Hill Farmstead Ephraim

Ephraim
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Greensboro, Vermont
10.50% ABV
Style: Double IPA

C: Clear
H: Liquid GOLD
N: Pine and Citrus Overpower the Nose

The Ferm: Big thanks to HopScotch for sharing this super popular new IIPA from Vermont. I was really looking forward to this beer. Will it live up to the hype from Beer Advocate and RateBeer?
BIG TIME! Jesus, this is what a double IPA should be. Tons of citrus and piney hop flavor, with a solid body, and a nice hint of malt/caramel on the back-end.
OK, so it lives up to the hype, but does it compare to Pliney, Hopslam, Dreadnaught, and other awesome IIPA's? Well pretty good but its not a Fresh Pliney. I'd say 2nd best IIPA I have ever had. I will be on the look out for more beers from this brewery, and will work on making a trip to Vermont.

Score: 5.0

Jubel 2010

Jubel 2010
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon
10.00% ABV
Style: American Strong Ale

C: Cloudy
H: Light Brown, almost like a watered down Rootbeer
N: Dark Fruits (Plumbs/Cherries), Candy Sugar, Pinot/Oak Odors

The Ferm: You have to love a beer that reads "Best AFTER", that's right not before. AFTER! That means the beer was release a bit pre-mature in my opinion, but hey who cares. Well lucky for me this beer was opened after the date on the bottle so it was "ready" to drink.
And Ready to drink it was! This beer was almost unlike anything else I have ever had. The thick/sticky mouth feel was a pleasant surprise as the sugars took front and center on the taste. Hints of the dark fruits came across, and everything was followed by a hint of barrel/oak funk. The Funk didn't overpower but simply complemented the super sugary flavor of this beer.
Very Nice Surprise!

Score: 4.2156

Imperial Eclipse Stout Elijah Craig Barrel Aged (Purple)

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Elijah Craig (Purple Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: How Clear is Black?
H: Deep Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, & hints of Vanilla

The Ferm: WOW, A Perfect Barrel Aged Beer? Maybe not perfect, but this is DAMN CLOSE.
Tons of chocolate with hints of bourbon all though the taste. The mouth feel is fantastic, even with little-to-no carbonation. I would like just a hint of more body, but honestly this is one of the best barrel aged beers I have ever had.
If you have the opportunity to try it, DO IT! Big thanks to JahLove for hooking me up with a taste of this!

Score: 4.90068

5 C's IPA - Portsmouth Brewery

5 C's IPA
Portsmouth Brewery
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
6.50% ABV
Style: IPA

C: Hazy
H: Dark Golden Yellow (Copper?)
N: HMM Soap? Citrus, and Hints of Caramel

The Ferm: Well quite often beers bring me back to times in my life that I remember. While searching for that beer that is the "best", you often come across beers that remind you of particular scents, flavors, or just flat out memories of something from the past. I often share my memories here for your reading pleasure. That said, this beer's taste remind me of something that is quite personal.
I often travel home to see my parents and sister on the other coast of Florida. More times then not during the drive I need to swing off and take a bathroom break. This beer brings me back to all of those memories. WAIT.....noooo, not what you are thinking! You didn't let me finish.
This beer tastes and smells just like the Turnpike Bathroom Hand Soap. Yep, Pink Liquid Soap! I could not get past the taste or the odor on this, and immediately began laughing to myself. While I typically enjoy having these beers again that jog such vibrant memories, I think I will have to pass on the 5 C's. I really don't enjoy thinking about rest stop bathrooms. Sorry Portsmouth!

Score: 2.50

Beer of the Month Goodies

What's better than getting a box of beer delivered to your door every month? Getting some added goodies to the deal.

Thanks to The Original Craft Beer Club and Beer Universe, I was able to get my swag on with this beer of the month club box.

What was included? Well there were (4) tasting glasses (which were real glass!), a nice bottle opener, some literature about the beer included in the box, and four bags of flavored peanuts.

