Minute Beer Buzz: The Simcoe Hop

This is a quick minute look at the Simcoe Hop which is a dual purpose hop that is used to add both bittering and aroma to beer. It is mainly used for India Pale Ales and American Pale Ales, although you can find it sprinkled in with some other styles as well. If you are looking to add a hop that can bring fruity, earthy and pine notes to your brew then this is the hop you are looking for.

Minute Beer Buzz: The Saaz Hop

A quick minute look at the Saaz Hop which is a hop for adding flavor and aroma to beer, mainly used for pilsners.

Saugatuck Starburst Wheat | Craft Beer Review

Starburst Wheat is American Pale Ale from Saugatuck Brewing Company out of Michigan; it has an IBU level of 25 and an ABV of 5.1%. The style of Pale Wheat Ale is one that I have started to really enjoy as it adds additional hoppiness, and this one does a nice job of doing so. The ale is not overly bitter and delivers good flavor as well aroma due to the dry hopping used. If you like hoppy wheat ales then this is definitely one to try. My Untappd rating given for this one was 3.75 and check out my video review to see my other thoughts.

Brewer notes:

An explosion of tart, fruity flavors will erupt in your senses as you take your first sip of this perfectly balanced wheat beer. The sensation can only be matched by the brilliant aroma from dry hopping with massive amounts of Amarillo and Motueka hops.

ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 25

Malts: 2-Row, Wheat, Munich 10, Munich 60, Rice Hulls

Hops: Simcoe, Citra, Motueka, Amarillo

Availability: Year Round in 4 6-pack 12 oz bottles and 1/6 & 1/2 bbls.

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion | Crafty Beer Review

Hoptical Illusion is an American IPA offering from the Blue Point Brewing Company. Due to of course ownership and the accepted guidelines for craft beer, this one does fall outside of that due to the ownership. With that being said, this “crafty” beer does provide similar quality to some offered by some of the craft breweries. This 7% ABV and 70 IBU beer does possess the qualities of the style, although I did find it somewhat muted in respect to taste, flavor and aroma. My Untappd rating for this beer is 2.75 and check out my video here to see my other thoughts on this ale.

Brewer Notes:

To brew this award-winning well balanced IPA, we add plenty of hops five different ways. Adding it five ways allows the “Essence of the Hop” to really shine through and give Hoptical Illusion its signature resiny, citrus-burst punch. From aroma to first sip, this beer is sure to be one of your new favorites.

ABV: 7.0 IBU: 70 OG: 1.061 Availability: Year-Round

Minute Beer Buzz: The Warrior Hop

A quick minute look at the Warrior Hop which is a fine hop for bittering beer...

Great Lakes Oats MacDonald Pale Ale | Craft Beer Review

Oats MacDonald Pale Ale is one more offering from the Great Lakes Brewing Company, and I recently had a chance to check this one out as part of their fridge filler variety offering. This Pale Ale poured out a brilliant and vibrant golden color with a good amount of foaminess for the head. The aromas did provide some of the qualities of your usual pale ale, although this one was a little more malty than expected. Carrying a 5.7% ABV and 35 IBU, even the non-hop beer lover may be able to slide into this one as a transition to hoppier beers. If you have had Lake Erie Monster or Chillwave then I would consider this almost a lighter version of those. The beer was a solid one for me as I gave it a rating of a 4 on Untappd. You can see more of my opinion on this one by checking out my video below.

Brewer Notes:

E-I, E-I-O! With creamy oats here and citrus notes there, this smooth golden Pale Ale recalls the grain silos and rolling acres that line our Midwestern highways and byways.

FLAVOR: Fruity hop aromas roam free-range through a bountiful field of oats and golden malt

PACKAGING: Fridge Filler Variety Pack

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 35

PAIRS WITH: Roast Chicken, English cheeses, and fields of gold

BEER AVAILABILITY: March

Great Lakes Lightkeeper | Craft Beer Review

The Lightkeeper from Great Lakes Brewing was one of their offerings of their fridge filler pack recently which I was able to pick up on a beer run. This was one of the four beers included and it is a Blonde Ale that carries an ABV of 6.6% along with an IBU of 30. The beer did pour a nice color and did have some good substance to it, but overall it didn’t do as much to really stand out and kind of sat as an average one for me. The flavors were okay but not very long lasting, and the aromas tended to also be faint. A bad beer by no means, but there was just not as much to it in my opinion which is why it may have been a part of a variety pack. My Untappd rating on this one was 3.25, and check out my video here to see the rest of my opinion on this beer.

Brewer Notes:

Inspired by Marblehead Lighthouse (the oldest operating on the Great Lakes) our Blonde Ale's effervescence is guided home by a shimmering beacon of dry and fruity hop flavors.

