Beer #188 Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout (100 Barrel Series #30)

Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout (100 Barrel Series #30)

Name: Island Creek Oyster Stout (100 Barrel Series #30)

Style:  English Oyster Stout

Brewery:  Harpoon Brewery website

Country: USA

Region: Boston, Massachusetts

ABV: 5.5% abv

How served:  22 oz gold foiled capped bottle poured into a Delirium Tremens glass.

My Overall Opinion: Very Good

I paired this beer with: Grilled salmon with quinoa cooked with this Island Creek Oyster Stout mushrooms and onions

Tasted on:  Monday  January 23, 2012

Notes: 

The beer poured a dark brown with a 2 finger light brown head.

The nose was full of chocolate, coffee, smoke and vanilla.      

The taste started off slightly sweet with chocolate, then the sweetness tailed off when the roasted coffee notes kicked in to balance it out and finished with a dry bitterness.

The body was of a smooth and creamy with a medium full body.

The drinkability was very good.

On the Label:  Session 30

This smooth stout is brewed with freshly harvested Island Creek Oysters.  The roasted notes of the stout blend beautifully with the mineral flavors of the oysters.   Limited Edition- Small Batch.

From their website:

The 100 Barrel Series celebrates the brewing talents and creativity of Harpoon Brewers. From experimental styles to interpretations of old favorites, 100 Barrel Series beer is a limited batch and a personal expression of the art of brewing. Every couple of months a different Harpoon brewer will spend a few late nights in the brewery, brewing test batches on the pilot system. This leads to the final recipe and, of course, a special, unique beer. You will find that brewer’s signature on each bottle of beer from their batch. So if you like the beer, you’ll know who to thank.

ABOUT ISLAND CREEK OYSTER STOUT

Brew Date: 1/21/10

Packaging Date: 2/5/10

The idea for the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout came after years of enjoying locally harvested oysters over freshly brewed pints of beer with our friends from Island Creek. Stouts have long been paired with oysters, though seldom brewed with them. This is our take on the age-old tradition.

Brewed by Harpoon brewer Katie Tame, using Island Creek oyster farmer Skip Bennett’s revered Duxbury Bay oysters, this beer has a rich body and smooth mouthfeel derived in part from a combination of roasted barley and chocolate rye malts. The roasted malt notes blend beautifully with the briny, mineral flavors of the Island Creek oysters. An addition of hops adds some bitterness to balance the malt sweetness. This, the 30th installment of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, is best enjoyed with a plate full of Island Creek Oysters.

We hope beer and oyster lovers have as much fun drinking it as we had brewing it.

BREWED BY

This beer was brewed by Katie Tame, Harpoon brewer

AVAILABLE FROM   February 2010 to ….

BEER SPECIFICATIONS:

Style: Oyster Stout

Original Gravity: 15

Alcohol by Volume: (ABV) 5.5%

IBU’S: 35

Beer # 187 Goose Island Matilda

Goose Island Matilda

Name: Matilda

Style:  Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Brewery:  Goose Island website

Country: USA

Region: Chicago, Illinois

ABV: 7.0% abv

How served:  22 oz capped bottle poured into a Malheur glass.

My Overall Opinion: Good

I paired this beer with: Giants vs 49er’s NFC Championship Game & leftover Ruth’s Chris Rib-eye steak and a potato knish.

Tasted on:  Sunday  January 22, 2012

Notes:  Bottle 11/16/09

The beer poured a hazy orangey golden color with a 1 finger head which dissipated rather quickly leaving a mild lacing on the glass.

The nose was sweet and malty / bready with some Belgian yeast notes and a hint of orange and spices.     

The taste was slightly sweet of bread crust, malt and orange.  There was a slight musty flavor in the background with some spiciness and not much tartness from the Brettanomyces.  The beer finished dry.

The body was of a medium body with a low level of carbonation and very little effect from the alcohol.

The drinkability was decent for a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

On the Label:  2009.

Pale Ale Re-Fermented with Brettanomyces.  7% Alcohol  By Volume, 650 ml – 1 Pint 6 Fl OZ.  Develops in the Bottle For Up To 5 Years. Contains Live Yeast.  Sediment May Form.

