CS Booze Club.

[Victory Sabre]

The beer's IBU # is a measure of how bitter a beer is. The higher #, the more hoppy a beer is. IPA's, Stouts and Barleywine have high IBU #.

When I get hime tonight I can give you a list of the beers I picked up yesterday, and I've only tried 2 of them before. I can't wait to give reviews on these new brews.

[Victory Sabre]

As promised, here's the beers I got.
Two Brothers Brewing SideKick Extra Pale Ale
Great River Brewing Dos Pistolas Dark Beer
Northwoods Brewing Corp. Floppin' Crappie Ale
Backpocket Jacknife APA
Sand Creek Brewing Noir Black Belgian Barleywine Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales LLC Luciernaga The Firefly
Backpocket Raygun IPA
Backpocket Dark Ale
New Glarus Oud Bruin
New Glarus Scream IIPA
New Glarus Spotted Cow
Backpocket 1st Anniversary Stout

I also bought some Backpocket Slingshot Dunkel for a friend, who will be VERY happy to get it.

AND now for the review

Scream IIPA

Nice thick head when poured. More amber colored. The nose hits you when you pour it, and it keeps hitting you.

as for the taste. Very good. Really full flavored. You can really taste the hops, and it really goes down good after a long day at work. If you're not a hop head, you might not like it as much as I do. I give this beer a solid 7.5 out of 10. Well worth the money at $ 10 a 4 pack.

[Victory Sabre]

Start off with bad news: it appears the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp is sold out here, and everywhere I went, it sold out within hours of it being stocked. oh, well.

I'm at the fair booth wanting to unload supplies and get everything cleaned up, but there's one problem: it's a monsoon out there. thus a beer review.

Two Brothers Brewing Sidekick Extra Pale Ale.

Sweet, we left a tube of cups here. Really frothy head when poured. It's got a fruity nose to it.

Taste. A lighter taste to it, but the hops hit after. Definitely a hint of fruit in it. Not a bad beer at all. 6 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

I FOUND IT!

The last store I went to had 1 Beer Camp left. It was up to the counter for checkout faster than the speed of light. If you see Beer Camp, it might be your ONLY chance to get it, so get it.

Now to the next review of the night.

New Glarus Oud Bruin

It's a very dark amber in color, a small amount of head when poured. nose: I smell a slight fruit scent to it. makes me want to try it.

Taste. As the bottle says, it's a mixture of sweet and sour. You might not think it would work together, but it does really well. the bottle indicates it can be aged, and I might try to do that, to see if it improves with age. 7 out of 10. If I'm in Wisconsin again, and see it, I would buy it again.

[Victory Sabre]

Next review of the night.

Great River Brewing Dos Pistolas

Very dark, of course, the can says that. Not too much head when poured. I really don't get a nose off of it.

Taste. Hmmmm, it seems like a poor man's Guinness to me. It is a similar beer, with a lot less flavor to it. I can drink it, and it'll be ok, but I would prefer a fuller flavor than this provides. 3.5 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Final one of the night.

Northwoods Brewing Corp. Floppin' Crappie Ale.

As a fisherman, the name is what convinced me to buy this - I love crappie. It is so good. Now we'll see if the beer is as good as it's namesake.

It's got a very nice amber color to it. Little head when poured, and no nose.

Taste. It's ok. Honestly, it's a fairly average beer, unlike the crappies I was pulling out of Lake of the woods a month ago. I honestly can't give it anymore than a 5 out of 10, and wouldn't go out of my way to get it again (got it in Irv land).

[Jester]

The beer's IBU # is a measure of how bitter a beer is. The higher #, the more hoppy a beer is. IPA's, Stouts and Barleywine have high IBU #.

I am going to have to correct my friend Vic here.

He is correct that IBUs measure a beer's hoppiness. He is also correct in that IPAs have high IBUs. He is, however, incorrect when he says that stouts and barleywines have high IBUs. Sweet stouts are neither hoppy nor bitter. Dry stouts have some bitterness to them, but are not hoppy. There is a difference between bitterness and hoppiness, though many beer novices may not realize that. And frankly, I'm surprised that Vic didn't. As for barleywines, some are hoppy, most aren't. Most are actually rather sweet. So, I have no idea why Vic said that stouts and barleywines have high IBUs....but they don't.

High IBUs are going to be seen in IPAs, imperial IPAs, some of the happier pale ales, IPLs, and some (but not all) double IPAs.

As the bottle says, it's a mixture of sweet and sour. You might not think it would work together, but it does really well.

Dude, the Chinese have been doing sweet and sour together for centuries. Why would anyone think that they wouldn't work together?

[Jester]

Almost forgot to post about the beer I'm drinking!

Chili Devil Chili Beer (Mexico, 5.0% ABV): brewed with Serrano peppers, this beer is spicy! Not as spicy as Ghost Face Killa (which is brewed with ghost peppers and is, in my opinion, utterly undrinkable), but spicier than the two other chili beers I've had (Billy's Chillies and Cave Creek Chili Beer), this is tasty, but as I said, quite spicy. I like it. It's a nice change of pace. But if you don't like spice, don't bother, because it WILL light you up! 6.5.

