100 Weeks Final Entry

The gnomes have left. It's my fault though, because I sent them away.

Yes, I never completed 100 weeks of beer/cider. My emotions slumber on this. No pains of regret lance at me nor will I lose any sleep over its incomplete status. Other factors bother me more.

No, I didn't stop enjoying beer or cider. I have my own personal approach to alcohol which, apparently, runs contrary to the typical. I suppose never having explained that makes my indifference seem hollow. I do eventually plan to write it up, but putting one's personal philosophy out in the open is to place it naked before wolves. I'll hesitate a little longer.

Here are my reasons for stopping the 100 weeks of beer/cider:

I) A poor outlet for imagination. I became disillusioned with the need for a blog of this variety. I write six word shorts on Twitter and Facebook, submit -occasionally- flash fiction for publication, and in between school and work, I hammer away at my longer, not-likely-to-ever-be-completed tales. This blog was supposed to be engineered by fairies. Each one plucking and posting the best glimpses from an idle imagination's fantasy fragments. Instead, the greedy little gnomes took over.

The fairies need to reclaim their territory, but they are fickle.

II) Not feeling the need. When I want to know about a beer, I find out what my friends have thought about it, especially if they have similar taste. If they haven't had it, then I check Untappd, Beeradvocate, or Ratebeer.com for what the general populace thinks. I don't check some random blog that has only a couple dozen reviews(like mine!), and sorry Youtubers, I don't watch someone else enjoy the beer. In short, even I don't look at blogs for this kind of information. I'm a big hypocrite for writing this stuff because I rely on the Internet's data focal points for relevant beer information.

With regards to the fantasy genre though, the unique realms of each person's other worlds don't exist in the general. They exist, by default, as outliers.

III) It lacked a personal touch. I thought of turning this more locally minded. I could focus on reviewing local events, bringing my lens onto nearby breweries, and/or talking about what my little beer circle tried each week. However, I just couldn't get fired up about being a little reporter nor could I muster the brashness necessary to flaunt.

Instead, I simply stopped. Well, also, school made me very busy. Anyway...

What's next? Not sure, but I think while the goblins are away, the faeries will play. They've recently discovered fractals and keep trying to merge them with crystal snowflakes. I'll encourage them the best I can, but for now, they are still experimenting.

90/100) Toppling Goliath Five

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Dorothy's. pseudoSue, Golden Nugget, 1492, Rover Truck

I have to praise Toppling Goliath for their bottle art. The colors are bright and vivid. Parts of each bottle glimmer and reflect while the designs just pop out at you. In addition, the labels can be removed easily and placed on other things like stickers. And that is just the outside of the bottle...

Dorothy's New World Lager) Okay... Okay... I really don't like lagers. I know some people that do, but if a lager from even Toppling Goliath can't get my attention, I should probably throw in the towel. But wait, my rant may be for nothing. This beer is a California common lager which means that it undergoes a warmer brewing process than the typical lager. It still doesn't mean that I loved it, but for its style, it is pretty good. ☆☆☆

pseudoSue) or "tropical jungle dinosaur sweat" is amazing. Sweet and full of tropical hop flavors.

That all said, I've recently been told by a friend that these 12oz pseudoSue bottles are brewed in Florida and not actually at Toppling Goliath Brewing in Decorah, IA. I am not sure even to go about confirming this, but the bomber (750ml) bottles of pseudoSue come from the brewery. Which at the very least, might explain why the bombers sell out as soon as they arrive somewhere. They plan to switch to cans here soon. ☆☆☆☆

Golden Nugget) I hate to criticize a Toppling Goliath beer, but I really don't understand the lack of gold luster on the bottle. I understand, of course, that the name is taken from the nugget hops used, but I just want some of that to come through in the art. Regardless, this is a solid IPA. Pine. Evergreen. All those deciduous tree sap flavors come through on a slippery sliding slope of smooth washing green hops. I don't love IPAs because I prefer the malty punch of a DIPA or TrIPA, but I still rather like this one. ☆☆☆☆

1492) In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, or in this case 100% Columbus hops make the 1492. Consider this beer a way for you to experience that hop variety at is epitome. Initially, I didn't like this beer, but it grew on me. The dank almost medicinal touch to this IPA floats soft on the palate. As with all of these TGB brews, the finish was smooth and the beer just plain easy, good drinking. ☆☆☆☆

Rover Truck) The dark one in this bunch. This Rover Truck bleeds oil black dark beer goodness. A rather straightforward oatmeal stout, if you ask me, but I love the rough, roasted feel to the finish. ☆☆☆

89/100) Crooked Stave

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Progenitor, Wild Sage, Hop Savant

Crooked Stave has been placed on my list of must visit breweries. They excel at sours. The ones I have showcased here are largely hop-emphasizing sours. Crooked Stave shines even brighter when fruit has entered the fray though. So, be on the look out for those as well!

