CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

Three more reviews of three beers I had at 2 of our craft beer bars.

From the first one yesterday, I tried Southern Tier's Hop Sun and Shiner's Hefeweizen.

The Hop Sun is Southern Tier's summer wheat beer. The nose smelled basically of boring beer. I hoped for more from the taste. My hope would be in vain. It was nothing special, and not really even all that wheaty. In my notes I said the taste was "lame" and on a "Widmer level." I think we all know how I feel about Widmer's "hefeweizen." On the Jester ten point scale, Hop Sun gets a 2. I was, at least, able to pound it down and move on to the next one.

Shiner's Hefeweizen was, at least, cloudy in appearance, and looking like a hefe should look. It had a wheaty but subtle nose, and a nice if average taste. Not bad, but nothing special. 5 out of 10. In a pinch, this will do as a hefe, but there are far better ones out there. At least it's not Hop Sun or Widmer.

At the second bar, I tried yet another of Rogue Brewery's offerings. Yesterday's selection: Chatoe Rogue First Growth OREgasmic Ale, a pale ale. It had a hoppy, distinct, and good nose. The taste was interesting and somewhat hoppy. Not to IPA levels, but definitely at the pale ale plateau. As some of you may know, I've never had a Rogue I didn't love. Well, that streak came to a halt with the OREgasmic. While decent enough, it wasn't great by any stretch, and frankly, I wasn't super thrilled with it. Considering how many of Rogue's offerings I've tried, the fact that it took this long before I tried something I wasn't in love with is pretty damn impressive. OREgasmic is decent enough for what it is, but frankly, I expect better from Rogue. If I had to score the OREgasmic, I would give it a solid 6. As I said, good....but not great.

[Architectus Assistantus]

After hearing Jester talking about the fine qualities of Rum, I decided that I had to try this brand of alcohol. On Thursday I went to my local liquor store and tried to find something decent to start with. The selection of Rums was rather poor (about 4 brands) so I ended up with a bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Gold.

Oh my!!! It was delicious. I don’t think I have ever tasted any alcohol that was so good (I am not a big drinker, I only started drinking things stronger than beer less than a year ago).

I almost drank up the entire bottle during the weekend. I just couldn’t help myself, it was so delicious. I don’t know how to describe the taste, but the taste of spice was one the things that made it such a great experience.

Now I am going to try to find even better Rums, and it is going to be a great journey.

I would say that Rum has now become my favourite alcohol. Unfortunately it is rather expensive here in Norway and the selection isn’t the best (maybe about 50 brands total) so there will be limits to what I can try out.

Thanks very much Jester.
I am now going home to make myself dinner and to empty that bottle

[Dilorenzo]

Quick one (not had time to post or think in the past week plus), here.

Tried Monty Python Holy Ail. Found it mostly inoffensive, but nothing special either. Perhaps a little dryer than I would like.

Hobgoblin English Ale, now that was something. I was expecting something quite weak. Instead I got a malty + MALTY beverage that went down smooth and lingered for quite some time. All in all, enjoyable, and is going to sit on my "will buy again" list.

Also had a $9.90 bottle of bourbon, name of Kentucky Gentleman. Shit looks, well, like shit. Cheap bottle, cheap label. Surprisingly drinkable for under $10. Nothing close to something with some age and smoke to it, but a lot better than a lot of swill out there. Highly recommended, especially as it makes you feel a little better after you step on your friends baby.

(I didn't put full weight on him, thank the gods, but it sobered me up right quick and required quick application of strong liquors.)

[thansal]

Welcome to the club Architectus, Rum is a great thing, and well worth tryign out different brands and types. My current addictions are Gosling's Black Seal and Sailor Jerry's spiced rum. Once I'm out of the Jerry's I will be picking up a bottle of Kilo Kai (as Jester has raved about it many a time). I don't drink much, so a bottle lasts me a while, which is the only reason I haven't picked up a bottle of Kilo Kai previously :P

So, my new thing to report is interesting.

Was at a game day yesterday (yes, I spent Memorial Day inside, playing games instead of eating grilled meat), and one of our friends brought some home made ice cream. She reported it as "Chocolate Banana", and when we broke it out she did warn that there was some alcohol in it, as one of the group doesn't drink, and she wanted to give him a heads up just in case it was to strong for him.

She lies.

She lies like a dog.

