Birthday Beer 12/15/2009 and 12/16/2009

Eitan: Going out for dinner for my birthday does did have a bunch of advantages. One of them being good food, the other, good beer.

At the Farm on Adderley I had two beers. The first beer was the Southern Tier Harvest Ale. I wasn't happy how it was poured from the bottle, but the beer was pretty good. Nice golden color with a foamy white head. It had a nice hoppy smell. However, the hops taste was not so overwhelming, a nice mix of crisp bitter grapefruit with a hint of sweetness, possibly something like apple. It was very crisp with a nice medium body. Overall a very enjoyable and drinkable beer.

The other beer I had at the Farm was a Belgian one. It was La Botteresse Noire. The had a blonde and another one, but I went with the Noire. It was poured from an 11.2 oz bottle in to a La Chouffe glass. It poured a dark brown color with a huge amount of beige colored head. It had a smell of a good amount of spices and a mix of sweetness. Something along the lines of caramel, licorice and dark fruits, like plums. It had a taste that was similar to a barley wine. At 10%, it was close to being somewhere between a triple and a quadruple. It tasted a bit spicy with some molasses sweetness and plum or prunes. You could slightly taste the alcohol, but it was not off putting at all. It was a medium/heavy body brew, not super smooth, but entirely drinkable. Very good if drinking it slow and savoring all of it.

The second night of dinner, at Markt, I decided on the Maredsous 10 -Triple. It is definitely a modest triple. It is not the best triple out there, but it is good beer to have nonetheless. It was poured from a bottle into a Maredsous wide flute glass. It had a nice amber color with about 1/2 inch white head, with slight retention and a bit of lacing. It had a spicy and sweet smell to it. I would say a heavy mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It started of tasting more on the spicy side with a hint of sweetness and finishing on the spicy side, there was a hint of the taste of the alcohol. It had good carbonation and a medium body. It definitely felt a bit warm while drinking it.

It's Holiday Ale Time 12/9/2009

Eitan: Oh its the most wonderful time of the year, to find awesome Holiday Ale. After a few busy weeks of not being able to hang out and have some beer. Luckily we had some free time and the opportunity to have some Holiday Beers.

First up was the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. I've had this beer before and I wasn't really crazy about it before. However, we had a bottle so it was time to give it another try. It was a pretty bad, still not super crazy about it, but definitely a decent Holiday Ale. It pours a nice amber color with a good amount of white foamy head. This beer is an IPA, and after smelling it, it definitely has a good amount of IPA characteristics. It has a nice hoppy smell, a fresh smell of citrus, pine and mix of spices. It had a slight hoppy taste, not as powerful as most IPA beers, a little bit sweeter. It also had a nice taste of red grapefruit, citrus and a bit of spices. It was a nice mixture of bitterness and sweetness without being too bitter. It had a medium body with a dry finish, and it was very smooth. This is a good beer to have if you like IPA beers but want some sweetness and spices for the winter brews.

The second beer was the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. I was so excited to try this beer, I have been looking forward to tasting it as soon as I saw it was being sold in the area. Most of the other holiday beers that I have tried have been more of IPA style, I was very happy to see and Abbey Ale Christmas beer. This beer had a nice brown color with a hint of red. In the glass it looked a lot like fresh maple syrup from Vermont. It had a good amount of beige head, very little retention, but a nice amount of lacing. Right away the smell was very interesting. Not in a bad way, but in a very welcoming way. It took a few seconds to let all of the smell register. I don't think I've ever had a Abbey Ale holiday beer, so I took a bit to savor the interesting smell. The smell was sweet and fruity; mostly dark fruits and a hint of spice. It tasted very similar to the smell. A mixture of dark fruits, fig, plum and cherry. Unlike the Sierra Nevada and other holiday beers, it was very light on the spices. It had a nice medium body with a nice mixture of sour and sweet flavors and finishing of with a smooth sweet flavor. It was a different holiday beer, but very similar to the St. Bernardus taste. I was very happy with this beer and would have it many times over. So far the St. Bernardus beers have not disappointed. In fact, I should run out and get a few bottles of this before they are gone for the year.

Weekend Update (Saturday 11/28/2009)

Eitan: On Saturday night I had the St. Bernardus ABT 12 from that sample pack that Greg got me. It was as good as it was at 4th ave pub from the tap. I had it in the St. Berdardus watou glass and it poured beautifully. Nice white head, about an inch and a half, good head retention, very nice amber color. It is a good thing that wholefoods sells this beer separately.

