Bolero Snort The Bull Abides

As a 20-something, I loved the movie “The Big Lebowski.” This beer is obviously a play on the whole White Russian thing from the movie. I’ve never had a White Russian, so I really don’t know what to expect. Although I haven’t had a lot of Bolero Snort beers, I wanted to give it a shot. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 11%

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Can #2 and for the first time in aluminum 🎳 THE BULL ABIDES 🥃 11% Imperial White Russian Stout 💥 Loaded up with oats and a varietal of roasted and chocolate malts this thick and luscious stout was conditioned on a bowling bags worth of cocoa nibs 🍫 Madagascar vanilla 🍦 coffee ☕️ and milk sugar 🥛 Just like mixing the perfect cocktail. Far out ✌️”

Random: I really do not like the emojis on the website. I guess that makes me old.

The beer poured with a two finger, light brown head. It dissipated slowly and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was almost black with light carbonation visible, despite the color of the beer. The nose was filled with instant coffee and milk chocolate and hazelnuts. The taste had a bit more depth. I picked up cocoa powder, vanilla, lactose, hazelnuts and the same instant coffee. The alcohol was noticeable and the body was thick and chewy. It had a lengthy finish with cocoa powder and vanilla. I’ve never had a White Russian, but the flavors on this were quite good. I really enjoyed this and would definitely have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Cypress 40 Flavors: Blood Orange

If you follow the blog at all, you know that blood orange is one of my favorite things. I love blood oranges so much, at my wedding, my signature drink was a take on a blood orange old-fashioned. It was awesome, by the way. Anyways, the beer manager at the beer store by my job highly recommended this, and I can definitely see why.

ABV: 8.0%

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website “Imperial New England Milkshake IPA, brewed with Lactose and Mosaic, double dry hopped at 5 pounds per barrel of more Mosaic, and finally conditioned on Madagascar Vanilla Beans and blood orange puree.”

Random: I wish Jersey would do a beer passport or beer trail thing like other states have.

The beer poured with a two finger, white head. It dissipated at a moderate pace, but didn’t leave much lacing on the glass. The body was bright pink in color and cloudy. There was no carbonation visible. The nose was all citrus and not surprisingly, blood orange. There was some grapefruit as well. The taste was much of the same. Blood orange was the star here. It was lots of blood orange juice along with some bitterness and a touch of alcohol. The body was on the thicker side, but not overwhelming and had generous carbonation. The finish was lengthy with blood orange juice. I loved this beer. It was everything I wanted in a blood orange beer. It had lots of authentic flavor and went down easily. I would definitely have this again.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0

Cameron’s Where The Buffalo Roam

My work schedule hasn’t been as crazy lately (read: I’m only working 70 hours instead of 90), so I’ve been doing some reading at home. I’m trying to get through a book a week. I just read a book on Trump that was quite a doozy and now I’m reading the Chris Christie book. I’m only about 40 pages in and it’s…something. Anyways, let’s get to the beer.

ABV: 13%

Style: American Barleywine

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Inspired by the wild plains where thousands upon thousands of footsteps have been taken by a truly noble animal, Where the Buffalo Roam takes its roots in oak bourbon barrels so this barley wine style ale can slowly age and meld with the bold, deep flavours of the quintessential southern drink. With notes of dark fruit and hints of toasted coconut, combined with the sweet and warming flavour of bourbon, Where the Buffalo Roam is a real treat to lay down with after migrating home. We invite you to take this distinct passage travelled by wonderers.”

Random: This won Ontario Craft Brewing Awards – Gold in 2017.

The beer poured with a two finger, tan-colored head. It dissipated slowly and left some lacing and a crown on top of the body. The body was a deep mahogany color with moderate carbonation. The nose was filled with booze and sweet caramel malts. The taste was also quite boozy, but the sweetness of the caramel malt helped to counter it. There was some toffee as well. The body was thick and chewy with light carbonation. It had a sticky finish with toffee. I liked this beer, especially on a cold night, but I wish it had a bit more depth. I hadn’t heard of the brewery before, but I will be looking out for more from them.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Evil Twin Even More Pecan Pie Jesus

I’ve never really enjoyed pecan pie. I’ve always found it too sticky and sweet. I’m not sure why I thought I should get this beer, but I did…

ABV: 12%

Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “We Have All good intentions to disturb, disorder and enlighten you with unforgettable beer after beer. Because We are so much in love with good taste, all the beers from Evil Twin are prepared in 10 of the best breweries around the world. Exclusively hand picked to please you with delicate, funky, extreme and by all means rare flavors. Maybe not the easiest way, but certainly the most fun!!! One More Thing A clever man once said: ‘Stay thirsty… stay foolish.’ That sounds like our vision, just with a tad less attitude.”

Random: It’s been awhile since I had an Evil Twin. A lot of them are just ridiculously expensive, so I walk away from them in the beer store.

