Beer - #490 - Fiasco Brewing Company - Double DeckYa

it's come down to this a Fiasco, Disco,  Double Time, and Double dipping

The Fiasco Double DeckYa Black IIPA was the pick of the beers on the takeout taps at the grog shop.

Fiasco forgo the luxury of a web page, they have the Facebook instead, so there is little or no information to be gleaned or gained from feeble searching.

[caption id="attachment_9807" align="alignright" width="300"] Looking particularly gormless and weird[/caption]

They are though based in Canterbury, this is Brewed by Fiasco Brewing Company in the style that is Black IPA or they might stretch is to Imperial / Double Black IPA, and they are in Christchurch. New Zealand.

It's a 9.2% beer, I have a litre (34 fl oz), so that would be a bottle containing about 770 calories,  also then about 7.26 standard drink units in the bottle. There is no way I've done enough to be able to claim this as replacement calories based on my days effort.

This was the pick of the majority of the sessions at the recent Beervana in Wellington. I'm not though a big fan of black IPA's, but this seems so popular, and the man in the store @liquorlandNM said it was very chocolate, and so what could possibly go wrong.

Aroma is of burnt malt or dark chocolate, they weren't having me on.

You can already tell it's black in colour. And my pouring skills are at best average, this does pour a lot better than the effort I made, rookie mistake with the angle.

The head is a really neat off chocolate mocha colour.  The aroma carries and blooms in the glass. Head is really persistent and now looks like milkshake.

Gosh! This is full and rich and deep on the first sip, finish is dry at the middle and edges of the tongue.

I get a real note of burnt in this, charcoal burnt, as a subtext to the hoppiness that also comes through. It's very pleasant.

It has such a smooth and creamy mouthfeel too, it a beer that seems to develop and unravel as you take more sups.

Brilliant lacing in the glass too. Leaves a stickiness around the mouth too, lots to dwell on and think over.

Overall then this is a lot of beer and I would be hard pressed in a blind taste to pick, dIPA, IPA, Black IPA, and might go more towards a stout. Then perhaps not as it does not have the 'fruits' and 'sweets'. It would be a challenge though.

The last Black IPA I had I didn't at all enjoy, this though I would easily go back for another, which is lucky as I have a whole litre of. I don't know you could go back often though, at 9.2% and it being rather full noise and add the dry finish it might not be the beer to set you up for an evening and might be the quiet couple and then an early finish. Which isn't a bad thing.

I waffle on,  this is one of nicest beers I have today :-), and I thought yesterday's was going to be a high bar. Second pour, same result, the result of a poor technique and my haste to get more of the beer into a transfer vessel (glass).

Second overall - This drinks really well it has bitters, it has sweets, it has layer of taste, burnt and hop grass, it has a finish that reminds you you're drinking hop heavy, and leaves you making your lips as aftertaste, looks fantastic and is a delight to drink.

Unlucky for anyone not living near or about here as this is just going to pass into the "he said" legend, and as this is a really boutique brewer I doubt that this'll make it to the bottle stage or even to export. Which I think is a particular special place for craft beer brewed craftily.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 10 a of its things from the thing. It's a hard job finding the perfect beer, and sometimes you then stumble over two in a row. I might be being over-generous but it would be by a whisker, I'm not sure how good an dIPA this would be without the 'black' but that's not the point, this is a startlingly good beer delivered well.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? It is a complete revelation, I was dubious based on my previous Black IPA experience.


2. Would I have another? I would, and if I can persuade MrsPdubyah to let me go get one I will be having one tomorrow. 


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, absolutely yes, this is a complete something unexpected and has many things that set it apart. 

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="126" class="zemanta-img"] Cover of Spandau Ballet[/caption]

Musically I stumbled over the greatest hits of Spandau Ballet

For no discernible  reason I picked this as the track to drink by, which is  "To Cut A Long Story Short"

And of course it's the long version at 9:23.

I have no idea the BPM and all the other things, except that I knew all the words....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2EyDV0UMlE

BLACK IPA

An emerging beer style roughly defined as a beer with IPA-level hopping, relatively high alcohol and a distinct toasty dark malt character. Typically lacks the roastiness and body of a strong stout and is hoppier than a strong porter. Expressive dry-hopping is common. Also called India Dark Ale, India Black Ale, Cascadian Dark Ale, Dark IPA, and sometimes India Brown Ale.

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Imperial IPA Bracket Challenge

I have drunk the beers on the right hand side of the draw, and I would have picked the finalist, now to find the beers on the left hand side of th draw.... or just the Chilliwave would be a start

Beer - #489 - Karl Strauss - Big Barrel Double IPA

Big names, Big Music, Big Numbers, and a Big call.

Imported New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops provide a vibrant tropical aroma that raises eyebrows and expectations

I am pushing the boat out, with a new to me brewer, and at random this, the - Karl Strauss Big Barrel Double IPA

This is brewed by the Karl Strauss Brewing Company in the style that is  Imperial/Double IPA and the are based in San Diego, California  USA

650ml bottle that is 9%ABV, and a matching 90 IBU things, 270 calories a serve, and that would be 4.6 standard drink units in the one bottle

When we kicked-off this series of intense hoppy beers, we wanted to go big.

