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!

Prairie Pe-Kan Imperial Stout

When I saw Prairie Pe-Kan on the shelf the first time, I walked right past it. I felt I could not drop another 10 dollars on a 12 ounce bottle that may or may not be worth it. I thought if I ignored it that day, it would be gone and I would not feel the temptation to buy it again. Then I saw it again in another place, and then another, and then I finally caved and bought a bottle. I faced the hard truth that I am a sucker for stouts from Prairie Artisan Ales. I realize this is mainly because I absolutely love Bomb! It's ridiculously overpriced but ridiculously good. I can only justify buying it once in a great while but it delivers every single time. Now when I came across Pe-Kan I did not expect it to come close to the greatness of Bomb. The label even stated that it was a “malt beverage with natural flavors”. Anytime a beer has “natural flavors” in it, my expectations are immediately lowered. Still, I purchased a Pe-Kan, chilled it, hoped for the best and made it the subject of this blog.

Things did not start out as well as I'd hoped with Pe-Kan. As I poured it, the first thing I thought was, “this looks a little on the thin side.” At the price point and ABV level, I was not looking for thin. I was looking for motor oil-like thickness. I thought the aroma was interesting. It was boozy, smokey, roasty, with vanilla, chocolate and caramelized sugar. I did not get much pecan in the aroma but I did get that in the flavor. It really gave the impression that this beer was trying to pull off pecan pie and I think it worked. Pe-Kan is sweet, like really sweet but for some reason I really liked it here. The vanilla, chocolate, pecans, caramelized sugar blended nicely with a nice roasty and smokey malt flavor. Did the beer taste a little artificial? Yes it did, but surprisingly I did not mind it. This is a fun dessert beer, plain and simple. It is not something I could drink more than one of but it is something I am glad I tried. I do not think this beer would work for everyone but if you like pecan pie, I would give it a shot.

Overall I would rate Prairie Pe-Kan a 4/5. It's not as good as Bomb! Not even close actually, but it is a really fun beer, that's worth a try.

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!