TRiNiTY Brewing Super Juice Solution

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In case you have been living under a rock in Columbus, Ohio, TRiNiTY. Brewing is the new kid in town. An esteemed and much-lauded brewery out of Colorado Springs, we are very excited to have them here. We haven't made it out to any of the launch parties -- yet! We do plan to hit at least a couple over the weekend. You know, kid and work schedule bullshit that comprise our daily lives. If you make it out to one and happen to snap a pic with Saison Man himself, Captain of the Pirate Ship at TRiNiTY, load it to your favorite social media site using the tag #selfieswithSaisonMan. Because why the hell not??? 

So there I stood, gazing upon the TRiNiTY selection at my favorite bottle shop, having decided to make one last stop on the way home to get my kid from school. I hadn't enjoyed any of the offerings at this particular location, although I loved both the Chilly Waters and Elektrick Cucumbahh. And by "loved", I mean that I fucking crushed so hard on both of those beers, as different as they are. Both are excellent examples of their respective styles, and with such funky yet understated yeast that perfectly complemented each beer. I ended up selecting the Super Juice Solution, well, because we are avowed hopheads and love our IPAs. If you have been following us for any amount of time, you should recall that Nathan has created a deity solely to glorify hops, Hopsus. 

So, this Super Juice Solution intrigues me greatly. I have enjoyed the couple of sour IPAs I have had. This one is aged on Lactobacillus delbrueckii (you might know it better as yogurt bacteria), which should lend a lovely pucker to the mouth. Insert Jamie Lee Curtis discussing her regularity here. This is a lovely pale orange color, with about a half inch of tightly laced white head. There are some yeast rafts of sediment floating throughout my portion, which is not surprising. The aroma on this is fanfuckingtastic. Floral and tropical hops (think a lot of ruby grapefruit) meld with a sharp contrast of sour apple in the nose. Drinking it, notes of peach, ruby grapefruit, passionfruit, pineapple, mango, and yes, barnyard come in to play. I expected the barnyard to lend more of an offensive flavor than I am getting from this; instead, it is faint and complementary. All of the flavors complement each other rather nicely. It is an especially juicy IPA, with no pine or bitter grapefruit to it at all. Hell, I bet this would be a killer IPA without the lacto and barnyard, but with it, it is elevated to a whole other level of interesting. The body on this is moderately thin, which doesn't surprise me, considering it is rather sessionable at 4.1% ABV. That being said, it's not nearly as thin or watery as so many session IPAs tend to be. Carbonation on this was moderately high, also about what should be expected, without being a bottle bomb. 

Overall, this is rather well done. I am looking forward to trying Red Swingline, which is another sour IPA from TRiNiTY, and the entire Swingline series. As well as anything else I can get my hands on from them. Hell yes. Oh, and do yourself a favor. In case you didn't know, absolutely do NOT pour this (or any beer from TRiNiTY) into a Boston shaker pint glass. Not only will you incur the wrath of Jason, but worse, you stand to lose out on the beautiful aromas that are present in this beer (and most other beers). 

4.75/5 caps

-Jennie

We enjoyed the Elektrick Cucumbahh with the guys from Zaftig last night. Zaftig makes BIG beers, but this saison was interesting. General consensus was interesting- unlike anything else on the market. The nose is not what the flavor reveals. The nose is off-putting for some (myself included), but the flavor was a fresh burst of Summertime memories with fresh, crisp cucumbers, slight esters that lent themselves perfectly to the flavor concoction that was the Elektrick Cucumbahh.That was my first TRiNiTY brew. Tonight, I delve into a half bottle of Super Juice Solution. 

This has had time to warm a little while Jennie spilled her fangirl all over the blog (and I vegged out to Trailer Park Boys). A long day doing factory work deserves beer. This past week and a half has not been easy. Fucking end of month, fucking end of fiscal quarter. It's a day like this that makes me appreciative of the craft beer industry; letting me temporarily forget the sheer hell that I inflict on myself, reaping the rewards of flavor after enduring a gauntlet of mental and physical agony day in and day out. I've been looking forward to this since Jennie sent me a text that we were reviewing this tonight. Today was exceptionally rough, but not to bore you, don't ever work in a factory. Please make me that promise. I'm not yet 30, but I'm in constant pain. Learn from my mistakes.

I seem to have deterred, venting about the disdain I have for my job. I seem to be forgetting about my 'fun' job: reviewing beer in a sheer Gonzo style. Then I get sidetracked by Spotify fucking with my music selection with ads (I'm too cheap to get "Spotify Premium"). Go fuck yourself stamps.com ad, I'm trying to veg out to music.

I'm a dick. I'm an asshole, a stuck-in-my-ways douche. I poured my half into a shaker pint. I can't leave my time-tested ways of my Flying Dog glass, though. She and I have all kinds of memories together (Oh, all the brews she's released into my mouth). Judge me if you want, I'll suffer the wrath of Saison Man when I meet him. Regardless, this is what I'm doing.

This, as previously mentioned, has warmed up. It's a hazy pale orange/golden color with still some head sticking around, reminding me to drink this instead of being Dicky Fucking Betts and rambling (the WORST Allman Brothers Band song if you catch the reference, Duane-era was the best). The aroma on this is a heavenly paradise of freshly-cut grapefruit, tropical fruits and sour apple (as previously mentioned by She-Who-FanGirls). The aroma hasn't changed from Jennie's depiction of it. Time for the true test, the flavor. The initial sip is interesting. Peach, Mango, and Tropical fruits take a forefront while a weird, dank yeast flavor dances in the background. They play well together. Jennie described it as barnyard, I don't get barnyard, as much as, well.... Fuck, I can't really say (for the safety of the kids)... Working on a farm growing up, I can say it's not barnyardy. The flavors blend well with the slight puckering, phlegm-inducing sour notes that gives memories of housing on Shock Tarts and War Heads until my tongue was bleeding. This drinks smooth until the sour note kicks in, then it is almost "Chewy?" (reference to The Simpsons episode where Homer becomes a food critic and is consulting the dog for descriptions).

This is my second TRiNiTY brew, I'm looking forward to trying more. They are interesting to my palate. They are something off the radar, so-to speak, from my norm. I've done due diligence in training my taste buds to pick out malt and hops, but this is a whole other realm. 

4.6/5 Caps

-Nathan-

Food pairing: I totally want to use this beer in a citrusy vinaigrette toss with some fresh spring greens.
Cheese pairing: Butterkasse
Music pairing:   Frank Turner "Wanderlust" (hint)

Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi

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I don't know about you, but I am doing a happy dance that there are only two days left in this god-forsaken year. You are probably sick of me bitching about it, but hey, I just caught a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. 2015, I'm looking at you, and you are one sexy bitch.  My mood is so sullen about this entire fucking year that I think something as bitter as an IPA would be perfect. The fact that we picked this up on our last trip to Peoria during my father's memorial service trip makes it an even better send-off to the suckfest that was 2014. With the new year will come a renewed attitude, I promise as solemnly as a goddamn Girl Scout.

Cheers to the last two days of 2014! Now, onto the beer.

This pours a lovely orange color with about the same amount of white head that is pictured. The aroma on this is a fresh blast of pine and grapefruit with just a hint of caramel sweetness. The flavor is about the same, along with some other tropical fruit flavors in the middle to mellow it out and woo the tastebuds, then the finish on this... oh, the finish on this. Dry, lovely, biting pine and grapefruit predominate the end of this and it's a wonderfully bitter finish. It is a medium-bodied beer and with 68 IBUs and 6.8% ABV, I'm very happy with this. If we could get this in Ohio, it might become part of my regular rotation of beers.

Ah, my mood is already lifting as that light at the end of the tunnel becomes more of a gleam. Do you remember the Keystone beer gimmick advertising "bitter beer face"? This will probably give you that, but in a good way. My cheeks are a tad puckered from the finish on this, and now they are puckered from smiling while drinking this. I never minded bitter beer face anyway, although I most certainly mind Keystone beer. It's revolting. This is pretty much the opposite of that. Yeah... hoppy, happy bitter beer face.

