h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah ...that's Alot of s to move!

Well*sigh*curiosity got the better of me...

Yukon Brewing Birch Marzen, 5%abv 341ml ...actually solid in a cardboard cannister, as the first release in their Brewers ADD series(oh & flavoured with Uncle Berwyn's Birch Syrup...tasty!)

Pour

Lovely coppery red ale, a finger of tight white head. Burst of initial carbonation that tapers to moderate then sparse. Dense though reasonably temporary lacing.

Aroma

Clean and vegetal...bit of syrupy sweetness.

Taste

Nicely malty with a touch of brown sugary sweetness and a subtle peppery bite. If I read the cannister correctly(or should I say interpreted the markings correctly, it uses both Saaz and Cluster hops.) As the peppery hops(bit of birch?)fade a subtle sweetness returns leading to a clean, slightly sweet semi-dry finish

Wonderful with applewood smoked chheddar, both wood and wood smoke brought out.

*sigh* and once again curiosity rearing it's head(egged on by online reviews, I might add).

Phillips Brewing Hoperation Tripel Cross(Belgian-styled IPA), 8%abv 650ml bottle

Pour

Relatively relaxed pour yields a slightly cloudy golden ale with good carbonation. Two and a half finger pillowy sudsy off-white head, moderate retention. Quite nice llacing!

Aroma

Very citrus hop, initially. Some tropical fruits-pineapple/mango...bit grapey(white grape). Faint yeast in the background.

Taste

Well-balanced-imho-malt and substantial citrus hops...hops remain as the malt fades, yeasty fruity notes pop up-mango/pineapple and a hint of banana. Clean drier finish...bit of banana/pineapple aftertaste. Lighter medium bodied, slightly syrupy mouthfeel.

Quite nice with Danesborg Havarti...subtle accenting of the herbs. And very good with Theobroma Banana http://theobromachocolat.com (purchased at Wild Earth), both fruity and yeasty/somewhat savoury notes(think whole grain or cornbread) brought out by the .

Another opinion.

http://www.bravo.garysbeerlaw.com/?p=403

Finally I'll get around to writing this one (or did I already?):


Paddock Wood Black Cat Lager
355 ml/5.4%

~Pours dark brown as ex`pected for a black lager. Minimal head. Very minimal. Just a thin scum of bubbles on the surface. No ring, no lacing.

Strong Coffee aroma with a hint of chocolate.

Chocolaty malty taste, less coffee in the flavour than in the aroma. But disappointingly flat in this bottle. There's still a bit of a bubble bite on the tongue accompanied by a distant hop pucker, but it would have been nice to have a little bit more cleansing on the finish. As it is, Black Cat ends with a bit of cloying and clingy chocolateness.

It's been a few years(at least 3)since I've had it, but I seem to remember quite enjoying-at the time-their Bete Noir. True, alot of water under the bridge & all, but I should try it again one of these days.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8203/35000/?ba=Derek

Or, I missed this review.

http://www.left4beer.com/2009/12/bete-noire-paddock-wood.html

Just back from Sherbrooke.

I got another bottle of Racutiene and two of Silenus and . . .

Another six `pack of Alley Kat's Ochsners ~Porter and, I'm a little concerned about . . .


Alley Kat's Pi Jiu ginseng flavoured beer, but very, very concerned about their








Heatseeker Coconut Curry



I think I'll start this evening with that one . . .

Right. Here we go.



Alley Kat Heatseeker Coconut Curry
341ml/6.8%


'100% monkey poo free' it says in the fine print.


Pours a nice dark brown with lots of effervescence buy not much of a head, just a ring around the edge.

Nothing very coconutty or curryy in the aroma at first whiff. Let's try another . . .

Malty, malty, malty in the nose. A very promising oatmeal stout, it would seem.

Let's have a taste then . . .


I still don't get the coconut part, but on the second gulp there's a surprisingly nice curry note. Very, very nice! Very smooth, very pleasant pungency, but nothing of the coconut for me.