[Victory Sabre]

And with a Point Cascade I drank my 1100th beer at Old Chicago. Beer 1101 is a Guinness, out of my stein.

[Jester]

Guinness, the Nectar of the Gods.

There are two kinds of people: those who drink Guinness, and the less fortunate.

[Jester]

Maisel's Weisse Original (Germany, 5.4% ABV): This is a Bavarian wheat ale that the Beer Monger said he was curious to hear my opinions about, as I am far more a wheat beer guy than he is. (He is far more into IPAs, generally speaking.) The color is a dark orange amber, and it is very cloudy, almost to the level of a hefeweizen. The nose is wheaty, with some clove and a hint of banana, but definitely not to the level of a hefe. The taste is wheaty and pleasant, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel, and hints of the aforementioned cloves and bananas, but definitely more restrained than in a hefe. Smooth, refined, and delicious. A German beer worthy of its heritage. Would go well with any meat. I'd love to have it with a good bratwurst or kielbasa, but today I shall be having it with good ole American ribs, corn on the cob, and potato salad, prepared by my coworker Curly Sue. A good beer for what looks to be good food. I give the beer an 8.0. I'd definitely buy it again, and recommend it to others.

[Jester]

Time for a rare non-beer review from me!

Specifically, a mead I bought well over a year ago (maybe two?) from a local liquor store that was closing, along with a whole bunch of other stuff (mostly beer, of course) that I purchased from them in their final weeks.

From B. Nektar Meadery, this is their Vanilla Cinnamon Mead (12-14% ABV according to the label). As I love both vanilla and cinnamon, and mead is honey wine and I love honey, the potential for this for me is very, very high.

First of all, the bottle is gorgeous. Simple, elegant, tapered shape, and a basic label, but the bottle is made of cobalt blue glass, and that is simply stunning to me. The mead pours a pale yellow color, something you might expect from a hard apple cider or a Chardonnay. The nose is odd to me, and not in a good way. Overly appley, a bit unpleasant, some aromas reminiscent of Chardonnay, which is the one wine I can't stand.

The nose is representative of the taste in much the same way trust fund politicians are representative of their poorer constituents. Which is to say not at all.

Because while my reaction to the nose was an unpleasant "Whoa," my reaction to the taste was a pleasantly surprised "Wow." The honey is unmistakeable. Which makes me happy. The vanilla is well-represented, and blends well with the honey. A background note of apples or pears is present, and provides a nice backdrop for the more powerful flavors. And the cinnamon is....deeply buried. Took me several sips to taste any, and even then it is just the barest hint. Damn shame. I think a touch more cinnamon would have elevated this even further.

This would be a nice dessert wine, either with a dessert, something light and sweet like a fruit tart, strudel, or flaky pastry (but not chocolate), or as the dessert itself. Despite the off-putting nose, it is quite enjoyable, and I give it a 7.0.

[Victory Sabre]

The fair is done, finally, so now to a new beer review.

Noir Black Belgian Barleywine Style Ale from the Sand Creek Brewing Company Black River Falls Wisconsin.

It pours like motor oil. Very dark and a frothy head. When pouring a nice nose hits me. Upon closer examinatiom itmsmells almost fruity.

taste. It seems like a very complex beer. Really hard to describe all the flavors when drinking it. It is at least average for Barleywines I've consumed, but it doesn't knock it out of the park. I'm forced to just give it a 5 out of 10.

[Jester]

Been having a few beers and rums on vacay. Of note is two I had yesterday at lunch. I'd only ever seen them previously at Taste of Key West, an annual food fair, at which I've seen them the last two years running. Never seen them in a bar or restaurant, or even in a liquor store. So when I saw them on the menu at the bar we hit yesterday afternoon, I had to get them.

The brewery is Einstock, out of Iceland. The beers I had yesterday were their White Ale and their Toasted Porter. Both utterly delicious. Easily each an 8. My niece, who is not huge on beer, agreed with me on the White, though she did not care for the Porter, though that is not a surprise, as she doesn't like dark beer. I highly recommend both of these beers, and anything that Einstock makes, honestly.

Also, if you're ever in Orlando, eat at Teak. It's not a chain, just a stand alone restaurant, but it is utter fantastic. I had a killer burger (the Spicy Veronica), my niece had their brisket sandwich, and they had garlic fries to die for. Great fucking food.

And now, off to go see rockets!

[KiaKat]

Genapy is a liqueur produced in the French Alps, near the border of Switzerland.

For those of you keeping track, this is where both Absinthe and Chartreuse originate. Genapy is the parent category of both, having a touch of wormwood and being an herbal-infused spirit, lightly sweetened. I use it as a Vermouth substitute, by mixing it with The Botanist gin for a variation on a classic Martini. 2oz gin, 1/2oz Genapy, stirred in a Boston shaker with ice until chilled and strained into a cocktail glass. Add lemon twist.

Light, herbal, very slightly sweet, and unbelievably complex. Then it hits you like a freight train. 2.5oz of 80+ proof liquor that goes down like herbal anise-y water.

Yum.

O Captain, My Captain. *toast*