BadMoon's Beer Reviews

[blue_rogue]

It just doesn't seem right that summer ales are showing up now when we're not even two full weeks into spring and it's snowing like crazy as I type this...

 

[VASith]

It just doesn't seem right that summer ales are showing up now when we're not even two full weeks into spring and it's snowing like crazy as I type this...

Yeah..it's cold and dark and damp here as well. Which is why we're going to break into our single bottle of this with dinner tonight.

 

[blue_rogue]

Oh man, I want that. Is that a recent purchase or did you buy it when it was first released last summer?

 

[VASith]

Oh man, I want that. Is that a recent purchase or did you buy it when it was first released last summer?

Got it last summer and have had it aging in the wine cellar. With the warmer weather coming we want to drink it while it's still dark beer weather. I didn't want to risk cellaring it for another year...not sure how it would hold up. We had numerous pints of it while we were at the Rehoboth Dogfish last October...it's a very nice beer.

 

[blue_rogue]

Darn, I was hoping maybe they just released a new batch.

I pretty much only drank stouts over the winter and when I started seeing summer seasonals two weeks ago I realized I had better pick up a few spring releases before they start to disappear.

I picked up a 6-pack of Sam Adams Noble Pils and a 4-pack of Dogfish Head Aprihop. I've never had the Aprihop, and I was planning on having it as the weather got warmer, but it's looking like it may be a while before that happens around here. I think I'm going to go ahead and crack one open today.

 

[VASith]

Darn, I was hoping maybe they just released a new batch.

I pretty much only drank stouts over the winter and when I started seeing summer seasonals two weeks ago I realized I had better pick up a few spring releases before they start to disappear.

I picked up a 6-pack of Sam Adams Noble Pils and a 4-pack of Dogfish Head Aprihop. I've never had the Aprihop, and I was planning on having it as the weather got warmer, but it's looking like it may be a while before that happens around here. I think I'm going to go ahead and crack one open today.

Aprihop's very good. But then again I haven't met a Dogfish I didnt like. Careful, they are 7% and kinda sneak up on you. We went to our local Dogfish last weekend and I got 4 of those and had to have the wife drive home.

 

[Grenouille]

It just doesn't seem right that summer ales are showing up now when we're not even two full weeks into spring and it's snowing like crazy as I type this...

I saw today that both Shipyard and Sam Adams have their summer stuff out already. Last year's Ship summer didn't sit right with me. Seemed like they tweaked it a bit.

 

[FLOSI]

Aprihop's very good. But then again I haven't met a Dogfish I didnt like. Careful, they are 7% and kinda sneak up on you. We went to our local Dogfish last weekend and I got 4 of those and had to have the wife drive home.

Is Miles Davis an Imperial Stout, VA?

 

[FLOSI]

 

[VASith]

Is Miles Davis an Imperial Stout, VA?

Not really..here's the press release which can explain it better than me. About to crack it open to go with some pizza topped with fried eggplant and roasted red peppers.


"In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of _____es Brew, Miles Davis' 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, we've created our own _____es Brew - a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece.Featuring the album's iconic artwork, created by the late Mati Klarwein, on its label, Dogfish Head's _____es Brew was unveiled at SAVOR, An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, June 5, 2010 at the National Building Museum, Washington DC.

Haven't experienced the _____es Brew album? Two 40th anniversary editions of Miles Davis' _____es Brew -- a Legacy Edition and a deluxe Collector's Edition -- are available.

The newly created ale is designed, according to Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione, "as the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken" and best enjoyed "sipped cool, not cold, from a snifter or red wine glass while listening to the _____es Brew album."

Calagione was drawn to the alchemical spirits in _____es Brew right out of college, acquiring a copy of the album "within months of the first time I brewed a batch of homebrew in my apartment in New York City. I listened to it when I was writing my Dogfish business plan. I wanted Dogfish Head to be a maniacally inventive and creative brewery, analog beer for the digital age. You could say that my dream was to have Dogfish Head, in some small way, stand for the same thing in the beer world that _____es Brew stands for in the jazz world. You can imagine how excited we are to be doing this project 17 years after I wrote that business plan."

"There's a spirit of innovation, of creativity and individuality, thats at the core of Miles' music," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "Sam and Dogfish Head approach their art from the same place and consequently the marriage is an easy and cool one."

