matty dread Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 All this beer talk I had to run out on my lunch break and pick up some good stuff. I always want to try new ones but I usually stick with what I know. Picked up some DFH 60 minute and Smuttynose Robust Porter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Enjoying one of these bad boys with my dinner at the moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 You can also throw in Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA to the list of very hoppy beers that are well balanced with a nice malt bill. It is definetly floral and bitter but not the melt your face amount of hops that, IMO, is not very good. Agreed. I picked up a sixer of the Torpedo 2 weeks ago and was very pleasantly surprised. The guy at the liquor store told me that it was tough to come by around because Sierra Nevada had to get combined orders for at least 1000 cases, or they wouldn't ship any of it to MD. I went back, this past Friday, and it was all gone:mad: I knew I should've snagged a case of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) Tonight's sampling: Smithwick's Irish Ale (a Guinness Brew) A- / 4.05 (might be a bit high, but an easy B or B+) look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4 Bottle (pint glass) Cold but not frigid Appearance: Smithwick's has a very smooth pour and begins to develop a nice head that builds as you pour, the head was very white and built to about an inch or so, it faded about half way before my first sip but held through the drink finishing with a layer over the brew as I finished, it gave a nice lace but didn't cover the entire glass. The brew is a dark amber color, that looked to me like a cola drink that had been watered down, or a very dark iced tea, it has a great clarity with no murkiness at all. I saw light carbonation bubbles coming from the bottom of the glass. I liked the head on the brew, but the coloring seemed like it was trying to be two things amber and black so that left me questioning what was coming. Smell: I smelled immediately after popping the cap and was hit with the spice of hops. After pouring, the smell dissipated a bit but the hops were still very noticeable. It smelled very much like a lighter ale with a bright smell, and what I would guess is a floral scent but not overly sweet. I think I detected a hint of citrus as well though if present it was hidden fairly well. Over all the scent was pleasant but not overbearing. The abundance of the spice was very noticeable but not unpleasant at all. Taste: The first thing I noticed was the hoppy spice taste on my tongue, the more I drank the more I noticed the malts. If I gave an order I would say it started with a stronger hops taste then shifted to a more mild malt, then finished with the spice of hops again. When lightly swirling the brew in my mouth I could taste and feel the spice of the hops on the back and the sides of my tongue. When exhaling through my nose under the spice I could smell the malts. The taste seemed much lighter than the coloring might have indicated, but it was still robust and not watered down in the least. There also was no discernable alcohol taste or smell. Mouthfeel: One of the first things I noticed was that the brew felt as smooth as it poured, and left a buttery feel in my mouth. This was certainly thicker than a Pale Ale or a summer ale, and rolled nicely in my mouth, almost creamy. The carbonation was a bit surprising as it fizzed a bit in my mouth even while I didn't notice that much in the pour or while looking at it in the glass. When sliding the brew in my mouth I could really feel the thickness which seemed to create a bit of foam in my mouth with very little effort, the effect was a very creamy texture that was quite pleasant. Drinkability: This seemed very drinkable, and even with the fizziness I did not feel bloated at all. I cannot imagine downing these quickly but over the course of an evening I don't think it would be unpleasant to have a couple of these. I would definitely recommend Smithwick's to someone wanting a bolder take on an ale, and I will be adding this brew to my repeat business list. Edited July 22, 2009 by AsburySkinsFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Anyone else a big fan of Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale? I wish I had some right now. I've had a couple Smuttynose Robust Porters tonight and damn these things are tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 A few hours after my Smithwick's review I heard one of the Guinness Draught nitro-cans calling my name, I drank that one cold and was very pleased with it. I think tonight's review will be the nitro-bottle of Guinness, served slightly cooler than room temp. Gotta love that rich malt flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I've had a couple Smuttynose Robust Porters tonight and damn these things are tasty. I haven't had a specific Porter yet, unless you count stouts as porters which I believe technically you could. What's the difference between a porter and a stout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) I haven't had a specific Porter yet, unless you count stouts as porters which I believe technically you could. What's the difference between a porter and a stout? Good question. The answer is... not much http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_(beer)) Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined.[1] The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts. The name "stout" for a dark beer came about because a strong porter may be called "Extra Porter" or "Double Porter" or "Stout Porter". The term "Stout Porter" would later be shortened to just "Stout". For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840.