CS Booze Club.

[Victory Sabre]

Cold as hell outside, so I decided that I need to do something to think abou summer. The best way, I hope, is to drink

Horny Goat Saison Song Strawberry Saison 6.5%ABV

Really beautiful beer. Tbe color is strawberry colored, with a very thick head. There is a slight strawberry nose

Taste: it is a light airy flavor. A hint of strawberry. It would be a good beer for a nice hot summer day. Sadly, at -4° F, and falling, it isn't.

6 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

Finally home after work, and a crazy time at the VFW (lots of talk abou touching boobs), so it's beer o'clock.

Leach Lake Brewing Company Blindside Pale Ale 6.5% ABV

Amber in color with a little bit of head. The nose is minimal, and hard to describe.

Taste : different. It clocks in at 56 IBU, but doesn't taste it. There is some hop taste, but not as much as you'd expect for that IBU. It's got an almost fruity flavor to it. Interesting, but I am not sure it's for me. 5 out of 10.

[Jester]

New Belgium Shift pale lager can (5.0%).

Now I've never been shy about my disdain for New Belgium, who I used to say couldn't brew their way out of a hops field even with clear GPS instructions. That was, until I tasted their 1554, which I've also never been shy about saying is utterly brilliant. And because of 1554, I do occasionally give NB a shot, and try something new (for me) by them. This is such a try.

Shift is deep golden in color with high clarity. Slightly hoppy nose, mostly pleasant, but with something odd and off-putting lurking underneath. Appropriately hoppy for a pale ale: hops are present but not overpowering. Taste is okay, but nothing special. More boring crap from NB. 4.0.

[Victory Sabre]

Whole hog Espresso Stout - nitro

Pitch black, and a nice thick head.

Taste: the head adds a, almost creamy, taste to the beer. once you get to the beer, you get a mello coffee flavor. a lot of coffee beers I've had have been very bitter, not this one. yes you do get the coffee flavor. even if you're not a coffee lover, and I am not, you might like this beer.

6.5 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Bells Cream Stout
Fairly black beer, with a nice head to it. not as thick as the last one.

Taste: very interesting flavor. it is somewhat sweet. I don't drink soda pop anymore, but when I did, I did love cream soda. this beer remids me, a lot, of it. not bad, but a little too sweet for my taste.

5 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

Fulton Lonely Blonde Ale - 4.8% ABV

It is a nice golden color with very little head. there is a citrus nose to it.

Taste: honestly, not much. it is a very light tasting beer. it has a light citrus taste to it. not bad, but not good. it would be better for a nice, hot summer day. while it was a balmy 30 F today, it was anything but balmy.

4.5 out of 10.

[Victory Sabre]

Back in Black.....

Ok, enough singing AC/DC and off to a review.

Into The Black Imperial Black India Pale Ale - 10%ABV and 98 IBU

i think I'm in for a treat.

Almost black, a very dark brown color, that pours like motor oil. Very minimal head. nice hoppy smell on the nose.

Taste: Wow! it starts out very smooth, and mellow, but then the hops kick into overdrive sending my taste buds into nirvana. I love this beer. I love the hops and the bite of it in the aftertaste. Even if you're not a hop head, you might like this beer, but take it slowly.

8.5 out of 10

If you're in Minnesota or South Dakota - get this beer.

[sms001]

Into The Black Imperial Black India Pale Ale

Sounds like a good one. Who's the brewery?

eta: Banks Brewing Company?

[Victory Sabre]

Bank brewing company is on the MN/SD border. it is a fairly new company.

Now to another new company, in fact it opened up last week.

Beaver Island Union Suit. 8.9% ABV 30 IBU

very dark brown beer with little head when poured. hints of coffee on the nose.

taste: it does have a slight hint of smoke in the taste, but very slight. It,honestly is a fairly bland beer. I wish it were more flavorful

5 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

From southern Minnesota to western Wisconsin today, it's time for a beer

Oliphant brewery Swamp Thing 7.3% ABV

A nice cloudy brown color, with no head. no nose to it.

