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  • Frosty 9:55 pm on June 16, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    It’s not creamy, but I love it! 

    Wow, has it really been a week? Sorry for the delay in posting something that really needs to be said before I disappear into another unexplained website absence. The time has come to give a nice shout out to Idaho’s own Laughing Dog Brewery, and their Cream Ale.

    I bought this stuff on a whim as I filled up the “variety six pack” at New Seasons. “Sounds Nasty” I thought to myself. “This should be fun”. Well, slap me around and call me Susan, if I wasn’t 100% wrong. Laughing Dog Cream Ale is fantastic! Why? Because its not creamy! In fact, its a great light smooth easy drinking ale that was absolutely perfect for the camping trip I just took. Nothing quite says ’sitting around a lake doing nothing’ like this stuff. No weird flavor, smells nice, looks nice and was “Session-y” in the sense that I drank a lot of it in one sitting. (go liver!)

    Having had a few, I figure that they got the “creamy” moniker from the fact that the special concoction of ingredients make it so there is no sharp aftertaste, which I rank as a plus. I can’t give them any points for the label, but for the taste, a new spot has been earned in the 4th of July cooler.

    (Up next: Captured By Porches Kolsch gets double teamed, and Bridgeport reigns generous supreme!)

     

  • Frosty 10:38 pm on June 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    I blame Todd Stadelhofer’s Mayday IPA 

    There was a time when I used to decry IPAs as the worst thing to happen to beer since rice. Maybe it was the effect of one too many Stone Ruinations in my younger years, but I just never understood the appeal of the tooth rattling bitter flavor they all seemed to come with.

    Then one day a week or two ago, I tried the Gigabit IPA from Hopworks. The initial excitement was mostly out of novelty, but as I was drinking, I couldn’t help but think to myself “wow, this is really good”. I thought perhaps it was a fluke, but now having had a few in the interim, I can say something I never thought I would.

    I like IPAs.

    And I blame Todd Stadelhofer. A few days ago, as I was sitting on the fence about my newfound flavor appreciation, famed homebrewer Todd brought by his newest concoction: Mayday IPA. And I was worried. Todd values his beer recipes, and I value getting free beer. So I was really a little timid about drinking it, for fear that my virgin interest in IPA flavor would prove to be a passing fancy.

    Then I sipped. And I sipped again. Then a hearty gulp. Hot damn. This is good. Real good. I don’t feel I’m nearly qualified in the hop arena to make any particular “toity” remarks, other than to say it was really tasty. Refreshing, and although tinged with hoppiness, not so much that my cheeks felt like I’d been on the shoe end of Chuck Norris. It was even so good that the wife stole the second half of the 22.

    I’m new to the IPA world folks, so bear with me as I explore the limits of the fresh tastebuds. Nonetheless, I can effectively blame and thank Todd for solidifying a new era in Frosty Goodness lore. Liver be damned.

    Mayday IPA

     

  • Another Pint Please! 12:03 pm on June 2, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Alaskan IPA – J’You Know they make IPA in Juneau? 

    It’s been awhile since I had a beer that really surprised me, so when I did I decided it was time to reenter the blogosphere and let people know. Last weekend I encountered a six pack of “Alaskan IPA” sitting unloved (definately untested) under a table in a friends back yard. There’s something about the name Alaska that doesn’t exactly shout Great Beer…Drink Me!!! But my friend was obviously flashing back to an old Life cereal commercial and had a “let Mikey drink it..Mikey drinks everything” moment. He offered me a six pack to take home and try it out. With some trepidation I dusted off two bottles and took them home. I should have taken them all.

    I’m a late comer to the IPA bandwagon, and while I can appreciate a good kick in the cheeks now and then, after two bottles of Stone IPA in a single sitting I’m done for awhile. Enter Alaskan IPA. This stuff is good. Simple, refreshing, not too bitter, no after taste, and with a nice cascade hop aroma that isn’t over powering. That probably makes it a failure to an IPA purest, but it’s a great entry level IPA for those of us that still aren’t worthy of “Arrogant Bastard”.

    I don’t think I’d travel to Alaska to pick up another six pack but I’m anxious to find out where he got it. Hope it’s nearby.

     

  • Frosty 8:06 pm on May 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Captured by Porches Hefeweizen wins. 

    Although it certainly isn’t a formal award, I would like to give the “2010 Worlds Best Hefeweizen” award to the oddly named Captured By Porches.

    I like Hefeweizens, but they were never a beer I actually loved until I came across this brew with the fun hinged bottle. Smooth, wheaty, fruity, and yummy in a way that so many other breweries just seem to miss, I just can’t say enough good things about this oddly named beer.

    Word of warning though, make sure to let the bottle air out before you pour it. Otherwise your first glass will end up looking like this:

     

    • scootette 8:04 am on June 25, 2010 Permalink

      their label is fantastic!
      just found you through Bridgeport’s twitter.
      great site!
      cheers!

