Totemic Might DIPA. B liked it enough to bring some home from a trip up north this past weekend.)
We like to drink our beer just like our politics—liberally. 
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Colorado Cou Cou by Outer Range Brewing Rockies/Alps (Frisco, CO) - Hazy IPA
Very passion fruit forward IPA with some more dominant piney hops in the second part of the sip but even there passion fruit flavors still remain the in the background. Relatively low bitterness, dry finish. Great variation of a hazy IPA with fruit forward flavor profile without complete losing the balance.
2 Likes
Burlington has in general some quite nice IPAs
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Dr. Lupulin 3x by Revision Brewing Company (Sparks, NV) - Triple IPA
This WC triple IPA doesn’t care about balance - from the start it’s all about dank, resiny flavors with a high level of bitterness throughout the sip. It’s a slap in your face but also a good change of pace from the more trendy hazy IPA. Not something to drink everyday but quite enjoyable.
1 Like
Double Nelson, Baby ! by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Starts with a hard to describe mix of fruitiness (grapes, kiwi, mango, peach) before it turns dank and herbaceous as one would expect from Nelson hops. Dry, medium bitter finish which lingers a bit. Quite interesting flavor profile with its single hop focus
1 Like
Bomb! by Prairie Artisan Ales (Krebs, OK) - Imperial Coffee Stout
Great sipping stouts with lots of dark coffee notes with some additional chocolate and toffee flavors in the background. Hints of vanilla add some slight sweetness. The chili adds some interesting tingling in the finish. Very light alcohol sweetness in the finish. As with most aged stouts drinking it not too cold really brings the different flavors together
Is there any brew–I hesitate to call this beer–that is too outre? Or are brewing versions of Gaga’s (maybe Prince’s) wardrobe what sells now?
I’m curious how long this was aged. Do you know? The bottle indicates it was filled 7 months ago.
I’m going to ask a brewmaster friend to come up with a set of additives for a trial, maybe something like adding meat to cider to make scrumpy. I’m thinking Twinkies or Hohos might be a good place to start. Or pork and beans, just to show off. Anything you’d like to try?
Hey, Stan, today would be D+11. How was your Crowlered beer, and when did you open it?
It would be interesting if someone here did a systematic analysis of how long canned-from-tap beer stays enjoyable. It’d be a good excuse to drink more beer–strictly in the cause of science.
Not sure what is so out there with this stout for you when it is a relatively common addition of coffee, cocoa and vanilla for a stout. Even the addition of chili is nothing unusual
I guess ‘outre’ is relative. I think this combination is a strained effort to be unique or differentiated from all the other brewers who are straining to do the same. This also, IMO, applies to the names and label art, mixing types and traditions.
It’s not all bad, but the trend is out of control.
So what would be wrong with a dank dark triple FIPA (Florida Keys) aged in alder on chili crunch and Twinkies? We could call it Hot Twinkster SXA, with an Anime skeletal Athabascan pirate weilding a Twinkie on the can. Brewed in Utah. Outre?
Let me guess you also only like a few dishes to cook with always the same ingredients? Cooking, baking and brewing (and other culinary work) should be very creative processes with no limitations. Always doing the same is very limiting and boring and doesn’t bring any progress and new developments.
With your mindset we would never have molecular gastronomy etc etc
2 Likes
Not at all. I think brewing, art and cooking are alike in that meaningful creativity springs from mastering what’s gone before. As in the brewer should know how to brew excellent versions of traditional beers before they should expect to succeed with outre riffs. So many of these craft brewers want to skip straight to the kewl with the arcane, obscure and dissonant.
Your bringing up molecular gastronomy supports my position more than it does yours. Sorry, Nathan.
Part of the general problem here is that there are so many good to great beers in traditional styles and with incremental riffs by far more experienced brewers that there isn’t much room for the garagiste-cum-crafter to replace them. Hence all the cleverness. I find a lot of that ridiculous, but you seem to value it as an end in itself.
Carry on.
You have said this before and again it is simply not true for many (commercial) brewers who have started with brewing “classic” styles before branching out and getting creative.
And Nathan might have written some influential books but he is far from a key figure within the development of molecular gastronomy (he has made it more popular for everyday consumer/cooks as it wasn’t captured in written form as much before) - many key chefs within the molecular gastronomy always had deep experience in “classical” techniques and cuisines. Many innovators within culinary disciplines (brewing, molecular gastronomy, patisserie etc.) often have a strong “classical” foundation
1 Like
Not all small, recent craft brewers are overly trendy and desperate for newness, but many, if not most, are. Certainly the majority who use the graphics and names du jour.
Nathan M. simply had the interest and the Microsoft Millions to put together the Book. That’s pretty much it, and why the mention favors my side.
C’mon, if I get Hot Twinkster SXA to market, are you in? Maybe a little pickle brine flourish?
It definitely doesn’t favor “your side” as these books are not relevant in the context of molecular gastronomy in restaurant kitchens.
And no, the type of graphics and names on cans/bottles doesn’t say anything about the quality of any beer or the experience of any of the brewers making any beer - nearly all of them have deep know of the brew techniques.
You’re arguing against youself on this, not with me.
I think you’ve had too much of your own KoolAid on how knowlegeable and experienced the rank and file of craft brewers are. Maybe you’re easily impressed, that’s fine.
Get a brew sculpture and some Corny kegs and give it a shot yourself.
You are amusing and easily confused
Ow.
Return of the Juice by Equilibrium Brewery (Middletown, NY) - Hazy DIPA
Excellent collaboration between two well known breweries which produced a very smooth, nearly creamy, hazy IPA with strong flavors of orange, pineapple and mango, followed by slight grassy, floral notes (but still overall more fruit-forward) and a dry, relatively low bitterness finish. Very well hidden ABV and easily drinkable.
2 Likes
