Mould's Beer Blog

Hey everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!  We had a pretty crazy storm in NJ last night.  It was windy as heck, and when Kerry and I woke up this morning, the power was out!  Today was also our dating anniversary!  I ended up just taking a personal day, and we got to spend the day together!  To celebrate the night, I opened a bottle of Otto by Victory Brewing!  Victory released this beer sometime last year, but I missed my chance then.  I was lucky to find a bottle at Petrock's in Hillsborough, NJ sometime before Christmas!  Time to uncork this one! Victory Brewing Otto Otto Victory Brewing Company Smoked Dubbel 8.1% ABV Victory Otto pours the classic brown with hints of red of a Belgian Dubbel.  It pours with a single finger width white head, which dissipates fairly quickly, and doesn't leave much lacing.  The smoke is apparent and strong in the aroma and flavor from the get go.  There's also dark fruits in t...

Thanks for stopping by everyone!  Tonight I am cracking open a bottle of this year's batch of Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye.  Sierra Nevada first released this beer nationwide last spring, and was, for the most part, received with superb reviews.  I picked up just one bottle this year to give it a try! Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye Ruthless Rye 2013 Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Rye Beer 6.6% ABV 55 IBUs Ruthless Rye pours copper in color, with a two finger width white head.  There is great head retention, which leaves a gorgeous, thick lacing on the glass.  Ruthless Rye has tons of grapefruit in the aroma, with a little pine thrown in.  Taking some sips, there is more grapefruit, pine, lemon, caramel, and maybe a little spice from the rye, but I may be imagining it.  I would say the body on Ruthless Rye is a little heavier than medium.  Carbonation seems average, and there is a resinous quality to each sip I take. Sierra Nevada Ru...

Hey everyone, thanks for the coming to the blogshare!  This week, I'm posting some beer reviews, homebrew tips and a local NJ article about the use of coffee in brewing beer!  Enjoy! Beer-Stained Letter , a blog about New Jersey beer, writes about local NJ coffee roasters who collaborate with local brewers, and create some really unique beers! Ghost Drinker does a great job reviewing Lagunitas Imperial Stout, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Sierra Nevada Narwhal Iron Hops drinks and review my favorite Dogfish Head Ancient Ale, Theobroma. Still want to brew but have a small kitchen?  Don't want two cases worth of beer for each batch?  Check out   BarleyPopMaker's Beer Blog and their post on small batch brewing! If you're interested in making the jump to all-grain brewing, check out a post from Literature and Libation on how to build your own mash tun! I hope you enjoyed this week's articles!   Find Mould’s Beer Blog on thes...

Hey everyone!  Thanks for coming by!  Last week, Kerry and I both got new smartphones.  We both had smartphones for the last two years, but the phones eventually lost much of their functionality and slowed down so much that using the internet and apps was more trouble than they were worth.  We were so excited to get our new phones, and are slowly starting to use a lot of the apps we couldn't use before.  I can now check in to beers on my phone again using Untappd ( add me here ), and have started using Instagram (username MouldsBeerBlog)!  I wish I could also view my Instagram feed on my computer.  I'm sure there's a plug-in I could find somewhere that would let me do that. Left Hand Brewing Milk Stout Nitro  Tonight I am drinking Left Hand Brewing Company's Milk Stout Nitro.  Left Hand worked hard to develop a method of bottling their nitrogen infused milk stout, and they did it without the use of a widget, which is used in canned Gu...

Evening everyone!  I hope you all got to have a relaxing weekend.  There were lots of beer festivals in and around NJ over the weekend.  If you attended any, let me know how they were, either in my comments below or any of the different social media outlets.  For myself, I didn't attend any.  I never seem to catch wind of them with enough time to plan the day out.  I need to work on that!  Kerry and I did attend a small beer tasting near Princeton at McCaffrey's Wine and Spirits, where we got to try several different stouts (including Brooklyn Black Ops), which were all poured by Jym, the @brew_thusiast.  Check him out on Twitter! Stone Brewing OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale Tonight I am popping open Stone Brewing Company's OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale.  It is loosely defined as an American Strong Ale, and has been aged a bit on wood chips.  One thing to note on this one, it is date-stamped by Stone to be best by 11/01/12, so it is ...

