Pipeworks Murderous

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #274/275) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 12.16.2013)

Style/ABV: English Barleywine, 9.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's cold and shitty and snowy outside, so a sweet, malty, English-style Barleywine seems like an appropriate way to cap off the night. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is hot off the press, and was bottled two weeks ago. The back of the bottle states:

Pipeworks Murderous

"A crime most fowl 
neath midnight's scowl
Black eyes made for peeking 
blackened beak for shrieking
What desire seeking 
your dreams made carrion reeking
Seek refuge, pray dawns light...
The sky is murderous tonight."

The beer pours into a hazy/swampy golden raisin-colored body. If you aren't privy to golden raisins, then you can also compare the beer's body to a murky brownish-red color. It is a swampy beer, and it kicks up a finger of caramel/amber head. This one appears to be nicely carbonated, which is good news as well. A hazy coating of head settles in, and there is some lacing and slick alcohol legs.

On the aroma...toffee, sugars, brown sugar, an apple/raisin/grape note, some vanilla sweetness, and a weird candy/bubble gum aroma. There's a lot of sappy/resinous hop stuff on the aroma as well, with a pretty strong English-style thing going on. Maybe some bread/toast.

I'm getting a ton of brown sugar in the taste, with some English-style yeast that reminds me of a toasty/bready ESB or Bitter. There's some sappy hops laying low in the mix, but they are subdued by the sweetness. I'm picking up some raisin and grape, with hints of vanilla and toffee. This one gets better as it warms.

I'm drinking this super fresh, so the aggressive toast/caramel/bread/toffee/Marzen-like malts really stand out, along with some grapey hops. It's not bad, and the brown sugar note that you get is nice, but it's very simple for the style. This has a full-bodied mouthfeel with good duration. Palate depth is average and complexity is average to below-average. There is good carbonation, and I'm not picking up much booze. Nevertheless, the sticky sweet and aggressive malts make this one a sipper for sure. This one rides that line between cloying/obnoxious and decadent. I'm getting big toffee, brown sugar, bread/toast, and aggressive malts up front; that rolls into more brown sugar, some sappy grape/raisin, subdued hops; the back end trails off with some hop bitterness, and lingering malt sweetness. I wonder how this one will age.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's okay...nothing that you need to run out and purchase. I do think this beer has potential to taste amazing if it is barrel-aged. And wouldn't you know it, Pipeworks has done just that. I may need to try to get my hands on the barrel-aged version of this, because frankly, I think the barrel character would add a much needed dimension of complexity. As far as food pairings here go...this is a dessert beer meant to be sipped solo after dinner, perhaps with a cigar, but if you must add food pairings go with strong cheeses, smoked meats, or creme brulee.

Random Thought: It's supposed to snow tomorrow into the new year....I'm excited. I don't have to work, I have beer, and yeah. Cheers to that! 

Pipeworks The Jones Dog (Tales From The Oak / Barrel Aged Imperial Jones Dog / aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 12oz bottle (Batch #75) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2012)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/Milk Stout, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight isn't a Thursday, but it has been a while since we've had an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™....so let's just pretend tonight is Thursday. And we can also pretend that the Bears don't suck, or that their horrible defense and safety-who-will-not-be-named didn't blow a freebie game against the Green Bay Packers. And that I don't have any feelings about that. And that tonight's beer is going to be amazing. Now that's optimism! About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer was bottled a long, long time ago. The early batch of Jones Dog that I reviewed was batch #65 and came out around 2012, by my estimation. I think that tonight's beer is that same beer, aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels. This beer is part of Pipework's "Tales From The Oak" series, and the back of the bottle states:

"Our Jones Dog Milk Stout, brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla bean, aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels."

Pipeworks The Jones Dog (Barrel Aged #75)

This one punches in at 11.0% and features some nice art work. The Buffalo Trace barrels were sourced from West Lakeview Liquors. This one pours into a dark brown body that looks deceptively darker/blacker than it really is. It is opaque, even in bright light, but you catch some serious brown tones. This one also pours with a finger of rapidly-dissolving, short lived brown head. the head was nice and brown, but has been the victim of dat whiskey burn. There is some nice lacing on this, along with some residuals along the glass, and carbonation is present in the body.

I'm getting two big things on the aroma...big, strong, bourbon-forward aromas and woody oak tannin and some vanilla. I'm also getting some big cocoa aromas, and some dark fruits ala complex boozy plums and figs, and some molasses.