There was not "some alcohol" in it. It was probably about 1/3 alcohol.

And it was WONDERFUL. I'm not a fan of banana stuff (I like bananas, just not in other stuff normally). I have no way to describe this. Each of the ingredients (Irish cream, chocolate, banana and rum) came through and were identifiable, yet it was much greater than the sum of it's parts.

The most interesting thing was that it was made with out an ice cream maker. The ingredients were blended together and then frozen, yet some how the aeration stayed with it, so instead of something the consistency of frozen pudding (aka ice), it was rich and creamy ice cream. I'm still impressed it froze with all that alcohol in it.

My guess is that the magic is actually the banana, as you can make banana ice cream (or flavored banana ice cream) by slicing, freezing and then blending well ripened bananas. Toss in a finger or 2 of ginger root, don't bother peeling, and you have something really tasty.


The recipe of what she made can be found Here.

[Jester]

Now I am going to try to find even better Rums, and it is going to be a great journey.

I would say that Rum has now become my favourite alcohol. Unfortunately it is rather expensive here in Norway and the selection isn’t the best (maybe about 50 brands total) so there will be limits to what I can try out.

Thanks very much Jester.

You're welcome. And I believe I can help you out even more.

If you tell me how you drink your rum (neat, over ice, with a mixer like soda or juice, or whatever), and you tell me what rums are available in your neck of the fjords, I think I can help you separate the Rum from the rum. It is, after all, what I do.

And if you like spiced rum, as Thansal pointed out, I am a huge fan of Kilo Kai, which in my mind is the greatest spiced rum I've ever had. Also a nice sipping spiced rum is Captain Morgan's Private Stock, which while not spectacular, is very, very good, and holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first sipping rum I ever had, and the rum that started me on my Rum Quest.

Tried Monty Python Holy Ail. Found it mostly inoffensive, but nothing special either. Perhaps a little dryer than I would like.

Technically speaking, it's "Monty Python's Holy Grail." At least, that's how it reads on the label....which is absolutely hilarious, in my opinion.

I find it tasty and good, but not extraordinary. Would I drink it again? Absolutely. Would I seek it out or special order it? Not particularly.

Hobgoblin English Ale, now that was something. I was expecting something quite weak. Instead I got a malty + MALTY beverage that went down smooth and lingered for quite some time.

I am relatively sure I have had this....I will have to check my notes. I think I liked it. Don't remember how much. Hmmm....

[Architectus Assistantus]

Jester, I appreciate any help you can give.

I usually drink my rum neat. But I also have tried to mix it with some cola. It tasted great.

As to what rums I can get hold of I’ll just list them. Almost all of these are ones that I need to order online and then 3-4 days later it will arrive to my local liquor store. Anything else than these is going to be a bit more difficult to get hold of. I will most likely have to import anything that is not on the list, and that will become a bit of a headache.

10 Cane
Angostura Caribbean Rum Reserva
Angostura Premium Gold Rum 5 years
Bacardi 8 Años
Bacardi Gold
Bacardi Premium Black Rum
Bacardi Superior
Bardinet Negrita Dark
Brugal Añejo
Brugal Blanco Ron
Brugal Extra Viejo
Cachaca 51
Captain Morgan Black Label
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold
Cruzan Dark Rum 2 Years
Cruzan Light Rum 2 Years
Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum
Cruzan Tropical Citrus
Cruzan Tropical Mango
Hansen Golden Rum
Havana Club 15 Years Old
Havana Club 7 Años
Havana Club Añejo Blanco
Havana Club Añejo Especial
Havana Club Barrel Proof
Holey Dollar Overproof
Holey Dollar Premium
Huracán Carta Blanca
Malibu
Mount Gay
Mount Gay Extra Old Rum
Negrita White
Pampero Aniversario
Pampero Blanco
Plantation Barbados 1995 Old Reserve Rum
Plantation Jamaica 8 Years Old Reserve Rum
Plantations Saint James
Pyrat XO Reserve Rum
Ron Añejo Pampero Especial
Ron Cubay 10 Añejo Superior
Ron Cubay Carta Blanca
Ron Matusalem Clasico 10 Years Old
Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva
Ron Matusalem Platino
Sailor Jerry
Santiago de Cuba Añejo
Santiago de Cuba Carta Blanca
St. James Rhum Blanc
Stroh 40
Stroh 60
Trois Rivières
Zacapa Centenario 23



It seems like both Kilo Kai and Captain Morgan’s Private Stock is not easily available for me. I have to import them, and as said it is a headache and expensive to do so (the price easily quadruples by the time I receive it). I’ll look for them the next time I am abroad; I can always take a bottle or two through customs (legally of course).