Now I don't know if you know this or not, but I LOVE NUTS.....not like that you sick person....like peanuts. While the glasses and the bottle opener were pimp, and came in handy. I have a feeling you know what I was able to use them for. The nuts were actually my favorite out of the "goodies" from the box.

Included were (4) 4oz bags of flavored nuts. Buffalo, Mardi Gras, Salsa, and BBQ were the flavors. The nuts came from Nut Case Brands out of Williamsburg, VA. THEY WERE ALL DAMN TASTY! My favorite were the Buffalo Nuts, which really tasted like wings. The Mardi Gras were a close second having a nice cajun flavoring to them.

While the goodies were not necessary to include, they made the box that much more fun to receive.

My overall experience with The Original Craft Beer Club was fantastic, and I would like to thank the guys at Beer Universe for giving me the chance to sample out one of their boxes. This beats the hell out of receiving a gift from someone that you want to return to the store.

I once was skeptical about beer of the month clubs, but now I am a believer.

Alewerks Tavern Ale

Tavern Ale
Williamsburg AleWerks
Williamsburg, Virginia
5.60% ABV
Style: Brown Ale

C: Hazy
H: Brown
N: Chocolate, Caramel, and Hints of Roasted Coffee & Nuts

The Ferm: Where are all the good Brown Ales? Honestly, this style just seems to be hidden on the shelves in the stores, over powered by IPA's, Stouts, and High Gravity Beers!

This was a treat pulled from The Original Craft Beer Club box that was sent to be thanks to the guys from Beer Universe.

Just like my review of Washington's Porter, this beer is very to style. Brewed well, but still nothing over the top. That said it is a very well made brown ale, that showcases all the flavors that are showing up in the nose of the beer. This is a very session-able beer.

Score: 3.75

Upland Wheat Ale

Wheat Ale
Upland Brewing Company
Bloomington, Indiana
4.50% ABV
Style: Witbier / Wheat Ale

C: Cloudy....Just like it should be!
H: Straw Yellow
N: Clove, Banana, Spicy Citrus, Hint of Butter???

The Ferm: Final Upland review of the week. I honestly was the least excited about this beer coming out of the The Original Beer of the Month Club Box, but I was pleasantly surprised that this beer ROCKED!

Yep, this is a very good, to style Wheat Ale. I personally love the fact that there is some nice hints of citrus to compliment the yeast characteristics on the tongue. I am not generally a big fan of this style but have gained a new love for them due to enjoying The Floridian from The Funky Buddha in Boca Raton. While the Wheat Ale doesn't have the same citrus bite that is in the Floridian, it is pretty close.

I would happily drink this beer on a regular rotation, and not be ashamed to share it with my friends!

Score: 3.985

Washington's Porter

Washington's Porter
Williamsburg AleWerks
Williamsburg, Virginia
6.35% ABV
Style: American Porter

C: Pretty Dark...Appears Clear
H: Dark Brown/Red
N: Sweet/Roasted Malt and hints of Chocolate

The Ferm: Wasn't sure what to think about this bottle when I opened my Beer of the Month Box from The Original Craft Beer Club and Beer Universe, but I had never heard of the brewery so I was somewhat excited. Then I saw it was a Porter....UGHHHHH. Ohh well I will never turn down a new beer.

To style, very much so! Something special, nope. If Washington himself came up with this recipe I would not be surprised as it jsut seems old fashioned. That said the beer is brewed very well, and to style. The body is light and the drink is refreshing for a dark beer. The roasted malts come across, with no off flavors. Hints of Chocolate dance around the tastes. Worth a try if you are a fan of porters.

Score: 3.099

Upland Dragonfly IPA

Dragonfly IPA
Upland Brewing Company
Bloomington, Indiana
6.00% ABV
Style: IPA

C: Murky and Cloudy, but some sexy head!
H: Amber in color
N: Citrus hops with malt. Malt has almost an over powering dough-y odor to it

The Ferm: Not gonna lie I was supper excited to see some Upland Bottle Caps when I opened my box from Beer Universe and The Original Craft Beer Club. Ever since I read some reviews of their beers from another friends running/beer/life blog I was salivating at the mouth to get this beer in my belly. What blog is that? Well it is Cheaper than Therapy, one of my favorite daily reads! Check it out.

