Tag Archives: USA

Founders Breakfast Stout

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  • Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
  • Country: USA
  • Style: Imperial Stout (Oatmeal Stout)
  • ABV: 8.3 %
  • Size: 355 ml
  • Bought from: Online, 5 euros?
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    A rich and complex Imperial Stout might be a strange beer to drink on a warm summer night, but after some really hoppy and bitter IPAs I felt the urge for a chocolatey and coffee-like Imperial Stout. I tried this (legendary) Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout during my trip to Amsterdam in January, and immediately fell in love. I also tried brewing my own version of it in January, and it turned out surprisingly good. This Imperial Stout has been brewed with flaked oats, chocolate, cacao nibs, and Sumatra and Kona coffee, to give it a thick mouthfeel combined with flavors of chocolate and coffee. Only bacon missing, and this would be a perfect breakfast. The bottle also features artwork of a baby eating from a bowl on the label, and this label caused the beer to be banned from Systembolaget in Sweden. For the same reasons we will probably never see this beer at (Arkadia) Alko either. The bitterness is reported at 60 IBU. Hopefully this tastes as good as I remember!

    [easyreview title=”Founders Breakfast Stout” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours pitch black with a thick consistency, and a tan-colored head is formed, that collapses quite quickly without leaving any lacing.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is dominated by tones of coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, licorice and caramel. Fantastic aroma if you are a fan of these kind of darker complex Imperial Stout tones. Bordering to a 5.” cat2rating=”4.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor is dominated by similar tones present in the aroma. Coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, ash and the slightest dark fruits come together in a bittersweet harmony. The finish is semi-sweet and quite bitter, but the flavors play together very well. The coffee and chocolate go great together, and even though they dominate the flavor, they don’t take over completely. As the beer warms up, the alcohol sweetness becomes more evident, and the flavors become stronger.” cat3rating=”5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a very smooth and full body and medium-low carbonation level. The beer feels thick as well, and as it passes through the mouth you can feel it stick to the roof of the mouth. This is definitely a slow-sipper, a not something you want to have a warm summer day on the beach.” cat4rating=”4″ cat5title=”Overall” cat5detail=”A fantastic beer, that was as tasty as I remembered. The aroma and flavor are complex and full-packed with dark roasted tones that go together fantastically. The coffee and chocolate are present, and balance perfectly with the roasted malts and bitterness. A very drinkable beer for being this big. I haven’t had the chance to try out too many Founders beers, but they seem to know what they are doing. If you ever get the chance to try it out, do it!” cat5rating=”4.5″ overall=”false”]

    Green Flash West Coast IPA

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    • Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co.
    • Country: USA
    • Style: American IPA
    • ABV: 7.3 %
    • Size: 355 ml
    • Bought from: Online, 4 euros?
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    Green Flash Brewing have impressed me greatly, and I liked both their Hop Head Red and Imperial IPA (especially this one). Their West Coast IPA is one which I attempted to clone (well it wasn’t an exact clone, more of an ‘inspired by’) last summer, and I suspect I wasn’t even close to the original. This American IPA has been hopped with Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Cascade to an IBU of 95 (making this border to an Imperial IPA), so should be packed with citrusy and resiny hop tones. I couldn’t find any information on the malt bill, but suspect it consists mostly of Pale Ale malt and a hint of Light Crystal and/or Cara-pils. Let’s see how it tastes!

    [easyreview title=”Green Flash West Coast IPA” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours clear golden-amber, with a fluffy and long-lasting white-colored head, that leaves lacing along the glass as the liquid level falls. The second pour was a bit cloudier, as some yeast sediment managed to make its way to the glass.” cat1rating=”4.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma contains both some tones of sweet caramel and a fresh citrusy, resiny, floral and grassy hoppiness (similar tones to as when smelling a bag of dried hops). A really nice aroma, but it maybe feels a little subdued (‘tired’ bottle?).” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with the slightest hints of caramel, but it quickly becomes clear that this beer is all about the hops. Tones of resin, grass, earthy herbs and citrus can be found, and the flavor finishes with an aggressive bitter and dry finish. Even though the beer is very bitter, there is still lots of dank and citrusy hoppiness to back it up. It maybe feels a bit unbalanced, without a stronger malt backbone (but I guess that it what the US West Coast IPAs are famous for).” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium-light body and a moderate carbonation level. Quite refreshing to drink, but the huge bitterness withdraws some points. The huge amount of hops give a slightly oily feel.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”A great beer, that didn’t quite reach the top. There was a great amount of hop tones in both the aroma and flavor, but the aggressive bitterness made it feel a bit unbalanced. Since Green Flash started just recently with date-marking their bottles, this one didn’t have any information on bottling dates. I suspect the bottle wasn’t super-fresh, but it still was very tasty. Diamond Beer have recently started importing Green Flash beers to Finland, so you should be able to find these in well-stocked pubs!”]

