Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Beer Review: Boulevard Tropical Pale Ale

Taking a look at the Tropical Pale Ale from the Boulevard
Brewing Company, a 5.9% ABV and 45 IBU Pale Ale that is a collaboration between
Boulevard and Florida’s Cigar City Brewing. Their goal, combine a balanced pale
ale with the bright and refreshing flavors of both grapefruit and passion fruit
and then accent it with juicy, citrusy hops.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Beer Review: Guinness Black Lager

This is a look at the Guinness Black Lager which is a Euro
Dark Lager that comes in at a 4.5% ABV and is cold brewed with roasted barley. Introduced
in 2010, this newer product is aimed at young men who prefer chilled, bottled lagers to pints of beer
and to those that may be interested in a dark beer but not their famous stout.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Beer Review: Schlafly American IPA (AIPA)

Schlafly is based out of St. Louis, Missouri, and this is a
look at their American IPA or simply abbreviated, AIPA. This IPA comes in
nicely at a 7.2% ABV and also 65 IBU, and it was designed to release some big
flavors and aroma, so let’s see how it does. Key hops used include: Amarillo,
Centennial and Simcoe.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada 11.5° Plato

This
is my look at the 11.5° Plato from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, which is a
Session IPA offering that comes in at an ABV of 4.5%. It is described as having
a burst of hop flavor and aroma from its use of intense American hops that
feature notes of grapefruit, citrus and tropical fruit.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Beer Review: Three Floyds Alpha King

Alpha King from Three Floyds Brewing is an American Pale Ale that comes in at 6.66% ABV along with 66 IBU. It is considered to be hop lover’s beer and a citrusy experience from the use of Centennial, Cascade and Warrior Hops. It is one of Three Floyds flagship beers and time to see why.

Beer Review: Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds Brewing Company is based out of Munster,
Indiana and this is a look at their Pale Wheat Ale…Gumballhead. This American Pale
Wheat comes in at an ABV of 5.6% and 35 IBU, and brings together the traditional
Wheat Ale with the crisp citrus commonly found on American Pale Ales, which may
be due to its overabundance of Amarillo hops.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Beer Review: Evil Twin The Cowboy

This is my look at The Cowboy from Evil Twin Brewing. This beer is a Smoked Pilsner that comes in at an ABV of 5.5% and is classified as an all year offering from the brewery. The goal of this beer seems to be the creation of a beer that cowboys would want to drink.

Beer Review: Omnipollo 4:20 Vanilla Waffle Wheat

The Omnipollo 4:20 Vanilla Waffle Wheat is an American Pale
Wheat Ale Styled beer from the Omnipollo brewery in Sweden. This beer comes in
with an ABV of 5.2% and is part of their Magic Numbers Series. There isn’t much
listed about this beer besides the following: Part of Magic Numbers (a dreamy small-batch
series): 4:20 is a wheat beer brewed with biscuit malt and vanilla beans.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Beer Review: Prairie Birra Farmhouse Ale

The Birra Farmhouse Ale is a Saison offering from Prairie Artisan Ales based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It comes in at an ABV of 4.5% and an IBU of 18. Golden in appearance, this beer is for those looking for a nice crisp and refreshing beer with a little bit of a spice kick.

Commercial Description:

Birra is a light and sessionable farmhouse ale. It is crisp with notes of black pepper and orange and goes perfectly with food.


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Beer Review: Redhook Out Of Your Gourd

Although Redhook
Brewery is technically not a craft brewer, here is a look at their Out Of Your
Gourd, a 5.8% ABV Pumpkin Porter that pours a chestnut brown and was fermented
with pureed pumpkin and maple syrup. Let’s see how this beer fares and what it
has to offer.

