50 Breweries in 2011
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale
I am a big fan of the German weizen style with its banana and clove flavors, but this ale was more of an Americanized version. The yeast strain used in this ale left much less of an imprint on the final product, and instead, I found myself focussing on the spices- namely chamomile, evident in the flavor. This wasn't my favorite beer of this blog by far, but I probably wouldn't have tried it or about 20 other beers if I hadn't been encouraged by the opportunity to write about beer. It's been a delicious journey, and for that I say thank you to Smuttynose and all the other breweries.
Southern Tier Pumpking
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhqyqYDrF5zqrmjlPpVla48xujyCGaOZ5OWIBENBgHlZmclJPDFSvXC7IFWhbzu5T3LnJTqxQ0aLpvo9yeEVQwDQnRU6CDbQl1VKg38rOqmRXdJMUq2HJNTRuFZlc1GHRWAmz38bdZjc/s200/IMG_0042.jpg)
-Taster Be
Founder's Dry Hopped Pale Ale
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dRygfr1HWtk-F8dnzKwcBJMA0f231q5AKNYWaHm4R2x9QM4Pz3z6JsBDiOtaGHZ3absJDXeULfMuRHuB1Sd_e0xpeYuDrM0OcquwDmEnDJRks2EC6G0HImH9pPbnGSk1G6SrEiXLqSo/s200/IMG_0062.jpg)
-Taster Be
Brasserie Caracole Saxo
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMt7WXz41jVJlliKznQwzo7zM81Wf9-NscxCsCmJsTzur31wF4nNj0ZWKjBGtXZSwSgu6U2d3RC-_GT_NZ2Fz8uT4HyNlEC10vhRObVlYmnfkbtDPXTeUxGU5t_MmKM26liGaMxmdxa0/s200/IMG_0065.jpg)
-Taster Be
Russian Imperial Stouts
I shared these three beers with Kent during the Thanksgiving holiday. Ode to Mercy is actually an imperial brown from Wild Heaven in Georgia. Avery supplies the Out of Bounds Stout, and Weyerbacher makes Heresy. The brown obviously was the most different of the three, with flavors of brown sugar and molasses dominating. Heresy is aged in oak and it definitely influenced the flavor, giving it soft vanilla notes. Out of Bounds was probably my favorite though, because its flavor profile was more focussed on the roasty coffee and chocolate flavors of the malts. Not my favorite RIS, but still great beers. Delicious.
-Taster Be
-Taster Be
Mad River Brewing Co.- John Barleycorn
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-Taster Be
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wild Heaven Invocation
So, the inspiration behind the last two posts has been my latest brew obsession- a Belgian Tripel. I plan on brewing one up with Kent and my friend Dave this week and have been furiously doing research (you call it drinking, I call it research) in order to try to pull off something delightfully flavorful and yet powerfully strong. In my search for some decent domestic tripels, I came across this offering from just down the road in Decatur, Georgia. Wild Heaven has not been in existence for very long and in fact aren't even brewing their own beer yet. If they keep their releases as amazing as this one, though, then I'm sure they'll be able to raise the capital for their own brew system as they continue to win over beer geeks everywhere. It appears much like other belgian tripels, but I have to say that I've never poured a beer that created as much head as this one. I'm not sure this ale is exactly to style because of the hop bitterness that is present and because it uses no adjuncts, which I assume also means no sugar. The label itself says that they use American hop varietals which are not the norm and provide a much different flavor. The fruitiness is still there from the yeast, but when it combines with the malt, hops, and carbonation, it creates this sensation for me that reminds me of biting into my first fresh-picked apple of the season right off the tree. The sugary, tart sensation also has a bit of bitterness that I'd almost describe as powdery because of the perception of dryness that I get from this beer. I absolutely love it and hope you do too. Delicious.
-Taster Be
-Taster Be
Finish The Drill- Fin du Monde (again)
I guess I should have saved this for my last post because of its name, but many of you probably thought that it was the end of my world anyway since I haven't written anything new since July. Lately, though, my desire to talk about (and write about) what I drink has increased immensely, so here we go. La fin du monde is a golden-colored belgian-style beer from Unibroue in Canada. It's been reviewed on this site before by another taster, but it's definitely worth another go 'round. I find this beer fascinating and highly recommend it to anyone willing to expand their beer horizons. It's different enough to blow your mind without seeming too extreme. Up front, the smell is spicy with a hint of fruit. Then it blasts you with a sweet fruitiness similar to peach along with a slight funk more common in saisons. It finishes nice and dry leaving you wanting more. The brewer made a mistake in naming the beer, though, as this beer clearly is the beginning of something new and exciting for this beer drinker. Delicious.
-Taster Be
-Taster Be
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Beers of Spain
-Taster Be
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