North Bridge Extreme: Review

Norrebro Bryghus

Imperial India Pale Ale

Copenhagen, Denmark

9.5% abv

1pt 4.3oz bottle

$15.00 a bottle

On sale $10.00

Appearance: dirty brown with a fine beige head.  Solid lacing and a thin layer of head sticks around. 

Aroma: earthy hops, funky roasted caramel, barnyard.  Not the best bouquet around. Is this old?  No expiration date on the bottle. 

Flavors: earthy dusty hops, toasted caramel, good touch of toffee flavored coffee, grains, herbal

Mouthfeel: a touch of bitterness balanced with a solid dose of sweetness for an IPA, there seems to be a thick feel that comes across as ‘almost’ creamy.  Toasted caramel, grassy, grainy lingering notes. 

To the Point: This is a strange Imperial IPA.  It is sweeter than I would expect.  Too many identifiable malty notes and the hops seem muted or dusty.  It should be the other way around.  Well, it is interesting.  Interesting as in I cannot decide if I like it yet or not. 

My Strength Rating: 6 – medium-full rating because of it complex flavor profile and lingering notes. 

Oh, I just put on my reading glasses and started to read the bottle – here is an interesting tasting note on the back of the bottle: “…unusual for a true imperial IPA – created by an intense malty body that softens the extreme hoppiness.”

Wish I looked at the bottle first.   I did but, I just could not read it (the small writing), because I did not have my reading glasses on!

Visit CigarPostings for the cigar pairing

Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock 2011: Review

6.4% abv

12 oz bottle

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Chico, California, USA

Appearance: an electric golden color with a fine white one finger head and not much on the lacing of the glass.

Aroma: To me this bouquet is too light to tell.  I even changed rooms to smell this beer (worked before on others) and the same thing – too light to tell.  Faint bready, maybe a hop note – I give up.  I even poured another one to see if I could pick up any aroma notes – nothing different. 

Flavors: On the front of the sip there are some bready malts, a touch of pecan nuttiness, and grains.  Then, on the finish the green peppercorn spice hits the back of the palate and I also think there is a pine needle like quality playing on the palate. 

Mouthfeel: a moderate hoppy tingle tantalizes the tongue, lemon ring note hanging around, very crisp,

Strength Rating: 4.5 – for some that peppery, pine needle like quality will raise their personal strength rating. 

Preparing the Palate: Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a tasting note you will see in some beers but, mostly in IPA’s and in some pale ales.  So, when I was at the grocery store and saw some grapefruits I thought it was time to do a little tasting myself.  The only grapefruit missing was the pink grapefruit.  I bought two different red grapefruits and one white grapefruit.  The reds are from Texas.  The smaller red grapefruit was called ‘Lone Star’ and the lager one ‘Rio Star.’  The white grapefruit was from Florida.

White grapefruits are usually highly acidic, ranging from bitter to somewhat bitter or tart.  The white one that I had was classic grapefruit bitter with solid acidity.  And, I have had some IPA’s with this tasting note.

The red ones were sweet with no tartness to the taste.  I can think of some Belgian ales were they had a good tropical fruit profile and I’ll bet this could have been in the specific tasting notes.   I can also think of some white wines that probably had this flavor note as well. 

Pinks usually have a mingling of the sweet and the tart tasting notes.  When they make it to the market later this year I’ll make sure I do a tasting. 

Michigan Brewing Mackinac Pale Ale: Review

5.5% abv

Michigan Brewing Co.

Webberville, Michigan, USA

Michiganbrewing.com

$8.00 a six pack

“A three malt blend provides a medium bodied ale that is balanced with Northern Brewer and Cascade hops from Washington’s Yakima Valley, giving it a distinctive hop bitterness and aroma.” According to their web site. 

This ale pours a light and clear amber color with a fine one finger egg-shell colored head.  The aroma is very faint.  Biscuit and light floral hops greet the nose.  This one leans toward the hoppy side of the fence with floral and a touch of citrus notes.  The malts are at work with a light bready feel.  This would be a good introductory beer to IPA’s. 

This is an average Pale Ale.  It’s very drinkable and good with a sandwich.  I usually have this once a summer.

Founders Nemesis 2010: Review

Anti-Establishment Ale

12% abv

12 oz bottle

Founders Brewing

Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Foundersbrewing.com

My Strength Rating: 9

Appearance: Black body with a nice tan head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: heavy caramel, citrus, touch of pine, rich malts, dried fig.

