Grey Lady of the Woods

I'm at a sour fest at a local bar. This is a Cisco Grey Lady of the Woods. It has a very oaky nose and a thin head that doesn't stick around or leave much lace. It's aged in oak wine (?) barrels and you can taste the oak, but it's quickly followed by a fermented grape taste that many might recognize as wine. The whole taste wraps up pretty quickly, which leads to drinking faster. Normally this isn't a problem, but at $10 a pop, I better slow down!

East coast swing

Another trip east and another trunk full of good beer heading back home. Almost not enough room to take home the dog and all our stuff.

Alpine Spring

This is a new release from Sam Adams. It's super citrusy and wheaty with a slight metallic taste on the finish. It's an unfiltered lager, which isn't bad.

Sweet water IPA

This is a mildly citrusy IPA, not overwhelmingly hoppy. It's not bad for a macro brew IPA, but I'd take a little more hops.

Love stout and rootbeer!

On the left is a version of the Love Stout that was brewed with chocolate added. It was really good. Hard to imagine that the Love Stout could get better, but it did.

On the right is a rootbeer. The smell is so sweet. I can't believe how good this rootbeer tastes. I've had rootbeer at a bunch of breweries and this is by far the best.

Yards - Ales of the Revolution Sampler

Left to right - Love Stout (not a revolutionary ale), Spruce Ale, Thomas Jefferson Ale and Washington Porter. The Love Stout is a nitro pour. It's smooth and creamy. I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, they don't bottle it. The spruce ale is made from a recipe that Ben Franklin created and uses spruce and some other ingredient because hops were not available. I remember having this before and thinking I just drank my Christmas tree. I liked it better this time. And, a woman at the bar said she cooks with it. That makes sense because it tastes a little like rosemary. The TJ is one of my all-time favorites. It's a smooth tavern ale that has a bit of sweetness to it. It's brewed from a recipe that Jefferson used to make beer with ingredients he grew at Monticello. Finally, the porter is made with a recipe that Washington used. It's good, but next to the stout, it doesn't stand a chance.

Flower Power

Brewed in Ithaca, this beer is plenty hoppy. When I pried off the cap, the hoppy aroma exploded from the bottle. This tastes like all hops from the nose to the close. No fruit or malt to distract you. Just good old hoppy bitterness. And a surprisingly foamy head. If you want a hoppy beer, give it a try.

Old Slugger

From the Cooperstown Brewing Company web site: "Old Slugger" is a hearty Pale Ale, copper in color, crisp malty fullness on the front of the palate and lingering hop bitterness on the back with a dry finish.  It is brewed with four barley malts, including two-row English pale and crystal malts, balanced with Mt. Hood, Cascade and Fuggle hops, and fermented in open vessels by Ringwood Yeast, a true top-fermenting ale yeast. "Old Slugger" is the flagship beer of the Cooperstown Brewing Company and was first brewed in July 1995 and bottled in November 1995.

We stumbled onto this tiny brewery after a trip to the baseball hall of fame and Ommegang brewery. We took an informal tour of their small brewery and had a great time. In fact, I'm pretty sure I already blogged about this beer. But I enjoyed it so I thought I'd try it again.  I taste a strong spice in the beer, but can't identify it. I thought maybe it was coriander, but I'm not sure. Perhaps it's just the blend of hops. If you can fill me in, please do!

Finally, I love the caps - baseballs. Perfect. 

Zombie dust

I went to Three Floyd's with a friend to have a casual lunch, tour the brewery and pick up some beer. We didn't plan well because it turned out to be release day for Zombie Dust. We waited in line for an hour before getting inside for lunch. We skipped the tour and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. We also each picked up some Zombie Dust. I think this falls into the American pale ale category - with a twist. It has a citrusy nose and, I think, an interesting hops profile. I go back and forth on how I feel about it - I like one and look forward to the next. Perhaps the increased expectations lead me to be a little disappointed in the next. And the cycle continues.

Bitter American

Another fine beer from 21st Amendment. I'm sorry I can't get their beer in Chicago. This pours a thick creamy head which sticks around for a while. It's a pale ale with a little twist. I can't put my finger on it, but it has an interesting taste. I also love the name and the label - the picture is a monkey in a space suit. The monkey resembles our 43rd president, at least to this bitter American.

Coffee porter

I usually find coffee porters are either too weak in the coffee or too strong in the abv. This one didn't fall into either trap. I got a robust coffee nose and taste followed by a chocolate note. It was not too dry and not too creamy. And it hails from Middlebury, VT, which is beautiful. So it makes sense they'd make a beer to be appreciated.

Smooth Hoperator

Tacky name and label aside, this is an IPA from a PA brewery that also has a bakery, which confirms my theory that people who know their yeast make good bread and good beer. I expect nothing less from Stoudt's, however, because their logo on their caps is a hop bud. I tried my first one slightly warmer than fridge temp and it was definitely smooth. It had a slightly citrus nose and start with a crisp bitter finish.