[caption id="attachment_9780" align="alignleft" width="300"] Big Grin[/caption]

Imported New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops provide a vibrant tropical aroma that raises eyebrows and expectations.

Aggressive amounts of Warrior and Ahtanum hops produce an assertive bitterness that stands out against a firm malt backbone.

Balanced even at 90 IBUs, Big Barrel leaves a considerable first impression that serves as a prelude of things to come.

Note to self: Point beer away from keyboard and in general the laptop when opening, you know that the last beer cost me around NZ$300 to fix, the good thing though, if anything is that it's a Mac and therefore same day repair

Anyway, what could possibly go wrong this time?

Loud sweet hop grassy aroma on opening, like it already just for that.

Much more golden orange that I was somehow in philipland expecting, and it pours with a a lovely finger of white fluffy and persistent head, it looks the part!

You get this massive burst of bitter followed at a rush but the biggest burst of warm sweet malt and it's really really something!

Grassy hoppy dominates and it has a great finish that is somewhat towards to dry but not rasping and overwhelming.

It has lovely pine and citrus (lemon) and that great softness in the middle, I really wanted a good IPA, took a punt and won! Go me!

Despite it's 9% ABV which will see you in bed early if you're not paying attention, and despite that there is no real indication that it is a reasonably high ABV beer, this is one of the easiest drinking dIPA's that I've had for ages, and it brought a smile to my dial, made the world a better place, and restored my sense of balance. It's that good

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 10 a of its things from the thing. I'm usually a bit shy on elevation to the 10's as that really does leave you open to question and ridicule, but this really hit my sweet spot, and today in this light and at this moment, this is as perfect as it gets. And I drank it before the curry arrived.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes, this is outstanding! 


2. Would I have another? Yes, I'm thinking of sending a messenger to get me one.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? If I won lotto, at a significant level, I would buy you a pint, at the brewery, perhaps two. Otherwise I'll be round to tell tall stories about how good I was when I was younger, and why Association Football beats another type of football ever. 

Musics? Well I was whipping up a couple curry meals, a Butter chicken for the others and a Jalfrezi style for me, and  I stumbled over  a band called "The Coral" and a track  "The Curse of Love" from the Album of the same name. The Coral are an English band formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula in England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXULT0-gN8A

Light Indie Pop type but with some good lyrics and nicely produced, It's very good listening to and music to cook by :-) oh and have a beer to!

IMPERIAL/DOUBLE IPA

Imperial IPA, Double IPA or DIPA is a strong, often sweet, intensely hoppy version of the traditional India Pale Ale. Bitterness units range upward of 100 IBUs and alcohol begins at 7.5% but is more commonly in the 8.5-10% range. The flavour profile is intense all-round. Unlike barley wines, the balance is heavily towards the hops, with crystal and other malts providing support.

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Beer - #488 - Moa - Blanc Evolution

This one: A First, First Things, First things First, and a Finish.

Moa Blanc Evolution is bottle fermented in the Belgian-style with a small amount of coriander added during its extended maturation time giving it a unique spiciness. Described as a rich, mouth-filling beer, it’s really a true wheat lover’s beer and a staple of the Moa Reserve range.

To round out the Moa Blanc trilogy I've managed of course to get them in the wrong order and so I finish with the Evolution.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company this is in the style that is a Belgian White (Witbier) and they are  in Blenheim, New Zealand.

A small 330ml bottle, cork and cage, 6.2% ABV, 186 calories, this is 1.83 standard drink units.

[caption id="attachment_9763" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sunday, sunday......[/caption]

Moa Blanc Evolution has a slight fruity aroma and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Stone fruit and hazelnut flavours compliment the distinctive dominant spicy and phenolic characters.

With a subtle hop aroma and bitterness, Moa Blanc Evolution is well paired with lightly aged cheeses, smoked and savoury meals, or on its own for a satisfying pint.

Moa Blanc Evolution is best served at approximately 4˚C in a pilsner glass. 

Moa are undergoing some changes, all in progress, but they appear to be making a move to standardised 500ml bottles, re-branding, and shedding some of the range, although they might deny it. They've also been contract brewing for the last year, and these changes might be the continuance of that and reducing some costs, but here I just speculate. Love the cork and cage, it adds a little to the excitement, and no doubt the costs.

[caption id="attachment_9764" align="alignright" width="224"] Not my best work.[/caption]

Spend 5 minutes cleaning up beer after the cork spectacularly popped and beer fizzed all over the macbook, the table, floor and the cork took out the cat.

I've never worn a beer in such a spectacular way before.  Not a good thing. My own fault for peeling the cage and then thinking I could gently roll the bottle to move the sediment.

The aroma though is really nice,  sweet fruity and sugary. Its lively, very lively, I have a whole glass of excitable foam to deal with, and I really tried to be pour gentle.

Sometimes you end up feeling like a klutz.

