We Drink Craft Beers: An Adventure in Home Brewing

Follow us on our journey through home brewing and our "market research" as we drink and review lots and lots and lots of beers. Expect Mary to post dazzling reviews with poorly lit cell phone pics and expect Cindy to post half-assed reviews with semi-pretty cell phone pics (or nice photos if she has the time and energy).

[etsyfindoftheday]

etsy find of the day 3 | 4.17.14

theme thursday: for your home

the pompous set - original 6 glasses by pretentiousbeerglass

pretentiousbeerglass is self-depricating and supercool. i love the varied glass styles hand-blown specifically for certain beer types — this set of 6 comes with one of each of the following: hoppy beer glass, aromatic beer glass, malty beer glass, subtle beer glass, ‘traditional’ ale glass, and a dual glass (perfect for black ’n tans!). nom.

[beerwedrank]

Left Hand Milk Stout is one of my favorite beers. I'm not even gonna write a review, just fucking drink it. It's so good (but not on nitro). <3, c.

[beerlabelsinmotion]

Twisted Helles

This beer is a simple but good summer time lager by Frankenmuth Brewery in Michigan. I was drawn to the nice and very clean can design and I think it reflects the beer’s mellow taste with a slight hint of lemon. Nuthin’ fancy here but it fits my summer mindset. They say it was inspired by Michigan summers but it seemed to wrap up my summer in Boston quite well. And with that said, I shall now brace myself for pumpkin beer season…!

[beerwedrank]

Turning water into wine... er... apple juice into cider. The whole process was extremely simple and only took about 30min start to finish. Hope to see this baby bubblin' soon! xo, c.

[beerwedrank]

Our lil baby yeast stater for the red star Pasteur champagne yeast!

[beerwedrank]

Okay so we've been out of a lot of grains at the shop and we also didn't have any 3068, so we decided to hold off on the hefe and try this caramel apple cider from homebrew talk instead. We're scaling it up to 3gal & possibly adding cinnamon to secondary 1 or all 3 gallons.

I guess we aren't technically "brewing" anything but it'll still be the first time we've brewed together since Women's Brew Day and we are very excited!

xo, cindy

[cindiasaurus]

/teambier visits The Hourglass Brewery. 1. Pale Streaker - vanilla wheat ale: meh. I like the idea but the base beer just isn’t impressive. 2. +5:30 IST IPA - IPA: pretty good but too bitter for my preference. 3. Pendulum - coconut porter: definitely not the best coconut porter I’ve had. Not bad but just not impressive. 4. Tipsy Farmer - Irish stout: mediocre.

Overall unimpressive. Would not recommend.

[beerwedrank]

German Hefe all grain recipe

Ingredients:

1 oz Hallertau (60 min)

5 lb Weyermann Wheat

5 lb Weyermann Pilsner

0.5 lb Rice Hulls

Wyeast 3068

Size: 5 gal OG: ~1.050 FG: ~1.010 ABV: ~5%

Mash: 152°F 60 min boil Ferment: 64°F

[beerwedrank]

Brewing Company:  Jolly Pumpkin Name: Maracaibo Especial Style: Special Brown Ale ABV: 7.5% Serving type: 22oz bomber Price: $10 with employee discount

Aroma: smells similar to a sour, but a little sweeter. some caramel notes, but barely there.

Appearance: light, caramel brown color. doesn't look "hazy" per se, but it's totally opaque. bits of dark sediment settled to the bottom. crazy foamy head three fingers tall settled into a nice layer of foam on top, but with little lacing.

Taste: this actually kinda tastes like a sour brown ale if that is even a thing. i get spices but i do not get cacao at all. i don't know how i feel about this. it isn't bad but it is not the taste i would expect from a brown.

medium body, medium carbonation. i definitely can't take a big swig of these - tiny sips for sure.

Finish: smooth finish that leaves a sour taste on the tongue.

Rating: i don't even know. what even is this. i wish i had someone to share this with bc it's a bit much for me.

Recommended with the warning that it tastes like a sour.

<3, c.

