Stillwater Brontide

The other half was out at Trivia Night tonight, so I spent the night watching my Netflix, which tonight happened to be the live on Broadway taping of “Rent.” I assumed that it would be the original cast and I was definitely wrong. It wasn’t awful, but there were definitely parts that were not great. Especially the parts that featured “Mimi.” Anyways, this was the brew that I had last night. It’s another beer from Stillwater and I really have been enjoying brews from them, so let’s see how their Belgian dark ale is.

ABV: 5%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the distance and nature of the lightning, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble (brontide).”

Random: I still know almost every word to every song in “Rent.”

This brew poured with a two finger, light brown colored head that was very slowly to dissipate, but left no lacing on the glass. The body was a dark brown color with no carbonation visible due to the color. The nose was relatively fragrant with roasted malts and light chocolate with white pepper. The taste had a bit more depth with light cocoa powder, malted milk, white pepper and bready yeast at the end. There was a hint of bitterness at the end from grassy hops, but nothing intense. The body was smooth, but on the thinner side with moderate carbonation. The finish was quick with some bitterness and bread. This beer was pretty good, although a little too light for my taste.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Cascade Kriek Ale

I found another Cascade beer during our last beer haul from Westchester. Let’s see how it went, especially given that it’s always written up in beer books.

ABV: 7.2%

Style: Flanders Red Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Tart, barrel-aged beers are the emerging beer style and Cascade Brewing is a pioneer of the NW style sour beer movement. We are, by nature, the definition of artisanal brewing: we’re not bound by stylistic guidelines, just our own imagination and the ingredients we can access. Our brewery currently houses more than 750 French oak, Kentucky Bourbon and Northwest wine barrels filled with wheats, blonds, quads, reds, browns and porters that are aged and blended into magical elixirs. These beers have aggressive tart notes that are balanced by residual sugars, fruits, spices and the oak we use. We serve them all up for you at the Cascade Brewery Barrel House – or House of Sour – which features more than 18 rotating taps, with a predominantly sour lineup at any given time. We also offer a number of bottled products, all available at the source and some available online. We are proud to have recently received a rare score of 100 on Beer Advocate, a world-class rating.”

Random: I really love Cascade brews. I can’t believe I keep finding them wherever I go and couldn’t find them for years.

This brew poured with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. There was a slight, off white crown left on top of the body. The body was a dark reddish-brown that was cloudy with a lot of carbonation present. The nose had lots of tart cherries, vinegar and toasted oak. The taste was intensely tart with lots of vinegar and cherries. There wasn’t as much as oak and I was hoping for, but the taste was still really nice. The body was on the thick side of the style with lots of carbonation. It had a long finish with tart cherries. I really enjoyed this one. I would definitely have it again, although the price point is a bit high.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Two Roads Road Jam Raspberry Wheat Ale

This was the beer that I ordered the other half while at Blind Tiger Ale House. They didn’t have much that was in her wheelhouse, so although we have a bottle of this chilling at home, I ordered it anyway so we could see how it was on draft and if there were any major differences between bottle and draft.

ABV: 5%

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “A wheat ale fermented with real red and black raspberries and accented with fresh lemongrass. It has a stunning red color and mouth-watering berry aroma. Fruity and refreshingly dry.”

Random: I really dig fruit beers in the summer, especially if they’re done well.

This brew poured with two finger, white head that was pretty fluffy. It was slow to dissipate and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a beautiful, bright red color with light carbonation from what I could see. The nose was reminiscent of berry preserves, teeming with raspberry and blueberry. At this point, I was really excited. The taste was a big letdown. There was very little flavor generally with a touch of tart raspberry and not much else. I was hoping to get lemongrass too, but I couldn’t pick up any. The body was too thin and majorly under carbonated. It had a quick finish with raspberry jam. I wanted to like this beer, but there wasn’t anything to like. It was a bland fruit beer that should have been bursting with flavor. I wouldn’t have this one again, sadly.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Ninkasi Total Domination IPA

So, after dinner, I was still hungry. Since we were in the Village, we headed to Blind Tiger Ale House, hopefully to get a quick bite. It was insanely hot in the place and packed, so I didn’t get anything to eat. But, they had a Ninkasi brew on tap, which I’ve never had since they’re not distributed to Jersey or Philly. Let’s see how this one went.