    • Frosty 8:18 am on July 10, 2010 Permalink

      Thanks! I have a special place in my heart for that clasp bottle top style too.

  • Walt Liquor 9:13 pm on May 24, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Biere De Mars. Qu’est que c’est “Beeeep”? 

    Some fast facts about Biere De Mars:

    – This is a beer called “Beer From Mars”, and has a picture of Mars on the label.

    – Despite being from Mars, the name is in French.

    – Comes in a big fat bottle with a champagne-style cork.

    – Prominently mentions that its brewed with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, a wild yeast that creates more sediment than I’ve had in a beer since I accidentally (on purpose) dropped an onion ring into my Pabst.

    – Brewed by the Ommegang Brewery, who also brew “Ommegeddon”.

    Clearly, this is a beer in need of a hook.  Too subtle!  No personality!  Wait, no, I got that wrong — this is a beer that needs about three less hooks.  “Beer from Mars”?  OK, you got me, I’m a science nerd and I pretty much have no choice but to try it.  But why is it in French?  Here’s my guess:  wild mutant yeast, concocted in a clandestine baguette / beret laboratory in Paris, achieves sentience and immediately set about pursuing a space program.  Thwarted at every turn by lack of reliable second stage boosters and opposable thumbs for golfing on the moon, the Brettanomyces colony forms a thick sludge at the bottom of a bottle, which I then purchase and drink.  Yeah, that sounds about right.

    Thankfully, the flavor is quite subtle and understated, a soothing contrast to the jarring thematic juxtapositions on the label.  Nooo, not really!  It’s good, but it’s a big bold mess,  just as WTF-y as the outside.  (It’s a word now.  Rhymes with “swifty”.  So there.)   Really flavorful, very tart, almost like you did a tequila-like ritual involving a shot of beer, a bite of lemon wedge, and a lick of Greek yogurt off your hand.  (Regretting that image.  Much happier about bringing “WTF-y” into the world than that yogurt metaphor abomination.)  It’s very tart, fruity, all-around really bold zesty beer.  This is apparently a result of the wild yeast, which (according to the label) “imparts added tartness, extra zing, and a touch of funk”.  I thought I tasted some Rick James…   Anyway, I do recommend this beer, though it ain’t for sipping in quiet contemplation by the fire.  This beer is best paired with any type of food that requires you clean your fingers with a wet-nap afterward, and best enjoyed while listening to loud live music, preferably a band named “A Touch of Funk”.  Except in French.

     

  • Frosty 12:33 pm on May 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Stumptown Tart the Third. Now that’s raspberry. 

    The original marionberry Stumptown Tart set a new standard for fruit/beer integration. In addition to being wildly delicious, it was a great “ale” flavor that used the flavors of the marionberry without being too overboard. When the second ST came out, it was a Cherry Wheat. This time, the cherry played a more prominent role, since the wheat element of the beer made for a much lighter beer flavor. This time around, however, good ol’ Stumptown Tart has gone all in with Oregon red raspberry. Or rather, OMG ITS RASPBERRY!!!!

    On first pour, the raspberry makes its presence known with a real strong “fresh raspberry” smell. And the first sip? RASPBERRY! This beer has the distinction of being one of the first beers I’ve had that tastes exactly like it smells. Sweet, sweet, alcoholic raspberry. Not the lame “raspberry flavor” you are used to mind you, or even raspberries you may buy at a local Big-E-Mart. This is earthy, fresh, real raspberry flavor, and it’s fantastic.

    Now you may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned the beer aspect of this. There’s a reason for that. In what seems like a trend, this year’s ST has even less “beer-y” flavor than the year before. Although it’s made with a Belgian Tripel, they advertise it as a “Framboise”, which in my book defines itself as “Really F-ing Alcoholic Fruit Juice”. And boy is it. In an article on Wikipedia, they make mention that “Framboise is usually served in a small glass that resembles a champagne glass, only shorter”. Stumptown? Nah, that comes in a 22oz. So at 7.7% ABV, you can imagine how high I was flying when I finished my bottle. Just a word of warning.

    I now realize that I’ve made in pretty far into the column without ever mentioning if it was any good. For that, I apologize, because it was really good. Crisp, light, refreshing, and wickedly fruity. I imagine it might mellow with age, but for now, drinking it immediately makes me wish to be outside on a warm summer day, instead of watching the rain and hail abuse my patio cover. This beer is perfect for those occasions when you are outside goofing with friends, burning steaks on the grill, and setting your neighbors bushes on fire with a stray bottle rocket. I highly recommend stocking the July 4th BBQ cooler with several of these refreshing beauties. Just be careful not to think that the fun fruit flavor is a tame one. Prost!

