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craft beer review

Troegs Java Head Stout – Video Review

June 20, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Es-_sJK7eA’]

This is the Snobby Beer review of Java Head Stout from Tröegs Brewing Co in Hershey, PA. This year-round beer features coffee that is added via the hopback vessel, where the hot wort passes through what is essentially a giant French Press on its way to fermentation. This is also one of the first stouts that got me into craft beer!

This beer is available year round in the Dayton area wherever quality beers are sold.

From the Troegs website:Troegs Java Head Stout

“Alcohol by Volume: 7.5%
Hop Bitterness (IBUs): 60
Color (SRM): Black
Availability: Year Round
Malts: Pilsner, Crystal, Chocolate, Roast
JuJu: Oats, Blend of Coffee Beans
Hops: Cluster, Chinook, Cascade
Yeast: Unfiltered Ale

JavaHead Stout contains a blend of locally roasted espresso and Kenyan coffee beans by St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown, PA.

JavaHead’s recipe is based off of our original oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel on it’s way to fermentation. Packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of ground coffee beans, the hopback vessel is similar to using a huge French press, intensifying the coffee nose and releasing subtle hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouthfeel balanced with cocoa, roasted barley and subtle coffee flavors.

FOOD COMPLIMENTS
Cheese (earthy; Camembert, Fontina) General (Chocolate, Dessert) Meat (Shellfish, Smoked Meat)

Serving Suggestions:
Temp: 50-55°F Glassware: Pint or Mug”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: Beer, beer review, Craft Beer, craft beer review, hopback, java head, java head stout, max spang, oatmeal stout, snobby beer, Stout, troegs, troegs brewing, troegs java head

Insanity! A Beer Review

April 11, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5xwhn7Njg0′]

This is the Snobby Beer review of Insanity from Weyerbacher Brewing Company in Easton, Pennsylvania. This seasonal beer is a bourbon barrel aged version of their year-round English Barleywine, Blithering Idiot. Clocking in at a whopping 11.1% ABV, this beer is big and bold. You may have seen my text review of this beer, but this is a beer that I feel deserves a video review!

From the Weyerbacher website:

Weyerbacher Insanity“Insanity is made by aging our perfectly balanced Blithering Idiot Barleywine in oak bourbon casks. This incredible combination creates a mélange of flavors from rich malts, raisons, and dates to oak, vanilla, and bourbon. Insanity will be yours this February!!!

Insanity is 11.1% ABV. It is best enjoyed in a brandy snifter and served at 45-55ºF.”

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the text review for this beer:

APPEARANCE

This beer is extremely murky. Reddish-brown with almost no light coming through. The head was about a finger and disappeared completely after a few moments. Admittedly it’s not the prettiest beer, but you can tell from the looks that it is good and hearty. It looks like a typical unfiltered barleywine.

SMELL

Lots of biscuit in the nose. The oak comes through, as do raisin and dark fruits such as plums and overly-ripe apricots. A very slight tinge of alcohol comes through, but not as much as one would expect from a 11.1% beer. As it warms, the alcohol becomes more pronounced yet it’s still fairly well hidden. There is a hint of spice such as cloves or nutmeg, albeit they are very mild.

TASTE

Ah – this is everything I like in a good barleywine. Tons and tons of dark fruits – dark overly-ripe cherries, plum, raisin, and apricot. I am reminded of cognac while I sip due to the wonderful fruit flavors. It’s very sweet, in fact it is almost syrupy which, in this case, is very pleasant.There’s a large amount of bread and biscuit flavors. The alcohol is extremely hidden in this beer, there’s only a slight taste of the alcohol after you swallow. The oak is sort of an afterthought, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if the smell didn’t come through. The aftertaste lasts and lasts, almost never quite leaving the mouth.

Weyerbacher InsanityMOUTHFEEL

This one’s a sipper. It’s very thick and syrupy with almost no carbonation. It’s slightly warming, but not as much as you’d think for having such a high ABV. It’s not easy drinking by any means, but rather the type of beer you sit and enjoy over the course of an hour (or longer!).

