The Kick Box - On Hip!

I am now drinking Nitro Red Velvet from Ballast Point, which according to the bottle is a "golden oatmeal stout with beets, chocolate and natural flavors added"

5.5% ABV

Now I have many oatmeal stouts over the years, but this is my first time hearing of a "golden" oatmeal stout. I certainly was not expecting this beer to pour the translucent cherry-red color that it did. I have never seen anything called a stout that looks even remotely like this beer. This looks more like a fruit beer than anything that could be considered a stout.

The beer pours a literally cherry red color which you can see through. Supposedly the red color comes from the beets that are used in this beer.

The aroma of this beer literally smells like red velvet cake. I am getting almost no stout-like qualities in the aroma whatsoever. I am getting some sweet notes of chocolate and vanilla, as well as some earthiness, but that is pretty much all. Almost no malts to speak of.

Flavor is of chocolate, vanilla and some sweet, bready malts.

Mouthfeel is rather thin but creamy, with little carbonation.

This is a very different beer to say the least.

Overall rating: B+

 

I had a Left Hand Milk Stout today at lunch, it was pretty good but not great. I was hoping for something a little thicker and creamier.

and I picked up a 6 pack of Lowcountry Pilsner by Palmetto Brewing Company to drink through the week but I haven't had one yet.

 

Glad to see you got your hands one this beer. I've gotten lucky a few times at whole foods and scored some there.

 

Tonight I am drinking a beer I have not had in ages, but to this day it remains one of my all-time favorite beers. With the plethora of new and amazing American craft brews coming out nearly every day, I tend to forget about the beers that first got me into beer to begin with. That is of course Belgian ales -- in particular Trappist ales like Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort and, of course, Orval.

This is Orval Trappist Ale, a Belgian Trappist ale brewed with wild brettanomyces yeast.

6.9% ABV.

Pours a semi-opaque amber-orange color with a vibrant brett-induced head that is creamy and lasts to the finish.

Aroma is funky and very brett-dominant. I am gets lots of clove, peppery spice, tart lemon, sour apple, horse blanket, and some floral notes.

Flavor is in line with those nose. Lots of funk, with undertones of banana, green apple, lemon rind, clove, bubblegum, black pepper, as well as some bready malts.

Mouthfeel is light-medium, crisp but creamy, and with a vibrant, prickly carbonation. Semi-dry with a champagne-like effervescence.

Overall rating: A+

 

Bottle of spring water.

 

That variety pack had 4 belgo and 2 of the rest.
I am glad of that. I thought Belgo was going to be the worst one but ended up being my favorite.
Fat tire always was but it lost something...maybe because it's not fresh.
The belgo is like a perfectly blended ipa, not too hoppy not too malty and has a pleasant bubblegum taste.

 

I can't gather a taste of a beer from just one beer. The second beer of the same brand is always much different in taste that the first beer. Mostly the first sip to me is the worst, until the bottom mouthful has warmed up and then that's the worst. I really need a 6 pack to see if I like a drink unless I can tell I hate it from the get go.

 

Moving on to Space Cake from Clown Shoes out of Ipswich, Mass. This is a double/imperial IPA.

9% ABV.

Pours a deep gold color with some slight haze.

Aroma is of pithy citrus, dank pine resin, along with some sweet caramel and bready malts. I am getting notes of candied orange/tangerine, pineapple, mango, papaya, some passionfruit, and some earthy grass-like notes.

Flavor is of pithy citrus hops over a bready, somewhat sweet caramel malt backbone. I am again getting flavors of pineapple and tangerine, as well as some mango, apricot and papaya. The hops give way to a sweet caramel, toffee, and biscuity malt finish.

Mouthfeel is medium-full, slightly sticky and smooth, with a fairly soft carbonation.

Overall rating: A-

*this bottle has some age to it, so the rating may not reflect the beer in its freshest form.

 

This will likely be my final beer of the night. It is Otter Creek's 25th Anniversary Double IPL.

8.5% ABV

Pours an orange-gold color with about a finger of head.

Aroma is of lemon rind, grapefruit, some pine, light malts, and some earthy notes.

Flavor is of candied orange, peach and papaya. There are some spicy undertones, a dank earthiness, some herbal qualities, as well as some bready malts.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, and with a moderate carbonation.

Overall a very awesome double IPL. Incredible, even!

A

 

I like your beer reviews but they do make me laugh!

 

Well, I am a beer nerd, so....

 

ACK!!!

So many posts to catch up on!
I'm 3/4 of the way down page 57... time to speed read!


In the meantime, yes, I'm drinking tonight.
But, my first brew is the Troegs Scratch Series Chocolate Stout (#262), which I've had and reviewed before.
So, no reviews... yet.

