Black IPA by Sprecher Brewery

Having tasted several of the beers while on the tour of the brewery, it was decided that the Black IPA was not one that was remembered from that spring in 2010. Picking up a 22 oz bottle at the local spirit shop, it has been sitting in the cool garage for the last week waiting for a clean palate and good hearty thirst.

The brew pours out black, darker then the darkest coffee with a rich and creamy brown head. The carbonation is about perfect and the head sticks to the sides of the glass like a sticky candy.

The brew has a rich bouquet of hops that you need to inhale in softly or else you miss it. The citrusy aroma of the hops are mixed with a small pinch of pine or evergreen, give a feeling that you will be drinking a young green citrus.

The beer has a bold tart and bitter flavor. The tangy and bitter send the taste buds into over drive. The citrus hits the sides of the tongue and as you swallow the bitters take over leaving a strong bitter flavor well after the drink is done. This is not an IPA for those who do not like a strong hop flavor.

The beer is smooth and the carbonation provides a little tickle as it process down the gullet.

Overall this is not a beer for the light beer drinker. It has rich and daring flavors that might be overpowering to even to those that enjoy a good IPA. It has fantastic aromas, rich flavors and rich short history.

The best treat is that I have the I got 6oz more then a pint, so I get to go for round two when I am done writing this!

I give this brew a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Hinterland Maple Bock

This particular bock states that it is brewed with Maple Syrup. It is not clear if the syrup is from Wisconsin, but one can only hope it is. After separating the cap from the bottle, the beer is poured into the frosty mug. The bock is a cloudy dark chocolate with a thin tan head.

The bock has a distinct maple syrup smell with wisps of floral and alcohol. The fragrances are fantastic for such a dark beer.

The beer has a creamy texture that is thick and smooth. After sipping the bock a few times it was easy to sense the sweet maple syrup. There is a light citrus tingle from the hops, but it almost goes unnoticed. The beer has a sweetness to it, but it is subtle enough to be enjoyable. It is hard to distinguish the other flavors. There is a tangy after taste, but it is not really bitter.

Overall this was a good bock that isn’t unique in flavor, but has flavors that all combined make a unique beer.

I give this brew a 3 out of 5 stars.

Here is match one which was a close loss.

Match two had Gage pitted against a fellow Lightening wrestler and although the score was lopsided, the match was fantastic to watch. Here is the second match.

Newton's Folly Authentic Draft Cider

The label is generic and there is no description of the draft on the label.

Grabbing a frozen mug and bottle of cider, it was quickly poured and provided a clear bubbly foreground to the frosty mug. The cider was golden red and effervescent while I took the time to snap a photo.

The cider smelled like… cider. To describe it would be to describe an apple wine. Nothing special about the aroma with this brew other then it was pleasant.

Few ciders have passed these lips in 40 years. The draft was sweet with a little tart and had it been dry it would have reminded me very much of a wine I made a few years back.

Overall there was nothing memorable about this cider and it was nothing more then pleasant.

I give this brew a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Jumping Cow Amber Ale, Steinhaus Brewing Co

The labels description for this ale is boring, stating simply that the ale is

Brewed from the finest malted barley, hops, yeast and water.

If only the description was as exciting as the label.

The ale pours nice and clear with a dark reddish hue and a thick creamy tan head. This beer has some carbonation and the head sticks around long after pouring.

The aromas are hard to gather, especially since the wife finds the need to make toast moments after the bottle top was removed. It may not sound as good as it smells, but it has the aroma of a musty barley. It is a faint sweetish smell that seems to disappear soon after initial contact with the nasal cavity.

The first few sips are hard to describe. The ale is smooth and not much kick given the dark color and good carbonation. It takes several draws from the glass to finally decide that this brew has three distinct stages when you drink it. Upon meeting the taste buds, the beer has a full flavor that can be describe as a lightly roasted barley. Then as you swallow, the beer seems creamy and sweetens. Finally you are left with a slight tingle from the hops with just a hint of bitterness that only seems to last a moment or two.

Overall the beer has a lot of positive features and a unique flavor. You couple that with the great head that sticks to the glass and you might be tempted to lick the head off the inside of the glass.

I give this brew a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Two Hearted Ale, Bell's Brewery

An India Pale Ale style well suited for adventourus trips to the Upper Peninsula. American malts and enormous hop additions give this beer a crisp finish and an icredibly floral hop aroma.

This beer pours out well, with a nice bubbly head. The ale is clear and golden and the head is light with large frothy bubbles. The head is not as thick as most craft beers, but compared to other Trader Joe beers sampled the carbonation seems about right.

A light sniff picks up the distinct aromas of the hops. The ale smells like citrus with a bit of tea leaf. It is apparent from the first sip that this IPA is going to be nice and hoppy.

