Saison du BUFF Dogfish Head

Saison du BUFF is a really exciting beer. It’s a fantastic collaboration between some big hitt

Petrus Aged Pale (Flanders Oud Bruin)

Sour beers are interesting; you either love them, or hate them, or (hopefully) learn to appreciate t

Bristol Brewing Company

I don’t venture to the Springs too often (for those of you outside of Colorado…Colorado

 

Saison du BUFF Dogfish Head

April 29, 2012 in ale, beer, craft beer, Dogfish Head

Saison du BUFF is a really exciting beer. It’s a fantastic collaboration between some big hitters: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE), Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA) and Victory Brewing Company (Downington, PA). Saison du BUFF was first brewed at Stone in 2010, and then replicated at each of the other two breweries – same recipe, same ingredients, three different breweries.

Saison du BUFF is a 6.8% ABV Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Dogfish Head version has a medium body, crisp finish. The spices this beers is brewed with is very pronounced, but it’s an excellent combination. I’m going to hold onto a few bottles and save it for the fall (when I’m particularly craving a good spiced beer). Perhaps I’ll crack it during Turkey Day this year. 

BUFF is brewed three times, once at each brewery using the same recipe. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the first version this years from Dogfish Head.

The expected release dates for each brew are as follows:

  • Dogfish Head – March 2012 release
  • Victory Brewing – April 2012 release
  • Stone Brewing Co.- Late May 2012 release

Dogfish Head

320 Rehoboth Avenue

Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

www.dogfish.com

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Petrus Aged Pale (Flanders Oud Bruin)

April 19, 2012 in ale, pale ale, sour

Sour beers are interesting; you either love them, or hate them, or (hopefully) learn to appreciate them.

The first time I tried a sour at GABF in 2010 with BeerSnobDaddy I said aloud, “Why is this even a beer?” But I’ve grown to have a great fondness of sour beers, and Petrus is a sour worth seeking out.

Petrus Aged Pale (Flanders Oud Bruin) from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium. It’s gold in color, with just enough head on the pour. It’s aroma is sweet and tart, with green apple, citrus and a bit of oat (it’s been aged in an oak barrel, so I’d think so!). It’s sour, but not too sour, very smooth and drinkable. Someone said to me it tastes like a Sweet Tart to them. 7.3% ABV.

A little about sour beers: brewing is done is a sterile environment, sour beers are made by allowing yeast strains or bacteria into the brew. Often times brewers will add fruit, like cherries or raspberries during the aging to cause fermentation. These beers are unpredictable and take months to ferment and sometimes years to mature.

The next time you come across a sour beer, really take the time to smell and taste what’s in your glass. Enjoy!

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Bristol Brewing Company

March 17, 2012 in ale, beer, brewery, colorado, craft beer, hops, IPA, porter, Uncategorized

I don’t venture to the Springs too often (for those of you outside of Colorado…Colorado Springs), but I did so happen to. Not only does the Springs have a phenomenal view of Pikes Peak but it also has Bristol Brewing.

I got a sampler to get the whole Bristol gambit. Let’s break it down starting with their regulars: Compass IPA is a big hops beer with a nice malty finish. It’s an American-style IPA at 6.5% ABV. Laughing Lab Scottish Ale giving you a malty, mildly sweet but nutty smooth ale at 5% ABV (its even got a few metals under its belt). Next, Red Rocket Pale Ale, yes Bristol is named for a lab, you get the picture about the naming scheme. Red Rocket is a malty pale ale with a nice, crisp finish dry-hopped with four different hops.

Now a bit darker of the regulars Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout, made with roasted barley malt with 100 pounds of flaked oats. Although

it technically is winter, although 65 deg. at the time, it’s a great smooth, rich winter stout. 6% ABV. Next is the Smokebrush Porter, a nice rich porter with a bit of a smokey finish with notes of caramel, chocolate and smoked oats. Very drinkable at 6.1% ABV.

Now let’s get on to the winter seasonals. I’ll mention the Parental Disorder with black malt liquor, flaked oats, malts and chocolates. If you’re familiar with my beer tastes, you know I’m not a fan of Belgium style beers. However the Black Fox “Som” is a phenomenal Belian Saison made with Ghiradelli chocolate, caramel and vanilla beans. I thought it was truly fantastic. Yes, I liked a Belgium style beer! I actually bought a growler to savor at home.

Bristol Brewing Company
1647 South Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
(719) 633-2555
www.bristolbrewing.com

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New Belgium Cocoa Molé – Lips of Faith

February 20, 2012 in ale, beer, brewery, chili, chocolate beer, colorado, craft beer, Fort Collins

The big VDay, I had an hankering for some chocolate-style beer. I’ve had my eye on New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series, Cocoa Molé for a while now. It was the perfect occasion to indulge my chocolate desires .

