Jet Black

Another order from Drinkstore.ie has made a real dent in my wallet, but will also help me make a further dent into drinking my way through "1001 Beers". Photo of some things to come below just to tease!

So, I've been saving the next beer for a wee while, and thought it would be a good way to mark reaching 210 beers!

210. Mikkeller Black
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 18.1%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: This thing is so dark I had to turn lights on in each room I moved into... Good brown head that lasted well considering the ABV. Wow, big aroma - burnt malt, booze, wood, something slightly lactic and sour, sugar, smoke. Taste hits in a big way too, more of that burnt malt, there's a sugary sweetness to along with (very) bitter chocolate and coffee. Wood, smoke, and may be a hint of vanilla, and lots (and lots) of booze. Very rich, oily, and lasting.
Thoughts: This is not an easily drunk beer. There's a lot going on and the booze level is through the roof. I did enjoy it but I'd guess it need more ageing - a good couple of years at that - to mellow it out and take the edges off. Worth trying but I preferred the Bourbon County Stout.
Score: 8.5

Now to some outsiders - I've been buying some local Irish/Norn Irish beers recently so a quick summary of these...

174. Kinnegar Rustbucket
Style: Rye Beer. ABV: 5.1%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Dark amber going on light brown, white head. On the aroma I got some caramel and a hint of grapefruit. Flavour starts biscuity, then some caramel malt sweetness, and finally some bittering hops kick in. May be a little spice in there too. Quite light, coated my mouth a little but not what I'd call "sticky"
Thoughts: Not a bad drop this, might be slightly better for a autumn night but was a decent rye ale.
Score: 6.5

175. O'Hara's DIPA 
Style: Imperial IPA. ABV: 7.5%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Golden in colour with a small off-white head. Lots of floral hops and sugar on the nose, a little piney aroma in there too. This came through very sweet, some floral notes and some citrus but its not really getting through strongly. Sticky mouth feel.
Thoughts: I was looking forward to this, and the beer nut (who's blog is excellent by the way) seemed to enjoy it , which is nearly always a good sign. For me, however, it just didn't work - way too sweet, a sickly kinda special brew sweetness at that, with nothing else getting through. I nearly didn't finish it at all. It may well have been a bad bottle, but it's not something I'll be buying again... ever... 
Score: 3

176. Pokertree Seven Sister Treacle Stout 
Style: Stout. ABV: 5.9%. From: Grange Wines
Description: Poured a decent thick dark brown (almost black), with a beige head. Some roasted malt on the aroma, but also some light coffee and chocolate, and a definite brown sugar sweetness. The treacle remains in the flavour giving it some richness, the roasted malt and coffee make a come back too, I also got some dark fruit. Quite light bodied. 
Thoughts: I waited for a second tasting to give this a review. The flavour holds up well for me, a solid oatmeal stout with a nice hint of brown sugary moreishness. Its not huge flavour wise but very drinkable. I think it could take a bit more fullness in body to really round it out.
Score: 6.5

Right I'm off to line up more of the beers in the picture, but I'll leave you with a final reminder for Beerclubbelfast next Thursday (29th @ 7pm) with the guys from marble coming over it should be a great event... I'm even planning to make it down - hopefully see you there.

Cheers

Breaky Beers

It's weird, I'm not one for coffee (or tea for that matter) yet I seem to really enjoy coffee porters and stouts.

Maybe its just that hot drinks do nothing for me... anyway, here's three recent variations on coffee porters I've had - even better two of them are ticks from the list!

206. Rogue Mocha Porter
Style: Porter. ABV: 5.3%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured a decent oily black with a tan head. Lots of coffee and bitter cocoa in the aroma, and some nice roasted malt in the background. Less coffee in the taste than you'd expect from the smell, more light frappuccino than espresso here, decent chocolate hint too. Some light roasted malt as a backbone. Dryish, with a mid to full body and a little bitterness on the finish.
Thoughts: Subtle, well balanced, quaff-able yet not boring. A great example of a light, interesting, but not overdone coffee porter. I'll be getting again.Score: 8 

207. Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Style: Oatmeal Stout. ABV: 7.5%. From: Drinkstore.ie 
Description: Poured a deep black colour with brown head that didn't last very long. Roasted malt on the nose, bitter coffee, but there's a definite aroma of hops here too. Taste starts off all bitter coffee and toasted malt, but then the hops come through providing a can of floral bitterness at the end. Thick, resin like, but quite carbonated with it. Hides the ABV well.
Thoughts: I think expectations got to me here. I was waiting to be wowed  and it never happened. I personally thought it was too hoppy to really go with the coffee and oatmeal base. Not sure I'd buy again to be honest. But feel free to tell me I'm wrong (and why) in the comments!
Score: 6

