Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout: Review

Flying Dog Brewery

Frederick, Maryland, USA

Flyingdogbrewery.com

5.5% abv

12 bottle

I think it is around 10 bucks a six pack

Brewed with Rappahannock River Oysters

Proceeds Benefit Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration

Appearance: black body with a thin tan head; not much on the lacing front

Aroma: a light bouquet overall; toasted notes of grains and coffee; sea salt; the nose is a tad better as it warms

Dress me up in that outfit and I'll bite you

Flavors: the light roasted notes follow the aroma; the sea salt and mineral tone swirl around the roasted notes on the mid palate;

Mouthfeel: moderate fizzy feel; salty on the mid and finish; light bitterness on the back; light roasted notes; mineral salt on the aftertaste with a roasted bitter note; dry; good balance overall;

To the Point: I just reviewed two oyster stouts this week and I have to say, they are okay in my book; they are interesting in a good way; if you just want something different than your usual stout maybe give an oyster stout a try – I would say buy two single bottles to give it a try before buying a six pack

Oyster Stout: Review

The Porterhouse Brewing Company

Dublin, Ireland

Theporterhouse.ie

5.2% abv

11.2oz bottle

$4.39 a bottle

“Fresh oysters added during the brewing process, lend a discernible yet unidentifiable note.” On the bottle

Appearance: black body with a thin beige head

Aroma: an herbal mint note or I might describe it as ‘an already chewed piece of spearmint gum’ – this note dominates the nose to me and then I pick up some roasted notes of coffee and chocolate

My bloodhound wife has a great nose she picked up the coffee and chocolate first and then she said there was a hint of mint – hum – just the opposite for me. 

A unique pull tab on the cap

Flavors: roasted grains; light roasted coffee; light mint; sea salt; mineral water; dried black currant

Mouthfeel: little salty; dry; thin in body;

To the Point: it is okay at best to me; thin in body and no depth to the flavors

Siberian Night Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel: Review

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

Akron, Ohio, USA

Thirstydog.com

10.9% abv

58 IBUs

Best at 44 degrees F.

12 oz bottle

$25.99 a four pack

Aged 11 months in bourbon barrels

Appearance: pitch black body with a half finger tan head that leaves some spotty lacing with some light syrupy looking legs

Aroma: at 40 to 44 degrees Fahrenheit: bourbon; vanilla; oak; dry cocoa; semi-sweet chocolate; think of chocolate fudge ice cream when you take a sniff; damn I love the aroma; as this imperial stout gets to 60 degrees the alcohol starts to pick up on the nose; when this ale warms up, pass the 60 degree mark, the alcohol sure gets boozy

Flavors: follows the nose; vanilla and oak coming from the bourbon barrel aging; rich caramel; toasted toffee; sweet toasted malt grains; dark chocolate like bitterness (90% like dark chocolate) on the back; when the ale warms up the flavors seem more intense; when the ale is too warm it became a little overwhelming – powerful and boozy

Mouthfeel: light carbonation to keep it lively; smooth; light syrupy feel; almost creamy; alcohol becomes a factor when it warms pass the 60 degree point; long aftertaste of roasted notes and firm bitterness

To the Point: I think the nose is better than the taste; don’t get me wrong the taste is pretty good here; I’ll give it 93% on the grading scale – just making an A. 

For the price pretty good but, I am not paying 26 bones for pretty good.  For 26 bucks I want knock my socks off; I want 97% or higher for 26 dollars.  

New Holland The Poet Oatmeal Stout: Review

New Holland Brewing

Holland, Michigan, USA

Newhollandbrew.com

5.2% abv

37 IBU’s

12 bottle

Appearance: black body with maybe a one finger tan head that leaves some light lacing on the glass

Aroma: kind of a mellow nose for a stout; some roasted malt; light coffee; maybe it’s the oatmeal that mellows the bouquet

Flavors: roasted notes; mild charred oak; light-medium roast coffee; 60% like dark chocolate; light hop bitterness

Mouthfeel: a nice semi-creamy style; soft carbonation; light-moderate roasted notes; light-moderate bitterness – that is way I called it 60% like dark chocolate in the flavor; aftertaste: lightly roasted, light sweetness, mild bitterness; medium body;

To the Point: the oatmeal makes this an elegant stout to enjoy; a very easy drinking stout; flavors have a nice depth; the light hops keep things in balance; must buy

Atwater Bourbon Barrel Aged Shamans Porter: Review

Atwater Brewery

Detroit, Michigan

Atwaterbeer.com

6.8% abv

32 IBUs

$11.99 a four pack

12 oz bottles

Appearance: deep dark cola body with a thin tan head with an aggressive pour

Aroma: light nose for a Bourbon Barrel beer; some toasted notes;

Flavors: weak overall; some roasted coffee and toasted grains; little oak and a weak hint of bourbon

Mouthfeel: let’s just say weak

To the Point: boring; save your money 

Arcadia Ales Barrel Aged Shipwreck Porter: Review

Shipwreck Porter

Arcadia Brewing Company

Battle Creek, Michigan, USA

Arcadiaales.com

Aged in oak bourbon barrels from Kentucky 

12% abv

50 IBU’s

12 oz bottle

$7.99 a bottle

My problem before opening this Porter was which glass to use.  12% abv - I want to use the sniffer.  It's only a Porter - I want to use my bell goblet because it look cool. Let me do both and see or smell the difference.  Big time difference. In the bell goblet the opening is wide open and lets all the aroma out and it smells uninspiring.  In the sniffer a world of difference and you will read that below under aroma.  