This is a much 'softer' drink than the standard blanc, and drinks more like a Wheat beer might.

The hops and the associated roughness are not present that I could detect. Now the foam subsides this is a pleasing cloudy golden yellow, and the carbonation bubbles are pretty in the glass.

But as to the overall taste experience and how this sits int he scheme of things. This different to the standard 'Blanc' it is softer, but it is also more intense in the middle.

The aroma is stronger (MrsPdubyah just noticed the rather pungent room), and there is a lingering to the finish that is more to dry than not. The wine elements are highlights and can be picked.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. I wanted it to be better, I couldn't have wished for more exciting though. The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not in the way that I expected to, or might have expected to.


2. Would I have another? No.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? No. There isn't anything special or defining in this that would make it a conversation piece, or move a conversation along.

Music to drink by for this in an evolution of the band Status Quo, legends, their Quo Live album is one of the best live albums ever, in my opinion. So I was overcome with unbounded joy when I discovered they had a new album - The acoustic Status Quo 2014 album - Aquostic (Stripped Bare). This is the track  "And it's better now"

One of those occasions where the music was better than the beer, and that doesn't happen all that often.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsL-JqVaTo&w=420&h=315]

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels.

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Beer - #487 - Yeastie Boys - The Last Dictator

Spoonbending, spellbinding, whole numbers, whole conversations.

Imperial porter with botrytised vigonier.

The last of the 3 in a series of the Spoonbender series - this one is the Yeastie Boys "The Last Dictator." Actually #2 in the series, but I don't do things in order.

For Yeastie Boys this is brewed at Invercargill Brewery in the style that is an Imperial/Strong Porter, YB are based in Wellington, New Zealand

The smaller 330ml bottle that is 10%ABV and 300 calories a serve, this is 2.60 standard drink units. Also this is 72 IBU things.

I was called out by the brewer on twitter for not liking, "The Sly Persuader" as being muddled, to which you have to say, "you can't like them all, all of the time" But that's not the first time we've had words, might not be the last. His preference, and favourite perhaps but on my research, which isn't a lot, I'm not in the minority.  Plus also I'm not sure that's how you do Social Media by calling out your audience. 

[caption id="attachment_9744" align="alignright" width="300"] Small but deadly?[/caption]

An Imperial Porter with an enticing musky aroma, rich warming fruitcake and chocolate flavours, a luscious mouthfeel and a lengthy bittersweet finish.

Drink now or cellar for up to five years.

Aged on red wine barrels

So undaunted and keeping my own counsel and opinions let's go! What could possibly go wrong?

A lot of chocolate on the nose on opening. It's very pleasant.

Pour is "thick" and very dark, pours with a small and thin head, which isn't a disaster. Aroma moves more to a mustiness, but still with some chocolate.

Loads of rich fruits, like loads, in a smash of flavours right at the front, and a finish that lingers, again of chocolate amongst the bitter. Gosh.

I love the slightly sour too, it's not urgent and forward, its just a layer in the unravelling.

If I had doubts about which of these beers I would prefer it's down to a two horse race. Sorry brewer man.

This is a belter of a beer and deserves to get some credit, it's made my week, but to be fair it hasn't had much going for it :-).

I found that I finished it before I finished thinking about it. and have a lingering of slightly sour but very rich fruits, a sticky sweet mouthfeel, and a lingering bitter chocolate.

I could drink another very easily, but it's not a session beer, because the end would some quickly.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. It's a real gem of a beer, and I'd stretch to a 10 except that I won't because I wanted something fuller perhaps, but would that I could cellar one and go again in a few months or year or so.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes this is really a very good beer that is good.


2. Would I have another? Yes this would make a really good "go back to in a few months" beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is a finishing beer, and should be best at the end of an evening when you've indulged, it stands up well to desserts and that sort of thing. Come on over, I'll do the honours.

Music for a beer this time is the band "The missing season"  this track "Day is Out" from "After Hours"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxTdzrB8suI

 

IMPERIAL/STRONG PORTER

Imperial or extra-strong porters fall in between the traditional porter, a Baltic porter, and an imperial stout. They range from around 7.5% upwards, with hefty dark malt character, but lack the overt roastiness of an imperial stout.

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Beer - #486 - Pelican - Dorymans Dark Ale

Same Beer, Same Beat, Same number, same old same old.

A dark brown color, with a balanced aroma of roasted malts and Northwest-grown hops. The sweetness of the ale, crystal, and chocolate malts blend beautifully with the assertive flavors of Cascade and Mt. Hood hops.

Another Pelican beer. It's sometimes like that. This one is the Pelican Dorymans Dark Ale, which I want and picked up after I brought the Kiwanda, because I read that it might be worth it.

Brewed by Pelican Pub & Brewery in the style that is a Brown Ale and they are in Pacific City, Oregon  USA

A 650ml bottle,  which is 5.8% ABV and 174 calories  a serve, this is 43 IBU things and 3.2 standard drink units therein.

