Today's beer adventure: Yellowstone Valley Brewing Black Widow Oatmeal Stout (Montana, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.9% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased during a recent trip to Plentywood, MT. $9.99USD for a sixer plus all the fees the Canadian and SK governments add on at the border....about $13.00 for the six.The pour is almost black with two fingers of dark tan head topping the glass. Decent lacing. Nose is deep coffee, dark cocoa, toasted malt. Pretty simple.The flavour is coffee, chocolate with some bitter hop on the finish. The coffee finish hangs on and on. Further into the glass, you get the alcohol, *slight* dark fruits and some wood as well.Rating is 7/10 dogs. I let the bottle warm to about 10-12 degrees C prior to the pour and it certainly opened up the flavour compared to the previous bottle I had straight out of the fridge. Decent stout.What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/391/2051Brewer's website: http://www.yellowstonevalleybrew.com/BWS.htm
Today's beer adventure: Big Rock Black Amber Ale (Calgary, AB). 355ml bottle. 5.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Given to me by my fellow beer-loving co-worker Rob! FREE BEER!The pour is dark brown/black with ruby highlights when held to the light. Negligible head. Light lacing on the glass. Nose is sweet toasty malt, plum, raisin, coffee, cocoa, toffee.The flavour is of sweet toasted malt, a little bit of coffee, a little bit of chocolate, really not much of the dark fruits that were on the nose. Decent bitter, hoppy, coffee finish.Rating is 6/10 dogs. I remember trying this a few years ago - before I started to really drink different beers - and liking it. This beer is only OK for me now, certainly contains the malt/hop blend that Big Rock would be known for, and that is again OK. The beer is OK..OK?What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/391/2051Brewer's website: http://www.bigrockbeer.com/beer/black-amber-ale
Today's beer adventure: Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (Scotland). 500ml stubby bottle. 6.1% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits. ~$6.00/bottleThe pour is reddish amber with four fingers of white head. High carbonation in glass. Nose is honey-sweet malt, slight sour citrus, a bit of skunky "cerveza" aroma - perhaps from the clear bottle - that seems to subside as the beer warms in the glass. Good lacing.The flavour is sweet malt, lemon, lime, grapefruit, plum. Floral hops. Sourdough bread. Lightish, creamy mouthfeel. Finish is a bit pine-y, grassy. Pleasant flavours.Rating is 6.25/10 dogs. Meh, 'twas OK. The mexican/caribbean beer "skunk" didn't subside enough in the nose and was a bit off-putting. The flavour is alright though without that same "skunk". ABV in North America is substantially higher than the 5.3% in the UK.What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/belhaven-twisted-thistle-ipa-usa/50207/Brewer's website: http://www.belhaven.co.uk/row/belhaven/twistedthistle.php
Today's beer adventure: New Belgium Brewing Belgo IPA (Colorado, USA). 355ml bottle. 7.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased on my driving trip to Las Vegas @ Nellis AFB WalMart. $7.00ish for a sixer.The pour is amber with a HUGE rocky head that lasts forever. High carbonation in the glass. Nose is pine needles, a bit of citrus, cloves, coriander and a bit of sweet malt. Light, bright mouthfeel.The flavour is hoppy as a west coast IPA should be - pine, grapefruit, etc..which are joined by the Belgian spices of a witbier - cloves, coriander. Sweet malt is in the background. Finish is hoppy and pleasingly bitter.Rating is 6.75/10 dogs. This is New Belgium's hybrid of West-Coast IPA and Belgian Trappist styles. Before reviewing it, I had a couple of the bottles on previous days. I didn't love it then. I liked it better once I took the time to taste it, smell it, etc. I would probably reach for other New Belgium offerings first, but this is still pretty decent. Very interesting for sure.What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/new-belgium-belgo-ipa/125809/Brewer's website: http://www.newbelgium.com/
Today's beer adventure: Bad Attitude Two Penny Porter (Switzerland). 330ml stubby bottle. 8.15% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits. ~$5.00/bottle
The pour is dark brown with a bit of a reddish hue when held up to the light. Small amount of lingering tan head. Low carbonation. Nose is of slight wood smoke, walnuts, roasted malt, currants, cocoa and coffee.
The flavour is bitter. Bitter wood char, smoke, coffee, cola(?). Alcohol is barely noticeable. Finish is very woody, but not smoky. Lightish mouthfeel for a porter.
Rating is 7.5/10 dogs. Tried this first at a tasting at Willow Park and figured I would bring some home for further "analysis". I think I liked it better there. Maybe a bit too woody for me, but I feel it is a good representation of a porter.
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bad-attitude-two-penny/150676/
Brewer's website: http://www.badattitude.ch/
Today's beer adventure: Bushwakker Missiletow Ale (Regina, SK). 650ml bottle. 8.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at the Mighty Bushwakker Brewpub. $6.00
The pour is reddish amber with 3 fingers of white frothy head. Lively carbonation. Nose is of toasty malt, slight hop aroma, alcohol.
The flavour shows cherries, raisins, bread, toasted malt and a slight bit of citrusy hops. Alcohol not as present in the flavour as in the nose.
Rating is 8/10 dogs. Nice winter warmer on a cold, rainy June day. I bought this months ago and just found it in the back of the fridge, past it's expiration date (oops). Being the brave soul that I am, AND being of Scots descent - not wanting to waste alcohol - I dove in anyways..I don't believe that the brew suffered much due to being past it's prime. This is one of my favourite brews from BW, so maybe I am being somewhat biased...but it is my blog, so I don't care. This brew is usually available on tap and in bottles around December.
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bushwakker-missiletow-ale/31787/
Brewer's website: http://www.bushwakker.com/
Today's beer adventure: Half Pints Brewing Little Scrapper IPA (Winnipeg, MB). 341ml bottle. 6.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at SLGA. ~$14.00 for a sixer.
The pour is medium amber with 2 fingers of solid white head that sticks around nicely. Nose is of bready malt and citrusy hops. Great lacing on the glass. Light carbonation.
The flavour is light, with the sweet malt out front and the hops in behind. Very smooth and sessionable. Alcohol is not really present. The mouthfeel is bright(?) and despite the lack of carbonation is the glass, it almost sparkles on the tongue...although not in a "bubbly" way. Hard to explain. Medium mouthfeel..maybe a little "heavier" than some other IPA's.
Rating is 7.25/10 dogs. Half Pints is a brewery started by a former brewmaster from Regina's Bushwakker Brewpub. I think this is Regina's loss and clearly Winnipeg's gain, as Dave is very imaginative and talented. Very good brew from Half Pints.
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/half-pints-little-scrapper-ipa/63340/
Brewer's website: http://www.halfpintsbrewing.com/brew.php?id=3
