The Beer and Bourbon Review

“Noah’s Mill” by Noah Mill Bourbon

Jack Taylor — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:02:50 +0000

We have had the privilege of enjoying some fantastic bourbons in our young lives. The entire bourbon market is exploding both in the United States and abroad. I was a little apprehensive when JT and Montgomery showed up at the review session with this bourbon. It is a top shelf bourbon and has everything that you would expect from a full bodied and flavor filled bourbon. It comes in at 114.3 proof which is well beyond my comfort level. I prefer bourbons around 90 proof, but this bourbon was fine neet and only improved with a couple of cubes of ice. My favorite part of the experience was the smell in the bottle and in the glass. They are using some incredible white oak barrels that impart a very sweet vanilla and cherry smell from the beginning. This is a high corn bill bourbon and has that familiar sweet flavor over the whole tongue and then there is the burn. It is a heavy bourbon but I did not have the tremendous burn that JT and Montgomery felt. This was a very pleasant bourbon and only got better with a little ice. This bourbon has a little brother by the name of Rowan’s Creek, which is my all time favorite bourbon. You know that these guys love their bourbon to be able to make a big bourbon and a very smooth bourbon. I will definitely make it a point to stop by the next time in Bardstown, Kentucky and I recommend that you do the same

Ratings: Jack Taylor 4.5 Diesel 4
Montgomery 3.5

“Mikkeller 1000 IBU” by Mikkeller

Jack Taylor — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:34:50 +0000

There are mythological beasts that we are all familiar with Pegasus, Medusa, the 3 headed wolf dog. And then there is a mythological number for all beer enthusiasts and brewers and that is 1,000 IBUs or 1,000 International Bitterness Units. This is the taste at the end of every beer that gives each beer its uniqueness and keeps you coming back for more. It is impossible to reach 1,ooo IBUs. A standard, run of the mill IPA comes in between 70 and 80 IBUs. So I have to give credit to Mikkeller for a great marketing campaign. You see that incredible number on the side of the beer and you are immediately intrigued. I had to be talked into this purchase, as it is not cheap to hop the beer that much. It cost $14.00 for a 12.7 oz. bottle! That’s a little over a dollar an ounce for all of you who struggled with math in school. I would also like to add that I cellared my first beer for this beer. I was told that it only got better with age and so I kept the beer cool and wrapped for 2 months! This might as well have been a decade in my mind! So let’s get to it! What is so special about this beer? It comes in a green bottle and is wrapped in paper. There is a cork, which isn’t too special, but a nice feature. When the cork is popped there is a tremendous nose smell. It is full of American grown hops because it is an American style Imperial India Pale Ale and one of its features is that the brewery has decided to leave hops floating in the bottle. Like gold flakes in “Goldschlager”. The beer pours a bright well carbonated copper color and there are those hops again! The beer is initially sweet and full malt flavor and then comes the hammer! The hops hammer that is! You may not be able to reach 1,000 IBUs, but it doesn’t hurt to try and it is definitely bitter. I always want to go back to the bottle for my next drink, but I was not in a hurry with this beer. The heavy bitterness and 9.6% ABV made it a slow drink. I don’t think that I could drink the entire bottle and was happy to be sharing with JT and Montgomery. They were a bit overwhelmed by the entire beer, but we all appreciated the craftsmanship and attempt to swing for the fences of impossibility. If you do attempt to drink the entire bottle by yourself, be sure to have a Pegasus on standby. From our cooler to your cooler!

