1569. Rochester Mills Orange Whip

I've been a huge fan of Rochester Mills in the past two years because of their Milkshake Stouts.

So, I thought I might enjoy a Milkshake IPA.  I'd recently had an IPA with lactose and vanilla and that seemed to make some enjoyable flavors.

Sadly, it did not work with me and this beer.

The dry and bitter IPA was too overpowering for the orange and vanilla flavors to come through.  

There was some minor orange, but no "creamy" flavor to go with it.  The more I allowed it to warm up, the more the orange flavor started to stand out - but there was never any "creamy" to go along with it.  I had hoped for a melted Creamsicle type flavor, and this was nowhere near that.

430 REVISITED: New Glarus Spotted Cow

This beer was the first one I ever tried from New Glarus back in November of 2013.

It was BEER #430 on the website, and when I looked back to see my review: it basically still stands the exact same as it was seven-ish years ago.  In 2013, it was a gift from Ryan Miller, this time, it was given to me by Garrett Miller.

I really enjoy the flavors of this beer, I usually like Farmhouse ales, and the live yeast always tends to add some enjoyable extra flavor while it cask conditions.  I drank this beer pretty quickly, because like I said, the delicious flavor doesn't last long - and that's still my only complaint.

1568. New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

Perviously, Ryan Miller has given me this beer.  I vividly remember drinking it with him at his house in Broad Ripple.  However, it never made it onto the website.  So, now I am posting one that Garrett gave me.  (And of course, I didn't notice that my camera had focused on Garrett - and not the beer.  So, that's a bummer that the beer bottle is out of focus....)

This was probably my favorite New Glarus before I drank the Raspberry Tart.  The cherry flavor is this beer is BIG, and really delicious.  However, it's not as sour or tart as the Raspberry Tart.  It's still got minor tart and sour flavor to it, but nothing as powerful as the Raspberry Tart.  Still, it's a delicious beer, and I enjoyed every single drink of it.

1567. New Glarus Fat Squirrel

Earlier today, Garrett and I were talking about how much we both really love Brown Ales this time of the year, and I was complaining that barely anyone makes brown ales anymore.  They are one of the harder styles of beer to find - and very hard to find an actual GOOD one.

Well, New Glarus makes a GOOD ONE.  Garrett told me this was his favorite beer from New Glarus and I can see why.  The flavors are really good, it's nice and heavy with a light flavor.  It makes me mouth happy while it warms up my throat.  Very delicious beer here.

1566. New Glarus Raspberry Tart

OH.......  This beer is magically delicious.

The Miller Brothers recently went up to Wisconsin for the Packers/Bucs game, and from what I hear, they came back with a large amount of cases of beer from New Glarus.  

This was the one I specifically asked them to bring back for me - and I LOVE IT.  The raspberry flavor is perfect, and it's a little more sour than tart, which I love.  It makes my mouth water just thinking about this beer.  One of my favorite beers I've drank recently.

1565. Founder's Marvelroast

This beer tricks you.  From the look of it, you think you're getting a light beer.  But, it's heavier than the golden color leads you to believe, and it packs a huge punch of coffee to it.  However, despite the fact that I don't like coffee, it feels like the vanilla and milk sugars numb the bitter taste and makes for a very enjoyable blend of flavors.

This beer was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller, during a trip he took back at the end of summer.  It sat in the back of fridge until tonight, when I thought it might be a good time to pull it out.

1564. Heretic Shallow Grave

This beer is a very nice and enjoyable porter.  Chocolate and caramel flavors blend pretty well together.   It's pretty light to drink, and the flavors linger for an enjoyable amount of time.

1563. Sun King We Muckle

Very similar to Wee Mac, but with fewer flavors.  Really just chocolate and toffee to taste.

It's kind of thick with chocolate flavor, and very smooth and sweet from the toffee.  It was tasty, but nothing magical.

1562. Almanac Foudre Punch

I really enjoyed this beer.  It's pretty delicious.  All of the berry flavors blend together really well, and it's not super sour, it's just the perfect amount of mild sour mixed with tart.  I drank a lot of these today.

1561. Warpigs Four Phantoms

Almost every other Warpigs beer has been an insane pale ale.

I was beyond happy to find they made a blonde.  

My happiness was quickly shut down.

It might claim its a blonde, but it's the driest and most bitter blonde beer I have ever drank.

It's literally an IPA Lite.

1560. Sun King Stupid Sexy Flanders

This was supposed to be a "revisited" beer, because I know I've drank it - and enjoyed it - in the past.

