1269. Short’s Exterior Illumination

Really delicious and enjoyable sour.

Very tart, upfront and in the aftertaste.  

This tastes exactly how I want a sour to taste. 

Yummy!

Although, based on the label art, I’m pretty sure this is a winter seasonal beer?  Nonetheless, I’m glad I found the bottle!

1268. Great Lakes Holy Moses

First, let me address this - YES, this is my third raspberry beer today.  Not sure how that happened, but it did.  This one ranks third, out of the three. 

Second, somehow this is my first ever Great Lakes Beer?  Which is odd, I know I see this brewery often at the liquor store, but...  I know for a fact we had their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter in our beer fridge - but it looks like Caitlin May have drank that!

Sometimes I drink white ales with spices added - and those spices just don’t sit right with me.  I have a feeling that’s how Great Lakes’ standard white is.  

Because while I enjoy raspberry - this white Ale just has a funky/spicy taste to it, that I’m not a fan of.  The raspberry aroma is very present, but doesn’t prepare my mouth for the awkward spicy sensations that accompany this beverage.  

Beer is blah.  I don’t hate it, but I won’t buy it again. 

1267. Left Hand Raspberry Milk Stout

The raspberry aroma is very strong and enjoyable.  

I often assume that a beer with raspberry and lactose would give me a smoothie type of effect - but it never happens, and didn’t happen with this beer either.  

The raspberries are very powerful upfront, and then mellow out as the chocolate malts and lactose smooth out the back half of this beer.  

The can claims to have notes of coffee, but I don’t taste any of them - at least not powerful, it’s possible that they are subtle in transition between flavors.  

Overall, it was good - but I don’t need to ever drink one again. 

1266. Anderson Valley The Kimmie, The Yink & The Holy Gose

This is probably my favorite of today’s trifecta. 

Big punch of sour up front.  

Very tart, tastes like some good lemon and/or citrus flavors to it.  Light, fruity, and the aftertaste is like having just eaten a Sour Patch Kid.  Really enjoying this beer. 

1265. Anderson Valley Framboise Rose Gose

This Gose packs more of a punch up front, which should be expected from Framboise. I really like raspberries, and this has some good initial flavor, but the lingering flavor in the aftertaste isn’t my favorite.  I can’t pin down why that is...  This is still a very good and enjoyable beer.  

1264. Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

A couple of years back I tried the Melon Gose from Anderson Valley and my review was positive, saying I really enjoyed the melon.  So, when I saw three more Goses from them at the liquor store, I knew I needed to make a Trifecta Afternoon out of them.  

First up is the Blood Orange Gose. 

The Sour is at a good level, not mouth-puckering but enough punch that I know it’s a Sour.  The orange flavor is very prominent and lingers in the after taste.  Very light and easy to drink, and very refreshing. 

1263. Pipeworks Smore Money Smore Problems

This beer is interesting.

Odd. 

It’s not as good as #622 DinoS’mores.

But it’s not bad.  

It’s different.  

It’s SO sweet with vanilla that it almost tastes like a sour, that flavor quickly settles into a sweetness that finished with some subtle graham cracker taste.  

I am sure the marshmallow is somewhere in here, but I’m having trouble pinning it down. 

So, just like #1252 Samoa This, I paired this with the Girl Scouts’ S’mores cookies.  The cookies didn’t change the taste of the beer too much, but they did go together nicely.  

1262. Sierra Nevada No Middle Ground

This was a very Coffee-flavored beer.

The bitterness wasn’t too bad, but since I don’t like coffee, that’s all I could taste. 

Caitlin felt like the coffee was overshadowed by hops. So, we have different opinions on this beer. 

1261. Upland Modern Tart

I wasn’t to kind about the last “Tart” Sour I tried from Upland. Beer #1115 Upland's Two of Tarts was really blah.

However, Modern Tart is very tasty. It’s thick and cloud, and drinks almost like sour-watered-down-Orange Juice.  And that’s a good thing.  It’s not too thick, but it has weight to it and the Sour flavor is really enjoyable. I don’t really like apricots, but it looks like they make for good Sour flavors. 

1260. Odd Side Beer Me

Plain.  Simple. 

“Glorified Miller Lite”.

It’s easy to drink.  It’s tasty-ish.

1259. Hoppin’ Frog Grapefruit Turbo Shandy Citrus Ale

My first Pool Beer of 2019!!!
Jae left this beer with me last night, and I thought it sounded like something refreshing for the pool.
The grapefruit is very strong, and makes it a little difficult for me to want more.
It's a fine beer, it's refreshing, but it hits hard with grapefruit flavor up front, and that's pretty heavy before it goes down smooth.  I don't dislike it, but I won't buy it for myself.

1258. Shmaltz She’Brew

It's a Double IPA.
It's a Hop Head Beer.
I'm not a hop head.  Some of the flavors are good, but it's just too dry and bitter for my preference. 

