Upright ("Punk Rock" Strong) Lager

____________ (fill in the blank)
Upright Brewing Company

6.75% ABV
Style: Lager

C: Cloudy
H: Yellow
N: Lightly Hopped, Sweet Cereal

The Ferm:
Upright Brewing Company: "Man we need to be punk rock...not enough people and breweries are punk rock! What can we do to be more PUNKKKK???? WOOO I got an idea lets brew a ridiculously strong beer and call it PUNK IPA....ohh wait thats been done. Better IDEA lets brew a super strong lager and not name it. We then can put a punk band resembling the Clash on the label! YEAH NOW WERE PUNK!"

OK, so I am not sure if that's how the concept of this beer really came around, but this is a 6.75% Lager that has no name. It is nicknamed the "Punk Rock" Strong Lager? OK well I am all about some good old punk music, but this idea just seems a bit commercial and forced for me.
To the beer! Well it poured a hazy yellow and had some interesting aromas to it. Mainly the sweet cereal which I could not put my nose on which brand it was so we will just call it Capt. Crunch! The beer was smooth on the palate but had some intense flavors of flowers, raisins, and toffee. I did not expect that from the nose.
Overall a good beer, and a very good label campaign....I can see how the marketing department at Upright would see that this would sell.
Score: 3.25

White Birch Oak Aged Tripel

Oak Aged Tripel
White Birch Brewing
Hooksett, New Hampshire
10.40% ABV
Style: Tripel

C: Cloudy
H: Light Straw Yellow
N: Very light nose with hints of coriander and lemon

The Ferm: Listen I am all for Oak-Aged, Barrel-Aged, Taxadermied Animal-Aged, just about any thing aged on anything. Just please make the beer taste like it was aged on something besides a steel fermentor! PLEASE!
OK, enough about that....partially because the Oak did come through strong on the taste, but light on the nose. This was a surprise because I jumped the gun and was thinking of the rant above when I smelled my glass. Tons of oak on the attack, but yet the beer finishes very smoothly on the rear of the palate. Overall a very good beer. In fact, just about everything I have had from White Birch has been very tasty. They are doing something right up there in NH!
Score: 3.66

Bullfrog Brewery Undead Ed

Undead Ed
Bullfrog Brewery
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
??% ABV
Style: IPA

C: Cloudy
H: Orange in color
N: Tons of hoppy citrus notes and hints of sour funky-ness

The Ferm: This beer was one that I was dying to get my hands on and try. Bullfrog is a very small brewery out of PA that is doing some amazing things with sours and experimental beers. This IPA is not a typical IPA, it is a IPA with Wild Yeast....yep a Sour IPA...Best of both worlds?!? Maybe!
The nose to start out was very pleasant tons of citrus notes which is what I love about IPA's and then a nice funk coming from the yeast. I had my fingers crossed that the taste would just like the nose.
OHH YEAH and it was! Damn the citrus notes of the IPA upfront then a faint touch of sour on the back end. Carbonation was nice and balanced. Best IPA ever! Well I won't go there but it was easily top 5, especially since it was sour and funky.
Score: 4.80

Upright Brewing Oyster Stout

Oyster Stout
Upright Brewing Company
Portland, Oregon
6.25% ABV
Style: English Stout

C: Black
H: BLACK
N: Dark Fruit (Great White Shark Bites), Coffee, Sulfur

The Ferm: I love beers that start out smelling like Shark Bites. those fruit snacks were the bomb! The aroma really brings me back to childhood, when I use to open that shinny pack of fruit chews.
The taste of the beer brought me back to childhood as well. Hanging out by the beach....The beer tasted like having coffee mixed with salt water. My mother use to drink coffee on St.Pete Beach all the time when she would take my sister and I for a day in the sun. I remember once taking a sip of it and it tasted nasty. There was salt water and sand in it.....Not very pleasant.
Regardless of the nasty flavor it was a treat to have a beer that reminded me soo much of my childhood.....Now where are those shark bites?!?
Score: 3.001

Beer Here Dark Hops

Dark Hops
Beer Here
Denmark
8.50% ABV
Style: Cascadian Dark Ale

C: Pitch Black
H: BLACK
N: Chocolate, Coffee, Light Hops, Alcohol

The Ferm: "Here come the men in black....::CLAP CLAP::......The one that you'll remember" Yah or something like that....Thanks Will Smith!

Well just like that horrible crappy pop song and lame movie....the label on this beer just makes me laugh.
Honestly, this label looks like the Fresh Beer Webguy decided to hop the heads of the MIB characters. THANK GOD the Fresh Beer Webguy has taste and would NEVER DO THIS!

OK, so this beer isn't that bad, I am not a huge fan of Cascadian Dark Ales (BLACK IPA'S), but this was pretty good. The malt backing on this beer did a good job of balancing the citrus hops. The rear of the beer was filled with smokey and roasty qualities which would be perfect for a BBQ. Good but not great. Snag a bottle just to make fun of the label!