Our American Brown Ale has a dark brown color, with a balanced aroma of roasted malts and Northwest-grown hops. The sweetness of the ale and crystal malts blend beautifully with the assertive flavors of Cascade and Mt. Hood hops. A brew to be savored.

[caption id="attachment_9741" align="alignleft" width="300"] I have music, cheese and crackers and a beer. What could go wrong?[/caption]

This beer originated as a prize-winning homebrew many years ago.

When Darron, the Head Brewer, began designing the beers for the Pelican Pub and Brewery, he adapted his old 5 gallon homebrew recipe to his new 15 bbl (465 gallon) brewery.

It was well worth the effort, for not only has the Doryman's Dark Ale been a perennial favorite here at the Pelican Pub, but it has garnered prestigious professional awards.

What indeed could go wrong?

Deep aroma, almost cocoa or chocolate like. Could be interesting, I could be totally wrong though.

Almost red pour with a nice finger of off white head to match, aroma remains rich and fruity. I really am not sure I'm doing this right.

Wow that's bursting with rich roasted malts, what a cracker! Hops too, this is a full experience beer. Leaves a lacing on the glass too as you drink. Engage waxing lyrical mode.....

It is bitterer than you might expect, but there is a lovely middle of malty warmth, and then the slightly bitter finish and linger.  Nicely carbonated too, not too little not too much. I can see why this is a pub favourite, it's very accessible and engaging.

I stopped to take stock at the half-way stage, but couldn't help myself and dived on in again.

Turns out the bottle is right at the edge of its "Enjoy by" date, which is something of a pleasant thought as if this has peaked then the fresh as version must be a veritable explosion.   I wonder if the top end roughness/bitterness is muted more in the fresher version.  Not a complaint just a musing on thing I have no idea about, like many things.

I enjoyed my over-ripe French Brie and the crackers and the pickles whilst I drank, the music choice though left something to be desired, whilst not awful it wasn't a foot tapper.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. Sometimes I have to go with the grain and agree that despite my cynical nature that sometimes it's true, the fans are right for the right reasons, and this is one of those times.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? It's nectar, well not quite it's a crackingy good beer though.


2. Would I have another? Yes, I'd order another before I finished the first.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This would win you friends and influence people, and would make a great beer to have with your BBQ or finger foods, it's just nice to have around.

Music, this time It's "Andersons" and their album "Stephen & Emily"  This is a track "Young Love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqmmGZh1NjQ

Find them on the Facebook, iTunes or on Spotify;

http://t.co/NQf60XnJpW

I don't know that it's going on high rotate, it's bubblegum pop mostly, pleasant enough for the background, and different and more acceptable to Mrs and Miss Dubyah.

BROWN ALE

Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.

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Beer - #485 - Pelican - Kiwanda Cream Ale

Unusual names, unusual music, unusual numbers but usual pondering

Kiwanda Cream Ale is pale gold with a fruity, floral hop aroma. A sweet malty flavor and a smooth dry finish round out this tasty, refreshing brew!

Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale, a choice I made from two. mostly on the name which sounded more kiwi than it really is.

Brewed by Pelican Pub & Brewery this is in the style that is a  Cream Ale, and they live in  Pacific City, Oregon  USA

650ml bottle that is 5.4%  ABV and 25 IBU things, and 153 calories and 650ml bottle, and  2.8 standard drinks all therein.

Inspired by one of America's traditional 19th century beer styles, Kiwanda Cream Ale is pale gold with a fruity, floral hop aroma.

[caption id="attachment_9734" align="alignleft" width="300"] A Grin in anticipation[/caption]

A sweet malty flavor and a smooth snappy finish round out this tasty, refreshing brew!

One of the country’s most celebrated and decorated cream ales, Kiwanda’s version sets the benchmark for the style.

Cream ales are naked in their presentation, with no big flavors to hide behind, and Pelican has crafted a product with nothing to be ashamed of.

To begin, the beer pours pale, straw yellow, and displays brilliant clarity beneath its frothy, white head.

Its aroma is light overall, with hints of spicy hops, Corn Pops cereal and dried flowers.

Kiwanda is easy to drink with clean, grassy hops accentuating an understated malt quality similar to risen dough. Kiwanda’s light body and exceptionally creamy texture are aided considerably, no doubt, by the beer’s gentle carbonation

An older style of beer, if that is possible, perhaps a revival of a style would be more accurate. Even I feel old.

Light hoppy aroma, light golden pour, as advertised, and a small but nice looking head.

This is much hoppier than expected, it's a surprise not an overload, and it made me smile as it was both a surprise and pleasant. The malt is second but energetic fiddle.

A beer that made me smile. 

The aroma and hops though remind me of English beers in some underlying way, I'd research but I'm lazy.  What I don't get though is "creamy" not really sure what I should or could be expecting with that, perhaps "full" in the mouth?

This then seems close to a Hoppy Pilsner type beer for the way the hops bring to the palate, it looks like domestic beer, and the malt re-affirms that as well.

