December 25th - Founders Brewing Company Curmudgeon's Better Half

First of all, I hope that you and your family had the Merriest of Christmases this year.  I know our family definitely did!

I had every intention tonight of reviewing one of the 4 or 5 Christmas themed beers in the fridge tonight after sitting down to write up the 25th post of the month, but they're all bomber bottles and I'm just not feeling like downing that much at the moment.  I took one of them to the family party this afternoon, but neither my brother-in-law of myself really felt like drinking anything at that time.  After all the food we ate this afternoon and even more this evening, It's a struggle to make this happen tonight.  

Plugging in a forward direction, instead of a 10% ABV + bomber bottle, I opted for a 12 ounce bottle at approximately 12.7% instead.  Tonight, from Founder's Brewing Company in Michigan is Curmudgeon's Better Half.  This beer was bottled on 8/22/18 and is part of their Barrel Aged Series.  According to the website tonight, this Old Ale is brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels.

It's fitting that last year's 25th post was Founder's CBS, which was outstanding by the way.  It's pretty pricey for a bomber bottle at $24.99 locally this year, but I assure you that you won't be disappointed if you pick one up.

I've likely said it before, but I'm just too lazy to check back in other posts, Founder's makes some pretty outstanding stuff.  My summer go-to IPA is their All Day IPA which for 15 cold cans is relatively cheap no matter where you grab it.  KBS is always solid bourbon barrel stout.  Breakfast Stout is a winner in the cold winter months.  And if you're into scotch style beers, Backwoods Bastard is another no brainer choice!

Last one for 2018, so let's get after it! 

As for tonight's selection, I poured it into my brandy snifter glass from the 12 ounce bottle.  The color was a cloudy caramel color with a reddish-hue.  The tan head laced the glass all the way to the bottom.  Aroma was pretty straightforward from the description.  There was sweet maple syrup and bourbon with just a touch of vanilla on the nose as well.

This beer is definitely thick on the mouthfeel.  The sweet bourbon hits your palate first, but doesn't warm things up like you'd expect a beer like this to do, which is definitely OK.  Sweet molasses hits you next with some definite caramel and vanilla flavors coming through.  For 13.2%, this thing drinks pretty smooth.  The alcohol is definitely there, but doesn't bite you at all and is very well hidden.

The whole thing finishes more sweet than bitter, with just a hit of the latter.  The whole thing ends with a syrupy coating on the tongue that wants you coming back for some more.

All in all, a great beer!  I grabbed a 4 pack to try this earlier this month and got 2 more in my case club delivery a few weeks later.

If you've been one of the loyal readers for the duration, I thank you for taking the time to read and either be entertained or gather some knowledge about beer.  For the first time this year, I've had some folks actually tell me they've picked up a beer or two on my recommendation, or something that they think they'd like even if it wasn't for me.

I'm not going to reflect for too long here tonight, but as numbers of readers for each post was down this year, it was still fun to put beer into words.  Sometimes, just telling a backstory, recalling a fun or fond memory, recalling something that I forgot about before I told a backstory, or just finding a fun meme or gif that made me laugh was worth it.  The 99 Problems beer review from Listermann Brewing brought back in a genuine blog post some memories that I had forgotten about with my brother and sister-in law and our visits to them in NYC.  I also found a Jay-Z gif that I still love to this day...

Who knows if this will survive into next December outside of the blog posts?  Instagram is a pretty easy way to do the #25BeersofChristmas but there is some joy in this format as well.  I guess whatever happens, stay tuned into next year and it just may happen again.

I wish you and your families a happy and prosperous new year and a blessings filled 2019!  The best is yet to come!  Cheers!

December 24th - Prairie Artisan Ales Christmas Bomb!

Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours!

After a long day today and just wrapping up my Santa duties for the year, I'm finally sitting down after a few well-earned beers at the annual Christmas Eve family gathering.  The Dogfish Head IPA sampler pack had some old favorites and a new one in there too!  

I knew this morning what I was going to review tonight so I stuck it in the fridge quick this AM.  My Tavour order showed up earlier than expected, but this special guy was something that I've been sitting on for nearly a year and I've been waiting for just the right time to break it out.  I think that tonight is as fine a night as any!

An order from earlier this year from Tavour included something that I knew I'd have to let age slightly until the blog came back for the 6th year.  Folks across the craft beer scene rave about Oklahoma based Prairie Artisan Ales and their Bomb!  An imperial stout aged on coffee, chocolate, vanilla beans, and ancho chili peppers under normal circumstances, this particular selection is the Christmas Bomb!  A 13% ABV imperial stout brewed with some additional spices, this thing would probably keep and mellow for years on end.  