4.6/5 caps

-Jennie

We needed to round out this year with something that leaves at least one good note. We've eyeballed this every time we've seen it, and always failed to pick it up. We'd later see constant postings on Facebook about how much people are enjoying it, giving us buyer's remorse. Well, not this time, 2014. You've sucked enough out of our lives. The time has come to get this 6.8% ABV, 68 IBU long awaited IPA on my palate.

The label makes me think of Reservoir Dogs. Brilliant movie. The beer itself is a golden amber color, still with a decent amount of carbonation after sitting for roughly an hour. The aroma on this is therapeutic. pine, grapefruit, citrus and caramel; none of which overwhelm the others, just gel perfectly together in a harmonious coexistence that could  likely solve all the wars and hatred among humans (if only somehow we could all sniff this at the same time). I talk about this calming that washes over me as it was needed today at work (where Slipknot and Mushroomhead weren't heavy and loud enough to deal with the end of the year in shipping... note- if you've read this far- AVOID FACTORY JOBS). Regardless.... Beer.

The flavor on this is what's in the nose. A nice harmonious balance of grapefruit, pine, citrus and caramel with an additional tropical juiciness toward the middle before a rush of headbanging to "Duality" by Slipknot and bitterness washes over the tastebuds. Well... Maybe you won't be headbanging to "Duality" (maybe you're more of a "People = Shit" person), but when the bitterness comes crashing into the party- it definitely starts a most pit on your tongue, leaving a dry yet resinous finish after slam dancing for a solid 15 seconds. This is what I expect the finish of an IPA to be. Before I start rocking out too much and forget that I'm typing a beer review, I should finish (HA! That's what she said).

4.6/5 caps

-Nathan-

Food pairing: A well-smoked pork shoulder
Cheese pairing: Cotswold (Double Gloucester with dried onions and chives)
Music pairing: Wallflowers "One Headlight" (despite the moshing and metal references)

Evil Twin Falco

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To begin- Happy Holidays to those celebrating any variation. I'd break it down and give a holiday-by-holiday greeting, but for sake of my fingers, let's just all give praise to Hopsus and agree to disagree on the rest of it.

This is the first Evil Twin beer we've reviewed. This came from a suggestion from Jay at one of our favorite bottle shops. The last IPA he guided us to was Smashbomb Atomic (which we try and purchase when able [Jennie edit: every chance we get]). I've read different things about Evil Twin, one being that the brewmaster is the twin brother of the brewmaster at Mikkeller. Apparently, there's some sibling rivalry. I guess that would explain the name.

So, the Falco, the only thing I can really find out about it online is what's on the label. 7% ABV. There are a couple of pages saying it has Falconer's Flight hops, other reviews are saying Mosaic. Nothing found on a search of the ol' Google for the IBU on this. If I were to guess the IBU, it would be between 1 and 500. With the 'technical' aspect of this beer covered, I think it's safe to say that we should delve nose first on this.

The color on this is a hazy yellow orange color. The carbonation is clearly visible while staring at it, imagining that I didn't have to use Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" for the music pairing... It's a terrible song! Fuck it... I'm not going to use it, but something from the same era that I can actually listen to without wanting to stick a red hot soldering iron in my fucking ears.

The aroma on this is a nice bouquet orange, grapefruit, some earthy notes and some faint sweetness. The initial sip is... like a hoppy orange juice. Huh... There's a predominant orange flavor that stays in the back through out the first blast through the end. There's a grapefruit zest/pine blast up front that mellows out as the orange flavor rides into a weird backend. The backend is weird with a dank and almost dusty like flavor. The malt does not really appear in the flavor profiles, letting the hops shine through. There's a nice bitter and mouth puckering finish on this that I expect/love out of IPAs.

Not bad, worth checking out, especially for $3 a 12 oz bottle.

Fuck you Falco (the musician, not the beer).

4.3/5 caps

-Nathan-

Wow, I am a little surprised to hear such derision over one of the best Eurotrash electronica bands of the 80's. I still chuckle a little bit every time I hear "Rock Me Amadeus".... just me? Perhaps it helps that I don't speak German, no matter how much my parents encouraged me. It was one language that never triggered wanderlust. I speak two other languages (French and Russian, natch), but I can merely count to three in German and give a functional toast as well as "Hello", "Good Morning", and "Good Night". That's it. I know more about German beer than I do the language. Oops. Perhaps I should, um, brush up before I aspire to attend my first authentic Oktoberfest. Don't worry, it won't be next year. There is time. Don't fear.

Really, I'm listening to "Der Kommissar" and wondering how this doesn't pair with this beer... That's a real head-scratcher there. Perhaps I should actually delve into this beer before the song ends and find out what is so offensive about that pairing. I mean, it practically pairs itself, doesn't it??? Shall we find out what it is about this beer that caused Nathan to be so reticent about pairing the two?

This is a lovely light golden color with a modicum of white head gracing the top of my glass. The aroma is beautiful pine, grapefruit, some mango floating in there with some cracker-y malts. When I drink it, though, a completely different set of flavors arrive. Freshly dug earth, faint grapefruit, pine resin, and eventually tropical fruits come through. This beer is weird: it has a wonderful aroma that I could spend in forever, but the taste is so different it's a little off-putting. I taste Falconer's Flight, Amarillo, and some Mosaic hops that could have been better utilized. What makes me so sad is that this is a great base IPA for some wonderful hops. Indeed, there are some wonderful hops in here, but they aren't used in the showcase manner that my nose had desired and even presumed. In more layman's terms, this has a killer body, like Gisele before she had a kid, and yet it is an actual hop mess. There is a slight stickiness on my lips as the earthy notes prevail the end of this taste.

It's definitely not terrible, yet like Santa Claus, it disappoints a smidgen. I would consider it an interesting experiment into some hops that I don't always love. It's nothing against the brewery or the hops, it's more of a bizarre jumble that has me scratching my head again. Kinda like hearing "Maschine Brennt" again from Falco, which I haven't heard since, well, I can't remember. A long time. Let's just leave it at that, please.

4.1/5 caps

- Jennie

Food Pairing: Cheese danish. Because just yum.
Cheese Pairing: A rather sharp Havarti, no dill required this time.
Music Pairing: "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister

New Glarus Scream IIPA

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The story of New Glarus Brewing is very interesting. Dan, the brewmaster, attended several brewing schools and worked in several breweries. His wife, Deborah, raised all of the capital to start a brewery as a gift to him, making her the first woman to open a brewery in the US. She does everything with the brewery except brew the beer; in turn, Dan gets turned loose a couple of times a year to make a beer that he wants to make. Scream is part of that series, called the Thumbprint series. Most Thumbprint beers are only brewed once, so this is a special treat that we obtained in a trade as New Glarus does not distribute outside of Wisconsin.

Admittedly, we are trying to squeeze in a couple of beers that we know are amazing before the end of the year. It's a rainy night here, so a beer that has been sitting here for a couple of months should make everything toasty and right with the world. While most normal people are frantically getting ready for Christmas, I decided to boycott it this year. My kid did something atrocious to warrant not getting any presents, and I think it might make the first holiday season without my dad just a little easier to bear. We will be spending Thursday with Nathan's grandmother and yes, brewing. Instead of wrapping presents, baking pies and cookies and whatnot, and the last-minute scramble of shopping, I am sitting here enjoying some damn fine beer. I couldn't be more Scrooge-alicious if I were sitting on a mountaintop with the Dalai Lama after receiving a three-hour massage whilst flipping off Santa Claus. It's a pretty fucking zen state here.

So, there is beer to be had. I'm in. This is a lovely medium golden orange color that had a couple of fingers of barely odd-white head to start. Like my enthusiasm for Christmas, it's nearly nonexistent now. The aroma on this is very promising: grapefruit, passionfruit, some boozed-up lychees like a lychee martini, and a hint of pine are all noticeable, with perhaps a hint of cracker-y malt. All of the flavors in the nose are present, plus a big KAPOW of mango and pineapple. As this has sat longer than intended, I think that some of the hops are starting to die off... or did they use copious amounts of Amarillo hops in this? It's kind of like the difference between Five Finger Death Punch and, well, any other quasi-metal band: Who can tell? What I can tell is that the malts in this are barely noticeable except for in the mouthfeel. It has a light- to medium body and finishes sticky sweet yet crisp.

