Chocolate Sombrero, Clown Shoes Brewing

"Chocolate Sombrero" Mexican Style Chocolate Stout by Clown Shoes Brewing (Ipswich, MA)

22oz bomber poured into Ommegang goblet.
Bottled on 5/2012 (nice touch - easy to read as well).
Tasting notes from 9/23/12.

It seems every week there is a new entrant in the ever burgeoning world of craft beer. This week it's Clown Shoes that is responsible for setting beer geeks hearts a-flutter. I'm here to tell you that not all clowns need to be creepy (yes, it took years of therapy to be able to write that sentence). Clown Shoes is a brash contract brewer based in Ipswich, MA that has a mission statement that reads "clowns are questionable but the shoes make me laugh. They remind me about humility and to find humour in life". Chocolate Sombrero is evidence of this humour with the label depicting a somberero-wearing Mexican wrestler on the label. The beer is no laughing matter - this is a Mexican-style stout with ancho chile and vanilla extract and lots of chocolate malt. The beer pours a beautiful midnight black with a thin tan collar and the smell is of roasty chocolate. With a laundry list of ingredients the taste does not dissapoint - thick, rich and decadent with discernible notes of chocolate, coffee and a hint of spiciness. Even with the substantial ABV that weighs in at 9% I didn't find this particularly boozy. Would make an excellent dessert beer. As a first introduction to the brewery I'm very impressed. It may not inspire me to run away and join the circus but it will make me want to devour more of their beers. Chocolate Sombrero is available in 22oz bomber for around $8.49 and is part of their limited release series.

 

Rating: A

 

As a first introduction to this brewery I can honestly say I got more than I expected. Also tried Tramp Stamp Belgian IPa (initial impression - sweet and fruity but not bad) and also Brash Bollocks Imperial IPA (12% wow! my sort of beer - not Maharaja standard but decent, well brewed). Impressed.

 

Beer Advocate rating : 87 (Good)

RateBeer Score : 97

 

 

 

In their own words:

 

"Roasted dark malts plus extra chocolate malts plus ancho chile plus a chocolate loving beer drinking, clown shoes wearing, multi limbed gorgeous and glorious Mexican wrestler on the label. That's the recipe for a chocolate sombreror".

 

Distributed in Minnesota by Clear River (Rush City, MN) Millstream, McNeill's etc

More about the brewery:

 

Clown Shoes Brewing Company*

23 Hayward Street

Ipswich, MA 01938

www.clownshoesbeer.com

 

Email: Sean@clownshoesbeer.com

 

*Contract brewed by Mercury Brewing Company (Ipswich, MA) which confusingly is also known as Ipswich Ale Brewery

www.IpswichAleBrewery.com

 

Clown Shoes produces a ridiculous amount of beers, some with very cringe-worthy names (Tramp Stamp, Muffin Top, Lubrication, Pimp)! which fits in well with their attitude "produce beer without pretension while being free and a little crazy".

 

Year Round:

Hoppy Feet, Brown Angel, Clementine, Tramp Stamp,Eagle Claw Fist, Lubrication, Supa Hero, Miracle, Let my people go

 

Limited:

Pecan Pie Porter, Hoppy Feet 1.5, Clementine 1.5, Muffin Top, BlaeCorn Unidragon, Vampire Slayer,Chocolate Sombrero, Pimp

 

Super Limited (made once):

Angry Beast, Fight of the Pimp, Third Party Candidate.

 

 

 

 

Sneaky Pete, Laughing Dog Brewing

Imperial IPA by Laughing Dog Brewing (Ponderay, Idaho)



OK, Time to put down "Fifty Shades of Grey" for a moment and get on with a new post. Although it is a riveting read....next up is "Sneaky Pete" an Imperial IPA from Laughing Dog Brewing Company (Ponderay, Idaho).

