1472. Platform For the Shoe

Platform is responsible for one of my recent favor beers - #1449 - The Coconut Guava Jelly Donut.  Which sounded so weird, but I loved all the flavors together.

So, I bought this beer to drink on the Opening Day of the Indianapolis Colts' 2020 Season.

It's an IPA, which isn't my favorite style, but luckily this one isn't too bad.

It doesn't have a lot of flavor, it isn't too dry or hoppy, and it's low on bitterness.

So, while I don't really like it, it's also very easy to drink - and I don't hate it.

I don't plan to buy it again at any point this season, but it was fun for the opening game.

1471. Sun King Bourbon-Barrel Donuts

So, Full Disclosure.  Sun King Brewery has been providing me with a lot of beers recently, so that I can drink them each week when I record the Shane Talks Podcast.  It's an unofficial sponsorship, but it's a situation that really works out well for me.  I get to try a lot of Sun King Beers, I've been given some special beers (a lot of King's Reserves) and all I have to do is talk about how much I like them.  That's easy for me.

However, because I'm getting set up for the podcast, it looks like I forgot - for a second time - to take a picture of the beer in its glassware with the bottle.  So, once again, I will have to include the shot from the episode while I was talking about the beer.

So, onto the beer - it's amazing.  I really, really like this beer.

The bourbon up front hits hard, and then it quickly mellows out with the creamy delicious chocolate flavor.  And this is good chocolate flavor - not powdery cacao flavor.  The beer was brewed with 500 donuts from Jack's Donuts, and the flavor really comes through.  The aftertaste even boasts a little bit of a bread-like taste, which probably convinced my brain that I had just taken a big bite of a chocolate donut.

I have another bottle of it, and I can't wait for the special occasion that Caitlin and I open it up.

1470. Sun King Diddy Muckle

 Similar to Gran Muckle, but lacking the cinnamon - I do prefer this Muckle to the other Muckle.

I learned this is aged in Pappy Van Winkle's 20 Year Barrels, so that's probably why the bourbon flavor is so smooth and enjoyable.  It's really big upfront with some vanilla, sugar, molasses flavors.

I drank it during an episode of the Shane Talks Podcast - and it turns out that I forgot to get a picture of the beer in its glassware.

1469. Grand Armory Mother Schmucker Raspberry Ale

This was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller, he bought it on his family trip to Michigan.

It's absolutely delicious!  I'm a big fruit beer guy, and with the added tart from the raspberries, I really enjoyed this beer.  A little sugary, which would stop me from drinking a lot of them - but I really enjoyed this one outside on the deck.

1468. Sun King Gran Muckle

 I assume the base of this beer is brewed similar to Sun King's Wee Mac, which I think is an okay beer, but it doesn't stand out to me.  My wife likes it a lot, but she has ever started to shy away from it.

The Gran Muckle does improve on that Scottish style flavor, and the whiskey aging adds a very enjoyable layer to this flavor profile.  It's taken one step further with the addition of cinnamon, which honestly doesn't really matter to me.  It's a nice little extra punch of flavor, but it doesn't make me like it anymore.  It's a fine beer, and I would pick it over Wee Mac given the choice.

1467. Heavy Seas Red Flag

 Caitlin and I picked up this beer on a trip to Jungle Jim's.

The Flanders styles are usually pretty enjoyable, and adding the barrel-aging to this one had an interesting effect on the flavor.  It's bigger up front, and the sour starts off very subtle, and builds towards the end of the drink.  I really enjoyed it, but don't feel obligated to ever buy it again.

1466. Odd13 Brewing Jetman Jimmy

 This beer was a gift from my buddy Jae Hampton.  He bought it for me specifically in honor of our friend Jimmy Otto, and he said he loved the mental image of "Jetman Jimmy".

It's a Hazy Golden Ale, and it's ok.  It's pretty light, and easy to drink, with nothing special about it - aside from it's name.

