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I have not had Three Philosophers Quadrupel from Ommegang in quite some time but I guess the magpie in me likes shiny new things like Nitro.
According to the brewery, “The smoothness of the nitro brings out the cherry and brown sugar notes, leaving you with even more to think about. Just rouse and pour aggressively for a beautiful cascade that will quickly dissipate into a surprisingly crushable quad.”
Just might pick one up next time I see it.
I am actually kinda surprised that Firestone Walker hasn’t brand extended their Nitro line from Paso Robles to Venice by now. CD sounds like a good interplay between spice and creaminess.
We end our March survey of Nitro with Modern Times who only entered this style when they could nitrogenate their beers in the brite tank. They started with their Black House beer and they also do their City of the Dead stout. Vanilla latte, coconut and coffee are all variants you could try and they also do Nitro canned coffee to start your day.
Here are some other beers from MT that caught my eye…
Bobcat Danger – “This preposterously tasty Berliner is a collab between our Portland brewing ninjas and the excellent people at Bottle Logic. Stuffed to the gills with rhubarb, black raspberries, blackberries, coconut, and vanilla, this tart, funky fruit-fest sports intense tartness from the rhubarb, followed by delicious berry notes and creamy coconut & vanilla. It’s like a liquid slice of blackberry pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top.”
Foeder Ice – “Our year-round pilsner spent two and a half glorious months in our heavy-toast American oak foeders before a generous dry-hopping with Motueka & Hallertauer Blanc. The resulting beverage is a deliciously complex 4.8% bundle of citrusy joy with delicate notes of lemongrass chamomile and vanilla.”
Green Futures – “This transcendently refreshing hazy IPA started with a base of pilsner malt and some flaked & malted oats. Then, we hopped the bejeezus out of it with Nelson, Strata, Centennial, & Simcoe hops, yielding a ridiculously tasty straw-colored beverage with notes of pineapple candied berries, and a touch of honeydew.”
Our next stop in Nitroville is in Pennsylvania and Vault Brewing. Let’s dive in to some currently offered beers before heading to a couple nitro examples.
EVERNACHT – “this black lager greets the nose with herbal hops and hints of baker’s chocolate. flavors of toasted crackers and juniper sap waltz across the tongue and are tied together with a crisp and distinctively noble hop bitterness.”
IRISH POTATO STOUT – “our bear hug oatmeal stout conditioned on coconut & cinnamon.”
Now on to nitro, there is the Nitro Can Coffee Stout ( experiment no. 003), Sweet Potato Ale and a Rye Pale Ale All In widget-less cans.
Maybe instead of the admittedly great Guinness, you try a coffee Guinness instead?
I mean, that pour is feckin’ Beautiful and coffee and stout just sing together. Just not Danny Boy. Not a fan of that song.
The theme for the brewery tour this month is meant as a starting off point. Which breweries have a well known nitro offering and from there talk all of their beers. So we start with the most known in my book, Left Hand Brewing.
Perusing their tap list, I see quite a few Nitro options such as Galactic Cowboy Imperial Stout, Milk Stout and Flamingo Dreams Berry Blonde but let’s have the following in a taster tray…
1265 Pilsner – “Crisp & lively with delicate citrus hops and light bready malts.”
Fade to Black Foreign Stout – “3x Gold Medal winner a time the Greatest American Beer Festival in the Foreighn-style Stout category”
Pint of Paradise Sour NE IPA – “From the Brewer, Tanner: The heart of this beer is the experimental yeast, Lallemand’s Philly Sour, which naturally produces lactic acid during fermentation. Light body, slight haze, Citra & Galaxy hop aromas of tropical fruit & a tart, juicy mouthfeel.”
Found Fortune DIPA – “A treasure trove of tropical fruit & citrus from El Dorado, Galaxy, Citra, Comet & Cascade hops.”
Not a fan of pastry stouts or other sticky sweet beers but considering their stellar IPA track record and the addition of Nitro, makes this Faction beer sound like a lot of fun to taste. And they didn’t Nesquick IP the label either. Glad that L.A. gets shipments from them.
I am a fan of the Nitro can (or bottle for that matter) be it with a little widget at the bottom or the hard pour.
Now there is a new beer that I will be searching for from Fort Point in the Bay Area…
A 4% roasty beer with that Nitro whip topping, sounds great.
Left Hand is the leader in the nitro can beers but their newest one is of the most interest to me….
…adding nitro to this style seems a nice match that should bring out some soft notes from the malt.
We here in the U.S. should probably be forced to watch “how to pour” videos. OK, I mean mostly me. Either way, it is still instructional.