Gather round fellow survivors and listen to yet another tale of one of my recon missions to discover tasty and well crafted brews. Here today I will recount my experiences with a brew that almost if by fate lent itself well to the surroundings in which the brew was consumed.
Brew: Cockeyed Cooper Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Origin: Uinta Brewing Company Salt Lake City, UT
Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 11.1%
This highly strong brew has a deep dark brown body with a thick malty foamy head. The initial sniff brings scents of well roasted barley, molasses, brown sugar and maple. The initial sip does not disappoint, this brew has a rich, decadent sweet taste. Now I am not saying this is an overly sweet brew because there is a balancing bite to this beer due to the high ABV%. Let this brew sit on your tongue for a few moments and then the secondary flavors of oak and bourbon. Now I consumed this beer at a BBQ at a friend's home in Brooklyn. I was more than happy to share this with all the guests and while some stuck to traditional zombeers, a few brave adventurers took me up on my offer. Combined with the grilled chicken, farfalle with pesto, falafel and fresh garden salad composed of produce grown in my friends patio garden; this brew brought a majority of the festivities to a very relaxed tone, virtual strangers sat together as people laughed, danced, sang, played music; while others just sat and relaxed. I will forewarn you this rich and sweet brew is to be enjoyed in small quantities and shared. Furthermore, this brew is smooth going down because of the very low amount of carbonation in it.
In conclusion, if you get an invite to a party and you wish to do your part to keep the festivities relaxed and low key or to defuse any possible chaotic and frenetic turn of events, Get Cockeyed! Seek it out, find it, chill it, enjoy it. I find this beer to be very versatile as it pairs well with both carnivorous and vegetarian cuisine. In closing, don't let this growing zombie beerpocalypse get you over a barrel, GET COCKEYED!
Cheers!
J. Christopher Patricks
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Scrimshaw German Pilsner Style Beer
OK folks today's words of beer guidance will probably be short and sweet because today's brew is a true classic and it would be a travesty to over complicate a classic.
5/25/2013
Brew: Scrimshaw Pilsner Style Beer
Origin: North Coast Brewing Company Fort Bragg, CA
Style: German Pilsner
ABV: 4.4%
A smooth and clear pour with a perfectly golden color and foamy but subtle head. This beer has a unique aeration pattern as I observed beyond the initial bubbles there were two spots which continued with a steady stream of bubbles after the pour settled. This beer has a clean and hoppy aroma that brings to mind a caucus of friends and family gathered around a table at a Hofbrauhaus with great big steins of beer like this in front of all. The first taste lives up to the aroma as it's clean refreshing taste goes down smooth. This beer's low ABV percentage lends itself to allowance of several of these fine brews one after another in true social Hofbrauhaus fashion. This beer with it's refreshing body and taste can be enjoyed on it's own but will also couple well with anything from classic NY style pizza to hot dogs to even a nice NY strip or T-Bone steak.
So in conclusion this is an aptly named beer as I can envision a crew of sailors coming into port after a long arduous whaling voyage and piling into the nearest tavern to enjoy many many rounds of this fine brew to celebrate a successful hunt or to soothe the wounds of failure and mourn and commemorate those lost during the hunt. So seek shelter find a haven which carries this simple and classic pilsner beer. This brew was obtained by me at Bellport Beverage during my excursion for LI Craft Beer week. So find a beer distributor and if they carry it buy it, chill it, drink it, experience it.
Cheers!
J.Christopher Patricks
5/25/2013
Brew: Scrimshaw Pilsner Style Beer
Origin: North Coast Brewing Company Fort Bragg, CA
Style: German Pilsner
ABV: 4.4%
A smooth and clear pour with a perfectly golden color and foamy but subtle head. This beer has a unique aeration pattern as I observed beyond the initial bubbles there were two spots which continued with a steady stream of bubbles after the pour settled. This beer has a clean and hoppy aroma that brings to mind a caucus of friends and family gathered around a table at a Hofbrauhaus with great big steins of beer like this in front of all. The first taste lives up to the aroma as it's clean refreshing taste goes down smooth. This beer's low ABV percentage lends itself to allowance of several of these fine brews one after another in true social Hofbrauhaus fashion. This beer with it's refreshing body and taste can be enjoyed on it's own but will also couple well with anything from classic NY style pizza to hot dogs to even a nice NY strip or T-Bone steak.
So in conclusion this is an aptly named beer as I can envision a crew of sailors coming into port after a long arduous whaling voyage and piling into the nearest tavern to enjoy many many rounds of this fine brew to celebrate a successful hunt or to soothe the wounds of failure and mourn and commemorate those lost during the hunt. So seek shelter find a haven which carries this simple and classic pilsner beer. This brew was obtained by me at Bellport Beverage during my excursion for LI Craft Beer week. So find a beer distributor and if they carry it buy it, chill it, drink it, experience it.