If you can recommend anything I would be most happy. I am rather inexperienced in these matters; I am going to work on that.

Thanks for any advice you can give

[Dilorenzo]

Now that's a list of rum. Almost makes me wish I was a rum drinker.

So, tonight, I'm drinking.... something. It's in a fairly nondescript brown box, with Double Cream Stout (if I remember right, and likely don't) on the side. It's... well, it's kinda like when you used to buy porn from stores (yeah, we used to have to do that, and yeah, I did. I'm not ashamed to admit it. On the internet. Anonymously). Should be interesting. If it's great, I'll actually remember the name.

[Jester]

Jester, I appreciate any help you can give.

I will do what I can, but understand, these are but my opinions, and your taste may vary. I don't drink much rum with cola, as I don't really drink cola any more, but I do know what it tastes like, and have a fairly good idea what rums go with it. So, my notes on your list....

10 Cane: Turpentine. Use it to remove paint or in a rum punch where you don't want to taste the rum. Or serve it to people you don't like very much.
Angostura Caribbean Rum Reserva/Angostura Premium Gold Rum 5 years: Not familiar with either of these, but have had Angostura 1919 (8 years)( and 1824 (12 years). The 1919 is a superior rum, worth finding. The 1824 is decent. Sadly, I can't comment on the 2 you listed.
Bacardi 8 Años: Bacardi 8 is a decent sipping rum from Bacardi. Not great, but not too bad, and pretty much the closest thing to sipping rum I've tasted from Bacardi.
Bacardi Gold: Mixer. It would be fine with coke.
Bacardi Premium Black Rum: Unfamiliar with it. I am, however, familiar with Bacardi Select, Bacardi's basic dark rum, which is actually not too bad. Good mixing rum if you like the darker rums.
Bacardi Superior: The basic white rum. This is what most people think of when they think of "rum." Mix it however you want, as it mixes well, but that is all it is good for. Sip it only if you hate yourself.
Bardinet Negrita Dark: Never heard of it.
Brugal Añejo: Not overly fond of it, but not too bad. Many people who come to my bar like it.
Brugal Blanco Ron: Unfamiliar with it. Sounds like a white rum, aka a Bacardi Superior clone. Clear rums are for mixing only, with very few exceptions. (I've had only 2 ever.)
Brugal Extra Viejo: Unfamiliar with it.
Cachaca 51: I know what cachaca is, but have not had this one, nor heard of it.
Captain Morgan Black Label: Unfamiliar with it.
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold: Heard of it, never tasted it.
Cruzan Dark Rum 2 Years: Not that familiar with it, but I believe it's basically a dark rum best used as a mixer.
Cruzan Light Rum 2 Years: Light rum, therefore almost definitely a clone of Bacardi Superior. See above.
Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum: Nice sipping rum, aged in whiskey barrels, with definite whiskey characteristics, but still unquestionably a rum. Bit of a whiskey bite, but you may enjoy that. I do. Good with coke, but I would prefer it straight or on the rocks.
Cruzan Tropical Citrus: Flavored rum. With few exceptions (notably Brinley Gold's flavored rums), these are for mixing. Probably best in some kind of rum punch concoction.
Cruzan Tropical Mango: See above.
Hansen Golden Rum: Never heard of it.
Havana Club 15 Years Old: Not tried the 15 year, so can't comment.
Havana Club 7 Años: Ditto as above.
Havana Club Añejo Blanco: Ditto again.
Havana Club Añejo Especial: Ditto the ditto.
Havana Club Barrel Proof: Ditto ad nauseum.
Holey Dollar Overproof: Say what? Never heard of it.
Holey Dollar Premium: What she said.
Huracán Carta Blanca: What he said after she said.
Malibu: Decent coconut rum. Best for mixing--see the Cruzan fruit rums above.
Mount Gay: Decent mixer. I like it with Sprite. (I assume you're talking about the Eclipse, which is the basic Mount Gay rum.)
Mount Gay Extra Old Rum: Similar to Cruzan Single Barrel, this is a 17 year blend aged in whiskey barrels. Somewhat different taste, but all I said about CSB applies here.
Negrita White: Unfamiliar with it.
Pampero Aniversario: Gorgeous rum. Great sipper. If you mix it with cola, by law, I have to punch you in the face. I would add no more than 1 or 2 ice cube to it, if that. Best rum on your list....so far.
Pampero Blanco: A white rum, clearly, but I have never tried it. Probably a better version of Bacardi Superior, but still a mixer, I would imagine.
Plantation Barbados 1995 Old Reserve Rum: Have had some Plantations, and most are good, but can't give my seal of approval to this one, having never had it. Probably decent for sipping, better than mixing, but that is just a guess based on the 1999 and 2000 versions I've had.
Plantation Jamaica 8 Years Old Reserve Rum: Sadly, unfamiliar with it, but sounds lovely.
Plantations Saint James: At first I thought you were talking about the Saint James Rhum from Martinique, but if this is something different, I am clueless about it.
Pyrat XO Reserve Rum: What I often call "my favorite rum that I can afford." A very smooth 15 year blend with a hint of citrus, great as a sipper. Surprisingly, great as a mixer, too, and you can get very creative with mixing it. I did, and in the process created a great cocktail and with it won my first bartending contest. (To date, that is my only win, though I have competed in other such bartending contests.)
Ron Añejo Pampero Especial: Unfamiliar with it.
Ron Cubay 10 Añejo Superior: I think this is probably Cubaney, which I believe is good, but I have not tried. If it is in fact Cubay, I am lost, having never heard of Cubay.
Ron Cubay Carta Blanca: Blanca means white rum. Mixer. Though I have never had this one. See above.
Ron Matusalem Clasico 10 Years Old: Not tried it, but I am not unfamiliar with Matusalem rums..
Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva: The 15 and 18 year versions are both fantastic, up there with Pampero Anniversario and Pyrat XO Reserve. Sip them. Savor them. Love them.
Ron Matusalem Platino: White rum. 'Nuff said.
Sailor Jerry: Overproofed spiced rum. Harsher version of Captain Morgan's. Mix it.
Santiago de Cuba Añejo: Unfamiliar with it.
Santiago de Cuba Carta Blanca: Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto. And ditto.
St. James Rhum Blanc: Saint James is an okay French style rum from Martinique, but I am not a huge fan of the French style, as they are a bit too fiery for me.
Stroh 40: Never heard of it.
Stroh 60: Still haven't heard of it.
Trois Rivières: This one either.
Zacapa Centenario 23: The greatest dark rum ever, great for mixing or sipping, or really anything. I prefer mine neat, but it makes the best mojito I've ever had, and serve it as such often at my bar.

