The Drunken Polack

Last Thursday I started on a beer crusade that would take me from Minneapolis to Munster, Indiana in 3 days.  I woke up at 4:45am sharp knowing I would be soon meeting up with 3 guys who I have never really met but have talked to a bunch of times on their blogs, through twitter, and have traded with all of them.  You see I think the beer community is a tight knit one.  I wouldn’t meet up with just any old strangers but I felt like I knew these guys before I even really met them.  Who are these people you ask?  Aaron from The Captains Chair, Stu from Friday Night Beer, and the Vice Blogger himself, Aaron.

This just wasn’t Dark Lord Day though.  We hit up a ton of places.

Brewpubs and Bars:

Stubs and Herb’s - The first place we went to.  If this bar was by me I’d be in trouble.  It has a great atmosphere, good food, and a hell of a beer list.  I could of honestly sat there all day.  Did I mention it was located in the middle of the University of Minnesota?  That provides a whole different thing to look at if you know what I mean =)

Beers consumed at Stubs and Herb’s: Surly Abrasive Ale (Batch 1) and Surly Furious

Barley  John’s - Second stop of the beer tour was to this little brewpub off the side of the road.  If you blink you could miss it.  Stu explained to me that the deck outside is usually overgrown with hops but when we were there it was barren.  Maybe to early in the year?  They are known mostly for Rosie’s Old Ale but sadly Old Rosie wasen’t available.  So we picked up a flight of 4 of their other brews.  The Bitter being my favorite out of the four.  All really good though.  We sat outside and enjoyed the perfect weather.

Beers Consumed at Barley Johns: Little Barley Bitter, Stockyard IPA, Wild Brunette, Old 8 Porter

The Captain’s Basement Brewpub – Ok so this isn’t really an official brewpub but we did enjoy some fantastic homebrews from the Captain himself.  3 to be exact.  I really enjoyed all 3 but my favorite had to be the Hefe.  It just hit the spot.  We got to meet his lovely wife and daughter, drink some fantastic beers, and enjoy some grilled food.  Thanks for letting me stay Aaron.

Beers consumed at The Captain’s House: The Captain’s Slightly  Better IPA, The Captain’s Hefeweizen, The Captain’s Wild Rice Brown Ale, Sam Adams Utopias

Ale Asylum – We stopped by Ale Asylum on the way to New Glarus.  I didn’t know much about these guys so I was very surprised when we stepped into the brewpub.  Loved the look of the place, their food was really good (pull pork sandwich with chips and salsa was great) and I loved the samples they give you.  You can buy 10 samples of their stuff for 20 dollars.  It’s such a bargain.  Out of everything their Bedlam IPA was #1 and was simply a delight to drink.  The Citra hops used in the brew was just amazing.

Beers consumed at Ale Asylum: Bedlam IPA, Ballastic IPA, Ambergeddon, Bamboozleator, Big Slick Stout, Contorter, Gold Digger Blonde, Hopalicious, Sticky McDoogle

Minneapolis Town Hall – I wish I could write a fantastic story about this place but I can’t and it’s not because the place isn’t fantastic because well it is.  You see the trip here came on my first night.  At this point I was sorta drunk and well I had the worst headache I’ve had in a while.  The brewpub itself is awesome.  Great atmosphere, a nice selection of brews, and a nice little guest tap list.  I did get to try one of the beers I had hoped to try, Mango Masala Mama, and well it was just fantastic.  Next time I go to Minneapolis (Hello DLD 2011) I will make sure I go here first.

Beers consumed at Minneapolis Town Hall: Mango Masala Mama IPA

Flossmoor Station – Once again I was in the same boat for this visit.  It was just after DLD and I was on the verge of being to drunk.  I didn’t get to have any beers since I felt if i had just one more beer, i’d be over that limit of getting sick.  God I hate that.  But Flossmoor Station is just pure class.  It’s such a beautiful place to eat and drink.  They stuck us outside though.  Guess they didn’t want any drunkards in their place =)  I don’t blame them.  Heck I didn’t even though it was still a working station until I heard the train pull up.  I want to go back to this place so bad.  Oh and they teased me with the empty bottle of Wooden Hell in the window to the brewery.  Bastards! =)

Beers consumed at Flossmoor Station: Uhh none dammit!