    Firestone Walker Double Jack

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    • Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
    • Country: USA
    • Style: Imperial IPA
    • ABV: 9.5 %
    • Size: 650 ml
    • Bought from: Gift from my sister (bought in San Francisco)
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    My sister brought home a threesome of Firestone Walker beers from San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, of which I’ve already had the Union Jack IPA (reviewed last summer already, so didn’t bother re-reviewing it). The Union Jack is one the tastiest, if not the tastiest, beer I’ve ever had, so am really looking forward to try the Imperial version of it. The bottle is quite fresh, about 3 months old, so the majority of the hoppy goodness should be intact. The beer is brewed with American 2-row, Munich and Light Crystal malt, and has been hopped with Warrior, Columbus, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe to an IBU of around 100. The original gravity of the beer should have been around 1.087, while the final gravity is around 1.015 (giving an ABV of 9.5%). The beer has been fermented with an English ale yeast. Hopefully this one is as good as the Union Jack!

    [easyreview title=”Firestone Walker Double Jack” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a golden-orange color and a slight off-white oily head, that collapses leaving some lacing and foam islands.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is very hoppy, featuring floral and citrusy tones, drawing towards grapefruit, lime, pineapple, resin and tropical fruits. There is a slight caramelly sweetness behind all the hops, as well as some minimal alcohol notes. Fantastic aroma!” cat2rating=”4.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with the slightest caramelly notes, but it quickly becomes evident that this beer is all about the hops. The flavor is full of citrusy, fruity and resiny hop tones, which balance perfectly with the slight maltiness that’s also present. The hop tones begin with some grapefruit, lime and tangerine, but move on to the resiny and piney territory, where they are joined by a smooth bitterness and a quite dry aftertaste. The flavors are fantastically balanced, as the bitterness, which does not at all feel like 100 IBU, is paired with the slightly sweet, caramelly and honey-like malt backbone and the bucket-loads of hop flavor. This surpasses Union Jack as the best tasting beer I’ve ever had.” cat3rating=”5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and medium-low carbonation level, and because of the balance it is fantastically easy to drink.” cat4rating=”4.5″ cat5title=”Overall” cat5detail=”Just wow. Firestone Walker really know how to brew IPAs (and they are known for their dark beers as well). This beer is full-packed with citrusy and resiny hop flavors and aroma, that are perfectly balanced with a slight malt backbone and a smooth bitterness. The beer is easy to drink as well for such a strong ale. Still have the Double Barrel Ale left, that I’m looking forward to trying as well. If you ever get the chance to try this, do try. Shame I probably won’t get to try this again in a long time.” cat5rating=”5″ overall=”false”]

    Green Flash Hop Head Red

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    • Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co.
    • Country: USA
    • Style: American IPA / American Amber Ale
    • ABV: 7.0 %
    • Size: 355 ml
    • Bought from: Online, 4 euros?
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    Well hopped amber ales have become somewhat of a favorite for me, as I love the idea of huge hoppy flavor combined with a strong caramelly maltiness, so I when I got my hands on a bottle I became really excited. Green Flash are a unfamiliar brewery to me, but I’ve heard great things about them. Luckily I also have bottles of their West Coast IPA, Imperial IPA, Barleywine and Double Stout at home, so I will really get to try out a variety of their brews. Hop Head Red is a Red India Pale Ale, brewed with a dose of Dark Crystal malt and a small hint of Chocolate malt for color, and hopped with Columbus, Nugget and Amarillo, to an IBU of 70. Hop Head Red underwent a recipe change last summer, moving from amber ale to ipa territory (more bitterness, dry hops and alcohol). Couldn’t find any information about when the beer had been bottled, but hopefully it is fresh! Had my last exam for the spring today, so will celebrate the start of the summer. Cheers!

