CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

A new beer! Always cause for celebration in the Jester household!

From Blue Point Brewing in New York, we have Toxic Sludge Black IPA.

Now first of all, the name "Toxic Sludge" would put a lot of people off. Not me. Hell, I'm a guy that loves a beer named "Old Engine Oil." (It's by Harviestoun's out of Scotland, it's awesome, and you should try it.)

Also, it's in a large (16 oz) can very reminiscent of energy drinks. I don't drink caffeine, and think energy drinks taste like rotted donkey ass. But the packaging, like the name, amuses me. Especially the yellow warning sign with the skull and crossbones on the label.

And then there's the IPA thing. I know, I know, I'm not a big IPA guy. But generally speaking, I DO like dark, black, and brown IPAs, because their maltiness counterbalances the hoppiness of a typical IPA.

So oddly, this beer seems right up my alley! And at 7% ABV, it's definitely respectable. But the proof is in the pint glass.

The color is definitely black. No surprise there. Nice off white head on it, too. And the nose is about as shy as the can, which is to say not at all. I could smell it immediately when I cracked open the can. Mostly hoppy, but with a bit of malt back note. Intriguing.

And the taste is interesting. A balance of malt and hops. A bit of coffee note to it, definitely a hop bite. But whereas most dark IPAs have a harmonious meeting of hops and malt, in the Sludge, they almost seem to be battling for dominance, with the hops winning out slightly on the aftertaste. And I don't mind the hoppiness winning, but I am not a fan of the battle that precedes its victory. It's an okay dark IPA, and really, it is not nearly as exciting or fun as the name or packaging. In the end, this is an okay beer worth drinking, but not really of seeking out. Because in the end, with all the hops and malt flavor it has, it ends up being kind of....boring.

My final score, out of 10, is a "meh" 5.0.

Blue Point, I'm not angry with you...I'm just disappointed.

[Victory Sabre]

Fargo Brewing Co. Scottish Ale. on # 3 right now. College hockey is pissing me off. It's a good beer. if you can find it, drink it.

[Jester]

I love a good Scottish ale. Sadly, I haven't seen any of Fargo's products anywhere, here in Florida or back home in Arizona.

[Jester]

From Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, a very special limited release. Part of their "5 Beers for 5 Years" series, this is their Imperial Oatmeal Cream Porter. The others in the series didn't call to me the way this one did for various reasons, but from the moment my friends posted a picture of this on Facebook from a local beer bar, I knew I had to have some. The bar in question was limited the beers to one of each of the five types per customer. So, armed with my friends' glowing review, I recruited another friend to go with me so that I could buy two.

It pours thick and dark like motor oil. Almost always a good sign where I'm concerned.

The color is dead black, much darker than I'd expected for this style. Very little head, and what little there is dissipates quickly.

The nose is subtle, but the rich maltiness is unmistakeable once you get a whiff of it. I'd call this nose "refined."

(takes a sip, then another...)



By the Beer Gods, this is delicious!!! Subtle yet rich, creamy, malty, with all the right sweet notes that one would hope for from a top end porter. A hint of brown sugar here, a suggestion of cocoa there, a lingering of chocolate and nuts hiding in the bushes...the word "refined" does not do this beer justice. Whatever magic spells they're casting in Tampa, they've cast them well with this particular potion.

This particular one in the series, according to the label, was from a "recipe conceived by Brewery Reps & Admin." To which I say, "Well done, suits!" I am very glad I have a second bottle for some time in the future. And since these are 22 oz bottles, it will be a very pleasant time in the future when I crack that second one.

As disappointing as my previous beer reviewed here was, this one is exceptional, not only meeting my high expectations, but far surpassing them. Final score? 9.0 out of 10.

This is the beer that beer dreams are made of. If you can at all get some, do so. If you can get more than one, do so.....and send the additional beer(s) to me! Or be a selfish bastard and drink them yourself. Me, I'd choose the latter option. I'm a really nice guy, but there are limits.

[Victory Sabre]

I think the Fargo Brewing Co. is still in the upper midwest, I'm afraid. Good stuff for sure.

Another midwest product, and it's not beer - Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint. It's from Midwest Bottling Company in Pewaukee Wisconsin. It's made with rum and real dairy cream.

Well, as Scottie would say "It is green". Smell is kinda like Bailey's. It's really smooth going down. Hell it's like not drinking at all. Because of that fact, it could be dangerous. It's 14% alcohol.

[sms001]

not beer - Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint. It's from Midwest Bottling Company in Pewaukee Wisconsin. It's made with rum and real dairy cream.

Do they have a 'Dreamsicle' and third flavour as well? If so, I eyeballed them in the store the other day. A tad pricey iirc. Loves me a insta-cocktail, but often hard to justify the cost.

[KiaKat]

Jester- have you come across Zaya rum? A customer mentioned it, but he doesn't have the best track record for recommending booze, so I figured I'd ask before wasting my time tasting. I do want to beef up the rum section for this summer, if this is a good start, then yay.

[Victory Sabre]

Do they have a 'Dreamsicle' and third flavour as well? If so, I eyeballed them in the store the other day. A tad pricey iirc. Loves me a insta-cocktail, but often hard to justify the cost.

Yeah, I think that that flavor was also in the store.

[Jester]

Jester- have you come across Zaya rum? A customer mentioned it, but he doesn't have the best track record for recommending booze, so I figured I'd ask before wasting my time tasting. I do want to beef up the rum section for this summer, if this is a good start, then yay.

