Mould's Beer Blog

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping in!  After all of the Christmas festivities this year, Kerry and I decided to take a small trip out to Hershey, PA.  We planned on seeing the winter lights at Hershey Park and visiting the new Troegs brewery.  We took Rte 76 West, and couldn't help but notice a few billboards for the Stoudts brewpub, and instantly decided to stop in to Stoudts on the way home from Hershey.  On the way home I also wanted to stop in at Victory Brewing Co. to see if we could score some Red Thunder and Oak Horizontal.  On Thursday we dropped our cats off at Kerry's parents house, had some lunch, and hit the road!  We stuck to the main highways, taking 476 S to 76 W.  It was an easy and surprisingly short trip.  We made it to our hotel in Hershey in roughly 2 hours (which would have been even shorter if we hadn't taken a detour to try and find a Sheetz we saw from the highway.  Sadly, we never found that Sheetz.).  After checking into the hotel, we drov

Happy Christmas Eve-Eve everyone!  Tonight I am trying a canned offering from Brooklyn, NY's Sixpoint Brewery .  Last year, Sixpoint started to put their beers into these "nanokegs", and since then, have greatly expanded their distribution.  I've had several of Sixpoint's beers in the past, and they've allowed me to continuously expect a top-notch brew.  This is my first review of a Sixpoint beer.  Here we go!  Diesel Sixpoint Brewery 6.3% ABV 69 IBUs, 33 SRM Diesel pours a smooth black color, which gains a red hue around the perimeter of the beer when held up to a light.  There is a one finger width, light tan head.  A pleasant lacing is left on the glass as the head recedes.  When I take a whiff of this beer, there are tons of roasted malts, coffee and pine.  The aromas make me impatient to take my first sip.  Taking that sip, I get all roasted malts and dark chocolate upfront, and then a subtle pine bitterness at the tail end.  As the b

Thanks for coming by everyone!  While doing some Christmas shopping after work on Friday, some detours caused by local flooding caused me to drive by a liquor store I've never been to before (the Liquor Barn ).  I've always wanted to stop in, mainly for the reason that they built it to look like a big red barn!  Not knowing what to expect in the arena of beer, I went in not expecting much.  I left pleasantly surprised!  Their selection is not huge, but they let you mix a 6 pack with what they have!  I ended up leaving with Sixpoint Diesel, Brooklyn Monster, River Horse Tripel, Harpoon Winter Warmer, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and the beer I will be reviewing tonight, Butternuts Porkslap Pale Ale.  They also surprisingly had bottles of Brooklyn Black Ops!!  I would never have expected that. Butternuts Beer and Ale is a brewery located on a 130-acre farm in Garrattsville, NY.  Here's a little about them from their Facebook page: " Located in a renovated dairy b

Hey everyone!  I'm writing this, sipping on a Yards Brewing Company Old Bartholomew Barleywine.  The Christmas tree is up and lit, presents underneath, and only one more day of work until I have to work again (sadly on December 31st).  I sincerely hope all of you have finished your holiday shopping, and can avoid the inevitably heavy crowds this weekend.   Old Bartholomew is, according to Yards Brewing, a barleywine and a winter warmer.  It's drinking like a barleywine, and definitely warms your soul up a bit, and is a winter release.  I suppose it's not such a stretch to use the term winter warmer when describing this beer.   Olde Bartholomew Barleywine Ale Yards Brewing Company 10.3% ABV Bottled on December 7, 2011 At first Old Bart surprised me.  It poured a much lighter color than I expected, a light golden orange (looks a little darker in the pic).  There was less than finger width of head.  Lots of bubbles rising to the top of my glass.  It'

Hey everyone!  I hope everyone's week is going by swiftly and easily.  It may be just me, but this is the slowest week ever!  I can't wait for the holidays, seeing family, resting and relaxing!  Tonight I am drinking Rogue Brewery's Santa's Private Reserve Ale.  It is Rogue's winter seasonal release, and has won several accolades in the World Beer Championship.  Let's see how it is! Santa's Private Reserve Ale Rogue Brewery 6% ABV (according to Untappd, sounds about right)  65 IBUs Fun Fact:  From Rogue's website, this beer is based on Saint Rogue Red, with more hops, including a hop Rogue calls Rudolph! Santa's Private Reserve Ale pours copper in color, with a finger and a half's worth of an off-white colored head.  Right out of the fridge, the aroma is all pine tree, but as it warms up, I started to smell caramel and bread.  I'm overwhelmed with pine bitterness with my first sip of this beer, and it follows through w

Hey everyone....hope you're all having a great week and are gearing up for the holidays!  This will more than likely be the final weekly Blogshare of 2012.  I have also decided to only do the Blogshare twice a month next year, instead of every week.  Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to read these great posts! Oh Beery Me writes about Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and gives a review of their Bam Biere. This Is Why I'm Drunk enjoys and writes about Troegs Flying Mouflan. Adam Jackson gives his thoughts on Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton (Batch 4). Beer To Try , a blog written by Tim, who is a brewer at New Holland Brewing, wrote an article explaining how he got started brewing and blending sour ales in preparation for the release of New Holland Blue Sunday Sour. Thanks for reading! As always, find me on Facebook , Twitter and Google+ !

