Brewski-Bros

Rockmill Brewing Dubbel

2011-08-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Every "beer geek" is born from an epiphany moment in which a certain beer opens up their eyes to the world of craftbrews. For Matthew Barbee, it was a Saison Dupont that was paired with a grilled peach salad. Not soon after, he decided to move from Los Angeles back to his native Ohio to open up his own brewery in the sleepy town of Lancaster. Blessed with water quality nearly identical to that of the Wallonia region in Belgium, Rockmill Brewing began producing four unique Belgian-style ales in 2010.

The Rockmill Dubbel clocks in at a robust 8% alcohol by volume. It pours a rich mahogany color with ample champagne-like carbonation with a light tan head and thick Belgian lacing. Aromas are of caramel, raisins, bananas and toast. The predominant flavors are of toffee, black cherry, dried plum and cognac. The finish is long thanks to a delightful balance of spice provided by the yeast and hops. This brew would pair perfectly with smoked barbecued ribs, a heart beef stew or a washed-rind Belgian cheese. Or you can serve the way Mr. Barbee serves it: with dark chocolate that has been dusted with Himalayan pink sea salt.

Rockmill is currently producing four barrels a week (roughly 130 gallons), but they are hoping to expand production in the near future. Their next release is slated to be a whiskey barrel-aged Belgian tripel. Undoubtedly, Matthew Barbee's Rockmill brews have provided that epiphany moment for more than a few "beer geeks."

Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

2011-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Stone is easily in my top 5 favorite breweries. I was hooked merely by seeing a beer labeled "Arrogant Bastard". Granted, this was when I was still a newbie to the craft brew world and was still foolishly led by names and labels. But, like every other beer Stone offers, Arrogant Bastard lives up to its name.

This brings us to a new release from Stone... and imperial stout brewed with anise, oak chips, and Belgian yeast. It pours jet black, with a brownish tinge around the edges and a moderate dark tan head. Aromas are very, very strong of anise and black licorice. There is also a slight oak and vanilla aroma, but I don't catch much roasted malt. After opening up a little bit, the aromas all meld to give a root beer quality to the aroma... very pleasing.

The licorice is not as strong in the flavor as the aroma. The mouthfeel is not a thick as a typical imperial stout and the carbonation is on the high end. Root beer once again comes to mind. Roasted malt and dark fruit linger in the background as well as a slight acidity that lives a little burn in the chest along with the alcohol.

It's certainly an interesting beer. I'd imagine setting this beer down for a few years would do a great deal of good in terms of blending the flavors more. This seems like a beer that will have its haters... but I enjoyed. Seek it out and see what you think. Prosit!

Ithaca Flower Power IPA

2011-06-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Due to an advantageous microclimate, New York's Finger Lakes are well-known for producing world-class wines. However, in the sleepy college town of Ithaca, wine isn't the first beverage of choice. Ask anyone on the street and they'll tell you that Ithaca Beer Company is where it's at. Opened in 1998, Ithaca Beer Company is now available in seven states and they recently were awarded two medals at the Great American Beer Fest. One of their highest rated beers is their Flower Power IPA.

Flower Power pours a honeylike golden color with a moderate white head. Aromas are of tropical fruits, Juicyfruit gum, wildflowers and pine. The predominent flavors are of pineapple, honey, grapefruit, orange, spruce and fresh-cut grass. Flower Power finishes both bitter and sweet thanks to herbaceous hop character and malt sweetness. It's very versatile as a "food beer," but it would best match-up with Indian cuisine with curry, gorgonzola cheese or a spicy conch chowder.

Port Brewing Company Old Viscosity

2011-06-21T18:39:00.001-07:00

A few years ago a buddy of mine moved to the west coast. It was a very bitter-sweet moment for me. On one hand, I was losing one of my best buds. On the other, he was moving on to bigger and better things that would, in the end, make him happier. Of course, another positive was that fact that any visit meant some great coastal beer that was not available to me here in the Midwest.

Enter Port Brewing Company. No, not Pizza Port. However, Port is the result of Pizza Port's former director of brewing operations and a pal. Adding even more connections to this brewery, they set up camp in Stone's old brewing facility in San Marcos, CA.

Flash forward to 2006, and Port is a brewing. This particular brew is a very dark american strong ale coming in at 10% abv. The beer pours a very dark, opaque brownish/black with a thin tan head. The consistency is near motor oil. The nose gives off aromas of woody, roasted malts as well as chocolate, alcohol, and a slight bit of bourbon. The flavor is a mouthful with slight acidic tinge that leads to roasted malts, bourbon, chocolate, and a slight hoppy grapefruit quality in the finish. Very full bodied.

I was very impressed with Old Viscosity. Very near and imperial stout. Should I find myself on the west coast anytime soon, I will surely seek this brew out. I suggest you do as well.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

2011-06-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre is a Belgian brown ale made with beet sugar, green raisins and Belgian yeast. In 2000, Malt Advocate Magazine named it "American Beer of the Year." First brewed in 1996 at their brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, this brew hit the store shelves in 1998.

Raison D'Etre pours a deep mahogany in color with a tan head and moderate carbonation. Aromas are of plum, toffee, spice and bread. Flavors of raisin, brown sugar, maple syrup and molasses tickle the palate. The finish is long, sweet and complex due to sweet malt and Belgian yeast. Possible food pairings are steak, blue cheese and smoked sausage. At 8% alcohol by volume, this brew is potent and is definitely a sipper. Raison D'Etre is best enjoyed from a snifter glass at 50 degrees.

Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale

2011-06-18T06:05:00.001-07:00

Farmhouse ales, also known as Saisons, have had a long history as thirst-quenchers. Traced back to Wallonia, a French-speaking area of Belgium, Saisons were brewed for farm workers during the harvest. Once considered to be endangered as a beer style, Saisons have made a significant comeback due to growing interest in Belgian-style ales from beer enthusiasts worldwide. Smuttynose Brewing, out of the quaint seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been making their Farmhouse ale since 2008.

Saisons are known for being funky, dry and crisp. The Farmhouse Ale pours a slightly hazy golden color with a rocky white head and significant carbonation. Aromas are of spice, banana, pepper and apple. It has pronounced flavors of sweet malt, lemon peel, coriander and terroir. The finish is a combination of honey-like sweetness and sour notes from the yeast. It is a bit bigger and sweeter than tradition Saisons, but that is due to it having a higher gravity (9.3% alcohol by volume.) It is a perfect pairing for jambalaya, spicy crab cakes or a fromage triple-creme.

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

2011-06-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Great Divide Brewing hit the ground running when they opened in 1994 in Denver. Within three months of brewing their very first batch of beer, Great Divide was awarded a medal at the Great American Beer Festival. From the moment they opened their doors, Great Divide has thoroughly dedicated itself to making "big beers." Some of these progressive, bold offerings have included wood-aged beers, barleywines, smoked ales and double India pale ales.

Hercules Double IPA is not a brew for Joe Sixpack. It is malty, sweet, bitter, potent and aromatic. A veritable cornucopia for the senses, this double IPA is unforgiving and forceful. The brew pours a very dark orange color and has an ample, off-white head with good carbonation. Aromas of orange peel, toffee, spruce and hazelnut will attack your olfactory system. It has flavors of Tootsie Roll, grapefruit, caramel and a hint of toasted vanilla bean. It finishes sweet at first, but the spiciness from the hops dries out the finish. At 10% alcohol by volume and 85IBUs, Hercules packs a real knock-out punch. Without a doubt, Hercules is one of the very best double India pale ales in the world.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

2011-06-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, is a true Renaissance man in the craftbrew world. He has written multiple books on beer, appeared in two documentary films about beer and developed and starred in a series for the Discovery Channel ("Brew Masters") about his beloved brewery. Never one to rest on his laurels, Calagione has helped Dogfish Head redefine the craftbeer revolution with nearly every new release. Dogfish Head Festina Peche is "a refreshing neo-Berliner Weisse fermented with peaches."

Festina Peche pours a very cloudy light golden color with a moderate white head and high carbonation. The nose consists of aromas of tart citrus, apricot, wildflowers and bread. Flavors of peach and light sweet malt blend in with the natural tart flavors produced by lactobacillus bacteria, which is added into the fermentation vessels. The finish is light and dry with hints of peach and sourness. Festina Peche is a complimentary quaffer for a mixed greens salad with grilled chicken or a mild grilled fish.

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

2011-06-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Boston has a long and rich brewing history. I imagine that the colonists first began making beer a few minutes after landing on Plymouth Rock. By the mid-1980s, the East Coast microbrew movement had begun with Sam Adams (1984) and Harpoon Brewing (1986.) After traveling throughout Europe, Harpoon founders Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary decided to start up their own microbrewery to bring great beer to the good people of New England. Twenty-five years later, Harpoon still continues to push the envelope by creating new brews and introducing unique beer styles to the masses.

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA is a substantial craftbrew. At 10% alcohol by volume and 120 IBUs, it packs a kick as well as some serious hoppiness. It pours a hazy orange color with a slight white head and good carbonation. Aromas of spicy pine and tropical fruits run rampant. The flavors of peach, orange, mango and pine mix with the caramel malt sweetness effortlessly. Massive quantities of potent American hops (Simcoe, Amarillo, Chinook and Centennial) balance the flavors with a crisp bitterness and create a lingering dry finish. Leviathan IPA is a perfect match for grilled lamb, creamy blue cheese or even creme brulee.

The Samuel Adams Conundrum

2011-06-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Way, way back in the late 19th century, Louis Koch devised himself a lager he rather fancied. It was a brew so liked, the recipe survived over a century as well as prohibition. Fast forward to 1984 and we have Jim Koch, the fifth generation, brewing himself up a batch of his family's beer in his kitchen. You've all seen the commercials; you all know what happens next.

Jim Koch with Samuel Adams, as well as a handful of other breweries such as Sierra Nevada and Redhook, helped to trail blaze what would become a revolution in American beer. Americans were shown what real beer was supposed to be. It didn't take too long for these craft/artisinal beers to take off in America. Today we are offered more beer options than we could have ever dreamed.

Even more so, Jim Koch flabbergasted beer enthusiasts with the introduction of Millennium and Utopias. Massive, monsters of a barelywine that came in at over 20% ABV and would put quite a dent in the beer drinker's wallet. It's beers like these, though, that many enthusiasts began to strongly appreciate and desire. That dent in the wallet didn't hurt so much once the brew was cracked and shared amongst friends... not to mention the buzz that 20% ABV can induce.

(I think even Sir Thomas More would approve)

Jim Koch was a renegade, and I have a lot of respect for the man. However, with as many groundbreaking beers as Samuel Adams has produced, they also produced some equally sub par beers as well. These beers just seem to lack any motivation or defining qualities. Beers that seem to stick out are the entire Imperial Series, Cranberry Lambic, the Longshot series, and especially the Cherry Wheat.

(What the fuck is dis shit??)

The Imperial and Longshot series are not bad beers by any stretch of the imagination. They just seem to be weak efforts at beers that could be incredibly good. Even more frustrating is the Longshot series. These are recipes created by homebrewers across that country. Samuel Adams purchases the recipes from winning homebrewers to release them in a mixed six pack. Most of the beers are just ho-hum and forgettable. Enjoyable, but in the end, forgettable. I can't help but wonder what the original recipe devised by the homebrewer actually tastes like.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing at Samuel Adam's Cincinnati brewery for a brewing position. The interview could not have been more fun or laid back. It mostly consisted of the brewers and I shooting the shit about what beers we would like to have with us if we were to be stranded on a desert island for life. We also got to talking about the beers Samuel Adams brews and they all shared the opinion that many lack in quality, and some they just flat out hate (looking at you Cherry Wheat). What confounds me further is Samuel Adams makes beers like Utopias, Millennium, Imperial Pislner, Boston Lager, etc. that are incredibly unique and tasty beers.

