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Abita Brewdog

I picked this up on a whim. I knew I would soon find myself in the warm embrace of Michigan brews, so I looked beyond my state’s boarders.

Abita Turbogod’s … er, Turbodog’s pour is dark and rich, almost like a porter or stout. It certainly has a dark coloration. I spilled a bit when I sneezed as you can see in front of the bottle. I am happy I had a second bottle in the refrigerator.

The aroma is wheat with some caramel.

Tongue feel is smooth and light.

Taste is overall … good. For the pour’s darkness and aroma’s wheatiness, it is undoubtedly an ale. It is not a wheat beer.

I would like to say that I “discovered” this on my recent trip to northern California. If you would like to believe that, I will not dissuade you of it.

It is North Coast Brewing Co.’s Red Seal Ale. I picked it at my local source because I was trying not to grab Michigan brews.

The color is a filtered amber.

The head dicipated quickly with lacing and some light head on the top.

The aroma is mild: not very hoppy, not very grainy.

The tongue feel is light.

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3.5% ABV beer has good flavor. Light and smooth in taste, it is dark brown in color.

Some head, some lacing on the sides.

Not bad for the first beer after 5 hours in the sun.

father’s day finds me roaming the rails here in Chicago. Today I am here at Revolution Brewing with the sounds of the CTA in the background watching World Cup.

I ordered the pork belly. Wholy Bovine! That was a damn fine sandwich. You can probably hear my arteries slamming shut from whereever you are.

The Mad Cow stout is milky, very smooth. Almost no hints of chocolate or smokiness. Swishing it around in my mouth I can almost taste the alcohol.

The stout is almost black. There is some light lacing but little head. It has an ABV of 7.5%.

All in all a good brew.

The Coup de Grace is their saison. It is a wheat, no doubt. And it is sweet, surprisingly so. 8.5% ABV. Is smells citruicy. The color is a golden yellow with little head or lacing, but it is a taster. It’s the one on the right, btw.

The Best Coast IPA is a 7.2% ABV. Light yellow with a good head and lacing on the glass, you can smell the hops and a bit of fruit or flowers. It’s clear, not cloudy. A good amount of hops and fruit great your tongue right off. It’s more mild than a lot of IPAs. JK probably would give it a pass, but it works well for me.

From the menu:

This Mexican lager is introduced each year at Cinco de Mayo and is slightly dark but not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that stouts or porters tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting but one with depth and color and taste. Goes well with Pinatas and Nachos.

It is a bitter beer. There is a small head with lacing on the glass. The color is very dark, porter like in it’s inky brown darkness. You cam smell the roasted notes. 5.5 ABV. Served with lime wedges on the rim.

Rich ruby pour with great floral and hops aroma. Sturdy head, off-white with small tight bubbles. The lacing on the glass is thick.

The taste is fruity, but in a good way. It is light and refreshing.

Once the head mostly dissipated, there were “pebbles”. These were little nodules of the head floating on the top of the beer. There’s nothing wrong with them, I guess, but it is a little off.

The Atlantic has a write up on Three Floyds Brewpub.

The Atlantic’s food RSS feeds are beer-ful lately, and I support that.

The pour

Rich and dark, almost syrupy.

The head

Frothy and robust, almost three fingers worth on a somewhat lazy pour. Lots of lacing left on the glass.

The Aroma

Smoke. Caramel.

Flavor

Very smooth. Rich taste.  The malt really comes out on the back of the tongue.

The pour is a rich yellow brown. Think tanned leather bag.

The aroma is somewhat fruity but had to nail down. Allspice, maybe? A kind of Jamacan jerk jive?

The head is rich and foamy. It stays and it laces the glass well.

Oh, the taste! Damn, that’s good!

Initially you realize it tastes different. Not bad, mind you, just a different ale. Toward the vack of the mouth the taste starts to stand up and say ‘howdy’. In the back of the throat I feel the same tingle I get from my salsa (on the hot side) or a really well made spicy Caesar.

It’s important to note that the beer isn’t hot or spice, at least to my tongue.

The flavor really brings forth the fruitiness of the peppers.