Troegs Field Study

I’m really happy this is a short week at work. Since the holiday hits on a Saturday, we’re off on Friday. I’m also short this week due to someone being on vacation and we’re really busy to start with. I don’t know what we’ll be doing for the holiday. In all likelihood, we’ll be staying home since I’m a bit paranoid of the increase in COVID cases, but we’ll see.

ABV: 6.2%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “In the hop fields we daydream and study, and at the brewery we tinker and test. For Field Study, dry-hopping delivers notes of ripe grapefruit, mango, pear and melon. Add a backbone of local rustic pale malt, and Field Study is just what we were after: a slightly hazy yet bright summer daydream come true. We taste: ripe grapefruit, pear, hint of melon”

Random: I love Troegs’s label art. Their redesign a few years back is the best I’ve seen, hands down.

The beer poured with a one finger, pure white head. It dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. There was a crown left on top of the cloudy, yellow body. I couldn’t see much carbonation. The nose had grapefruit pith and grass with some mango. The taste also had grass upfront and quickly transitioned into mango and green melon. There was also pear. The body was lighter than I expected and I wanted the carbonation to be dialed up a bit. It had a quick finish with mango. I thought this beer was alright, but nothing stellar. I wouldn’t refuse it if it was handed to me.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Kane Stained Glass

Work has gotten crazy busy and as a result, has limited my ability to post every night as well as my consumption. So, I’ll be posting as much as possible, but daily may be difficult. Anyways, let’s get to the beer.

ABV: 6.7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Medieval stained glass is the coloured and painted glass of medieval Europe from the 10th century to the 16th century. For much of this period stained glass windows were the major pictorial art form, particularly in northern France, Germany and England, where windows tended to be larger than in southern Europe (in Italy, for example, frescos were more common). In some countries, such as in Sweden and in England, only a fragment of an originally large amount of stained glass have survived to this day. Stained glass windows were used predominantly in churches, but were also found in wealthy domestic settings and public buildings such as town halls, though surviving examples of secular glass are very rare indeed. The purpose of stained glass windows in a church was both to enhance the beauty of their setting and to inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism. The subject matter was generally religious in churches, though “portraits” and heraldry are often included, and many narrative scenes give valuable insights into the medieval world.”

Random: I love stained glass. Val and I have a lighting fixture that eventually we need to mount that is stained glass.

The beer poured with a huge, four finger, pure white head that was incredibly thick. It took a long time to dissipate, but once it did, left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was slightly hazy and bright yellow in color with a decent amount of carbonation. The nose had a lot of grain up front with some wheat and cereal notes. Then, it went into lots of pine. The taste had a lot of pine as well with some lemon balm notes that quickly went into grain and rice. The body was on the lighter side with a lot of carbonation. It had a quick finish with lemon. I thought this was a solid and refreshing beer that I would definitely have again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Stone Scorpion Bowl IPA

Val and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and now, when I see tiki drink inspired beers, I think of that time. Let’s see how this beer was.

ABV: 7.5%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “A Scorpion Bowl is a communally shared alcoholic tiki drink served in a large ceramic bowl traditionally decorated with wahine or hula-girl island scenes and meant to be drunk through long straws. Bowl shapes and decorations can vary considerably. Starting off as a single-serve drink known as the Scorpion cocktail, its immense popularity as a bowl drink in tiki culture is attributed to Trader Vic. The drink contains light rum, brandy, and orgeat syrup along with orange and lemon juice and is typically heavily garnished. The ceramic vessel itself is also referred to as a ‘scorpion bowl’. Different versions can have multiple types of rum (overproof, dark and white), gin, wine, and fruit juices. If a sparkling wine ‘floater’ is being added this should be done last after the other ingredients have been mixed.”

Random: When I lived in North Jersey, there was a dive bar that had the best tiki drinks. They also had amazing beef cubes with spicy sauce.

The beer poured with a three finger, loose, cream-colored head. It dissipated at a moderate pace. The body was mostly clear and light orange in color with some carbonation visible. The nose had some grapefruit and pineapple. Not much else came through. The taste had slightly more tropical fruit with some mango and pineapple. There was moderate bitterness to this and the alcohol was apparent on it. The body was heavier than expected with a lot of carbonation. It had a quick and fruity finish. I really wanted this beer to be more like a tiki drink and it just missed the mark for me.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Victory Easy Ringer

The weather here has started to get really hot. I am not a big fan of the heat, so I’ve been staying in the air conditioning as much as possible. You know what goes well with staying inside, beer.