OK, enough plugs....you are here to read about beer not me kissing ass. Beer was good....DONE! That's what you get for not putting up with my ass kissing!

Seriously, it was a smooth IPA. The dough-y like qualities in the nose came through in the taste of the beer and sort-a over powered the hops, which was a disappointment. Regardless, it was a solid drink. I don't think it would make it into my regular routine of IPA's but it is pretty close. A good beer to drink outdoors though!

Score: 3.2199

Beer of the Month Club

This week is being brought to you from my good buddies over at Beer Universe and The Original Craft Beer Club.  Why is that?

Well I was added on a short list to review the contents of The Original Craft Beer Club and their monthly beer club.

Many of you have heard of these types of clubs, or maybe even received a membership from a friend/family member from the holidays or a birthday. If you haven't heard of this type of club, shame on you! Just kidding.

The Original Craft Beer Club, like others, is a beer of the month club. A beer of the month club is setup to auto-ship you a box of love every month. Similar to a magazine subscription. This box of love usually includes several different types of beer, beer related merchandise, information on the beer included, etc etc etc. You get the idea right?

Well this week I will take my weekly beer adventures through my box of goodies that was supplied from The Original Craft Beer Club and my good buddies over at Beer Universe. I will cover 4 different beers, and a slew of goodies.

If you like this idea, shoot over to The Original Craft Beer Club's Website or even look for the link from Beer Universe.

Speaking on Beer Universe, if you haven't been to the site lately, it is growing into something very special, and soon you will be able to track my progress and activity on their website simply by visiting my blog....WHAT?!?! HOW? STAY TUNED!

Dark Lord Day 2011

It's the day after St. Patty's Day, did u get your tickets to the LARGEST BEER RELEASE IN THE US?!?

NOPE!

How do I know this?  Well that is because this year tickets will be on sale Saturday March 19th.

Want some information on the release....sure you do!

When? Saturday, April 30th

Where? Munster Indiana

Why? CAUSE IT'S DARKLORD!!!!!

Bottle Allotment? TBA *but this year it is per person not per ticket!

So you wanna go?  Well tickets go on sale Saturday, and this year unlike past years to attend the "festival" that has turned into what is know known as Dark Lord Day you MUST HAVE A GOLDEN TICKET!  Yes, that is right.  No ticket, no beer, no festival, no bottles, no fun!

I personally will again try my hand at landing 2 tickets for this festival, and if I can score two of them I will think about selling my kidney on the black market to make it out to this once a year festival.

Ohh yeah and I haven't forgot about my personal review of Hunahpu Day....it's coming.

Wild Thing

Wild Thing
HaandBryggeriet
Norway
7.00% ABV
Style: American Wild Ale

C: Slightly Cloudy
H: Amber
N: Smokey/Cranberry "Burning Cranberry Bush" (per EvilTwin)

EvilTwin: Poured into my Dogfish snifter glass I saw a pretty brown red color with a light fluffy head on top. I went in for the first whiff and was sort of awestruck by the aroma. Straight up twigs and berries and smoke. Somewhat like sticking my head into a burning cranberry bush. The flavor was musty, smoky, and had hints of cranberries. Flavor also reminded me of soil or dirt. There was a slight sour/tartness to it ,but by that point it almost seemed irrelevant and I couldn't get pasted the smokiness of it. It was just a little too strange.
Score: 2.95

The Ferm: Well this is a fitting way to end the week. As things will be getting quite Wild in Tampa in just a few hours, and EvilTwin will be along for the ride. Big thanks again to EvilTwin for sharing this beer, and joining me for a great week of reviews. Maybe at some point and time I can gain some more income from the blog to sign him on for a full 5 beer reviews again. (I think this Examiner-Ft. Lauderdale thing is getting to his head)
TO THE BEER - There is something here I like, but I can't get past the smoke, DAMN YOU SMOKE! Actually after allowing the beer to warm up just a tad I am able to pick out the cranberry tartness that is on the back-end. This was just what I was looking for!
Did you know that Cranberry Juice helps keep your body clean and clear of Kidney Stones?! I wonder why people don't brew more with cranberry. You could get drunk and help your body not produce kidney stones all at the same time! Ohh well.
The beer overall was interesting probably not something I would pick up again as the smoke was a bit over-powering. Never the less, a solid beer and something just a bit different.
Score: 2.98

