Brews Cruisers

07/03/2020

And the list continues, despite the minor plague.

07/03/2020

07/03/2020

The Journal, or The Good Book as we sometimes call it.

06/14/2020

An imperial granola blonde ale?!? That's a thing? Yes, yes it is. It's a deliciously complicated blonde, with a great kind of oat sweetness. The 8% alcohol hides nicely, ultimately making this a very drinkable experiment. If you find yourself in Newport, check out the beer selection at the JC Market. Always good for a fun find.

01/08/2014

So! Where was I... Ah yes, La Conner Brewing Co. out in La Conner, WA. The Brown was tasty, with strong notes of scotch. The Stout is fantastic, smooth and creamy with strong notes of vanilla. The Pale was clean and refreshing, not too hoppy and very much a British pale(think Bass). The ESB was a little light on flavor, with a faint malt sweetness in the background. Overall, very nice work La Conner.

02/08/2013

Beer #12: Silver City Brewery's Imperial Stout. I'm pretty sure it's impossible for Silver City to be disappointing. This won the gold medal in the American-Style Imperial Stout category of the World Beer Cup. It's one of the best I've ever had, that's for sure. The flavors hit you much faster than a normal stout, but they fade just as fast. And unlike almost every other dark beer you've ever read about, it's pretty much just chocolate, not "coffee and chocolate". On flavor alone, it's damn good. But it's also imperial, so it's 9.2%. Unlike some other imperial stouts/reds/pale ales/etc, you don't taste the extra alcohol. You feel it evaporating in your nasal passages instead, and if you've been as sick as I have that feels pretty good. I would totally recommend any of Silver City's brews, the Winter Bock or Scotch Ale especially. But this... This is a stellar example of what good brewers can do if they want to make something delicious that'll make you forget how bad your day sucked.

Allow me to leave you with a quote from the bottle;
"Ideally, brewers interpret history, and through science they create art." -Don Spencer, Brewmaster

02/08/2013

Beer #11: Cold Spring Brewing Company's Moonlight Ale. This is an interesting find. It's a blend of 50% porter and 50% amber bock. It starts like a good porter should, slightly sweet and velvety. But where the coffee and/or chocolate flavors should show up, you get the effervescent, malty-sweet presence of a good bock. The finish is toasty with a short burst of hoppiness just to remind you there are some in there somewhere. It's immensely drinkable, absolutely enjoyable, only 5% so you can just keep tossing them back, and the nifty aluminum bottle keeps it nice and cool. This beer is fantastic, and I highly recommend you buy it if you see it. Also, if any friends of yours are afraid to join "the dark side", this is a great introduction.

01/17/2013

Beer #10: Full Sail Brewing's Nut Brown Ale. According to the bottle, this is a limited edition that's only available for 90 days. That's a bit of a shame, really. It's very smooth at the start and the finish, with a bit of a...fruity ZING! in the middle. It's kind of like drinking a good pale ale and a Newcastle at the same time. At 6% it's not going to sneak up on you, and it's not so complex or abrupt that you can't drink a few in one sitting. It's a tasty, enjoyable, local option for those who'd like to have something a little dark that they can drink all night(or day, we've all done it) long. I'd recommend you grab some before it's gone.

01/17/2013

Beer #9: Griffin Brewery's Fuller's London Pride. If you're familiar with Top Gear, then you're undoubtedly familiar with Captain Slow. This, according to an interview he did recently, is his favorite beer. And I can see why. It's not overly complicated, and it's not flavorless and vacant like most American macrobrews. It's decidedly European in that it has body but it's amazingly well balanced. You get one big rush of flavor that can only be described as "BEER!" and then it fades, leaving just a faint note of malts. Superbly drinkable and a beer London should be proud of. Well played, Captain Slow. Well played.

01/11/2013

Howdy all! Welcome to 2013. After a bit of a break for a couple different reasons, it's time for some beer! Winter warmers are still kicking around, and those are usually some of the best seasonal offerings a brewery has. So get out there and warm up! I have a fridge full of things to try and share with all of you, so I better get on it. Have a beer and keep warm everyone.

Carpe Cerevisi!

12/13/2012

Beer #8: Dixie Brewing Co's Blackened Voodoo Lager. Despite the name and the picture, this is actually a beautiful amber color. This is an all-malt brew, so it bounces around your palate leaving strong flavors of chocolate and just a hint of coffee. Lots of beers say "chocolate and coffee", but this is the real deal. It's sweet and effervescent, without a bitter bone in it's body, and an utter joy to drink. This is a true gem, purchased purely because of the awesome name. And on a fun side note, apparently it's stupid hard to find. It's brewed in New Orleans, in a century-old brewery almost destroyed by Katrina. A good friend of mine is from Memphis, Tennessee and he couldn't find this beer there, a mere two states away. Yet I have a six pack of it, seven states away. And while it was a pleasure to hand him one, I'd be proud to hand anyone one of these. This beer is delicious, and if you see it you should buy it without hesitation.