Taste: this peated Scottish Ale has a nice rich flavor. wow. this is a very good Scotch Ale. Very good. impressed bythem again.

7 out of 10

Now, what di I fill my growler with?

[Victory Sabre]

Milk Man Man Baby on Nitro 6.8% ABV.

I have reviewed the MMMB before, and rated it pretty high. now I try the Nitro version.

Nice dark brown, with an insane head. it took forever to pour, but I havea feeling it's worth it.

Taste: the nitro jacks up the flavor by a factor of 10. it is so smooth. it is hard to describe beyond that, but amazing.
8 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

Ok, I'm finally home, and some more beers

First off, I had to deliver some Wisconsin beers, and I had the people I delivered to try some of the Oliphant Milk Man Man Baby.

The first person really doesn't like dark beers, but tried it. He barely let me out of his house with my growler. He has put in a request for his own growler of it the next time I go there. The other stop also liked it, and they do some events in the Stillwater area. They will make a stop there if they can.

Ok, final review tonight, well, maybe.

Jabba da J IPA from Oliphant Brewery - 6%ABV

As many of you regular readers of this thread know, I really am a fan of IPAs, so we will see how this goes. In full disclosure, I did have a sample of it at the brewery.

Golden in color, with a bit of murkiness. There's a nice, frothy head on it. The nose is stunning to a hop head like me. You get a pleasant, hoppy nose to it.

Taste: wow. It has a hop bite, which I like, but it also has a mellowness to it. There is also hints of citrus in the beer. It really has the right combination of hops, and other flavors, if you're looking for that combination. I may like extreme hoppy beers, but I also really like this.

7.5 out of 10.

I have a feeling that this growler, which is a 32 oz one, won't last long.

[Victory Sabre]

Ok, I was naughty, and went to the liquor store and found this gem. It's a collaboration between Stone Brewing, Baird Brewing, and Ishii Brewing.

Japanese Green Tea IPA 10.1% ABV

Beautiful golden color, with a frothy head. You get a fairly standard hop smell.

Taste : hello. Yes, it's nice and hoppy, but there is a robust green tea flavor. They go very well together, and it's very drinkable. This woud be a good beer for those who love IPAs, and even those who don't

7.5 out of 10

[Victory Sabre]

Ok, over 24 hours of the last 48 at work, yes, beer o'clock right now, and hopefully a perfect choice.

Deschutes Brewery Hop Henge IPA - 9.5% ABV

As you all know by now, I have a soft spot for IPAs so hoping for the best.

Nice golden color with a frothy head. Just pouring the beer I get a nice floral smell. Up close it is jacked up nicely.

Taste - Oh, my, oh my. This has a pleasant, almost sweet taste. However, it turns pleasantly hoppy after. This is another awesome IPA, and I know it's going to make me get over the long day at work, and my back pain.

7 out of 10

[Jester]

I love dark beers. This is not a secret. I especially love Russian Imperial Stouts, a classic dark beer style. So when I found an R.I.S. that was actually brewed by a great Russian brewery--Baltika, the only Russian brewery I'm familiar with--I was ecstatic. This is the review of that beer, with high hopes for it, as everything I've had by Baltika before has been wonderful. So with further adieu, here's my review.

Baltika Russian Imperial Stout (10.0% ABV): pours like motor oil, which is always a good thing for me. Flat and black with a dark tan head. Super malty nose. Super malty taste. Dark and rich and absolutely wonderful. Delicious! Everything I hoped it would be and more. Stunningly rich and delicious dark beer. 8.0.

It's a collaboration between Stone Brewing, Baird Brewing, and Ishii Brewing.

Japanese Green Tea IPA

This woud be a good beer for those who love IPAs, and even those who don't

Perhap. But if those who don't like IPAs also don't like tea, like, say, me, they are not going to like this. They currently have this on draft at the Key West World of Beer, and I've samoled it, and it is just not for me in any way.