Also on Saturday night I discovery that on 3rd ave and the corner of 72nd street in Bay Ridge, that there is a bodega that now stocks a ton of craft beers and foreign brews. It's pricey for what you normally find in a bodega, but it is not more expensive than bierkraft. I was at a dinner, I went to get some soda and saw the beers, got excited and got a Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Triple. The beer had really good head retention, definitely about an inch and a half. It had a sweet and hoppy smell to it, pretty different from most of the IPA beers I've had. It did have a nice hoppy taste to it, somewhat bitter and dry. It has a nice mix of citrus and and sweeter fruits like pear and leaves with a taste of some spices. A nice medium body beer, very easy to drink. I think we need to get this for beer night.

't Smisje Grand Reserva

It's been a while, but I think I shall post something.

Tonight I had the pleasure to try the 't Smisje Grand Reserva. It is a strong beer, however this one lacks the sweetness you'd expect with a beer at 10%. This beer reminds me of A. Le Coq's Imperial Extra Double Stout. Except this one is quiet a bit lighter and does not pack as much of a punch to the senses. This beer is bitter and strong, with but a vague sweetness lingering way after you've drank it. I saw elsewhere it described as having "woody hits of whiskey" and that pretty much hits it on the nose. A complex beer indeed, definitely made for a refined palate.

Weekend Update 11/19/2009 - 11/22/2009

Eitan: It's a weekend update, like SNL only better because it's about beer and Jimmy Fallon isn't hosting. Not too much beer had this weekend, but enough new ones to write about.

First up was Weyerbacher Merry Monks on Friday night. I really like this beer. I had two 12oz bottles left. This beer pours a nice hazy golden color with a nice amount of head that fades slowly. It is a great smelling brew, very strong scent, a mixture of fruits and a hint of spices. This brew had a medium body and was very crisp. Like the smell, it had a fruity taste and finishes off with a good spicy taste. This is one of my favorite beers from Weyerbacher so far.

Saturday night, after a long afternoon of shooting at each other with paint balls, we went to Union Hall in Brooklyn for some drinks to celebrate Marina's Birthday. Now, Union Hall is an ok venue and the beer selection is ok (I am sure I've mentioned this before). But I did have two beers that I've never tried before. The first beer was O'Reilly's Stout. It was poured from the tap in to a pint glass. It had a nice dark color and a thick amount of creamy, tan colored head. It had a very chocolate aroma. This beer was creamy and had a nice mix of chocolate and coffee taste, very simply and slightly bitter. If I were in the mood for a Guiness I would first see if I can get and O'Reilly's.

The second beer I had at Union Hall was the Left Hand 400lb Monkey. The reason I chose it was all in the name. Would it actually taste like a 400lb monkey? So this is supposed to be an IPA, but it really didnt taste that much like most of the IPA beers we've had before. It had a nice amber/orange color with slight head retention. It had a nice mix of hops, citrus and caramel flavors. It had a predominately citrus/fruit smell to it. This is a ok IPA, very good for people who are not big fans of hops.


On Sunday I had dinner at a relatively new burger place in the meatpacking district, Bill's Bar and Burger. So this is more of a rating of the place rather than the beer, and it will be apparent why I can not rate the beer well. So on the only rating I can give this place is MEH, the burger and onion rings were pretty bland. Over all it was nothing special. Also, busy boy's were picking at people's fries and rings before they were set to go to the tables.
For a place that has "bar" in its name it really blows. The beer selection was weak and over priced. I got excited for Anchor Steam Porter, but at $8 per bottle, it is a little messed up. I decided that the only responsible thing to do was order the Anchor Steam Porter. The bottle was only slightly cool and it took forever for them to get a glass. The glass they gave me was the kind they serve their soda or milkshakes in, they couldn't even spring for a pint or porter glass? And they call themselves a bar. Second the glass was CHILLED, and according to beeradvocate.com "Never chill your glassware, and decline if served a frosted glass. Why? As the beer hits the frosted glass condensation will occur and dilute your beer, while at the same time alter the serving temperature. " The look on my face when the waitress gave me the glass said it all. Overall, highly disappointing. I need to have a nice glass of Anchor Steam Porter so that I can erase the bad memories.

Blanche De Namur 11/19/2009

Eitan: Last night I had a Blanche De Namur. This is a Belgian Witbier (White Beer). I got a 750ml bottle at a Russian store only because it was much cheaper than anywhere else. It had a cloudy yellow color with a good amount of white head, with ok retention. It had a nice wheat and citrus smell you could expect from a Belgian white beer. It has a light body and very drinkable. It was a bit tart, a taste of orange and like the bottle said the spiced flavor of coriander. Overall, not a bad beer but not a great beer. I would stick with the Ommegang Witte if I were in the mood for a Belgian Witbeir.

UP and Beer 11/18/2009

Eitan: A little two week break and beer night was back, complete with good beers and UP. UP was a little bit sad at some parts, but the beer made it better. The beers were all really good, I miss having really good beers in one night as opposed to a few mediocre beers.

