Thursday, May 26, 2011

Dogfish Head Hellhound


 Dogfish Head has once again partnered up with Sony Music with the release of  "Hellhound On My Ale". Just as DFH did with the release of "Bitches Brew" to commemorate the anniversary re-release of the acclaimed Miles Davis album, they have released this 100 IBU, dry hopped ale to coincide with the release of Robert Johnson's "The Complete Original Masters Centennial Edition Box Set". This set is in celebration of  the blues master's 100th birthday. As legend has it the Mississippi Delta blues guitar player Robert Johnson sold his soul down at the crossroads in a midnight bargain with the devil that changed music forever.
  "Hellhound" is a  full bore hop ale that hits 10.0 ABV, 10.0 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops. To add another interesting twist DFH dug deep into Mr. Johnson's history vaults and  accentuated the citrus notes of the centennial hops with the addition of  lemon peel. One of  Robert Johnson’s mentor's was a Texas blues man named Blind "Lemon" Jefferson. With the limited release of "Hellhound" I'd say get it while you can. Should you find yourself having waited a bit too long, you can always wonder down to the "crossroads" and make a deal with a shady looking character with a pitch fork and horns. Cheers!
Check out this site for more info on Dogfish Head Hellhound          

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

New On Florida Beer Shelves














Rogue Ales: John John Juniper Pale Ale


 Just when you thought they couldn't "one-up" themselves, Rogue does it with John John Juniper Pale Ale. Second in Rogue's limited release line of  barrel aged beers, their Juniper Pale Ale has been taken to another level, by aging it in the "sister" spirits barrel. If you were not aware Rogue has a been brewing a spirits line for a few years. The brain trust at Rogue, Master Brewer, John Maier, and Master Distiller, John Couchot thought it would be an interesting twist on the conventional barrel aging process if they used their own barrels instead of the more common oak whiskey or wine barrels. Our friends at Rogue explain the process this way  "To craft this unique brew, John Couchot aged the Gin in oak barrels so the barrels can soak up the flavor of the gin. The barrels are then emptied and rolled by forklift from the Rogue Distillery to the Rogue Brewery. John Maier later fills these barrels with Juniper Pale Ale so that his creation can absorb the gin flavors from the barrel."
 Juniper Pale Ale has always been one of my favorite Rogue Ales, this version gives you something more than just a higher octane, whiskey flavored version of the original. The fact that Gin, in general, is not a barrel aged product is probably what lends itself to a more flavorful result. The beer still pours a light straw color, with a slight bit of cloudiness. The flavor highlights of the Juniper are accentuated by the Gin flavoring of the barrel. This ale was still mild on the palate and sessionable. It just goes to show that if you continue to think outside the box you can always find a way to "one-up" yourself. Cheers!
Check out Rogue Ales for more info on this selection.

Monday, May 16, 2011

American Craft Beer Week 2011

My fine friends it is once again time to celebrate what we (well some of us) all live for.... it's time once again for AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK! A time to revel in all the greatness that is Hops, Water, Malt and Yeast. So spend these next seven days paying homage to all of the great craft brewers past an present. Toast a meal with friends and your favorite home brew. Introduce a non-believer to the merits of "better beer". Experiment with unfamiliar beer profiles. Read a book on beer. Subscribe to a beer magazine. Give up that Bud Light (which you should do anyway) for Sierra Summerfest, Harpoon Summer, Brooklyn Summer, Terrapin Sunray Wheat or even a Boulder Kinda' Blue. Walk into a "not so" crafty bar and ask for a Craft Beer. Get in the Craft Beer line at the at Fenway Park, or at game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals. Bore your co-workers at the water cooler with a 15 minute dissertation on the origin of India Pale Ales. Buy a Home Brew kit. Join in a local Craft Beer pub crawl. Somehow Tweet  #craftbeer 5 times. Upload a Facebook pic of a Craft Beer you are drinking. Better yet upload pics of  you and your friend having fun drinking Craft Beers.  But most of all please celebrate responsibly. We wanna see you here for AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK 2012. Cheers!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Boulder Beer's Newest Release: Hoopla

Local music inspires Boulder's "Hoopla" Pale Ale, scheduled for release late May.
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