Progenitor) Bubbly and grapefruity with a lot of raw sour. I love this. It's so crystal smooth at refrigerator temp. I get a little lemongrass mixed with a touch of lemon heads. Also, true to it's description, this progenitor had a hoppy buzz just on the fringes of its finish and linger. The kind of zest that makes it lively. ☆☆☆☆☆

Colorado Wild Sage) This was amazing. I think I have a new favorite beer. It was exactly what it says. The initial impacts with the lemony liquid sunshine from the runaway Brett. Then as you approach the finish, the sage blossoms spice up the finish with a sharp astringency. The combination of the sour and sage is a double punch for your taste buds. I highly recommend this one. ☆☆☆☆☆

Hop Savant - Centennial) A brett pale ale that was dry-hopped with Centennial hops. For contrast, I also tried the galaxy hops version alongside this. They kept the Brett straightforward and clean so that the hops could play. The centennial version has that good citrus punch and the galaxy version kept its distinct fruity, passionfruit like overtones. Yum! ☆☆☆☆

2017 update: Crooked Stave no longer identifies the hop variety used on their Hop Savant near as I can tell.

88/100) Dragon's Milk Reserve

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Coffee & Chocolate, Raspberries, Toasted Chiles, Triple Mash

New Holland has a penchant for fantasy. They've got their Mad Hatter IPAs and references all over the place from Journey to the West all the way to Ichibod Crane. I am particularly fond of their variations on Dragon's Milk. They use a milk stout as the base for these barrel-aged beers. As you will see though, that base gives them a lot of play, especially with - as one might expect - the high potency of these beers.

With Coffee & Chocolate) Exactly what it claims. Rich with coffee and thick with chocolate, this beer is a tough one to quaff. There's just a touch too much coffee for me on the nose, but the chocolate hangs out on the finish making this one a pleasant one to sip. ☆☆☆☆

With Raspberries) Too syrupy and sweet for me, but I can't deny that the raspberry makes its presence known. Not much else to say about it. ☆☆☆

With Toasted Chiles) Slightly smoked, very sweet, and subtly warming on the finish. This beer was great for taking away the nip of a cold day. Since I don't usually go for spicy beers, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one very enjoyable. Aging it will likely cut away the heat so best to drink it soon, if it is already at the right burn level for you. ☆☆☆☆

Triple Mash) What does Triple mash mean? Well, it means they tripled the grain content of the mash. The end result is a potent 14% Abv. Sip this one. For the love of all that is good, sip this amazing beer. It's super sweet, super dense, and super smooth. Also, it will likely only get better with age, so I've socked some away for later years. ☆☆☆☆☆

87/100) Confluence Virtuous Endeavor

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel

Confluence out of Des Moines Iowa has dropped this set of Belgian classics. The Virtuous Endeavor Series embodies the tradition of Trappist brewing with some robust old world methods touched up by a very modern brewery.

Dubbel) Not as thick as I would have liked, but definitely thicker than a typical beer. The sugar really plays in this one making it a far sweeter Dubbel than usual. ☆☆☆☆

Tripel) This one had a much more grainy mouth feel, which was very appropriate for the style. Sweet and soft, I liked this one a lot, except for the finish. A booziness dominated the finish. Perhaps with time, it could have been aged out, but for now, this Tripel was just too "hot." ☆☆☆

Quadrupel) Amazingly sweet. I thought the Dubbel was sweet, but this one was even more so. Unfortunately, my group pretty much decided this one didn't live up to its style, coming across more as a Strong Dark Ale instead of a Quad. The distinction is hard to make, but when you compare it with a Rochefort 10 or a Gulden Draak Quadrupel, maybe you too can see the difference. Still, regardless of that possibly pedantic or at least quibbling matter, this beer was very enjoyable. ☆☆☆☆

86/100) Unusual "German" Sours

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

I didn't know Germany had sour beers, I thought at was more of a Belgian thing, so I grabbed these three thinking they were all from Germany. Clearly I knew nothing about them before trying them, because the third one on the right is actually a collaboration beer between Belgium and Canada.

