Two Roads Bergamonster

Witbier is a style of beer I rarely blog about and that needs to change. I have always been a fan of witbiers but tend to typically drink them when the weather is on the warmer side. The orange peel, coriander, wheat & spicy notes pair wonderfully with a hot summer day. Don’t believe me? Drink a Dogfish Head Namaste or an Allagash White and tell me I am wrong. The Allagash White is, in my opinion, the best representation of the style I have ever had. Drinking that beer is an absolute pleasure and if you have yet to try it I recommend making it your next beer purchase. I assure you, you will not be disappointed. I always tell my beer drinking friends that if they know someone that drinks a lot of Blue Moon, they need to give Allagash White a try. Once again, I have gotten a bit off track. This blog is not about Allagash White. This blog is about a fantastic witbier I tried for the first time a couple days ago and instantly felt the desire write about and fill my refrigerator with it. That beer was Two Road's Bergamonster.

I went into drinking Bergamonster with a fairly indifferent attitude. While I have liked most of the Two Road's beers I have tried, none of them have impressed me enough to be repeat purchases. They always seem to be good but nothing memorable. Even with Bergamonster, I was unsure what to expect. I thought it had the potential to be fantastic or it could turn out to be a bit more on the gimmicky side considering it was brewed with an inedible citrus fruit that is primary used only for its essence. I am thrilled it was the former and this unique approach to brewing a witbier really paid off.

The aroma of Bergamonster pulled me in immediately. The citrus notes, particularly lemon and orange popped right out of the glass. The nose was also floral, spicy with notes of clove, coriander and a yeasty breadiness one would expect from the style. The first sip was like a tart punch in the face. The lemon in particular was unexpectedly strong. It caught me so off guard I was not exactly sure what to think of the beer. I then took another sip and while it was tart, more complexity came into focus. Orange, grapefruit, tropical fruit, hearty bread, clove, coriander & pepper spice shined nicely before a pleasantly sweet banana finish that lingered on the palate. The sweet banana finish was by far my favorite part of the beer. It added a nice balance to the aggressive tartness of the lemon and really made for a pleasant drinking experience. While I would have preferred that the tartness was dialed back ever so slightly, there is very little else to complain about here. Bergamonster is a great witbier. From what I stated earlier this might seem like small praise but this is easily my favorite beer brewed by Two Roads. At 6.4%, it is deceptively strong and easy to drink. Bergamonster is a beer I look forward to purchasing again and drinking throughout the summer months. If you enjoy Witbiers, I encourage everyone to give it a try.

Overall rating: 4.25/5 


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Founders Dank Wood

Writing blogs about new entries in the Founders' Barrel Aged Series has become a formality at this point. Personally, I am a huge fan of the series and judging by the feedback & web traffic the blogs get, you all are just as curious about the new releases as I am. My favorite of the new releases last year was DKML(Dick Kicker Malt Liquor). The beer was big, dirty and boozy. I found it to be absolutely delicious and loved every single second of drinking it. At the same time, I could also see why someone would absolutely hate DKML for the same reasons I listed. Either way you felt about DKML, the creativity & courage to brew and then barrel aged malt liquor should be admired.

My least favorite entry in the Barrel Aged Series was Doom. The thought of an Imperial IPA aged in bourbon barrels was intriguing but it just missed the mark for me. It reminded me too much of a less boozy and slightly aged Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. While that's not necessarily a knock on the beer, it just didn't deliver in the way I hoped it would. I remember it being mostly malt and vanilla while I wanted a bit more of a hop bite. Speaking of hop bite, that brings me to the latest release in the Barrel Aged Series, Dank Wood.

From the moment Founders announced the release of Dank Wood I had high hopes for it. Red IPAs are one of my favorite styles of beer. I think it is a style that is tremendously underrated and I hope to see it make a comeback of sorts in the near future. My initial complaint about Doom was that I wanted more hoppiness from it, Dank Wood did not disappoint in that department. The aroma of Dank Wood lives up to its name. It is super dank, full of sticky pine and oak. There are also notes of grapefruit, caramel, toffee, vanilla and earthy, spicy hops. The 12.2% ABV comes through in the aroma as well. The alcohol is so strong in Dank Wood I felt it warming my nostrils. I anticipated the noticeable alcohol content to play a big part in the first sip I took, and I was right.

Dank Wood's flavor is bold and full of booze. The heat from the alcohol provides the kind of warmth one would expect from a beer that came out during the winter months, not the warmer days of late spring. If you are looking for a smooth, easy drinking experience, I would suggest looking elsewhere. Underneath the alcohol, Dank Wood aggressively hits the palate with oak tannins, caramel, toffee, vanilla, grapefruit, spicy hops and loads of pine resin. I did not get bourbon in the aroma but I got a bit of it in the finish and I thought that was a nice touch. Mostly everything about this beer clicked for me. The only thing I would like to see differently is the alcohol scaled back just a touch. I look forward to placing a bottle in the cellar to revisit down the road, as I am very curious to see how this one develops. As for right now though, Dank Wood is big, bold, monster of a beer and much like DKML, I could see it being quite polarizing. I personally enjoyed it and look forward to buying another 4-pack of it. However, I would suggest approaching it with caution. As I mentioned earlier, if you are looking for something easy drinking, look elsewhere.