I'm trying to be clever though as clearly I'm hopeless at this. I'd bet and lose money on thinking that this might be a Lager/Pilsner in a blind taste.  Then again I think that of a lot of beers.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8.5 a of its things from the thing. If I had to take just the one beer on, say, a camping weekend, I'd not be unhappy with this. Unlike a domestic beer though the ABV might creep up on you at the end of the night, and it's quaffability could lead you to early  sleeping-bag time.

Tonight at the Dubyah residence it's Ribs, Chicken. Chips, Slaw, Garlic bread, and it's strawberry season which just means cream. indulgence.  I picked the right beer to get the party started.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am !!


2. Would I have another? I would like to, lucky for me it's a two glass bottle :-)


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, I think that this has both the hoppy and the malty bases covered that would capture imagination and be the catalyst for loads of puffed up  stories about "how I ran a 4 minute mile once", of course the older I get the better I was.

Listening to an Album by a group -  "The Vines"  - this is a track "Killin the Planet" It's from their new album - "Wicked Nature"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cEZUazk4iA

The Vines are an Australian rock band originally formed as Rishikesh in 1994 in Sydney. Their sound can be described as a musical hybrid of 1960s garage rockand 1990s alternative music.

CREAM ALE

A mild, pale, light-bodied ale, made using a warm fermentation (top or bottom) and cold lagering or by blending top and bottom-fermented beers. Low to medium bitterness. Low hop flavor and aroma.

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Beer - #484 - Moa - Blanc

Local beer, Not Local Music, numbers, and  self review.

Moa Blanc wheat beer is a blend of 50% wheat malt and 50% barley malt resulting in an elegantly smooth beer with hints of spice and uplifting esters. Based on a German Kristallweizen style, but in a nod to its origins, Moa Blanc is brewed using renowned Sauvignon Blanc yeast.

Moa Blanc - another of the beers that I thought I'd had, but clearly not, I have no idea how this happens but it does.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in that style that is of Belgian White (Witbier) and they're in Blenheim, New Zealand

The bigger sized 750ml bottle, as is the style, from the brewer, and it's a 5.5% ABV beer and 165 calories a serve. Cork and cage too, all fancy. 2.96 standard drinks worth in the bottle.  Lucky I went for my exercise earlier....

Moa Blanc wheat beer is brewed using a blend of 65% wheat malt and 35% barley malt which results in an elegantly smooth beer, with hints of spice and uplifting esters. The slightly cloudy appearance reflects its Germanic origins and it’s customary to gently roll the bottle before opening to create an even distribution of the sediment signature. 

Moa Blanc has a fruity aroma and taste. Banana, vanilla, citrus and bubble gum fruit flavours dominate, with some phenolic characters present. Moa Blanc is a highly drinkable wheat beer, with flavours more moderate than other wheat beers. Hop aroma and bitterness are minimal. Moa Blanc is best served at approximately 4˚C in a pilsner glass.

I've already noticed a confusion between description (a) and (b), makes it interesting for drinking and keeps you on your toes.

I'm also sitting in the sun, in the garden, as you can see, and the music bar is playing the Pixies, just so you know what's coming at the end.

I really did have to use a nutcracker to get the cork out, it was firmly in, but a gorgeous pop when it did let go.

Clear pour, and I know that this is a wheat beer, I can see the sediment in the bottom, it too is a bit in place, so I'm going to muddy it up for the second and other pours.

Nice hop aroma on opening, I'm sure that that is Wheat beer style though, it's more a pilsner aroma than a wheat.  Great head though, nice pour, lovely colour.

I'd still not pick this as a Wheat Beer though, it really does seem more like a Pilsner. MrsPhil had a sip and though it was ok to drink, I'm not  sure that is a good or bad thing though, it could mean I have to share, it could mean I have to go buy more.

[caption id="attachment_9729" align="alignright" width="112"] I used a nutcracker thing to open it, for real, I'm not even joking[/caption]

This is a very lively and well carbonated beer, and I couldn't get it to cloud up, despite a vigorous swirling, it might be my action or it might be there is no sediment to cloud it up.

This though is where I begin to have a doubt about what kind of beer this is! At the end of the bottle though the cloudiness appears, and I really did try, and then the lemony and citrus came through like the cavalry to the rescue. This just made a pleasant beer much more fun and enjoyable.

Now I know that the Moa beers are a bit hit and miss, and this as a style for them is a bit of a miss, not one of their best efforts, and frankly it's a bit of a hodgepodge of things, I can see why there is an "Evolution" and a "Sour" version of the same, sometimes you might have to put lipstick on a pig.

The "Evolution" version, which I don't have, by some accounts is about 3x this, and more the Wheat beer that it should be.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing, a jolly good and solid mark for a solid and go-to beer, which for me at the moment this is, mostly because the current stock with this branding is on run-out special, I'm so cheap. sometimes. Moa continue to entertain and disappoint in equal measures with their beers. At this, the run-out price, though you'd have to be a curmudgeon no to enjoy it

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I am, and I have been, and I will enjoy the rest of the stash that I have.


