Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster

I tried this bad boy out last night. Recommended trying at least once in your lifetime. Quite strong if I may say so myself. All of the flavors managed to peek throught he bite of the high alcohol content. Quite interesting beer with a citrusey twang at the end.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/73/18421

Yards-- "Saison"

Sierra Nevada Torpedo extra IPA

This Sierra Nevada beer was given to me by a guy on a bicycle. He pulled it out of one of the back pockets of his cycling jersey and gave it to me. He had sunglasses on, his feet were unclipped from the pedals, and his legs were straddling the bike as he handed me the beer. This happened tonight. I was about halfway through an Ommegang while grilling. There was a knock on the door. I had a feeling the knock was coming from the guy on the bike. He had just texted me moments earlier, asking me if I wanted to ride. I told him I couldn't, as I was in the middle of cooking and about to eat. Last night he told me he landed a case of the Torpedo, said it was really good, said it was one of his favorites. Of course, he's really into IPAs. If you give him a beer that says "extra IPA", he's like a pig in slop. I like IPAs and Pale Ales. The double IPAs and extra IPAs, however, are usually a little too much bitter for my sweet tooth. This one, the Torpedo, had a bitter bite. Actually, it was more than a bite. It was more like a chomp. The label on the bottle says, "...aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal characteristics of whole-cone American hops". The citrus was evident, as it is in most hoppy beers. The pine? Tried as I might after a couple of sips, I couldn't detect it. Pine? There was no pine. Not that I've actually tasted a pine cone or anything. I mean, I've smelled pine before. I've had the pine air-freshener thing in my car that dangles from the volume knob on the radio, like everyone else. Taste and smell are two senses that are linked closely together, or so say the human perception psychologists. I get all that. It makes sense. But i couldn't even smell the pine. I don't know the pine taste. The smell of pine? I know it well. So, I'm reading the label, logging on the blog, watching game 4 of the Flyers-Devils playoff series. I'm getting settled in the easy chair, sipping and tasting, waiting for my beer thoughts to come...and then, BAM, I taste the pine! I can only imagine what pine tastes like as I've only smelled it before. If your olfactory nerves are linked with the taste buds, then by holy ham on a sandwich I can taste the pine. Suddenly this beer is magical. It's like one of those 3-D halograms that you stare at, and stare at, and stare some more until you have to go shave again. Out of nowhere the image appears, a slap in the face from a ghost. The Sierra Nevada Torpedo advertises pine, and it subtly creeps into your palate. I wasn't digging this beer at first sip. The hops were a little overwhelming. Grow on me, though, it did. I was liking this beer more as it went down. I don't know that I'd buy a case of this stuff, don't know if I'd turn one down, either. This is a great springtime beer. It fits with the season. I've always liked the smell of pine. Now, I guess, I like the taste of pine too. Tomorrow, I'm going out to the yard to collect some pine cones. I will marinate them and grill them, eat a whole plate of pine. With a side of Torpedo.

Back To Belgians: Leffe Blonde Ale

When you get home from work and crave a beer, nothing tastes better than the first few sips. In fact, Leffe has just filled today's void. The past few months I have been on a bit of a beer drought, drinking only several beers here and there - even on St. Patrick's Day. Can you believe that?

Sure, my normal fare out at the bar would disgust you all - Bud Light is frequented, Blue Moon is a common pleaser, and random Dirty Hoe's (Hoegaarten & frambois) are sometimes visited. But when a long drought of not only beer has occured, but Belgian beer particularly, my taste buds get excited.

Leffe could staunch your thirst for that home-from-work beer; It really does it so well. A murky complexion is she and hardly any bitter taste can be found in this blonde beer. If you're not sure why its called "Leffe", well that due in part to the Abbey it is named after: Notre Dame de Leffe. Sure, if you Wikipedia Leffe beer, you may have actually realized you've stepped on a monster of a beer dating back to 1152. Through floods, The French Revolution and many other instances, the brewery has been destroyed, rebuilt, then destroyed again only to have the faithful come back. For what reason? Beer is my only likely answer here.

Let's get down to the beer itself. I could easily see this one going well with some thick cheese and heavy roast beef since the beer itself lends quite a bit of flavor. Your mouth will be watering for some more before you've realized you blew through a bottle in no time flat. There's a sudsy feeling after each sip. At the end of the bottle, you might trick yourself into thinking there in fact is some bitterness to this one, but alas a friendly bitterness; not one to drive you out of town looking for another beer.

I would highly recommend this beer to anyone I know, particularly those dedicated to Belgian beers. Although if you've been a fan of Belgians, you most likely know about this. So let this be a reminder to you - go out and buy some Leffe. You haven't had it for a while and your taste buds will thank you for it. 8.4 / 10!

???

Where is everyone??

Long Hammer IPA

This India Pale Ale comes out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Red Hook is the brewery.