First off was the Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale. It was a nice and hoppy beer (even Greg liked it, and we know how he usually reacts to hops). It had a very nice dark amber color, a decent amount of head retention, and a fizzy medium body. It had a nice hops smell with a hint of citrus. It was pretty smooth for an IPA, easy to drink. The hops taste was not so overwhelming as you wold expect. There was a nice citrus zing to it. I would like to taste the regular Unearthly, just to be able to compare the difference with it being Oak Aged. Definitely a good beer to have for Hop Heads and for people who may not love Hops so much.

The second beer was much better, it was the Ommegang Adoration. It is always so much fun to try a beer that is not regularly brewed, especially if its from one of your favorite breweries. We already tried the Biere De Mars a while back, so I expected only good things from Adoration. This beer is Ommegang's "first Strong Winter Ale, named Adoration, becoming available from mid-October through December, all across the US." This beer is also "the first in a series of special beers to be released every two months through the end of 2010. Look for Chocolate Indulgence in January-February and then an entirely new group of beers throughout 2010."
It poured a nice dark brown color, unfortunately we were watching the movie in the dark so it may have some other aspects I wont be able to describe. It had a small amount of white head. It had a sweet smell, a kind of caramel/molasses and dark fruits. It also had a sweet taste to it, not an overpowering sweetness. I guess Greg and Stan were in agreement that it had a nice cherry taste; however, I thought it had a slight cherry taste and mixed with raisins and other dark fruit. This beer was well balanced, a nice blend of sweetness of fruits and the always loved taste of spices." I would love to get this beer again before it will be hard to find. I also can't wait for the release of special beer from Ommegang.

The final beer was a Swiss beer, L'Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien (roughly translated to the Abbey of Saint Good Dog). I don't think I've ever had a Swiss beer, so this was fun to try. It poured a nice dark red/brown color with some white head that receded pretty quickly. It had a very tart and slightly sour smell, it also tasted pretty tart and a bit sour. It was similar to the taste of the Iris, but this beer had more of a tart cherry taste, slightly sweet mixed with the tartness and a little bit of malt flavor. It had a light/medium body, very drinkable and pretty smooth if you can handle the tart and sour flavor. Who knew the Swiss make some pretty good beer?

A Taste of Japan at Fourth Ave Pub 11/5/2009

Eitan: I had only one drink last night at Fourth ave Pub, and it was a real good choice. I was very excited to try it when I saw it on beermenues.com, it was the Hitachno Nest Espresso Stout. I've had other Hitachino beers, all very good, and non on draft. So I was definitely going to get the stout. It was a 12 oz pour, it was nice and dark with about an inch of grayish/tan head. A nice strong espresso and chocolate smell with a little bit of raisin. I was worried that it would taste too much like coffee because of the smell, but it was just right. It was a very good mixture of coffee/chocolate/raisin taste, and a little bit of a vanilla after taste, the kind of vanilla after taste that you get from fresh whipped cream with no sugar in it. And then there was the nice bitter finish, not nearly as bitter as the Obovoid Empirical Stout from Wednesday night. The Hitachino was not heavy, it was on the light-medium body side and creamy. I really took my time to finish this beer and let it open up, it got better with every sip. I hope they have this beer for a while, definitely worth a try for any one who likes imperial stouts.

Most boring beer night ever (thanks to the Yankees) 11/4/2009

Eitan: Thanks to Greg we had to suffer watching the Yankees. Baseball is pretty boring. The beers of the night were ok. I didn't love them, but hated only one. The first beer was the Avery Anniversary Ale Sixteen Saison. This was a pretty decent beer, nothing fancy or over the top. It had a very nice golden color and cloudy, slight head retention and very carbonated. This beer had a little more floral and yeasty scent to it, not heavy on the spice scent. It was light, had a nice crispy feel and slightly bitter. This is a decent Saison, there are better ones out there, but I would have this one again.

The second beer was Troegs - The Mad Elf Ale. This beer was also ok. This is a nice beer to have during the late fall and winter months. It pours a nice reddish-brown color with some head retention. The consensus was that it had a nice cherry smell, not to overwhelming. It was definitely a bit dry, and a medium body. The taste of cherries was subtle with a hint of tartness (nowhere near the tartness of the Iris). I was expecting a little more from this beer. Maybe we had an off day, but this was just ok. I would be curious to try it on draft or just on a different night.