Ratings: Jack Taylor 3 Diesel 3.5
Montgomery 3.5

“Tire Bite Golden Ale” by Flying Dog Brewery

Jack Taylor — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:48:16 +0000

There are several tastes of summer that I love. One of them is an exceptionally done brisket or pork steak. Another is a cold watermelon on a 90 plus degree day. And one of my new favorite flavors is this golden ale from Flying Dog. I have always felt that Flying Dog is one of the more outlandish marketers with names for beers like “In Heat Wheat” and “Raging Bitch”. I am starting to know more and more home brewers and I myself have started to be a home brewer. We are an eclectic bunch for sure! One of the hardest parts of making a beer and then selling it is the naming of the beer. There story is one full of lore and begins during a trip to conquer K2, then comes back to the states and beer is made in Aspen, Colorado for the first time, and now today is brewed in a state of the art facility in Frederick, Maryland. This is a part of the pack series is a great summer beer. Because it is an ale it is fermented at warmer temperatures than lagers and so to have this refreshing of a beer it shows their care and craft for beer. It comes in at 5% ABV which doesn’t wear you down when it is super hot and there is enough hops to keep me happy. I can definitely enjoy several of these beers and will be trying many of the other beer styles from Flying Dog. From our cooler to your cooler!

“Sweetgrass APA” by Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:03:13 +0000

This is my third try at Grand Teton and I am starting to fall in love. Not the kind of love that will keep me from trying other beers or other brew companies, but the kind of love that makes me keep going back for more. Grand Teton has been around the craft beer world since 1988 and they have really tried to grow their market share. I have had their IPA, ESB, and now their APA. This is an exciting third choic because it WON last year’s entry for an APA at the Great American Beer Festival. That’s right! This is THE NUMBER ONE American Pale Ale in all the land. This is a credit to the craftmenship and creativity of the brew masters at Grand Teton. This is a well balanced beer with two great malts and FIVE hops including some of my favorites: Simcoe, Cascade, and Amarillo. They have also almost reached IPA standards with this beer in that is rings the bell at 6.0% ABV. I will continue to try beers from Grand Teton and hope to explore the mountains just outside of their brewery soon. From our cooler to your cooler!

“Ray Hill’s Pilsner” by Ray Hill’s Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:04:43 +0000

How many of our podcasts and posts start with, “There’s a story behind this.”? I would say almost 90% of what we do, why we love to enjoy beer and bourbon is because we always come home with a story. Ray Hill’s Brewing Co. is just such a brewery. Ray worked for the largest beer maker in the world, AB, for many years. InBev bought AB for like a gazillion dollars and in the process lost a great beer maker. Ray decided to make his own go at it and has created a great beer. I read on the “Hill Brewery Co.” website that Ray wants to be the next Jim Koch. The founder of Sam Adams if you are new to craft beers. I think this is an excellent start. I love the pilsner style of beer. I am not talking about the “Triple Hops Brewed ML” but the true Czech Pilsen style from Europe. This is supposed to be a very spicey lager beer. It is difficult to make consistently and so I applaud Ray Hill for his ability to make a great beer. It is clear and thin in the glass. It does have a hop presence when smelled and I taste that it has a very sweet smooth finish at the end of the drink. It is only 4.9% ABV which to me is a bit lite for a Pilsner, but I know who Ray is marketing too. Those same beer drinkers that he left when he jumped the InBev ship. I would definitely recommend this to anyone holding a can of Bud or BudLite, because it is a great beer! From our cooler to your cooler!

“Poleeko Gold Pale Ale” by Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:48:17 +0000

Trying something new here. I am sitting at home enjoying the aforementioned beer and commenting on what I am tasting. This is a very unique beer. It travels from Mendocino County, California and has managed to survive that long journey to end up in my hands. I am very pleased with the opening nose smell. Slight hint of Pacific Northwest hops, a sweet smell of honey, and I can smell the 5.5% ABV shining through. When poured into the glass it is a beautiful pale color that has a great foam head that quickly dissolves to a thin lace on the side of the glass. The beer is a bit cloudy in the glass, but the taste is what I have been waiting for. There is a great balance of the malt, with the slight bitter from the hops, and then there is something new to my pale ale palate. Honey. There is a bit of a honey taste that comes through very nicely at the finish which really adds to my drinking pleasure. I am sure that you are tired of me saying this, but I believe I have found my new summer beer. I never thought that any beer would be able to supplant Oberon Ale from Bell’s Brewing Co. but Anderson Valley may have done it. I will have to get JT’s and Montgomery’s take on this beer, but I have a feeling they are going to give it a high score. This is a beer that would pair well with full flavored meals and great spicy meats. I have one more reason to go looking for gold in California! I’ll be first in line for this gold rush. From our cooler to your cooler!