1465. Sun King Johan

 Tonight, Jason and I went joined by a few of our friends to record a 20th Anniversary Reunion for our first film "Consternate", which we premiered on December 19th, 2000.

For this recording, I decided to drink a Sun King Johan.

Why?

Because Johan was the first beer that Sun King ever brewed, and we were celebrating the first film we ever made.  So, it seemed like a perfect combo.

I swear that I have tried this beer before, but it's nowhere on the website, so this makes it official.

The beer is BIG and tasty.  The barrel-aging on top of the Barleywine makes this beer a sipper.  The flavors are strong and the bourbon kind of overpowers a lot of the taste.  It's very good, but something that should be reserved for special occasions.  

1464. Sun King Leap Year

This beer has been out for a while, but I’m just finally getting my hands on it. I absolutely love it.  It’s nice and tart sour, and it goes down really easily.  The sour doesn’t linger too long, just enough. 

This beer was given to me by a friend who works for Sun King.  Last week, I drank a Founders beer on the Podcast, and my friend contacted me and said, “If you’re going to be drinking beer on your Podcast, let me give you some GOOD beer to drink...”. And he did.  So, the next few weeks, Jason and I will be promoting the Sun King beers we drink each week. 

Sun King and GenCon - 2020 Update

With tonight's addition of Genevieve, it's time for an updated GenCon Photo.

2020 - Genevieve (#1463)

2019 - Brewtron 9000 (#1292)

2018 - Everlasting Gamer (#1294 - added a year late)

2017 - Dragon’s Delight (#988)

2015 - Drink on and Prosper (#694)

2014 - Froth of Kahn (#580)

There has been no Time-Travel-Miracle (yet).

I am still missing three previous beers...

2016’s Twenty-Sided Rye

2013's Flagon Slayer

2012's Ale of Destiny  

1463. Sun King Genevieve

Despite GenCon getting cancelled, Sun King still released their beer for this year!  It’s a Belgian Amber Ale, and it’s got a complicated profile to it.  There is a lot going on, and the Belgian influence is apparent. It’s malt profile is very Amber-like, and the flavor of the Belgian yeast is strong. It’s an okay combination, but I don’t love the beer. 

1462. Sun King Lemon Shandy Sunlight Cream Ale

I’ve been enjoying the Orange Vanilla Sunlight all summer - this one is even better!  It’s got a nice tart lemon flavor upfront and then it goes down creamy good.  The tart doesn’t linger too long, but does leave a refreshing taste in my mouth.  I can’t wait for this to end up in cans, I will drink a bunch of them before the end of the summer. 

1461. Founders Más Agave

This delicious beer was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller. 

Yes, I have stepped up my Miller-Game, and now have both awesome brothers picking me up beers when they travel - I am truly blessed with the Miller Boys. 

On to the beer.  

A Lime Gose, aged in Tequila barrels. 

It’s delicious. 

It’s not a sour Gose, it’s very tart, and even that’s tamed down by the tequila - which gives it a nice smooth finish and reminds you that it was there. 

It’s light. It goes down easier than it should for a 10% ABV.

I really enjoy this beer!

I gave Garrett a shout-out for getting me this beer, as I drank it during this week’s Podcast episode (https://youtu.be/AT_hxDc7C9w).

1460. Country Boy Lemonade Lager

Really disappointed with this beer. 

It’s a dry lager, and it’s not fruity or sweet at all.  

I don’t ever plan to drink this again. 

1459. West Side Gose

Pretty bland Gose. 

It has some tart up front, but it doesn’t linger for very long. 

It’s a fine drink, light and easy, but it’s just bland. 

1458. Fifty West Doom Pedal (Q♦️)

It’s been a LONG time since I posted any Bicycle Series beers.  While in Ohio, I finally ran across a brewery I’ve been looking for each time I went to Ohio.  So, I was finally able to add it. 

(I’ve also done numerous New Glarus beers, and keep forgetting to use one of them for the card...)

This beee is okay.  