Huh...werd. I like this, although I'm going to say right up front this isn't the most dense barrel-aged Stout nor the most complex. But this is well blended and very easy-going. Up front I'm getting a wash of cocoa, molasses, and dark fruits...that rolls into awesome barrel-aged character, with sweet bourbon, vanilla, oak, woody tannin, some tobacco/leather, and molasses with dark fruits. Once that starts to fade, I'm getting hit with lingering bourbon/vanilla/oak, some coconut, and a little roast and coffee and lingering Milk Stout goodness. I'm happy to see the base beer creepin' towards the back, and the barrel character stands out in the front. This is perfectly carbonated, so if anyone tells you this is under-carbonated they are wrong (or there is bottle variation).

This is sticky and sweet, and way too fucking drinkable for 11.0% ABV. It's a medium to full-bodied beer, but I'm leaning towards medium-bodied. The barrel character isn't too boozy or overwhelming, so it keeps things drinkable. Despite the slightly less dense body, this one still has fantastic palate duration and good palate depth. The complexity is somewhere in the mdidle for a barrel-aged beer. After a wash of cocoa, molasses, and dark fruits up front; you get big barrel character with oak, vanilla, some hints of coconut, oak/wood tannin, bourbon, booze; the back end trails off with lingering sweet bourbon, and some hints of the stout base. The finish is sweet, with sugar, vanilla, and bourbon trailing off on the finish. Overall...I honestly really like this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. I really, really like this...and I don't want to be contrarian just for the sake of being contrarian. But I've been reading reviews for this beer complaining that it's too thin or that the barrel character is too strong? Are people serious about that? Like, I'm curious how many of these people have had a wide range of barrel-aged Stouts, because this beer seems about par the course if not better than par the course. Anyway, I digress. As usual, I say, "fuck the haters." This is fantastic stuff, and I'm glad to see Pipeworks finally rolling these out. Also, I'm glad to see that Pipeworks is sticking these beers in 12oz bottles! Now I can crack one of these open without feeling guilty for drinking a whole 22oz bomber or 750ml bottle. Uh...food pairings here...rich, dry, chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and a cigar. 

Random Thought: Seriously though, as a Bears fan, my heart is so broken right now. I look forward to next year...and props to Jay for playing a great game. 

Hopvine: makin' beers and stuff

He went to Jared? I went to Jared. He did? Yeah. Oh wait, no. I went to Hopvine. Huuunnnugggahhh gaiz, am I in Indiana? 

Hopvine is a brewery brewpub micropub gastropub place that serves beer and food. Located next to rich white people, Hopvine is not in the ghetto like those whacky stoners, Lagoon-knee-toes. You can

Why not stop at Toys "R" Us while you are there

find Hopvine in the Valley of the Fox, in Aurora, Illinois. Hopvine is a little bit off the beaten path, but it's located next to familiar hot spots like Toys "R" Us and the Comedy Shrine. Wut more could you want from Indiana. 

The brew meister Ken McMullen has past experience working at the now closed, Limestone Brewing Company, in neighboring rich white people town, Plainfield, Illinois. Da chef guy, Tom Beckert, smokes foods and makes them really delicious. I wish I watched more Food Network but I had to stop after they fired my hero, Paula Deen. 

Now this ain't some fucking Yelp review and I'm not a master ceasaroni. I'm just a guy that likes beer and killing hookers. There's a couple of posts about Hopvine on Reddit, including this write-up in /r/ChicagoBeer and this review in the /r/ChicagoSuburbs subreddit (why is this even a thing? do any ladies want to meet up? hit me up on my gchat at BeerRapist47@gmail.corn). There's also the Daily Harold review at DailyHarold.com. And you can go to Yelp. But why would you go to Yelp? 

Alcoholism helps you forget! So order a tasting flight. That's beer lingo for samples of all the beers. The brewery had seven in-house beers on tap. And they even had the brewing equipment in the brewery brewpub micropub gastropub place that serves beer. It was pretty nifty. Okay, here are some quick notes on the beers before I black out:

I really love this. All breweries and bars should have detailed information like this. 

