CEB_Fourteen / Another Battle with Technology

*realizes the Mac software has been updated*

*sad face*

Well, it took me just over two years to figure out how to use the Mac/internet/Google Blogger utilities with enough deft to bring you the best possible newsletter that a mediocre user of the aformentioned utilities would be able to do.  All of that is behind me now.  I might as well be writing this on a word processor.  You don't care about my tech problems, and the creativity must go on...

Long awaited, but not forgotten, I have returned to put a whimsical spin on the 8 beers chosen for the latest collection of CBE.  Draft on 3/12, it has taken me almost three weeks to actually sit down and put some thought into this one.  Originally, leaving Brewers Outlet in Mt. Airy for this CBE, I had a feeling that this was going to be the most new beers for me in quite awhile.  I thought there may have been 5 of 8, of which I had not tried before.  That's quite a lot for me, or any of us at this point.  Then after checking and recounting some long forgotten experiences, I realized that I had somewhere and somehow tried all of these beers but 3.  Which after some consideration, is still quite a bit.  Nevertheless, it was a great selection of beers, and one that I enjoyed.

The reviews are in, and I am starting with the beer that I believe was a favorite among the group, Deschutes Red Chair NWPA.  I have unsuccessfully spelled Deschutes so many times, that my iPhone now autocorrects to several incorrect spellings.  There are a bevy of extra T's in some, a missing S in others.  So going forward, I will be referring to them as That Oregon Brewery, or TOB.  Oregon I can spell.  TOB I can definitely spell.  The website has this to saw about the TOB January to May seasonal...

The citrus punch of a big IPA, minus the one-dimensional hop sledgehammer. Seven select European and domestic malts round out the edges for a complex, copper-colored brew. Like its namesake ski lift, it’s an insider’s ride to fresh thrills.
Malt: Pale, Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Pilsner, Carastan
Hops: Cascade, Centennial
Watch brewer Matt Henneous talk about Red Chair NWPA from the fabled Mt. Bachelor lift that spawned it's name.

I get a lot of melon, thought it was on the sweeter side, but still pretty heavy.  This one wasn't overpowering though, and I definitely would not mind having a few of them.  TOB only made it's Philadelphia area debut a little while ago.  The first beer we had from them was Black Butte Porter.  As we start to get more and more of their seasonals, they've definitely proven that they're worth a try. Currently Hop Henge IPA is floating around, and it's supposed to be pretty damn good.

The rest/best is yet to come...

Our next beer was picked solely on the fact that it is of one of Metallica's best songs.  Although Volume 5 is not added to the name of the famed track, Fade to Black will cost you 1.29 on iTunes, and that's as much as any Miley Cyrus song so you know it's good.  Left Hand Brewing, which by the way I have no trouble spelling, has created this winter seasonal in a way to introduce the darker, spicier side of beers.  The website decided not to include song lyrics, which I personally think was a lapse in judgement, but gives you a pretty nice backdrop of what to expect...

Summer is over, but cheer up pretty people, it’s time for the newest installment in our Fade to Black Series. This Rye Ale boasts a deep dark brown body with an off white head. This dark brew envelopes your nose with aromas of dark coffee, maple wood and hints of dark agave nectar. The flavor is an intense evolution that starts off with nut bread flowing into molasses followed by a taste of licorice. This lands on spicy rye notes all before being washed away by earthy hop, leaving behind a slight black pepper sensation. So put away the bathing suit, pop a bottle of this black beauty and watch summer fade way.

Side note, while doing this research is the first time I realized this beer clocks in at 7.8%.  I call bullshit, because if you can find 6% in there you're reaching.  This one is as smooth and complex a beer as we've ever had in the CBE, very unlike it's namesake.

The next brewery's website says this about their beer...

Looks like the page you're looking for has been moved or had its name changed. Or maybe it's just fate.

Terrapin Treehugger is a secret agent.  It exists, but it also doesn't exist.  At least, not on the Terrapin website for the time being.  Tons of blogs posts, events, and swag, but nothing about Tree Hugger.  Lucky for you, I don't give up that easy.