I have 3 new brews (all ales of some kind or another) waiting for me in the fridge.
I'll be getting to those next.

But yeah, just dropping a note that I'm around tonight.
(Finally!)

 

(Damn Russian spambots)

So, good timing on my part.
Just finished that first beer, about to go leave a piss (seriously, who takes a piss?!?), then grab beer #2.

Before I go though... HEY! PRESSED RAT!
The fuck?
You're on Untappd and NOT in my friends list?!?

 

Okely Dokely, I'm back for #2.

First new brew of the night:



(Alc. 5.2%)

Smell: The hops slap my nostrils right up front... partially sweet, partially bitter. Dry citrus with a cracker whispering in the background.

Taste: Weirder than the smell hints at. The bitter side of hops is ever-present, trying to force it's way to domination... and pretty much wins. But there's something else happening... maybe some hay off in the distance? The citrus is there, but it's playing hide-and-seek with my taste buds.

Overall, this is a hop-heavy ale that's juicier than it tastes. It would be exceedingly pleasant if the hops weren't so bitter. But as it stands, it's a good ale, especially if you like juicy hops laden brews that are also kinda juicy.


I couldn't really find a good related pic, but I found this... which seems fitting enough.


(Check out the dudes eyes... lol)

 

Er.. um... I didn't realize how much I used "juicy" to describe that last beer.
It's not actually super juicy... but it is kinda juicy, but in a weird way.
More of a nondescript ambiance than an actual taste... sort of.

Hey... they say it's a weird beer on the can, so who am I to argue with that?




(I'm muthuh-fuhkin Kick Frenzy! That's who the fuck who!)

 

Ok, so on to #3.
Of course, this means I'm moving on to the more dangerous beers.
Each of the remaining two are 9.x%

The first I'm drinking is:



(Alc. 9.0%)

Smellin: Slightly metallic edge (maybe because it came in a can). Subtle hops walking around with downplayed malt. A bit of citrus holding hands with their bitter soul.

Tastin: Heavier on the malt than expected. Dry raisins tracing along the edges of the bitter hops. Perhaps a bit of metal almost in the furthest background, just past the bready/cracker that's back there.


Overall, I'm not a huge fan. It's possible it's a bit skunked though. Online reviews seem to suggest I'm not drinking the best example of this beer.

 

I recently had that holy crap. It wasn't what I was hoping for but you must have gotten bad luck because quality wise it was decent. I was just hoping for a more malty beer when I got it less of the other flavors.
I would definitely get it again though.

 

Drinking Von Pampelmuse from Perennial, a Berliner weissbier / sour ale brewed with grapefruit and mandarin orange.

4.2% ABV

Aroma is of an acidic, citric tartness with notes of grapefruit, lemon, orange peel and funk with some faint pale malts in the background.

Flavor is in line with the nose. Upfront there is a mouth-puckering citrus bite that is quite acidic. Flavors of orange and lemon rind, grapefruit, some wheat and salt, as well as some pale cracker malts towards the finish.

Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing with a vibrant carbonation. The beer finishes clean and dry.

Overall an outstanding sour. I could drink this all day given its low ABV and clean, refreshing character.

A

 

Drinking Harry Doesn't Mind from Singlecut, which obviously references Dire Strait's 'Sultans of Swing'. Many of Singlecut's beers reference classic rock songs (Softly Spoken Magic Spells, Is This the Real Life?, Does Anybody Remember Laughter? etc.)

This is a double IPA.

8% ABV.

Pours a gorgeous bright, hazy orange-amber color with a tight, creamy one-finger head.

Aroma is of pithy citrus (stone fruit, mango, peach), dank pine, resin, honey, green herbaceousness and an earthy character. There is also a caramel sweetness imparted by the malts.

This beer is a total juice bomb. The flavor is brimming with juicy hops, notably flavors of sweet orange, tangerine and peach. I am getting some pine, dank resin, green herbs, and pepper. There is also a sweet toffee or caramel flavor I am noticing, most likely from the malts, coupled with a biscuity presence.

Mouthfeel is medium to full with a nice creamy smoothness and muted carbonation.

Overall this is incredible, and just may be one of my favorite SInglecut beers to date.

A+

 

This is Frootwood from Founders. It is a cherry ale aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels.

8% ABV.

Pours a medium ruby/cherry red color with little head.

Aroma is of tart cherry, bourbon, maple syrup, oak and vanilla. Overall a rather pronounced wine-like quality to the aroma.

Flavor mirrors the nose with again more tart cherry, bourbon and oak, coupled with a pronounced maple syrup sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium, somewhat syrupy and smooth.

Overall rating: B+