Number One: 

Splagna / German-Style Kolsch (4.59% ABV, 24 IBU) - Kohls? I don't even know what that means. Something about an Ale brewed at Lager temps or something. This doesn't even get hookers or kids that drunk. I guess it tastes really good though. It reminded me of a really well-made Pils-en-er, with tons of delicious, fresh, pleasantly soapy hops, and big biscuit/malt flavor. More crushable than a car full of dead... (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

Number Two: 

Urban Tumbleweed / German-Style Hefeweizen (4.86% ABV, 18 IBU) - Hey gaiz, this hefer-verizon is really good. I had really low expectations, because I really like the Reinhitlersgeobot, and I'm a big fan of German hefer-verizons. The brewery says this beer tastes like bananas and clove, and I agree. It's not the most complex hefer-verizon, but the banana and clove really shine and it is super clean. I know I'm rating it par the course, but you really should check this one out if you go to the brewery brewpub micropub gastropub place that serves beer. (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

Number Three: 

Aurora Amber / American Amber Ale (5.25% ABV, 23 IBU) - One time, I was disposing a hooker behind a theater, and I heard all these awesome noises, so I walked into this Stephen Shpeel movie called "Jurassic Park." Anyway, they were talking about how mosquiters get frozen in amber, and you can make dinosaurs out of them! This beer is okay, it's like clean and hoppy with some toasty malts and complex wheat bread. Pretty balanced and drinkable and goes well with their smoked/dry chicken wings, but it doesn't taste like dinosaurs. (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

Number Four: 

46 Saloons....India Brown Ale....46 Saloons....India Brown Ale...???? - okay, so here's what happened here. The next three beers in the tasting flight all looked kind of da same, you know? Some guy named Senior M invented this scaled called the Sr.M scale. It's like a color scale for the master race and then somehow brewers started using it or something. So anyway, the lovely server mixed up the 46 Saloons with the I.B.A. and don't worry I'll take care of that later but the important thing is I was able to figure it out even though I'm not a master ceasorni. 

46 Saloons / American Pale Ale (5.61% ABV, 68 IBU) - Described as a West Coast APA...look, I'm drinking a Zombie Dust right now. Do I need to say more? This one is kind of malty, with a bit of an extract/syrup thing, and lots of sugars. There's a nice woody and resinous pine flavor in the beer, with some orange and citrus. It seriously reminded me more of an IPA than an American Pale Ale, but like I said, I'm not an expert on ceasornis and zombie dust. (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

Number Five: 

Number One through Seven (starting with the kohls on the right)

I.B.A. (India Brown Ale) / India Brown Ale (6.67% ABV, 75 IBU) - I saw this episode of Dogfin Head!!! India Brown Ale isn't a category/style of beer!!!! Cam Salagioni is going to sue for copyright infringing. I guess this brown ale is made with 5 malts and 6 hop additions, and is then aged for like 1 year and 9 months or something. This was maybe my favorite beer of the night, really fucking good with complex woody notes, chocolate, roast, toast...and some nice piney hops to balance everything out. This beer cleans up nicely, unlike the ones that try to get away. (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

Number Six: 

Alpha Mastodon - Ella / Imperial IPA (~9% ABV, 95 IBU) - First. In their Mastodon series. Mastodon is what I ask the ladies to call my member. This beer features the Australian hop, Ella. Ella (formerly called Stella) is an Australian hop that grows in the spider nests of the Australian Funnel Web Spider. The rough environment gives the Ella hop profiles of anise and Peter Parker. This beer was good and has potential...I found it to be American Barleywine-esque, and a bit sweet. I jotted down notes of guava, apricot, fruit roll-ups, and plums. I can see where you might find anise in the beer. It's hoppy but in a fruity way, maybe a touch under attenuated? I don't know, I'm not like one of those neckbeard fisherman homebrewers. (3.5/5.0 Untappd). 

Number Seven: 

Ehrmagourd! Smerked Permpkin Perter/ Smoked Pumpkin Porter (5.18% ABV, 18 IBU) - This beer makes me want to go on a hooker-killing rampage. This beer is fucking delicious, with a thinner body that features complex and subtle malt, coffee, roast, pumpkin spice, and TONS of woody goodness. 

I don't know what the fuck the plebians on Yelp and Untappd are complaining about, but let's get two things straight. One, this isn't some Southern Tier PumKingWarlock beer. This is a Porter that is punching in at 5.18% ABV. This beer is not that robust! Think Texas Ranger Firestone Walker's Porter or the Dogfin Chicory Indian Tepee Stout. It's supposed to have a lighter body, dumbass.

Two...this beer is not that smokey. If you find the smoke flavor in this to be strong or offensive, you obviously haven't had the Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Baconator Hitler. Or any smoked beer for that matter. So stop talking.

This beer is misunderstood, like serial hooker killers. I really enjoyed the pumpkin spice and subtle coffee and roast tones in this beer. Is it the best pumpkin beer out there, no, not by a long shot. It's good though. (4.0/5.0 Untappd).

