No, the headline isn't a typo. I have compared and contrasted a fresh Hopslam and a 3 year old HopSlam. Now before you all scream foul at an aged Hopslam, I did not age it myself. Well, not the full time. Suffice to say that a former manager not named after an occupation provided me an exchanged Hopslam that was a year old...for free. I naturally jumped at the chance and proceeded to let it age 2 more years. Now we (we, as I have brought a friend known only as The Mysterious Stranger) have consumed and rated these beers side by side. Let us move forward:
Bell's Hopslam 2012
It seemed proper to let age go before beauty in this case. Also, the complexities this beer could give off would have been destroyed by the intense hops from the fresh Hopslam. The nose hints at the age on this beer as we got aromas of chocolate, caramel, raisins, oak, and vanilla. You don't often see these aromas in the nose. The taste shows far more hops than I could have dreamed of, with soft hints of grapefruit and pine resin. The finish is dry with odd flavors of licorice, bread, and roast beef. While age definitely diminished this beer, it was far better than I could have hoped for.
Mike and The Mysterious Stranger's Rating - 8.75/10
Bell's Hopslam 2015
By now the coffers of many of the stores have started running dry on this Winter DIPA. Still, I was determined to find this review while it was fresh and post it. Did I say find? I mean...The nose is very pungent with aromas of grapefruit, citrus, cracked pepper, and herbal notes. The taste is more bitter than usual and provides flavors of grapefruit, tangerines, mint leaves, and lemon zest. The finish is quick and crisp with hints of citrus and honey. The finish dissipates far too quickly and leaves you wanting a bit more. Still, the nose and the front more than make up for the ending flop.
Mike and The Mysterious Stranger's Rating - 9.5/10
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
New Goose Island Taproom
Goose Island is to Chicago like NABC is to New Albany. Goose is huge in Chicago, and everywhere you go you see it on tap. From the lowliest pizza pub on up to ritzier restaurants. So I know I am not alone in being excited for a 3rd Goose Island location opening up. I don't often make it to Chicago, but when I do I will certainly check out this snazzy new location by reading this link.
Best Tap Rooms in Indy
As March Madness moves ever closer to its invasion of Indy, I found it quite interesting to stumble upon a list of their Top 5 Tap Rooms a la the Sun Times out of Chicago. If anyone decides to make that trip for basketball or just for the tap rooms, check the list out here.
Friday, March 20, 2015
New Belgium Reviews
I went out and scooped up more than a handful of the New Belgium beers. I wanted to see what this brewery was all about. In some instances I was pleasantly surprised, and in others I was disappointed. But that goes with almost any brewery these days. Read on to see my thoughts on these brews:
New Belgium Snapshot Wheat Ale
The Wheat Ale category is a hard one to judge. They tend to be even less exciting than Lager's or Pilsner's. This one certainly didn't wow me, but it did enough right to not be a complete bust. The nose is all corn, lemon juice, and mineral water. It dissipates quickly though, so be sure to get a good whiff. The taste starts out tart and fizzy with flavors of lemon juice and sour grapes. The finish is creamier with hints of creamed corn and toast. I was surprised by the intensity of the flavors, even if they were unexciting.
Mike's Rating - 6.75/10
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
Next up is the flagship of this brewery. Almost every brewery has one beer that allows them to keep the lights on. Sierra Nevada has their Pale Ale. Bell's has Two Hearted Ale. New Belgium has Fat Tire. After working in beer for over 6 years, I was certainly tired of hearing the question "Do you all carry Fat Tire?" As such, I went into this beer ready to eviscerate it. It certainly helped me. The nose is bland with only hints of applesauce and bread. Both of those aromas disappeared very quickly and left little to nothing. The taste has a strong nuttyness that included walnuts and almonds. Light citrus notes also broke through. The finish is creamy with hints of apples and wheat bread. All in all, it is a very unexciting and mediocre Amber Ale. I guess I should have expected that.
Mike's Rating - 6.5/10
New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA
The Session IPA category has exploded in recent years. I have had some great ones (Stone Go To IPA) and some awful ones (Oskar Blues Pinner). So I knew the range was wide on the quality of this one. The nose on it was fantastic from the first pour. Grapefruit, citrus, armpit, and soft floral notes made for a tantalizing aroma that didn't fail to make my mouth water. The flavor started out with green onions and armpit before the bitter flavor of lemon juice appeared. The finish was much of the same with that armpit-like flavor and bitter lemon pith. The flavor was light, but that was to be expected. The nose really pushed it forward for me.