ABV: 6.7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Total Domination IPA has a citrusy, floral hop aroma, and big hop flavor balanced with a richness imparted by Carahell and Munich malts. This beer is a big flavorful Northwest IPA that maintains its drinkability, and as such, has garnered great admiration from the novice craft drinker and the seasoned hop-head alike.”

Random: The meow is awfully snuggly tonight.

This beer poured with a one finger, white head that dissipated slowly and left lots of lacing on the pint glass. The body was a slightly cloudy, hazy yellow color (at least from what I could see in the very dark bar). The nose was filled with dank, piney hops. There was some citrus too. So far, so good. The taste was light, and pretty balanced between light caramel malt and citrus hopes with some pine. There was some grapefruit pith as well. It had a medium thick body with very high carbonation. It had a long finish with pine and grapefruit. For my first Ninkasi brew, I really liked this one. I would definitely have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Coney Island Mermaid Pilsener

The other half and I headed to Manhattan and had to kill more time before dinner. We tried walking around the Village, but it was ridiculously hot. We stopped at a small bar that was mildly air-conditioned, and this was their featured bottle on sale. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 5%

Style: German Pilsener

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Mermaids, those mysterious aquatic lovelies, have popped up all over the world in legend since 1000 BC. No scientific evidence has ever surfaced to support their existence, but we’re not ones to argue with folklore. Mermaid Pilsner® is a light-bodied, crisp-drinking, nicely hopped lager. A heavy-handed addition of rye malt adds a mild spiciness, which is balanced by a light, fruity, floral hop aroma.”

Random: I really liked the label art on this bottle. It’s retro without being overdone.

This brew poured with a thin, pure white head that dissipated slowly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, straw yellow color with light carbonation. The nose was pretty light, which was not unexpected for the style. There was some malt that was a bit sweet, but not much else. I was hoping to get some rye on the nose, but I definitely didn’t. The taste was a bit bigger with the first flavor present being spicy rye. Then, some bready malt and at the end of the sip, a little grassy hoppiness. The body was light with moderate to heavy carbonation. It had a long spicy finish from the rye. Even though I’m normally not a huge fan of the style, I really liked this one and definitely would have this one again. If you see it, the beer is definitely worth a shot.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Grimm Action/Adventure

This was the brew that I had at Whole Foods. I’ve never had anything from this brewery, so I was really excited to try this one. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 5%

Style: Gose

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Action/Adventure is our lichtenhainer, a near extinct German-style smoked sour ale. As intimidating as that may sound, this wheaty, hazy-golden beer is actually a quenching, lightly tart summertime treat with a bit of smoke in the background — Grimm’s idea of a lawnmower beer! We picture you unwinding with a glass at a backyard cookout on a hot August night. Recommended for fans of Gose, Berliner Weisse, and Grätzer. Action/Adventure is brewed with cherrywood-smoked malt to balance the lactic tartness. We made use of wild lactobacillus that naturally occurs on grain to sour our wort overnight. In the pictures below, you can see the bags of crushed grain on their way into the kettle.”

Random: I was never a big fan of Grimm’s fairy tales.

This beer poured with half a finger of white head that was very quick to dissipate and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy orange with heavy carbonation visible, despite the cloudiness. The nose was tart with orange with a hint of smoke and some wood as well. The taste was really interesting. It started with some tartness and then transitioned into some smoke wood and then a hint yeast. Despite the really strong flavors, the body was really light with high carbonation. It had a long finish with smoke and yeast. This was definitely one of the more interesting beers that I’ve had in a long time and would definitely have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

SingleCut Townes Lemon Squeezer Light Lagrrr

On Sunday, the other half and I headed into Brooklyn and Manhattan. We stopped in Brooklyn at Smorg, which is a huge outdoor food festival on Sundays right by the Brooklyn Bridge. Had it not been insanely hot, I would have really enjoyed it. But, it was definitely way too hot. After that, we headed to the new Whole Foods in Gowanus. After we picked up a few brews that we can’t get in Jersey, we headed to the upstairs bar to kill some time and I watched some baseball. This was the brew that the other half got and let me review.