1257. Burn ‘Em Gluttony

There is so much going on with this beer.
It's creamy and smooth with a nice sweetness from the honey and syrup.
The sweetness blends with the cocoa so well.  It's an imperial that drinks too easy - it could be trouble.

1256. Untitled Art Coconut Milk Stout

My BIRTHDAY BEER from Jae!!!

This coconut deliciousness makes up for my precious coconut beer today.  Silky, creamy, smooth stout.  Very nice coconut flavor in the aroma, minor coconut flavor in the drink itself.  I’m letting it warm up some more - but it’s still enjoyable at 43 degrees.  

This was a great present, and a wonderful way to end my birthday! 🥥🍺🥥

1255. Pipeworks Super Pina Collider

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

It officially ticked past midnight, meaning I am yet another year old, and need to celebrate with a beer. 

I’ve been saving this big boy for this moment.  

...and I’m really disappointed.  

White stouts tend to be really good...

Bourbon Barrel Beers tend to be really good...

I love coconut flavor, when I can taste it...

This beer isn’t bad.  It’s just not good.  The bourbon flavor is there.  The aroma is fruity, but no coconut. The taste is...  hard to describe.  It’s literally bourbon up front, with a bourbon aftertaste.  Not much in the middle.  Clocking in at 12%, and my disdain for it...  I don’t know if I’m going to finish it.  Disappointing, this is the only beer from Pipeworks I have ever disliked...

1254. Sun King/Rhinegeist Hoppiness Jones

Remember when I REALLY enjoyed BEER #874 Sun King/Rhinegeist’s Emergency Malt Kit?

Yeah.  This is the polar opposite.  

I was hoping this would be a mellow and flavorful IPA - I was wrong.  It’s a mouthful of hops. If you’re a Hop-Head, it’s your jam.  It’s just not mine. 

1253. Sun King/3 Floyd’s Maximum Overdrive

10-4 Good Buddy Beer #3.

Decent Porter, but nothing that really stands out.  Full bodied flavors up front, but a really dry and bitter finish. 

1252. Southern Tier Samoa This

This beer is absolutely amazing. 

Full flavored and full bodied with an amazing aroma. 

The coconut smell comes through strong, but the flavor is overtaken by liquid chocolate and caramel flavors that flows so smoothly.  

Since I horde Samoas, I made sure to break out some to pair this beer with - and it is an amazingly wonderful pair.  The beer and cookie flavors linger in tandem and make my mouth very happy.  

Also...  I don’t know if it’s the cookie or the beer warming up - but the coconut flavors are more discernible as time goes on.   Basically, it’s getting more delictible with each drink I take. 

1251. Sun King/Austin Beerworks Collabergé

Very dry, but smooth.  

Bitter, but not too bad. 

Beer is okay, but not my jam. 

However, I don’t hate it. 

1250. Revolution/Sun King Code Switch

This Revolution/Sun King Collaboration is from last year, and I’ve saved it to drink with my brother. 

Revolution being from Chicago - where Scott lives. 

And Sun King being from Indy - where I live. 

Today, we finally got to share it.  

This is a big boy, a sipping beer. 

Full flavored, it warms the throat on its way down. The blackberries add a lot of sweetness, but not a large amount of flavor.  It’s a big and bold tasty ale. 

1249. Sun King/Cigar City Highway Queen

Sun King’s 10th Anniversary brought the 10-4 Good Buddy Variety Pack.  Four Collaborations they did with four other breweries.

I started with the one I assumed would be my favorite - and it was DELICIOUS!!!  One of the best sours I have ever drank.  All the fruit flavors mesh together really with with a perfectly constant sour flavor and aftertaste.  

If you like sours, this one is perfect. 

1248. Bell’s Porter

Pretty plain and simple.

It tastes like a generic Porter. 

1247. Taxman Cherry Wit-Held

Decent beer, but nothing special.

Good cherry flavors, with a typical wheat beer finish. 

Very drinkable, but it doesn’t stand out.

1246. Natural Light Naturdays

This beer SMELLS amazing.

It tastes like booty garbage. 

1245. Blind Owl Comb Sweet Comb

1244. DuClaw Sour Me Unicorn Farts

1243. Golden Road Mango Cart

1242. Yuengling Golden

1241. BrewDog Pulp Patriot

The reviews led me to believe I would enjoy this beer. They said it was fruity and had almost no bitterness.  Well, they lied.  However, despite my initial disdain towards this beer, it grew on me after the second one. 

The aroma is very-bitter, and the initial taste followed through with that expectation.  The lactose seemed to make it smoother, with some mild fruity flavors, but it still turned out to be a very dry beer in the end.  As it warmed up - because I wasn’t drinking these quickly - it seemed to mellow out and become more approachable with its fruit flavors becoming more noticeable.  Not my favorite, but I was glad I tried this hybrid. 

1224 REVISITED - TAX DAY 2019

It’s Tax Day 2019!

So that means I need to drink a Taxman Beer!

