Saranac Big Moose Winter Ale Beer Review

Playing a little catch up here, but this was my past look at the Big Moose Winter Ale from the Saranac Brewery located in New York. I picked up this one on a road trip to West Virginia where I was able to locate one and only one, craft beer shop in the area. Funny thing is they had enough to at least make it worth the visit but anyway, back to the beer.

There were the citrus and even tropical feel found in American Pale Ales from the hops, which balanced nicely against the malt base and their sweetness. The beer played out well with subtle tones in both the aroma and flavor that never became overpowering in any way, and overall it delivered a nice smoothness. I definitely enjoyed this beer and would drink it again, 3.5 out of 5 for me on this brew. Check out my video to hear and see more on this one.

New Belgium The Hemperor HPA Beer Review

The Hemperor HPA from New Belgium Brewing Company is one of the beers I did look forward to trying this year and was able to secure a six-pack from one of my local beer stores. Pungent, resiny, and dank were some of the first things I thought when I opened up this beer. The aroma is very aromatic and it does not take much to pick it up. I also found it to have a note of hop oil as well, and as for taste, the beer brings all of these into that as well. Although, there is a nice smoothness to its crisp texture and for me, it left behind both a nice mouthcoating and mouthfeel experience. This is not my first hemp beer and it did well to deliver the qualities expected, 4 out of 5 for me on this one.

Lagunitas The Waldos' Special Ale Beer Review 2018

I decided to move my look at the Waldos’ Special Ale from Lagunitas up in my rotation, otherwise not sure, when I would have posted it. Moreover, I have to admit I was happy to get my hands on this year’s batch a while back. This beer pretty much delivered on all that I expected and more. A good dank resinous quality to it made it very herbaceous, and the maltiness added a nice smoothness to the beer with caramel tones. The texture did come across as syrupy to me and it did have a hint of booziness, but at 11.3% ABV this is not always easy to hide and it did well overall. As it opened up, some of the fruit qualities emerged from the hops with tones like grapefruit and orange which was nice. All in all, this was a damn good beer no matter if you consider it craft or not. Put me down with 4.75 out of 5 for this one.

New Holland Dragon's Milk Imperial Stout Beer Review

Dragon’s Milk from New Holland Brewing is an 11% ABV Imperial Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout that I have had times in the past but never reviewed, until now. My experience with this ale had me enjoying many of the things taking place with it. There is smoothness with the beer despite picking up some of the booziness, which is kind of a reminder to slow down with this one. Dark, strong, and sweet this stout does not hold back much. Being Bourbon Barrel-Aged, there is a nice feel that comes through with the vanilla, oak and of course, Bourbon tones. This one rates for me easily as 4.25 out of 5 and if you enjoy barrel-aged beers then it is definitely worth a try. Check out my video if you would like to hear and see more.

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) Beer Review

Well, I finally got around to uploading this one on the Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout or CBS, which had been done a while back. This American Imperial or Double Stout at 11.7% ABV and 45 IBU has many good things taking place, although overall it was not as high for me I think as others. The beer did do well delivering a nice overall feel though. There was a good amount of mouthfeel and the oakiness, vanilla and bourbon all came through smoothly from the barreling of the ale. Coffee played a big key with this batch and there was some of the booziness seeping through, but the mouthcoating was also nice. In the end, this was 4.25 out of 5 for me, making it a well enough beer worth enjoying. Check out my video if you would like to see or hear more of my view on this one.

Pabst American Pale Ale Beer Review With The Beer PaTroll

For this beer video, I teamed up with Joe from his channel The Beer PaTroll to bring you a live review of the American Pale Ale Released from Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst introduced this 5% ABV and 30 IBU beer this year and we decided to check it out and give you our thoughts, although we know they are not worth much. However for me, I will say that I found it to be a little sweeter than expected, but the hops did play out okay and there was a decent piney feel in the taste. It’s not going to rival any of the craft beers, but for a macro, it played out okay and at times could be a fit for sure. My rating on this one 2.5 out of 5, and check out my video to see and hear more from me and to hear Joe’s assessment.

Beer Flow Celebrates American Craft Beer Week

May 14th to May 20th of this week is American Craft Beer Week so of course, we had to talk about it and um, drink some craft beer. Check out this week’s episode of the Beer Flow, which was all about American Craft Beer…or at least most of it. Come Get Your Beer On!

White Birch Brewing Double IPA Beer Review

A recent road trip led me coming across Double IPA from White Birch Brewing, which is located in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Finding beers are always a fun part of a road trip for sure, but this 9.2% ABV and 90 IBU Double IPA happened to catch my eye. This was probably the most it caught for me, as it was an okay beer that while I found it smooth I also found it a little sweeter than expected. Hoppy enough for sure with the malt tones expected out of a Double IPA, but not much to leave me wanting more outside of having the other 5 that is. 3 out of 5 for me on this one, making it still solid enough. Check out my video if you would like to see and hear more on this one.