Methusalem Johannisburger) Musty black currant juice. I really don't need to say much more than that. It's okay. Extremely light for a sour, not that I am a good litmus test for that. ☆☆☆

Methusalem Holunderheimer) Elderberry with a mysterious smoked touch. Smells like an alt, and is also rather light for a sour. I can barely get any sort of tartness on it, but I guess it is still there. Not a huge fan of this one, though I can say that finish grew on me. ☆☆☆

Shieve Tabarnak #2) An odd-ball Belgian beer. Smells fuzzy and farmhouse like, and the taste is similar to licking an herb garden. Flavors of mint, oregano, parsley, and dandelion all blossom on the taste buds. Perhaps we could call it a saison? Also, unbeknownest to me at the time of purchase, the name is a cuss word. The word "Shieve" means crooked and is a an allusion to a famous architect that I've never heard of. The "Tabarnak," as you might expect, is a bastardization of the word "Tabernacle," and together the words mean something naughty. I'd rather not have supported such juvenile naming practices. Oh well. Decent beer despite that. ☆☆☆

85/100) Green Flash

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Le Freak, Road Warrior, Double Stout

Green Flash hails from California. I know next to nothing about them beyond that, except they excel at IPA beer types.

Le Freak) is a rather aptly named beer. It's a "first-ever" hybrid that has dual fermentation using two different strains. The end result is a conundrum at best. This becomes both Belgian and American in style leaving us with a Belgium-style Imperial India Pale Ale. And it was potent.

The flavors are a bit similar to grapefruit rind with that distinct IPA bitterness on the finish. The background though was where it got playful with some tropical touches. I think they were along the lines of apricot and papaya. ☆☆☆

Road Warrior) I first had this right before I went to see Mad Max: Fury Road. No Joke. It seemed appropriate at the time. Despite how much I don't seem to like hoppy bitter beers, I really like this one. The hops used are still of the bitter variety near as I can tell, but the rye and higher ABV offset that with a lovely peppery bite. ☆☆☆☆

Double Stout) So extremely malty. The goal from the sounds of it was to to make an equally super malty decently hoppy beer. The bitterness is nerfed completely though. Actually it reminds me of a creamier double porter. I really like it but there's something in the finish that isn't perfectly pleasant. I can't say it's acrid or how it reminds me somehow of astringency, but it's an roast flavor that's a bit off. ☆☆☆

84/100) Hard Root Beers

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Coney Island, Not your Father's, Row Hard

Hard Root Beers seem to recently have blown up. At my local grocery store, I can find at least five varieties. Hearing good things about Not Your Father's Root Beer, I decided to check out some others as well. Coney Island Brewing co is a subsidiary of Boston Beer Co, while near as I can tell Small Town Brewery (of Not Your Father's) is independent and Root Sellers is a subset of Weston Brewing Company. I looked into that because their sudden boost in distribution struck me as odd.

Coney Island Hard Root Beer) Is this root beer? It's much sweeter than the others and has lots of vanilla. The finish even has anise (read black licorice) like flavors in it. Other than that, it's very root beer like, but too sweet for my taste buds. ☆☆☆

Not Your Father's Root Beer) This one is like Sprecher's Hard Root Beer, but the raw sarsaparilla finish is a bit more subdued. I got a bit more syrup on this one than the others as well, but I think it was my favorite. ☆☆☆☆

Row Hard Root Beer) A strongly medicinal, herbal hard root beer. The molasses also comes through a bit more pronounced. I didn't really like this one much, but my brother thought it was the best of the three. ☆☆☆

83/100) Mikkeller Breakfasts

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Beer Geek Breakfast, Beer Hop Breakfast, Rauch Geek Breakfast

Beer for breakfast? What else did you think coffee stouts were for? A while back, I brought up Founder's Breakfast Stout before I really knew much about the style. (Founder's Beers) An Oatmeal coffee stout is characterized by a strong, coffee-like malt character with a silky smooth mouth feel. However, Mikkeller, a brewery out of Norway, has make some Breakfast stouts for the beer geek. Suffice to say they went crazy with it. With each of these "Breakfasts,"their potency made it hard to drink more than a few ounces. I could not imagine drinking a full pint of any of them.

