April Beers Sampled

Yesterday I attended The Big Ass Tap Takeover at Parry’s Pizza featuring beers from Avery Brewing Company and tried a few I had not tried before.    During the event I met Adam Avery and he toasted the event at 11:30 with a new release from Avery.

Samael’s 2008 (14.5% ABV and 41 IBU) is and oak-aged English strong ale and was from Mr. Avery’s personal stash.  It was excellent and the aging has only improved the beer.

Trogdor the Burninator (7.6% ABV) is a smoked doppelbock and I thought this was an excellent beer.  You could taste the smoke at just the right level.  Very well-balanced and it went well with the sweetness of the doppelbock.

3Point5 Pale Ale (3.5% ABV) is a session pale ale that is new from Avery and we had a complimentary serving with the event toast.  It was a highly hopped, bitter beer and one that could be consumed throughout the day with the low ABV. 

On a different trip to Parry’s Pizza, I enjoyed Elevation Brewing’s First Cast (6.5% ABV and 75 IBU) an IPA.  It was the first time I have tried something from this new Colorado brewer and I will try to sample more form them in the future.

Stone Brewing has created some new Imperial IPAs that are entitled “Enjoy by Month.Day.Year” that have limited distribution and are meant to be consumed fresh and by the date listed on the bottle.  I was able to find one at the local store and it is a very good IPA.  If you are lucky enough to find one I recommend purchasing some, as these are very good IPAs.  The one I had was Enjoy by 04.20.13 (9.4% ABV and 88 IBU).

Ridgeway Brewing Co. – Insanely Bad Elf

First, a shout out to Dennis Wright for bringing me a bottle of Insanely Bad Elf (11.2%) when we had the last beer pairing.  I have seen a few offerings from Ridgeway during the holiday season and they have a number of interesting named varieties – including, Santa’s Butt, Reindeer Droppings, Very Bad Elf, and a number of others.  I have never tried anything from Ridgeway before and there was not much information about the brewery on the net.

English Strong Ale – “Bigger than a Pale Ale yet smaller than a Barleywine the English Strong Ale is a rich and complex beer. Many are unfiltered and bottle conditioned. The color tends to land somewhere between amber and reddish copper. They usually have a bold fruity, estery and malty mix. Hops can vary from mild bitterness to a full blown hop character with a bold hop flavor and aroma. The alcohol can be quite noticeable, a hint of solvent is possible.”  BeerAdvocate

Appearance – Copper with a one-finger head that recedes quickly.

Aroma – Sweetness with some caramel / toffee notes. Some alcohol on the nose too.

Taste – This one is sweet with a sticky / syrupy mouth feel.  There is very little bitterness to balance this beer and from my perspective more hops are needed. 

Overall – B- This is not a bad beer and if you like sweet beers, this would be one to try.

Website description – “A dark flavo(u)r bomb of a beer.  It backs such a punch that it is only available in 330 ml bottles.

Country of origin: England

Brewery: Ridgeway

Beer Style: Winter / Holiday Beer

ABV: 12%

Format: 330 ml Bottles”

URL - http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=316