There is nothing special about it, but it’s not bad.  

Just a standard ale with some extra flavor to it. 

1457. Rockmill Cerise

This is light and easy to drink.

It goes down very quick, and honestly doesn't have a whole lot of flavor to it.

It has a hint of cherry flavor, but nothing that really gives this beer anything special.

It's odd for such a plain beer to come from a brewery that the can says was established ten years ago.  This tastes like something I would expect from a brewery in their first year.

1456. Kona Mai Time Wheat Ale

Orange, Pineapple, Lime.

All those flavors are present, the orange is the most powerful.

It's all fine in a wheat beer.  It's tasty, but nothing amazing.

It's a little too heavy for me to want to sit outside and drink them in the heat, but they aren't bad for drinking inside.  It's good, but nothing great.

1455. Southern Tier White Chocolate Raspberry Imperial Milk Stout

HOLY WOW!!!

So many amazing flavors all packed into a single beer, it's amazing!

It's light, it's refreshing, it's smooth, it's tart but not overpowering, and the white chocolate flavor lingers after you drink.  It's listed at 10% ABV, but it goes down easier than a Miller Lite, so this beer could get dangerous.

1454. Eagle Banana Bread Beer

Caitlin picked out this beer, and I am glad that she was willing to drink the rest of it.

I did not enjoy the beer at all - but Caitlin did.

It really does taste like banana bread, so it's exactly what it advertises - but I'm not a fan of banana bread, so it's too perfect for me to enjoy.

1453. Urban Artifact Photo Booth

Another gose.  More sour delicious.

It's tart and enjoyable.

Grapefruit usually isn't my favorite, but it's not bad in this beer.

1452. Fifty West Ocean City Strawberry Gose

I absolutely love this beer.

There is really nothing special about it, but it's fruity and its sour, and it makes my mouth happy.

1451. Left Hand Gettin' Tiki With It Nitro

Eh, blah.

This sounds like a beer that I should love.

Pina Colado flavors are ones that I tend to enjoy, and I do like wheat beers.

But...  Something about this doesn't go down right in my mouth.

It might be the nitro?  It is really smooth going down, but the flavors just don't taste good to me.

The nitro seems to make it taste "flat" as it goes down like thick pineapple flavored water.

I was really disappointed, because I thought I was going to like it a lot.

1450. Blue Stallion Ya Damn Skippy

Very tasty beer!  Caitlin and I have trouble finding Peanut Butter Porters we actually like.  

This is the third one we have found, after Big Woods/Quaff On! Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle and Evil Genius Purple Monkey.

The peanut butter flavor is really nice and balances the chocolate well.  It was a very tasty beer.

1449. Platform Coconut Guava Jelly Donut

This beer is AMAZING!

So delicious and tasty.

Caitlin and I found it at Party Source in Newport, and I later bought more of it at Jungle Jim's because I wanted more to drink.

Upfront, this is a delicious fruity sour, the "jelly" flavor is very strong upfront.

Then, what makes this beer delicious, is that the coconut flavor slowly creeps in on the back end and then lingers.  Leaving a great coconut taste in my mouth, after the sour is gone.

It's two flavors that I really love, and I can't believe they work so well together in the same beer.

1448. Urban Artifact Spyglass

Really enjoyable beer for drinking outside.

The lemon-lime flavor is really nice and tart, and it drinks very light and refreshing.

They go down quick and are very enjoyable.

1447. BrewDog Ballistic Cherry

Very similar to the Berry version, with a definite Cherry flavor in this one.

It's good, but nothing great - and I prefer the flavors of the Berry version.

1446. BrewDog Ballistic Berry

Really good berry flavor, and a small kick of sour.

Enjoyable to drink, but there isn't anything amazing about it.

BrewDog Pride AF

So, I'm not giving this 'beer" a number, since it is a non-alcoholic beer.

However, I am going to say this:  It's probably my favorite beer I have ever drank.

Or, at least as far as a beer I would want to drink everyday.  It's delicious.  Seriously, amazing.