I'm not sure if I'm alone in feeling that Samuel Adams is starting to somewhat stray from their roots. I'm also in no way bashing Samuel Adams or saying they are selling out.... just making observations. There are plenty of breweries out there that produce beers that I forget the instant my glass is gone. However, these places do not have the reputation and expected standard Samuel Adams has. They brew bad beer, they disappear. Samuel Adams can get away with these bad brews. I just hope they don't become a habit and that more original goodness is still to come.

Note: I sincerely apologize for my horrible lack of photoshop skills.

North Peak Wanderer

2011-06-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

With the current extreme brew "arms race" going on, the attitude "bigger is better" is the rallying cry for many microbreweries. A few craft breweries are going against the grain and are releasing low gravity session beers. A perfect example of this is Wanderer session India Pale Ale from North Peak Brewing Company (Traverse City, Michigan.) Summer is almost here and Wanderer is a good choice as a thirst-quencher, especially when compared to the watery domestic macrobrews.

It pours a golden, slightly copper color in the glass. Aromas of white grapefruit, grass and spicy herbaceous notes. The light malt gives it a slight sweetness, which is a pleasant balance to the mild citrus and pine flavors. Wanderer is light in body and mouthfeel. It could be described as a light IPA because it does come across thin, but that is exactly what makes it a perfect session ale. A good match for a backyard barbecue (especially hamburgers) or a mild English cheddar cheese. Wanderer is not the most interesting or complex microbrew around, but then again, it never set out to be that.

Goose Island Night Stalker

2011-06-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Goose Island Beer Company has held the title as "Chicago's favorite microbrewery" for quite some time. From their flagship brew Honkers Ale to their 312 Urban Wheat to their collection of Belgian-style ales, Goose Island has a brew that will tickle any discerning palate. Their Bourbon County Stout is a beer geek's best friend and is a brew that collectors covet from coast-to-coast. Using the same grain recipe as Bourbon County, Goose Island created Night Stalker, a velvety Imperial Stout.

Night Stalker pours darker than a steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night. It is viscous, jet black and quite imposing in the glass. Aromas are of mocha, licorice, pipe tobacco and toasted vanilla beans. Night Stalker is dryhopped heavily with Simcoe hops, which adds a slight whiff of pine wreath. Rich, roasty flavors of sweet dark chocolate, caramel, espresso and molasses linger on the ridiculously long finish. It has a heavy mouthfeel and is quite tongue-coating. Night Stalker is an entire dessert in a bottle. I suggest pairing it with either an aged gouda, a few chocolate truffles or a heaping bowl of vanilla ice cream. Clocking in at a whopping 11.7% alcohol by volume, proceed with caution while savoring this belly bomb of a beer.

Two Brothers Cane and Ebel

2011-06-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

In 1993, two brothers (Jim and Jason Ebel) opened up a homebrew supply store just outside of Chicago. Rather than being content with a retail store, they dreamt bigger and decided to open a microbrewery in 1996. Presently, Two Brothers Brewing Company offers a vast array of microbrews and artisanal/seasonal releases. Cane and Ebel originally was a Spring seasonal brew, but due to the popularity it garnered, Two Brothers decided to make it available all year long. Cane and Ebel is an American strong ale that proudly boasts that it is "a hopped up red rye ale."

It pours a reddish-orange color with with an off-white head and ample lacing. The brew has pungent aromas of fresh-cut grass, overripe oranges, pine and spicy green herbs. Flavors of caramel, toasted rye bread, almonds, spruce and grapefruit compliment the addition of Thai palm sugar, which adds hints of vanilla and a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is spicy and dry due to the hop bitterness and rye malt. At 7% alcohol by volume and 68 IBUs, Cane and Ebel is a refreshing brew that possesses a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness.

Brew Day!

2011-06-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

We finally got back to the grind this weekend after too long of a gap between this brew and the success that was Gipple Tripel. This past weekend saw the creation of a beer yet to be named. The name is still a work in process, but the recipe is not... What we have concocted here is going to be a copacetically quaffable brew.
Using roughly a 50/50 mixture of pilsen and wheat malt, as well as a little Belgian biscuit, we lightly hopped this ale with Willamette and cascade hops. Once in the primary ferementer, we proceeded to add a behemoth amount of organic blueberry juice to give this brew a nice summer vibe.

(Brewette adding some bittering hops. First face on this blog I do believe.)

Finally a yeasty mixture of White Labs Cal ale yeast and Kolsch ale yeast were added to the carboy. It didn't take long for fermentation to kick off as this brew was bubbling after only about five hours. Currently she's chilling at a comfy 70 degrees F and will be ready to bottle in about a week. There may be a slight delay as secondary fermentation may be necessary in order to add even more blueberry... but that is to be determined...

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot

2011-06-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

WTF?!? This is an abbreviation for a very well-known phrase, but in this occasion, it stands for Wilco Tango Foxtrot, an Imperial Brown Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company. Located in Petaluma, California, Lagunitas has a reputation for putting out hoppy ales in many styles ranging from India Pale Ales to Belgian-inspired brews. WTF is a seasonal release that is brewed in honor of the lagging economy and calls itself "a malty, robust, jobless recovery ale."

It pours a dark amber color with a frothy, bone-colored head. Aromas of burnt brown sugar, toasted bread and citrus. WTF has flavors of caramel, roasted nuts, cocoa, grapefruit and toffee. Its richness is balanced and complimented by grassy, citrusy hops, which give it a long and dry finish. At around 7.8% alcohol by volume, it packs a punch without any noticeable boozy properties.

Founders Double Trouble

2011-06-09T06:46:00.001-07:00

"Go bold or go sober." This simple motto is our personal rallying cry. Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan was facing near bankruptcy just a few years ago. They started out making solid, ordinary beers, but these offerings had not really found them an audience. On the brink of a financial collapse, they decide to go bold and make the type of extreme brews that had originally inspired them to open a brewery. Since then, Founders has been a wild success.

Double Trouble is an Imperial India Pale Ale, which is code for "IPA on steroids." Need the stats? 9.4% alcohol by volume and 86 IBUs (a measurement of bitterness from the hops.) It pours a brilliant golden color with a foamy white head. Aromas of citrus, pine and peach are mouth-watering. The dominant flavors are of pink grapefruit and grass. I would venture that it is the sauvignon blanc of beers. Double Trouble is a perfect balance of sweet, tart and bitterness that is truly refreshing. The finish is long with the hop bitterness crackling on the back of your tongue. It is the perfect quaffer to match up with beef brisket, grilled lamb or a rich blue cheese. This is a seasonal release from Founders, so you better snag some while you can still find it.

Birra Moretti La Rossa

2011-06-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hailing from just outside of Milan in Bergamo, Italy, Birra Moretti is one of Italy's most popular and respected breweries. It was founded in 1859 by Luigi Moretti and by the following year, his beers were available for purchase. The brewery was acquired by Heineken in 1996, which helped Birra Moretti distribute its products to over 40 countries. Their La Rossa is a doppelbock, which is a lager made with twice the amount of malted barley.

La Rossa pours a slightly hazy, rich vermilion with an ivory head in the glass. Aromas of brown sugar, roasted malts and caramel blend nicely together. Toffee, caramel and cherry flavors are counterbalanced by notes of spicy, herbal hop bitterness. The finish is moderately long with a malty sweetness. At 7.2% alcohol by volume, it is a substantial brew that is more of a sipper.

If you decide to pair this with food, La Rossa is a match for linguini with clams, roasted duck, Limberger cheese (if you are brave enough) or dark chocolate mousse.

Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

2011-06-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Flying Dog Brewery was one of the first so-called microbreweries to break through during the craftbrew craze of the 1990s. Even from its humble beginnings as small brewpub in Aspen, Colorado, Flying Dog has strived to make high-quality ales for every palate. Often, that resulted with them to going rogue and creating some of the most extreme brews around. This is certainly the case with the series of "Wild Dog Releases," of which their Double Dog Pale Ale was their inaugural offering. In fact, this brew was so popular that Flying Dog brought it back by popular demand and permanently added it to their arsenal of beers.

Clocking in at a stunning 11.5% alcohol by volume, Double Dog is a big brew even by extreme brew standards. Translated: If you aren't careful, it will be an early bedtime for you. It is dark orange in color with a slight haze and typical carbonation. The aromas of astrigent pine and grapefruit are quite pronounced. Flavors of caramel, tart citrus (bitter orange peel) and raisin dominate throughout. It has a sweet, almost sticky mouthfeel that leads to a dry, boozy finish. At 85ibus, the bitterness is very noticeable. Almost a barleywine, Double Dog Pale ale will surely let you know that you are experiencing an extreme brew. A nice match with a blue cheese like Stilton.

Weyerbacker Sixteen

2011-06-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

The description of Weyerbacher Sixteen on the label reads "Dark braggot ale brewed with honey." "What is the world is a braggot?" you may be wondering. A braggot is a variety of mead, which is a blanket term for anything brewed with honey and water. More specifically, a braggot is a brew made with honey and malted barley, sometimes with hops.

When I poured it, the first thing that I noticed was a hot, boozy aroma wafting from my glass. What had I gotten myself into? A brew that clocks in at a robust 10.5% alcohol by volume. It was at that moment that I made a mental note to myself to stay away from any open flames in order to prevent a fireball from shooting out from my mouth. After letting it open up for a few minutes, aromas of brown sugar, caramel, toasty bread, prunes and honey began to emerge. Most evident on the palate were flavors of figs, candied walnuts, raisins and maple syrup, which mingled effortlessly with the potent alcohol and honey backbone. The finish was extremely sweet with a slight bit of roastiness from the malt. I can honestly say that I have never tried anything quite like Weyerbacher Sixteen. I recommend buying a 4-pack while it is still available (hurry!!!) It is definitely worth a shot so you can check off braggot off of your "Beer Bucket List." Drink one now and cellar the other three bottles for 2 to 3 years (if you have the discipline and patience.)

Duck Rabbit Milk Stout

2011-06-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

Founded in 2004, North Carolina's Duck Rabbit Craft Brewery is a bit late to the craftbrew movement. Duck Rabbit specializes in producing dark ales, which uniquely sets them apart from their competition. Their flagship beer is the highly-regarded and coveted Milk Stout. That particular style of beer is a twist on the traditional stout because of the addition of lactose sugar. The result is a sweeter, creamier beer with more body and a considerable silky mouthfeel.

The beer pours an inky, opaque black color that is complimented by a thick, creamy beige head. Aromatic notes of cocoa, espresso and campfire are vivid and abundant. Sweet, creamy flavors soon evolve into not-so-subtle hints of bitter coffee, baker's chocolate and burnt marshmellow. The finish is lengthy and smooth. A 5.7% alcohol by volume, it is much more of a "belly bomber" than a "liver bomber." Potential food pairings are with hearty North Carolina-style barbecue, a buttery aged cheddar or a generous slice of tiramisu.

Blowing Rock High Country Ale

2011-06-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina comes Blowing Rock High Country Ale from Boone Brewing Company. It is an American-style pale ale, which means it is a hoppier version of the style originally developed by the British in the early 1700s. Pale ales first gained popularity as a "session ale," which is best described as "when you're drinking more than one."

The brew pours a clear, light amber color with an ivory head and moderate carbonation. Aromas of fresh-baked biscuits and sweet citrus are most evident with a slight whiff of honey. The flavor profile is dominated by light caramel and lemon flavors. Hop bitterness is counterbalanced by maltiness and a lingering, non-cloying residual sweetness on the finish.

It is a good match for burgers from the grill, a mild cheddar or as a thirst-quencher after mowing the lawn. An easy drinker, Blowing Rock High Country Ale will hit the spot when the mercury climbs north this summer.

HOMEBREW: Gippel Tripel

2011-05-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble... After waiting many months and exhausting the last threads of patience in our bodies, we are proud to officially unveil our newest arrival: "Gippel Tripel." This is certainly no typical Belgian-style triple ale. We go bold or go sober, so we souped this bad boy up... We tricked it out with two pounds of clover honey, bitter orange peel, sweet orange peel, lemon peel, coriander and then we dry-hopped it with some spicy, aromatic Saaz hops. In the secondary fermentation stage, we added a generous amount of Champagne yeast to accentuate the citrus flavors and to give it a crisp, dry finish. It is a sure-fire winner and a potential Summertime "patio pounder."