Overall rating: 4/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Decadent Ales French Toast DIPA

The concept of a French Toast Double IPA sounds ridiculous. I drank it and I still can't believe it is a real thing. When I first came across a can, my initial thought was 'that's got to be gross'. A moment later after some quiet contemplation I thought to myself 'I have to try it.' So I picked up a single can and brought it home. For a week, I kept passing over this bizarre dessert ipa for other more traditional offerings in my refrigerator. Normally, I can't wait to try a new & interesting beer but I just could not find the right time to drink it. I knew this was the kind of beer that would require some contemplation time. I also knew I would have to write a blog about it. The worst case scenario here was I was out 5 bucks for the can and pouring it down the drain. The best case scenario, this beer would be one of the most unique things I had ever tried and I needed to run out and immediately buy more. While neither of these scenarios came to be, Decadent Ales French Toast was one of the most interesting & confusing beers I have had in a long time.

I admit I had not heard of Decadent Ales up until now. After looking over their modest website I realized that doing unique dessert-style beers is what they do. Then again, that should have been obvious to me by the name of their brewery. Even still, I do not think I was prepared for what I was about to drink.

Decadent Ales's French Toast DIPA looks like your typical unfiltered double IPA. For that reason alone, I thought I had an idea of what the aroma would be like. I thought it would have subtle elements of french toast but would mostly be full of bold hop aromas. Surprisingly, I could not have been any more wrong. The nose was strictly french toast with butter, cinnamon & maple syrup. There was a touch of citrus hops but that's it. The first sip and every sip after delivered the same thing, french toast with butter, cinnamon & maple syrup. It got to a point that it made me want the real thing instead of a beer. The maple flavor in particular is huge and dominates everything else. There is a lactose creaminess to it as well that really brings home the buttery note. The hops that are here add a nice touch of spiciness that pairs well with the cinnamon. The finish has light touch of hop bitterness, along with a hint of booziness. I can't emphasize this enough, the sweetness from the maple syrup is really the star of the show here. While the finish does provide some balance, the maple syrup completely overpowers it. As someone who lacks a sweet tooth, this became a bit too much.

French Toast DIPA is a strange, creative & unique drinking experience. I liked it but I am glad I only got one can. It is by no means sessionable and the gimmick of it wears off as soon as the glass is empty. If this sounds good to you, then I recommend picking up a can. It delivers everything it promises except the hoppiness you would typically expect from a DIPA. This beer definitely opened my eyes to Decadent Ales. While this one is not particularly my thing, they did successfully capture French Toast in beer form. For that reason alone I am hoping to try more of their beers in the near future.

Overall rating: 3.5/5



Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Jack's Abby Bourbon Barrel Aged Graham Cracker Framinghammer

Whenever the Bourbon Barrel Aged Framinghammers come out I usually treat myself to one or two if I come across them but I do not seek them out. My main reason for this is, while I like them, I always want to like them more than I usually do. This all started with the first time I tried their PB&J variant. The flavors it promised were under delivered and they clashed with the base beer. The other variants I have tried were fine but were always a touch too boozy. Each time I drank the Bourbon Barrel Aged Framinghammer or its Vanilla, Mole or Brandy Barrel Aged variants I wanted each of them to finish smoother than they did. While aging them might have helped this problem, not everyone has the patience to see how that turns out.

My thoughts towards the Bourbon Barrel Aged Framinghammer Series changed in the summer of 2016. I was at Jack's Abby and had a taster of their draft-only BBA Graham Cracker variant. From the first sip to the last, I was blown away. Graham cracker is not usually a flavor that shines nicely in beer, but it did here. It was the undisputed star of the show and I instantly caused me to fall in love with the beer. Since that day, I have been waiting for an opportunity to try it again. That chance finally arrived with this year's Bourbon Barrel Aged Framinghammer releases. I honestly could have cared less about the regular BA version or any of the other variants released. I just wanted the Graham Cracker version and I wanted it to live up to the incredible beer I remember trying almost two years ago. After a full week of sitting in my refrigerator, I was finally ready to find out if it did.

From the moment I took in the wonderful aroma of graham crackers, chocolate, vanilla & caramelized sugar, I knew I was in for a treat with my first sip of BBA Graham Cracker Framinghammer. This beer is without question the best example of a s'mores-style beer I have had yet. All of the elements are there in the flavor, and there is a huge amount of graham cracker present. As I mentioned earlier, in s'mores style beers I feel the flavor of graham cracker in particular is usually lacking. Here it is front and center along with lots of chocolate, vanilla, caramelized sugar, smoke and a slight hint of oak from the barrel. I got practically no bourbon in the flavor but I am not complaining. All of the elements I wanted were there. To be a bit critical though, it does get a touch sweet as it warms and the trademark booziness is noticable in the finish. As far as the sweetness goes, one should expect that in a beer designed to taste like a dessert. The booziness in the BBA Framinghammers seems to be unavoidable no matter which one you try. I am looking forward to aging a bottle a bit to see how it develops. Rest assured, I will report back with my findings. Outside of those two small criticisms, I have no complaints, this beer is wonderful and I highly recommend seeking it out.

Overall rating: 4.5/5



Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!