The last beer was MEH!!!!!! It was the Obovoid Empircal Stout. It was described as a oak-aged oatmeal stout, but it tasted more like a porter. Not even a good porter, and I like my porters. It had the color and look that was similar to coke or pepsi (or Shasta Cola; this maybe too extreme because Shasta is so cheap and syrupy looking). It was very dry and had an overpowering sweet molasses smell. It was hard to like this beer, the malt/molasses taste was too much and I was unable to pick out an other subtle flavors. Verdict? Greg should lay off on picking bad porter. Stick to porters that are as good as the Meantime London Porter. (No offense Greg)

4 Beers, 1 Weekend

Eitan: This weekend was full of some beers. And when I say full, I mean four. It has been too long for me to remember everything about the beers, except that I liked them all.

I started off Friday evening with dinner at Markt. This is where I had my First drink of the night. This is a cool place to have beer with your dinner, mainly because it is a Belgian restaurant and has a pretty nice bottled beer selection, and a nice selection of Moules and Beef dishes. I had the Triple Karmelite. It's been a while since I've had it and I am glad I did. It was served from a small (11.5 oz) bottle in to a big tulip Triple Karmelite glass. I don't remember all the details except that it had a nice and subtle sweet and herb taste. My only issue with this place was that the beer was more expensive than it should be. But, it is more of an upscale place than we would normally go to have some beer.

The second stop of the night was at your favorite beer bar close to home, Fourth ave Pub. It has been a few weeks since we've all gone to have some beer there. The best part is the rotating draft menu, and being absent for a few weeks or so gives us the chance to have some new beers or some we haven't had in a while. The first drink was the Stone Russian Imperial Stout. This beer pours so dark that it has some shades of dark purple tint in certain light. It had a nice creamy and foamy head, with a gray/brown color. It had a nice taste of what can only be described as a mixture of bitter sweet chocolate an delicious unsweetened espresso. It does well to hide the taste of the higher alcohol content.

The last beer I had was the St. Bernardus Abt 12. I was really excited to try this one. It is a Belgian quadruple. This was a very savory beer, good to the last drop. It was nice and sweet, with hints of cherries, raisins and figs. This is definitely a beer you can get anyone to have, even the people who don't like to drink beer. I only hope that this beer is still around next time I go back. If not, lets hope the Bierkraft has it.

On Sunday, after an enjoyable brunch to celebrate Greg's birthday, we took a little trip to Bierkraft to have some beer. I only had one beer, and my choice was not bad. It would have sucked to choose one beer and have it suck. I had Stoudt's Fat Dog (Imperial Oatmeal Stout). This was a pretty decent beer. It was nice and dark in color. It was really smooth and had a slightly bitter taste to it. I would have this beer again, but I don't think it will be a favorite imperial stout of any kind.

On a slightly unrelated note, I had some Corona at a concert last Thursday. This was definitely a low point of my week. It's not that I am that snobby, its just that it really just tastes funny. Is it so hard to serve some porkslap? Just as light and cheap, yet it tastes much better.

A Weyerbacher of a Beer Night 10/28/2009

Eitan: We had some really good beers. We Finally got around to drink some of the Weyerbacher beers that we got at the brewery. I had the Simcoe Double IPA at home the night before. All I have to say is "WOW!" this beer was so hoppy, they definitely were not kidding about the powerful hoppy taste of this beer. I poured from a 12 0z bottle in to one of the glasses I got at Weyerbacher. It had a nice dark amber color. Fast fading head, but leaves some traces on the glass. This beer was very carbonated. It had a sweet fruit smell. It starts of a tad sweet but then you get hit with the hops. It is definitely not a beer for anyone who does not enjoy hops (Greg, I'm looking at you). I like my hoppy beers, but I think I should have some more of the Simcoe to get more out of the extreme hoppy flavor, instead of my taste buds being shocked.

So the first beer of the night was a Southern Tier. I really enjoy their beers so I was eager to try the Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison. It poured a really nice dark golden color. UnfortunatelyI do not remember what sort of head retention it had. It had a unique smell for a saison. Mostly because it had hints of sweet cherry smell. Best described as a cherry laffy taffy. At first it definitely has a spice and yeast flavor to it. However, it leaves a slight cherry after taste. The slight cherry flavor was more pronounced after the beer had a chance to open up in the glass. I am glad that it tasted like a saison with slight cherry flavor and not a water downed beer with artificial cherry syrup flavor.

And then came the Weyerbacher beers. First up was the Autumn Fest. I was excited to start drinking the beers from real glasses and not plastic sample cups. This is such a great beer for the fall, hence the name. It was very light, very easy to drink and a nice subtle sweet flavor. It had a nice amber color and an pretty decent amount of head. This beer is very similar to a nice bready tasting German Oktoberfest beer only slightly sweeter. A perfect light bodied and good tasting beer for this time of the year. (Hey, that last part rhymed, I should be a writer or a poet or something.)