Mike's Rating - 8/10
New Belgium Ranger IPA
Of all six of the New Belgium beers that I tasted, this is the only one that I have had before. I remember it to be a pine and citrus forward IPA that had a good mouthfeel on it. So I went into it ready for a nice experience. The nose was utterly bland with just soft aromas of oranges, lemon juice, and floral notes. The taste starts out bitter with flavors of pine and perfume that are almost jarring. The finish is exceptionally light with flavors of perfume and crackers. I am very disappointed with this beer after my first experience with it went so well.
Mike's Rating - 5.75/10
New Belgium Portage Porter
It is so hard to find a good porter, it really is. Thus I always go into each porter wishing and hoping for greatness. It was very nice to find this above average porter. The aroma is slightly sweet with hints of cocoa powder, cream, and coffee grounds. The flavor starts out bitter with hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The finish has more of that dark chocolate, but has a nice sweetness that includes flavors of cream and cappuccino. It had a nice, roasty flavor that wasn't too much.
Mike's Rating - 8.5/10
New Belgium Rampant Double IPA
After the bad experience with the Ranger IPA, I was certainly hesitant. However, the Slow Ride showed that they could intensely hop something and keep it tasting good. So I picked this up and gave it a try, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. The nose had strong aromas of grapefruit, citrus, and hints of floral notes. The taste was nicely hopped with flavors of lime zest, perfume, and grapefruit. The finish was bitter with strong hints of pine resin and perfume. All of these flavors mingled perfectly and made for a DIPA with a decent amount of oomph.
Mike's Rating - 9/10
New Belgium Snapshot Wheat Ale
The Wheat Ale category is a hard one to judge. They tend to be even less exciting than Lager's or Pilsner's. This one certainly didn't wow me, but it did enough right to not be a complete bust. The nose is all corn, lemon juice, and mineral water. It dissipates quickly though, so be sure to get a good whiff. The taste starts out tart and fizzy with flavors of lemon juice and sour grapes. The finish is creamier with hints of creamed corn and toast. I was surprised by the intensity of the flavors, even if they were unexciting.
Mike's Rating - 6.75/10
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
Next up is the flagship of this brewery. Almost every brewery has one beer that allows them to keep the lights on. Sierra Nevada has their Pale Ale. Bell's has Two Hearted Ale. New Belgium has Fat Tire. After working in beer for over 6 years, I was certainly tired of hearing the question "Do you all carry Fat Tire?" As such, I went into this beer ready to eviscerate it. It certainly helped me. The nose is bland with only hints of applesauce and bread. Both of those aromas disappeared very quickly and left little to nothing. The taste has a strong nuttyness that included walnuts and almonds. Light citrus notes also broke through. The finish is creamy with hints of apples and wheat bread. All in all, it is a very unexciting and mediocre Amber Ale. I guess I should have expected that.
Mike's Rating - 6.5/10
New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA
The Session IPA category has exploded in recent years. I have had some great ones (Stone Go To IPA) and some awful ones (Oskar Blues Pinner). So I knew the range was wide on the quality of this one. The nose on it was fantastic from the first pour. Grapefruit, citrus, armpit, and soft floral notes made for a tantalizing aroma that didn't fail to make my mouth water. The flavor started out with green onions and armpit before the bitter flavor of lemon juice appeared. The finish was much of the same with that armpit-like flavor and bitter lemon pith. The flavor was light, but that was to be expected. The nose really pushed it forward for me.
Mike's Rating - 8/10
New Belgium Ranger IPA
Of all six of the New Belgium beers that I tasted, this is the only one that I have had before. I remember it to be a pine and citrus forward IPA that had a good mouthfeel on it. So I went into it ready for a nice experience. The nose was utterly bland with just soft aromas of oranges, lemon juice, and floral notes. The taste starts out bitter with flavors of pine and perfume that are almost jarring. The finish is exceptionally light with flavors of perfume and crackers. I am very disappointed with this beer after my first experience with it went so well.
Mike's Rating - 5.75/10
New Belgium Portage Porter
It is so hard to find a good porter, it really is. Thus I always go into each porter wishing and hoping for greatness. It was very nice to find this above average porter. The aroma is slightly sweet with hints of cocoa powder, cream, and coffee grounds. The flavor starts out bitter with hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The finish has more of that dark chocolate, but has a nice sweetness that includes flavors of cream and cappuccino. It had a nice, roasty flavor that wasn't too much.
