Founders Underground Mountain Brown

Whenever there is a new release in the Founders Barrel Aged Series, I can’t help but write about it. The series might not always deliver a great beer but the creativity behind each of the offerings is something that should be celebrated. The latest release in the series, Underground Mountain Brown, a bourbon barrel aged version of their coffee brown ale Sumatra Mountain Brown, feels like a more crowd pleasing entry on paper. Especially when compared to the previous entry, the margarita-inspired beer Mas Agavé. In fact, the first time I tried Sumatra Mountain Brown, I found myself wondering what it would taste like after spending some time in a barrel. Now, with the release of Underground Mountain Brown, I no longer have to wonder.

After spending a year in bourbon barrels, the barrel character is immediately noticeable in the aroma. Creamy vanilla blends beautifully with robust coffee, baker’s chocolate, oak tannins, toffee, hazelnut & a warm, boozy note. When I took my first sip, I thought I was drinking KBS Lite. It had many of the same flavor notes with a touch less body and a more acidic burn on the finish. Tons of earthy, robust coffee, as well as a big hit of roasted malt sits up front before giving way to creamy vanilla & a touch of caramelized sugar, which tries to add a touch of balance. A huge hit of baker’s chocolate then comes in before a tannic, acidic, boozy finish.

There is a large barrel presence in Underground Mountain Brown but a not a huge bourbon presence. I feel like the only time I noticed the bourbon was in the finish. I would have liked that to stand out more. I also would have preferred a touch more sweetness, to balance the flavor out. With each sip, I kept hoping the vanilla would come through more before being blasted with acidity. Another fantastic note I did not mention earlier was the subtle hint of hazelnut. I am a huge fan of hazelnut brown ales and would have really liked more of that to come through here.

This review might give you the impression I am not a fan of Underground Mountain Brown, but I actually did enjoy it. However, I will stress that one 4-pack goes a long way. I have consumed three bottles so far and plan on putting the fourth in the cellar awhile to see if the acidity calms down a bit. If you are a fan of Founders’ Sumatra Mountain Brown, KBD  or coffee brown ales in general, I feel this is a must-try. If those are not your thing, I would recommend passing on this one unless you absolutely have to try every entry in the Founders Barrel Aged Series.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Cigar City Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale

Cigar City Brewing is one of my all time favorite breweries. I enjoy many of their offerings, including Red Tocobaga which is my all time favorite red ale. Each time I visited their brewery in Tampa, I seemed to be there during the month that White Oak Jai Alai was available in cans but never their Cubano-style Espresso Brown Ale. That was by no means a bad thing, but I really wanted to try the Maduro variant. When I did get to try it, it was in a flight and was unfortunately lost in the shuffle. That particular day was the first time I drank Hunahphu Imperial and I was drinking two different years of it. Everything in my flight paled in comparison to that beer geek moment.

For years, I have been hoping for a second chance to try Cubano-style Espresso. Well, that day has finally arrived. Ever since I first read that that Cubano-style Espresso was getting a large release I found myself counting the seconds the seconds for it to arrive. I finally had the chance to not only drink it but also give it the full attention it deserved. Much like many other Cigar City beers, it did not disappoint.

Coffee, creamy vanilla and chocolate stand out the most in the aroma. The aroma is also nutty with hints of caramel, toffee and toasted bread. The first sip matched the nose for the most part. Coffee is front and center along with milk chocolate. Caramel, nuts & toffee are just underneath those bold flavors before a creamy vanilla finish. The finish also contained a subtle hint of earthy hops as well. There is a lot to like here. The coffee treatment is fantastic. It is a touch sweeter than I want it to be but keep in mind that I am a black coffee drinker, so I prefer my coffee on the bitter side. The vanilla flavor is awesome and adds a nice amount of creaminess to the mouthfeel. In a perfect world, I would have dialed back the carbonation here ever so slightly to enhance that creaminess. That, however, is a small complaint. Cigar City has brewed a winner here. It took almost two and a half years for me to get a chance to try Cubano-style Espresso again and it was well worth the wait.

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!

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!