*oh i just read the label, it's a belgian beer - this makes more sense now*

[beerwedrank]

Great American Beer Fest! (hey! this is really old but here you go. enjoy)

[beerwedrank]

BEER REVIEW TIME!  Today we will be discussing Sweetwater Brewing Company's Festive Ale.  I wrote this review on 15 Dec 2012... apologies for the late posting. I picked up this sixer of beer the first day I got into town to visit my family for Christmas in Birmingham, AL this year. I'm always excited to get as much local or local-esque beer as I can wherever I travel, and particulary when I travel to Birmingham because... well, let's be honest. Alabama isn't exactly known for its progressive politics, and if I can't get my hands on good politics in this state, I'd like to at least get my hands on some good beer. The six pack tells me that the Festive Ale is brewed only one day a year, and that it combines a "touch of spice with a s#/@!load sleigh load of malts and hops" to keep you warm and toasted all night long.  SOLD!  Love ltd edition beer, love spices. Unfortunately, I was rather let down with all build up...

Appearance:  Nice, dark brown.  Glimmer of medium caramel in bottom of glass when held to the light. Small head dissipates quickly after pouring.  (*cough*) 4/5.

Smell:  Not gonna lie, this has a strange smell.  Heavy on the molasses, caramel, and malts.  There is something off about the smell and I can't figure out what it is. I don't pick up the scent of any spices, and the label doesn't list which spices were used in the brew to begin with so I don't actually know what I"m even searching for. 3/5.

Taste:Taste is off, too. Honestly, this tastes like a homebrew that got some unwanted wild yeast in it and then kind of soured. I don't taste any spice.  Picking up the heavy malts/molasses in the taste as I did in the smell. Lighter, less robuts taste than I might expect from a winter ale.  Oddly, hints of smokiness. 2/5

Mouthfeel:Eh.  Mouthfeel is weak. Needs more carbonation. 3/5

Drinkability:I'm finishing this pint of beer because I don't pour beer down the drain.  I wouldn't buy this again. 2/5

Overall this was uninspiring.  DAMMIT, ATLANTA.  I expected more from you.  I have yet to try your 420 beer, though.  Maybe you can make this up to me... -Mary Mac

[beerwedrank]

BEER REVIEW TIME!!  Today we will be discussing Straight to Ale's Monkeynaut IPA.  I reviewed this beer when I took a trip home to Birmingham, AL, for this most recent holiday season.  I wrote this review on 14 Dec 12. Beer Name:  Monkeynaut Style: IPA Brewery: Straight to Ale Brewing, Huntsville, AL ABV: 7.5% A little background.  Straight to Ale was established in 2009.  They regularly brew and serve Monkeynaut IPA, Brother Joseph Dubbel, and Lily Flagg Milk Stout.  I have been foloowing Straight to Ale brewing for over a year now on facebook, biding my time and waiting patiently for an opportunity to visit their brewpub in Huntsville, AL, since their website states that they are a draft-only brewery, available at local bars and restaurants."  Imagine my surprise tonight at Publix when I found this lovely six pack of Monkeynaut IPA... in cans, no less!  I picked up the pack from the refrigerated section ASAP and barely even batted an eye at the fact that it was one of my least favorite styles (I would have much preferred it to be full of Lilly Flagg Milk Stout, but beggars can't be choosers and after having this beer, I'd choose it any day anyway!).

Appearance:  Beautiful, medium caramel color.  Crisp and clear.  Darker than a "typical" IPA.  Head retention impressive. Lacing impressive!  Thick suds stick to sides of pint glass. 4/5

Smell:Definitely get that bitter hops smell, but it is very nicely balanced with a welcome sweetness.  Fruity sweetness, in fact. Nice and citrusy smelling. 4/5

Taste:That's a damn good IPA. Nicely balanced. Grapefruit and citrus tones coming through and something else even a little sweeter... can't put my finger on what. But the balance between the citrusy hops and malty sweetness is welcome.  I typically shy away from IPAs because the balance is so off.  The beer has a strange aftertaste.. like, almost chalky.  Kind of strange but not something I'm overly concerned about, especially considering that I am (what!) legitimately enjoying this IPA. 5/5

