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Firestone Walker Parabola – Snobby Beer Review

November 6, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

This is the Snobby Beer review of Parabola (2012) from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. This imperial stout is aged in a variety of oak barrels for 12 months, and is released annually. Special guest Natalie Phillips in this review!

From the Firestone Walker website:

“Parabola has been a major component of past anniversary blends and is one of our most aggressive offerings. This beer features bold bourbon and tobacco aromas and a rich dark chocolate, charred oak flavor. Parabola is best enjoyed in moderation and is a perfect beer to pair with those chocolate dessert favs.

REMEMBER: Watch for bottled on dates located on the necks or bottom left corner of the label for each of our beers. Our Proprietor’s Reserve Series, Barrel-aged beers are built to aged carefully. Storing in a dark place at or below 40F will allow them to best age for several years.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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Elysian The Great Pumpkin – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

October 31, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

elysian the great pumpkin

I originally planned on filming a review of this beer, but you know how it is. Time slips away from you, and before you know it it’s Halloween and you haven’t even bought the bag of Milky Ways that you were going to “pass out to the kids” even though nobody shows up at your house so you end up just eating an entire bag to yourself. Unlike that bag of Milky Ways (which I’ll be purchasing tomorrow when it’s on sale), tonight I decided to go ahead and cram this beer down my face in a pathetic attempt to get a Halloween-esque beer review up on Halloween.

The Great Pumpkin, brewed by Elysian Brewing Company, is brewed with pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, and spices. According to the bottle, it is the world’s first imperial pumpkin ale. Clocking in at 8% and 22 ounces, I’m sure to have an interesting review ahead of me.

APPEARANCE

I really think that appearance matters in a pumpkin beer. Not saying it doesn’t matter in other beers, but who wants to drink a pumpkin ale that is anything but orange? Nobody. Nobody does. Anyway, this beer is exactly what a pumpkin beer should look like. It’s the color of pumpkin meat, has a nice little head on it, slightly hazy – it just looks pumpkiny. If you imagined someone drinking beer out of a snifter while raking leaves, it would look like this beer. [Read more...]

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Westvleteren 12 – Snobby Beer Reviews (Best beer in the world?)

October 31, 2012 By SnobbyBeer 3 Comments

This is the Snobby Beer review of the legendary Westvleteren 12 from the abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren, Belgium. This authentic Trappist Quad is regarded as one of the greatest beers in the world, sometimes even considered to be the greatest. This bottle comes from the only American release of this beer, the Westvleteren “brick”. Can a beer with this much hype actually live up to it?

From the Westvleteren website:

“With the exception of our Blond beer, Trappist beer will keep for years: give the beer time and it will continue to ripen. The minimum sell-by date is stamped on the capsule. Store the bottles vertically in a dark place between 12° and 16° C. It is better not to refrigerate Trappist 8 and Trappist 12; Trappist Blond, on the other hand, may also be served cooled.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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Cigar City Good Gourd – Snobby Beer Reviews

October 8, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

This is the Snobby Beer review of Good Gourd from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida. This Imperial Pumpkin Ale is brewed with real pumpkin, Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg. Clocking in at 8.5%, this beer is pretty hefty.

From the Cigar City website:

“Legend has it that when a pumpkincomes into the world it is possessed by either a good or an evil spirit. Ours got all the good baby! Bursting with real pumpkin flavor and yummy pumpkin spices including Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg, Good Gourd is a celebration of Fall and that spookiest of holidays, Halloween. Pair Good Gourd with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and costume parties.

TASTING NOTES
Pours orange in color with notes of buttered pie crust, roasted pumpkin, and a melange of pumpkin pie spices. Medium bodied with flavors of caramel and roasted pumpkin notes and an underpinning of floral hop bitterness that leads into a harmonious blend of pumpkin pie spice and finishes with drying alcohol heat that creates a balance with caramel in the finish.”
Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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Schlafly Pumpkin Ale – Snobby Beer Reviews

September 27, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment


This is the Snobby Beer review of Pumpkin Ale from Schlafly in St Louis, MO. This beer is brewed with pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. This beer is one of the most highly rated pumpkin beers, and is released seasonally in September-October.