Breweries:

Surly Brewing – On my first day there I got spoiled and visited Surly.  Aaron lives two miles from the brewery.  Maybe he’s more spoiled.  When we stepped in we automatically got to meet Omar the owner.  It was cool talking to him.  But it was totally great when the Brew Master, Todd Haug walked in and started pouring us some brews.  I got to try Coffee Bender which I loved just as much as the regular version but I also got to try Batch Two of Abrasive Ale.  Wow just friggin wow!!!  This beer was amazing and it totally beat the version I had earlier in the day.  Abrasive Ale is the real friggin deal!  After we bullshitted over the beers, Todd offered a private tour of the brewery.  This was amazing because this was pretty much one on one time with the guy who makes some of the best beer I’ve ever had.  He must of talked with us for a good 40 minutes about everything the brewery does, how everything works, etc.  He’s pretty much my favorite brewer right now.  He makes great stuff yes but he’s totally cool and a hell of a nice guy.

Earlier in the conversation, Aaron the Vice Blogger mentioned that he saw on twitter that Surly would be providing a firkin of Tea Bagged Furious.  Omar and Todd kind of played it off.  As we ended our tour Todd asked us officially if we would like to like to take the firkin with us to DLD and provide it for one of the guest taps.  Of course we said Hell Yes!  So on the way out we picked up the firkin and threw it in the trunk.  Wow were we really driving around with a rare beer in our trunk.  A rare beer provided by Surly themselves?  Hell yes we were.

Oh and in the fridge we spotted this box and no we didn’t get to try it.  I would of given a kidney for a bottle.

Beers consumed at Surly: Coffee Bender, Abrasive Ale (Batch 2)

Check out more pictures of Surly here

New Glarus – Wow just wow!  That’s all I can say about this brewery.  It’s nestled on a top of a hill overlooking the small town of New Glarus, population of about 2100.   This is the most beautiful brewery I’ve ever seen inside and out.  Just take a look at the outside of this place.  The inside is clean and just amazing.  What I like about it most though is that you can actually take a brewery tour yourself.  You can just walk around and see everything.  It’s cool how you can walk around while the brewers just do their work.  It’s seamless.  I also love their gift shop and tasting area.  For 7 dollars you can two tasting glasses and 6 pretty big samples.  All the beer was great.  Of course it was fresh.  I got to try their Golden Ale which is brewery only and part of their R&D line.  I’ll probably never come back to this place again since it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere but I’m so glad I got to see it.

Beers consumed at New Glarus: Golden Ale, Stone Soup, Moon Man, Belgian Red, Cabin Fever

Check out more pics of New Glarus here

Dark Lord Day:

So before I go into the actual day let me rewind to the night before.  We arrived in Chicago around 6pm.  We had every intention of going to Flossmoor Station that night but instead Aaron had the idea of dropping the firkin off at Three Floyd’s.  He gave Todd a call and Todd called back saying that it sounded like a good idea.  So we headed to Three Floyd’s instead.  We drove up and there was a huge line to get into the brewpub.  We drove right up to the doors which was a no no since their driveway was blocked off but we got around it.  Dirty looks ensued as we went into the pub.  The gentlemen that was guarding the door said we had to step back and get in line but that all changed when we said we had the firkin of Furious.  He said right this way gentlemen.  We brought the firkin through the main brewery doors and we were greeted by a few more Three Floyd’s employees who were happy to see the shiny object.  They then let us through the back doors to the brewpub and told the bartender to take care of us.  Wow what a night!  We each had a few drinks and dinner and just had an awesome time.  We felt like rockstars.  The brewpub is awesome.  The atmosphere is electric, fantastic art, weird movies projected on the wall, awesome people.

