Mike Loves Beer

Name – Stoudt’s Fat Dog
Country – United States
Type – American Imperial Stout

Appearance – Pours a pretty much jet black color with a thin light brown head.

Smell – Roasted malts and coffee are the main smells I pick up but you do get a bit of oats and a little boozey whiff of the alcohol at the end.

Taste – Roasted malts as you expect and then the coffee and oats balance each other out very nicely so one doesn’t dominate more than the other.  Add in a bit of chocolate for a very nice taste.  The alcohol has a bite at the end to it that becomes more prominent as it warms up some.

This has been one that I have been wanting to try for awhile but always pass over it for something else.  Finally I picked it up and gave it a try.  I am glad I did.  A very well rounded stout all together.  It may have a bit more of a coffee taste than I normally care for but it was not overbearing at all.

Overall Grade – A-

Posted January 27th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Stoudts | Category: Grade A, Imperial Stout, Stout |  Email This Post | Comments (2)

Name – Solstice D’hiver
Country – Canada
Type – American Barleywine

Appearance – Poured a very deep red, almost brown color.  It had a very thin off white head that was gone before you knew it.

Smell – Dark fruit and some toasted malts hit the nose.

Taste – More of the same from the nose and it ends with a very small bit of a earthy hops taste.

I’m not the biggest fan of barleywines so I was hesitant to get this but when it was mentioned that the price had dropped after the holidays I figured why not give it a try.  If hadn’t known this was a barleywine going in I would have called you crazy for telling me such.  Compared to most others I have had this is rather calm.  The hops and barley tastes are not really that present to me.  It really reminded me more of a dark Belgian beer or maybe even an old ale.  All in all it wasn’t bad, not great, but not bad.

Overall Grade – C+

Posted January 26th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel | Category: Barley Wine, Grade C |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

This weekend is one of the biggest beer weekends in the state of Florida and it happens a mere 30 minute drive north of me in Jupiter, FL.  Like last year it will be a two day event with the Field of Beers taking place on Friday evening and the Festival itself on Saturday afternoon.

The Field of Beers is a traditional beer and food pairing.  Fifteen breweries and brew pubs are paired up with a chef to make food with their beers.  The patrons then walk around and sample as they please.  It will again take place at Roger Dean Stadium in the beautiful Abacoa area of Jupiter, FL.  Do note that there is one 300 available spots for the Field of Beers so make sure to get your tickets early.  Here is a list of the participating breweries and brew pubs for the Field of Beers.
Anchor Brewing Co. – San Francisco, CA
Bells Brewery – Kalamazoo, MI
Big Bear Brewing Company – Coral Springs, FL
Brewzzi – West Palm Beach/Boca Raton, FL
Brooklyn Brewery – Brooklyn, NY
Corner Cafe & Brewery – Tequesta, FL
Flying Dog Brewery – Frederick, MD
Gordon Biersch – Miami, FL
Inlet Brewing Company – Jupiter, FL
Left Hand Brewing – Longmont, CO
Oceana Coffee – Jupiter, Florida
Saint Somewhere Brewing Company – Tarpon Springs, FL
Star Hill Brewery – Crozet, VA
Stone Brewing Co. – San Diego, CA
Swamphead Brewery – Gainesville, FL
Victory Brewing Co- Downingtown, PA
Widmer Brothers – Portland, Oregon

Then Saturday is the 2010 Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival.  This year they have move the location of the event from the the small green in the center of Abacoa into Roger Dean Stadium right across the street.  This should allow for more spacing out of the boths and people in general.  As you may have read I missed this event last year and was none to pleased (we will agree to disagree as to who was at fault).  So I have my ticket already purchased this time and am really looking forward to it.  The list of breweries, brew pubs, cigar shops and restuarants participating is staggering and I can’t even begin trying to list them all here.  Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewery comes to this festival every year to pour beer.  So you will get a chance to meet one of the men responsible for some great beer.  There is also a silent disco, which you have to see to believe, and a best dressed monk contest.  This is after Inlet Brewing’s mascot of sorts for their Monk in a Trunk Organic Amber Ale.

So this is definitely going to be a definite can’t miss weekend.  I unfortunately can not make the Field of Beers but will be at the festival on Saturday.  I will try my best to tweet highlights along the way but I tend to get way into the festivities to remember to tweet at things like these.  I also look forward to being able to hang out with some of the great beer folks down here in South Florida.

Head over to the website to take a look at all the details and purchase tickets.  If aren’t purchasing tickets you better get there early or you might miss out as well.  Don’t be me from last year.

Posted January 26th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival | Category: Beer News |  Email This Post | Comments (2)

The title pretty much says it, the Bruery is coming to South Florida.  And it’s probably a lot sooner than you think.  Thanks to the fine folks at Fresh Beer Inc. the Southern California brewery will be in Florida this week.  When the store nearest you ordered their’s will determine whether you see it on the shelves this week or next week but within a couple weeks you should be able to find them in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties.

