Got some goodies today and a rather big impulse buy.

Hopefully it is good. If not the book looks like it at least has some interesting photos...

Here are the goodies...


We have a 4 pack of DFH Palo Santo Marron, a 6'er of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and a bomber of Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog ale.

here is the impulse buy...


An 18 pack of "historical" American beers in a cool galvanized steel crate with a coffee table book about the history of brewing in America. Bit pricey if the beer is bad at $26, but like I said, an impulse buy. Had to pull a bottle out to see who actually brewed it. All it says is brewed and bottled by MDII Rochester NY. No idea who that is. I'll try and look it up in a bit.

There are the following from left to right:
Tejas- A bock
Berkshire Springs -Stock ale
Barbary Coast- "A gold rush style beer" (Steam beer perhaps?)
Hole in the Rock - Marzen
Rock River - Lager (early American lager?)
Piedmont brand Porter.

Hope they are good. If not, oh well, the book looks at least somewhat amusing.

I would have had a problem staying away from the impulse buy as well. My curiosity always get's the best of me. Cool pick-up. I hope it's good.

I picked up an earlier version of the "Beers of America" kit about three years ago, and I recall them being ok to pretty good, but back then I didn't know anything about beer styles other than Pils, Koelsch, Alt and American Lagers.

Minhas Craft Brewery - Beers - BeerAdvocate has reviews.

Well, sampling the Barbary Coast "gold rush style" now. I noticed it also mentions "ice-less fermentation" further evidence it is supposed to be a steam type beer.

I enjoy a good steam beer. This is not a good steam beer.

It is not undrinkable, just not very steam beer like.

Very caramelly a touch on the sweet side with no hop bitterness or flavor. A bit buttery (diacetyl) as well. Fairly clean nonetheless. Not much head and no lace but good color and clarity.

Guess I'll go read the book a bit...

Hope they don't all turn out that way. At least you have a book...and a magazine holder

okay, outlook not so good. Actually, they are all turning out to be very similar.

Read the review of the "steam" beer and that describes the others I have had so far with minor differences.

The Marzen is very similar even in color (bronze coppery) with the addition of a metallic copper twang.

The Stock ale. My wife had this but I tasted it. Similar caramelly sweet, buttery diacetyl with a touch more hops present. Just a touch. Pale straw in color. Not head at all.


Ah well. The book is pretty good for a coffee table type book. Covers up to fairly recently. The crate is useful for holding beer...

Thankfully I have the yummy beers from the first photo. Had a Black Chocolate stout first and it was yummy. Maybe not as good as last years but still very nice. I think if I can hang on to a couple they will age nicely. Probably won't try any other of the good beers tonight as I think my palate is wrecked by the others.

Changed my mind. Decided to try a Palo Santo Marron.

Oh Marron! Thar' be some wood by gar! I could smell it as soon as I opened the bottle, very fragrant.

Nice! Stout like in appearance no light getting through. Creamy thick head that lasts.

Again very aromatic. Smooth flavors for something so big (12%)

Man, I hope I can hang on to a couple to age. I bet they will age very gracefully!

Zymurgrafi said:

Changed my mind. Decided to try a Palo Santo Marron.

Oh Marron! Thar' be some wood by gar! I could smell it as soon as I opened the bottle, very fragrant.

Nice! Stout like in appearance no light getting through. Creamy thick head that lasts.

Again very aromatic. Smooth flavors for something so big (12%)

Man, I hope I can hang on to a couple to age. I bet they will age very gracefully!

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Look at the bright side, you can keep the bottles from the other stuff ... hey care to zing on of those my way??? the everclear is making me hitch and i could use a good beer to settle me stomic before bed. I like the look of the crate... but i could have put a sampler like that togather for you... "Brewin Jack american sampler"... i like the sound of that

cheers

i almost bought something similar yesterday but it was in a wood crate and no book. i didnt have $25 to spend on beer though.

nvr2low said:

i almost bought something similar yesterday but it was in a wood crate and no book. i didnt have $25 to spend on beer though.

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Well, you can save your money if you see it again. The book is pretty good but the beer is not!

Mmmmmm, that Brooklyn Choco Stout is the ****. In fact I brewed a similar stout because of that beer. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm
-Me

My search for the brewery of the "historic beers of America" led me to the same conclusion posted by ArcaneXor above. It would seem it is Minhas "craft brewery" of Wisconsin. Which was formerly the Joseph Huber brewery Why the Rochester NY? Well best I can tell there is a contract production brewery in Rochester NY named High Falls. Perhaps they actually brewed the beer? Regardless of who brewed it they should not have wasted the barley. They certainly did not waste many hops as all the beers are overly sweet and not at all balanced.

The American lager, which I am guessing is supposed to be an early American lager (pre-prohibition and pre-macro swill light in taste) was the color of a modern macro lager (possibly even paler) and yet sweet and unbalanced. Also quite buttery!

The porter was drinkable but not a good porter. Upon closer examination of the label it would seem they were aiming for an historically accurate rendition of our "founding fathers" favorite beverage (Like the oft cited George Washington porter recipe) of porter. Including the use of brown sugar... Brown sugar being a combination of refined white sugar with the addition of molasses. I have not seen the recipe only heard of it, but I have read documents which site the use of molasses as the major fermentable if not the exclusive in colonial beers. Yuck! Anyway, it certainly had that twang of using too much brown sugar and again a buttery character.