Cheers!
J.Christopher Patricks
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Three Heads Loopy Oatmeal Red
OK folks, it's been a rough couple days between insanely high pollen counts, long work hours, body exhaustion etc. But the time has come for me to re assume my mantle as the beacon of hope and safety in this insidious zombie beerpocalypse. So come sit by the fire fellow survivors and listen to my tale of another brew I have done some recon on.
5/23/2013
Brew: Loopy Oatmeal Red Ale
Origin: Three Heads Brewery Honeoye Falls, NY
Type: Imperial Red Ale
ABV: 6.6%
If poured correctly at a 45 degree angle into a proper beer glass this brew presents with a deep red/caramel color with a thick fluffy head which emits a clean fresh aroma of roasted barley and oats which left me feeling comforted and looking forward to that first taste. The first sip brings a strong hoppy bite which carries through the experience to the finish. If left to sit on the tongue for a few moments one can notice undertones of espresso and even a note of dark chocolate. Once the tastes merge together I feel as if this is a brew that can be enjoyed on a cold winters night wrapped in a blanket perhaps when coupled with a shepherd's pie or a chicken stew. The hearty body of this brew stands up to even a palate as discerning of mine and despite its only slightly above average ABV percentage, this brew definitively stands upto any taster and leaves the drinker with a loopy feeling so this brew does not disappoint when it comes to the claims set out by its name.
The finish of this beer has a slightest notes of tropical fruit which after a hearty brew with a strong hoppy bite is much appreciated and leaves the drinker feeling loopy and serene.
In conclusion, although I generally tend to avoid a brew with any sort of hoppy bite as I will admit that I have never been a fan of IPAs, I felt it necessary to put my person prejudices aside and open my palate upto a more biting beer in order to appropriately guide a survivor who has a predilection for IPAs and other beers with bitter tones to it. While I did not fall head over heels with this particular brew, I definitely left me feeling a little loopy and after the trying week I've had it was much appreciated. So while many havens of the brewed and malty carry this particular beer around me, for this post I will plug Seaford Beverage on Merrick road in Seaford, Long Island. So make your way to your local distributor and if they don't carry it, call out with an authoritative tone, I WANNA GET LOOPY!
Drink Well and Drink Responsibly
Cheers!
J. Christopher Patricks
5/23/2013
Brew: Loopy Oatmeal Red Ale
Origin: Three Heads Brewery Honeoye Falls, NY
Type: Imperial Red Ale
ABV: 6.6%
If poured correctly at a 45 degree angle into a proper beer glass this brew presents with a deep red/caramel color with a thick fluffy head which emits a clean fresh aroma of roasted barley and oats which left me feeling comforted and looking forward to that first taste. The first sip brings a strong hoppy bite which carries through the experience to the finish. If left to sit on the tongue for a few moments one can notice undertones of espresso and even a note of dark chocolate. Once the tastes merge together I feel as if this is a brew that can be enjoyed on a cold winters night wrapped in a blanket perhaps when coupled with a shepherd's pie or a chicken stew. The hearty body of this brew stands up to even a palate as discerning of mine and despite its only slightly above average ABV percentage, this brew definitively stands upto any taster and leaves the drinker with a loopy feeling so this brew does not disappoint when it comes to the claims set out by its name.
The finish of this beer has a slightest notes of tropical fruit which after a hearty brew with a strong hoppy bite is much appreciated and leaves the drinker feeling loopy and serene.
In conclusion, although I generally tend to avoid a brew with any sort of hoppy bite as I will admit that I have never been a fan of IPAs, I felt it necessary to put my person prejudices aside and open my palate upto a more biting beer in order to appropriately guide a survivor who has a predilection for IPAs and other beers with bitter tones to it. While I did not fall head over heels with this particular brew, I definitely left me feeling a little loopy and after the trying week I've had it was much appreciated. So while many havens of the brewed and malty carry this particular beer around me, for this post I will plug Seaford Beverage on Merrick road in Seaford, Long Island. So make your way to your local distributor and if they don't carry it, call out with an authoritative tone, I WANNA GET LOOPY!
Drink Well and Drink Responsibly
Cheers!
J. Christopher Patricks
Monday, May 20, 2013
Innis and Gunn Irish Whiskey Cask
OK well I'll keep this short and to the point, I go through my daily path and often find myself bemusing to myself if the reason our society has been on a slow gradual downward spiral into a robot state of complacency is large batch, mass produced, mediocre, mass consumed beer. I think so!