    [easyreview title=”Green Flash Hop Head Red” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a clear deep amber, almost brown, color, and a large fluffy cream-colored head is formed, that collapses slowly leaving tons of draping along the glass. A nice appearance!” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is mostly floral and fruity (faint citrus and pineapple) from the hops, and there is slight sweetness present as well. The aroma isn’t very strong, but still pleasant.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a bready and caramelly maltiness, with the slightest hints of dark fruits. The malty flavors are next joined by a resiny and earthy hoppiness, that goes quite well with the malt backbone. The fruitiness from the aroma is completely gone, and there are just hints of the floral tones present as well. The aftertaste is bitter, but feels a lot less than 70 ibu, and the finish is slightly sweet. The flavors are well balanced, and nothing is overpowering.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and medium carbonation level, making it quite easy to drink, and the bitterness is well balanced against the malt. The beer leaves a slightly oily feel in the mouth though.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Overall, a great beer, but it didn’t feel really fresh. The aroma was surprisingly weak (though the little of it that was left was really nice), and the hoppiness in the flavor wasn’t as prominent as I expected either. This still very drinkable though, and I look forward to trying the other Green Flash beers I have in stock. It’s nice to have a hoppy beer that has some great malt tones as well. Wish I could have tried the earlier recipe as well, as somehow I feel the old version, with lower bitterness, would have worked a little better.”]

    Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

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    • Brewery: Port Brewing
    • Country: USA
    • Style: American IPA
    • ABV: 6.5 %
    • Size: 650 ml
    • Bought from: Brewdog Shop, 6 pounds
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    Today I’ll try my second fresh hop ale, i.e. a beer brewed right after the autumn hop harvest with fresh hops, and expectations are quite high, especially since I’ve liked everything I’ve tried by Port Brewing. This IPA is a little on the old side, but hopefully it still packs a punch. It has been brewed with only 2-row malt, and hopped with freshly picked Chinook and Centennial cones, as well as Amarillo pellets. The OG of the beer was 1.062 and the FG is 1.012, so it shouldn’t be too dry. Cheers!

    [easyreview title=”Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The first pour is golden clear, and a fluffy white-colored head is formed, that collapses slowly leaving drapes of lacing on the glass. Really nice appearance! The second pour is slightly more hazy as there is a massive yeast sediment layer at the bottom of the bottle.” cat1rating=”4.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma features floral, citrusy, slightly earthy, and minimal pineapple-like tones, but overall the aroma is quite subdued. I don’t know if it is because of the bottle’s age, the fact that I still currently have a bit of a flu, or that the aroma should be like this. I was hoping for a bit more aromatic presence.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”There isn’t much maltiness up front, as the flavor begins with an earthy, herbal, resiny hoppiness, that also features some grapefruit tones. It has gone some time since I tried the Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest, but the hop profile is surprisingly similar. The beer finishes quite dry and with a biting bitterness. I had hoped for a little more caramel or breadiness to help balance the bitterness, but looking at the malt bill I’m not surprised. The hop flavors are still nice, and you can definitely feel the centennial and chinook.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a light body and medium carbonation level, making it easy to drink. The balance is though on the bitter side withdrawing some points.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall, a very good beer, that only lacked a bit in the aroma department. This featured the earthy and herbal hop tones I guess are quite typical for fresh hopped ales. Port Brewing continues to impress, and will be looking forward to drinking their beers in the future.”]

    Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest

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    • Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
    • Country: USA
    • Style: American IPA
    • ABV: 6.7 %
    • Size: 710 ml
    • Bought from: Systembolaget, ? euro
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    Hops grown in the Northern Hemisphere are usually harvested during the fall, and to honor the harvest, Sierra Nevada brew a fresh hop (or wet hop) beer each year. According to Sierra Nevada’s website, the hops move from field to brewery in less than 24 hours, so they should still be full-packed with aromatic oils once they are used in the brew. The beer has a simple malt bill consisting of only 2-row and crystal malts, and has been hopped with the classic American C hops Cascade and Centennial. The beer isn’t super fresh anymore, since it was brewed in the fall of 2011, but I’m still expecting lots of hoppy goodness in both aroma and flavor. Sierra Nevada rarely disappoint, so am really looking forward to this one. Cheers!

