November 30th, 2008 beckel
Here I have a nice glass of Hop Devil, an IPA from Victory Brewing Company out of Downingtown, PA. Though I have only been able to sample a few, Victory has yet to disappoint me with the creative spin they put on their impressive line up of craft brews. This ale is a rather light red hue that has no sediment but is very opaque, head is about an inch and off white in color. Aroma is full of hops, grapefruit and some bitterness as well as a nice malt backbone. The flavor is no surprise, bitter hops are up front accompanied by more floral hop flavors with a nice hint of malty sweetness rounding off the flavor of this beer. The 6.7% ABV of this beer is no real surprise but is nicely masked by the robust hop flavors in this brew. Mouthfeel is average for an IPA and the body is light as well. Definitely a beer I could drink a lot of, luckily I have a few more in the fridge. As the name suggests this is certainly not the drink for those afraid of a hop filled brew but a grand choice for us hopheads. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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November 30th, 2008 beckel
Moylan’s Brewery from Novato, California crafts a number of award winning big beers that I have wanted to sample for some time. I had the opportunity to taste a few at the Autumn Brew Review but by that time of the day my ability to properly critique beers had diminished to say the least. Good times, but next year I will need to write a lot more down, or perhaps bring a audio recording device. After venturing to Surly Brewing yesterday for some growler action, we were both happy and sad to see them sell out of growlers by 12:30. At the time we got in line (~12:20) they were left with only bender, and a very limited amount at that (they appeared to be selling only 2 per person). After waiting in line for a bit a friend was lucky enough to get the last growler which we shared and then being a Saturday, hopped back on our bikes and proceeded to get proper reserves at Broadway Liquor Outlet en route home. I picked up some Surly Furious and Cynic Ale, as well as a bottle of Avery & Boulder Brewing’s Collaboration Not Litigation Ale and the ale we are here to talk about Moylan’s Kilt Lifter Scotch Style Ale. Though this ale has a large visible warning on the side stating “Live Ale! – Keep Refrigerated” I found this brew sitting on a shelf at room temperature. As this store has only recently started stocking much craft beer I can pretty safely assume it was only on the shelf for a short period of time, hopefully it hasn’t had the opportunity impact the taste too much. This beer pours a light brown color somewhat like a date with some nice red colors coming through when brought to light. Produces a bit over an inch of light tan head that settles within a couple of minutes. Aroma is marvelous, dates, raisins, and maybe plums are most dominate rounded off with some malt and a bit of alcohol. The flavor is similar to the aroma but the malt is much more prevalent. Smooth malt flavors are accented by fermented pitted fruit flavors that create a very balanced ale. Body is relatively light and the mouthfeel is very smooth making this a very easy to drink strong brew. Thought this ale is 8% ABV you will likely not notice until you drink your fair share of it because the lightly caramelized malts and robust but balanced dark fruit flavors completely overpower any alcohol flavor that could be present. This is a wonderfully delicious ale, if you enjoy a balanced malty brew with fruit hints this will be a wonderful accompaniment for your next meal. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
Our bikes at Surly Brewing Company
The last drops of Surly Bender
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