Hop the Pond from New Belgium

I was recently at a new grocery store near me, Lucky's Market. Wifey told me that they had a pretty nice craft beer section. Of course I had to check it out to see what they had. I picked up a few beers including Hop the Pond from New Belgium Brewing Company. It is a Double IPA. To be honest, I have only tried a couple of their beers, including Fat Tire. I saw this 22 ounce bottle for $2.99 and decided to pick it up.

This beer is made from ingredients around the world. It has hops from Australia, England and the U.S. It uses malt from Chile, Germany, England and Canada. After pouring it in a glass, the aroma was very nice. I could smell the Galaxy and Citra hops. It had that nice citrus and pine smell to it. The taste is not very bitter but just bitter enough that it isn't crazy sweet. The malt is pretty tame but is a bit stronger in the finish. It is a little dry at the finish also.

This is a really nice beer. I can't believe that I am so late to the party with New Belgium. I have had a few more of their beers and really like them. After learning more about the company (it is employee owned), I have become a big fan of theirs and will be drinking more of their beer.

I give this 3.5 hop flowers.

Lucky's Market - Ellisville, MO
New Belgium Brewing

Uncommon Stout by Bent River Brewing

This is a beer I got from a friend of mine who went up to Moline, IL where Bent River Brewing is located. This is called Uncommon Stout. It is pretty highly rated stout. Beer Advocate gives it an 87. On Rate Beer, it received a 96. As far as stouts go, it is supposed to be a pretty good beer so I was looking forward to tasting it.

Having said all of that, I did not like it. When I poured it into a glass and smelled it, I got flashbacks to when I smoked. The beer smelled like a dirty ashtray. Now, I know that it is the roasted malts that I was smelling but that's not what I was getting.

The taste is that same very roasted malt and ashtray. I had a hard time really tasting anything else. I finish my beer no matter how it tastes. I am not wasting beer. As I was finishing my glass, I could taste the coffee pretty heavily. I will say that the last sip was a tad bit better than my last sip.

I am going to give this beer 2 hop flowers because it finished a little bit better. I would like to try a fresher glass and then maybe change my thoughts.

Bent River Brewing Company

Sour DIPA from Six Row Brewing

First, let me start off by writing about Six Row Brewing Co. I feel that this is the most underrated brewery in St. Louis. There are some great craft breweries in St. Louis and you know the bigger ones like Schlafly, Urban Chestnut, 4 Hands, Perennial, etc. I rarely hear people talk about Six Row. Their beers are really good. I can honestly say that I have not had one beer from Six Row that I did not like. They have good food on their menu and the people there are great. When you get a chance, go check them out.

Wifey and I stopped into Six Row and I had their Sour Double IPA. I am a big fan of their DIPA and have started to get into sours. I figured I should try the Sour DIPA. Isaac told me that it was barrel aged in Jack Daniels barrels. The nose of it has a nice sour aroma. I could smell a little of the Jack. With that first sip, you can taste the sour also. Then it hit me a little bit. I could taste a little bitterness from the hops. It has a pretty dry finish. This is a really nice sour.

I tell you, I am starting to like sours more and more. I believe that this was a limited release unfortunately. When they release it again, I will definitely have a glass or three. I really liked it. I will give it 3.5 hop flowers.

Even without the Sour DIPA, you should absolutely check out Six Row Brewing Co. If you haven't had their beers, grab some from your favorite store.

Six Row Brewing Co.

Yin & Yang from Evil Twin

Here is another beer that is available at Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton, MO. This is Yin & Yang from Evil Twin. This is a black & tan where the geniuses at Evil Twin mixed their Yin Imperial Stout with their Yang Imperial IPA. It is a 10% ABV.

When I poured this, it was a pretty dark beer. The aroma was very malty and had a bit of alcohol nose. I could also smell chocolate and plums. It took a few sips before I really figured it out. After every sip, I kept thinking that I wasn't really sure what I thought of it.

It has a hoppy taste too. There was some warming from the alcohol. It was almost like every sip I would notice something different. I got the roasted malts and then I got the hops. Then I could get the fruitiness. It is a really interesting beer. Wifey thought it was ok. She is not a big fan of stouts. She is coming around to the dark side (pun intended). I would really like to try this again. I would also like to try a mix where they pour Yin and Yang separately.

This rating is for Yin & Yang in a bottle. I might change my mind if I had them mixed separately at a bar. I give this 3.5 hop flowers.

Craft Beer Cellar - Clayton
Evil Twin

Carson's Brewery

In this post, I want to write about a brewery instead of a beer. Wifey and I decided to take a road trip to find some beer that we can not get in St. Louis. We had to decide on what were the top beers we wanted to get. We decided that Three Floyds was one of the names we wanted to go for. We were hoping to find some of the new releases from Bell's but that might be a bit tougher. We did not want to go too far since it was just going to be for the day. We have pets at home that need food (don't they realize that this is BEER?).

We decided on three choices; Terre Haute, IN, Evansville, IN or Paducah, KY. We went to Beermenus.com to help narrow down our choices. What we found out, is that a lot of stores do not use beermenus.com to show what they have in stock. That was a bit disappointing. We figured that Paducah was the smaller town of the three and then just made the choice to go to Evansville. Why not? I looked up the bigger beer/wine stores and found a couple of breweries there; Carson's Brewery and Tin Man Brewing. I entered the breweries and the stores that were close by into Waze and off we went (the next morning).

We stopped at Carson's Brewery. It was noon on Saturday and the parking lot was empty. We saw the blinking OPEN sign and headed in. The building looked pretty new. When got inside, we saw one employee and nobody else. Tami greeted us as we took a seat at the bar. We ordered a flight and started talking. Tami is awesome. She said that October 1 is their one year anniversary. We were having a great time with Tami and the beer. The beers were really nice. They have a red IPA called RIPA that is great. Their pumpkin ale is really good and we got to taste their barrel reserve porter which was awesome.