From their website:

Brewer’s Notes:

Wild in character, with a slightly fruity aroma and a spicy yeast flavor that is as unique as it is satisfying – Matilda is an intriguing choice for beer and wine lovers alike. Dry and quenching, it’s the perfect accompaniment at the dining table or for casually socializing at the bar.

Recipe Information:

Style: Belgian Style Pale Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 7%
International Bitterness Units: 32
Color: Golden Sunrise
Hops: Styrian, Saaz
Malts: 2-Row, Caramel

Serving Suggestions:

Preferred Glass: Wide Mouth Glass

Food Pairings: Matilda pairs with many foods. Its spicy yeast flavors complement fresh mussels and contrast rich pork belly.

Cheese Pairings: Camembert, Washed Rind Cheeses
Cellaring Notes: Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years

Availability:

Year Round
Bottles: 4pks, 650mL
Draft: 1/6 & 1/2bbl

Great American Beer Festival Recognition:

Judging Category: Belgian and French Style Ale
2005: Gold Medal

World Beer Cup Recognition:

Judging Category: Belgian and French Style Ale
2008: Silver Medal
2006: Silver Medal

World Beer Championships Recognition:

Judging Category: Belgian Style Amber Ale
2011: Gold Medal

Complete Awards List

Beer Drinker Reviews:

Beer Advocate
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Beer # 186 Epic Sour Apple Saison

Epic Sour Apple Saison

Name: Sour Apple Saison

Style:  Saison / Farmhouse Ale

Brewery:  Epic Brewing Co website

Country: USA

Region: Salt Lake City, Utah

ABV: 7.8% abv

How served:  22 oz capped bottle poured into a 3 Fonteinen glass.

My Overall Opinion: Good 

I paired this beer with: Ravens vs Patriots AFC Championship Game & Snyder’’s Pretzels

Tasted on:  Sunday  January 22, 2012

Notes: 

The beer poured a light & cloudy straw color with a large 3 finger billowing head with medium to large sized bubbles.   The beer left a nice lacing on the glass.     

The nose was of faint sour apples and some earthy undertones.

The taste started off with mildly sour green apples  and yeasty.  Midway through I picked up some of the cloves and coriander.  It finished crisp and dry

The body was light to medium body with the feel of champagne from all the carbonation.

The drinkability was very good and this would be a good substitute for champagne at brunch time.

Overall I rated this beer as Good, But I was torn between Good & Very Good and in the end I gave it a “Good” as it was more one dimensional.  However YOU might think otherwise, so if you can Try it Yourself because it might end up being Very…..!!!

On the Label:  Exponential Series. Bottled Conditioned. Release #6

You are holding something special – one of only 1,800 bottles released and numbers.  Intrigued?  Visit www.epicbrewing.com to explore this limited brew’s precise details.

From their website:  Sour-Apple Saison

Sweet, yet dry and tart, apples spiced with coriander, grains of paradise, anise, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. There is no wrong way to enjoy this Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale!

Sour Apple Saison-Style Ale Release #6   Brewed on June 6, 2011. Packaged July 7, 2011.

This is a gorgeous saison, it has a nice mild sourness with a slight kick of apple and cinnamon. It has a very dry finish from the classic Saison yeast that gives it a little earthy, peppery and spiciness.

The Malts

Weyermann Pilsner is the base malt on this beer followed by Briess Flaked Oats and Muntons Wheat Malt.

The Hops/Spices

Saaz, Tettnang, ground Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Anise Seed, Grains of Paradise, and Coriander.

ABV 7.8%

Beer #185 The Brewer’s Art Resurrection Ale

The Brewer's Art Resurrection Ale

Name: Resurrection Ale

Style:  Dubbel

Brewery:  The Brewer’s Art website

Country: USA

Region: Baltimore, Maryland

ABV: 7.0% abv

How served:  750ml caged and cork bottle poured into a Grottenbier chalice.

My Overall Opinion: Very Good 

I paired this beer with: My old stand by—Lemon chicken in a bag from Pubix!