Commercial
Description:

Out of
Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter is dark chestnut brown in color and is made with
pureed pumpkin. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are added to the whirlpool and
maple syrup is added during fermentation. Lightly hopped with Northern Brewer
hops, Pumpkin Porter is a full-bodied, rich and roasty porter perfect for all
things fall – eating turkey, watching football or drinking with your buddies
around a bonfire.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Hoppy Lager

The Sierra Nevada Hoppy Lager is one of the specialty beers
from Sierra Nevada and was reintroduced earlier this year in of the variety
packs after being a featured beer in the Beer Camp Across America Series in
2015. This hybrid India Pale Lager or IPL for short comes in with an ABV of 7%
and an IBU level of 55.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Family Values

Here is one more beer from the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp
Across America Series. Family Values is an 8.5% ABV Imperial Brown Ale that
also comes in with an IBU of 35. This is not one to be taken lightly as the
smooth taste impacted by honey can have you forgetting the strength of it.
Commercial Description:
Family Values showcases the cooperation and kinship of
Midwestern brewers. It features largely Midwestern-grown ingredients: Minnesota
wild rice, Indiana honey, Missouri oats, Michigan hops, and cocoa nibs from
Illinois as well as Sierra Nevada's estate-grown malt. This is our centrally
located collaboration celebrating the best of the Midwest.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada State Of The Union

From Sierra Nevada and their Beer Camp Across America series,
we have the Stout of the Union Robust Stout. This big flavored Stout comes in
at an ABV of 7.3% and an IBU of 64. Roasty, rich and full of lots of malt flavor,
this stout is a big package in a little bottle that brings a bold and tasty
mouthfeel.

Beer Review: Stillwater Artisanal Stereo

Stereo is a 7% ABV IPA from Stillwater Artisanal Ales. It
comes in at 70 IBU, but it actually smoothed out by the malts that are also
used for this beer along with its lean Pilsner like base. With the blend of six
hops that are layered in this concoction and its light touch of caramel, you
may be turning up this one up.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Beer Ratings: What You Need To Know And Understand

I had a friend ask me about how beer ratings are broken down and what they truly mean, outside of higher ones just being seen as the best. So, here is a video that tries to address that question.

Beer Review: Stillwater Artisanal Superhop

This is a look at Superhop from Stillwater Artisanal Ales,
which is an American IPA that brings the tropics all the way home. It has an ABV
of 6% and an IBU of 60, and one should expect to prepare themselves for a juicy
amount of goodness. This hazy beer is almost a secret in itself as not much can
be found online, except for those that have tasted its nectar.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Snacks For Beer With Craft Beers Gone Wild

We talk about snacks that go well with beer. Like beers, not all are made the same and neither are the snacks that best go with them. Let us show you some favorites of ours.

Beer Review: Stone Go To IPA

The Stone Go To IPA from Stone Brewing is a session IPA that comes in at an ABV of 4.5 %. Highlighted by the things that we enjoy about India Pale Ales, it looks to provide all of that in a nice thirst quenching modest ABV level.

Commercial Description:

Since Day One, we’ve been abundantly forthright about our lust for hops. It’s led us to craft many an IPA, most of them imperial—some intense for their time and all timeless in their intensity. For Stone Go To IPA, we’ve embraced our hop obsession in a new way, funneling an abundance of lupulin-borne bitterness into a “session” IPA that delivers all the fruity, piney character of a much bigger IPA at a more modest ABV level.

To accomplish this, we employed “hop bursting.” The result is an alpha-acid-rich beer that fans can enjoy more of Without settling for less of the assertive hop character you, like us, crave.

Malt: Pale, Light Crystal and Vienna

Hops: Magnum, El Dorado, Crystal Cascade, Experimental Hop Steiner 06300, Mosaic (dry hopped), Crystal, Ahtanum, Sterling, Citra (dry hopped) and Cascade Hops (dry hopped)

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Pat-Rye-OT Revolutionary Pale Ale

Back to take a look at the Sierra Nevada Pat-Rye-OT from their Beer Camp Across America Series. This American Pale Ale comes in at 5.6% and 39 IBU and features rye and apples as it pays homage to beers brewed by the original colonies. This is because rye and apples were the first ingredients used by American brewers in the colonies alongside the American hops.

Beer Collaborators:


Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Lawson's Finest Liquids, Stoudts Brewing Company, Trillium Brewing Company...

