Mike Loves Beer

Name – Life & Limb 2
Country – United States
Type – American Strong Ale

A couple years ago two big name craft breweries got together to make a collaboration that sent a buzz all over the community.  To make a long story short those breweries were Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head.  The beer was Life & Limb.  I don’t know about the rest of the country but South Florida got a very small amount of these bottles.  So small in fact that I never saw a single bottle on a shelf.  Yup they were gone before I even had a chance to look.

But go back a couple months ago and the breweries announced that they were going to do it again.  Life & Limb 2, but this time in a bigger batch and in corked and caged 750 ml bottles.  Well to be honest I completely forgot about this beer coming out again until I was on a day trip a bit north with Casey and at the Total Wine in Stuart I spotted bottles of this.  Knowing that we didn’t have it down south yet I grabbed a bottle.  Also not taking a risk that we didn’t get a whole lot and again I would be left out.

So I popped the cork on this and poured it into my Dogfish Head snifter.  It pours a very dark brown color.  From distance it looks black but getting right up and looking at it you can see it’s brown.  There are a few red highlights along the edge of the glass and it’s topped off by a big full beige head.

The nose is sweet smelling with hints of maple syrup, cocoa, caramel and brown sugar.  You get some spices in there as well but they are definitely in the back.

The taste is again pretty sweet with the same tastes as mentioned in the nose.  The alcohol can be picked up with a warming feeling.  It becomes even more intense as the beer warms up.

After not having the first edition and then being disappointed by the barrel aged version I had a GABF last year I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this.  It has a lot of qualities of a brown ale that is kicked up a few notches.  Maybe not all the way to 11 but probably a 9 at least.  I sat and sipped on this one for a couple hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’m glad I got a chance to get a hold of one of these bottles this time around.  If you missed it before or you had it before and liked it be sure to head out and grab a bottle.  They even recommend you can lay this down for a few years if you so please.

Grade - B+

Finally another video review.  That’s what you were saying right?  Well I am back with another video review.  This one is of Vertical Jewbelation from the good folks at He’Brew/Shmaltz.  It is a blend of their 8th-14th anniversary recipes then aged in a rye whiskey barrel. Sorry the mic seems to cut out a bit in there.

Last weekend I wasn’t able to get a video review done but fear not I am back to grace you with my beard and long hair.  For this review I am having Bell’s 25th Anniversary Ale that came out late last year.  So let’s see what I think about it.