Beer Geek Breakfast) Do you need a shot of espresso in the morning? This would work. It is so rich and dark that even light will not penetrate its heavy malts. In fact, when I poured it out, the sediment from the bottom of the bottle came out in large chunks. I'm not sure if that was a good thing, but I drank it anyway. The main flavor was coffee, and I mean straight up coffee right down to the finishing bitter astringency. There was barely any sweetness and very little I could consider chocolate, but the burst of bitter didn't linger. Since I'm not a huge coffee person, I didn't love this one, but you might! ☆☆☆

Beer Hop Breakfast) This was my clear favorite of these three because it reminded me of New Holland's Dragon's Milk Reserve Series Triple Mash. The Beer Hop Breakfast just has a bit more hoppiness, a lot more coffee, and about half the ABV. The hop character came through in the finish as a soft twang, and a sweetness made this beer quite easy to drink. Just like the Beer Geek Breakfast, this beer poured black and filled my nose with a strong coffee beans. ☆☆☆☆

Rauch Geek Breakfast) Rauch means smoked, and in this case, the malts and oatmeal(I presume!) both were smoked before being processed into wort. At some point then, a heaping dose of coffee was added to the mix. In my opinion, the two flavors were both good, but just didn't work well together. In in the initial, the rich, astringent coffee dominates while the finish contained all the smoke. I enjoy smoked beers, but something about this one's finish lacked for me. I think it was that there was no malt sweetness to balance out the smokiness. ☆☆☆

82/100) Buffalo Sweat (All 4)

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Buffalo Sweat, Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat,
Bourbon Barrel Aged Buffalo Sweat, Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon

Happy New Year!

Buffalo sweat is probably not the most enticing name on the surface, but beers have certainly had stranger names (Can I get a Moose Drool?). However, even names as strange as this can tell a lot. The buffalo reference of this beer helps allude to its Midwest origins, the land of prairies and open fields. Specifically, Tallgrass Brewing Co out of Manhattan Kansas makes this line of oatmeal stouts. I couldn't resist a side-by-side so I tried all four alongside each other.

Buffalo Sweat) I always get a slight tinny backdrop to this one when I have it from the can. Try it on tap if you can, it's great. Regardless of that, the upfront flavors are the warm subdued roasted flavors you'd expect from a good oatmeal stout, and the mouth feel is appropriately silky. The only place it lacks is the finish where it rather tapers off into a light wateriness. Still, it's quite enjoyable. ☆☆☆

Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat) Normal buffalo sweat reveals how good of a base it can be with this one. The vanilla bean touch rounds out this beer by giving the finish character. Otherwise, the initial and mid are the same as the last. While I think the vanilla is a bit too light, I do really enjoy this beer and am glad it doesn't over power the taste buds. ☆☆☆☆

Bourbon Barrel Aged Buffalo Sweat) I said that normal Buffalo Sweat lacked a strong finish. Barrel-aging it changed that. It's uncanny how similar these three were on the initial and mid, but this one shone on the finish. The bourbon barrel rounded it out and made it what I would almost consider a perfect beer. It's aged, yes, but it was still a light 5.8% ABV. Somehow Tallgrass aged a beer and didn't skyrocket the ABV into the double digits. For that alone, I'd applaud them, but this beer itself deserves applause. It's soft, silky, and full of flavor. I will keep this beer stocked at home so that I can enjoy it any time. ☆☆☆☆☆

Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon) Yes, that is the beer's name. While a bit ridiculously long, the name lets you know exactly what you're getting. Personally, I would have gone for "Cinnamon Roll Buffalo Sweat" as a name because this breakfast in a can was just that. The vanilla and cinnamon roll into the finish in a direct mimicry of cinnamon roll frosting. The cinnamon while nice at first became too overpowering for me. Great to sample, but hard to just drink a whole can in one sitting. Otherwise still excellent. ☆☆☆☆

81/100) 2015 Sours

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Barrel & Bog, La Folie, Love Child No 5

First off, Merry Christmas! I know this is a bit non-traditional, but this was my way of indulging as Christmas approached.

The thing with sours is that you can never guess whether they are perfect now or ought to have been aged longer. It's like the conundrum: "Is poison past its expiration date, more or less poisonous?" The same can be said of sours, but without the terminal implications. Although, for the uninitiated, a sour beer can certainly be the death of their taste buds. As for me, I really like sours.

