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    Victory at Sea

    May 26, 2011
    / Beer Review /
    2 Comments

    Name – Victory at Sea
    Country – United States
    Type – American Porter

    Yesterday was a crazy day to say the least.  Firstly I had to work the 9 – 5 shift at work as opposed to my typical 11 – 7 one.  This made me remember how much I hate driving in South Florida during rush hour.  Tailgating (not the fun kind), excessive speeds with drastic lane changes, the use of merge lanes to pass people.  Please someone teach the ways of the force so I can force push these idiots out of the way.

    Next I checked the tracking number on a package of beer I sent out in a trade only to find UPS damaged it and threw it out.  Now I have to go make a claim at the place that I sent the package out from and send out a new package.  Well one of the bottles was Funky Buddha’s Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and there is no way I can replace that right now because there are no more.  I feel bad for this guy, his stuff is on it’s way already.  I told him about what has gone down and I’m going to try to hook him up good.

    Then last night the Phillies go 19 innings with the Reds and the winning pitcher is, Wilson Valdez?  Our utility infielder pitched a scoreless top of the inning before we won it in the bottom.  Nuts right?

    Wow that was a bit of a Rob like rant there wasn’t it?  Well onto the beer.  Today I have Ballast Point’s Victory at Sea.  They call it a Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter.  Uh oh, coffee.  Am I scared?  Not really.  I have faith in this one.

    It’s poured into my nonic pint glass and it arrives a pitch black color.  There is a maybe one finger light brown head that sits on top.

    The nose gives me a lot of cocoa and vanilla.  I’m surprised not to get any real coffee aromas in this.  So far so good in my book.

    The taste is a lot of the same cocoa and vanilla flavors but it does make way for a mild coffee taste.  More roasted malt character in there as well.  A creamy body makes this not feel thin and watered down.

    Okay so I have had this brew before so I knew going into the review that I enjoyed this one already.  I really enjoy the vanilla taste on here and how subtle the coffee is.  Some may have wanted more of it in there but that’s based on individual taste.

    Again Ballast Point makes another supreme brew.  I just hope they can soon expand their reach in Florida all the way down to my neck of the woods (and by woods I mean palm trees and houses that all look the same).

    Grade – A

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    Unplugged Imperial Weizen

    May 24, 2011
    / Beer Review /
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    Name – Unplugged Imperial Weizen
    Country – United States
    Type – Hefeweizen

    Been awhile since I last reviewed a beer.  Two whole weeks to be exact.  A lot of work makes me completely embrace every bit of time off I get so I have been lacking on doing much in the way of reviews when I have free time.  Instead I trade that for sitting back and relaxing while enjoying a beer.  But I guess I do owe one to you fine readers.

    Today I crack open another of the Unplugged series from New Glarus.  This one being the Imperial Weizen.  Will a beefed up version of a German Hefe help me in this already summer time heat?

    I poured this one into my pilsner glass as I don’t have an actual hefe glass.  But the tall shape of this one will fit just fine.  It pours a cloudy pale yellow color with a big fluffy white head.  The head sticks around for awhile and leaves nice lacing on the glass.

    The nose is what you expect of a hefeweizen.  Lots of coriander, lemon and orange.  The yeasty hefe character.

    The taste is a lot of the same except a nice citrusy hop character on the back side.  It adds a little extra character to the brew.  The 9.6% ABV is very well hidden and you could fool me if you told me that was the percentage on it.  It’s smooth and crisp and really thirst quenching.

    I finished this beer absurdly fast.  Probably not the best idea of something so high in ABV but damn was it easy to drink and delicious.  I know banana and cloves are a typical characteristic of hefes but I always prefer the ones that are more citrus tasting.  So this was right up my alley.  The hoppy character from the dry hopping add something extra and special to it.

    I must say in my limited exposure to New Glarus I can see they are an amazing brewery.  This Unplugged series allows their head brewmaster to break the walls down on styles and create new and amazing beers.  For the most part all have been great in my opinion.

    If you have the ability to get New Glarus stuff (and that’s limited to people in Wisconsin or traders) go do it.  You won’t be disappointed.

    Grade – A

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    Bx Beer Depot’s Brewhaven Tiki 2nd Anniversary Tonight

    May 20, 2011
    / Beer Events /
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    Bx Beer Deport, one of South Florida’s longest running home brew supply shops, is celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of their Brewhaven Tiki bar.  For the past 2 years the folks at Bx have opened up their back patio space on Friday (and some Saturday) nights to beer geeks alike.

    To celebrate they will have special extended hours until midnight.  They will also be featuring beers on tap from Avery and Tequesta Brewing.  There will be BBQ and most likely live entertainment.

    So if you are in Palm Beach County and have nothing to do tonight then head over to Bx Beer Depot to get your party on!

    BX Beer Depot
    2964 Second Avenue North
    Lake Worth, FL 33461
    http://www.bxbeerdepot.com

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