    [easyreview title=”Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a slightly hazy amber color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that collapses quickly leaving some oily foam islands and drapes of lacing.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is a blend of sweet caramel and a floral, grapefruity and herbal hoppiness, lending some hints of pine resin as well. The hop aroma could be a bit stronger, but still nice.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a slightly sweet and caramelly maltiness, that is joined by a soapy, citrusy, resiny and herby hoppiness. The hop flavors feel a bit unfamiliar, but work well. The flavor ends slightly dry and with a pleasant bitterness. The beer is quite well balanced, with the slightly sweet tones and hop flavors countering the earthy bitterness. I can’t decide whether to give the taste a 3.5 or a 4. Ok, a weak 4.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and carbonation level. Easily drinkable, but has a slightly oily and soapy feel.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a great beer, with the flavor being the weakest point. The beer had a strange herby and soapy flavor that I haven’t really met in any other beers before. The flavor was still very pleasant. This is the first time I try a wet/fresh hop beer, and I thought it was a really interesting experience. I am also looking forward to trying Port Brewing’s High Tide which I have waiting in the fridge. Sierra Nevada also brew a Southern Hemisphere Harvest ale, with New Zealand hops, that would be nice to try out as well.”]

    Thanks Ingo for buying me the bottle!

    Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary IIPA

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    • Brewery: Port Brewing
    • Country: USA
    • Style: Imperial IPA
    • ABV: 10 %
    • Size: 660 ml
    • Bought from: De Bierkoning, ~10 euro
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    Haven’t reviewed a beer for a while, so thought it would be time to write one again. Today I’ll be drinking an Imperial IPA i brought home from my trip to Amsterdam about a month ago. Port Brewing brew an Imperial IPA to celebrate their Anniversary each year, the latest one being #5. I have no idea whether these are one-time brews, or if they rebrew old brews as well, so this is either brewed during the spring 2009, or hopefully sometime a bit closer to now. Columbus, Amarillo and Simcoe hops are used in the boil, while Columbus and Amarillo are used for dry hopping. Let’s see how this (potentially old) Imperial IPA tastes!

    [easyreview title=”Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy amber color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that collapses quickly, leaving slight oily curtains of lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is hoppy and caramelly, with tones of tropical fruits, mango, citrus, and resin.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins malty and caramelly, and is then joined by a herby and resiny hop flavor (the fruitiness from the aroma is not as present in the flavor). The flavor ends quite sweet and with a quite harsh bitter finish. Not really impressed by the flavor unfortunately, and I have a feeling that the beer should have been consumed over a year ago for maximum pleasure. The maltiness and bitterness are still present, but the hop flavors could really be stronger and more pleasant.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The body is smooth, medium full and the carbonation level is moderate, but the bitterness draws away from the drinkability. There is a slight alcohol presence as well.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Unfortunately this one didn’t really deliver, and has probably lost tons of flavor standing on the store shelf for over a year. The aroma was quite promising, but the flavor didn’t really deliver (the hop flavors were really lacking and the overall balance was poor). Overall, it wasn’t poor, but it could definitely have been better.”]

    Alesmith Yulesmith (Summer)

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    • Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
    • Country: USA
    • Style: Imperial IPA
    • ABV: 8.5 %
    • Size: 660 ml
    • Bought from: De Bierkoning, Amsterdam, ~15 euro
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    Today it’s time to try the first of the beers I brought home from Amsterdam. AleSmith brew their Yulesmith beer twice a year, once during the summer and once during the winter. The recipe is slightly different between the seasons, with the summer version being an Imperial IPA and the winter version being an Imperial Red Ale. My bottle is the summer version, and I have no idea from which year it is (so am prepared for the worst, i.e. that it is a couple of years old and has gone stale). Hopefully there are still some hop flavors left in this one! Couldn’t find anymore info on the ingredients used for the beer, so will just have to try it out!

    [easyreview title=”Alesmith Yulesmith (Summer)” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy orange color, and a fluffy white head is formed, that collapses slowly leaving drapes of lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma has some tones of caramel, citrus, grass, resin and a slight alcohol presence.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a sweet caramelly maltiness, that is joined by a slight resiny and tropical fruity hoppiness. I suspect that a fresh bottle would be a bit more potent in the hop flavor department. Still, I quite like the subtle hoppiness. The flavor ends with a quite sweet aftertaste, and the bitterness is practically undetectable. I assume the beer has lost some bitterness over time, since I expect at least some bitterness in an Imperial IPA. The flavor are certainly on the malty side in my bottle, and lean towards a Barley Wine. Still, there are no off-flavors or other bad flavors, so this still tastes very nice.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and carbonation level, and with the virtually undetectable bitterness this is very easy drink. There is some alcohol present, which draws away some points.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Even though it is clear that this bottle isn’t fresh (my guess is 2010 release), since there is very little hop flavor and bitterness present, the beer is still perfectly drinkable and has taken on nice Barley Wine-like tones. Very tasty still, with a nice mouthfeel and still some hops left in the aroma. If I ever get a chance to try this fresh I definitely will. Hopefully my other IPAs I brought home from Amsterdam are in better condition.”]

