Whatcha drinking?

[Jeff V]

Summer Blink DIPA by Casa Agria Specialty Ales, Oxnard, CA. An unfiltered beer with clouds of yeastly floaties flitting about...if chunky beer puts you off, you might avoid this one. Flavor was good, nicely balanced. 7.9% is a little on the weak side for a DIPA, but all in all a decent effort.

[Jeff V]

And now for something completely different...

Anchor Xmas Ale, Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, CA. I've missed their Xmas beers the past few years, I grabbed a six before they sell out again. Every year is a different recipe, and this year the beer is obsidian black, no light shall pass through the glass. Spice is very muted this year, maybe a hint of nutmeg. Despite it's color, it's not harsh. 6.9% ABV is okay if drinking a six-pack of their larger 1.5L bottles, sadly, I settled for a 6 of 12oz bottles.

The difference illustrated:

[Jeff V]

Osprey's Next Catch by Horus Aged Ales, Waunakee, WI. This is a juicy, hazy IPA and while is says "triple hopped" I wouldn't call this a "triple IPA" as it lacks the profound rich flavors of a triple or even double. For reference, this is similar to Lagunitas Lil'Sumpin' Extra in flavor but doesn't quite make itself a contender at only 7.0% ABV. The product is not well aligned with it's price.

[Isgrimnur]

Red ale with orange peel. 5.6% ABV, so I'm using my sippy cup.

Goes down pretty smooth, with a bit of an aftertaste that I can't identify.

[Isgrimnur]

Pretty smooth as well. 5.8%, so I can use a big boy cup as long as I use both hands. I won't have a problem finishing off either 6-pack of these.

[Z-Corn]

I went to Hopcat for lunch yesterday and usually I like to get something there not easy to get locally but I couldn't pass up this one...

Brewery is Grand Armory Brewing out of Grand Haven MI, Nutter Your Business Stout. 5% abv and 25 ibu. Brewery description: "Built on a chocolatey milk stout base, the peanut butter makes this beer taste like your favorite proprietary cookie. If anyone asks why you’d want a beer that tastes like dessert, tell them it’s “Nutter Your Business.”

I was dragged kicking in screaming a few years ago to these goofy styles when it looked like they weren't going away. Previously I scoffed at anything that wasn't part of the BJCP guidelines.

This was damn good! Great peanut butter flavor that was enhanced by the sweetness and body from the unfermentable lactose. A great dessert beer. I'm sure I'll be in Grand Haven soon for work and I will stop by the brewery with a growler in the hope that I can score a pour.

[Kraken]

My most-local brewery, Widowmaker, makes a peanut butter stout ("There's No Wrong Way") to die for. I very rarely want an adulterated or sweet beer; this is one I always enjoy, albeit never in quantity.

Tonight I'm drinking Lawson's Little Sip of Sunshine. Damned near perfect IPA.

[Jeff V]

Burl Double-hopped DIPA by Half Acre Beer Co., Chicago. Half Acre has a good reputation because they consistently make good beer. This is no exception. Flavor-wise, it's close to yesterday's Osprey's Next Catch yet seems to acknowledge that yes, an adult might actually drink this and provides 8.5% ABV worth of citrusy deliciousness.

[Jeff V]

American Beauty Pale Ale by Dogfishhead Brewery, Milton, DE and The Grateful Dead. Ale brewed with granola and honey. Definitely not your typical pale ale, the honey and granola give this a rich, slightly sweet flavor. I'd buy this one for a party. 6.5% ABV is decent for beers aspiring to the Pale Ale moniker.

[Jeff V]

Tony's Car Imperial IPA by Metal Monkey Brewing, Romeoville, IL. Located not far from an office I work at once a week, I'll have to plot to visit this place on a night when the wife is taking the kids to dance class. The can claims 120 IBU and 0 ABV, but beer advocate lists it at 110/8.5%. It's pretty delicious though. The bitterness is profound but also balanced by the malt so it doesn't cause lockjaw, The color is a dirty amber, but unlike last week's Stratus, this doesn't actually taste like dirt.

[Jeff V]

Also, Fistmas is out! It's back to being good again -- not sure what they did last year because I didn't really like it but it's back to the way it was.

[Kraken]

The human palate supposedly can't distinguish IBU over 90, so ratings over that are about bragging rights.

[EvilHomer3k]

Founders CBS. Very very nice. I'd say it's better than KBS. The whiskey and maple are suttle. An over 10% Jeff approved abv. It's new so it still has some carbonation (Had a 2014 double porter before this that was good but had no carbonation left). If you like stouts this is definitely one to try.

[Jeff V]

The human palate supposedly can't distinguish IBU over 90, so ratings over that are about bragging rights.

The only other 120 I can recall having (probably thanks to it's name) is Dogfish Head's 120 Minute. It has a much higher alcohol content though (over 15%) and was always a challenge on both the body and the wallet to choke down a single bottle. This one, not so hard.

