The beer Oscar goes to…

Which beer for the 10 oscar best movie nominees?
oscar

AvatarJasmine IPA from Elysian Brewing
An EducationOlde School Barleywine from Dogfish Head
The Blind SidePigskin Pale Ale from Beer Valley
District 9# 9 from Magic Hat
The Hurt LockerPalate Wrecker from Green Flash Brewing
PreciousPrecious Pils from Amnesia Brewing
A Serious ManAbrasive from Surly Brewing
Inglorious BasterdsDouble Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing
UpMarriage Parfait from Brouwerij Boon
Up in the AirAlt from Hangar 24 Brewing

LongShot

This is my favorite Sam Adams beer release of each year, hands down. Each year it’s dramatically different and you get a wide style variety from a mere 3 different beers.
longshot
Here is the pertinent information…..
“The 2010 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores beginning in April for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Michael Robinson’s Old Ale, Ben Miller’s Barleywine, and Jeremy White’s Saison.

ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2010 CONTEST

Michael Robinson’s Old Ale is a malty English-style brew boasting notes of dried fruit, nut, and caramel. A slight bitterness balances the combination of five malts in this full bodied beer. Light brown with reddish highlights and good clarity, the ingredients of this English-style brew are all American with the exception of the yeast which is distinctively English. Created to enjoy on cold nights or as an after dinner treat, Mike’s Old Ale is 9% alcohol by volume, about twice that of the average beer. An experienced homebrewer, Mike was recognized as a finalist in the 2008 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest, as well as in the 2007 Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest.

Ben Miller’s Barleywine is a dark red, flavorful brew with rich plum undertones to complement its caramel malt flavor. A self-proclaimed ‘hop head,’ Ben used several varieties of citrusy American hops in this beer, creating its resiny aroma followed by clean bitterness. Ben’s Barleywine is his 100th homebrew, brewed to commemorate two years of enjoying the hobby.

Jeremy White, who works in the IT department at Samuel Adams, channeled his love of Belgian beers to create his Saison, a classic Belgian-style brew. Jeremy’s flavorful, refreshing and lighter-bodied beer is brewed with Grains of Paradise, an exotic tropical spice also found in Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The peppery flavor is complemented by a slightly sweet aroma with hints of vanilla and citrus.”

The Old Ale sounds tempting.

Sly Fox IPA

sly-fox-rt-113-ipa

Loyal readers are now probably sick of my chirpy introductions to beers that I want to try. How I only seem to really love special reserve beers or canned IPA’s. Sorry folks! Here is another one from one of the canning pioneers Sly Fox…
“Available only in 22oz bottles at present, Rt. 113 was the beer customers most requested be added to the brewery’s canned releases.

Rt. 113 will join Pikeland Pilsner and Phoenix Pale Ale as year-round releases and also still be packaged in the 22oz size.”

from persimmons to pecans

On the heels of persimmon comes this new 9to me) beer from Texas.
512-whiskey-barrel-aged-double-pecan-porter

The label reads:“(512) Double Pecan Porter is a robust porter accented by locally grown roasted pecans and subtly enhanced by aging in recently emptied oak whiskey barrels for two months. For this first-ever bottling, only one 200L barrel was bottled. Notes of chocolate, coffee and pecan marry with the subtle flavors of vanilla and whiskey to make this a wonderful winter warmer worth sharing and savoring.”

My hope is that the pecan flavors can overcome the whiskey. Some aged whiskey or bourbon beers lose some of the nuances that I prefer.

Persimmon Lambic?

Just when you think the beer world has pulled all the rabbits out of the hat, here comes another new idea…
upland-persimmon-lambic-2
from the Indiana brewery…
“The persimmons were provided by Aaron Persinger, a local singer/songwriter who is currently the drummer for Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band.”
They have a whole slate of fruited lambics coming this year, including KIWI!

Half Acre + 3 Floyds =

a Helles?
half-acre-three-floyds-invasion
Yes, indeed. I have yet to try Half Acre, but after watching them on HopCast, I really want to sample their line-up. The two 3 Floyds beers that I have had were fantastic so this should make for a great beer.

50 from 50 – Idaho

Idaho has some great craft brew. Unfortunately, not a lot of great craft brew distribution. Grand Teton has a larger territory and I picked up a DIPA that may have been past it’s prime. If I had drunk it a couple of weeks earlier, the review would probably be better.
idaho

Defense against the Dark Beers – Baltic Thunder

Since I am not the best dark beer critic, I delegate to someone who really digs the dark side. Here is another quick review…

Surprising aroma of citrus…Medium head, beautiful mahogany color. Complex flavor profile, full caramel roastiness finishing in a medium bitter. Definitely bitter on the back end.
balticthunderlabel

Paired with a meatball sandwich. Probably not the best choice for this beer. Would have been better with pastrami or pot roast.

Lift Bridge

I have had quite a few “grape-fruity” IPA’s of late. But here is a beer that actually has grapefruit in it. I’m surprised I have never seen this before from some other brewery.
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Check out this new Minnesota brewery HERE