Thoughts on Beer

Peace Tree Brewing Imperial Stout

When I visited the Peace Tree Brewing a weekend ago, I picked up a bottle of the small batch Imperial Stout.

It poured very dark, and was a sweet smelling stout with a hint of a chocolate aroma.  Immediately I could taste the dark malts with a chocolate flavor, and there was a bit of flavor from the Belgian yeast.  It had slight flavor notes of figs or prunes.  There was very little alcohol warming, even though the beer was listed at 10 percent.  The body was lighter than I thought it would be at that strength, but it balanced it out quite nicely.  It was a great beer, and should be found across Iowa now.

Have you had the Peace Tree Imperial Stout?  What was your take?

New Belgium Le Terroir

A few days ago I had the chance to sample one of the new sour beers from New Belgium, Le Terroir. It is a dry-hopped (with peach/mango flavored Amarillo hops) sour ale that changes from batch to batch (sounds like homebrewing).

The beer had a nice citrus aroma, similar to a grapefruit or a lime. The taste had a hint of sour on the front of the tongue that became more pronounced toward the back of the tongue. It left a nice refreshing finish with a bit of lingering sweetness. The beer reminded me of grapefruit juice, and I thought there was a nice amount of sourness without being too overwhelming. I enjoyed this beer very much.

Have you tried Le Terroir? What was your take?

Millstream Hop 2 Double IPA

Over the weekend, I had a chance to sample the latest Millstream offering, the Hop 2 Double IPA.

The Hop 2 poured a copper color, and had a floral scent with a bit of citrus.  With the first taste, the first thing I noticed was the medium body.  It had a citrus hop flavor with a slight hint of a earthy, noble hop with a strong malt balance.  It finished on the light side, with just a bit of lingering hop flavor.  It was a very balanced Double IPA.

Hop 2 didn’t list the alcohol percent, but even as a Double IPA, it didn’t have much of an alcohol warming, which was great.  Overall, Hop 2 was a nice beer that, with the lighter body, makes me want to have more then one.  So why don’t I?

Have you had the Hop 2?  What did you think?

Big Sky Brewing Cowboy Coffee Porter

Over the weekend, I had a chance to try a Big Sky Brewing Cowboy Coffee Porter.

It started out with a roasted scent, but even though it has coffee as an ingredient, it was difficult to pick it out.

With the taste, it had a medium to light body, and tasted like chocolate with a hint of coffee.  As a side note, the coffee was very very light, and, just like the aroma, the coffee was difficult to sense.

Overall, it was a nice medium-bodied limited-edition porter.  Have you had the Cowboy Coffee Porter?  What was your take?

Goose Island Pepe Nero

The other day, I had the chance to try the new Vintage Ale from Goose Island, Pepe Nero.

It is considered a farmhouse ale, but is much darker than any I have seen of this style.  When I first poured the beer, it was a dark brown-red color.  It had a very strong scent to it, with a large burnt caramel aroma with a bit of Belgian-style sour scents mixed in.

The flavor was very interesting.  It had a strong roasted chestnut flavor with just a hint of Belgian funkiness on the finish.  It had a slight bit of tartness, but not too much to be overwhelming.  The final impression reminded me of a lighter Belgian dubbel .

Did you try Pepe Nero?  What was your impression of this new ale?