Rod J BeerVentures

Let's Talk Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald - Video Beer Review #371

From the Great Lakes Brewing Company located in Cleveland, Ohio, comes the Edmund Fitzgerald. This 6% ABV Porter is a regular core beer for Great Lakes and is also listed in the book, "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die."

The beer pours out a near jet black color, and is accentuated by a tan or beige colored head. Almost without delay, aroma notes are detected coming out of the glass and are highlighted by the smell of chocolate and coffee notes up front, and a subtle hint of a caramel sweetness on the back along with an espresso quality.

The taste proves to be somewhat flavorful and robust, and there is a good hit of some bitterness up front, followed by a nice crispness on the back end break. The flavors do to tend to get around the mouth nicely, and one thing that I enjoyed was the bit of smokiness that was shown. There is a nice good length on the duration of the flavor, and not really any harshness on the finish. The carbonation sits well, and creates a great overall experience with this medium body beer.

Overall, the Edmund Fitzgerald does well as representation of the Porter style, and that smokiness mentioned also makes it nice as one to pair with a cigar. One thing to note though is to let it warm up for a few minutes, as you don’t want this one to be highly cold. Doing so will ensure better exposure from the aroma and taste. But, this is definitely one to give a try.

CBGW Talks Oktoberfest Beers

Well with Oktoberfest in full swing, what better way to enjoy then with a show discussing Oktoberfest beers? So, that's what we decided for this one.

Let's Talk Anderson Valley Brother David's Triple - Video Beer Review #369

From California’s Anderson Valley Brewing Company comes the
Brother David’s Triple, this Abbey Style Ale comes in at a nice 10% ABV and
with a subdued IBU of 15. As a Belgian Triple, it does seem to do well with
paying homage to the style.

The color of the beer that is poured is a nice golden amber
color with a head that is white but dissipates in a rapid fashion. It is a
bottle conditioned beer as there are some pieces of yeast that you may notice
inside of the beer. Nothing to worry about there, but if you are not a fan then
just know to be cautious with your pour as you proceed with doing so. Also on
the appearance, there is a noticeable haze so clarity did not show to be as
great.

Turning to the aroma, I will start by saying that there is a
nice complexity. The notes of coriander, clove, and orange blossom all come
together to form a nice sweet smelling concoction. There are also some notes
that are reminiscent of honey. There is some breadiness as well in the aroma
from the yeast, but the hops definitely take a back seat.

As far as the taste, the initial flavor brings a nice burst
that gets all around the mouth and into the cheeks area. There is a slight
bitterness as well as a nice little spice kick from the hops, but it does
smooth out quickly and is followed up by what are a nice creaminess as well as
a crisp break on the back end. The texture is very sturdy and holds together
well in the beer, the carbonation is not too heavy, and the body is definitely
a full one.

All in all, this beer is a very good one across the board in
my opinion. It is one that you don’t want to rush through. Take your time with
it, relax with it, and put your feet up with it. This beer does also make a nice
pairing for a cigar.

Let's Talk Bitburger Premium Pils - Video Beer Review #368

From Germany comes the
Bitburger Premium Pils, a 4.8% German Pilsner that carries the namesake from
Bitburger Braugruppe. This Pilsner pours out a nice golden straw color beer
with just about excellent clarity. You easily see the bubbles just streaming to
the top to reach the White sudsy head that also reciprocates leaving some nice
lacing as it fades away. This beer is not only the top selling beer in Germany,
but it is also highlighted in the book, “1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You
Die.”

Despite the appearance
though and what is some pretty good carbonation, the aroma does leave a little
to be desired in my opinion. It has a little funkiness from the yeast, as you
pick up that horse blanket smell that crawls out of the glass. It is bready,
but there isn’t much more than that, as the hops are definitely subdued.

As far as the taste, there
is somewhat of an initial flavor burst, and there are crisp and refreshing
qualities that can make the beer seem somewhat decent on a hot day. The
duration of the flavor is about average and the carbonation is okay. But I
don’t see this light to medium body beer doing much to knock anyone back. Why
is it Germany’s number one beer? My guess is that as a macro beer, it may be
the cost of it. Like many we see here in America, some of the biggest sellers
are also the cheapest to buy. That shouldn’t be held against them, but I would
say to temper expectations.