    Edit: I apparently was correct, as looking more closing at the text on the back of the bottle yielded: “Yulesmith Holiday Ale 2010”

    Trip to Amsterdam

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    I’m just back home from a great and relaxing trip in Amsterdam with my girlfriend. Had some great beers during the trip, and even managed to bring back home 10 bottles. I really fell in love with De Bierkoning, a small beer shop featuring some very nice brews from around the world (they even recently got some 1 month old bottles of Pliny The Elder, which I didn’t buy since I’ve tried it before and didn’t want to pay the 15€ for the bottle). The prices were mostly nice, but the American beers were predictably quite pricey. They had a large selection of Dutch microbrews, which was really nice.

    The first beer of the trip was ‘t IJ Zatte, an Abbey Tripel by Amsterdam-based craft brewers ‘t IJ.



    Zatte poured with a hazy orange color and a small off-white head. It featured some caramel and some nice spicy and fruity yeast tones in the aroma. Flavor is similar with tones of yeast, citrus and coriander. The finish was quite dry, with a slight bitterness. A nice attempt on a Tripel. I had the beer while we were at blue°, a cafeteria/bar at the top of a shopping center in the middle of the town.

     
    Next, I tried a couple of bottles I bought from Bierkoning at the hotel. First up was Cigar City’s Jai Alai IPA.



    This IPA was bottled 23.06.2011, so it was around 7 months old. It poured with a slightly hazy golden-orange color and a fluffy white head, which collapsed leaving some nice lacing along the glass. The aroma featured tones of caramel, resin, grass, citrus, and flowers, and was mostly hop-dominated. The flavor begins with slightly sweet caramel tones, that were joined by piney, resiny, and grapefruit tones from the hops. The beer ended with a quite dry and biting bitter finish. The beer features lots of hop flavor. This was a really crisp and smooth IPA. Overall a very nice American IPA, with some huge resiny hop flavors with a bitter finish. Would really like to try this one fresh. Score: 4/5

     
    Next up in the hotel was The Kernel’s India Pale Ale Simcoe Centennial. The Kernel are a London-based microbrewery, that I’ve been hearing some great things about.



    This IPA had a BBE of 27.07.2013, so guessing it was bottled 27.07.2011, making it about 6 months old. The beer poured with a slightly hazy golden-orange color (very similar to Jai Alai) and a slight white-colored head, that collapsed leaving minimal lacing along the glass. The aroma was very hoppy, with fruity, resiny and citrusy tones. Really liked the aroma. The flavor begins with a minimally sweet and caramelly maltiness, that is overtaken by hop tones of grapefruit, tangerine, resin and grass. The flavor ends quite dry and a nice bitterness. I thought the flavors were nicely balanced, and the hop flavors were especially nice. The beer had a smooth and medium-full body, making it easy to drink. A great American IPA, that in my opinion was slightly better than Jai Alai. Great hop flavors in a better balanced package. Simcoe and Centennial are amongst my favorites hops as well. Score 4-4.5/5

     

    Next, it was time to head to Beer Temple, a quite small and cozy bar focusing on American craft brews, located right next to De Bierkoning. They had 30 beers on tap, with the majority being from the US (e.g. Great Divide Titan IPA, Rogue OREgasmic Ale, and Flying Dog Kujo Coffee Stout), the rest being from different European craft breweries (E.g. Mikkeller and Brewdog). They had an awesome list of bottled beer as well, and the first beer I ordered was Founders Breakfast Stout (since I brewed something similar a couple of weeks ago):



    The Breakfast Stout was fantastic, and poured thick and black, with tones of coffee, chocolate and roasted malts in the aroma and flavor. Hopefully my latest homebrew inspired by this tastes at least half as good. After the stout, it was time for both an Imperial IPA and an Imperial Red Ale: Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA and Rogue’s Imperial Red Ale (from tap):



    Unfortunately I only took a picture of the Weyerbacher brew. Both beers were very nice, with the Double Simcoe IPA being my favorite of the whole trip, and probably one of my favorite IPAs ever. Fantastically balanced Imperial IPA, with truckloads of resinous and tropical fruity hop flavor and aroma, and a pleasant bitter bite. The Imperial Red offered a nice combination of caramelly maltiness and citrusy hoppiness. Great beers and a great bar. Definitely worth the visit if you are after tasty beers in Amsterdam. The place got quite crowded when we visited it again on a Saturday, so come early. On the second visit I had some Brewdog/Mikkeller I Hardcore You from tap, which tasted very similar to what I remembered, but with even more hop aroma. After our first Beer Temple visit, we headed to ‘t Arendsnest, a bar serving only Dutch (craft) beer. They had tons of De Molen and Emelisse beer, and of course other beers from other nice breweries such as SNAB, ‘t IJ, and La Trappe. I played it safe and ordered a bottle of De Molen’s Tsarina Esra (Imperial Porter) and some Emelisse Triple IPA from the tap (note the fantastic drapes of lacing along the glasses):



