Venue: Plymouth Brewing Company (Plymouth, WI)

I had the unplanned opportunity to explore a new-to-me taproom in Wisconsin over the past weekend. Although I had been in Plymouth Wisconsin once or twice a year for the last ten years or so, it seems this venue had escaped my attention, as we wandered in on their fifth anniversary party....

( https://www.facebook.com/plymouthbrewing/ )

A small (nano) storefront operation, this small taproom has  12 taps currently serving:
Cheddarhead Amber/Red
Nutt Hill Nutbrown
HubCity Hefe
Stone Blu Blueberry Belgian
'Sconsin Belgian
Dairyland Dark Milk Stout
Murdered Out Coffee Stout
Ardellia Passionfruit Belgian
American Pale Ale w/Azacca Hops
DeerCamp Smoked Ale
Sworn To Avenge Russian Imperial Stout w/Cherries
Condemned To Hell Russian Imperial Stout w/Raspberrys and Habanero.

and two Guest Taps. 

Your Brew Review Crew was able to try the Murdered Out Coffee Stout, Sworn To Avenge Russian Imperial Stout, Bearded Coconut, and Condemned to Hell Russian Imperial Stout. All were competently prepared and served, hitting the right style marks. I was particularly happy w/ the Condemned To Hell, having distinct but not overpowering raspberry notes and just enough habanero heat to know it was there without turning a good stout into a dare. If the list seems rather brown, it is simply the season. Looking at their back catalog on Untappd reveals plenty of lighter and hoppier treats in store, depending on when you visit.

The ambience is comfortable, dominated by the bar and the ubiquitous chalkboard listing the available libations, with high tops, couches, and no sports screens. That night it was packed for the afforementioned Anniversary. This is a BYOF location, and there are a few reasonable choices within walking distance (go to DeOMalley's across and down the street and pick up the 7 Meat Delight Pizza - you can thank me later.)

If you find yourself in the area, hiking the Ice Age trail in the Kettle Moraine, watching auto or motorcycle racing at RoadAmerica, taking in some living history at the Old Wade House historic site, visiting nearby Kohler for R&R at the American Club, or just passing through on your way to other points on the compass, a stop here will not be wasted.

Recommendation: 


Prost!


The Scale:

- Wow! Drop everything and go. It's a Destination - plan a trip.


- Add this to your beer journeys in this region.

- Stop if you're in the neighborhood.

- Skip it.

Prost!

Beer Of The Day: Barrel-Aged Amen!

BOTD: Barrel-Aged Amen!
Cahoots Brewery (Chicago, IL)\
( http://www.cahootsbrewing.com/home )

Barleywine; barrel-aged
11.1% ABV

Its two, two, two beers in one!

So what's with the Barleywine thing? If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you know I like higher gravity beers. A barleywine is simply two-beer's worth of ingredients boiled into one batch. The BJCP style guidelines says this, in terms more about the end result than the ingredients:

" A showcase of malty richness and complex, intense flavors. Chewy and rich in body, with
warming alcohol and a pleasant fruity or hoppy interest. When aged, it can take on port-like flavors. A wintertime sipper."

So we should expect rich, complex flavors. Chaoots says "this well-rounded beer was aged in bourbon barrels, which add sweet, complex notes to the flavor profile."

If your typical beer has the word "-lite" attached to it, this has become unbeerlike in flavor, mutated into some sort of hangover-inducing malt-infused nightmare. Call Uber now.

DISCLAIMER: I had a cold when I sampled this. Actual results may vary. No warranties, written or implied. Please refer to experienced service personnel. May contain BHA or BHT to preserve freshness.

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a goblet. Pours brown and cloudy, modest tan head, dissipating quickly (typical of stronger barrel-aged beers). Aroma is of malt sweetness, caramel-like in character, with Oaky overtones. Tastes of caramel, with a slight bitterness from the hops, medium bodied, it starts slightly sweet with a lingering, mildly bitter finish.  Did not show as much barrel-aging character as I favor, but still a solid example of barrel-aged goodness. Pick one up at your local stockist and enjoy it with a friend.

My Rating: 4 / 5
Untappd: 3.84

Prost!

Beer Of The Day: Hofbrau Dunkel

BOTD: Hofbrau Dunkel
Hofbräu München brewery (Munich, Germany)

( https://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/welcome.html )

"In honor of Beer Day in Germany...."

