Moody Tongue Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout

The last year and a half has kept me mostly away from the places i love to go, but on occasion, i'll get masked up, grab a seat outside somewhere, and enjoy a kind of imitation of the old times.  Last week, i made it out to a local bottle shop and popped a tasty brew to close out the evening to.  From Chicago's Moody Tongue, a restaurant and brewer of provocative beverages, i downed their Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout, probably the best decision i made that day.  The 13.9% brew pours a dark black with a minimal tan head and smells of chocolate, bourbon, and oak.  The flavor is heavy on said chocolate, bourbon, and oak, along with some notes of graham cracker and caramel, a veritable desert in a bottle.  A fantastic brew, and a new brewer, for me at least, to try and get to know better.

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The Stolen Mile

Summertime brews abound in this household of late, and over the weekend i enjoyed The Stolen Mile, a 5.7% ABV golden ale brewed with basil, lemongrass, and lemon peel from Wisconsin's The Brewing Projekt.  The beer pours a hazy gold with a white head and smells of lemon (of course), pepper, and some light spices.  The flavor is a crisp and slightly tarty mix of lemongrass and spice, a refreshing beer for a hot day.

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Batch Schinus Pilser

It's summertime, and while we've been unseasonably cool in Central Texas the last couple of weeks, all while the Northwest burns, i can only assume it's going to be hot as blazes here again soon.  It always does.  It's one of the reasons we drink a lot of sessionable, crushable beers around these parts.  And one such sessionable, crushable brew comes from the good folks at Batch Kolaches.  The Schinus Pilsner pours a slightly hazy straw color with a white head and smells of peppercorn, lemon, and a light spice.  The flavor is like a well balanced pilsner but with some peppercorn and light citrus in the mix.  I can't find any info on what the ABV is, but this one drinks crisp and easy, perfect for a hot summer.

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Lorelei Brewing Ephyra Double IPA

My vacation is coming to a close, reaching its sunset this evening with the real world waiting in the wings tomorrow morning.  Trying not to let that bring me down, while drinking the last of the beer we brought home with us from Corpus Christi.  And the Ephyra Double IPA from Lorelei Brewing is doing the best it can to ease the pain.  The 9% ABV brew pours a light caramel color with a white head and smells of tropical fruits and a little bit of pine.  The flavor is a mix of pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and a hint of alcohol, a real nice summertime brew.  Now i'm gonna go grab the last of them and enjoy the day.

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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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