Stone Mint Coffee Milk Stout

The last time I had a peppermint beer was 2015 and it was Ballast Point's Peppermint Victory at Sea. As I stated in a previous blog, I love Victory at Sea and Peppermint Victory at Sea sounded like a fun variant to a really great beer. I dropped everything and raced to the store to buy a bottle. I cracked it open as soon as I got home and was immediately disappointed. Absolutely nothing in the flavor of that beer worked for me. From my first sip to my last I thought it tasted exactly like I was drinking a great coffee beer after brushing my teeth. Everything about its flavor felt off and medicinal. For some reason, I thought that would be the general consensus of my beer drinking friends. However, that was not the case. What I found was that Peppermint Victory at Sea seemed to bring out an extremely polarizing reaction. Some absolutely loved it, some absolutely hated it. I always found the reaction to Peppermint Victory at Sea to be particularly intriguing but I never found the need to drink another mint beer, until now. Stone Brewing Company has now joined the minted stout party with their latest offering, Mint Coffee Milk Stout. Over the years, I have enjoyed many beers from Stone. They do not always hit their mark but I admire the fact that they take risks. Due to its medicinal flavor potential, I view putting a mint beer out as a risk. So would Stone deliver a solid mint stout? Or for the second time in a row, would I think I was drinking a beer that reminded me more of coffee Listerine than beer?

What should not come as a surprise is Stone Brewing Company found a way to make a really nice mint beer. Nevertheless, I found myself surprised by how much I enjoyed Stone's Mint Coffee Milk Stout. My optimism started with the aroma. The mint was not at the forefront at all. It was full of coffee, lactose, chocolate and roasted malt. The mint was present in the flavor, delicately blended with the chocolate. The coffee is the star of the show here, dominating the first few sips. It was complimented nicely by chocolate & lactose. This provided a nice creamy mouthfeel leading to a surprisingly clean finish. As it began to warm, the combination of chocolate & lactose rose to the forefront. This caused the beer to become a bit too sweet for my liking. That criticism aside I did actually enjoy this beer. I would have liked it to have a little more body but everything works fairly well here. It has just the right amount of mint. It compliments the other flavors here, never overpowering them. For a flavored stout it is nicely balanced.

I am not sure I can say that this beer completely changed my opinion of using mint in beer. This beer worked because the mint was used as a compliment to the beer. At no point is the mint the star of the show. I am looking forward to seeing what the reaction is to this beer. I doubt it will be as polarizing as Peppermint Victory at Sea. From my standpoint, mint in beer may not be my favorite thing but from now on I will certainly be more open-minded when it comes to mint flavored stouts.

Overall I would rate Stone Mint Coffee Milk Stout a 3.5/5. Stone Brewing delivers again with a really nice mint flavored stout.


To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

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For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo IPA & Sidecar Pale Ale

Two beers I will never review here are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. The reason for this is quite simple, you should have already tried them. They are both excellent examples of their respective styles. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in particular is one of my favorite stand by beers, it never disappoints. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is just a solid IPA and an excellent representation of the style. I'm trying to avoid sounding like a commercial but Sierra Nevada Brewing Company does a lot of beers extremely well. Now that I have made my love of those beers known, I think it is time to talk about the beers I will be reviewing. Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo IPA & Sierra  Nevada Sidecar Pale Ale are a brand new spin on two styles of beer they are known to do very well. So would that success translate onto this brand new beers? Or would these beers be disappointing entries into a solid catalog of beers?

I'll start things off with Tropical Torpedo IPA which of the two I was more excited about. I'll admit I have lower expectations for Sidecar Pale Ale because it seems to be playing off the recent trend of fruited pale ales & IPAs. Tropical Torpedo IPA however is not fruited. It gets its big tropical aromas from a fantastic hop blend that includes two favorites of mine, citra and mosaic. The big tropical aroma is mostly dominated by passion fruit. There are also notes of pineapple, papaya and mango. The aroma however does not translate to the flavor. Tropical Torpedo is really a nice showcase of bready malt with some grapefruit hop bitterness. The Munich malt in particular comes through nicely. Actually, I think this is the exact same beer as the 2016 Beer Camp Tropical IPA that Sierra Nevada released last year. Just like last year I was disappointed that the big tropical aroma did not translate into the flavor. Nevertheless, this is still a nice beer. I just wish they brought out some bigger hop flavors.

Overall rating: 3/5

Next up, we have Sierra Nevada Sidecar Pale Ale. The orange that this beer promises is definitely in both the aroma and the flavor. Much like the Tropical Torpedo, bready malt, especially the Munich malt comes through in the flavor. There is also a light hop bitterness on the finish. Everything here tastes fine but it is just a bit too light on flavor. For the most part though, Sidecar Pale delivers on what it promises. It is by no means anything special. It is just an easy drinking pale ale with a tangy orange flavor that would work nicely during the summer. It just seems out of place during the cold winter months. This is the kind of beer you bring to a beach picnic. It is light, easy to drink and sessionable. From a flavor standpoint though, this comes nowhere near the fantastic flavor of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It's also significantly lighter that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I think this would work nicely as an introduction to someone that may be new to pale ales.

Overall rating: 2.75/5

Tropical Torpedo IPA & Sidecar Pale Ale are both underwhelming beers. I am not saying they are bad beers. In fact, I think they are both quite drinkable. Both just failed to deliver a drinking experience in the same league as Torpedo Extra IPA & Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Tropical Torpedo has a wonderfully complex aroma but delivers a rather basic flavor. Sidecar Pale Ale just seems like a watered down pale ale with a lot of orange flavor. I would recommend you give both of them a try, just lower your expectations.