Tasted on:  Thursday  January 12, 2012

Notes: 

The beer poured a reddish brown with a 1 finger  tan head  leaving a fine lacing on the glass.    

 The nose of this beer was mildly sweet with caramel, candi sugar and Christmas spices, as well as fried dark fruits.  

The taste started with strong candi sugar, caramel and spices like you would find in a Belgian Christmas beer. Midway through I picked up some notes of dark dried fruits and crust from bread.  All of this without being overly sweet.

The body was of a medium body with mild to moderate carbonation, with a mild warmth from the alcohol.

The drinkability was very good and overall it was one of the better “American” examples of a Belgian dubbel, however I have had many a Belgian dubbel I would much rather have.

On the Label:  A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this beer will go to local programs that help people get back on their feet.

Brewed and bottled: Royersford, Pennsylvania.

Best by 07/02/11

From their website:  Resurrection:
During the fermentation of the first batch of this  Abbey-style ale, the yeast «died» and was
«resurrected» by brewer Chris Cashell. Made with five types of barley malt and lots of sugar, this beer is quite flavorful, without being too sweet.  7%abv

2012 Tampa Bay Weekend Beer Safari:

Tampa Bay Weekend Beer Safari:

2 Nights, 5 Breweries, 2 Gourmet Beer Paired Dinners, Beer Paired Lunch and much more… Hurry Limited Space Still Available! 

 It’s Back and It’s Better than Ever!
The 2012 Tampa Beer Safari-Register Today!

Bon Beer Voyage invites all craft beer lovers to a weekend of great beer, great food and a great time!

This year’s Tampa Beer Safari will begin on
Friday evening, February 10th and will run through Sunday morning, February 12th, 2012.

 We’ve added some new things to make this tour the best yet but we’re still keeping our price at
only $475 per person double occupancy!
(limited single occupancy rooms available for $625 pp)
So Book Now to Join Us in Tampa and…

• Sleep Like a Baby for 2 Nights with Lodging (double occ.) at Homewood Suites (yes, you deserve the suite life!)

• Start the day out right with hot breakfast each morning!

• Taste Florida’s Latest and Greatest at its freshest when we visit Local Breweries Including Saint Somewhere, Cigar City, Dunedin Brew Pub, Seventh Sun and Peg’s Cantina!

• Get a chance to view some local Manatees enjoying Florida’s warm winter!

• Savor an outstanding lunch (with beer- of course!) at the delicious Dunedin Brewery

• Learn from the pros during our Private Brewery Tours!

• Visit Tarpon Springs & Gulfport and be transported back to old Florida in these unique waterfront towns.

• Peer into the shadows and mysteries of Florida’s “Sunshine City” on a spirited ghost tour of St. Petersburg!

• Enjoy the culinary delights of 2 Incredible Gourmet Beer-Paired dinners at Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar & The Melting Pot!

• All Taxes on included hotels, meals and transportation.

• And as always, there will be Some Other Beery Cool Stuff.

Brewery Visits

Cigar City Brewery

Cigar City Brewing

Do we really need to introduce these guys? CCB was founded by beer columnist and Tampa native Joey Redner in the summer of 2007. Since its inception CCB has been guided by Joey’s passion for both great beer and the city of his birth. 

Joey Redner at Cigar City with Bon Beer Voyage

With the creative input and expertise of Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup award winning brewer Wayne Wambles, Cigar City Brewing endeavors to make world class ales and lagers which celebrate the rich heritage and traditions that make Tampa one of the world’s most unique cities. With this goal in mind Cigar City Brewing incorporates local ingredients in the brewing process and always considers, during recipe creation, the local foods CCB beers are likely to be paired with. The result of this dedication is handcrafted beer that imparts a sense of place and pairs as well with gourmet cheeses as hearty Cuban sandwiches.

Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

Saint Somewhere

Saint Somewhere is a small batch brewery, located in Tarpon Springs, Florida, which specializes in traditionally brewed, hand-crafted Belgian-style ales. All of their ales are bottle-conditioned and unfiltered and receive a dose of Brettanomyces at bottling. Despite the homage to Belgium by the strict use of Belgian malt & wheat and whole noble hops, Bob Sylvester, owner and brewer, adds a little bit of Florida by open fermentation as well as by using old Florida advertising art on his labels. The stuff inside the bottles is as much art as the labels. 