[2] Edited July 22, 2009 by matty dread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 A few hours after my Smithwick's review I heard one of the Guinness Draught nitro-cans calling my name, I drank that one cold and was very pleased with it. I think tonight's review will be the nitro-bottle of Guinness, served slightly cooler than room temp. Gotta love that rich malt flavor. I actually prefer the can over the bottle with Guinness. Let us know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) Guinness Draught B / 3.75 look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | drink: 3.5 Nitro-bottle Glass Video of the Guinness Cascade from my new blog Appearance: Average pour, noticeable bubbles due to the nitro. I very much like the cascade effect with the nitro-bottle as it also produces a very nice head that builds quickly, but settles to about ¼ inch with a very dense light khaki foam. The brew appears black, but when held to the light you can see the bulb dimly through the glass, with a very dark amber glow. The lacing was thick and held to the glass through the drink and even lasted after I finished. Smell: The first thing I noticed was the abundant malts and the lighter spicyness, there was some toffee sweetness and hints of an espresso. The aroma was pleasant without being too strong. Taste: First taste is the dark malts with a nice level of flavor, followed by some mild hop spices and ends with a bite of bitterness on the back and sides of my tongue. There are not a lot of heavy flavors other than the malts followed by the hops. I like the light sweetness on the tip of my tongue and the espresso aroma it leaves in my nose. The after-taste is mostly mild bitterness in the back of my mouth with the lingering malt flavor. Nowhere in my tasting did I notice any taste of alcohol in this brew. Mouthfeel: The head was very smooth on my lips and tongue, the liquid was thicker than a pale ale, but not as thick as the Smithwick's Irish Ale. There was some light carbonation that set on my tongue but nothing too heavy or over-bearing. It also had a very nice clean finish without any noticeable diacetyl taste or feeling. Drinkability: This is an easy drinking brew, with good flavor and nice simple complexity without trying to do too much. This is not an afternoon BBQ beer, but a nice steak dinner brew for those looking for a change. Edited July 23, 2009 by AsburySkinsFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CooleyRox Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Anybody tried any smoked porters? I tried a couple at Savor in DC a couple of months ago but they were all too smoky for my tastes. I'd like to try a milder one but don't know if any exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) Tonight's sampling Bison Organic Chocolate Stout B / 3.7 look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | drink: 4 Bottle Slightly cooler than room temp Appearance: this brew has a smooth pour and builds an almond colored head quickly to about 1 finger which begins to fade to a thin layer within a minute or so, the head has a medium froth nowhere near as dense as the Guinness nitro-bottle; the head also slides off leaving no lacing on the glass The brew itself is near black, but on the edges and bottom you can see that it is a very deep amber, especially when held to the light. It is a clear liquid, and I could see some evidence of carbonation with a single bubble stream visible on the surface. There was nothing really extra ordinary about the appearance, and the fact that it was not opaque reminded me of the Guinness, but this was even clearer. It looked good, but really just seemed average to me. Smell: I hold my breath as I put my nose in the glass before inhaling, and even then I could feel the bite of the bitterness in my nostrils which really made me think I was in for a very hoppy brew. As I inhaled the spice was indeed prominent, and there was thick dark malt that you would expect from a stout. I could also smell some sweetness like toffee, but I was really left searching for any chocolate aroma. Taste: The spice is certainly in this brew but not nearly as strong as I was expecting from the aroma, as I am not one who likes an overly hoppy brew I was pleasantly surprised at the difference between the aroma and the initial taste. Continuing with the first pull I tasted the heavy malts that should not come as a surprise when drinking stouts, this was followed by the bite of bitterness at the finish that was sharper than the Guinness, I really only noticed the chocolate at the end and it seemed a very rich dark chocolate. As I continued to explore the tastes I concentrated on the sweetness which is there on the tip of the tongue but certainly not a primary flavor. This did not taste at all watered down. Mouthfeel: The Chocolate Stout is a thicker feeling brew than Guinness but certainly not syrupy by any stretch. I did notice any creaminess although there was a thin buttery coating in my mouth after swallowing. One thing that I noticed early was the carbonation, I expected to feel this from the appearance and I was afraid that it might be overbearing but that was not to be, the carbonation fizzed on my tongue some but it was not distracting from the flavors. Drinkability: This is a good drinking brew, but the carbonation hangs in the stomach more than others and causes some bloating, the liquid itself is not all that heavy but with the carbonation it is rather filling even after a single pint. I can see drinking this in the evening with friends or family, or drinking one with a steak dinner, but I can't imagine anyone slamming these at a party. I certainly recommend this brew as a drinkable, and flavorful expression of what a stout is while not being completely overbearing. Edited July 24, 2009 by AsburySkinsFan punctuating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRUSupposed2Be Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Give me three Cold Coronas with a long-island Iced Tea top it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) Young's Double Chocolate Stout A+ / 4.65 look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5 1 pint .09 US fl.oz Room temp bottle (large glass) Appearance: the pour was average though for the size of the bottle it created a chug as it poured which really built the head up, easily I would say 3 fingers, with still more in the bottle. The head was almond colored and had a medium density, but dissipated to a ring by the time I took my first sip. The head has a light cling to the glass, but I noticed some heavier spots near the top where the head reached but the brew itself did not. The stout is ink black in the glass, though you can see just a hint of clean dark amber on the bottom of the glass when held to the light, other than that it is beautifully opaque with zero light showing through the middle of the brew. I can see very little evidence of carbonation on the top. Just looking at it I'm intrigued. Smell: One of the first things that I noticed other than just how excellent this smelled was the toffee or caramel sweetness and the noticeable alcohol aroma, this had a heavy underlayer of dark malts what I can only imagine are chocolate