Flavors: Solid malts, roasted grains, dried dark fruits like fig and raisin, then the citrus peel bites the tongue.  I thought I would get an alcohol or boozy taste but, I don’t detect any.  As I continue sipping this strong ale there is a dark 90% chocolate dryness and an espresso like quality. 

Mouthfeel: creamy like, thick, heavy, pine like aftertaste that explodes on the palate.

I’ll bet this is an ale that you either really like or hate.  I really like.

Bells Two Hearted Ale: Review

Indian Pale Ale Style

7% abv

12 oz bottle

Bell’s Brewery

Comstock, Michigan, USA

Bellsbeer.com

This had to be my first micro brewed beer back when it first came out.  I grew up being a Miller High Life drinker.  My dad was a controller for a Miller distributer. 

One night going into a party store the guy who worked there said, ‘if you like beer you have to try this new beer it’s really good.’  Do I like beer?!? What kind of a question is that I thought?  I was the connoisseur of cheap beer – Gobel, Falstaff, Buckhorn … you get the idea.  So, I bought this beer.  Oh my god, I thought I was going to get sick … it was terrible. 

So, that was my introduction to craft beer.  And today, I would drink Two Hearted Ale before I would touch a Miller. 

Let’s get onto the review:

Appearance: light and bright hazy golden wheat color with a white head and a bit of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: The bottle says it best, “…an incredibly floral hop aroma.”   I also think of light pine when I smell this ale.

Flavors: pine notes just dance across the tongue and then give way to a white grapefruit tone and the floral notes are here as well.  There is a touch of sourdough bread in the mix.  To me there seems to be a touch of mango in the background.  And, the good ol’ beer burp says, ‘tropical notes’ – grapefruit, mango, and orange juice.  Call Tropicana right now!  A new juice name “Tropical Beer Burp Juice.” 

Mouthfeel: pretty moderate for an IPA.  I might go a 6 on my strength rating.  The pine notes did not ravage or needle the tongue they just danced across it.

Liberty Street Brewer’s Garden IPA: Review

6.7% abv

Growler

Liberty Street Brewing

Plymouth, Michigan, USA

Libertystreetbeer.com

My Strength Rating: 6

Appearance: hazy golden wheat

Aroma: light pine, floral, very pleasing bouquet

Flavors: pine is right up there, pink grapefruit, and there is a hint of sweet malt. 

This is not an IPA bomb.

Mouthfeel: light pine needles on the tongue, low carbonation, medium in weight, light on the aftertaste for an IPA and that is not really a bad thing here. 

Yes, I would buy again.   And, I have.  I have had a couple at the brewpub and enjoyed them and that is why I bought the growler.  It is a very pleasing IPA to drink.  I could drink a couple of these without feeling like my mouth has been violated the rest of the day.

Cup A Joe Filet Mignon

Perfect medium rare

Day before grilling

I poured a little Walnut Olive Oil into a glass dish and coated both sides of the filets in the oil.  I then poured some Espresso Balsamic Vinegar that I purchased at the Old World Olive Press in downtown Plymouth, Michigan.  Place the glass dish with the filets in the refrigerator.   

I am really enjoying these Olive and Vinegar stores that are opening up.  Three stores opened last year in locations that I visit here in Michigan;  Fustini’s in Kerrytown, Ann Arbor; Old World in Plymouth, and Great Lakes Olive and Oil Co. in Frankenmuth. 

Let the Espresso Vinegar sit for a couple of hours.  Take the filets out of the fridge and pour a bottle of Cup A Joe Creme Stout into the glass dish.  Place the tray back in the fridge to sit overnight.

Time to grill

One hour before grilling pour the Cup A Joe liquid out of the glass dish.  Then, I coated each filet in a dry Coffee BBQ Rub that I picked up from the Spice Merchants.  I leave my filets out till it is time to grill at this point in the ball.  I prefer to get the chill off the filets before cooking. 

Well, the weather did not work with me so the filets go into the broiler.  Rain!!! 

Oh my!  This is GREAT

Dragonmead Crown Jewels: Review

7% abv

12 oz bottle

Dragonmead Microbrewery

Warren, Michigan, USA

$12.00 a four pack
dragonmead.com

My Strength Rating: 6.5

Appearance: a hazy amber color with an off-white head that has some lacing sticking to the side of the glass. 

Aroma: very interesting; I was braced for a citrus explosion but, it is a malty profile on the nose.  Then, there is a floral hoppy note and some herbal type notes. 

Flavors: now I do not know what to expect after smelling this IPA.  Here it goes; yes, some sweet candy sugar on the side with some caramel malty notes, then some meaty flesh of a citrus rind flavor creeps in.  The hops seem to have an earthy tone to them.  There is a peppery style here, a pink peppercorn and black peppercorn mixture. 