Saint Somewhere Brewing Co.

And of course, the name Saint Somewhere comes from a Jimmy Buffett song, so let’s be real, Belgian may be at the heart of it, but this beer has Florida soul!

Dunedin Brewery

Dunedin Brewery

Fermenting since 1996 and still going strong, Dunedin Brewery, located on the west coast of Florida in the Scottish heritage town of Dunedin handcrafts all of their ales for your enjoyment from their Piper’s Pale Ale to their Apricot Wheat.

Dunedin Brewery

They also have a great menu including the most awesome Pacific Coast Fish Tacos you will find east of Baja! With great atmosphere, great food and 9 ales brewed year round as well as 5 or more seasonal offerings throughout the year, this is our kind of lunch stop!

Peg’s Cantina

Peg’s Cantina

Peg’s, a bungalow turned into a restaurant and nano-brewery is located in the waterfront town of Gulfport, Florida.

Doug Dozark, who is working full-time assisting brewmaster Wayne Wambles at Cigar City, is the brewer at Peg’s and is in charge of creating Peg’s GOOD (Gulfport Original on Draft) beers. He makes them on site in small batches, so it is fresh, clean and delicious. The type of beer varies, but there is usually an IPA and one

Peg's Cantina

other draught available. Doug’s beer is not only considered GOOD because of the acronym- apparently others here in Florida think its good stuff, too! He entered 3 beers in the “Best Florida Beer Championship” and took home 3 medals. He earned two gold medals for his Square Dancing Cody and Gulfport Centennial Stout—and a bronze for his experimental Berliner Weiss.

Doug brews different beers all year and he always has a couple on tap. Peg’s also carries about 50-60 bottled beers. We look forward to spending some time with Doug and checking out his nano-brewery!

7venth (Seventh) Sun Brewing

Seventh Sun Brewing

Be the first among your crowd to visit the latest of Florida’s West Coast Breweries!   Meet the people behind the beer (owners Justin Strange & Devon Kreps), check out their setup and taste their tempting brews, which are a mix of Belgian style ales, sour beers and a variety of IPA’s.  They have brewed at both Sweetwater Brewing Company and Cigar City Brewing.   

  

Beer Paired Dinner Venues:

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

Stylish, contemporary dining is the hallmark of Fleming’s. The menu features the finest in prime beef, augmented by a tempting variety of chops, seafood, chicken, generous salads, inventive side orders and indulgent desserts. We have the good fortune of having a 4 course beer paired dinner created especially for our Beer Safari by the chef at Flemings, who, as luck would have it, is a beer enthusiast himself! Our specially prepared and paired dinner at this award winning steakhouse will be an experience you won’t soon forget.

The Melting Pot

We will be topping off Saturday night with a truly brewnique dining event as we enjoy a 4 course beer-paired fondue dinner at The Melting Pot in St. Petersburg. If you haven’t enjoyed the fondue experience before, you are in for a real treat. From the cheese fondue appetizer, which is actually made with beer, to the sinfully rich and delicious chocolate fondue dessert, every course is carefully matched with the perfect beer to balance each unique flavor. Your taste buds will thank you for this simply sublime experience.

Space is Limited! Don’t Get Sold Out!
Reserve today by clicking below
The rate is $475pp double occupancy
(please note: there are a limited number of single occupancy rooms
available for $625pp call soon!) 

Click here to Join Us in Tampa, Florida!  

See you in February! Cheers!

Beer #184 2009 La Trappe Isid’or

2009 La Trappe Isid’or

Name: Isid’or

Style:  Belgian Pale Ale

Brewery:  La Trappe (Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.)  website

Country: Netherlands

Region: Berkel-Enschot

ABV: 7.5% abv

How served:  750ml caged and cork bottle poured into a La Trappe chalice.       

My Overall Opinion: Very Good

I paired this beer with:   Fish stew topped with an Irish sharp cheddar and served with bread made with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot.

Tasted on:  Thursday December 15, 2011  

Notes:  La Trappe is 1 of the 7 Trappist Breweries and the only one found outside of Belgium.

