Southern Tier Back Burner

Before 2 weeks ago, I had never tried a barleywine. Now, I think I'm hooked. The great thing with the two American Barleywines I have had so far, is that they are the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. Usually those super high ABV beers are overly bitter/hoppy and you can really only have one (think Hopslam).

Southern Tier Back Burner was very similar to the Cincinnati Collaboration beer week ale. I think it had a bit more bite, but that probably had to do with it not being 6 weeks old. I think what made this beer so session-able was it's great balance. From what I perceive, most Barleywine style beers are over the top and aggressive with the hops. The focus on the creamy, sweet malt and hop balance really makes this winter seasonal a must try!

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy
Where:Virgil's Cafe
Price: $$
Score: 5 / 5

Cincinnati Beer Week 2012 Barleywine Ale

Since this is the first Beer Week in Cincinnati, I thought I should get in on the fun. This weekend I'll be participating in the Hoperatives 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference leading up to the final night of the Cincinnati Beer Fest.

We stopped into Dilly on Saturday afternoon for some lunch and I decided to try out the beer week collaboration brew. A pretty cool concept beer that was brewed by local brewers: Mt. Carmel, Christian Moerlein, Listermann, Rivertown, Rock Bottom and Red Ear.

I was served a 10oz snifter. The beer poured a very nice ruby-red color with not much head at all. There were so many different aroma's I'm not sure I could pick them all out, berries, citrus fruit, brown sugar and florals all came to mind.

I thought this was much more of an IPA than a barleywine, maybe it was because it is such a young beer. Loved the marriage of bitter hops and sweet fruits. I think this beer could be even better after some aging. Not overly heavy on the alcohol even though is in 9.5%, it is very well hidden and I could easily session this beer, even though it would get me in trouble!

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy and my parents
Where: Dilly Deli
Price: $$$$
Score: 5 / 5 

Deschutes Iversion IPA

Deschutes Iversion IPA from Bend, Oregon based brewer Deschutes, one of Oregon's finest craft breweries.

This was the first brewpub that we stopped at on our west coast tour. The pub didn't disappoint. We were able to sample a few beers each and had a pretty good meal as well. We choose this over scalping Timbers FC tickets, which was going to cost us close to $200!

Deschutes loves this beer, as you can tell from their description:

Paradise is stumbling upon our whole flower hop room and inhaling. Inversion IPA is as close as you can get without knowing somebody.

Enter, if you will, all the glorious aromatic complexity of the hop. This big, bold IPA's intense multi-hop kick gets a subtle dose of restraint from select Crystal and Carastan malts. For discriminating hop heads.

This was probably the hoppiest beer I had out west, as I wrote before, there American Pale Ale's tend to be a littler more like English Pale Ale's (sweeter and not bitter at all). The color was a pretty dark amber and had a nice creamy head that laced well all the way down the glass.

What sticks out the most with this beer was how smooth it was. It has some serious hop/citrus bitterness but the caramel malt pairing is a perfect partnership. Usually my favorite IPA's tend to be overly citrus and bitter but this one seemed to find that "paradise" that we are all looking for. Absolutely loved this beer, and recommend it to any and all beer drinkers (IPA lover or not!)

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy
Where: Deschutes Brewery, Portland Public House
Price: $$
Score: 5 / 5

BridgePort Blue Heron Pale Ale

Blue Heron Pale Ale from Portland based brewer BridgePort

Our heritage beer, Blue Heron, was first brewed in 1987 as a special release for the Audubon Society, and named after Portland’s official city bird. The taste reflects its Northwest roots, drawing on indigenous ingredients from the hop fields of the Willamette Valley and the barley fields of the high Northwest desert.

I picked this beer out because when I was looking at cycling shirts when we were in Portland, I didn't feel that I could wear the shirt if I hadn't tried the beer!

This very much represents the NorthWest, style, taste and color that you get in these regional American Pale Ale brews. Light copper color and very clear, can see through the glass easily. Slight white lacing. Super malt/bread smell and the taste coincides with the aroma. Very easy and light flavor of malt, earthy with some slight citrus (bitterness is almost completely non-existent).

Honestly, it took me a few different APA beers to figure out this NW style, the local ingredients are very different than those from the Midwest American Pales that I am used to.