HOMEBREW: Snowday Stout

2011-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

It has been a long and bitterly cold winter. However, the Brewski Brothers have been keeping warm by brewing and indulging ourselves in some of the finest beers in the world. Since most of Columbus is shutdown today due to inclimate weather, it is only fitting that we introduce a new homebrew: Snowday Stout. Brewed with Maker's Mark bourbon, french press espresso, organic maple and agave syrups, this oak-aged black beauty will be one to savor for many snowdays to come.

We're back... and with a little homebrew

2011-01-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been way too long of a hiatus. My lazy ass hasn't posted anything in over a year. And Rob... well dude's been lazier than me. On the bright side, our collective laziness has inspired many great homebrews and left plenty of time to drink some of the best beer there is to offer. So, about this homebrew. Well, like most we offer, it's a little different. This poor little beer is doomed to be tormented. We start with the basic concept of a Belgian-style tripel, but with some lemon and orange peel added as well as copious amounts of honey. All the other Belgian beers will mock it for its eccentricity.

To make matters worse for this beer, it is doomed to be tormented on the playground, for its name rhymes with a part of female (or male i suppose) anatomy. No, her name isn't Dolores... What we have here is "Gipple Tripel". Gipple, Gipple bo bipple, me mi mo.... you get the rest.

Like any poor teen, though, the awkwardness of puberty declines, and when this beauty is fully mature she will be dazzling. Updates are sure to come, but for now she's still in primary fermentation. After that will come secondary where she'll be dry-hopped and have more honey added.

Now, while brewing this beer, Rob and I had the pleasuring of sampling a rare beer in Hoptimum from Sierra Nevada. A double IPA that uses all whole cone hops and comes in at a huge 100 IBUs and 10.4% ABV. The beer pours a clear amber/orange with a frothy white head. The aroma is not as overwhelming as I had anticipated. Lots of resiny hops, mango, slight citrus, and some pine. The flavor is very aggressive with a very initial bitterness that really lingers and doesn't leave much room for a malt backbone. The hops are very astringent with only a slight sweetness coming through. The beer isn't quite balanced, but it certainly doesn't lose any points for this, as Sierra Nevada wants this to be a hop forward and aggressive beer. Two thumbs up, very nice, great success!

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

2009-09-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! It's once again football season. It's that magical time of the year where I can't wait to watch my favorite teams and cheer them on to victory.... or wait 'til three weeks into the season to find myself already cursing the coaching and overpaid athletes that ruin my weekend because they suck and cause me undue stress because I am too avid of a fan.

Well anyway... more often than not I find myself having a few drinks while watching the game. But I don't like to be burdened down with high gravity, complex beers. There's a time and a place for them and, in my opinion, during a football game is not one of those times. I need a good session beer that is not lacking flavor, but isn't going to make me quit after drinking one or two of them.

Here's Dead Guy Ale from Rogue. A delightfully refreshing Maibock. The beer pours a slightly hazy, light amber color with a very creamy, yellowish head. The aroma is caramel and grassy with a tinge of yeast to it. The flavor is a lot of sweet malt with some orange, a slight fruitiness, and an excellent dry, hoppy finish. I'm not really sure this is much like a German Maibock, but it is still a refreshing, delicious beer that I tend to find myself grabbing just before the game. Give it a try.

HOMEBREW: Dayman

2009-08-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

So here we are finding ourselves in August. The air is thick, the temperature hot, and the sun is bright. In our ode to the sun, we Brewski Brothers have come up with our summertime ale. We present to you Dayman. A super hopped up, light ale that focuses on the fantastic aromas and flavors of American hops while contributing little in the way of bittering. The name is an homage to our favorite show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Dayman is fighter of the Nightman... Champion of the sun... and if you have a few too many, you may also think you are a master of karate and friendship. A quick brew to make, so enjoy.

1.) In 3 gallons of water, steep 1/2 lb of carapils, 1/2 lb belgian munich, and 1/2 lb 2 row pale ale between 155-160 degrees F for 30 min with 1 tsp of gypsum.
2.) Bing to a boil and add 3.3 lbs of pilsen LME, 1 lb of pilsen DME, 1lb of wheat DME, 1 lb of extra light DME, 1/2 oz of palisade hops (6.7%), 1/2 oz cascade (7.5%), and then start 60 minute boil.
3.) With 15 minutes left, add 1 oz amarillo (7.5%), 1 1/4 oz bitter orange peel, 1 1/4 oz lemon peel, 1/2 oz sweet orange peel, and 1 tsp irish moss.
4.) With 10 minutes left, add 1 oz centennial (9.7%).
5.) With 5 minutes left, add 1 oz cascade (6.3%) and 1 oz simcoe (12.7%).
6.) Shut off heat after 60 minutes and chill wort to 70 degrees F and then pitch White Labs WLP 008 East Coast Ale yeast.
7.) After one week, rack to a secondary fermenter and dry hop with 1/2 oz simcoe (12.7%).
8.) Five days later, dry hop with 1/2 oz of simcoe (12.7%).
9.) Bottle the next day with 1 1/4 cup DME. The beer will be ready in 2 weeks.

Homebrew: The Waffler

2009-07-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

The Brewski Brothers are proud to present to you one of our latest brews. Bored with simply brewing according to guidelines, we decided to see what would happen if we hopped the hell out of Belgian-style Trippel. Patience will be a virtue when it comes to this brew, but when our finished product was finally bottled we were left with quite a tasty delight. We were left with a very fruity, citrusy, and dry Belgian-style trippel. The beer turned out to be delightfully bitter, dry, and citrusy. The only thing we might add to this brew is more finishing hops and more dry hopping. Once again, feel free to add or take away anything from this recipe to suit your liking.

1.) Steep 1 lb 20 L crystal malt, 3 oz Belgian Munich malt, 3 oz carapils malt, and 8 oz marris otter malt at 155 degrees F for 30 minutes with 1 tsp gypsum.

2.) Add 8 lbs light DME, 3 lbs extra light DME, 1 lb light Belgian candy sugar and then bring to a boil.

3.) Add 1 oz Nugget hops (13.7%), 1 oz Magnum (14.4%), 1 oz Warrior (15.8%) and start a 60 minute boil.

4.) At 30 minutes, add 1 oz Chinook hops (11.4%), 1 oz Willamette (4.6%), and 1 oz Simcoe (11.9%).

5. At 15 minutes, add 1 tsp Irish moss and 1/2 oz sweet orange peel.

6.) At 5 minutes, add 1 oz Cascade (6.3%), 1 oz Chinook (11.4%), and 1 oz Amarillo (8.6%).

7.) Shut off heat and cool wort to below 70 degrees F. Pitch Trappist Ale yeast from White Labs WLP 500

8.) Ferment at 68-70 degrees F for 2 weeks and then rack to secondary and dry hop with 1 oz Amarillo (8.6%).

9.) 9 days later, dry hop with 1 oz sterling hops (6.0%)

10.) 5 days later, dry hp with 1/2 oz Willamette (4.6%) and 1 oz Chinook (11.4%).

11.) Leave in secondary for another month. Then, bottle with 6 oz of priming sugar and a hop tea created with 1 oz Mt. Hood (5.2%) filtered with 1 cup of water.

12.) The beer will be ready in two weeks, but will get much better with age.

Dogfish Head Sah'Tea

2009-07-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Dogfish Head is esoteric to say the least. "Off centered ales for off centered people." And they aren't kidding. Dogfish Head offers everything from chocolate beers, to the world's strongest fruit beer, to exotic wood aging, to the most imperial of all imperial IPAs, etc, etc, etc. Aside from the novelty of the beers they brew, they're also really, really good.

That being said. Dogfish Head has got me hooked. I will buy anything that they put on the market. They could put out a beer called "Dogshit Head... brewed with real dog shit", and I would most certainly still buy it. Here enters a new brew from Dogfish called Sah'Tea. According to Dogfish's website this is a beer that is brewed with rye, caramelized with hot river rocks, and fermented with a German Weizen yeast. On top of this, the beer has juniper berries added to it as well as a "tea" of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.

Out of the champagne bottle, the beer pours a slightly hazy golden color with a small, very fizzy head that disappeared as soon as it had appeared. As complex as the recipe for this beer sounds, the aroma this beer offers is just as complex. I picked up a lot of cinnamon and ginger as well as some tea notes, spice, fruit, and clove-like notes. The flavor is very similar, but is also has a slight sweetness to it with a citrusy quality that is most likely due to the juniper berries. The finish on the beer is very long and is a lot of tea as well as cloves that is due to the German Weizen yeast. With all the flavors this beer offers, it's still really drinkable. I don't know how it's 9% ABV.

I liked this beer. I'm also glad I shared it with a friend. A full 750 mL of this beer would be a bit much. I probably won't buy it again because of the price tag of $11.99, but it is surely worth trying. While it is not my favorite from Dogfish Head, it is still one that satisfied. I say buy it for the sake of trying it and broadening your beer experience.

Ivan Drago Russian Imperial Stout Recipe

2009-07-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here at BB headquarters we do our fair share of beer drinking. We also do more than our fair share of brewing. Way back in August we brewed this monster of a beer (check the post). We knew we had a winner on our hands with this one... and we were right. We entered Ivan Drago in Elevator's homebrew contest in January and came away with 3rd prize. Ivan Drago is a mammoth beer with a strong coffee and malt aroma and a very thick, robust coffee flavor with a hint of maple syrup, molasses, and roasted malt. Being the generous souls that we are, we can't keep this beer to ourselves. So, here is the recipe courtesy of the Brewski Brothers. The beer turns out great as is, but feel free to add or take away anything at your discretion... and be sure how to let us know how it turns out!

1.) Steep 1lb 60L crystal malt, 1/2 lb roasted barely, and 1lb black patent malt at 160 degrees F for 20 minutes in 4 gallons of water

2.) Remove grain bag and bring water to a boil. Shut off the heat and add 9.9lbs of plain dark liquid malt extract and 3lbs plain dark DME.

3.) Stir while adding extract and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, add 1oz Columbus hops (12.2%) and start 80 minute boil.

4.) With 57 minutes left, add 5oz of corn sugar. With 34 minutes left in boil, add 1oz of cluster hops (7.9%).

5.) At the end of the boil, shut off the heat and stir the contents to create a whirlpool. Cool wort to below 80 degrees F, transfer to carboy, aerate, and pitch White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP 001.

6.) Ferment at 68-72 degrees F for 2 weeks.

7.) Rack beer to a secondary and add 1oz of french oak chips soaked in bourbon, 1oz plain, sanitized french oak chips, and one cup of organic grade B maple syrup (boiled in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes).

8.) Keep in secondary for 4 weeks. During final week, add two packs of hydrated ale yeast and 1/2 pound of fresh ground coffee beans cold pressed in 2 cups of water for 24 hours.

9.) Bottle with 1 1/4 cups of DME. The beer will be ready to drink in two weeks, but will get better with more time.

Columbus Brewing Company Summerteeth

2009-07-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

This post is a bit out of place, but I felt the need to acknowledge a great local beer.

By the time we Brewski Brothers had returned from our world trek, summer time was in full swing and I felt like nothing more than sitting down and relaxing with a great local brew.

I stopped by my local carryout and grabbed a sixer of Columbus Brewing Company's Summer Teeth, which is an excellent Kellerbier. A kellerbier is basically a hoppier version of a helles style lager.

Columbus does an exceptional job with the hops on this one. The aroma offers a slight, herbal hoppiness and a tad of malty sweetness. The flavor is very dry, grassy, and crisp.

I sat around all day and enjoyed the greatness that this six pack had to offer. As I drank this, I began to ponder the great adventures that are in store for us Brewski-Bros here in the near future.

I realized that I am content and love the beer I drink. That being said... complacency is never a good thing. More is to come from our journeys around the world. We will not rest 'til we have scoured every corner possible that offers the bounties of beer.