Score: 3.72

The Funky Buddha Blueberry Tart

Blueberry Tart
The Funky Buddha Brewing Company
Boca Raton, FL
5.5% ABV
Style: Fruit Beer

C: Cloudy
H: Purple...yesss PURPLE!!!!
N: Vanilla, Blueberry, Cinnamon

The Ferm: I got a quick sneak peak at this beer Monday night, which was just one night before the Buddha tapped it.
Good? NO NOT AT ALL!
HONESTLY I WILL SAY DO NOT DRINK THIS BEER, DO NOT SEARCH THIS BEER OUT, IF YOU SEE IT SIMPLY TURN AWAY! <------ (SARCASM!!!)
Yep, please turn away....because I am going to DRINK ALL OF THIS HEAVENLY LIQUID that the Buddha calls BEER!
Seriously...this beer is crazy good and unlike any beer I have ever had. The wheat beer base has a subtle taste up front, then you are attacked by blueberries....30 POUNDS OF THEM! Tons of cinnamon and vanilla on the back end. One of the best Fruit Beers I have ever had.
The beer was tapped Tuesday October 19th. There is about 10 total gallons of this beer, but I have heard this will be a semi-regular beer at the Buddha! Drink it while you got it!
Score: 4.69999

The Funky Buddha Espresso Piiti Porter

Espresso Piiti Porter
The Funky Buddha Brewing Company
Boca Raton, FL
??% ABV
Style: American Porter

C: Clear
H: Dark brown, with a light redish hue
N: Espresso, Sweet Milk

The Ferm: OK, so yesterday we had a true "breakfast beer", today I am reviewing another treatment of the Piiti Porter from The Funky Buddha. This time the beer is treated with Espresso Coffee.
The first time I had this beer was at the Brewery Grand Opening, and honestly I couldn't get enough of it. Well, I couldn't, but my liver on the other hand could.
The base beer is the Piiti Porter which is The Buddha's standard Porter which is brewed with Lactose Sugar. So think of the Espresso Piiti as a "Cafe con Leche", yep that is pretty much spot on....
I grew up in Tampa and was raised on Cuban Food, there honestly is nothing better in the morning than a nice piece of pressed Cuban Bread Buttered with a Cafe con Leche.
This beer took me back home. It is a perfect balance of the espresso coffee, sweet characteristics from the lactose milk, and still not overly heavy body wise.
I have been told this will be on tap often at the Buddha, which makes me happy!
Overall, another stand out beer from The Funky Buddha!

Score: 4.73

P.S. Tomorrow Breakfast is over and the Buddha brings home the Pie! (Stay Tuned)

The Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Porter

Maple Bacon Porter
The Funky Buddha Brewing Company
Boca Raton, FL
??% ABV
Style: American Porter

C: Clear
H: Dark brown, with a light redish hue
N: Maple Syrup, Espresso, Light Hint of Bacon

The Ferm: I had this beer courtesy of Kevin from the Funky Buddha, at the tasting I went to on Sunday. This was an "experimental" batch of the Piiti Porter. The beer was aged on a breakfast coffee that has hints of Bacon, Maple Syrup, and Strong Coffee.
Now I love the standard Piiti Porter, but hot damn this beer is amazing! Honestly, if breakfast in a beer is possible, I think it has finally been accomplished. The guys at the Funky buddha brought home the bacon (pun intended) with this beer.
The upfront taste was one of a standard coffee porter, then the maple syrup flavor comes in, and the leads back to coffee on the finish. Looking for the bacon was a challenge, and it mainly comes across in the nose.
Simply put, This is what breakfast beers should be!

If you are in the area jump on this soon, as from what I understand there is about 10 gallons total. Depending on the response they will brew it again. I have my fingers crossed that they do brew it again!

Score: 4.80

Craft Beer - A Hobby or an Obsession?

Ok, so this topic has been kicked around my circle of friends for a bit and this weekend it came full circle to being a topic in my house.

Is this whole Craft Beer thing a hobby or an obsession?

The topic came up when I decided to take a picture of part of my cellar for a contest which is being ran by Fresh Beer Inc. I proudly lined up a majority of the beers that I had in my cellar to take a picture to submit to the contest. While I will admit I was sort of taken back by the volume, I also realize that others have just as bad of a "problem".

While the photo shoot was being conducted, The Cerveza Chica came home and saw what I was doing and said simply "YOU'RE CRAZY". Yep, she thinks this whole thing is an OBSESSION.

Click here for the picture to the contest and please click "like".... Fresh Beer Cellar Contest

I disagree though, like I said on this weeks past episode of United We Drink, I think that collecting beer is no different from collecting comics, baseball cards, or even wine.

I want to hear from you about what you think.

Is this a hobby or an obsession?

Please comment below!

Looking for something to do? Just give a Listen

Looking for something to do in South Florida, the Southeast, or even Nationally relating to Beer?

Jump over to United We Drink and give a listen.

For those of you that do not know it a brain-child of Mike from MikeLovesBeer.com, and yours truly is a co-host of the show.

Another episode was posted today, and in this episode Mike and I sort-a settle into our comfort zone.

Check it out on ITUNES and dont forget to review the show!



Have any ideas?  Let us know!

A Night with Cigar City

That's right boys and girls.....do you want to meet Joey Redner from Cigar City? Do you want to try some of his fantastic beers that you could only get at the tap room in Tampa? Do you wanna hang out with me?!

Ok, well most of you are probably excited about everything but hanging out with me, and that is OK with me....cause I will be there to drink some good beer.



Where? Well Thursday (10-07-2010) The CCB Sprinter will be at the Coffee District is Downtown Delray Beach from 6:30pm till 10pm. Can't make Thursday Night? Well luckly for you the CCB Sprinter will be at Abraxas in Miami Beach on Friday Night (10-08-2010) from 6-??.



What's gonna be on tap? Well Chung from the Coffee District has confirmed Puppy's Breath, Tocobaga, and Sea Bass. Diego from Abraxus will have Puppy's Breath, Tocobaga, and White Oak Jai Alai. Something tells me these lists are not complete but just what has been confirmed.



Should I Come? Hmm Let me think about that........

Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Trooper

Have a Great Weekend!