New Beer Tastings

Good morning campers. I wanted to share a few beers that I've tried recently. I've been on another IPA kick again. I also wanted to try a Rauchbier. Thankfully, my local package store has plenty to choose from and their beer man, Ray, is happy to suggest some new beers to me to try out this weekend.

After months of forgetting to try it, I finally bought Torpedo Extra IPA from Sierra Nevada.  Torpedo Extra IPA is another fantastic beer from Sierra Nevada. Great hop flavor with a 7.2% ABV. This beer is the reason that Sierra Nevadas invented the Hop Torpedo. It's a crazy contraptioon made to super size the dry hopping. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo. I guess I'll have to force myself to have another one tonight and take a pic then.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

Next up is Outburst Imperial IPA from Pyramid Brewing. Another great IPA. 8.5% ABV and a nice hoppy punch. I'm glad that Pyramid is now available on the East Coast.
Of course, another beer I forgot to photograph. I'll add it to my list.
Pyramid Brewing Outburst IPA

Another fine IPA is Hop Wallop from Victory Brewing in PA. This is a great IPA with a nice balance between the West Coast hoppiness with a East Coast style IPA bitterness.
The beer also comes in at 8.5% ABV.
Victory Brewing Hop Wallop

Hop Wallop by Victory Brewing

The last beer today is not an IPA. I picked up Cinder Bock from Sam Adams. I'm interested in the taste of smoked malts because I'm planning on using them in a Cascadian Dark Ale recipe. My friend Ray suggested this beer as an example of the smoked malts. I have to say that I was not a fan of this beer. It tasted like liquid campfire to me. There are people that love the Rauchbier style, but I am not sure if I'm one of them yet. But at 9.4% ABV, definitely a nice end to the evening.

Sam Adams Cinder Bock

 

Sam Adams' Cinder Bock

Friends in the news

A good friend and fellow beer lover and homebrewer, Aron Daniels, was recently in the news. He also has a great Facebook page call CraftBrewGuy. The article and link to his page are listed below. Please feel free to take a look at both and remember to Support Local Beer.

"Drinking craft beer is NOT a trend, it's a REVOLUTION"

CraftBrewGuy

http://www.ct.com/entertainment/leisure/nm-ht20beerblogger-20120510,0,7449353.story

CraftBrewGuy's Blog

CraftBrewGuy on Facebook

Black IPA First Taste

Hello kids. The Northern Brewer Black IPA kit that I brewed in March is ready. I've been dreaming of this day for over 2 months. Well today is the day. The beer went into the fridge at 0700 this morning. It has been a long day waiting to crack open the first bottle. I decided to be a good spouse and mow the yard today. What a perfect time to have a beer. Oh, did I mention it's almost a half acre with a push mower?

So the moment of truth. The bottle was nice and cold. Popped the top with the bottle opener. Pssssst! Yes, we have carbonation. Always a bonus. Nothing worse than flat beer. My beer is bottle conditioned, so it carbonates in the bottle. The pour was OK. Not much of a head. Not a huge deal. It looks and smells fantastic. Nice hop aroma. The taste is outstanding. Hoppy up front. Nice malt backbone. Hoppy finish. No off alcohol or off flavors. I am so pleased with the results. Only one drawback....... my glass is empty. Thank God I have more in the fridge. Until next time, be safe and drink well.

The first bottle. I was so excited, I took a swig before I took the photo.

The Brew Menu

Fridge is all stocked up

Son of a .......

Quick Black IPA update

The Black IPA is almost ready. I stirred the yeast today. This is done by inverting the bottles gently and swirling the bottles gently. This will help to stimulate the yeast and help them consume the priming sugar. That's what helps to carbonate the beer. The gentle part it to reduce aeration and shaking the beer. Fermented beer + oxygen = crappy beer. The oxygen will cause off flavors and make the beer taste funny. On Sunday, I'll put a six-pack in the fridge and get it cold. Maybe a test sample Sunday night. Once I verify that the carbonation is at an acceptable level, I'll put the rest in the fridge. If not, it will sit in the beer closet to age longer. Until later, be safe and drink well.



The Black IPA bottle cap label





Almost 2 cases of Black IPA conditioning in the Beer Closet