I can't comment on your customer or his trackr record, but Zaya Gran Reserva is a fantastic 12 year old sipping rum from Trinidad. I highly recommend it. It will be sweet, but not over the top cloyingly so. It's a good, good rum.

NOTE: The Gran Reserva, at least down here, is just commonly referred to as Zaya, with no other distinction made. I have no idea if Zaya makes anything other than their Gran Reserva, but that is the only one I've tried, and the one I'm putting my stamp of approval on here.


In other drinking news, I'm drinking my first Black & Tan in easily over a decade. When I first got to Key West all those years ago, I drank Black & Tans regularly, but down here, I got weaned on to straight Guinness. And became a bit of a Guinness purist: other than Irish Car Bombs, I only drank Guinness straight, and only drank it if it were on draft. I still insist on the draft version (again, unless we're doing Car Bombs, at which point, does it really matter?), but I've had a few different Guinness combinations in recent months, and figured I'd return to the original concoction that brought me into the Guinness fold. Delicious!

[KiaKat]

Great! I'll add it to the tasting list. Always nice to have an expert pass along their point of view. I'm great at tasting and research, but rum is fairly far outside my current experience.

[Jester]

Not outside of mine. Anytime you want to ask me about rum, knock yourself out.

Seriously. Anyone here. Beer or rum, if I can help you, I will. Just ask.

Wine? I like it, but hardly very knowledgeable about it, other than knowing what I like (Spanish reds, anyone?) and what I hate (fuck you, Chardonnay!).

As for other liquor, I'll help when I can, but honestly, don't even bother if the question is about vodka (I only drink it when it's surrounded by a Bloody Mary) or gin (Yuck!).

But yeah, fire away, kids.

[Jester]

Downtown at a beer bar I don't get too nearly enough, trying something new from Funky Buddha, a lovely brewery/brewpub out of Boca Raton, Florida, if I remember correctly.

Funky Buddha OP Porter (6.3% ABV): black in color, with a subtle, malty nose, with a hint of rich chocolate skulking in the shadows. Very nice taste. Roasted malt is the predominant taste, with a good balance of coffee and dark chocolate in the background. Almost has an ice cream soda feel to it, though without the ice cream, of course. Very nice. No as revelatory as their Nib Smuggler, of course, but few beers are, and while I certainly had hoped for something extraordinary, I hadn't expected it; other than the Nib Smuggler, the beers I've had from Funky Buddha have been good, but not great. This is a solid 7, though.

[Jester]

So I'm sitting here drinking a beer while I'm cooking myself dinner (my first attempt at Eggplant Parmesan, thank you very much), thinking that I've reviewed it here before. But I can't seem to find that review, so at the risk of repeating myself...

Weyerrbacher Eighteen Weizenbock (Pennsylvania, 11.1% ABV): No, that's not a typo. This beer is a hair over 11%. Meaning I'm enjoying myself immensely while cooking, possibly even more so than I would be normally cooking an Italian dish I love but have never made before while dancing to Heart's "Rockin' Heaven Down," which is playing in my mind. Yeah, I'm having fun! But back to the beer....

The color is far darker than I thought it would be, as bocks are somewhat dark, and weizens are fairly light, but this is pushing black. Okay then. The nose is sweet, malty, and has a definite liquor tinge to it. (Did I mention the ABV of this sucker?) The taste is smooth and sweet, with a definite note of liquor, but overall, it's tasty. Don't really get much wheat; more like a bock crossed with a barley wine. But it is delicious, it is smooth, and it is, let's face it, fun. Definitely a worthy beer. Score it a 7 out of 10.

[Jester]

First ever Eggplant Parmesan. Drank a beer while making it. Cracked open a new bottle of wine to go with it. From Spain, we have Finca El Tesso Tempranillo (2009). Which, if you're not familiar with wine, is a red. The nose is strong and assertive. The body is lush and velvety, as Tempranillos often are. The taste is smooth, yet assertive. Bold, bolder than most Tempranillos I've had, but still quite tasty. Sort of a mellow Cabernet Sauvignon. Perfect with Italian food. Well worth the price. Which, honestly, I have no idea what it was, but knowing my cheapass nature, could not have been more than $30. And since I don't really remember buying it, it was almost certainly under $20. (I don't splurge on wine the way I do on beer.)

[Jester]

So my reputation as a beer afficionado must be pretty established, because a woman who I'm friendly with, but hardly one of my close friends, brought me back some beer from North Carolina. And no, she's not interested in me, as she and her husband brought me back the beer. She's just a really nice lady.

So the first one is Carolina Blonde Cream Ale from Foothills Brewing out of Winston-Salem, NC (4.3% ABV). I'm not always a huge fan of blondes, as they tend to be kinda boring for the most part, but I do like cream ales for their richness, generally speaking, so I'm interested to see where this one goes. The color is a gorgeous golden, slightly hazy. No issues there. The nose is a bit funky, a bit sweet; not overly impressed with the aroma, honestly, though it's not bad, just not that good. But the taste? Well, this is clearly a dream ale, and the blonde is just part of the name. It's creamy, rich, and still light enough to be eminently drinkable and perfect for a hot day, which it think they have quite a few of in the Carolinas, and I know we have tons of here in the Florida Keys. It would work with spicy food, too, or really just about any food. It's lighter than most cream ales (the blonde element, perhaps?), but that works in its favor. I would definitely buy this if it were available down here. My friend is one for one so far. Score it a 7!

EDITED TO ADD: I put my claim that this beer would go well with spicy food to the test, as I broke out some spicy jalapeño hummus with chips as a lovely midnight snack. And sure enough, the Carolina Blonde went quite well with it. Bonus!