Beating The Cold With Beer - Oskar Blues 2015 Tequila Barrel Aged Gubna Imperial IPA, Night Shift Village Lager, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

It is absolutely freezing in the Northeast. Temperatures are below zero, wind chills are below zero and I am fairly certain we now live on Hoth. The good news is there is hope in the forecast ahead and slightly warmer days are on the way. For right now though, the best bet to beat the weather is to stay inside. What I mean by that is, stay inside and open some fantastic beers.


Last night, I took a very long look at what was in the refrigerator and after some careful deliberation, I decided to open up a can of Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA Aged in Tequila Barrels. I was particularly intrigued by this beer because it was canned on December 16, 2015. A little over two years is a lot of time to change a beer and when I took my whiff of the aroma I saw the first casualty of aging was that the hop bite had drastically faded. The aroma of bready malt, wood, caramel and some earthiness stood out the most, with just a little bit of tequila in the background. When I took my first sip, I was not sure what to think. It was woody, earthy, bready and spicy, and while this should not have been surprising it somehow caught me off guard. As I worked my way a little deeper into the glass, I started to fall in love with it. There were some really interesting notes that began to emerge as it started to warm a little. There were nice hints of citrus, mango and pineapple. The tequila was there too and that kept confusing my senses. It was like merging irresponsible college drinking and responsible craft beer appreciation. In this beer, worlds were colliding and eventually I found a way to love it even more. Like the Rum Barrel Aged Death By Coconut I reviewed a few weeks ago, Oskar Blues has another barrel aged winner here. I hope to try this one fresh one day to see how it compares with the 2 year old version. For tonight however, this 11% treat provided a nice bit of warmth on this cold night.

Overall rating: 4.25/5


When it gets cold out, I sometimes crave a lager. I think this has to do with great memories I have drinking lagers on cold nights in college, as well as some fantastic nights drinking PBR in the backyard of one of my favorite bars. After some pondering, I settled on Night Shift Brewing's Village Lager and it was delicious. It seemed to hit all of the flavor notes I was looking for. It was grainy, bready, slightly fruity and had a nice bit of spice on a finish that was crisp and clean. At 4.8%, Village Lager is perfectly sessionable and is something I would love to regularly have in my refrigerator.

Overall rating: 4/5


Finally, I opened my last bottle of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. While there was nothing to celebrate on this cold night, Celebration Ale remains a seasonal favorite in our household. This is a beer I largely attribute my love of craft beer to. I do not think it is necessary to break down its flavor notes. This is one of those beers you should have already tried.

Overall rating: It's awesome!


That wraps up my first night of beer tasting to beat the cold. While this particular weather event is not as bad as I assumed it would be, it certainly has left me with no desire to leave my couch. For me, this is just one of those times of year where there is nothing better to do than stay in, read a book, write a blog, watch tv or play video games. Then again, I try to find a reason to do those at any time of year, so I guess the cold does not matter. Stay warm out there, everybody! Cheers!



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!



 

Westbrook 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout

I was not going to write about Westbrook 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout because I thought it would be long gone before I got a chance to write about. I base that solely on my past experiences with buying previous beers in the series. The first time I got my hands on a bottle was the 4th Anniversary Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout. While I did not like the 4th Anniversary Stout, getting it felt like I won a prize. I walked into a bottle shop and asked for it, answered several silly questions and then was the handed a bottle from behind the counter to purchase. I think I even called my wife on the way home to brag about my unique and successful shopping experience.

For the 5th Anniversary Chocolate Raspberry Imperial Stout, I dropped everything and grabbed a bottle as soon as I knew it was on sale. I enjoyed this one more than the previous year but I still was not totally in love with it.

I found a bottle of the 6th Anniversary Chocolate Hazelnut Imperial Stout by luck. I thought it was long gone from my area, but when I walked into a bottle shop there were 3 bottles just sitting on the counter. I took one home and drank it a few days later and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was a rich, beautiful dessert beer and when my bottle was empty I felt a tremendous void knowing I would probably never sip that beer again. I really hope to see Westbrook brew a chocolate hazelnut imperial stout again one day.

