Pint Night

Good Evening Everyone,

Tomorrow's Pint Night is only a few short hours away, and it will be one for the books!  We will be featuring Dogfish Head Brewery, and the brews are something quite special indeed:

• Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
• Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA
• Dogfish Head 75 Minute Blended IPA
• Dogfish Head Palo Santo Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brown Ale
• Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA

Each one of these excellent Dogfish Head brews is an event by itself, but the Great Lakes Alchemy Hour is truly wonderful.  It is deep, intense, and very complex in flavor; all of you hop-heads will fall in love with it!

You shall be delighted to know that we will have the amazing Dogfish Head chalices that were specifically designed for India Pale Ales by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada.  If you missed the earlier blog post posting the link about these beautiful glasses, you will want to check it out now:

http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/dogfish-head-sierra-nevada-debut-new-standard-for-ipa-glassware.htm

In addition we will have bottles of the very IPA that was invented specifically for these glasses:  the Rhizing Bines East Coast / West Coast IPA, which is a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada, just like the glass itself.

With the exciting turn of events that has impacted tomorrow's Pint Night, how could you bear to miss it?  Don't be the only poor soul left out in the proverbial rain, come into Pint Night and enjoy some wonderful craft beers!

India Pale Ales: Drink Them While They Are Fresh

http://appellationbeer.com/drink-them-while-they-are-fresh/

The above article may be a little dated (it comes from last August), but the information contained within is still valuable nonetheless.

The article details the importance of fresh IPAs, and includes nuggets of shocking information such as, "Sierra Nevada Brewing has determined the levels of the compounds that produce those floral, spicy, etc. aromas that have made highly hopped beers so popular drop dramatically the first three days after bottling".

An informative read that will certainly make every hop-head appreciate the fresh brews we serve here at the Liquor Barn all the more.

Additional Beer Reviews

Greetings folks! Seems the taps have been busy. Business seems to have picked up with all the unseasonably warm days we have had. As such, we have 3 other beers to offer on tap. Note that on two of these our scores differed so greatly that I offered up individual scores. So, without further ado, the reviews!

Six Point Bengali Tiger IPA

This IPA has been the most popular Six Point we put on tap. Usually, that makes for one heck of a beer. However, the age on this keg has certainly sapped it of its hop power. The nose remains, which is shocking. Pine, fresh cut grass, and hints of pineapple form a mouthwatering aroma. The beer itself was fairly bitter and bland. Flavors of Citrus, Rye, and Ramen made for more of a Pale Ale flavor. The finish continued those light flavors that were overpowered by the bitterness with light hints of fresh cut grass, toast, and orange peel. It is a light IPA for Spring with plenty of bitterness, but stay away if you are looking to have your socks knocked off.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 5.75/10 (Mike - 3.75; Tyler - 7.75)


Green Flash Grand Cru

This Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Green Flash makes the second Belgian-style by a usually predominant American Style Brewery in the last couple of weeks. I must say that the nose on this beer is different from any beer I have put on tap in a long while. Aroma's of honeysuckle, lavender, licorice, mesquite jerky, powdered sugar, and garlic made for a diverse nose that is a wonderful start to this brew. The taste is lightly sweet with flavors of brown sugar, clove, molasses, and roasted coffee. Smooth as silk until the finish when a bitter hoppy twang appears and a tart flavor of raisins shines through. If you are a fan of Belgian Styles than look no further!

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10 (Mike - 9.00; Tyler - 7.00)


Stone Imperial Russian Stout

I am proud to present this Russian Imperial Stout from Stone as one of the last great Stouts for Winter before the seasons change. This keg has been delicately aged for one year and is now ready to tap! The nose is pungent with strong hints of coffee, cherries, cream, oak, walnuts, and rye bread. The taste is wonderfully rich with thick flavors of raisins, brown sugar, toffee, and fig. The finish is deliciously long with flavors of coffee beans, molasses, and dark chocolate. The year of age has smoothed out this already incredible Stout.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10

Upcoming Pint Night

Greetings everyone.  Tomorrow's Pint Night will feature a new and exciting brewery from a state we've never had on tap:  Smuttynose from New Hampshire.  The Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Brown Ale & Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA will be the selections.  Other highlights on the wall include the Six Point Resin Double IPA & Six Point Bengali Tiger IPA.

We have new Smuttynose pint glasses to go with the new brews, which are in fact quite delicious.  Bearing this in mind, I'm sure you would all agree that it would be a true shame to miss out.  Avoid disappointment and sadness -- drop by Pint Night Friday between 4:30 PM - 10:30 PM for a tasty new beer!

