Mould's Beer Blog

Happy Sunday, y'all!  Hope all of your weekends were fantastic.  I've got a quick review for tonight.  This is my first review of a beer from East Coast Beer Co.  East Coast Beer is based out of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, but they contract brew all of their beer out of state.  I'm not sure if they have any plans of opening their own production brewery.  East Coast Beer's core beers are Beach Haus (an American Pilsner), and the beer I am reviewing today, Kick Back Ale (an Amber Ale).  They also have a winter seasonal called Winter Rental, which I believe is a black lager and an IPA is in the works. East Coast Beer Co. Kick Back Ale Kick Back Ale East Coast Beer Co. ( brewery website / Beer Portfolio website ) Amber Ale Unknown ABV Kick Back Ale on Beer Portfolio East Coast Beer Co. Kick Back Ale Kick Back Ale pours a reddish amber with a finger width of white head.  There is some decent lacing that is left behind on the glass...

Hey everyone, glad you could make it!  I got some new reading material in the mail today.  I ordered 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die after seeing some other bloggers referencing it. Some are even attempting to drink all 1001 beers! ( Active Brewer , 1001 Bottles of Beer on the Wall )  That book, along with Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, should keep me busy for a little while!   Troegs Brewing Company Nugget Nectar Tonight I am drinking the highly regarded Nugget Nectar from Troegs Brewing Company.  Troegs generally releases this beer late January through the middle of February, and is considered an imperial amber ale.  I had this beer last year, and while I thought it was a damn fine beer, I didn't think it was one that would drive people to go on pilgrimages and pick up all the cases of it they can.  Let's see how this year's batch came out! Troegs Brewing Company Nugget Nectar     Nugget Nectar Troegs B...

Hey everyone, pull up a chair, a beer and relax!  Tonight I am opening up a bottle of Red Fish from Flying Fish Brewing Company.  Flying Fish describes Red Fish as a "west coast hoppy red ale."  Sounds good enough to me!  Let's look at some of the details on this one. Flying Fish Brewing Company Red Fish  Red Fish Flying Fish Brewing Company Somerdale, NJ Amber Ale 7% ABV 12 oz. bottle into Sam Adams pint glass Best by 05-20-13 Red Fish pours a red/orange/deep amber color with a finger width white head.  As the head dissipates, appealing lace is left on the glass.  Typical west coast hop aromas of grapefruit and pine are the first to jump out at me in the aroma of Red Fish.  There is only a little bitterness in the taste, but it is quite pleasant.  The main hop flavor to come through is grapefruit.  Backed up by a caramel backbone, and this is quite a tasty brew.  Medium bodied/average carbonation.  ...

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 thro...

 Hope you all had a great weekend!  I'm extremely excited for the upcoming 3 day work week and Thanksgiving.  Can't wait for the time off of work, and for the time with family.  I hope you all enjoy your holiday!  Tonight I am enjoying Special Ale, An American Amber from the local to me River Horse Brewing Company .  River Horse is located in an old cracker factory in the picturesque Lambertville, NJ.  River Horse Special Ale is an easy drinking amber ale that isn't going to blow you away and it isn't going to overwhelm you.  That's not it's purpose.  It pours a nice amber color with a fluffy white head.  Smells of sweet caramel, and tastes the same.  Goes down easy, and is a great beer to eat with your burger at a barbecue or while watching the game.  It's job is to be "drinkable", and it does it's job damn well.  Get some for your next gathering and let me know what you think!  6/10 Have you had River Horse...

Around a month ago, Maine Beer Company expanded their distribution into NJ.  Beer fans were excited over this, since besides being known for their simple, to the point labels, they are known for making some great beer.  I came across their beer Zoe in my local Wegmans.  I think it was maybe $7 for a 1 pint .9 fl oz bottle. Another great thing about Maine Beer Co., 1% of their sales is donated to environmental non-profits.  Specifically for sales from Zoe, they donate to Allied Whale, a non-profit who uses their funds to study marine mammals. Bottled on:  09-30-12 Drink by:  12-30-12 Style:  According to Maine Beer Co., a happy, hoppy, amber ale Zoe poured a dark amber color, almost brown, with a huge head.  As the head lessened, it left some great lacing on the glass.  Zoe has a nice aroma of a mixture of pine resin and citrus fruits, especially grapefruit.  The taste was full of sticky, piney hops, but balanced by a toffee flav...

I decided to branch out a little bit and try some brews from a brewing company I don't have much experience with.  As part of a mix a six pack from the Wegmans in Bridgewater, NJ, I picked up three brews from Abita Brewing Company.  I chose their Jockamo IPA, Amber and Pecan Harvest Ale.  It's awesome that Wegmans set up this mix a six pack program.  I love being able to try six different beers with one trip to the store! Logo from www.abita.com Abita Brewing Company is located in Abita Springs, Louisiana, about forty miles north of New Orleans.  They've been making beer since 1986, and according the Brewers Association (http://www.brewersassociation.org/), Abita is the 25th largest brewing company in the United States, based on 2011 beer sales. Best by stamp of December 2012 The Jockamo IPA pours amber in color.  It needed a little time to warm up for me to get any aroma.  When it did, it smelled a mix of citrus and caramel malt.  C...