The second Weyerbacher beer was the Heresy. Greg got a larger bottle of this beer for beer night. I believe that they brew this beer some time after January, so this bottle was definitely a bottle from early 2009 and has had some extra time to age. The Heresy is a Russian Imperial Stout (and if you read the article that Marina posted then you'd know that the RIS is apparently not actually a stout). Anyway, it was poured from a bottle in to one of Stan's Brooklyn snifters. A very dark color, I was not expecting anything less than pitch black color. As with most RIS it had a nice hints of coffee, chocolate and some booze (whiskey) aromas. It was slightly bitter, like tasting some unsweetened coffee. But it did have a slight oak taste. The taste from it being oak barrel aged did not over power the taste of the RIS itself. Not the first time I've had this beer, and it wont be the last. I can not wait until the winter so that we can get some bottles direct from Weyerbacher. Until then I can always find some Old Heathen.

NYTimes article... on what i wonder?

was very happy to find this piece of literature!

BEERS OF THE TIMES: Call It Stout, Though It Isn’t


-marina

Beer at Union Hall 10/20/2009

Eitan: Last night I went to Union Hall in Brooklyn to see some bands. Union Hall is actually a pretty cool bar with a pretty nice beer selection, about 10 on draft and 10 bottles. I am not sure if they rotate the beers often or not, but its a pretty cool place.

So I had a glass of the Victory Saison. It was poured from the draft in to a pint glass, I like my Saisons in a tulip glass, I am weird like that. It had a nice clear golden color. It had some what ok head retention. A nice smell of familiar Saison spices. It had some yeast flavors and was a little bit tart. If you add more apple flavor it can easily pass as a hard cider. It is definitely better than that Harpoon Saison I had a few weeks back. I don't recall trying many Saison beers on tap, but the Victory Saison is worth a try, and I would be drinking it again.

This is not a Beer Night Review - 10/18/2009

Eitan: Last night I had the Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor in my new Gouden Carolus glass. The Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor is a Belgian IPA. The beer poured a very nice golden color. It good head retention. It was white and foamy with a lot of it clinging to the glass. It has a nice and sweet and hoppy smell. It had a good hoppy taste with hints of the usual Belgian beer citrus notes and some light sweetness. There was a light taste of the alcohol, after all it is 8.0%. It was pretty light in body with a nice crisp and dry finish.

I will definitely be getting this beer again. I am eager to try some more of the Gouden Beers. Although, I have had one at Fourth Ave Pub before, I just can not remember which one.

Trip to Weyerbacher 10/17/2009

Eitan: So we took a little Beer Night trip to Weyerbacher Brewery on Saturday. We took along our good friend Jay, and our new friend from Bari, Claudio. The trip was a success. It is a relatively short drive from Brooklyn to Easton, PA. This is just compared to the trip Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown. Well, an hour and a half to Easton is not that big of a deal.

Its always a cool thing to take a tour of a brewery that makes the beer that you drink. It is nice to meet some of the people who have a hand in making the beers, and learn about some of the history of the brewery, the beers and how some of your favorite beers are made. Also, free tastings, fresh beer for the tap. The portions are very generous. We were able to try all of the beers that they were brewing at the time. I enjoyed all of the beers, but the ones I enjoyed the most were the Winter ale, Blithering Idiot, Merry Monks and the Old Heathen. We all got some bottles of the beers for home [reviews of the beers to come later.] I also got two Weyerbacher glasses for the beer. We have to go back in the winter for when they are brewing Insanity and Heresy. And in the summer for Zotten and for the Zotten glass.

Everyone at Weyerbacher was great, including the nice guy who gave the tour ( he is just there on some Saturday's to help out.) All of the people working there took time out to pour any beer you asked for and answer any questions that you may have. All in all, this was great place to come on a Saturday to learn some things about the beer we drink. I think we should go back to Weyerbacher many times.

While visiting the Brewery, definitely go to Pearly Baker's for Lunch. Try the delicious beer-b-qued pulled pork sandwich, the burger, the onion rings and fries.

P.S. Check out the Crayola Factory and Store. Just look at the fun............

Claudio admiring the Worlds Largest Crayon

Stan is outa there!

Beer Night 10/14/2009

Eitan: After we started watching the USA game I think we should have had beers with high ABV not like the first beer, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Calabaza Blanca. The beer was ok. It did have a nice hazy color when poured in to a glass. It tasted light and tart, and a sort of dry after taste. I'd go with the Ommegang Witte over this one.

The second beer was The Bruery Trade Winds. It had an interesting description of Triple being brewed with rice and Thai Basil. It had a nice hazy/orange color and nice head retention. It was definitely a little lighter then most Triples. I couldn't really pick out the Thai Basil in the aroma, it did however have a corn like smell. It tasted pretty good, a bit sweet and bready. I like this beer much better than the first. And the other Bruery beers we've had were tasty.