OVERALL

Excellent, excellent English style Barleywine. It’s got all of the delicious dark fruits and biscuit notes, and the oak adds a really nice bit of complexity that makes you crave more. This almost reminds me of Dogfish Head’s 120 Minute IPA as far as the extreme fruit flavors. I don’t know how old my bottle was (couldn’t find a date anywhere), but I can tell this beer ages b-e-a-utifully. This is an awesome beer and is relatively easy to find (if you get Weyerbacher, that is) so I am definitely going to hold this beer in very high regards. Grab a few of these for the winter months, and enjoy in your favorite reading chair while snuggling up under some covers before bed.

Cheers.

SCORE: ★★★★ 4/5

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

This review is also available at Snobby Beer.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: barley wine, barleywine, barrel aged, Beer, beer review, blithering idiot, bourbon, bourbon barrel, Craft Beer, craft beer review, Insanity, max spang, snobby beer, weyerbacher, weyerbacher brewing, weyerbacher insanity

Sixpoint Bengali Tiger Video Review

March 21, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdS0CqRc3hs&’]

Brand new to Ohio! This is the Snobby Beer review of Bengali Tiger from Sixpoint Craft Ales in Brooklyn, New York. Sixpoint produces beers that are available in cans, and just recently became distributed in Ohio. The website claims that this beer is inspired by a homebrewed IPA.

From the Sixpoint website:Sixpoint Bengali Tiger

“What immortal hand or eye. Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
The Sixpoint homebrewed IPA interpretation. Blaze orange in color, with an abundance of citrus hop bitterness, and a full pine and grapefruit bouquet in the aroma.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: american ipa, Beer, beer review, bengali tiger, Craft Beer, craft beer review, india pale ale, ipa, max spang, review, sixpoint, sixpoint bengali tiger, sixpoint craft ales, snobby beer

Bell’s Black Note Stout Review

February 22, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

Bell's Black Note Stout

Black Note Stout from Bell’s Brewery, Inc. is a blend of their Expedition Stout and Double Cream stout. It is then aged in retired bourbon barrels for months. I was lucky enough to try this beer on tap at Chappy’s Taproom. This beer was recently released in bottles in extremely limited quantities for the first time.

From the Bell’s website:

One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso & dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at the stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark.

Alcohol by Volume: 11.5%
Original Gravity: 1.112
Shelf Life: N/A

APPEARANCE

Well, what do you expect? It’s black as night, and sat under a mocha-colored head that dissipated quickly. There was no lacing, but the beer had some pretty apparent alcohol legs. There wasn’t any light coming through on this one. With a name like Black Note, would you expect anything else?

SMELL

This is heavy on the bourbon in the nose, which brings notes of vanilla and toasted coconut. There is a lot of nice complexity that ranges from sweet to slightly boozy. A hefty amount of chocolate and licorice comes through, and brings a bit of coffee and roasted malt with it. This is the type of beer that you get full from by just smelling – there is a LOT going on!

TASTE

First off, this beer is remarkably smooth. The bourbon is not as strong as it was on the nose, but it is definitely present. With it, the bourbon brings notes of vanilla, licorice, and toasted coconut come out. Surprisingly, the alcohol is very well hidden. The beer starts off milky sweet, with smooth caramel and toffee characteristics, then finishes with a nice hoppy bitterness. The bourbon lasts a long time after the swallow, making this beer have an absolutely amazing after taste.

Bell's Black Note Stout Label

MOUTHFEEL

This beer drinks like a pillow – it’s smooth! It has a velvet-creamy mouthfeel, sort of like melted chocolate. There isn’t much carbonation, which adds to the creaminess. The beer has a nice big body which makes it a sipper. The intense aftertaste lingers for an extremely long time.

OVERALL

This beer is incredible. It can hang with the big boy bourbon barrel aged brews and hold its ground. It’s a special beer from a brewery that is arguably one of the best brewers of stouts. I wouldn’t say that this is the barrel-aged stout to end all barrel-aged stouts, but it is absolutely incredible and worth seeking out.