2. Would I have another? Of course! Despite it's confused style (to my mind) this is a drinkable and accessible beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, bring a nut-cracker and we will crack another!

Music I've already given away as being "The Pixies" This is "Caribou" The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986. I'm listening to an album called "Wave of Mutilation" which is a "best of"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6m-pwWCDKU

 

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels

Beer - #483 - Moa - Special Reserve Sour Blanc (2012)

Special beer, Special Music, Special Numbers and Special gatherings

A traditional Sour beer with a complexity best described as a riot of flavours. 

With a base of Moa Blanc this wheat beer is a throwback to how the very first beers were produced.

In a break with tradition I'm mid-week drinking,  but it's a Moa Special Reserve Sour Blanc (2012) Limited Edition, so I don't feel guilty.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in the style that is of Sour/Wild Ale, they're based in Blenheim, New Zealand

The traditional 750ml bottle. cork and cage and all the drama that is special to this brewhouse, 6% ABV, and about 180 calories a serve, this is 3.54 standard drink units in the bottle.

With a base of Moa Blanc (their Belgian wheat beer) it was then fermented with a wild yeast and aged in oak barrels.

As Josh says "brewed using traditional costly, inefficient and labour intensive techniques."

Fermented using natural wild yeast and aged in oak barrels, Moa Sour Blanc perfectly balances a malty fruit and a complex yeasty acidity.

Moa have a a bit of a mixed bag of beers, some are great some are a bit of a miss. I've read up on this particular one seems to be the former. So as the early summer sun ducks behind a cloud let's get into it.

Of course theatrics opening the thing, the cork is very stubborn and so I resolve to using nut-crackers to twist it. I have soft desk-workers hands that are soft. Then I gave it a proper two thumbs press and off the top popped, well hissed as there is nothing as poor as flying cork.

Really rich orange pour, and a magnificent aroma of sherbet sour-ness, didn't mind the no-head pour, the look and aroma made up for it. It's almost like apple cider aroma.

Well then. It is very cider like. Sherberty and very well carbonated, except I know it's not a beer as there is a definite hoppiness to it.

And it has what I can only call a creaminess that runs through it.

I'm going to cloud up the next glass, naturally having forgotten to do so with my initial excitement and enthusiasm. From my Yeastie Boys drinking I'm expecting a change of flavour with the addition of the sediments muddled in.

Which clouds up the beer, and adds more tartness, and somewhat a more softer middle. I find myself really enjoying this as a sour beer experience, which let's be fair can be a bit hit and miss.

By which I mean you know you're going to get sour, and there are levels where the sourness is all pucker and squint, like a child's sour chew, this isn't that it is for me nicely balanced and layered.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8.5 random numbers on an arbitrary and imponderable scale of all things of no sense. I like this but I can't help thinking 'cider' as I drink it, which is why I might like it so.  Ideal drink for a summer day I'd say should I ever be in a position to be offered on, which all seems a bit improbable.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes this is a particularly nice drink.


2. Would I have another? If I'd thought it thorough I'd have got another. I know the shop had a couple on the shelf I might go check. Tomorrow since it's a drive.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes I would, you get theatrics, and drama, and then a really nicely sour and not bitter beer experience.

Extraordinary choice of music, from a tweet I noticed in passing, which means  I'm listening to "Alcest" who are  a French shoegazing band from Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France. This is a track "Autre Temps"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85c-P9hbmBg

More heavy then melodic type shoe-gaze this has kept my ears entertained in the background.

SOUR/WILD ALE

Sour ale is a broad spectrum of wild ales, from the fruity and acetic Flanders Red Ales and Oud Bruins, to the experimental ales gaining popularity in the United States which use lactobacillus, brettanomyces and pediococcus in new and wild ways.

Beer - #482 - Golden Eagle - The Bitter End

British Beer,  Discovered genius , Imperial Numbers, and Bragging

Our English Bitter has been referred to as the most authentic English Bitter in New Zealand. 

This is a new beer, leastways I've not seen it in bottles before, from the Golden Eagle people this the is  The Bitter End. They contacted me by email to heads-up on some new bees they have, I like that.

Brewed by Golden Eagle Brewery in the style that is a Bitter and they are based in Christchurch, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_9718" align="alignleft" width="300"] It really is....[/caption]

This is a 500ml bottle, and it's at 4.4% ABV, which seems authentic, at 30 IBU and 132 calories a serve,  this makes all up 1.74 standard drink units in the bottle.

True to style a Special English Bitter brewed with Bramling Cross here in NZ.

Full bodied with a great malt backbone to support the superb blackcurrant flavours from this wonderful hop variety

What could possibly go wrong?

English beer pub aroma, musty hops.

Did my best but this does not pour with a head, and almost seemed a bit flat, but it wasn't, a head of sorts more a film appears. I really did try I wanted a foam moustache.

Aroma in the glass is really un-missable English bitter.

Nicely bitter, felt like a nice caramel malt middle and finish that was dry/musty. There is a tartness at the back of this though, that's not something I remember well though. Doesn't sit so well either in the scheme of things.

