Revolution Deth By Cherries 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2017
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 13.1%
Reported IBUs: 27

In keeping with my plan to review Revolution's 2017/2018 lineup of barrel-aged beers, I'm looking at the 2017 vintage of Deth By Cherries. Deth's Tar is Revolution's barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout, and the base for their Deth by Cherries, Cafe Deth, VSOD, Double Barrel VSOD, and a handful of variants that were tap-only.

The can reads: "Unfermented tart cherries add a mild acidity and subtly rounding sweetness to our Deth's Tar Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. Flavors and aromas of bourbon and oak meld harmoniously with the fruit, each balancing the other. Enjoy now or store cold." 

The appearance is basically mantit for hipster tat to Deth's Tar. It looks stocky, probably under-dressed in clothes slightly oversized. It waits patiently in line. It's black. Wait...

Revolution Deth By Cherries 2017

This smells amazing, by the way. Take everything that could be better about Deth's Tar, dial up the chocolate, and throw in the cherries. My untappy notes said, "surprisingly balanced and barrel forward. Cherry w/ dark truffle, wood tannin, light kiss of bourbon and vanilla. Nice alcohol, whiskey." I DO get a lot of wood and barrel on the nose. The woody notes are really surprising. I also get a lot of chocolate a la those chocolate truffles. The cherry note on here is natural and integrates with the raisin notes from the whiskey. It definitely inspires some cherry-chocolate liquor comparisons.

So how does it taste? Well, amazing. This is really a pleasure to sip. The depth and duration are huge, and the layers are complex. The finish smacks you with vanilla and bourbon, and then lingers with warming alcohol heat and spice. The front end is loaded with fudge, chocolate truffles, bourbon, and then cherries. The cherry sweetness really shows up in the middle, with slightly tart natural cherries. I'm getting a lot of cherry skins, raisin-cherries, and light acidity. It never drifts into sour territory, and the cherry note is very much restrained. Unlike numerous other cherry beers (many featured previously on my blog), this never dabbles in cherry pie filling.

Fruited stouts are the type of thing that can divide a beer community. I would say this is one of the better ones. Aggressive sips are revealing for me some of that splintered wood and raw barrel power you get in the base. There's some anise hugging the edges of this too. I bet this ages pretty good for a few years. As it sits out, I get more fruit. Full-bodied, complex, long duration, good depth, good sipping beer...front loaded fudge/chocolate...fruity mids...fade out to vanilla, bourbon, and spice/heat.

Rating: STRONG Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Cherry pie, be gone! The fact that "cherry pie" or "cherry pie filling" are completely absent from my review should be a positive thing for 99% of beer drinkers. This is a legit fusion/addition of cherry to an amazing base beer, and the big ass wood, barrel, anise, bourbon, and Stout presence holds up and integrates well with the lightly tart cherry notes. Revolution, I tip my hat to you.

Random Thought: So where does this stack up as a variant? Or just in general? For me....I would go DBVSOD > VSOD > Deth By Cherries > Cafe > Reg. I understand RevBrew is doing a currants variant next year, I'm sure that will be awesome.

Middle Brow Show Me Love

Brewed By: Middle Brow Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 12.7oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2016 

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Saison, 6.9% ABV

Reported IBUs: ?

I'm popping my Middle Brow cherry by popping a raspberry saison. It sounds pretty great, actually.

Middle Brow Beer Company is a CHARITABLE brewery founded by a group of home brewers in Chicago, Illinois. 50% of their proceeds go to courageous people who are fighting to improve the community..

The Show Me Love is a "farmhouse ale aged in wine barrels with raspberries." Ingredients here include a brettanomyces blend, seedling farms raspberries, and cabernet sauvignon barrels. "A portion of the profits from every bottle sold go to Cure Violence, a Chicago-based international violence prevention program."  

Middle Brow Show Me Love

A hard pour yields some cackling carbonation that quickly settles into a lifeless, juicy beer. The body of this beer is shades of ruby and orange, and it is comparable to the color of the inside of a grapefruit. Little dots of carbonation explode on the beer's surface, indicating that the beer is properly carbed. If you shine a bright light through the beer you can pick up yeast sediment suspended in the body. 