Weekly Beer Reviews

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog

This relatively new brewery to Kentucky and the first from New Hampshire has finally graced our shelves and our wall. It also happens to be our Featured Beer and Pint Night of the week. The nose on this Brown Ale is fantastic, if a bit different from other Brown Ales. Peach, raspberry, and raisin aroma's assault your nose first, with softer aroma's of apple and caramel in the back. The taste is chock full of caramel, toffee, and almonds which makes for one tasty start. The finish switches to flavors of molasses, brown sugar, and oak. A slight bitterness appears, but it fits nicely with the flavors. This is one of the best Brown Ales I have had the pleasure of putting on tap.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.25/10


Smuttynose Finest Kind

Another from the newest brewery to join our wall, this IPA came in highly recommended. The nose doesn't disappoint with aroma's of onions, lemon, garlic, and limburger. This pungent nose promised an intense IPA. However, when we tasted it, it wasn't nearly as hoppy as the smell would have us believe. Flavors of pine, lemon, and a strong bitter presence hit the tongue right off the bat. The finish was practically non-existant with the bitterness persisting with flavors of orange peel. This good IPA is a nice start to spring and a perfectly sessionable IPA for a decent price.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Six Point Resin

It has been a little while since a Six Point beer has graced our walls. This Double IPA from them is certainly one of their best brews. The aroma on this beer is fantastic. Mango, pineapple, lime, lemon, and pine were all present on the nose and it made for an amazing start to the beer. The flavor is a little lighter than the aroma with hints of fruit punch, mango, orange, and parsley. The finish continues the fruity taste with flavors of coconut, papaya, and pine resin. Not overly bitter, this Double IPA is definitely worth a try whether you have had this brew before or not.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10

Dogfish Head Debuts New Standard for IPA Glassware

http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/press-releases/dogfish-head-sierra-nevada-debut-new-standard-for-ipa-glassware.htm

Dogfish Head is releasing a new pint glass specifically for IPA's; it is elegant looking and designed to enhance the flavor of your IPA -- with science!

The great news is that we will be receiving a shipment of these unique and beautiful glasses, so keep your eyes open for the inevitable Dogfish Head Pint Night that is surely coming soon!

Weekly Beer Reviews

Dogfish Head Noble Rot

We welcome this interesting brew to our wall for the first time ever. Brewed like a Pilsner with Belgian yeast in the style of a Saison and flavored with grape must, it is sure to entice you all. What is grape must you ask? Grape must is essentially grape juice that includes the skins, stems, and seeds of the grape. The grapes used in this brew come from Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio) grapes. It certainly shows on the nose, which smelled strongly of grapes. Aroma's of applesauce, lemon, steak, and mushrooms were also picked up. The taste is immediately sour and tart like a wine. Sour apples, sauteed onions, and melon made for a wonderfully diverse taste that has more in common with a wine. The finish was quick and salty with flavors of dry, red apples.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Schlafly AIPA

This is one of my absolute favorite beers. I would be lying if I didn't say that it is put on tap just as much for me as for you all. Perks, right? We brought in another taster for this one. Cody (Weird Al, Garfunkel, Frodo, etc.) joined us to taste this magnifient beer. The nose was incredibly diverse and pungent with aroma's of pine, lemon, grapefruit zest, tea leaves, onions, and black pepper. Usually with a fantastic nose like that on a beer the taste can't match it. This is not the case for the AIPA. The taste had plenty of fresh hops with flavors of mango, grapefruit, onions, watermelon, soap, and fennel seed. The finish is quick and refreshing with softer flavors of citrus and toast. We all highly recommend this one.

Mike, Tyler, and Cody's Rating - 9.83/10


Stone Double Bastard

This beer has been a frequent visitor to our wall, yet this keg was so fresh I couldn't turn it down. The nose is earthy with softer aroma's of maple, creamed corn, oak, pine, and hay. The taste is sweeter than you would imagine with flavors of maple, oak, bourbon, and vanilla. That sweetness evaporates, making way for one hell of a bitter bomb finish. Black coffee and unsweetened cocoa assault your tongue and make for a feisty finish.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10

The Legendary Pint Night Spectacular

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment of reckoning has arrived.  Tomorrow's Legendary Pint Night Spectacular will feature an incredible beer from Schlafly, and will be flanked by two more amazing brews:

• Schlafly AIPA
• Dogfish Head Noble Rot Saison Ale
• Stone Double Bastard

The Schlafly AIPA is an American India Pale Ale like no other; it rivals Bell's Hopslam in every way.  This highly sought after brew won't last long, so make sure you get here in time to enjoy some!  The Noble Rot is a fascinating yet delicious beer made with pilsner hops, Belgian yeast, and grape must. 

In addition to three excellent new beers, we will have Schlafly glasses (which we have never had before), and for those with exquisite tastes, Schlafly goblets.