Another new entrant into an already crowded Minnesota craft beer market. Imported  by www.kysela.com (primarily a wine company) and is distributed in the local market by Paustis Wine Company. It's been on the shelves for a couple of months now and is available in 22oz bombers (expect to pay around $8.99) or 4 pack 12oz bottles (rather pricey at around $12.99). I had the 22oz bomber poured into a Granville Island (Vancouver) glass. My bottle was clearly dated 3/5/12. Tasting notes are from 5/8 (usual procrastination on my part). Bottle numbered 6045/2192.

This is a prime example of that old adage - never judge a book by it's cover.

What I thunk:

Well carbonated. Really good looking beer, impressive crisp one finger head. Appealing dark amber colour. Nice hop aroma -piney, floral. Malty back bone, robust - tangey, orangey. Nice lacing on glass. Perhaps a little bit "thin" on the finish but that's a minor complaint.

Rating:
B/B+
Impressive. Exceeded my expectations, a very solid double IPA that I would buy again. At the time Avery's "Maharaja" was also available on the shelf at a buck cheaper which makes "Sneaky Pete" a bit of a hard sell. Surprisingly the 4 packs seem to sell well at the rather exorbitant price but I think it's mostly due to the adorable Boston Terrier on the cover (modelled on one of Kysela's owners dogs I was reliably informed). Too bad the beer is not available in "growlers"!

Useless information alert - I was told that the brewer of Laughing Dog was sent a bottle of Bell's Hopslam and asked to replicate it. Sneaky Pete is his response. Would it be dogmatic of me to sugggest he at least achieved the same price-point as Hopslam!!!







"Sneaky Pete" Imperial IPA uses a tremendous amount of simcoe hops and a splash of honey. First released in Spring of 2011. Gets a 99 on ratebeer.com and a B+ on Beer Advocate."

Laughing Dog, Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA 24/12ozSneaky Pete is a blend of five hop types: Simcoe, Glacier, Centennial, Vanguard and Hallertauer, with Simcoe playing the dominate role at 30%. In addition, three separate malts were used: Honey Malt, Rye Malt, and Munich Malt. The brew has a copious aroma of white grapefruit, citrus overtones, a complex rich middle and long flavors in the finish; a real beauty. Finished with wild clover honey. 89 IBU’s, 10% ABV.

About the brewery:

•  Founded August 2005 in Ponderay, "Little City with the big future", Idaho (population 1,137 according to the 2010 Census). Ponderay is located in the heart of the Selkirk mountains just outside of Sandpoint.
•  A yellow lab (Ben) appears on all the brewery's logos - he's the family dog and is almost 7 years old
•  Other owners are Michelle Douglass ad Fred Colby (co-founder and brewmaster)
•  Has brewed over 15 distinct beers including 7 that are ranked in the 90th percantile in either overall or style category on beer rating sites Beer Advocate and RateBeer.com
•  Current capacity is 4,500 barrels per year
•  Motto is "Fetchingly Good Beer"
•  Year round beers are : Cream Ale/Alpha Dog IPA/CSB ESB/Dogzilla Black IPA/IPA/Pale Ae
•  Seasonals - Cold nose winter Ale/Huckleberry Cream Ale
•  Reserve Series - Devil Dog Imperial IPA/Dogfather Imperial Stout

www.laughingdogbrewing.com
1109 Fontaine Drive
Ponderay, ID 83852
'PH: 208-263-9222

Frangelic Mountain Brown, Founders Brewing Company

750ml bottle (retails for about $16) poured into a Dogfish Head Goblet.
This is a brown ale brewed with hazelnut coffee according to the bottle.
9% ABV.
Part of the acclaimed "Backstage Series" from Founders, released on July 2nd. Tasting notes from July 23rd, 2012.

Pours a dark brown, almost black with a thin tan head.
Smell - roasted light coffee, sweet.
Taste - disgustingly sweet - hazelnut, vanilla, toffee totally overwhelms the beer, which apparently is a brown ale. Tastes like a coffee drink you would order at Starbucks - I was told that this was artificially flavored and sure enough the bottle does say (along the side) "brewed with artificially flavored hazelnut coffee", which is rather disappointing considering the quality you associate with Founders. I know the saying goes "Beer, it's not just for breakfast"! but this reminded me of coffee with Nestle Coffee Mate artificial flavouring added, which I happen to enjoy but apparently doesn't work so well in beer. At least not this one! A tad thin for a 9% ABV beer, compared to Southern Tier Choklat or Creme Brulee, for example.

