Non Belgian beers

[John B]

Here's a beer from Green Cheek Beer Company located in Orange California. A 7.0% west coast style IPA brewed with Mosaic, Citra and Strata hops. It was canned on the 26th of this month and I picked it up one day later, so it doesn't get much fresher than that. And as well all know, the fresher the IPA the better. It called Brad Coast, and I have no idea what that means but Green Cheek is known to come up with some uh, interesting names for their beers. This one is probably an inside joke known only to them, unless I'm just clueless and the joke went right over my head. Which wouldn't be the first time.

Anyway, this one is bangin'. The hops are front and center in the flavor profile, as they should be in an IPA. The mouthfeel is crisp, yet smooth. It's basically everything you could ask for in a west coast style IPA. Green Cheek hits another home run here. That doesn't surprise me, they're good at what they do, especially their IPAs. Cheers! - John

[John B]

Continuing on the IPA train, this is one of the lesser known IPAs from Russian River Brewing located north of San Francisco in Santa Rosa California. Happy Hops, a 6.5% IPA which was originally brewed in Santa Rosa way back in 1944 by another brewery which went out of business in the 1960's, but is now resurrected by Russian River. It's on the lower end of the bitterness scale, and is very smooth with a medium body.

It's an IPA which would be considered the best on many other breweries' list of beers, yet is kind of lost in the shuffle when compared to Russian River's other IPAs such as Pliny the Elder and Younger, Blind Pig etc. Whatever the case, it's a fine beer and one which I'd recommend if you should ever come across it. Cheers! - John

[Trappist]

It called Brad Coast, and I have no idea what that means but Green Cheek is known to come up with some uh, interesting names for their beers. This one is probably an inside joke known only to them, unless I'm just clueless and the joke went right over my head. Which wouldn't be the first time.

Hi John,
First, thanks for sharing again some load of great quality US beers    You know, that's greatly appreciated 

Brad Coast     

I did some Googling and came upon their website: https://www.greencheekbeer.com/

Brad Coast, a Couch Chillin IPA w/ Mosaic, Citra & Strata

Traditional Couch Chillin IPA w/ Mosaic, Citra, & Strata, 7% abv // Do you ever find yourself on the couch at midnight with a strong need to wash down the various delivered food items you have just consumed? Well, have we got the IPA for you! Not only does it wash it all down just right, but it also tastes great too! What's a Couch Chillin' IPA? Brad says that it's west coast in nature, hoppy enough to stand up to a whole bag of Doritos, and just bitter enough to cut through the fat on that beef stick. Tasting notes? Stickin' your nose into a bag of Tropical Skittles, orange soda, sour diesel & a few morning regerts.
7.0% ABV

I sure love this kind of American humour
A washing down IPA, but this one having delicious flavors. I'm all in for that treat John

Cheers,
Filip

[John B]

Thanks for your comments guys!   

Filip, thank you for pointing out the Green Cheek description of that beer. They are one of the more, shall we say, interesting breweries when it comes to beer descriptions. And even more important, they always put out a quality product too.

Cheers! - John

[Trappist]

Hi,
Another non-Belgian beer was tasted.
That's a beer I also bought at BeersatMovieFun... that perfect beer shop to buy non-Belgian beers.



Actually, it comes into a "Naughty and Nice" selection box.
Brewed at English Vocation brewery. (https://www.vocationbrewery.com/) https://goo.gl/maps/1L21WbzGdM1uh1oC6
That's about a one hour drive from your home Jay!
As you can see, there is that clear link towards the well-known chocolate range. 
Three beers from that range were available at BeersatMovieFun.
Either the other ones were sold out, or only the Snickers was run out, which actually was mentioned on their Facebook page.
That was just the one I wanted me to buy  
Available OTOH were Milkyway, Maltesers (the one on the right side I think), and the Twix.
To be precise, the beers do not carry the names of the chocolates. The images speaks for themselves already
Well, I bought me the strongest one at 8 vol%. The Twix beer. €4.95
The beers were available online too via https://shop.raynvillesuperstore.co.uk/products/naughty-nice-pack-vocation-brewery-chocolate-stouts-5-9-10-5x440ml-cans





Well folks, if you love Twix, you sure will love that beer too.
It has all the similarities of that caramel chocolate cookie bar.
Sugary caramel sweet, sweet milk chocolate, and a nice cookie flavor.
The basis beer is a chocolate stout. Dark and dense with a dark beige colored head.
Nothing hoppy, it's all about the malts here, and ofcourse the flavors of the Twix bars.

My verdict !!

