Q3 10 Beer review!

Right to it...will be at it off and on all weekend!

1) Cricket Hill - Hopnotica - Very nice and mild English IPA....could drink this for a while!

2) Lagunitas - Lucky 13 - Red Ale - 8.56% - Lagunitas is one of my favorite breweries....always a solid offering...no exception here....I love the sweet nose balanced out with the hops bitterness.

3) Lagunitas - Little Sumpin Wild - Belgian Strong Pale Ale - 8.9% - Fermented with that Westmalle Yeast Strain...Hell Ice making is complicated for me....not going to get into the mix of hops/yeast but this is very tasty. The balance to me is peach. Lagunitas does it again!

4) Terrapin - Rye Squared - Still have some beers leftover from the Oak Tree haul in July....gonna have to remedy that! Says this is 9.5% wow...don't know where they are hiding that and it is also an American IPA, not a Double...hazy orange presentation and sneaky mild! I need to take another Jersey run after quarter end.

5) Brasserie Grain d' Orge - Belzebuth - 13% - Belgian Strong Ale - might have been aged a bit gotta see how this sits for a while. More orangey than anything else. Might really need to try another.

6) Sam Adams New World Triple.....End of day...Great Beer though

Ball Park Photos

Weekend Beer Review

Starting early let's get right to it. Should be a good week for beer with NY Craft Beer Week starting on Friday. Also can't forget San Gennaro.


1) Kuhnhenn - Mayhem ABV ? - Ugly looking brown but tasty - A Belgian strong ale...not sure of the ABV. More like a hard cider. Have run in to a couple of opinions on this beer but worth a try.

2) Shipyard Brewing - Smashed Pumpkin 9.0% - Nice and spicey, clove really does dominate. Not sure where the booze is!

3) Ommegang - Cup O' Kyndnes - 6.6% - Berlgian Scotch Ale - What's this....A toned downed malted version of a Scotch Ale with spices? Works for me!

4) Summit - India Style Rye Ale - Very tasty might be the best beer of the day!

Various Houston Photos

Houston Beer Review

Was able to find some gems in the city of Houston but be warned. There is really very little to do in downtown. The source of the beers reviewed in Spec's (no not the vulgar mexican term). Spec's is a very good beer store and I got a good amount of regional/local stuff to quench my thirst. The other place is the Flying Saucer. Thank god for that place. Within a day I was being called by my first name there. Very similar to the Gingerman (which I didn't get to as the Saucer was within easy walking distance of the hotel. I joined the Saucer's Fan Club & I have an official shirt to wear at this weekend's craft beer fest in NYC. Hopefully no more bridges burn.

1) Boulevard Brewing - Double Wide IPA - Hey are they talking about (gotta stop nothing good can come of where this may go. 8.5% Very strong, pungent IPA. Maybe a bit too strong. A better offering follows.

2) Boulevard Brewing - Sixth Glass Quad...10.5% very solid homage to the style. The BA guys even put this over Ommegang's Three Philosophers!

3) Saint Arnold's - Fancy Lawnmower - 4.9% - Says it is a Kolsch, I thought it was a lager (It reminded me of Elm City). Anyway very drinkable and light. Should have done the brewery tour.

4) Real Ale Brewing - Barleywine 11.5% - It looks like these guys like to brew big beers. This was a 2009 version so it had occasion to mellow. Very similar to a Bigfoot...enjoyable!

Vacation Beer Review

Going to start off slowly.....

1) Abita - SOS - 7% - A charitable Pilsner...I guess some money is going towards the gulf clean up. I'll drint to that. This is a very crisp and clean Pilsner. This should be a standard release.

Weekend Beer Review

1) Widmer Brothers - Cherry Oak Dopplebock - 9.0% - Dated September 2009 so my guess is that this beer has had some time to calm down. This tastes more like a Quad to me and that is a good thing. Big on the raisins and cherries. Alchohol is well hidden. Good way to start the weekend.

2) Founders Brewing - Breakfast Stout - 8.3% - Nice jet black - No head. Chocolate in the nose but the taste is coffee+. Nice little sipper. Glad to have a hearty stout on opening NFL weekend!

3) New Holland Brewing - Mad Hatter IPA - 5.25% - Very solid American IPA. well balanced.

Brooklyn Pub Crawl

After going to Ground Zero to pay my respects, I decided to take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and hit the Brazen Head. I then decided to go over to Bar Great Harry which is a short distance away. That place was a very pleasant whole in the wall. Anyway I had a nice Pretty Things Belgian on tap at the Brazen Head and a Sierra 30th Barlewyine at Bar Great Harry. The Carroll Gardens area of Brooklyn is nicely quirky. I didn't hit all of the places listed (Just the two linked as well as the Peoples Republic of Brooklyn). There were quite a few options though as can be seen. The Gator needs to go here!

Rising from the ashes

From yesterday....I guess this is the beginning of the new Freedom Tower. It's nice to see something being built there. Apparently they have the footprint of the two towers encased in cement for the planned pools but I had no vantage point to see.

And the insanity continues

Betcha I get to 600 quicker than A-Rod did!

1 Rogue - Double Chocolate Stout - 8.0% Jet black, very nice lacing...Wow this is not the chocolate milk I grew up with. The chocolate smell is abundant. Not as sweet as the smell might suggest. The hops really do balance out the sweet smell. A little more carbonated than I would have thought as there is not much of a head. Definitely a sipper.

Overall I enjoyed this. Going to get a couple or so to stick in the cellar.

2) Brooklyn Brewery - Detonation DIPA - 10.2% Have had this on tap at several bars in Manhattan over the past few days, finally picked up a growler at Decicco's in Ardsley. Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass. Nice amber color.Smell kind of piney can also get the malts this will be nicely balanced. Nice hoppy taste again more of a piney flavor than citrus. Malts really come through, this is very British. Very nice carbonation. This is where the good folks at BB really nail this. Couldn't guess this was 10.2% if I wanted to!

3) Sierra Nevada/ Decicco's Ghidorrah - 8.2% ... Picked up a growler at Decicco's of course. I give them credit that they had this and Brooklyn's Detonation going on at the same time. Anyway since I am a hophead, I win! Pours a nice golden color, medium head. Smell - Mild citrus. The taste belies the nose as I get lemons, pineapple and grapefruit. My type of beer. Drinkability - At 8.2% will have a few more pints today!

Overall really enjoyed this beer. I have been going to Deccico's for well over a year from beer deprived Connecticut. Will continue to do so!

500

De Struise Brouwers - Black Albert - Belgian Royal Stout - 13.0% - Got this as part of the July Oaktree haul and its been in the fridge for a special occasion. I wish it was called Black Alfred but no such luck.

After drinking 499 I am glad I had this one tagged for 500. No bourbon, chocolate or coffee....straight up beer with a lot of well hidden alcohol. Have a bottle to age and may let it set for a while.

Anyway stocked pretty well to begin the trek for 600!