CS Booze Club.

[Victory Sabre]

I hope this beer is better than the last one.

Beer Camp review #2
Myron's Walk made with Allagash Brewing Company.
5.3% ABV & 38 IBU.

The bottle says it's a Belgian pale ale.

Clear golden color, and a thick head. It has a hoppy nose to me.

Taste. Yes, it is hoppy, but it also goes down smooth. It is a nice combination. I do prefer darker beers, but this is good. 6.5 out of 10.

[Jester]

From Baird Brewing in Japan, Kurofune Porter (6.0% ABV): According to the label, Kurofune means "black ships." So the black color of the beer is obviously appropriate. The nose is rich, malty, and chocolatey, without being over the top sweet. Very pleasant. The taste...is not so much. It's a bit malty, not rich, not chocolatey, and has kind of an off-putting root beer-like taste to it. And I like root beer, but this is not the kind of root beer taste I would want, in either a beer or a root beer. I don't know what the brewery knows about porters, but this does not seem to me to live up to the fine history of the style. I've had worse beers, but this is not a good one by an stretch of the imagination. Under normal circumstances, I might force this down (or I might not), but as I'm sitting down to watch the finale of True Blood, I'm not sure I can do that.

Okay, it's not completely horrible, and I will force it down, but I will definitively be grabbing another beer to enjoy for the rest of the show. Final score: 4.0.

Forced it down. Meh. As I said, it's not horrible, but it just doesn't work. There are some really good beers coming out of Japan these days. This is not one of them.

Next! (And with higher hopes....)

Eggenberg Dopplebock Dunkel (Austria, 8.5% ABV): I've had beers from Eggenberg before, and as I recall, they were quite good. The color is a dark brown with ruby highlights, bordering on almost black, but still with some clarity--I can see a little bit through this beer. The nose is not what I'd expect from a dopplebock or a dunkel, both of which are a bit sweet.....this nose is actually a bit sour. Weird. Just as the last beer had a good nose and a bad taste, this beer has a bad nose but a very nice taste. Somewhat rich, malty, and sweet, with hints of brown sugar, this is what I might expect from a dopplebock dunkel. As long as you can get around the nose, it's quite nice. 6.0. Would be higher if the nose wasn't so obnoxiously bad.

Back to True Blood!

Okay, just a bit past halfway through the finale, and very hopeful for this next beer.

From Flying Fish Brewing in New Jersey, this is Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout (7.5% ABV). I've had two oyster stouts before, and one was great and one sucked. The great one was from Flying Dog Brewing, so I'm hoping the similarity in names produces similarly good beer.

It pours just like motor oil, always a positive in my book. It's flat black with a dark tan head, though not much of a head. The nose is astounding, rich and chocolatey. Yay? Let's see if the third time really is the lucky charm.

Oh. Ooohhhh. It is. It really is. Rich, dark, chocolatey, malty without being too thick, this is excellent, and a great beer for such a great show. Absolutely delicious. A slightly thin body is the only detriment I can think of. Score: 7.5. Yum!

True Blood done. Many tears. What to obsess over now?

Oh, wait....BEER!

Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel. As you may have guessed, this beer is from Germany. (4.7% ABV) Color is a somewhat dark brown, but with unusual ruby highlights. (Unusual for a dunkel, anyway.) Beautiful brown sugar nose. Delicious! Brown sugar flavor without being overly so. Good brown ale. Not memorable, but not too shabby. 6.5.

Now, back to Cutthroat Kitchen!

[Jester]

Etrusca Ale (Italy, 9.3%): "Ale brewed with natural flavors and spices." Not sure how that's different. "Contains hazelnuts." That's somewhat different. "Fermented in terracotta amphora." Okay, that's very different. Interesting.

Now, I've said for years that the Italians and the French should stick to making wine, as they can't make beer. About a year or so ago, I had one Italian beer that put a lie to that (Roma Birra--utterly amazing). I'm still waiting on the French. But I am curious to see if an 11.1 oz. Italian bottle of beer that set me back $14 can prove me wrong yet again.

The color is a deep and oddly beautiful orange. The nose is subtle, but has vague notes of both wine and citrus. Almost, but not quite, sangria like. The taste is sour. Now, normally I don't like sour beers, but this is not a bad sour. Smooth, citrusy, and sour in a good way. Sort of, but again not quite, similar to orange peel. I find myself liking it against all odds. Not a home run, certainly, but definitely a beer worth considering. Though at the price, maybe not deserving of as much consideration.