This beer sure isn't bad at all. It is a cookie flavored chocolate stout.
A nice alc% of 8, that's respectable.
The foam was a beauty and very creamy. Long lasting too.
Mouthfeeling was dense having a perfect depth too.
You really need to love very sweet beers, otherwise it could be a big disappointment.
Nothing dry, nothing hop bitter. Even the roast bitterness was quite mild.
It sure was delicious stuff. At some point chocolatemilk came into my mind.
To be honest, if I want the abovementioned chocolates, I just buy me them and eat them separate.
I'm still wondering why those flavors needs to be an ingredient of beer.
I'm really struggling with that idea though       
But nevertheless, it was a delicious experience, but certainly not an everyday experience for me

Cheers,
Filip

[John B]

Well, it certainly sounds interesting, and thank you for sharing your tasting impressions here Filip. But as far as beers like this go, if I was in the mood to taste a candy bar I'd probably just go buy a candy bar and eat it. It's like those IPAs which are described as "juicy", and even look just like a glass of orange or pineapple juice. If I wanted to taste juice then I'd just drink a glass of juice. Not sure what the attraction is that some people get for these kinds of beers, but oh well, to each his or her own. Nothing wrong with that.

Beery Cheers! - John 

[Viv]

Hi guys,

It's simply the novelty factor. 

Look at all the flavours now available of whisky, rum, vodka etc....

Then look at the queues of people taking selfies at tourism sites
around the globe. 

It's a crazy mad world!!! 

I NEED A BEER!!!   

Cheers!


Viv


 

[Trappist]

Hi Guys,
Yes, we're living in a very weird world these days 
Still, there is also food or drinks that are beer flavored too.
Beer sauce for the Flemish carbonades for instance, or even icecream with Westvleteren 12.
But those are really very rare. In those rare occasions, it sure are some great enhancements.
In case of flavored beers, the initial basis beer frequently has been spoiled. There are exceptions of course.
Cheers,
Filip

[Jay]

It's a fun selection box of beers designed to imitate well known confectionery BUT these pastry stouts are a style that I'm moving away from.

When they first came out (with the likes of Omnipollo) and their NOA and Yellow Belly there had been nothing like them before so to sample a beer that actually tasted like blueberry or peanut butter was quite the revelation and for a while set a trend.

However these syrup flavoured beers are flooding the market - with brewers like Amundsen and even Vocation dreaming up whackier and whackier flavour combinations in a race to come up something new...that is why I myself haven't tried or shown any interest in these Vocation Naughty & Nice beers, you can guarantee Linda would have bought me the box set if I had.

I'm more for a traditional Imperial Stout that's not Pastry (syrup flavoured) but more Adjunct style, where real ingredients have been added. This produces a less sweet beer (you can taste the stout) but also the flavour is much more real and not as in your face...this is more like it.

CloudWater PIU #V (Persistence Is Utile No5)...11% Imperial Stout brewed with Kaiguri coffee beans, cocoa nibs, vanilla and Tonka beans.




Another love of mine are Barrel Aged beers and when done correctly (not infused or aged with oak or barrel chips) but an Imperial Stout aged purely in an oak barrel (be it Bourbon, Sherry, Marsala, Port whatever) for months at a time are truly a thing of beauty with the barrel being allowed time to add that extra level of flavour you simply cannot cheat...and at the weekend had one of America's most notorious BBA Stouts, just beer and barrel in total harmony




I know that these two styles (and hazy DIPAS) aren't to everyone's tastes but with so many styles of beers around there's bound to be some that don't agree with your tastebuds...try as I might I just cannot get on with Lambics and Gose beers but if that's what you like then good for you.

But I am with you guys these, taken for what they are (just a bit of fun) these  Pastry stouts are nothing more than that. Nothing too serious, a gimmick, a bit of a joke - okay to sample once but nothing special, give me an Adjunct or Barrel Aged any day.

Cheers
Jay 

[Trappist]

However these syrup flavoured beers are flooding the market - with brewers like Amundsen and even Vocation dreaming up whackier and whackier flavour combinations in a race to come up something new...that is why I myself haven't tried or shown any interest in these Vocation Naughty & Nice beers, you can guarantee Linda would have bought me the box set if I had.

Highly understandable Jay 
Personally, I'm not really against experiments like that.
It gives interesting flavor profiles, and tasting a beer like that is quite a fun experience to satisfy the curiosity.
But the thing is that I wouldn't buy me that beer again. It sure was fun, but only for this onetime occasion.
I simply can't imagine that this could become my everyday special drink.
So, commercially, it's not really a clever move from the brewery.
Vocation brewery makes a lot of different beers, and this is one of their strongest ones.