And finally the bock beer. This was perhaps the least offensive. As a bock, well, I am not a huge fan or aficionado of the style so take with a grain of salt my judgement. It was actually less sweet than many of the others. Though fairly malty. Still had a caramel nature to it. Much less buttery as well. I suppose it could very well be the famous/infamous Huber bock. Okay, maybe only known in the midwest. Hey, it was cheap for a case when in college!

Conclusion...

Avoid these beers and gift packs unless you want the book or container really bad. Book is entertaining, I am not sure I can call it a $25...

Anyway, the other treats were well worth the money. I think I will get another pack of the Palo Santo Marron and Black Chocolate Stout. Have not tried the Really Old Brown Dog Yet but the regular old brown dog is pretty tasty and Smuttynose is fairly reliable so far in my book.

High Falls in Roch, NY makes Genesee and JW Dundees brand beers. Of which, I don't drink either and I'm from CNY...

Brooklyn Black Choc Stout is fantastic! On draft its even better. I was not a fan of the Marron. I gave the other three bottles away. I just bought the bomber of Smutty Really OBD but have not yet tried it. Smutty never disappoints and OBD is one of my favorite brews.

Damn! I can't believe I have 12 of these sh!tty beers left! I think that will curb my impulse buying for a while!

Yummy beers are nearly gone! Drat.

Zymurgrafi said:

Damn! I can't believe I have 12 of these sh!tty beers left! I think that will curb my impulse buying for a while!

Yummy beers are nearly gone! Drat.

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Did you have the Really Old Brown Dog yet. Our local big beer store is supposed to get some in this week. I love Old Brown Dog and I'm interested to know if it's worth picking up.

bigjohnmilford said:

Did you have the Really Old Brown Dog yet. Our local big beer store is supposed to get some in this week. I love Old Brown Dog and I'm interested to know if it's worth picking up.

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Not yet. I have some restraint. Damn, you just reminded me I had it. Probably does not have long to live now.




I'll post when I do. Sucky thing is I have to look at those 12 bottles of swill to get to the good stuff. Blagh!

Zymurgrafi said:

Not yet. I have some restraint. Damn, you just reminded me I had it. Probably does not have long to live now.




I'll post when I do. Sucky thing is I have to look at those 12 bottles of swill to get to the good stuff. Blagh!

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Just put them away some where for like 10 years and then sell them for some crazy amount of money like the guy selling that AB crap. I'll be keeping an eye out for that review. Thanks

Thankfully I got the book free from a beer/wine vendor I know. I was "gifted" the (more or less) same beers(6 pack) several years ago and have not thought about buying them since

Okay, like I said, you reminded me of the Really Old Brown Dog so it would not be long.

Sadly it will not be a glowing review. If you do pick one up, definitely age it!

It pours beautiful! Thick billowing head, crystal clear auburn brown and tiny carbonation bubbles can be seen drifting up. Thick chunky lacing.

That is as good as it gets. Aroma is very boozy and fruity. As it warms a bit the booziness turns to rubbing alcohol.

The flavor is like juicy fruit gum was my initial impression. There is some hint of some cocoa powderiness in there somewhere. A touch of roasty dryness too. However the alcohol and fruit are overpowering. Ripe bananas, papaya and pineapple! A touch of a metallic twang comes through later.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied yet somehow a bit thin at the same time? Carbonation is adequate.

I wish this was better. I really cannot find any link between this and regular old brown dog. It would be interesting to see if age mellowed it and helped. I am having trouble envisioning that though. The alcohol was just way too sharp and the fruitiness was out of hand.

Bummer. Sorry Olive, where ever you are.

You should post some of those good beers in the Commerical Database. I've been trying to build that thing up lately. With all of the beer we drink on here it should get huge pretty quick I think.

eschatz said:

You should post some of those good beers in the Commerical Database. I've been trying to build that thing up lately. With all of the beer we drink on here it should get huge pretty quick I think.

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I write many reviews mostly for my own experience. It really helps to understand beer I find. My initial intent is to post them on Beer Advocate which I have been doing before we had a dedicated section for reviews. Trouble is, I am pretty lazy about transcribing them from my notebook as it is. 2 places to copy in 2 different formats??? Fahget about it!

Zymurgrafi said:

Okay, like I said, you reminded me of the Really Old Brown Dog so it would not be long.

Sadly it will not be a glowing review. If you do pick one up, definitely age it!

It pours beautiful! Thick billowing head, crystal clear auburn brown and tiny carbonation bubbles can be seen drifting up. Thick chunky lacing.

That is as good as it gets. Aroma is very boozy and fruity. As it warms a bit the booziness turns to rubbing alcohol.

The flavor is like juicy fruit gum was my initial impression. There is some hint of some cocoa powderiness in there somewhere. A touch of roasty dryness too. However the alcohol and fruit are overpowering. Ripe bananas, papaya and pineapple! A touch of a metallic twang comes through later.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied yet somehow a bit thin at the same time? Carbonation is adequate.

I wish this was better. I really cannot find any link between this and regular old brown dog. It would be interesting to see if age mellowed it and helped. I am having trouble envisioning that though. The alcohol was just way too sharp and the fruitiness was out of hand.

Bummer. Sorry Olive, where ever you are.

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Thanks for the review. I'm bummed out that it wasn't that good. I'll have to check on the price and see about picking one or 2 up. One to try and one to age.

Bigjohn, I am disappointed too. If it does not seem like too much too you I encourage you to get at least one. I am hopeful that it was a bad bottle. I dunno, the pineapple and he metallic twang have me thinking I got an infected one. I have never had a Smuttynose brew as bad as this. Let us know if you do try it. I remain hopeful that this was just a fluke.