Mould's Beer Blog

It may be well into November, but there are still some pumpkins beer in my fridge waiting to be consumed.  As part of their Brewers' Select Series, the brewers at Weyerbacher made Aries , a blend of their Old Heathen Imperial Stout and Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  Both are mighty tasty on their own, so I was definitely excited to try this one out. Aries in all its glory Aries pours black with a light brown, finger width head.  Most of the aroma seems to come from the Imperial Pumpkin Ale side of things.  Lots of autumn spice.  Upfront, the flavor in Aries is all Imperial Pumpkin.  However, as you swallow, you can start tasting some smooth chocolate flavors from Old Heathen.  It all comes together nicely.  If you see this one around anywhere, and you're in the mood for some autumn spice with a bit of stout thrown in, give it a try! Weyerbacher Aries, Up Close and Personal Facts about Aries the Constellation: Known as Aries the R...

This is a post in a long running series where I take a look into each category of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).  Scroll to the bottom for links to other categories I have covered. The BJCP divides stouts into 6 sub-categories: Dry Stout (13A) Sweet Stout (13B) Oatmeal Stout (13C) Foreign Extra Stout (13D) American Stout (13E) Russian Imperial Stout (13F) It should be fairly simple to pick out a dry stout and Russian imperial stout in a tasting, but it may not be so easy for the other 4 sub-categories of stout.  Just take a look at what the BJCP gives as to what their "overall impression" is for each of these styles.  Dry Stout:   "A very dark, roasty, bitter, creamy ale." Sweet Stout:   "A very dark, sweet, full bodied, slightly roasty ale.  Often tastes like sweetened espresso." Oatmeal Stout:   "A very dark, full bodied, roasty, malty ale with a complementary oatmeal flavor." Foreign Extra Stout:   "...

Easton, PA's Weyerbacher Brewing Company, brewers of awesome beers such as Merry Monks, Blithering Idiot and Old Heathen, like to experiment with different beers in their Brewer's Select series. After having completed a beer for each letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet, they have now turned to constellations. I thought it would be fun to use this space to learn about the experimental beers that Weyerbacher is brewing, and also to learn a little bit of astronomy along the way! Auriga is the fourth release in the Northern Hemisphere constellation portion of the Weyerbacher Brewer's Select Series.  Last week, I posted about Bootes , the fifth release, so these posts are coming a little out of order.  No big deal though, because you should be able to find some Auriga if you stop by Weyerbacher, or if your bar is lucky enough to get some.  Let's check out some info on the beer, and then some facts about the constellation! Weyerbacher Auriga : (from Weye...

Hey everyone, thanks for coming by!  On Thursday morning, Kerry and I are headed to Virginia for a family member's wedding.  It will be fun, and I get two days off of work for it!  I'm also excited to be able to pick up some beers down in Virginia that I can't pick up in NJ.  I'm hoping to find some New Belgium, Boulevard, Devil's Backbone and Port City.  If you have any other suggestions, let me know in the comments below! Yards Brewing Chocolate Love Stout Tonight I am drinking Chocolate Love Stout from Yards Brewing Company.  Yards, out of Philadelphia, doesn't normally release bomber bottles, so when they do, you can be sure it is something special.  This stout is brewed with chocolate and vanilla and is (according to Yards) irresistibly smooth!  Time to crack this one open! Chocolate Love Stout Yards Brewing Company English Stout 6.9% ABV 1 pint 9.36 oz bottle poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass Yards Brewin...

Happy Friday everyone!  Thanks for coming by!  Since I last made my proclamation to get back into running, I've jogged 7.1 miles over 6 outings.  Not too bad if you ask me, I'm pleased.  I've rested for the last 2 days to let my body rest, but I am planning on getting back out on the pavement tomorrow!   For tonight's beer, I'm drinking Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout, brewed and bottled in late 2012.  Black Chocolate Stout is released every winter, I think in either late November or December.  How about we crack this beer open and check out its specs? Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout Black Chocolate Stout (Winter '12-'13) Brooklyn Brewery Imperial Stout 10.0% ABV 51 IBUs 12 oz bottle poured into a stemless wine glass Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout pours dense black in color.  It has a small brown head, which subsides quickly and leaves a small crown on the su...

