Prairie Artisan Cherry Bomb!

I think The Runaways always knew what they were talking about.  And the folks over at Prairie Artisan Ales in Tulsa, Oklahoma have followed suit with the Cherry Bomb!, a imperial stout aged on cherries, chili peppers, coffee, cacao nibs, and vanilla.  The 13% ABV brew pours black with a small tan head and smells of chocolate, coffee, cherry, vanilla, and some hints of cinnamon and spice.  The flavor is a mix of dark chocolate, cherry, and coffee along with those cinnamon and spice notes to finish things off.  This is a great desert beer.

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Saint Arnold Old Fashioned

A thing i've discovered about myself over the last year is that if a brewery makes a beer that's modeled after the Old Fashioned cocktail, i'm probably going to drink the hell out of it.  Back at Christmas time, it was the Old Fashioned Holiday from Bell's, and now it's Saint Arnold's Old Fashioned, a rye whiskey barrel aged barleywine with orange peel.  The 12.9% brew pours a nice amber hue with a white, quickly dissipating head and smells like an Old Fashioned, notes of molasses, dark fruit, oak, and whiskey.  The flavor is also very much like the cocktail, those same notes of molasses and dark fruit mingling nicely with the oak from the whiskey barrels, along with some other hints of toffee and spice.  Here's hoping this kicks off a new trend in craft beer.

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La Trappe Trappist Tripel

Nothing like diving straight into the beginning of the hot part of summer with a struggling air conditioner.  It's the house's original unit, which makes it almost 30 years old, so it's had a good run, but man...it's hot in here.  And it's only going to get hotter.  Beer might just get me through it all.  And so we have the La Trappe Trappist Tripel from The Netherlands' Koningshoeven Abbey, an 8% Belgian style Tripel from a place that's been churning out the goods since 1884.  The brew pours a beautiful gold with a white head and smells of grain and light notes of pepper, apple, pear, and spice.  The flavor is a pleasant mix of fruit, apple and pear in particular, along with some subtle notes of clove, pepper, honey, and a little bit of bread.  It's a really good example of the style and very drinkable.  It almost made me forget my AC is on the fritz.

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Austin Beerworks Peak Physique Triple IPA

I got to play the role of single dad this weekend with my two boys.  We went swimming.  We ordered pizza.  We watched "Predator."  Good times.  And i ended the evenings with one or two of these bad boys, the Peak Physique Triple IPA from Austin Beerworks.  The 11% ABV brew pours a nice golden color with a white head and smells of citrus, tropical fruit, pine, and hops.  The flavor is a good balance of pineapple, grapefruit and pine that lingers on the tongue well after the beer is finished.  Really a great brew all around.

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