Barrel & Bog) The zing of a sour beer, from what I hear, only gets better with time, while all the other flavors will be subdued. This "funky sour" was either opened far too soon or far too late. It was one of the worst beers I've ever had. It finished bitter, but not in a hop bitter more like a medicine, spoiled food, or stale herbs way. I don't want to give you my friend's descriptions of it, because I fear that your appetite will be spoiled. Suffice to say, it was bad. The only positive I can come up with is that the mouth feel was light, and I'm trying to maintain an hopeful optimism that my other bottle will improve the longer I forget it in my cellar. ☆

La Folie 2015) First of all, if you haven't had one of these sours, you can find them just about anywhere now that New Belgium has begun releasing it twice a year. La Folie, or 'the folly,' is a blended sour so from one bottle to the next the flavors are pretty consistent too. This 2015 was a great mix of barrel and cherry like flavors with a lot of layers of complexity that all lead up to a burst of sour. I'm not even going to be nice and say tart with this one. It was straight up sour and though I loved it, it was a palate wrecker making it hard to sample anything after it. ☆☆☆☆

Love Child #5) This barrel-aged sour, as you can tell by the name, is the fifth in the series. The sixth just came out recently, so I've been holding onto mine for a bit I guess. They're a bit expensive and hard to find so people tend to grab them as soon as they're available. This one was eerily similar to the La Folie, but mostly because of the lemony tartness. It was a bit milder though and the barrel aged aspects were just a bit more muted. ☆☆☆☆

80/100) Cold Stouts

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Baltika Brew Collection, Ga-Run, 2 Tun

This week's tasting feels a bit like a cop-out because I couldn't track down a set of three beers from any of these three breweries. However, I suppose that is a testament to how scarce or unusual they are. What they do have in common is that they are darker, stronger, maltier beers, and appropriately, these cold stouts pair best with winter as their high ABV and rich flavors are sure to warm your soul.

Baltika Brew Collection) This Russian imperial stout is straight out of St. Petersburg. Although it had a bit more of the smokiness I'd associate with a imperial or double porter, that was not a disappointment. Lots of depth to this one. Rich and chocolate malts with just a touch of acridness towards the finish. ☆☆☆☆

Ga Run) This Icelandic Stout appeared a little lackluster at first with a distinct lack of amber swirls usually brought on by the effervescence. However, despite fearing it to be flat, the stout came forth with a very pleasant thick mouth feel. The middle characterized itself with a lot of anise and chocolate while the linger remained softly on my palate. I plan on grabbing another of this and hoping that it has more bubbly. I enjoyable it. ☆☆☆☆

Hermitage Ale of the 2 Tun) Do you know what a tun is? No, it's not a misspelling of "ton." Instead, a tun is a large cask or container for beer or wine. It can also be used as a verb to express "putting wine or beer into a tun." In other words, you can "tun beer into a tun."  And while I mulled that over in my mind, I tried this beer. The robust nature of the smoked espresso aroma caused me to over anticipate and expect an equally robust taste and mouth feel.  It didn't deliver. My overall impression instead was of its thin mouth feel even despite the flavors being a nice chocolate ☆☆☆

79/100) Scotland Ales

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Jacobite Ale, House Ale, McEwan's Scotch Ale

Scotch ales. I can only presume they are so named for some connection they have to Scotland. Regardless, the malt isn't necessarily smoked, but the wort is boiled in such a way as to impart caramel notes and a bit of a roasted backdrop.

The two beers on the left come from Traquair which claims to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Considering it was a hunting lodge back in the 1100s that is pretty impressive.

McEwan's is also a Scottish brewery that has been around for a long time. They will celebrate their 160th anniversary next year.

Jacobite Ale) Both this one and the following Traquair ale are quality scotch ales. I usually get a lot of banana on this style but not the case on these two. Brewed with coriander, the Jaocobite had just enough for it to be subtly present, but what I had not anticipated came in the form of soft caramels and a subtle sweetness on the finish. Not too complex. Not in your face about anything, but not a pushover. This one is just plain good drinking. ☆☆☆☆

Traquair House Ale) There's a sweetness to this scotch ale that was smooth and unassuming. Place a burger alongside it though and you have reached perfection. It isn't overly fizzy, and the flavors are mellow enough to entice. Not to mention that the finish has just enough biscuit to give it some density. ☆☆☆☆

