The Road to 1,000!

Begins tonight.....was going to maybe wait a week but the hell with it...pedal to the metal!
Staring at 991....countdown coming later....


1) Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl - Scaldis Noel - Premium - Belgian Strong Ale. Yum....heavy cherry, plum and suprisingly drinkable at 13%. Glad to actually get this in CT. Cellaring is definitely an option but would hate to see some of that champagne yeast subside. This is very good!

2) Sixpoint - Diesel - 6.3% Great American Stout....thought I had reviewed this before...Plus one for me! Great stout by the way!

3) The Alchemist - Heady Topper - 8.0%Poured into a tulip glass for appearance...the rest of the review is from the can as the brewer intended. Nice hazy orange with a very nice fluffy head that dissipates pretty quickly. Smell - From the can pineapple galore. One of the most aromatic beers that I have tried. Taste - Pineapple, Lemon Zest, Grapefruit dominate. The malt is there to balance off a clean finish. This is a delight. This beer is outrageous...would like to spend a lifetime of deciding which I liked better...this or PTE.

4) Lagunitas - Sucks Holiday Ale - They couldn't brew their Barleywine (Brown Shugga) due to capacity but they threw this together. More please...great American IPA

5) Hoppin Frog - Frosted Frog - Christmas Ale - 8.6%....Spicey...Cinnamon,Ginger and Nutmeg...can you say Ginger Man Beer Cookie Beer? This is really a once a year beer. Glad to have had.

6) Allagash 4 - Quad - Wow! Done!

7) Great Lakes Brewing - Blackout Stout - 9.0% - A little thin bodied for the style but what I like is that this is not overly swwet or dry. Nicely balanced.

Thanksgiving Beer Review...continues!

Had a special one so I wanted to set it apart.....

1) Surly 5 - American Wild Ale 9.2% - A Dark Ale brewed with brett aged in Red Wine Barrels - So much for the digestive tract! This is very tasty although could have been aged for a bit more (my fault!). That said going to continue enjoying this one!

2) Willimantic Brewing 7.9% (I think)...Cloudiest American IPA I have ever had. Man is this smooth though. Off to Philly tomorrow!

Back from Philly....enough beer to make it to 1000 if not in my fridge, then on hand.

3) Bells - Amber Ale - 5.8% - Bells Might be the second best thing to come from Kalamazoo (after Derek Jeter). This is an extremely tasty amber, not quite as hoppy as a fresh nugget nectar, although this bottle is a bit older. Still very nice as the sweet bready malt takes over!

4) Sebago Brewing - Single Batch Series - Bourbon Barrel aged barleywine - 9.2% - Great another BA barleywine. Actually have had this before but passed out before I could review it. Shennanigans! Anyway this is loaded with caramel, vanilla, toffee (and yes bourbon).

5) Deschutes - Black Butte Poeter - Bend Oregon via Philly, via growler...silk!

6) Sly Fox - 2011 Christmas Ale - Winter Warmer - 6.5% - Ale brewed with Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg & Cloves - Wow a gingerbread cookie beer! This was dirt cheap from the Philly Beer run yesterday (5.99) glad I tried!

7) Dogfish Head - Faithfull - 7.0% Belgian Strong Ale - Brewed to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Pearl Jam's Album 10.....don't do them any favors....cool bottle though!

Thanksgiving Beer Review!

Check in all week. 1000 by year end seems to be in reach.

1) Stone - La Citrueille Celeste De Citracado - 5% - Brewed with Pumpkin, Yams, Lemon Verbena, Birch bark and something else that I have no idea what it is. This is a pumpkin pie on acid, Gald to have tried....would probably not try again.

2) Berkshire Brewing - Holidale 2011 - 9.5% - Eminently drinkable Barleywine. I think this will sneak up on you. Pretty good price too at 6 bucks or so for a bomber. Will most likely buy a few more!

3) Stone - Verical Epic 11-11-11 - 9.0% - I think Stone just made its White Album...you get flavors all around the spectrum, Cinnamon, Chiles and Belgian Yeast all really swirl. This will be be great with age but may buy a few more to have fresh.

5) Sam Adams Black and Brew just a tad thin....I could really get into this!

6) Bells Two Hearted Ale - 7% - Part of my first BA trade. This is very damn good. Freshness date is 10.12.11 so that is fine. Very smooth hoppiness. I think I know where Hopslam comes from. Outstanding...this is so good!

7) Three Floyds - Pride & Joy - American Pale Ale - Just a little too sweet and malty for me. Actually too sweet and syrupy. Glad to have tried though.

Weekend Beer Review!

Sh!t I might hit 1000 before Thanksgiving!

1) Great Lakes - Nosferatu - 8.0% - First review of a beer I traded for via BA. This is listed as an old ale with a bite. That it has, a hoppy old ale? Nice!

2) Olde Burnside - 12% -Stone of Destiny - American Strong Ale - This is a vanilla and coffee milkshake for adults. This will take a while.

3) Anchorage Brewing Company - Love Buzz - Saison - Ale Aged in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrels - Nice twist on a Saison....some of the funk is gone but you do get the wine barrel aging...fading fast need a rally!

4) Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast - Awful done

5) Boulevard Brewing - Tank 7 - Farmhouse Ale 8% Kind of lite...where's the funk? Need to get some beer with taste!

6) Boulevard Brewing - Long Strange Tripel...9%...aah finally some taste.