Mouthfeel: the hops seem to do the lingering on the palate.  Don’t get me wrong there is that touch of sweetness but, it is the piney prickly feel that dominates.

I would put this in my category of ‘ying and yang’.  The malts and hops mixture.  With this ale you get some clearly defined malts and some clearly defined hops. 

Interesting!  And it is worthy of a try.

EMCO 400 Storm Door

Beer blog and a Door?  Sure, I have to go out this door to get to my cigar bar in the garage so, this door is very important to my beer blog and other blogs as well.  If you think that is weak how about, I need some place to vent and I need to send this to the company who makes this door.

So, grab a beer and pull up to the bar and listen to my complaint. 

Six months ago Home Depot installed a 400 Series EMCO side door and an Anderson 3000? (which is just fine)  That was back at the beginning of November.  By January of this year the gasket on the bottom of the 400 Series door was starting to come off.  By February it looked bad and I headed off to Home Depot.  They just gave me the Anderson/EMCO flyer and said call them. 

Now, this is not the only problem with the door.  This door only closes about 10 or 20 % of the time.  The door jack must not be strong enough to close this door on the final half inch. 

The gasket is half off and

the door does not close properly all the time so cold air is getting in between this door and the house door and that made the inside of this screen door freeze up.  Yes, there was ice on the inside of this door all winter from January thru February. 

By March I finally call EMCO about the door issue.  They said they would send me a replacement gasket. A onetime free of charge gasket.  Gaskets are not part of warranties (seems like an important part to me). 



See the pin on the left side of the picture - no clip was installed



I then go to the door to see how I am going to have to take this door apart to get the new gasket on when it shows up.  That is when I see that all the inside screws and metal bracket are all rusted. 

So, that just means that next year or this year that rust will be running down the nickel plating on the door and this is just going to look really nice. 

It took my last screen door 20 years to look like crap and this one is heading for the scrap pile in its first year. 

Here is my up date 1 - 15-2012

You can see by the pictures (below) the gasket on the bottom of the door riped again and I had to replace it with a door sweep that I bought at the local hardware store.  Anderson Doors wanted me to pay for a new one. 

This door is just over one year old and it is a piece of crap.  I had another door there for twenty years and the gasket never riped nor did the screws all rust out.  It took twenty years for that door to start to fall apart and this EMCO 400 door by Anderson is not going to last three years till I have to replace it with a quality door.

Bell’s The Oracle DIPA Ale: Review

10% abv

12 oz bottle

Bell’s Brewery

Comstock, Michigan, USA

Bellsbeer.com

$4.00 a bottle – I only bought one

Appearance: hazy dirty orange with a white head and tons of lacing on the side of the glass.

Aroma: put the bottle up to your nose and you’ll smell the pineapple.  In the glass I notice some tropical fruits, pine, floral, and a touch of sweetness in the background.

Flavors: The tropical fruits are there but, the piney and grapefruit notes are ready to take over.  A bit of black peppercorn plays off the citrus notes.  The yeast and malts are still sticking around here.  Some sourdough bread and toasted caramel are in the mix. 

Mouthfeel: Very prickly and tingly on the palate.  Very wool like in texture.  Lingering pine notes left on the tongue. 

I just had a nice belch and it tasted like pineapple and other tropical fruits.  Thought you wanted to know.  No?

April is Hops Deficiency Month and April 30th is Hops Deficiency Day

This year I am proclaiming the month of April “Hops Deficiency Month” and the last Saturday of the month “Hops Deficiency Day.”

Last year, I made the last Saturday of the month (April 24, 2010) Hops Deficiency Day.  For me it was a day to prepare some food cooked in beer, then drink some beer and pair up a good cigar to boot.  Please do this at home and then you do not have to drive. 

The main idea here is not to drink that yellow pissy water stuff they call beer but, to drink IPA’s, Pale Ales, and other hoppy type beers.  Sorry, Millers triple hopped beer is not a qualifier – triple hopped my ass.  Maybe, five pounds of cane sugar per six pack but, triple hopped – makes me laugh. 

So, for the month of April this year I am going to focus on reviewing ‘hoppy’ beers.

On the last Saturday of the month, April 30^th, I will have a full menu planned for “Hops Deficiency Day.” 

Beers to be reviewed this month

Nemesis by Founders Brewing

Bell’s The Oracle DIPA Ale

Dragonmead Crown Jewels IPA

Others TBA