Secret Santa IPA brewed in Cleveland with grapefruit and habanero peppers. Not too bitter, nice grapefruit flavor, pleasant lingering heat, 7.6%. I like it!
What are you drinking now?
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Here we go again with another “Organic” brew from Samuel Smith. I know they have a super supply chain that only gives them top quality Organic produced materials. I’ve got to say however, any time I hear the word “Organic” it rings the bells in my head.
I had a guy I knew who used to haul vegetables out of Mexico. They put half of the pallets of veggies in one pile, pulled out the stencils and spray paint and labelled them “Organic.” The rest were placed apart as standard vegetables. The incoming trucks would haul them all out to the US markets. So about a third of the crop were sold off as Organic at the higher price. Same veggies - unsuspecting buyers thinking they were getting Organic. So I always take it with a grain of salt when I hear Organic being used.
Getting back to today’s brew – Well, it’s not the “Organic” that’s getting to me on this, it’s whatever “natural flavor” they’ve added to get the chocolate taste in this beer. I guess I’m one of the party poopers not too "jazzed" when it comes to noticeable chocolate flavor in beer. I don’t eat chocolate with beer, sorry folks, I mean, c’mon, isn’t that what Ruffles and Nacho Cheese Doritos are made for? Chocolate? Eck. Sort of cloying, I’d really like to try this stout without the additions. Yesterday’s Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout was perfection – this one not so much IMHO.
5% ABV, lower carbonation, minimal lacing, I’ve heard that chocolate additions can knock out head retention, this one might suggest that. Hunt down their Oatmeal Stout, that great one from yesterday. Maybe you could make an ice cream float out of this one. Woof.
I had a guy I knew who used to haul vegetables out of Mexico. They put half of the pallets of veggies in one pile, pulled out the stencils and spray paint and labelled them “Organic.” The rest were placed apart as standard vegetables. The incoming trucks would haul them all out to the US markets. So about a third of the crop were sold off as Organic at the higher price. Same veggies - unsuspecting buyers thinking they were getting Organic. So I always take it with a grain of salt when I hear Organic being used.
Getting back to today’s brew – Well, it’s not the “Organic” that’s getting to me on this, it’s whatever “natural flavor” they’ve added to get the chocolate taste in this beer. I guess I’m one of the party poopers not too "jazzed" when it comes to noticeable chocolate flavor in beer. I don’t eat chocolate with beer, sorry folks, I mean, c’mon, isn’t that what Ruffles and Nacho Cheese Doritos are made for? Chocolate? Eck. Sort of cloying, I’d really like to try this stout without the additions. Yesterday’s Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout was perfection – this one not so much IMHO.
5% ABV, lower carbonation, minimal lacing, I’ve heard that chocolate additions can knock out head retention, this one might suggest that. Hunt down their Oatmeal Stout, that great one from yesterday. Maybe you could make an ice cream float out of this one. Woof.
Train beer. Beers if you look low.
You forgot Wawa Coffee.
I grew up in West Chester and frequented the original Victory when they opened in the 90's. My roommate's sister was about a block away, so I became very familiar with their couch...
I hope you like the Copper Leaf crowlers. A friend who went pro brewed those beers and his Flanders is amazing.
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Russian River STS and Pliny the Younger
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Hydrometer sample of my just-kegged Chocolate Milk Stout. Tomorrow I'll add a bit of toasted coconut extract and voilá - a Mounds Bar Stout. 
Brewed this to serve at next months Central Coast Craft Beer Fest.
Brewed this to serve at next months Central Coast Craft Beer Fest.
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Wow that’s looking fantastic. Is it the dank Columbus you shared here before?
Dgallo
Instagram: bantam_brews
Station Four IPA, from Vitamin Sea Brewing (was an xmas gift from a good friend)
Verdict: 6.8% abv, unknown ibu (i'd guess bu/gu around .50), very hazy and foamy, and "all in all, it's pretty good".
Verdict: 6.8% abv, unknown ibu (i'd guess bu/gu around .50), very hazy and foamy, and "all in all, it's pretty good".
Pseudo Fu. A collab between North Park Brewing in San Diego and Toppling Goliath. This delicious triple dry hopped hazy features Citra DynaBoost, Citra Cryo, Peacherine, and Krush. This looks amazing, despite the bad lighting. It tastes even better.
Great brewery. They opened a second location right across from the beach. Food is phenomenal. Last time I was there the founding brewer was cleaning the dishes. Great guy.
Why the Conkers?
They are Buckeyes that were likely shipped as a "rattle" to cover any sloshing sounds made by the beer inside. Countermeasure to avoid detection.
I mean I am guessing that is why they are there...
What tree are Buckeyes from?
Edit they are conkers.
Well, I mean they came from Santa so the North Pole.