Last year Three Floyd’s released a brown ale along with Dogfish Head named Popskull.  While Popskull was good, that night they have a Barrel Aged version.  Well holy shit that beer knocked my socks off.  One of the best beers I’ve had in a long time.  It was a shell of it’s former self.  Around midnight we got out of there because we knew we had a long day ahead of us.

So it was time for DLD.  I really didn’t know what to expect.  I knew it was going to be packed but I also heard they were expecting 3k more people this time around bringing the total to around 8k.  We got there around 10am and took our spot the lawn.  We didn’t get in line, we just sat there watching all the suckers get in line while we staked our piece of grass.  It was drinking time and boy was it ever.  Aaron and I jumped to the guest tap area and picked up our glasses of Tea Bagged Furious.  Fantastic stuff.  I also picked up a Apple Brandy Barrel aged Cigar City Warmer Winter, Winter Warmer which was great.  When we got back to our spot we noticed some extra people.  It happened to be Mike from Thank Heaven for Beer with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend.  He shared his homebrew which was over 40%.  Yes 40% and wow it was one of the best beers I’ve had in a while.  Mike is a hell of a guy and I’m glad I got to meet him.  Nate his partner in crime was supposed to be there with him but he had car issues.  Finally got to meet him later in the day and he was also a hell of a guy!  His homebrew ruled too.  Two standup guys.  Through out the day we got to try so many brews.  Stuff that I brought like Isabelle Proximus, CBS, BA Blackbeerd, etc.  But somehow a ton of other beers got into our stash.  Probably the worst beer of the day was a 1995 Sam Adams Triple Bock.  Holy shit, nasty!

But the MVP of the day had to be my man Stu from Friday Night Beer.  The man got us both Oaked and Vanilla Dark Lord.  That guy is magic.  I was afraid I wasn’t going to able to try those two rarities but the man came through.  Stu I salute you!  Needless to say DLD was awesome but it was also a very unorganized even  In the middle of the day the beer per ticket allotment went from 4 to 3.  That surely pissed some people off.  The lines were out of control.  A lot of cutting. I also saw some stuff I wish I didn’t see.  Like a guy sitting in a car with puke on his shirt, passed out.  I also saw some pour guy sitting in the bathroom line surrounded by cops because he couldn’t get up.  He was so drunk he was afraid he would pass out or fall if he got up.  Wow he was drunk.

So would I go again?  Oh I already plan on it next year.  I had such a good time.  I met some fantastic people and drank some legendary beers.  I just need to be more prepared to drink next time.  I was the lightweight of the group.  Oh and Stu you did order those wings and that bottle buddy =)

If I’m missing any guys, let me know =)

In a recent beer trade I got an extra that I thought was a bottle of homebrew.  That is until I flipped over the bottle and saw the ominous words “Hand of Doom”  Right then and there I knew I got one of the best extras I had ever received in a beer trade.  Hand of Doom isn’t bottled.  It hardly ever makes it out of the brewery.  Once in a while you’ll find it at a bar or festival but like I said, that’s a rarity. In that same beer trade I got some Canadian Breakfast Stout and some KBS.   So by the looks of it, the gentlemen who traded me these wonderful beers has a inside contact or friend at Founders.  I was pumped to try this 10% Double IPA.

Hand of Doom (isn’t that the coolest name ever?) poured a hazy deep orange color.  No head is poured at all.  I was a little worried this brew wouldn’t be carbonated but the cap come off with a nice pffft!  It’s alive!  Nice carbonation. 

In some of the reviews I read, some people mentioned the smell and taste of Maple.  Like they use on their CBS.  But I didn’t get that at all.  Maybe they got to try a special version?  The smell I did get though was fantastic.  First you’ll notice just how boozy this sucker is.  Up front is the smell of alcohol and straight up bourbon.  It stings the nose and takes you by surprise.  As the beer warms though everything comes together.  There’s a beautiful aroma of fruit.  Citrus and tropical fruits.  Then I picked up some pine and a wonderful aroma of vanilla.  So much going on.  Big and potent. 