And nothing of the hot pepper spicy heat the label led me to expect, which isn't really a disappointment.

A very smooth, flavourful, pleasant surprise.

The Lingnan Pi Jiu ginseng flavoured beer from Alley Kat
341ml/5%

Loverly amber colour with a nice off-white head dropping to a substantial ring.

Strongly citrusy aroma with a maltiness as well. Enchanting.

A clean, fruity but not sweet flavour with an astringent bitterness on the finish. Very refreshing. Very pleasant.

I'm going to reheat some rice.

Sherbrooke/Paddock Wood

Silenus Belgian Style Tripel
355ml/9%

a beautiful red/amber, but a little more amber than I expected.
Not much head, a ring and a patch in the middle.

Fruity and malty aroma, very Belgian.

Flavour appropriate to type: fruity malt, hops (quite strong on the finish), and alcohol! Very appropriately named for the Drunken God Silenus!

My mention of the Bete Noire got me thinking of another from that same time period, And still quite enjoyable(in fact I might just have another)

Yukon Brewing Midnight Sun Espresso Stout, 6.2%abv 341ml bottle
-utilizing coffee from fellow Yukon enterprise, Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters ,
http://www.midnight-sun-coffee.com -

Relaxed pour yields an opaque darkest brown stout, reddish at the base of the tulip glasses bowl. No easily discernable carbonation...though it is there. Barely a finger of tight mocha coloured head that soon dissipates to ring'n'cap. Impressive lacing, though it fades somewhat.

Unmistakeable aroma of espresso coffee & roasted barley...some malt.

Grainy malt at first, followed by subtle espresso which swells considerablyt(not overbearing/overpowering imho, but I'm a addict). Hops mingle relatively seamlessly with dark roast coffee bitterness. Distinct cold coffee taste fades to clean somewhat dry finish. Medium bodied, rather substantial-almost chewy-mouthfeel.

Unexpected accenting of the sea salt in an Equal Exchange Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt bar. http://www.equalexchange.coop/chocolate-bars Not all that incongruous with the coffee, simply causing a momentary 'dimming of the light' so to speak.

Something I read on the Midnight Sun carton/case struck me as worthy of mention. It states that a total of eight malts are used. So the , while it is there could fairly easily be (for the most part at least) overlooked - well blended as it is. Which would explain a friend's comments upon first sip, as well as later in the glass, that he wasn't picking up any .

I was just thinking about you and this thread!


I've been feeling really, really bored with beer for a while. On friday I `picked u`p a six `pack of Amber's stout, the first of their beer I've had in a while, and, sure enough . . .



flat as a pancake.

Not a bubble to be seen.


I'm getting really fed u`p with the inconsistency there and the limited range of `products. On a wider view, I'm getting tired of the endless round of new quirky flavours Alley Kat (and others) are throwing together every three days. Sometimes I wish I could just have a simple reliable real beer. Sometimes I think I should just drink my own and hide in the basement. Maybe today I'll `pick u`p some ~Pilsner Urquel.


Or maybe I'll just switch to wine. Last night I had a half bottle of (home-made) Chianti with dinner and it was truly fine and pleasant.


Am I suffering from beer-burnout?

*taps temple contemplatively*possibly...

I just came across a Canadian-Ontario to be specific-review of an American Barleywine I must confess I've been very curious about.

http://www.beerincanada.ca/?p=1122

Alcohol: 27% ABV

The most potent U.S. brew I believe....I assume taking percentage points here'n'there from the barrel aging and/or length of time in said barrel.

Oh & I also stumbled on this one/review of a Unibroue rerelease that hit the Ontario shelves recently(I assume we'll have it fairly soon).

http://www.beertaster.ca/content/unibroue-grand-reserve-17

That looks interesting.

Yes after trying Terrib'luh', I'm quite curious about the 17 (G/R). I had noticed it on the Unibroue site about a year ago, but had never seen it locally available.