All in all this was a pretty good beer and easy to drink. I would love to be able to bring this one home and use it as a gateway beer for my non craft beer drinking friends. Lots of flavor, not filling, not bitter! Great for a newbie! I don't give out many 5 / 5's but I think this one deserves it based on being the beer that finally made me "get" the NW style.

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy
Where: Seaside, OR
Price: $$
Score: 5 / 5

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is one of my holiday and winter staples. It is one of those beers that you will have a good chance of seeing in our refridgerator over the next few months. It helps that Cathy enjoy's it, so it is easier to have around than not.

The beer has a reddish brown hazy color with a nice thick head at the top. Sugary lacing follows all the way down to the bottom of the glass. Smells very hoppy, spicy (Christmas spice) and fruity. Tastes very hoppy with a nice slight caramel malt to balance it out. It is a medium bodied beer which helps the session. It is not so bitter that it is overwhelming but hops are the main culprit in the beer. Very good showing for a winter brew.

It is too bad that this beer is only a seasonal brew, because it is probably one of the best beers brewed in the country. I think it is Sierra's best beer for sure. Please give this one a go.

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy / Joe
Where: Home / BORZONE!
Price: $$
Score: 5 / 5

Founders Red's Rye

Red's Rye was my first beer from Founders Brewing. I have heard some great things about this brewery and this beer did not disappoint. What I can't get over is the creepy old man on the label. I can only assume that he is "Red" and it's almost like he is staring right into your soul.

On to the beer...

Red's Rye was right up Cathy's alley as she loves the red/amber ales. Just the right amount of sweet malt and hops for her. I had to agree with her on this, a very nice blend that was easy to drink. Pours a very nice red color with a light tan head. Could really smell the caramel, grapefruit and malted rye. It was such a pleasing blend of the sweet caramel and bitter grapefruit. It kind of felt more like an IPA, but I think the rye malt was what distinguishes it in the end.

A top notch brew and recommended to everyone. I would love to get my hands on another 6 pack soon.

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Great Lakes Burning River

Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale.

One of my all-time favorite beers gets its name from the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River (really it happened: Burning Cuyahoga). The label shows the Cleveland skyline with the burning Cuyahoga River running through it. A nice play on an easy target if you want to make fun of Cleveland.

I have said before that I am partial to the GLBC and almost all things Cleveland (my wife, Indians, Cavs, Cuyahoga Valley Ntl. Park, etc.), but I think that many will agree that this is a solid American Pale Ale. It was in the running for my Session #21 favorite beer but since I hadn't reviewed it yet, I didn't want to choose it.

The beer pours a light copper color with slight white head a decent lacing. Very hoppy citrus and floral smells, but not overwhelming. This medium bodied beer makes it very drinkable and has a very hoppy bitterness at the beginning. You really get to taste the malt and caramel at the end making this a very balanced APA.

I think that GLBC really comes through on this brew and if you haven't given it a try yet, I would recommend that you do.

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Breckenridge 471 Small Batch IPA

Breckenridge 471 Small Batch Double IPA.

Joe brought this down a few weekends ago along with the Lagunitas. That was a great beer tasting weekend, as both have been given 5/5 ratings from me.

Pours a nice orange color with a creamy head. You can really smell the hops, a hint of grapefruit citrus as well as a nice caramel really balances this out.

This beer is not for those who don't like hops. It was a great combination of the malt with the double hops though. Although the bitterness and hops are in your face from the beginning, it wasn't overwhelming. The sweetness of the caramel was their at the beginning, but it isn't enough to take away from the bitter finish. The brewmaster really outdid him/herself with this beer. Even with the high ABV (9.20%) I could sit and have a handful of these.

Highly Recommended!

Who: Joe
Where: Home
Price: Free
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Lagunitas IPA

Lah-goo-knee-tuss...Lagunitas IPA


This was my first experience with Lagunitas Brewing Company, out of Petaluma, California. My brother-in-law Joe brought the beer down from Cleveland last weekend for us to "tailgate" with before the UC vs. Miami (OH) football game Saturday night.

After diving into 3 of the 6 pack he brought, I am wishing this beer was one I could get my hands onto easier. Pours a nice amber color with a slight off white head. The smell isn't as strong as other IPA's but there is a hint of citrus fruit and hops. It was one of the better tasting IPA's I have had in awhile. A very nice blend of the malt, hops and bitter citrus finish. It was full of flavor but easily drinkable. I would very much recommend this beer to any IPA lover.