At first sip I couldn’t get into this brew.  A lot of alcohol and not much more.  My mouth and throat burned.  But as the beer warmed up, just like the aroma, the beer came alive.  The fruitiness started to take charge.  Huge citrus and tropical fruits.  Mixed with the bourbon, vanilla, and oak it just added up to an out of this world taste.  Big hop character.  A while back I mentioned that when I have Pliny the Younger I feel like the enamel of my teeth is going to come off.  I kinda felt the same way here.  Huge. 

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, dry, and oily.  Can’t forget the alcohol burn.  It’s there from start to finish.  Perfect beer for a cold night.

I love and I mean love barrel aged stouts and porters.  I’m not to familiar with barrel aged IPAs but Founders proved that when done right it can be fantastic.  When I was done with the last sip I just wanted more and more.  Oh and I was actually buzzed out of my mind too.  I was slapped by the Hand of Doom!

Found: Beer Trade
Price: N/A
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: Nothing about this exact beer on their site
ABV%: 10.40%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Cerise, Founders Porter
Other beers to try within the same style: Bell’s The Oracle, Dogfish Head Squall IPA
Rating: A

I’ve done a lot of trading on Beer Advocate in the past few months and honestly without it I wouldn’t have some of the harder beers to get.  Well I decided to take a little trip to Ratebeer.com to try my hand at trading there.  My first trade was a doozy.  I landed one of my all time wants ever.  Canadian Breakfast Stout x2!!!!  He also threw in a 08 and 10 KBS and a brewpub only DIPA.  Hand of Doom!  I was amazed when I got this package today

Boulevard Brewing Saison-Brett - Happy Super Bowl day people.  I hope you all are drinking some fantastic beer with friends.  Here is part two of my snowed in beer drinking journey.  I didn’t mess around with busting out the good stuff.  First up is Saison-Brett from Boulevard Brewing and their Smokestack Series.  They make a regular version of this beer without the Brettanomyces.  I still haven’t tried that one but when I got trading I made sure this version was one of the first beers I traded for.  Who doesn’t like some funk thrown into their beer?  You can’t tell me you don’t!

Saison-Brett pours a huge huge head.  Everytime i poured a new glass of this stuff all I got mostly was head.  Huge foamy, bubble filled head like the one you see in the glass.  Lacing everywhere.  The color is a very hazy light orange color.  The aroma on this Saison is really really nice and inviting.  A tiny of bit of funk.  Not overwhelming like some other beers dosed with Brett.  Actually everything in the smell was light.  Small amount of lemon peel and spice.  Nice background of yeast and an slight earthy aroma.  Really nice.

Now what I didn’t pick up with the smell was a nice fruity presense.  It’s here in the taste though.  Lemon, citrus, and mango.  The tartness and funk are there but like in the smell it’s very smell.  It just adds to the taste and doesn’t try to take over.  I actually wish it was would of had a little bit more of a role in the taste.  Yeasty with a pale malt background.  The taste is nice but it’s also very light.

The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated.  Light to medium bodied.  Crisp with a dry finish.

While this is an excellent beer, I wish it would of had a little bit more of a punch when it comes to the flavor.  Good but not great.

Found: Beer Trade
Price: Not to sure on this one.
Website: http://www.blvdbeer.com/
What the company says: Nothing about their Brett version of this beer on their site.
ABV%: 8.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Boulevard Brewing Imperial Stout, Bouelvard Brewing Seeyoulator
Other beers to try within the same style: The Bruery Saison Rue, Ommegang Hennepin
Rating: B+

Founders Imperial Stout - It really looks like Founders has an endless supply of beer.  It’s like I go into my local beer place every week and there is another Founders beer sitting on the shelves.  OK maybe not every week but you get the picture.  This time around it’s their Winter seasonal release, their Imperial Stout.  I heard awesome things about this beer so I picked up a few.  One to drink now and a few to cellar.  Can’t try to try one a year from now since I loved it fresh.

