SLACKERS!!

Are you freaking kidding me! Look I know we have alot going on in our lives, babies, moving, Conference in Las Vegas, etc etc. But the fact that we as the beer geeks have not posted anything in the past months is in all ways unacceptable! In the world of beer there has been just as much going on as in our lives and we owe it to everyone to at least try! right? So here will be my attempt to do better and we will start with one of the best beers I've ever had. To the left you will see one of them many new brewery's we have access to now right here in Springfield. They are a major pleaser with everything I have tried from them being really good or just downright amazing! They do hops well and they kick the living shit out of some stouts and porters. The breakfast stout pictured received one of my highest reviews ever 4.8 out of 5 and they have one that is suppose to be better which I still cannot wrap my head around that thought!

We may have talked about this one in the past, I had it about a year ago on tap in Las Vegas and it was wonderful. Now though we have access to Big Sky brewery in town, most every Brown derby carries it and the lineup is really good. They are headlined by their Moose Drool brown and IPA. The brown I would recommend to anyone from a 1st time craft drinker to the seasoned beer geek, the IPA is pretty strong so might wanna start somewhere a little lighter if you are just getting into IPA's.

I'm gonna leave this one as a hint for my counterpart to get his ass in gear and start posting too, as I am positive he has alot to say about this!

Summer Summmer Summmer Time!

Ok this is something me and Nate both have to put a major focus on. Whats is the best time of year to sit outside and have a few beers with some friends? Summer time! This unfortunately for me and Nate is our least favorite time for seasonal beers, and its really hard considering we just came out of our favorites, fall for me and winter for him, but there is damn good news!

We will start with Boulevard and if you need to ask why read some of the other blogs we posted and I'm sure it will become clear! Not necessarily their seasonal lineup we will look at but rather a new year round offering they have. Single Wide IPA great brew nice bitter hops and very refreshing. A good IPA for you guys out there looking to jump into this style, its strong but not a real "big" IPA think its something that you could settle into very easily and be a great gateway into this amazing style.This one will be a constant in the fridge this summer.

Next up Sierra Nevada and man did they ever hit a home run with their new year round. Torpedo Extra IPA. Now for people looking to jump into the style I would warn you a little harder on this one. Fresh very citrusy hops are all over this beer, has a great bitter hop bite to it and is a little less forgiving than the Boulevard. While this would be a staple in me and Nate's fridge at this time and all thru the summer the unfortunate end to that is no one can find it anywhere! They sold out and according to our sources will not be catching up till the fall. But it is year round so we will try and get thru it.

Lastly I'll hit you with the seasonal of the season! Bells Oberon, there really is not enough you can say about this beer. It's hard to really turn someones head for a summer seasonal because you are going for a nice crisp clean beer, something very refreshing and don't wanna make it to heavy with a boatload of different flavors. Bells, as they have a habit of doing, made an incredible summer with Oberon, its all the things listed about but does have a great amount of flavor, while I have not had it this year when I was at Nate's the other day he had picked up his 1st six of it so I'll leave it to him for now to tell you how it is this year. And for the finale it comes in a mini keg!!!

Nates Chime in: Oberon this year is really quite a special addition to the summer seasonal rotation. Smells of rich wheat malt and a bouquet of spices and grassy hops. This beer touts a refreshing array of citrus and coriander with a moderate hop bite in the end and a smooth and easy drinkable finish. There is hardly any summer seasonal that can take the Oberon down. Drinkable, refreshing, and FLAVOR!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Heading Down a new Boulevard

So I know you might be thinking "These guys talk a lot about Boulevard Brewing". I'll tell you why. Boulevard is semi-local to us in springfield and they have been really making waves in the brewing world lately. If you reference our previous post "Smokestack Series you can find out about the other members but this is about the Limited Release Smokestack Offerings. In the past months, Three World class Beers have been released by Boulevard and all of them have been met with high expectations. The offerings include a Saison-Brett, a Bourbon Barrel Quadrupel (a Barrel aged version of their Sixth Glass), and a new Imperial Stout. These beers are available at area Brown Derby stores in limited quantities, in fact the BBQ is already gone from store shelves. You will not be dissapointed.

Bourbon Barrel Quadrupel: 11.8% ABV
Bottle 3104 of 10630

poured a tobacco brown with a thick cloudiness. a thick head dissapates quickly.
smells like the Sixth Glass with a hint of bourbon and dark Cherry, a definite Woody nose.
Tastes incredibly complex. Sixth Glass, plus a extra sweetness. A definite Sour Mash Whiskey flavor with a strong Figgy undertone. Greatly similar to the original Sixth Glass but distinctively better.
mouth is thick and smooth, medium carbonation. Truly a great variation of the quadrupel. Boulevard impresses me again

Saison-Brett: 8.5% ABV
Bottle 10923 of 11950

poures a pale yellow, cloudy with a thick and very active head. lacing it thick and patchy. floating Brett yeast gathers in the bottom of the glass.
smells floral, grassy hops and a peppery nose with a hint of cloves and the bret yeast. wow this smells good.
taste is an explosion of complex flavor, the yeast is overpowering the spiciness, strong reminicense or pepper and clove. a grassy hop is present in the finish
mouth is clean and crisp, carbonation is medium/heavy and drinks easy. I drank a glass with a bowl of venison chili and it paired amazingly well. definitely worth whatever price you have to pay for it.

Imperial Stout: 11% ABV
Bottle 7778 of 11960

-Poured into a Smokestack Chalice. Pours a Deep opaque black, Thick rocky two finger head that settles like sand. As close to a nitro-tap settling as I've ever seen in a bottle. head leaves a nice patchy lacing.
-Smell is rich malt, some rye and oat malt. a brown sugary nose is relenquished by a alcohol twinge in the nose. A very distinct yeast profile is so incredibly enticing. Absolutely amazingly complex.
-Suprisingly I taste hops first, but is quickly overpowerd by rich but subtle malts. I sense some fig and vine fruit in the aftertaste. Incredibly complex with a bitter-sweet overall complexity. Approach is bitter but finishes sweet and smooth. Not as creamy as some other RISs but I don't think RIS is in a league all it's own.
-Mouth is rich and viscous, this one really sticks with you while you attempt to finish off the bottle. For future reference I might want to split one, but this bottle is all mine. MuaHA HA HA!