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Hel & Verdoemenis (Aged in Scottish Barley Whiskey Barrels)

I do not drink a lot of scotch. However, I have enjoyed mostly every one I have tried. I find the rich, smoky flavor, as well as the vast differences between the blends and the single malt scotches to be particularly fascinating. I do not typically buy a lot of scotch because I buy a lot of beer. I have been told that once you really get into single malt scotch, it becomes a very expensive venture. I already have that with beer, I can't justify both. However, I got a chance this week to try a beer that brought both worlds together. From Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands, a variant of Hel & Verdoemenis(Hell & Damnation) combined scotch & beer by taking a smoked imperial stout and aging it in Scottish barley whiskey barrels. The bottle also describes the beer as “heavily peated,” and I would want and expect no less. Everything here sounded fantastic but if you read my blog, you know I have said that before to disappointing results. So would these complex flavors work well together? Or would this purchase be another expensive mistake?

If I had to describe this version of Hel & Verdoemenis in one word it would be smoky. That dominates the aroma, as well as the flavor. Charred caramel, dark chocolate and a lot of alcohol also come through in the aroma as well. Actually drinking this beer was a bit of a journey. Initially the strong flavor of peaty smoke, caramel, dark chocolate, vanilla and oak delighted my palate. The 11% ABV was very noticeable as well, especially in the finish but it worked here. As I made my way through the glass I began to notice a sea salt-like finish begin to come through. I know that some scotches have a slight saltiness to them, so this was nothing unusual. Unfortunately, it just did not work in the context of this beer. The more it warmed, the more the salt water flavor clashed with the smokiness, chocolate, and caramel of the stout. The finish also began to develop a sort of vegetal flavor which I am assuming is seaweed. The more it warmed, the stronger this got. It got so potent, I began to dread taking a sip for about the last third of the beer.

As I finished the beer, I could not help but think of what a missed opportunity this beer was. I was hoping not to say it, but the truth is I did not like Scotch Barrel Aged Hel & Verdoemenis. However, this is a style I definitely want to see more of. Bourbon Barrel Aging is wonderful and I believe Scotch Barrel Aging has potential to do some really nice things in the beer world. I really want to see more breweries taking chances on the style like Brouwerij De Molen did here.

Overall I would rate Hel & Verdoemenis Smoked Imperial Stout aged in Scottish barley whiskey barrels a 2/5. There are some really nice flavors here, unfortunately they just do not work well together.

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Southern Tier 2x Oak'd IPA

Last week, I had Southern Tier's 2xIPA for the very first time. I honestly was surprised that this was the case. I assumed it was just one of those beers I tried before that did not make an impression and I just moved on from it. Also, I am not a huge fan of the Southern Tier IPA. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with it, I just prefer many other IPAs in that particular price range. That being said, Southern Tier used to make some of my favorite IPAs. Years ago, I loved Hoppe, Un-Earthly and their wax-dipped Gemini. They were my first real taste of when a big IPA is done correctly. Since then Un-Earthly is fortunately still around, Hoppe is long gone and Gemini is no longer wax-dipped and seems to be a different beer altogether. So, with my indifference to Southern Tier IPA and my disappointment that they no longer make some old favorites, it was easy to overlook 2xIPA. So when my cousin brought over a six pack of 2xIPA I cracked open a bottle thinking nothing of it. I was then pleasantly surprised by the beautiful flavors in my glass. Simply put, I thought it was a really nice double IPA. So when I went back to the store to pick up another six pack I was stopped in my tracks when I saw Southern Tier 2x Oak'd IPA. Aged with oak chips and brewed with maple syrup, 2x Oak'd IPA sounded fantastic. That, paired with my enjoyment of 2xIPA, gave me high hopes that 2x Oak'd IPA would deliver a fantastic drinking experience.

So where does 2x Oak'd IPA measure up to some of Southern Tier's other IPAs? The answer is somewhere in the middle. The beer is not as great as it sounds on the packaging. It has a lot going on but mostly everything here is understated. The maple flavor is almost completely invisible. It adds a little bit of sweetness on the back end but for the most part is invisible. If you read my review of Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead, I stated I wanted more maple syrup in the flavor. I feel like a broken record repeating the same thing here but it's true. At this point I want a brewery to drown a beer in maple syrup so I can finally get an adequate amount of it in the flavor. The oak flavor is there but aside from adding a bit of spice and a hint of vanilla it does not add much to the beer. A little more vanilla could have really added a creaminess to the finish that this beer could have benefited from. There is a lot of pine in the flavor, along with some caramel malt which is fine. There is a light amount of citrus as well in the flavor but not nearly enough. Unfortunately, this just tastes more like a really good IPA that has been on the shelf too long more that anything else. I definitely think 2x Oak'd IPA has potential. If they decide to try this again and I think they should, I think it could get a lot better. Then again if Southern Tier is looking to give another beer a second chance instead, I'd much rather see them bring Hoppe back instead.

Overall I would rate 2x Oak'd IPA a 2.5/5. Until they get it right, just go with the 2xIPA, it's really good.


To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

For my most recent appearance of 13 WHAM's Good Day Rochester: Click Here!

Happy New Year! Thanks for reading. Sláinte!