Tracie and I have the day off, so decided to head down to the pub and turn in our coupons for our celebratory Half-marathon beers. Block 15 was a sponsor of the event.
Oh, and we both got new PRs too.
Pours clear amber with a fluffy white head that dissipates fairly quickly.
Aroma is huge citrus hops -- really nice.
Flavor is nicely balanced -- overall quite hoppy, but balanced with good malt.
Mouthfeel is surprisingly light and crisp for as strong as it is. It's almost too drinkable.
Finish is strongly bitter. No surprise there.
This is a really good IIPA -- highly recommended. I've been enjoying a bunch of the HUB beers, I need to get up to the brewery one of these days...
This is a nice mellow beer. Nice reddish-amber color. Big malt nose, balanced flavor with a solid bitter hit way at the end. A pleasant surprise from a new brewery I'd never heard of.
Chris, you'll need to check this place out next time you're in the area, if you haven't already...
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...
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.
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!
Vs.
The Dogfather, Laughing Dog Brewing, Ponderay, Idaho
22oz bottle, 10.85%abv
Appearance: both are appropriately black. Old Growth has much better head.
Aroma: Old Growth has a great roast and coffee nose. Dogfather is lacking aroma wise, with perhaps a subtle hint of vanilla, but otherwise not much.
Flavor: again, Old Growth comes out on top here, with good balance, nice roast malt, and chocolate. Reminiscent of a chocolate-covered espresso beans. Dogfather is not as well balanced, and is a bit harsh.
Mouthfeel and finish: Old Growth is a bit smoother and balanced overall, but is a bit sharp with astringency. Dogfather has a more bitter finish. The beers are more closely matched here.
Overall, the Old Growth is a much nicer beer. The Dogfather is ok though, and may get better with age.
Calling this simply "Stout" is like calling the ocean "a bit moist" -- this beer is huge.
Appearance is solid black with a pleasant thick brown head that lingers nicely.
Aroma is alcohol, vanilla and toffee.
Flavor is sweet, but not overly so. Big alcohol flavors with lots of roast malt and pleasant toffee and coffee notes.
Mouthfeel is very thick. The finish is neither dry nor sweet, it's mostly alcohol heat.
Normally these over-the-top beers aren't my favorite, but this one is actually quite enjoyable.
Edit: Figured I might as well throw the recipe up here, for posterity and such:
Mashing and sparging were fairly typical, but we've been messing with some new equipment so ran into a few snags along the way. They didn't end up really being an issue though, as the brew session took the same amount of time it always does, and we ended up with a good starting gravity of 1.059. That should put our final ABV about 5.5% or so, about perfect for a nice dry stout. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks.
Cascadian Dark Ale, a.k.a. "Black IPA" is a recent style to come out of the Northwest, and has been a great style for Northwest breweries to play with over the last year or so. HUB's new organic version is a great example.
Appearance is dark brown to reddish black with a decent head.
Aroma is initially delightfully hoppy, with big dankness. As the beer warms and the hop volatiles dissipate, a nice note of roast malt appears in the nose.
Flavor leans dry and hoppy, with good roast malt and plenty of hop flavor and little sweetness.
Finish is solidly bitter and crisp.
This may be my favorite CDA yet -- very tasty and highly recommended.
Color is dark reddish brown with a moderate white head that lingers.
Aroma is mild malt with some subtle notes of chocolate and maybe even a hint of coffee.
Flavor is solid malt with a pleasant mild fruitiness.
Body is medium with a very slightly sweet finish.
Overall a really nice mellow, tasty and drinkable beer from one of the most picturesque breweries on the Oregon Coast. Highly recommended.
Flemish red/brown sour ale. Limited edition, oak aged barrel number 230
750ml bottle, 7%abv
Palm Breweries, Steenhuffel, Belgium
This is a super-tasty sour ale that isn't as ridiculously sour as the Kriek posted below. This one is considerably more subtle, with some good sweetness to balance out the still potent sourness. The oak aging lends a mellow hint of vanilla that adds a really nice complexity.
I like this a bunch.
This is a great sour Belgian ale.
Color is dark red to brown.
Delightful sour notes dominate the aroma and flavor.
Finish is similarly crisp and sour.
If you like sour, you'll like this. If not, avoid it at all costs, this is really amazingly sour. In a very good way...
Ridiculously strong stout
12oz bottle, abv not specified
Dogfish Head Brewing, Milton Delaware
This is a bit over-the-top. Huge alcohol nose, with a hint of roast malt.
Flavor is also dominated by alcohol, with a strong sweetness too.
Finish is also mostly sweet.
Not really one of my favorites.