The aroma on this is wonderful. There is griping acidity: apple cider vinegar, sour fruits, and WOOD. There is some oak and leather. There is definitely a red wine aspect to the aroma that comes through. I'm getting rich, red grapes, and big sour cherries. There's also a seedy aroma to this, like the pit of a very sour blackberry. 

This is really interesting to taste. There's an airiness to the mid-palate...but more on that in a minute. Up front I'm getting a lot of jammy fruits: namely raspberry, strawberry, and some sour cherries. There is a good amount of Saison character up front, and it has a fruity, farmhouse character. The back-end of the front palate drops the oak and wood. The lingering flavors on the back palate include wine barrel, white wine, oak, gooseberry, sour cherry, and faint cabernet sauvignon. There's also a light kiss of alcohol and observable heat on the back.

Structurally, this is a vinous beer. It is very dry and juicy, and the carb is flat and even. The palate progression is really interesting. The front end is loaded with all those interesting fruit and farmhouse notes, and the mids kind of drop out a bit. And then you get hit with a lot of the barrel, oak, wood, and wine notes. I really think this is a beer that unfolds in two waves. There's actually a lot of complexity here, and this is a sophisticated brew. This is definitely one to think over.

Rating: Average (3.25/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This has a ton of complex nuance, and reminds me of Goose Island's Lolita. The jammy fruits are there, and the barrel complexity and wine notes are on point. It's a little acidic, and the airy mids leave me wondering if some small changes can really push this beer into the realm of divine beers. I would definitely recommend picking this up to try. 

Random Thought: Speaking of Lolita...the prohibitive price on GI's Sisters has relegated them to shelf turd status. I can literally walk into my nearest Jewel (a middle-of-the-road, regional grocery store) and walk out with $26 bottles of GI sours. I guess times could be worse. 

Pipeworks Cherry Murderous "The Lookout" English Barleywine Style Ale brewed with Cherries

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #755) bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (bottled 07.02.2015)

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

Pipeworks has arrived...and it's been a while since I have reviewed anything from them. So here we go. I've previously reviewed the regular Murderous, as well as the barrel-aged Murderous. I think this is a pretty average beer, so I'm curious to see how the cherries work out. 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.

The Cherry Murderous "The Lookout" bottle reads: 

"Rejoice in the return of your best friend! Your trusty lookout had not been completely lost, although different now from time spent apart, he still sees all through midworld. Albeit with a tinge of red washing over his view. Rest him on pommel or table, and let The Lookout guide you on your journey. "

Pipeworks Cherry Murderous

This is a thick, slow-pouring, hazy beer. It's unfiltered and riding some line between brown/orange/red, with a thick orange head that doesn't last for very long. Overall though, it looks good, and it looks the part for the style. 

Oh man, that aroma. This doesn't really smell the part of an English-style Barleywine. It smells like a malty bock mixed with Sam Adams' Cherry Wheat. I'm actually a fan of the Cherry Wheat, but that comment is going to read like a slap in the face for many. The cherry aroma does leave you with the impression of cherry skins, some cherry fruits, and some cherry pits. It drifts into medicinal territory at some point, and there's a lot of toasty and caramelized Bock-esque malt notes. If you handed this to me in a blind tasting, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with Barleywine.

This is a mess, but it is less of a mess than I expected. The cherries actually add a nice layer of complexity to the otherwise lackluster base beer. This is sweet and heavy, and you feel like it needs a few years to thin out. But the good news is the cherries add some nice, deep fruity notes. I'm getting cherries, cherry pits, cherry skins, cherry pastries, cherry candies, and some nice Quad-like stone fruits. This almost veers into the land of Belgium, but is grounded with a malt base that is toast, toffee, toasted nuts, and caramelized sugars. The cherries stand out as a counterpoint to the otherwise sweet and one-dimensional base. I think this is the best take on The Murderous I have had.

At 9.5%, I'm not getting much in the way of alcohol. This is full-bodied, and fairly thick stuff. This isn't overly complex, and the sweetness is only barely offset by the cherries. Still, this has great depth, with each sip lasting for quite some time. You get a nice two-dimensional blast of cherry flavors, followed by that malty base. It dabbles in Quad land but is strictly pseudo-English. It feels kind of Bock-like to me, actually. So I guess we can go to Germany on this wild ride.  