Enjoying the Red Wine Barrel Qualified! 🍻

937 REVISITED. NOT 1241.

So, I got bamboozled this year, thinking that People’s Battalion was a new Indy Eleven Beer - because of the new can.  (I thought it was a third, after Flat 12’s Full 90, it’s still just the second)

I was wrong. 

It’s the same dry and bitter beer that I complained about HERE.

Outdoor sports - or sports in general - need LIGHT, crisp, and refreshing beers to make the time enjoyable.  I hate dry-mouth more than anything, and that’s all this beer does.  Which doesn’t make me want to drink a lot of them while watching my team. 

1240. Taxman Exemption

When I did my write up on Peddie’s Blog and compared our beers - I learned that I had never had Exemption.  (True be told, I’m pretty sure I have - it was just never documented). Tonight at dinner, I made sure I could add it to the website.  

It’s delicious.  

Trippels are yummy.  

Great flavors all around.

1239. Kona Pipeline

I’ve been mad at Kona for a few years and haven’t really tried any of their new products.  Ever since they sold out to a Macro and started mass producing their beers - I haven’t been happy with the quality.  Specifically, how Kona Brown (Coconut Brown Ale) went from SO MUCH coconut flavor - to none. 

Tonight, at the liquor store I found Koko Brown.  And despite my declining opinion of it - I buy it anytime I find it.  It’s only available from January to April, and each year I hope they fixed the Macro-recipe. I noticed they had a Kona Coffee Porter next to it, and decided, I would give it a try too - since that’s one of Caitlin’s favorite styles. 

It’s a really decent Porter.  The coffee is very subtle and the beer goes down really smooth - like ZERO IBUs smooth.  Really tasty, and I don’t like coffee. 

1238. Stone Enter Night

It’s Metallica Night in Indianapolis - so, since I’m not at the sho, I felt like it would be the best night to drink Stone’s beer that was brewed in collaboration with Metallica.  

Like most Stone beers, it’s dry and hoppy - not a light and crisp Pilsner.  It’s a mouthful.  

1237. Short’s Fload

Really delicious sour.  

Silky smooth with a sour punch up front, and then it lingers in the corners of your mouth.  Delicious. 

1236. Platform Caramelicious

There are a lot of flavors going on here, and they all come together pretty well. It's not an amazing beer, but it's pretty enjoyable.  I've had better, but I've had way worse.  I would never turn one down, it is very smooth and sweet.

I've seen a lot from Platform in Ohio, and I am glad I tried this one.  Looking forward to many more from them.

1235. Triton White Chocolate Golden Ale

This beer is fine.  I'm a little disappointed, just because I was hoping to find something closer to home that would be on par with Sonoran's White Chocolate.  While this beer is tasty, it's not on the same level.  It tastes more like an ale - and not like melted white chocolate.  Still drinkable, just not what I was hoping for.

1234. Indiana City Früt Brüt IPA

1233. BrewDog Radio Zombie Phone In

1232. Taxman 2018 Q3

1231. Taxman 2018 Q2

That Q1 went down so smooth, quick and easy - so I decided I was in the mood for the Q2.
Belgian and Brett yeasts - two of my favorites.
The beer starts off with an awesome upfront punch of sour, that finishes with the honey sweetness on the back end and it lingers for a bit.  Personally, I enjoy the sour - the honey is just not my thing.

1230. Taxman 2018 Q1

Back story for this beer...
In 2018, I collected Q1, Q2, and Q3 throughout the year.  I spent all of December looking for Q4, because I had a gimmicky post in mind, called My 2018 Taxman Year End Audit.  I was going to drink all four of them together, and try to write up a nice piece on all four of them.

I reached out on Twitter on January 11th...

After a month with no reply, I reached out again.  I was hoping I would be told they had them for sale at one of their locations.  Alas, they never answered my second attempt.

This really sucks, not only because I still haven't found a bottle...
In 2018, Taxman vaulted to the top of my Indiana Breweries, and became my favorite.  A spot long held by Indiana City Brewing, now belonged to Taxman.  Their Coconut Variant of Evasion, 401(Cake), Frozen Assests (and Imperial Frozen Assets), No Sparge, and recently their Red Wine Barrel Qualified have all been some of the best and most enjoyable beers I have drank recently.

This brings us to 2018 Q1.
It's a really light and refreshing Farmhouse Ale, that goes down light and easy, and finishes with a small hint of sour.  I assume the sour comes from the white wine barrels this beer was aged on.

Another delicious offering from Taxman.

1229. Shmaltz Terrans Unite!

The second beer of our "Star Trek" Double-Header!
An IPA dedicated to the Mirror Universe of "Star Trek".
While drinking these beers, I learned of the Federation of Beer which seems to round up all of the available "Star Trek" beer options.  As of this posting, I have done three of the six beers they have listed on their page.  I would love to try the Captain's Holiday Ale or the Klingon Imperial Porter.  I will have to keep my eyes out for those...

Terrans Unite! was fine.  It was an IPA, and I drank it.  I didn't hate it, but I don't need to ever drink another one.  Ben enjoyed this one better than the golden ale.