But when I went to find out it original number, it was not there.  So, it somehow skipped getting posted.

It's a deliciously tart red ale.  Just the right amount of sour to be very enjoyable.  Minor fruit flavors to it, but nothing overpowering.

1154 REVISITED: Sun King Coconut Bourbon Barrel Timmie

Previously tried this beer, but did not make a comment that day - Caitlin and I had been bar hopping all afternoon that day, so I was a little tipsy and by this time, I wasn’t commenting on the beers.  So, I couldn’t remember if I liked it. 

I LIKE IT!  It’s a nice and powerful Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout.  The bourbon is nice and strong up front, and the sweetness of the coconut lingers in the aftertaste.  The beer has nice chocolate flavor to it, and I’m very happy that I don’t get any hints of molasses at all. 

1559. Horny Goat Albino White Stout

Light and refreshing, easy to drink, but still with all the powerful flavors of a stout.

It goes down easy, and it leaves a big and bold flavor in its wake.

1558. Devil's Trumpet Night Goat Coffee Stout

If you're a fan of coffee, this beer has the flavor you desire.

The coffee is extremely strong and powerful, and compliments a very good stout flavor.

1557. 3 Sheeps Fresh Coast

From the first moment that I cracked the cap off the bottle, I could smell the powerful hoppy aroma.

Then my first taste of the beer confirmed - this was a powerfully hoppy beer.  A serious IPA.

The label billed it as a "juice pale ale" - which made me hope it would balance the flavors with some fruit notes - but that didn't happen.  This is just a serious IPA.  It's a very good quality IPA, as long as that's your jam.

1556. Glutenberg Stout

Millet and Corn sounded interesting for brewing a beer.

I believe this is marketed as a Gluten-Free beer.

It was a little lighter than most stouts, and it also had a minor sweet/sour flavor in the backend.

It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't that good.  It was just really different.

1555. Zipline Nut Brown

This brown ale has a really great aroma to it, and its taste is very heavy on the nutty side.

It's a nice beer, and I enjoy drinking it.

1554. Zipline Kölsch

This seems to be a running theme with the beers from this beer box:

This is a perfect Kölsch, it tastes exactly like I expect it to, but that's it.  Nothing sets it apart from any other Kölsch.  I liked it, I enjoyed it, I'm happy to drink the rest of them.

1553. Sun King Giant Cupcake

When Caitlin and I saw that Sun King made a beer with cupcakes from Taylor's - we need we needed to make this a beer pairing event.  So, we went out to Taylor's and bought some cupcakes, then ran to the Broad Ripple Sun King to pick up a crowler of Giant Cupcakes - which I wasn't supposed to be allowed to do, however, since their Facebook post said crowlers were available, they went ahead and let me get one (their original post has since been changed).

Anyways, we were able to pair the beer and cupcakes, and it was really enjoyable.

The stout is nice and creamy smooth, with very heavy chocolate flavor.  It is just the right amount of sweet and silky. 

1552. Okocim O.K. Beer

I picked up this Polish beer yesterday at the liquor store, and decided to make it my Celebration beer, the next time Robert Lewandowski scores for Bayern Munich. 

Well, less than 24 hours later, I am cracking it open as Lewi scored Bayern’s third goal today. 

I assume Okocim is just like Miller, Coors, and Budweiser - in Poland.  It’s light and refreshing, and easy to drink. But fall exactly into my “Glorified Miller Lite” category.  Luckily, it’s tasty and I enjoy it. 

1551. Hofbrauhaus Freising Jagerbier

I'd simply put this in my "Glorified Miller Lite" category.

It's a little heavier, a little thicker, and I don't particularly enjoy the flavor very much.

I am always willing and able to enjoy a German beer, so I won't say I don't like this, but it's nothing I consider special.

1550. Odd Side Mayan Mocha Stout

Mexican hot chocolate?  That sounded good.

Habaneros?  That was intriguing.

The beer starts off really nice, thick and creamy - but no spice to the beer at all.

Then the beer goes down your throat...  And your throat catches ON FIRE.

All of the spice, all of the heat, all of the pain is limited directly to your throat - not all of your taste buds.

It's rough, and I did not enjoy drinking this beer.

1549. DuClaw Funk

I'm not a big fan of blueberries.  They are like the one berry I don't seem to enjoy.

This beer is BIG on blueberry flavor.

Luckily, Caitlin loves blueberries, and she really enjoyed this beer.

So, I believe the enjoyment of this beer boils down specifically to your feelings on blueberries.

The beer is good quality, its just very powerful on its blueberry flavor.