Number Eight: 

The Food - Okay gaiz, I need to go now, because I forgot to use a proxy. But let me talk about da food. Now I'm no Paula Deen even though I want a plantation wedding, but I thought the food here was like really good. You should check it out. Most of the food is like really smokey and smoked and I think they smoke their own food.

I ordered the "Hopvine Sampler" with a suggested Amber Ale beer pairing. The Sampler came with smoked chicken wings, pulled pork, ribs, summer sausage, and onion strings. I guess pulled pork is really hard to fuck up, because it's usually good wherever I go. The pulled pork at Hopvine is some of the best pulled pork I have had this year. I give it many praises. The smoked chicken wings are also out of this fucking world. I will be back just to get a plate full of those smoked chicken wings. The ribs fell off the bone and were as good as the pulled pork, and the onions strings were delicious. The only thing that fell a bit short for me was the summer sausage, which was just kind of "meh" comapred to the insanely good smoked offerings. More smokey than Denver, legalize it [420].

I also ordered the Poutine. Suggested drink pairing was some wine thing, which is totally gay. Garrett Olive would show up and fucking kill everyone and then sell overpriced beta copies of his Encyclopedio. Anyway, the Poutine was made with fries, rennards white cheese curds, green onions, and red wine demi. You should pair the Poutine with your Splagna Kohls or your I.B.A.. Poutine is pretty hard to fuck up (cheese, potatoes, gravy...come on!), and the poutine here is respectable. But DryHop and Chicago's Bad Apple have better poutine. Thank you French people. You raisied Canada's stock and made threesomes and anal okay. 

Some of the Yelp reviews are like "the pricing is really high," but ask yourself this. What type of yuppie prick writes Yelp reviews? The pricing is totally fine and in line with what you should expect when a real chef is cooking you delicious food to pair with your real beer. The pricing is acceptable, and within reason. It's not bad at all.

Number Nine: I took a crap - just kidding. Or am I? But there is a back exit, which is great for evading police or disposing of bodies. The facility and building is super nice. The decor is great. The whole brewery brewpub micropub gastropub place that serves beer has a nice ambience, and the place feels like a bar but a nice, upscale bar. It isn't fake as shit like Destihl in Urbana, so I dig it. I really like the location, and it feels like there will be plenty of room for busy Friday and Saturday nights. It's not the Roundhouse but it will do pig, it will do.

Number Ten: Check this place out. It's pretty fucking awesome, and a good microbrewery in the suburbs with reasonable beer and reasonable food. It's not Revolution and probably not Two Brothers, but it can certainly hold its own. Plus, it's not in the scary city like Loogie-nee-toos.

I give strong recommendations to the Splagna Kohls-style beer and the I.B.A.. The German Hefer-verizon and Pumpkin Ale are not far behind, and despite being flawed I kind of like their Imperial IPA. I also give strong recommendations to their pulled pork and chicken wings. The wings are amazing. Get on this if you can. For more info:

http://www.hopvinebrewingcompany.com/

https://twitter.com/hopvinebrewing

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hopvine/

New Glarus Black Top

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Black IPA, 6.9% 

Reported IBUs: ?

In Wisconsin the cows go "mooo." I'm pretty sure this is the last of the 12oz bottles, which is kind of sad for me. BUT, there are some fun fruit beers around the corner, so yay. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Black Top is a seriously tasty brew. I'm not going to lie, this beer is totally bangable. This Black IPA features notes of molasses and chocolate malt undertones, with a rush of clean citrus and pine notes. Or so says New Glarus. I get a lot more from this beer, so stick around.

New Glarus Black Top

In low light the beer starts by pouring into a dark red/brown body, but quickly turns into a mostly opaque, black body. This one kicks up a finger of sandy, gray/khaki head. The head departs with some lacing, and a nice cauldron effect forms atop the beer. If you shine a bright light through this beer, you can see right through it. It's ruby red with some popping carbonation. 

The aroma on here is super aggressive, as per the style. I'm getting blasted with a ton of super resinous, super woody, super dank citrus: namely grapefruit and orange, with some guava and apricot. I had this beer on tap in the New Glarus tasting room, and it's so aromatic and bright on tap...same story in the bottle. I'm also picking up some huge resinous pine and resinous pine sap on the aroma, along with some hints of chocolate, bitter dark chocolate, roast, and black molasses.

Wow...just wow on the taste. Straight away you get blasted with a mix of resinous pine and citrus, and then you get hit with some dusty dark chocolate, roast, coffee, and molasses. Once those flavors quickly subside, you get more super resinous pine, resinous citrus and guava, and intense hops. There's a rich peppery note in this, and I would suggest the perfect food pairing for this beer would be peppered steak. I'm wondering if they use some Nelson Sauvin hops in here, because I'm picking up some resinous passion fruit in the mix. This is just...the tits.