For the 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt Imperial Stout, I had a renewed sense of urgency in finding a bottle. The 6th Anniversary was so great that I had nothing but high expectations for the 7th Anniversary beer. That urgency was not needed as the Rochester, NY area seems to be flooded with bottles. I walked into several bottle shops, as well as grocery stores and there it was sitting on the shelves. So with a ton of excitement I opened the bottle, grabbed my notepad and poured a glass.

The aroma of fudge popped out of my glass. It was complimented by roasted malt, a touch of saline, caramel and smoke. The first sip and every sip after that was a treat. Rich creamy fudge dominated the flavor and it was delightful. The roasted malt provided a nice touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness. There was a hint of fruit, along with some caramel and a spicy hop finish which added another amazing layer to this beer. The sea salt is present, and is noticeable right off the bat but I wanted a touch more of it. I love salted dark chocolate so just a touch more would have put this beer in elite territory for me. However, that is a small complaint, because overall this is a fantastic beer.

Westbrook's 7th Anniversary Chocolate & Sea Salt immediately takes its place as one of my favorites in the series. If you are looking for a fantastic sipper to pair with a cold winter night, look no further.

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!

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!

Dogfish Head Liquid Truth Serum IPA

As the months go by, it always seems like it is only a matter of time before I write about something new from Dogfish Head Brewery. This happens because Dogfish Head always seems to catch my eye and pique my curiosity when it comes to their latest releases. Last year around this time, I reviewed their Beer for Breakfast, a stout brewed with a strange pork meat loaf that is a Delaware delicacy. I may not have been crazy about that beer but I loved what they tried to accomplish with it. Over the summer, I reviewed Lupu-Luau, a refreshing coconut IPA that I really enjoyed. To shorten up this intro I will just say that I have an endless amount of respect for Dogfish Head Brewing's creativity. Even if I do not like something from them, I am usually glad I gave it a try. Being endlessly creative with beer is a fantastic thing and I am happy to continue supporting this by buying their products. Recently, I gave their brand new Liquid Truth Serum IPA a shot and while I may not have been crazy about it, I am glad a gave it a try because it certainly was a unique experience.

My thoughts on drinking Liquid Truth Serum can be broken down into three parts:

Part 1: This is Tremendous!

From the moment I got my first whiff of the aroma, I thought I was going to love this beer. The aroma was juicy with big tropical and citrus notes. Lots of grapefruit, pineapple, and mango stood out beautifully with a touch of sticky pine, grass, some nice floral notes and just the right amount of biscuit malt. As I took my first sip, I fell instantly in love with it. Tons of mango, pineapple and grapefruit greeted me with notes of grass, orange peel, melon before a dry, piney, herbal finish. My only early critique was Liquid Truth Serum was touch watery. It made Liquid Truth Serum seem more like it would have fit in better as a summer release that a fall/winter one. I thought this would be my main criticism for this week until...

Part 2: Something isn't Quite Right Here

Initially I was blown away by the big tropical notes of pineapple and mango but as I moved further into the glass those flavors moved into the background. Grapefruit and lemon began to come out a bit more and instead of complimenting those flavors, they seemed to be at war with them. The bitterness which Dogfish Head claims is dialed back with this particular beer continued to grow. On top of that, the finish started becoming increasingly peppery which did not totally work here either. Basically, those big, beautiful flavors in the beginning have faded and what is left is a muddled, mediocre beer from a fantastic brewery.

Part 3: What the Hell Happened?

The final third of the beer was disgusting. I wish I could put it nicer than that but I really need to drive home what a mess this turned into. There was a massive vegetal note that rose to the surface, along with a lot more bitterness. By the end of the glass, my initial positive thoughts were nothing more than a distant memory. Normally, I would have chugged it and moved on but I continued to sip it in hopes of the beer I described in Part 1 would return. It never did.

The truth is Liquid Truth Serum is a surprisingly bad IPA from a brewery that honestly helped myself, as well as many others, fall in love with IPAs in the first place. Supposedly brewed to reduce bitterness, Liquid Truth fails at accomplishing what appeared to be its main goal. I have no problem with a bitter IPA at all,  but the growing bitterness here played a large role Liquid Truth Serum falling apart. I would definitely revisit this beer in the future in hopes that future batches correct these glaring flaws but for right now, I would advise you to stay away from this beer.