My favorites of the ones above should be clear, but if not, let me make it clear--to me, the clear stars of the above list are Cruzan Single Barrel, Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 or 18, Mount Gay Extra Old, Pampero Aniversario, Pyrat XO Reserve, Zacapa Centenario 23,

If you can recommend anything I would be most happy.

In addition to the above list, I personally recommend the following:
Appleton Estates VX, Reserve, Extra, or 21 year.
Atlantico
Brinley Gold flavored rums (Vanilla, Mango, Coconut, Lime, and though I have not tasted it because I do not like the flavor in general, Coffee).
Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva
Dos Maderas 5+3
Dos Maderas P.X. 5+5
El Dorado 12 or 15 year
Flor de Cana 18 year
Pusser's 15 year
Zafra 21 year
Zaya

Some super premiums that are very awesome (and usually very expensive), and ones you should never mix with pretty much anything else, other than an ice cube or two:
Appleton Estates 21 year
Appleton Estates 30 year (which I have never tasted, and only seen once, and is "only" $450 a bottle, at least where I saw it)
El Dorado 21 or 25 year
Pyrat Cask 1623
Vizcaya Cask No. 21
Zacapa XO

There are probably a few I'm forgetting, but this list is a good starter.

Now that's a list of rum.

Not to me. But then, I work in a bar that has over 150 different rums, so perhaps I'm a bit jaded. Then again, I did just add considerably to that list....

[Cat]

Alas, alas, we did not bring back a case of my beloved Tuckerman's beer from NH. Guess we will have to go back

We did do some good damage at the liquor store (I love you, tax-free NH). Found our Herding Cat wine (its near impossible to find now), and the great local Apple/Maple wine.

