beernesday

back to some heavy hitting beers for the next instalment of "what i drank on my lost saturday" the fabulous ryan brought back some fine beers from his recent sojourn in las vegas stone brewing's belgo anise imperial russian stout certainly did not disappoint a licorice stout - how delightful! such a strong malt base totally hid the belgian yeast from my leery mouth and what a head! hoppy, stouty, licoricey, not belgiany, not overwhelmingly boozey - its a winner! i would love to have another bottle of this to age for a year or two... 10.5%, 56 ibus, warrior hops "This 2011 Odd Year release pours pitch black with a deep tan head, with aromatic notes of anise, coffee, and cocoa jumping from the glass. Coffee and dark roasted malt flavors dominate, with a robust complement of anise and oak, which leave a lingering blend of vanilla, licorice, and dark malt on the palate. This one will age nicely for several years." doing my best vanna white impression brew...

Craft Beer Locator Beer Fact of the Day - Compliments of Steve Parkes: Foam on beer is a result of a complex interaction between a specifically sized protein fragment from the malt, isomerized alpha acids from the hops, and metal ions usually found in the brewing water.

and now for the first guest post on my blog! this one is from the lovely and talented amanda: Swans Buckerfield's Brewery Berry Ale: 7%. Not extremely cloudy, unfiltered: contains malted barley, malted wheat, raspberries, hops and yeast. Brewed in Victoria, Vancouver Island.  A mid amber colour or perhaps the colouring of the raspberries??? When poured, doesn't have the biggest head, light and bubbly and light in carbonation. At 7% the label doesn't lie when it says strong beer... But not too strong. Has a very berry hay taste at first....  Very light bodied and fresh on the palate. The raspberry flavour really kicks in as an after taste. Delightful and delish.... raspberries being my favourite of the berries, I find it quite the flavoursome treat!  The hops are ever so slight, a pleasure to drink. One wee glass would be sufficient... Not a sessioner. I think the berry would become too over powering -  more citrus notes are needed!  

i did it - i tried the new Pepper Lime lager from Dead Frog and i didn't like it.  which saddens me.  but there's nought i can do about it, i don't like it.  i even tried it twice, just to make sure. it pours a pale golden colour and has a great head... i just can't stand the chemically taste of the lime.  it reminds me too much of bud lime and the miller chill. i tried, i really tried.  i wanted to like it,  i really did. but i cannot tell a beer lie, i am not a fan of this lager.  but don't let my picky pants stop you from trying it.  like mikey, you might like it.

i love a double ipa.  no, i really love a double ipa, like a lot. tonight's tipple is Moylan's Moylander double ipa.  a delightfully potent brew out of california. its a live ale, which to me meant that it pulled an iceland volcanic action when i popped the top (i am sheepishly proud to report that i chipped my tooth on the bottle trying to save every drop of this delicious nectar). it stayed hazy in the glass during the entire tasting of almost all 650 mLs, but also remaining to the bitter hoppy end was the head.  ah, live yeast! the bottle says:  "If One is Good, Then Two is Better!  Our Moylander Double IPA is fat and resiny, with aggressive and excessive hops swinging on an enormous malt backbone like naughty monkeys on a vine.  Double malt, double hops - do the math, its academic.  This brew has twice the things you're looking for, and its big enough to share with the one you love.  And isn't that what it's all about?" fat, and phat ...

"signature ipa.  loaded with hops."  its Tree Brewing Company's Hop Head IPA! hoppy aroma, clear caramel colour, good head on the pour that disappears within moments and a lovely crisp hoppy taste.  definitely on the bitter side.  delicious.  5.6% the bottle says:  "tree brewing company takes craft brewing seriously.  we brew in small batches using only water, malt, hops and yeast to produce the highest quality, award winning beer.  try our selection of all natural unpasteurized beers, sure to satisfy some of the most discriminating craft beer drinkers & judges.  drop by the brewery located in beautiful kelowna, british columbia, and we'll show you firsthand how we make great beer.  until then... cheers!" would i have more than one?  sure, and i often do. is it in my top 10 ipas?  nope, doesn't crack the top ten.  it is quite enjoyable though. i like the new branding of tree - the stylized mighty pine is oh so...

i love the wax over the cap on Half Pints Brewing Company's humulus ludicrous.  it makes me feel like i just got transported back to medieval times and someone's going to challenge me to a duel at any moment... and i keep hoping a buxom bar wench will sidle up to me...   currently i'm pairing it with nachos.  and the historical anachronism to medieval times "please sir, can i have some more" comes to mind.  just go with it, i am. its got quite the head on it, and a fabulous hoppy aroma.  oh yeah, and it tastes fabulously hoppy too.  Lots of lace left on the glass as i drain it, but the initial haze is not wearing off.  lovely dark golden colour.   the bottle says:  our most ridiculously hoppy beer. i would like more on their label.  more about the brewery, more about the beer, just more personality.  but all i get is "craft brewed in winnipeg mb canada" and that its 8% apv and 100 IBUs.  delightful.  i'm a fan....