Cheers.

SCORE: ★★★★ 4/5

This review can also be found at Snobby Beer.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: Beer, beer review, bell's brewing, bells beer, bells black note, black note, black note stout, chappy's, chappys taproom, Craft Beer, craft beer review, Dayton, double cream stout, expedition stout, max spang, snobby beer

Craft Beer Goes Gluten Free – Dogfish Head Tweason’ale Review

February 15, 2012 By Max Spang 1 Comment

Dogfish Head Tweason'ale

Tweason’ale from Dogfish Head is a gluten free, sorghum based beer brewed with strawberries and honey. This is the first 4 pack in the Dogfish Head lineup in 5 years. Dogfish Head certainly isn’t the first brewery to make gluten free beer, but this is arguably the biggest release of a beer of this type.

From the Dogfish Head website:

The No. 1 thing Dogfish lovers ask for at our pub, in our brewery and on our website is a gluten-free beer. But not just any gluten-free beer — they want gluten-free with gusto.

 

“It seems as if lots of folks who have gluten-tolerance issues are pining for an interesting beer,” says Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione. “While there are a few well-made examples that mirror traditional beer styles, there arent any off-centered offerings.”

 

Enter Tweason’ale.

 

For our first new 12-ounce 4-packs in nearly half a decade, we replaced the classic barley foundation of beer with a mild sorghum base. The hints of molasses and pit-fruit are balanced by vibrant strawberry notes and a unique complexity that comes with the addition of a malty buckwheat honey.

 

We believe health-conscious beer drinkers and the millions of Americans who suffer from Celiac disease can cut back on gluten while relishing the distinction and drinkability of this very special brew.

 

Tweasonale is a seasonal for between the seasons. It will first hit shelves in late January 2012 and will be released four times a year through our national network of distributors.

 

This beer was pretty labor-intensive to make, but it was a beautiful process. We invited our artist friends Jamie and Kevin to come document our brew with their ultra-cool Cinemagraph process. Check out the process here.

 

Original Release Date:

 

07/2011

 

Food Pairing Recommendations:

 

Fatty fish, dried fruit, salted nuts

 

Wine Comparable:

 

Rose

 

Here is my review for this beer.

 

APPEARANCE

 

Beautiful stuff – it’s a crystal clear honey-blonde color. The head was small and didn’t stick around for very long, but there was some nice visible carbonation in the glass sort of like champagne. In fact, this beer looks a lot like champagne due to its clarity. I must say it makes me thirsty just looking at it!

 

 

SMELL

 

The strawberry comes through and creates a nice, refreshing aroma. It’s on the border between smelling like fresh fruit and artificial fruit, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. It’s followed by an unusual earthy aroma, and perhaps grassy notes and baker’s yeast. The honey is subtle, but present. Overall, this a nice smelling fruit beer.

 

TASTE

Dogfish Head Tweason'ale Label

 

This beer has some interesting flavors! The strawberry comes out, bringing some nice sweetness and slight tartness. There’s sort of a spicey character, not quite like Belgian yeast notes (clove, banana, etc) but more like fresh or candied ginger. There’s some slight earthiness in there, but not as much as the nose. A yeast flavor comes through as it warms. It almost reminds me of sparkling grape juice in terms of flavor.

 

MOUTHFEEL

 

 

This is a really light beverage. There isn’t much body to it, which makes it extremely easy drinking. It’s nice and effervescent, and it doesn’t really feel like beer. It feels more like champagne or even soda due to the dryness and the high carbonation.

 

OVERALL

 

Not a bad brew in the least bit! I grabbed a whole 4 pack, and I’m glad that I did. It’s got some really nice flavors and is super easy to drink, so this is a beverage for both people who like beer as well as people who don’t. It’s nice to see a fairly large craft brewery like Dogfish Head produce a gluten-free beer that people with or without gluten allergies can appreciate. The lack of body makes the brew a little under-satisfying, but the complex flavors make up for it.

