It’s Nilk, another sign, this time courtesy of Arrow Lodge Brewing, that fall is here for us.
Not Milk
Just a Stout
A lot of craft beer fans are itching to have the behemoth 2023 version of Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum but for those looking for a more retro track….how about…
Stout, just stout. A non-bruising 5.8% stout that will be in a can this year!
Review – Ommegang All Hallows Treat
If anything screams Halloween, this treat from Ommegang Brewing does…
My first two words for this beer are sweet and sweet. This is a Halloween treat yo’ self for damn sure. The beers pours pitch black and initially has a big chocolate aroma. Flavor wise, it is a mix of milk and dark chocolate and quite roasty. For me, the peanut butter promised on the label us too faint. As it warms, more peanut aroma and taste arrive, but it is not peanut butter.
Beer Review – No Ends, Only Beginnings from Firestone Walker& Highland Park Brewery
Did you think I would NOT review a bourbon barrel-aged beer this month? I specifically hunted a good choice to start with and who better than Firestone Walker who collaborated with Highland Park Brewery on the excellently named, No Ends, Only Beginnings.
This is a simple and effective beer. No bells. No whistles. There is a lovely sugary, caramel aroma here. Not much in the way of oaky barrel. I could see comparisons to brown sugar or a restrained vanilla cupcake. The booziness is really held in check by the sugar. If tasted blind, I would not say bourbon but I would rate it highly.
Featured Review – Dragon’s Milk Stout from New Holland
Last of the three featured reviews is the famed Bourbon barrel stout from New Holland Brewing, Dragon’s Milk.
The Dragon pours pitch black with a nice tan head to it. Quite nearly the prototypical, approachable bourbon-barrel stout. Slight bourbon nose with a smaller, tiny alcohol burn to it. A little sweet with a hit of vanilla. A little vinous quality as well. It does not taste anyway near 11%. I would have liked to see a little more heft to it.
Featured Review # 1 – Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing
For my birthday, I received a few blast from the past beers. By that, I mean beers that I thought good but for many reasons, have not had in quite a long time.
First up is Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing…
Roasty and chocolately come to mind right off the top. This pours jet black with a great espresso head to it.
Now, considering current events a Russian Imperial Stout might seem a poor choice to review but this is a California take on a British styled stout for Russian monarchy. That, like history, is not easy to untangle.
For a 9% beer, it is a bit thin in the mouthfeel. But that strong flavor carries the day. This is and probably ever will be a great beer float beer. This would pair so perfectly with a coffee ice cream.
Santa’s Pint Glass – Day 9
AleSmith wants to honor the Christmas warrior with their Holiday Hero. It is an Imperial Stout with Vanilla, Chocolate and Nutmeg hitting 10% ABV.
Review – We’re Out of Dynamite by Great Notion
I haven’t had a Great Notion beer in awhile but SoCal has been getting quite a few beers from the PDX brewery that I thought the time was right for some dynamite, or lack thereof.
You will read about where I bought it later today, but here is the review from me and two fellow tasters…
This was not a well loved beer. One gave it the lowest rating she had given a beer and the other found it not to his taste. Me well, I found toasted coconut big time with a neapolitan ice cream aroma. There was some tropical notes but more strawberry. It was almost like a sour stout in which the ABV over 11% does not really show.
It may be another while before I have another pastry stout
Review – MacLeod Ales 7th Anniversary Stout
Time to crack open the impressively packaged Imperial Double Mash Stout from MacLeod Ales…
This is a gentle giant of a beer. Pours dark brown in color with just a few, fast dissipating bubbles on top. I get cherry, chocolate and a slight nutty taste at first. This is a smooth beer. The ABV is not showing. As it warms, I get Dutch chocolate pudding with a bit of coffee bean bitterness.
Hollywood Bottles
Thanks to a certain virus, I don’t think I have been in Hollywood in over a year, but now there is a reason to visit…
…yup, Stout has created a bottle shop next to their Cahuenga Boulevard restaurant. I checked their online store and they have quite a few aged bottles to buy.