Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA

Beer: Last Chance IPA
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Company
Style: IPA
ABV: 5.9%

Serving Style: Draft
Glassware: Pint glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally
Secondary Consumer: Husband Joe the Scientist

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Looks like apple juice with a disappearing cream-colored head on it.  Nice lacing, too.

Smell: Bright floral aroma with notes of alcohol–lab-grade methanol, to be exact.

Flavor: Straightforward hop flavor–bitterness, pine, and grapefruit or citrus pith.

Feel: Medium mouthfeel with moderate-to-high carbonation.

Concluding Remark: Weyerbacher’s Last Chance IPA is a solid rendition of the India Pale Ale.  It’s made with a combination of four different hops–Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe, and Columbus–and has every flavor note one would expect from these varietals.  Nothing too flashy or unique; just straightforward IPA-ness going on here.  And to make you feel even happier while drinking it, Weyerbacher donates a portion of the proceeds from this beer to regional animal rescue operations (thus the name, “Last Chance.”)  So you can feel good knowing that as you enjoy your array of hops, you’re helping dogs, cats, and other pets find a new home.

Sly Fox Pikeland Pils

Beer: Pikeland Pils
Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
Style: German-style Pilsner
ABV: 4.9%

 Serving Style: Can
Glassware: Pint glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally
Consumption Companion: Joe from the George St. Co-op

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Clear straw yellow, with a 1-finger head that recedes rather quickly.

Smell: Sweet, like Gummy Bears, or apple cider, with grassy and metallic notes as well.

Flavor: Not as sweet as it smells.  Mostly the grassy flavor comes through, with a very mild citrus note and a slight hop aftertaste.

Feel: Syrupy mouthfeel.  Low carbonation.

Concluding Remark: I really wanted this Sly Fox Pilsner to taste like a Gummy Bear, but it doesn’t.  Not even a watered-down Gummy Bear.  In fact, it doesn’t really taste like much.  It has maybe a slight taste of cider, but weakly so.  However, as Joe remarked, there’s no strong flavor, but it’s not necessarily offensive.  And it comes in a can, and as the Oskar Blues Brewery tells us, that’s a pretty good thing.

And on second thought, maybe Gummy Bear-flavored beer would be kinda gross.

Ramstein Doppelbock

Beer:  Doppelbock
Brewery: High Point Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
ABV: 9.5%

 Serving Style: Draft
Glassware: Tulip glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Dark and opaque, with a thick, creamy tan head that recedes but leaves some lacing.

Scent: No overtly discernible scent.  Maybe that of apple cider–but very mild.

Flavor: Very dynamic–apple cider and caramel are the most noted, but there is a slight spice (clove, particularly) in there as well.

Feel:  On the thick side, with moderate carbonation.

Concluding remarks: High Point is a New Jersey-based brewery, but its founder, Greg Zaccardi, actually worked as a brewer in southern Germany–so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to German beers.  In fact, he uses a special brewer’s yeast that is used exclusively by only a small brewery in Bavaria–and by High Point.  Thus, their Ramstein Doppelbock (the strongest High Point beer) is pretty darn authentic.  It’s complex–sweet, but spicy, kind of like the beer version of mulled wine–perfect for a winter night, or a cold, rainy April day.

Kane Port Omna American Stout

Beer:  Port Omna American Stout
Brewery: Kane Brewing Company
Style: American Extra Stout (a Dry Irish and Foreign Extra hybrid)
ABV: 6.00%

Serving Style: Draft
Glassware: Pint glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Opaque, near black/dark cola in color, with some amber edging.  1-inch thick, creamy, mocha head.  Nice lacing of tiny, fizzy bubbles.

Scent: Coffee and chocolate; sweet malts; and dried fruit, perhaps figs or apricots.

Flavor:  There is a bitter hoppiness alongside notes of sweet coffee and chocolate, even some slight vanilla; but it is the bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste.

Feel:  Crisp, but smooth.  Moderate carbonation.  A bit of a dry finish.

Concluding remarks: Kane is one of New Jersey’s newest breweries, hailing from Ocean Township.  With their Port Omna Stout, they’ve created their own style: the American Extra Stout, a hybrid of a Dry Irish Stout and a Foreign Extra Stout.  The result?  A solid, well-balanced brew–bitter but sweet, slightly roasty but with a bit of fruit notes.

