Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA

        Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA was poured into my favorite tulip glass as of late, made by Unibroue. The beer poured an excellent amber color and displayed a thin, light tan/almost white head of foam that laced the glass. The nose displayed a lovely, sweet-biscuit aroma, balanced with a floral hop aroma.  

     There is a quick burst of intense hops up front, that pans out across the mouth and flows to the top of the mouth, leaving the palate with a fresh biscuit taste, layered with fruit.

     Shipyard Monkey Fist is an absolutely excellent American IPA, which is very sessionable at 6.9% abv. The balance of the hops, fruit and biscuit flavors make this IPA an easy-drinking and very accessible IPA. I would recommned Monkey Fist and would definitely purchase this IPA again.  

A World of New

Hello!

Yes, I am alive! Haha, how is everyone out there?

Soooo....

Much has changed in my life in the past few months (ALL for the better)!

    I have a new job working at Northeast Beverage as a Territory Sales Representative, which distributes a wealth of excellent products such as Stone Brewing Co., Rogue, and Smuttynose among a few of the many breweries in their excellent craft portfolio. They also distribute a vast and diverse portfolio of bourbons, vodka, mead, tequila and tons of non-alcoholic juices and waters. But more about the job in a later post!

   I got engaged to the most amazing, homebrewing assistant in the world,

my lovely Fiance Laura...


We were blessed with the coolest, cutest little guy I know:

    

                                                            Brandon Damon Flowers

And I got back to rock and rolling soon after with the Intergalactic Party Pimps....

.....which I must say, Drumming is my yoga; I love it!

So...now that I've caught you up-to-date....time for some beer news and reviews.....


Cricket Hill IPA

 Cricket Hill IPA poured a deep gold in color with a light, white, thin head. There was not much of a hop profile on the nose at all. It actually has a kind of Coors Light hop profile to it; tho I've never had a Coors Light-so that is an assumption! This beer really looks and smells like a golden ale more than an IPA.

                                            

                                                                 To the Lips!



Hmmm....






yup....




there's my first sip.




My tongue was waiting for something.....

  

   anything to happen....










but alas,







 WARNING!!!!!   WARNING!!!!!    WARNING!!!!!

WARNING!!!!              WARNING!!!!                  WARNING!!!!!









......NOTHING!!

  What a huge disappointment!!! Such a great name and label, only to lead me to such a let-down. Even the mouth-feel and taste just go right down the hatch. There is no feel, no hop profile, no substance at all.Very disappointing. I will be giving the other five beers away, and I will definitely not purchase this again. The only thing bitter about this beer is me being duped into believing I was really buying an IPA. Very lame effort put forth by Cricket Hill. I've had much, much better home-brews than this.

 Sorry Cricket Hill, I am absolutely not recommending this beer to any of my loved ones, friends, readers, associates, any of my enemies...or...well.....you get the point.

Did a graphic designer create this beer?....great packaging...but that's where any good in this beer dies.

Well...anyway...The CT Beer Pope showed me this....worth a chuckle..
(Rick Reed of Cricket Hill does make a couple valid points about marketing and Coors Light tho...)

(yes...he did say the greatest beer on earth)...

Cheers my friends!

Sea Hag @NewEnglandBrew Review

 Well then.

I recently revisited a New England brew, under the urging of the CT Beer Pope (@Willowbrookbeer), that I actually had avoided for quite some time. I'm such a huge fan of these guys, from the Imperial Stout Trooper and Ghandi Bot, all the way to the Elm City Lager (which has been MIA lately). However; the one thorn on the rose was always the Sea Hag. I just couldn't get into this beer.

Oh how this beer has changed tho!

The beer poured a beautiful golden, amber body into a Dogfish Chalice. It contained excellent carbonation
with fine, tiny bubbles emerging through the golden/amber haziness.

The nose contained layers and layers of hop notes. It was a pungent hop aroma that contained pine and citrus tones, with a light hint of tangerine underneath it all.

The hops rush to the side of the mouth and linger on the sides of the tongue. Well-balanced by a nice, light, malty background this beer tastes excellent.

This is definitely not the Sea Hag I  remember, what a great job they did on this beer. This has instantly become one of my favorite CT beers. I vividly remember wanting to like this beer so bad, but it just wasn't on par with their other amazing beers. The Hag has been reborn! I am actually going to recommend this beer much more when people are looking to try a good CT beer. This is an excellent, easy-drinking IPA. I like that there is a lot of hop to it, but it's restrained enough to be a very drinkable beer.

This beer has a great nose, it's so complex that it's a sin not to be whisped away by the aroma before every single sip. The Hag's flavor dances about your mouth as well, and  for the price, this six-pack is a steal! I know NEBCO's other beers have always been more sought after, but I think the perception of this beer is going to change, and people will change their view of the Sea Hag, as I have changed mine. I would definitely enjoy the Sea Hag again, and I would absolutely recommend this beer.

The Hounds Tooth @ RelicBrewing Review

    The Hounds Tooth @RelicBrewing, no matter how you view it, this beer is absolutely, deliciously complex! Relic Brewing is located in Plainville, CT, my hometown! I have to admit, being from Plainville, I had very high expectations for this beer. Taken from PlainvilleCT.com:
"Plainville, originally part of Farmington, was first settled about 1657 and incorporated as a separate town in July 1869. The name developed about 1830 from an earlier reference to the areas as the “Great Plain.”  The Town had a population of 1,433 in the first census taken after its incorporation (1870)." Ironically enough, a Mild Ale is the first home-brew I ever attempted to brew, though my beer was nowhere as complex as this beauty.
  

  Hounds Tooth, an English Dark Mild Ale, poured a thick, deep and dark brown color with hidden accents of amber around the edges. Poured into a Dogfish chalice the beer had a thick and creamy head that was tan in color.  