Sterkens Dubbel

2009-07-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

Good God is Belgium awesome! The beers are fantastic! Visting Trappist breweries cannot be done in one day. We spent one day for each Trappist brewery... and man did we love it!

Well, now that that has been said... here we have Sterkens Dubbel. What crap. All this beer represents is a Belgian macro-style beer.

We were just about to head out of Belgium, when i stumbled across this beer at a tiny food mart. The aroma is just a simple malt profile with a tiny bit of yeast and fruit. The flavor is incredibly thin. I am overwhelmed with plastic and a sense that I am drinking a watered down beer. There is even a slight metallic sting... oxidation due to the lack of bottle conditioning. What a waste of a beer.

It saddens me that this beer is out of Belgium. Belgian beers are like no other beers you can have. However... skip this one.

Harpoon Summer Beer

2009-07-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Time to do a 180!

Once we had finished our journey along the west coast, we made our way to the east and enjoyed the offerings from Harpoon.

I must admit, I haven't had too many beers from Harpoon that I thought were above par or worth noting. Call it the fever of summer time, call it my German ancestry, or simply call it the fact that this is a great beer... but, man, did I love the Harpoon Summer Beer!

Harpoon Summer Beer is a German style Kolsch and it's nice to have an American brewery nail the style down like this!

The beer pours a very pale, straw color with an aroma or grass and slight malt. The beer is very well balanced.. offering a slight bready malt with a teensy bit of grassy hops.

This beer is great for the summer time and I could have stuck around forever and had this beer, but the work of the Brewski Brothers is never done, and thus we move on...

Anchor Summer Beer

2009-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sticking with our venture along the west coast, here we have Anchor Summer Beer out of San Francisco. Anchor is more well known for their Steam Beer, but what a delight is their Summer Beer! After Rob and I had had our fill of exploring the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, we decided to crash along the coast with this refreshing beer.

The beer pours a very pale yellow, but has a huge, gorgeous creamy head that stuck around forever. Normally a wheat beer that has this much clarity turns me off, but this one hit the spot. The aroma and flavor kind of lack.. the aroma is slightly grassy, malty, and has a hint of fruit and the flavor is mostly dry and crisp.

Anchor charges on the higher side for this beer ($10.99 for a six pack), but I could not think of a more enjoyable night than drinking this beer for hours on end along the San Fran coast. This is a true summer beer... it's easy to drink, thirst quenching, and delightfully dry. We'll be going on more road trips here very shortly... and this beer will surely be one that will be in my suitcase for the journey. Cheers, Anchor!

Carlsberg Elephant

2009-07-01T15:40:00.001-07:00

In a bicycle shop in Cairo, Egypt, I came across Carlsberg Elephant malt liquor. Rather than going into the details of why this skunky brew was bad, I thought I would use a visual aid of what it tastes like. My tongue hasn't forgiven me as of yet. Maybe someday...It had the flavors and aroma of elephant shit. Surprise!

Bell's Hopslam

2009-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Bell's Hopslam is probably one of the most sought-after Imperial IPAs in the United States. Bell's Brewing Company started up interestingly enough, as a homebrew supply store in 1983. By 1985, they were brewing their own beer for sale. Bell's has a limited distribution territory, so demand is very high for their products, especially their seasonal beers. Hopslam is a seasonal, unfortunately, that is released in mid-Winter each year. As an Ohio State fan, it is hard to be supportive of anything from That State Up North (Michigan), so that is why I put an OSU football helmet on the bottle. It is fitting because Ohio State owns Michigan.

Hopslam pours a rich, vivid orange color with a medium off-white colored head. The head disappears within a minute or so, allowing the beer to reveal its decadant aroma. I detected notes of honey, orange, grass, grapefruit, mango and cantaloupe. The flavor started out sweet with piney hop notes and eventually turns into a cavalcade of sweet citrus fruit and orange blossom honey. It claims to be 10% abv, but I believe that is a modest estimate. The IBUs are around 70, which is balanced lovingly by the honey that is used to make it. The Simcoe and Cascade hops bring the flavors and aroma together, creating a smooth, satisfying extreme brew.

If Hopslam isn't one of the best DIPAs around, I am hard-pressed to think of another. I don't believe I could ever get tired of this beer. It is divine and deserved to be labelled as "The Nectar of the Gods" even if it is from that sinkhole, backwater state called Michigan. A+!!!

Stone Old Guardian

2009-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

We are glad to announce our return from our self-imposed hiatus. After Ohio State's crushing defeat at the hands of USC, we went totally 'Kung Fu' by deciding to scour the Earth to search for the meaning of life. What we found was a lot more beer and a lot more meaningful beer. Now that we are back in North America and have managed to acclimate ourselves back into society after almost 9 months of roaming from wilderness to wilderness, it's time to write about some of the beers from our travels.

First up is Stone Old Guardian, a big boy barleywine from a craft brewery in lovely San Diego (which is German for a whale's vagina.) We sure loved San Diego. Balboa Park. The Zoo. The beaches. La Jolla. Most importantly, we loved the beer, particularly the offerings from Stone and AleSmith. Stone is headquartered in Escondido (Spanish for "hidden"), however, they certainly don't hide the flavors in their extreme brews.

Old Guardian pours a hazy light orange with aromas of peaches, pine needles, apricots, caramel and alcohol. The predominant flavors are peaches, raisins, white pepper and slightly burnt caramel. The hops give the beer a nice spicy herb and lemon/grapefruit finish. At nearly 11.3% abv, this certainly is a large beer. It will cellar for at least a few years in optimal conditions, but it sure is enjoyable now. Best enjoyed with a Pacific sunset at one of San Diego's countless beautiful vistas...But that's just how we enjoyed it.

Thristy Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout

2008-09-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's getting close to fall time... the weather is cooling, football is in full swing, and stronger beers are being released. With football well underway, it's safe to say alcohol consumption is up; and with the way Ohio teams have been playing (Buckeyes, Browns, and Bengals), I say the stronger the better!

Pushing the charts at close to 10% is Siberian Night, an Imperial Stout from The Thirsty Dog Brewing Company. And what an Imperial Stout it is. The beer pours jet black with a thin, brown head that fades away quickly. The aroma is very roasty with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and alcohol. The mouth feel of this beer is massive. The flavor is very malty, sweet, and layered with chocolate, coffee, black licorice, and a slight burnt flavor. The finish is very mildly bitter.

There's not much to not love about this beer. It's strong, the taste is incredible, and Thirsty Dog is out of Akron, so it's a hometown brew. Much applause to Thirsty Dog for this delicious beer!

OSU vs. USC

2008-09-11T15:29:00.001-07:00

The Incomparable 'Script Ohio'

The Brewski Brothers are unabashed college football fans, with all of their true loyalties lying with The Ohio State University. This weekend's matchup between Ohio State and Southern Cal has been a frequent topic of discussion between Los Brothers de la Brewski. We think that the perfect beer to enjoy while watching the game is a 22oz bottle of Buckeye Brewing Company's Hippie India Pale Ale. It has a nice pine and citrus hop presence, which compliments its pleasantly smooth maltiness. At $4.49 per 22oz bomber, we think it's a square deal. Win or lose, toast one to the Buckeyes and enjoy the DDD (Delightful Dramatic Distraction) and be sure to get a DD (Designated Driver.) Tresselball rules say "Play it safe." Listen to the coach! Go Buckeyes!

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

2008-09-10T19:40:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn Brewery is solid. You could walk into a store and pick up just about any six pack from them and be assured you are getting a quality product. Whether it be their classic lager, summer ale, their barleywine "Monster", or even the Belgian Tripel style (which most American micros have trouble getting right), Brooklyn rarely disappoints. On top of that, Brooklyn's brew mast Garrett Oliver is awesome. He's been a judge at the Great American Beer Festival for years, and he's even challenged the wine industry in claiming beers compliment food better than wine. He even has a book on it (http://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Discovering-Pleasures-Real/dp/0060005718).

All of this being said, I can't help but be somewhat let down by Brooklyn's East India Pale Ale. I still enjoyed this beer and liked it, but I was expecting more from Brooklyn. The beer poured a clear copper/orange color with a huge white, foamy head. It looked quite nice. But the aroma was lacking... slightly fruity and yeasty, but not much hops present. The aroma was misleading, though, as hops were very present in the flavor. However, the hops lingered too long. The hops had a resiny quality that made the finish overly bitter. The hops didn't add the crispness to it that I was expecting. The beer is still tasty, but not very well balanced with a resiny hoppiness I didn't really enjoy. Oh well, Monster Ale will be here in a Month or two...

Supporting Responsible Drinking

2008-09-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Brewski Brothers support safe and responsible drinking. Never jeopardize your safety or the safety of others by combining alcohol with poor judgment, even if she looks attractive after a few beers. Never take the show on the road and never put your show into a slumpbuster. This is a Public Service Announcement from your pals, The Brewski Brothers.

Dogfish Head Black & Blue

2008-09-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

The real Harold Ramis

No, I am not on the Dogfish Head payroll. Though I frequently tout their beers, I am merely a fan. Their Black & Blue is a Belgian golden ale made with over 300 pounds of fresh blueberries and blackberries per batch. Dogfish is at it again, so I could not resist this seemingly odd beverage. By the way, who is that guy on the label? He looks like Elliot Gould in an A&E bio flick playing John Adams. No wait, he looks like Harold Ramis hanging out at the Playboy Mansion...

The pour reveals that Black & Blue is neither black, nor blue. It has a transparent light pink color, with a slight carnation colored head. The aromas has a good amount of yeast, with refreshing notes of berries and Belgian spice. On the palate, I discovered lots of blackberries. The blueberries were only apparent on the finish. Also, the palate had nice elements of sweet malt, coriander and even lavender. Like I said, the blueberries are evident on the mildly tart finish. I nice end of summer selection, which amazing has 10% alcohol. If you're out in the sun, I would definitely split a 750ml bottle with a friend rather than attempting it on your own. Very sneaky.

This Dogfish Head beverage is quite tasty, though it is a tad expensive for what it is at $11.99 per 750ml. But, that is to be expected when you toss in 300 pounds of fresh berries. Those suckers aren't cheap! All in all, this is a good substitute for a sparkling wine or a prosecco. Expensive for a beer, but it is quite affordable if you treat it like a wine. Good for a lazy Sunday summer brunch with fresh fruit and a few friends. I bet this one will convert a few of your wine drinker friends into the world of beer.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra

2008-09-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

I have decided to post a bit of a Dogfish Head mini-marathon with 2 individual Dogfish Head selections for your reading enjoyment. First up, is their Raison D'Extra. This beer is quite rare and difficult to find, but it is worth seeking out. One of the strongest beers in the world, Raison D'Extra is a Belgian ale made with green raisins, beet sugar and a high-test Belgian ale yeast. Essentially, Dogfish took their original Raison d'Etre and pumped it up to over 20% alcohol.

It pours a murky reddish amber color with no head. Carbonation is solid, especially for such a strong beer. Aromas of raisins, caramel, figs, dates, alcohol and honey dominate. On the palate, it is quite sweet with its raisin, port wine and molasses flavors. It is malty, but quite balanced, especially with the raisin and Brandy-like zest popping on the back of your tongue, finishing with the alcohol heat following the beer down your throat before extinguishing. Quite amazing. I was a bit iffy on this one, but I had to give it a shot and it exceeded my expectations.

Raison d'Extra is a perfect substitute for brandy or port. Enjoy from a snifter at fireside and you'll be ready for a long winter's nap. A nightcap disguised as a beer. As for nightcaps, I don't wear them, but I certainly enjoy drinking them.

Avery "The Reverend"

2008-09-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

Beer is a religion to some. Many follow the masses and worship at the feet of Budweiser, Heineken and even Corona. Some demand more from their religion than just a predictable palate sermon. Those who do demand more possess two distinct beliefs...

1.) Yes, beer is a religion.
2.) But, good beer is truly divine.