During the week beer review

1) Napa Smith Organic IPA 7.1% ABV - Interesting beer not a west coast IPA to be sure. Bitter zest of a hop bite and too much malt.

2) Three Heads Brewing - The Kind IPA - 6.8% - New Brewer (for me)...picked up in Springfield. A Rochester brewer....anyway....pretty decent American IPA, just maybe a tad bitter.

3) Longtrail - Imperial Porter - 8.3% - This is a nice balance of malt and hops. The hoppiness comes through which makes you think they were going for a black IPA kind of brew. That works

Multiple Growlers have just been filled....note the theme

4)Sixpoint - Bark - 5.0% - ESB - Not that bitter and am really enjoying the light floral hops....would be an outstanding summer beer.

5) Sixpoint - Spice of Life - Nelson Sauvin - 6.5% - Their Single Hop American IPA. They have a series of these and this is the first that I have had. IPA's rule and this is one of the better ones. I little stronger than the previous offereing. Look forward to trying more from this line.

6) Sixpoint - Little Buzz - 5.0% - Another light dry floral beer. No spice of note. Still beats a bud!

7) Sixpoint - Mad Scientist 5 - Shiso - 6.0% - Best of the lot. Belgian Pale Ale infused with some spice called Shiso (apparently this is a green tea spice). Like I can discern the tea. I could drink this regularly!

Weekend Beer Review!

Hopefully doing a trip to NYC this weekend and am very on track for 1,000 by the end of the year!

1) Berkshire Brewing - Cabin Fever - Winter Warmer - 6.3% - Nice tan color, very nice blend of malts and hops. Found this at Manchester Wines and Liquors which is now on my rotation!

2) Jackie O's - Kentucky Monk - 8.0% - Bourbon Barrel aged Tripel - Great...nice hazy orange with no head...first sniff is a load of bourbon....you get some faint Tripel taste, just a bit of yeast. Pretty interesting beer....these guys have been a big BA rage.

NYC trip postponed. Heading up to Springfield, MA to buy Beer wearing a Phillies hat!

3) Sierra Nevada - Ovila Quad 10.4% Bomber poured into a Chimay chalice....Nice dark brown with a thin head, a little lacing on the glass. Taste - Plum, fig, raisins, cloves and grapes, just a little tartness to balance this out. The alcohol is well hidden. Cellaring this could be interesting. This may be best fresh. This is the best of the series and I agree. Will probably buy a few more!

4) The Bruery (With Dogfish Head) Faster/Bigger/Better/Bolder...8.25%...really not sure what this is supposed to be?

5) The Bruery - 4 Calling Birds - ABV 11% - I will be close to 60 when this vertical challenge is done...that is going to be an ugly day....anyway....there is a lot of gingerbread taste in thise beer and apparently that is what they were going for. Pretty high octane....gonna take a while!

6) Cigar City - Marshall Zhukov's 11.5% = Very sweet, good night for now!

7) Ipswich 20th Anniversary Imperial Pale Ale - Not really an IPA more of a stong ale. The malt bears this out. 8.0%

During the week beer review

Should be checking in now and then...

1) Innis & Gunn - Highland Cask - Ale Aged in Malt Whiskey Casks - 7.1% - Not bad like the rum barrel version one better. Back to American beer tomorrow.

2) Cisco Brewing - Winter Woods - 9.0% -Ale aged in French Oak Wine Barrels - The Wild Ales are killing me...this is another good one though, maybe a bit tart!

Weekend Beer Review!

Hadn't planned on this being a beer excursion weekend...oh well!

1) Tullycross Tavern - Rain Delay Rye PA - 5.8% - Reasonably certain I got the name right...did get the abv right! This is a reasonably new offering for the East Hartford brewery. Very nice. The hops are so sweet!

2) Portsmouth Brewery - Octoberfest Lager....Not bad fading fast......

3) Old Burnside - Highland Wild - 10% Poured into a brandy snifter....
This has a nice golden hue, slight head a bit of lacing. Taste is of Grapes and Funk...thats great! Taste - For those who like sours (me) this is pretty damn good. The brewer is pretty well known for their scotch ales, that said you get the malts to follow up on the yeast. Would really like to know how this ages...

4) Portsmouth Brewery - Rye Not - Nice beer fading fast again!

Weekend Beer Review!

This could be an epic!

1) Samuel Adams - Tasman Red - 6.75% It's not Nugget Nectar, it's not Zoe... but at 5.99 it is a very tasty treat. Problem with this is I don't think it's fresh so the hops are faded. Would buy again!

2) Widmer Bros - Lemon Grass Wheat Ale - 9.0% - Kind of a nice wine?

I wanted a beer tonight Beer Review!

1) Samuel Adams - Griffins Bow - Oaked Blonde Barley Wine Ale - 11.5% - Interesting beer....really get some pineapple up from that desolved into some butterscotch. Can also get some other hoppy notes. Should be interesting with some age on it!

2) Clownshoes Blaecorn Unidragon - 12.5% From beer advocate! (Russian Imperial Stout)

A) Jet black, nice cocoa head like the lacing.

S) To me the malts smell a little too burnt. Am hoping that what comes next is better.

T) Don't get the burnt taste that would belie the nose. I get some licorice and vanilla along with the hoppiness. Was not really expecting that, works well!

M) Smooth up front with just a very nice bitter aftertaste (love them hops)..Alcohol burn is there as well.

Really like this beer and glad that Clown Shoes is distributing to the Westchester, NY Region!