CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

I may not be the best at describing the finer features of beer (see my mistake calling apricot peach)...

Or your insistence on referring to hops as "hopps."

I also won a $25 gift certificate to the local liquor store on the radio for the "whine of the week".

Oh, you can't say that and not tell us what the whine of the week actually WAS, ya know.

I might have fun with that.

Might? Might? It's free booze. Of course you're gonna have fun with that!

[Victory Sabre]

The whine was political in nature, so I can't. All I can say is I ended it with a quote from the late Jim Trafficant, and said "beam me up".

[Victory Sabre]

Beer Camp time again.

Beer Camp Double Latte made with the Ninkasi Brewing Company. 7.6 ABV and 60 IBU.

Pitch black an poured like motor oil. Tons of head. There's a slight chocolate nose to it.

Taste : holy cow. To get to the beer I had to go through a lot of foam, but it was worth it. You do get a coffee flavor mixed with chocolate. There's a nice bitterness to it. If you don't like coffee stouts you might not like it. I'm so so on them, but this is a good one for sure. 7 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Here is my haul from the $25 liquor store gift certificate.

Trappistes Rochefort 10 Belgian Ale - 11.3% ABV
Weihenstephaner Korbinian - 7.4% ABV
Traquair House Ale - 7.2% ABV
and North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout - 9% ABV

Which one will I start with after work tonight? Ask in about 6 hours. I want to go to the gym first.

[deadbody]

Old Rasputin is a pretty good Imperial. Not amazing, but good and reasonably priced.

The Rochefort is a good quad IIRC, not really my style but well reviewed.

[Victory Sabre]

I've decided the Rochefort is what I'm going with after work tonight. About 2-3 hours for the review.

and here's the review.

very dark brown in color, hard to see much light through it. There's a little bit of head. Hard to describe the nose, but it is subtle to me.

Taste: very smooth. Very easy to drink. It's got a rich flavor. I can see it would be easy to get drunk on this beer, with it's high alcohol content. I would say the Trappists know very well what they're doing, and they brew an outstanding product. I will have to put it into a very rare category for me and give it a 9 out of 10. If you can find this beer, and are not put off by the price, get it!

[Victory Sabre]

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. 9%ABV

Ok, here goes.

Really thick brown head, and it's pitch black and poured like motor oil. That's a good way to start. It's got a almost earthy nose to it.

Taste : Nice. It's got a nice bitterness to it, but it's easy to drink. I haven't had too many Russian Imperial Stouts before, but I think i like them. This beer is a step below the one from last night's beer, but not much of one. 8 out of 10. Get this beer.

[Jester]

Since we've been talking about favorites and what not, I thought I'd throw out a list of my favorite breweries. Breweries that I generally buy their product without question, even if it's something I've never had before, because generally they kick ass. These are breweries that I bow to, and thus highly recommend. In no particular order...

Weihenstephaner (Germany)
Aecht (Germany)
Innis & Gunn (Scotland)
Harviestoun (Scotland)
Orkney (Scotland)
Einstök (Iceland)
Coedo (Japan)
Samuel Smith's (England)
Baltika (Russia)
Cigar City (Florida)
Due South (Florida)
Lost Coast (California)
Four Peaks (Arizona)
Wassatch (Utah)
Founders (Michigan)
Bell's (Michigan)
Southern Tier (New York)
Rogue (Oregon)
Flying Dog (Maryland)
Heavy Seas (Maryland)
St. Arnold's (Texas)
Lexington (Kentucky)
Great Divide (Colorado)

Many of these breweries may not be available in your area. For example, my home town brewery of Four Peaks does not distribute much beyond Arizona. (Apparently they've made small inroads into California, but that's it.) Cigar City, while gaining much recognition, is still tough to get outside of Florida, I think. And while most of the international beers should be available in a lot of places, according to Einstök's own website, its beers are only available in Iceland, the UK, California, and Florida. Lucky me!

Enjoy, and happy hunting!

[wolfie]

according to Einstök's own website, its beers are only available in Iceland, the UK, California, and Florida. Lucky me!

From this, I gather that when you move back to Arizona, whatever iteration of the Jestermobile you have at the time will be making frequent trips to California.

[Victory Sabre]

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this beer yet.

Grain Belt Premium.

Nice golden color. There's a standard cheeper beer nose to it.

Taste: this is a letdown from the previous beers I've reviewed. it's ok, but nothing spectacular. This is a good utility beer, but nothing more, and not as good as the New Glarus Spotted Cow, which I put Iinto the same category. 4.5 out of 10.

Edit.