That brings us to The Reverend, from Avery. It is a Belgian-style quadrupel ale brewed with dark candied sugar and various spices. Avery Brewing Company is out of Boulder, Colorado, home of the University of Colorado and numerous breweries. With college kids and an abundance of beer in such close proximity, Boulder must be a rockin' town on Saturdays when the Buffalo football team has a home game. The Reverend pours a cloudy dark golden color. The head fizzled surprisingly quick, but head retention can be tough for quadrupels. The aromas of clove, orange and peach run wild. On the palate, the mouthfeel was syrupy and sickeningly sweet. It has overwhelming flavors of Fruity Pebbles and the carbonation was too light, which made it seem like a Belgian tripel extract (just add club soda or your favorite mineral water.) I hate this beer. What a disappointment.

Avery is usually quite good and I really like their imperial India Pale Ale and Barleywine. In fact, I generally enjoy most of their offerings. Not "The Reverend" though. I found him to be heavy-handed, meandering, sappy and distractingly pointless. Sorry, I will not be attending another sermon at the Church of Brew if this beer is preaching. Just ain't my thang.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout

2008-09-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

Can you smell that in the air? It's officially football season. The weather shall be becoming brisk and chilly soon enough, so the Brewski Brothers are hoping to get the jump on Autumn with some pre-Fall beer selections. First up, Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout. At first, I found the concept to be a headscratcher. But, I found enough resolve to purchase and sample a 22oz bottle. At 8.0% alcohol by volume, at least it wouldn't be a boring venture.

Labelled as "a stout brewed with vanilla beans," the aroma was as expected. Lots of vanilla, caramel, coffee, Crackerjacks and roasted hazlenut. The palate was chocolately, with burnt caramel, Werther's Originals and espresso flavor combining with the blatant vanilla notes. As the finish lingers, the bitterness from the roasted grains and scorched vanilla became more evident. The hops are barely noticeable, but help keep this dessert beverage under control and also hide the alcohol quite well. No bullhonky, this stuff tastes exactly like creme brulee! How did they figure it out?

Congratulations to Southern Tier, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite microbreweries in the United States. Never bad, always solid and usually interesting, Southern Tier gets it. They have a selection of typical microbrews, which are quite pleasant, drinkable and accessible to casual beer fans. Then, they get wacky and make some really esoteric brews with inspiration from places unknown in the human mind. Creme Brulee is not a session beer to be sure, but it is a perfect sweet sipper on a crisp Autumn evening.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

2008-08-31T16:34:00.001-07:00

Eureka! We have found it! After years of dreaming about trying this "Holy Grail for Hopheads," the Brewski Brothers located the mythical Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. Formerly the strongest beer ever made (currently #2 behind Sam Adams Utopia), this is certainly something worth trying in your lifetime just for the experience and novelty.

It pours a cloudy, foggy orange color with no head retention. At a whopping 21% alcohol, this barely qualifies as beer. Call it a hop liquor. It has more in common with sherry or port. The nose is of prunes, raisins, overripe apples, alcohol and a dash of citrus fruit. The palate is sweet. Really sweet. Loads of caramel, port, plum, grape and sweet malt. Then the hops hit, followed by a warming alcohol sensation on the mile-long finish. The 120 Min IPA wasn't as hoppy as I would have liked, which is interesting since Dogfish dry-hops this beer every day for an entire month. It is unfathomable to me that this brew has 120 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) because the hoppiness is masked by the alcohol and the sweetness.

Well, I must admit...I was slightly disappointed because it wasn't exactly what I expected. I found it too sweet and unbalanced, which is totally understandable when you get into the rarified air of 15%+ alcohol. It comes with the territory. The 120 Minute IPA was definitely unique and an interesting experience, but I doubt I will be trying it again. The novelty has worn off. Now I know what it tastes like...This Brewski Brother shall continue the relentless search for the true Holy Grail for Hopheads. For this brew is a false idol, but it should still be celebrated for what it is and not be bemoaned for what it is not.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

2008-08-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while, eh? August has been a busy month, but here are finally some new reviews...

We'll start off with a delicious offering from Bear Republic out of California. Hop Rod Rye is an imperial IPA brewed with 18% rye malt. The beer poured a deep copper red, with a huge head that did not want to disappear. The aroma is incredible giving off grapefruity hops and malt. The flavor is very well balanced with an initial malty sweetness then followed by a long bitter, hoppy finish.

The rye character in this beer did not seem to be too noticeable to me. The flavor the rye malt gives intermingles with the hops to create a homogeneous hoppy rye flavor. The rye is there, but I would have liked to have gotten more from it... but overall this was a great beer.

COMING SOON: Ivan Drago Russian Imperial Stout

2008-08-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's almost here. We can almost smell it. We can almost taste it.

This beer must break you. And, it will...

Barley's Centennial India Pale Ale

2008-08-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

With two locations in Columbus, Barley's is a central Ohio staple. After the Brewski Brothers went to Barley's Smokehouse in late July, I was pleased to return home with a growler of their Centennial India Pale Ale.

As you can see, the CIPA pours a hazy straw color and has a glacier-thick head on it. A dash of spruce and grapefruit on the nose. The mouthfeel was rather thin and light, almost undercarbonated due to its softness. A dash orangey and a bit of light malt sweetness. Not as much hop presence as I would have liked, but it is an easy session beer. Perfect for burgers off the grill.

Generally, I love IPAs. I didn't quite love this one. Definitely likeable though. It was kind of watery and lacked carbonation. The flavor was nice, but I just wanted more of it. Smooth and refreshing, the Centennial India Pale Ale is as inviting as your mother's sofa. Barley's, we love you. Especially your barleywine. We think you could do better on this one and hop it up a bit. Don't fear flavor. Hopheads agree.

Dogfish Head Immort Ale REDUX

2008-08-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

I know this was first reviewed by Charlie, I had to put in my own two cents on this particular beer...

As one of the first beers brewed by Dogfish Head, Immort Ale has withstood the test of time. Immort Ale has seen the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the dot.com boom and bust, $1.10/gallon gas, $4/gallon gas and Anheuser-Busch sell out by going all Dutch on us. Damn you, Imbev. Anyway, Immort Ale is immortal. It's just too good to die. Not absolutely loving Immort Ale is immoral. Okay, on to the review.

It pours as red as beachfront sunset. What do Kurt Cobain and Immort Ale have in common? Both lost their heads too soon. Yep, this brew is essentially headless, which is understandable at a whopping 11% alcohol. Brewed with peat-smoked barley, vanilla, juniper berries and maple syrup, the nose is an explosion of aromas. Notes of oak, caramel and Mrs. Butterworth (or Log Cabin, if you will.) The palate is initial smokiness, followed with maple and bourbon and finishes with vanilla spice, root beer, apple cider and alcohol. Delicious. There is no bitterness and the various flavors popped all over my tongue for a minute or two after each sip.

Essentially a smoked barleywine, Immort Ale is a treat anytime of year. Proclaimed as "vast in character," this American strong ale is a complex, easy-drinking crowd pleaser. Yet again, Dogfish Head remains the most adventurous microbrewery in the United States. Bully for Sam Calagione and the boys!

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

2008-08-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen. What the hell is that? Well, a marzen is an Oktoberfest beer. Brewed in March in Germany during the last cold part of the season (March) and then left to lager during the summer, this beer is finished off in October during... You guessed it, Oktoberfest. So what makes this beer different. Simply put, smoke. Wow, what an experience. I had stared at this beer in the cooler for over 6 months. Should I get it? Should I not get it? Could smoking a beer really even add all that much to the beer? I asked other people what they thought... I didn't like what I heard. Well, what can I say. A night of boredom and an adventurous soul led to this beer being bought and sampled.

Upon first sip I'm hit with an absolutely outrageous flavor. Did I just drink liquid bacon??? It sure as hell tasted like it. After taking a minute to let it sink in I had some more, and the depth of the beer was starting to be realized. The color of the beer is a dark red/amber with a thick, stable head. The aroma gives off some tar, but is more reminiscent of smoked ham. The flavor is absolutely dominated by smoke. The maltiness is surely there, but smoke rules all. There is a slight saltiness to this as well as tar and a surprisingly dry finish.

I would probably never buy this beer again, but the experience was absolutely worth it. This beer is a world classic for the style. The impression it made on me is like nothing I've ever had and is certainly something I will never forget. While that first impression of liquid bacon is what sticks with me, I'm very glad I had it. If you're not adventurous enough to try this beer, then give the weizen version a try. The body of the beer is much lighter, and I had it while eating buffalo wings and enjoyed it very much. If nothing else, sample this beer for the experience.

Brew Session! Imperial IP... uh.... Barleywi.... ummmm.... BEER!!!

2008-07-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

What started out as a standard IPA has turned into this. What is this? We're not sure yet. One thing we know... it will be hoppy!
This beer will be your hop dream, your hop nightmare, your hop dream vacation, your fortress of hoptitude... it will be an all out tongue ravaging of blatant, brutal bitterness with brazen brashness of boldly, beautiful, bountiful bodacious hops. Am I going over the top with this? Did we do too much? Hell no! What did we do, you ask? Simple, jacked the crap out of an IPA.
3 oz of hops for an IPA? Forget that! Our boil includes 9 oz of hops that were continually added over the course of 90 minutes with a mixture made up 4 oz columbus hops, 3 oz cascade, 1 oz glacier, and 1 oz perle.Add to that an about 11.5 lbs of malt, maple syrup, and honey and you have got yourself one big ass beer! To top it off... after racking to a secondary fermenter, this beer will be dry hopped with 2 oz of cascade hops.
We're anticipating a very big Imperial IPA, but with the way Paleolithic (Old Van) turned out, we're not gonna jumped to conclusions on this one. We'll give you an update on it in about a month or so.

Dude Food: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

2008-07-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

This next installment of Dude Food will not be a recipe, but simply a delicious and inexpensive restaurant. And with that, I give you Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.
Chicken Fingers is all they do, and they do it well. I was first introduced to this place a little over four years ago at OSU. I had heard about the place... Heard people rave about the chicken fingers, and especially the sauce. I didn't think the place could be that special because what more can you do with chicken fingers? I decided to give the place a try anyway because you can get a lot of food for $5 (4 fingers, coleslaw, fries, texas toast, and a cup of sauce). I was blown away. I first tried the fingers straight up without any sauce and I was blown away. Unlike most restaurants that produce fingers that are very dry and way too salty, Cane's fingers are perfectly breaded with just the right amount of breading that is perfectly crispy and light. The chicken itself could not be any more moist and the seasoning is perfect. After sampling the plain finger, I gave the sauce a try. The sauce is what everyone raves about and I didn't think it would be anything special, but the sauce is incredible and adds great flavor to the chicken fingers and is simply delicious. What is also great about the Cane's is you can substitute items in their combos. Don't like coleslaw? Get extra texas toast or extra fries. Speaking of the toast and fries they are also delicious. The fries aren't seasoned with anything other than salt, which I like because then the fries don't take away from the great taste of the fingers. I suggest trying the fingers plain first to get an appreciation for how great they are on their own... but then definitely give them a try with the sauce and decide what you like best. Also, from spring to early fall Raising Cane's offers some of the best lemonade I've ever had.
However, we're not pairing this meal with lemonade. We're pairing it with beer. This meal is fairly light in flavor, but is extremely filling. A perfect match is Session Lager from Full Sail Brewing Company. Since this meal is filling, you don't want a filling beer. Session is light in flavor, but isn't bland and flavorless like macro lagers. A perfect match.

Home Brew Update

2008-07-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

After waiting a little over a month for it to develop, the Brewski Brothers' Hopalong Hefner Hefe is a huge success. Multiple samples have been passed out with 100% positive reviews so far. The beer pours a nice opaque copper/orange color with a moderate, foamy white head that gives off tart blood orange in the aroma. The flavor is extremely balanced with loads of blood orange, but no sweetness. The finish lingers for a long time with notes of orange peel and tart blood orange. This will definitely be a brew done again by us. Perhaps once again before the end of the summer... it may have to wait 'til next summer as we have lots of other exciting beers to come.

