Cuban Utopia

Breweries seem to be leaning back into flagships as inspiration for brand extending. Think Two Hearted or Ja Alai and their siblings.

It should come as no surprise then that Dogfish Head and Sam Adams are leveraging Utopias now as well….

To be honest, this sounds like an interesting treatment and if given a bottle would profusely thank the giver but will that be the same with the next beer in this possible series?

Table Scraps

Dogfish-Head-Beer-For-Breakfast-Stout
Either you want a balanced breakfast or an off-centered Beer For Breakfast. Dogfish Head Brewing has put a long list of breakfast ingredients into their coming fall seasonal
• Maple syrup
• Barley smoked over applewood
• Roasted Chicory
• Lactose (milk sugar)
• Guatemalan Antigua cold press coffee
• Scrapple (pork scraps with spices and corn meal)

All of these things may taste well enough separately but could be a trainwreck together. What I am interested in would be gathering a panel of tasters and seeing both the responses and what flavors they pick out as most dominant.

MOA – reviewed

In addition to my monthly video reviews, I will be adding my two cents the old fashioned way via photos and words for a set of beers each month.

Now we head to New Zealand to review St. Joseph’s Tripel and Breakfast Beer.

St. Joseph’s pours a medium yellow color from the caged and corked 12.7 ounce green bottle. Big fluffy head on this one. Aroma is citrus and potpourri and vanilla notes. All of which follow into the taste. A pleasing slickness and hit of alcohol also come through with this Belgian tripel via Blenheim. The label is practically all in black with only the red font of St. Joseph’s to see.

Breakfast beer pours a light orange. A pear/grape combo hits the tongue first. It really is viscous though for what should be a sprightly beer. There is a creamy texture too. I like this a skosh more than the St Joseph’s because it is lighter with a more unique flavor.

Breakfast Beer

MOA Brewing from Marlborough in New Zealand brings us a beer for the AM.

“Moa Breakfast Beer is a blend of premium wheat malt, floral Nelson hops and cherries. A very refreshing and fruity lager specifically designed as a European-style breakfast beer but more commonly enjoyed as a mid-afternoon beverage here in New Zealand. Although not always.”

Might be perfect with pancakes.