ABV: 4.3%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Drinking crisp and light with little bitterness and tons of hop character, notes of passionfruit and citrus wow the crowd. The anytime crusher. Crisp and light at 4.3% ABV, the low bitterness and fruity notes make tossing a few back look easy.”

Random: We’re watching “Celebrity Family Feud” and there is a boatload of yelling and slightly weird touching. I forgot how much I dislike this game show. I disliked it as a child because of the yelling too. Not much has changed.

The beer poured with a one finger, pure white head. It dissipated at a moderate pace, but left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, straw yellow with moderate carbonation visible. The nose had some milled grain with some grass and a splash of pine, almost like a pine seltzer. I didn’t get any fruit on the nose. The taste started with some grapefruit and quickly went into grain. I wanted to get more of the citrusy and fruit notes, but there were none. The body was very light with high carbonation. It had an instantaneous finish with grain. I really wanted to like this beer, but it just missed the mark for me. I wouldn’t have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Sierra Nevada 3 Weight

Since the pandemic started, my local beer store is doing delivery. Since I am going to work everyday, I try to get as many things delivered as possible and the beer store has a bunch of different mixed packs. This was from Sierra Nevada’s mixed twelve from the Spring.

ABV: 4%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Heading into the backcountry, it’s helpful to have a few things on hand. A solid fishing rod (of course), a sturdy pack, and some great beer help the day run smoothly. This session ale is the perfect choice for a day away from it all—golden, easy drinking, and full of citrusy and piney hop flavor.”

Random: The beer comes in at 38 IBUs and uses Cascade, Magnum, Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Loral hops.

The beer poured with less than half a finger of loose white head. It went away and left only a hint of lacing on the glass. The body was lemon yellow and hazy. It had a lot of carbonation visible as well. The nose was light. I picked up some grass and flowers, but it was mild, even for a session IPA. The taste was under flavored. I picked up some watery lemon juice along with lemon peel. There was also some floral notes. After a few sips, there was grass too. The body was very light with soda-like carbonation. It had an instant finish with flowers. This beer just didn’t do it for me. It was so light and lacked flavor, but it went down quickly. I wouldn’t have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 2.5/5.0

Kane Whitehall

Val and I purchased a replacement mini fridge for our basement. We got it down there, unpacked it and realized that it was broken. We repacked it and brought it back up, which means that I definitely deserve a beer.

ABV: 7.2%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Whitehall is a road in the City of Westminster, Central London, which forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office. Consequently, the name ‘Whitehall’ is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government, and as the geographic name for the surrounding area. The name was taken from the Palace of Whitehall that was the residence of Kings Henry VIII through to William III, before its destruction by fire in 1698; only the Banqueting House survived. Whitehall was originally a wide road that led to the front of the palace; the route to the south was widened in the 18th century following the destruction of the palace. As well as government buildings, the street is known for its memorial statues and monuments, including Britain’s primary war memorial, the Cenotaph. The Whitehall Theatre, now the Trafalgar Studios, has been popular for farce comedies since the mid-20th century.”

Random: Before the pandemic, I was supposed to take a trip to our UK site. Definitely had to put that one on hold.

This beer poured with a thick, one and half finger, pure white head. It dissipated at a moderate pace and left some lacing on the glass. The body was very hazy and bright yellow. Due to the haze, I couldn’t see much carbonation. The nose had a lot of citrus and grapefruit up front with a touch of a floral note. The taste had the same citrus and grapefruit but also some green melon. The floral note wasn’t apparent on the taste. There was some grass too. The body was on the lighter side of the style with a lot of carbonation. It had a lengthy finish with grass. I really enjoyed this beer and would

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Kane Wax Comb

It’s officially Summer in New Jersey. Places are slowly starting to open up and traffic is getting heavier. At least we still have breweries doing direct delivery, like Kane.

ABV: 7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “A wax comb is a tool used in the maintenance and removal of surfboard wax on a surfboard. Wax combs typically have features such a jagged or toothed edge and a straight, relatively sharp edge. The jagged edge is used to create textured grooves for improving the traction of the wax and the straight edge is used for scraping off unwanted wax. In addition to the straight edge for wax removal, some wax combs even have an inwardly curved edge for the rails (such as Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax ‘Sex Comb’). Additionally, wax combs can have features such as fin key, bottle opener or a snap for portability (attachment to interior pocket loop, lanyard or leash attachment lanyard).”

Random: Although given Kane’s location, I should have figured out that their beers would have beach themed names, I didn’t figure it out until now.

