Return of the FORD Beercyclopedia thread

[FORD]

Gotta find some of this stuff.... the Koreans down the block carry some Lagunitas, but I haven't seen this stuff there yet......

[FORD]

Thank God It's Winter Beer Season!

Here's the latest seasonal from the local microbrewery a mile or so down the hill.....



They're having an official release party for it tomorrow night.... might have to go to the brewpub and sample a few

[FORD]

Happy St. Patty's Day you drunken bastards!!

Never mind the dumb gimmicky shit beer with the green food coloring. Go for the actual Irish beer.... and this year, it's even better....



If you like Guinness, you will LOVE this. Tragically, the 11.2 oz bottle thing is a deal breaker for me - any other day but March 17. Beer prices keep going up, so there's ZERO justification for shrinking the amount that's in the bottle. That forces me to lower the rating just a little, so I'll give it a 4.5 ½

[Funkmonkey]

Never mind the dumb gimmicky shit beer with the green food coloring. Go for the actual Irish beer.... and this year, it's even better....



If you like Guinness, you will LOVE this. Tragically, the 11.2 oz bottle thing is a deal breaker for me - any other day but March 17. Beer prices keep going up, so there's ZERO justification for shrinking the amount that's in the bottle. That forces me to lower the rating just a little, so I'll give it a 4.5 ½

mmm....Guinness

[Funkmonkey]

I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I need a knife and fork.

[FORD]

No new winter beers but goddamn it I need a holiday beer entry so here goes.....

Honestly don't know what the overall impact of COVID is on the brewing industry, but the winter beers I usually love to discover in these cold months seem to be harder to find this year. So I finally said fuck it and went with a Cascadian product that I don't believe I have mentioned here before.

Now it used to be that you couldn't find good beer in cans. Just the pisswater Bud/Miller/Coors (and worse) stuff. That has changed in recent years, with most of your microbreweries now including cans in their lineup. Works out well during the Cheetoplague, because I'm getting most of my beer from the two small stores within reasonable walking distance (rather than bother with the hassle of a trip to Safeway and all the protocols involved, just to grab a 6 pack)

So with that in mind, today's entry comes from Fremont Brewing of Seattle....

Dark Star is inspired by the wandering tribes scattered through the terrible journey of time and space and adrift in the dark matter between the spaces of then and now. Dark Star is a dark, mysterious yet silky oatmeal stout of grand proportions balanced by a firm hop handshake...go ahead, enjoy the journey...Because Beer Journeys Matter!

Down & Dirty: 2-Row Pale, Roast Barley, C-60, Carafa 2, and Chocolate malts with Flaked Oats and Magnum and Willamette hops.
ABV: 8.0% IBU: 50
Color: Deep black
Aroma: Roasted coffee, toast, baking chocolate, dried fruits and warming spices
Flavor: Moderate sweetness and bitterness with slight acidity and umami in a thick body with smooth, coating carbonation

Availability: Year-Round
Fresh Range: 90 days from packaged-on date

View fullsize12 oz Can
12 oz Can
View fullsize6-Pack
6-Pack
View fullsize22 oz Bottle
22 oz Bottle
View fullsizeTap Handle
Tap Handle
Awards:
2018 Sip Northwest, Stout – Double Gold
2018 WA Brewers Choice Awards, Stout – Gold
2015 WA Beer Awards, Imperial Stouts – Silver

Our old friend in the red suit recommended this to me, probably because the dragon on the label was an old friend of his, or whatever. And Dead Heads will probably want to try it, based on the name alone. But I'll buy this one again because it's a sold Imperial Stout, easily ranking up there with my old favorite, Obsidian Stout (from Deschutes Brewery of Oregon) which has been ridiculously hard to find lately.

So if you can't find the Snow Cap Ale - or whatever your normal Winter brew is for this New Years Eve at home, definitely go with the Dark Star!

FORD's rating:

[Nickdfresh]

Never mind the dumb gimmicky shit beer with the green food coloring. Go for the actual Irish beer.... and this year, it's even better....



If you like Guinness, you will LOVE this. Tragically, the 11.2 oz bottle thing is a deal breaker for me - any other day but March 17. Beer prices keep going up, so there's ZERO justification for shrinking the amount that's in the bottle. That forces me to lower the rating just a little, so I'll give it a 4.5 ½

Canadian sourced beers have always been bigger here than most US locations. This reminds me of when the equivalent case of Molson or Labatt beers were 11.5 oz. because because they used that weird metrics thing of being 340ml. Eventually there was an outcry because you're losing 2 beers for every case FFS!! They've been 12 oz or 355ml for a while now...