Now there is a chance Santa's source might have been a tree standing off the banks of the Olentangy river a mere 3.5 miles North of Ohio Stadium and the campus of The Ohio State University. I am just saying a chance because of course I am not the big guy in red...
Now there is a chance Santa's source might have been a tree standing off the banks of the Olentangy river a mere 3.5 miles North of Ohio Stadium and the campus of The Ohio State University. I am just saying a chance because of course I am not the big guy in red...
The IPA was top notch. The Flanders is likely this weekend, but is right up my alley.
Burbon barrel ale, made this one back before thanksgiving, I've made it before, this time I used safale S 04, normally I do all my fermenting at the low end and raise 2 degrees when fermentation slows down- not a good idea with S 04 unless you like banana( not the first time I've made this mistake, not to be duplicated again), after 8 weeks it tasted like a fruit basket, awful, I threw one in the fridge last night and cracked it open, surprise no more bananas, the charred oak cubes and burbon comes through and nice malty note on the nose - sometimes, time is our friend.
Attachments
HM cider
Sample from my Blackberry Milkshake IPA. Ready to bottle tomorrow but Valentines is gonna push that to the right.
Originally I thought I’d spend a couple weeks hitting the British brews imported into the US. After a beer shopping trip recently, I was taken back by the limited offerings available here. Samuel Smith is represented well, many of the others not so much. That being the case, I’ve decided to expand this out to include Irish and Scottish brews as I can find them.
Today I’m drinking a really fantastic Harp Lager. I see this is a division or subsidiary of Guinness, so they definitely know beer! This is a clean and delicious Golden Lager, not something you might be expecting with all the Ales famous in the British Islands. Boy this beer’s good!
The can says it all – this was developed by their German brewmaster in 1960 in the Pilsner style with a fruity nose and clean finish – 4.5% ABV, it also references citrus hops, whatever they are. I remember a couple years ago I brewed a Citra Pilsner, and it was an entirely different animal. This is a fantastic and chugworthy example, you can put this whole can down in 4 pulls. Cheers!
Today I’m drinking a really fantastic Harp Lager. I see this is a division or subsidiary of Guinness, so they definitely know beer! This is a clean and delicious Golden Lager, not something you might be expecting with all the Ales famous in the British Islands. Boy this beer’s good!
The can says it all – this was developed by their German brewmaster in 1960 in the Pilsner style with a fruity nose and clean finish – 4.5% ABV, it also references citrus hops, whatever they are. I remember a couple years ago I brewed a Citra Pilsner, and it was an entirely different animal. This is a fantastic and chugworthy example, you can put this whole can down in 4 pulls. Cheers!
Ohio buckeye is the state tree of Ohio, U. S. These buckeye nuts came with the Secret Santa beers, most of which were brewed in Ohio. Makes me suspicious.
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Pretty tasty Bell's Scotch ale, 7.5%.
This for now, gearing up to brew a Czech pils this weekend. Trying to decide if I wanna send any of my current tap list to NHC.
Karl Strauss Tower X WCIPA. Piney, citrus and crisp.
The way these peeps have been playing, a character death is surely in their future. Not being malicious, but consequences are surely coming and they can’t continue to roll amazing forever.
The way these peeps have been playing, a character death is surely in their future. Not being malicious, but consequences are surely coming and they can’t continue to roll amazing forever.
TwistedGray
El Jefe Brewing Company
Time flies ...head back home tomorrow, but here a picture I took Tuesday night
I am drinking this terrible Mango juice while working late.
Horse chestnut tree and the fruit is called conkers. Children in the UK drill a hole in them put string through them and them try and break another child’s conker.Ohio buckeye is the state tree of Ohio, U. S. These buckeye nuts came with the Secret Santa beers, most of which were brewed in Ohio. Makes me suspicious.
I had thought they were the same as well but they are actually two different things.
Buckeye vs Horse chestnut
Buckeye vs Horse chestnut
Shenanigans
Well-Known Member
I heard they banned this activity in the school yards in Ireland about 20 years ago because of insurance costs.Yeh but the fruit are still conkers.View attachment 868944
But it might be just that the kids are not interested anymore.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29519601
Kids have technology today that we didn’t have in the 1960’s. We made our own entertainment.
I’ve been saying this for a few years now. I’m in PA. These days we don’t see much at all outside of Boddington’s in nitro cans and of course, Guinness. Yeah, Samuel Smith. Sometimes I can find Smithwick’s. We have one sort of local restaurant that does scotch eggs and stuff. They often have Smithwick’s on draft, There’s a British style pub in a town a couple hours from here. They had Bluebird Bitter on cask last time I was there.
But yeah, anything British has been slim pickings for awhile.
Valentine’s Day - Got chocolate beers lined up for later. HB Chocolate Porter I did as part of a club ingredient draft event, HB Imperial Stout brewed with 5 uses of chocolate.