The beer poured with a finger of loose, pure white head. It dissipated quickly and left some lacing on the glass. The beer was bright yellow in color and had no carbonation visible due to the haziness. The nose started with grapefruit pith and zest and some pine as well. The taste was much of same, big notes of bright citrus and then pine sap and pine needles. There was also some green melon note as well. The body was on the medium side with a lot of carbonation. The finish was sticky with grapefruit. I enjoyed this beer and would search this one out.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA

New Belgium is one of the breweries that I visited when we went to Colorado a few years back. I was shocked at how empty it was and how large the facility was. I had a few beers there and really enjoyed them. I don’t recall offhand if I had anything from the Voodoo Ranger series, but I’m giving this one a shot now. I’ve had a few beers from the series and was pleasantly surprised, so let’s see how this one was.

ABV: 7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Bursting with tropical aromas and juicy fruit flavors from Mosaic and Amarillo hops, this golden IPA is perfectly bitter with a refreshing, sublime finish.”

Random: I have tried a bunch of the Voodoo Ranger series and I find them to be pretty good.

The beer poured with a two finger, thick white head. It dissipated quickly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a bright light orange color that had minimal cloudiness and lots of visible carbonation. The nose was filled with piney hops that quickly went into green pepper notes. There was some tropical fruit and what stood out to me was pineapple. The sip was pretty dank. I picked up a lot of pine that went into grapefruit pith and pineapple. I found the alcohol here really apparent and took away from the other flavors. The body was on the heavier side with a lot of carbonation. It had a lengthy finish with pine sap. I thought this beer was alright, but not one worth seeking out.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Lone Eagle Maiden Flight West Coast Style IPA

Tonight’s beer is another from Lone Eagle. Let’s see how it was.

ABV: 8%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Lone Eagle Brewing is located in beautiful, historic Flemington, NJ. We opened our doors in July 2016 as Flemington’s first craft brewery. We offer over five thousand square feet of tasting room space that includes an 18 hundred square-foot loft overlooking the brew area and main tasting room. We can accommodate approximately 100 people in the brewery, and offer an outside patio with seating for an addition 60+ people. Our three serving bars were all hand-built by the owners, and the tables and benches were produced by the students of Hunterdon County Polytech. Our tasting room features reclaimed wood form Hunterdon County, and has a very warm comfortable feel. We offer twelve to fourteen beers on tap with a balanced board of IPAs, Saisons, Stouts, Porters, Lagers and Ales. Our brewery also offers thirty-two and sixty four ounce growlers, thirty-two ounce Crowlers, sixteen ounce cans in four-packs and specialty bottles for limited release beers. We have a 10 BBL brewhouse with 100 BBL’s of fermentation capacity. We expect to triple our production with an additional building, conveniently located on an adjacent property, in 2020. Great beer, great space, a warm and welcoming staff, good cheer, and a great experience are all on tap at Lone Eagle Brewing — we would love for you to stop by and join the fun!”

Random: I’ve read over 100 books so far, this year.

The beer poured with a half finger of loose, white head. It dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. It did leave a small crown on top of the clear, yellow body. There was a lot of carbonation visible. The nose had a lot of pine up front with some grapefruit pith along with some floral notes. The taste started with pine needles and quickly followed up with some sweet malt. There was grapefruit pith as well. It had some honey at the end of the sip. The body was on the thicker side with moderate carbonation. The finish was lengthy with pine needles. I thought this was a pretty good beer that went down easily and I would have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Lone Eagle New England Chowdah

Since I’ve decided that I am not watching the news to maintain my mental health, I’m currently binging on nature documentaries. I’m watching “Seven Worlds, One Planet” which is showing a musk ox fight over mating. It seems like there is always a fight over mating on these documentaries. They are showing a bunch of forests in Europe that have different wildlife because humans haven’t touched them. It’s quite interesting. I am supposed to go to Europe in December (at the latest), but COVID-19 has changed everything, so we’ll see. Let’s get to the beer.

ABV: 6.5%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This New England style IPA hop bomb is dry hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Centennial. It’s as hazy as a foggy morning over Boston Habah.”

Random: The brewery website says that this beer has 0 IBUs and 0 SRM. Somehow, I do not believe this.

The beer poured with a one finger, loose, pure white head. It dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a dusky orange color with no visible carbonation. The nose had some grass along with orange zest and segments. The taste was much of the same. I picked up grass clippings, vanilla and orange zest. It also had a touch of artificial orange flavoring, which I was not the biggest fan of. The body was on the thicker side with light carbonation that needed to be dialed up. The finish was quick with artificial orange flavoring. This wasn’t my favorite beer and I definitely wouldn’t rush back to have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0