So in order to do my part to take up arms as a soldier against the drab, unoriginal, bourgeois zombie beerpocalypse, I started this blog so I can help steer a weary traveler to a draft or bottled brew that is nothing short of art. But then again be forewarned this is simply my opinion. I only regret that I started this blog after LI Craft Beer Week. Well enjoy.
05/20/2013
Brew: Irish Whiskey Cask
Origin: Innis & Gunn Edinburgh, Scotland
Style: English Stout
ABV: 7.4%
A smooth pour, with a perfect aeration stream running up the circumference of the glass. It's deep dark color glows a deep crimson when held up to the light. First sniff brings a revelry of whiskey, oak, hint of vanilla and even a little Irish clover probably from where the clover grew on the oak the barrels were made of. When settled the head of the beer laces with an almost satiny quality which transitions perfectly into the taste which wraps the tongue in warm satiny cocoon of deep roasted malty brew which takes one back to the Iron Age when this was beer for strength as Celtic tribes traveled in pursuit of conquest, glory and pride. I could see a travel worn warrior taking a draw from his flagon of this brew to give him the resolve to trek on when morale is low and his fellow man broken of body and spirit looks to him for leadership.
The beer has a creamy and subtly sweet finish which oddly enough brings to mind a Malta, a Hispanic child's drink with a sweet malty taste which was like kiddie non alcoholic beer, it is also a childhood favorite as my dearly departed grandmother often would bring me them as treats in my far younger days when she would watch my sister and I after school while my parents worked once my sister and I entered pre school.
So in short, this brew lives up to a proud Celtic heritage of brewing as in the past I have had several other brews by Innis & Gunn each unique and delicious. So in conclusion I wholeheartedly suggest this beer if you are in the market for a decadent and smokey stout that can ward off even the deepest chill in your bones. Due to the fact that Innis and Gunn is constantly brewing new and unique batches, I would get to your nearest beer distributor and get some now before it's gone. And because I am your guide to foamy, fermented enlightenment I wanted to reveal locations where this can be found but the sites want money to reveal such locations but I for sure know Bellport Beverage & Soda on Station Rd in Bellport, New York carrys it and the owner is truly a beer snobs merchant if you don't live in NY then contact you haven of beer supply and tell them to get it.
Cheers!,
J. Christopher Patricks (Yes I have a pen name that I have been dying to use forever)
So in order to do my part to take up arms as a soldier against the drab, unoriginal, bourgeois zombie beerpocalypse, I started this blog so I can help steer a weary traveler to a draft or bottled brew that is nothing short of art. But then again be forewarned this is simply my opinion. I only regret that I started this blog after LI Craft Beer Week. Well enjoy.
05/20/2013
Brew: Irish Whiskey Cask
Origin: Innis & Gunn Edinburgh, Scotland
Style: English Stout
ABV: 7.4%
A smooth pour, with a perfect aeration stream running up the circumference of the glass. It's deep dark color glows a deep crimson when held up to the light. First sniff brings a revelry of whiskey, oak, hint of vanilla and even a little Irish clover probably from where the clover grew on the oak the barrels were made of. When settled the head of the beer laces with an almost satiny quality which transitions perfectly into the taste which wraps the tongue in warm satiny cocoon of deep roasted malty brew which takes one back to the Iron Age when this was beer for strength as Celtic tribes traveled in pursuit of conquest, glory and pride. I could see a travel worn warrior taking a draw from his flagon of this brew to give him the resolve to trek on when morale is low and his fellow man broken of body and spirit looks to him for leadership.
The beer has a creamy and subtly sweet finish which oddly enough brings to mind a Malta, a Hispanic child's drink with a sweet malty taste which was like kiddie non alcoholic beer, it is also a childhood favorite as my dearly departed grandmother often would bring me them as treats in my far younger days when she would watch my sister and I after school while my parents worked once my sister and I entered pre school.
So in short, this brew lives up to a proud Celtic heritage of brewing as in the past I have had several other brews by Innis & Gunn each unique and delicious. So in conclusion I wholeheartedly suggest this beer if you are in the market for a decadent and smokey stout that can ward off even the deepest chill in your bones. Due to the fact that Innis and Gunn is constantly brewing new and unique batches, I would get to your nearest beer distributor and get some now before it's gone. And because I am your guide to foamy, fermented enlightenment I wanted to reveal locations where this can be found but the sites want money to reveal such locations but I for sure know Bellport Beverage & Soda on Station Rd in Bellport, New York carrys it and the owner is truly a beer snobs merchant if you don't live in NY then contact you haven of beer supply and tell them to get it.
Cheers!,
J. Christopher Patricks (Yes I have a pen name that I have been dying to use forever)
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