When you drink Tree Hugger, you’ll also be helping protect Southern forests. For this new ale, Terrapin Beer Co. has partnered with Dogwood Alliance, an organization formed in 1996 and dedicated to protecting Southern forests and communities from destructive logging practices. To learn more about their important work, and how you can be a Tree Hugger and join the forest protection team, visit www.dogwoodalliance.org.
Tree Hugger was originally a special draft-only release for the 2012 Decatur Green Fest, also in support of Dogwood Alliance. That original limited draft-only release of this beer was so adored that the decision to make it the newest member of Terrapin’s year-round schedule was an easy one. With a mild herbal spice hop aroma and a malty flavor profile featuring notes of caramel, toffee, and nuts, this malt-forward beer will be a welcome compliment to Terrapin’s current hop-forward roster.

I pulled that from a news release, and I think it gives you all of the information you need to know about this beer.  It mentions Terrapins "hop-forward roster" which is why they have become one of the CBE's favorite breweries, despite their affiliation with the evil corporation known as MillerCoors, or as Doc Emerick calls it during NHL sponsor checks on NBC Sports, Cuurs.  I think this beer is a nice change of pace, from their hop forward roster as well as our generally hop forward selections.  This is our 5th Terrapin selection, surprisingly selected by 3 different people, and I guess it's an Altbier which per Wikipedia is

...usually a dark copper colour. It is brewed at a moderate temperature using a top-fermenting yeast which gives its flavour some fruitiness, but matured at a cooler temperature, which gives it a cleaner and crisper taste more akin to lager beer styles than is the norm for top-fermented beers, such as British pale ale.^[1][2]

Look at that, we're learning stuff.  I'm referring to it as an Ale/Lager hybrid.  Terrapin has also recently released RecreationAle, which you can buy 12 pack cans at Whole Foods.  It was very beneficial to most of my shoveling over winter, and is their shot at a "session IPA."  I guess if MillerCoors is giving them money to make awesome beers, I will care much less.

*randomly screams out*  "WHY WOULD THEY CHANGE ALL OF THE MOUSE SHORTCUTS?!?!?!  Dicks."

Cigar City Brewing makes some killer beers.  IPAs, Stouts, White Ales, they do pretty much everything well.  They do not have a very wide distribution of products in the area.  If you go to their website and look at what's on in the taproom, there's about twenty selections ranging in all kinds of styles.  Meanwhile, I see Jai Alai around, which was a selection in CBE5.1, I've picked up a six pack of Florida Cracker, which was a really great White Ale, and I've started to see cans of the Hopped on the High Seas series.  And that's about it.  While doing research on this one, their website screwed me because it doesn't have descriptions of past HOTHS, and one was released shortly after Citra, and there's another one that is on tap at their brewery and being canned now.  So I found this instead.

Cigar City Brewing’s Hopped on the High Seas series of beers began with the much-loved Simcoe hops, the second edition brought citrusy Ahtanum hops, and the third edition has arrived showcasing the tropical-fruit and citrus Citra hop.
From Cigar City:
the next batch of Hopped on the High Seas has arrived! This one brewed with all Citra hops. Should be epic.

Un-Fuckin-Believeable.  So it's all grapefruit, and I love it.  I think it's fantastic.  It's like Ocean Spray IPA.  That's what the Citra hop is best at, and this one pretty much proved it.  I wish I didn't have to piecemeal marketing material for this one, but I'm pretty sure the stories are all the same.  The current ones quotes "And since we wanted to put this beer in our favorite container, the 12 oz can, a sea journey was required to get the beer back to Tampa for canning. We took the opportunity to add the dry-hops to the refrigerated shipping container prior to racking. Which means this beer truly was Hopped on the High Seas. As the beer made its way home, the gentle motion of the ocean worked to infuse the luscious aromatics of the hops."  So they brew it somewhere else, the current one was in Puerto Rico, I'd tell you where they brewed the Citra, but that information no longer exists, not     even    on    the   internet.  Not surprised.  You can read here how they screwed up a beer release.  I'm being a jerk now and I know it, but the website really pissed me off.  I'll concede that they do make good beers though.

