Throwback Thursday: Boulevard Brewing Company Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on January 12th, 2015

It looks like I have been reviewing a lot of Belgian-style beers recently, well that is true, I have. Well, that is because I love Belgian and Belgian-style beers very much, and I think that most concerning beers drinkers do as well. The Belgian-style beers are popular among brewers and breweries; there are some that brew the Belgian-style only. Well, this beer here no different from that; here is Boulevard Brewing Smokestack Series Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, 8.5% ABV. Boulevard Brewing is from Kanas City, Missouri and this is part of the Smokestack Series that is named after the tall old brick smokestack at their brewery. Tank 7 pours slightly hazy light copper color with a two and a half, almost three fingers white head, that somewhat slow to dissipate but does so into a nice lacing around the glass. I found very minimal light streaming through the glass with a decent amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma on Tank 7 is a bit fruity with some tropical fruit notes, like a little faint pineapple. There is a tiny-spiced not that is barely noticeable. Tank 7’s taste is sweet and bready from its malts used and I found there to a tropical spiced fruit similar to the fruit aroma of pineapple, but there is a little faint mango as well. Tank 7 has crispness with little lemony flavor towards the back. The mouthfeel is medium, with a nice somewhat sweet bready and spiced finish and an aftertaste of spice and bready malt that lingers long enough for enjoyment. Boulevard Brewing Smokestack Series Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale gets an A. I thought this was good Belgian-Style Farmhouse Ale, the really captured the style well with Tank 7. It had nothing wrong with, nothing overdone. Tank 7 is actually easy to drink for being 8.5% ABV and you don’t really taste that is that high in ABV. Now yes that could be a bit dangerous, but Tank 7 only comes in 12 ounces 4 packs and 750ml bottles. Yes, I would recommend this to anyone. So go out and try Boulevard Brewing Smokestack Series Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Lagunitas Brewing Company 2018 Onehitter Series Eroica

Posted on by Evan

This Lagunitas Brewing Company 2018 Onehitter Eroica, 7.0% ABV a Flanders Red/ traditional farmhouse ale is part of yearly Onehitter series beer from this Petaluma, California brewer and is aged in red wine oak barrels with Brettanomyces yeast. Lagunitas says that Eroica is a golden saison-sour. Eroica pours a deep orange color with a quickly fading half finger white head with fruity aromas that are tart with touches of sourness that lead you into a fruity tart/semi-sour flavor that is a bit alcoholic on the back of the tongue with a nice tarted sour finish and a funky sour tart fruit aftertaste that lingers coating your entire mouth with a light to medium mouthfeel. Lagunitas Brewing Company 2018 Onehitter Eroica is a good beer but the stronger alcoholic notes hold it back just a bit giving this funky beer a B-. I didn’t think the alcoholic noted were that bad, no I just didn’t think it went along with the rest of Eroica’s flavor profile. I might go for this again but not right after finishing the first. It would get to be too much on your taste buds after one or so. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly

Throwback Thursday: Birrifico Del Ducato & Abita Brewing Co. Two Boots Saison

Posted on by Evan

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I am growing a liking to Saisons the more I have and I am looking out for them when I am beer shopping. Two Boots Saison 6.2% ABV is a collaboration between two countries and their great and celebrated breweries, Italy’s Birrificio Del Ducato and Louisiana’s Abita Beer. The name is from the fast that both Italy and Louisiana are shaped like boots. This saison is brewed with pepper, honey, lemon balm, pilsner and wheat malts. Two boots pours a lighter gold color with a four finger pillowy white head that sticks around for a while till fading into nice traces of lacing. Minimal light shines through with nice carbonation. The aroma is nice with a slight pepper and full honey with spots of lemon. Two Boots taste is yeasty with lemon and pepper notes towards the middle and back of the tongue. I found a bit of funky flavors on the end that wasn’t so bad but was also a bit mild in flavor. The flavor on this is average at best but not bad. The mouth feel is medium and has a nice spicy pepper finish and with a after taste of yeast pepper and lemon. Overall this Two Boots Saison Collaboration is not so bad but there are much better saisons out there. This is a C+ beer. I just think this is average with out being on the bad side. But when you get towards the end of the bottle it becomes a bit boring. I would have this again but not too soon though. Like I said there are better saisons out there to have then this. Not bad though just not as great as some. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava tart Saison

