CS Booze Club.

[Victory Sabre]

@ the Enki brewery in Victoria, Mn, and doing their flight.

Tailfeather IPA
Golden colored, a bit of hops on the nose
Taste: failry well balanced IPA. Not extremely hoppy, but enough to enjoy.
6.5 out of 10

Caco porter
Pitch black, no nose to it
Taste: nice chocolatte flavor,smooth. delicious.
7.5 out of 10

Hootenanny Hefe
Murky golden, with a strong wheat nose.
Taste: there is a sweetness to this beer. not obnoxious, but just right. a very easy drinking beer on an 80+ degree October day.
7 out of 10

Jumpin' Pumpkin Ale
More amber colored, no nose.
taste: oh, my. I get a good blend of spices in this beer. I had a sip, and got a growler of the pumpkin beer at the Pichfor Brewery yesterday, this seems close to it.
7 out of 10

Now the bad part: I only want 1 growler, but might have to get 2. I really shouldn't get any, but I will. now what should I get?

EDIT - They prefill the growlers, and, of the 3 that I liked best, only the Caco Porter was in stock.

[Victory Sabre]

Hell booze fans from the fucked up state of Minnesota - where you can have a mid 80 degree day one day, and the mext, mid 40's. I've got to get out of here. Since I can't, beer is the next, best, option.

Tonight - Silvius Pale Ale from Boom Island Brewing - 5.5% ABV

As I pop the cork, yes, cork, some CO2 wafts out. As I pour it into my Pitchfork Harvestfest mug, I get an extremely thick head, that doesn't go away fast. It's golden in color, with a nose that reminds me of a wheat beer, almost.

Taste - after I get through the head, I get strong fruit tones. Slight hops to it, as well, but nothing like an IPA. Not bad at all, and worth a 7 out of 10.

Now, come on Summer, please come back on my last weekends off, please.

[Victory Sabre]

I've reviewed this before (year and a half ago), but will again to see if it's aged well.

First Anniversary Stout from Backpocket Brewing - 9% ABV and 22 IBU

Pours like motor oil. A bit of head, but not much. Strong boozy notes on the nose.

Taste - Well, that is a lot more mellow than I expected. It tasts a bit aged, like in barrels, but not much. I do like the flavor. I will never have this beer again, so I will enjoy it tonight.

7 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

Home after saying goodbye to my uncle. Got to see cousins and thier kids and grandkids, whom I haven't seen in ages. It was a good time, and my aunt is taking things very well.

So time for a beer, well, second one. The first was Kato Lager Beer from Mankato Brewing, and I didn't think it would be very good, well, I was wrong, it was damn good. 6 out of 10

Now to the second beer of the night.

Fresh Hopped IPA from Mankato Brewing

Dark golden in color, with a moderate head. Lots of hops on the nose.

Taste - Wow. I like it. I was expecting a real hop bite, but there wasn't one. Now I am a hop head, and love IPAs, but this is good stuff anyway. It has a nice refreshing flavor.

7 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Wet from Surly Brewing

Golden color, thick head. A strange nose. Some hops, and some other smells I don't quite get.

Taste - Nice. This is a very good beer. It has a very earthy flavor. These wet hops/fresh hops beers are an interesting beast. They are very good, and I will keep looking for this style.

8 out of 10

[Jester]

So while on the mainland, I picked up a few beers I can't get down here in the Keys, or haven't tried before. This one sounded too interesting not to try. Of course, I ordered it to take with me without knowing the price, and only after I got the bill did I realize it was $18. And no, it is not a big bomber, but a simple 11.4 oz bottle with a swing-top cork stopper. So, what makes it so special?

This is a collaboration between Terrapin in Athens, Georgia, and BFM in Switzerland. It's Spike and Jerome's Collaboration Ale, a barley rye that comes in at 10% ABV, and as the label says, is 2/3 ale and 1/3 ale matured in rum barrels. With that to sell it, how could I not buy it, even at $18?

No carbonation at all. Dark brown color with some odd ruby highlights. Highly boozy, liquoresque nose. Very sour. Oh dear lord, this is awful. Like wine gone bad. I'm gonna try to drink some more of it, but don't know how much of it I'll be able to stomach it.

This may be something that would appeal to fans of sour beers, but that is a style I have never really been able to get into. The thing is, this is not a sour, but a barley rye. I don't get it. I really don't get it.