A barrel aged 12.2vol% mint chocolate stout 
Chocolate and mint are that perfect match.
After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins for example are a true delight!
That could well give a great beer flavor too, and this one is extra barrel aged, reaching that 12.2 vol%.
I sure would try this beer in a second. No hesitation though

Cheers,
Filip

[Jay]

Vocation brewery makes a lot of different beers, and this is one of their strongest ones.



A barrel aged 12.2vol% mint chocolate stout 
Chocolate and mint are that perfect match.
After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins for example are a true delight!
That could well give a great beer flavor too, and this one is extra barrel aged, reaching that 12.2 vol%.
I sure would try this beer in a second. No hesitation though

Cheers,
Filip[/color]

Hi Filip,

I've already tried that Mint Chocolate Stout as I can easily pick it up from our local Tesco.

This beer and their  similar Imperial Kirsch (chocolate and cherry Imperial Stout aged in cognac barrels) were both originally released online through the Vocation website before being released to the general public for £5 a time in a high street supermarket (much to the annoyance of people who had already purchased them)

For a "supermarket beer" the Mint Chocolate Stout is undoubtedly one of the very best available, though the promised 9 months Bourbon barrel ageing isn't particularly strong but the mint is absolutely perfect...

I will pick up a bottled we can sample it at Rudy's bottle share.

Cheers
Jay 

[John B]

Here's one from Cigar City Brewing from Tampa Florida. It's called Jai Alai, a 7.5% IPA named after the high speed action sport. This beer has been around for quite a while, and is considered by many a classic. I've had this beer a few times over the years, and while I've found it to be good, it might not even crack my top 50 of IPAs that I've ever had.

Anyway, it's a clear golden colored beer, with a good creamy head and low carbonation. The hops are not as up front as they are in a lot of IPAs, especially the newer ones, but they're there. Overall it was nice to have this one again after quite a while, but it might be quite a while before I have it again. Cheers! - John

[Trappist]

I will pick up a bottled we can sample it at Rudy's bottle share.

Hi Jay,
That's a nice gesture!! 
I never had a beer with mint flavors, so it sure will be something special for me.
Thanks
Cheers,
Filip

[Trappist]

Here's one from Cigar City Brewing from Tampa Florida. It's called Jai Alai, a 7.5% IPA named after the high speed action sport. This beer has been around for quite a while, and is considered by many a classic. I've had this beer a few times over the years, and while I've found it to be good, it might not even crack my top 50 of IPAs that I've ever had.

Anyway, it's a clear golden colored beer, with a good creamy head and low carbonation. The hops are not as up front as they are in a lot of IPAs, especially the newer ones, but they're there. Overall it was nice to have this one again after quite a while, but it might be quite a while before I have it again. Cheers! - John

Hi John,
A very interesting beer that gives me back some great memories.
I tasted that beer when it was a pilot brew, before it was even commercially available.
This was done when we did the Florida Beer Trail way back in July 2008.
Katrien and I visited brewery Cigar City just before they actually started their business.
We got a tour by brewmaster Wayne Wambles himself. Only Wayne, Katrien and myself! Amazing.

Here's the picture of the pilot brew Jai Alai:
https://www.belgianbeerboard.com/florida08/slides/227-2709_IMG.html

I can remember that this beer (IPA) was greatly citric hoppy, like a true American IPA should taste.

Full report of the visit starts at: https://www.belgianbeerboard.com/florida08/slides/226-2691_IMG.html (just before we entered the brewery)
Note that there was no brewery (kettles, name it) installed yet.
All pilot brews were brewed by Wayne inside the same place, and this with a small brewing equipment.

Cigar City has become one of America's top-class breweries! 
Simply astounding!!

Cheers,
Filip

[John B]

Here's an 8.4% Belgian style Tripel called A Gust Of Wind from The Bruery in Placentia California. Apparently this is a brand new beer from them, only having been released in the last few weeks. Normally I find most Belgian style beers that are made by non Belgian breweries to be lacking in one thing or another. These non-Belgian breweries will often use some kind of yeast which they think makes it taste "Belgian-y" (forgive me for not coming up with a better description), and they end up giving off what I'd describe as an almost chalky sensation.

This was pleasantly different. Thankfully The Bruery has had a lot of experience making Belgian inspired beers, and A Gust Of Wind hit all the flavor notes you'd look for in a Tripel. While I still wouldn't put it in the same high regard as the best Belgian Tripels (Westmalle, Tripel Karmeliet, St Bernardus, Rochefort, Dulle Teve, De Garre etc) I'd say it is a nice example of the style and a little more affordable, at least here in the states. Overall, I'd happily drink this one again. Cheers! - John