12 oz  can of Sixpoint Resin Greetings all, thanks for stopping in!  Hope everyone's having a great weekend and staying warm.  A quick beer review this weekend.  Tonight I am drinking Resin from Sixpoint.  I have been meaning to pick this one up for awhile, and finally managed to get my hands on one.  It is a double IPA, and like all of Sixpoint's flagship beers, comes in a can.  I love the idea of IPAs in a can.  I can be a little OCD at times with purchasing IPAs, especially if I feel they've been sitting on the store shelf for a long time, and in the light .  Light will speed up the rate at which the fragile hop bitterness, flavor and aroma disappears from the beer, and can even impart a skunked flavor to the beer.  Packaging the IPA in a can helps to make the beer a little less fragile!  Let's dig in! Sixpoint Resin, looks darker than it actually poured Resin Sixpoint Craft Ales Double IPA 9.1% ABV 103 IBUs ...

There can be no denying that India Pale Ale (IPA) is the most popular beer style in America.  Almost every brewery has their own take on the style, whether it be an American IPA, Double IPA, Black IPA or Belgian IPA.  According to the Brewers Association , the American Style IPA has been the most entered style in the Great American Beer Festival competition.  It should come as no surprise that the brewmaster at one of the countries leading breweries of IPA, Stone Brewing Company, has literally written the book on IPAs.  Mitch Steele has poured (and probably imbibed!) tons of research into the book, titled IPA:  Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale .   In the first half of IPA , Mitch provides a written timeline of IPA history, starting in the 1700s when the IPA style emerged.  He brings us into the 1800s, and spends a lot of ink (deservedly so) detailing the revolutionary Burton IPA.  Then, in the 1900s, Mitch g...

Hey everyone, thanks for coming by these parts.  This whole week the temperature in NJ hasn't been higher than 25F, and at night we are usually in single digits.  Now, this may not be a big deal if you are in Maine or Canada or Alaska, but we haven't seen this kind of weather in awhile.  Not that I'm complaining, I kind of like it, so I'm just making an observation.  I'm going to take advantage of this cold weather tonight and enjoy a winter warmer. Harpoon has been brewing their Winter Warmer since 1988.  It took me awhile for that year to really settle in.  1988.  I was only 7 years old when Harpoon first started brewing this beer.  2 years after the Mets beat the Red Sox in the World Series.  I love thinking of the early days of "craft" brewing, and how it must have been to convince the American public to buy something they didn't know they wanted just yet.  Harpoon has decided to up their ante, and will be opening a brand new 30...

Greetings all!  Lately, I have been getting more into beer history and the origins of the popular beer styles that are enjoyed in the present.  For Christmas this year I received IPA:  Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of the India Pale Ale by Mitch Steele, who is currently the brewmaster at Stone Brewing.  The book has lots of great information on the history of IPAs, and includes a section that attempts to clear up  confusion concerning the history of Black IPAs and Cascadian dark ales (a more thorough review of Mitch's book will be posted at a later date). Mitch starts off the section on black IPAs by explaining how hoppy dark ales have been brewed in England starting at least 200 years ago.  He then pays homage to Greg Noonan and the brewers at the Vermont Pub and Brewery for developing a Black IPA in the early and mid 1990s.  According to Mitch, it wasn't until the year 2000 when hoppy dark ales started to be brewed in the Pacifi...

Thanks for coming by!  I know it's already Tuesday, but hopefully you all had a great weekend!  On Saturday I finally brought out my brew kettle, glass carboy and ale pails and made a homebrew.  An American IPA extract recipe from Keystone Homebrew Supply in Montgomeryville, PA jumped out at me, so I picked it up!  Some other items I bought while at the homebrew supply was more StarSan (a great, no rinse sanitizer), a big funnel to easily pour my wort from the brew kettle into my glass carboy, and some 1 step no rinse cleanser to clean all of my equipment.  The brewday went really smooth, and I can't wait to see how it comes out! Tonight I am drinking Midnight Madness Smoked Porter, another beer from Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville, VT.  I haven't had too many smoked porters.  One I can remember having is Stone Smoked Porter, which I definitely enjoyed!  Let's see how this one stacks up! Midnight Madness Smoked Porter Rock Art Brewery ...

