T-minus 1 day until Vegas. I think I’m over-psyched at this point. It needs to just get here already. Tomorrow is gonna fly by – I’ve got ~7 hours of meetings at work tomorrow. But that’s tomorrow. Tonight isn’t over until a beer has been reviewed.
The beer of choice is Cricket’s Nocturne Dark Lager from the Cricket Hill Brewing Company in Fairfield, NJ. I don’t recall where this beer came from. Definitely an April Bday gift, but from whom, I have no clue.
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The beer has a nice looking head. The color is a bit different than most beers – it’s a chocolately brownish black. Pretty cool looking.
Smells like a light porter or a stout (the beer is officially a “Munich Dunkel Lager”, but I have no clue what that is). Where it gets completely separated from those styles is in mouthfeel; it is much less thick and has less body that a typical stout.
Flavors remind me of a stout or porter. Chocolatey roasted malts are by far the main ingredient. Even stone cold there is almost zilch in the bitter/hoppy department.
The beer is pretty good. Right in my wheelhouse, as it were. I find myself chugging this puppy down rapidly.
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UPDATE: After I published this blog post, two twitter friends (@beer_nerd and @Dave_White) pointed me to the below video of the brewmaster giving a “tour”. Note that I’m posting this not because I agree with anything the brewmaster says, but rather, because it’s a hilarious rant.
Homebrew Academy
I believe this was one of the beers I brought from NJ.
Mom
I thought it might be. Thanks for reminding me. Good stuff! Thanks again for picking it up for me.
Everyone: Say hello to my mother. This is the first time she has commented on the blog, although she religiously follows it.
-Lost
Hi Mom! Are you from New Jersey??
I tried a Cricket Hill beer once… summer ale maybe? Can't remember. It was just ok in my book. This one sounds better. One of these days I'll pay them a visit. I'm not that far from Fairfield.
Sharon,
No, my husband and I live in Vermont. We vacation in NC every spring (Josh's step-sister and step-nephew live there) and I buy beer for Josh somewhere on that trip. This year it was New Jersey.
Hi mom!
I love me a nice black lager, so if I am able to find this sometime (never heard of Cricket Hill out here in SoCal) I will give it a try. Maybe on my next east coast tour. Though, no offense to the Dirty Jers, but NJ isn't high on my tourism list.
Mom ~ You're a great mom!
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