Good news is that we are getting the full line of their regular brews along with the seasonals that aren’t actually sold at the brewery only (*cough*Black Tuesday*cough*).  This excites me because that means we will be getting Two Turtle Doves, which I have had a few times before.  I also had the chance to sample Saison Rue and White Orchard last week and can’t to try a few others.

I have been eagerly waiting for this arrival since I have heard about them.  If you are in South Florida and don’t know who they are then do pick them up when they get here and enjoy!

Posted January 25th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: The Bruery | Category: Beer News |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Name – Chicory Stout
Country – United States
Type – American Stout

Appearance – Pours a bubbly black color with some brown highlights.  The head is a finger width light brown one.

Smell – Toasted malts, coffee and chicory gives it a great smell.

Taste – More toasted malts with some sweet chocolate flavors in there.  You get a bit of the coffee and the chicory is there as well.

I’ve had a small sample of this before and really needed to give it a proper tasting so I picked up a couple bottles before they were all gone.  Very well balanced stout here.  I loved the chicory in it to give it a little something different.  Here is another brew that I wish was all year round and not just winter.

Overall Grade – A

Posted January 25th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Dogfish Head | Category: Grade A, Stout |  Email This Post | Comments (3)

Name – Full Sail Wassail
Country – United States
Type – Winter Warmer

Appearance – Poured a very deep reddish brown color.  It really depends at what angle you look at it that it will look more red or more brown.  Thin off white head is gone pretty quickly.

Smell – Quite sweet malts with some spice being picked up.

Taste – Sweet caramel and straight up maltiness.  There is not a lot of spices going on compared to most winter warmers.

While it didn’t have as much spice to it that you would think from a winter warmer I still enjoyed the maltiness of this one.  It was sweet and enjoyable to sip on.  One of the better winter warmers I have had this season.

Overall Grade – B+

Posted January 22nd, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Full Sail Brewing Company | Category: Grade B, Winter Warmer |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

Name – Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter
Country – United States
Type – American Porter

Appearance – Pours a pretty opaque brown with some lighter brown to red highlights along the edges of the glass.  Good sized tan head disappears quickly and doesn’t really leave any lacing.

Smell – You do get the hazelnut right up front with some other toasted malts.

Taste – Hazelnut, toasted malts, a little bit of chocolate and some hints of vanilla and toffee.

I must say that they did a good job of having an easy time tasting the hazelnut.  Some beers you have to really search for the flavor of something that they put in the name but no problems with this.  I found it to be a little more sweet than I care for with a porter but not bad at all.  See, Sea Dog can make more than just fruit flavored wheats.

Overall Grade – B-

Posted January 21st, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Sea Dog | Category: American Porter, Grade B, Porter |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

All craft beer lovers have probably at least one thing in common.  They yearn for some particular beer that they can not get very simply.  Not all breweries are widely available across the United States and it makes many of us envy what others can have.  Being in such a geographically out of the way place like South Florida I am constantly one of the many that wishes he could get his hands on some of the great beers that people rave about.  Luckily occasional trips bring a smile to my face when I can sample something I normally can’t have at home but that doesn’t last long.

Over the summer while I was in Arizona I got to have New Belgium, Deschutes and Alaskan brews for the first time.  All are widely considered big names in the craft brewing biz and all not available in Florida.  Now I am continually counting the days until I can have 1554 from a local store and poured into a glass in my own home.  Unfortunately it isn’t looking like New Belgium will be in Florida until 2012 so I will still be waiting and Ed Roberts at Total Wine will still be getting asked when they will be here for at least a couple more years.

Luckily we are getting the Bruery, Summit and Southern Tier in South Florida soon and I have been waiting for the Bruery for awhile after trying Two Turtle Doves a few months back.  So there is some things to look forward to.  But that brings me to the main question at hand.  What is your most wanted brewery or beer?  What do you wish you could easily get without long travels, mail orders or trades?  I’m really anxious to see what everyones’ wishes are.

Posted January 19th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Alaskan Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, New Belgium Brewing, The Bruery | Category: Fun |  Email This Post | Comments (12)

Name – Terrapin Gamma Ray
Country – United States
Type – Wheatwine

Appearance – Poured a slightly hazy reddish orange color with a thin white head that was gone pretty quickly.

Smell – The scent is on the boozy side but not too strong.  There is hints of banana, cherry and white grapes.

Taste – You get a very sweet taste up front that is very much like a white wine so those grapes are there.  There is the banana and cherry from the smell as well as some citrus notes.  Finishes with a bold alcohol bite.

My first venture into the wheatwine style and I can say that this one reminds me more of wine than barleywine.  But with the wine characteristics it also was quite similar to many Belgian tripels as well with the cherry and banana presence in there.  It is definitely something a little different from what you may be use to so if you want to go out and get something that will be a bit surprising then definitely pick this up.

Overall Grade – B-

Posted January 18th, 2010 by Mike | Tags: Terrapin Beer Company | Category: Grade B, Wheatwine |  Email This Post | Comments (5)