We now also have an update on our Paleolithic Imperial Pale Ale. It has been conditioning in the bottle now for two weeks, so we decided to sample one bottle this weekend to check the progress. Well, what a surprise we got. The beer poured a very dark copper color... nearly brown with almost no head. The aroma produced lots of caramel maltiness and plenty of floral hops. The flavor first hits you with loads of malty sweetness that is then counterbalanced by grapefruity hops. The finish stays with bitter hops and a pronounced alcohol burn in the chest. Damn! We each had 5 oz between us and were feelin' pretty sleepy afterward. We assumed this beer to be around 8.5-9% alcohol, but after looking at our ingredient list and seeing we added over 13 lbs of sugars, and given that 5 oz made each of us pretty tired, this beer is lookin' to be more around 11%. It also became apparent that the beer we had produced is not an Imperial Pale Ale. It certainly is hoppy, but the malt character is also very pronounced. After a minor debate and some thinking, it was decided that we have our barleywine... and thus, we give you Old Van Barleywine, Dude. We will see how this one has progresses while aging the bottle around another month or two.

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

2008-07-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last released in December 2007, Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout is a highly coveted, legendary beer of epic proportions. Bigger. Bolder. Richer. At 372 calories per 12 ounce serving and reaching heights of 18%+ alcohol, it is a dessert and a sleeping aid in itself. It claims to have more in common with a fine port than a cheap, mass-marketed beer...And, I couldn't possibly agree more. Although it probably has more in common with "Purple Drank (aka Lean)" than it does with Budweiser.

From Wikipedia:

Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip-hop community of the southern United States. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine.
The purplish hue of purple drank comes from dyes in the cough syrup. Recently, the term has expanded to cover mixtures including over-the-counter cough syrup. There are numerous other slang terms for purple drank, including sizzurp, lean, syrup, drank, barre, purple jelly, and purple stuff.

There are great similarities in the effects of both the World Wide Stout and Purple Drank. Proceed with caution.

The World Wide Stout pours jet black. I would also describe the color as Ronald Reagan's hair. The brew is so dark, it is hard to believe. Its head is furry, tan and thick. By the way, I am referring to the beer now. Aromas of black chocolate, licorice, raisins, roasted almonds and alcohol. The mouthfeel is thick and syrupy. On the palate, this stout is black forest chocolate cake, Italian roast coffee, fig and whipped cream. It is extremely coating and goes down silky like a glass of Nestle Quick made with whole milk. The finish just hangs around in your mouth like a chocolately fog. Absolutely delicious.

With it being so potent, you really need to savor it slowly. Otherwise, you'll feel like you just did a few shots of Nyquil and chased it with some "Purple Drank." This world-class beer is well worth seeking out. If Budweiser thinks of itself as "The King of Beers," then Dogfish Head World Wide Stout should proclaim itself as "The Exalted Imperial Emperor of the Universe of Beers." That would be fair.

Brew Session! Ivan Drago Russian Imperial Stout

2008-07-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Back at Brewski Brothers headquarters we're at it again. This time we're brewing up a Russian imperial stout. But this can't be just any other imperial stout... It has to be more. But where do you look to in order to find inspiration? Look no further than Ivan Drago. Ivan Drago is huge; Ivan Drago is strong; Ivan Drago is intense; Ivan Drago is ruthless; Ivan Drago is juiced up on 'roids. This imperial stout is Ivan Drago. Only, instead of juicing our brew up with 'roids we've used an insane amount of malt along with coffee, bourbon, and French oak chips. Are you Rocky Balboa enough to handle this brew? If not, you best steer clear because in the words of Ivan Drago, "This beer must break you."

Charlie's Review of Dogfish Head Fort

2008-07-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, what more can I say about this beer that hasn't already been said by Rob? And really, what I could say wouldn't come close to giving any idea of what this beer is like. You simply have to find it and then drink it. Out of state will be the only way to get this beer without illicit means, so perhaps a road trip to Kentucky is in order. It only takes about two hours out of Columbus and as far as i know, Kentucky has no alcohol limit on beer.

As I poured this beer, the instant the liquid hit the bottom of my glass my nose was assaulted with raspberries and alcohol. Getting my nose closer to the glass I also noticed a hint of apple. I took my time with my first glass, taking notice of flavors of the beer chilled and then when it had warmed up to room temperature. While cold the massive 18% alcohol is hidden fairly well. The beer is surprisingly malty with loads of sweetness from the raspberries and has a huge raspberry flavor. I also agree with Rob on thinking this beer is brewed with some wheat malt. The finish burns in the throat and chest with alcohol and the raspberries linger for a long time. While warm, the dimensions of the beer do not change too much other than the alcohol flavor being much more aggressive and contributing a more significant burn.

Four hours later this beer was gone... and so was I. Was the high price of this beer worth it? I'd say so. It's rare, it's delicious, and it's interesting. This definitely isn't one of my favorite beers from Dogfish Head, but the bold move to brew a 18% alcohol fruit beer and have it turn out this well really shows what a top notch and trailblazing brewery Dogfish Head is. Bring on more, please.

Buckeye Brewing Company Mammoth Stout

2008-07-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Out of Lakewood, Ohio, Buckeye Brewing Company offers a wide selection of beer varietals that are affordable and usually very good. Such is the case with their Mammoth Stout, which I sampled out of a 22oz bottle. It made with dark roasted malt and a touch of oatmeal. Also, the stout is dry-hopped using Challenger hops, which gives it a refined spice aroma.

It poured a root beer brown color and had a decently thick, creamy head. The dominating aromas are of mocha, espresso and caramel. Its body is medium, with a silky, slightly coating mouthfeel. The Mammoth Stout has a lot of unsweetened bakers' cocoa flavor to go along with its coffee and cola notes. It finishes dry, with the bitter chocolate and coffee lingering on the tastebuds. There is a slightly burnt malt smokiness in the finish as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this stout from Buckeye. They are one of the better brewing companies in the state of Ohio. I would say that they are approaching the level their nearby neighbors at Great Lakes Brewing Company. They still have a lot to prove, but Buckeye Brewing Company is moving in the right direction.

Rob's Review of Dogfish Head Fort

2008-07-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Billed as "the world's strongest fruit beer" at roughly 18% alcohol by volume, Dogfish Head's Fort is one of the most off-centered beers in existence. It is also very, very rare. In the State of Ohio, it's alcohol level renders it illegal for sale. When the off-centered Brewski Brothers were presented with an opportunity to try it, we jumped at it. Needless to say, drinking it is quite the adventure. And quite the challenge.

Dogfish Head brewed this strong ale with over one ton of a combination of Oregon and Delaware raspberries per batch. It is released once a year only in 750ml bottles in December. It pours a cloudy amber color. In fact, it looked like unfiltered apple cider. There was no head to it whatsoever. It had an overwhelming raspberry/alcohol nose to it. On the palate, I found it had a slight apple quality to go with its yeasty raspberry liqueur flavor. There were also notes of ripe cherries and slightly tart strawberries. I assumed that Dogfish Head used some wheat malt, as there was a distinct wheat bread body to it as well. My thoughts during the long, very warming finish: "Holy cow, this is the Barry Bonds of lambics. A raspberry wheat barleywine on steroids." It isn't super sweet (mostly due to the alcohol) even with a ton of raspberries in each batch.

Fort is so powerful and incredibly massive, it literally takes your breath away momentarily. A punch in the gut, of sorts. It imposes its will upon you. Lewdly stated, it is a felonious palate rape. My advice to you is to keep away from any open flame while drinking this intimidating nectar. Also, plan on in sleeping in the next day. Kudos to the fine people at Dogfish Head, who once again make something massive and totally unique. The have raised the bar in the world of extreme brewing and the Brewski Brothers cannot wait to see what's next.

Recipe: Red, White & Bleu Burger

2008-07-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday weekend. In the patriotic spirit of the season, the Brewski Brothers would like to share their own very special recipe...

Red, White & Bleu Burger

2 pounds ground top sirloin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced red onions
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
OPTIONAL: 4 strips smoked bacon, sliced tomato

Preheat grill and shape the ground sirloin meat into four large patties. Lightly dust each side of patties with salt and pepper mixture. Place the patties on the cook for 5 to 6 minutes before flipping sides. Mix the rosemary into the bleu cheese. Next, put 2-3 tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese in the center of each patty, then cook for another 5 to 6 minutes (for medium burgers, longer if desired.) Toast the buns (or Kaiser rolls) on the grill. Keep an eye on them or use a warming rack if you have one. Place bottom buns on a plate and top with the shredded romaine lettuce. Place burgers on the lettuce (with 2 strips of bacon and sliced tomato if desired) and garnish with red onion slices. Then, top off with a nice dousing of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and place top buns on sauce. Enjoy!

Serve with Beer Chips and a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre.

AleFest 2008: Charlie's Top Three

2008-07-04T15:15:00.001-07:00

Well... What a day! Road trips are always fun, but when there's over 150 beers to choose from, it becomes an inebriated shindig. Before all of the alcohol consumption in the day was able to catch up with me, I tried the beers I was looking forward to most first. There were plenty of top notch beers present to fill a top three, but my top three are three beers I have yet to try that I was able to sample.

#3) Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Unibroue really knows how to make a fine Belgian strong ale, and Trois Pistoles is certainly not an exception. The beer appeared a deep red in my glass with a beige/brown head. The aroma is incredibly complex giving off a very vinous, sweet quality with hints of prunes, figs, wood, raisins, some ginger, and a lovely yeasty-ness. The flavor is very similar to the nose in its complexity and sweetness, yet there is added depth with a licorice quality to it as well. The sweetness of this beer is very nice, but not at all cloying. The 9% alcohol is warming, but not at all overpowering. This is an incredible effort from Unibroue.

#2) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

This was definitely the beer I was looking forward to having the most. Due to it's very high alcohol (at least 13%), it can't be distributed to Ohio. Even the look of this beer in the glass was impressive. There really is no other way of describing its look other than motor oil... and its consistency felt about the same too. What an insanely huge beer! The aroma was laced with plenty of alcohol and also gave off plenty of bourbon, some dark malts, and chocolate. The flavor is marked by plenty of bourbon, dark maltiness, dark chocolate, toast, vanilla, and alcohol. This beer was delicious. So why is it not my #1? Well, I found the bourbon/alcohol content in the flavor a little overpowering. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, but that slight bit of imbalance keeps it at #2.

#1) Columbus Brewing Company Barleywine.

What a pleasant surprise! Why doesn't CBC bottle this stuff?! The normally mild, but tasty, brewery really nailed it with this big brew! This is an incredible American style barleywine. Going the route of Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada, this is an incredibly hoppy barleywine and could possibly even be described as an imperial IPA. This beer was a surprise right from the pour, which produced a surprisingly light golden orange color with a moderate off white head. After talking with the CBC representative on hand, we found that this beer is brewed with a new style of hop called a Summit hop that packs a hefty 14.5 alpha acids. The hops are definitely present in the nose with some malty caramel. The flavor first gives a very fleeting caramel, malty sweetness that is quickly counteracted by loads of hops. The hops also add lots of citrus notes and I picked up a hint of mango as well. My first impression was that this is definitely a barleywine, but the more I drank it the more it seemed like an imperial IPA. This beer was incredibly delicious and I would love to see this stuff bottled around Christmas time or in the dead of winter.

It was a good day.

Brewski Book Club Summer Selection

2008-07-02T17:12:00.001-07:00

Susan Hurst's review (Library Journal, May 1, 2005), "Brewing Up A Business: Adventures In Entrepreneurship" by Sam Calaglione :

For those who like their business advice mixed with tales of the trials and tribulations of starting a new business, this book will go down as smoothly as a pint of Immort Ale, one of Dogfish Head's signature brews. While chapters cover much tried-and-true territory, including entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, leadership, and employee relations, Calagione manages to keep the advice he dispenses fresh by relating it to his own often humorous experiences in starting what is now one of the fastest-growing breweries in the country. Stories of hand-delivering beer from a U-haul in dicey neighborhoods and securing labels with rubber bands after running out of glue attest to both the author's determination and his anything-goes entrepreneurial spirit. Solid writing and a no-nonsense style coupled with a welcome avoidance of business jargon make this an enjoyable and practical read for anyone either interested in the brewery business or thinking of creating his or her own start-up.