This beer is perfect. The palate depth and complexity are both off the charts for the style. The mouthfeel strikes a perfect balance: it's medium-bodied with good carbonation, impressive bitterness, tons of hop flavor, and some roast and dark malt character to boot. What I really like about this beer is that the balance is shifted towards the hops/fruity character. This beer never feels like a Stout or an IPA being bombarded with roast/black malts. That's a good thing, because many Black IPAs fall into that trap. And did I mention this beer is ridiculously drinkable for the fairly high ABV? This is probably my favorite Black IPA. You get blasted with resinous pine, citrus, tropical fruits, and hop explosion up front; that rolls into bitter pine, roast, bitter chocolate, subtle malt complexity; the back end trails off with lingering bitterness and complex dark malts, and finishes with resinous hops. The finish is dry and attenuated, with lingering sticky fruits. Delicious.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is just one of the best Black IPAs in the world. There, I said it. This beer has taken home medals, it's drinkable, it's complex, it's big and bold....it's just really, really fucking good. If you are in Wisconsin and you like beer, you have an obligation to buy some of this beer. This is some of New Glarus' best stuff, and yes, it's not a fruit beer. Food pairings for this beer: steak. Preferably something salty or peppery. Peppered steak or Salisbury steak sound just about right. New Glarus also suggests pairing this beer with Mexican food, and I agree! Some steak tacos or a steak burrito? Shiiiiit. Seriously, I'm going to drive across the border in a few weeks to get more of this. I cannot recommend this beer enough.

Random Thought: Seriously, this beer is the tits. I envy Wisconsin, because as far as I know, Illinois has nothing like this readily available. 

New Glarus Stone Soup

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Ale, 5.3% 

Reported IBUs: ?

I swear, there's just a few more bottles of New Glarus left! About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Stone Soup is a bit of a departure for New Glarus, at least in my opinion. This Belgian/Abbey-style ale combines pure Wisconsin barley malt, German and English hops, and Belgian "Monastic yeast" to create a sophisticated beer. I guess this beer is a hybrid of sorts. 

New Glarus Stone Soup

Along with American Ales, Belgian Ales are also my bag, baby. I'm just not an authority on German beer (or any beer, for that matter; see "shitty blog"). This one does look like a Belgian Ale, pouring into a radiant, hazy, farmhouse-looking body. The body is a juicy yellow color, and kicks up a finger of hazy white head. Bright light confirms the radiant yellow/orange color. It looks like Gatorade. And the head is definitely white, leaving some sea foam coverage and lacing. There is carbonation. 

There's a really nice malty character on the aroma. It's somewhere between wheat and Pilsner malt. I'm getting huge clove on the aroma, along with some banana, white sugar, and vanilla. I'm getting banana wafers and banana fosters, and a little caramel/sugar. There's lots of perfumey spice on the nose as well. New Glarus suggests a ginger character...I could see that, but it's not something that I would come up with.

I'm getting some nice bitterness as I sip on this...but mostly, I'm getting the elements of a refined Belgian Pale Ale. I'm picking up a ton of clove, zesty and perfume spice, some hints of lemons, Hefeweizen-like banana/clove/vanilla/white sugar, a little wheat, and some of that ginger that I might not have placed. It reminds me of a German Hefe with some elements of a typical Belgian Pale Ale/Belgian Golden Strong. There's a lot of flavor here, and I'm picking up some farmhouse character and Belgian funk. 

The beer here cleaned up nicely. It's attenuated, there are no cloying residual sugars, and it's very drinkable. It's like an Above-Average Belgian Ale. The body is creamy, carbonated, and medium-full. There's a surprising amount of heft here for a beer that is supposedly around 5.3% ABV. But again, it is drinkable. Palate depth is outstanding, and the complexity is pretty good. I'm getting some lemon and ginger zest up front; that rolls into more zesty citrus, including orange, and then you get the clove/banana/vanilla punch; the back end lays on some clove, with lingering Belgian/farmhouse yeast funk, some wheat and straw, and a super nice finish. I really like this, and would buy it again.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and maybe even higher. I really, really like this take on a Belgian Ale. This is maybe my favorite non-fruit beer from New Glarus. Super tasty stuff, and I'm really happy I stumbled upon this beer. This is something I would purchase by the case in the Spring or Summer months. I would pair this beer with meats and cheeses, fruit salad, light white pasta, white fish, mussels, calamari, peach cobbler and other fruity pies, and pork (as per New Glarus). 