New Glarus is often noted for their fruit beers, which I wouldn't mind trying sometime. This is a pretty solid IIPA, even if it wasn't as fresh as I would have liked (that is fully our fault for sitting on it for two months after receiving it).

4.2/5 caps

-Jennie

I'm in a relaxed state myself now. After a short, but grueling work week (NEVER WORK IN SHIPPING AT A FACTORY!), I now get to enjoy a stint of 5 days off. With the daily duties of not setting a building on fire after locking all the doors, I get to relax. Ear buds in, rocking out, I sit back in this worn but comfortable leather chair and stare at a screen. Huh...is that relaxing? Where have we fallen as a human race that constantly being connected through electronic communications is leisure time? Oh well, as Dylan said "the times they are a-changin'."

We have obtained all kinds of beers this year that we can't purchase in-state (traveling and friends). As we wind down this painful year, we look forward to a better one next year. Year after year, we hope for the next year to be more prosperous and less shitty than the last. Human nature, I guess. Enough pondering. Beer. That is all.

This has had time to warm as Jennie took lead on this. I enjoyed a shower to help with the beginning of the relaxation that is within the near future. With this new found, clear mind- I look at this beer, which isn't quite as clear as my mind. Although a nice clear medium orange color, not see-through like American Piss Lagers. A bit of white head lingers with a bit of lacing on the side of my trusty pint glass, giving memories of Bob Ross (happy little clouds). The aroma on this is worth a swan dive from 90 feet into a vat of this. Tropical fruit, grapefruit, fainter hints of pine and even fainter notes of malt sweetness make it nearly irresistible to not have this in my mouth right now (that's what she said). A juicy hop bomb washes over the taste buds. Like a tidal wave crashing on the rocks, the flavors blast my tongue in a refreshing burst of lychee, passionfruit, mango and pineapple. As the wave breaks and rolls back, there are grapefruit and pine flavors that take hold with a slightly resiny residue with some sort of off flavor. I understand where Jennie said she wasn't sure if it was Amarillo or hops dying... Are we the only ones that have this problem? The mouthfeel is medium, and honestly not as resinous or bitter as I'd expect from an IIPA with 85 IBUs. Oh... I seemed to have finished my half of the bottle before I was finished with the review. Bollocks. At least we've shared our first tasting of New Glarus with you dedicated readers who always read to the end of the reviews.... Right?

4.3/5 caps

-Nathan-

Food pairing: Thai pepperpot soup
Cheese pairing: Stilton
Music pairing: "Found Out About You" Gin Blossoms

Schlafly Tasmanian IPA

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We follow up tonight's reviews with another brew we can't get in Ohio. Schlafly is a brewery out of St. Louis, Missouri, that we've enjoyed in our western trips to Peoria, Illinois. A friend of ours obtained this selection of theirs. Huh, we've only previously reviewed 3 of their brews. We need to up the ante on this.

My bottle didn't really have a hard 'psst' to it. The head on this bottle was almost non-existent. Shit. Oh well, no beer left behind. This was pulled straight from the fridge and into a pint glass. There's an epic chill haze to this. The color of the beer is a little darker than the golden orange color on the label. Speaking of label, this was bottled 9/18/14, this needs to be drank before hops start to die off. We've been slacking so much in our reviews with everything else going on this year (this review makes the 51st blog post of this year, compared to the 215 of 2013, hell even 22 in 2012 when we started the blog around Thanksgiving). Oops. We didn't get through some of the brews we wanted to- we had to drink some instead of saving for reviews just to not let it go to waste. To see all of the beers we've quasi-reviewed, you should follow us on Untappd. But back to the current beer review.

Weird, in the time that this has had to warm up, more head is coming out. Alright. The aroma is citrus and sweetness on this 7.2% ABV brew. The flavor on this is.... oh shit.... I don't know if I can give Jennie her bottle of this... It wouldn't be fair to her. Why would anyone make a beer like this? This smooth drinking citrus bomb starts off starts with a mango and other tropical fruit blast, some pine starts to make a precious before more juicy flavors of orange quenches the bitterness. This is one of the juiciest IPAs I've had. This apparently is a SMaSH brew (Single Malt and Single Hop) being made with the Galaxy strain hop. 65 IBUs on this brew, but it's not really bitter at all. Big, juicy. While you're drinking it, it's more like a tropical punch- medium bodied, perfect carbonation. The aftermath of each sip leaves a nice orange/mango/pineapple flavor lingering while your mouth is slightly sticky; half hop oils, half sweetness. This is a fantastic showcase of Galaxy. Hell. This is a fantastic beer. Hopsus be praised. I'm off to confiscate Jennie's bottle so she doesn't have to go through this torture. Side note, I now want to experiment with Galaxy in our homebrews.

4.9/5 caps

-Nathan-

Whew! That was close... Nathan actually tried to block the fridge so that I couldn't get mine. And then attempted to tell me how horribly disappointing this was. Not buying it for a second, mister. I did steal a sniff of his before cracking mine open, and wow... that aroma!

Doing my own research after a conversation with a friend this morning about this precise beer, I see that Schlafly's website is a bit confusing and contradictory. It lists this as a SMaSH beer (see Nathan's portion for a definition of this), but it also says that it contains Australian Topaz hops, which is a milder hop strain from the land down under. All I can do at this point is shrug my shoulders and delve back into that luscious aroma.

This has copious amounts of chill haze, having been liberated from the refrigerator about 15 minutes ago. It is a pale orange color, about the color of our newest rescue kitty, a fluffy blond ball of love (the other three kitties would disagree, although after nearly a month, they seem to have reached some kind of temporary detente). There is a minimal bright white head that sits atop my beer. As Nathan noted, there was not as much auditory acknowledgement upon opening this. I want to swan dive into this aroma. Notes of melon, passionfruit, and a ton of pineapple waft past my nose. Oh hell, this is goooooooood. Flavors of pineapple and mango seem to dominate, but passionfruit, guava, and melon come through, as well as a nice crackery note from the 2-row Pale malt. This finishes wonderfully dry and almost with a hint of black pepper. This, my friends, is delicious. Galaxy has quickly become a darling among hopheads from both commercial and home brews, and this is a perfect example of why. This leaves a little sticky sweet feeling in the mouth, but that wonderful dry finish makes up for that and then some. No wonder this lovely hop has become such a fan favorite.

I always look forward to Schlafly beers, as they so rarely disappoint. They do Special Release IPAs to play with the various hops and showcase styles from various hemispheres. This is a beautiful example of the most popular and utilized hop from the Southern Hemisphere. I hope to see this in Ohio soon!

4.9/5 caps

Food Pairing: bacon wrapped jalapenos (that have been stuffed with an herbed cream cheese or Boursin's Garlic and Herb variety)
Cheese Pairing: Pecorino Romano
Music Pairing: Vivaldi, "Four Seasons" (yes, all four. We have opposite seasons than Australia, of course)

Potosi Snake Hollow IPA

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This is another brew that we picked up at Friar Tucks in Peoria, Illinois. We went through and each grabbed 6 beers that we can't get in Ohio (along with the pack of Destihl Hoperation Overload). As we move our way through these, I'm brought slightly down. That was our only trip to Peoria that wasn't for pleasure. As I've said in previous post, craft beer helps with feelings that you bury deep inside. Anytime those feelings start to come out from the cage you think you've trapped them in, chase them back in with some craft beer. I'm pretty sure 5 out of 4 doctors who struggle with fractions would agree with me.

So, Potosi Brewing Co seems to have an interesting, long history. I won't go into the history (for sake of losing readers) but you can check it out here. This is a 7% IPA that seems to be readily available in their distribution area, although Columbus, Ohio isn't part of that. This pours a nice light copper color with minimal off white head that dissipates quickly. The aroma on this is caramel with grapefruit and citrus. With each swirl, the grapefruit and citrus come more toward the front while the caramel fades. Wow, yeah, I just swirled beer. Does that make me a pretentious beer snob now? Damn, I hope not. Regardless, the aroma on this is good. The first sip of this is a slightly sweet caramel flavor with building, refreshing blast of hops toward the back end. Once the hops kick in, it changes my mind about this beer. At first, it was 'eh, another malt heavy beer that people are trying to pawn off as an IPA,' but no. The hops kick in and give a nice juicy burst of grapefruit and orange. The bitterness that's left is welcoming; slightly sticky yet not overwhelming.  This finishes dry, making me want more. Sadly, my portion is done, leaving me longing for more. This is good now, I'm sure if we had it fresher, it would be better.