Rhinegeist Andromeda Pale Ale Beer Review

Andromeda is a Pale Ale from one of my local breweries, Rhinegeist. Coming in at 5.7% ABV and 48 IBU, the beer hits with some fruity, hoppy, tropical, and citrus qualities along with some smoothness in the texture despite having a defined bitterness in the finish. Resinous qualities are also present and overall I found it to be a decent enough beer that I rate 3.5 out of 5. Check out my video if you would like to see and hear more about this beer.

Wooden Cask Pacific Time India Pale Ale Beer Review

Pacific Time India Pale Ale is from one of my local breweries Wooden Cask Brewing and carries an ABV of 6.8% with IBU unlisted; however, you will feel the bitterness some with it. Hoppy, floral, piney, clean, grapefruity with a touch of sweetness and of course dryness in the texture all accompany this beer making it a decent put together IPA. Not as known as some of our other local breweries, Wooden Cask is putting out some solid beers and this one for me is good enough that I rate it a 3.75 out of 5. Check out my video here if you would like to see and hear more of my views about this one.

Uinta Rise & Pine Beer Review

Rise & Pine from Uinta Brewing is described as a dark hoppy ale, and it comes in at 7.5% ABV along with 85 IBU. It does not hit with as much bitterness as one may expect and for me I found it to carry a nice smoothness with the helps balanced against the malts. Dark indeed and with piney notes in both the aroma and the flavor this beer provided a nice experience, making it 4.25 out of 5 for me. Check out my video if you would like to see and hear more of my thoughts on this one.

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA Beer Review

Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA is yet another offering from New Belgium Brewing as part of their Voodoo Series. Piney, sweet, malty and smooth, this one provides a nice mouthfeel and mouthcoating as it does go down rather easily. At 9% ABV, this one has the ability to sneak up on person, as the alcohol does not really come through. Also for those usually turned off by IBU concerns, the 70 IBU actually plays out a little less than expected although there is a slight bit of throat scratch. Score this one 4 out of 5 for me, and check out my video to see and hear more about this one.

Tin Man Overlord Imperial IPA Beer Review

Overlord Imperial IPA from Tin Man Brewing is 9% ABV and 90 IBU DIPA that for me was smooth, sweet, hoppy, grapefruity long with a feel of mango and papaya like qualities that came together nicely along with its dry texture. 3.75 out of 5 for me on this one and a beer that I say is definitely worth a try from this Indiana brewery. Check out my video if you would like to see and hear more on this one.

Blackrocks Brewery Grand Rabbits Beer Review

Grand Rabbits from Blackrocks Brewery is a Cream Ale that comes in at 5.5% ABV and 16 IBU and is one that I found light, smooth, creamy, hoppy and drying in its texture. I think it is a decent cream ale that I rated 3.5 out of 5, and definitely worth a try. Check out my video here if you would like to see and hear more about it.

Perrin Brewing Michigan Cherry IPA Beer Review

Michigan Cherry IPA is another offering from Perrin Brewing Company and comes in with a 5.3% ABV and 45IBU American IPA. I will say this one played more with a slighter bit of bitterness versus their Blackberry IPA, which I had consumed previously. The cherry does come through nicely in this light beer and words that I would use to describe it include sweet, fruity (obviously), tart and slightly thin. This being said it is still a decent enough brew that I personally score 3.25 out of 5. Check out my video if you would like to see more on this one.

Press Release: UA Releases Raspberry Fruit Tart

Announcing Newest in Midwest Fruit Tart Series Cincinnati, Ohio (May 7, 2018) – Urban Artifact, Cincinnati-based craft brewer and Ohio's sour brewery, today announced the release of Gyroscope, a Midwest Fruit Tart with a copious amount of real raspberries Urban Artifact utilizes only whole fruit and fresh spices to flavor beers. They make no exception with their line of beers named Midwest Fruit Tarts. The newest in the Midwest Fruit Tart series is Gyroscope which shines with decadent raspberries. "A fruited beer should be bold and unadulterated. Gyroscope is just that; it's elegant, nuanced, and refreshing. Real fruit is better, and Gyroscope is a perfect example of why that's true," explains brewer Nic Pater. Gyroscope is set to release the week of May 7th, on draft and in cans. It will go on sale at better beer retailers in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets. The Urban Artifact taproom release is Tuesday, May 8th starting at 4 pm.