For most of us in the U.S. , what we think of when we think of beer started here, with German and German-inspired lagers. The Reinheitsgebot established in 1516 in Bavaria codified beer as water, malt, hops, and yeast, and the most popular beer style in the world are lagers, developed by storing (lagering) beer in cool caves, and the unique strains of yeast that work best in that environment. 

The Hofbrauhaus in Munich has been serving their version of these beers since 1589, and in its current location somewhat later. They may be responsible for preventing the sack of Munich when, in 1632, when King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded Bavaria during the Thirty Years' War, he threatened to sack and burn the entire city of Munich. He agreed to leave the city in peace if the citizens surrendered some hostages, and 600,000 barrels of Hofbräuhaus beer......

After WWII, when GIs came home with mugs bearing the HB logo, demand increased internationally, and today we find scions of the Hofbrauhaus in cities across the globe, and their beers widely imported and available in the U.S. 

When last I visited my local Binny's Beverage Depot, I wanted some good "table beers" and grabbed a sixer of Hofbrau Dunkel, and made one of these the subject of this evening's BOTD in honor of German Beer day, a sentiment I suspect even Gustavus Adolphus would have understood, particularly since Dunkel is reported by HB itself as their first beer style brewed.

5.5% ABV

Poured from a bottle into a pilsner glass, this beer pours clear, dark brown, with a firm and prominent light tan head. The aroma is of malt as you expect from a Dunkel (meaning, simply, "dark" in German) It is light-bodies, the flavor is full of more caramel-ly malt than a Hofbrau Original (lager) which paired better with the stronger flavors of my grilled Pizza Burger. It is slightly sweet with a modestly bitter finish. This is a baseline beer for the style, other beers claiming to be a Munich Dunkel are judged in comparison to this. Great with a meal or to enjoy on a fine spring day, and low enough gravity to have more than one.

My Rating: 3.75 / 5

Untappd: 3.33 / 5

Oans, Zwei, Drei, G'suffa!

Prost!

Disclaimer: I am anything but impartial. I have visited the original Hofbrauhaus in Munch, and their satellite locations in 3 cities in the US. I enjoy their products wherever I find them!

 

Brew Near You: Fests

https://brewfestpartners.com/schedule/?inf_contact_key=13a6207b0e1e5212941ec79f7e90a1895089b17082accb2aff326a310f9e6878

Vote for your favorite watering hole

https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/patchs-best-place-get-beer-contest?utm_content=illinois&utm_campaign=blasts&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social

Beer Of The Day: Barrel-Aged Udder Madness

BOTD: Barrel-Aged Udder Madness

Imperial Oak Brewing (Willow Springs, IL)

( http://www.imperialoakbrewing.com/ )

Imperial Stout, Milk Stout

10.5% ABV

Plus

Equals

Imperial milk stout aged in George Dickel Bourbon Barrels

We've done the math, so you don't have to.

Our second bit of Science on National Beer Day involves a nifty bit of zymurgy, as lactose, the naturally occurring sugars found in milk, are not fermentable by our industrious little yeast. It's addition changes the sweetness and mouthfeel of a beer, typically in stouts, making it sweeter and fuller-feeling. Double up on everything, then throw it in a Tennessee whisky barrel for a year or so, and magic happens.

Draft, Poured into a snifter, pours black with little head, typical of BA stouts. The aroma calls up memories of bourbon and oak over a dark roasted malt & coffee like aroma. To the taste you will notice it's medium body, sweetness, a hint of oak char, and molasses-y character. This is quite good. A balanced (is that a misnomer?) Imperial Stout that hits all the marks.

Available on site draft AND in 22oz. Bombers to go.  Go. Visit. Try it. Bring one home.

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

Untappd: 4.22 / 5

Prost!

Beer Of The Day: Imperial Pain!

BOTD: Imperial Pain!
Imperial Oak Brewing (Willow Springs, IL)
( http://www.imperialoakbrewing.com/ )

DIPA
13.4% ABV



(Beer Advocate) " ....blend of malts and hops (equinox, Simcoe, mosaic) ... intense and strong but is surprisingly smooth and dangerously drinkable for its strength."