I like it. It tastes like Italy, and despite this being beer, that is not a bad thing today. I picture drinking it at a street cafe in Rome, or on a terrace in Venice. Sadly, it doesn't go at all well with my dinner (lemon thyme seared hogfish with garlic rice). But it'll do.

Score: 6.5. Not bad for an Italian beer. France, you're on notice.

[Jester]

And now a tall can of Belhaven Black Scottish Stout! Poured into a pint glass, of course. (4.2% ABV, for those of you keeping score at home.) This is one of those cans that have that widget thingy inside, so when you open it, it does...whatever it is that it does, and supposedly makes the beer like draft beer. (Or "draught," as many of them like to call it.) If you've ever had or seen someone have a can of Guinness, you know what I'm talking about.

Pours almost like motor oil. Always a good start. Black as night. Also good. Since, ya know, it's a stout and all. Very subtle nose, but definitely some richness and maltiness going on. Can't get much more than that on the ole schnozz, though. Smooth and creamy, with zero bitterness. It's not a sweet stout, but it doesn't seem to be a dry stout, either. Interesting. Honestly, a bit watery on the taste, and not a whole lot of flavor. I've had worse, but I've have better. Other than the creaminess, it really has no distinguishing characteristics that I can pick up. Score: 5.0. Or 5 yawns. Whatever. I'll forget this beer as soon as it's gone anyway.

[Victory Sabre]

Illusive Traveler Shandy.

It sure as hell looks like a shandy. Almost orange in color and very cloudy. A thick head that dissipated fast. The nose is very citrus smelling.

Taste. It's not too overpowering, however I would have preferred a fuller flavor. I think the Schell's Shocked is a far better grapefruit beer. At least the price was right for this: on sale for $5 for a 6 pack. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Well, the Schell's bar was out of the Blu Beer at 10AM. Damn, they really need to consider brewing it for sale outside the fair.

Ok, onto a review of a beer I had at the fair.I tried to post while there, but the internet was being wonky. So here's the cut and paste review from my Facebook site.

Giggles Smores Beer

Well, it is made with a chocolat stout, but not the best one I've ever had. The chocolate and Graham crackers on top of the cup added some interesting texture to it. Heahter ate my marshmallow, because I dislike marshmallows. I'd say it's, at best, a 5 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Before the State Fair yesterday I made a trip into cheeseland for some beer. Sadly, I couldn't find the South Shore Inland Sea Pilsner, all they had was their Nut Brown Ale, which isn't that good. I did find this beer

Lazy Monk Bohemian Dark Lager

It pours thick, and there was a nice Guiness type head to it. Very subtle nose to it. As for the taste, it has a nice, smooth flavor to it. It's a really good dark lager. Even thoug it was $10 for a 4 pack (16 oz cans) it is well worth it. I've gotten Lazy Monk products in growler form in the past, but I do like the cans better. 7 out of 10.

[Jester]

A quick note I've been meaning to post for a little while......

There are a lot of apple beers on the market these days. I've recently had the chance to try two of them

While in Orlando, my niece HP, who loves Redd's Apple Ale, and drinks a lot of it, allowed me to taste one of her Redd's at a bar we were at. It was smooth, crisp, and tasty. I would have no problem drinking it again and again.

On the road back from a friend's bachelor party in Fort Myers, we were, of course, drinking. (Don't worry, the driver wasn't drinking, just us passengers.) When we stopped in Florida City before entering the Keys, Maryland decided he wanted to try some Johnny Appleseed, so bought a couple of cans to add to our cooler of beer. On the road, he cracked one open, and tasted it. And....was unimpressed, to say the least. He let all of us taste it, and it was absolutely wretched. I mean disgusting. Revolting. Nauseatingly bad. Hell, the groom, Photo Dude, thought it smelled so bad that he wouldn't even taste it! At this point, Maryland tried to give away the JA, but no one wanted any part of it. Or any more of it, for that matter....he was forced to finish the first can on his own, and I can only assume he took the second can home with him, because the rest of us were basically like, "Fuuuuuuck that!"

Final Adult Apple Beverage Score:

Redd's: Quite lovely. Recommended. Good stuff. Share it with friends and loved ones.

Johnny Appleseed: Vile. Not for human consumption. Unless you really don't like the person. But that may violate the Eighth Amendment's proscription against cruel and unusual punishment, though I don't know how the Founding Fathers would feel about it.

[Jester]

From Anderson Valley, I have their Pinchy Cheek Barl Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale (8.5% ABV). Don't give me that look....I don't name them!