The label art is pretty unique in that you can be entertained for a few extra minutes while drinking looking for some differences in each of the photos on the bottle.  That's fun!

I'm busy, and tired, so I'll spare you any more details.  Onto the review!

The beer poured from a 12 ounce bottle, black as can be with a thin bead of mocha colored head at the top.  Thick, syrupy malts, bourbon sweetness, some spices in the background, vanilla, and a slight pepper heat can be found in the aroma of this behemoth.  

For real though.  This beer tastes amazing.  I'm calling it a 5 out of 5 before even telling you any more about it.  I mean I will, but you just need to know it's that good ahead of time.

There are flavors galore in this beer.  You got some cinnamon, sweet chocolate, bourbon sweetness, vanilla, mild chili pepper heat, coffee and a mixture of spices that just work so darn well in this imperial stout.  Nothing overpowers anything else here.  I love the pepper heat, but it comes in just as quick as it leaves as to also not overpower anything else in the beer.  Everything plays so nicely together for a beer of this style and ABV that it's outstandingly made.  I've always balked at paying a premium for something like this, but now I'm glad I have the regular, run-of-the-mill Bomb! sitting in my beer room aging as well.  I'm super-excited to try the normal variant of this style another night. 

Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours!  See you tomorrow for the final entry for 2018!

December 23rd - Stone Brewing Company Enjoy By 01.01.19 Brut IPA

This beer may be the one exception to the rule when it comes to this beer blog.  I always vow that I'll never review a beer more than one time, however, since Stone Brewing Company always decides to tempt me with their Enjoy By series, I feel obligated to share the knowledge I gather with the masses.

It was the very first beer I reviewed (11.12.13) in the infantile stages of this beer blog.

It's come a long way in just a few years, hasn't it?  If you don't believe me, check the link above...

I also allowed a second review of it a few years later, just shy of the Christmas 2016 expiration date on Christmas Eve Eve yet again!

Released on 11/27/18, this beer is made to be enjoyed within a 37 day window, which according to the ticker on their website, I have just over 8 more days to drink it before it becomes less fresh.  From what I've seen and read about this beer, some of the hop aroma drops off (especially the citrusy notes) as you get further from the production date.  I'd argue that it still would be fine after the first of the year.  So if someone tells you it'll explode if you don't drink it in time...

I've said it before, find this after 1.1.19 and get it at a discount...it'll still taste fine regardless of recommendations

As I mentioned a few posts ago, the Brut IPA is now a thing.  A quick read tells me that in order to achieve the dry mouthfeel of this new style, a brewer needs to add specific enzymes to the brewing process to achieve a close to 1.000 final gravity reading, similar to what water would be if you used a hydrometer to measure it.  Hydrometers measure the sugar amount found in the wort (alcohol free beer at the beginning of the fermentation process).  As the yeast eats the sugar and farts out CO2 gas, alcohol is a by-product.  The bigger the difference between initial and final readings (pre- and post-fermentation) the more % ABV your beer contains.

This one, as always with the Enjoy By series, is a whopping 9.4% for the Double IPA they brew.  

Pouring the 12 ounce can into my DFH IPA glass, so I could get a pretty good idea of what I was getting from the 11 hops used to brew this DIPA, was a nearly transparent golden amber color with some effervescent head at the top.  I'm sure the glass had something to do with that, since it's etched at the bottom to enhance the carbonation of a beer in it.

I didn't get much of the citrus that I was expecting.  Like the quick YouTube clip I watched said, maybe it did drop some of the flavors just shy of 30 days sitting in the can?  In any event, there is definitely a fruity and floral aroma present here, leaning towards a nectarine undertone.  There are some hints of pine and spruce here as well.

As for the flavor, it was bubbly at first and quickly turned to a dry mouthfeel for sure.  Not as dry as drinking some champagne, but pretty close if it weren't for the slight malty sweetness I gathered on the palate.  The only two hop flavors I get are a slight citrus coupled with some earthy notes.  On another note, there isn't a thing here that screams 9.4% ABV.  It's definitely masked super well!  

This isn't my favorite of the Enjoy By series (not that it matters because you can't find them after the fact), but I was curious to try the new Brut IPA style.  I've seen more and more lately in stores that are attempting to throw their hat into the Brut ring.  If they're offering some singles, I'll definitely play the game, but I don't think 4 or 6 of any one company's offering will be something I'll drop some cash on.