McEwan's Scotch Ale) As previously mentioned, my problem with Scotch Ale's has been that they often end up giving me a finish that feels a lot like bananas. I've been taught this is coming from "esters." I'm still not up and up on what that means, but I don't like what makes the banana-y flavors. Since I did not get banana on this one or the previous two, I have this theory that maybe scotch ales made in America are different in process from their UK counterparts. Kind of like how there are American IPAs and Belgian IPAs. What set this one off from the other two was a light marzen-like musty touch that changed to a finish that felt peated even though this ale wasn't. ☆☆☆☆

78/100) Canada's Big Rock Brewing

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Warthog, Scottish Heave Ale, Abandoned Abbey

I made a trip up to Canada a while back with a friend. We didn't make it to this brewery, but I picked up some of their beers. They seemed to have decent reviews and the bottle/can art looked nice. Yes, I judged a beer by its cover. The whole world of Canadian beers is just too new to me, so I had to come up with some way of not spending three hours just deciding what to bring back. I know. Excuses.. Excuses..

Warthog) An English mild is mild, as one might say. For me, I imagine this beer to be something an old British colonial might reminisce over. Ah, I dare say, this reminds me of the Savannah and warthog sweat. Nasty buggers, you could smell them before you saw them. And they always had the indecency to show right during a meal. Ugh. Or something like that. Really, the taste has nothing to do with warthog stink, but I also don't have enough experience with the style to evaluate whether it is representative or not. There was one background flavor in the finish that I didn't like. It reminded me of the way mildew smells. Otherwise good. ☆☆☆

Scottish Heavy Ale) For me, this is one of Big Rock's winners. The smoothness of this wee heavy remained light without being watery. I got lots of sorghum/molasses in the middle and later on in the linger as well. A bit of fruits, apricot and golden raisin, filled out the finish. I'm sure it baffles you as much as me, but I still don't know exactly why this kind of beer is called a Scottish Heavy Ale. It's not heavy. It's light in color and impact. And I'm not sure what makes it Scottish. Regardless, I love it. ☆☆☆☆☆

Abandoned Abbey) Found deep in a hidden valley shrouded by mist at the Abandoned Abbey, this dark strong ale was enjoyable. Firstly, I'm big on having a good thick mouth feel for Belgian styles, and this one's mouth feel was moderate at best. Also, Belgian style beers tend to have lots of layers of complexity. This one though came across a bit monotone. Negatives aside, the dark fruit flavors smacked of plum and though it was straightforward to me, it might make for a good gateway Belgian for others. ☆☆☆

77/100) More Ciderboys

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Magic Apple, Cranberry Road, Pineapple Hula

Ciderboys. After how excellent their Peach County was, I had to come back for more of their combination ciders. This time we take a walk down Cranberry Road as we brandish our Magic Apple. The army of Pinapple Hula dancers will never see us coming.

Magic Apple) was just what it said it would be. As an apple cider with strawberry, initially, I thought the balance was good, but the strawberry grows in intensity until you can only taste it. At least it was a very fresh strawberry flavor. If you don't love strawberries though, you probably won't find it as overpowering as I did. ☆☆☆

Cranberry Road) was a perfect marrying of flavors. Perhaps, I am biased towards tart/sour beers/ciders, but I really enjoyed this one. Try it on a hot summer day and see if you disagree. I can't help but wonder if the cranberry road is much like the yellow brick road, and if there is a Dorothy or perhaps an Edith, who needs to travel that road for her homesickness to be cured. Either that or I need less cider in my life because my judgment is becoming obscured. I'll just have to watch out for flying monkeys, I suppose. Knowing my dreams though, they'd be flying tapirs. ☆☆☆☆

Pineapple Hula) unlike the magic apple, the pineapple did not come across as overdone. However, pineapple just might not be my favorite flavor as I found it hard to want to come back for more. You get a bit of the apple towards the beginning, middle, and finish, while the linger leaves you with that fresh pineapple sweetness. So, they succeeded at making what they set out to make. ☆☆☆

Bonus: Why Tapirs? In Japanese mythology, the Baku (Tapir) eats people's dreams.

76/100) More Woodchucks 2

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Pear, Lemon Shandy, Smoked Cider

The woodchuck, how much could he chuck? Well, if he'd get out of the apples already, we'd have a clearer idea. The closest we got to solving this age-old conundrum is the Cellar Series Smoked Cider. It took a bit to get the woodchuck out of that woody smokehouse. Instead of chucking more wood on the fire though, he ran off with some delightful smoked apples.