The first sips and the beer unloads its flavors of citrus and bitter hops. A big fan of IPA’s this ale does not disappoint. The flavors tingle on the tongue and gullet. The bitterness lingers well after the drink is gone, but is a light bitter that is a welcome flavor.

Overall this is probably the best beer of the three reviewed so far. This could be a result of a bias towards IPA’s but it is a great tasting brew that delivers exactly what the label promises plus a bit more.

I give this brew a 4 out of 5 stars.

glass of Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

The stout is described on the label as

A deliciously creamy stout in the Irish tradition- with its rich, tan head intact, this deep and dark-colored beer has the aroma and flavors of chocolate, roasted oats and coffee- allderived from the specialty malts used in the brewing process

The stout pours coffee black with slight carbonation and scanty a tan head. The brew has a weak aroma, but what little scent that comes through is good. It is a light fragrance of dark roast with quasi chocolate and coffee tones. This beer has far less scent then what it visually looks like it should possess.

Upon drawing a little from the glass, I tried swishing it through my mouth. It was delicious! The brew was heavy, sweet, carmel and foamy. After a few more draws, I found it went down smooth like a cream and left a part candied chocolate and dark roast coffee flavor that was sweet and bitter at the same time.

I enjoyed this beer, but was unable to taste the roasted oatmeal. It was a nice mix of creamy chocolate and dark roast.

I give this brew a 4 out of 5 stars.

bottle of dark ale Black Toad beer

After letting the beer settle for a while on the table I popped the cap off and the retrieved a frosty glass from the freezer. The beer may have been a little bit to old as I could not detect much aroma from the bottle. I poured the beer into the frosty mug and noticed right away it had a deep roasted color with very little head.

I let the beer settle for a bit longer and tried to get a sense of the colors and of what aroma’s it had. The ale is described on the label as having a deep chestnut color and nutty flavor.

The ale was indeed had a deep roasted color with little carbonation.

glass of distinctive dark ale Black Toad beer

The taste of the beer was pleasant. The ale had sweet flavors of roasted nuts and no lingering after taste. The beer was smooth and slightly flat with a very good mild taste.

Overall I enjoyed the beer. Being it was a dark ale, I expected some very bold aroma and flavors to go with the bold color, but in the end the brew was sweet and mild.

I give this brew a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Here is video of match one.

According to Gage, the opponent in the video is a senior (no way to verify). Gage had a few missed opportunities in the match, but made it exciting. In the second period he almost pinned his opponent, but was later pinned himself after ending up in a bad position that he just couldn’t get out of.

His second match was very good as well. Gage said this opponent was a junior that wrestled some on Junior Varsity. Gage made the most of the match, getting himself out of some bad spots. He was aggressive through out the match and gave his opponent a good run, but ended up getting pinned in the second period.

Pauline and I had to leave for the final match, so we did not see it, but we had seen his opponent before and knew that after watching the previous matches, Gage should come away with the win, which he did.

We headed out to BTD shortly after church. The hope was that the Sunday traffic there would be light. We arrived there shortly after noon and the parking lot was full. I drove around the corner and parked on a residential street.

When you head inside the BTD you might get the wrong impression. The building is for most parts dumpy looking and the dining area is anything but sparkling clean. It is definitely not a five star atmosphere, but the food will more then make up for any qualms that you might have about the dining area.

While I have been to the BTD several times, this was Pauline’s first time there, so I gave here several extra minutes to go through the extensive menu. After about five minutes, we had made our decisions. Our waitress came over to take our orders in her best broken english.

We started the lunch with an order of fresh Spring Rolls. A few minutes later the Spring Rolls arrived with a delicious peanut sauce. It took me just minutes to devour my Spring Roll while Pauline took her time to enjoy it.

Our server arrived with our food a few minutes later and was gracious enough to bring extra plates so we could share our meals. Pauline ordered the Rama Dish with Chicken while I ordered my usual Pad Thai.

The Pad Thai is the best I have ever had. It is a great mixture of noodles, egg, onion, sprouts and chicken with a delicious sauce. I squeeze the entire lime wedge over the steaming hot pile of noodles and notice I have become akin to a Pavlovian dog, salivating as I transfer the noodles to my plate.

I then took a few large scoops of white rice and added several spoon full of peanut sauce from Pauline’s Rama Dish. The meal is very similar to the Rama Thai dish we enjoy in Moorhead, MN. The plate has Red Peppers, Broccoli, and chicken and one of the most flavorful peanut sauces around. You can see the chili seeds in the sauce, it is not too hot.

The meal was delicious and to add a little more cool to the spicy meal, I order a Thai Ice Tea. Not wanting to have to loosen my belt, Pauline convinces me we don’t have to eat it all while we are there and can take what is left home. Afraid that I might have to share it, I hedge a little, but she convinces me.

Bangkok Thai Deli is not glamorous, but the food is so incredibly good you will lose yourself in the heaven that is spicy Thai food.

5 of 5 stars

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