Rating: Average (3.25/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This is by far the best take on The Murderous, and I really have no reason to pick up the base beer after drinking this. I'd love to grab another bottle of this Cherry Murderous to age, but the demand is still too high. I'd like to see Pipeworks brew this again. I think they can clean up the base a bit, attenuate the beer a little more (get this up to 11%+), and maybe throw in some hops or something. I don't know. 

Random Thought: I'm really happy to see Pipeworks doing as well as they are. I know I am slacking in my reviews, but focusing on graduate school for the betterment of myself takes precedence over beer reviews. Having said that, I cracked into the most recent batch of Pipeworks' Blue Lady and it was fan-freaking-tastic. This brewery is going places, and I am happy to have had a chance to watch them grow up over the past couple of years. 

Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware 

Purchased: 12oz bottle single bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 15~18% 
Reported IBUs: ?

This was once a whale, and now is a shelf turd. It's not waxed or in limited supply. It's also brewed by Cam Salamia and Dogfin Head. They have a hotel. About Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

The Raison D'Extra is the amped up version of DFH's stellar Raison D'Etre. Brewed with an "obscene amount" of malt, brown sugar, and raisins, the Raison D'Extra puts the "D" in Belgian Ales.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra

This pours into a reddish body that is reminiscent of a Belgian Dubbel, with purple tones in lower light. You get that sea foam carb on the beer, also reminiscent of a Belgian, with lots of lacing. It's very Belgian-esque. 

The aroma features the trademark high-gravity yeast/sugar aroma you get on all of DFH's high-gravity beers. You get a pound of sugar, muscovado sugar, jammy raspberries, raisin, alcohol, yeast esters, and some phenolic goodness. 

This tastes sublime...the beer rolls out massive raisins, dark fruits, jammy berries, jammy raisins, fruit preserves, muscovado sugar, intense phenolic notes, and lots of Belgian character typical of a Dubbel/Dark Strong. This is actually fantastic, and I would think that if you age this for a few years, it might start to take on some of that dusty/phenolic character you get in a good Belgian Dark Strong. There are some nice dark fruits in here as well, with shades of plums, blackberries, blueberries, and boysenberry. 

I'm a fan of DFH's high-gravity series, and this is no slouch. This brings the raisin along with a lot of other flavors, and it works out. At the variable 15~18% I'm not getting a ton of alcohol, but this definitely warms you up. Palate depth is good with nice duration -- making this a worthy sipping beer. This is also fairly complex, with lots of assertive raisin, muscovado sugar, and then more subtle dark fruit notes, Belgian character, and berries. Lots of berries. The finish is pretty clean too, and approaches drying. That in itself is commendable. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. At this time (I think this was bottled in late 2014? I couldn't tell, the date was smudged off my bottle) the beer is drinking just fine. BUT, I think with a little more age, this might settle into something really worthy. Since this is basically shelf turding these days, I will keep an eye out and try to snag a few more bottles to age. That actually shouldn't be a problem...I'd love to try this two or three years down the road.

Random Thought: It's hard to believe that there's basically just one more year of grad school left...

Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison

Brewed By: Moody Tongue Brewing Company in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: American Saison/Fruit Beer, 6.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

It's been a while...ask me about my grad school problems. About the Moody Tongue Brewing Company: 

Moody Tongue Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Pilsen, Chicago. The brewery was founded in 2013 by Jared Rouben, who is a graduate of Washington University, the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and the Siebel Diploma course in Chicago, where he is now a faculty member. After completing culinary school, Jared worked as a cook at the Michelin Star Martini House in Napa and as Expeditor at the three Michelin Star Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City. Rouben also brewed at the Rock Bottom and Goose Island Clybourn. After working in the culinary and brewing world, Rouben intends to bring a culinary point of view to beer. For more info, check out the brewery's FACEBOOK page or their website.  

The Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison is a Saison...brewed with lemon. The beer pours into a dark, honey-orange/bronze body, kicking up several fingers of fluffy head. There's good carb, and nice lacing.

Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison 

I'm sure a lot of reviews are going hard on this for the overwhelming lemon aroma. This beer is outside the usual wheelhouse. But the aromas are legit. I'm getting a lot of lemongrass, lemon zest, Meyer lemons, some natural lemons sugars, and a light biscuit malt base.