Pear) I don't really need to say more about this one than that it tasted like a ripe brown pear. If that's what you want in a drink, this is it. If not, run screaming. Or just don't drink it. Me, I enjoyed it. ☆☆☆

Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy) and just like it's name this one is indeed crazy. I'm not sure what Woodchuck was going for on this one. Perhaps a cider shandy? The result was very sweet, tart, and lemony. I couldn't finish it because the flavor reminded me too much of either green apple jolly ranchers or lemon heads that got dissolved into a normal cider. I usually try to come up with something positive about a drink, but I am having trouble on this one. I'm too lazy and this lemon crazy drink made my thoughts hazy. ☆

Smoked Cider) As much as I love this one I know it is not for everyone. The apple mash was smoked before being processed into cider, and the end result was a very smoke-heavy cider. No surprise there. The apple flavors are a bit on the stronger side of a deep amber cider, but they are subdued. Drink this while having a pork chop, bacon, or something else equally greasy. It goes amazingly well with them, and also works well as a a glaze. It's bottled instant smoked sweetness. Try it sometime! ☆☆☆☆

75/100) Founder's Backstage Series

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Dissenter, Blushing Monk, reDANKulous

Founder's normal fare is already something I can consider a safe bet on any occasion. This time I amassed a couple of their rarer fare, bottles that were part of their backstage series. They were all seasonal and harder to find that I expected. I also have to apologize for the wonky photo. Something Redankulous has crept into it. Just when I was going to give up and post only about two beers, I found myself a third.

Dissenter) Nay? Nay! Nay I say. Lagers are not for me. And, then for such dissenters like myself, Founder's came along and made an Imperial Pale Lager which is a hopped up stronger lager. This one had light citrus hops, a touch of bitterness on the finish, and smooth malty characteristics that gave it body. It's probably one of first lagers that I've rather liked, albeit it is an imperial one, and a rather robust one at that. I am not a dissenter over this beer. Excellent. ☆☆☆☆

Blushing Monk) The Blushing Monk is essentially an imperial Rübæus. If you haven't had a Rübæus before, you are missing out. If you haven't had a Blushing Monk though, you're really missing out. I suppose that is unless you dislike raspberries, because both are the epitome of what a raspberry beer can be. You get fresh berries on the nose and through to the finish. It was lovely, and I want another. ☆☆☆☆☆

reDANKulous) First of all, the name is awesome. I just wish the font reflected the emphasis that Founder's official spelling does. DANK is the only part of it that should be capitalized. The bottle confuses this by having all the letters uppercase, but I suppose at least "dank" is a font size or two larger. Regardless, this was a crazy IPA. The pine resin hop punch lingers and lingers, but before you reach that you have to wade through a misted jungle of tropical hop flavors and earthy malts. If only the 60s weren't so lacking in beer this unusual, I might describe this beer as a bottle-shaped time capsule back to beaded curtains and shaggy carpets. ☆☆☆☆

74/100) Samuel Smiths (Dark Beers)

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Taddy Porter, Imperial Stout, Yorkshire Stingo

Samuel Smith's is most well-known for its organic and fruit-based beers, but did you know they made stouts, porters, and barrel-aged ales? Not only are the bottles classy, but the beers are quite good and affordable. Quite affordable. 

Taddy Porter) An unusual porter that at first spiked on my tongue with an astringency in the finish that I wasn't sure I liked. It was light and somewhat uninspiring at first. Because of that, Taddy wasn't the kind of porter that I expected to like, but I did. The flavors grew and though it was not creamy, thick, or sweet, the smoothness to that ale and the dry finish won me over.  ☆☆☆☆

Imperial Stout) Engine oil dark at only a 7% ABV, this beer surprised me before I even opened it. A little sweeter than I expected with a backdrop that touched off reminders of soft candies and powdered sugar. The finish was not harsh, like a Russian Imperial, but not really smooth either. The middle and linger boasted lots of spices and dark fruits, and while clearly a malt-heavy stout the usual malt flavors were rather muted. Instead if I could I'd classify this as an herbal stout. ☆☆☆

Yorkshire Stingo) Molasses and sorghum syrupy touches rested in the backdrop on this one. It finished very dry and perhaps because of that, the nose was subtle to nonexistent. The middle had a bit of raisin or dates. Honestly, one of the more unassuming aged ales I've had. Despite it's strong ABV, the flavors were light and slow. A nice change of pace from my heavy usual fare. ☆☆☆☆

73/100) Mexican Inspirations

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Oculto, Cocoa Mole, El Mole Ocho

I'm not sure when the craze started, but a growing abundance of tequila-touched or Mexican-flavor oriented beers have started appearing. While most of us know or have experienced tequila, Moles (pronounced Mow-laze) can be a bit of an unknown. They manifest as dark sauces that vary in flavor from spicy and smokey to bitter and sweet, but all go very well with Mexican food or even Tex-Mex. I rather like moles so I am stoked to see that flavor profile is being set into beers.  