To celebrate National Beer Day, your intrepid Brew Review Crew headed out to beautiful, bucolic Willow Springs, Illinois (in the shadow of the overpass, across from the commuter tracks / parking lot) to sample and tour Imperial Oak Brewing. A small batch brewer specializing in double-strength, barrel-aged beers? Sign us up. (Note - they only distribute from their tap room - you need to visit to buy it)

As I c=scanned the ubiquitous Brewery Chalkboard, I spied an Imperial IPA clocking in at 13.4%. Intrigued, they poured me one...

Draft, poured into a snifter, a clear, golden brew with a modest white head. Immediate and potent citrus/hop nose. You now have my FULL attention. It sips slightly sweet, fruity, medium bodied for such a high gravity. The hop blend clearly leans to the citrus /fruit over the resin/pine side of the spectrum. Just a touch of bitterness in the finish. I have to agree with Beer Advocate on this one, it masks its High Gravity well. Enjoy it, but if you hang around for two, call Uber. A very good example of a citrus DIPA that doesn't cater to the cloudy/grapefuity New England Thing. (Not that they don't have those on tap as well..... ;-) )

If it was distributed, I''d tell you to go get it. If you're local, go try it!

My Rating: 4.75 / 5

Untappd: 3.96 / 5

Prost!

Beer Of The Day: Necessary Evil

BOTD: Necessary Evil
Illuminated Brew Works (Chicago, IL)
( http://www.ibw-chicago.com/ )

Imperial Stout
11% ABV

It must be some kind of conspiracy. And if you say it's not, it just confirms that there is, and you are part of it.....

This beer has no presence on Illuminated's website. A search on their blog turns up zero results. Zip. Nada. Zilch. A big goose egg. A Beer advocate entry exists, but it has received No Reviews.....

I'll post one here, but I can't guarantee it will remain here, nor our safety in sharing it....

Served from a 25 oz. Bomber into a heavy glass liter mug.
Pours brown/black with a modest head & carbonation. The aroma is rich with cocoa and cinnamon, like something uncovered in a Mayan temple after being invaded by the ancient Indo-Chinese.
The mouthfeel tends toward the rich side, cocoa and especially the cinnamon overwhelm the dark malts. Some sweetness but not overly so, low in bitterness. On reflection, it is a liquid Truffle, a confection of the darkest chocolates and select spices. I would have like the malt to come through a bit more strongly, and I suspect this would do well if left in a barrel for 12 or more months; but if you want a dessert beer to share with a few friends, you could do worse.

My Rating: 4 / 5
Untappd: 3.81 / 5

Prost!

Beer Of The Day: Backyard IPA

BOTD: Backyard IPA
Saugatuck Brewing (Saugatuck, MI)
( https://saugatuckbrewing.com/ )

IPA, Session
4.5% ABV

"...a light body and an enormous hoppy burst of flavor."

Sez You.

OK. I'll admit, I like Big Flavor. Give me a Triple Imperial Whatzit and I'm probably happy, Barrel Age it and I'll stand in line at 3 a.m. for it.  That said, I occasionally like to grab a cold one during the day, after some yard work, as a snack, wash down lunch etc. etc. etc. and not need a nap.  A sessionable IPA? As a confirmed hophead, color me interested. If it can live up to the style.

Pours golden into a standard pint glass, with a slight haze, effervescent with a modest white head. Modest aroma, not potent in either the malt or hop direction, like a pilsner with a tad more hops.

Light mouthfeel consistent with the low gravity, somewhat dry with a touch of bitterness. 

Is it an IPA? Well, it has some IPA ingredients, but it's not meeting my IPA expectations. Perhaps I want to eat my cake and have it too. But in summary, I would have to say this of Backyard IPA:

Too hoppy for Lite people, and too lite for hoppy people.

I would recommend you pass it by and get a Founder's All-Day IPA,

My Rating: 3.25

Untappd: 3.54

Prost!

National Beer Day - Saturday, April 7th, 2018

The Brew Review Crew will be dedicating itself to some onsite research in honor of National Beer Day. In our crosshairs for Saturday: Imperial Oak Brewing in Willow Springs, IL.
http://www.imperialoakbrewing.com/

Imperial Strength. Barrel Aging. If they have bacon, I'll never leave....

Keep following for an in depth report.

Prost!

Barrel-Aged Stouts - Which is Best?

March Beer Madness occurs in April, no fooling.