Founder’s Imperial Stout pours pitch black.  Pours thick like motor oil.  A small tan head is poured and pretty much disappears to nothing except lacing around the glass.  At first the smell of this brew will not blow you away.  When I first poured it I had to sit there to pick some stuff up but as it warms the flavor pops more and more.  Chocolate, roasted malt, molasses, and a smokey aroma.  As it warms it becomes almost like a mocha.  It makes you want to dive right in.  For being 10.50% there is no sign of alcohol in the nose.  Very nicely done.

For the taste the roasted malt comes in first with a nice bit chocolate coming in next.  To me it tasted like chocolate malt ball.  The alcohol makes a little bit more of an appearance then it did in the aroma.  It won’t smack you in the face though.  Coffee is also there and adds a little bit of a bitter taste.  The beer ends with some molasses and dark fruits.  The taste isn’t big like a lot of imperial stouts out there.  But it’s nice and rich.  Really wanted another one after I was done with the bottle I had.

The mouthfeel on this brew is really a one of the stars of the show.  It’s full bodied, smooth, and it coats the mouth nicely.  Really well done.  If you see this brew pick it up.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://foundersbrewing.com
What the company says: Brewed with ten varieties of malted barley, this stout is smooth as silk yet complex and rich in body. Serve this guy at cellar temperature. Put another log on the fire and sit back and enjoy the friendship of this ultimate winter warmer.
ABV%: 10.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Porter
Other beers to try within the same style: Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Southern Tier Mokah
Rating: A-

Avery Brabant -Brabant is the first in the line of Barrel Aged beers from Avery.  I believe they are on their third in the line.  These beers are very limited and hard to find for the most part.  They are made once and are gone forever.

Brabant is a American Wild Ale.  Wild Ales are starting to become very big in the craft beer industry.  Some say it’s the new IPA in terms of popularity.  I don’t see it getting there just yet but you do see a lot of breweries starting to make Wild Ales.  Some of the best come from Russian River and The Lost Abbey.

Brabants color looks like a cola.  It’s dark brown.  Two finger head is poured.  The head is full of craters and had good retention.  The smell is big and complex.  First up is a vinegar aroma you pick up in a lot of Flanders Red Ales.  Fighting for the top spot is a leather aroma and wood.  There is also a good amount of a barnyard funk and sourness that stings the nostrils.  A very nice and big aroma.

Up front in the taste is definitely the leather type of taste mixed in with the wood.  As it fades away the other tastes come in.  Sour cherries, funk, and a very tannic taste.  Definitely one of the most complex and unique flavors I’ve had from any beer.  Mouthfeel is medium bodied and nicely carbonated.  Sourness sticks on your tongue and the smokiness from the barrels lingers in your mouth.

Loved trying this beer.  I’ll make sure to report on how my other bottle ends up  a year from now.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 10 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.averybrewing.com/
What the company says: Beer Style: Barrel-Aged Wild Ale, not brewed to any known style
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, dehusked carafa, honey malt, carafa 3, chocolate malt
OG: 1.074   ABV: 8.7%   IBUs: 25
Barrels: Red Zinfandel barrels from Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles, CA.
Color: Dark brown with ruby corners
Availability: One and done.  694 cases produced. Bottled February 10th, 2009.  Grab it if you can find it!
ABV%: 8.70%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Avery Karma, Avery Hog Heaven
Other beers to try within the same style: Russian River Temptation, Ommegang Ommegeddon
Rating: A-

The Bruery Autumn Maple – So my brother is a Coors Light drinker.  But on Thanksgiving night there was no Coors Light to be had.  So I took out some Autumn Maple.  What’s that he says?  Well it’s a beer brewed with yams, maple syrup, molasses, etc.  He said no way, count me out that sounds horrible.  I eventually talked him into having a small glass of it.  He put his nose up to it, hrmm he said, that smells pretty good.  He then took a taste.  That ain’t half bad!!  Give me more!  Before you knew it, his glass was done and he wanted more.  I never saw someone drink an 10% abv beer so fast.  I said slow down buddy.  He then savored another glass.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I too was really impressed with this seasonal from The Bruery.  I picked this beer for Thanksgiving because well come on, it screams Thanksgiving!