 The nose was absolutely yummy! Notes of candy, caramel, maybe even a hint of black licorice, all combining to shape a very complex nose with a lot of substance and aromas. 


 On the palate, Hounds Tooth displays a light and fruity, dark fruit, yet creamy taste. The very complex nose is matched with a very complex flavor profile, yet the beer sustains an absolutely smooth and lingering mouth-feel of dark fruit on the tongue. Raisin lingers at the tip of the tongue with flavors of fig all abound. 

 What a treat this beer is! I'm so thankful this is the first beer I've tried from my hometown. (well, ...other than mine.) With such a pleasant taste I would definitely recommend this beer to everyone, and I would absolutely purchase this beer again. Really looking forward to trying this one on draft, and enjoying in the colder months. 
  

                                                         Founders Red Rye P.A. Review

    Founders Red Rye P.A. was poured into a Sam Adams glass and poured a very deep amber color in the body with a nice tan head. There was a beautiful, nice hoppy and spicy nose, with maybe a touch of biscuit hiding in the shadows...maybe. There was a very distinct spice nose tho. 
    In the mouth, spice, hops and a creamy feel come on strong. Very smooth, I sort of expected it to have more of a spicy bite to it from the look and smell of the beer. The spiciness of the rye in the beer bounces all around your mouth at first, and then all the flavors seem to come together and settle on your tongue in harmony. Red Rye has a really big, complex, mouthful of flavor that develops into a delicious harmony of simplicity with a nice spice at the tip of your tongue. This beer leaves you wanting more. I would definitely purchase this beer again and would highly recommend it.

                                                          Grey Sail Flying Jenny Review

      I finally tried the Flying Jenny Extra Pale Ale from Grey Sail. I had heard and read a lot of buzz about this one and wanted to give it a shot myself. It was canned on 6/22/12. It was poured into a Sam Adams pint glass.It poured a nice big, creamy, white head, and was deep gold/pale amber color in body. The nose had a slight, hop aroma. The beer was refreshing, with a light hop taste that lingers a bit. Very light in texture, with almost a slight creamy taste to it. The flavor profile stays very concentrated right on the tongue, and you don't get much in the jowls or the back of the mouth.
      Flying Jenny is a pretty good beer over-all; it is not a beer to blow people away, but to quench their thirst. It is a beer you can easily drink a few of on a hot day. I'd consider it a nice gateway beer for someone looking to enter the craft scene. I would drink this again, and I would recommend giving it a try if you're looking for simplicity.

I'm very excited to report that in the next 1-3 weeks a handful of beers from Evil Twin Brewing, Stillwater and a few other boutique beers will hitting the shelves in CT. As reported by @beerpulse in November of 2011, Evil Twin has kicked up their production to the joyous cheers of CT. I spoke with Brian Ewing, Owner of Twelve Percent Imports (http://www.12percentimports.com/), today and received the news that they would be sending the beer to distributors hopefully in the next week. Keep an eye out for these brews over the next couple weeks. I'll post more as they land into my stomping ground, The Willowbrook Spirit Shoppe in Cromwell, CT.

Perpetual Ipa @ TroegsBeer

      Served in a Dogfish Head chalice, Perpetual IPA poured a pale amber, almost medium-amber color. A thin, straw-colored head of foam rested on the top and clung to the side of the glass. The beer had a delicious, floral hop nose. (The nose reminded me of Boulder's Hazed and Infused Dry-Hopped Ale).

     This beer was delicious and was very nicely balanced. The hops moved intensely and quickly from the front of the mouth to the back, and lingered on the tongue. A very drinkable ipa, the hops definitely ride the tongue and hang out on it. The hops in the jowls fade to really accent the delicious hops on the tongue. This was a very tasty, excellent beer that I would purchase again, and highly recommend.

Thanks to Jon Stack of HDI Distributors at (@hdibeer) for reminding me how awesome the @Founders Porter is! It was bottled on 5/29 with a 6.5% ABV and 45 IBU's. I drank it out of my Dogfish Head glass and noticed it poured a gorgeous, deep and dark brown color. The nose had a roasty, coffee-prominent nose. This is a very, very simple beer; however that simpleness does not take away from how amazing this beer is! This is an excellent porter, and I know I have no business drinking porters in the summer; however I am just ecstatic that Founders is now available in CT! This beer had a delicious roasted coffee taste that was simple and yet perfect. An excellent porter that I would absolutely purchase again and would I highly recommend.

I tried the Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean thanks to the CT Beer Pope (@WillowbrookBeer) the other day. The beer poured a extremely dark, dark brown; almost black color in body and had a thin, tan layer of foam, pretty much rimming around the outskirts of the glass. The nose exhibited a good balance of slight vanilla and a slight, smoke.
   On the palate, a quick burst of vanilla and creme brulee jumped out on the top of the tongue, that quickly subdued with another quick burst of hops on the side of the tongue. The hops also lingered on the back end of the tongue. There was also almost a bit of roast/smoke flavor that sits even a little longer on the back-end than the hops. At 5.9% the alcohol is boosted a little bit, but it does not come out "hot" at all. The vanilla is not over-done; it is not too sweet, not too strong, and the smoke is lightly balanced in the beer. It doesn't edge towards the fire-pit/barbeque over-done smoke taste. The beer is very nicely balanced with the vanilla, smoke and hops, and I would absolutely purchase this bottle again, and highly recommend trying to get a taste of this. 

Welcome!

Just wanted to say thank you for checking out my page. Really looking forward to meeting many new people in the craft brew world and trying new brews. Always feel free to ask me any questions, and I hope you enjoy my reviews and musings!