Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA

Moylander Double IPA (India Pale Ale)
“If One is Good, Then Two is Better!” Our Moylander Double IPA is fat and resiny, with aggressive and excessive hops swinging on an enormous malt backbone like naughty monkeys on a vine. Double malt, double hops – do the math, it’s academic. This brew has twice the things you’re looking for, and it’s big enough to share with the one you love. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Alcohol 8.5% by Volume 90 IBUs Spec Sheet

Moylan’s Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout

While not many American craft breweries choose to brew an Irish dry stout, Moylan’s brewery brews one year-round. Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout is a great alternative to the beer that this style of beer is known for i.e. Guinness. In contrast to Guinness, Dragoon’s has a more creamy / medium body and offers a more full flavored drinking experience. Flavors of dry milk chocolate, roasted malts, and cocoa powder are met by a touch of earthly hops which lead to a nice dry finish that leaves just the right amount of residual sweetness on the palate. I commend the brewers at Moylan’s for brewing such as great example of the style.

Left Hand Fade To Black Volume 2 l Barry’s Last Beer Reviews

Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmont, CO)
Fade To Black Volume 2 – Smoked Baltic Porter

From The Brewery:
Fade to Black, that time of year when the light seems to fade away. We drift further into the darkness with each passing day. Volume 2- Smoked Baltic Porter is inspired by our collaboration with Nørrebro in Denmark. This mischievous cousin to Smoke Jumper has a penchant for pillaging and burning everywhere he goes. Smoked malts redolent of the burned thatched roofs in villages and towns all over Northern Europe impart flavors to warm the spirit of invading hordes far from home. You finally have something in your hand darker than the winter night sky.

 

 

Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin

 

Get To Know Your Beer Volume 3

FILMED IN JULY OF 2010: In this episode (volume) of Get To Know Your Beer I spend the day with my good friend and fellow craft beer advocate Alex Hall. In the first segment I do a sort of show and tell of some malts and hops at my local homebrew shop i.e. Brooklyn Homebrew. In the second Alex and I sit down at the Brazen Head craft beer car and chat about cask beer. Cheers!

 

 

Great Divide Brewery Tour

While in Denver visiting friends for New Years weekend I wanted to make sure to visit at least one craft brewery. So on Sunday two of my friends and I went to Great Divide Brewery for the 3pm tour. While I hoped to get a private tour, I wasn’t disappointed by the group tour I went on. One thing that surprised me was the size of the brewery i.e. I thought it would be bigger than it was (contrary to what I said in the conclusion to this video). However, for such a small operation Great Divide brews and releases some of my go to beers. Especially the Yeti imperial stout series. While at the brewery I sampled a bunch of the beers that were on tap and drank one pint each of Old Ruffian barleywine and my favorite beer of the day Oak-Aged Yeti. Next time I’m in Denver I hope I can visit lots more of Colorado’s great craft breweries in order to gain a deeper appreciation for the hard work that goes in brewing their amazing beers. Cheers!

 

January Vlog: Important and Surprising Announcement

Check out this vlog for an announcement that will seem surprising to most of you, but needs to be made now. I welcome your comments and emails on it.

Some beers I may be reviewing in the next few weeks:

• Moylan’s – Moylander Double IPA, Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout, Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale, Old Blarney Barleywine.
• Oskar Blue Old Chub
• Left Hand Fade to Black Vol. 2
• Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout
• 21st Ammendment Fireside Chat
• Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin
• Firestone Walker Double Jack
• Port Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout
• Brooklyn Black Ops 2010
• Some homebrew reviews

Cheers!

Alaskan Smoked Porter (2009 vintage)

Brewed since 1988 Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Smoked Porter has won many accolades from competitions such as GABF (where it has won 19 medals since 1988). With its sweet smoky character and espresso coffee malt backbone, this beer is a great beer for both casual sipping and pairing with food. For food pairings Alaskan Brewery recommends “smoked seafood, cheese and other robust foods and as an after-dinner drink. It pairs beautifully with everything from bleu cheese to vanilla ice cream and raspberries. This unique beer is also a wonderful flavoring ingredient in sauces, seafood dishes and even cheesecake.” Released every year on November 1st this beer will age well for a quite a few years, despite being only 6.5% ABV. If you like smoked beers and can get your hands on some bottles of this beer I’d highly recommend buying some (or trading for it).

 

 

Ommegang Adoration Ale

Throughout 2010 Brewery Ommegang has released a bunch of new beers with the aim of expanding their line up and showcasing the talent of its brewers. Adoration Ale, a spiced belgian strong dark ale in my opinion is a welcome addition to Ommegang’s portfolio of craft beers. As I sipped it I was reminded of Anchor Christmas ale, which has a spice character that is different from most other spiced ales. The unique blend of spices used in the brewing process were enhanced by a full bodied mouthfeel. As mentioned in the review, at times I was left searching for more belgian character in the beer. Meaning, I was expecting more belgian yeast flavors to accompany the spices as the beer warmed up. However, that did not really happen and at times made the beer seem one dimensional. In the end I did enjoy Adoration Ale and hope to buy another bottle to age. If you have access to this or any of other Brewery Ommegang beers I’d recommend trying them ASAP. Adoration Ale is a limited release seasonal beer so pick it up soon. Cheers!

Craft Brewer Interview: Chuck Silva, Brewmaster of Green Flash Brewing Co.

(Make sure to view this video in 720p resolution in order to get best picture quality)

This past Tuesday I attended a Green Flash Brewing Co. event at Rattle ‘n’ Hum craft beer bar in NYC. For the event Green Flash’s brewmaster Chuck Silva brought over 30 of his amazing beers for all to try. After we caught up and drank some beers I took Chuck aside to get the inside scoop on the Green Flash’s recent expansions, his recent collaboration brew with Stone Brewing Co. and Pizza Port Carlsbad, and his role as a San Diego craft brewer. Browsing over the menu of amazing Green Flash beers it was a challenge to pick which ones to choose since I wanted to try so many. Starting off light I ordered and enjoyed a pint of 30th Street Pale Ale, a crisp hoppy pale ale with a great citrus hop character. Being that a bunch of the others that I hoped to try that night were higher in alcohol content I asked Chuck which beer to try next. To which he recommended a recent Green Flash limited release beer called Silva Stout, Green Flash’s Double Stout aged in bourbon barrels. What made this beer unique was that fresh Double Stout was blended back into the barrel aged beer before being put into bottles and kegs. This made for a rich mouthfeel accompanied by flavors of milk and dark chocolate along with the usual suspects of beers aged in bourbon barrels i.e. notes of vanilla and oak. For my third beer of the night I decided to itch my craving for a wild ale with Super Freak, Green Flash’s Le Freak (Imperial Belgian IPA) aged in wine barrels with brettanomyces yeast. While the barrel aging with wild yeast did add some funky flavors, the flavors I enjoyed most were of tart lemon and apple along with sweet bready maltiness. The last beer that I drank that night was the “wow” beer of night for me. That beer was the 2009 vintage of Green Flash Barleywine. The complex flavors of toffee and herbal hops along with high drinkability of this fine brew were like no other barleywine I’ve tried. Overall, the beers I drank that night were amazing and the company of Chuck and friends who were there at Rattle n Hum for the event made for a great night. Enjoy the interview!