malts, I also smell a bit of spicyness not nearly as prominent as the Bison Chocolate Stout. In other brews I've smelled hints of sweetness, but here it is especially prominent; as I continued to drink I began to recognize a building in the sweetness and a lessening of the alcohol smell, that with the malt base really had my nose going. Taste: Sweet toffee right away as it hits my tongue, but not candy bar toffee more of a refined flavor, this mixed with the malts is excellent. I'm a big espresso lover and the deep rich flavors light my taste buds up, as does Young's stout, combine that with the well balanced level of hops with the deep cacao weaving through it all and the taste is simply the best I've experienced. There was some alcohol taste at first, but the more I drank the more it seemed to diminish. The finish has a nice bite from the hops reminding you after all that you are drinking a stout, but then the malts and chocolates remain and flood up your nose giving you an after-taste you don't want to lose. Young's stout is a very robust full bodied brew that will honestly leave you wishing there was more in that oversized bottle. Mouthfeel: The stout is thick on the tongue and in the mouth it rolls well and has a bit of effervescence from the carbonation but it does not make the brew foamy. If anyone accuses this brew of being watery then they must drink their brews with a spoon, the thing that I noticed most is that the feeling is much thicker in my mouth than it looks. I did notice a light buttery taste and film in my mouth afterwards from the diacetyl (stuff that makes butter feel like it does), but it was not heavy or unpleasant. Drinkability: Well what can I say, other than I was three fourths of the way through before I decided to slow down and sip the last bit savoring the flavors. This is a dessert beer, I can see drinking this on special occasions or when fine dining with a rich meal, or simply enjoying a bottle during a night with friends. The size of the bottle, alcohol content 5.2% abv and the robust flavors keeps this from being a session beer, but if what you want is a brew to settle down with and work with while letting your senses run wild then pour yourself a Young's. This by far is the best stout I've had to date and I simply find it hard to believe that it gets better. On my next stop though the liquor store I'll be picking up another for a nice quiet night home. Edited July 25, 2009 by AsburySkinsFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royallypwned Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 ^ I Love Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I usually make it the first beer I order when I go to the draught emporium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 ^ I Love Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I usually make it the first beer I order when I go to the draught emporium. First, wow, I think I would save this 'til last so I can savor it all night long, or do you get it first because later your buds are worn out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Nice reviews, Ashbury. Not a big fan of Guinness Draught, over here. Even with the nitro it seems flat and dull. Like a watered-down Extra Stout that's been left out for a day. Not...that I've ever drank that.....:paranoid: It even seemed like I got ahold of a bad batch. Nonetheless, I'm sticking to the Extra Stout when it comes to Guinness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Nice reviews, Ashbury. Not a big fan of Guinness Draught, over here. Even with the nitro it seems flat and dull. Like a watered-down Extra Stout that's been left out for a day.Not...that I've ever drank that.....:paranoid: It even seemed like I got ahold of a bad batch. Nonetheless, I'm sticking to the Extra Stout when it comes to Guinness. I was talking with a beer expert the other day on beeradvocate.com about this very thing with Guinness, it felt thin in my mouth almost like a "light" stout if there were such a thing. He explained to me that Guinness Draught is a "Dry Irish Stout" and as such it fits the description perfectly. I think I made a mistake by missing that the Guinness Draught was in the same category as other stouts, but I guess its in a sub-category. Other than that, I'm wondering what group I'm gonna try out next week, so many to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royallypwned Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 First, wow, I think I would save this 'til last so I can savor it all night long, or do you get it first because later your buds are worn out? Well I usually get it first AND last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Well I usually get it first AND last. LoL! Adds balance right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 The Young's looks really really good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 The Young's looks really really good! It is, and the bottle is nearly 2 pints, only lacking 3 fl oz, so there's enough to share...not sure why anyone would actually do that though. The Young's is really good, and what I noticed was that as I worked through the bottle it seemed to bring out differences in flavor and smell, either that or the 5.2% abv was getting to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Young's Double Chocolate Stout is tasty stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Review line up for the next two weeks: I have the remnants of a Sam Adam's Brew Master's Collection and Summer Pack in the fridge with 1 of each included beer so I put them in the mix to spread the tasting out over the next two weeks. Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC) Bourbon Barrel Stout Samuel Adam's Black Lager Sierra Nevada Stout Samuel Adam's Blackberry Witbier Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout Samuel Adams Irish Red Bell's Kalamazoo Stout Samuel Adams Summer Ale Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout Samuel Adams Pale Ale Rogue Mocha Porter Samuel Adams Hefeweizen Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale Sam Adams Light p.s. I also got another bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stout for my anniversary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins4Life6388 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I am a big fan of Samuel Adam's Summer Ale and the Sierra Nevada Stout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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