This beer was bitter enough to satisfy my IPA craving, but had interesting levels that, again, were worth a try.  I was longing for more of a hop flavor and profile compared to what I got.  Now that I'm proofreading what I've written before posting, I'm actually thirsty for another one of these.  Maybe next time I won't wait 10 days to enjoy it I guess!  If the citrus profile drops out that quickly, there's something to be said for the Enjoy By date!

December 22nd - Bells Brewery Arabicadabra

After last night's miss on a milk stout with some spices added into it, I figured I would remind myself this afternoon what I was looking for in a milk stout before heading into the evening hours tonight.  Arabicadabra from Bell's was a quick selection to review this afternoon.  Sounds like coffee beans mixed in with some magic today!  

I'm betting it's more magical than this...just sayin'

This is something that I've seen locally, but never had the ambition to actually purchase and try.  Luckily, for me, I'm a member of a case club that purchases things I normally wouldn't.  That hasn't proved yet to be a bad thing either!

Bell's Brewing out of Kalamazoo, Michigan has been distributing beer here for a few years now.  Their Two Hearted Ale, Kalamazoo Stout, Winter White Ale, Oberon Ale, and recently their 30th Anniversary Cherry Stout Reserve are all beers that I've found to be absolutely enjoyable.  Again, I don't usually purchase any of them myself (most recently Oberon was on sale after the summer months...I snagged a 12 pack of that at a cheap price!), but if my brother-in-law buys it, I'm all in!

Upon doing some research before putting this together today, Bell's provides some tasting notes from their website/YouTube.  I'll share my thoughts first before linking that up below, but I'm curious to see how close I come to the folks who brew this up on the regular.

Let's get straight to it today, shall we?

From the bottle, poured into my beer coffee mug (I'll tell you the story of where it came from in person sometime if you're curious...) a nearly jet black beer with a nice looking medium brown and milky head at the top.  The aroma was straight up roasted coffee with just a touch of chocolatey goodness.

First sip was definitely sweet (like what I wanted last night) and full bodied for a 5.5% ABV selection.  Creamy goodness filled my palate as well with each and every sip.  There is some chocolate in the flavor as well, albeit just a touch.  The beer finishes slightly bitter, but not overly so.  There is also a dry sort of taste that lingers, just like my cuppa joe in the morning!  I dig it and you may too, if you enjoy this style and some coffee mixed in!

December 21st - Left Hand Brewing Company Chai Milk Stout Nitro

Well, it's official.  It's Friday and Christmas break is finally here.  This last week has been pretty tiresome between work, responsibilities of being an adult and beer blogging.  Top that all off with a family Christmas party that only offered Coors Light and Blue Moon.  I'd say that it's time for a proper drink this evening.

It wasn't a craft beer pub, but at least the food was decent!

Tonight, from Colorado, is Left Hand Brewing Company's Chai Milk Stout, the nitro version.  I expect this to be a pretty easy drinking beer with a fuller body at smaller 5% ABV.  I hope this sweet stout is just like the original just with some additional, complimentary spices added.  Not sure what the exact blend will be, but it's brewed with "aromatic spices," according to the 13.65 ounce can.

Yep, you read that right.  I thought it was a pounder can instead of this random number.  Maybe the fact that it's filled with nitrogen gas instead of CO2 gas to carbonate the beer, plays a role?  Maybe you can't fill it as full?  

I really don't feel like taking the time to look this up, so chalk it up to science!

In any event, I personally think that this company does some pretty good stuff.  Their original Nitro Milk Stout is something that I reviewed a few years ago, and I still believe it's pretty darn good!

A vigorous pour down the center of my nonic pint glass resulted in a beautiful cascading of nitrogen bubbles to the top of this nearly opaque black beer.  This quickly turned in to an ever-present and frothy head at the top.  Not sure how I feel about this, but there is some sediment in this glass too...floaters galore that are suspended in the animation that is my drinking vessel.

The aroma is definitely a chai spice bouquet, dominated by cardamom and cinnamon.  With each sip, a sweet lactose sugar fills the taste buds first, and from a spice standpoint, the cardamom definitely takes the stage with some lingering cinnamon and other spices on the backside.  Star anise, slight vanilla and even some orange notes come into play throughout the sip.  The spices are definitely the focus of this beer and it shows.  For my taste, this is just a little too much for the creamy and fuller body of the milk stout style.  I will say, however, that as the beer warmed up just a tad towards the bottom of the glass, the spiciness subsided slightly and things meshed together a bit better for my subjective palate.  

Tonight, in my humble opinion, this was a tad overboard.  If you're a spiced beer person, I'd give it a try, but it was more spice that I think was needed, especially given the style.  Not sure if it was the lactose from the milk stout, the nitro versus CO2 carbing, or something else, but it just doesn't match up for my taste.  For the $3 I spent on the can, it's worth the Untappd check-in to try something unique and new tonight.  I, however, won't purchase this again.  