Dogfish Head and its "off-centered ales for off-centered people" were the subject of "A Better Brew," an article in The New Yorker (Nov. 24, 2008) examining the rise of extreme beer. "Beer has lagged well behind wine and organic produce in the ongoing reinvention of American cuisine. Yet the change over the past twenty years has been startling," wrote Burkhard Bilger. "Dogfish is something of a mascot for this unruly movement. In the thirteen years since Calagione founded the brewery, it has gone from being the smallest in the country to the thirty-eighth largest. Calagione makes more beer with at least ten per cent alcohol than any other brewer, and his odd ingredients are often drawn from ancient or obscure beer traditions. It is to Budweiser what a bouillabaisse is to fish stock."

 

[VASith]

On a Dogfish kick..just finished some of these before dinner...

 

[FLOSI]

Lots of Paulander tonight. I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

 

[blue_rogue]

I saw today that both Shipyard and Sam Adams have their summer stuff out already. Last year's Ship summer didn't sit right with me. Seemed like they tweaked it a bit.

I've seen Shipyard and Geary's so far.

I still haven't even tried Shipyard's Summer Ale. Admittedly though, I'm not a big fan of their beers. But I really like Prelude and Smashed Pumpkin.

I do want to try their stout and the other Signature Series beers. I'm really looking forward to checking this one out next month.

 

[blue_rogue]

Aprihop's very good. But then again I haven't met a Dogfish I didnt like. Careful, they are 7% and kinda sneak up on you. We went to our local Dogfish last weekend and I got 4 of those and had to have the wife drive home.

I tried an Aprihop with lunch on Friday and really enjoyed it. I was having a salad for lunch and that just happened to be one of the foods they suggested pairing it with on their website.

I've only tried a few Dogfish beers; Punkin, Chicory Stout, Worldwide Stout, and now Aprihop. I've bought the Punkin Ale two years in a row now, and I will definitely get the other two seasonals every year going forward.

I plan on trying their IPAs soon and I'll be looking for Festina Peche in June.

 

[Eli26]

They had Shiner Bock at the local bevmo. I'll pick up a sixer next time. Here's some beers I picked up for tonight.

Yum to two of the three... can someone mail me a 4 pack of Banana Bread Beer? My interest has peaked.

 

[VASith]

The family went to Rehoboth Beach this past weekend and we went to Dogfish Head 3 or 4 times. Got to try 2 of their newest rare creations:

Fun=Yes:

"Laughing maniacally at the Reinheitsgebot, Sam and Bryan brewed this one with two-row and Marris Otter malts, lots of First Gold hops, red grenadine, pureed French cherries, cinnamon, craisins, limes, white sugar, black pepper, and fennel. The aroma of First Gold hops jump out at you from the grapefruit colored brew while the spices and fruitiness linger in the background.

Fun = Yes is a Brewpub Exclusive and will go on tap in April 22, 2011. It'll be available until it is gone!"

NobleRot:

"A sort of Saison, fermented with Botrytis-infected Viognier and Pinot Gris grapes. This beer is brewed with Pils malt, organic Hard Red Winter Wheat malt, Warrior hops, Willamette hops, Liberty hops, Saison yeast and Botrytis wine must.

Noble Rot will go on tap 2/9/11 and will be available until it is gone."

Both were really good. I hope they bottle the Fun=Yes in the future..very unique tasting beer.

Also picked up 4 bottles of this. Apparently it's going to be even harder to find than _____es Brew. Didn't want to take any chances of it not showing up in Northern VA so we bought a bunch.

 

[VASith]

Not really beer related but def. alcohol related....the best chef in the US, Grant Achatz just opened up a cocktail bar in Chicago called the Aviary. This place looks amazing!!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT_8BwdJtqA"]YouTube - Aviary Opening[/ame]

 

[VASith]

Going to hit our local Whole Foods for some growlers tomorrow. Will prob get these two. I've had the maharaja before and it's really hoppy and boozy.

 

[blue_rogue]

I also go to Whole Foods for beer sometimes. They have a really great selection for a grocery store and that's where I found the Aprihop 4-pack I bought last month.

I'd been looking for Smuttynose Imperial Stout and I found it there two weeks ago. I also got Rockart Stump Jumper Gnarly Stout, Orkney Dragonhead Stout and Longtrail Coffee Stout. Last week I picked up a 6-pack of Wolaver's Wildflower Wheat.

 

[blue_rogue]

The family went to Rehoboth Beach this past weekend and we went to Dogfish Head 3 or 4 times.

I am totally jealous. Do you live near either of the Alehouses that are in Virginia?