What's up everyone, thanks for coming by!  I've got some more states up over on my Brewery Maps page.  Check them out and let me know how they could be more useful to you!   Tonight I am trying my first beer from Firestone Walker, their Black Rye IPA Wookey Jack.  Wookey Jack won a gold medal in this year's Great American Beer Festival in the American-style black ale category.  This is a pretty highly regarded beer which I found on a local beer shop's shelf for fairly cheap.  Firestone Walker suggests drinking this beer within 120 days of the bottling date.  This beer was bottled on July 19, so it's a little bit past its prime.  It may not be at peak, but I have a feeling it will be just fine! Wookey Jack Firestone Walker Brewing Co. 8.3% ABV 80 IBUs Bottled on 07/19/12 Fun Fact:  Unfiltered.  Anyone know where the name Wookey Jack comes from? Wookey Jack pours a dark, dark brown, almost black color.  It started with a multi-finger high

Hey everyone.  Spent a laid back day at home today, only venturing out for a short while to stop at Walmart for some groceries and to pick up Chinese food for dinner.  I added a new page to the blog today, which contains links to state maps I have prepared that have markers for the breweries and brewpubs within each state.  Right now, I only have New Jersey and New York loaded up, but more will be coming soon.  This could be useful if you're planning a trip and want to make a few beer stops, or if you want to get to know the beer community in your area a little better.  If you find any breweries that are not included in the maps, feel free to send me a message or comment and let me know! Tonight I am drinking Lindemans Cuvee Rene, a gueuze lambic beer from Vlezenbeek, Belgium.  Gueuze is a blend of young and old lambic beer.  The lambic undergoes spontaneous fermentation, and is aged in oak barrels anywhere from 5 months to 3 years.  These lambics are then blended to create t

Happy Thursday and thanks for coming by the blog.  The last few days were pretty busy for beer fans around the country.  Yesterday, 12-12-12, marked the culmination of Stone Brewing's Vertical Epic series, as well as the special release of Westvleteren XII in select beer stores around the country.  I didn't partake in either of these special events.  For me, it was just business as usual, and enjoyed the beers I already had on hand.  Did you get some Westy XII or go to a Stone Vertical event?  Tell me about it in the comments, I'd like to know! Tonight my wife and I are pouring a bottle of Matilda (2012) from Goose Island Beer Co .  This is our first time trying a beer from Goose Island, and we are looking forward to it.  Kerry surprised me with this beer last weekend, bringing it home to me after she went out hoping to find a Christmas tree with her sisters!  The beer had a double meaning for us.  Take a look at the bottle of Matilda with our slightly sleepy Matilda &

Hey everyone!  Welcome to the 12-12-12 edition of Blogshare!  If you haven't heard or thought about it yet, today is the last day with the same number for month/date/year until January 1, 2101.  Does it really matter?  Nope, but still kind of cool.  Oh yea, and 9 days until that whole Maya thing is supposed to happen.  Have you heard of La Fin du Monde day yet?  Here's some great beer reviews, beer tastings and a book review thrown in for good measure!  Enjoy!    Chad'z Beer Reviews tries Coney Island Barrel Aged Human Blockhead (2012). Eating isn't Cheating drinks and reviews Left Hand Brewery Smoke Jumper Imperial Smoked Porter. Guys Drinking Beer does an awesome 5 year vertical tasting of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout ( KBS ) I Drink Good Beer does a great write-up of Smuttynose Zinneke BillyBrew talks about Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer , a book by William Knoedelseder I

Hey everyone!  Thanks for stopping on by!  Tonight I am opening a bottle of Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale.  From the Monk's Cafe website , this Flemish Sour Ale is brewed in Belgium by the Van Steenberge brewery, specifically for Monk's Cafe.  The bottle contains this description of the beer:  "We blend young and old beers to make this mildly sour sour ale.  Light bodied with a lactic/sour nose and a bit of sweet and sour in the finish.  Very refreshing!"  Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale Brewery Van Steenberge No ABV on bottle, Untappd says 5.5% Best by:  Unable to quickly determine, only an indiscernible code printed on the label Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale pours a magnificent brown with a large, foamy off-white head.  The head subsided in a few minutes, but left a nice spot of fluff on top of the beer.  The aroma is tart and fruity, containing smells of cherries and raisins.  A little bit of vinegar, too.  Sipping on this beer, the flavor