Overall rating: 1.75/5

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

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

2017 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across the World

The 2017 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across the World mix pack was a must-have purchase for me. It's also the reason I'm a little behind on my blogging. I wanted to give each beer the proper attention it deserved. The last thing I wanted to do was quickly go through them all in a couple of days. So I took my time and gradually made it through the 12-pack. In the past, I have enjoyed going through the Beer Camp mix packs. I find the whole concept of a fantastic brewery collaborating with other fantastic breweries very exciting. Unfortunately each year, after all is said and done I usually find myself underwhelmed by most of the beers in the pack. Perhaps underwhelmed is the wrong word, a better way to put it is I find most of the collaborations forgettable. Of the mix packs from the past, I honestly can only remember a handful of the beers from them. That's not to say that the beers were bad, they just were nothing I would find myself buying a six pack of. When I saw the list of the 2017 Beer Camp collaborations, I immediately put my thoughts of the previous Beer Camp mix packs aside. Opening it up to breweries around the world is a tremendous idea. I just hoped it would yield some amazing results. This blog is not about reviewing each beer individually, but more about reviewing the pack as a whole. Is it worth the 25+ dollar price tag? Or is your money better spent elsewhere?

The truth is the Beer Camp Across the World is a mixed bag of great, pretty good and bad. We'll start things off with the bad. The worst beer in the pack is the collaboration with The Bruery. Raspberry Sundae may have sounded like a great idea on paper but it is bland and tastes more like soap than beer. Like many others I really enjoy beers from The Bruery, so this one was a huge disappointment. Another disappointment was the Dry-Hopped Berliner Weisse collaboration with Saint Arnold Brewing Company. With a massive cat urine aroma and a bland flavor profile it did not work for me at all. The only other one I really did not like is the Hoppy Belgian-Style Golden Ale collaboration with Duvel Moortgat but I would not put much stock in that. I am not a Duvel fan, so this one tasted pretty much how I expected it to, I just did not enjoy it.

Pretty good is the way I would describe the majority of the beers in the pack. As a one-off they worked for me, but I would hesitate to invest in a 4- or 6-pack of them. In this category I would put Boneyard Beer's West Coast IPA, Garage Project's Campout Porter, Mikkeller's Thai-Style Iced Tea Ale, Fuller's Atlantic Style Vintage Ale, Avery's Dry-Hopped Barleywine and Kiuchi White IPA. I wanted to love the Avery collaboration but found it a touch metallic. The Kiuchi White IPA was a beer I found myself enjoying more and more the further I got into the glass. Of any beers in this category I would want to try again, it would be that one.

The beer I wanted to love was the East Meets West IPA collaboration with Tree House Brewing Company. This was by far the one I was most excited about in the entire pack. I thought it was great, but not as great as it could and should have been.

The best beers in the pack are the Dunkle Weisse from Ayinger Brewery and the Ginger Lager from Surly Brewing Company. The Dunkle Weisse is not as flashy as other beers in the pack and that is what works for it. It's just a great dark wheat beer. I would love to see this get a wide release. The Ginger Lager was something I thought I would absolutely hate. The addition of cayenne pepper added a nice touch of spice and the oak added complexity. When the glass was empty I was legitimately sad at the thought that I might not be able to drink it again.

For me, the Dunkle Weisse and the Ginger Lager were two beers that will stick with me from this year's Beer Camp Across the World collection. For the most part, I enjoyed the beers in this years pack. Sure, a lot of them are better suited as one-offs, but the pack as a whole delivers more hits than misses. If this year's pack did anything, it left me looking forward to seeing what collaborations next year brings.

My overall rating for the entire Sierra Nevada's 2017 Beer Camp Across the World pack as a whole is 3.5/5.

More importantly, is Beer Camp Across the World worth the 25+ dollar price tag? For the most part, yes.

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!

Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose

The Gose is a style of beer that I admit is underrepresented here in my blog. Admittedly, I do not typically seek them out. When I do buy one, I buy it to drink with my wife or just for her to drink. The first gose I recall trying was Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose. I heard a lot of positive word of mouth about it, so I bought a 6-pack of it to share with the wife. She instantly loved it and I looked at it like it was on the same level as Bud Light Lime or the retired Miller Chill. I thought it tasted cheap and for some reason it was slightly salty. After paying more attention to the style, as well as realizing the saltiness was part of it, I found some goses that I liked. Now what I mean by that is, I liked them, but not enough to want to drink on a regular basis. That all changed once I came across Westbrook's Key Lime Pie Gose. I do enjoy the Westbrook Gose but the Key Lime Pie Gose is on another level. With one sip, that beer reinforced to me everything I tell other people about sampling beers. Which is that sometimes you have to keep trying a certain style of beer, because eventually you will find one that you love. Well, spoiler, I absolutely love Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose.

As soon as I got my first whiff of fresh, tart lime, Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose instantly pulled me in. There is a hint of bread and salt as well, but the lime beautifully dominates the aroma. The same goes for the flavor. The sourness of the lime stands out in the forefront, with a hint of bread, coriander and spice. The finish is salty, crisp, clean and refreshing. The saltiness in particular provides a beautiful compliment to the tart flavor. Normally, that is the part of the Gose I am not a fan of. In Westbrook Key Lime Pie Gose it works perfectly. There is nothing here I would change. Unfortunately, when I went back to buy more it was long gone. If it was more readily available I would make it my go-to beer for the next couple months. It would serve as the perfect beach beer.

This is an excellent example of a fruited beer and of the gose style. I would highly recommend giving this a try if you are lukewarm to the style. It is certainly the best one I have had yet. It also has me looking forward to trying more of them in the near future.

Overall I rate Key Lime Pie Gose a 5/5. I absolutely love this beer.

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!

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

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!

Urban Family Muerte Al Cereal Imperial Stout

I have a bad habit when I holiday shop of treating myself to something nice, while shopping for others. It mostly happens if I decide to get someone beer as a Christmas present. My wife enjoys sour beers, especially fruit-forward sour beers. So, in my quest to get something interesting she had yet to try, I found myself contemplating whether I needed something for myself. I got one look at Urban Family Brewing's Muerte Al Cereal(Death to Cereal) and decided of course I did. Out of Seattle, WA, Muerte Al Cereal is another Mexican Hot Chocolate style beer. A style, simply put, I can't seem to get enough of. For example, Stone's Xocoveza has been consistently in my fridge since October, along with a few others. So I was excited to see how Muerte Al Cereal pulled off the style and report the results right here.

As I was pouring Muerte Al Cereal I immediately noticed how thin it was. This was a bit disappointing because I like my imperial stouts full-bodied. Basically I want my imperial stouts to pour like motor oil. While Muerte Al Cereal did not pour like motor oil, that was only a slight disappointment, not a deal breaker. The aroma provided a nice roastiness, some chocolate, lactose, light cinnamon and pepper spice. For the most part this matched what I got on the first sip. Roasted malt kicks things off before going right into the bold flavor of milk chocolate. The pepper spice is subtle and mostly comes through on the finish. As with most of these beers, I wanted a little more heat from the pepper on the finish. Still, the pepper was present at least. The cinnamon spice however was mostly MIA. I felt like I spent most of the remaining time drinking this beer looking for it. When the cinnamon did come through it was way too subtle. I thought letting Muerte Al Cereal warm a bit would bring the cinnamon & pepper spice out more, but sadly that did not happen. What did happen is the flavor of the chocolate & vanilla got even bolder.  I thought this was fantastic and if this wasn't a Mexican Hot Chocolate style beer, I would have been raving about it. Unfortunately, this is a Mexican Hot Chocolate style beer and it's a Mexican Hot Chocolate style beer with barely any spice. To be clear, I am not saying I needed a lot of spice in the flavor, I just wanted more than I got. Still, the flavors that I was left with were quite good. While I was disappointed Muerte Al Cereal missed the mark for the style, it is still a really nice chocolate milk stout.

Overall I would rate Muerte Al Cereal a 3/5. It's a good beer, just not the beer I hoped it would be.


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　

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 Holidays! Thanks for reading. Sláinte!