Tagged By Holly's Happy Hour - YouTube Subscriber Challenge

So, Holly of Holly's Happy Hour tagged me in this challenge that seems to be going around, and here is my response to the challenge which includes the following:

1. Name 3 YouTubers that have inspired you
2. Name 3 things you're good at
3. Name 3 things you're excited about
4. Tag 3 subscribers!

What did I say? Who did I tag? What the hell am I talking about? You will have to watch to see and find out...

Beer Review: Duvel Moortgat Duvel | Belgian Stong Golden Ale

Here is a look at the Duvel from Duvel Moortgat located in Puurs, Antwerpen Belgium, a brewery and a beer that has been around for a long time. This original namesake beer was created in the 1920’s following the winning of World War I when the original yeast strain was introduced and is still used today. At 8.5% ABV, this Belgian Strong Golden Ale is designed to be enjoyed over time and not to be rushed. See some notes below from my experience and watch my YouTube video to see my thoughts in more detail.

My experience with this one was once again, that of a pleasant one. The beer pours a lovely golden color and capped itself with a nice foamy white head that broke down easily over time. Aroma was not an issue as the notes easily climbed out of the glass and featured all of the characteristics that are usually enjoyed in a Belgian Ale. And as for taste, a nice effervesce was found as well as a nice sweetness from the malts. However, if there was one thing that detracted me on the beer then it would be the carbonation which was very lively to say the least. But that aside, the beer was still somewhat pleasurable for me as it has been in the past and still had a classic quality about it. My rating on this one was 3.5 out of 5 and has fallen some overt the years, as for me it seems time may have caught up to this one versus some of the other offerings now available.

Brewery Links:

Duvel Moortgat Website: http://www.duvel.com/en

Duvel Beer Link: http://www.duvel.com/en/the-beer/duvel

Beer Review: Charles Wells Young's Double Chocolate Stout

The Young’s Double Chocolate Stout from the Charles Wells Brewery located in Bedfordshire, England was the subject of this latest beerventure. Dark and chocolaty, this beer poured out in a nice shade of darkness capped by a nice but less than expected in size head. Aroma was good though, as the chocolate notes easily came out of the glass. The ABV of this stout was lower than what I usually prefer at 5.2% but with a beer like this, it is more often about that decadent dessert feel that you get from a sweet stout.

Speaking of which, the taste of the beer was as solid as I remembered, although there is that thinness of the texture which doesn’t always sit well with me for this style. The stout is essentially the porter’s big brother and should have with it a certain heartiness in my opinion, and although that comes through in the flavor and on the palate; it is the texture that I just find to be a little lacking. This may go to the timeliness of the beer as it hasn’t probably changed in quality, but other brewers with their offerings have just kind of pushed them back a bit in my opinion. With that all being said, it is still a decent beer which is why I rated it 3.5 out of 5. Check out my video here to see more, and to hear more of my in-depth thoughts on this offering.

Brewery Links:

Charles Wells Brewery: http://www.charleswells.co.uk/

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout: No website listing

Beer Review: Atwater Black & Cran | Roll Out The Barrel

A look at the Black & Cran from Atwater Brewery brought forth a Russian Imperial Stout that was fermented with cranberries and aged in Bourbon barrels. Coming in with an ABV of 9% and IBU level of 54, my interest was definitely peaked by this craft beer, so obviously I had to pick it up.

Dark in color with very little head, the beer provided a decent aroma. The taste was a little maltier than I expected especially on the initial, but the hoppiness did show up in the finish and the cranberries as well as the barrel aging were both detected pretty easily. Overall it was a good beer for me, which is why I graded it 3.25 out of 5 but check out my YouTube video below to gather more of the details on what I thought about this stout.

Atwater Brewery: http://www.atwaterbeer.com/

Atwater Black & Cran: No listing on the site at time of this post

Beer Review: Anderson Valley Barkley's Belgian Style Ale

My latest beerventure has provided me with the Barkley’s Belgian Style Ale from the solar powered Anderson Valley Brewing. This Belgian Strong Dark Ale comes in with an ABV of 9% however the IBU was unavailable. Anderson Valley really puts out some good beers so I was definitely looking forward to trying this one out, and I was not disappointed.

The appearance was solid as expected and like many of this style, there was no head to really to make mention of as it was very thin. However, the color carried a great darkish tone. But the aroma jumped off nicely as the dark fruits poured out without issue bringing notes of raisin, plum and licorice. I could have spent a good amount of time just smelling this for a period but the taste right, that is what we are really after.

The taste was smooth for me and I can see where this will be dangerous for some as the booziness is not really picked up in this one. And although it is a full body beer and does have some weight, the flavor just popped and I received a nice mouthfeel as well as mouthcoating from it. This beer is tasty indeed as it was able to get my whole mouth tingling. If you like Belgian style ale and especially the dark ale then this one is worth a try for sure. Check out my video here to get more details on this beer that I enjoyed and see why I rated it 4.5 out of 5 on my personal Untappd score. Cheers!

Anderson Valley Brewing: https://avbc.com/

Barkley’s Belgian Style Ale: No listing on site yet for this version

Beer Review: Bloomington Rooftop IPA

A beer run to Indiana had provided me with the opportunity to look and try to locate some other beers that I may not have tried in the past and this time, one that I found was The Rooftop IPA from the Bloomington Brewing Company which is the focus here of my latest review. This American India Pale Ale comes in with an ABV of 7.4% and 80 IBU.

Appearance:

I really thought the appearance of this one came through well with its deeper orange-yellow sunset like color which was capped nicely by its foamy bone-white head. There was some haziness which of course can be expected, but there was still enough clarity to see some of the lively carbonation that was taking place.

Aromas:

The tropical tones from the hops easily climbed out of the glass and were easy to pick up from those that were used including: Nugget, Cascade and Mt. Hood. Notes of pineapple and mango seemed to come through the most as I inhaled the goodness from this ale.

Flavor / Palate:

The citrus notes taken in on the aroma were right there in the taste as well, with a nice flavor pop really coming on the initial taste along with a malt smoothness that balanced them out and making it feel like nothing near an 80 IBU level. The finish had a nice crisp dry break with very little if any throat scraping on the swallow. The texture did have a little bit of syrupiness to it, but it worked much like some of the others that we often see like Great Lakes Chillwave for example. The mouthcoating and mouthfeel both stood out nicely on this IPA and just provided some of the mouth tingling that I like to find in beers. Read some of my notes here or check out my YouTube video posted below to watch the review.

Overall Summary:

This beer proved to be a decent one indeed and proved to be a great choice from the beer run that was made. I will say though that while I was okay with it on a 22 ounce bottle, it may be a little much for some so a friend may be needed. But if you like IPAs then I don’t think that you will be disappointed. For me on my personal Untappd score it proved to be a solid 4 out 5, and I proved well worth it to go to the Rooftop.

Brewery Links:

Bloomington Brewing Company: http://www.bloomingtonbrew.com/

Rooftop IPA: http://www.bloomingtonbrew.com/rooftop-ipa/