Posted on by Evan

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First off I would like to thank Brawley’s Beverage (www.brawleybeverage.com) for this Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison, 4.5% ABV, Council Brewing Co. located in San Diego California brews Béatitude which is French for bliss, with house culture of Brettanomyces, Lacobacillus and Saison yeast. Then it’s aged on guava. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison pours a hazy grapefruit color with a one finger quickly fading head with very little left behind, but a tart tropical aroma with a little bit of a funky note. Taste is easy with tart tropical notes from the guava with some slight funky yeast/doughy notes coming through in the middle of the mouth; more tartness comes in on the back, and Béatitude finishes tart and fruit with a slight faint doughy note that gives way to an tart tropical somewhat mouth puckering after taste. The mouth feel is medium with some slight fullness. Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison is a great take on a Belgian Saison. The fruit addition adds a real tropical refreshing quality to a great beer style making Béatitude Guava Tart Saison an A+. This Béatitude comes in a variety of fruits and is one beer that you should try for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Haw River Farmhouse Ales Mille Fleur Rustic Saison

Posted on by Evan

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I would like to thank Pop The Top Bottle Shop, (www.popthetopclt.com) for Haw River Farmhouse Ales Mille Fleur Rustic Saison, 5.8% ABV. Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw, North Carolina dry-hops this farmhouse-style ale with malted spelt, Sorachi Ace and Crystal hops. Now the French phrase “Mille Fleur” translates into English as “one thousand flowers, but here in North Carolina Mille Fleur is known as one of the friendliest most talkative birds in the barnyard. Mille Fleur Rustic Saison pours a cloudy yellow color with a bright three finger white head with good retention leaving behind thin but fluffy lacing, giving off an aroma of lemony hops with slight yeasty notes with a slight funky character. This rustic Saison has a faintly sweet yet tart lemon flavor up front and a funky note in the middle of the mouth with a slight yeasty hop note on the back. Mouth feel is medium to slightly full with nice funky yeast like finish and an after taste of a very faint tart funky lemon. Mille Fleur Rustic Saison is exactly what a rustic Saison is and should be. Great funky tart flavors with the yeast flavor and touches of hops all work well make this beer an A. This beer is right there with the best Belgian Saison. This is definitely worth trying. I recommend you to and go pick a bottle up at Pop The Top Bottle Shop. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Stillwater-Artisanal Shoegaze Distorted Farmhouse Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

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Stillwater Artisanal is a quit popular craft brewery in Baltimore, Maryland and brews pretty cool and trendy craft beers, and are sought after by many craft beer geeks. Shoegaze Distorted Farmhouse Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV is a kind of hybrid beer, farmhouse ale, and pale ale together. This beer according to the can is also found in Oslo, Norway. So for all you Norwegians readers you are in luck you might find this near you. Shoegaze Distorted Farmhouse Pale Ale pours a hazy bright yellow color with a two and a half finger white head with decent head retention leaving behind some spotty lacing, and aromas of lemon, but a slightly funky lemon, slight citrus and some faint hop notes come though. You get more of the farmhouse than pale ale on the nose, but there are faint pale ale aromas there. Shoegaze taste has a big funky lemon up front with some smooth hop notes in the middle with a slight hoppy flavor on the end with some slight yet faint citrus flavors though out. This Shoegaze finishes nice with good funkiness, slight lemon and touch of hoppy note and with a funky and slightly hoppy after taste with just a bit of the citrus lemon. I do think Shoegaze drinks like a lighter ABV beer than the 6.0% that is stated on the can. It goes down easy and is refreshing. Shoegaze is something that might go well with summer time weather. I thought that the combination of farmhouse and pale ale melded well together and made for an interestingly tasty balanced beer, and with that said I give Stillwater Artisanal Shoegaze Distorted Farmhouse Pale Ale an A. I picked up this single sixteen ounce can at the Good Bottle Co, for $3.25, here in Charlotte, NC 125 Remount Rd, and I would like to thank them for this great recommendation and I recommend you try Stillwater Artisanal Shoegaze Distorted Farmhouse Pale Ale! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!