Dark brown in color, with what looks to be.....purple highlights? Apparently so. Far darker (and purpler) than your typical pumpkin ale, but this being aged in bourbon barrels, I'm not overly surprised. Well, other than the purpliness. The nose is smooth, rich, complex, and very liquor like, redolent of an aged bourbon or scotch. The taste is....is....is very, very different. Unlike any pumpkin ale OR bourbon barrel ale I've ever had. Which makes sense, I guess, since I've never had both in one bottle. It is sweet, but balanced. Liquorish (not to be confused with licorice), but not overly so. Definitely well thought out. Rich, complex, unique, and, well, surprisingly light. Not in a bad way, or even in a light beer way. Just lighter than you would think a bourbon barrel aged pumpkin ale would be, since each part of that equation often produces a heavy brew. So, not light, per se, just lighter than you would think going in.

And that's good, because that unexpected lightness brings it back from the precipice of heavy, dark, overwrought beer. This could have been awful. And I wasn't sure what to expect. But it is actually quite wonderful, and pairs surprisingly well with my dinner. (Seared thyme-lemon-garlic red grouper with butter-garlic-lemon rice, since you asked.) I actually would not have chose this to go with my dinner, but I didn't think ahead, and the only other beers that were cold in my fridge were two that I am letting sit for a while, and one Baltic Porter, which usually make cement look light by comparison.

Final score: 8.0. Excellent brew. Highly, highly recommended.

[Jester]

Remember that Baltic Porter I mentioned? Yeah. So do I.

A joint collaboration between Coronado Brewing in California and Cigar City Brewing in Florida, this is Jurata Baltic Porter (pronounced "yoo-rah-tah"). Just like the Pinchy Cheek Barl, the Jurata comes in a 22 oz. bottle. And it's only slightly weaker, at 8.0% ABV. I am not all that familiar with Coronado, but Cigar City is one of my favorites, and is the best brewery in Florida, in my and many other people's opinions.

It pours, like most Baltic Porters do, like motor oil. As always, this makes me very, very happy, as it is usually a very good sign. For me, anyways. It is black and thick, with the thinnest of dark tan heads. The nose is not over the top, but it is malty and dark. Too subtle to get much more from it. The taste is smooth, rich, malty, with an unusual effervescence for a dark beer, which makes it almost root beer like. Almost--but not quite. The taste is dark and malty and both sweet and bitter. Well balanced. Quite tasty. It's almost like an ice cream soda without the ice cream. You know what I mean....chocolatey and fizzy, and fun. This is similar, but more of a dark chocolate. And of course more beerlike than sodalike. It's an adult ice cream soda without the ice cream. Though, truth be told, it would be awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream dropped in it. That wouldn't work with many beers, but it would definitely work with the one. (1554 was the first beer I thought about making into a beer float, and it worked for that, so I am pretty sure it would work for this as well.)

Final score: 7.5. Delicious!

[sms001]

Wowser! A punkin topping a porter in Jesterville. Who woulda thunk?

[Jester]

Anything's possible. And I do like pumpkin beers, so don't be so surprised.

In any case, both beers are phenomenal, and worth a taste. Get them if you can.

[Jester]

And to be fair, I've had better pumpkins AND better porters.

[Victory Sabre]

Jester, you're making me thirsty, and I've already dipped into my shrinking growler of Raygun IPA. Oh, well.

Now to a review, and, as far as I can tell from the search, it hasn't been reviewed (I'm slipping in my old age).

New Glarus Cabin Fever Honey Bock

It's a golden color, as expected. The head was moderate. No nose to speak of.

Taste. It's got a sweet flavor, but not overpowering. It says it's not a traditional Bock, but a Wisconsin Bock, so not dark at all, but still good. 6.5 out of 10.

Also, ETA, a review of something I used to like, but not anymore.

Mikes Lemonade

I used to like it, but, at the State Fair, Heather let me have a sip, and it was sickingly sweet. I like sweet in women (like her), but not booze as much. It didn't go down well, and I'll give it a 3 out of 10.

[Jester]

Vic, I think that Mike's may have been off, as I don't remember them being overly sweet. They're not my favorite, and I can have one occasionally, but they taste more like lemonade with a kick, which is to say they're sweet, but balanced with tartness. Or maybe Mike's has changed their formula since I last sampled their wares. Of not, though, I have to think the one you had was off. Or possibly that you had something before it that made it seem sweeter than it would have normally. Perhaps a very hoppy IPA? Remember, the first sip you take of something will not be its true taste. The second sip is. That's because on the first sip, your palate is adjusting from what you had previously to the new taste. And if you had something completely different from the new taste, it's going to affect the new taste on the first sip. Hence the two sip rule.