The Samuel Adams Irish Red from Boston Beer Company was up next for my latest beerventure, and this Irish Red Ale comes in with a 5.8% ABV and 25 IBU. Out of the bottle it poured a great vibrant red color with great clarity. The aroma provided a nice sweetness along with some breadiness from the malts. But when it came time for the taste, it provide for me a slight medicine feel at points. It was very easy drinking though, but that aftertaste did linger at points. The texture was semi-dry with a slight watery effect on the back end in my opinion. This one while it wasn’t all bad, it didn’t really stand out in anyway. Even on the appearance and having the great color, the head seemed to be just way too thin for this one. Considering its appearance, aroma, flavor, palate and overall characteristics, I ended up scoring this one a 3.25 on Untappd. Have you had it yet? If so then tell me what you thought about as well and check out my video if you would like to see the video review of this one.
Brewer Notes:
This hearty brew is full of rich malty character inspired by the red ales of Ireland. We use caramel malts for a deep, smooth malt backbone and balance them with earthy English hops for a comforting and satisfying brew.
STYLE: Red Ale
AVAILABILITY: Year Round
HOP VARIETIES: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops, East Kent Goldings, and Fuggles
MALT VARIETIES: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and Caramel 60
COLOR: Deep red, SRM: 30
ALC. BY VOL/WT: 5.8%ABV - 4.5% ABW
IBUs: 25
CALORIES: 190
From Spoetzl Brewery and the Shiner label comes the Cold Brew Coffee Ale, a 5% ABV and 15 IBU brew that is collaboration with one of the local coffee shops in Austin, Texas. Noticing this and my fondness of coffee, I decided to pick it up and give it a taste to see how well it was done. Check out my video here to see what I thought.
Brewer Notes:
For our 108th birthday, we’ve brewed up something special. Our first coffee ale, crafted in collaboration with Austin’s own Chameleon Cold-Brew, made with dark-roasted specialty malt and Chameleon’s beloved cold-brewed coffee, it’s sure to wake up your tastebuds. But it won’t be here forever, so pour yourself a fresh cup while you can.
Alltech Lexington Brewing out of Lexington, Kentucky had recently introduced their Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised as I sat down to get a taste. This 5.5% ABV cream ale has a nice smoothness to it and caused me to be reminded of the flavors from drinking cream sodas when younger; they really did do a good job on the style. And at 22 IBU it has a nice sweetness to it from the malts and it all tended to come together nicely in my opinion. The vanilla and bourbon come through nicely and for one that is not usually a cream ale fan, I would have no problem drinking more of these. In fact I did, but check out my video here to see my other thoughts on this beer that surprised me.
Brewer Notes:
A perfect blend of vanilla and bourbon notes make this cream ale irresistible.
Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale is our take on a classic American style of beer. We took a cold-conditioned cream ale, brewed with a hint of flaked corn and bourbon vanilla beans, and aged it in freshly decanted bourbon barrels for a minimum of two months. Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale's medium body and 5.5% ABV make it the perfect barrel-aged beer for an all day event.
Victory Brewing’s Cage Radler will make its 2017 debut this week and I wanted to give you some facts on this refreshing summer drink!
·Similar in flavor to the more commonly known British shandy, a radler consists of a 50/50 blend of beer (often helles lager) and sparkling lemon soda or lemonade, to be served in beer gardens during the summertime.
·The style of beer comes from the German word for cyclist: radler.
·Our Cage Radler –so named for the water bottle “cages” attached to most bike frames– is actually formulated quite simply. In keeping with tradition we mix our own Victory Helles lager with sparkling lemon soda. The result is a light and crisp, malty drink with an abundance of zesty lemon flavor, enjoyed perfectly at home, on the trail in a can, or in a summer beer garden by the litremas.
·We taste tested many different blending proportions around the brewery to find the perfect blend of lemon and lager, but ultimately we all together decided on the traditional 50/50 split as the best tasting.
So I decided to make a beer run and thought it would be fun to bring you guys along for the ride. Party Town in Florence, Kentucky is one of the stores in my beer rotation and often proves to be a nice store for finding many beers, and especially beers from other countries. There always seems to be some good choices and deals around, and it’s always fun to find them. Come along inside as I take a look! And if you are in the Cincinnati area then here is their website if you decide that you may want to visit: https://partytownky.com/.
I do like a hoppy lager and happened to stumble across this one on a past beer run. The Ella Blanc IPL from Samuel Adams is an India Pale Lager that comes in at 6% ABV and 65 IBU, so yeah, hops were standing by. A nice color of a beer, this one ended up being a pleasant surprise for me. In all 5 hops are used as well as 3 malts, and a decent balance is definitely achieved. But enough with my rambling check out my video here to see all of my thoughts on this seasonal brew.
