Saturday, June 4
I had my last Barrier Brewing Company Icculus Kölsch because we finally killed the keg at work! I am going to miss having something light and semi-fruity on draft.
When the Icculus popped, we replaced it with New Belgium Brewing Company Fat Tire. The company just started distributing in New York and has many beers I’m interested in trying. The Fat Tire is an American Amber Ale (5.2% ABV)
Appearance: clear amber, slightly off white head
Aroma: biscuit, caramel, slightly grassy hops
Taste: follows aroma, slight nut, flavour disappears pretty quick
Feel: light, watery, low carbonation
Overall: I expected more from this beer that it gave me. It’s not bad, but it’s also not amazing.
After having a table where a few of the customers were drinking Whiskey Sours, one of my co-workers was very in the mood for one after his shift ended and invited me to have one with him. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually had one before this. It was pretty good for being sour mix and well whiskey.
Monday, June 6
Today was Greg’s turn to bring in beer for our little beer club. Of the three options he brought, we chose to start with Lagunitas Brewing Company Aunt Sally.
Appearance: clear gold
Aroma: tart, slightly fruity, hoppy
Taste: sour, tart, citrus, apple?, malt, fruity hops
Feel: medium bodied, medium carbonation
Overall: I really liked this beer and was not expecting to. I don’t think I could drink more than a bottle of this at a time since even the small amount I had gave me a bit of a stomachache.
Our second beer was Boulevard Tropical Pale Ale.
Appearance: clear gold, long lasting white head
Aroma: tropical fruit, passion fruit, citrus, slight resin, yeast
Taste: follows nose, pineapple, grapefruit rind, resinous hops
Feel: thin, medium carbonation
Overall: I expected more from this beer. It wasn’t bad and it was very fruity, I was just wanted it to be something else in my mind. Maybe a floral hop as opposed to resin?
Our last beer of the night was DuClaw Funk (Blueberry Citrus Wheat).
Appearance: clear gold, minimal head
Aroma: lemon, blueberry, wheat, earthy
Taste: light blueberry, hops, grainy, lemon on the end
Feel: medium bodied
Overall: Not bad. I was hoping the blueberry would shine through more, but the hops and grains are the stars of the show in this beer.
Wednesday, June 8
I bought Bell’s Brewery Oatsmobile on Memorial Day so that I could drink it and get a nifty new badge on Untappd, however I’m an idiot and don’t keep up with badge deadlines and missed out on the badge by weeks.
Appearance: cloudy apricot/amber
Aroma: spicy, fruit (lemon and/or peach), light oatmeal
Taste: hoppy, grainy, light oatmeal, light citrus, light fruit
Feel: medium body, medium carbonation
Overall: I enjoyed this more than I though I would. I was expecting this grainy, malty beer that I would be unhappy with, but this was a lovely surprise.
I popped open a bottle of Harpoon Hibiscus Cider next. I had been looking forward to trying this cider for a while.
Appearance: pinky-red, cranberry juice, visible carbonation
Aroma: apples, hibiscus, tart fruit
Taste: sweet apples, slightly tart, less floral than the nose
Feel: light bodied, light carbonation
Overall: Enjoyable. You get much more hibiscus on the nose than in the taste, in my opinion. The flavours mesh really well together.
Two of my co-workers and I decided to go out for a bit and ended up at the bar closest to my house. Two of my favourite bartenders were working. We tried to order shots of Jack and grab a beer list, but one of the bartenders insisted on surprising us with drinks. He gave us Green Tea Shots, which I always forget have peach schnapps in them until I have one. (Not a peach fan.)
He then made us some Timmy’s Twisted Tea, which is pretty much just a Blue Long Island Iced Tea. I’m a sucker for blue drinks though. They made me happy.
After all that liquor, I decided it was time for a beer and asked for a Harpoon Camp Wannamango. I’ve had this at beer festivals this year, but I hadn’t had a whole bottle of it.
Appearance: from having this before, I know that it is a clear gold colour
Aroma: mango, grapefruit, lemon, light orange, very light hops
Taste: mango, tangerine/clementine, slightly bitter
Feel: medium body and carbonation
Overall: I like this beer. It’s not something I’d reach for very often, but it is a nice change of pace from all the citrus and berry beers.
Next, I ordered a Founders Rübæus. I got overly excited because it came in a can. I love canned beer. I’ve also had this beer many times before.
Appearance: from previous experience it’s a hazy dark pink
Aroma: raspberry preserves
Taste: raspberry preserves, slightly herbal hops
Feel: thick bodied, effervescent
Overall: This is a solid beer. I highly recommend it if you like raspberry.
For our last drink, I convinced Jeffrey, (who isn’t really a beer drinker), to order a round of Sixpoint Resin.
Appearance: copper coloured, from previous knowledge
Aroma: resin, pine, boozy, orange, sweet malt
Taste: so much resin, citrus peel, caramel malt, bitter
Feel: smooth, silky, medium-high carbonation
Overall: This is one of these beers that I love, but really need to be in the mood for. This beer is so dangerous because even though it’s 9% ABV, it’s so drinkable.
Until next time!