Hey there, thanks for stopping by! Tonight I am trying the winter seasonal from Dogfish Head, Chicory Stout.  Now I don't know about you, but before drinking this beer I didn't know much about chicory, so I did some research.  Chicory root is apparently commonly used as a coffee substitute or additive.  I have nothing to back this next statement up, but Wikipedia says that beer brewers used chicory in stouts (like this beer) and in Belgian blond ales.  That's enough for me, let's open this one up! Chicory Stout Dogfish Head American Stout 5.2% ABV 21 IBUs Chicory Stout pours black with a small, light tan head.  Coffee really comes out in the aroma.  It's also earthy (from the chicory maybe?), smokey, and contains an aroma of roasted barley.  The coffee and what I am guessing is chicory really come out in the flavor.  It gives me the aftertaste of a dark, bitter iced coffee.  Chicory Stout has a body somewhere between mediu...

Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a great weekend!  Tonight I am trying Hoponius Union, my first beer from Jack's Abby Brewing in Framingham, MA.  The bottle was kindly provided by Greg, a friend of the family who lives in Massachusetts.  Thanks Greg! This is also the first time I'm trying an India Pale Lager.  I can only assume that the beer will have the hop profile of an IPA, but will be dry from a longer, cooler fermentation.  Let's open this beer up! Hoponius Union Jack's Abby Brewing India Pale Lager 6.7% ABV 65 IBUs Fun Fact:  Locally grown dehulled spelt (a kind of wheat) is used in the brewing process Hoponius Union pours a light pale golden color with a finger width head.  Not too much lacing is present, and there are lots of large bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass.  It's a great looking beer.  There are mainly citrus aromas, including lemon, grapefruit and pineapple.  Takin...

Welcome!  Tonight I am drinking another beer from Sixpoint Brewery out of Brooklyn, NY.  I'm going to give my thoughts on their Righteous Ale.  I first had this beer when Sixpoint first began to can their beers, but I haven't had it since.  Sixpoint describes Righteous Ale as being " made with Rye malt to provide a signature and distinct earthy character.  Seasoned and dry-hopped with herbal and citrus hops.  Truly Righteous ." Righteous Ale Sixpoint Brewery Rye Beer 6.3% ABV 57 IBUs 19 SRM Righteous Ale pours dark red/brown with around a finger width sized off-white head.  The smell of rye immediately jumps out at me as I raise the glass to my nose.  The rye is mixed with a sweet caramel aroma.  There is also a decent dosing of flowery and citrusy hops.  Wow, my first sip from this beer, and I am floored by the rye in the flavor.  Rye is the most prevalent flavor, and is backed up by a grapefruit like bitterness....

Hey everyone, welcome to my blogshare, where I share with you articles/beer reviews/beer news from around the beer world!   In this article, Jeff at Beervana discusses the language and of different beer styles, and tries to find out how to  "learn" different languages (styles) of beer. Jeff (another Jeff) from Kupko's Mind. Bottled. summarizes his notes on Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve Blackest Ale. Tom Bedell 's TAP Beer of the Week is Harpoon El Triunfo Coffee Porter, part of their 100 Barrel Series. Active Brewer takes on Sierra Nevada's Estate and Harvest ales! Weyerbacher made a short video this week giving people a look inside their new cellar/expansion.  Check out how they're coming along on BeerPulse ! Thanks for coming by! As always, find me on Facebook , Twitter and Google+ !