Autumn Maple pours a cloudy caramel color.  Kind of reminded me of a glass of apple cider.  A nice decent sized head is pours but quickly disappears into small lacing around the glass.  The smell is of vegetable.  Yup there are the yams.  In there with the yams is a nice sweet aroma.  I imagine this is the maple syrup doing it’s thing.  Spices then come in.  Nutmeg and cinnamon.  Top that off with a little bit of brown sugar and you have quite a interesting mixture.  Definitely something I have never smelled before.

In the taste the maple syrup is what I got first.  Nice and sweet.  Next in line is the spices.  Then in the end I picked up some Belgian yeast notes and the yams.  A unique beer.  It’s amazing how some of these brewers come up with a mixture of all these things and make them work.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied, slick, and smooth as it goes down.  This really is a taste of Thanksgiving in every sip.  Hey even a Coors Light drinker liked it and that was something I would of never expected.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 12-14 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.thebruery.com
What the company says: Brewed with 17 lbs. of yams per barrel (in other words, a lot of yams!), this autumn seasonal is a different take on the “pumpkin” beer style. Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and fermented with our traditional Belgian yeast strain, this bold and spicy beer is perfect on a cold autumn evening.
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: The Bruery Black Tuesday, The Bruery Saison De Lente
Other beers to try within the same style: Allagash Odyssey, The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments
Rating: A-

Founders Red Rye P.A. – Wow just wow.  Founders is amazing.  I mean they go on and create a ton of different styles of beer.  The thing is, all of it is fantastic.  From their stouts to their hoppy stuff, not a bad beer in there.  This is no different.  Amazingly this is my first beer classified as a Rye Beer.  I’ve had IPAs with rye in it but I guess I’ve never had an actual Rye Beer.  Well this beer is a great mixture of a Rye beer and an IPA.    I could drink this stuff all night long.

Red’s Rye pours a dark amber color.  A small head is formed.  Minimal lacing.  The smell on this beer is great.  It’s a great mixture of Rye, citrus, floral hops, and spice.  Like I said above this is basically an IPA with a nice healthy dose of Rye.  When I took my first sip of this beer I wasn’t that impressed.  I got some citrus but that was basically it.  I then let the beer sit for a little bit.  As it warmed up a bit the rye and spice came through huge.  The rye was rough and raw on the palette.  Mixed in with the nice citrus backbone it makes for a hell of a combo.  If it wasn’t for Harvest Ale this might be my favorite tasting Founder’s brew.  The mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, and nicely carbonated.

This is a beer I will be revisiting again and again.  Good thing it’s a year round beer from these guys.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 3-4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: Serious hop bitterness along with unyielding grapefruit bouquet from the Amarillo dry-hop. Balanced with the malty richness of four varieties of imported Belgian caramel malts. Pours a spectacular crimson with a creamy tan head. A generous addition of rye malt accentuates a spicy crisp finish.
ABV%: 6.60%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Double Trouble
Other beers to try within the same style: First beer I’ve had in this style
Rating: A

Founders makes some fantastic beers.  I love their stuff.  But I think I’m about to give their highest score yet.  This stuff is liquid gold.  One of the best tasting, easiest beers to drink that I’ve ever had.  Harvest Ale is a Wet Hop Ale.  My buddy Aaron over at The Vice Blog also recently reviewed this beer and he loved it too.  In his review he also posted a link to an article about Wet Hop beers.  You can check out the article here.

Harvest Ale pours a nice clear golden color.  Tons of bubbles shoot from the bottom to the top of the glass.  A thin layer of head is poured.  The smell on this beer is awesome.  Fresh and I mean fresh pine and citrus backed by a small amount of caramel malt.  Just a fantastic fresh smell.  OK I think I mentioned it was fresh enough.

