Beer'd Brewing Company - Dogs & Boats

What: A Double IPA with Citra and Mosaic Hops [9.1% ABV]

How we Had it: Out of a can into a Beer'd Brewing Teku.

What we Saw: An inviting hazy tangerine orange color with a two finger width white foamy head.  Head settles to a light layer of foam shortly after pour and remains throughout, leaving a nice amount of lacing as the volume of beer decreased. 

What we Smelled: From the moment the can pops open a pungent hop aroma fills the air.  Sticking your nose in the glass, you're greeted by ripe tropical fruit, fruit candy (think starburst), and pine.  The beautiful bouquet of tropical fruit is backed by a robust earthy character.  Beautiful from start to finish.

What we Tasted: A mix of fresh squeezed ripe tropical fruit juices abound.  The flavors follow the aroma.  Notes of pineapple, mango, ripe papaya, passionfruit, and wild berries are present.  Again, a candy like quality is subtle but noticeable, reminiscent of Starfruit chews.  Resin and pine round out the juiciness and provide a "just right" amount of bitterness. The beer is dry and easily drinkable at 9.1%, yet maintains a subtle sweetness and substantial body, creating balance.

What we Thought: We love this beer.  Beer'd Brewing is producing high quality hop forward beers somewhat under the radar, and this is no exception.  It's what any hophead looks for - juicy, aromatic, resinous, and hop-forward; yet, blanched and approachable enough for those just coming to the style.  The 9.1% ABV is hardly noticeable and does not distract from the star of the show: the hops.  The aroma is just wonderful and stays with you throughout the entire glass.  Pop the can open and you are immediately excited for what's to come.  The beer delivers and exceeds expectations.  This one is definitely worth searching out!  

Firestone Walker Barrelworks & Wild Beer Co. - Violet Underground

What: A Cross-Atlantic Wild Ale - cuvee from Somerset Wild Ale w/ Candied Violets, a Golden Raspberry beer, and Cowbell. [Batch 1; Bottled 6/25/15; 5.5% ABV]

How we Had it: Out of a 375 ml Barrelworks bottle into a Firestone Walker Barrelworks Teku.

What we Saw: Golden orange - like the skin of a tangerine.  One finger of foam quickly fades to a ring around the glass.  Bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass and remain throughout the entire experience. An inviting beer.

What we Smelled: Tart berries and citrus jump out of the glass with a light funk in the background (which is reminiscent of wet earth and grass or hay).  A beautiful multi-layered nuanced aroma which evolves throughout the experience.  As the beer warms the berries become more pronounced with a slight brett funk rounding out the aroma.  

What we Tasted: Tart fresh raspberries on the front of the palette on a really sturdy and dry backbone.  A highly carbonated beer with a  medium body and a nice mouthfeel.  Incredibly refreshing and mouthwatering.  A nice progression occurs on your palette as you drink the beer - tart/sour turns to funk which turns to fruity berry and an interesting sweet citrus, like a tangerine on the finish.  An incredibly complex beer which evolves as the beer warms.  The tartness sensed up front lingers on the palette and livens the beer.  For me, it hit the sweet spot about ten minutes after being poured into the glass.  The fruitiness becomes more pronounced while maintaining a nice sour tartness at the forefront. 

What we Thought: This is a really interesting, refreshing, and complex beer.  What I love about well done collaborations is that the identity of each brewery comes through just enough to display the unique character and style of each.  There is definitely a different identity to this beer than the other Barrelworks offerings I've had the opportunity to try, yet that nice lactic sour character found in beers like Sour Opal let you know they had a part in creating this great beer.  While other Barrlelworks beers display an almost cheesy funk - this beer has more of a clean fruity sour character.  It's a great beer to enjoy alone as different aromas and flavor profiles will emerge throughout the experience.  There's also a really great balance between the different flavor profiles which really give a sense of purpose to the beer.  No one flavor or aroma outshines the other and the body of the beer is a perfect vessel for the different flavor profiles presented.  Well worth seeking this one out as only 380 cases were made.  Enjoy this one with a variety of seafood and some bleu cheese.  Really enjoyed this one!

The Tank Brewing Co. Abbey 10 - Quad

What: Quad [11.5% ABV]

How we had it: Out of a bottle in to a wine taster glass. 

What we saw: A really rich dark brown almost maroon hue.  Against the light, the edges of the glass appear to be a light brown and ruby (just look at the picture above).  A two finger caramel colored head appears after the pour which fades quickly leaving a nice amount of lacing and a thick ring around the glass.  The lacing remains throughout the entire glass.

What we smelled: Lots going on here.  Up front there's dark fruit , cherry, figs, dates, and toffee.  There's a hint of alcohol in the background which you can expect with an ABV of 11.5%.  As the beer warms, the sweet cherry notes become more pronounced on top of an earthy, caramel base.

What we tasted: All that fruit we smelled comes through on a really nice velvety and soft beer.  Raisins, plums, toasted bread, caramel, and dark fruit predominate while a hint of tobacco, raw honey, and and alcohol linger in the background.  A sturdy, sweet, and bready backbone hold up the high alcohol content of this beer which is seemingly downplayed by the high level of carbonation and the bone dry nature of the beer.  As the beer warmed, more of the really nice toasted bread, earthiness, and dark fruit character comes through and the alcohol becomes slightly more present. 

What we thought:  This is a really great expression of the style.  It's a beautiful looking and smelling beer and the taste follows through.  While being such a high alcohol beer, the carbonation, mouthfeel, and dryness really make this a drinkable and enjoyable beer.  The alcohol character comes through just enough to let you know this is a big beer and really adds a nice complexity to the already incredibly flavorful profile of the beer.  The velvety mouthfeel of the beer is really beautiful and marries well with the dominant flavors.  The dryness of the beer is one of the major high points for me - allowing a big beer to become incredibly drinkable.  The raisins and dark fruit are really the feature here but the less pronounced flavors add to the beer and elevate it.  Enjoy this one with some aged cow's milk cheeses (like gouda), and savory dishes like roast duck, braised short rib, or oxtail.