THE BRÜ: April 2014

April 29, 2014

The Brü Revü – Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Talk about getting lost in my beer fridge! I found this Winter ‘09-’10 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout in the back of the fridge that I didn't even know was there…. I mean I was aging it, right? Being an Imperial Stout I wasn’t too concerned about the 4 years or so of age, but I did have to let it thoroughly warm up before I could appreciate it. It poured pitch black with a surprisingly decent khaki head. The aroma was of sweet deep dark fruits and semi-sweet chocolate that definitely leaned to the sweeter side over roasted notes. The taste was also heavy on the smooth dark fruits and chocolate. There was still a bitterness present on the finish but not as overbearing as I remember the fresh version. The Black Chocolate Stout unsurprisingly was still a full on chocolate assault but it had moved away from the bitter chocolate to a sweeter fruitier flavor. It had definitely smoothed out the edges and made for a decadent drinking experience.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

April 22, 2014

The Brü Revü – Dogfish Head Aprihop

The Dogfish Head Aprihop came from a recent Bums meeting. Adding Apricot juice to an IPA makes sense since certain hops elude an apricot tone, and the juice would enhance and highlight these flavors. The Aprihop poured a deep copper amber with a full white head that lingered with good lacing. The aroma was full of citrus and tropical fruit hops which was directly in IPA territory. I detected a slight hint of Apricot but it could have been my mind telling me I should as it was almost imperceptible. The taste was an excellent ride that began with the citrus and tropical fruit hops that melded into sweet apricot and ended with a palate coating bitter pine finish. The sweet apricot expressed itself more as it warmed and help tame the bitter pine finish. Although I was expecting more apricot flavor, the Aprihop stayed true to an IPA with plenty of hop punch, which was a good thing. All in all I enjoyed the Aprihop and thought the apricot complemented the IPA notes well. Its was definitely a great beer to drink on a beautiful Spring day.

Dogfish Head Aprihop

April 15, 2014

The Brü Revü – Hops and Grain Greenhouse IPA, March

The March version of Hops and Grain’s Greenhouse IPA highlights the Meridian hop variety, which according to the Greenhouse IPA site is a juicy and oily tropical fruit paradise. This month was a unique IPA. The bold bitterness you would expect from an IPA are heavily toned down and accentuate the tropical fruitiness of the Meridian hops. Since the basic recipe is the same the beer pours and looks almost identical each month with a deep golden amber and fluffy white head. The aroma was very fruity and emphasized the Meridian characteristics well. The taste had definite fruit forward characteristics with tropical fruits and berry notes dominant. As with every Greenhouse IPA so far this was an easy drinking and highly enjoyable beer. It’s still early in the year and I can’t wait for this release every month. It’s fun to get a different IPA that spotlights a single hop so you can appreciate each unique variety. Keep 'em coming Hops and Grain!

Hops and Grain Greenhouse IPA

April 8, 2014

Beer Bums Meeting – April 2014 – Easter Beers

A theme like Easter Beers can bring out the creativity in our choices. This was a surprisingly solid and varied group of beers. The Choklat was an obvious standout and I am really digging the new Dogfish Head Aprihop label.

Dogfish Head Aprihop

Independence Brewing White Rabbit

Leinenkugel's Hoppin' Helles

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Uinta Baba Black Lager

Southern Tier Choklat

Next Month, April – Brown Ales

April 3, 2014

The Brü Revü – Victory DirtWolf

There has been a lot of hype around Victory’s new Double IPA DirtWolf that has been hard to ignore. Glowing reviews keep coming so when I finally saw it I had to try a DirtWolf. The beer poured a straw yellow to gold with a huge pillowy white head with good retention and lacing. It was slightly hazy as there were bits of sediment in the bottom of my glass, but nothing like that detracts from a beer in my book. The aroma was full of dank tropical fruit hops with a hint of peach underneath. The taste was a full hop explosion that started with the tropical fruitiness and dank tones that melded into citrus notes that ended in bitter prickly pine that danced on my palate and lingered between tastes. This was definitely a big aromatic and multidimensional Double IPA that was easily drinkable and a well executed beer. Very fruity and very balanced the DirtWolf easily exceeded the hype.

Victory DirtWolf