The taste on this beer matches the smell.  I could easily drink this stuff all night long and if this wasn’t a seasonal beer this would be in my fridge at all times.  When you find this beer, make sure to drink it as soon as possible.  Fresher the better when it comes to this brew.  The taste is full of citrus and a small amount of grapefruit.  Piney with a nice earthy malt background.  Bitter, clear, dry from start to finish.  Crisp with perfect carbonation.

Not much more to say about this beer other that to date this is my favorite Founders beer.  Taste and drinkability are amazing.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 2-4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: This liquid dream pours a hazy golden orange straw color with a large puffy white two-finger head. First sip of this beer rewards with a super juicy hop presence bursting with fresh orange and lemon citrus then continues to introduce toasted malt undertones.
ABV%: 6.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Double Trouble, Founders Breakfast Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
Rating: A

What we have here is a beer I really wasn’t looking forward to trying for some reason.  A lot of the fruit/vegetable beers out there just aren’t for me.  There are a few like Dogfish Head Black and Blue or Dogfish Head Fort that I really enjoyed but for the most part this style is not for me.  So when I poured this beer into the glass and saw it’s reddish color I though oh boy cherries.  This really isn’t going to be good.  Boy was I wrong.  Cerise is delicious.  So delicious that I really wouldn’t minded having another bottle.

Cerise pours a reddish color.  You guessed it, because of the cherries.  It pours very little head.  What little head that is poured quickly fizzes away like a soda.  The smell is what got me right off the bat.  The nice aroma of tart cherries.  Not overly tart, just right for me.  Back that up decent malt base and you have a nice aroma.  Like I said it’s not huge at all. 

To me Cerise really didn’t taste like a beer at all.  Of course I gave my girlfriend a sip in hopes she would like it but all she said was, “It tastes like beer”  To me Cerise tasted almost like a very well done fruit drink.  Yeah I know sounds weird.  The tart cherries just set everything off nicely. I saw reviews that said the cherries were so tart that they puckered.  I didn’t get that.  It’s a nice amount of tartness mixed in with a nice amount of sweetness and a bready malt flavor.  Just a delight to drink.  The mouthfeel is velvety like their porter.  It’s medium to full bodied and a little syrupy.

Like I said fruit beers aren’t usually for me but I would easily buy another bottle of this stuff.  It’s the right mixture.  Not to sweet, not to tart.  Easy drinking.

Found: Grape and Gourment, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness
ABV%: 6.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Devil Dancer, Founders Double Trouble IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Dogfish Head Black and Blue, Unibroue Éphémère
Rating: B+

I’m not going to lie.  I’m not a huge porter fan.  I rather by drinking a nice hefty stout.  But I heard really good things about this porter from my buddy Kevin at Grape and Gourmet.  Was he right?  Yeah and he usually always is =)  There’s nothing fancy with porter.  It’s just tasty and easy to drink.

Founders Porter pours deep dark brown.  No way you’re seeing through this glass.  Decent sized beige head that leaves a good bit of lacing as you drink this baby.  The smell is wonderful.  It actually reminds me of a really good stout.  Sweet chocolate and roasted coffee attack your nose.  Wasn’t expecting this much of an aroma.  There’s also a bit of grassy hops hiding in there. 

The taste is fantastic.  You’ll notice the hops just a tad bit more.  Especially when the beer warms up.  In the nose the coffee dominated a little bit more then the chocolate.  But in the taste the chocolate defintely comes in 1st.  Founders describes the mouthfeel as velvety.  They couldn’t be more right.  Very smooth.  Goes down easy.  Before I knew it half my glass was gone.  Medium bodied, sticky, and smooth. 

If I had to point someone to an American Porter this would be my choice.  I’m not an expert on the style but this is definitely the best I’ve had. 