Random Thought: My next beer is the last 12oz bottle...and then all I have left are the fruit beers. Woo-hoo!

New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale, 5.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Hooray for excess. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale is a sessionable "American Pale Ale" brewed with five hops, featuring a smooth malty backside. 

After all the crazy German-style Lagers, it feels good to be back at home reviewing an American Pale Ale. This beer pours into a super hazy, golden/orange body, and kicks up a finger of hop-fueled head. The head has just a twang of off-white color, and is leaving impressive lacing and all that good stuff. In bright light, this beer has a dank, hazy, juicy body...it's radiant, and there are nice streams of carbonation rising up. It's a good looking beer.

New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale

Oh man, oh man...that aroma. Wow. I'm getting big citrus on the nose, with vibrant tangerine, grapefruit, and some big, resinous orange. I'm also pulling out some pineapple, resin, and lots of hints of grass. There's a touch of bready malt and biscuit on the nose as well. It smells like an amped up APA.

The taste isn't quite as amazing as the aroma, but this is a well made American Pale Ale. I'm getting a ton of refreshing and grassy grapefruit, orange, grass, light strawberry, apricot, lightly resinous citrus, watery tangerine, and some mild hop spice. The beer is balanced with some light bread/biscuit, and the water has a slight edge that might be mineral? 

This is fucking good...somewhere between above average and world class. It's so crushable at 5.0%, I could drink a 6-pack of this in one night. The body is light-bodied with good carbonation, and the head is creamy and nice. The hops are potent but the beer isn't super bitter. There's some subtle malt balance but it is present. Palate depth is really good, and complexity isn't far behind. You get big, slightly spicy, citrus splash up front. I'm talking about grapefruit and citrus and some tropical fruit. That rolls into more hop spice and some resinous fruits in the middle. The back end cleans up with lingering hops, some biscuit/bread, and some welcomed dryness. Dayuuumn. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and one of the better Midwest American Pale Ales. This is super cheap, super drinkable, and will pair well with American bar food, wings, pizza, Mexican food, and pretty much whatever you throw at it. Highly functional, super flavorful, I would put this near the same level as Daisy Cutter and Zombie Dust. Wisconsin, you're doing it right.

Random Thought: Seriously, taking a break from Pale Ales and Stouts is like...weird. I love Lagers, but I feel like drinking this beer is returning balance to my sheltered, American universe. 

New Glarus Uff-da Bock

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Dunkler Bock, 7.3% 

Reported IBUs: ?

More Bocks? More New Glarus? Heck yeah. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Uff-da Bock is a Winter Bock brewed in the tradition of the Reinheitsgebot. New Glarus describes this as complex but smooth, with deep chocolate and coffee undertones.

New Glarus Uff-da Bock

In lower light, the Uff-da pours a dark amber, almost brown/red/mahogany color. The body is transparent, and kicks up two or three fingers of amber-tinted head. Head retention is nice, and there's some nice lacing. Bright light confirms the amber/copper body, and there's quite a bit of carbonation rising upwards in this. The body looks like pennies. Dat currency color.

I'm getting a surprising amount of aged Barleywine-esque pine and pine sap on the aroma. Beneath that is some serious Brown Ale-esque cocoa and dusty chocolate. I'm getting big cocoa/chocolate aromas, hinting at toffee and molasses. If there is coffee in the aroma, it's a nutty, hazelnut variety.

This one is pretty sweet up front, with bready and sugary cocoa dustings. I'm picking up some hints of earthy/bitter hops in the mix, and along with that is some hint of coffee. There's big malts, with bread/toffee/cocoa/sugars, but the finish is clean with some Noble-hop bitterness and a hint of Lager spice. There's some pine sap and tons of nuttiness and pine nuts in the taste. It has some balance, but this is definitely a hearty, Winter-esque Bock.

This one has a medium-full to full-bodied mouthfeel, and feels substantial like a Bock should. I wouldn't butt chug this beer, and you can definitely sip on this. Palate depth is great, and this has nice complexity. You get a wash of bready malts and cocoa dustings up front; that rolls into toffee, more sweet malts, and some hop bitterness; the back end is nutty, and you get some pine nuts. It's a nicely balanced and refined beer. The finish is malty-hoppy-dry. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and something you can sip on on a cold Winter day. The balance here is very nice, with intense malt sweetness, cocoa, nuttiness, and some mild piney hops. You could pair this beer with meats and cheeses, chocolate, or hearty winter dishes. You can also sip on this, preferably by the fireplace or on a cold Winter night. Good stuff, would by again.

