Return of the FORD Beercyclopedia thread

[Satan]

The Torpedo IPA and Bigfoot ale are Most Unholy indeed, and I believe FORD reviewed both of them earlier in this Beercyclopedia thread.

Haven't come across any KWAK here in Hell, but I'll know it when I see it.....



...Hell, the glass alone is worthy of a review!

[FORD]

Well kids, it's allegedly summer, though you would never know it here in FORD Country, where it looks and feels more like about mid March. But since the calendar says summer, it's the time of the year when FORD drinks IPA. Had some of the Sierra Nevada Torpedo earlier this month, but I already reviewed that stuff.

So I stumbled across a new brand recently, Bridgeport's Hop Czar IPA......



This is not to be confused with the regular Bridgeport IPA. That stuff really didn't impress me, but they did it right this time, even if the guy on the label resembles the Burger King mascot. These dumbfucks have their website entirely in Flash, so I can't copy and paste the relevant details, but let's just say this is one of the hoppiest IPA's this side of Anderson Valley CA, and sadly, I haven't seen the Hop Ottin ale around here recently, so I needed something to replace it. This one definitely fits the bill.

So all you hopheads listen up to me. Stay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.... and pick up some Hop Czar.

BridgePort Hop Czar, an Imperial IPA brewed from our award winning IPA recipe, first introduced to rave reviews in 2008. It is a triple-hopped bottle-conditioned, Imperial-style IPA that carries a deep malt background with enthusiastic citrus and floral notes paired with high hop bitterness. The newest in our permenant 6-pack line, the Hop Czar recipe blends copious amounts of Nugget, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops.

Alcohol: 7.5%

FORD's rating

[LoungeMachine]

Not a fan of any Bridgeports......

FORD, were you at this year's Seattle Int'l Beer Festival????/

I may have to post some reviews.....



Oh, and THIS BITCH BE STICKIED

[FORD]

I keep telling myself I'm going to make it to that goddamn festival and then I always forget about it.

[Romeo Delight]

I am going to see if I can get a tour soon and hopefully post some pics:

http://www.dicksbeer.com/

[PETE'S BROTHER]

had a few of these in billings saturday nite. i found them delicious.

http://www.bayernbrewery.com/beer/dragons-breath.htm

[FORD]

FORD's review to follow soon.....

[FORD]

So I saw this Guinness Black Lager in the store yesterday and couldn't pass it up. This product rollout is so new that Guinness doesn't even have it listed on their website yet, so I don't have any of the details about the product that I normally post with my reviews.

You can see from the picture above that it looks like Guinness, though the head foam is more like that of a typical beer, because these bottles don't come with the little nitro torpedo cartridges in them like the Guinness draught bottles do.

The taste? Well, it's a Lager that tastes a little like Guinness. No surprise there I guess. This would be the perfect beer to fill a cooler or an old washtub with some bottles and ice at a summer barbecue, which makes it even more ironic that they roll it out after Labor Day weekend. And at only 4.5% alcohol, nobody's getting drunk from this stuff easily, so you don't have to worry about anybody driving home.

So overall, I'd say it's a good beer, maybe even a great beer as lagers go, but when it comes to Guinness, I'll be sticking to the stout.

FORD's rating: 1/2

[FORD]

OK, so the Guinness Black Lager just wasn't doing the job, so it was time to break out some of the stuff I had hiding in the back of the fridge. First up is this entry from our friends at the Rogue Brewery of Newport Oregon....



Regular Dead Guy Ale (named for Jerry Garcia's band) is good stuff, so I thought I'd give this new spin on it a shot. I've always been more of a beer drinker than a whiskey drinker (obviously) but I always gotta give it a shot when my favorite microbreweries try to combine one world of alcohol with another.

Style: Barrel aged Food Pairing: Pork, Hot & Spicy


Tasting Notes:

Deep honey in color with a malt aroma, a caramel, vanilla, and oak finish.


8 Ingredients:

Malts:Carastan, Rogue Micro-Barley Farm Dare & Risk malts.
Hops: Saaz, Willamette, Rogue Micro-Farm Hop Yard Revolution hops.

Yeast & Water: Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.
Specs:

16º PLATO

40 IBU

78 AA

16º Lovibond

6.4% ABV

The caramel overtones are definitely there, though I'm not really tasting the vanilla. The oak and the hint of whiskey from the bottle definitely come through, and that's what really distinguishes it from the regular Dead Guy Ale. One Hell of an interesting beer. Wish it came in 6 packs, since I had only 1 22 oz bottle for review purposes.

FORD's rating:

http://www.rogue.com/beers/john-john-dead-guy.php

[FORD]

And our final entry tonight comes from the Ninkasi Brewing Company of Eugene Oregon. I believe this is their first time in the Beercyclopedia. Probably because their stuff doesn't get north of the Columbia River all that often, and in fact, this bottle was smuggled over the state line. After the Guinness Black Lager earlier, I found myself really craving a decent Stout to finish off the night. Thank God our friends at Ninkasi did not disappoint....

Oatis Oatmeal Stout
Available in 22oz. Bottles and On Draft, Year Round

Statistics
First Brewed: 2007
Starting Gravity:
Bitterness: 50 IBUs
Alcohol %: 7.2
Malt: 2 Row Pale Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malt, Roasted Barley, Oats
Hops: Nugget

On the bottle:
A rich complex Oatmeal Stout with just enough hops to balance the copious quantities of dark roasted malts, and the addition of oatmeal for a creamy smooth drinkability.

Tasting Notes:
Oatmeal Stout is characterised by a roasted front flavor, smooth rich oats, a touch chocolate flavor and dry finish. Oatis is bigger than the traditional style with more alcohol, body and a touch more bitterness to keep it balanced.

Food Pairings:
Beef, Pork, Lamb, Stews, Chocolate, Berries, Brulee's

Before tonight, I was sure that Deschutes Brewery's Obsidian Stout and Barney Flatts Oatmeal Stout from the Anderson Valley Brewery in Mendocino CA were the main contenders for the "Best Stout on the West Coast", but goddamn it, ladies and gentlemen, it appears we have a third contender. The chocolate flavor really comes through here, and of course that oatmeal will lower your cholesterol, so this shit even qualifies as natural medicine. Dr. FORD prescribes 22 0z, because that's the only way you can get it, unless you can find it on tap in Oregon.

FORD's rating:

http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/beers/oatis

[diamondD]

The good thing about the Guinness Black is that it's designed to be drank from the bottle, while the stout definitely takes a taste hit by being bottled. Plus it's supposed to remain a part of the Guinness brand and not just a seasonal/anniversary type brew.

I went to a launch party for the New Belgium Belgo IPA last week. One of the less bitter IPAs I've had in a while. Not too bad if you haven't tried it.

[FORD]

New Belgium usually puts out good stuff, so I'll definitely look for it. Seems like I can always find something from them in the stores, though not the whole product line, sadly.

[diamondD]

Yeah, a friend of mine is a rep for them and is always keeping them flowing when we're out, so I've grown kinda fond of them myself!

[Jesus Christ]

Here is a little something for those of you celebrating Rosh Hashanah.....

[FORD]

Looks like some interesting stuff, Lord. Too bad I'll never find it in this one-synagogue town.

(Can't even get Kosher Coke here, let alone Kosher Beer)