This is our first beer from Potosi. Despite the name (I fear snakes. I feel like Indiana Jones "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?") I would love to try their other selections. Sadly, it will have to wait until we travel to one of their distribution areas.

4.1/5 caps

-Nathan-

Did you know??? This site can tell you what states can get the beer you seek, and vice versa. I have found it quite useful and it seems to be updated frequently. Insert "The More You Know" bleep and theme here.

I had no idea that each of the beers that I threw into the fridge tonight were from Wisconsin. I would insert some taunting here to Nathan about the Big Ten, but I will suffice it to say that I have Melvin Gordon on my fantasy football team. Yeah, because shit is gonna go down Saturday. Not like the shit going down in Ferguson, Missouri currently, but still, shit's goin' down. That said, our thoughts go to the people in Ferguson. Michael Brown's family said it beautifully, "While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change." Do the right thing, people, please.

Well, that got heavy quickly. So, how about this beer? I walked past it earlier, while my partner-in-equality was writing his portion, I sniffed it, and commented either that there are a bunch of Amarillo hops in this or that the hops were past their prime. I have since learned that Amarillo hops are present in this, but Nathan promised that it tastes better than it smells. So, let's find out for sure. It is a transparent, medium golden color with minimal white head remaining on top of the beer. The aroma is, to be frank, disappointing. Vague citrus, caramel heavy, and just bland are what come to mind when I smell this, perhaps along with some pineapple that is two weeks past its prime. It tastes about the same until that finish... oh, that finish is lovely. It is crisp and dry and lovely. The pineapple note seems fresher in the taste than in the aroma. The finish on this is nothing less than fantastic, and it saves the beer for me.

I am definitely iffy on the Amarillo hop. I don't always love it, and I identified the reason for that tonight: it tastes like hops that have seen better days, even when fresh. I would not mind trying more beers from Potosi, and indeed, would like to drink this a little fresher. Definitely not a bad pick from Peoria, though.

3.7/5 caps

-Jennie

Cheese Pairing: A medium-bodied white cheddar
Food Pairing: Ham and potatoes au gratin
Music Pairing: Anything by The Lizard King

Tyranena Bitter Woman IPA

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Well, I think they named a beer after me! Bitter Woman IPA tonight is brought to us by Tyranena Brewing in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Although they somehow messed up my portrait, I am quite a bitter person who loves bitter beers. If I were better at Photoshop, I would totally replace the handsome woman on the label with a picture of yours truly. The side of the bottle, however, refers to an Aunt Cal, allegedly a former paramour of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who ended up never marrying. Sounds like she was more sad than bitter. Nevertheless, we are encouraged to drink this with a bitter woman, so you all get to drink it with me.

My bitter story of the day goes something like this: As many of you know, Nathan is an Ohio fan, while I am a die-hard Michigan fan. It is Rivalry Week here, in case you don't follow the college football world. Not only do our teams play each other with all sorts of stuff on the line, but we also play each other for the championship for our fantasy football league. So, I went to put my seven-year-old to bed, and he asked me to read him a story. We are currently in the middle of reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I looked down at his pajama pants and had to tell him no story tonight, not because of behavior or other issues, but because he had the audacity to wear Ohio  sweatpants to bed during rivalry week. He's not even an Ohio fan! (Northwestern, natch... because purple is his favorite color and he loves cats; they are the Wildcats. At least he is keeping it within the Big Ten.) I think that was a pretty bitter response.

Anyway, shall we move on to the beer? This pours a medium orangey golden color with a couple fingers of off-white head that don't stick around for long. It had some chill haze from the refrigerator, but that has since cleared. The aroma on this is wonderful. Grapefruit, pine, orange, and a hint of caramel waft past my nose, while no particular aroma really overwhelming. As I go take my first sip, I notice that the head has now almost completely dissipated. Flavors of pine and caramel overcome my palate, and it finishes very piney and bitter. I like the finish, but I'm a little disappointed in the beer overall. The aroma on this was quite promising, but the flavor is pretty flat and one-dimensional. It's almost like drinking pine sap. It is medium-bodied and really leaves nothing remarkable for mouthfeel. At least the finish isn't too disappointing.

This is one of two Tyranena beers we brought back from our last trip to Peoria. The other one will follow soon.

3.6/5 caps

-Jennie

Babe, we do this every year, but to make it official, it's 10:11 on Monday November 24th and That Team Up North still sucks. To edit your post, it's not 'Ohio', it's "THE Ohio State University." You call us Ohio as per your ham-eating fat sack of shit coach, who's on his way out, who defeated us once. Did you know he went to the MAC for college (Ball State)? Is that because your school was too prestige at the time to let some Don Vito-looking bastard on the team? He knows who Ohio is and who Ohio State is. For those who aren't aware of the difference, I'll do a quick breakdown. Ohio is a university in Southern Ohio known for its parties and riots during Daylight Savings; Ohio State is a university in Central Ohio known for its parties and riots during football season. Ham-eater and your other terrible coach (Rich Rod) have brought down your team to where one of your rivals has taken your only claim to fame as late (best win percentage of all time).

Football rivalry aside, This has had time to warm up some while she-who-roots-for-the-wrong-team did her rant. This now has no chill haze to it, but is a clear orange-golden color with faint off-white head lingering around. The lacing on the side of the pint glass shows where the head once was. Nice lacing.

This 5.75%, 68 IBU beer is brewed with Magnum, Cascade and Amarillo hops with 2-row, pale, caramel, and carapils malts (according to a picture from Tyranena's website). The aroma is grapefruit and pine heavy with faint caramel and earthy notes taking backside to the hop characteristics. The first sip, pine with hints of some caramel, occasional grapefruit zest coming through from time to time, but mostly pine. The finish is bitter and very resinous. Honestly, not bad, not A+. It's nice to enjoy something that we can't obtain in Ohio though.

3.6/5 caps

-Nathan- 

Cheese pairing: A grassy local farmer's cheese
Food pairing: Ham salad sandwich
Music pairing: Alanis Morrissette, "You Oughta Know"

Deschutes Chasin' Freshies (2014)

Every autumn, many breweries harvest hops either grown onsite or at a farmer they collaborate with and brew a fresh-hopped beer, which means that they are added to a beer within 24 hours of being harvested. I don't care for cold weather or winter. In fact, I so loathe winter that I don't even really like autumn, simply because it means that winter is right around the corner. There is one thing to celebrate during the autumn, however, and that is harvest season. Harvest season means fresh-hopped beers. That is the one bright, shining light to this time of year.

Every year Deschutes changes up the hop variety in Chasin' Freshies, and this year's release features Mosaic hops, one of my favorite hops. I have heard a rumor that there is going to be a shortage of Mosaic next year, so I plan to drink and brew with it as much as possible. It is a beautiful, complex hop with a distinct aroma and flavor, and I think it elevates most beers to a new level.

This pours a beautiful light straw color with no chill haze and tight carbonation bubbles rising rapidly through the beer. When I initially poured this, it had a moderate white head with loose, soapy bubbles that has now diminished to about a half finger. The aroma on this! For the love of all things fresh, this smells absolutely amazing. Passionfruit and guava and grapefruit and grapefruit zest hit my nose. There are some light crackery notes in the aroma, but it's mostly a showcase of the hop. I can wait no longer; I must have this in my mouth immediately. It is as good as it smells, for certain. There is a faint pine to go along with the copious passionfruit, guava, and grapefruit that were present in the aroma. There is a slight black peppery note toward the back end of this that is a welcome little surprise. Notes of cracker float in and out of the flavor. Dudes. This. This is good. It has a light body and soft mouthfeel. I think I'll go sneak some of Nathan's and hope he doesn't notice.