Random Thought: This is a great outdoor hot tub beer. 

New Glarus Cabin Fever Bock

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Maibock, 6.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the lovely New Glarus beer...about New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Cabin Fever is a Maibock (BJCP / German Beer Institute) brewed with honey. Dubbed a "honey bock" by New Glarus, this pale bock beer is brewed with Wisconsin two row barley and European hops. Clover Honey is added in the kettle. 

New Glarus Cabin Fever Bock

The beer pours into a dark, golden body that is almost amber or bronze. Would it be cliche to say it's a honey color? I kicked up two fingers of sticky, just off-white head. The head is sustaining nicely, and there is some nice lacing. In bright light the beer is a transparent golden color, and big carbonation bubbles are popping upwards with a stream of smaller bubbles on the side.

The aroma on this is pretty straightforward. I'm getting big bready malts, some grain/biscuit, and lots of honey sweetness. There's some big toast on the nose, with some Pils/Munich malts, and a hint of mild, floral hops. 

The taste is a good follow through of the nose, with big bready malts driving the beer. I'm picking up some honey, toast and toasty notes, a little bread/biscuit, some raw Munich/Pils malts, and some light fruity hints. I'm also getting some very mild floral/earthy hops. 

This is solid for the style, and very drinkable for the moderate to higher ABV. You don't pick up any alcohol in this, and the bready malts should appeal to all the people that can't stand hoppy beers. The beer is clean, and the mouthfeel is medium-bodied. There's a lot of carbonation to smooth things along. Palate depth is great, and complexity is okay. You get honey and bready/sweet malts up front; that rolls into some toasty notes and more sweet malts; you pick up some light hops on the back, and the beer finishes bready and sweet.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this, almost leaning towards a 4.0 and Above-Average. This is a notch above being just par the course, as the honey really comes out and defines this beer and makes it memorable. Really good stuff, and the shift towards that bready balance means this would pair well with Winter or early Spring, and German-style food. Good stuff, and a beer I might seek out again from New Glarus if it was available.  

Random Thought: Mmmm...Bockbier. 

New Glarus Two Women Lager

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: German Pilsener, 5.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

More New Glarus? Yup. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Two Women Lager is probably a nod to the kind-of-ugly but kind-of-hot women Packers fans you find all over the fabulous state of Wisconsin. Two might be even better than one, or maybe not. In the beer's description, New Glarus references women brewers of days gone by as this beer's inspiration, including Sumerian women, Viking Women, and European Ale Wives, but I'm still going with that conflicting cheese head threesome. I need to reinforce sexist e-stereotypes while alienating a potential woman audience. This collaboration brew (New Glarus Brewing and Weyermann Malting) is described as being a classic "country Lager" brewed with floor malted Bohemian malt (Google that shit) and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. Some people would dub this beer a German Pilsner or Pilsener if you like Bohemian grammatical dick wizardry. 

New Glarus Two Women Lager

This beer pours darker than I was expecting. The body is a dark amber/caramel color, and the beer kicks up a finger or two of amber-tinted head. The body is transparent, and large carbonation bubbles stream upwards. In bright light, the beer takes on a dark gold/bronze color. Head retention is good, and there is some lacing. 

The aroma is reminiscent of a Pilsner, though I'm getting some additional hop kick and some Lager-yeast-spice. Maybe I'm just blinded by cognitive Christmas bias, but I'm getting some floral hops in here that remind me of pine, evergreen, and juniper. There's also a biscuit/grain character on the nose, and some Lager-yeast spice. Honey/sweet as well.

The taste mirrors the nose, with sweet malts, honey, and some nice evergreen/juniper hops. This is sweet, with the malts/honey almost hitting grape, apple, and saffron. The water has a little bite, and the beer is nicely attenuated.

So personal preference here...I like my Pilsners a bit more bready, dry, and less sweet. This is a rustic beer, and lives up to its "country lager" name. It's not bad, and the sweetness is not cloying. To me, it tastes about par the course. Palate depth is okay, complexity is okay. This is light-bodied with good carbonation, but for my preference it's a bit sweet. You get sweet malts up front with a crisp hop bite and some fruits; that rolls into some grain and more sweet malts, there's a kiss of hops/fruit; the back end trails off with some hops and sweet malts, and it finishes sweet and dry.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. Like the women of Wisconsin, there's an allure, but it's buried beneath a cheese head hat and an extra 45 pounds. Sure, it's cheap and easy, but the aftermath is a little too sweet and sticky. Also, fuck the Packers. Food pairings: a rustic beer calls for rustic chicken and potatoes, or any countryside dish. This beer also seems like it would pair well with all the Swiss food you can get in New Glarus. I don't hate this beer, but I'd only seek it out in a mix pack, and not as a solo venture.