Mike's Rating - 8.5/10
New Belgium Rampant Double IPA
After the bad experience with the Ranger IPA, I was certainly hesitant. However, the Slow Ride showed that they could intensely hop something and keep it tasting good. So I picked this up and gave it a try, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. The nose had strong aromas of grapefruit, citrus, and hints of floral notes. The taste was nicely hopped with flavors of lime zest, perfume, and grapefruit. The finish was bitter with strong hints of pine resin and perfume. All of these flavors mingled perfectly and made for a DIPA with a decent amount of oomph.
Mike's Rating - 9/10
Thrillist Hosts Best Beer Bracket
I am sure many of you have been riding the couch watching the games. I have spent a solid 18 hours the past two days doing just that, and it has been quite the start already. UCLA over SMU? Kevin Ware-led Georgia State over Baylor?! UAB over Iowa State??!! I am sure more than a few brackets took a beating. But you can combine your love of beer by voting on Thrillist. Two 16's have already beaten 1 Seeds (Bell's was one). Join the excitement and vote here.
Monday, March 16, 2015
ATG Named to RateBeers Top 100 Brewers of 2014
When I read this article I was stunned. ATG has been doing some great things since they came about. Yet there are over 1,500 breweries in the United States. Some of which have been about for years. ATG becomes the first Kentucky brewery to join the list that includes breweries like Evil Twin, Cigar City, Mikkeller, Stone, Three Floyds, Russian River, and many others. You can check out the full list here.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
170 Year Old Beer Uncovered
Most of you all know that I am a huge fan of aging. I have several cases chilling in my Mom's cellar. It is perfect for aging and the distance means I won't be tempted to bust into it. But 170 years is baffling even to me. The article proves what I expected; the beer didn't taste good. However, just that it can be done and won't get you sick is astounding. I don't plan on aging any beer even close to a fourth of that, but it is interesting that they can use technology to break down the makeup of it. Here's a link to the full article here.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Coolest Restaurants and Bars
This list has some of the coolest concepts I have ever seen. It is too bad that only one is located in the United States. Still, this cool little article is definitely something to plan your next international trip around and includes one brewpub from Mikkeller. If the brewery Mikkeller plans on setting up in California is half as cool, we are in for a treat. Here's a link: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2015/mar/04/10-of-the-worlds-coolest-restaurant-bars-interiors-in-pictures
Thrillest Declares San Diego Best Beer Town
The title says it all. This isn't the first time that a publication has declared San Diego the best beer town. Cities like Portland and Asheville are certainly on the rise, but San Diego is home to over a hundred breweries which include the likes of Stone and Green Flash. I am certainly not inclined to disagree with this opinion. In fact, I would go so far as to agree. The article here says it all.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Smuttynose to Commence Canning
Smuttynose Brewing Company isn't that terribly well known. They have been available here in Kentucky for a couple years, but never done too well. However, they have the distinction of having one of my favorite Brown Ales in their Old Brown Dog. Canning continues to gain momentum among breweries. More and more are moving to at least a partial lineup of canned beers. No word seems to be on when we will see the first two, but definitely keep an eye out as Summer hits and we need canned beer options for the lakes and rivers around here. Source: https://smuttynose.com/smuttynose-cans/
Anheuser-Busch Might Be Forced to Sell Distributing Rights
Long have I wondered how Anheuser-Busch could sell their own product yet competitor Miller Coors had to go through a distributor (River City Distributing). While good for them, it seemed it was a bit of a disadvantage to others. Well, a recent Senate committee meeting could force Anheuser-Busch to go through a distributor and sell the rights to those sales.
In theory, it seems to be a big win for all. Yet it would certainly mean a loss of jobs in one company and a rise in jobs in another. To some degree it seems unnecessary. I will reserve judgment for the foreseeable future, but read the article here and see what you think. Either way, it could ring in a massive amount of change for the beer world in Kentucky.
In theory, it seems to be a big win for all. Yet it would certainly mean a loss of jobs in one company and a rise in jobs in another. To some degree it seems unnecessary. I will reserve judgment for the foreseeable future, but read the article here and see what you think. Either way, it could ring in a massive amount of change for the beer world in Kentucky.
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