5/5 caps

-Jennie

Really, dear? On the eve of the celebration of my day of birth, you're threatening to steal some of my half WHEN YOU HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED YOUR OWN?!?!?! Wow, it must be good. Jennie hasn't threatened to pilchard beer in a while.

This has had time to warm while I showered and Jennie took lead. As I slide back into this chair, ear buds blaring music, I gaze at this beer. It's a clear light straw color with a small amount of white head sticking around, much less than when it was poured. Still some carbonation bubbles floating up.  This 7.4% ABV, 65 IBU fresh-hopped IPA has been calling my name all day. I've been longing for this today, despite never having it. It's like the desire to have the open road in front of you while not really knowing where you're going, but never looking back. The aroma on this is a huge blast of hops. Tropical fruit, grapefruit, and some faint pine climb into your nose and start a mini-mosh pit, enticing you to stage dive into it and join the pit. "Get in the pit," you hear tiny voices saying, beckoning you to be one with the hop aroma. I don't need much convincing with a fantastic aroma like this, but I always wonder if it's angelic voices telling me to join the hops, or if the sound is coming from the sirens, leading me toward the rocks. Upon the first sip, I can tell it's divine voices calling to me. Slight pine and grapefruit with slight bitterness initially, then a big juicy blast of tropical fruit that quenches the bitterness, leaving a refreshing feeling. The juicy notes fade as grapefruit and building bitterness takes the forefront. This drinks more like a session IPA than a 7.4%. The little cherubs with hops for heads sing the praise of Hopsus with each sip, giving a refreshing blast, leaving the mouth sticky with hop oils.

This is fantastic and a great way to forget the potential of snow tomorrow (only in Ohio can you have a high of 65 then it drops 30 some odd degrees and gives you snow). Do yourself a favor and give praise to Hopsus by going out and purchasing some.

5/5 caps

-Nathan-

Food pairing: Colorado enchiladas (you know, with pork and the green sauce)
Cheese pairing: Fuck it, go for broke. A damn good quality Asiago.
Music pairing: Neil Young, "Harvest Moon"

Fat Head's Hop Stalker

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"Deep in the Yakima Valley, our hop-obsessed Head Brewmaster went commando in seach of his prized nuggets. His mission: Capture the freshest hop flowers he could sneak up on. Then he wet-hopped this bad-ass brew for a deliciously dank IPA. Out of the wild emerged The Hop Stalker."

"Pour it slowly, Unfiltered beer captured inside, go commando, drink it fresh"

All the text on the 16 ounce can of this 7% ABV, 80 IBU, wet hopped IPA seems so inviting to go Gonzo. Go commando, I take that as a challenge to go balls to the wall. Challenge accepted, Fat Head's.

This barely fit into a pint glass (makes sense as 16oz is a pint) with a nice golden amber color with small amount of white head. Very little head, which is fine with me, as it leaves more space for the wet-hopped liquid. You can see tiny bubbles constantly rising through this crystal clear beverage. The aroma on this is dank, like, well, Colorado knows. There is also a nice citrus aroma that washes over, with hints of slight spice to lend for a very hop heavy aroma. It's the season of wet/fresh hop, and I personally don't feel like going into that debate once again (Google it or check our prior reviews on such beers as Sierra Nevada's Estate or Founder's Harvest), we did that too much in previous reviews.

The initial sip on this is an initial blast of unadulterated bliss for hop heads like myself. This is so hop heavy I'm in my own version of Heaven, holding hands and skipping hops across beer vats with Hopsus. Sweet Jesus, if you aren't a religious person, and you're a hop head, this will make you believe in some sort of higher power. That higher power is Hopsus, btw. So the initial sip is just face melting, tongue rocking hops. There is citrus and pine and and and and and. There are so many different flavors coming from this, the taste bud to recognition process is overwhelmed. Dank at first, but instantly kicking into grapefruit, pine, mango, pineapple at times.. Flavor of the hops changing in less than a second between the color wheel, so-to-speak. The malt flavors are not noticed in this, to where this would be classified as "unbalanced" for those who do not have the same love, nay, lust for the Humulus. Dank, tropical, grapefruit, pine, citrus zest, fuck.... I can't type as fast as the flavors are changing. Even after this has been swallowed and copious amounts of hop oils are still around your tongue, gums and cheeks; the flavors are still shifting, running the gauntlet. The drinkability is decent, drinks like a typical IPA, but the palate wrecking oils makes this more of a sipping beer. The mouthfeel on this makes me have a semi-chub. Fuck it, I'm not even going to lie. I'm half-mast drinking this. The mouth puckering oils that are running rampant around are something spectacular. Hopsus, you have let your glorious light shine, and your light has landed on my tongue. With this drink, I accept you into my world, with this swallow, I realize you're all powerful and all knowing. May Hopsus be with you, and also with you.

All religious experience from drinking this beer aside, it's fucking good. Do your taste buds a favor and find some. If Fat Head's isn't distributed in your area, I've heard rumors that people do beer trades, and there may be Facebook groups for trades, for all you social media fiends.

5/5 Caps .... cause FUCK YEAH!
-Nathan-

I am not even sure how to follow that. Well, other than to drink it. And to hope that they introduce themselves in Portland in the next few days with this beer, because we like Portland people, and they should have this beer. And no, I haven't tasted it yet. Nathan wants to stare at me creepily when I take my first sip, so I may be procrastinating a bit.

This is a wonderful, clear golden color with some moderate white foam sitting atop it. The aroma is wonderful: heavy with tropical fruits, such as passionfruit, mango, guava, and a hint of a spice note. The taste? Oh yes, I just called Nathan over to witness the expression on my face. He ended up crawl-scuttling across the floor because he had banged the hell out of his foot on the coffee table. Eh, tall guy/Bigfoot problems. Apparently, I did not disappoint. He wasn't lying about the Color Wheel Effect: it's fast and hard. Prepare yourselves. I'll try to take you through each spoke of that wheel, but as my beertner could not, I give no guarantees. Passionfruit, guava, mango, grapefruit, caramel, pineapple, fermented pineapple (ever had 2-day-old cut-fresh pineapple? Only it's not bad here). I don't get so much dank out of the initial sip; it's more of the mega-coaster at Cedar Point as you are chugging up that first hill, waiting for the bottom to drop out of your stomach. And as soon as I say that and take another sip, there it is, right out of the gate. It's 4:20 somewhere, right?!? Holy hell, this is fantastic. This is palate-wrecked in a good way. This has a medium body: not too thin, not too malty, like Goldilocks' search, just right. Moderate carbonation, and Nathan was right about the hop oils lingering on your tongue long after you swallowed (in a side conversation). Yes, that is what she said, in fact.

Also, a fair warning: Nathan mentioned that people do beer trades. We are definitely cough cough not among those people. And he isn't coming off the last beer we have (as one most certainly is not earmarked for a trade).

5/5 caps
-Jennie

Food Pairing: fucking whatever you want cause your palate is destroyed!
Cheese Pairing: see above
Music Pairing: Bob Marley, "Three Little Birds" because with this beer, everything is, indeed, going to be all right.

Dark Horse Smells Like a Safety Meeting

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As we continue cleaning out our secret stash (read: beers we purchased to review but life shit got in the way and prohibited us from doing so), what else to review except an IPA that references a secret stash. This was released last year on 4/20, we missed last year. This year, it was released on draft around the same date, and in bottles shortly after. We picked up a 6 pack of bottles. The artwork beckons questions of what goes on in the mad genius mind of W. Ralph Walters, along with why haven't we drank with him yet? We're artists as well as beer consumers/reviewers/home brewers. My personal artwork is Ralph Steadman influenced. Here's an example of a pen and ink drawing:

Nowhere near the detail or talent of W. Ralph Walters, another reason I want to sit down is to talk art, not just beer. But speaking of beer, I seem to be missing the point of this, this is for a beer review, not art review.