[FORD]

A bit late for Christmas beer, but I just found this one recently....



St.Bernardus Christmas Ale

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is a dark, seasonal beer, full of wintery character and flavours that we brew every year ready for the festive season.

Colour
This beer takes on a splendid dark-brown colour that is topped off with a cream-coloured layer of froth.

Characteristics
Color - Dark
Type of beer - Quadruple / Top fermentation
Alcohol degree - 10 %
° Plato 20
Recommended pouring temperature - 8 - 12 °C
Color (EBC) 60
Bitterness (EBU) 20
Shelf life 4 years (bottle) / 1,5 years (keg)
Packaging Bottle: 33 cl / 75 cl - Keg: 20 L


Character, taste, aromas
St.Bernardus Christmas Ale is an intensely dark beer with a full, yet slightly fruity flavour, overflowing with the tastes of winter and zesty seasonal aromas. Aniseed notes are complemented by hints of creamy caramel and fire-roasted chestnuts. This zestiness shows no signs of abating, pushing through to a magnificent finish of dried fruits and chocolate. Just like all of our beers, this brew bears the imprint of the unique St.Bernardus yeast (dating back to 1946), that gives it its own special complexity. Simply stated, St.Bernardus Christmas Ale is the perfect degustation beer to warm your heart and bring a glow to your loved ones on a cold winter night.


Culinary
Christmas and chocolate is a tried and trusted combination, and the Christmas Ale forms a perfect match with a wide variety of desserts, but especially those made with chocolate. Also, when game is in season, make sure you serve a Christmas Ale. A less obvious pairing that is perfect in its own special way can be made with Scandinavian dishes, rich with wintery spices.

https://www.sintbernardus.be/en/brewery/our-beers/stbernardus-christmas-ale-en

Now I'm not sure about the flavor notes of "dried fruit" in the mix. To me it tasted a little bit like banana, but definitely some chocolate notes in there as well. This beer has the sweetness expected of a Belgian ale, but despite the 10% alcohol, actually comes off as less "heavy" than most "Belgian style" American beers of similar strength.

If this stuff happens to be around next Xmas season, I'll definitely buy it again

FORD's rating:

[ZahZoo]

If you like chocolate or mocha notes... try out Left Hand Milk Stout NITRO.

I discovered this a few weeks ago and it's great!

[twonabomber]

Had a Market Garden Progress Pilsner that was pretty good and I like Platform Beer's New Cleveland. Both local breweries. I tried Platform's Gym Day, which is their take on a light beer but I didn't like it. Fortunately I have a nephew that I can gift the unopened cans to.

Another local brewpub, Cornerstone, has a good lager and a really good Buffalo chicken sandwich. We often stop after a long bike ride if the smokehouse/BBQ joint we prefer isn't open.

[FORD]

If you like chocolate or mocha notes... try out Left Hand Milk Stout NITRO.

I discovered this a few weeks ago and it's great!

Never heard of it before, but according to their website, there's a few stores in town that carries their product line, so I'll look for it. They have a "Peanut Butter Stout" that sounds interesting as well. Think I'll skip the Raspberry Stout though.... doesn't sound like a good mix... unless you mixed it with the Peanut Butter stout and made it a PB&J in a glass type of thing.

[Nickdfresh]

Had a Market Garden Progress Pilsner that was pretty good and I like Platform Beer's New Cleveland. Both local breweries. I tried Platform's Gym Day, which is their take on a light beer but I didn't like it. Fortunately I have a nephew that I can gift the unopened cans to.

Another local brewpub, Cornerstone, has a good lager and a really good Buffalo chicken sandwich. We often stop after a long bike ride if the smokehouse/BBQ joint we prefer isn't open.

Love a good German or Czech pilsner, unfortunately it's not here...

[Kristy]

Fascist Republicans complain over New Belgium beer:

[Nickdfresh]

I tend to hate their beers...

[FORD]

So if I'm understanding correctly - from New Belgium's website, they made a shitty beer from shitty ingredients which would taste like shit on purpose, just to show how fucked up the world would be when climate change kills off all the ingredients to make a proper decent beer.

Well, it's a creative approach to making a point. But I don't think I'll be reviewing the "Torched Earth Ale". Think I'll stick with the Voodoo Ranger IPA.