Random Thought: I think that just about does it for tonight. Four down...many more to go. 

New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Brown Ale, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: ?

The New Glarus train just keeps on rolling... About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale is inspired by....fat squirrels. I guess that makes sense. Brewed with six different malts, all from Wisconsin, and featuring hops from Slovenia, Bavaria and the Pacific Northwest, this bottle conditioned beer is described as having clean, nutty notes. 

New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale

This one pours surprisingly dark...like a dark brown with some red and mahogany tones. I kicked up a finger of off-white head. In bright light the beer is a semi-transparent orange color, with an amber head that is sustaining nicely and depositing some nice lacing. There's some nice carbonation rising upwards as well. 

The aroma smells like a Brown Ale. I'm getting a lot of nuttiness, some faint cocoa, a little toast and light caramel/toffee and molasses. It's a clean nose, and there's a hint of hops on the aroma as well. 

I'm getting a lot more hops in the taste, with some floral and even mildly bitter flavors coming through. There's also a ton of nuttiness in the taste, with some added toast and toffee/caramel-malt sweetness as well. It's clean and refreshing, but quite sweet. 

This is like your typical Brown Ale...the palate depth is great, and the boutique of flavors is good, but the complexity is a bit 1-D. It's drinkable and good, and a good representative of the style. It's not a Brown Ale whale. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and has good density, but is supported by spot on carbonation. You get sweet malts, nuttiness, and dusty cocoa up front; that rolls into more sugars, some hops, more nuttiness; the back end trails the hops, and it lingers with toast and toffee/caramel. 

Rating: Strong Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This isn't a bad beer, it's just a Brown Ale. I feel like there are more interesting Brown Ales out there. What this beer does have going for it is the clean yeast profile and the relatively clean profile of the beer overall. Also, despite being a bit 1-D, the flavors present have good depth. I'd buy it if I lived in Wisconsin, but I'm not ISO for this. The cocoa overtones would pair well with dry ribs, barbecue, and dry chocolate desserts. 

Random Thought: One more to go for the night...

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Berliner Weiss

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 3.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

DAE New Glarus beer? About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Berliner Weiss is part of the New Glarus' 2013 Thumbprint Series, and rolled out in May and June. If I'm reading New Glarus' description correctly, this beer is barrel fermented and features Riesling grapes and Wisconsin White Wheat malts. This beer is bottle fermented with five proprietary yeast strains. 

New Glarus Berliner Weiss

The beer pours into a super hazy yellow/straw body, and kicks up two or three fingers of fluffy, super white head. The head is sustaining with some authority, but doesn't look quite par the course for a wheat beer. You can tell that something is up, hopefully a good infection. Bright light confirms the hazy, lemonade-colored body, and bright white head. There's a mix of peppery carbonation and big carbonation bubbles popping upwards. It looks like a Berliner.

The aroma is pretty subtle and subdued. I'm getting some nice lactic funk: there's some fresh rain, musty attic, wet leather, and some lemon funk. I'm also getting some nice hints of wheat on the aroma. 

This is super nice, with bright sweetness...there's some nice lactic funk and lemon tartness, and some watermelon, tart apple, and hints of grape. As I swish this beer in my mouth, I pick up some of the creamy wheat, and then BIG watermelon starts popping on this...almost like watermelon bubblegum. The tartness is driven by lactic-lemon goodness.

Good lord, this stuff is fantastic. This is super refreshing and super drinkable. You want to buy this up by the case to savor in large quantities during the hot summer months. Palate depth is great, and there's some nice complexity. This also has a nice balance of funk, tartness, and flavor. I get kicked with lactic-lemon up front; that rolls into big watermelon, some apple and grape; the back end dials up the watermelon and ends tart and dry. If you swirl the beer in your mouth you pick up some creamy carbonation and watermelon. The mouthfeel is light-bodied and refreshing. Tart.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. What a great beer. I admit I'm a bit biased as I love these light, tart, wheat beers...but yeah. I'd love to have a case of this in my fridge come July or early August. I would pair this beer with a fruit or vegetable salad, grilled chicken, white fish, and summer/patio food. The best part? 4-packs of this retail for like $10. 

Random Thought: Just wait...there's still a lot more New Glarus left...