Overall: 2.965

Hanssens Experimental Cassis

Hanssens Experimental Cassis
Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Belgium
6.50% ABV
Style: Lambic

C: Cloudy
H: Pink/Purple
N: HOLY DIAPER SHIT

EvilTwin: I recently had Hanssens Oude Gueuze and loved it, so when The Ferm decided to pull this out of his cellar I was pretty jazzed to try it. Sadly though it should have been kept in the closet. It had a purplish/pink color to it and reeked of dirty diaper. Flavor had hints of cranberry with a sour/tartness to it, but once the aroma and thought of diaper got into my head I couldn't see past that. It was pretty much awful. I don't know what went wrong with this one, but Hanssens needs to re-examine this one.

Score: 2.0 (and I'm being generous)

The Ferm: Well again big thanks to The Cerveza Chica for snagging this bottle for me on her last trip to Chicago.

This is a hard beer to drink, not because it is sour, but because it smells like straight up dirty diaper shit. Nasty, Funky, Just Down Right GROSS. Get past the smell, let it breathe a bit, and this is a damn fine Lambic. I prefer more acidic qualities, but this was a nice blend of sweet and sour.

Score: 3.42

Overall: 2.71 (REALLY EVILTWIN?!?!?!?)

Cigar City Hunahpu 2011 Release Information

Well the time has come....almost.

Saturday March 12th is the 2nd Annual Release of Hunahpu's Imperial Stout.

The Draft List (not complete), Bottle List, and Growler List was released last night. I hope you have been saving your pennies!

Here is the posting that was sent out last night via the Cigar City Blog.

The first 750 people who receive a wristband will be able to buy Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (up to 4 bottles) when it goes on sale at 6pm. If you are paying by credit card you will be able to pre-pay for your bottles immediately or throughout the day so that you can quickly get your bottles when they go on sale. If there are any bottles left after all 750 people have come to claim/buy their bottles OR 9pm (leaving a 3 hour window for you to claim your bottles if you have a wristband) the remaining bottles will go on sale to the public. Bottles will be for sale ONLY at the brewery. They will not go into distribution.

*Re-Entry is allowed throughout the day so you can come and get your wristband and come back later if you have something else to do, it is not required that you be here all day to claim your bottles at 6pm.

In addition to Hunaphu’s Imperial Stout, we will have other limited bottles for sale in the brewery:

Papaya IPA (Benefit beer for the Florida Brewer’s Guild)
Dirac Imperial Sweet Stout (Mikkeller Collab)
Bohr Imperial Sweet Stout (Mikkeller Collab)
Vuja De (St. Somewhere Collab)
Humidor IPA
Warmer Winter Winter Warmer
Guava Grove

Tap List-

(CC)
Jolly Guava 2011- Only 5 gallons of this one!
Bohr Imperial Sweet Stout – Conceived by Mikkeller, brewed at Cigar City with Wayne.
Dirac Imperial Sweet Stout – Conceived by Wayne, brewed at Cigar City with Mikkel of Mikkeller.
Nielsbohrium- A blend of the Collaboration beers we did with Mikkeller. This is the non barrel aged version, most of it went into Rum Barrels, except for this small amount. This non-rum barrel aged version will be released draft only and will only be available at Hunahpu Day.
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout 2011
Vuja De’
Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout 2010
Brandy Barrel Aged Zhukov 2010
Red Wine Barrel Aged Vuja De’
Papaya IPA
Peach IPA
Pilot Series Imperial Milk Stout
Grandma’s Funky Sour Berry
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale
East India Dry Stout
East India Brown Ale
El Lector Dark Mild Ale
Jai-Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Cubano Espresso
Patio Tools Dry Irish Stout
Humidor IPA
More to come…