1548. Horny Goat Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter

Very similar in taste to the Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle from Quaff On! - with just a little bit more chocolate flavor to it.  They are pretty much on par with each other, and very enjoyable.

1547. Cigar City Margarita Gose

Light and refreshingly tasty gose.

Just enough sour, and the orange and lime flavors together are very tasty.

I could enjoy this beer - and even more so in the warm summer months.

1546. Sun King Vince Van Mango

I love the Raspberry.

I didn't care for the Pineapple.

I really liked the Mango.

It's nice and thick and tastes like orange juice, with a great sour taste.

It's really enjoyable, but I Raspberry was still my favorite.

(Full disclosure:  I was also blessed to get to try a Peach variant of this series, that was deemed not up to their release standards - and I agree.  The peach sour was not very good at all).

Jason and I drank Vince Van Mango on Episode 28 of our podcast...

1545. Prairie Artisan Vape Tricks

This is a really tasty sour, with a huge punch of cherry.

It's not a lingering sour, it goes away pretty quickly, but the cherry flavor does stick around because of how powerful it is.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.

1544. 3 Sheeps Bon Bon Chocolate Milk Stout

3 Sheeps Brewing, in a 3 Sheeps glass!

Caitlin randomly found me this glass at Goodwill, then we later learned we were getting this beer in my monthly Beer Box.

It's a really tasty with a great chocolate flavor, but that's about where it ends.  It's very enjoyable, but it's also not something amazing.  Still very happy this was included this month.

January Beer Box

Got my second Beer Box, as part of my Christmas Present from Caitlin.

Recently, Caitlin had gone on one of Goodwill Glassware Binges, and ended up getting me a glass from 3 Sheeps Brewing.  SMALL WORLD - that we later found out that 3 Sheeps Brewing was going to be included this month!  Very serendipitous.

From 3 Sheeps, I ended up getting a Juicy IPA.  IPAs don't tend to be in my taste-bud-wheelhouse, but I'm hoping it's nice and juicy and makes it tolerable.  Their second beer is a Chocolate Milk Stout, and Caitlin and I are both really excited to try this - in the glass she randomly found!

From Zipline, we got a Kolsch and Nut Brown.  Both are styles that I really like, so I'm hoping Zipline provides from quality products!

1543. Dogfish Head Campfire Amplifier

Another decent attempt at a S'mores beer.

It's very heavy on the cacao, minor notes of the marshmallow, and some lingering vanilla flavor.

Not as good as I was hoping, but Dogfish Head tends to be a little more experimental in their beers than other breweries, and I think this one just didn't hit the total flavor profile.  

Still drinkable, and very tasty.

1542. Sun King Penny Pine Apple

A few days ago, I posted about Razz P. Berry (Beer #1540) and how much I loved it.

As expected, the Pineapple version of this fruited sour is not as good.

It's GOOD.  I like this beer.  But, it's not as sour and I don't love the pineapple flavor as much as I love the raspberry.  Still, very enjoyable.  It's not as thick as the raspberry either.  It's pretty light, and has more of a beer feel to it.  The pineapple flavor is very strong, and the sour is a little light.  But, I am enjoying it.

1541. Sun King Lil' Freckles

I debated about counting this as it's own beer - since it's technically a mixture.

However, since Sun King is marketing and sell it as its own beer, I figured I would follow suit.

This beer is a blend of Amber Has Two Moms (which I just looked for on the website, and can't find?  Which sucks, because I know I've drank this beer...?) and Sunlight Cream Ale, which was one of my Original 152 Beers that I drank before I started this website.

This mixture is fine.  It's good, but it's nothing amazing.  It's a light ale, it has a creamy texture to it, and there are some hints of the Amber/Red Ale flavor in the aftertaste.  It's easy to drink, and goes down smooth.  It's just nothing special.

1540. Sun King Razz P. Berry

So, a few years ago, West Coast IPAs were the all the rage.

Then, Hazy New England IPAs became the new style for everyone to start making.

Now, it's "Slushie Beers" - which aren't really the Slushies I grew up with at 7-11, but instead, they are heavy and thick fruity Berliner Weisse Sour Beers - and I LOVE this fad.  This is something I can get behind.

450 Brewing in Columbus, Indiana has been doing these for years - but I've never been able to get any.  They have been very popular, and seem to sell out quickly at their release parties.

Now, Sun King is getting in on the action, and I really, really like these beers.

I almost can't call it a beer.  

It's THICK.

It's SOUR.

It's amazing!

The Raspberry flavor is very powerful and strong, and it goes down like a heavy protein shake.