I'll also say drinking a 9% beer and then a half growler of another 9% beer was not a good decision last night. I still felt drunk when I went to work this morning. Did I ever say I was a lightweight?

Tomorrow I should have several reviews, because I plan on hitting up the Oliphant Brewery in Somerset Wisconsin, and of course, the American Sky brewery in Hudson.

[Victory Sabre]

Oh crap lost my beer notes from the Oliphant brewery!

Ok I'll try to reconstruct them.
#1 Party on Garth is a Black ale. 5.8%ABV.
I gave it a 6.5. nice flavor.
#2 was the DG2CZMF Is a Rye Saison. and 6.7
I also gave it a 6.5 a better summer beer, 6.5
#3 Milk Man Manbaby it is a Dunkelweizen.
This was my favorite. 7.5
intermission beer was a partly fermented brown Sugar Brown Brown.
Nice beer but won't rate because it wasn't complete.
#4 Landoeels vs. SissySnakes. 6.6% ABV it's an Amber Hefeweizen
Not bad at all. 6 out of 10
#5 Ennuipa W/Perle 6.3 ABV. It's a Single hop pale ale.
Golden color. nice flavor 6.5 out of 10.
#6 Commander William T. Ryeker. 6% ABV. It is a Red Rye Ale.
Ok this wasn't reviewed yet before my loss, so here goes.
Darker Amber colored.nice nose to it. kinda earthy with rye.
Taste: very good Red Rye Ale. nice bite of the hops (I spelled it right Jester). 6.5 out of 10.

Ok final thoughts. if you're in Somerset Wisconsin you've got to stop here. They've only been open for 6 weeks, but they are already producing great beer. I will be bringing home a growler of the Milk Man Milkbaby. so stop here.

[Victory Sabre]

New Glarus Pumpkin Pie Lust.

Crazy head on the beer, It practically exploded out of the glass. Really dark brown color to it. The head is of pumpkin pie spices, but it seems jacked up over other pumpkin beers I've had.

Taste : as I work through the head, which is almost like whipped cream on top of a pie, yeah, the head is that crazy, I get the spices in it. Seriously, it's that thick. Now to the beer, well, amazing is a good way to describe it. The spices are strong, but not overpowering. It's really like drinking a pumpkin pie, a really delicious home made one, that mom makes. So smooth going down, so delicious. I will give it a solid 8.5 out of 10. Wisconsinites, and those who can easily cross the border - get it.

I also picked up these other beers today, and will review in the next few days, well, maybe another tonight.

Door County Brewing Company Hey Hey What You Say Polka King Porter
Pecatonica Beer Company Nightfall Lager
and the one that I was surprised to find, I thought I would have to go farther into Wisconsin than Somerset
Valkyre Brewing Company Dragon Blade Retro American Lager

[Victory Sabre]

Valkyre Brewing Company Dragon Blade

Nice murky golden color when poured. Thick head also. Not too much nose to it.

Taste : well it is an American Lager. However, calling it that one might think it is like the buds, coors, and millers. It sure as hell isn't. It is nothing like them. It may be the same general style, but it is in a league of its own, like its fellow Wisconsin beer, New Glarus Spotted Cow. This is a very good, easily drinkable beer. 6 out of 10. Very high praise for this style of beer, and a good find so close to Minnesota.

[Jester]

From this, I gather that when you move back to Arizona, whatever iteration of the Jestermobile you have at the time will be making frequent trips to California.

Nope. They're a great brewery, but to make a long road trip just for their product? Especially when I don't know where in California they may be selling it? Not gonna happen. That being said, any trips I do make to California for other purposes will probably see me in liquor stores doing some shopping.

Now, I do hope that by the time I get back to Arizona, Einstok will have expanded their sales area to include my beloved home state, it since I'm all about planning ahead, you can bet on me stocking up on the stuff when I drive through mainland Florida on my way out of the state.

I still felt drunk when I went to work this morning. Did I ever say I was a lightweight?

No, but I did.

nice bite of the hops (I spelled it right Jester).

About damn time, too.

[Victory Sabre]

Hello booze fans. I'm at home after a short day at work, and I'm wrapping a package that will be shipped to Key West. So, it's the perfect time for a review. I have never heard of this brand before yesterday, and have no info on them, well, at least none till I googlefu them.

Pecatonica Beer Company Nightfall Lager. 5.9% ABV

Well, it's almost pitch black. I get a chocolate nose to it, and there was very little head when poured.

Taste: not bad at all. It has a bit of a hop bite to it, but it's not too overpowering. Like I said, not bad at all. I think I'll give it a 6 out of 10.

now, back to work. There's a cow with spots that needs to be put into bubble wrap.