(Guest Taps)
Green Room Brewing- Head High IPA
Swamphead 10-10-10 Batch # 100 brewed with all Centennial hops
Swamphead Catherine’s Inspiration Imperial Stout
The Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter
Dunedin Brewery Black Rye IPA
Shipyard Emporium TBD
St. Somewhere TBD
Sam Adam’s Revolutionary Rye
Everglades Pale Ale
Intuition Brewing Company King Street Stout
Bold City Chinook IPA
More to come…

Below is a list of special release growlers we will be pouring this Saturday during the event. Due to the crowds we expect, we will be pouring only the special release beers listed below in the brewery. Our regular offerings will be available on Friday and Sunday in the tasting room but we will not be filling growlers in the tasting room on Saturday.

Growler List:

Brandy Barrel Aged Zhukov
Red Wine Barrel Aged Vuja De’
Oak Barrel Aged Seabass
Oak Barrel Aged Vuja De’ – Only 5 gallons very limited.

More to come…

Can't Wait!

As Soon as I hear more information I will update!  Cheers!

The Dissident

The Dissident
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon
10.50% ABV
Style: Flanders

C: Clear
H: Amber
N: Sour Cherries, Hint of Funk (Bret), and Hint of Booze

EvilTwin: Finding this beer was a complete accident. I got lost while driving in California and walked into a wine store just to see what they had. Looked into the cooler and this baby was staring back at me. What a great find!

It's got a nice pretty color to it, amber with a touch of red hue. There isn't really a lot of foam/head to speak of and the carbonation seems a little low. The flavor/aroma on the other hand is fantastic. The aroma has a slight cherry presence with a nice sour funk to it. Flavor isn't super heavy or over the top but holds just enough sour/tartness/fruit qualities to keep my lips glued to the glass. A fantastic beer.

Grade 4.567

The Ferm: First of all big thanks to EvilTwin for bringing this sexy wax topped bottle back from Cali to share with me.

BEST AFTER 11/01/2011.......AFTER? REALLY? Yep....I never followed directions well. Tough.

Beer was an amazing experience that was subtle sour cherries hints of other berries, and then some funk. A very light beer that reminded me almost of Sour Apple Juice. Good...DAMN STRAIGHT IT WAS! I would buy a few bottles to maybe drink after the date suggested on the bottle. Sadly, we don't get this beer in Florida and it is a pretty hard bottle to come by otherwise. Regardless this was a class act beer! Great entry level sour.

Score: 4.7912

EvilTwin, Hunahpu, and more Shenanigans

Well as Aerosmith once sang "I'm Back in the Saddle Again".  Speaking of has anyone watched this season of American Idol?  It is typically horrible but this year is even worse!

Regardless.....This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with the most successful Guest Blogger that has ever been on DosBeerigos. EvilTwin is back and ready to go. Successful...that's right....someone found out that EvilTwin could write and is paying him to write about beer! The Examiner has EvilTwin covering The Ft. Lauderdale Area's Beer Scene! Yep...he gets paid....and I well I get to do this thing for free! (Lucky You!)

Check out EvilTwin's Beer Adventures over at the Examiner by going to here ----> LINK TO EvilTwin's 1st Article and Subscribe!

Well anyways now that Casey has hit the big time he can only review 3 beers with me....(I can't afford to pay him for any more!). So this week we will have 3 AMAZING BEER REVIEWS, and I will fill the remainder of the week in with news about events. By events I mean HUNAHPU RELEASE INFORMATION!

That's right kids Hunahpu! The beer that have people foaming at the mouth for Cigar City Brewing Stuff will be released this upcoming Saturday. There will be all kinds of crazyness going on this year! I hope to see you in Tampa.

In the meantime you can always catch up with the bi-weekly podcast on your drive over to CCB, that would be United We Drink. Find it for FREE in Itunes!

Ohh Yess and there also may be some information about a possible Imperial Maple Bacon Release at my favorite local brewery.....STAY TUNNED!