ABV: 5%

Style: Light Lager

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Baby it’s hot out! Our summer seasonal is an easy-drink lagrrr! infused with refreshing lemon finish. Flavorful as you’d expect from us, so your taste buds won’t need to go on vacation.”

Random: I wish Whole Foods locations in Jersey had the same setup as out-of-state ones. They’re pretty awesome.

This brew poured with a one finger, white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy yellow color with light carbonation present. The nose had some lemon rind and a touch of sugar to it. The taste was a rather abrupt change from what I expected given the nose. The taste was really medicinal, almost like green NyQuil and very, very herbal. There was not a lot of lemon at all, just a weird spice character and the herbal notes, that were honestly just awful to me. The body was light with decent carbonation. It had a long finish with said weird spice. Although I definitely want to try some more brews from this relatively local brewery, I was not a fan of this one at all.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0

Evil Twin Yang

As promised, here’s the review of Yang. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 10%

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This is one half of a Black and Tan drink. Not just any Black and Tan but the one where a toasted smug and hoppy fella get together and make a sublime beer balance. Mix the Yang & Yin together (or enjoy this flippant good Imperial IPA solo).”

Random: This was brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company in Connecticut.

This brew poured with a one finger, off white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, dark mahogany color with very little carbonation visible. The nose presented with a decent amount of pine sap and flowers with a touch of herbal character as well. The taste was even better. There was a lot of pine sap to it. There was also significant tropical fruit with papaya, pineapple and mango. It had a touch of caramel malt at the end. The body was on the thicker side with moderate carbonation. It had a long finish with tropical fruit and hops. As a standalone, this beer was really nice.

I also mixed the two as a black and tan (although my pour was absolutely awful).

I found that mixing the two was really effective. The IPA calmed the intense smoke and wood notes from the stout and the stout balanced the intense tropical fruit of the IPA. It allowed for the stronger aspects of both beers to be calmed and I can see why they recommend drinking them together. This would be the way that I would drink them in the future.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Evil Twin Yin

The second episode of Gangland is on and they are highlighting a gang with a large presence in Hudson County, New Jersey. So far, it’s pretty interesting, albeit a little scary. I picked up this beer and will be posting another review with its partner and will also say a few words about mixing them together as suggested below like a black and tan. Anyways, let’s see how the stout was on its own.

ABV: 10%

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This is one half of a Black and Tan drink. Not just any Black and Tan but the one where a toasted smug and hoppy fella get together to make a sublime beer balance. Mix the Yin & Yang together (or enjoy this profoundly evil Imperial Stout solo).”

Random: This beer was brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company in Connecticut.

This brew poured with a one finger, light brown head that dissipated quickly and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was black with no visible carbonation due to the color. The nose was mild for the style, but had notes of burnt oak and cocoa nibs. The taste was really smoky with burnt wood smoke and ash. There was a bit of chocolate malt present as well with some marked bitterness and warming booze. The body was thick with very light carbonation, although the body was delightfully velvety. The finish was long with booze and a lot of smoke and booze. It was alright, but the burnt wood and smoke overwhelmed everything else. I wouldn’t rush back to have this on its own.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

McKenzie’s Black Cherry Hard Cider

Happy Sunday! The other half is still asleep, but the cat woke me up about a half an hour ago and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m watching my Netflix disc (which happens to be Gangland Season 5: Disc 1) which she didn’t want to watch anyways. I’m on the first episode and so far, it’s pretty good. Anyways, this was a cider that the other half let me have a few sips of. I really like black cherries, but I don’t recall ever having them in a cider. Let’s see how this one was.

ABV: 5%

Style: Cider

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Reserved for the darkest of hearts, McKenzie’s Black Cherry is an inspiration to hard cider – rich amber, full body with a refreshingly sweet cherry finish.”

Random: The cat has already fallen back asleep after he woke me up to feed him. It doesn’t seem fair to me.

This cider poured a clear, straw yellow color with a decent amount of carbonation visible. There was no head that poured with it, and thus no lacing left on the glass. The nose initially reminded me of cherry cough syrup. As it warmed up, it smelled more like black cherry soda and was really nice. The taste was much of the same. It had a lot of black cherry notes, some sweet honey and apples. The body was on the light side with heavy carbonation. It had a long finish with black cherries. If you’re a fan of black cherry soda and apples, this is a cider that you definitely need to try.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0