I went to do the Bell's one next.  Mostly because I knew their website would give me back hope.  Then I realized they make a thousand seasonals, and also a Third Coast Beer.  TCB is only 4.8% abv, so I knew that one couldn't be ours, because I can smell the alcohol on this one when the caps on, while it's in the fridge, from upstairs.  After I scrolled through Hell Hath no Fury..., This One Goes to 11, Hopsoulution, and Harry Magill's, I finally found Third Coast Old Ale.  And their website did not let me down...

Third Coast Old Ale focuses on malt, offering notes of burnt caramel & other earthy malt flavors. Designed with vintage aging in mind, the malt aspect is matched to a heavy complement of hops. Sharply bitter at first, this will fold into the malt character over time and balance out the maltiness.

I totally get caramel.  The first one I cracked open, after I let it warm up, I thought it tasted like a nice baked good, like a brownie with caramel or a really thick gooey cookie.  And I liked that, because I generally like desserts.  This is our 5th selection from Bell's, and worth noting that 5 different people selected those beers.

This is also our 5th 21st Amendment selection, also by 5 different people.  I feel like we're hitting some type of milestone.  Oh, I'm sorry, I got distracted by how brutal it is that Apple updated software and decided to change every shortcut for navigation that I've ever bothered learning.  The beer up next is Sneak Attack Saison.

You might not expect a Saison in winter. But the enemy didn’t expect Washington to cross the icy Delaware, either. Expectations be damned, we say. We’re sneaking up on winter with a boatload of bravado and this Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Dry hopped with whole organic cardamom pods, our Saison has an assertive spiciness. In your face, winter.
Sneak Attack is our late winter seasonal beer available from January through March in six pack cans and on draft. The perfect antidote to the big beers of winter, Sneak Attack is crisp, dry and palate cleansing. It pairs perfectly with the rich and warming foods of winter: Bouillabaise, sausages, smoked meats and full flavored cheeses.

21st Amendment has the best label art, and this one is pretty funny if you take a second to check it out.  It's even better than the the weird elf hanging out with FDR on the Fireside Chat label.  I just popped my last one, and it's solid.  Bright, spicy, not too heavy.  I don't really understand why this is a winter seasonal, you should be able to get them for pool season, but whatever... #EndlessSOMA, which is the name of the boat, which apparently has something to do with San Francisco (South Of MArket.)  Learning more stuff.

We have had a Mad River beer prior to this CBE.  It was the Steelhead Double IPA.  It was picked in CBE5, prior to our great internet presence.  Back in those dark times, the newsletter was done in word, and transferred into a pdf.  I never had to worry about internet shortcuts then.  You'll be happy to know that since Oct of 2011, something still rings true... "The Website kind of sucks, but had this to offer..."

Bright golden hued ale of medium body with a spicy/floral hop character and a very mild bitterness. Goes well with poultry, fish/sushi & spicy foods.

My take, spicy yes, a little more yeasty than I like my lower abv beers.  Very fruity.  Now I've given you just as much information as the second grader who created Mad River's website.  They must not be listening to any podcasts, because there's this program that costs like 20 bucks and you can get a discount.  From what the description says, it basically makes the website for you.  *looks at CBE layout*  *quietly backs away from key board*

Finally and quickly.  Sixpoint gets a pass.  This beer tasted like cough syrup, and everyone else who wrote anything about it on the internet loved it.  There's several possible issues.  Either something is wrong with the case, the batch, or the beer in general, or there's something wrong with my and several other's taste buds.  I'm drafting an e-mail from the CBE to send to Sixpoint about this Hi-Res situation, and will post any response I get here.

Thanks for participation in #CBE_Fourteen, it was a good one.