muscled out by the hops. From the first sip, it’s clear that the crew at Laughing Dog nailed the balance on this beer.  It’s not too much of anything.  Nor do the dark malts and the hops clash in their battle for attention.  Rather, it starts out sweet and chocolately, gracefully fades to some floral hop flavors, and finally exits with just enough lingering bitterness to leave you craving another sip.  As it warmed, I noticed some dark berry type flavors shining through as well.

If you like stouts and IPAs, but are a little wary of the whole black IPA wave, I would highly recommend this one as a good starting point.  Unlike some others I’ve had, it doesn’t assault you with malt astringency and then hop bitterness.  Instead, the flavors get along like they were meant to be together.

--Jacob

Beer Tasting: Hoppyum IPA

Foothills Hoppyum IPA

6.3% ABV, 8 SRM, 70 IBU

Enjoyed 7.20.2014

Observations: This IPA from Foothills Brewery pours a wonderful deep copper color with a very thin white head. The aroma of this particular bottle was almost non-existent, although perhaps it was because it had been in my fridge for a month. The lack of aroma didn’t seem to impact the flavor as a solid clean bitterness came through. There is a hint of malt sweetness that really balances well with the bright citrus and slight pine notes. The medium mouth feel and slightly dry finish really round this beer out and leave you wanting another.

Conclusion: In a hop crazed world this IPA stands out with outstanding citrus flavor and a clean bitterness that balances well. A balanced IPA may sound like an odd term but it seems an apt description. Although a blast of hop aroma would have been nice it very well could be the longer-than-normal storage time.

--Ben