Tommyknocker Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer

Tommyknocker Brewery
Idaho Springs, CO

The appearance of a dwarf has always preceded a bad event in the area according to Michigan lore, and with a major snowstorm forecast for the next two days I'll keep that tradition going. Ok, so technically this brewery refers to their 'mascot' as Tommyknockers and since there really isn't a picture of the little guy on the beer label I can't blame him for the impending blizzard doom. I will pin him with the responsibility of making a very mediocre ale though.
This poured a murky brown cola color and appeared flat. Not much going on with the aroma as I can only pick up some faint bitter cocoa and roasted malt. Can't say it tastes bad as its a soft refreshing Winter beer, but its a bit thinner than I'd like for anything that is supposed to have the characteristics of a porter. There is a Nesquick-like malty flavor up front before eventually fading to a dull taste without anything standing out. I'd recommend a single or two instead of chancing your palate to an entire sixer.

Yuengling Black & Tan

D.G. Yuengling and Son
Pottsville, PA

The history of 'America's Oldest Brewery' could be an all night discussion in itself. Let's just say this company has found a niche for itself over the past decade and has survived long enough to become the 2nd largest American owned brewery.
Sadly this can't be found on beer shelves anywhere in the mitten state so I have to stock up twice a year when my in-laws come up for a visit. I've talked to some of my better beer store managers and the story they've been given is that the brewery does not want to distribute this far away. I'm throwing a yellow flag and suspect there are greater political powers that may be keeping them shut out from here.
Anyways, back to the beer, this is a great one for the Winter. Its light enough in body that its still refreshing, but not so thin that it has no character. There are nice roasty, chocolate notes in the aroma with some hints of smoke. The flavor is pretty light, but there is still enough evidence of a creamy porter to make it enjoyable. Big points for the price point as I believe you can walk out the door with a 12 pack for just over ten bucks. If this was ever offered up here there's little doubt this would become my 'cheap swill' during the Winter months.

Back From the Beer Cellar

I've neglected this site pretty badly over the past year. I wish I could just say I was doing a one year experiment of keeping some brews in the cellar to see how the aged taste compared to a fresh one.
While I've had plenty of different brewskis over the past 12 months I just didn't have the time to report back here. Extensive business travel, 100's of miles of running and spending time with the family were just a few of the factors keeping me from putting the required effort into this.
That said I will try a grand re-opening of the site with a couple of new reviews and some other random ramblings.
...stay tuned

Flying Dog - Road Dog Porter

Road Dog Porter
Flying Dog Brewery, Denver CO/Frederick, MD
6% ABV

Still sitting here all depressed after watching the Red Wings drop game 7 of the cup finals I can't think of a more appropriately named beer to describe those damn Pens...the Road Dogs that came into town and knocked the Wings off their high horse. Alright, enough with the hockey analogies for the rest of this review, lets get to the beer.
This brewer has some kick ass artwork on its labels...kind of like Clive Barker meets Picasso. Maybe the cool labels raise my expectations too high for all the Flying Dog brews because so far I've found them average at best with this one also fitting into that category. Despite its 6% alcohol level I found this to be a little watered down. That can be dangerous if you start pouring these down your throat like some light lager. That said there is a unique sweet caramel and bitter roasty combination to make it interesting. Some of the other beer sites classify this as a 'Scottish Porter'. That would make sense as I can find some qualities of a Scotch ale here but if they are going to call it a porter it doesn't measure up to the upper echelon of a traditional one. I will give the brewery a thumbs up for going for something a little different. While I could see myself getting another mixed pack for the hell of it, its doubtful I'll be running to my beer store just for a sixer of this.

Three Floyds Alpha King

American Pale Ale 6% abv

One good thing that came out of my business trip to Indiana was the chance to pick up some beers made by Three Floyds Brewing. I've heard and read plenty about this brewery but this is the first chance I've had to get my hands on some.
This is billed as an American Pale Ale, but let me tell you, this will give most IPA's and some DIPA's a run for their money when it comes to hoppiness. That said it is balanced with enough malt to keep it from being overly bitter. The color and appearance were most impressive and the aroma and flavor were both citrusy and hoppy. It was like drinking a thin syrupy beer with a grapefruit-piney taste. If you like hoppy this one is sure to satisfy the palate.
Only downer is I could only find this in the coolers of the party store. Wish I could pick up a warm sixer or two to keep down in the basement for a few months.