Hey all, thanks for coming by!  Hope you're all having a great weekend.  I thought I would try and sneak in some beer notes on this Saturday night.  As an after dinner treat, I am opening a bottle of Firestone Walker Brewing Company's Velvet Merlin.  Velvet Merlin is an oatmeal stout, and is released in the winter months as a seasonal beer.  Time for a drink...   Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin     Velvet Merlin Firestone Walker Brewing Company Oatmeal Stout 5.5% ABV 27 IBUs Bottled on January 8, 2013 12 oz. bottle poured into my Ithaca Beer Co. pint glass Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin     Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin pours black with a little bit of red around the sides when held up to the light.  There is a one finger width tan white head which recedes fairly quickly.  The aroma and flavor are both of roasted malt, milk chocolate and coffee beans.  It drinks very easily, and is not too ...

Hey there, thanks for coming by!  I hope you're all having a great week so far.  Tonight I decided to try the Russian Imperial Stout from Otter Creek Brewing.  Otter Creek is located in Middlebury, Vermont.  I don't think I've tried a beer from Otter Creek since college, when I used to drink their Copper Ale.  They also brew Wolaver's Certified Organic Ales and The Shed beers.  As of the time of this writing Otter Creek's website is down, but according to their Wikipedia page they were acquired by Long Trail Brewing in 2010.  Let's see what their Russian Imperial Stout is all about! Otter Creek Brewing Russian Imperial Stout Russian Imperial Stout Otter Creek Brewing  10% ABV 65 IBUs 12 oz. bottle poured into Victory tulip glass Otter Creek's Russian Imperial Stout pours jet black with a half finger width dark tan head that diminishes to nil quick.  The aroma is of bitter coffee and chocolate.  The flavors in this impe...

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...

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...

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 bitternes...

  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...

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend!  Tonight I am drinking Heart of Darkness, a stout from Magic Hat Brewing Company .  Located in South Burlington, VT, Magic Hat has been part of North American Breweries since 2010.  N.A. Breweries owns such brands/breweries as Genesee, Pyramid, Dundee Ales and Lagers, and Original Honey Brown.  Last month, there was major news when N.A. Breweries was sold to Cerveceria Costa Rica, S.A., which in itself is a subsidiary of Florida Ice and Farm Company, S.A.  So it seems that Magic Hat is now owned by a Costa Rican company, for whatever that matters.  Let's see how this beer tastes!   Heart of Darkness Magic Hat Brewing Company 5.7% ABV Best By:  Unknown     Heart of Darkness pours black with a finger width light tan head.  The head leaves a nice web-like lacing on the glass.  It smells of roasted malt and coffee, tobacco, and even soy sauce.  Upfront, this...

Today is International Stout Day.  It is one of the new beer "holidays", each celebrating a style of beer.  The most popular of these "holidays" is IPA Day, which passed not long ago (August 2).  There is also Session Beer Day (April 7) and the less well known Sour Beer Day (September 8).  To celebrate International Stout Day, many bars will be tapping some special stout offerings.  Also, everyone's favorite beer check-in service, Untappd , offers a badge for checking in a stout on International Stout Day (if you're into that sort of thing). Before I knew that Maine Beer Company was beginning to distribute their beer to NJ, I picked up their Mean Old Tom at a liquor store in Bar Harbor, ME.  Yesterday, I had a post on Maine Beer Co.'s Zoe .  Zoe was a great hoppy, amber ale that left me wanting to try more from Maine Beer Co.!  Without further ado, here is my take on Mean Old Tom!  Enjoy International Stout Day everyone! Bottling Date:...

So it's July 28, the Summer Olympics are in full swing in London, and here in NJ we've been having some gnarly thunderstorms and hot days!  I didn't do much this week on the exercise front, I really need to get back on that wagon!   Weyerbacher's Tiny, an 11.8% Belgian-style Imperial Stout, pours a deep black color, with a light brown head that doesn't stick around for very long.  After letting it warm up for around 15 minutes, I smell deep, roasted malts and dark chocolate.  Much the same in the taste.  Bitter chocolate, a touch of alcohol, and a nice roasted flavor.  It's a good imperial stout, but it doesn't really set itself apart from the other imperial stouts on the market.  I don't think I would buy this one again, but would definitely drink it if someone gave it to me. A few things about the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, LOVED Rowan Atkinson's (aka Mr Bean's) skits.  The ceremonies started out really neat, showing the s...