Brewski Bro Rob agrees.

It is an eye-opening book on entrepreneurship that deals with focusing on your strengths, being an effective leader, efficient communication, learning how to brand your corporate image, listening to your customers and employees and staying true to your personal ethics in the business world. Sam Cataglione shares how the little-brewery-that-could found its market niche, while overcoming many trials and tribulations. He manages to integrate many stories from his personal and business life and shows how he was able to vault Dogfish Head from America's smallest commercial brewery to a profitable, critical success without selling his soul. Sam writes in a conversational, personable style that is earnest, honest and even self-effacing at times (i.e. see Chapter on "How Sucking Is Good.") An enjoyable read that is useful to anyone who wants to start a business or improve skills for their current job.

AleFest 2008: Rob's Top Three

2008-07-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

On June 28th, the Brewski Brothers yet again let the rubber meet the road as the royal WE roadtripped it to AleFest at the Aladdin Shrine Temple. AleFest featured over 150 different beers from 50+ breweries. It was as if we had died and gone to beer heaven. We were most excited to try a few beers that are unavailable in Ohio, either because of a lack of distribution or due to the beers containing more than 12.0% alcohol by volume (the maximum allowed under current Ohio laws.)

Rob and Charlie, the Grand Poobahs of the Brewski Brothers, were able to drink a lion's share of beer. Here are Rob's "Best In Show."

#3. Gulden Draak by Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Belgium)

The first thing that I noticed about it was for a Belgian Tripel, it was extremely dark in color. I found it to be reminiscent of holiday potpourri in its aroma. Lots of cinnamon, caramel, cocoa, apple cider and spiced fruitcake in the nose. Sweet, slightly acidic on the palate. Finishes with a yeasty/bready, somewhat alcoholic zest. The alcohol becomes more present as the beer warms up. At 10.5% alcohol by volume, this is quite a commitment if you purchase the 750ml bottle. Usually tripels are well-suited for a chilly autumn evening or as a wintertime nightcap, but I could enjoy Gulden Draak in the summertime as well with some spicy barbeque right off the grill.

#2. Columbus Brewing Company Barleywine (Ohio)

This latest offering from CBC was quite a surprise in a good way. CBC makes good beers, but I think they kind of play it safe. With this barleywine, they decided to swing for the fences. It pours a sunset orange in color. It is rather hoppy for a barleywine, like Stone Brewing Company's Old Guardian, but it is less sweet and more piney with its hoppiness. I got a lot of bitter orange and ruby red grapefruit on the palate, followed by a huge mango presence. It almost tastes like a hybrid of a double India pale ale and barleywine. The 10% alcohol is well hidden and the hoppiness gives it a crisp, refreshing finish.

#1. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (Illinois)

Brewed especially to commemorate Goose Island's 1000th batch, the Bourbon County Stout is something to try before you die. If 1000 batches doesn't sound like much, most commercial breweries (including Goose Island) produce 310 gallons of beer per batch. The color of the stout is black like 10w-30 motor oil and pours with the same consistency. I describe the head as thick and its color is like saddle leather. Quite noticeable on the nose is the toffee-scented bourbon aroma. The entire batch was aged for five months in bourbon barrels, to impart the flavor of both oak and bourbon in the imperial stout. Also there is quite a bit of burnt marshmellow, campfire and vanilla on the nose. A bunch of licorice, vanilla, coal, dark chocolate, espresso and bourbon on the palate. It was like getting hit over the head with an iron frying pan with flavor. This Goose Island brew is powerful, thick, yet velvety and sweet. I would best summarize the Bourbon County Stout by saying it is "like laying naked on a bearskin rug next to a roaring fire in the dead of winter" in a bottle. Not that I've ever done that...But with its alcohol somewhere in the 13%-14% range, Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout may encourage such naked acts of randomness and utter madness. Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hope Ale

2008-06-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Way back in 1980, before we Americans could enjoy the plethora of microbrews we have available to us now, Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi started what we know as the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. This brewery truly enjoys their hops and they use nothing but whole cone hops. In fact, Sierra Nevada uses more whole cone hops than any other brewer in the world.

Their latest venture with the hop includes a trio of beers... the Harvest Ales. The three beers showcase hops from around the world. The Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale, as the name implies, uses hops from the southern hemisphere... all from New Zealand. The three hops this beer showcases are Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka, and New Zealand Southern Cross hops. This is the only brewery I know of that uses fresh hops from New Zealand, and I am not familiar with the last two styles of hops used.

The beer pour a lovely deep copper color, with a moderate, off-white head and nice lacing. The aroma is a wonderful bouquet of fresh, floral hops with a slight bit of caramel malt. The flavor is very fleetingly sweet followed by a grape fruity and slightly piney bitterness with fairly light body and a nice crisp, bitter, lingering finish.

I'm not so sure the hops add too much uniqueness to this IPA, but it is certainly a wonderful beer to drink and very well balanced... and at $5.99 for a 24 oz, it's not too bad of a buy either.

Brewing/Bottling Day

2008-06-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Alight, so this event took place over a week ago, but we've been busy, busy, busy with business. Anyway, last Saturday we bottled our Hopalong Hefner Hefe and got to brewing our Paleolithic Imperial Double Pale Ale.
All went well with bottling and it should be just about ready to drink. It's been conditioning in the bottle for about 8 or 9 days now and we may crack open a few to see how it's developing. We expect to have exhausted the supply by the weekend.Once done with bottling we transitioned right to our Paleolithic. Laid out in the picture below is the majority of the ingredients used. The recipe included loads of malt and about 5 oz of high alpha acid Columbus, Galena, and Spalt hops.

We're expecting this beer to hit anywhere from around 9-11% alcohol and the IBUs should be well over 100. Over the last week, I've smelled nothing but hops coming out of my closet as this monster fermented. Fermentation is finally slowing down and bottling will most likely occur this weekend. We expect to be drinking this mammothly brutally beast come fall time.

We also visited Ale Fest here in Columbus this past Saturday and we'll be posting our thoughts later in the week. Also, some more beers we will be brewing shortly are: Pompous British IPA, a Stormy Night Porter (not going to give all the details on this one, though), a very special Belgian strong ale, and of course, a barleywine.

Coming Soon: PALEOLITHIC IMPERIAL DOUBLE PALE ALE

2008-06-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. We've decided to put the pedal to the metal and make a big brew. The Brewski Brothers' own baby: PALEOLITHIC IMPERIAL DOUBLE PALE ALE. Sure, we know that's more than a mouthful to say, but we also know that it's more than a mouthful with each sip. Insane amount of malts...Insane amount of hops (3 different varieties)...Insane amount of alcohol...This is a full on put-the-kids-to-bed-early and yell "Whoa Nellie!" American style imperial double pale ale. This is not your wimpy diet beer. We don't care how many grams of carbohydrates it has. Once you taste it, you won't care either. Balls out! Balls on parade. Balls in a bottle.

You get the idea.

Coming Soon: HOPALONG HEFNER HEFE

2008-06-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

You have been officially put on notice. The Brewski Brothers' first homebrew release "Hopalong Hefner Hefe," made with organic blood orange juice and organic Navel oranges is soon going to be born. Our baby is on the way.

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.

2008-06-19T17:44:00.001-07:00

Yadda Yadda Yadda
A phrase that means "and so forth" or "on and on;" it usually refers to something that is a minor detail or boring and repetitive. First mentioned in a routine by comedian Lenny Bruce.

Welcome to Lenny's World and have a drink in his honor. According to He'Brew's description, Lenny's R.I.P.A. was made "Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the death of Lenny Bruce: A Rye based double IPA. Brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops. Shocking flavors - Far beyond contemporary community standards."

It pours a dark copper/amber color with a bone-colored head. The rye malt comes through in the nose and I could have sworn I was in a Jewish bakery with fresh baked rye bread aromas eminating from the oven. The malt gives it a slightly burnt caramel taste and the hops are clean with robust grapefruit and earthy pine. At 10% alcohol by volume, this is not a waifish beer for the faint of heart. The alcohol almost has a peppercorn tweak on the lengthy finish.

This beer is consistently good and a relatively good deal at $4.99 per 22 ounce bottle. Much like the comedian Lenny Bruce, this beer was gone too soon. Delicious and way too easy to drink. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

As legendary journalist Dick Schapp eulogized Lenny Bruce in Playboy Magazine, with the unforgettable sendoff: "One last four-letter word for Lenny: Dead. At forty. That's obscene."

Home Brew! Hopalong Hefe

2008-06-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we've decided drinking delicious beer isn't enough. After doing our research, the Brewski Bros have decided to live the American Dream and venture into the art of home brewing. It had been an idea contemplated for a while, and we decided it's time we get into making our own delicious beer. Well what to brew first? There are plenty of delicious styles to be brewing, but an interesting beer from Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head caught our attention... a blood orange hefeweizen. Wheat beers are very refreshing on a sunny afternoon, and the blood orange adds a nice little touch to it. With that said, we got to brewing!

As the wort boiled (a wort is the liquid that contains the sugars the yeast will be munching on to produce alcohol... in other words, unfermented beer), we had ourselves a grand ol' time getting all the rinds off the oranges and orange peels. Unfortunately, we were too busy mending the cuts to our hands from trying to flay the rinds from the orange peels with steak knives to take pictures... but when the job was done, the tea of orange and orange peel was ready to go.
As you may be able to tell by the above photo, those are not blood oranges. Due to blood oranges being just out of season, we were not able to acquire any within the Columbus region. The oranges above are some Valencia oranges... we added a few orange wedges and some peels to the carboy. However, some organic blood orange juice did the job very nicely in place of actual blood oranges.
And here's an uber exciting picture of the wort getting its ice bath.
Finally, we pitched the yeast and chucked it on in to the carboy and sat back to wonder at our marvelous wort. In roughly a week this beauty will be ready to bottle.
Currently, the wort is sitting in my closet fermenting. Bottling may be coming up this weekend since the fermentation is substantially slowing down. Soon we will be enjoying our hopalong hefe.

Also, we have some events coming up on the horizon:

1.) This coming weekend, our next brew session will be coming up in which we will start brewing our paleolithic imperial pale ale.

2.) June 28th is another field trip for the Brewski Bros in which we will be going to Ale Fest! Woohoo! Look for some beer reviews and pics of the adventure.

3.) Finally, a trip to Barley's Smokehouse and Brew Pub will be coming up as well. We have high hopes for this place, and expect it to blow Mulholland away.

Stone Ruination IPA

2008-06-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wecome to yet another installment of the wonderful Imperial IPA.

This beer is self-described as "A liquied poem to the glory of the hop!" and this description is dead on. Unlike other DIPAs, Stone doesn't get caught up in simply the IBUs... Oh yes, this beer is certainly bitter(Stone says 100+ IBUs, not revealing how many there really are), but Stone really goes all out to give the scents and flavors the hop can impart as well. What's even better is the beer is nicely balanced by the malts, making it a full body beer, but the attention is 100% to the hops.

This clear orange beer forms a moderate white head that gives off a wonderful bouquet of floral and grassy aromas. The flavor is dominated by grassy, grapefruity hops. The finish stays bitter with a slight alcohol presence.

When all is said and done, Ruination makes a great wingman beer. It's offered year round, so it's always there to rescue you from boring beer selections (i.e. spring/summer's onslaught of wheat beers) and it will certainly never let you down. Nothing new or interesting to try? Get Ruination.

ROADTRIP: Mulholland Brewing Company

2008-06-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's the Summer of Love. Love=Beer. With that being said, the Brewski Brothers decided to kick the tires and hit the road. We ventured out to Reynoldsburg and a relatively new brewpub called Mulholland Brewing Company. Humpday (Wednesday) happy hour provides you with $2.00 pints of various selections from Mulholland. With a mere fistful of dollar bills, the collective We figured We could overserved ourselves on the cheap.

