Great Divide Yeti

For the Superbowl we went over to our friend's Sean & Kerry's place. They had some new beers for me to try. Generally speaking, when I'm out or with friends I'm "off duty" and don't review beers. Sean had picked up a bottle of Great Divide Yeti and wanted to co-review it, so I obviously couldn't say no.

You need to be careful when pouring this one. Pour it down the side of the glass from beginning to end or you'll risk an overflow. Even if you end up with a ton of head, you'll at least get to appreciate how pretty it is - fluffy brown head that makes the beer look like a milkshake. Super thick head as well. One other person at the party said the beer looked fake because when you tilted the glass the head didn't budge.

The aroma was quite strange for me. Smelled like olives. Yes, olives. A slight turn off for me since I'm not particularly down with olives. Sean really only picked up a boozy smell, so maybe my nose was just on the fritz yesterday.

The taste COMPLETELY made up for any shortcomings of the smell. Although the boldest flavors are malt-based, the beer is surprisingly balanced...in fact, if it were on either side of the bitter/sweet scale, I would say it slightly tips to the bitter side. Although Great Divide Yeti isn't a chocolate stout, I thought that the aftertaste the beer provided was the most genuine dark chocolate taste I've had in a beer. I'm a serious dark chocolate guy (80-90% cacao is my fav). I also thought that I was getting some coffee flavor coming through, but after reading the bottle I realized that it is TOFFEE with a T. I don't remember the last time I had toffee, so I suppose that's why I couldn't identify the flavor.

Long story short, this is a very good beer. Let it warm up a bit and you'll be rewarded.

Where to buy beer in Massachusetts

Although I have repeatedly mentioned my favorite liquor store (Julio's Liquors - Westborough, MA), I've never actually made a post devoted to the topic. What inspired me to write about it today is an excellent post over at BoroughsReview.com. And yes, I'm biased because they gave LostintheBeerAisle a huge shout out. :) The videos they put together are pretty well done and give a lot of detail about what Julio's provides.

Here are some Julio's beer highlights:
* They stock over 1000 different kinds of beer.
* They get new beers in weekly.
* They have limited edition Julio's-only brews from time to time.
* They have regular beer festivals.
* They have weekly beer tastings (although I find them intimidating and I don't go).

On a related note, I'm pursuing obtaining some Julio's loot for door prizes at the Boston Craft Beer Tweetup.

Impromptu Beer Run!

Tonight we are going to a super bowl party and I needed to pick up some beer for said event. Of course, I got distracted at the liquor store and ended up buying as much reviewing beer as I did party beer! Below is the full list. Not a bad haul if I do say so myself.

Allagash Dubbel
Troeg's Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale
Troeg's Hop Back Amber Ale
Haverhill Brewery Joshua Norton Imperial Stout
Dogfish Head Sah'Tea
Harpoon Leviathan Big Bohemian Pilsner
Harpoon Leviathan Saison Royal
Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Yule Tide

I'm now off to update the "What's in my Fridge - Queued Up" section of the website...

Clay Pipe Hopocalypse

Although I love every guest review that comes my way, the ones closest to my heart are the ones that come from people who don't have beer blogs and don't regularly review beer. Today I'm posting another review from Silvio. I believe this is his second published review. He has promised me more reviews, so I expect we will get to know him well. Many thanks to Silvio for his review of Clay Pipe Hopocalypse!!!

Considering that my favorite genre of movies has always been post-apocalyptic movies where landscapes are reduced to ashes and characters decimated, there was no way I could pass up trying this beer. With a picture of a mushroom cloud on the label, I expected to be blown away by hoppy goodness. Unfortunately for my taste buds, the product doesn’t live up to the promise.

Don’t get me wrong, this is an okay beer. It’s just not an outstanding IPA. Hop-Ocalypse looks visually appealing – I poured it into a pilsner glass and was rewarded with a tall foamy crown and a nice copper color. So far so good. But after my first sip, I wondered when the flavor would show up. It was hoppy, but not overwhelming. In fact, I’d say it was a little underwhelming.

After I got a few sips into the glass, it got a little better. This is a complex beer, and by that I mean you need to really try and taste its intricacies. It does have a heavy hops aftertaste, recognizable after swallowing – definitely more so than upon sipping. In fact, it reminds me a bit of another beer, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. The hops are tangy, if they reach the back of your palate. The beer isn’t too strong either, with a 5.8 percent ABV.

So there you go – if you’re in a pinch and looking for an IPA that will get the job done, look no further. However, if you’re looking to take a sip and be blown away by a nuclear blast of hops, you’ll be pretty disappointed.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Pretty psyched to have the week done with. I'm finding the new job a little more stressful than I expected, and the weekend downtime is much needed. Tonight we went out for dinner (Chinese). Now we're chilling and watching the movie Funny People. I skipped dessert and instead I'm having a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, which I have been told is pretty awesome.

