Thursday was supposed to be a Lagunitas event, which I'd travel many miles for, but there ended up being a single beer on tap and the rep seeking to drown his sorrows at the reschedule. The beer was Hop Stoopid, which was of course excellent (What can I say? They're still my favorite brewery, though I acknowledge they may not be the best brewery). Hoppy, balanced, dangerously drinkable. Seeing it referred to as a 'farmhouse IPA' explains things pretty well: imagine an overly-hopped farmhouse ale, made dark and thick but still with the creamy head, and you've got this beer. I'm impressed: Lagunitas is making some world-class stuff now.
A couple of these were joined over the course of an increasingly blurry night by the Bear Republic Racer 5 and the Weyerbacher Simcoe.
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Double IPAs
On Saturday, to prepare for a potentially (and quite actually) awful short film program, Stoudt's Double IPA. The Stoudt's was good, but a pretty typical double IPA: thick, strong hoppy. Hard to drink more than one of these -- like the Dogfish 90.
The Stoudt's was followed by a Captain Lawrence Reserve Imperial IPA, which was even more drinkable. While still a double IPA, and thus quite hoppy, the texture was light. Very good, I've gone back for many more since. The Captain is proving to be quite a reliable brewery these days.
Also had a Bear Republic Hot Rod Rye, always a pleasure, before heading off to the shorts. Consoled myself afterwards with a Kwak (on draft! with the proper glass!) and a very, very fresh Six Point Bengali Tiger. I've gotten wary of the Bengali after having it on cask all over town, and seeing it linger on draft in bars that don't cater to the beer crowd, but fresh on draft it was phenomenal. One of my favorite IPAs.
The Stoudt's was followed by a Captain Lawrence Reserve Imperial IPA, which was even more drinkable. While still a double IPA, and thus quite hoppy, the texture was light. Very good, I've gone back for many more since. The Captain is proving to be quite a reliable brewery these days.
Also had a Bear Republic Hot Rod Rye, always a pleasure, before heading off to the shorts. Consoled myself afterwards with a Kwak (on draft! with the proper glass!) and a very, very fresh Six Point Bengali Tiger. I've gotten wary of the Bengali after having it on cask all over town, and seeing it linger on draft in bars that don't cater to the beer crowd, but fresh on draft it was phenomenal. One of my favorite IPAs.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Cantillon Cuvée Des Champions 2003-2004
Was given a sample of this last night: one of the best lambics I've had outside of Belgium.
Cuvée (lit. "vat") in the wine world refers to a blended batch of wines; when applied to lambics, the term seems to be a bit more flexible. This particular cuvée consists of 2001 lambics, aged for 2 years. This means it should be less sour than a gueuze (a mixture of young and old lambic), but this particular bottle was quite sour, leaving me salivating for five to ten minutes after taking a sip. Probably had something to do with adding more sugar on bottling -- gives the yeast something to munch on. Those unfamiliar with lambics should check this out.
Also had a sample of the Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout, brewed by some kids in Norway. This is a fine imperial stout that I've had a few times in the past, and it is always impressive.
Backing these two up were an Avery Reverend, an Avery Maharaja, and a Kwak (in the proper glass) -- no need to go into too much detail, but all excellent beers.
Cuvée (lit. "vat") in the wine world refers to a blended batch of wines; when applied to lambics, the term seems to be a bit more flexible. This particular cuvée consists of 2001 lambics, aged for 2 years. This means it should be less sour than a gueuze (a mixture of young and old lambic), but this particular bottle was quite sour, leaving me salivating for five to ten minutes after taking a sip. Probably had something to do with adding more sugar on bottling -- gives the yeast something to munch on. Those unfamiliar with lambics should check this out.
Also had a sample of the Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout, brewed by some kids in Norway. This is a fine imperial stout that I've had a few times in the past, and it is always impressive.
Backing these two up were an Avery Reverend, an Avery Maharaja, and a Kwak (in the proper glass) -- no need to go into too much detail, but all excellent beers.
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