I’ll simply say, when Cocoa Molé hit my lips, my knees went weak. It was love at first taste. It’s immense flavors of cocoa, chili and cinnamon swirled in my mouth. This delicious dark ale is full of cocoa, and three types of peppers: ancho, guajillo and chipotle. You can taste the peppers, but it has quite a bit of caramel and chocolate malts for a fantastic fusion of flavor.

I enjoyed it so much, I polished off the bomber bottle, and a couple days later shared another with a couple of friends in the ski condo.

New Belgium Brewing Company

500 Linden Street
Fort Collins, CO, USA
(970) 221-0524
www.newbelgium.com

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Ghost Face Killah

February 9, 2012 in ale, beer, Boulder, brewery, chile beer, chili, colorado, craft beer, hops, twisted pine

I like beer. Hoppy beer, dark beer and even…hot beer! I recently tried the Ghost Face Killah from Twisted Pine Brewery in Boulder, Colo.

I’ve heard rumors about this beer; it’ll burn all the way down, you may not survive the first sip, and for most, that may be true. Gost Face Killah is brewed with 6 peppers (some may call crazy hot!): Anaheim, Fresno, Jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero and Bhut Jolokia – aka Ghost Pepper.  The Ghost Pepper punches 200 times the heat of jalapenos, sitting at over 1 millions Scoville units (Jalapenos, Anaheim and Poblano between 3,500-8,000 and Serrano’s at 10,000-23,000, you get the picture!). The Guinness World Records certified the Ghost chili as the hottest peppers in the world. The brewers even had to wear masks and gloves to cut them up! Yikes!

You think I’m hyping the beer up? Go ahead, try it yourself, I dare ya! I’m a Southwestern girl, and I can burn my face-off with chili’s, hot sauce and go for more, I’m not going to lie, Ghost Face is a Killah! Upon my first sip, I was really anticipating the chili pepper taste to be as strong as its aroma. It has a nice, light wheat flavor, then the temperature rises and the heat kicks in. It’s burn lasts throughout your mouth and the back of your throat. How’s the finish? HOT! Although, it’s a well balanced beer. Truly, if you dig chili-style beer, as I do, and can handle heat, you’ll enjoy all 12 ounces of it.

This beer is seasonally available in CO, NE, NM, FL, MO, TX and LA.

Twister Pine Brewing
3201 Walnut Street, Suite A
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 786-9270
twistedpinebrewing.com

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Aspen Brewing Company

January 13, 2012 in Aspen, Aspen Brewing Company, beer, brewery, craft beer, IPA, porter

I spent a week in the mountains on a Hut Trip without cell or Internet srvice. So what’s the first thing I did when I returned to civilization? Aspen Brewing Co. of course!
Aspen Brewing is a small brewery, with a great locals feel and the sweetest pit bull puppy wandering around. While I was at Aspen Brewing I had a couple of their tasters on tap (which was only four at the time), and had a great burger from the restaurant downstairs.
On the second story surrounded by shops in downtown Aspen, with a fantastic view of the slopes, I’m sure Aspen Brewing Co. throws one hell’ofa après ski party!Conundrum Red Ale has a sweet malty profile with a bit of caramel, with a finish of light hoppy bitterness. But, not as hoppy as a pale or IPA. As I love porters, I also tasted – and enjoyed their Pyramid Peak Porter (named for, well Pyramid Peak in the Elk Mountains, 14,018 feet). It’s a bit smokey, definitely malty, dark (black malts) and smooth! And then of course I had a pint of the Independence Pass IPA. A good IPA for hop-lovers. Hints of citrus, ending with a smooth finish and a nice libral-hoppy bite. Another of their regulars is the Ajax Pilsner, which I didn’t try, but it’s worth mentioning that Ajax is Aspen’s local name for Aspen Mountain.
Aspen Brewing Company
304 E. Hopkins Ave.
Aspen, CO, 81611
(970) 920-2739

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Winter Ale Spiced Cookie

December 20, 2011 in baking, beer, craft beer

Winter Ale Spiced Cookie 

12 oz bottle of your favorite winter ale
2 tablespoons of honey
1 ½ sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all–purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon all-spice
Zest of one orange
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 cup sugar for dipping.
Step one: Combine 12 oz bottle of your favorite winter ale with the honey in a small saucepan. Boil this over medium heat and reduce by approximately half. You will need to remove foam throughout this process. This process takes around 20 minutes but doesn’t require constant attention. You will have around a half a cup of sweet liquid at the end of the boil.
Note: You will boil off the alcohol during this process – so you won’t get an “added bonus” from these cookies.
Step two: Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add egg, vanilla and beer mixture. Mix together baking soda and flour and combine with the liquid ingredients. Finally, add the spices and nuts. I might add dried cranberries or golden raisins to it when I make this recipe again.
Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll one-inch balls of dough and dip in cinnamon sugar mixture.   Flatten lightly with the palm of your hand. If the mixture is sticking to your hands – wet your digits lightly and continue.
Bake for 15 -20 minutes – until lightly golden.
Modification: Pumpkin beers, espresso stout, vanilla porter. Happy Baking!

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