CS Booze Club.

[Victory Sabre]

Beer Camp review #1
Oskar Blues brewery CANfusion Rye Bock. 7.2% & 45 IBU

This is one of the 2 Beer Camp beers in a can.
Dark amber when poured and a very luscious thick head. Nose smells very good.

Taste, for the first and only time, it's got a nice rye flavor. It's not an IPA, but it does have some of the qualities of it. Somewhat bitter, but I am a fannof bitter beers. I think I will give this one a 7 out of 10. If it were regularly made, I think I would buy it. When it's gone, I will miss it.

[sms001]

Dang!
Wish I'd found this at the start of summer - would have been my go-to all season.
New Glarus Moon Man. Pours a sparkling gold w/ good but short-lived head. Grass and grain nose that continues in the taste. A citric hops tang cuts the malt after. An easy 9.

[KiaKat]

I have a project.

Boss wants me to run a tasting with two of my favourite liquors- Root and Sage, from Art In The Age. I have some standard recipies for both, but kinda want to do something new. I may be able to play with them on Cape Cod in a couple weeks, but would love some ideas so I can start sourcing mixers.

Root is based off the colonial-era root tea (predecessor to root beer). Heavy on birch and liquorice root. Spicy, sweet, dark, and complex. Usually I mix it with seltzer and a lemon twist. If I'm feeling crafty, I make an ice cream float with a gourmet ice cream.

Sage is similar to a gin, but whereas gin has juniper, Sage has elderberry, with a number of other herbal notes (fennel, rosemary, and yes, sage). Bright, herbal, very green undertones. Slightly tannic. My go-to cocktail is a Negroni with Campari and Antica Formula.

Thoughts? There's no date set, and I'd love to be able to debut a new cocktail.

(Bonus: I have access to at least two flavours of shrub and one of bitters, through a new company one of my bosses founded. Might be useful...)

[Victory Sabre]

I, honestly, don't know if I've reviewed this beer before. If I have, I apologise.

Schell's Firebrick.

Since it's in my metal stein I can't see the color. lots of head. Nose, none detected.

Taste. There is some, but it's not overpowering. it's good, but not something that is hit out of the park. 5.5 out of 10.

Also: even though it's pre season, it's good to see Vikings football played, at home, in an outdoor stadium. As someone who had his dad take him to the Met Stadium as a kid (and also seeing Lambeau Field on a trip to Green Bay recently), it warms my heart.

[sms001]

Lambeau Field on a trip to Green Bay recently), it warms my heart.

That's good, as it's the only thing that'll be warm in either place.

I have a project.
Root and Sage, debut a new cocktail.

Yikes! I'll think on it, but those seem tough. Heck, I've got an almost full bottle of a ginger brandy I got for a food recipe that I'm still pondering how to get rid of. Oddly, the best so far is the same as your 'Root' drink: club soda and twist. The only juice I can imagine w/ the 'Sage' is maybe white grapefruit. Tonic seems too plain.

[Jester]

Vic, I thought of you when, today on the mainland, I saw a Beer Camp beer in a Total Wine. I didn't buy it, as it was an IPA (and I bought too much as it was!), but I did take a picture of it for you.

And now, a beer that has sat in my fridge for a long time, probably at least two years or more. From Harviestoun Brewery in Scotland (the same people who make the awesome Old Engine Oil), it's Ola Dubh Special 12 Year Reserve, an ale matured in Highland Park 12 year old single malt Scotch Whisky casks. I'll say it again....they aged this stuff in single malt Scotch casks! I also have the 18 year version I'm saving for another time, especially if the 12 year is as good as I hope it will be. They also have a 16 year version, but I do not have that. Saw it in the store today, but it was really, really expensive. (Not surprisingly, as the makers of Old Engine Oil, "Ola Dubh" translates to "black oil.")