Brewer Notes:
The hoppiness of an IPA and the crispness of a lager collide in this IPL. Australian Ella hops add notes of orange peel, pine, and tropical fruit while German Hallertau Blanc create hints of floral, grassy, and herbal basil. Together, their playful and inventive hop character makes for a complex, unique flavor.
This past week I had the opportunity to speak with the Cold Brew Podcast and discuss all things beer. You can hear what was discussed by checking out the link below which of course I encourage, but also take time to listen to many of the other topics as well as they put on one great show.
A recent hangout with my buddy Eric from EricALionsFan talking Natty Daddy and some other beer oriented topics. Yeah we may have chosen a brown bag beer for this one, but we had a blast and covered other topics affecting the craft beer market. Check out the video here!
What’s the buzz all about? Well in this case it is about the Bee Beer from Flying Dog Brewery. This beer was a part of the Brewhouse Rarities series, and was designed to bring a voice to the bees and the how their collapse poses a threat to our ecosystem. This Golden Ale comes in at a nice 7% AVBV and 35 IBU, and is brewed with honey and bee pollen. Check out my video here to see my thoughts and if this one leaves a nice sting. Unfortunately though as a rarity, it is no longer in production.
Brewer Notes:
Our Brewhouse Rarities series gives everyone in the brewery a voice. Our Flying Dog University Professor, Justin, wanted his to be heard not just for a new beer concept, but the critical threat bee colony collapse poses to our ecosystem. At least one Brewhouse Rarities release every year is an agricultural collaboration, and his pitch to craft a bee beer brewed with local bee pollen and honey immediately appealed to our powers that bee.
The beer incorporates Dutch Gold Buckwheat Honey and local bee pollen from Lord Byron’s Honey Apiary into an American Saison base. The golden color shows off the honey sweetness, which is present yet balanced. Justin chose buckwheat honey for its strong flavor. Strength is important because a lot of honey character ferments out during the process. The choice to use bee pollen was easy once he learned about its health benefits. (It’s high in protein and can be metabolized quickly.) A lot of breweries brew with honey, but few use bee pollen, as well, and Justin found that it adds a unique floral sweetness. Elevate your experience by drinking it alongside fresh chèvre with dried apricot and honey. (If you don’t understand what half of that meant, try pairing it with a non-factory cheesecake.)
The Long Hammer IPA from Red Hook Brewery is an offering that comes in at 6.2% ABV and 44 IBU, so there will be some of that bitterness in play so one should expect it. However, it is not an exceeding amount of bitterness and during my drinking of it; I found the beer to be well balanced against the malts used. Now yes, by definition it is not a craft beer due to the ownership level but the beer itself delivered good flavor, so I will just slide it into that “crafty” area. But check out my video here to gather my other thoughts on this ale, and other impressions.
Brewer Notes:
Redhook Long Hammer IPA is a West Coast classic. The generous addition of hops during the brewing and fermentation process gives our India Pale Ale its characteristic bitterness and piney citrus aroma and flavor. Tracing its heritage from another Redhook classic beer, Ballard Bitter, Long Hammer IPA is one of America’s favorite IPAs and Seattle’s #1 local IPA.
FLAVOR PROFILE
AROMA: Tangerine, Grapefruit, and Pine
FLAVOR: Mild Bitterness, Citrus and Pine Character
FINISH: Clean Finish and Slight Citrus Linger
INGREDIENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
MALT: Pale, Crystal
HOPS: Cascade
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13.7º
FINISHING GRAVITY: 2.1º
ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 44
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Per 12oz serving
CALORIES: 188
CARBS: 14.9g
PROTEIN: 2.1g
FAT: 0g
A visit to Trader Joe’s had me come across the little offering. Well, not so little I guess considering the size of the bottle but nonetheless, the Providential Belgian-Style Golden Ale crafted exclusively by Unibroue for Trader Joe’s is one pleasant surprise. It’s almost amazing the value that you can find on some of the beers at Trader Joe’s, and how well some can stand up versus other craft beers without the additional costs.
This Golden Ale comes in at 7.5% ABV and petty much has everything that you would expect for this style of beer from the aroma through the taste and finish. And if you are not familiar with Unibroue then may I suggest you check them out because you should be. As for this beer here, check out my video to hear and see my thoughts.
Brewer Notes:
Crafted exclusively for Trader Joe’s this delicious beer is made in Quebec, Canada, and brewed according to the time honored traditions of classic Belgian Ales. It strikes the perfect balance between spices, hop, and malt profiles. With champagne-like effervescence and aromatic notes of citrus peel and ginger, this beer is malty, mildly sweet and hoppy with a subtle, spicy finish. It is sure to please the most finicky beer drinkers.
