Friday, March 25, 2011

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

Took the day off to head over to the coast with Tracie and the fam. First stop was the Rogue brewery, conveniently located near the Aquarium in Newport.

The chowder was great, and the beer is good too. Started with a dry hopped red, which was tasty. Couldn't resist also trying the Yellow Snow IPA. Good floral hop nose, solid bitterness, and light malt. Tasty. Seems like beer always tastes better at the brewery...

Monday, March 14, 2011

Lagunitas Imperial Stout

Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA. 10.14%abv, 22oz bottle

Appearance is black, with a thick tan head that lingers.

Aroma is licorice, figs and toast.

Flavor is very slightly sweet, with lots of roast and a hint of sourness.

Finish is balanced fairly well, perhaps a bit toward sweet but nice, especially considering the strength.

Overall a nice big stout from the empire of Lagunitas.

Monday, March 07, 2011

Beautiful day in DC

Yesterday it poured, but today it's cold and sunny, yay!

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Goose Island IPA

Pleasantly surprised by the DC beer options. The Goose Island IPA reminds me of a mellow English IPA with a bit more hop nose. Mild but quite drinkable.

At the mall

The National Mall that is. Enjoying a nice visit so far!

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Ninkasi Beer Dinner

Tonight was a beer dinner at a local restaurant featuring some fun food pairings with Ninkasi beers.

Menu:



First course: "Pizza and Tater Tots" paired with Renewale Irish-style Red ale

The "Pizza" was flatbread with tuna and dungeness crab and a bunch of other yumminess. The "Tater Tots" were white truffle potato croquettes. Both quite good, but the tots were amazing.

Renewale is a good Irish Red, I'm just not a big fan of the style. It was a good pairing with the food though.


Second course: "Lobster Dog & Slaw" paired with Spring Reign seasonal ale

This was a lobster and smoked scallop sausage with passionfruit slaw. The new Spring Reign seasonal pale ale was released today, and it's yummy. Very light and refreshing, and another great food pairing.


(Sorry about the blue tint -- my phone's camera sucks)

Third course: "Pancakes & Eggs" paired with Believer Double Red ale

Maple cured duck confit in cornmeal crepes with chipotle cider reduction and quail egg. I thought this one would be my least favorite based on the description, but it may have been the best. It had a great "breakfast" sweetness to it, but was rich and filling too. The richness and sweetness both went well with the maltiness of the Believer.


Dessert: "Ice Cream Sandwich" paired with Vanilla Oatis oatmeal stout

This was great, mocha ganache, hazelnut ice cream. Normal Oatis is a great oatmeal stout, and I had never had the vanilla version. I was pleasantly surprised, the vanilla is really subtle, showing mostly in the nose. It be great to try it side-by-side with the normal one. Unfortunately, the vanilla version is only available on draft and not in bottles.
Overall, a really enjoyable meal and a great way to spend the evening. It was nice to be able to chat with a couple of the Ninkasi employees too -- nice folks. I need to get down to the brewery for a tour soon.

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

HaandBryggeriet Norse Porter

Norwegian Dark Porter
HaandBryggeriet, Drammen, Norway
25oz bottle, 6.5%abv

Appearance is black with a thick lingering brown head.

Aroma is roast malt, licorice and cola.

Flavor is similar to the aroma, but with a bit of sourness. Almost as if it had a bit of soured Guinness Stout added.

Finish is lightly sweet with a fairly clean overall profile.

A really nice beer. Evidently the Norwegians make a good porter!