Ballast Point Sextant Oatmeal Stout

Beer:  Sextant Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 6.5%

Serving Style: Nitro-tap
Glassware: Pint glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally
Consumption Companion: Mallory

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Dark, dark cola, with lots of carbonation bubbles throughout the body.  Creamy, beige, 2-finger head that settles to a nice layer of foam, with decent lacing.

Scent: Bright and sweet, with floral and fruity notes.

Flavor:  Mild overall.  Roasted, with a slight oat taste and notes of cocoa.  Perhaps a hint of vanilla as well.  The aftertaste is bitter.

Feel:  Smooth, medium mouthfeel, with little-to-no carbonation.

The Sextant Oatmeal Stout is a limited edition brew from San Diego-based brewery Ballast Point.  To sum it up, Mallory said it best: you’re gonna go through this beer pretty quickly, because the bitter aftertaste makes you want to take another sip, to get rid of said bitterness.  But that’s okay, because it’s not necessarily a bad brew overall–smooth like an Oatmeal Stout should be, but just not much going on in the way of flavor.

Concluding remarks: All in all, it’s average; but since it’s a limited release, give it a try if you find it on tap.

Ommegang Seduction

Beer:  Seduction
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Style: Belgian-Style Porter
ABV: 7.2%

Serving Style: Draft
Glassware: Beer snifter
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer: Ally
Consumption Companion(s): the George St. Co-op crew

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Dark, with a moderately thick head of beige-colored creaminess.

Scent: Sweet, with a subtle roasted-coffee and chocolate aroma.

Flavor: This is a liquified chocolate-covered cherry.

Feel: Smooth; creamy but light.

Normally kinda gross. But in beer form? Amazing!

We end the month with the perfect transition into February’s exploration of Belgians: a Belgian-style Porter brewed up by Cooperstown’s Brewery Ommegang, with the help of Liefmans, makers of fine Belgian lambics (or in this case, a Cuvee-Brut cherry champagne).  Throw in a little Callebut chocolate, and you have a masterpiece: the fruitiness of a Belgian and the sweet-sour cherry of the champagne melded with the chocolate-coffee sexiness–er, depth of a Porter.  I don’t think I can do as much justice in a description as The Old Bay does on its beer menu:  “There’s only one game we play here at The Old Bay…a game starting with the look in your eyes, a lingering pheromonic intoxicating scent, and finishes with the taste of your lips.  That game…seduction.  Seduction is welcoming and warm-hearted, gently hopped and harbors no bitterness, leaving only a lingering glow.”

Or, as noted in our Very Official Beer Notes:  “Ommegang?  Oh my god!”

Very Official Beer Notes.

Concluding remarks: Ending the month with a chocolate-cherry bang.  This a limited edition brew, but if you can get your hands on it, get your hands on it.

(Thanks, Ben.)

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Yes, we did indeed just hint at what style is to come in February.  Check back soon as we commence our celebration of St. Valentine’s with a beer we love to love: The Belgian.

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

GET BLITZED REVIEW 6!

Beer:  Taddy Porter
Brewery: Samuel Smith
Style: English Porter
ABV: 5.0%

Serving Style: Bottle
Glassware: Pint glass
Drinking Establishment: The Old Bay Restaurant, New Brunswick, NJ
Primary Consumer(s): Ally & Kerensa

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OVERALL RATING:

Sight: Very dark brown body with a thin, pale tan head. Large carbonation bubbles gathered in the center.

Scent: Strong caramel and toffee aroma, with crisp coffee undertones.

Flavor: Initially, the intense toffee and caramel come through, but the aftertaste is like drinking roasted seltzer, if that was a thing.

Feel: Medium creamy body, moderate carbonation.

This Sam Smith “Famous” Porter has a fascinating background: the brewing water is drawn from a well sunk over 200 years ago, and it’s fermented using the Yorkshire Square system (Samuel Smith being the last independent brewery in England to utilize this classic system of fermentation in stone squares).  However, the result isn’t as remarkable: the Taddy is your classic Porter with flavors of roasted coffee and toffee/caramel.  Not too heavy, and just a tad(dy) bit sweet.

Fun fact: All Samuel Smith beers are vegan and registered with the Vegan Society.  Woot!

Concluding remarks: Better Porters have been had, but we can see it being the Yuengling or Sam Adams go-to equivalent when having a pint in England.