All and all, it was okay.
But for me, it was not my cup of tea. Or, should I say mug of beer?

Let's Talk Arrogant Bastard Ale - Video Beer Review #367

From Arrogant Brewing which is a subsidiary of Stone Brewing,
we have the Arrogant Bastard and the subject of my latest beer review. This
American Strong Ale comes in with a beer alcohol content or ABV of 7.2% and at an
IBU level of 100. This one is definitely more of a sipper to be enjoyed over
time.

As far as appearance, it opens up nice with a deep and dark
copper color that is topped with a nice cream or beige colored head. As the
head breaks down, it tends to form a nice rockiness and leave behind some nice
lacing on the glass.

The aroma does come out of the glass rather easily and
nicely, and carries some traits that I would associate with a Barleywine. In a
way, I like to consider this a Barleywine light, so to speak. But on the aroma,
there is a nice syrupy sweetness despite the high IBU and you get a nice sense
of the balance between the malts and hops.

The taste will share some initial bitterness, but it does
sooth out on the back end and creates a nice break. Its body is full and I
tended to get a little bit of a smokiness, which made me think that it would be
a good one to pair with a cigar.

It is definitely one that I say to check out, although the
taste needed may be an acquired one.

A Beer Festival Interview With Little Fish Brewing Company

During the Cincy Beerfest, I had the chance to catch up with Jimmy from Little Fish Brewing Company. We decided to conduct a little impromptu interview to bring you some details about their brewery out of Athens, Ohio.

I hope you enjoy and if you are here in the Midwest then make sure you try to check them out and support one of our local craft breweries.

How Is Anchor's Anchor Steam Beer - Video Beer Review

Anchor Brewing stands alone as the only brewery that makes
steam beers. This technique has been trademarked by them and the only
representation of this California Common is their Anchor Steam Beer. It is also
listed as one of the 1,001 beers that you must taste before you die.

This 4.8% ABV beer pours out as a nice amber colored beer
with a just off-white head, which forms a nice rockiness. As this head
dissipates, what is left is a nice remembrance of it through its laced
remnants.

The aroma produced is a nice and sweet, and caramel notes
climb out of the glass with the malt forwardness. It doesn't take much to get
it out of the glass.

As for the taste, I can best describe it as a nice
smoothness. There is that little initial bitter to the tip of the tongue, but
it doesn't last long and what is left is a nice crisp and refreshing flavor. It
opens up nicely, and the texture at 4.8% is not too thin. This actually helps
to make it feel more toward a medium body than light body beer, but it's not
heavy as the carbonation is even subdued.

Overall, this is a pretty decent beer that would pair well
with a cigar. As for food, it does pair nicely with Indian food as this is
where I have enjoyed it in the past. It went really well with the spices from
the food.

Solid all around, I say give this beer a try for sure.
Cheers!

What Beer I Found On My Trip To The Woodburn Brewery

I recently had the chance to swing by one of our newest breweries to launch in Cincinnati, The Woodburn Brewery. The Woodburn is located in our East Walnut Hills area, and is now one more that puts us probably close to 40 breweries throughout the area. It is a great time to be in the Cincinnati area for sure.

Well for this brewery and beer review, I decided to grab a taster series. So, you will see me here discussing a flight of beers that include an IPA, Imperial Pumpkin Ale and a Cherry Stout. Why not check out the video to see what I found?

Visit The Woodburn Brewery Here!

CBGW - Beers From The Darkside or Lucifer Favorites

This week the crew decided to flip the script and look at some beers from the darkside, or what we may call Lucifer favorites. This weeks beers included DuClaw Devil's Milk, Three Floyd's War Mullet, Three Floyd's Space Station Middle Finger, Schieve Tabarnak, Trois Pistoles and Two Roads Roadsmary's Baby. Check out the video to gather our views on these beers, and let us know any thoughts.