Also who could forget? Tomorrow's Halloween! What better way to celebrate than with a Dia de Los Muertos themed beer? Check out these one's from last year: Dia de Los Muertos Beers 

Oculto) First of all, this beer is not "craft." At best it is pseudo-craft, because its being produced by an offshoot of Anheuser-Busch. Doesn't mean it's not potentially worth a shot, but I just had to find out why practically overnight this beer spread all across the nation. When you're an InBev beer, you get all the perks of distribution that their massive company has to offer.

Oculto means "Hidden" in English. This drink is.. odd. I get the agave qualities, but there is too much tequila flavor. Truthfully, I'm still debating whether or not "tequila flavor" is an appropriate description. However, I can't say "the tequila" since there was no tequila in this beer. I had a lot of trouble drinking this one enough so that I can say I did not like it. I even added a splash of lime juice to fix that. It changed to tasting a bit like a Corona. I can't say that was an improvement. Funny thing is that I really wanted to like this one too. The bottle has some wicked ribbing and a cool day-of-the-dead skull. I didn't though. ☆  

Cocoa Mole) had lovely chocolate touches and a subtle burn on the finish. Even a bit of smokiness from the chipotle came through. The bottle's art though confused me. It's Day of the Dead-ish, yes, but that's not what baffled me. Why the odd color scheme? If anybody knows why, let me know. I couldn't figure it out. Regardless of the external oddness, the internal contents were excellent. I bet this one would go great with chips and salsa while I've got my legs kicked back watching a movie or a game. ☆☆☆☆

El Mole Ocho) First off, there is no El Mole Siete, Seis or any other permutation in Spanish. There is only this one, err eight?
As to the actual beer, it was very similar to the Cocoa Mole with a solid balance of heat, spices, and smoke. Something was different though that made me like this one better. I think it was the more robust chocolate, or some spice that might have been clove. However, this one looked amazing when poured into a glass. The golden amber's waters swirled below a wispy smoke of trailing foam. I'm adding this beer to my "must have on hand" list. ☆☆☆☆☆

72/100) Stone W00T

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Chai-Spiced, HiFi+LoFi Mixtape, W00tstout

My Birthday was this week and these seemed like the most appropriate beers to celebrate my further aging into wackiness. How often do you find a chai-spiced stout after all? That one's odd enough, but the Hifi+LoFi Mixtape is a combination of barrel aged and a young un-aged ale. And finally, you have the crazy collaboration with Wil Wheaton, the Stone's Farking Wheaton W00tstout! W00t!

Chai-Spiced Imperial Russian Stout) The chai spices were in the aroma, the finish, and hover in the linger. They succeeded in making exactly what they set out to make, but I am not sure if I really want it. I'd like to mix it with a dairy liquor to see if it can become a chai milk tea. Soy milk didn't work all that well. I am unfortunately allergic to dairy so I couldn't actually try anything beyond the soy milk I had on hand. I hope someone will experiment further! ☆☆☆☆

HiFi+LoFi Mixtape) had an aroma of mahogany. To combine my friend's thoughts on this beer: It's like "licking furniture, but I like it." This beer seemed confused like a barrel got varnished and then grew a crazy hair. The bitterness was low, but the finish remained moderately boozy. This "MidFi" if you will, was an interesting experience, but probably not again for me. ☆☆☆

W00tstout) was extremely easy drinking for all that ABV. The booziness only crept into the backdrop as it warmed up. The finish has just enough harshness that I think it would be a lot better with a little age on it. The chocolate and wheat combination came through as it warmed, but remained muddled against a faint unremarkable aroma when it was cold. Somehow the combination of it all reminded me of liquefied chocolate wafer sticks. Yum! I'll be socking a bottle away for a while (6-12 months) and looking forward to how it smooths out. W00t! ☆☆☆☆