From the Schlafly website:

“ABV: 8%
IBU: 16
APPEARANCE:
 Copper-colored, bright
PROCESS:
 Brewed with pumpkin squash and a blend of spices
HOPS:
 Marynka (PL)
MALTS:
 2-row and Crystal malted barley, Munich malt, wheat malt, chocolate malt
YEAST:
 American Ale
OG:
 18.5
SRM: 
26.6

Our Pumpkin Ale blends the spices of the harvest with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie. Pounds of pumpkin form a malty foundation that supports the fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

While pumpkin beers were produced in the early days of the American colonies, they were different from the pumpkin beers we know today.  Colonists used pumpkin and squash as the fermenting medium, since malted barley was scarce.  Once malt became more readily available, it replaced these alternatives to grain.  In the 1990′s, American craft brewers reintroduced the style to the delight of pumpkin beer drinkers.”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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Rivertown Ojos Negros – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

September 9, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

Rivertown Ojos Negros

Yesterday was apparently Sour Beer Day, so I decided to get all reviewy with a sour that’s been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks. Rivertown‘s Ojos Negros is an American Wilde Ale aged with Blackberries in oak wine barrels. This beer is brewed a stone’s throw away from me in Cincinnati.

From their website:

AVAILABLE IN 750ML BOTTLE ONLY, RELEASED ONCE YEARLY IN JULY. A WILD FERMENTED BREW AGED IN OAK WINE BARRELS WITH OVER 140 POUNDS OF WHOLE BLACKBERRIES FOR ONE YEAR. 6.3% ABV, 8 SRM, 6 IBU

APPEARANCE

The beer pours a surprisingly clear reddish-brown color with absolutely zero head. There isn’t a lot of visible “bubbliness”, which is somewhat surprising. It actually looks very much like a slightly carbonated wine. It definitely gained a lot of color from the blackberries, let’s find out if it gained any aroma/flavor from them. [Read more...]

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Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude 4 – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

September 8, 2012 By SnobbyBeer 2 Comments

 

Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude 4

Society & Solitude 4 from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, Vermont. From the website:

Our experimental Double IPA experience continues. Hybrid Imperial IPA… Think Double Citra Meets Double Galaxy. 8% abv

 

APPEARANCE

Let’s face it, IPAs almost always look sexy. This beer is no exception. It’s a hazy orange juice color and sits under a rather large slightly off-white head. It had beautiful lacing throughout the (too short) drinking session. This is the kind of beer that would make even the most prude chap get all hot and bothered. [Read more...]

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Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPA – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

September 3, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPAKnee Deep Simtra Triple IPA. 11.25% ABV.

 

APPEARANCE

Classic IPA. Orange-yellow color, slightly hazy, sits under a nice head that is almost pure white, good lacing throughout, and just enough bubbliness to make me salivate. A beer that looks like this is not looking to go home alone if you know what I mean. [Read more...]

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The Bruery Oude Tart – Snobby Beer Reviews

August 7, 2012 By SnobbyBeer 1 Comment


This is the Snobby Beer Review of Oude Tart from The Bruery. This sour ale is aged in red wine barrels for 18 months before being bottled. It used to be a brewery-only release but has since seen limited distribution – that being said, it’s stil la tough beer to find! We received this beer (along with 5 other Bruery beers) from Greg Orth (HopHead101 from Beer Advocate) after sending him a one-of-a-kind collage made by Nick Satinover, who is guest-reviewing in this video. Thanks, Greg!

From the The Bruery’s website:

“Oude Tart is a Flemish-Style Red Ale aged in red wine barrels for 18 months. Pleasantly sour with hints of leather, dark fruit and toasty oak.

ABV: 7.5%, IBU: 15, SRM: 16, Release: Varies (1st Release in January 2010, Available at Brewery Only)
2010 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner for the Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Brun or Oud Red category
2012 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner for the Belgian-style Flander Oude Brun or Oud Red category”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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Troegs Java Head Stout – Snobby Beer Reviews

June 19, 2012 By SnobbyBeer Leave a Comment

This is the Snobby Beer review of Java Head Stout from Tröegs Brewing Co in Hershey, PA. This year-round beer features coffee that is added via the hopback vessel, where the hot wort passes through what is essentially a giant French Press on its way to fermentation. This is also one of the first stouts that got me into craft beer!

From the Troegs website:

“Alcohol by Volume: 7.5%
Hop Bitterness (IBUs): 60
Color (SRM): Black
Availability: Year Round
Malts: Pilsner, Crystal, Chocolate, Roast
JuJu: Oats, Blend of Coffee Beans
Hops: Cluster, Chinook, Cascade
Yeast: Unfiltered Ale

JavaHead Stout contains a blend of locally roasted espresso and Kenyan coffee beans by St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown, PA.

JavaHead’s recipe is based off of our original oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel on it’s way to fermentation. Packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of ground coffee beans, the hopback vessel is similar to using a huge French press, intensifying the coffee nose and releasing subtle hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouthfeel balanced with cocoa, roasted barley and subtle coffee flavors.

FOOD COMPLIMENTS
Cheese (earthy; Camembert, Fontina) General (Chocolate, Dessert) Meat (Shellfish, Smoked Meat)

Serving Suggestions:
Temp: 50-55°F Glassware: Pint or Mug”

Questions? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! Grab a beer and leave a comment.

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