Color is, unsurprisingly, quite black. The nose is malty, which is good, but there is another level of something, probably the scotch, that gives it a very unusual and complex aroma. As I taste it, I swear I can hear angels weep with joy. It is rich, complex, slightly sweet, somewhat malty, but overall just a glass of awesomeness. Definitely a beer to be sipped and savored. I believe that, if someone were to slam this down or chug it, by law, others would be required to beat them to death. Utterly, amazingly, awesomely, beautifully delicious. 9.0.

And this is why I seek out Scottish breweries and their beers. What a perfect way to end my vacation.....

Aaaaaaaahhhhhh......

[Jester]

On my way back from the last part of my three part vacation, the last part being in Miami, I stopped in a Total Wine for some beer. I normally would stop in my favorite liquor store, which is in Miami, but which I forgot was closed Sunday. So I settled for the southernmost Total Wine, somewhere near the bottom of the Florida peninsula.

I spent way too much, but still got quite a take. I did put some stuff back, and forwent any rum, but the beer haul was impressive. And while some of it will be put away for drinking at a later date, much of it will be drunk quickly and soon. Herein being those reviews.

Newcastle Bombshell Pale Blonde Ale (UK, 4.4%): I bought this beer because in the past I was blown away by the Newcastle Werewolf, and I was curious how this one was.

Golden in color with a very high clarity (you can see right through it without a problem) and a white head. Interesting heathery nose with a hint of hoppiness or skunkiness. Something's funky, though not necessarily bad. And definitely not bad. Quite tasty, and I often find blondes too light in taste. This is light and refreshing, but still flavorful. A hint of something pilsnery or skunky, but overall a decently good beer. Not nearly on the level of Newcastle's Nut Brown or Werewolf, but definitely decent and drinkable. 6.0.

[Jester]

Terrapin Beer Company out of Athens, Georgia, makes some pretty damn good beer, including (but not limited to) the kickass Moo Hoo, which is basically the adult chocolate beer for beer drinkers. They also make a Rye Pale Ale. Now, I'm not a fan of most rye beers, despite my love for rye bread (don't ask--I don't get it either!), but I do enjoy the Rye Pale Ale. Even more than that, I truly love the Rye Squared, in which, as they say on the label, they ramp up both the hops AND the malt, resulting in a very flavorful and very balanced beer. I haven't had it in a while, but I'm always on the lookout for it. Well, in the Total Wine I was in, I didn't find it....but I DID find Terrapin's newest creation, Rye Cubed. The ABV is ramped up (see below), as one would presume the hops and malt are yet again. While I rarely buy or drink IPAs, there was no way I could resist buying this one.

Terrapin Rye Cubed (triple rye IPA, Georgia, 10.7% ABV): light to medium reddish brick color, with a decently thick white head. Subtle, sweet, hoppy nose. I know this smell but I can't pin it down. I'm guessing it's just malty hops I'm smelling, which is not a contradiction. (See above with the Rye Squared.)

Oh dear lord. This is delicious. Is it hoppy? Yes. Is it malty? Yes? Is it flavorful? And then some! This is not a beer for the faint of heart, but it is delicious, and I recommend it heartily. A semi-sweet and caramely maltiness is counterbalanced by a refreshing hoppiness to create a truly wonderful beer. And the really good news is that I found out that the Beer Monger actually stocks this!

Score: 8.0. Or if you prefer, 2.0 cubed.

[Jester]

Einbecker Winter-Bock dopplebock (Germany, 7.5% ABV): deep dark red color without being blood like. Sweet wintry nose, like the holidays. Sweet, holiday-like flavor. I wish I could explain it, but I can't. It's sweet. It's smooth. It's tasty and reminds me of the holidays. I would drink this in front of the fire on a cold snowy day, if I lived in a place with a fireplace, or in a place that had much cold or snow.

It is sweet and tasty, smooth and friendly. It is the blanket you put on your legs when you kick back the recliner to watch holiday movies on a blustery winter night. In my case, I'm gonna kick back in bed with it and watch the latest episode of Master Chef. Not just because I don't live someplace with blustery winters, but because it's nowhere near the holidays, and I'm not wasting this beer.

It's German. It's beer. It's family, with all it's warmth and flaws. It's a winter bock. I score it a 7.0.