It pours a cloudy orange. On the scale, it weighs in at 6.5% ABV and 44 IBUs. Both of those numbers are pretty much middleweights, relatively speaking. If you compare this beer to, say, Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA and its 90 IBUs, the hop bite on the tongue isn't that sharp. This Long Hammer is dry-hopped, meaning the hops are added last. Dogfish continually hops their beers, which I guess is why their beers tip the scales in terms of IBUs. This beer was pretty good. The hoppiness was pretty evident, however, not overwhelming. The thing that caught my senses immediately after opening this beer, and while pouring it, was the hop aroma. It smelled great. Overall, a decent beer from a decent brewer. I've had Red Hook's ESB and their Winterhook a while ago. From what I can recall, the ESB was good, the Winterhook not so much. Red Hook has two others I'd like to try: a Belgian Tripel and an Autumn Ale.

If you are a fan of IPAs, I say give this one a try if you haven't already.

Mad Anthony's American Pale Ale

This Mad Anthony's is an Erie Brewing Co. creation. A glance at the label shows a picture of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne looking a little, well, mad. This isn't the heaviest of hitters in terms of alcohol content, but then again, I'm not sure APAs are supposed to be "big beers". It weighed in at 5.5%. A first taste revealed some sweetness. After the swallow, some bitter kicks in. I thought it tasted nicely balanced. I went onto the website and they have a Mad Anthony's bottle on a meter. One side they have "malty" and the other side of the meter says "hoppy". This beer fell dead center on the meter. So, I was right, I knew what I was tasting. My beer tasting connoisser rating just went up. Previously, I might have considered myself a 1/10. Pretty sure I've catapulted to level 2. Anyway, it you haven't been on their website, check it out. The meter on each beer is pretty cool. It makes shopping for your style pretty easy. The beer itself wasn't bad. I'd do it again. Wouldn't mind trying a bunch of their brews, actually. This beer certainly isn't at the top of my list. Doesn't come close to cracking top 10. Not even close to the bottom, either. Like I said, not bad.

My Mad Antony's APA beer pairing recommendations:

-would go nicely with a springtime game of horseshoes

-would blend perfectly with the atmosphere in your buddy's basement playing a few rounds of biliards

also try this beer with:

a football tailgate or a nice game of poker

Boddinton's Pub Ale

This is one quality beer. This is an English draught beer in a can from Manchester, England. It dates back to 1778. This is right around the time the British citizens, its king, its Parliament were cursing the American rebels for having the nerve to revolt against their leadership...and shocking the world to back it up. England must have been reeling. They must have needed something to give their souls a lift from all the money lost, power lost, land lost, control lost from the colonial uprising. Enter some dude in Manchester that concocted Boddinton's. I can imagine England, all of it, rejoicing that something could drown their collecctive sorrows properly. This can contains a pressurized insert so that the beer pours like its frothing from a tap. The picture above is exactly how it looks when its poured. Cascading action abounds throughout the center of the glass, while a creamy heads rises to the top. When first poured, this beer is alive, breathing and morphing. The earth's core comes to mind when describing all the action in this Boddington's Pub Ale. Once things slowed down in the glass, when the beer found its comfort zone, there was a thick, solid, one-inch head. Under the surface, the beer was a pale-golden color. After 20 minutes or so of sipping this beer, a quarter-inch head remained. The first thing that hits the taste buds is the creaminess. Then there is the beer itself: the right marriage of slight bitter and slight sweetness. Goodness. This would be the perfect beer to enjoy during a football game, or hockey game, or while grilling in the winter (did that tonight, lampchops!), or while belly-up at your local pub. Boddinton's Pub Ale delivered and made me an instant fan. I'll add this beer to my preferences list.

Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

Dominion beer is brewed in Dover, DE. This stout is pretty good and this is the time of year to enjoy a stout. Dominion's website boasts of cascading action with the pour. There was none of that in this beer when I poured it into a pint glass. In fact, very little head was visible. It also mentioned that this beer was fermented with vanilla beans, which are evident in the taste. I enjoyed this beer, however, if there was some cascading action, like a good stout should have, I would have given this beer a higher rating. Had this beer been poured from a tap, things may have been different. Overall, this was a pretty tasty stout. And Dominion being semi-local makes it all that much better. I've never heard of Dominion, but now that I've had the stout and liked it, I might have to give their other beers a try.

Thomas Hooker Nor'Easter

The Thomas Hooker Nor' Easter got lost in the beer grabbag for a bit. Hooker Beer manufactures this mediocre Winter Lager. It is 6%, pours with a mega head, and initially tastes like everyone's favorite of yesterday, Yuengling.

It differs from Yuengling in the following beer departments:

• More alcohol
• From CT, not PA
• Malty and wintery spices, not the subtle caramel Lagery goodness
• not a heavy drinking night kind of beer

I am sitting here and blogging and drinking, and just can't really say much more about this beer.

I guess it is just a solid beer, but not one to remember. If it was cheaper by the case, I think I would reconsider it....but on just the merits of a taste it gets a Drinkable rating and a 81/100.

Mitzvah mofo out

where are the people of the blog?