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 2-3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://foundersbrewing.com
What the company says: Pours silky black with a creamy tan head. The nose is sweet with strong chocolate and caramel malt presence. No absence of hops gives Founders robust porter the full flavor you deserve and expect. Cozy like velvet. It’s a lover, not a fighter.
ABV%: 6.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Devil Dancer, Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Rating: A-

Up first for Founders week is their Curmudgeon.  Curmudgeon is classified as an Old Ale on Beer Advocate.  According to my site I’ve never had an Old Ale before.  BA states the following about the style.

“Rich dark amber in color to a very dark brown; near black. Tamed aromatics. Although bittering levels can greatly vary, expect common fruity, vinous, intense malts and sharp alcohol characteristics. The often racy but mellow attitude of the beer may also include acidic notes, raisins and black currants. Vintage varieties may have a low level of oxidation. Stronger versions may have similarities to a port wine. Brewers may also inoculate a portion of the batch with Brettanomyces lambicus and age for an extended period of time to achieve an old-school acidic character.”

So there you go.  The beer I drank tonight definitely has some of those characteristics above.  Well did I like it?  In the beginning no….

Curmudgeon pours deep dark brown color with ruby red highlights.  Very little head poured with little to no lacing.  The smell is full of a sweet malty aroma, oak, dark fruits, toffee, vanilla, and alcohol.  A nice mixture of ingredients.  Now I mentioned above that I really couldn’t get into the taste of this beer when I first tried it.  To me it almost tasted like medicine.  As I let the beer warm up a bit the taste got a tad bit better and enjoyable.  The sweet malt flavor shines through.  It’s easily the biggest part of the beer.  Raisins and other dark fruits combined with caramel and toffee.  The mouthfeel is really thick.  But goes down smooth.

This isn’t a bad beer but it’s a beer I really couldn’t seem myself ever trying again.  I look forward to trying other Old Ales to see if it’s just the style I don’t like.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com
What the company says: Think classic sea fairing ports, local pubs, and weathered old fisherman. This old ale is brewed with molasses and an insane focus on the malt bill, then aged in oak. The result is a strong, rich, malty-delight that’s deceptively smooth and drinkable.
ABV%: 9.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Double Trouble, Founders Breakfast Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: First time I’ve ever had a beer in this style.
Rating: B

Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Lager – Lagers usually aren’t my thing but whatever Port Brewing does I’m going to try.  I was glad I did because I really enjoyed this beer.  Maybe I’ll get into lagers more?  Nah =)  Midnight Sessions pours pitch black with a lot of carbonation.  A thick white head pours but quickly disappears.  The taste and smell is full of roasted malt and coffee.  This beer is simple,  But it does a whole lot with what it has.  A very nice beer.  The mouthfeel is creamy and has a slightly dry finish.  I really liked this brew.  Thumbs up.  Can’t wait to try their Hot Rocks Lager.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.portbrewing.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this one.
ABV%: 5.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Port Brewing Hop 15, Port Brewing Hide Tide Fresh Hop IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Never really had a beer in this style.
Rating: B

Founders Centennial IPA – Founders just keeps on amazing me.  I picked up this brew after I saw my buddy Stu at Friday Night Beer review it.  He loved it.  And I’ll have to agree with him here.  This beer is just fantastic and I will definitely be revisiting it again and I don’t say that about to many beers.  Centennial pours a dark amber color with a nice huge fluffy head.  Great lacing.  This is one of the best smelling IPAs I’ve ever had.  Big Piney and floral hops.  The taste isn’t as big as the smell hop wise.  It’s more of a dry hoppy taste but it’s fantastic.  Dry and a little bit bitter.  One of the better IPAs I’ve had in a long time.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
What the company says: Get ready to bask in the glory of the frothy head’s floral bouquet. Relish the citrus accents from the abundance of dry-hopping. This one’s sweet, yet balanced. Malty undertones shake hands with the hop character for a finish that never turns too bitter.
ABV%: 7.20%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Founders Dirty Bastard, Founders Breakfast Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Alesmith IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Rating: A