King Hard Tail Ale

A Pale Ale from
King Brewing Company - Pontiac, MI

This flavorful local offering comes from the mean streets of Caeser Chavez Blvd in northern Pontiac. While you can find sixers of this at the odd party store here and there, I decided to go straight to the source for my purchase. Sadly it was during work hours so I couldn't cozy up to the bar and sample everything. A fresh six pack from the cooler will have to do.
For an American style pale ale it stands up pretty well as it has a hoppier aroma and flavor than many others in its class. More towards a flowery hoppiness without any real citrus tones. It has a nice solid amber color but very little carbonation to go with it. It's still refreshing, but just needs a little more bubbly to make it an all-around great brew. I'm sure a pint at the brewpub would be a safer bet to have the right balance. Guess I just gave myself a research related reason to return.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

7.2% abv

Trust me. Despite no reviews being posted here over the past month I've been busy sampling quite a bit of different stuff. I'll blame it on trying to be a perfectionist with the pictures I provide. This night brings me to an extra IPA offering from one of the better known California brewers, Sierra Nevada Torpedo. I'll get to the best part later, but first the specifics. This little bottle poured a huge off-white head of suds on top of the dark orange colored brew. The nose is greeted by a big citrus and pine aroma. Not unpleasant like orange pine sol or anything like that...a nice natural outdoors smell. It starts off average enough until some of the carbonation brings out the big hoppy flavor. It's a big bitter flavor with hints of grapefruit, but has enough off a malt backing to bring it down a notch towards the finish so that it leaves a nice lingering aftertaste. OK it has a kick ass taste but here's the best part.....it only costs $6.99 a sixer possibly making it one of the best values out there. This 'extra' IPA isn't as intense as some of the big double's, but it still packs a lot of flavor and at that price can you really talk yourself out of trying it?

Bell's Cherry Stout

Batch#8870
7% abv

I wanted to start this attempt at a regular blog off right by paying some homage to my hometown state. While there are many fine beers made in Michigan, I felt it was only fitting to start with our most popular brewer. Bell's. I've seen the Cherry Stout for quite some time but was always scared off by the $12.99 price tag. Now seemed like as good a time as any to try it.
This stuff pour pretty thick, almost like an impy stout as there is very little head that forms. It wasn't as overpowering on the nose as I anticipated. You definitely get the chocolate covered cherry aroma, but it doesn't prepare you for how much flavor you are about to be hit with. It starts off like a typical stout, roasted malts with chocolate hints. Then it turns into a mouthful of cherry juice. Some of the chocolate flavor sticks around but it is dominated by a semi-sweet cherry taste. It subsides and finishes much more tart than it started. Its not a nasty sourness though...more like a cherry tart flavor that you would expect. Eventually some coffee taste lingers once the cherry disappears. I'd swear that this was a fruit beer if I drank this blindfolded. Another nice surprise is that its not as thick tasting as it appears. Definitely still full bodied, but without the oily thick mouthfeel.
This was one of the most unique beers I've ever had, but its also far from being one of my favorites. It's good...but I would probably enjoy it better while eating a really sweet dessert. Maybe I should dig out my UB40 Greatest Hits cd and play 'Cherry Oh Baby' next time to put me in the mood for one of these. Highly recommended for those of you who love a really fruity beer. Those who prefer a more traditional tasting stout might be overwhelmed by the cherry flavor. Try finding a single or splittng a sixer with some friends to see if its for you.

Advent of the Variety Packs

Need a way to drink a better variety at a cheap price? The increased availability of sampler packs from macro and microbrewers really gives us a great alternative to try so many different beers. If you come across something you don't like you're only stuck with 1 or 2 more bottles you have to pawn off or pour down the drain. There's no worse feeling than being stuck with a sixer of something you didn't enjoy. That said, I'm also not a big fan of rating a beer after only buying 1 bottle of it. There could be a multitude of problems isolated to that one bottle. That's why a variety pack is a perfect way to go for those of us taking the plunge into the craft beer world.
I promise my next rambling will be an actual beer review...

Ain't No Party Like a Detroit Party!

Yeah times may be tough in the Detroit area right now, but hot damn do we have some great beer and establishments to choose from. I know the East and West coasts can both lay claim to some great stuff, but the Midwest...and Michigan in particular... has some of the best tasting brews to offer.
In the coming months I'll attempt to give my take on the good-and the not so good that I've come across. There may be a heavy emphasis on what we have available in the Great Lakes region, but I will do my best to give fair representation to all. Yes, that will even include macros from time to time.
Sit back, crack a cold one and take my opinions for whatever they may be worth.