[Victory Sabre]

Rush River Uber Alt.

Not too much head. Cloudy amber color. There's a sweet nose to it.

Taste. You can taste some hoppiness to it, but it isn't overpowering. It has a sweet flavor to it as well. not a bad beer and a solid 6.

[Jester]

Zeppelin (Germany, 5.2% ABV): From the label: "A special brew for connoisseurs: Zeppelin is a naturally cloudy, unfiltered specialty brew. Its natural cloudiness and the finest ingredients from the Lake Constance region of Germany make Zeppelin a heavenly experience." Okay....now you know as much as I do about what kind of beer this is. Yeah....I'm just as confused as you are. The color is very dark reddish brown, and it certainly is cloudy, as advertised. A subtle nose gives only hints of sweetness and freshness, but nothing more. Mysterious. Well, it is definitely fresh and sweet tasting, though not overly so, and even a bit fruity. Tasty, yes, but unusual, and not in a way I can put my finger on. Maybe the closest comparison would be to say this is sort of like a light version of a Scottish ale. Very tasty and very drinkable, even though it is a bit confusing. I give it a head-scratching 7.0 out of 10.

[AnqeiicDemise]

OH! OH!

Manthing (that's DH, he got a new moniker) has developed a love affair with good beers. He's been trying to finish his 'four corners of amazing Japanese beer'.

Now, I'm not much of a beer drinker myself. I have to be in a mood and even then, I'm not a big fan of micro beers or craft beers in general. I like my lagers and even then ... I need a mood and a certain dish to go with it.

We went grocery shopping and he found himself the ONE BEER he needed to finish his Japanese Check list.

I have to admit Orion is a) the most expensive beer I've ever had (it was $21 for a six pack).... but also the smoothest. Wow. It beats my light modelo.

And I didn't insist on having a meal with it either. I was okay just enjoying it.

[Jester]

I've never had or even heard of Orion. I will keep an eye out for it in the future, though. Can you tell us more about it, i.e., style, etc.? I'd also be curious to know what his other "corners" were.

Best Japanese beer I've ever had was the wheat beer from Coedo. Not just a great Japanese beer, but one of the best wheat beers I've ever had, which is saying something. How good was it? It was one of the only non-German wheat beers that I would put in the same class as the better German wheat beers. Yeah, it's that damn good.

[wolfie]

It was one of the only non-German wheat beers that I would put in the same class as the better German wheat beers.

German wheat beer? Does not compute. My understanding is that in Germany, to call it "beer" it has to contain only 4 ingredients:

- barley malt
- yeast
- hops
- water

Note that wheat isn't on the list.

[Jester]

Wolfie, your understanding is, unfortunately, off. Germans have been making wheat beer (also known as Weisse or Weizen) for centuries. One of the more popular versions thereof is hefeweizen, an unfiltered wheat beer.

A few things you need to know about the Reinheitsgebot, or German Beer Purity Law of 1516, which you referred to:

--It did not require barley malt, but malt. This included wheat malt.

--That being said, any beer that did not use barley malt, such as wheat beers, were required to be top-fermented, as hefeweizens (and I believe all German wheat beers) are.

--The Reinheitsgebot has not technically been in effect since 1993, when it was replaced by the Provisional German Beer Law. While still very strict, the PGBL allows more latitude than the Reinheitsgebot did, though of course, this had very little effect on German wheat beers, which were brewed under and in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot for centuries.

-German brewers have been making various versions of wheat beers for centuries. Some brewers who have done so include Spaten, Franziskaner, Hofbrau, Tucher, Hacker-Pschorr, Krombacher, Aecht, Erdinger, and Weihenstephaner, which happens to be the oldest brewery in the world, predating the Reinheitsgebot by almost 500 years (they started brewing in the year 1040).

As a lover and aficionado of German beer, I urge you to go out and try some German wheat beers, and educate yourself on the wonders that they are, as they are truly the finest in the world. Since, ya know, they basically invented the style. (Note: I can't say for certain that they invented wheat beers overall, but I do know they invented hefeweizen.)