Rating : D
This would be a drain pour if it wasn't so expensive. Maybe my expectations were too high from probably my all time favourite brewery but it's hard to believe this is in the same series of Backwoods Bastard or the fantastic Curmudgeons better Half. I suppose they were due a dud! Don't worry - I'll be back for more - just not this one.


More info:
Established 1997
Founded by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers
Ranked #2 Best Brewery in the World by Rate Beer 2011
www.foundersbrewing.com

Address:
235 Grandville Avenue Southwest
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
'PH: (616) 776-2182

"Le Merle", Saison (North Coast)

"Le Merle" ("Blackbird")
Saison Belgian Syle Farmhouse Ale (North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg, CA)
Part of their American Artisan Series (which also includes "Brother Thelonius"), comes in a cork-and-caged 750ml bomber that retails for around $7.99

Bottle reads :

"Le Merle is an elegant ale, pale in color, inspired by the rich brewing traditions of the Flanders region. Abundant hops and a Belgian yeast strain contribute the exotic aromas of tropical fruit".

Beer Stats:
Style : Saison
Colour: Straw
ABV : 7.9%
Bitterness : 26 IBU's

Seemed an appropriate choice of beer on a Sunday afternoon were the weather was as dazzling as Donny Osmond's teeth and I needed a respite from an exhausting morning reading the paper and drinking coffee. One of my favourite styles of beer, regardless of the season.

Poured into a Brewery Ommegang goblet.
Nice champagnesque "pop" upon opening.
Beautiful golden yellow. A very nice looking beer, it was hard not to devour this immediately but I managed to resist the instant gratification to let it warm up from it's initial chill.
Smell is of fragrant fruit, faint yeast?
Taste - immediate burst of citrus, melon, lemon, grassy with a subtle pleasant spiciness to round off the tartness.
Medium to light mouthfeel with a bit of a dry finish but not bone dry by any means.
This is a delightful and refreshing beer, immensely drinkable - I would never have guessed this as a 7.9% ABV, drinks like a 6% beer.
Rating : A-
A triumphant interpretation of a classic Belgian beer style by this iconic award-winning brewery, executed with aplomb!




More about the style:

Saison/Farmhouse Ale : Sturdy farmhouse Ale traditionally brewed in the winter to be consumed throughout the summer months when brewing was not possible due to the heat. Originated in French speaking region of southern Belgium (Wallonia), "saison" is French for season. Very complex style - fruity, spicy, earthy, mild to moderate tartness, medium bitterness, semi-dry. Normal ABV range from 5-8%.
Examples of the style include Saison Du Pont (the most acclaimed), Hennepin (Ommegang), Sofie (Goose Island), Cynic (Surly).

Door County Cherry Wheat, Hinterland

Door County Cherry Wheat, Hinterland (Green Bay Brewing Company)
Malt Beverage with Cherry Added
One Pint bottle

"Hinterland is a small artisanal brewery devoted to brewing world class beer. Founded in 1995, Hinterland makes it's home in a turn of the century meat packing warehouse in downtown Green Bay. It's beers are now available throughout the Midwest and New England".
Distributed in Minnesota by J.J. Taylor, it's beers have been on the shelves for a several months now.

One pint bottle poured into a Leinie's pint glass. No ABV or bottling date listed on bottle or label which is pretty disappointing/lame. I do like the look of the bottle though - reminds me of the returnable brewery bottles you see in Germany.
This is a seasonal - available May - August, so I will assume my bottle is pretty fresh. Comes in 4 pack 16oz bottles and retails for about $9.99. I've already sampled three other of their beers (IPA, Luna Stout, Saison) and have been unimpressed so far. How will this one fair?