Here are the beers we tried:

ROUND ONE

Rob vs. Saison DuMonde
I enjoyed it. It really tasted like about 75% Belgian-style tripel and 25% French farmhouse ale. It was slightly sweet and almost had a tinge of ginger spice.
Charlie vs. Imperial Red
A lesser intense version of Stone's Arrogant Bastard. Decent.

ROUND TWO:

Charlie vs. Perfect Storm Vanilla Framboise
Somewhat pleasant at first. Alcohol burn; odd for a relatively low alcohol beer. Too much vanilla on the nose and palate. Nauseating after a while. Get me a bucket.
Rob vs. Highlander Scottish Ale
It was pale in color, bland in taste and really disappointing. It had about as much character as a "Murder She Wrote" marathon. It was thin and unlike a true Scottish Ale. I equate this to Mulholland's version of Killian's Red. Yuck. I only drank about half of it before giving up.

ROUND THREE:

Rob vs. Raider Belgian Brown
This looked as pasty as the Highlander Ale. It was drinkable, but not spectacular. In fact, it was pedestrian. Mild hoppiness. Dry. Not malty enough for my liking.

THE FINAL VERDICT:
A disappointment overall. The service was slow, and at times non-existent. The beers I had looked forward to trying were not on tap. The beers that were sampled were b-b-b-boring. I really wanted to like this place.

LAST THOUGHT:
As We walked out, I turned around to get one last look at Mulholland. I saw their faux stove smokestacks jutting skyward, looking almost like a hand giving me the ol' middle finger. Right back at ya, Mulholland.

SLOGANIZE ME:
"If you have nothing better to do. Mulholland Brewing Company."

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

2008-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Beer of the year!

Well... not officially, but that's my opinion. This is a truly outstanding beer. It's an American Strong Ale from Dogfish Head and they describe it as a big brown ale, and indeed it is. This beer is aged in a very dense wood from Paraguay called palo santo, which means "holy tree". The wood has a lot of resin which allows it to lend a lot of flavor in the beer. What Dogfish Head has created is a roasty, malty delight that allows the resin of the wood to counter balance the malty sweetness and thus, has a minimal hop profile.

The beer pours a very deep brown with a small, frothy tan head. The aroma gives off very toasty malts with vanilla, caramel, and wood. The wood adds a very nice caramel and vanilla complexity to the taste. The beer is fairly sweet with hints of maple syrup, vanilla, caramel, and a resiny touch from the wood. The finish is slightly dry with lots of warming due to the 12% alcohol this beer brings to the table.

This is yet another eccentric brew from the minds at Dogfish Head, but it is incredibly delicious. This beer may not be seen again for a while, so if you are able to come across it, do not hesitate to give this beer a try. You will not be disappointed. A+

Avery Hog Heaven

2008-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, all... and welcome once again to the wonderful world of barleywines.

Confused by the name? Well, a barelywine is not a wine at all. The name came about because the beers have a high alcohol content that resembles that of wine. The beer is made from grain,though, not fruit... so it is indeed a beer. The confusion in the name has led to a law in America that requires breweries to put "barleywine-style ales" on the bottle. Barleywines originated in England where they are typically a brewers strongest ale and tend to have a malty sweetness to them with very little hop presence.

Now, what we have here is a barleywine from Avery Brewing Co. This is a wonderful American version of the barleywine, which typically have a lot more hoppy bitterness to them to help counterbalance the natural sweetness given by the malt. This brew is no exception. The beer pours a nice dark amber color with minimal head formation. Flowery hops fill the aroma. There is a slight sweetness at first in the flavor that is quickly followed by the hops that make this a nice, bitter barleywine. The finish stays bitter making this an incredibly well balanced barleywine with a nice bitterness to it.

Avery can tend to be a hit-or-miss brewery. I've had some questionable beers from them, but Hog Heaven is a definite winner. This is one of the best barleywines I've had. One may even be able to argue this as a double IPA as this is one of the hoppiest barleywines out there.

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde

2008-06-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

"It's the end of the world and I feel fine." -REM

La Fin Du Monde, which is French for "The End of the World," is a Abbey-style tripel from Quebec. The beer is named as such because when European explorers were crossing the Atlantic, they began to think that they were going to reach the end of the world. Then, they "discovered" the "new world." History lesson complete.

It is an "ale on lees," which means it is bottled with yeast sediment. It pours a yellow-orange color with a yeasty, crisp foam head. The palate is full of apricot, tart orange, peach and clove. Chock full of tropical fruit! The clove character borders on peppery, which is quite evident with even the slightest smell. The yeast sediment also provides a fresh baked bread aroma. La Fin Du Monde has substantial carbonation, but I didn't find it overwhelming like Duvel or many other Belgian-style tripels. It is sweet, but not cloying. At 9% alcohol, it is potent, but not overly alcohol-y on the finish. But the alcohol and yeast give this tripel a dry finish.

This brew is essential in your beer arsenel. When in doubt, this should be your go-to-beer. La Fin Du Monde is consistently enjoyable and relatively easy-to-find. If the end of the world comes, drink one of these and you'll feel fine.

P.S. I used to think La Fin Du Monde was French for "will make you fart like silly tomorrow." It is not, but it doesn't make that any less true. The perfect beer with which to Dutch Oven your significant other. Cheers!

Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial Ale

2008-06-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hop Heads unite!

This is the beer you crave. What a liquid ode to the glorious wonder that is the hop. There are plenty of wonderful double IPAs out there, but when it comes to going off the IBU (international bittering units) charts, this beer goes even beyond that. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the brewers at Moylan's even filter this bad boy with a siphon lined with hops!

The beer poured a very lovely burnt orange/amber color with a moderate sized head and lots of lacing. The aroma gives off nothing but floral hops with just a little bit of alcohol. The first sip is quite a punch in the mouth. I'm overwhelmed with piney hops and slight notes of citrus. This is a big beer with a syrupy kind of feel in the mouth. About 30 seconds after my third sip, I actually shuttered a little bit because there is such a long, bitter finish to this beer.

For any drinkers out there looking to get introduced to the world of IPAs, this is certainly not the beer for you. This beer will take you more off-guard than Mike Cooper was by Carl Monday. But for those hop fiends out there looking for that one beer that has a first sip reaction of,"shit", this is the beer for you. This bodaciously bitter beer may even make your existence in this world seem a little more sweet.

Rochefort Trappistes 10, Redux

2008-05-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ahoy, my fellow honorary Brewski Brothers!

The gauntlet hath been thrown down, now I am here to giveth thy review on the Rochefort Trappistes 10.

My eyes don't lie. They tell me what I see and I what I don't see. This particular beer pours out to have a coffee-like color, with a slight mahogany tint. The carbonation was sufficient and is best described as moderate when compared to other Trappistes ales. Translated, it didn't foam over and stain my carpet...Damn you foamy Monks! I'd ask them to pay various dry cleaning bills, but when I attempt to contact them, they suddenly claim to have taken a vow of silence...Anyway. The Rochefort is full of fruit, most evident to me is something in the vain of grape/raisin/plum. Also worth noting is a good dollop of hazelnut. This may lead you to believe that it is sweet, but it is not. It has good maltiness and the finish is long, dry and crisp. At 11.3% alcohol, this is one spicy meatball. The alcohol is briefly quite warming, but it fades in synchronicity with the finish.

The Rochefort Trappistes 10 is widely regarded as one of the best beers in the world. Believe the hype. This beer has the brute force of a heavyweight boxer, but is nimble enough outpoint most other trappist ales with balance and depth. Or as Muhammad Ali would say, "It floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee."

Rochefort Trappistes 10

2008-05-27T15:42:00.001-07:00

Another Trappist Beer? Yes! Why? Because it's awesome! This beer was something special. So much so that my fellow ESB (that's Extra Special Bro) will be posting his own thoughts on it as well shortly.

This beer poured a deep burgundy/brown color that became even more intense with the sediment. The beer smells tremendous with hints of dark fruit and malts. The first sip is extremely impressive. There's loads of fruit with a wonderful sweetness that is not in the least bit over the top, and the high alcohol of the beer gives an incredible warming sensation all over. There is also a hint of grape, which I find extremely enjoyable.

Rochefort carries a hefty price tag at $5.99 for an 11.2 oz bottle, but this beer is too good to pass up. If you see it, buy it! But it now! There's nothing to lose in this investment. The Trappist Beers receive lots of praise, and for good reason... but with their high cost, how can you be sure you're not getting an over-hyped beer (coughOrvalcough)? Well take my word on this one. You will not be disappointed. This is how beer was intended.

Konings hoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale

2008-05-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the Trappist Beers. Monks sure know how to brew beer, don't they? With so many choices like Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle, Orval, and others, what makes Konings hoeven special? Well, unlike the above mentioned, Konings hoven is one of the few Trappist Beers brewed outside of Belgium. It's brewed in the Netherlands. So what does that matter? Well, I guess it really doesn't, but it's just a little FYI... You're welcome.

So let's talk about the beer itself. The beer we sampled is a quadrupel. My fellow Brewski Bro-mo describes it as "birthday cake in a bottle" and that description is not that far off. The beer poured a clear red with a somewhat tan, moderate sized head. I can smell this beer as I pour it. When I get my nose down in there, the aroma is very fruity, with sweet Belgian candy sugar and a slight bit of yeast. This beer seems incredibly light and is easy drinking... Which is surprising at 10% alcohol by volume. The flavor is very sweet, with figs, candy sugar, prunes, and even the alcohol giving a nice flavor and warming feeling in this beer. This is yet another fine Trappist Beer... a bit pricey(as are the others), but still worth it with it's great drinkability and high alcohol.

There is a serious brainstorm occurring between the Brewski-Bros right now. So watch out, Beer Baron! Your reign of lame beer reviews and crappy beer selection will soon be at an end. I swear that the mission statement is coming some time soon, also. We're too busy drinking beer for your benefit... You're welcome, again.

Southern Tier Un*Earthly Imperial IPA

2008-05-20T16:50:00.001-07:00

Hello hops!

This beer is a sheer bitchslap of hop aroma after a clear, golden pour. The brew's head settled around one inch above the beer level and slowly dissipated over the next few minutes. The aroma of the hops is quite floral and citrusy, finishing with a slight dash of evergreen tree.

Upon first taste, I was in love. Much like love, it started of sweetly. Sweet pink grapefruit, blood orange other tropical fruits. Also like love, after awhile, things became bitter. The grapefruit turned into lemon zest and pine. After some rockiness, the Southern Tier Un*Earthly IPA finished smoothly with a nice malty character.

Overall, this is a brilliant effort from Southern Tier. Unlike quite a few imperial IPAs, the Un*Earthly doesn't get distracted by focusing on International Bitterness Units. It refuses to enter that pissing contest. Rather, it flaunts its rich flowery hops while rocking the suburbs at 11.0% alcohol. It is as near of an example of perfection among double India pale ales as I have come across. Three cheers for Southern Tier!

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

2008-05-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

So here is the first review of a work in progress, but I suppose it's time to stop being lazy and get a review posted. Since this is the first beer review, why not make it of Dogfish Head? The brewery rarely disappoints and is always interesting. The beer we have here is Immort Ale. According to Dogfish's website, it's a barelywine. We're not so sure we agree.
The beer poured a dark red, with a thin head. The aromas were very malty with a hint of hops, and vanilla coming through strongly. The first sip quickly brings on lots of caramel, malty sweetness with loads of vanilla and plenty of oak coming through. The maple syrup is detectable underneath the two. The finish is slightly bitter with the hops finally playing their part. This certainly is a strong ale, (coming in at 11%) which could qualify it as a barleywine. It seems like more of a malty American Strong Ale to us. Perhaps it qualifies as more of a traditional English barleywine. Either way, this brew does not disappoint.

This is a rather boring review for such a good beer, but I just wanted to get something up on the site. There will be more to come soon hopefully, as well as some info on who we are. Perhaps a mission statement next? I don't know. The Beer Baron will die.