     

    • Ivana Goodbeer 8:43 am on May 6, 2010 Permalink

      It was very fruity and very yummy. Of the three created so far, I’ll have to pick the original Marionberry Tart as my favorite. :)

  • Frosty 5:05 pm on April 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Dick’s Mountain Amber Ale. Hello Summer! 

    As I sit here grilling up some turkey burgers & asparagus, I am suddenly struck with a longing for summer. Perhaps it is the warm day. Perhaps it is the smells of the bbq.

    Or maybe, its the Dick’s Mountain Amber Ale in my hand. Like the fourth wheel on car, this super tasty brew makes the whole package complete. Smooth, flavorful in a nice way, and a good malty finish.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I may have just found my Summer 2010 Easy Drinkin’ beer.

     

    • SwillJockey 9:05 am on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      There was one of these in the variety pack that I picked up on Friday at New Seasons. A bit hoppy for my tastes, but it was still drinkable and I managed to choke down the whole bottle along with a hot dog or two.

      I was disappointed that there wasn’t any of their rye ale in this box. I got EXACTLY eight unique beers, which means that there were duplicate bottles of four styles.

      Happy swilling. =D

    • SwillJockey 9:07 am on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      April and I were were a bit puzzled by this being called an Amber ale. Amber denotes more malty flavors, which I thought were missing under the hoppy blanket in this stuff.

    • Frosty 3:52 pm on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      Hoppy? Really? Hmm…maybe mine was older or something, but I didn’t really get hoppy as a main characteristic. Of course, I may have just been excited about being able to grill outside in the sun for a change.

  • Frosty 10:40 pm on December 10, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Ho ho ho holy moley. Ninkasi Sleigh’r is awesome! 

    2009-11-19 18.14.59I love winter time in beer land. More so than any other season, brewers seem compelled to pull out all their tricks and come up with new and fun beer concoctions. And because its so cold for most of America, they tend to be on the darker side, which of course makes Frosty a happy boy. Ninkasi’s winter brew, Sleigh’r, is no exception. Now, yes, I’ve been hard on Ninkasi in the past, but to be fair all their beer is just so damn hoppy. Imbued with all the narcissism only a guy with a beer review blog can have, I’ll go ahead and claim that they heard my cries, and have decided to make a brew truly worthy of my lofty praise. ;) Either that, or they just mined the stream of awesome brewing they’ve always had. And struck gold, they have.

    Sleigh’r is a Dark Double Alt, and its does its style proud. Super dark, super malty, and super yum. It has the great distinction of being one of the few 22’s I look forward to drinking straight through, regardless of the drunken consequences. As I froze my tukus off putting up Christmas lights the other weekend, just the thought that it was in the fridge warmed my bones.

    It won’t be around long, so for those of you with a sense of taste (skylark: Alameda Papa Noel a 1? Come on…), pick some up, ditch the egg nog, and make Santa proud.

     

    • Ivana Goodbeer 8:38 am on December 11, 2009 Permalink

      We should leave this beer by the fireplace on Christmas Eve for the big man. Perhaps we’ll find a few extra ‘toys’ on the following morning! :)

  • Frosty 3:01 pm on November 30, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Bring in the old! No. 38 Stout that is. 

    2009-11-29 18.01.38Naming a stout after a train can really go wrong: either by implying a certain coal-tar flavor (mmmm…burnt), or with a foreshadow to the effect the stout will have on your head after drinking. Lucky for me, neither apply to North Coast Brewing’s Old #38 Stout. Its more like a smooth ride down a track of air than the smoky clackety rumble its name implies. This stuff is good. Real good. Smooth, and “just right” flavorful, it puts to shame all the stouts that feel the need to brew themselves with some other flavor to mask the funk (Abyss excepted of course).

    I had never seen this before, and frankly found it in the bargain bin of Market of Choice. I’m not sure why, but if I see a 6 pack of this lying around, it will most certainly become an automatic buy. If you can find it, I give a hearty thumbs up, as its now one of my favorite stouts of all time.(Sorry Black Seal, it was a good run)

     

  • Frosty 1:34 pm on November 19, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    I like old school Amber Lager, or his name isn’t Karl Strauss. 

    2009-11-11 18.47.05I wasn’t always a beer snob. In fact, I used to hate beer. But when I think back, I can always point to the one brewery that taught me that beer didn’t have to taste like urine (go keystone!). And that brewery was headed by the jolly, slurring, german guy who would pipe up on the radio, “its the best beer you’ve ever tasted, or my name isn’t Karl Strauss”. Now, its not the best beer I’ve ever tasted, but it is damn good, so I’ll give old Karl the credit and let him keep his name.

    It may be the DayQuil I’m on talking, but this beer really brings me back to beach bonfires and lost time with semi legal substances. Karl has many beverage options, but the Amber is the classic. Its smooth and crisp.  And perhaps its just nostalgia, but it epitomizes what I think of when I say “easy drinkin beer”. Its the perfect summer beer….which in San Diego, feels like its all year round.

     

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