God, this stuff is good…
I don’t even know how to describe it, so the beer advocate will have to do.
I don’t even know how to describe it, so the beer advocate will have to do.
1 Like
Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet DIPA
They call it a DIPA, but I personally wouldn’t. I mean the ABV fits the bill at 8.0%, but with only 60 IBU the bitterness really isn’t quite there. Having said that, for an IPA it’s pretty decent. The bitterness is balanced, the malts provide a good not-caramel-y backdrop that’s not too distracting, and it smells like an IPA with some citrus and pine. It also goes down very easy compared to other 8.0% drinks I’ve had.
Probably a 7.5 out of 10 from me. I like the idea behind it of using hop hash/lupulin dust instead of just hops to create a DIPA, but it’s just not a DIPA to me. If Sierra Nevada made it 80 IBU and kept the same profile it would easily make a shortlist of DIPA recommendations from me. I just want more from it.
1 Like
Ol’ reliable for me. Usually get a couple for the weekend. A light I.P.A. by Williams Bros. Brewing out of Scotland. Wasn’t a fan of I.P.A.s when first trying them, but this grew on me quick.
1 Like
8.0% sounds pretty damn heavy! How do most of the beers that high manage, or do some of them flounder in terms of terms of taste considering the alcohol content? (I’ve never had anything really over 5% that was beer.)
My favorite beers are around the 10% mark.
Imperial stouts have a robust enough flavor to drown out any alcohol flavor to them. Lagunitas Imperial Stout is a prime example (my absolute favorite). That one is an IPA which will have a massive flavor, but primarily bitter/hoppy/orange peely.
3 Likes
Cool, sounds good. I must see if there’s any around in my area at that mark and give them a try.
8.0% actually isn’t that bad, I have beer sitting on the shelf that’s listed as 13.0%, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a little higher than that.
Anyways, a beer that tastes like alcohol is a bad tasting beer in my opinion. A good beer will have the taste to match it’s strength. So a Double IPA would be hoppier than a regular IPA, and a barleywine would be more of everything than a normal amber or brown ale.
(That 13.0% beer is a barleywine, and it’ll wreck you if you’re not careful since it’s goes down very well.)
2 Likes
I may look out for some barleywine beers. I’ll take care on those!
Founders Breakfast Stout
I like dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, and pretty much any beer. But what I normally don’t do is have all three at the same time, at least until this drink. For description, it smells like coffee with a bit of chocolate and just about zero hop. The color is almost black, head is tan. On the tongue it’s oh so very smooth, creamy, and yet still not syrupy. The taste is a treat. At room temperature to cool it starts with the standard roasty toasty dark malts, followed immediately by coffee. After the initial hit of bean juice comes dark chocolate and what seems almost like raisins? Surprisingly rich without being cloy. When cold get rid of every descriptor except coffee and some chocolate. I’d suggest trying this off the counter, not from the fridge.
I got a little wordy there (I’ve been reading too many wine descriptions recently), but I’d rate this a third 8 out of 10 for Founders. It’s a very good drink, but I wish the coffee was a little more subdued and the chocolate more pronounced. I think if the coffee was moved a step or two back and the chocolate and raisin moved a hair forward Breakfast Stout would get at least a 9 from me, if not into the GOAT territory.
3 Likes
Still drinking Leinies. A 24 pack lasts me a month or so at this point. The last three times I’ve picked up a pack the price has dropped each time. Went from like $15.50 to something like $13.80 to today’s $12.64. Must be winter.
1 Like
But beer ain’t gud if it ain’t ice cold.
(as most uneducated in the true ways of beer would say)
I haven’t grabbed that one myself yet, but it sounds fantastic.
COOP DNR
It’s a dark Belgian Ale with notes of fruit, almost like an apricot or raisin, but of cinnamon, and vanilla. It has a nice crisp taste. Highly recommend it, if you can find it.
1 Like
That’s a great label. I’ll keep an eye out even though I’m not a big fan of Belgians. Belgian beers, either. 
Wasn’t originally planning on cracking this one tonight, but with another week of mandatory OT coming up, screw it:
Every year I buy a couple of them, and every year they’re a bit different. The 2017 is a harsh sour, the cherries are present but almost background to the oak and wild yeast. It’s sour and bitter but not so much so that it isn’t balanced, just a mean beer overall, and perfectly enjoyable as such. The cherry really kicks in at the end with a tartness that isn’t unexpected, and has a wetness that initially isn’t present with the oak.
8/10, buy if you find it.
A few from the last 4-5 days or so:
I mean, the Hazelnut Brown is a classic. A solid example of the style with a slightly dry hazelnut twist. Did anyone else know that Oregon is the number one producer of hazelnuts in the country?
Bought this because it has a great label, it’s relatively local, and it was on sale. Sweeter than a lot of browns, but not terribly notable, which is unfortunate. Then again, few browns are really exceptional, it’s just not a mark of the style, at least in my experience. A solid beer though; the wife drank the other three.
(I keep editing this thing)
Classic IPA from Minnesota, not too citrusy, not excessively bitter, a good all-rounder. Idunno, it was the best choice from the closest gas station 
Almost forgot (last edit… really), these showed up at the grocery store sometime in the last few weeks. I’m super excited.
Have to pick up the 90 Minute next, I think I can count the total number of Dogfish Head beers I’ve had on one hand. Each beer that is, not each style/brew. This was nice, a solid IPA, just wet enough on the hop flavor and bitter enough to make it worthwhile.
2 Likes
There was some 90 minute IPA’s at my local store. Shame I can’t buy them cause I don’t like IPA’s, and it would be a waste of 10 bucks. Oh well 
picture was taken about 20 minutes after initial pour
Baxter Brewing Prost Secco
My entire thought process in buying this was “Oh, that looks weird. Let’s try it.” The can says “Kettle Sour Ale Brewed With Champagne Grapes, Peaches, and Pears”. Sounds like a plan to me!
First thing, it looks like a darker champagne, which is to say that’s it’s still very light colored. Although I don’t know of too many champagnes that keep a head after pouring? As for smell, it smells mostly like a generic sour. Got that funkiness, some floral notes, some wheat. For being aged made with fruit I don’t smell much of it. Taste is far stronger, with the aforementioned sour, tropical fruit, citrus, and a noticeable Granny Smith apple tartness. The wheat is fairly reserved, and it finishes drier than most beers.
Rating it, it would be a 7.5 out of 10 from me. It may seem low coming from the above description, but it’s mainly because it’s really not that different from other sours I’ve had. In style it would get full points because of the peculiar blend and idea, but in actual taste it doesn’t stand out as much as I was hoping.
Although to nitpick a little, there is no one “champagne” grape. Champagne, if made under the AOC rules, champagne can be made of Arbane, Chardonnay, Petit Meslier, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot Meunier, and/or Pinot noir grapes, no more. Do they use a mix of the seven, or go all out blanc de blancs with pure Chardonnay? But that’s another topic for another time.
2 Likes
Probably my favorite. I’m always worried about these types of bottles exploding on me though. One time I accidentally left one in the hot car all day (probably like 115 outside) and as soon as I took the metal part off the cork flew out and beer went everywhere.
3 Likes
Trying some IPA’s
- Elysium Space Dust IPA
- Sierra Nevada Hops Bullet
0 voters