Don't worry.  You're not the only one sad this weekend is over.  On the bright side of things, we are closer to the holidays and the new year!  Time for family, food, presents and then yearly resolutions to work off all that extra food!  Tonight I am trying my first beer from Morrisville, Vermont's Rock Art Brewery .  The beer is Ridge Runner, and is Rock Art's "mild" barleywine.  Let's jump right in!   Ridge Runner Barley Wine Ale Rock Art Brewery  ABV not on bottle, BA says 7.50% Bottled on :  Sep 28, and I must assume 2012, but year not specified  From Rock Art's website :  Brewed with pale, dark crystal, Munich, flaked barley, black and chocolate malts.  Hops include Cascade, Crystal, Challenger and Perle.    Ridge Runner pours a dark copper color with a finger width head.  The head diminishes fairly quickly, and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass.  In the aroma, there are smells of caramel and toffee.  At first, I tried t

  I've been meaning to do this comparison for awhile now.  Guinness makes (as far as I know) 3 main stouts.  Their flagship is of course Guinness Draught, which is the Guinness you find most often on tap in most bars.  But they also make an Extra Stout and a Foreign Extra Stout.  What exactly are the differences between these stouts?  Are they really that different from the everyday Guinness?  Are they any good?  Let's take a closer look..... Appearance     All 3 stouts looked delicious when they were poured.  They were all black, but different shades.  Guinness Draught was poured from a can with a widget, so the addition of nitrogen to the pour gave it a very creamy look, with finger and a half off-white head.  Extra Stout and Foreign Extra Stout had similar looking pours, except for two things.  Foreign Extra Stout didn't let any light through the beer, but Extra Stout let some light through, giving the beer a red tint.  Foreign Extra Stout had

Here are some quality posts I came across this past week, hope you enjoy them!  Be sure to follow these great blogs too...     Seacoast Beverage Lab stops in at Kansas' Tallgrass Brewing Company.  They talk to Tallgrass founder Jeff Gill about the origin of the company, and why they started putting their beer in cans.  I love that 8-Bit can! Edinburgh's The BeerCast takes a tour of Brooklyn Brewery (which I really, really need to get to one of these days).  He's uploaded to great pictures, and there's even a cameo by Garrett Oliver and Pliny the Elder. This week the blogshare is full of brewery tours!  Chuck Cook of Belgian beer and travel posted about visiting Brouwerij Timmermans in Itterbeek, Belgium.  Chuck posted some nice pictures of some of Timmermans products, as well as one of their barrel halls, which looks expansive! Here's a review of Goose Island IPA, brought to us by the good people at Southern Beer Review     Open Craft Beer gives us a r

Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey by Brian Yaeger Published in 2008 St. Martin's Press There isn't much that compares to the energy, history, smells and wares one experiences when visiting a brewery.  The smell of the barley, fermentation tanks with the brewer's yeast chugging away, the din of the crowd enjoying their samples being pulled by, more often than not, the brewer responsible.  Combine that with the open road, driving through the countryside, seeing city after city, brewery after brewery, and you get the great American beer geek road trip! Red, White and Brew: An American Odyssey is a book about just that.  The author, Brian Yaeger, embarked on a road trip most beer lovers would salivate over.  Brian planned to travel from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, and then back east again, taking different routes in each direction.  Along the way, he would visit breweries, chat with brewery founders and owners, and of course, drink the beer.

Ahoy everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend, and are ready for the mid-season finale of the Walking Dead!  The season has been building up to this point, the showdown between the Governor and Rick, as well as the reunion of Daryl and Merle.  Which side will everyone turn to when it all starts to hit the fan?  I can't wait! Tonight I am drinking the winter seasonal from Sly Fox , with a fairly generic name of Christmas Ale.  That pretty much leaves this beer wide open in what could be in the can.  That's right, a can.  A Christmas Ale in a can.  I love it! Sly Fox is another in what seems tons of breweries who have recently expanded.  They've moved their production facility to Pottstown, PA.  In the larger facility, they are able to almost double their output.  I've had most of Sly Fox's canned offerings (Rte 113 IPA, Phoenix Pale Ale, Royal Weisse) and haven't been disappointed yet.   Christmas Ale Sly Fox Brewing Company 5.5% ABV 16 IBUs