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Beer Review Sierra Nevada Sweet Sunny South

Sweet Sunny South is one of the recent collaboration beers from Sierra Nevada and part of their Beer Camp Across America Series. It is a 4.9% ABV Saison and also comes in at a 23 IBU level. The commercial description is as follows.
This rustic ale features Southern twists including corn grits, tea leaves, and plenty of sweet fruit—peaches, papaya, guava, and prickly pear—for an easy drinking beer.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Collaboration with Austin Beerworks, Bayou Teche Brewing, Creature Comforts Brewing Company, Funky Buddha Brewery, Wicked Weed Brewing...

Beer Review: Arcadia Ales Cheap Date

From Arcadia Ales comes Cheap Date, a 4.5% Session IPA that
is supposed to offer a nice refreshing hoppy experience that should present nicely
in aroma and taste. It is said to be overloaded with tropical Citra hops and citrusy
Simcoe hops that are placed in balance against the malts used. A good thing
about this beer though may be from outside of the bottle, as 1% of all Cheap
Date sales are donated to the Kalamazoo Parks Foundation on behalf of the
Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Beer Review: Evil Twin Low Life

The Low Life from Evil Twin Brewing is a 5.5% ABV Pilsner.
It packs a nice colorful appearance and is designed to provide a nice refreshing
experience from the balance created between the malts and the hops. Things
noted to be expected include a fruity and floral aroma and taste, as well as a
crisp finish wrapped into this golden colored ale. Watch the video to see my
thoughts and opinion on how this beer does overall.

Beer Review: Morland Old Speckled Hen

Greene King is a Macro Brewery that sits in Bury St Edmunds,
which is a market town located in Suffolk, England. And one of their creations
is the Morland Old Speckled Hen, which is an Extra Special or English Strong Bitter
Ale (ESB). Coming in at a 5% ABV, this beer seemed intriguing for me to see
what it has to offer. It is characterized as having a full, smooth flavor and
being a very easy one to drink. Toffee and malt are seen as highlights for the
beer, and they are supposed to combine with the bitterness to then provide a
nice balanced sweetness before the beer ends with a refreshing dry finish. But
does it do all of this? Well, you will have to watch the video to find out my
thoughts on that. So, let’s see!


Sunday, November 13, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Moxee-Moron

From Sierra Nevada and their Beer Camp Across America Series comes the Moxee-Moron, which of course is another collaboration beer in which Sierra Nevada has teamed up with five other breweries: Bale Breaker Brewing, Barley Brown’s Beer, Black Raven Brewing Company, Melvin Brewing and Odell Brewing Company. This collaboration Imperial IPA comes in at an ABV of 7.5% and also carries an IBU level of 70. This brew was designed to honor the Pacific Northwest’s hop-bomb heritage. It features hops in the mash, the kettle, the hop Torpedo and the fermenter for ultra-complex hop aromas and flavors.

Brewery Opening: Wooden Cask Brewing (Newport, Kentucky)

Live from the Grand Opening from Wooden Cask Brewing in Newport, Kentucky, as we celebrate one more brewery on our area! Sorry though, the signal was lost part way through.

Friday, November 11, 2016

CBGW Asks: What Are Your Bar Pet Peeves?

So we decided to discuss some of the pet peeves that we notice when we attend bars and discuss things for which you may want to be aware. Do you have any Bar peeves?

Monday, November 7, 2016

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada West Latitude

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company teamed up with five other
brewing companies to create West Latitude, a Session Rye Beer that comes in at
a 5.5% ABV and 55 IBU. This beer is described as a combination of the
fruitiness of hops usually found on the Left Coast and the robustness of malts
and the spiciness of rye. It is fermented with the addition of hibiscus flowers
to share some love from the Hawaiian Islands, and to add a floral touch. While
it is described as having a body that is not too heavy, it is also described as
being bigger on the feel than expected. This beer is a part of the 2016 series
and check out my video here to gather my thoughts on how well it does overall.