I haven't seen Jake recently (I'll see him tomorrow) Brendan (saw him tonight) on the blog recentley. Do they drink beer anymore? And what about the phantom poster Riggy? And what about that gal Kelly from out of nowhere? I have some beers lined up for the blog, ripe for the posting. Stay tuned.
Just wondering where these peeps are hiding.
Let your voices be heard. This blog is dying a slow death.

Noel Des Geants

Seeing as it's Christmas Eve, I thought this beer would be apropo. I came upon this at the store the other day and decided I had to give it a try. This is a Belgian Ale weighing in at 8.5%. Not a bad brew, not bad at all. I have no idea the cost of a case. I only purchased a single bottle for $2.99. The label on this is nicely done. And I know you can't judge a book by the cover and all, but I have to admit I was attracted to it. This beer is brewed in the medieval castle of Irchonwelz in Ath, Belgium. That's got to count for something, right? Overall, I enjoyed the beer. It was smooth and sweet. I'd rate it a solid 7 out of ten.

Noel!

at least 5 more beers to drink...and here they are...

Fade to Black, by Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado

This is an ale. Like Pete the Protein shake said, probably won't like it.

Next up, Lagunitas Brown Shugga - Sweet Release 9.54% ABV Petaluma, California - another Ale, crap!

Weyerbacher's 1995-2009 FOURTEEN ALE, 11.8 % ABV....a wheat wine ale. I think I might be pouring several of these out...hope not.

Midas Touch, a handcrafted ancient ale 9%, with barley, honey, white muscat grapes & saffron\

and lastly, Southern Tier's Old Man Winter Ale, Lakewood NY

Probably will start drinking soon, why not?

Hibernation Ale by The Great Divide

Another Great Divide beer, and another slight disappointment.

While this Hibernation Ale was eminently "drinkable", I just couldn't quite get into the Christmas spirit with this English-Style Old Ale.....even though it was dry hopped.

It must have been the malty richness that didn't quite do it for me. 8.1% ABV is strong though.

A rating of 74/100, and I would not buy a case of it.

Also, I would rather just stay in hibernation.

Matt the Menorah out (and now I can throw away all of these beer bottles!! lol)

Boulder Beer Company - Hazed and Infused

I keep getting older, and this beer stays the same age. Allright allright! What a great movie, and now a beer named after it. Hazed and Infused, is another dry hopped ale....which I previously notated that I tend to like. I detected a bit of caramel in the beer, and have already drank both (last week) in the case.

I would tend to favor Stone IPA over Hazed and Infused, but it is very drinkable.

It can help wash out the barf out of your mouth, in case you just sampled a Troeg's Mad Elf.

Also, my teeth felt great after drinking it, which must mean there is some hidden flouride in there.

All in all, a 85 of 100 possible drinking points.

Matt the Meatball out

The Mad Elf Ale, brewed with honey and cherries

Beer Advocate gives it a B+, I give it a Barf Plus.

Honey and cherries are just not my thing I guess, in Troegs Brewing Companies' "The Mad Elf" concoction.

I didn't even bother to finish it. The only thing of note, is the 11% alc/volume, and it's local Harrisburgian heritage. Other then that, if served at a party, I would rather drink water.

Mattdav the Mitzvite out.

Another eagerly anticipated beer.... simply by the name, Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale

Just look at this happy ass Santa! Simply the name had me at hello. An even closer look at this gritty Santa on the label, made this beer the next most anticipated of the 12.

I am currently drinking and posting...and I am pleased with the smoothness of this Ale.

Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale - from their own website:

Our Christmas Ale is a robust E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter) full of holiday cheer. Christmas Ale has a lovely, dark red/amber color and a rich, full-bodied, malty taste with a slightly roasted undertone. We brew our Christmas Ale to an original gravity of 1064 (about 6.2% alcohol by volume) using only the finest English Pale and Crystal Malts, with a touch of Roasted Barley as well. A blend of Clusters, Styrian Goldings, Saaz and Yakima Goldings leaf hops round out this hearty brew. Gritty's Christmas Ale has no additives, fruits or spices.

I am not sure I would buy a whole case, but it ranks right behind Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale in terms of flava, but again, it does NOT OVERDO IT!

Drinkable. Get a sixer. Not AI though.

Matt the Mitzvah

My favorite so far....Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale!!

Not sure why the top of this bottle was cut off, but deal with it! This was one of my first beers of the 12 Holiday beers. Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale is a must drink of the holiday season. Not only is a damn good thirst quenching type beer, but it is flavorful enough (but not over the top like some others) I don't want my beers to taste like I am sucking down my Christmas tree water. While it appears from the website as they have not won an award for a while...I will rank it as very drinkable, and a 88 of 100. Matt the Mitzvah approved. Also, it is dry hopped, which my tongue seems to be favoring these days. Give it a drink. Now. Matt the Mitzvah out P.S. I would also buy a whole case of this, its that good.

I just got a case of beer, with 12 different beers.

And will be drinking and reviewing each one this month. It is going to be interesting, as there are a lot of different types and flavors....I promise Matt the Mitzvah will be back in force!

I'm drinking another Affligem and still loving it

cold one