This has sat in our stash for a while, as previously mentioned. With each one from our stash, we hope, nay, pray to Hopsus that it's the same as when we purchased it. We've had some that were and others where we were smacking ourselves for letting the hops die. We checked this into Untappd when we first drank it. I gave it a 4.5 star rating (probably because Untappd does intervals of .5 stars). I initially said:
"Nice citrusy aroma... flavor matches the aroma.... full review coming soon on behind the tap's blog"

Well, that was May 16th. It may not have been soon (see note above), but it did happen. At this point, I'm just hoping the citrus notes are still there.

This pours a nice, clear amber color with a small amount of white head, looks to have decent carbonation, judging by the happy little bubbles that are making their way to the top. The aroma on this is caramel, citrus, pine and earthy notes. This smells more like the only thing on my criminal record (read: 2006, it shouldn't keep coming back to haunt me) than it did back when it was fresh. The initial sip is caramel heavy with some earthy notes, mango, peach, and fading into slight tinge of grapefruit. It's not as citrusy as I remember, a little more dank at this point (hence the name, I'm sure). This has a medium body that goes well with the 8.5% ABV. It finishes with a sticky mouthfeel from the hops, which come out more and more with each sip.

So, with this being aged nearly 5 months:

4.5 caps (apparently, the rating hasn't changed)

-Nathan-

Since Nathan is going to go all fanboy on the fantastic label art that W. Ralph Walters creates, I am not afraid to go a little fangirl on Dark Horse. Congratulations, Wiggs, on the nuptials. If you will recall, I went to college a few miles down the road from Dark Horse, and I love their beers in general. I have recently battled my fangirldom for so many brewers, and Wiggs is one, in particular, who I adore. If I weren't already thoroughly enamored with Nathan, I might snivel. Just a smidge, though. Sincerest congratulations and much happiness to you both for many, many years to come.

In incandescent lighting, this appears almost a garnet color. In front of the monitor, however, it's more of a reddish amber. The aroma is citrus, caramel, tropical fruit, pine, and a little freshly baked bread. This has developed into a danker version of its original, but six months later, it's still tasty. Nathan described the taste quite well, except there's almost a toast flavor toward the back end that caught me off-guard. There are a ton of tropical fruits in this toward the front. And then, just when you think you had quit the habit, a ton of dankness lashes the tongue to remind you again why you did. And then, way later, there is a note of apricot nectar that reminds me of Christmas mornings with my parents (my mom used to serve apricot nectar with her ham and cheese casserole as we were preparing to open gifts. As a child, the waiting game was pure torture). This has developed into a rather lush mouthfeel that leaves just a bit of stickiness on my lips, not from hop resins, but more from caramelized malts.

Last week we reviewed a Double Crooked Tree that had aged for several months. This one isn't quite as old, but I'd be intrigued to see how it stands the test of time (even though it's technically not an imperial, weighing in at 8.5% ABV). It's hung in there quite well, even for letting it sit for a few torturous months.

4.2/5 caps

-Jennie

Food Pairing: Green Thai curry, especially if made by my former Thai chef in Hilton Head, Anan.
Cheese Pairing: Cheetos, preferably the cheddar jalapeno variety
Music Pairing: "Santeria" by Sublime

Brooklyn Blast!

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How else to make a solid case of the Mondays go away than to drink from our stockpile of good beer? Actually, my Mondays aren't too bad... I get some peace while the child is at school and Nathan is at work, get stuff done around the house, and get in a good run. For the most part, I can't complain about Mondays. But they are still a great excuse to drink beer, don't you agree? Mean Girls is playing in the background while Nathan packages a metric fuckton of beer for an epic beer trade. Actually, this is a pretty great night.

I actually really enjoy Brooklyn's beers, despite us only having reviewed two of them to date. They produce consistently solid brews, right down to their lager. This is their "big" IPA offering, which is brewed with both American and English hops because New York City is halfway between the Pacific Northwest and England. Interesting concept.  Coming in at 8.4%, this recently went from being a seasonal brew to being offered year-round.

This pours a beautiful medium golden orange color with a finger or so of white head. The aroma on this is caramel and citrus with some almost grassy notes to round it out. There is also a bang of pineapple in the nose. Taking a sip, it's almost all caramel and it's very malt-forward. The grassy and pineapple notes really come through in the taste, as well as some vague lemon and orange. It is a very well-balanced "big" IPA without a ton of hop bitterness, yet it's not overly sweet. The mouthfeel is well-carbonated and not too sticky.

Overall, I can't decide whether I like this a lot or not. It has been well-documented that I adore hops. But I can also applaud the use of milder English hops to balance out the palate-killers that are most of those from the Pacific Northwest. It's good, but of course, I would prefer it to be a showcase of the hops.

4/5 caps

-Jennie

While Jennie had a mellow day, my day was chaotic and another example of why I need to get out of shipping. For 7 years, I've wasted my life in this position, only to be bombarded at home with packaging 15 twelve-ounce bottles, a sixteen-ounce can, a twelve-ounce can, and 5 twenty-two- ounce bottles thoroughly to survive the long journey of private courier from Columbus, Ohio to Iowa. 39 pounds of beer and packaging, the packaging that represents pain and agony of work. Sigh. At least there's one reward, good beer.

As this has had time to warm up some, there's still a little bit of white head lingering on this golden orange nectar. This has an aroma, at this point, of fresh cut grass, slight caramel with faint hints of citrus and tropical fruits. As I swirl it (FUCK! I'm officially a beer snob!), the caramel comes out more and the other aromas dissipate. The first sip is caramel heavy with some malty stickiness up front, the hops come in about 2-3 seconds later, lending pineapple and citrus flavors. The stickiness fades after the hops come in, and this finishes slightly juicy.

As I listen to the happy bubbling of the fermenting bucket (a soon to be 11%+ ABV Count Chocula Stout), I reflect on the flavor profile of the Blast! It's not the hop bomb I typically adore, but it's not bad. I would happily turn non-IPA drinkers onto this to get them turn to the Hop Side. By the way, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Hopsus? The 8.4% ABV on this isn't noticed initially, but with each sip, a nice warming sensation comes over you as the constant 'blub blub blub' of the airlock is pounding in your ear, much like the Tell-Tale Heart. Blub blub, blub blub.... I seem to be rambling and apparently as this warms ups, it still has the same flavor profiles that Jennie noticed when this was cold.

4.1/5 caps

-Nathan-

Cheese pairing: Double Gloucester
Food pairing: Chicken vindaloo
Music pairing: Beastie Boys, "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn"

Southern Tier Gemini

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We delve back into our reviews after a lot on our plates. We'd rather have a lot on our palates. So to kick off our hitting hard and heavy, we crack open a 9% ABV brew; made with 6 different hops and 4 different malts. I love how Southern Tier puts that one their labels (helps out decode it for homebrewers trying to build a clone). I have no idea on the IBUs, I cannot find anything definitive on it.

This pours a a nice copper color with small amount of white head. Decent carbonation, especially for us sitting on it for about 3 or so months. Yeah, I know, we shouldn't have sat on it for long, but with the amount of shit that we had going on, beer reviews weren't a priority. The aroma on this is pine, grapefruit, caramel, toffee, and a faint boozy note.

The flavor is interesting. There's a nice smooth wave of sweetness up front. There's a biscuit note that leads into the caramel and toffee that was picked up in the nose. There's a blast of bitterness toward the backend with some of the hop flavors previously mentioned in the nose. For being 'super hopped', according to the label, I expected more hops. The faint boozy note that you read in the aroma portion is faint after the hop blast (please tell me you're actually reading these reviews and not just clicking the link to make it appear on a second window so you can try and hide from your wife that you're secretly looking at underage Asian goat porn). This drinks smooth with a light sticky, yet dry finish. 

Overall, good beer, wish there was more hop characteristics to it.

4/5 caps

-Nathan-

I think we actually have been sitting on this for longer than three months, probably closer to six. I think it was springtime when we picked this up, and it was definitely before my father got sick. Therefore, there is a really good chance that this was way hoppier when we procured it, and the hops have since died out. I feel terrible reviewing something that should have been drank fresh, but this year has been a juggernaut unto itself and not in a good way.

