Lakes & Legends Barrel Aged Stout

 Lakes & Legends Barrel Aged Stout.Imperial Stout aged on American White Oak. . 

8% ABV, Lakes & Legends Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

I’ve been sitting on this crowler a little under two months. Of course, a beer like this can last longer, but I have limited space in the fridge and I just feel like drinking it tonight. It was filled on the brewery’s penultimate night of operations, 12/29/23.

Full-on ebony, complete opacity, tight brown ring of foam.

In the nose: chocolate, charcoal, ash. Caramel, toffee, raisins. Exceptionally malty beast. 

In the mouth: Along comes vanilla, big time, side saddle with oak. Clean, dry, full bodied, lush and almost overwhelming. Hearty. Massively malty, and only slightly sweet. Getting more complicated and complex as we go. Caramel and toffee, vanilla and oak sit shoulder to shoulder in the spotlight, remaining balanced and dry. Barely a swab of sweetness, which is a relief. I’m sick to death of pastry stouts , marshmallows and shit. 

Dangerous Man The Classic

 

Dangerous Man The Classic West Coast IPA.

7.5 % ABV, 65 IBU, Dangerous Man Brewing, Maple Lake, Minnesota. 

Clear, amber toned, slim white head, leaving lace. 

In the nose: citrus and pine, lemon and grapefruit. Ah, that’s the stuff!

In the mouth: brilliant attack on the tongue, fierce and aggressive bitterness. Dry, brittle, clean, popping with citrus and pine. Lays long on the palate, with a rewarding finish. Smooth(ish) and terrifically drinkable. 

This was a free sample, but I am going to buy a six-pack before it’s gone. This might be my new favorite. 

Make it a year-round, DMBC! We need more like this! It can’t be only Steel Toe making excellent non-hazy IPAs!

We are bringing it back to The Classic, a piney, dank, and juicy West Coast IPA! The Classic is hopped up with Cascade, Cashmere, Chinook, Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe Cryo hops for that hop-forward smooth-bitterness combo that is near and dear to our hearts. 

Revolution Cashmere Hero India Pale Ale

 Revolution Cashmere Hero India Pale Ale.

7% ABV, 65 IBU, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, I’ll. 

Clear, bright golden hue, slim ivory head.

In the nose: citrus and tropical notes at play, tangerine, grapefruit meets mango.

In the mouth: flash of bitterness blazes the palate, exhilarating the tongue. More citrus, touch of pine. Medium bodied, long, hoppy finish. Quite delicious. Goes down nice & easy, but with a bitter bite, the way I like it.

A mountain of flavors rise above this silky, Cashmere-hopped IPA-lemon, lime, and ripe cantaloupe with a touch of grapefruit.

Hops: Cashmere, Centennial, and Amarillo

Three Floyds Cimmerian Sabretooth Berserker Double India Pale Ale

 Three Floyds Cimmerian Sabretooth Berserker Double India Pale Ale.

9% ABV, 100 IBU, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana. 

Clear, dark golden hue, solid slab of ivory froth atop.

In the nose: peach, tangerine, orange peel, apricot. Slightly sweet and very fruity. Enticing.

In the mouth: bitterness comes up front, not too bracing or piercing, just flavorful enough to play on the palate. Just a little juicy, redolent of the above mentioned fruits, with a jolt of grapefruit and a trickle of pine. More malty, sweet and juicy. Medium bodied, and remarkably smooth for a brew so big. 

I’m a sucker for all 3 Floyds DIPAs. They all work on some level. None of them truly lets me down. This one delights me, not as much. They can’t all be Permanent Funerals and Arctic Panzer Wolves. 

In the seemingly endless cruelty, battle and strife of the Hyborian Age, a warrior has but two pleasures: decimating one’s enemies in battle, and a horn of Cimmerian Sabertooth Berzerker to slake the thirst of victory.

Sisyphus Yule Cat

 Sisyphus Yule Cat Barrel aged Imperial Porter with Coconut and Cocoa Nibs. 

14.1 % ABV, 30 IBU, Sisyphus Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

In the efforts to stop the procrastination, here is a bottle I’ve only been sitting on for two weeks. It is also the second beer bottle with my art on the label, 16 years after Surly Two.

Solid blackness, utter opacity, slim, brief ring atop. 

In the nose: big coconut leads the way, with plenty of cocoa below. Massive malt. 

In the mouth: sweet, coconutty, smooth, rich, delicious. Also, strong. Big’n’ beefy. Chocotastic. Warming.  Wonderful. I’m swooning with delight. 

Okay, here’s the story. One day inNovember, I walked into Sisyphus and told Sam that I wanted to illustrate one of his bottles. He told me that the next bottle would be Yule Cat, a name I promptly forgot. I went back to find out the true name and to taste it on tap. I did a sketch, then Googled Yule Cat. I decided that my Yule Cat would not be a monster who devours Icelandic children who don’t receive clothes for Christmas, but just an ornery looking festive feline. I delivered the art in early December, but it took longer than I imagined for the labels to be printed. I’d hoped that the bottles would be out before Christmas, but, alas, .. Anyway, this beer will be brewed and bottled again, and maybe next year it will be more than 40 bottles. I think…

So, go there now and some limited edition bottles! You missed the event where I was on hand to sign bottles, so we’ll have to meet up in person to make that happen. 

Dangerous Man Coffee Stout

 Dangerous Man Coffee Stout.

6% ABV, 35 IBU, Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Maple Lake, Minnesota. 

Dark brown, almost black, nearly opaque, slim tan head. 

In the nose: rich, earthy, bittersweet. A lot of grounds went down in this. Invigorating.

In the mouth: at the start, smooth and tasty just about creamy. Coffee flavor never stops. Medium bodied, rich and rewarding. Little bit of cocoa under the coffee, An absolute dream to drink down.

This was the first packaged DMBC beer from the Maple Lake facility. Everything else before that was something I had before or a sour I wasted interested in. I took too long to drink can #6, but not really, it tastes as good as when it was fresh. However, I’ve built up too large a collection of DMBC beers, while I waited to get to this one. Got to stop procrastinating!

(Research shows that my first can from this 6-pack was consumed in late October. Four months isn’t that bad, but it still is. You may read this and want to try it, but it’s long gone and for that I apologize. Stop procrastinating!)