This tastes amazing, if you are looking for lemons. I'm getting everything I was picking up in the aroma: lemon zest, Meyer lemons, lemon sugars and lemon meringue pie, lemongrass, and tons of that light biscuit malt base. The beer is refreshing, drinkable, and lemony. BUT, absent from the experience is that Saison base. I'm just not getting any of the citrus, funk, clove, pepper, or character that I would expect from a Saison. 

So, while I think this falls short of the Saison label in some regards, it definitely rises above your average fruit beer. This is easily one of the better lemon-infused beers I have had, and it drinks light and clean at 6.3%. The beer is carbed well, has good depth and duration, and actually drops a complex lemon portfolio that goes beyond your basic lemon juice addition. This is better than any janky Radler or Shandy or half-assed fruit beer you are liable to find on shelves these days. This doesn't have a ton of residual or artificial sugars, so it already elevates the game to Golden State levels unlike other "OG" breweries that turn out some pretty saccharine-heavy sugar bombs. This beer won't give you a cavity is what I'm trying to say. Also, aside from missing the Saison base, this beer tastes like it was masterfully brewed. Anyway...my final thought is I'm getting some ginger and lemongrass notes with this, so this would be my go-to sushi beer moving forward.  

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is a forgettable Saison but a memorable lemon beer. There are no lemon parties here. Just perfectly nuanced lemon goodness with a hint of ginger and meringue pie sweetness. This is one of the better attempts at a lemon beer, and I would buy a 4-pack of this sooner than I would buy some Stiegel Radler or LeinenMillerKegels Summer Shandy. 

So keep brewing this, Moody Tongue.

Random Thought: Moody Tongue sounds like a brand of acid. 

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA

Brewed By: Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, California 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Whole Foods in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: American IPA, 7.0%

Reported IBUs: 70

Sculpin IPA is a top-shelf IPA, but how does the Grapefruit version stack up? About Ballast Point Brewing: 

Like a lot of craft breweries, Ballast Point began as a home brewing outfit. Founder Jack White (not the Jack White) began home brewing, only to realize that sourcing ingredients was easier said than done. So Jack opened up Home Brew Mart, a home brew shop, in 1992. From there, Jack met Yuseff, and the two began brewing in the back of the home brew shop. In 1996 the brewery was born. Because Yuseff loves fishing, the brewery names all their beers after fish. You can read more about the brewery and its history here. 

The Grapefruit Sculpin takes the Sculpin IPA base, and throws grapefruit juice into the mix. Obviously. And this beer really looks the part, with a clear/transparent grapefruit-orange body, and two fingers of off-white head; this is well-carbed and has great lacing. It looks like beer, suck it caesaronis.

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA

The aroma here is dominated by the grapefruit juice, with grapefruit juice popping off the aroma and crushing the base beer. It's not a bad thing, and when the base beer does get through, you are hit with lemon/orange/pine hops, and a light malt base of light cracker and light grain. The grapefruit juice-hop combo works.

This is good...albeit sweet and juicy. The grapefruit juice is overt, and blasts away the hops in terms of balance. The hops that do come through in the taste impart lots of lemon, some grapefruit/orange, and some bitter orange rind on the back end. The super light cracker/grain malts serve the beer well, but I can't help but feel like the juice takes something away from this.

Throwing juice into your beer is, evidently, a risky move. This is nicely done for the most part, with a medium body, good palate depth, good duration, and low complexity. You don't get any alcohol...it isn't too bitter...it's actually pretty refreshing. The grapefruit juice dominates things for better or worse, because the base beer is really up...

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Decent Above-Average. I might go grab a 6-pack of the regular beer just to do a side-by-side comparison, but a part of me feels like the regular version is better? I don't know. This isn't bad, I just feel like adding juice to a beer is something that is going to be hit or miss, and in this case it works but it doesn't necessarily make the regular beer better. And maybe it wasn't supposed to.

Random Thought: I wish I had more time to review beer...I think I need to start doing some short format reviews.

Stillwater Artisanal Rio De Sauvin

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Dog Brewing Co. in Westminster, MD  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale/Fruit Beer, 7.7%

Reported IBUs: ?