 This was bottled in 2009.  Batch 13:38  K05F9 

The beer poured a hazy light orange with a 1 and a half finger fluffy off white head which dissipated before I was a quarter of the way down the glass leaving a minimal lacing.    

The nose of this beer was of sweet caramel, toffee, bready yeast, plums, raisins and candi sugar.

The taste started off mildly sweet with toffee, caramel, raisins and plums, mid way through I got some spices which included hints of cinnamon and it ended on the dry side.     

The body with a thin to medium and coated my mouth with a mild oily slickness with moderate carbonation and finished with a pleasant warmth from the alcohol.

The drinkability was very good.  I’m very glad that they (La Trappe) decided to make this a year round brew, instead of the intended one off brew.

On the Label:  The monks of Brewery de Koningshoeven have been brewing La Trappe beer for a living since 1884.  La Trappe Isid’or has been specially created to commemorate the 125^th anniversary of Brewery de Koningshoeven.  This ceremonial beer was named after Brother Isidorus, the first brewer of La Trappe.

La Trappe Isid’or is a mildly sweet amber beer with a hint of caramel.  Soft bitter flavor with a fruity after taste.  Brewed with own grown Perle hops.  Serving temperature 10 – 12°  C.

La Trappe Trappist Ale can be aged like fine wine. 

Bitterness: 25 BU. 

Malts: Pale, munich, caramel, and wheat malt.

Hops: Halletauer and Koningshoeven Perle.

 Taste the Silence

 From their website:   La Trappe Isid’or

2009 Introduction of La Trappe Isid’or

To mark the 125th anniversary of the Trappist brewery, a special anniversary beer was brewed in 2009. This Trappist beer was named after Isidorus, the first brewer in the abbey O.L.V. van Koningshoeven. It was intended that this beer would only be brewed in the anniversary year. However, Isid’or was so well received that Abbot Bernardus decided to adopt this Trappist beer into the permanent range.

In 2009, it has been 125 years since friar Isidorus Laaber hesitantly, with successes and setbacks, started what is now a stunning product. To commemorate this fact, we are releasing a special-occasion beer for the international market in this jubilee year. It is obvious that the beer will carry the name of our first brewing master. It is a homage to this simple friar with his golden hands, who made our brewery, and thus also our monastery, famous.

As always, part of the profits of La Trappe will go to the monasteries in Indonesia and Uganda, which were set up by Koningshoeven. The profit of La Trappe Isid’or will go entirely to the co-friars in Uganda. Since they fled the violence in Kenya in 2008, they have had to start from scratch in Uganda. With the profit of La Trappe Isid’or, the community there will be able to build a new monastery and find a new source of income.

La Trappe Isid’or is a lightly sweet amber beer with a hint of caramel. The beer tastes softly bitter and has a fruity aftertaste. La Trappe Isid’or is brewed with the self-cultivated Perle hop.

7,5% alcohol, pouring temperature 10-14 ºC

Beer #183 Deschutes Jubel 2010 Once A Decade Ale

Deschutes Jubel 2010 Once A Decade Ale

Name: Jubel 2010 Once A Decade Ale

Style:  American Strong Ale

Brewery:  Deschutes Brewery  website

Country: USA

Region: Bend, Oregon

ABV: 10.0% abv

How served:  22 oz waxed and capped bottle poured into a Delirium Noël snifter to get me into the holiday mood.       

My Overall Opinion: Amazing. 

I paired this beer with:   Lobster raviolis with marinara sauce.  Not the best choice of beer to go with this lobster ravioli, but what the heck, life is short and drink what you want, when you want it.  Overall nothing clashed and meal & beer was very enjoyable… mission accomplished!

Tasted on:  Wednesday December 14, 2011  

Notes:  This is a Special batch of their seasonal winter brew Jubelale. 

 The beer poured a muddy deep brown with a thin dark tan head which left a thin and sticky lacing on my glass.     

 The nose had nice aromas of toffee, chocolate, plums, roasted malt, hints of vanilla and a very pleasant warmth from the alcohol.