And I splurged....I bought a bottle of Cabin Fever....its a maple-infused whiskey....never had it, and never spent over $20 on a single bottle before (hey, I'm a cheap drunk)

Looking forward to trying it though.

Might have to keep that rum list it mind next time we go up.....

[thansal]

And I splurged....I bought a bottle of Cabin Fever....its a maple-infused whiskey.

Oh gods.

If that is anything like the stuff I had at a con party recently it's...

How to put this...

Well, it tastes like drinking maple candy (aka, reduced maple syrup). I like sweet drinks, however this stuff was seriously just liquid candy, which goes to far for me. It might have been a nice mixer though.

Now, a quick google says that I'm fairly positive that isn't the stuff I had (wrong bottle), so take that with a grain of salt.

[Jester]

...this stuff was seriously just liquid candy

There are two things I often describe as liquid candy, and both of them are rums.

One is Brinley Gold Vanilla Rum from St. Kitt's. Brinley makes the best flavored rums in the world, in my humble opinion, but their vanilla is just out of this world, and is, as far as I'm concerned, the single best flavored rum ever. It's a dark brown, the color of actual vanilla, and that kinda tells you that these people are not merely flavoring their rum, but actually flavoring it the right way, naturally, with the best flavoring agent there is...that which nature itself provides. They also make flavored rums for fans of mango, coconut, lime, and coffee, and, all of them are top notch. (Other than the coffee rum, which I can't comment on, being a non-coffee drinker.....)

[Jester]

Beercation Notes!

As I may have mentioned, while I was on my Beercation last month, I was taking notes on the various beers I tried. I went through my notes today and transcribed them into a computer file. With some I extrapolated from simple notes any memories I had, and also tried to make the notes more readable. With many (but not all) beers, I scored them on a 10 scale. A lot of times, I would jot a score of two different, numbers, as in "7-8," meaning it was a seven to an eight. In the cases that I did this, I have made the score the average of the two scores, i.e., "7-8" became "7.5." I also have indicated where I tried the beer and in what form.

Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, and your personal beereage may vary. Also, some may notice that in some places I have given the same score to 2 different beers that have different reviews, i.e., one may be more negative or positive than the other. These scores and reviews were done at the time of my drinking that beer, and are based simply on my opinion at that moment. There is no particular score system I used, which is why I include the commentary as well.

Amusingly, without realizing it, I took notes on the same beer in two different locales, once on Beercation, once back here in KW. And in both places, the review was about the same, the only difference being the score in one was a 2, in the other a 3. But the same end result: I didn't care much for that beer.

And without further adieu, here are my Beercation beer notes:

BEER VACATION 2011 BEER NOTES

At Cervezas in Miami:

Zywiec Lager (bottle): from Poland, Zywiec is a lovely lager with a lot of flavor. I’ve had this one before, so didn’t take too many notes on it. I should probably give it a full review in the future.

Tequesta Gnarley Barley (draft, sample size): An American Pale Ale. Light golden in color, slightly hoppy, slightly fruity nose and taste. A bit odd. I’m not a huge fan. Score: 4.

Left Hand Milk Stout (nitrous draft, sample size): On a nitrous draft system a la Guinness. I have had LHMS before, but never on nitrous. I asked the bartender if it make that much a difference, and she told me it makes it much better. Oh. My. God. Much creamier and airier. The Beer Gods smiled on this one. Almost chocolate milkshake-like. Less coffee prominence than the regular version. Score: 8.

Flying Dog Dog Schwarz (draft, sample size): A Double Smoked Lager. It has a nice smokiness to it, but is subtle, somewhat like a light brown. Score: 6.

Stone Smoked Chipotle (draft, sample size): Almost no nose. Slight dark beer aroma, with a similar taste. Not much to it. Like an average brown. Light. Boring. Where’s the chipotle? I had looked forward to this one the most, but it was a huge disappointment. Score: 3.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball (sampled my friend’s bottle): Dark brown ale, almost porter-ish, with a strong coffee note. Score: 6.5.

Cervezas’s “Toasted Coffee” Blend (sampled my friend’s draft): A mix of Blue Point Toasted Lager & Jahva Stout. Wow! Strong coffee nose, but upon tasting coffee notes are far more subtle. Light mocha candyish taste. Heaven! Score: 8.5.

Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout (bottle, I think): BLACK! Yeah, this one was so dark in color that that was the first word I wrote in my notes about it. Great nose, lightly chocolatey. Very tasty, nice stout. Slightly bitter, but rightly so. So smooth. Duh, winning! Score: 8.

At a bowling alley/sports bar in Fort Lauderdale:

Ellie’s Brown Ale (can, Avery Brewery): Nice, tasty. Good flavor. Smooth. Great lacing. Nice brown. Score: 7.

At Dirty Blondes in Fort Lauderdale:

Imperial (bottle): from Costa Rica. The nose is odd and perfumey, giving no idea what is to come. Interesting pilsner-like beer. More flavor than most pilsners. Decent, not great. Not a huge fan of pilsners in general. Score: 3.

At World of Beer in Coconut Creek:

Lost Coast Great White (draft, sample size): a white wheat. Nice, very “hefe”-like, wheaty, yummy. For some reason, I did not score this. Probably a 6 or 7 based upon my notes. Don’t really remember it too well, as it was the first of many in our 6 hours at World of Beer.

Sir Perry Sparkling Pear Cider(draft, sample size): Sweet, light, tasty, very nice. Score: 6.5.

Ommegang Abbey Style (draft, sample size): Slightly chocolatey, very smooth, with a definite note of brown sugar. Score: 7.

North Coast Old Rasputin(draft, sample size): Russian Imperial Stout. Murky, muddy, okay. Score: 4.

St. Louis Framboise(draft, sample size): Raspberry lambic. Lighter than Lindeman’s, less syrupy. Very nice. Score: 7.

Southern Tier Hop Sun (draft, sample size): Hefeweizen/IPA blend. Meh. Boring. Score: 3.

Weihenstephaner Korbinian (draft, sample size): German dopplebock. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Malty, rich, a little chocolatey. Proof that Germans perfected beer. Score: 10. My favorite beer of the whole trip, so much so that I had a friend who lives in Miami but is from Key West and comes down here a lot bring me some bottles of it, since it is unavailable in the Keys.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous (draft, sample size): Black IPA. She loves it, I don’t. Too IPA-ish for me. Yuck! My score: 3. Her score: 7.

Woodchuck Summer Cider (draft, sample size): Not even close to the awesomeness of their pear cider. Too sweet, kinda lame. Score: 3.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter (draft, sample size): I’ve had this before, and love it. These are her notes on it, trying it for the first time: “Lightly sweetened, dessert-style beer. Hint of vanilla, not overbearing. Score: 7.”

Unibroue Trois Pistoles (draft, sample size): Fruity, smooth, tasty. Score: 7.5

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (draft, sample size): Pure chocolate. Yummy! Like drinking dark chocolate. Score: 9.

A regular customer brought in two of his home brews, a Chocolate Stout and an Imperial Stout, I believe a Russian Imperial Stout. And they were AWESOME. Easily the best home brews I’ve ever had.

Brooklyn-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse (bottle): Very awesome. Great hefeweizen. Almost as good as Hacker-Pschorr. Score: 8.

Wexford Irish Cream Ale (can): Smooth. Creamy. Awesome. I loved it, but it was her favorite beer of the whole trip. Score: 9. Just like the Korbinian, it is unavailable in the Keys, but unfortunately, the liquor store that had the Korbinian was out of stock of the Wexford.

North Coast Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale (bottle): Gorgeous. Light, fruity, almost creamy. Score: 8.5

Carlsberg Elephant (bottle): Kinda skunky Danish beer. Passable. Score: 3.

Tripel Karmeliet (bottle): Brewed with candied sugar. Smooth, wheaty, nice. Score: 6.

Tucher Kristall Weizen (bottle): Light, tasty, hefe-y. Score: 7.

Palm Amber (bottle): Nice, not great. Tasty, no amber “bite.” Score: 6.

Tucher Dunkel Hefe Weizen (bottle): Tasty, wheaty, dark, good, great. Score: 8.

Avery’s The Reverend (sampled a friend’s big bottle): Smooth but hoppy taste. Score: 7.

At The Original Fat Cats in Fort Lauderdale:

Avery’s 11 (bottle): Smooth, creamy, dark, pleasant, nice drinking beer. Score: 7.