Nice pour. Burnt orange colour with a frothy, billowy ice-cream cone head of a few inches. Very appealing looking.

Smell? Faint fruity smell, surprisingly muted, I was expecting more cherry aroma.

Taste? Slight tartness of cherry is noticeable, but no trace of wheat at all. A little sweet, a bit thin. I could see this being fairly refreshing on a blazing summer day but overall not a style I care for and I thought this was another very mediocre beer from this brewery. Bland. I'd leave the brewing of fruit beers in WI to the experts, New Glarus!

Rating? C-

Honestly, the low rating has nothing to do with my dislike for the Packers.  But I did ask Randy Moss what he thinks of this beer. He agreed with Joe Buck that it was a "disgusting act". J/K!






Green Bay Brewing Company
313 Dousman Street
Green Bay WI 54303
'Ph: 920-438-8050
www.hinterlandbeer.com



Our Door County Cherry Wheat pours a golden, orange hue. The frothy two finger off-white, slightly pink-tinted head fades to leave a spotty lace. The slight aroma of cherries doesn't over power the soft wheat smell. These flavors play wonderfully together, neither overpowering the other in taste. With a medium-light body, Cherry Wheat leaves you with a mildly tart Montmorency cherry finish.

Double Jack, Firestone Walker

After a bit of a hiatus from the blogosphere I've got a bit of a backlog of beer reviews that I'm going to start sifting through. I've been enjoying a lot of Imperial/Double IPA's in the last couple of months, Hoptimum (Sierra Nevada), Hopslam (Bell's), Oak-Aged Unearthly (Southern Tier), Maharaja (Avery) and Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA (Laughing Dog) - are a few that spring to mind. I'll  attempt to do a more diligent job of keeping this site updated going forward. As you may know, IPA's are not my preferred genre when it comes to beer selection but I do love me an Imperial IPA, anything around the 10% ABV (session beer as I like to refer to them as)! First up...

Double Jack Double IPA, Firetone Walker

This is part of a beer stash that a friend brought back from a trip to the West Coast. It's part of the "Proprietors Reserve Series" from acclaimed brewery Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, CA). From the label - this is described as a Double India Pale Ale, 9.5% ABV. 650ml bottle (1 pint, 6 fluid ounces). Retails for about $9. Bottling date is located on the neck of the bottle - this one is stamped 6/24/11 - yikes, this is pretty old for an Imperial IPA!

Pours a hazy orange with a crisp, white head.
Smells delicious - sweet, candi sugar? Taste is overwhelmingly boozy - mango, tropical fruit, caramel, toffee- but the booziness just overwhelms and overpowers this beer. This is a serious beer! I know it's listed as 9.5% ABV which is manageable but I have a feeling this one has refermented in the bottle. It tastes more like 12-14% ABV, it's so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw. Nice lacing though.

Rating:
B-
Honestly, I'd like to try a fresh bottle of this, I'm sure it would offer more complex flavours. To be fair, the site does recommend consuming the beer within 120 days of bottling date - this bottle being almost a year old is well beyond it's prime which is a shame. Like I said the alcohol is just dominating. Oh well. I do have a bottle of their much acclaimed Parabola RIS that I'm looking forward to trying, I'm guessing that will age a little better than this Double Jack!

More bollocks that may just interest me :
*Founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone (yes, he is related to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company) and David Walker.
*Located in Paso Robles ("The pass of the oaks") in Central California, population is around 30,000. City is known for it's hot springs and wineries.
* World beer champion mid-sized breweries 2004,2006 and 2010. Awarded "Mid-Size Brewery of the year" 2007 by the Brewer's Association.

More about the beer from the brewery. "Double Jack" Double IPA.

Double Jack IPA is our first ever Imperial IPA. It features a big malty middle to cloak the high alcohol and mouth puckering hop bitterness. Huge tangerine, grapefruit and juicy fruit aroma blossom over the herbal blue basil and malt earthiness of this aggressive beer. Best enjoyed in moderation.