I think it's now time for an IPA tonight...and maybe tomorrow as well.  I can't go wrong there...I hope!

December 20th - New Trail Brewing Company Holiday Cookie

So, tonight, let's go back to a beer that I planned on reviewing but switched things on at the last minute.  I initially intended on reviewing this beer a few Sunday's ago during family cookie baking night until my brother in law changed my plan. That night, before the BCBS '18 we split, we also shared one of these cans I got in a 4 pack. We discussed what we thought of it and didn't agree when comparing notes. 

I had 2 other cans of New Trail Brewing Company's Holiday Cookie prior to that night, super excited to try it each time, and both times I wasn't overly impressed. Full disclosure, each of the three cans I had were enjoyed after having something else beforehand. Maybe my palate was tainted from something else, but tonight, with a fresh and clean palate, I'll enjoy this one last can from the 4 pack.

For the record, and before I review this beer officially tonight, I love what these guys are doing and all other beers I've had either on site or in a can from a local distributor are outstanding. There are lots of IPAs, and that's kinda my thing, so I'm biased there I guess. I've had 3 darker beers that have also beer pretty good as well. We can't forget Little Bear now can we?

As expected with a hazy IPA tonight, it poured a light golden hazy hue with a slight off-white head at the top that had some semi-decent lacing in the glass.  The aroma was more distinct when it was slightly warmer in the glass, but regardless, I got some vanilla bean along with what reminded me of sugar cookie.  There seemed to be a grapefruit undertone to this as well, which is something that I'm not too fond of in most IPAs.  If it wasn't grapefruit, it was definitely some variant of citrus for certain.  

According to Untappd, which is the only place I could find exactly what else was going on besides the vanilla and lactose mentioned on the label, it is "heavy handily hopped with Azacca" hops.  Azacca is likely where the citrus undertones came from.  Something, that for me, doesn't fit what the label and name tell me I'm to expect.

The flavor was absolutely sweet from the lactose addition as well as sticky malts.  There is also a sweet vanilla taste to this that sticks around and coats the palate for quite a while.  Beyond that, the flavor doesn't really do much else for me.

Looking at the label and the name, I know what I was expecting from this and I didn't get it 4 times in a row.  It wasn't my palate, that I can assure you of.  This is a fairly decent IPA, but the beer needs a name change.  Things just don't add up from what I expected compared to what I tasted.  

That being said, I won't rate this either here, or via Untappd.  Two of my friends via the app gave it a 4.5 and higher out of a possible 5 stars while 517 others rated the beer globally with a 3.93 out of 5 average rating.  

I want to like this beer, I really do, but I just can't bring myself to it.  

December 19th - Stoudts Brewing Company Old Adominable

Still unable to find a suitable choice for the theme, it'll be as close as we can get again this week for the final installment of what is supposed to be Winter Warmer Wednesday.  Something like a barleywine style ale should do the trick.  It'll definitely warm things up in the throat with each sip, that's for certain.  Plus, there's a picture of the abominable snowman on the label.  Nothing says winter like a bumble!

From here in PA, Stoudts Brewing Company brings an English Barleywine to the table tonight which is 8.5% ABV.  Old Abominable Barleywine is a tad light from what I'm used to from a barleywine ale, but is still well within the guidelines for the style which ranges anywhere from 8-12% ABV.  

Something easily found locally, at least as the distributors I frequent, Stoudts produces a wide variety of beers that suit my taste.  Scarlet Lady, Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, and their Double IPA are all safe selections for me.  I haven't had any of those lately, and maybe after tonight, it'll be time to revisit a few of those next time I'm throwing together a mix-a-six.

Tonight's selection, which came from my case club, poured a very nice caramel brown color with a beige head at the top of my splinter glass.  Pretty standard aroma here in a sweet caramel malt.  The first sip surprised me when I got a mouthful of mild spices, a la a winter warmer.  Cinnamon and a slight clove brushed the palate first followed by rum soaked raisins, caramel malts and even a slightly sour green apple flavor, oddly enough.  The beer definitely warmed things up and finished relatively dry on the palate with another touch of slight cinnamon.  

For the final WWW post (or the closest I could come) of the year, this beer rounded out the theme pretty well.  It's not something that knocks you down after drinking it like other barleywine beers, but still has the flavors that you'd expect from the style.  The apple still throws me for a loop, but it works for my taste buds!  Grab one and enjoy the last few days before Christmas!