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    Beer Blends: The Vanilla Chocolate Swirl

    December 8, 2010
    / Beer Review, Random /
    8 Comments

    So I’m trying something a little different here today. Well I guess you could say this is a very different beer so a very different review is in order.  Okay you got me, it’s not completely different but let’s just see where it goes shall we.

    I know a lot people enjoy a good blended beer.  Some like the good old black and tan with Guinness and Bass.  Some like those summer shandies when you mix a light beer with lemonade.  I like many enjoy a black velvet on occasion.  But a couple months ago a new blend came before that can only be described as a mad scientist’s creation.  The mad scientist was played by Ian from Fresh Beer.  And instead of dead body parts to make a monster Ian’s tools were simply two beers and a glass.

    While working a local beer festival and being a helpful hand for Fresh Beer I found myself pouring at Breckenridge’s table.  With my partner in crime Phil by my side we set off pushing Breckenridge brews on the masses.  We especially pushed the Vanilla Porter on people.  It’s lighter body and vanilla taste is very approachable.

    But while peddling the suds Ian arrived to tell us that Brooklyn Brewery’s table had the ever amazing Black Chocolate Stout being poured.  Phil being no stranger to trades took some Vanilla Porter to the Brooklyn guys and offered a trade for some lovely Black Chocolate Stout.  Met with some resistance Phil sweetened the offer with a smile that Kim Jong Il couldn’t resist.  And score!

    This is where Ian’s scheming began.  He said simply to blend the two beers together and make a Vanilla Chocolate Swirl.  And Ian did exactly that.  So here I am today with your instructions on how to make this awesome treat, just in time for the cold weather!

    First you are going to of course need a bottle of Breckenridge’s Vanilla Porter and a bottle of Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout.  I recommend letting the bottles sit out for a few minutes if you have had them refrigerated.

    Now the next part is how Ian did it and by all means you can experiment with it and get it to your liking.  But I first opened the Black Chocolate Stout and filled the glass about 40-45% full, not half way.  Next I poured in the Vanilla Porter the rest of the way.

    The color is not quite black.  The Vanilla Porter makes it seem like a very dark brown.  There are some spots of red around the edges of the glass that have some clarity to them.  A nice light brown head sits atop the brew but quickly dissipates.

    The nose was not all that potent but I did pick up some of the boozey qualities of the Black Chocolate Stout along with some hints of vanilla beans.

    The taste is just an attack of desert sweetness.  The cocoa and vanilla flavors blend together and I get what almost tastes like peanut butter.  The body is very full and rich.  I feel like when I drank Guinness for the first time.  It was a very heavy feeling.  With it being so rich and filling I could only have one of these babies in a night.

    So there you have it, Ian’s evilly good creation.  If you decide to be daring and make it please let me know what you think.

    Previous Reviews:
    Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
    Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

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    Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale

    December 6, 2010
    / Beer Review /
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    Name – Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale
    Country – United States
    Type – Belgian Strong Pale Ale

    On Friday night I got to partake in a vertical tasting of Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout from the years 2005 – 2010.  It is something I looked forward to since Phil from Dos Beerigos told me he was going to do it for his birthday.  To make a long story short I found most of them to have very little difference from year to year with the exception of the raisin taste in it becoming near gone by the time the oldest one is tasted.  Other than that it tasted pretty much the same through out the years.

    I guess that is something you can come across with a vertical tasting of the same style of beer.  So I felt it only right to do a review of a beer that is part of a vertical of it’s own.

    Stone’s Vertical Epic series started in 2002 with 02.02.02 and will go until December 2012 with 12.12.12.  Tonight I decided to pop open a bottle of the newest entry into the series, 10.10.10.

    I poured the most clear orange brew into my Dogfish Head snifter where it accumulated a decent sized white head.  Unfortunately the head was gone rather quickly even with the help of the etched DFH logo on the bottom of the glass shooting bubbles up to the surface.

    The aroma hits me with Muscat grapes right up front and follows up with a slight alcohol burning sensation in my nose.  I can’t help but feel like this smells incredibly like Dogfish Head Midas Touch considering they both use the same grapes.

    The taste brings a lot more grapes including a lot of white grape taste.  I do also get some darker grape flavors that reminds me of Welch’s grape juice.  I get some chamomile in there to but I don’t know if it is just because I’m searching for it.  Being a big fan of chamomile tea and seeing on the bottle that it was used I really wanted to see if the taste comes out.  And I feel like I can pick it out.  There is also an ever so slight alcohol burn at the end but it becomes more prominent as the brew warms up.

    As I mentioned before I find this to be a lot like Midas Touch from Dogfish Head because of the grapes.  This isn’t as sweet but they are still incredibly alike.  For that reason I don’t like as much as I probably would if I never had Midas Touch.  But as a beer overall I think it is quite good.  It is unique to all other Belgian styles.

    I think what I get excited about in verticals are different styles in the series like Stone’s and the Bruery’s.  I think this is a smart choice for being later in the series as I don’t see it aging incredibly well.  Sure it’s 9.5% ABV but I think 2 years is probably it’s limit.

    I have a second bottle to go with my 09.09.09 that I kept from last year and will hold on until they reach their end.  I will see how they are all together in 2012.

    Grade – B

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    Tampa City Council Votes 4 – 3 In Favor of Cigar City

    December 4, 2010
    / Beer News /
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    This past Thursday, December 2nd, Cigar City Brewing faced the potential of losing it’s tasting room at the hands of the Tampa City Council.  Supporters of the brewery showed up and voiced their opinions to the council.  While everyone will never always see eye to eye on things those against the brewery I must say brought nothing credible to the table that should in anyway reflect the brewery’s tasting room.  The continued disputes over the increased traffic and crime had no solid evidence to show that Cigar City violated their provisions.

    Councilperson Charlie Miranda, absent from the previous voting, made a great point when asking how many places that apply for a wet zoning permit do not have waivers or special arrangements.  One of the legal people openly admitted that there are very few that don’t have any waivers at all.

    Being concerned with your neighborhood is a great thing.  The citizens of the Lincoln Gardens and Carver City areas of Tampa have every right to be fighting for their area.  But Cigar City is not the reason for increases in crime and traffic.  Tampa police have shown no complaints related to the tasting room including alcohol related automobile accidents.  If you are concern about children getting hit by cars then you need to supervise them closer.

    Thank you coucilpeople Miranda, Mulhern, Capin and Caetano for seeing the truth and understanding that Cigar City is not the reason for hard times in a neighborhood.  Thank you for seeing that Cigar City brings business to Tampa.  Thank you for seeing that Cigar City creates jobs.

    It’s easy in this time and age to blame a company that makes alcohol for our problems, especially with the way commercials portray beer in the United States.  But I am glad some people don’t look at it that way.

    Thank you again to all that supported Cigar City and even more to those four wonderful people that didn’t buy into the bull that was put in front of them by detractors.

    Long live Cigar City!

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