[Kraken]

Ah, Celebration Ale: I no longer miss you when you're gone, but I'm always happy to see you when you're here.

[Z-Corn]

Founders CBS. Very very nice. I'd say it's better than KBS. The whiskey and maple are suttle. An over 10% Jeff approved abv. It's new so it still has some carbonation (Had a 2014 double porter before this that was good but had no carbonation left). If you like stouts this is definitely one to try.

And if you want to try it try it now because they say there are not ever brewing it again.

[mori]

I have had a couple of pours of CBS over the last couple of weeks. It is a fine beer but vastly overrated. But such is the nature of sites like Beer Advocate and Ratebee hyping such things. Not the first time having this beer and will not miss paying a premium having to try it again next year.

[Isgrimnur]

Denver Post

In another major blow to the Colorado beer industry in the last two months, New Belgium Brewing on Tuesday announced that after nearly 30 years in the craft beer business, the employee-owned company is selling to Australian-based Lion Little World Beverages, a subsidiary of Japanese company Kirin Holdings Company Limited.

New Belgium is currently the largest craft brewery in Colorado and the fourth-largest in the U.S., behind Yuengling, Boston Beer and Sierra Nevada, according to the Brewers Association. The Fort Collins-based brewery’s cash sale, for an undisclosed amount, is expected to finalize by the end of the year, pending approval by employee stock owners.
...
Lion Little World is now the largest brewer in Australia and the largest alcoholic beverage company in New Zealand, with big beer and smaller brands from XXXX to Boag’s, Malt Shovel and its original Little Creatures microbrewery, which also has outposts in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and San Francisco, according to its website.

In 2012, Kirin Holdings-owned Lion bought Little World Beverages, which became the first craft brewer listed on the Australian stock exchange.
...
Late last month, Molson Coors announced that the company is closing its Denver office, moving its headquarters to Chicago and laying off 500 employees internationally. While the company will still operate the Coors brewery in Golden, the move means Colorado has lost one of its most iconic, long-running brands — and with it, a big part of the state’s corporate identity.

[Kraken]

I never bought anything from New Belgium because I thought they only brewed Belgian ales, which I emphatically don't like. Only recently learned otherwise. Oh well, there are hundreds of breweries with very good beers much closer to home.

[Jeff V]

I never bought anything from New Belgium because I thought they only brewed Belgian ales, which I emphatically don't like. Only recently learned otherwise. Oh well, there are hundreds of breweries with very good beers much closer to home.

I avoid New Belgium for the sole reason I find all of their beers to contain an objectionable funk. When a brewery's output all has the same nasty tinge to it, I suspect the water, but hell, it could be some quirky ingredient loved by the brewmaster. Fanbois latch on to such peculiarities; there's a huge population that believes the green bottle skunkiness of Heineken is how the beer is meant to be.

[Jeff V]

Mulltiflora DIPA by Decadent Ales, Boston, MA. A very likable NE DIPA, opaque cloudiness, intensely fruity, and a very happy 9.6% ABV. This is another I semi-randomly picked off the shelf at Flight Bottle Shop (semi-randomly since I put back any beers selling for more than $5/pounder). It's on the buy-again list.

[Kraken]

Mulltiflora DIPA by Decadent Ales, Boston, MA. A very likable NE DIPA, opaque cloudiness, intensely fruity, and a very happy 9.6% ABV. This is another I semi-randomly picked off the shelf at Flight Bottle Shop (semi-randomly since I put back any beers selling for more than $5/pounder). It's on the buy-again list.

Never heard of them; the internet says they're in Mamaroneck, NY.

[Jeff V]

It says it's brewed by Dorchester Brewing Co. of Boston.

[Kraken]

Dorchester contract-brews for a lot of small companies, so that would explain that.

[Jeff V]

Dorchester contract-brews for a lot of small companies, so that would explain that.

There was at third company listed on the can as the marketer. I guess it's more efficient to compartmentalize.

[Jeff V]

Lexical Gap IPA by Polyanna Brewing, Lemont, IL. A brewery with in close proximity of Metal Monkey (gotta recruit my minion into a beer tour some day) and near one of my offices, I'm always interested to see what they are offering. This is a highly hopped west coast IPA; flavor profile suggests DIPA but with only 7.3% ABV, it's actually a lite beer. Tasty and bitter though, I would get this again.

[Jeff V]

Astronaut Juice by Illuminated Brew Works, Chicago. This is a chunky, double-hopped DIPA from a brewery I've not tried before. It's a good effort, nicely bitter with no discernible fruitiness. At only 8% though, it's going to take a bunch more pounders to put anyone in orbit.