I was definitely surprised by the Hoppin' Frog Silk Porter. It had a nice black color, but no head, that may have been because of the glasses and splitting the bottle four ways. It had a good coffee/chocolate aroma. It was very smooth and nice dry coffee taste, very similar to a Milk Stout. I liked the Imperial Stout better, but I would definitely have this again, and try more Hoppin' Frog beers.



Next time there is a USA soccer game or a RB game that falls on a Beer Night we need stronger beers to get us through the game.

Saturday Beer Run and More...... (now with Added Sandwiches and Ice Cream) 10/10/09

Eitan: We took a Saturday beer run to Bierkraft to get some beers for Wednesday. Also, Greg and Stan had a beer with lunch. I forgot what Greg had, but Stan had the Anchor Steam Porter. And that was damn good. I want to get a bottle to try it full, not just a taste. I also got a 750 ml bottle of Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoo, which I am excited to try some time soon.

Also that night had some Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale on draft from The Diamond. I suggest everyone go try some before its all out. Also had a Smuttynose Porter on draft, damn good. I wish Fourth Ave Pub had it more often. I was pretty drunk so I cant really describe the beer to well, but I know that they were good.


P.S. Very delicious sandwiches and ice cream sandwiches were consumed at Bierkraft.

Bier Nakht 10/7/2009

Eitan: Dammit! I dont remember the name of the Saison. It was definitely better than the one we had the other week. I wasnt to crazy about the smell, it had sort of an orange medicine smell to it. It had a nice hazy orange color and pretty good head retention. However, it tasted very good, nice citrus and hoppy taste and a nice hoppy after taste. Aside for the smell I like it better than last weeks Saison. Greg reminded me I have the picture of the bottle on my phone, Turns out its the La Merle Saison.

The second beer we had was the Arcadia Shipwreck Porter. It was ok, we've had much better porters before. It poured a nice dark color, but it smelled sour. I thought it had a light body. It tasted better than it smelled, hints of coffee and chocolate and that whiskey and oak taste. I dont know if i would run to have this one again.

The last beer we had was the Dogfish Head Black and Blue. Best beer of the night. It smelled and tasted better after it opened up for a bit. Nice amber color. The head was ok. It had a sweet fruit smell to it. Not as hoppy as most of the other beers that we've had. A nice light berry taste, mostly blueberry, not nearly as sweet as a framboise and better tasting then other fruit beers I've had.

Next week I don't plan on losing at durak. Too bad I don't have an iPhone to practice on. You're all going down. All the way to the bank!!!!!!!

Greg: Arcadia Shipwreck- I was a fan of this little guy. A fairly strong beer with a curiously sour body, more sour than I would expect from a porter. It came from the whiskey barrels in which the beer was aged and added an interesting twist to this brew. Hidden under the sourness lingered the traditional porter roastiness, somewhat subtle but still there and very enjoyable.

Dogfish Head Black and blue- I was a little hesitant about this brew, berries and all is not something I'm really into. The bottom line however was that it turned out to be a pretty good brew. I definitely tasted the blue berries in this guy. A nice beer for someone who is not crazy about brew because it was on a fruity side yet still holding its ground as a beer and not a pansy wine cooler.

The Saison we had a rather forgettable with some hops thrown in, I will not bother writing about it as I have definitely forgot how it was.

@Eitan, that's right you won't lose in Durak cos we're playing spades, beaotch!

Non beer night post- Weyerbacher Riserva

Weyerbacher Riserva- This is a treat! A strong flavorful brew that has left me very pleased and wishing I had another bottle or two. I poured three glasses of this the first one was crystal clear and the next two already had a nice cloudy tint from the yeast. The nose is one of tart berries. The palate opens up to a nice sour taste thanks to the wild yeast. This reminds me much of the Flemish Reds we've tried and another beer I cannot remember and Am waiting for Stan to tell me what the hell it is. The sour palate quickly shifts to the raspberries with which this beer was created. The complexity here is expanded by the barrel aging process. Strong, one glass has already put a nice buzzed shroud over me. Hopefully we'll be at Weyerbacher soon and I'll snatch up a few more bottles of this bad boy!

Here's my new fav glass filled with this tasty treat:

nuit de bière - 9/30/2009

Eitan: I picked 3 of the 4 beers tonight, and Greg picked out the other one. This week we went to the beer store at whole foods on Bowery and not Bierkraft.

The first beer we had was the St. Somewhere Saison Athene. According to some people the beer smelled like ham. I don't see/smell it being ham. We had the a bottle and poured it in to our glasses. It had a cloudy color and nice head; however, the head faded quickly compared to the other Saison beer that we've had. I thought it had a pretty sweet Saison-esque smell. Like a Saison it had a pretty light body. I thought it tasted ok, i think we've had better ones, but I wouldnt be opposed to having this one again.