The aroma is of boozy chocolate and vanilla. At 10% ABV, I'm not surprised that I can smell the alcohol. The beer is a thick dark black. The head is more brown than white. Some lacing, but not a ton.

I didn't have to wait a long time for this to warm because I had it in storage rather than in the fridge. I chilled it for 90 minutes or so before opening it. The taste isn't too far from the aroma. Dark chocolate is the main flavor. Vanilla accompanies it. Strong flavor of liquor. It's well balanced though...not particularly sweet or bitter.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is super smooth. Basically no carbonation.

Some folks said that this beer was lights-out awesome. I'd have to slightly disagree. It's definitely really good, but not the best I've had.

Chimay Red, Chimay Trippel, Chimay Blue

I have recently made threats of doing a Chimay trifecta review: Chimay Red, Chimay Trippel, Chimay Blue. And before anyone gives me shit, I know...a correct trifecta would be Red, White, Blue. Oh...and also while I'm at it, no one give me guff about my drink-ware. Once again, I'm well aware that Chimay is "supposed" to be served in a tulip glass. Beer-douches may keep their comments to themselves. Oh, and one last thing, I stored these bottles sideways in the fridge, not standing up like the label insists I do. I'm a loner Dotty, a rebel.

The Red has an aroma of cloves and banana. Quite yummy. Knowing that this beer gets better as it warms, I let this sucker sit in the glass for probably 20 minutes. I've go the Trippel queued up, sitting on the kitchen table warming (in the bottle).
Chimay Red
Chimay Red is an incredibly interesting looking brew. Tons of sediment which appears to hang in suspended animation. It's an orangish red color. 2-3 fingers of head, but surprisingly little lacing. Slightly bitter at first. Ends spicy. Hints of cinnamon. Not as bready as I expected it to be. Super thick and smooth going down. 7% ABV.

Moving on to the Tripel...


Much different in appearance. It is lighter in color: an orangish yellow. Similar amount of sediment. The pour went bonkers on me. Not 1, 2, or 3 fingers of head...more like an entire fist of it. I only poured half of the bottle and had to stop. My bad. In my defense, I would have had to pour the thing ridiculously slow. Once again, little lacing.

Smells bready and banana-ey. Orange zest is the first flavor I get. I also get some booziness, which isn't terribly surprising at 8% ABV. Definitely getting coriander flavors as well. Pretty well balanced. The Trippel is definitely less complex than the red. Both are really good brews.

And to finish the evening off...the Blue!

Just one look and one sniff and I can tell the blue is going to be be different. It's the darkest of the three, a deep mahogany. Similar head to the red. Still no lacing (I'm detecting a theme). The smell is significantly boozy, although at 9% ABV the Blue weighs in as the heavyweight of the evening.

The flavor is a little on the mysterious side. Dark fruits are swimming around in there, however they aren't as dominant as other dark-fruitish brews. As I keep on sipping I'm more and more inclined to say the flavor is grape. There's a hint of spice, but nothing like the Chimay Red.

All three beers were good if not great. For those of you wondering, yes, I'm a little tipsy. I did take my time with each beer...almost exactly 45 minutes per bottle. I also gargles with water and ate bread in between each beer. I felt like I needed to do so in order to give each one a fair shake.

Chimay makes some ridiculously good brews for sure. All three were relatively complex, especially the the Red. All three were slow drinking, but on the the other hand, I don't feel bloated or sick after drinking all three. I was particularly impressed by the vast difference between the Red and the Blue. I expected these to be much closer in flavor, but they were vastly different beers. All-in-all I don't know if I could even pick a favorite out of these three beers...all great in their own rite.

On a final note, I want to thank you if you're still reading my ramblings. You get a gold star for patience. :)

Recent Press (Plus...Win Stuff!)

No beer review tonight. Just some updates...

My 1st ever guest review
Earlier in the week a guest review I wrote appeared on Mikesbrewreview.com. Mike is a down-to earth guy from North Dakota who does video beer reviews. Good stuff. Check out my review of Thomas Hooker Nor'Easter.

My second ever guest review
I was additionally blessed to have the opportunity to post a guest review for Helene over at her blog: phillybeergirl.blogspot.com. I really enjoyed a bottle of St. Peter's Organic English Ale, and the review came out very well if I do say myself.

Many thanks to Mike and Helene for hosting my reviews!!!

Win stuff!
Want to win some loot? My wife is hosting a contest to win a Kinetic Go Green Glasslock Assorted 6-Piece Food Storage Container Set! Did you know that microwaving left-overs in plastic containers can be toxic? Nasty eh? We recently switched over to glass containers like the ones she is giving away. Much healthier and better for the environment too since they are glass. In any event, entering the contest is quick and easy so give it a go!