FLAVOR

Aglow with crisp hop aromas, an incandescent golden hue, and a smooth, navigable malt finish

PACKAGING: 12-pack cans

ABV: 6.6%

IBU: 30

PAIRS WITH: Salads, Sushi, and clear skies

BEER AVAILABILITY: March

Beer Run and Unboxing Video: To Indiana And Back

Did someone say beer run? Oh yeah, I did. Deciding it was a nice day for one; I jumped into the cat and decided to venture over to Indiana in search of a certain beer. Unable to find the one for which the venture was created, I turned my efforts to others and was able to find fine substitutes. But why only stop there, on the way back I decided to hit one more spot in Kentucky and was also able to discover some pleasant surprises. Check out my video here to see what I found!

Bell's Winter White Ale | Craft Beer Review

The Winter White Ale is an offering from Bell’s Brewery out of Michigan and the subject of this beerventure. This 5% ABV Witbier pours a nice golden hazy colored beer due to the bottle fermentation that takes place. The beer itself provides a good reminiscence of Belgian-style white ales with the aromas and taste that are often desired. Smooth overall, this beer makes a good offering in winter or spring in my opinion. My Untappd rating on this one is a solid 4 and well worth a try for anyone who enjoys this style. Check out my video review here to see more of my thoughts on this one.

Brewery Notes:

An alternative to dark and heavy winter warmers and stouts, Winter White is a stylish and refreshing Wheat Ale.

Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley and wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Winter White is a beer for embracing winter.

Alcohol By Volume: 5.00%

Original Gravity: 1.05

Shelf Life: 6 Months

FOOD PAIRINGS:

Winter White Ale pairs well with delicate fish, seafood, pork or salads. It also works well with spicy foods, bacon, Peking duck, eggs, eggs Benedict, octopus, omelets and sushi.

Dessert: Fruit pies or dishes like blueberry trifle, cranberry-apple cobbler or banana orange crepes.

Cheese: Butterkase, Mascarpone, Edam, Gouda and anything with herbs, cheddar, EMMI Le Gruyere, Blue Costello, Cambanzola, Gorgonzola, 3-year-old Grafton, Trader Joe's Goat Milk Brie (with the rind) or Cotswold with herbs.

New Belgium Dayblazer | Craft Beer Review

Dayblazer, the easygoing ale from New Belgium is one of their more recent releases and I found this blonde ale to pretty much be just that. The beer for me proved to be light to medium in body and was able to be consumed rather easily. The ABV of this ale is 4.8% and with an IBU of 13, the beer was balanced well and pretty smooth. I found some of the tones in aroma and taste to be that of a citrus nature with this golden straw color beer, making it a nice one for spring and summer for sure. My Untappd rating for Dayblazer was a 3.5 and check out my video to see my other comments about this one from New Belgium.

Brewer Notes:

A deliciously refreshing golden ale, at 4.8% ABV, brewed with the finest malts and hops giving a sweet, crisp citrus finish with just a hint of honey. Available in 12-oz. and 24-oz. cans.

VISUAL Blond color with uniform medium haze. White foam and light lacing.

AROMA Low overall aroma built on malt in the form of corn chips, cereal, vanilla and honey; balanced with some flinty sulfitic, isoamyl acetate, and herbal grassy hop aroma.

FLAVOR Light initial sweetness followed by a subtle hop bitterness; neither overpower.

MOUTHFEEL Light body.

BODY Effervescent, with a clean fast finish.

ABV 4.8%

IBU 13

YEAST Ale yeast

CALORIES 141

HOPS Nugget, Cascade

MALTS Pale, Munich

Victory Golden Monkey | Craft Beer Review

The Golden Monkey from Victory Brewing is a Belgian-Style Tripel and my latest beerventure. This Tripel has an ABV of 9.5% and IBU of 25, and carries the characteristics that we have come to know and love about Belgian ales. It poured a great golden color and the aromas jumped out of the glass highly reminiscent of what was expected. The taste proved to be smooth as the sweetness of the malts and was in good balance against the hops and the yeast, and had the little spice kick that is also common among this style of beer. This one was definitely a treat now as it was my past experiences. My Untappd rating on this one was a 4.25 and check out my video below to see more of my thoughts about this ale.

Brewer Notes:

Experience the sweet, sensual aromas and flavors of our famous Belgian-style tripel. Immerse yourself in rich notes of fruit and spice and savor its dry finish.

Composition

Malt: Pilsner, Dextrose
Hops: Tettnang Tettnang, Tettnang Mittelfrueh
ABV: 9.5%

Flavor

Nose is loaded with Belgian yeast character. Banana, clove, isoamyl. Body is equally fruity with light earthy hop character. Boozy with a dry finish.

Food Pairings

Sheeps' milk cheeses and seafood

Serving Suggestion

Serve at 45° F. Tilt bottle slowly into glass making certain that pour is sufficiently vigorous to raise a foamy head. Try to avoid pouring the last dregs as the yeast sediment is not the most favorable part of this beer. Savor the experience slowly as the ale warms.

Availability

Available year-round in 12 oz. bottles, 12 oz. cans, and 750 ml caged-and-corked bottles as well as on draft.