I would consider the color to be more of a medium-golden, and even after Nathan wrote his portion, there is still some white head sitting on top of the brew. The aroma on this is pine, grapefruit, toffee, caramel, and there's a very boozy note that comes out toward the end. Oh man, I wish we would have drank this fresh; the hops have definitely faded. Nathan described the taste profile on this quite accurately. I pick up grapefruit, orange, toffee, caramel, biscuit, and on the back side, there is a definite, noticeable blast of booze. You can definitely tell that this was once a very well-balanced hop bomb.

Oh shit, there's Nathan right behind me, time to ditch the underage Asian goat porn.

My inner hophead is crying right now. I can only imagine how amazing this was fresh. Eh, I'm already emotional today (just reflecting on my dad and life since, and having just learned of a friend passing the day after he did, and of another partner of a friend passing away this evening. 2014, I'm really over your shit). Shedding a couple of tears over hops lost or fading from their former glory seems perfectly acceptable and even appropriate. Diane and Philip, I raise this glass to you tonight in Wendy's and Dan's memories. And Gemini, I look forward to our next meeting.

4/5 caps

-Jennie

Music Pairing: Elton John, "Candle in the Wind"
Food Pairing: General Tso's Chicken
Cheese Pairing: Blue Stilton

Staas Brewing 2x IPA

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Have you ever had one of those weekends where you determine that your liver is evil and must be punished? That was us last weekend. Between game days Saturday, Nathan's sort-of reunion Saturday night, and the beer festival Sunday, our livers are still revolting against us. The best part of the weekend was that, while I was at home watching "Brave" with my kiddo, Nathan went to his quasi-reunion (I'll let him explain that one further) in Delaware, about a half hour north of here. We have followed with interest the opening of Delaware's only current brewery and their subsequent first year and change of success. Alas, this is my first time trying their beer, as we just haven't made it to Delaware as often as we would like.

Staas was started by a husband and wife team who had a great passion for homebrewing. They sold their house in Columbus and risked everything -- their life savings, the kindness and graciousness of family and friends, their street cred as homebrewers, etc. -- on opening a brewery in Delaware. Theirs is a story I love. Staas has grown quite a bit of the year-plus they have been open, and they have branched away from the more comfortable styles (they currently have a cinnamon basil saison on tap, and they do a juniper ale that sounds fantastic). Also, if you are looking to alleviate some fog on a Sunday morning, you can head over to Mingo Park around 11:00 and play flag football with the brew crew.

I sent Nathan off with a growler Saturday. He showed up at home with their 2x IPA, which was well sealed with, wait for it, bacon tape. It hands down wins for packaging alone. Also, it should be noted that they do fill other establishments' growlers. OK, enough rambling, I'm dying to try this beer.

The 2x IPA pours a deep amber color that is opaque fresh out of the fridge. After my loquaciousness above, some of the chill haze has abated, but it's still more cloudy than translucent. Even after nearly three days in the fridge, there is still a collar of off-white head sitting atop the beer. (Note: Kyle from Barley's mentioned over the weekend that a well-sealed growler will keep in the fridge for 60 days without compromising the beer. That was a first for me, but good information for times like these.) The aroma on this is rather faint, but I pick up notes of orange, toffee, caramel, grapefruit, and pine. Taking a sip, I pick up on citrus, caramel, earthiness from Cascade hops, and that all fades out to a slightly boozy finish of almost macerated oranges and perhaps a bite of peppercorn. Occasionally the faintest hint of lychee will make an appearance, but not nearly often enough for my taste (that is a purely personal preference). This clocks in at 8.7% ABV, so I'm a bit surprised at the bite from the alcohol; most 10% DIPAs don't taste of this much booze. The mouthfeel on this is well-rounded and a bit sticky, which is not unexpected from a brew with this alcohol content. Overall, I'm a tad disappointed. I was hoping for a hop bomb, and this is more of a well-balanced malty DIPA with acceptable hop presence, but nearly enough for my liking.

4/5 caps

-Jennie

So, as Jennie mentioned, this was a liver wrecking weekend. 15 solid hours of drinking on Saturday in 2 different counties proved to not fare well the following day. But in this 15 solid hours of drinking, there was a stop off at Staas. The quasi-ten-year-reunion was at a bar in Downtown Delaware, a block away from Staas. I'd prefer not to talk about some of the shenanigans that were had, in order to save the guilty parties any shame or agony, but let's get to Staas. It's a small place that, if memory serves, was a small law office, across the street from the funeral home. The joys of a small town, eh?

Regardless, after some drinking and football at home, and drinking and shooting pool at another bar, it was time for drinking and in-depth conversation. My friend has been going to Staas nearly every Friday for a year. She hyped up the place to where instead of a 'destination spot i already wanted to hit', it became a 'this is going to fucking happen'...

As I said earlier, Staas is a small place. A few tables, a bar and a game room; maybe seating for 40-50 people. There's a little gated-off patio out front where about another dozen can sit and enjoy their night, pairing their vices of libations and smoking cigarettes or cigars (as Ohio has a statewide ban of smoking in bars, well, any public building). They have some amazing woodwork that was done by the owners, a gorgeous stained glass window, and about 10 beers on tap at any given time. With them being a small brewery, when they blow a keg of somethings, there's no guarantee they have another keg of the same variety in the back (according to said friend who frequents the venue).

So here we are, Tuesday night. (well technically Wednesday morning now). We have a couple of friends over, sharing emotionally scarring moments that happened last summer... fuck... now I drink. I remember this was mentioned as being 9.4% on the wall, but I could be confusing this with one of their other high test beers (I had a flight of their DIPA, Cinnamon Basil Saison, Oktoberfest, and Belgian Golden before ordering their Pale Ale. The Belgian Golden and DIPA were high test). So I now sit down an actually give a full review of this. While sitting there at Staas, I gave it a 5 star rating on Untappd, with a caption of "Getting a growler.... this is gooooooooood"... So, that was on a day where my senses were dulled from copious amounts of alcohol. As of now, this has a rich amber color. The aroma is toffee and caramel heavy with some faint citrus and tropical notes. The flavor is interesting. it's a nice, balanced DIPA. It has the malt flavors you picked up in the nose, then there's some orange and grapefruit that pop in. There's some bitterness that makes an appearance toward the back as the previously mentioned flavors fade and some light tropical fruit notes come through. There are some earthy tones that show up randomly throughout. The finish on this is slightly sweet with a faint stickiness to it, like a Sugar Daddy (yeah, you remember those?)... Well, not that sweet, but, damn, I want a Sugar Daddy... or Sugar Babies...

There's also a booziness about it that makes you realize that as you're typing, you're not really sure if your typical modified stream-of-conscious meets Gonzo-style writing will work for this review. You start realizing with each sip, there's a growing disdain toward home improvement shows. Sweet merciful Jesus, this has a good amount of alcohol, which makes it worth the $23 growler fill. Jennie initially thought that was a lot for a growler, but doing math this morning in a sleepy state, I realized that at Staas, drinking per pour, it would cost between $32 and $37 for the same amount of ounces you'd get in a 64 ounce growler (only because I can't remember the price per pour). You also feel the sense that you're starting to ramble and should end this before things end poorly for all parties involved. This is a different rating than when my palate was wrecked. It's good, I want to try their beers when I haven't been drinking heavily all day (to get a full profile of each). I will be returning to Staas, and hopefully here soon.

4.2/5 caps

-Nathan-



Music pairing: Green Day, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Cheese pairing: Dill Havarti
Food pairing: Chile Rellenos

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow

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With just less than an hour before "Drunk History" starts, we figured we might try to match the storytellers on this fabulous show. I so want to pressure Derek Waters into drinking our way through as many 12% beers as it takes for me to fall onto the floor and sing the opening of the Lion King. Not too long ago on a venture to our favorite local craft beer store, we picked up a bomber of this Three Floyds seasonal brew. It's a double IPA with lactose milk sugars added. It sounds just weird enough to try, gonzo enough to love, and, oh yeah, I've heard really good things about this. This weighs in at 11% ABV and 100 IBUS, so it should do the trick. And can we discuss how much I love the artwork on the label???