The second beer of the night was the Ommegang Biere De Mars. I chose the beer because they do not brew it too often. I was told that it was a Rare Vos but with "...a bit of magical space dust woven in - Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a wild-yeast used in the secondary fermentation." It had a nice dark amber color. It had a large amount of yeast floating around at the bottom of the bottle, and unfortunately Stan got some in his glass. I thought that it had pretty good head retention (but since this is about 12 hrs later I may be a little off). It had sort of sour and yeasty smell. It had a nice sour taste to it. Not as sour as the iris as pointed out by Stan, and agreed by all. It's more expensive than the Rare Vos, but it does have that different wild yeast taste. I would definitely have it again. Most likely if I saw it on tap somewhere. You think Fourth Ave Pub might have it one day?

The third beer was the one Greg chose, Meantime London Porter. It had a nice dark color and a nice size creamy head. It thought that it had a nice fruity and chocolate smell. If i would have to think about it I would say imagine a box of dark chocolate covered cherries, raspberries and orange slices. It felt very light. It had a really good taste, a little bitter with some chocolate, coffee and slight cherry taste. I would have this again. Now I want to try the meantime Coffee Porter.

The final beer of the night was the Hoppin' Frog - B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout. This beer was so dark, looked completely black. Had pretty much no head whats so ever. Very big on the chocolate and molasses smell. A very chocolate and malty taste. It also had a slight taste of the alcohol. It was a good beer and I would have it again.

Greg:

St. Somewhere- This was an interesting Saison. Not a typical one for sure. The consensus on the nose was one of...ham, wtf, idk! The palate was more interesting I found it to be kind of spicy perhaps even mustard-e. Hmmm.

Meantime London Porter- MMMM, Very tasty porter here. Mild roasted and coffee flavors. Smooth all the way through an enjoyable brew when you're not in the mood for something that will kick you in the palate. A solid porter indeed!

BORIS The Crusher- MMM MMM MMM! That's what I'm talking about. A beefed up version of the Meantime. A sweet and strong stout. Similar in body to the Meantime with the mocha/java lots of roast-e-ness but sweeter and heavier. This falls into the sweet and strong category of which I am a big fan. Nice!

It has been a while and I have sadly forgot Biere de Mars so I will not write about it :-\

Not a beer night post, but had it to be made

Eitan - Last Friday I was so glad to see that Fourth Ave Pub had Ommegang Three Philosophers 2009 on tap. Naturally I had to try it, and I am glad I did. It was almost a year ago that I had Ommegang Three Philosophers at the Ommegang Brewery. It was poured in to a nice 10 oz Three Philosiphers glass. It had a nice rich dark red color. It had a sweet cherry/raisin smell. And it tasted very similar to its smell. I would definitely go out and drink as much of it as I could while its available on tap.

Also, I tried Ommegang Abby on tap at the Farm on Adderley on Monday Night. I was fasting for the day so my memory from the night is a bit hazy. A nice mahogany color, sweet smell and tasted a little sweet. It was definitely a lot sweeter tasting from the tap than from the bottle.

Bier Nacht - 09/23/2009

After a small break we are back in business, last night's culprits were: Smuttynose- Baltic Porter,Moylan's Hopsicle Imperial Ale and The Bruery- Autumn Maple our thoughts are as follows:

Greg: Smutty- YUM! What a solid beer! Rich and full bodied, with a clear mocha aroma and palate along with some bitterness to complement the brew. I like these kinds of beers a little bit sweeter but this was a strong contender and I'd definitely have it again, good job Smutty.

Moyland's- I should preface this by saying I am not a big fan of the hops and hence I am not good at picking out all the intricacies of these types of beer. The main consensus on this brew is that it smelled of grapefruit. Otherwise it's just another hoppy brew to me, although a pretty good one I must admit.

The Bruery- honestly, I expected a little more here. I have another bottle at home and I intend to have a nice date with it some time soon just to see if I find anything else in it. Primary taste in here was molasses. It was warm and cozy, I was wishing it was a colder night and I had my onesie, but I didn't find much of the yams and the other things that this is brewed with in the brew... I'm up for round two.

Last but not least:

Stantopias (Saison)- congrats to Stan on his first home brew. It was Better than when we tasted it uncarbonated, and I am impressed with it. It was light, I mostly picked up the wheat-e-ness of this guy, accompanied with some of the typical Saison bitterness. Kudos Stan!


Eitan: Damn, that Smuttynose Baltic Porter was great. Great rich body, nice dark color, and a nice mocha/coffee taste with a great bitter finish. I would get on that like a fat kid on cake.

Moylen's: I agree with Greg's assessment of the smell of grapefruit. It definitely tasted like a nice ruby red grapefruit, a subtle hint of citrus-y sweetness with a nice bitter taste. Overall it is definitely a good hoppy ale to have. It is a bit hard for me to pick out which of these hoppy ales is the best, but I would definitely have this one again. "It tastes like a Brooklyn anything."