“Scrimshaw” by North Coast Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:16:48 +0000

This is a great craft brewery out of Mendocino County, California. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that area of the world, they produce great beer and wine there along with a lot of green leafy stuff that you smoke for medicinal purposes only! I love this brewery and have run out of their beer styles that I can enjoy in my area. This is a great pilsner style beer that is clear, refreshing, and sweet. I would call this a session beer. This means that I could have a few of these after work and not be stumbling and mumbling all over the place. The brewers at North Coast use Hallertau and Tettnang hops during the boil and bittering phases which give the beer that classic pilsner taste. I know that this is a high quality beer and is one that you should definitely enjoy during the long warm days of summer. From our cooler to your cooler!

Ratings: Diesel 3.5 Jack Taylor 3
Montgomery 2.5

“Honker’s Ale” by Goose Island

Jack Taylor — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:08:45 +0000

This is our second of many beers to review by Goose Island. We had a great interview with Greg Hall the CBO of the brewery back in January of this year. He is a great guy with a lot of beer knowledge and if you would like to know how he came up with the idea for their Bourbon County Stout, listen to our podcast on iTunes. The Honker’s Ale is a very basic pale ale that was inspired by Greg’s many trips through English pubs in his younger days. It has a very drinkable taste, but I feel is a bit watered down and would appreciate a little more hop presence in this beer. This is their number two beer sold behind their Urban Wheat (312) and I can see why it would appeal to the average beer drinker. They may not want to drink something from one of the mega breweries, but they are afraid of too much hops. So they can feel better about themselves because they are drinking a pale ale and not a light beer in a can. We did not rate this beer as highly as Goose Island’s IPA, but I feel confident that there are plenty of new craft beer drinkers that would enjoy this beer. From our cooler to your cooler!

Ratings: Diesel 2.5 Jack Taylor 3
Montgomery 2

“Ranger IPA” by New Belgium Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:02:41 +0000

This is New Belgium’s newest addition to their family of beers and also their flagship beer in their new “Ranger” line of beers. They have put several of their traditional Belgian beers in new packaging and have included this great IPA to that line. The great part about this brewery is that they listen to their consumer. The consumer, i.e. ME, wanted a beer from New Belgium that had more HOPS! As a craft beer enthusiast, I enjoy the great piney and floral components of the hop flower. The spicier the better! This beer has a great noise and the hops jump right out of the bottle when opened. There are three great hops in this beer including: Simcoe, Chinook, and Cascade (twice). The result is an incredibly balanced IPA that will appeal to a multitude of craft beer drinkers. As I mentioned in my Honker’s Ale review, that was a beer that the novice would enjoy. It is a great starter beer for the craft beer drinker. I feel that this beer would be able to be enjoyed by someone who has an incredible appreciation for beer or someone who is just growing their “beer legs”. I look forward to the continued innovation and flavors from New Belgium. From our cooler to your cooler!

Ratings: Diesel 3.5 Jack Taylor 3.5
Montgomery 4.5

“Schlafly APA” by Schlafly Brewing Co.

Jack Taylor — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:25:44 +0000

We are on a tear as far as trying great beers go! We love Schlafly beers for a multitude of reasons. They make great beer, aren’t scared of over hopping their beers, and are an extremely environmentally conscious brewery and restaurant. This is a brewery with its eye on the future. They have a brew pub at the brewery and at the tap room in downtown St. Louis. They have expanded their brewing and bottling lines so that they can reach more markets. And they compost and grow many of their foods and waste on site at the bottle works. Their APA is one of my favorites. It is a terrifically spiced beer that goes great with grilled meats and flavorful or spicy dishes. I know that they knew this was a great beer when they first started selling it and it has become one of their mainstays on in six packs and on tap throughout the states in which they serve. I am trying to model my home brew APA after this APA, though I am going a bit bolder when I am adding hops to the wort and dry hopping. I know that Schlafly is here to stay and they will continue to produce quality craft brews. From our cooler to your cooler!