 The taste is similar to the nose.  I got chocolate, toffee and sweet roasted malts up front, then the vanilla, dark fruits and some bourbon flavors snuck in midway, and the beer finished dry with a very pleasant warmth from the alcohol.   

The body with medium to moderate with a slick/creamy mouthfeel with a very nice warmth from the alcohol.

The drinkability was good, but one which you would like to sip and savor.  This beer improved greatly as it warmed up and was good to the last drop.  Wait only 9 more years & look for the 2020 at a bottle shop near you.

On the Label:  Best after 1/29/2011   1032K

From their website:    Strong Ale  Alc. 10% | IBUs 55

Jubel 2010 is a deeply complex, intensely flavored take on our festive winter seasonal, Jubelale. Available on tap as Super Jubel at our pubs around the holidays, 2010 is only our second bottling of this prized rarity originally released to mark the 2000 millennium.

Pairings: Braised Pork Belly with Potato Rosettes Malt Crusted Idaho Trout

Beer #182 Mikkeller & BrewDog Devine Rebel

Mikkeller Devine Rebel brewed at BrewDog

Name: Devine Rebel

Style:  English Barleywine

Brewery:  Mikkeller   website  Brewed at BrewDog  Fraserburgh Scotland

Country: Denmark

Region:   København

ABV: 12.1% abv

How served:  11.2 oz capped bottle poured into a Samuel Adams perfect pint glass       

My Overall Opinion: Very Good

I paired this beer with:   Grilled Salmon steaks (what else do I eat?)

Tasted on:  Monday  December 5, 2011  

Notes:  Batch # 243 Bottled on: May 07, 2009

This beer an opaque copperish orange with a one finger light tan head which left a small and thin lacing on my glass.    

The nose had aromas of toffee, roasted malts, vanilla, dark dried fruits like prunes and a hint of whiskey.

The taste starts off with the sweetness of caramel and dark dried fruits then in the middle you get some layers of vanilla, oak, and whiskey, near the end of the taste I picked up some of the dry bitterness of the hops were there.  

This beer had medium slick body with a very nice warmth from the alcohol which lingered a while.  It was  a sipper for sure and a  mighty fine Barleywine, wish I had more!

On the Label:  In a rock ‘n roll collaboration 2 of Europe’s most extreme, experimental brewers have combined forces, talents and ideas to produce this innovative ale.

Uniting inspiration, ingredients and people from around the world this beer was brewed and aged at BrewDog in Scotland.

This rebellious beer is partially aged in oak Speyside whiskey barrels and partially aged in stainless steel, combines an ale yeast and a champagne yeast and showcases a single hop variety. 

Produced and Bottled by Brewdog Ltd. Fraserburg, Scotland.

From their website:    Welcome along to the BrewDog label workshop. We thought we would give you a little look behind the scenes at the early stages and concepts of designing a products packaging. You know all about this beer and how it is made, we hope you would like to know a little bit about the thought process behind the packaging as well. Let’s go deeper into the rabbit hole and deeper into the innermost workings of the BrewDog machine.

Firstly the collaboration beer now has a name. The 12.5% Barley Wine which BrewDog and Mikkeller joined forces to make in December 2008 will be called Devine Rebel. It has now fully fermented and tastes amazing! It is being partially oak cask aged, 25% of the beer is ageing in Speyside whisky barrels and the other 75% is ageing in one of our conditioning tanks. We wanted to get some oak flavours and tiny hints of whisky but we wanted to make this a minor part of the beers flavour profile which is why only some of it is ageing in oak. The barley wine ageing in the oak and the barley wine ageing in the tank will be re-united in April 2009 and bottled.

You can see the logo with the BrewDog dog appearing on the right of Mikkell.

With the packaging, what we wanted to incorporate visually into the label was key elements of both brewer’s strong branding. The Mikkeller and BrewDog logo are both prominent, we also added a fun tweak to the Mikkeller logo for the collaboration with the original BrewDog dog appearing alongside Mikkell. The more minimalistic feel of the label is a nod to the style of the Dane’s packaging, we still have some text to add to the front of the label (name, ABV, product of Scotland) but we are going to try hard to keep the simple minimal feel. The label also incorporates the cool vertical lines typical of a Mikkeller label, yet these lines are scuffed and in various blues, typical of a BrewDog label. The version of the label I am currently working on is for the US market so there is the big blank space top left for the mandatory US government health warning.