How about dem Sauvin hops. And how about a Farmhouse Ale brewed with mango juice and passion fruit juice. MMMM. 

About Stillwater Artisanal Ales: 

Stillwater Artisanal Ales are a Gypsy Brewery based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2009-ish, the beer is brewed by Brian Strumke. You can find more info at the brewery's blog or their website. 

This beer was inspired by Against the Grain's Rico Sauvin, and the bottle reads:

Stillwater Artisanal Rio De Sauvin

"The boys at against the grain made a beer based on a fictional 'sexy man' and uhh, his sheep friend.. so sticking with the theme and the fact that we have been spending some time in Brazil lately, we decided to amp up the sexy and host a tropical orgy of fruit flavors, hops, malt and yeast..umm, yeah."

-Brian (Stillwater Artisanal)

Rio De Sauvin is part of the remix series, and not only features dat base Sauvin IPA, but tosses in mango and passion fruit juice. This pours into a hazy, sexy orange body. In brighter light this takes on lemon hues...hue. There's good head retention, good carb, dat bottle. Dat glass. Dat beer appearance experience. 

This smells fantastic....like a fruity farmhouse ale/saison. I'm getting a ton of clove, white sugar, wheat funk, and lots of juicy mango and passion fruit. This has clean lines and potent fruit, and smells exactly how I want a fruited Saison to smell like. There is some subtle lemon rind action going on in here too.

This is baller. The fusion of the fruit juice with the base beer could not have been done better. This drops Juicy Fruit on a solid Saison base with lemon, mild wheat, mild clove, and tons of passion fruit and mango. 

This is light-bodied, refreshing, and way too drinkable. At 7.7% I'm not getting any alcohol, and palate depth and complexity are both spot on. This is just juicy and delicious, I really have nothing to complain about. If they threw some wild yeast into this beer, it would elevate into that Divine category. As it sits now, it's just an Above-Average fruited saison. Which isn't a bad thing.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is another solid entry from Stillwater. Would buy again.

Random Thought: This really needs that barrel/sour treatment.

Spiteful The Whale Tickler Mango IPA

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #246)

Style/ABV: American Imperial IPA/Fruit Beer, 9.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

Whale Ticklers 

Tick tick tick.

"Late hours spent on the trade forums.

ISO: whalez.

FT: whalez.

The thrill of the hunt. At last, it's mine! Tickle now or tickle later? Maybe never, Whale ticklers, drink this on your hunt. Its tropical notes will brighten the most arduous whaling expedition. It's open season out there. Are you licensed to tickle?"

This is raw and cloudy in appearance, like real apple cider or any assorted juices. Head retention is surprisingly solid with lacing and foam, and there is carb abound. Look at this raw, murky ass execution. Beer uncut from a brewery that doesn't GAF except to make good beer.

Aromas are juicy with mango, pineapple, sweet citrus, sweet grass, agave, kumquat, and a basket of tropical fruit. This has some plantains as well, and rides some sweet and super juicy hop notes. This smells juicy, so if it tastes half as juicy as it smells mission accomplished.

This is raw and uncut, with juicy hops around every corner and tons of mango, citrus, some onion/garlic, juicy citrus, and juicy tropical fruit. The bitterness in this grows on the back end, and is heightened as your drink it. I'm not getting a ton of malts, maybe a faint caramel or cracker backing. 

At 9.2% I'm not getting any alcohol. This is juicy, medium-bodied, and juicy. Palate depth is good, and complexity is good. This has a slight astringent bitterness that grows over time, and works a bit against the lush, juicy notes. This is mostly a tropical juice blaster...with tons of mango, some onion/garlic/grass, and lots of nice bitterness. Would tickle again.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Decent Above-Average. If not for the slightly astringent bitterness, this would be up there. It's a really solid beer, and I love the raw, uncut approach.

Random Thought: #whalez

Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #223)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Mmmmm coconuts. About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle reads: "Pigeons gone wild! After a late night at the pub we flipped on the boob tube only to see those god damn pigeons flaunting their assets. We knew we had to get our hands on those coconuts for our porter. Beads were the answer, so we stuffed our bags with with 'em and headed south. The play worked like a charm. Brewed with toasted coconut, this pigeon porter will have you thinking you live on the god damn equator." 

Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

This pours into your typical dark, cola-black body, with a finger of tan head. What is there to say about porters and stouts these days that hasn't been said.

The aroma on this is a nice fusion of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, toasted sweetness, and layers of complex roast. It's not a super complex beer, and I'm not getting much coconut in the aroma. BUT, it smells really good for what it is, and the aroma is bold with aggressive coffee, chocolate sweetness, and roast.

You do get some nice coconut in the taste, which is what I was looking for. This drops a rich mouthfeel with tons of chocolate and coffee, and then the back palate bombs you with sweet toast, complex roast, and layers of coconut. The coconut stays in the realm of sliced coconut with some toasted coconut, and never veers into pastry la-la-land like some more complex or barrel-aged beers do. And that's okay.

This is a full-bodied beer that coats your mouth and has satisfying duration. At 8.2%, this feels bigger than it is, and consequently hides a lot of the alcohol. Palate depth is good, and this has good complexity. Up front is a lot of coffee and chocolate; the mids roll into coconut, dark fruit sweetness, and layers of roast; the back end trails with roast, coffee, shredded coconut, toasted coconut, and tons of yummy toasted notes. This is a good blend of an American-style Porter with coconut, and works well.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Strong Above-Average. Spiteful continues to do well with their God Damn Pigeon line of beers, and I'm happy that I picked this up. This isn't the most coconut beer I have had, but there is definitely coconut in the taste and it plays well with the strong base Porter. I could see myself buying another bottle to just sip on or pair with some coconut chocolate cake.

Random Thought: I hate not having laundry machines in-unit, ahhhh!!!

Revolver Brewing Blood & Honey American Ale

Brewed By: Revolver Brewing, LLC in Granbury, TX  

Purchased: 12oz bottle generously gifted to me; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Wheat Ale/Fruit Beer, 7.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was generously gifted to me, and I am excited to try it. This is a strong wheat beer described as an "ale brewed with blood orange peel, honey & spices. The bottle reads: "An unfiltered, deep-golden ale brewed with malted two-row barley and wheat. Finished with blood orange peel, Texas hone, and a blend of spices." 

The Revolver Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Granbury, TX. The brewery was founded by father and son, Ron and Rhett Keisler, with master brewer and cicerone, Grant Wood. The brewery uses in-house water from their own well, and incorporates seasonal ingredients into their beers. For more info, check out the brewery's website or Facebook page. 

As noted above, the Blood & Honey is an American Wheat Ale, brewed with malted two row barley and wheat. The beer is finished with Blood Orange zest, local Fall Creek Farms Honey, and other spices.

Revolver Brewing Blood & Honey American Ale

This pours into a juicy, unfiltered, orange-yellow body. It's murky and there is yeast sediment; it looks like orange juice and for all intents and purposes it might as well be. There's a firm white head that sticks around and will continue to stick around, as you'd expect with a wheat beer. It's purdy and if you like murky ass Saisons and rustic Wheat beers this is going to be right up your alley.

The aroma on this beer is overwhelmingly spice, with pretty pungent allspice, a little lavender, and maybe something in the realm of cardamom. Beneath the waves of spice is a nice dose of orange peel, which does come through on the aroma. The faint hint of malt on the nose suggests wheat beer, but it is blunted. 

I am instantly reminded of two beers: Jackie O's Paw Paw Wheat, and the Blue Moon Grand Cru. But this is better than both of those beers. For starters, it isn't a train-wreck, so it is an instant improvement upon the Blue Moon swill. Second, it is a bit lighter than the Paw Paw Wheat. I'm getting a really nice orange note, with lots of gentle spice. The spice leans towards allspice and flower/floral notes, with some cardamom in the mix. It reminds me of Blue Moon's Belgian White, and I would probably call this beer a White/Witbier if you handed it to me in a blind tasting. It's actually really nice, with orange peel and orange notes that continue to open up as you drink the beer. It's a real orange note, and I taste actual orange zest. The wheat malts ground the orange flavor, so this never drifts into a mimosa. The spice in the taste is much more mild than the spice in the aroma, which is a good thing. All things considered...I would classify this as a Witbier, and I would say it is really well executed. 