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by.  This is my 3rd post in a series where I am tasting beers from Chimay.  Here are links to my reviews of Chimay Red and Chimay Triple .  Tonight's topic will be Chimay Cheese and Chimay Blue! Did you know that Chimay also makes and sells their own cheese?  Before starting this series of posts, I had no idea.  7 different Chimay cheeses are listed on the Chimay website , in a range of styles from light, creamy,  fruity, firm, sweet and intense.  At the local Wegmans grocery, they actually had  a Chimay cheese labeled as such in this picture: This cheese was soft and creamy, very much like a brie, with a fermented sourness.  The cheese left a pleasant bitter aftertaste in my mouth.  Apparently, the cheese rind is soaked in Chimay beer for anywhere from 2 - 48 hours.  Kerry and I sampled this beer and cheese with a full plate of goodies, including mini-toasts, olive flatbread, fruit an...

Welcome back everyone.  Today I am continuing my series on the Chimay beers.  You can find yesterday's post on Chimay Red here . A few minutes walk from the Scourmont Abbey where the Chimay beers are made is the  Poteaupré Inn.  Now, I have to preface this by saying I've never been there, but it looks like a truly special place.  The  Poteaupré Inn is home to a pub, restaurant and hotel, which, as the video on the website says, are a "temple dedicated to Chimay beer and cheese."   The hotel only has 7 rooms, so if you're ever planning a trip to the area and want to stay here, it's probably a good idea to reserve a room well in advance.  Now, the  Poteaupré Inn does not appear to be actually run by the Scourmont Abbey monks, but rather, are just connected through a mutual business relationship from which they both can receive benefit. I loved Chimay's Red, now let's open up a bottle of Chimay Triple.  My bottle, as you ...

Hey everyone, I hope you've all been able to have a great weekend.  Today I am going to begin to explore the world of Chimay  as a result of a great Christmas present from my wife!  Hopefully along the way we can all learn something about this brewery/abbey that we did not know before. Chimay is a town in Belgium where the Scourmont Abbey resides.  The monks who live at the abbey operate a farm, a brewery and a cheese plant, all within the confines of the abbey.  The money the monks make selling their beer and cheese is used for the upkeep of Scourmont Abbey, and what is left they use for social services, such as aiding the poor and less fortunate. The Scourmont Abbey is known as a Trappist Abbey.  Monks who live at a Trappist Abbey follow the Rule of St. Benedict, which leads the monks to living a simple life, with no private possessions.  They live to follow their religion and to help those less fortunate.  It is important to note, that ...

Hey everyone!  Tonight I am opening up a bottle of Brooklyn Brewery's  Brooklyn Local 1.  Just today, Brooklyn Brewery announced that they are building a brewery in Stockholm, Sweden, in partnership with Carlsberg Sweden and D. Carnegie & Co.  They are hoping to start brewing some brand new beers in the facility by the end of 2013.  In my opinion, this will be the first of several announcements in 2013 of American breweries expanding overseas, and overseas breweries expanding to America (Brewdog anyone?).   Brooklyn Local 1 Brooklyn Brewery Belgian-Style Strong Ale 9.0% ABV 26 IBUs Brooklyn Local 1 poured a yellow golden color, with a 3 finger width tall head.  This is a great looking beer.    I poured it into our brand new Golden Monkey tulip glass!  Using a tulip glass will draw more of the beer aroma to your nose as you're drinking, and will hold the large head of a Belgian ale.  In the nose, I get smell...

Happy New Year everyone! First off, I would like to thank everyone who continues to find their way onto my blog.  I always enjoy reading and responding to everyone's comments, whether they are here in the comments section, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+! I'm excited for the things I have planned for Mould's Beer Blog in 2013!  Here's a preview of some items I'd like to accomplish, in no particular order: More brewery visits / Discussions with brewers:  There are a few local breweries I definitely want to get to, among them Sly Fox in Pottstown, PA, Rushing Duck  in Chester, NY, High Point  in Butler, NJ, Cape May Brewing  in Rio Grande, NJ, and Flounder Brewing  in Hillsborough, NJ when they open! Homebrewing:  In the coming weeks I am going to be doing 2 Brew-in-a-Bag all-grain batches.  I have performed extract brewing in the past, but this will be my first time trying all-grain, and I can't wait.  Keep an eye out for how...