Three Philosophers (bottle): Belgian style blend (bottle): Sweet nose. Sweet & smooth taste. White, lovely. Score: 6.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale (bottle): Very hoppy nose, but taste, while hoppy, is more balanced. Tasty, with a bit of bite. Sort of a Sierra Nevada-ish taste, but not as good. Score: 6.

The Brewery’s Mischief (big bottle): Belgian style goldne hoppy ale. Similar to Golden Monkey, but lighter. Wheaty, airy, slight hop bite, hint of sour grapefruit. Nice, but a little too “Belgian-y” for me. Score: 6.5.

Grolsh (bottle): Simple honest decent Dutch lager. Score: 5.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale (bottle): Great story behind the name! Amazing nose. Very complex and interesting taste. Almost a light brown/IPA blend. Score: 7.

8 Ball Stout (bottle): Smooth, tasty, somewhat creamy. Hints of chocolate and coffee. Score: 8.

Victory Golden Monkey (draft, I think): White ale. High alcohol content, but doesn’t taste like it. Smooth, creamy, hints of white chocolate. Pure awesome. Score: 8.5.

Old Thumper Cask Conditioned Ale (draft): Smooth, sweet, tasty, rich, airy, awesome. I could drink this all day. Score: 8.

At Titanic Brewery in Miami:

We tried the Porthole Sampler of several of their drafts.

Triple Screw Light Ale (draft, sample size): Pilsner. Boring. Bitter finish. Score: 2. L

Boiler Room Nut Brown Ale (draft, sample size): Nice, nutty, smooth, good but not great. Score: 6.

Brittanic Best Bitter (draft, sample size): Too damn bitter for either of us, but I am guessing it is a good example of the style. If it is, this is not a style either of us would enjoy. It was just not our speed. Our Miami friend finished it. No score.

White Star IPA (draft, sample size): Average IPA. My score: Bleh. Her score: 5.

Captain Smith’s Rye Ale (draft, sample size): Nice, tasty, bit of a hop bite at the end. Malty start. Meaty beer. Score: 6.

Ship Builders Oatmeal Stout (draft, sample size): Dark chocolate notes, slight bitterness. Hint of coffee. Smooth & rich. Score: 7.

Whitecap Wheat (draft): Great color, almost completely opaque, as hefeweizens should be. Great nose, with strong hints of banana. Awesome example of a wheat beer. Taste has strong note of banana, with some clove taste as well. Great lacing on the glass. My favorite beer at Titanic. Score: 8.

And in the end, that is 49 total new beers, but I am pretty sure that there was a 50th that I tried at the Poor House in downtown Fort Lauderdale, possibly an Oskar Blues canned beer. I think the note for that one was in my phone, and I accidentally deleted it without realizing it. Oh, well.


Enjoy!

[Cat]

I've had two different maple liquors before, and loved both....so I am rather optimistic about this one...and if its terrible on its own, well, that'll give me reasons to try new drink inventions

[Jester]

Time for another New Beer!

Today: from Scotland, we have Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale. With a name like Old Engine Oil, how could I NOT have bought this beer?

It pours dark, as one would expect from a beer with this name. And by dark I mean black. Not as thick as I would have expected (not like Oskar Blues's Ten Fidy), but still, truly truly black.

The nose is dark and malty, with suggestions of chocolate and something else, something...rich.

First sip: Hmmmmmmmmmm....

Second sip: Ahhhhh.... The beer delivers on the aroma's promises. Rich, dark, hint of chocolate, malty, but nothing over the top, just well-balanced. Not as bitter as Guinness, not as sweet or creamy as Left Hand Milk Stout, but a tasty, tasty dark beer. The label says "Viscous. Chocolatey. Roasty." Well, viscous, no, not really. Not compared to some I've had. A bit thinner than I had hoped for, really. Chocolatey? Sure, it's there. No arguments, though it's not overpowering. Roasty? Yeah, a bit of a roasted nut flavor going on, but like the chocolateness, it's subtle. In a good way. Slightly more bitter finish, though. Score: 7.5.

[Architectus Assistantus]

Thanks for the help Jester

Next week I will get one of the rums you recommended and report back on my experience with it.

You do realize that your bar has a better selection of rums than an entire country! I’ve got to visit this wonderful place.

Once again, thanks for helping a novice find his way through the jungle of rums.