More people started coming in and sat at the bar who seemed to be regulars, or at least semi-regulars. As we finished our flights (yes, plural), we each ordered a full pour. I got the RIPA and Wifey got the  Jackie O' pumpkin ale. Then, the head brewer, John came from the brewing area and asked if anyone wanted a tour. We said yes as did another couple. John gave us a tour and showed us all the cool stuff that breweries have and their process. He even showed us the rig they have for small batches. As a homebrewer, I looked at Wifey and said I want that for Christmas. Let's just say that it's not going to be this year or even next year. Oh well.

After the tour, we talked to John at the bar about how this is his first commercial position and how he has been a homebrewer for quite a while. We talked about their different beers and the brewery itself. Overall, this was a great visit. The people were wonderful and their beers were really good. If you ever stop in or are driving through, Evansville, IN, I highly recommend stopping at Carson's Brewery.

Carson's Brewery

World Cup from 4 Hands Brewing

Not too long ago, I was at 4 Hands Brewing Company and had a glass of World Cup. This is an American Pale Ale. It is 5% ABV. The pour was golden with a small white head.

The aroma is so nice. It has a pretty earthy aroma and also some citrus. It smells so good. When I took a sip, I got that earthy and citrus from the aroma in the taste also. I could some grapefruit. I could also taste some of the malt. The more I drank, the more I could taste the citrus. It is also a little bit bitter.

This is a real nice beer. If this was in bottles or I had a growler or three of this beer, I would love to sit back, watch football with a glass of this in my hand. It was very tasty. Wifey liked it also. I looked at Rate Beer to see the rating on it and it gets a 92 overall.

I will give this 3.5 hop flowers.

4 Hands Brewing Co.

Paleooza from New Holland Brewing Company

This is another beer I purchased from Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton, MO. Paleooza is called a Michigan Pale Ale from New Holland Brewing. The ABV is 5.6%.

I poured the beer into a glass and it is a nice hazy, golden color with a small white head (that sounds weird). The aroma is a mixture of grains and citrus. The taste is crisp and sweet. They made the beer with Cascade hops and you can tell. The taste has that fruit taste but also a bit of spice to it. You can also taste a bit of the malt too. It is a nice flavor.

This is really a nice, refreshing pale ale. This is a beer that I would have on a hot day or really, any day that I am relaxing. It is a real tasty beer. Wife thought it was just OK. I just finished mowing my lawn and this beer would have been nice to have.

I would give this one 3.5 hop flowers.

Craft Beer Cellar - Clayton

New Holland Brewing

Anchor IPA from Anchor Brewing

This is another beer that I got from the Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton. This is Anchor IPA from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. The ABV on this one is 6.5%. I really dig the bottle and the label. I have not had anything from Anchor Brewing.

When I poured the beer, it smelled very earthy and piney. I could also get a slight citrus smell. I was not a fan of the smell of the beer. It did not smell like something I would like. The taste is better than the aroma though. The taste has a bit of caramel, orange and pine. I think that this may have not been the freshest beer. I think that this is a decent representation of the IPA style. Wifey did not care for this one that much. She thought it was just OK. I think that it might have been better if it was fresher, maybe?

When I first started my glass of this beer, I thought it was pretty good. The more that I drank of it, the more that I did not like the aftertaste. With every sip, the less I cared for it. My knee-jerk reaction was to give this 3.5 hop flowers. After I finished my glass, I changed my mind.

I will give this 3.0 hop flowers.

Craft Beer Cellar - Clayton
Anchor Brewing Company

Snake Oil from 4 Hands Brewing Company

I was at Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton, MO tonight for a draught party for 4 Hands Brewing Company. Yes, I do love CBC-Clayton and yes I am a huge fan of 4 Hands. Anyway, they had a beer called Snake Oil on tap there. It is a red IPA. This is a new beer for 4 Hands.

The beer pours a nice amber color. It looks great but the aroma is...wow! The hops aroma is absolutely amazing. If you like a wonderfully hoppy beer that is not overly bitter, this is your beer. You can smell the Citra, Simcoe and Galaxy hops. These are some great bitter and citrusy hops.

The taste is bitter but not overly so. You get a citrus and piney taste to it. You can taste grapefruit and orange. They balance it well with the malt. It is really a great tasting IPA. It's beers like this that make 4 Hands Brewing Company such a great brewery. I met Martin from 4 Hands and you can tell they love making great beer. Cheers Martin.

I give this one 4.5 hop flowers. Yes, it is that good.

Craft Beer Cellar - Clayton - This place is great
4 Hands Brewing Company

Cloud Hopper from Free State Brewing

I was at the Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton, MO to find some new beers. We picked up a mix-six of beers we have not had before. Well, mostly not had before. One of the bottles was an Imperial IPA called Cloud Hopper from Free State Brewing Company in Lawrence, KS. The ABV is 9.2%.

I poured it into a glass and took a whiff. There was hardly no aroma to it. What there was, was a bit piney. When I tasted it, there was more bitterness than anything. There was a very slight citrus taste but mostly piney. The aftertaste had some citrus to it but I was left with more bitter. They use Chinook, Columbus and Cascade hops in this beer. With an ABV of 9.2, I was expecting more alcohol taste but surprisingly there was barely any.

I was not very impressed with this beer. It was bitter but not very flavorful to me. Wifey liked it more than I did. I just felt that they went too bitter, just to go bitter. The low alcohol taste was a pleasant surprise thought. I would drink this again though. It is not bad at all, just not my cup of...ummm...tea...beer?

I give it 3 hop flowers.

Craft Beer Cellar - Clayton
Free State Brewing