Welcome back my friends. Rest assured your Brew Review Crew was not ignoring Cervisiarus Mundus over the Easter weekend, rather, we brought out The Crew to do some important research, and share the results with you. 4 Barrel Aged Stouts to choose from but only one can be called The Best. 

This was to be a blind test, where most testers were unaware of the beer's true identity until after the test was complete. 4 Tasters, four blind samples. At the end, there could be Only One.

All samples poured into 4 oz snifters at the same temperature.

Beer # 1  

Drago

Wild Onion Brewery (Lake Barrington, IL)

( http://onionbrewery.com/ )

Russian Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged

9.2% ABV

"...Brewed with boatloads of roasted malt and Sumatra coffee beans."

Taster 1 Review: 

Pours black, impenetrable. No lasting head, minimal carbonation. Smells of oak and dark roasted malts. Rich, not too thick. Strong, slightly bitter finish, the oak tannins lingering. No alcohol burn. Barrel charred oak and roasted malts dominate. Rated 4.25 / 5

Taster 2 Review: Dark color, minimal almost non-existent head,  warmy boozy aftertaste, chocolate-y bourbon flavor, smooth mouthfeel, almost cake-like.

Taster 3 Review: Dark color, tan head, sticks to glass, warmth, bitterness, tingling in throat.

Taster 4 Review: No head, coffee dark smell - coffee beans / taste, dark taste, some fizz, slight burn going down. Low ABV for a stout.

Beer # 2

Islay

Goose Island (Chicago, IL)

( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )

Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged

13.4% ABV

" ...brimming with aromas of peat and roast. Its opaque, jet-black color heralds intense flavors of smoke, earth, and tobacco"

Tester 1 Review:Pours viscous, black, no head. Prominnent "barrel" nose - very peat-y and smoked, salty - vert "Scotch-Barrel-like", like a good Scottish single malt. Definitely a sipper. If you like a good Scotch, you'll like this. Probably a love/hate for most people. I like it.

Rated 4.5 / 5

Taster 2 Review: Very Strong Scotch smell and taste. Peaty flavor, dark color, minimal head. Coats the glass, somewhat bitter

Taster 3 Review: Dark color, brown head, very thick. Smoky notes.

Taster 4 Review: Look? absolutely no head, dark smell? burnt tire, smokey taste - very bitter burnt tasting, hard liquor really shines through.

Beer #3

Bourbon County Brand Stout (2017)

Goose Island (Chicago, IL)

( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )

Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged

14.1% ABV

"...an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke"

Taster 1 Review: Dark, dark red, no head, smells of dark, molasses-y roasted malts, alcohol notes, oily, coats the glass, rich mouthfeel, sweet finish. Almost candy-like molasses/caramel taste. Rich and dessert-y, I'll take as scoop of vanilla, please....

Rated 4.75 / 5

Taster 2 Review:

Very sweet, chocolate flavor, oily, coats glass, smooth and dark / vanilla? Very little head, Dessert-like, no burn.

Taster 3 Review: Dark color, no visible head. Sweet, tingles too.

Taster 4 Review: Dark, no head. Smell? Sweet. Taste? Chocolate, soft burn going down, smooth, malty

Beer #4

Bourbon County Brand Stout - Rare (2015)

Goose Island (Chicago, IL)

( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )

Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged

14.5% ABV

Taster 1 Review: Brown/Black color, no carbonation evident, coats the glass. Dark, malty, boozy flavor. Dark fruit & alcohol emerge, crossing over from Imperial Stout to aged barleywine/belgian quad flavors in a very good way. Drink slowly and enjoy, there's lots going on here.

Rated: 5 / 5

Taster 2 Review: More coating, boozy nose, slight boozy flavor, smooth, more complex. Dark.

Taster 3 Review: Dark Color. Thick. Burns. Rich.

Taster 4 Review: Brown color, little transparency, aroma boozy, oily and shiny in the glass, more of a burn going down, distinct liquor flavor 

So which is Best?

Drum Roll Please .....

By a majority ruling of the empanelled tastes we recommend Goose Island BCBS Rare (2015)

Naturally, this is the most expensive and hard to come by. Now you can't go wrong with a BCBS, and some retailers still have a few bottles stashed but it comes at a price;  Islay is currently easy to come by but there's that love/hate factor; if you just want a good stout without paying the premium, go for a Drago.