Let's Talk Frankenmuth Old Detroit Amber Ale - Video Beer Review #374

From Frankenmuth Brewery out of Frankenmuth, Michigan, comes the Old Detroit Amber Ale. This American Red Amber Ale comes in at 5.6% ABV and pours a nice dark amber color capped with a nice foamy beige head. The initial appearance does provide a certain amount of haziness, although carbonation action can be slightly seen when held to the light. 

Aroma on this beer is that of a candy sweetness, and notes of caramel and toffee climb out of the glass with that of a syrupy feel. There is also a hint of what I would call butterscotch like notes as well.

As far as the taste, it is led by a sweetness. There aren’t a lot of hops that really hit you upfront, outside of the slight initial bitterness on the tongue, and the back it does smooth out nicely from the malts that are used. This medium body beer goes down pretty easily, as it also leaves some lacing behind as a reminder of it being there. It isn’t overly carbonated or thin, and it does also provide a good duration of the flavor.

All in all, I found this beer proved to be a nice one for the palate.

Talking Coffee Infused Beers - Craft Beers Gone Wild (CBGW)

This week on Craft Beers Gone Wild, we take a look at some coffee infused beers.

Big thanks to the following for making it a fun show:

Thomas Metal 75: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGmtwbq2xiw6q4b9Pf3XZA

Booze Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Krv_C5PzEpm1hslgX1ArA

Let's Talk Goose Island The Muddy - Video Beer Review #373

From Goose Island Brewing Company comes The Muddy, an American Imperial Stout that comes in at an ABV of 9% that is brewed with licorice root to create what they describe as “Amplified Sweetness.” One thing I like about this beer off the bat is the presentation from the label. It tells you just about all that is needed including the type of glass to use, how to pour, production date and how long to expect it to be good. They take the time to really inform the drinker, but now onto the beer.

The beer pours out a nice jet black color and is topped with a nice tan head that starts with some good foaminess and rockiness, before it starts to break down and leave behind some lacing. Since there wasn’t any way to see the carbonation, let’s take a look at the aroma.

The aroma does take a good whiff to initially come out of the glass, but it does grow as the beer warms. There are some good notes of toffee and caramel that provide a nice sweetness for the beer. The malts used, play out nicely in this malt forward beer and at a point come across as a candy sweetness.

But what about the taste, well, the beer carries a low bitterness upfront and a nice smooth taste. There is a nice creaminess in the texture, which adds a nice feel. There is that taste of the licorice but it does play out well even for me, as I am not the biggest fan of licorice. The body is that of a full body on the beer making it one a little more fitting for the Fall and Winter seasons. As far as other key notes about the flavors, they tend to get around the mouth nicely and there is a nice long duration. This is one more beer that also would pair up nicely with a cigar.

All in all, this is a nice offering from Goose Island. The beer is carbonated well and carries a nice strong texture as well as a great mouthfeel. If you are looking for a beer, especially one that may be like a dessert beer, give this one a shot.

Let's Talk JosephsBrau Hefeweizen - Video Beer Review #372

Trader
Joe's is a neighborhood grocery store with amazing
food and drink from around the globe and around the corner. One of the
things they also bring to their stores is their own beer line from under the
name of JosephsBrau Brewing. This is a look at their Bavarian Style Hefeweizen
which comes in at an ABV of 5.3%.

The beer itself pours out a nice amber colored beer that
produces a nice sudsy head that sits slightly off-white, or as some may say,
bone-white. There was a chill haze shown on the beer, although it was possible
to see some of the lively carbonation that was taking place. And as the head
dissipated, there was some nice lacing that was left behind as well.

As far as the aroma, the beer was positioned to offer notes
of bubble gum and citrus. While I did sense some of the bubble gum, there did
seem to be a lack of the citrus. But, what I did receive were the notes of
clove and banana which did stand out as they should, and did provide a nice
aspect to the malt forwardness of the beer.

The taste did offer a nice initial flavor burst and also
brought with it a nice refreshing quality. The texture on this medium body beer
wasn’t as thin as expected, and offered a good sturdiness and avoided being
watery on the taste. It definitely comes across as a nice beer for a warm day
and can definitely go down easily with its sooth taste. And on the back end,
there wasn’t harshness and the carbonation sits nicely on the palate. One additional
note would be that it is good to also let it warm a little as you drink it; the
aromas and flavors due become enhanced along the way.

Overall, this beer is a great craft beer value for what you
get in relation to what you pay. I have had others that have cost more that
haven’t been as nice as what this one offers. Not all have worked out on these
value beers from JosephsBrau, but this one is worth picking up for sure.

Let's Talk Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald - Video Beer Review #371

From the Great Lakes Brewing Company located in Cleveland, Ohio, comes the Edmund Fitzgerald. This 6% ABV Porter is a regular core beer for Great Lakes and is also listed in the book, "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die."

The beer pours out a near jet black color, and is accentuated by a tan or beige colored head. Almost without delay, aroma notes are detected coming out of the glass and are highlighted by the smell of chocolate and coffee notes up front, and a subtle hint of a caramel sweetness on the back along with an espresso quality.

The taste proves to be somewhat flavorful and robust, and there is a good hit of some bitterness up front, followed by a nice crispness on the back end break. The flavors do to tend to get around the mouth nicely, and one thing that I enjoyed was the bit of smokiness that was shown. There is a nice good length on the duration of the flavor, and not really any harshness on the finish. The carbonation sits well, and creates a great overall experience with this medium body beer.

Overall, the Edmund Fitzgerald does well as representation of the Porter style, and that smokiness mentioned also makes it nice as one to pair with a cigar. One thing to note though is to let it warm up for a few minutes, as you don’t want this one to be highly cold. Doing so will ensure better exposure from the aroma and taste. But, this is definitely one to give a try.

CBGW Talks Oktoberfest Beers

Well with Oktoberfest in full swing, what better way to enjoy then with a show discussing Oktoberfest beers? So, that's what we decided for this one.