Appearance: black body with brown edges around the rim; half finger or so deep tan head that leaves some spotty lacing

Aroma: get this ale in the right glass; sweet bourbon that reminds me of a sweet bourbon glaze that I use; nice molasses, brown sugar, damn even a good black licorice note (anise); good roasted grains followed by toasted dark caramel; wood – oak; throw in some roasted vanilla extract along with that oak; nice alcohol without being boozy to me; hint of smoke to go along with the woodsy notes – (side note) – some call it ‘toasted head’ when they toast the oak barrels with fire before they add the bourbon or red wines into the barrel; light roasted coffee with a semi-sweet chocolate note;

Damn, this is one complex bouquet.  You can play the game, ‘guess what I am smelling?’  To me this aroma on this Porter – is top shelf stuff.  This should be ranked along with some of the great red wines for quality aroma, single malt scotches, and so on.  Wow, I’ll be dreaming of this one for a while

Flavors: is it all aroma and nothing much on the flavors … what you read above is what you will get in flavor … AND … more – for everything comes together for one exceptional experience.  While this is the first bottle I have ever had of this Porter – right now I think the aroma far exceeds the flavors in my personal enjoyment of this ale.  This Porter is so complex that the flavors change from the front to the back and with each sip you will find something else. 

Mouthfeel: super light, light fizz can be detected, call it low carbonation; nice moderate charred, roasted, and toasted notes – all working together; here is another dimension of the complexity of this ale – the bitterness – it ranges from a semi-sweet chocolate style on the delivery to a 75% dark chocolate like bitterness to a nice 85% like dark chocolate bitterness; AND to me here is the best part – this is purely elegant

To the Point: sometimes beers are very ‘reviewogenic’ (I like to call it) they have great flavors and all, but they taste bad overall when they come together. He’brew Sweet 16 comes to mind.  That ale was fun to review but, I would never drink something like that ever again in my life.  This Porter – it is great to review and even greater to just sit back and drink. 

Believe me - you will not fall asleep on this ale
Carly is belly up after a bowl of water

This is going on my top shelf list of must have beers.  If I could end each day with only one beer and never change it from day to day – this might be the one.  Pour my sniffer glass full of Barrel Aged Shipwreck Porter, put me in my leather chair in front of my TV’s (with sports), light me up my favorite cigar to go with this Porter and my life is complete.  “Life” – okay slight exaggeration; my ‘Day’ is complete. 

I don’t remember the last time I talked so much about a Porter. 

I am lighting up a La Gloria Serie R 6 Maduro cigar and sitting back and just enjoy this experience.  

Wax dipped top

Use the knife on your wine opener to cut
the wax just below the rim of the cap
and then use your bottle opener

Phuket Island Lager: Review

The Original Island Beer

“Make Everyday a Phuket Day”

Phuket, Thailand

Phuketbeer.com

5% abv

11.2 oz bottle

$10.99 a six pack

Appearance: crystal clear pale gold with a one finger white head

Aroma: day old buttermilk biscuit; wet sweet grains; very lager like

Flavor: sweet grains; on the bottle it says they use jasmine rise – that might be the sweet grain that I notice; (at least it is not sugar sweet like some American Lagers and Pilsners) biscuit; mild lager bitterness

Mouthfeel: sweet up front; mild bitterness on the finish; firm carbonation; crisp; light body;

To the Point: okay for a lager; nice packaging on the bottle to make it fun for a party; should be refreshing on a hot summer day; nothing special here; if you just want to try something different give it a try; with 57 reviews on beer advocate they gave it a 67 – poor; I wouldn’t say it is that bad; I’ll give it a C for a grade

Troubadour Obscura: Review

Troubadour Obscura Mild Stout

Br. The Musketeers

Ursel, Belgium

Globalbeer.com

8.2% abv

1pt 9.4oz bottle

$11.99

I have never done a review with this beer on my beer blog but, I have done a few pairings with cigars on my cigar blog back in 2010.  It is time to get a review on this blog.  I like this Mild Stout.

