4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Brown Ale - Imperial, Clown Shoes Beer, USA

Clown Shoes The Barista

Tuesday, 10 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Brown Ale – Imperial
Other Notes: Brewed with Espresso, Oatmeal and Milk Sugars. Brewed and bottled by Mercury Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A Clown Shoes legend, Brown Angel, put away her dancing shoes to focus on extracting espresso, brewing coffee, and pouring latte art with zen-like focus. The Barista Breakfast Brown is crafted with Maris Otter malt, flaked oatmeal, cold brewed espresso, milk sugars and the spirit of angel wings.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 18th January 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark brown colour with a darkish orange hue and a slightly more than one finger khaki creamy head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty espresso and brown sugar with hints of hazelnuts, almonds and chocolate milk.
Taste: Sweet-ish brown sugar, toffee and cacao nibs. Espresso was there but surprisingly not as much as expected considering how strong it was in the aromas. There was also a light nuttiness in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was pretty good. The aromas were nice and the taste was pretty good although I was hoping for more coffee. On top of that, it was pretty light bodied whereas I was expecting something thicker and closer to being mid to full bodied.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Imperial Red Ale, Beer Reviews, Clown Shoes Beer, USA

Clown Shoes Evil Crawfish

Monday, 9 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 9%
Style: American Imperial Red Ale
Other Notes: Self styled Imperial Red India Pale Ale. Brewed and bottled by Mercury Brewing Co., Ipswich, MA.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Once upon a time a man walked into a bar where a friend of ours was tending the taps. He tried to order an Eagle Claw Fist, but got it wrong, and asked for an Evil Crawfish. When we heard the story, after much laughter, we knew one day we’d make the beer. Finally, here it is, built off of ECF, but cleaner, meaner, less bitter, and dry hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 20th January 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear amber copper colour with a slightly less than two finger off white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet biscuity caramel malt followed by some juicy apple, plum, pine and grass.
Taste: Starts with nice sweet malt with caramel and biscuit notes followed by prune sweetness. Bitterness comes through on the finish with pine, grass and orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with slightly less than moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was well balanced for me. It’s not my favourite style but this was pretty good with its nice lasting bitterness.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Rogue Ales, USA

Rogue XS Imperial India Pale Ale

Saturday, 7 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Rogue Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 95 IBUs. Malts – Weyermann Pale Ale and Rogue Farms Dare and Risk. Hops – Rogue Farms Newport, Freedom and Bravo.

Brewer Description: The Rogue XS Imperial IPA is above and beyond an India Pale Ale. Dubbed ‘I2PA’, this ale is radically hopped and the result is an intense aroma and hop bitterness. XS Imperial IPA is unfiltered and aged for 9 months before it leaves the brewery – not for the faint of heart!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml ceramic and wingtop bottle with no bottled on or best by date. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy amber orange copper colour with a one finger dark-ish cream coloured head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet caramel malts with juicy orange, tangerine, grapefruit and pine.
Taste: Much like the aroma, sweet citrus tangerine and orange, some light caramel followed by bitter grapefruit pith and pine. The finish is a nice lasting citrus bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This was a pretty good Double IPA with a good balance between sweet and bitter. A little more carbonation would have been good, but nonetheless still nice.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, IPA - Black, USA

Founders Dark Penance

Friday, 6 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.9%
Style: American Black IPA
Other Notes: 100 IBUs. Malts – Crystal and Midnight Wheat. Hops – Chinook and Centennial.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A heavy malt foundation includes Crystal malt for sweetness and just enough Midnight Wheat malt to push the color to black. The bitterness is huge, but balanced by malt sweetness. The hop flavors and aromas range from citrus to floral to pine thanks to a delicious blend of hand-selected Chinook and Centennial hops.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle bottled on 14th September 2015 and poured into an oversized wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark dark brown colour with a one finger tan head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin layer but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet roasty malt with some light pine and citrus orange in the background.
Taste: Light roasty coffee and chocolate with nice spikes of pine and citrus bitterness which lingers on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice Black IPA that balances the sweetness, roast and bitterness.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, USA

Deschutes Pinedrops IPA

Friday, 6 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 70 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Hints of pine and spruce. Clean malt and a crisp finish.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 14th July 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden colour with a slightly less than three finger white head with decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong piney aromas with some light lemon peel and grass in the background.
Taste: Like the aroma, I get strong pine and lemon peel. Finish is lightly peppery with a lasting toasty bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This is a decent IPA with nice crispness, but its not my first choice IPA style.

words of another dreamy traveller

Monthly Archives: May 2016