It slides into my glass, showing a medium amber color and with a moderate off-white head. The aroma is fantastic: pine, grapefruit, pineapple, orange, and just a hint of freshly-cut grass. Taking a sip, all of those flavors are unsurprisingly forward, but the lactose adds such an interesting note to this. It doesn't affect the flavor at all, it just smooths out the mouthfeel, so that it's soft, lush, and rich, kind of like drinking velvet. It's a sweeter hop bomb, but not offensively cloying, such as I find Ballast Point Sculpin and many lesser IPAs to be. There's a boozy note that comes through midway through the sip, and almost a burnt sugar note at the very back end, like the topping on a creme brulee. It's one of the most unique beers I've ever had, and I drink a lot of weird beers!

I've yet to have a bad beer from Three Floyds, and I love what they did with this. The label describes this beer as "not normal", and I'd definitely have to agree with them, yet they knocked this odd notion out of the ballpark.

4.7/5 caps

 -Jennie

This has had time to warm up.... a lot of time. Roughly 2 hours.... oops. Well, to be fair, we took an hour and a half break to hang out without neighbor, drink a Yuengling in memory of her uncle, and watch Drunk History. Which linking that reminds me how much I don't like our earlier reviews of beers. We've become more thorough, more expanded, more experienced, more drunk.

That being said, it shocks me that this still has a small amount of head lingering around, much like a small portion of a song that's stuck in your head for days, you know the tune and a couple words, but you're stubborn, so you're not going to look it up. But, damn, what is that!? Is it some 80's New Wave or something they played on the modern alt rock station last week? I seem to be getting sidetracked. So, the color on this was nailed by Jennie.  The aroma on this is.... hang on let's twist an Apocalypse Now reference " * Long Sniff* I love the smell of hops in the morning!" Pineapple, orange, grapefruit, and some hints grass (dig deep, it's faded at this point, same as the pine notes Jennie picked up earlier). Mind you, 2 hours into being poured, I still want to have a room in a house that smells like this, year round.

Time for another Apocalypse Now quote: "You'll never find out about yourself working in some fucking factory in Ohio." This beer makes me realize that in the first sip. My factory job (actually, yes, in Ohio) will never bring me to inner peace, finding my inner light. This beer, on the other hand, is closer than factory work. It's fantastic. There's a blast of grapefruit zest, pine and orange upfront, your mind expects this to intensify and linger, like most DIPAs, but instead, the malts come in and the lactose sugars pop in and mellow everything out, giving balance to something that otherwise would be overpowering. The hops do linger, but instead of intensifying, they dissipate as the smooth liquid slides from the lips and down the esophagus. There's some almost lemon like flavors from the hops at this point that blends perfectly with the caramel notes from the malt. The lactose sugars gives it a smooth mouthfeel, like laying naked on a comfy bed with velvet sheets on it. Moving your arms and legs, rejoicing in the sheer joy you get from it touching your skin. Picture that, but on your tongue. The finish is slightly sticky, but with this being 11% and 100 IBUs, I can't tell clearly which it is, as there is both hop and sweetness stickiness. 

If you're able to, pick this up, it's an experience. Who would have thought of adding lactose sugars to a DIPA? I never would have thought it would work with something so hoppy (I'm used to lactose sugars being in stouts). Well, shit, Three Floyds, you nailed it. I tip my hat to you, fine sirs (and possibly madames - Jennie).

4.8/5 caps

-Nathan-

Music pairings: "Ride of the Valkyries", Wagner, not only for the movie reference, but also for the way this beer blasts across the tongue
Cheese pairings: a good, local Farmer's cheese. Something nice and creamy.
Food pairings: Peach Crisp

Best Fourth of July Beers

Before we begin our salute to America, remember to follow us on twitter, facebook, youtube, instagram  and on Untappd as jenniek and guitaristshad.

Nice warm weather, sunshine, fireworks and grilled food. Must be the Fourth of July, the day we celebrate our independence from the torturous monarchy. The burgers, brats and hot dogs are on the grill, potato salad and apple pie are on the table. The sun is shining as we do a count down for the local fireworks display. Wait, something's wrong. Something's missing. Beer. Oh, yes, beer. Carrying on a 238 year old tradition of freedom, we raise our pint glasses to our founding fathers who were half crocked when they sat down and hashed out the details that would become our Declaration of Independence.

Here are some brews that we think pair perfectly well for a day of celebrating the Red, White, and Blue.

Burger Classic

This is a regional beer out of Cincinnati. It's a smooth drinking American Adjunct Lager that has a nice malt and hop combo that most Adjunct Lagers lack. It's refreshing on a hot summer day and the lower ABV will help insure that you won't get too blitzed before fireworks. This is out inexpensive beer of choice.


Bell's Oberon

 Ah, Oberon. Dear Oberon. My gateway to craft beer. It's smoother than a baby's backside, this lusty pale wheat offering from Bell's. Weighing in at 6% ABV, it's completely refreshing on one of those sweltering 95-degree-with-98%-humidity summer days that plague this side of the country.


Boulevard's Unfiltered Wheat

You know it's a good beer if you're wanting it for a nice, Summer day; but you can't have it because they don't distribute to your state. A couple quotes from our previous review:
"Perfect lighter summer beer with hints of wheat and citrus, dry finish, nice smooth mouthfeel that's as refreshing as it is smooth."
"The nose is mostly wheat, with just a hint of lemony citrus."

Founder's All Day IPA

Another great choice for summer, especially for hop heads. It's a light, sessionable IPA that's hopped to beat the heat. Founders doesn't make a brew I don't like, but this is the best session IPA on the market, in my humble opinion.


3 Floyd's Jinx-Proof 

Hopsus gazed upon the beer world and noticed that there were not enough hoppy lagers. This saddened Him. He laid out the plans to the brew gurus at Three Floyds for what became this. Hopsus be praised for this 5.1% ABV with 35 IBUs (tastes hoppier than 35 IBUs)

Founder's Rubaeus

 Instead of eating fruit or one of those vodka-filled watermelons, drink a Rubaeus. Another wonderful offering from Founders, this raspberry ale is a fantastic brew. This is also a great beer for craft beer newbies, because it doesn't taste like beer, per se. It tastes like you ate a handful of raspberries. Or drank some yummy raspberry juice. Or rolled in a bed of raspberries. If you like raspberry beers (and I most definitely do), it's hard to beat this.

Flying Dog's Doggie Style

The wonderful wizards at Flying Dog have improved on this recipe since we reviewed it. They added Simcoe and Citra hop varieties, which adds more awesomeness. This is still smooth drinking, and for those who love hops on a hot summer day (or year round like I do), do yourself a favor and get a 6-pack.

Bell's Two Hearted

This is one of our go-to IPAs, and seeing as how it has recently been ranked one of the top beers in the USA in numerous polls, it deserves a spot on our list. I, like many beer geeks, like a nice hoppy beer in the warmer months. There's something innately refreshing about drinking a well-crafted IPA on a hot summer day, and this one fits the bill perfectly.

Other brews (not fully in depth as we haven't reviewed them)
Left Hand's Good Juju
Shocked we haven't reviewed this. It's a great beer with a nice refreshing blast of ginger that's crisp, clean and thirst quenching. Perfect for cornhole with friends, pool side drinking, cookouts, pretty much any Summertime activity.

Fat Heads' Sunshine Daydream
A great session IPA that we've longed for since hearing about it. Go to your friend's house, wrangle them out of their air conditioning and do some porch drinking with this. *Review Coming Soon*

Uinta's Sum'r
We enjoyed this at a friend's house last summer. A light golden ale, it's perfect on a warm summer evening. If I recall, it's moderately hoppy and greatly refreshing. It makes me miss Tire Bite from Flying Dog, but if you can find Sum'r, do yourself a favor and pick some up.

Homestead Beer Co's Station Master Session IPA
We had this on draft at Barley's Homebrew Competition (which we were finalists in). I wanted something lighter but with great flavor. I found it with this. Huge citrus flavor with the 96 IBUs on the lighter malt backbone that clocks in at 4.2% ABV. I love what Homestead is doing; if you make it to Central, Ohio, check them out for sure.

Knee Deep's Citra Extra Pale Ale
A little heavy compared to the others on our list, but well worth it. Fantastic flavor that's mind blowing. *Review Coming Soon*