Remember, this is a “Mild Stout”

Appearance: a deep dark mahogany with an easy to pour two finger tan head that leaves plenty of lacing; remember two things – Belgian and mild stout

Aroma: toasted malts; sweet toffee; just a touch of chocolate; mild nose

Flavors: my palate is greeted by a smooth semi-creamy toasted malt character followed by a mild milk chocolate coffee tone with a hint of dark fruit (candied fig) swirling around the other notes; a gentle dose of peppery spice and tame bitter hops on the back;

Mouthfeel: solid carbonation, typical for a Belgian beer but not for a stout; smooth; semi-creamy; mild-moderate bitterness maybe moderate; slightly sour on the aftertaste; easy to drink; might be a good introductory stout, being a mild stout, for the person wanting to try a ‘full style’ beer or stout – the flavors are not astringent; NOW, I did not say this stout is full bodied; it is a nice medium bodied stout – to a newbie this would be wow, full bodied;

To the Point: It’s a Mild Stout; just like four years ago I visit beer advocate and people say it is thin for stout; It’s not a stout it’s a mild stout; similar to an Irish stout; it is supposed to be thin – if it was thick it would be a stout and not a mild stout; this beer is spot on for what it is – a mild stout; with that said, if I was grading this ale I would give it an 88 – a solid B+; to be critical here – a tad too much carbonation, the sweet malts and candied dark fruits over take the coffee; but, I still really like this Mild Stout.  

Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale: Review

Dark Horse Brewing

Marshall, Michigan, USA

Darkhorsebrewery.com

9.5% abv

Belgian Style Trippel

Appearance: hazy amber body; not much of a head to speak of and I tried to give the last quarter of the bottle an aggressive pour to get the head up; not much on the lacing front

Aroma: dull fruit; old yeast paste; dusty hint of clove; very uninspiring

Flavors: dull is a good word; take an old apricot, pear, over ripened banana peel, and some golden raisins and mash them up – that is the best I can do for a non-descript dull fruity style; there is a hint of that dusty clove spice on the back; oh, don’t forget the cheap Belgian yeast taste

Mouthfeel: almost moderate carbonation, seems low for the style; dull fruit and dusty yeast notes linger on the palate; dry to very dry; medium body; the alcohol (9.5) did not really play a big role in the flavor nor mouthfeel; it did not come across boozy

To the Point: this is my second bottle of this ale; I tried this beer last week and thought, ‘how in the world do I review this bitch’; sorry I don’t mean to slander you bitches out there; a very uninspiring Tripel Belgian Style Ale; I expect much better out of Dark Horse Brewery.    The only thing good is the 9.5 abv which I can feel in the head.  Not worthy to even purchase and try.  

Avery 2013 Twenty: Review

Avery Brewing Company

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Averybrewing.com

XX India Pale Ale - DIPA

Anniversary Edition

1pt 6oz bottle

$8.50 a bottle – Canton Fine Wine & Liquor Party Store

Bottled May 2013

Retired – no longer made

9.7% abv

Appearance: glowing pumpkin body with a thin white head from an easy pour; some sticky lacing; a nice one finger head on the second pour with sheets of lacing

Aroma: aromatic citrus fruit and floral notes: orange, tangerine, pink grapefruit, fresh cut pine; sweet honey note follows

Flavors: whew, without thinking about it I like it; some pink and white grapefruit salad mixed with a little tangerine and red globe grapes; nice grainy barley notes with just a touch of dark amber honey; a soft white and green peppercorn mix coming from the alcohol and citrus  

Close to the pumpkin spice candle - in color

Mouthfeel: oily, sticky hops; a moderate chewy thick feel with a light fizzy carbonation sensation dancing on the mid and back of the palate; alcohol warmth on the back and finish; good balancing act between the hoppy bitterness and a nice touch of malts – still of course on the bitter side of town; lingering pine and grapefruit notes

I keep thinking of big pumpkins with each sip for some reason

To the Point: a great DIPA; wonderful bitterness with a nice sweet malty presences; I will be out looking for any bottle left on the shelves; oh boy can I feel the 9.7 abv and I am halfway thru the bottle

The Florida State game is tonight: Florida State wins by 10; 41 to 31

Black Cab Stout: Review

Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout

Fuller, Smith, and Turner PLC

Griffen Brewery, London England

$4.99 a bottle

1pt .9oz bottle

Best before 28 Feb 14

4.5% abv

Appearance: black body with cola highlights; tan one finger head if that; no lacing

Aroma: some dark roasted malts; nothing much going on here

Flavors: mild overall; some dark roasted chocolate malts; chocolate like bitterness; roasted grains; charred oak on the back

Mouthfeel: low carbonation; bakers chocolate like bitterness; very dry; somewhat thick feel, not creamy to me; full-medium body; lingering dry bitter coffee feel

To the Point: a very nice mellow Irish stout; easy to drink; at 4.5% this would make a good stout to enjoy sitting around the campfire

Only one game today for the College Bowl Games: Take Alabama - give Oklahoma the 15 pts and a prayer. I don't like these big point spread games but, Alabama has to make up for one stupid play that killed their season (which I like seeing Alabama lose). Oh, I want to take Oklahoma and the points but, I think Alabama will be out for blood.