Wahlburgers Fiesta Burger & Mt. Carmel Cacade Citra Zythos

I decided to try my luck at our local and new Wahlburgers here in Cincinnati that usually during the day has been too busy for lunch. However for a dinner bite things worked out well as I was able to get a seat right at the bar and check out their menu for a bit and of course a beer. Check out my video here to see how it went and what I thought, as I feature their Fiesta Burger and a Mt. Carmel Cascade Citra Zythos aka Take Home IPA for washing it down.

Woodburn Brewery Visit And Beer Flight Review 5/2/18

Out again, I decided to visit another local brewery here in Cincinnati and check out some beers for a quick video. This time out my visit was to The Woodburn Brewery, which is located on our West Side and building on The Cincinnati heritage of brewing. Check out my video to see what I enjoyed as I did a couple of flight checks of their offerings. Side note: Their flights are actually of three rather than four or maybe even five from other brewers and this is because they do 7 oz pours for their selections.

Perrin Blackberry IPA Beer Review

The Blackberry IPA from Perrin Brewing Company located in Michigan is what I would call more of just a fruit beer rather than anything of a fruit IPA. In fact the IPA distinction seemed to escape me on this one, but the blackberry does come through on this beer which carries a 5% ABV and 35 IBU level. Sweet, fruity, tart and light best sums this beer up for me, which overall the beer is not totally bad leading me to rate it 3 out of 5. Check out my video review if you would like to see more on this one.

Decadent Ales Double Toasted Marshmallow Beer Review

The Double Toasted Marshmallow from Decadent Ales came as good as advertised in my opinion. It is one that I found to have a lot of nice layers or level to it for sure. Hoppy and sweet with hints of coconut and vanilla, smooth with tropical and citrus notes from the hops and just overall a pretty tasty beer. Check out my video the video if you would like to see more on this one, but put me down with 4.75 out of 5 for this tasty brew.

Press Release: Ohio Brewers Win Big On World Stage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ohio craft brewers continued to post impressive results at the 2018 World Beer Cup competition, held May 3 in conjunction with the annual Craft Brewers Conference.  The Ohio delegation won a total of ten awards at the world’s most prestigious brewing competition.

2018 World Beer Cup medal-winning Ohio craft beers:

Fat Head’s Brewery:

• AlpenGlow – Gold medal, South German-style Weizenbock
• Midnight Moonlight – Silver medal, American-Style Black Ale

Fifty West:

• 10&2 Barleywine – Silver medal, Barley Wine-style Ale

Fretboard Brewing Company:

• Vlad the Impaler – Silver medal, International-style Pilsener

Taft’s Ale House:

• Gustav – Silver medal, Vienna-Style Lager

Brink Brewing Co.:

• Moozie – Bronze medal, Sweet Stout or Cream Stout

Columbus Brewing Company:

• TBD Peach Sour – Bronze medal, Mixed Culture Brett Beer

Little Fish Brewing Company:

• Petit Poisson – Bronze medal, Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer

Millersburg Brewing Company:

• Pope’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale – Bronze medal, Pumpkin Beer

Platform Beer Co.:

• Panic Switch – Bronze medal, Rye Beer

Founded in 2007, the Ohio Craft Brewers Association is a nonprofit guild that exists to promote and preserve Ohio’s unified craft brewing industry. We aspire to be recognized as the industry leader at both state and national levels for preserving the art of making high-quality, unique craft beer; to serve as the unified voice for craft brewers across the state; to advocate on behalf of the Ohio Craft beer industry; to contribute to systemic, local community development by driving economic and job growth, while creating experiences that bring people together; and to serve as a beacon for local production and manufacturing through craft beer, resulting in diverse choices for consumers.

Christian Moerlein Mexican Style Lime Lager Beer Review

Sharing one of my local brews here as I look at the Mexican Style Lime Lager from Christian Moerlein Brewing, I know right. Is Rod J having another fruit beer? Yes, I went back in to try another one and again it didn’t turn out too bad. Who knows, maybe I will look at more but as for this one: light, citrusy, tart, sweet and fruity are the words for me that tend to sum this one up. If you want a decent fruit beer to kick back with especially when the weather breaks and if you like lime then this one actually isn’t that bad. I’m not going to say it’s great, but it’s a decent 3.5 out of 5 for me, and if you like to hear and see more then check out my review here.

To Øl Sur Mosaic Beer Review

Sur Mosaic is a dry-hopped sour ale from the Denmark brewer To Øl that comes in with an ABV of 6% and pours a nice golden amber color. As a gypsy brewer, To Øl has moved around to various breweries and over time come up with some nice brews. This one for me did have a candy like tartness but I also found it a little thinner than I like in texture although it well carrying somewhat of a fruity flavor. However in the end while it did what was pretty much expected, it didn’t do much more leading me to rating this one a 3.75 out of 5. Check out my video if you would like to see more of my thoughts on this one.