But the upside of this outweighs the downside as it really is quite the refreshing beer.  And it's from New Zealand.

Now, the problem, and of course there is one. The price. I can wander down my local English importer store, or Supermarket, and pick up a variety of English beers from ol' blighty. Some of them quite good, some of them cheaper than this locally produced version.

It is a problem, because some English bitters are good, some very good and well regarded. I accept that this is crafted locally and all that, but I'm not getting a premium over something that is from the source, as it were.

I think that this is good as beer is. but it's a thing that I'd probably argue against in a board meeting, sure I'd probably lose, but this brewer has other beers that are a head above this, and for me I'm not going to go all 'craft' and 'batch' for English Bitter. I'm just not.

Said though this might fit a gap in the craft market, IPA are 10 a dozen, stouts galore, the odd barley wine, some Saisons, some Pilsners and lagers, the 'Bitter' market does not appear to be over addressed, I've had something like 14 English bitters, from England and this is the first New Zealand one in that list.

You see how I lost my own argument there, in a sense, but I'm going to be stubborn and stand my grand on the 'why?' question.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. In this instance though as much as I like this it isn't a beer that it going to be finding a home in the fridge on a regular basis. There are other English Bitters that I'd rather go to, because English.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am, it's rather tasty and enjoyable.


2. Would I have another? There is a case for me having another, this available on tap, so might provide the full English Bitter session experience.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because it's a bit of a wildcard in a well established and crowded field, brave stuff.

Joining me in this is brilliant yet under appreciated Sixto Rodriguez - this track is "I Wonder". An American gem that got somehow overlooked and lost for too many years. If you like raw and poet like, say, Dylan, you should like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMHdq4jm0oQ

"I wonder how many times you've been had
And I wonder how many plans have gone bad"

BITTER

A gold to copper color, low carbonation and medium to high bitterness. Hop flavor and aroma may be non-existent to mild. Great to drink with steak and lobster.

Beer - #481 - Golden Eagle - Solo Lupulus Metamorphic IPA

Long names, Long records, Long division and Long rambles.

Single hopped with Pacific Jade late in the boil, the Solo Lupulus Metamorphic showcases this hop and is very drinkable!

I had an email from the brewery person about some new beers, so I went out, and I got a couple,as you do.

Brewed by Golden Eagle Brewery in the style that is of India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Christchurch, New Zealand.

500 ml bottle,  7.3% ABV, making it 2.87 standard drink, and around 219 calories a serve size. 38 IBU things too, so thats about top end for English Bitter or Porter, low for an IPA.

[caption id="attachment_9704" align="alignright" width="300"] Sunny, New Haircut, new beer, it's all happening[/caption]

Formed from the pressure between colliding tectonic plates, Jade is a metamorphic rock with a beautiful green colour.

In New Zealand we grow beautiful green Pacific Jade on hop vines, plenty of which are crammed into this IPA.

As ornate as it is, we wouldn't advise you to wear it on a necklace.

Rather rich malty aroma on opening, that's like a good old fashioned English beer.

Great golden orange pour with a matching off white almost orange head, nice carbonation and looks great in the glass. Really sweet aroma almost like sugar syrup, it masks the hop aroma somewhat.

That's both orange and sweet and has a middling of bitterness, a reasonable length finish of more bitter and towards dry. That's a roller coaster that is.

This is much less hoppy than some IPA's that I've had and it doesn't rely on that sharp grassy bitterness to carry it to the detriment of other flavours, this one appears to lead with the flavours and adds the hop bite in to round it out.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing, it's a bit of a work of art and ideal for sitting the sun on a lazy afternoon. Choice.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I really am.


2. Would I have another? Yes, but it would be the start of a waster afternoon.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Sit down, boy have I a story for you.....

The in-band are "The Vaselines", this is "High Tide Low Tide" from their new album "V For Vaselines"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aNWiCjVlPg

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Related articles

• One Nation, Under Hops: A Geographical Evolution of IPA


• Brewers: One key ingredient for beer? A good name


• Funk Brewing's Citrus IPA Is What's On Tap

Beer - #480 - Yeastie Boys - The Sly Persuader

Spoonbenders, sounds, numbers and cogitation

Extra pale blond ale with botrytised viognier candi-sugar.

The second of the  Spoonbenders series -  from Yeastie Boys this is  The Sly Persuader

For Yeastie Boys Brewed at Invercargill Brewery in the style of Golden Ale/Blond Ale and YB are in Wellington, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_9695" align="alignright" width="300"] Ok it's not a good impression.[/caption]

This is the standard 375ml bottle, with a beer of 6% ABV and 1.56 standard drink units, this has all of 20 IBU's, oh and 180 calories.

An extra pale Blond Ale throwing up a beguiling floral aroma, orange and apricot flavours, and a hint of clove in the dry finish.

Drink now or cellar for up to two years.

hahah two years... get over.

Soured up aroma that you might expect, but I did like the sweetness that followed. I'm not actually sure what this opening and smelling thing achieves, they all smell great, mostly, sometimes.