 

Cheers.

 

SCORE: ★★★ 3/5

This review can also be found at Snobby Beer.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: Beer, beer review, Craft Beer, craft beer review, DaytonDining, dogfish head, dogfish head tweason'ale, Gluten Free, gluten free beer, honey, max spang, snobby beer, sorghum, sorghum beer, strawberries, tweason, tweason'ale

Bell’s Hopslam – Video Review

January 24, 2012 By Max Spang 3 Comments

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEsjL3FTXgs’]

This is the Snobby Beer review of Hopslam from Bell’s Beer, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Hopslam is an American Imperial IPA ( or double IPA ) that gets tons and tons of hype when it is released each year. Hopslam is brewed with six different hop varieties and honey to create a complex flavor and body.Bell's Hosplam

There’s also a nice little shout out to the guys at the Better Beer Authority! Cheers, guys!

From the Bells website:

“Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repertoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

This post can also be found at Snobby Beer.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: american ipa, Beer, beer review, bell's brewing, bells beer, bells hopslam, better bear authority, Craft Beer, craft beer review, double ipa, hopslam, iipa, imperial ipa, ipa, james knott, kalamazoo, max spang, michigan, snobby beer, snobby beer review

The Brew Kettle White Rajah – Video Review

January 20, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHw-nL7hgBM’]

A fantastic beer made right here in Ohio!

This is the Snobby Beer review of White Rajah from The Brew Kettle in Strongsville, Ohio. White Rajah is an American IPA that has been getting a lot of attention. I feel like I don’t showcase enough of the fantastic beers from my home state of Ohio, so I’m trying to fix that!

From the Brew Kettle website:The Brew Kettle White Rajah

“A West Coast style IPA full of citrus-like and tropical fruit like hop flavor and aroma with an assertive yet smooth bitter finish….malt, take a back seat please.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: american ipa, Beer, beer review, brew kettle, brew kettle white rajah, Craft Beer, craft beer review, india pale ale, ipa, max spang, review, snobby beer, snobby beer review, the brew kettle, the brew kettle white rajah, white rajah

Natural Light ( Natty Light ) – Video Review

January 10, 2012 By Max Spang Leave a Comment

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UOJbI0lg2g’]

This is the Snobby Beer review of Natural Light (AKA Natty Light) from Anheuser Busch in St. Louis, Missouri. Natural Light is a light lager served in cans and bottles. The beer has a reputation as being a college student’s beer of choice due to it’s affordability.

Hey, every beer deserves a fair review!

From the Anheuser Busch website:

“Natural Light is a wonderfully blended, balanced and brewed for a consistently clean flavor, light body and satisfying refreshment. Introduced in 1977, Natural Light was Anheuser-Busch’s first reduced-calorie light beer.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: Anheuser Busch, Anheuser Busch inbev, Beer, beer review, bmc, bud, bud light, budweiser, cheap beer, Craft Beer, craft beer review, inbev, macro beer, macro lager, max spang, missouri, natty, natty light, natty light review, natty lite, natural ice, natural light, natural light beer, natural light review, snobby beer, st louis

Rivertown Lambic – Snobby Beer Video Reviews

December 6, 2011 By Max Spang 2 Comments

This is the Snobby Beer Review of the Lambic made by Rivertown Brewing Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio. The beer style is a lambic, which goes through what is called spontaneous fermentation where natural yeasts and bacteria are used to ferment the beer. Lambics are known for their “wild” flavors, which may include sourness and what is affectionately referred to as “funk”.

It’s a very interesting style, and it was brewed right here in Ohio! This beer is the 2010 vintage. It can still be found at finer bottle shops in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and other areas where Rivertown is distributed.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afijtisA5Q4′]

 

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

Filed Under: Dayton On Tap Tagged With: Beer, beer review, cincinnati, cincinnati beer, Craft Beer, craft beer review, lambic, max spang, ohio, ohio beer, rivertown brewery, rivertown brewing, rivertown lambic, snobby beer, snobby beer review

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