Now for one outside the list

168. Flying Dog Kujo
Style: Imperial Stout. ABV: 8.9%. From: Light House Wines
Description: Dark with a tan head that disappeared really quickly. Lots of coffee on the nose and a big aroma of toasted malt. Taste eases back on the coffee (just a wee bit), there's some sweetness in here too, with a hint of wood and smoke. I also got a twang of apple (but that might just be me). Effervescent, yet creamy and smooth. Slightly oily and full bodied. 
Thoughts:I genuinely thought this would be way too much coffee for me; I was wrong - this was lovely. Though I could taste every % of the ABV - but in a good way - brings heat to what is a big, but quite well balanced, imperial stout. Go buy some!
Score: 7.5

I missed Beerclubbelfast's much anticipated beer and cheese night - looks like it was a cracker. Anyone who was there fill me in? Best beer, best cheese, best pairing?

Cheers

Too Many Hops?

So here’s the thing, beer geeks love hops. I love hops. After many years of drinking bland fizzy things masquerading as beer, hops are a revelation. I just wonder if we are now getting a bit carried away, can there be a beer with too much hoppy bitterness...

Beer 84 outside the list

• Brewdog Jackhammer. Style: IPA, ABV: 7.4%. Purchased: Brewdog
  
  
  Description: Golden appearance with a good white head. Tropical hop aroma, a bit of grapefruit. Starts sweet and fruity, goes citrus, and then a really bitter hop finish. Very dry, with a long bitter finish.
  Thoughts: See, I thought I was a hop head - this beer has made me question that. It starts promising but, for me, the huge hop bitterness and very dry finish make it almost undrinkable. No doubt there are plenty of people out there who will disagree with me – if you do let me know in the comments or on twitter – or maybe the bottle I had was a bit off. If you REALLY like hops give it a go.
  Score: 5

Beer 85 outside the list

• Mikkeller Yeast Series Lager 2.0. Style: Lager, ABV: 6.4%. Purchased: Brewdog

Description: Light amber colour, with a big beige head (some yeast gunk made it into the glass too). Hoppy tropical smell, with a little yeast mustiness. Starts with some floral hops, then a little malt, followed by a quite tart bitterness. Very fizzy, quite dry and a wee bit sticky.
Thoughts: My first Mikkeller beer. This one is part of a series of beers where all the ingredients and processes are the same, they just change the type of yeast used (and the appropriate fermenting temperature). Quite a lot of hops in this so maybe more like an imperial or strong lager? A lot of bitterness and mustiness in mine, along with a very dry sticky mouth feel, made this one a bit weird to me. Wouldn't try this again but look forward to comparing notes to others in the range.
Score: 5.5

Beer 86 outside the list

• Brewdog Electric India. Style: Saison, ABV: 6.4%. Purchased: Brewdog

Description: Blond and clear, with decent lacing. Great smell of yeasty mustiness, backed up by some tropical fruits. Sweet/sour taste, plenty of funky yeast, but plenty of tropical fruits flavours too. As it warms up it gets a really peppery finish. Thin and light body.
Thoughts: Now this is more like it. Fun beer, that became better as it warmed up. Light yet complex. Get on it.
Score: 8

Beer 86 outside the list

• Brewdog Watt Dickie. Style: Ice Distilled, ABV: 35%. Purchased: Brewdog

Description: Poured light brown, clear, with no head. A really strong booze aroma – you could probably fuel a plane on the fumes alone. Prune and brandy tastes, lots of booze. Syrupy and more like a spirit than a beer.
Thoughts: More in the line of Brewdog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismarck. Described by my wife as “vile”. It's not quite that bad but not something I’d buy again. Fun to try but tough to finish.
Score: 4.5

Beer 172 from “1001 Beers...”

• Wadsworth 6X. Style: Bitter, ABV: 4.3%. Purchased: The Vineyard

  
  Description: Copper colour. Clear with a wispy white head. A little biscuity malt. Mostly a malt flavour, a little hops, a little ash, and overall not much going on. Lightly carbonated and a mid mouth feel.
  Thoughts: Beers from the list normally start the blog, this one was so dull I stuck it here. Not awful, just not much going on. The slight ash taste isn't my thing.
  Score: 5

Cheers