    The Tsarina Esra was a very Imperial Porter, with sweet roasted malt tones, chocolate, licorice and hops in the aroma and flavor. Really nice beer to sip on. The Triple IPA had a sweet caramelly maltiness, combined with grapefruit and resin tones. A nice Imperial IPA, but there are better beers in the style available. ‘t Arendsnest was also a cozy bar, with a great selection, and definitely worth a visit if you’re after some great local brews.

     

    The beer selection in the largest (?) supermarket chain in Netherlands, Albert Heijn, was quite bad, but at least they had something else than bulk lagers. La Trappe Dubbel and Tripel 6-packs were available for 6 euros (which is fantastically cheap for Trappist beer), as well as Duvel, La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe for around 1.40€. I had a La Trappe Dubbel, La Trappe Tripel (sorry no picture) and La Chouffe in the hotel:




     


    I liked the La Chouffe best of the trio, with it’s spicy and lightly hoppy finish, and really disliked the Dubbel, which in my opinion had too much alcohol presence, and an unpleasant estery fruitiness with tones of banana and raisins. The La Chouffe has recently become available at Alko as well, so you can try it out at home.

     

    I managed to bring home some really nice beer I bought at De Bierkoning to Finland. A nice blend of Pilsner, IPA, Imperial IPA, Imperial Stouts and of course a bottle of the famed Westvletern 12:



    Back row, left to right: Alesmith Yulesmith (Summer), Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Ale, Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Hoppin Frog DORIS the Destroyer, and De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis 666
    Front row, left to right: De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis, De Molen Vuur & Vlam, De Molen Winterhop, ‘t IJ Plzen, and Westvleteren 12

     

    Overall, it was a nice and relaxing trip. One week was a bit too long for a small city as Amsterdam, as we ran out of things to see and do after a couple of days (we were not interested in the coffee shops), but my travel companion was great, so we were never bored. For a shorter weekend trip, I would definitely recommend the city though, especially if you want to see canals, crooked houses, windmills, or want to try some nice beers.

    Below are some random photos taken during the trip:













    Left Hand Milk Stout

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    • Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
    • Country: USA
    • Style: Sweet Stout
    • ABV: 6.0 %
    • Size: 355 ml
    • Bought from: Bierzwerg, 2.59 euro
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    Today will be the first time I try a Milk Stout, also known as Sweet Stout or Cream Stout, as I try Left Hand’s Milk Stout. Milk Stout is a, originally English, style of beer that first appeared in the end of the 19th century. Milk Stouts are Stouts with added lactose (which is non-fermentable by common brewers yeast), thus leaving a residual sweetness. This beer is brewed with Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, and Chocolate Malts, Roast Barley, Flaked Oats, Flaked Barley, and Lactose, and hopped with Magnum and US Goldings to a bitterness of 25 IBU. The color is 47 SRM, so it should be quite dark. My bottle had a best before date of November 2011, so hopefully it is still drinkable.

    [easyreview title=”Left Hand Milk Stout” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a black color (that shows some hints of red when looked through against the light), and a compact cream-colored head, that collapses slowly, leaving slight lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is roasty, with tones of roasted malt and a slight coffee note. Maybe a light sweetness in the aroma, but could also just be my imagination. Nothing special in the aroma.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a sweet and creamy roastiness, that offers similar tones as in the aroma. The coffee tones are more pronounced with the backing sweetness, and these are joined by some chocolatey tones as well. The flavor ends semi-dry with just the slightest bitter and acrid finish. The flavors work quite well together, but are on the light side, and the finish puts the beer a little out of balance.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth, creamy and medium-full body, with a medium carbonation level. Not overly sweet, and to be honest not as sweet as I had expected. Felt nice in the mouth.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a nice beer, that featured some roasted coffee and chocolate flavors coupled with a smooth mouthfeel, but unfortunately had a slight acridness in the finish. The creamy sweetness really helped bring forward the coffee and chocolate flavor, and it definitely wasn’t overdone. Overall a nice beer!”]