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A Dark Love

Posted: October 29th, 2011, 9:07pm CEST by Matt

River Horse Hop A Lot Amus

Posted: October 28th, 2011, 3:50am CEST by Al

When my kids were little one of their favorite books was But Not The Hippopotamus.

How could I not pick up a beer called “Hop-A-Lot-Amus”?

(Did you know that hippos kill hundreds of people each year? Many more than sharks, but we don’t get a “Hippo Week” do we?)

They say:

Continual hopping during boil gives our Double IPA tons of hop flavor and aroma. Pine and citrus notes are backed by rich malt base.

It’s the color of caramel, cloudy (it is unfiltered after all) with virtually no head. Definitely citrus in the aroma, but not as much pine as I expected. Maybe bit of vanilla. The pine really comes through in the flavor, along with a lot of alcohol heat. There’s a bit of a burnt biscuit flavor in the aftertaste. I think the jury is still out on this one. As we like to say: Requires more research.

River Horse Hop-A-Lot-Amus

Flying Mouflan

Posted: October 26th, 2011, 5:00am CEST by Al

My wife got this for me a couple of months ago from Viniferous, which while primarily a wine shop, has a pretty impressive collection of craft beer bombers.

Tröegs says:

Dubbed the Flying Mouflan (for reasons that become clearer toward the bottom of the glass) this strong alluring ale is two beers in one. Cracking open a fresh bottle unleashes hops and heat with more than 100 IBUs emanating from three hop varieties and sweet burn of 9.3% ABV. Cellaring the Flying Mouflan in a cool dark place at 50 degrees for a minimum of four months will mellow out the hops and wash away the heat. If you can resist temptation you will be rewarded with two memorable beers in a single bottle.

It’s the color of coffee, with a cream-colored head, very thick. Aroma is full of caramel and dried fruit. That is one big beer! Malty and hoppy, with more of that caramel, with coffee and toffee flavors. Rich. That is a sipping beer. I’ll be getting this again to cellar for a bit longer.

Tröegs Flying Mouflan

Hungout with Hop Talk

Posted: October 20th, 2011, 5:34am CEST by Al

Well, you missed it.

A great time was had by all. Conversation ranged far and wide, with far too many puns, an abbreviated conversation on “pumpkin beer…yes or no”, the evaporation problem in my house, and beer-based sexual innuendo. Those who attended had a good time; I’m sorry you missed it.

We’ll be having another one of these soon, though.

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Don’t forget: Hangout with Hop Talk

Posted: October 20th, 2011, 2:53am CEST by Al

Hangout: [https:]

Hangout with Hop Talk

Posted: October 18th, 2011, 2:49am CEST by Al

You may have noticed that Google has released a suite of products under the moniker Google+. It is Google’s big push into the Social Networking space.

Among the features they have launched I think the coolest is Hangouts. Simply, it’s video chat for up to ten people. All that’s needed (besides a webcam and microphone) is a fairly lightweight browser extension to allow for Google to see your webcam.

Ron and I and the Hop Talk Advisory Panel, as well as some other friends, have been using it quite a bit. We all live very far away from each other, but this way we’re able to share a beer and keep in touch.

Well, we thought, why should we keep it just to ourselves. There’s plenty of interesting people out there who read Hop Talk. Let’s enjoy a (virtual) beer with them, too.

So, I am announcing the first “Hangout with Hop Talk” event. This Wednesday evening I’ll open a public hangout and post the URL to join it. Grab your favorite libation and join us for a bit. We’ll start around 9:00 PM (Eastern) and go for a couple hours; pop in or out as you’re able. We’ll talk beer, life, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

When: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 9:00 PM EST5EDT (timezone converter)
Where: Google Hangout (it’s over; you missed it)
What: Beer and…whatever

Four possible locations for the next Beer Bloggers Conference

Posted: October 18th, 2011, 1:53am CEST by Al

Asheville, North Carolina
Austin, Texas
Indianapolis, Indiana
St. Louis, Missouri

Those are the four possible locations of the next Beer Bloggers Conference. It’s still early in the selection process, and obviously a lot of things need to fall into place for it to happen.

None are really all that close to me. I suppose Asheville is the closest, and I’ve heard good things about it as a “beer city”.

How about you? Are you a beer blogger? Which of these four would you like to go to?

Geeky beer stuff

Posted: October 8th, 2011, 1:43am CEST by Al

Have I mentioned the wholesome, nerdgasmic goodness of ThinkGeek? If you’re into technology, science fiction, video games, comic books, puzzles, or any of a number of other geeky-type passions, there are so many goodies there that I could spend several paychecks.

Beer geeks and geeky beer lovers aren’t forgotten. Here are a few of the beer-related items they sell:

Aperture Science pint glass

Drink beer…for science.

Flash drive bottle opener

(I need larger than 2GB, though.)

Loading…please wait

(Waiting for that program to load can be made less annoying if you’ve got a beer)

…and there’s more!

Palo Santo Marron revisited

Posted: October 7th, 2011, 3:10am CEST by Al

A little over two years ago I treated myself to one of these. At the time, I mentioned that I’d squirreled one away to save for later. And there it sat, mostly forgotten as other beers came and went.

Forgotten, that is, until now.

My wife is working the night shift. The kids are in bed. The house is quiet. While I didn’t have the worst day ever, it was far from the best.

Perhaps a little indulgence is in order.

A good chunk of the flavor of this beer comes from the exotic and extraordinarily hard Palo Santo wood from Paraguay. It’s probably just an illusion, but this 12 fluid ounce bottle seems heavier than others.

The color is a deep, dark-chocolate brown. Head is surprisingly fizzy and dissipates quickly. In the aroma I get some chocolate-covered cherries and burnt caramel. Mouthfeel is thick, and the alcohol heat I detected two years ago has not abated. More burnt caramel and brandy in the flavor. This is definitely a sipping beer. I think I could have cellared it for longer.

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Ofest 2011 – The Aftermath

Posted: October 3rd, 2011, 6:41pm CEST by Al

bottle caps Well, that’s it then. Don and Max have already departed for home; I’m just waiting to head down to the station to catch my train. Ron (and by extension, his family) is an excellent host.

As always, it was great to see one another and catch up with our lives. We played cards and video games, watched football (the Giants caught a break to be sure), but mostly we talked.

Oh, and we had beer. Here’s the list:

15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA by Stone Brewing Co.
A Little Sumpin’ Wild by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Anchor Humming Ale by Anchor Brewing Company
Big Bear Black Stout by Bear Republic Brewing Co.
B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout by Hoppin Frog Brewery
Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Dirty Blonde Ale by Adirondack Pub & Brewery
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
Harvest Ale by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Heavy Seas The Great Pumpkin by Clipper City Brewing Co.
Heinnieweisse Weissebier by Butternuts Beer & Ale
Imperial Porter Brewmasters Reserve 2011 by Full Sail Brewing Company
Keller Pils by Southampton Publick House
My Antonia by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery
Oktoberfest by Otter Creek Brewing
Oktoberfest by Sly Fox Brewing Company
Old Horizontal by Victory Brewing Company

Aged three years!

Snake Chaser by Lakefront Brewery
Snake Dog IPA by Flying Dog Brewery
Toxic Sludge by Blue Point Brewing Co
Union Jack by Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery
Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter by Brown’s Brewing Company

We don’t try to rate them or anything, but there were a few that stood out. The Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA and The Great Pumpkin from Heavy Seas were both pleasant surprises. It certainly was a pleasant way to spend four rainy days. I can’t wait to do it again next year. Related Posts:

Ofest 2011 – The Aftermath is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

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