Brew Notes :
style American Imperial IPA

abv
9.5%

fermentation
100% Stainless Steel Fermentation

malts
Premium Two-Row (Metcalf & Kendall varieties), Munich, Simpson's Light Crystal

hops
4+lbs/BBL: Bittering—Warrior, Columbus; Late Kettle—Cascade, Centennial; Dry Hops—Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe

availability
CA, NV, OR, WA, AZ, CO, MO, Chicago, MA, NJ, NY, VA, PA, DC, MD
22 oz bottle/draft

I so want this bike jersey! How cool is this?



More info about the brewery:
www.firetonebeer.com
Firestone Walker Brewing Compnay
1400 Ramada Drive
Paso Robles
San Luis Obispo County, CA
(805) 225-5911

IPA, Cold Spring Brewery

This is an IPA from Cold Spring Brewery (MN)
This is a Big Ass Can (TM). Super-size, the Big Gulp, Gravedigger (obligatory Monster Truck reference). Minnesota's answer to the Foster's "Oil Can"? This gargantuan monster holds a whopping 1 quart of beer or 32 fluid ounces. Incredulously retails for around $3! You know it's gonna be good at that price!

Label features a rather garish scene of the great outdoors and reads thusly :
Cold Fusion Filled (I have no idea what that means)?
Brewed with Glacial Mineral Water (true dat - Cold Spring water source requires no additional filtration)
Double Pints 4 x 8oz servings (who drinks an 8oz serving anyway)?
IPA, dry hopped, double hopped (sounds impressive)
6.5% ABV 70 IBU's
1 Quart, 32 FL oz (946ml)

"Look at the heid on it....

This seemed a perfect time to break out the "Big Whopper" Schmidt Glass. Big Ass beer has met it's match! Picked this beauty up at an antique store about ten years ago. Note to self - when Googling "Schmidt Whopper" do not be surprised if the search engine returns some rather questionable results...ahem...for the record let me state that  have never heard of a "Wendy Whoppers". Although I am intrigued.....

Let's get to to the pour. Wow! Dark yellow/amber with a massive cruddy foamy head. Meringue.

"Look at the size of that boy's head. It's like an orange on a toothpick"! (with apologies to "So I Married an Axe Murderer").

Honestly, their are more suds on this beer than the local laundromat (guffaw). I know from my home brewing days I'd have been thrilled to see this level of fermentation of the wort in the carboy (krausen is the brewing term) but in the finished product not so appealing.

Tasting:

Initial impression is this tastes better than it looks. Tastes a little sweet. I wasn't able to detect the presence of any hops and despite claims of 70 IBU's no bitterness whatsoever. I'd liken this to a pale ale/lager rather than an IPA.

Rating:
As a beer a C- . For an IPA a D.

This is a perfect beer to crack open after a trip for some camo supplies to Mills Fleet Farm. A perfect transition from Busch Light? Perfect to snuggle up to while watching the 100th lap of a Nascar race or catching an episode of "Hillbilly Handfishin'".
This is a "Man's Man's Man's Man's Man's Beer" (I'm pretty sure this is what James Brown was singing about - poetic license from the author to add the extra "man" for emphasis by the way).

Another look at the "Whopper". I believe that is a Northern Pike.

More about the brewery:

Cold Spring Brewery
219 Red River Avenue North
P.O. Box 476
Cold Spring, MN 56320
'PH: (320) 685-8686
FAX: (320) 685-8318
www.coldspringbrewery.com

Extra Credit:

• Founded in 1874
• Fastest growing brewery in Minnesota
• #1 Energy drink and Speciality drink producer in the world.
• Contract brews for several different breweries including 21st Amendment (San Francisco,CA and until recently Lift Bridge (Stillwater, MN) was brewed here).
• They are currently in the process of a $15M expansion of a tap house/brewery that will concentrate solely on craft beer, called Third Street Brew house (this IPA was brewed at the original brewery). No hops were harmed in the brewing of this beer, but what did you expect for $3!
• www.thirdstreetbrewhouse.com