I am a huge fan of this beer.

I also have a Pineapple and Mango version to try, but I have a feeling this one will stand as my favorite.

1539. Sun King Indy Turns 200

I was worried about this beer, not sure I was going to enjoy it.

I DID!!!  Wow, this beer is really tasty.

Upfront, it has a nice sweet apple flavor to start, and quickly the bourbon punches you in the face.

It finishes with a nice and sweet flavor, that leaves an Apple Cider flavor in your mouth and on your lips.  

I'm sure it the mixture of apple and bourbon flavors - and it's really enjoyable.

At 8.5%, I probably shouldn't drink a lot of them, but my taste buds really liked what it got from this beer.

1538. Sun King Chocolate Almond Coconut Son of Shadow Proof

This is a very complex beer, with a lot going on. 

I had hopes it come close to their German Chocolate Cake Oktoberfest - but it doesn’t.  

The nutty almond flavor hits hard upfront. 

It’s followed by a small sweet coconut flavor, which sadly doesn’t last very long before an extremely powerful finish of chocolate flavor in the back end. 

There does seem to be a sweet lingering hint of coconut in the aftertaste.  

Very enjoyable beer!

1537. Pax Verum Møtrboat

I honestly only bought the can because of the very 80s font/style/look of the can, and I was happy it was a light beer.  Then I learned it was an Indiana Brewery, so that made me even more happy.

It falls into my constant "Glorified Miller Lite" Category.  It was good, I like it a lot.  But, it was just a solid light beer.  Easy to drink, and I would never turn one down.

1536. Ommegang Wine Barrel Three Philosophers

The Original Three Philosophers was Beer #334 - and I fell in love.  I've drank a lot of them.

Back in February of 2020, right before the world went to hell, I found the Bourbon Barrel version and it was Beer #1411.  And I praised how much better it made the beer taste.

Well, this Wine version, is the exact opposite.

I don't enjoy it.  Caitlin didn't enjoy it.  We just felt like the wine flavor did not compliment this beer, and hurt the overall flavor.  Really disappointing, but I will just stick to the Bourbon version.

1535. River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout

Yep, I knocked out all four of my Christmas Present Beers from Caitlin in one night.

I was enjoying "playing" with my big new gift!

Sadly, all four of them were just basic and generic beers.  None of them stood out in quality.

But, none of them were bad.  They all tasted exactly like I expected them to taste.

Looking forward to seeing what next month has to offer.

1534. Dick's Batch 202 Northwest India Pale Ale

It's a west coast IPA. 

Not exactly my thing.

It tastes like an IPA, but just a plain old generic one.

1385 REVISITED: Rochester Mills Double Chocolate Milkshake Stout

Everything that I said about this beer last year - in Beer #1385 - still holds true this year.

It's a massive and tasty chocolate milk, that happens to actually be a beer.  Very tasty again.

1533. Dick's Irish Style Red Ale

I was really interested in trying the Irish Red Ale.

And it was tasty.  Once again, pretty standard.  It delivered the exact flavor I was expecting, but nothing above that.

1532. River Horse Chocolate Porter

We started with the Chocolate Porter, since that's a style that Caitlin liked.

It was exactly as advertised.  Chocolate flavor, in a porter body.  

It's was good, but nothing great.

2020 Christmas Gift

For Christmas this year, Caitlin enrolled me in a Monthly Beer Service.

Every month, I get twelve beers.

From two breweries, they sell it as from each side of the country.  My first box included Washington state and New Jersey.

From those two breweries, I get two different style of beers, and three bottles of each style, for a total of twelve beers.

From Dick's Brewing in Washington state, I got a Northwest IPA and an Irish-Style Red Ale.

From River Horse Brewing in New Jersey, I got an Oatmeal Stout and a Chocolate Porter.

1531. Upland Golden Brue

My Second Christmas Beer from Garrett Miller!!!  Woohoo!!!

Another beautiful sour ale, another barrel-aged sour ale.

It's light and sour and really enjoyable.  I like this one very much.

1530. Upland Darken

This beer was a Christmas present from my buddy Garrett Miller!

He knows my love of sour beers, and he picked out a really good one.

The oak barrel aging really makes the flavors pop - and it's a very odd mix with the sour upfront, and the spicy finish.  Somehow, it works better than it should.

1529. Triton Ginger Bread Milk Porter

Beer # 424 was Triton's Gingerbread Brown Ale.  I really enjoyed that beer.  

This milk porter was good, but nothing that special.  I liked it, and I would drink it again, but once again, their aroma was better than the flavors it delivered.