The best NA I have ever tasted, and it's a great sour beer.  Nice and tart, that leaves my mouth puckering.

I would seriously consider drinking this NA for good, if it was more readily available.

1445. The Bruery Mash & Coconut

Ryan Miller has finally found the BEST coconut beer I have ever drank.

It's amazing.  It's delicious.

The coconut flavor is powerful, most likely being brought out by the bourbon-barrel aging.

1444. Big Lug Kristofferson

Oatmeal Pale Ale?

Ok...  it’s blah.  

It’s dry and hoppy.  

I don’t taste oatmeal. 

It’s fine.  I don’t hate it. 

1443. Avery Barrel-Aged Raspberry Sour

Oh my!!!  This is beyond delicious.  

The red raspberries POP with sour flavors, and the oak barrel aging doesn’t make it heavy to drink, it just make the flavors burst out even more than normal.  It’s still light - at 6% - and just makes my mouth pucker for another drink. 

I really enjoy this. 

1442. Breckenridge Nitro Raspberry Vanilla

Silky smooth and tart creamy delicious.

Oddly, the vanilla isn't present much in the flavor, but I feel like it blends with the nitro to make this beer go down as smoothly as it does.  The raspberry flavor is subtle but still present and tastes really good.

1441. BrewDog Overworks Dream Catcher

A sour...  with coffee?  This beer had me intrigued.  Upon the first drink, I  was still a little confused.

I'm confused because I like it.

I'm confused because it's sour.

I'm confused because there is definitely a coffee taste too.

The beer is really good.  I like it, more than I expected.

Good sour flavors, with this odd hint of coffee, but it's just subtle enough that it doesn't bother me.

1440. BrewDog Dumpster Fire

This beer is absolutely delicious.  Fruity and tart, with a perfect sour aftertaste that makes me yearn for another drink.  It's light ABV of 3.5% makes this something I could drink all day long.

1439. Evil Genius Purple Monkey Dishwasher Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter

Tonight, we did S'mores on the new deck/firepit.

I usually enjoy my S'mores by using Reese Cups in place of the chocolate.

So, this was by far the most perfect beer to pair with my snack.

The beer is good and tasty, not as amazing as I hoped, the peanut butter is pretty subtle, but the chocolate is there for sure.

1438. College Street Big Blue Van

A Blueberry Vanilla Wheat beer.

All of the flavors are perfectly balanced.

It's got a nice, smooth vanilla flavor up front while drinking, and the tart blueberries linger in the aftertaste.  It's a little thick and hazy, and it tastes really good.

1437. Huss Brewing Coconut Joe

FINALLY!

A delicious Coconut beer.

Jeff and I killed two pitchers of this delicious beer, and I love it all.

Semi-sweet and creamy stout up front, and a very nice lingering coconut flavor in the back end.

I really enjoyed it.

I do regret not trying the blend our bartender suggested:  Like a snakebite - with their Coffee Porter on the bottom, and Coconut Joe on the top.  She said it was really good, but after two pitchers (and I don't really like coffee...), I felt like I didn't need to try it, but I wish I had.

1436. Fate Brewing Buena Vista Blonde Ale

Nice blonde ale.  Nothing stands out, but its easy to drink and tastes good.

1435. Pedal Haus Biere Blanche Belgian Wheat

Good wheat beer, but again - nothing special about it.

Not sure why it won a GABF Gold...???

1434. Pedal Haus Day Drinker Light Lager

Just another "Glorified Miller Lite".

Nothing special.  It's a little on the "hoppy" side...  I am in Arizona and closer to the West Coast, so this should be expected.

1433. Stone/The Bruery Fahrt Die Ziege

A Birthday Beer brought to me by Ryan Miller.

A delicious Belgian that we shared.  Great, powerful fruit flavors, and a big Belgian finish.  Really tasty.

1432. Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale

Really enjoyable brown ale, nothing really special about it, but it has a very nice flavor.