Really pale pour, I was expecting more opaque and darker, and of course I would have loved a head of some description that didn't arrive.

Aroma though is really sweet, and like a desert wine, or vanilla ice cream. Fruity, perhaps a raspberry ice-cream. Vanilla. Go on pick a flavour! Passionfruit?  Mango!!!!

'k then the taste. Have to say that this is thin as a first thought. Then I thought again. This finishes with a swerve to dry at the back, and it drags along a couple of flavours with it.

Have my frown face on now, as this delights, intrigues and confuses me. Not hard to do, but there you are.

So looks like a wine, sits like a wine, almost with a head, and drinks like a fruit infused drink of some kind. But then carries a slight bitterness that is familiar it beer hops.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. Not my thing, a lightly infused beer with fruits, it's a confusion and a malady not a medley.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not really, it's a jumble.


2. Would I have another? Not really, if you brought round one that had been in the bottle a year or two perhaps it might have filled out.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Not in this state no.

Now, here is a thing, a band called COWBELL - and this is a track called " TALLULAH" and if you don't get a foot-tap a going on then I don't know we can  be friends anymore. It is off an album called "Beat Stampede"  The Album Skelton Soul is a bit good, the track "Oh Yolande"  You;d do well to pick it up on Spotify and other good musics places like the iTunes if you can avoid the U2 nonsense.

Took me a couple of listens to the album, and I don't like every track, but there is a thing that it has that draws you in, it's a bit raw, a bit simple, and a bit heartfelt, and also a bit out of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G93J8RE3jc

You don't have to like it, we can still be friends of course.

 

This if from Skeleton Soul - She's All over You.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfQ6by5pXME

Look it's new music clearly you like new beer so turn you other senses to enjoying something else, what's the worse that could happen.

GOLDEN ALE/BLOND ALE

There are a few different types of blond ale. The first is the traditional "Canadian Ale", an adjunct-laden, macrobrewed, top-fermented equivalent of the American Standard. The second is common in US brewpubs - a light starter ale, with marginally more hop and body than a macrobrew, fewer adjuncts, but still not a flavourful beer by any means. The British interpretation is easily the boldest, hoppiest blond ale rendition. Some of these can almost be considered American Pales they are so hopped up - very crisp, refreshing, with relatively low alcohol compared with their North American counterparts.

Beer - #479 - Leffe - Radieuse

Belgium, beats, bingo and brainwork

Strong and generous amber-coloured abbey beer. 

Amber-Coloured with delicate hints of citrus and coriander seeds. 

Brewed by InBev Belgium in the style that is Belgian Strong Ale and they hail from Leuven, Belgium

8.5% ABV of beer, in a 330 ml bottle, 2.21 standard drink units in this and 255 calories.

This beer combines a very complex taste palate and the fruity flavours of banana, citrus fruit, coriander and cloves, with a mild sharpness.

[caption id="attachment_9691" align="alignleft" width="300"] Went the matching top[/caption]

Leffe Radieuse is an amber-coloured beer, rich in flavour and deliciously refined. Its complex taste is particularly enjoyed by true connoisseurs. It is a beer to drink instead of complex wines, with sophisticated and complex cuisines.

An emblem of age-old tradition, Leffe Radieuse’s amber hue reflects its magnificence. Its character is elegantly balanced out by notes of orange rind, coriander seeds and roasted malt. The distinct bitter flavour shows bold signs of a beer that knows how to conquer the heart of a connoisseur.

Incredibly rich and wonderfully full-bodied. However, only in a Leffe chalice will this beer truly relinquish all of its eccentricity.”

A beer that has a bit of a swagger in the description, but on investigation may or may not meet that. But if you don't set a bar how do you know. What's the worst that can happen?

Nice presentation, purple foil over the cap makes for something a bit different.  Familair fruity aroma on opening, and a lively hiss.

Rich brown colour on the pour, small and disappearing head but a fantastic aroma of sweet malts.

Over carbonated if you want me to instantly judge. High alcohol astringent in this too, all at the front in a bit of a clash with whatever the fruits or malt things are trying to do.

Lightly bitter it's not intrusive, it does come together more as it warms slightly and ends up a mellow and rich beer that compliments the snack age that I rustled up, being mostly the home made pate and the rest of the camembert cheese from yesterday.

This though, for me, not the beer of the description, which I'd sum up as "talk's a good game" or "good on paper not so flash in the glass"  I don't this is complex, and I don't get many of the hints of things that I was expecting or might enjoy. I like the Leffe beers otherwise and I don't really have a bad thing to say about this, but it would be my 3rd pick after the blonde, and the sweeter bruin.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not as much as I wanted to hang read their own descriptors.


2. Would I have another? I probably would.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? It is a posh looking beer, and I'd be impressed if someone brought me one over.

What's the best track for a great beer? Blue Oyster Cult of course , Don't fear the reaper, I found the longest version I could in some weird hope that you might listen to it all. It does occur to me that reading time v drinking time are not the same... ah what the heck, I listened to it 3 times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClQcUyhoxTg

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.