Beerswap v.2 Dude's Brews

I recently sent out some FFB beers and to some others...here is what the caps mean (get reviewin'!)!

RER--Red Eye Rye (showing its age, losing the hop aroma, also may be flat--damn beer gun)
PTB--Pliny The Bastid (also showing its age. Losing hop characterstics--but still a good one)
SOS--Smoked Oaked and Stoked IPA (Really starting to come around, sampled some last night)
SS--Sorachi Slammer (Don't know how this is aging considering I didn't have any extra bottles--killed the keg at VAgraNCy)

I had the Pliny tonight. I've been waiting to sample this beer for probably eight months now.






Did not disappoint me in the least. An outstanding brew. Honestly, I drank it intentionally without thinking too much about the specific flavors that I was picking up; it seemed to be more piney than most of the IPAs I've been drinking, and it had a good malt character while still remaining basically dry and very drinkable for the level of IBUs. But really, I just wanted to experience and enjoy it, and that I did.

An absolutely phenomenal brew, my friend. Phenomenal.

Sorachi Slammer

Pour: Poured well. Developed a thick, large-bubbled head which died down to about a 1/4" and held there for a while.

Appearance: Nice reddish hue. Hazy, I expect from the amount of hop material as I warmed up a small sample and it remained hazy.

Carbonation: I found this one to be over-carbed, even fizzy. That could be due to the altitude, however. I would say this one is as highly carbed as some belgian golds, and heffes.

Aroma: Distinctive funk of Sorachi - almost no malt aroma. Enjoyable if you know that's the hop used. Very odd hop. Sweet and fruity one sip, 'off'-tasting on the next. I have found that with all my Sorachi beers as well. The aroma improves greatly as the beer warms. Cirtusy, but never grassy. Whoever came up with that hop profile deserves an award!

Taste:Being a hop-profiling brew, it's not fair to judge on how it tastes, since it's basically a tool for judging the hop itself. That being said, I think the recipe does that very well. As for the Sorachi's, I think they'll have their place in the flavoring/aroma areas more than the bittering area. I find the bitterness to be a tad harsh in the brew. The flavor is fantastic, fresh, grapefruity, a touch of earthyness. This would be a perfect compliment to a hearty lamb stew. Enough bitterness to cut the grease of the lamb gravy, and citrusy as hell to go with the baby carrots and parsnips. I'm getting hungry now!

Overall: This is a nice beer. It's not going to make my top 5 for quaffing (mine didn't either) but it would have a place in the arsenal for sure (see the lamb stew above.) This beer also has the perfect amount of dryness for this style - you know you're drinking a beer with a ton of flavor, but it's not cloying, and doesn't hang around too heavily on your palette.

What else to say? This is good beer, Dude.

SOS

Pour: Poured extremely well. Developed a thick, creamy head which maintained until the bottom of the cup. Nice lacing all the way.

Appearance: Hazy amber (though I have just learned that this was bottle-conditioned, oops)

Carbonation: Slightly overcarbed, I think it's due to elevation though. Not as fizzy as the SS.

Aroma: Excellent. Of smoke and hops, slight malt aromas as well. Excellent blend of aromas sets you up for what's next.

Taste: Yummy. Balance is the first thing that comes to mind. There are a lot of things going on in this brew, but nothing jumps out at you unless you look for it. Excellent aftertaste. While it's in your mouth, you're tasting all these wonderful flavours, but when it's gone, it just tastes like beer - the kind of beer you would drink with wings, or just about anything on gameday or, nothing, by yourself under the stairs.

Overall: This is great beer. Personally, I think it could use more smoke, but I love the smokey phenolics so that's subjective. A very nice beer. I would buy it.

Send me more!

To resurrect an oldie...

I had the mead today. I've had two other commercial meads before and didn't like either of them, so I was a little leary about firing into Dude's. It's awesome. It made me think of Japanese Orchards, so I wrote a haiku in it's honor:

Snow flies, try Dude's mead
Acres of flowers bottled
fermentation - bliss.


I love this stuff. It's like (not unsuspectingly) all that's left after the fermentation is floral essence. You just blew my mind.