This beer is growing on me as I sip it. I'm not getting any of the mentioned 7% alcohol in the taste. This beer is medium-bodied with low carbonation that hits your tongue towards the mid palate. Palate depth is where I want it to be, and this is actually fairly complex. THIS ISN'T REFRESHING, per se. And should it be? Not at 7%...right? The carb, body weight, and heavy wheat malt finish never hint at summer beer to pound back while on the patio. I would definitely drink this in the summer, but this is truly the middle ground between something you would chug and something you would sip on. It opens up with lots of citrus peel, orange zest, and hints of grapefruit and mimosas up front; the mids roll into the spice and carbonation, dialing up some citrus zest, cardamom, tingly carbonation, champagne notes, and light allspice; the back end drops a healthy dose of wheat malts, and you get that hint of honey. The honey probably helps to weigh this beer down, and it feels like a beefed up Witbier in many respects.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. Witbiers are not my style but this beer would certainly change my mind. It's really executed with finesse and has a refined quality about it that is hard to appreciate unless you have consumed a lot of different beers. It's clear that Revolver Brewing has a deft hand and they know how to infuse strong flavors like spices into their beer without turning it into a shit show. I would reach for this beer in the summer and treat it like a glass of sweetened iced tea. Something to sip on. I could also see this beer pairing well with a fruit salad, white fish, ceviche, and other summer foods.

Random Thought: I actually think this is a perfect "Texas" beer. It feels Texas to me.

Une Année Less Is More

Brewed By: Une Année Brewery in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 500ml (1 Pint 0.9 FL OZ) bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Saison, 4.6%

Reported IBUs: ?

More Midwest shelf turds. About Une Année:

Une Année is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois located near the intersection of Grand and Ashland in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor (three blocks from the Goose Island Fulton St. production brewery). The brewery was founded in early 2012 by Jerry Nelson, who is "an Architect, Marine, Siebel Institute Graduate, and Chicago native who started homebrewing in 1995 while stationed in California." Currently, Jerry is the head brewer along with Dustin Zimmerman, who also attended the Siebel Institute, and previously brewed at Hamburger Mary’s Andersonville and worked at Nøgne Ø. The name "Une Année" means "one year" in French, and was chosen to reinforce the two main ideas behind the brewery: a focus on Belgian and French style beer, and an emphasis on seasonal beers. For more info, check out the brewery's website.

The Less Is More is an American-style Saison brewed with orange zest and juice. This pours into a hazy/cloudy yellow body, kicking up a couple of fingers of white head. The head retention is good, with lots of active carb, maybe overly so, and tons of lacing. This is radiant and bright...and it has good aromas.

Une Année Less Is More

This smells the part of an American Saison. The 4.6% thing means this is on the lighter side of the style, but it brings big aromas of lemons, orange juice, mimosas, wheat, white pepper, and MINIMAL yeast character. I wish this was more funky.

This isn't mind blowing, which is no real fault of Une Année. But at the same time, I've been spoiled with this style and this just seems kind of generic and streamlined, especially if juice was added. There's a lot of clean lines, bright hop notes, lemon, orange juice, citrus, some white pepper...and not much in terms of malts or yeast character. You pick up some wheat, and this hints at a bubble gum note from the wheat, but it never really takes things in the direction of the Belgian countryside. It also doesn't play up the orange juice character. It's not quite peppery enough, or mimosa-y enough. It just kind of is.

Despite being nonplussed by this beer, it does own it's 4.6% with a substantial but light medium-body. It's well-carbonated, easy to drink, and has good flavor. Palate depth and duration are middle-of-the-road, and complexity is low. Up front: lemons, mimosas light, good fruitiness, hops, wheat; the mids roll into wheat, with more lemons, orange juice, some mild white pepper; the back end rides out with juicy and clean lines. It's a bright and vibrant beer that I can't really fault except that it pretty much is what it is. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This is really solid but I wouldn't seek it out at this price in singles. Maybe if they shoved this in a 6-pack format...I just don't think the capacity is there yet, so I do hope they can continue to grow their brand. This is not a bad beer by any means, but the Saison market is flooded with fantastic beers. Having said that, I'm excited to see where they go with these Belgian beers. And their sours. 

Random Thought: I have their Wild Ale/Sour coming up, and that I am excited for.