[Jeff V]

Slightly Exaggerated IPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR. Deschutes churns out a lot of IPAs and it would be difficult to tell them apart in a line up. They are usually reliably competent though, and often cheap. This unremarkable effort has neither fruitiness or pineiness, it does have a nice mild bitterness though and could appeal to IPA detractors that don't care for either pine nor fruit. Or children. 6.0% ABV consigns this one to the kiddie table.

[Jeff V]

OK, forget what I said yesterday about Deschutes. Binny's had their entire line on sale today, and I picked up a six pack of Botanic Ale. Me no likely. It's got a highly objectionable overtone of Belgian squeezings. It's too fizzy (bottle fermented); the best part is it only cost me $8/6. I thought the 7% ABV would be helpful but it is not. Hopefully I can pawn the rest off at Football and Turkey Day next week and not have to choke down the rest of it.

[Jeff V]

Abita Xmas Ale, Abita Brewing, Abita Springs, LA. Abita, like Anchor, is also doing the different recipe every year thing. The best thing about this "dark ale" is that I'll never be brewed again. it's almost like a watered down Anchor Xmas, not quite so dark, and less flavorful. And what flavor is present is very unremarkable. At only 5.4% ABV (they were too embarrassed to list it on the label so I had to look it up) It'll never put a rosy glow on this Santa's face.

[Isgrimnur]

Last night was gin. Entirely too much gin.

[mori]

This One Goes to 11 Ale from Bell's Brewery, Comstock, MI. Purchased just a single bottle because a 4-pack of 12 oz bottles was $17 and I never had this beer before. But I ended up getting it for free because the store did not enter the single price in the system correctly so the manager just gifted it to me. Yay free beer. This Imperial Red Ale uses 11 different malts and 11 different citrus/pine type hops and clocks in at 11% ABV. Both sweet and malty but yet hoppy and bitter with no subtlety. Some alcohol flavor and warmth in the finish. This is a beer I would of loved 10 years ago, but now my tastes have gone more to brewing finesse.

[Jeff V]

jubelale by Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR. The best Deschutes beer I've had this week! Dark colored, with a discernible spiciness that complements the hops. 6.8% ABV, I wish I had more right now but I just bought a full case of Celebration.

[Jeff V]

Christmas Ale by Breckenridge Brewery, CO. Breckenridge is somewhat on a winning streak after I'd been down on them for awhile. At 7.1% ABV, this somewhat festive beer is a nice addition to the holiday lineup. It tastes more like a lager than an ale, but it's a good flavor.

[mori]

Had some Deschutes Brewing Jubelale myself during the week. A really nice beer.

Today it is Fort Road Porter by August Schell's Brewing Company located in New Ulm, MN. They have been brewing beer since 1860 and is the second oldest family owned brewery only Yuengling is older. I have had well over 100 different beers by this brewery over the years and is seldom disappointed. This one did not disappoint. Described as an English-style porter but it is not tart, stale, or downright sour compared to real traditional English porters. Definitely has the English yeast character but the malt is all Minnesota but the hops used are not described. At only 4.8% ABV the English may say this was almost sessionable.

[Scuzz]

Ah, Celebration Ale: I no longer miss you when you're gone, but I'm always happy to see you when you're here.

I bought my first six pack this year of the Celebration. Good stuff.

[Z-Corn]

I had a Fistmas before breakfast this morning. I didn't find anything special about it at all. It wasn't bad, it was balanced but I only bought it because it had been raved about every year here.

[Jeff V]

I had a Fistmas before breakfast this morning. I didn't find anything special about it at all. It wasn't bad, it was balanced but I only bought it because it had been raved about every year here.

Well, there you go, it's not particularly a breakfast beer. It's a nice holiday ale, not overdone, really kind of on par with Celebration ale although slightly more expensive. It also has the most awesome name of any holiday beer (the fist motif is huge at Revolution).

Today I had Sam Adams Winter Lager for the first time this year, and although it's usually a winter staple, this time it fell flat. Literally -- carbonation was low and the flavor lacked any zing. It was on tap, so I'll allow it could have been a system malfunction. The Space Dust chaser was fine, though.

[Kraken]

Ah, Celebration Ale: I no longer miss you when you're gone, but I'm always happy to see you when you're here.

I bought my first six pack this year of the Celebration. Good stuff.

The fact that it's still lingering around here shows how much the market has changed over the past few years. Celebration used to be the "It" beer -- the packy got one pallet that was gone in a week or two, and that was it for the year. Now half of that pallet is still there three weeks later. Celebration is still one of the best cheap seasonals, but there are so many better choices for those willing to pay for them.

Tonight I'm drinking a Widowmaker "There's No Wrong Way" peanut butter stout, the peanuttiest peanut butter beer ever, made with Teddie, the best peanut butter ever. Not something you want to drink a lot of, or often, but man is it delicious when the mood is right. Even Wife likes this beer, and Wife hates beer.

[Jeff V]

I think they upped their production a lot, too. The past couple of years Celebration has been generally available into February.