Who: Joe...Harps was here but wouldn't touch it.
Where: Home
Price: FREE
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Guinness

Guinness Draught

Much better in a pub and actually from the tap instead of the bottle with their fancy nitrogen widget/rocket thing. One of my all time favorite beers, I've been known to kick back a handful of these in one sitting. A lot of my friends think it is very filling and can only have 1. I personally can drink these all night long.

Beautiful black color with an extreme amount of head. Very nice toasted and chocolate smells. Such a smooth drink, even Cathy enjoys them every once and awhile. I can still remember my first one. It was back at home and on my 21st birthday I had this as my "free" beer from the West End Tavern. Very good choice and I haven't stopped drinking them yet.

I would recommend this beer to anyone and strongly suggest having one in an Irish pub where the pour the beer correctly with a sliver spoon. I am waiting on that trip to Ireland someday to have the beer the way it was intended to be served.

Who: Many different people
Where: Many different pubs
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Ballpark Beer and Dog

The Ballpark Beer and Dog

My favorite time of year is here. Baseball always brings great things, Spring, optimism (every team has a chance) and draft beer with hotdogs, pretzels, or nachos.

It doesn't matter that the beer is Miller Lite, Bud Light or Budweiser. Or that it costs $6.50. We don't care. It's all about making the gameday experience more enjoyable. Partnered with a dog and peanuts, there is almost nothing as satisfying.

Cheers to another fantastic baseball season. And I hope all of your teams come out on top.

My MLB Predictions:

American League
East: Boston Red Sox
Central: Cleveland Indians
West: LA Angels
Wildcard: Detroit Tigers

MVP: Alex Rodriguez
Cy Young: Erik Bedard
Rookie: Jacoby Elsbury

National League
East: New York Mets
Central: Cincinnati Reds
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card: LA Dodgers

MVP: David Wright
Cy Young: Brandon Webb
Rookie: Johnny Cueto

Playoffs
ALDS 1: Cleveland over LA
ALDS 2: Detroit over Boston
ALCS: Cleveland over Detroit

NLDS 1: New York over LA
NLDS 2: Arizona over Cincinnati
NLCS: New York over Arizona

World Series: Cleveland over New York

Who: Everyone
Where: Ballparks everywhere
Price: $$$
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Green Beer - St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patricks Day!

America's drinking holiday, where you don't have to be believe in anything to celebrate!

So, to honor this day, here is my review of green beer.

What can you say really, its usually Bud Light or Miller Light with green food coloring. Most of the time you end up with rings of green around your face from all of the drinking. But good times are always had by all. So its really a perfect beer....sort of.

Who: Everyone
Where: Bar's Everywhere
Price: $
Score: 5 / 5

Happy Drinking! --- PS - Be safe today!

Sierra Nevada - ESB

Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer.

West Coast taste on a Extra Special or Strong Bitter. Starts off with a nice amber color and smells of both hops and malt. I was expecting something that was more bitter than it was, but the malt really comes through to sweeten up and to smooth out that bitter flavor.

My brother Cody had asked me if I had tried this beer yet and thought that I would enjoy it. After that conversation it was the next 6 pack that I purchased. He was right and I did enjoy the beer. I have been recommending it to a few friends who enjoy the slightly bitter tasting beers.

What I liked most was the drinkability. I felt I could easily have 2 or 3 and not be tired of it. Not usually likely when it comes to me and the ESB's.

Who: Cathy
Where: Home
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Happy Drinking!

Bells - Two Hearted Ale

Bells Two Hearted Ale.

Hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan - Bells checks in with another fine IPA. This one very easy to recommend to anyone and can easily be drank one after another.

I didn't get a chance to pour the beer out of the bottle when I drank it (so I can't comment on the head), but I could see that it does have a nice dark orange/brown color. The beer also has a nice citrus and floral aroma which is typical of the IPA style. It does have a nice hoppiness but isn't overwhelming, this is why Cathy prefers the taste of the Two Hearted Ale over the previous IPA review (Dogfish Head 60 Min).

Maybe I'm just partial to the regional breweries (Great Lakes, Bell's, etc.), but I really haven't tasted a beer that I didn't enjoy from Bell's. I will be looking to add a few of their brews to my list after we get through the next few months before the wedding.

PS - Sorry about the image, we were inside with hardly any light and I can't use a flash or it blows out the label.

Happy Drinking!

Who: Cathy, Emily, Billy
Where: Allyn's Cafe
Price: $$
Score: 5 / 5