A Pint Half Full

This is a beer I've heard so much about due to its unique blend of cherry ale and Belgian quadrupel ale. At a whopping 9.8% alcohol level and complex mix of flavors, this beer is not for the weak. Let it warm up a bit after the pour to get the flavors well blended and you will experience something unique and good tasting. I don't say great because you can't escape the heavy alcohol taste which can mask some of the wonderful mix of caramel malt, Belgian yeast and spice flavor with a splash of cherry (no not like Dr Pepper - more subtle). Its truly unique; drink it while you're in a bold mood. The label art also rules.

Yes... it has been too long. What can I say - I'm really lazy. But I got this thing called a smartphone a few months ago, it takes pics, has a blogging app, and I'm on it all the time so there are no excuses anymore (for now). I haven't stopped trying out new beers so I have a little backlog of things to talk about. Without further adieu, HOPTIMUM.

The Total Wine store limit this to one per customer. That plus the label art had me at hello. The guy's head is a HOP.

Tasted tons of crisp pine hop and grapefruit followed by a touch of biscuit sweetness. Not as extreme as I thought it'd be but met the hop fix I was looking for. Find it and drink.

It's September which means Fall is here (who cares if it's still 90 degrees outside, September means FALL!!!)  and along with that comes your Octoberfest and Pumpkin beers.  The Sam Adams Octoberfest was released last week and DFH Punkin Ale released today.  Be on the lookout for these two offerings as well as the other seasonals.

I partook in the Sam Adams Octoberfest last week at my fantasy football draft out of a bottle.  I think it'd taste better in a glass but it did have an odd taste to it.  It had a bit of the natural pumpkin flavor with a rush of sweet malt at the front of the drink and then just kind of faded.  I was a bit disappointed with it but will have to reserve judgement until I have it in a glass.  I'd say it's a little better than last year's however.

I was fortunate to attend the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale release party at the Fairfax, VA branch of the DFH Alehouse and had some fresh Punkin Ale by the pint.  I must say that it is more subtle and balanced in its flavor profile than last year's; balancing the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars very well whereas last year's was a bit more on the sweet side.  Definitely pick up a 4-pack if you find it and like pumpkin beers.  Enjoy!

I've been on a dark beer kick as of late in search of new flavors.  More specifically, beers with dark fruit flavors - figs, cherries, mixed with chocolate and coffee.  Dark beers I've tried seem to have less hop bitterness and more emphasis on malt and spice complexity.  Harder to find in your typical beer store but really cool when you find it.  The two beers I describe in this post are a bit of opposites - the first is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and the other is an Imperial Stout.  Granted they are two different styles but one has a really nice balance while the other just breaks you down into a trembling mess.

The Lost Abbey Ten Commandments - Flavor profile of dark cherries, dark chocolate with a smooth and slick mouthfeel.  Great balance between that sweetness and hop flavor.  Just blends together so well.  The beer tastes like a dessert.  A bit of alcoholic warmth coats the throat as you drink it but I thought the alcohol taste was hardly noticeable and masked by other flavors.  This one makes me want to try more of this style of beers.


Dogfish Head World Wide Stout - Looking forward to it since it's a Dogfish Head Stout but what a disaster!  Waaaay too strong alcohol wise and tastes like licorice or paint thinner.  I tried to choke it down but just was not feeling it.  Strong strong dark cherries and really high alcohol content.  As it warmed, the alcohol came to the forefront and dominated any flavor profile.  Sorry DFH.  Go try Old Rasputin Imperial Stout for what this style should taste like.

Summer is well underway, along with barbecues, pool parties, beach parties, and all the "summer" edition brews that accompany these occasions.  Typically light in alcohol content, crisp, and refreshing, summer styles are made for long summer days and nights, hanging out with friends.   Seems like the first summer beers come out mid-May and circulate until around August timeframe.  Believe it or not, beyond the normal mass produced fodder you'll find from A-B, Miller, and Coors, smaller breweries like Bell's or Magic Hat release some stuff especially for the summer too.  This year, I sampled a few summer beers from some other breweries and I can say that though they are better balanced and cleaner tasting, they are not all that great either!  But I'm going to rank the ones I did try so here are the 5 beers I've tried so far:

5.  Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale - Syrupy like when you mix honey with water.  That's all I could taste and could not get over in this beer.  Yuck.

4.  Samuel Adams Summer Ale - They equated summer beer with citrus.  Way too much lemon zest that made this almost sour and too tangy for me.  The tang hangs around and left this film in my mouth that's not good for the summer obviously.  Still sticking to the Boston Lager.

3.  Sierra Nevada Summerfest - Clear, clean taste but minimal flavor.  Notes of grassy, piney hops if you really look for it.  Very effervescent which helps the refreshment factor but overall a little bland!  A little yeasty in the aftertaste.  Harmless fun.

2.  Bell's Oberon - Nice light medium body and hints of orange sweetness.  Some peppery notes.  Thirst quenching.  Not bad and fits into the summer style well.

1.  Magic Hat Wacko - Best of the bunch.  Seriously, it's berry colored.  The taste had hint of cherries which I loved rather than the typical citrus hints.  Nice malt backbone and would be pleasant on any summer day.

Try picking some of these up and let me know what you think.

I went on a little IPA binge a couple weeks ago, went to my Total Wine on the hunt.  As usual I stood there in the beer aisle, debating what I wanted to try.  It's like going to Toys R Us as a kid and picking which GI Joe you wanted next.  I was in the mood for something hoppy that would blow my mind, pucker my mouth, and shrivel my tongue (sometimes you're just in one of those moods). 

IPAs, or India Pale Ales, were originally brewed to survive the long journey from England to India along that "trade-route-that-we-learned-about-in-high-school".  These beers were brewed with tons of hops to take advantage of the preservative nature of the ingredient.  That means these beers are all about that hop bitterness and aroma that opens up your sinuses.  When tasted, you'll get a whiff of spice, pine, perhaps some citrus (grapefruit, lemons, oranges) followed by a dryness or at least lingering bitterness to the back of the tongue.

I asked the beer guy at Total Wine what he recommended and he told me about two beers from breweries from the West Coast.  Seems like alot of good beers are from Cali these days. 

Purchased from:
Whole Foods, Fair Lakes

ABV%:
6%

Type:
Amber Ale

Color:
Caramelly and red glow

Aroma:
Well rounded, fresh hops, with hints of oranges - not tangy like lemons or grapefruits.

Taste:
A pleasant hop bite that cuts through the blend of slight malt sweetness and bitterness.  A wonderful balance.  Tastes somewhat "juicy" and thirst quenching.  Ends with a little spice that reminds me of cayenne.

Overall:
I've heard of Troeg's Brewery before but the only beer I've had from them was Nugget Nectar which I wasn't too fond of.  I saw a 6-pack of the Hopback and decided to give it a try as it is one of their year round offerings.  I am glad I tried it.  Perfectly balanced, with the right amount of alcohol content, this is a refreshing beer perfect for bbqs and the summer.  It can be subtle and in your face at the same time.  Could drink multiple bottles with not problem.  The spice in the end just gives it a little bit of personality and kick.  Thank you Troegs! 

4.5/5