To get the initial visual we end up cutting out and sticking loads of early concepts and drafts to bottles to get the right visual feel for the development. Our office is full of mocked up prototype product packaging and labels and designs which did not make the final cut as well as visual concepts for new products. Once we have a rough visual for the beer, then it is a case of fine tuning it and writing the text for the product. I usually draw, write and scribble on loads of draft label sheets like the one in the image above as all the various bits of text for the packaging begins to take shape.

Obviously we have had to sample the beer allot over the last few days to check how it is maturing and ensure the packaging reflects the product. Unless you visit the brewery you are going to have to wait a little bit longer until you get to sample it.

As always with our blog, we welcome and feedback or comments!

Posted in – news

Beer # 181 Mikkeller Funky E Star

WOW!! has it really been more than 3 months since I posted to my blog?   Sorry about that… I need to get back to not just drinking my beers but posting them too!!

 Back to my Review.

 

Mikkeller Funky E Star

Name: Funky E Star

Style:  Belgian Wild Ale

Brewery:  Mikkeller   website

Country: Denmark

Region:   København

ABV: 9.4% abv

How served:  750ml silver foiled corked and caged bottle poured into an Augustijn Grand Cru tulip.      

My Overall Opinion:  Good

I paired this beer with:   Salmon filet steamed inside a foiled bag on top of fennel and leeks, then served on a bed of couscous topped with a dollop of cucumber yogurt dill sauce.  Boy this was a very yummy dinner and paired well with this beer!!

Tasted on:  Wednesday November 30, 2011  

Notes:  best by Dec 16 2014, So  I could have kept this 3 more years!!  Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi-Hufte, Belgium

 This beer pours a cloudy light orange with a one finger off white head which left a thin lacing on my glass.    

The nose on this brew was very mild and vague.  There were hints of bread, some very mild hints of a wet horse blanket and a little medicinal, otherwise the nose was unremarkable.   

The taste was also very mild or should I say short, as it went from the start to finish in record time!  I got a very strong bready, malty and zesty spicy taste up front, then a mild bitterness near the end with nothing in between.   There was nothing in this beer taste which would have suggested a “wild” side.  

This beer had a thin to medium body with a low to medium level of carbonation..        

The drinkability of this “Funky E” brew was very good overall and there was only a mild hint of the 9+% abv. 

This beer is worth a try, but I was expecting more.  Not sure if I had a bad bottle or not & it was a good beer, but I felt like something was missing

On the Label:  fũng’kē ē star 

From their website:    Nothing on their site on this brew!

Beer #180 BridgePort Fallen Friar

Bridgeport Fallen Friar

Name: Fallen Friar

Style:  Tripel

Brewery:  BridgePort Brewing Co.   website

Country: USA

Region:   Portland  ,Oregon

ABV: 8.2% abv

How served:  22oz white foil & capped bottle poured into my St. Idesbald chalice.      

My Overall Opinion:  Very Good 

I paired this beer with:   Habanero pepper infused grilled boneless chicken.   Huge amount of spicy heat out of this meal, which was cooled down nicely by this fantastic brew.

Tasted on:  Wednesday August 10, 2011  

Notes:  This beer was brewed only once and was released in February 2009.

This beer pours a semi hazed light orange with a thin 1 finger head which dissipated rather quickly leaving a very small and thin lacing on my glass.    

The nose was a mix of funeral flowers, grass, citrus and yeasty bread.    

The taste is on the lighter side for a Belgian style tripel with muted spices and up front sweetness from apples and pears along with a mild bitterness near the end and maybe just a hint of the oak.

This beer had a medium body with a low level of carbonation for a tripel.        

The drinkability was very good overall and matched up very well with the super spicy chicken I had.

On the Label:  Bridgeport Big Brews.   Ale with 35% Aged in Oak Wine Barrels.

From their website:    Nothing on their site on this retired brew!