The other breweries involved include: Bear Republic Brewing Company,
Faction Brewing, Mad River Brewing Company, Magnolia Brewing Company, and Maui
Brewing Company.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Beer Review: Rogue Juniper Pale Ale

From Rogue Ales & Spirits comes the Juniper Pale Ale, an
American Pale Ale created with the whole juniper berries as part of the
ingredients. This 5.3% ABV and 34 IBU beer features 11 ingredients in total
which includes 5 malts and 3 Hops. The beer itself was first introduced in 2007
as a beer to commemorate the “turkey in each of us” after the turkey was named
the official bird of the Rogue Nation that August. With that being the case, it
is said to pair well with turkey as well as hot and spicy foods like many pale
ales. Check out my review here to see what my thoughts are on this somewhat interesting
ale.

Beer Review: Stillwater Readymade Vacuum

The Readymade Vacuum from Stillwater Artisanal Ales is best
described as a smoked India Style Black Ale. It is referenced as a Black IPA as
it uses a blend of various smoked and roasted malts in combination with some
piney, dank and dark (fruity) hops. The ABV comes in at 8% and the beer warns
about enjoying it too much, and becoming sucked in to its enigmatic
composition. Complexity is definitely in play with this beer as I found out in
my enjoying of it. Check out my video here to see my thoughts and how this beer
compares.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Beer Review: Ballast Point Schooner Wet Hop Ale On Location Quickie

Available only on draft, the Ballast Point Schooner Wet Hop Ale
is a Pale Ale that is worth a taste. I happened to come across this beer on a
visit to the BrewRiver Gastropub in Cincinnati, and I decided to do a quick on
location review which you can see here. The beer itself comes in a 5.5% ABV and
25 IBU. What’s unique about this one would have to be the use of the Wet Hops,
which are hops that are picked off the vine and used in the brewing process
before they are dried and packaged as usual. The beer is hops used are 100%
Cascade and they are picked, shipped and put into the brew within 36 hours.
This beer definitely did shine and stand out with the freshness received in both
the aroma and taste. It is a recommend for any American Pale Ale fan and check
out my video here to gather my other thoughts on this refreshing beer.

Beer Review: Taft's Resolved Belgian On Location Quickie

Another on location review from BrewRiver Gastropub here in
Cincinnati, as I take a look at the Resolved Belgian Ale from Taft’s Ale House
which is one more Cincinnati Brewery. This Blonde Ale was created to give the
feel of what one would expect from a nice Belgian Ale. It comes on at a nice
5.8% ABV and sits nicely in the glass golden colored and capped by a nice white
head, which does dissipate quickly. But great notes and taste can be found in
this beer as well as a flavorful mouthfeel. The texture is a little thinner
than expected, bit overall it is a nice package with this beer. Take a quick
look at the video to see my other thoughts on this one.

Beer Review: MadTree EspressoSelf On Location Quickie

A stop by at the BrewRiver Gastropub in Cincinnati led to me
checking out the EspressoSelf Brown Ale from the MadTree Brewing Company.
MadTree is also located in Cincinnati and has been one of the driving forces in
our local craft beer movement. This beer is at a modest 4.9% ABV along with 17
IBU, and is coffee and beer lover’s dream. It is brewed with Deeper Roots
Coffee and really shines in bringing out some great espresso notes and flavor.
The taste on this one is that of such and goes along well with its creamy
smooth texture. Check out my review to gather my other thoughts on beer and
find out why it maybe one that you will want to try.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Equinox

From the Lagunitas Brewing Company comes Equinox, an 8.4%
ABV and 50 IBU American Pale Ale. This ale pours out a nice golden orange color
that does contain a slight haze, and is capped by a nice tightly packed and foamy
white head. The carbonation is able to be seen when placed against a light, and
some liveliness can be seen. The aroma presented displays tropical and citrus
notes along with a nice pine presence. Simcoe and Equinox hops are both used,
and seem to work nicely in tandem. As far as the taste, there is a sharp bite
on the initial but the finish features a nice crisp and refreshing break.
Equinox is another solid offering from Lagunitas, but check out my video for my
other thoughts on this one.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Stout It Out With Craft Beers Gone Wild

Craft Beers Gone Wild takes a look at stouts and what they have to offer in all of their chocolate, coffee and dark goodness.


Rod J BeerVentures Swag