Corruption Release And Other Things With Wooden Cask Brewing

I had a chance to catch up with Randy Schiltz who is owner and brewmaster for Wooden Cask Brewing Company here in Newport, Kentucky. He and his wife Karen had invited me to come by to check out their new release of Corruption which will be released on Saturday, June 17th. This video is our discussion around the beer and some of the other happenings at Wooden Cask, as well as some discussion around the craft brewing industry.

As for the beer itself, Corruption is a barrel aged version of Reformation which is Wooden Cask’s Scottish Ale. This version will be offered at an ABV of 10.2% and will be offered on draft or in bottles. You can see my take on this beer in the video but to give you a short synopsis, the beer is very smooth and does well providing good tones in both the aroma and taste. The beer was well blended and the tastes of vanilla and chocolate come out very easily. It isn’t overdone in any way and for me; it left a smooth and tasty experience. This one will be a dangerous one for some. I will provide a more in depth separate review as well, but you will be able to see much of those notes here too.

Disclaimer: Beer was provided by Wooden Cask Brewing for this sneak peek release and opinions are that of my own and in no way influenced by the receiving of the beer in this preview. I stand by all comments made.

Wood Cask Brewing Website: http://woodencask.com/

Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale AKA The Kronik

The Censored Rich Copper Ale from Lagunitas is an American Amber Red Ale with an ABV of 6.7% and IBU of 39. It was also the subject of my latest beerventure which you can see here. Pouring a nice coper color this ale did lead with a nice malt flavor, and the taste received was somewhat smooth. However, overall it didn’t do too much for me to really stand out but was still solid enough as a good beer. My Untappd rating for this one was 3.25, and feel free to check out my video here for further details.

Brewer Notes:

Malty, Roasty, and Deceptively Smooth

This Amber-esque ale gets more of a cocoa-toasty flavor from the use of chocolate malts.

ABV: 6.70
IBU: 39
O.G.: 1.06
Availability: Unlimited Release
Introduced: 2001
Pair With: Kronik Chili with four fried chickens…and dry white toast

Originally called the Kronik, this beer was censored by the federal label-approving agency, the BATF -- they claimed the word had some sort of Marijuana reference. We slapped a "Censored" sticker on it as a joke and they accepted it. Check out the UPC code...

With a name so scandalous we couldn’t put it on a beer label... the (Censored) Ale is a Malty, Roasty, & Deceptively Smooth, Rich Copper Ale that tackles dry mouth… Take a tech-taste in, #MouthFeels: Censored. Cheers!

DuClaw Mysterium A Mystery To Explore

On a whim I decided to pick up Mysterium from DuClaw Brewing during a beer run, and I have to admit that I am glad that I did. For one the beer itself is a limited release offering so it’s a matter of getting it when once can. But away from that, the beer itself did provide some great aroma and flavors that were unexpected. While the appearance was decent enough even with a reduced head, everything else delivered pretty well on this beer that has an ABV of 5% and IBU level of a smooth 21. The beer just blended together very nicely and while I had no idea of what is cardamom, I didn’t care. By the end it was like cranberries and gingerbread, and provided an overall good experience. My Untappd rating on this one was a 3.5 and check out my YouTube video to see more.

Brewer Notes:

This mystical, medium-bodied, 5% ABV, light amber Belgian Spiced Ale features subtle malt and hop profiles that compliment its complex and spicy blend of flavors. Chamomile, grains of paradise, cardamom and phenols (fruit flavors) produced by a special strain of Belgian yeast combine to make this ale a mystery, and a bottle, you’ll never want to get to the bottom of.

STYLE: Belgian Spiced Ale

COLOR: Light Amber

HOP VARIETY: Hallertau

GRAINS: Pale Malt, Dark Munich Malt and Flaked Rye

Weihenstephan Weihenstephaner 1516 | Craft Beer Review

From Germany with love well actually from my buddy Gary, but either way the Weihenstephaner 1516 from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan is a beer that I recently had the pleasure to enjoy as the subject of this latest beerventure. The Kellerbier itself has an ABV of 5.6% and an IBU of 25. As far as appearance this beer proved to pour a brilliant golden color, as far as aroma it offered great notes of fruit and as for taste, just a pure delight in my opinion as it was as smooth as could be. My Untappd rating for this one was an easy 4.5 and one that I will drink again at some point for sure. Check out my video here though to see my other thoughts.

Brewer Notes:

The Weihenstephaner 1516 is a bright amber colored cellar beer with a fruity-fresh hop flower, a full-bodied body and a pleasant caramel. In the brewing process of the 1516, the Braumeister have considered the traditional way of producing a marten beer. For example, the beer of dark Munich and bright Pilsner malt, combined with traditional Hallertauer hop varieties, such as the rare variety Hallertauer Record, matures long and cold in the historic vaulted cellars on the Weihenstephaner mountain and is not filtered before bottling. Due to the long storage, the bottom fermented yeast naturally settles on the ground and the beer thus obtains an opal opacity and a balanced taste.
Fits with grilled meats and fish, roasts, cheese as well as other hearty dishes.

The Weihenstephaner in 1516 was honored in honor of the 500-year Bavarian purity and is offered only seasonally, at the spring time.

Brewed with the centuries-long beer experience at the Weihenstephaner mountain.

Wort: 12.6% wt.

Alcohol content: 5.6% vol.

Bitterness (IBU): 25

Calorie: 210 kcal / 0.5l

Bottle size: 0.5l

Serving temperature: 6-8 ° C

Guinness Irish Wheat | Beer Review

I decided to take a beerventure off the craft beer path to return to an old faithful, Guinness and take a look at their Irish Wheat. This Witbier style beer has an ABV of 5.3% and poured a nice golden color with a white head that dissipated pretty quickly. The taste was pleasing though and it did deliver good flavor with a nice duration. Overall, a pretty decent beer that led to me to provide an Untappd rating of 3.75. You can check out my video here to see more of my thoughts on this one.

Brewer Notes:

Welcome to Ireland’s sunny side. Far away from the salty sea coastline, the Irish Midlands were the prime spot to grow the wheat for the first ever beer to use 100% Irish wheat malt. Golden in color, with a hint of spicy clove and citrus, Irish Wheat is a clean and lively wheat beer that’s perfect for any occasion.

Our recipe starts with Irish-grown, Irish-malted wheat. A long fermentation with the classic Guinness yeast strain brings out subtle banana, clove and citrus notes—flavors we hold back in our stouts but let loose in our perfectly balanced Irish Wheat. The result is a golden and hazy wheat beer with a clean, crisp, refreshing zesty citrus taste.

Aroma: Cloves with a hint of banana and citrus
Flavor: Clean, low bitterness with a subtle clove and banana flavor and a hint of zesty citrus
Palate: Clean, refreshing taste with full body
ABV: 5.3%
Appearance: Light, golden with a typical wheat haze
Hops: Mount Hood & Amarillo

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