Mouthfeel:Full bodied and easy on the tongue.  Great carbonation. 5/5

Drinkability:I am halfway through this beer and have a nice buzz.  It is a 7.5% for Chrissake! This is possibly the only IPA I've ever had that I a). not only want to finish entirely, but b). also would like to drink another one. Despite being a 7.5%, this alcohol is not featured prominently and you think you're drinking a "light" beer when in fact you are just getting drunk.  Is that a good or a bad thing?  YOU DECIDE.  I give it a 5/5 in terms of drinkability. 5/5

I sipped this beer in my parent's kitchen. Dad drank one with me and mom had a sip of ours.  Their contributions follow:

MOM'S CONTRIBUTION:  *sniffs* *wrinkles nose* *sips* *puckers lips* Ew.  I don't like this. *examines can* Straight to Ale? What does that mean? *met with silence and sideways glances from me and Dad* DAD'S CONTRIBUTION: Dad said that this is "what an IPA should be" and then proceeded to down half of the can in about two gulps. -Mary Mac

[beerwedrank]

BEER REVIEW TIME!  Today we will discuss Chatoe Rogue's First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale. I received a very thoughtful winter solstice gift a few days ago, which included three bottles of some really hard-to-find or limited edition beers.  One of them was Chatoe Rogue's First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale. I eyed it longingly for a few days before I finally decided to pop it open on Sunday night and share it with my roomies.  What a treat it was! Appearance: Nice caramel color with beautiful orange undertones. The beer is a pleasure to look at. Crisp and clear and the color of a perfectly baked pumpkin pie. The brew does not have very much head retention.  I give the appearance a 4/5 but only because I prefer nice fluffy heads on my ales.  The color is exquisite. Smell:  Mmm.  This beer smells like a freshly roasted pumpkin.  Nice nutmeg and clove complements.  5/5... this is what a pumpkin beer should smell like. Taste: Holy. Shit.  This beer rivals Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin, which has long held the place of Number One Crush in my heart when it comes to pumpkin beers. I have always loved Smashed Pumpkin because Shipyard uses actual pumpkins in their beer, not extract.  Rogue has now presented me with the most excellent of rivals to Shipyard's ale. If you take a look at the label I posted in the picture, you will see that their beer tastes like an actual pumpkin because... well, they used pumpkins that were picked 77 miles away on their GYO farm, driven immediately to their brewery, roasted, and tossed into their brew kettle. Remarkably, pleasingly, and dare I say surprisingly, this beer tastes the same way it smells!  So many pumpkin beers are a let down because they smell like pumpkin and only taste like pumpkin pie spice. I've found it difficult to discover pumpkin beers that deliver the same taste as they exhibit in the smell. The roasted pumpkin flavour is balanced nicely with that nutmeg and clove taste that I smelled coming through before I tasted it. And I even get a nice and buttery taste on my tongue to complement the pumpkin and spices.  What I'm saying is that this tastes like a pie.  What a treat. The hops are balanced precisely as they should be. Just, just, just enough to knock off the too-sweet edge that may have otherwise occurred.  Beer Advocate told me that they only used one type of hops flower: Rogue Micro Hopyard Rebel Hops.  So, kudos on that, too, Rogue!  Lovely hops taste and very well balanced. 5/5 on the taste.  Because this is easily the most well-balanced, freshest, and thoughtful pumpkin beer I've ever had. Mouthfeel:  Great mouthfeel.  I would be happy with a little more carbonation, as I mentioned in the Appearance section.  On the other hand, some people like that silkier, smoother mouthfeel!  I give it a 4/5. Overall Drinkability:  The abv is like 5.6% I think. I don't taste any etoh. I got nothing more than a really pleasant buzz off the serving I had.  Low abv, no harsh etoh taste or fumes, and tastes like a pumpkin pie reincarnated into delicious beery form means a 5/5 on this brew's drinkability. Well done, well done, Rogue. 

[thebeerbelly]

Ask yourself, why do you seek the Cup? Is it for the glory of the beer, or for yours?

[beerwedrank]

from "The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing"

[beerwedrank]

bottled the not-so-pumpkin ale last night.

[beerwedrank]

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