The beer poured with a two finger, light brown head. It dissipated at a moderate pace and left some lacing on the glass. The body was dark brown, almost black, with no visible carbonation due to the color. The nose was incredibly sweet. I picked up a lot of milk chocolate as well as pecans covered in brown sugar and some booze. The taste was ridiculously sweet. It had a lot of milk chocolate, molasses and sugary pecans with some maple syrup. The booze was present and didn’t help with the overwhelming sweetness. The body was heavy with light carbonation. The finish was lengthy and sweet. I’m glad I tried this beer, but I won’t be having it again. It was way too sweet.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Icarus Vlad To Be Here

Tonight’s beer is one from Lakewood, New Jersey. I once went for a job interview in Lakewood. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 14.5%

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Jason has wanted to own and operate his own brewery since 2008. In order to turn his dream into a reality, Jason earned his degree in Food Science, specializing in Food Fermentation from The Ohio State University. He then took this further training in Brewlab at the University of Sunderland, training under staff from Heineken and Newcastle, and earning his Diploma in British Brewing Technology. In addition to this academic training, Jason learned from multiple breweries across Sunderland and Newcastle, learning the intricacies of multiple brewing operations and greatly expanding his practical brewing knowledge. Jason supplemented his training with a General Certification of brewing in cask ale from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. Subsequently, Jason spent 2 years managing Rinn Duin, a 25 BBL startup brewery in New Jersey. During his time at Rinn Duin Jason earned awards for multiple recipes he formulated and produced including awards from New Jersey Star Ledger, and recognition from Beer Advocate. Most recently, Jason was the Distiller and Head Brewer at Van Brunt Stillhouse in Red Hook, NY. He plans on using the knowledge gained from creating whiskies, rum, and grappa toward a large rotation of barreled beers.”

Random: We went to a distillery in Philly and I really enjoyed it. I may start getting into spirits more.

This beer poured with a two finger, light brown head. It dissipated at a moderate pace and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a deep black color with no visible carbonation due to the color. The nose was filled with roasted malts, coffee and black licorice. The taste was also filled with dark chocolate and roasted malts. There was some smoke as well. I didn’t pick up any of the licorice in the taste. The alcohol was present, but not overwhelming. It had a thick and chewy body with light carbonation. The finish was lengthy with dark chocolate. This was an outstanding beer that I would definitely have again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Goose Island Broken Resolutions

After Val and I left Saint Benjamin, we stopped at the Goose Island Brewpub in Philly. I had never been before, and even though they’re AB In Bev, I wanted to check it out.

ABV: 6.8%

Style: Witbier

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Goose Island Brewery is a brewery in Chicago, Illinois, that began as a single brewpub opened in 1988 in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and named after a nearby island. The larger brewery opened in 1995, and a second brewpub, in Wrigleyville, in 1999. Their beers are distributed across the United States, and the United Kingdom after a stake of the company was sold to Widmer Brothers Brewery in 2006, and the brewery was able to expand into different markets. In 2011, Goose Island was sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev. Greg Hall stepped down as brewmaster with the AB InBev purchase in 2011; Brett Porter was hired as the new brewmaster.”

Random: I also had a BCBS on tap, which was pretty good.

The beer poured with a half a finger of white head. It dissipated quickly and left very lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy orange with little visible carbonation. The nose was filled with wheat and bubble gum. The taste was bright as well. It had wheat and then went into notes of orange. There was some malt as well. The alcohol was noticeable and took away from the flavor. The body was on the medium side with lots of carbonation. It had a moderate finish with orange. I thought this beer was alright, but nothing to write home about.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Saint Benjamin Hop Craver

Last time Val and I were in Philly, we stopped by Saint Benjamin brewery for a beer and a snack. This is what I had.

ABV: 8.5%

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSE (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia’s first fire department and the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin earned the title of ‘The First American’ for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity, initially as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies. As the first United States Ambassador to France, he exemplified the emerging American nation. Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment.”

Random: I took a class on Benjamin Franklin in college.

This beer poured with a finger and a half of white head. It dissipated slowly and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, straw-yellow with a generous amount of carbonation. The nose had grass and citrus without much else. The taste was more towards citrus than grass. I picked up grapefruit and tangerine and some booze. There was some malt at the end of the sip. The body was on the thicker side with a lot of carbonation. It had a lengthy finish with grapefruit. I thought this beer was alright, but not a stand out.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Forgotten Boardwalk Ginger Snap Cookie

Val doesn’t like football, but is nice enough to take me places when it’s on. During playoff season, we ended up at a bar in Hamilton so I could watch the game.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Cream Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Unbeknownst to most: The feral cat is the sideshow attraction and mascot to the boardwalk. No one quite knows exactly when the undomesticated felines made their homes under the piers, but most say it happened when the boardwalk was first built back in the 1880s. The reason? Some say it is due to the scraps of food dropped by tourists that slip through the cracks of the planks. These curious creatures have roamed the boardwalks for over a century, spending their days in the shadows largely undetected by human eyes. Yet, the inquisitive cat, would have witnessed all that is lost, yet not forgotten.”

Random: Val makes dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies every year.

The beer poured with a one finger, white head. It dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, straw-yellow color with a lot of carbonation visible. The nose was filled with ginger. Vanilla was present as well, but it didn’t have an overly sweet scent. The taste had a bit more sweetness to it. The ginger was there, but not as overpowering as the nose. I picked up vanilla and some shortbread cookie and cinnamon. The body was light and had a lot of carbonation. It had a quick finish with ginger and shortbread cookie. I enjoyed this beer a lot. With a low ABV, you could easily put back a few of these.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0