Blue Moon First Peach Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 12-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer/American Pale Wheat Ale, 5.6%

Reported IBUs: 15

I like peaches. About MillerCoors aka Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoors' R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

Aside from the kind of rapey name, the First Peach Ale is a beer brewed with caramel and wheat malts; Mittelfruh hops; and is described as a "classic Belgian sour brown ale with an American Pale Wheat Ale." This isn't sour at all, and has tenuous ties to anything that is sour, therefore we can only conclude that Kevin Villa is actually a hack and the Blue Moon website is run by penises. First peach, seriously? 

Blue Moon First Peach Ale

This pours into a light brown, reddish-body. It's filtered and not at all hazy, and screams nothing Belgian or sour. There is a nice finger of wheat-fueled, amber-hued head. The hues are endless with Blue Moon. I really don't care about taking cheap shots, but Keith Villa is apparently a BJCP judge or something. Seriously, a sour?

The aroma on this is super inviting. A lot of people are calling this "overly" peachy and "too much peach." And maybe after drinking a proper soured fruit beer that could be said to be true. This actually nails the peach thing, with pronounced peach juice, peach tea, peach currants, peach pie, and Lipton Iced Tea: Peach. The aroma briefly dabbles in the realm of Del Monte Fruit Cocktails, but beneath all the heavy peach sweetness are some hints of caramel malts, and some slight candy sugar Belgian spice. And that's all I really got for this.

The taste is a shell of the aroma, and reverts to this basic Blue Moon profile present in all their beers. Again, Keith Villa, you fucking hack. You will forever be known as the corporate shill that brews these regurgitated saccharine-sweet wheat beers with this awful extract malt profile. I'm actually quite partial to Belgian beer, so whenever Blue Moon slaps their Belgian stamp on a product it sort of triggers all sorts of angst. Again, I could not care less that Blue Moon is owned by people that have enough money to clone, kill, and cover up Keith Villa and his whacky creations. I should say this beer tastes like Peach Lipton Tea, peach juice, Del Monte Fruit Cocktail, and misguided caramel malts. There's that underlying saccharine sweetness that tastes like making out on the dance floor with strangers and bar bathroom perfume aromas. 

Blue Moon has become the de facto "crafy" brand for MillerCoors, but the veil is thin. This might as well be Miller High Life with some peach juice thrown into the mix. In some respects, I like that, but I really think this beer would benefit from being slightly more hand job crafted. You just can't reproduce the complexities of those Belgian malts and those Belgian candy sugars in some Canadian sandlot. At any rate, this beer is too sweet for 5.6%. It's medium-bodied with blunted carb. The palate depth is full in all the wrong places, and this lacks complexity. It's not bad and at 5.6% I find it enjoyable...I obviously like something about this beer since I bought a 12-pack. Ummm...yeah.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This has that great peach note up front, with some Lipton Tea in the mids....it's basically a glorified wine cooler until the back end drops those disjointed and artificial caramel malts. To add insult to injury, the 12-pack design for this beer is shitty and cheap cardboard. I picked up four 12-packs at the store, and each one broke at the handle resulting in a near-disaster. I feel like Blue Moon should make right by that and release the location of Keith Villa's clone factory. 

Random Thought: A 12-pack of this shit costs $14.99. That's not terrible, but you'd be much better off grabbing a 4-pack of Festina Peche for around the same price or less. Even the Lindemans' "Faro" Pêche is FAR AND AWAY better than this. At least that beer has some malt complexity, albeit crashing against 8 pounds of added sugar. 

On the Budweiser Super Bowl advertisement that has rustled so many jimmies...I just don't care. I really don't. I thought the ad was clever and effective. It hit its mark, and craft beer shouldn't be effected. This isn't a zero sum game anymore. Craft beer has thousands of brewers, and that's just in America. Craft beer is blowing up in other countries now, including Canada, Mexico, etc. Craft beer is also seeing a Renaissance in countries like England. So what the fuck is the big deal? So what if the commercial was emasculating or portrayed the craft beer crowd as neckbeard hipsters. Go stand in a line for any beer release...you'll be shocked to discover that it is mostly neckbeard hipsters. And many of them are as annoying if not more so than the pretentious douche pianos portrayed in the commercial.