Beer Tasting

Very excited, I get to enjoy 2 separate beer tastings tonight. One tasting is at Monarch Brewing as a fundraiser for Lucy's preschool. The other at is at Triton brewing in Indianapolis. I'll try and take good notes and post them in the upcoming days.


Oh and happy valentines to me from my lovely wife.  Is this a great present or what !

Jon Saffen's Ale

This one was a gift from my next door neighbor's brother.  I gave him a bottle of my pumpkin ale and he returned the bottle full of one of his brews.  What a nice guy !

Mmm lots of hop aroma, very clear with a nice amber gold color and foamy head. Pretty hoppy, I didn't get to ask what style it was supposed to be, so I'm going to go with IPA or APA.  The hops aroma is very telling and it reminds me of the IPA that cousin Ben brewed.  Probably over 60 IBU.  I'm going to guess some galaxy hops in this one.  Totally enjoyable.  Perfect partner for a hot rich soup, grilled sandwich or hamburger, - Yum.

Beer review - Sam Adams Wee Heavy

From the Sam Adams imperial line this is a big beer with big flavor. First impression was yum. Second impression was wow that's some alcohol. 10% abv doesn't kid around. The flavor is wonderfully malty with just enough hops to even of out.
The beer pours a deep brown with a tan head. Head retention was pretty good, still showing traces after 10 minutes. The body and mouthfeel are actually a bit thin. It must be the alcohol.
Its a little pricey at nearly $3 a bottle but worth it as a treat. Crisp and clean enough that is could be paired with a crusty sandwich or even a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.
9/10 only because its too strong to drink everyday.

Snow Day

New Belgium brewery Snow Day. Thanks to Tammy we had the chance to try this American Black ale today. It was a very enjoyable beer. First impression,  it was fresh and very crisp. Lots of greatt hop aroma and flavor. A little malt sweetness and a little spice.  Almost a touch of cinnamon with its gentle warmth.
Color was a dark caramel brown with great clarity. We were consuming from the bottle so no reports on head.
Some other reviewers have referred to it as a black IPA. I'd have to disagree. At 55 IBU and 6.2% abv. It doesn't have enough bitterness to really fit the IPA profile.  I'm not much of a hop head so this was a little bitter for me. It had a pretty good balance though and I'd probably drink another if I had a chance. I probably wouldn't enjoy a 3 in a row.