Sadly, it's not getting any better. I don't think it went bad or anything, because it never saw light or heat from the time I got it until I got it home, and no other beers in that trip were bad, but perhaps it went bad before I got it. Or maybe it is supposed to taste like this. Which makes me wonder, what fucking rum did they mature this in? Because rum is supposed to be sweet, not sour or vinegary like this.

Half an hour in, and most of the beer is still in the glass. And not because I'm savoring it. This may end up with me pouring 18 bucks down the drain.

Almost an hour in, and while it is getting better as it warms up, better in this case only means slightly less foul. The rest of this will see the bottom of the kitchen sink. Score: 2. Yuck!

[Jester]

After the disaster of that last beer, and after having some spicy munchies to get that taste out of my mouth, I surveyed the contents of my fridge and decided that I didn't want any of the beers in there, for various reasons. As the selections were limited, and most of them special in some way, I loaded the fridge up with some additional selections for tomorrow, and popped open a lovely bottle of wine. Specifically, Robert Mondavi Cabernet Saivignon, Central Coast, 2012. A nice, serviceable, tasty cab.

[deadbody]

So Jester if you like Rum aged beers. Indeed in MN makes a imperial stout aged in rum barrels. I had a year old bottle a couple weeks ago and it was friggin amazing.

Bought a bottle of this years when it hit stores, gonna split with a friend soon. Might be able to trade for some on beer advocate. Totally worth it.

[Victory Sabre]

So Jester if you like Rum aged beers. Indeed in MN makes a imperial stout aged in rum barrels. I had a year old bottle a couple weeks ago and it was friggin amazing.

Bought a bottle of this years when it hit stores, gonna split with a friend soon. Might be able to trade for some on beer advocate. Totally worth it.

I'll have to look for that also, at least when I un ban myself from going to liquor stores. Once I'm under 200, then I can go (with the exception of looking for Darkness when it comes to stores).

[wolfie]

Almost an hour in, and while it is getting better as it warms up, better in this case only means slightly less foul. The rest of this will see the bottom of the kitchen sink. Score: 2. Yuck!

Wow! If "bad enough to be worth pouring an $18 beer down the drain" rates a 2, what would warrant a 1?

[deadbody]

I'll have to look for that also, at least when I un ban myself from going to liquor stores. Once I'm under 200, then I can go (with the exception of looking for Darkness when it comes to stores).

Gonna be tough sledding to find now, was out for about a week. Might want to check slightly less traveled stores.

[Victory Sabre]

Gonna be tough sledding to find now, was out for about a week. Might want to check slightly less traveled stores.

Then I'll have to take a run to the liquor store before work. A least I live outstate, so I have a better chance to find it.

[Victory Sabre]

Well, I didn't find it this morning. Oh, well, not a big deal.

I did find this, though, from a now defunct brewery

3 Sheets Imperial Caramel IPA from Leach Lake Brewing - 100 IBU

Insane head, seriously, 3/4 of my glass is head. What little I see I get a murky golden color. I get a very strange nose. Not pleasing, I hate to say. I hope the taste is better.

Taste - After what seemed like an eternity, I get a very bizarre IPA. I get caramel, then I get hops. Really weird combination. Does it work? Well, the jury is out on that. I will give it a 5.5 just because I really don't know about this beer.

[Victory Sabre]

Loon's Eye Red - Leach Lake Brewing

Ok, the carbonation is insane!!!!! I poured hardly any, and it was spilling out of the glass, and on my carpet. It was like 90% head. It is getting better, but slowly. What little I can see is a dark red color. Nose is skunky.

Taste - Well, after the head went away enough, and I could pour some into my glass, offfffff. Very sour! Now I like sour beers, but this isn't supposed to be one. It's supposed to be red, like Killians. This isn't . Very bizarre. Not in the style it's supposed to represent.

I remember that Jester, when I sent him the Slingshot Dunkel was disappointed that it didn't taste like a dunkel. Well, I know the feeling. This doesn't taste like a red.

confused again, and 4.5, because of the confusion.

[Victory Sabre]

Hitachino Nest Beer XH from the Kiuchi Brewery 8% ABV

This beer is aged in sake casks.

Dark amber colored beer with minimal head. There is a slight nose.

Taste - I would think there would be a slight sake flavor to this beer, there isn't. It is fairly bland in flavor. It does have a boozy flavor, but not much else.

4.5 out of 10