The Bruery: Meh. Nice color, lightish body, tasted like molasses. I think we had The Bruery Saison before, that was much better.

Stantopias (Saison)- It was damn good for a weeks worth of aging. Lets wait for the full process before we review it. That way it gets a fair chance.

Hear ye, hear ye!

The king is out, buy it while it lasts (it won't be long)!

nuit de bière - 9/9/2009

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale

Eitan - This was my choice of beer for the night. I got super excited when I saw the bottle because I really enjoyed the A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale at 4th ave pub. We poured the Ale in to a Tulip Glass from the 22oz bottle. It had a nice amber color and relatively small head. The ale had a nice hoppy and sweet aroma. It had a nice sharp hoppy bitter taste and a very citrusy taste. At first I couldn't put my finger on it and then I got side tracked, but on the way home it came to me, it tasted like a nice ruby red grapefruit mixed with some hops. I enjoyed this beer more than the Hop Stoopid Ale. I would have like to have had the A little Sumpin' Sumpin' to compare, but I am fairly certain I would enjoy the Sumpin' Extra Ale more. Defiantly on my list of good ales to keep having.

"Non Beer Night" beer review:

Nils Oscar Imperial Stout and Hitachino Sweet Stout

Being a big stout and porter fan I must report that I was left wanting much more out of both these beers. Having read the descriptions and seeing how much both cost at Bierkraft (over $5) I was pretty excited to check out both of these brews. only to be left let down.

Both beers poured nice and dark with a tiny little head, some roasted and coffer aromas, pretty exciting! However, upon tasting the Nils Oscar I was rather disappointed with how little the palate offered. Mild roasted and mocha flavors along with a lot of hop bitterness. I like my stouts to be a lot less hoppy and much more smooth. The Hitachino Sweet Stout I expected a the name suggest to be a little sweeter, wrong! It's sour. I guess that's a characteristic of lacto stouts but then why call it sweet??? Along with the sourness I found some very mind coffee flavors dangling around. Final verdict, not impressed.

The non Beer Night beer review:

Victory Brewing Golden Monkey Ale

Eitan - Even though I missed beer night this week, I did have the opportunity to sample a beer I have not tried before. I tried this beer at some pub in Chelsea, mainly because it had a weak beer selection (both draft and bottle) and it was the strongest beer that they served that I have not tried at 9.5%. Golden Monkey (served in a glass from a regular beer bottle) is an ok Belgian tripel. It had a nice aroma. It had a typical Belgian tripel flavor. It wasn't as crisp as I would have liked it to be and produced minimal white head. Over all it was nothing special, I should have ordered the Duvel instead. But then I probably wouldn't have written about it.

Starting beer night blog

This blog is about beer night. Beer night=Stan, Greg, Eitan, Marina buying beer (often from Bierkraft in Park Slope, Brooklyn) and drinking it, followed by some amateur/enthusiast discussion of the consumed brews.

Each night we consume 3-4 beers that we select through a group effort of wandering around the store and picking out beer we have not yet tried or tried and liked sometime before.

Bier Nacht - 08/26/2009

Some deep conversations on this one...

Tonight we had a variety I may say. Up first.
Smuttynose Real Old Brown Dog Ale



Stan - I really like brown ales, this one was sweet..very sweet and flavorful. Good to relax with, maybe a bit more sweet than what I usually like, but less than the usual that Greg used to make me drink...good beer overall. Sweet head too.

Greg - A nice ale. I enjoy stronger aged beers, but often find myself overwhelmed by their sweetness toward the end. This one had a nose very much like those very high alcohol brews, but was not as sweet. Besides that I would've liked a little more on the pallate (it was not particularly memorabe), but over all an enjoyable experience, would have it again for sure.

Southampton Imperial Porter



Stan - Smooth...creamy..drunk... (yeah thats my review..zzzz)

Greg - Nothing out of the ordinary here. A sligtly bitter taste with a coffee/mocha finish. I'm a guy who likes his Imperials and this one didn't deliver.


Mikkeller Belgian Wild Ale



Stan - I don't know how strong this puppy is..but its 8.5%... its preatty yeastie and has a bit of hoppiness, not as sour as i expected a "wild ale"..but still decent. Pretty medium body and a pretty sexy thick head. Taste like any Saison, dont know why it calls itslef a wild ale..oh well..
Greg - I always find myself enjoying these type of beer. The wild yeasts bring out "grassy" undertones. This particular one was a little more on the hoppy side, very enjoyable. I love when after finishing a beer my glass smells of honey, this one had a nice hop character added to it.

And of course happy Greg