Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout

Hello and Merry Christmas to everyone. There is something to be said to find cheap beer in the store that sounds good, but that isn’t always good, so be careful. What I found was Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout, 5.3% ABV from Rhode Island. This is a collaboration between Autocrat Coffee, which was started in 1895, and Narragansett Brewery which as been around just as long. Narragansett Autocrat pours a black color with a brownish tan four-finger rocky head that slow to dissipate. I found there to be no light coming through nor did I see much carbonation bubbles due to the darkness of the beer. The aroma is strong with coffee, smell like a fresh cup of dark roast coffee. The taste on this beer is much like the aroma, big pot of dark roast coffee with just a little tiny hint of sweetness from the lactose sugars (that is what makes a milk stout). There is a little burned/roasted noted on the back that leads you into a nice cup of dark coffee finish with a semi-sweet roasted coffee aftertaste. This stout surprised me. It was really good. I would give Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout an A-. I didn’t really find any thing on the flavor profile that tells me this is milk stout, but it was good nonetheless. I liked how this has big coffee flavors to it. Taste like something that Starbucks or any other coffee shop would sell. They really hit the coffee stout right on the head. I enjoyed it and so should you; yes I am recommending Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout. So go out and try it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month December 2014

Well it time again for another Foothill IPA of the Month December 2014, 8.2% ABV and with an IBU of 66. I am not sure if Foothills will continue this series next year. But I really think they should, it is a great seller for them and it is also a popular item for Foothills. This one does not have a nickname that I could find, and I don’t know why it doesn’t. December is a double IPA with Caramel midnight wheat malts; there is also dry-hopped Chinook and Simcoe. December pours a red hued color with a three and a half finger bright head that sticks around for a while and leaves behind big whips of lacing. I found some small amounts of light streaming through with some carbonation as well. The aroma on December is like a bold grapefruit with some malted characteristics with touches of a grassy/piney note. The taste is smooth with a citrus grapefruit flavor with some malted grassy notes and piney notes. I didn’t really find any of the wheat’s there; I guess the citrus covers that flavor over. When drinking this IPA there isn’t a point where you get a hoppy bite of attack. The mouth feel is medium and This December IPA has a bitter citrus finish with a nice grassy/piney citrus grapefruit after taste. I enjoyed this IPA of the Month so I would give this an A+, and the whole series gets an A. This has been a fun IPA experience and I hope to see this next year in 2015. I would love to see what they would do next. So go out and try Foothills IPA of the Month December 2014 or any of the months in this wonderful series. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!   

Anchor Winter Wheat

The Wheat beer is usually thought of when spring or summer comes around and we don’t really think of them during other seasons of the year. But the Anchor Brewing Company does. Over in San Francisco California Anchor brews Anchor Winter Wheat, 7.0% ABV. Anchor has been making wheat beers since the summer of 1984, but they have been golden summer refreshers instead of dark winter warmers-until now. Anchor Winter Wheat is made with a unique blend of malted barley and five wheats from Belgium, Germany, the Midwest, and a Family seventy-five miles away from San Francisco, where Anchor gets their soft re winter wheat. This wheat is sown in November and harvested in June. Anchor Winter Wheat pours a deep dark black with brown hues on the edges with a two finger creamy brown head the sticks around for a little while and quickly fades into light lacing. No light is visible through the glass and I couldn’t see much of any carbonation bubbles on this beer due to the dark color of this beer. The aroma is somewhat roasted with bits of some spiced chocolate and a hint of dark fruit notes. Anchor Winter Wheat has a rich roasted chocolate taste to it that has hints of a dark fruit and a bit of a lite spice note. The mouth feel is medium to almost full and somewhat rich. Anchor Winter Wheat finishes nice and smooth with touches of a spicy note and has a rich semi sweet chocolate finish. Overall this is not a bad beer, so I would give this C+. I would’ve thought there would be more of a wheat flavor to this beer and that is was going to be more of a dunkelwiezen, but it was more like a porter, but still a good beer and an interesting take on a winter warmer/dark wheat beer.  This beer is more on the heavier side but nothing like any stout, but enjoyable still. I wouldn’t rush to have this again because I didn’t find it as easy to drink as some winter beers out there. But I might have this again. So go and try Anchor Winter Wheat for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Terrapin W-n-B (Wake and Bake) Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

I have wanted to try this dark stout for a while now. I finally found a single bottle of Terrapin W-n-B (Wake and Bake) Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout, 9.4%. Terrapin is from Athens, Georgia, and usually has a turtle or ‘terrapin’ on the label and bottle cap. That is their logo/mascot; I think they call him Spike. Well, this particular beer has been brewed for ten years now. Wake and Bake pours a deep dark black color with a two-finger tan/brown head that fades quickly to the sides for the glass, leaving a tan right around the edge of the glass. I found no light, and  I did not find any signs of carbonation bubbles. Wake & Bake smells like a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Flavor much like the aroma; there is a big coffee taste with a bit of sweetness. There is also a trace of low bitterness and a touch of some molasses. If you like coffee, then you will like this taste on this Wake and Bake. As this beer warms, it becomes less sweet and a touch bitterer with the coffee flavor still there. The mouthfeel is full silky. Overall this beer sounds like it’s a big beer. But it does not drink that way. So I would give this an A-, I would like it to be a pinch sweeter without losing the big coffee flavor, but I sill really enjoyed Terrapin Wake and Bake, and would have this again. I recommend Terrapin Wake and Bake for anyone who likes coffee. So go out and try this Terrapin Wake and Bake Stout for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Newcastle Caledonian Scotch Ale

Newcastle beer is one of the most popular English beers here in the United States. Newcastle is famous for it’s Brown Ale. But for a few years now Newcastle has been brew other beer through out the season, with beers such as, Werewolf, Bombshell, Founders, winter IPA and Cabbie. But now Newcastle is Collaborating with the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh Scotland U.K. This is the first in the Collaboration Edition, Scotch Ale 6.4% ABV, and is brewed in the Caledonian brewery. Scotch Ale is a classic brew that originated in Edinburgh Scotland in the eighteen century. Newcastle Scotch Ale pours a dark red like with a brown tint to it and has a two finger creamy white head that somewhat slowly fades away. I found there to be very little amount of light coming through the glass with great amounts of carbonation bubble racing to the creamy head. The aroma upon Newcastle Scotch Ale is semi sweet with bits of toffee and some malted scents. Newcastle Scotch Ale has a little sweet taste up front that is with toffee and faint hints of some sweet malts, but then you come across faint roasted notes along with less toffee and more creamy faint bitterness that is light. The mouth feel is medium and nicely drinkable. Newcastle Scotch Ale has bit of a light bitter toffee finish and the after taste is of malt toffee sweetness and a light bitterness. Overall not really what I was expecting but not that bad, so I would say that this beer is a C+. Yes I found this average, but I think that is good because it might appeal to a wider audience and will sell better I guess, but I this is like most of Newcastle’s other beers, just average, not bad though nor is it really good. I liked it enough, but I would not rush out and buy another six-pack once this one is gone, but I would have this again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!