Stone Coffee Milk Stout - Beer Review #489

The Stone Coffee Milk Stout from Stone Brewing is described as a hybrid between Irish, Sweet and a Milk Stout. Coming in at an ABV of 5% and an IBU of 40, this little gem may be one that can easily be enjoyed and go down easy. Check out my video here to see if that may be the case.

Great Lakes Blackout Stout - Beer Review #488

The Blackout Stout from Great Lakes Brewing is a Russian Imperial Stout that comes in at a 9% ABV and an IBU level of 50. So as you can imagine, this hearty and malty stout comes in with a nice bite that also provides enough bitterness that the hops add to its flavor profile without overpowering it. Check out my review here to gather my thoughts and breakdown of this Ale.

Labeley.com...A Site For Beer Labels

This is a piece shared from the creators of Labely and if you are into beer labels then it may be worth you checking their site...

Beer is one of the world’s most popular drinks. People all over the world simply love beer. However, since the tastes generally differ, most people have their own favourite brand or type of beer; some people like lager while other prefer ale, and so on. Yet, there are so many beer types and styles offered that everyone can find the flavor they prefer.

If you think about it, beer actually plays a significant role in our lives. Whether you're meeting up with friends after work for a drink or two, throwing a party, organizing a family gathering, wedding celebration or any other event, there will be beer. A true beer aficionado will definitely confirm that there is nothing more refreshing than a cold beer at the end of a long and strenuous day.

Although people often prefer to drink a particular beer type, they are generally willing to try other beer styles as well, especially if they get a recommendation from a friend or read a good review or even if they find the beer label appealing. The labels can largely contribute to the way a certain beer brand is perceived and accepted by consumers.

Therefore, brewers think carefully what to put on the label that represents their brand. When designing a label, any help is welcome. For example, it is really handy to know someone with lots of experience in graphic design. However, not many of us know such person or have sufficient funds to hire a label design expert. Here comes Labeley, a free and easy to use beer label creator with a lots of features and options that allow users to create unique and personalized beer labels. The tool offers five different label elements to choose from: label shape, border, background, graphic and text. On top of it, there is a bonus feature that allows you to fully personalize the label by uploading any image from your computer (such as logo or a photo you think perfectly communicates your beer brand) and use it to design a totally unique beer label. Furthermore, every element category includes a wide range of free label shapes, backgrounds, graphics and more.

Besides creating a regular label, Labeley also offers an option to create a beer bottleneck label and make the whole beer package even more appealing.

Even though Labeley is a comprehensive tool, it is actually very easy to use. The first benefit is the fact that you don’t even have to create an account to use the free label designer. The designing process starts with selecting one of the shapes. Then you get access to a wide range of label elements to customize the label to your liking, save the design, download it on your computer, print out and voila! You have the perfect beer label for your brew. You can even use the tool for creating fun labels for parties. Wouldn’t it be jazzy if you had party beer bottles with fun beer messages on  them, such these two: “Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass” or “Beer prevents kidney stones”? Or, to have wedding beer bottles with a photo and names of the bride and groom?

On the other hand, if you want to save your label design for further modification, you can create a totally free account, save the design and they’ll be available for editing and further enhancement whenever you log back in.

If you’re at least intrigued by these features, check out Labeley, give it a spin and label your brew with the most original design!

Check out the Labeley site by clicking here: http://labeley.com/

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout - Beer Review #487

Bell’s Brewing created the Kalamazoo Stout to honor the place where it all began for them. An American Stout that comes in at an ABV of 6% and is described as smooth, full-bodied with a blend of aromas that are like a blend of dark chocolate, and who doesn’t lie chocolate? I’ve enjoyed this before in the past but it’s been a while, let’s see how it compares.

Cincy Winter Beerfest Wrap Up And Summary

Another great Cincy Beerfest has come and gone, and with 500 plus beers there was no way to try them all and was more limited especially since I was volunteering and pouring beers. But, I did get to experience a good amount of beers which I have noted in this video. I was able to track most, but I know I missed a few. For instance, I know I drank some Founders and I believe Maumee Bay, but since I couldn’t confirm I didn’t list the, here.

But with all that being said, it was another great event and this is kind of my recap to the event and the things that took place. If you have a chance to go to a beer festival then do it, there is no better time to connect with people in the industry and really taste a lot of good beers and gain some good beer knowledge as well.

Cheers!

Sights and Sounds from Cincy Winter BeerFest Feb 2017

Some images and video from the event that took place at the Duke Energy Center...set to the Rise of the Valkyries. It was definitely a good time as I was able to enjoy some various beers, although a good amount of time was spent volunteering and pouring beers for those that attended.