The Legendary Pint Night Spectacular will be one for the books, so come one, come all!  Don't be the only unfortunate soul to miss the best Pint Night in an age!

See you soon!

Decoding Flavor: Four Keys to Tasting

http://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/decoding-flavor-four-keys-to-tasting

Now you can drink like a professional beer snob too!

Jokes aside, this is a valuable little tidbit that does a good job explaining how best to appreciate your beers when tasting them.  While the article doesn't explicitly state how to correctly taste a beer, it does specifically explain what flavor is and detail the beer drinking experience, so that the reader will have more aspects of flavor to think about in the future.  Mike and I use a similar process when reviewing our beers on tap.

The Valentine's Day Broken Heart Special

They say every rose has its thorn, and our upcoming Valentine's Day special is no exception.  In this case our rose is the very fragrant and delicious Southern Tier Choklat, which is so decadent, chocolatey, and sweet that you and your beloved will fall in love with it.

Unfortunately this will be a love that is bittersweet, for Southern Tier has discontinued their Oat and Java Stouts, along with the superb Mocha Stout, which the Choklat is an integral part of.  Why not stop in and sample the Choklat while sadly reminiscing upon happier, Mocha-filled days?  Because there is no reason not to, that's why!

Valentine's day is this Thursday, February 14, so we should still have the Choklat the next day for our exceptional tasting featuring the incomparable Schlafly AIPA!

It looks like it will be another glorious Friday here at the Liquor Barn, and the evocative, yet emotional Southern Tier Choklat will only add exciting drama to the event's dynamic.  Be sure not to miss it!

Clearance Specials

We have a couple beers that I am moving into "clearance", which just means I am lowering the prices to benefit you all. Give these three beers a try and take advantage of the new price points! We have:

• Founder's Breakfast Stout - Was: $13.99  Now: $9.99               
• Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter - Was: $13.99  Now: $11.99 
• Upland Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA Was: $9.99  Now: $7.99

Hope to see you all out here taking advantage of these absurdly low prices!

The Upcoming Legendary Pint Night Spectacular!

This Friday, February 15:  brace yourselves...

Schlafly's AIPA is coming!

If you loved Bell's Hopslam, then it would be criminal to miss this AIPA.  Mike claims Schlafly's AIPA to even be superior to Hopslam.

Further updates regarding this Pint Night are to come, so stay tuned.

Weekly Beer Reviews

This section is a bit different this week, as we had a week in which not much went off tap. Instead, Tyler and I chose our favorite beer on tap, and we reviewed them. These two will also be available on Friday for $2 off the growler. Doesn't get much better than that, eh?

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

This Spring Seasonal from Sierra Nevada is a lovely IPA for the changing weather and Tyler's favorite beer on tap. The nose is full of pine with softer aroma's of raspberries, onions, banana's, and bran. The taste is pleasantly bitter with a strong pine flavor. Lighter flavrs of black pepper, parsley, and gouda shine through. The finish is quick and toasty with a subtle rye flavor. If you are a fan of bitter, piney IPA's with a smooth finish, this will be up your alley.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10


Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

This Imperial Porter has more in common with a Black IPA than a Porter, and happens to be my favorite on tap. The nose is diverse with aroma's of dark chocolate, grapes, citrus, cream, and licorice. The taste is bitter throughout with flavors of fresh lemons and vanilla. The finish ramps up the bitterness and has strong flavors of charcoal, baking chocolate, and roast coffee. I certainly consider this to be Flying Dog's best beer available in Kentucky.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10

Alton Brown Demonstrates How to Chill a Beer in Two Minutes

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/alton-brown-speed-chills-a-beer/n18686/

Isn't science great?

Pint Night Deluxe Clearance Spectacular

Ahoy all!  This week Mike and I need desperately to get some inventory off of our hands, so it's time for a good old fashioned clearance special, featuring some local favorites.  We will be pouring the following:

• BBC Christmas Ale
• BBC Cream Ale
• Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

In addition, we will be knocking $2 off of growlers for two of our favorite beers currently on tap:  Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye & Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter.

So come one and come all, to our little Pint Night gathering for some fine beers and good company.

See you tomorrow!

Ommegang's Limited Edition "A Game of Thrones" Brews

Ommegang is releasing limited edition craft beers based off of the hit show "A Game of Thrones."  Awesome, aptly-named beers like the Iron Throne blond ale and the Art of Darkness Ale are to be featured in the collection.  Mike and I are big fans of the series, so I know we will do what we can to get these beers in stock.

In case there are any of you who aren't hip to the amazing HBO show, "A Game of Thrones" (based off of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series), it is a superb high-fantasy show like no other.  While it has some tropes that most fantasy fiction shares (kings, castles, dragons, etc.), it is notably more adult-oriented, grimly realistic, complex in storyline, and alarmingly brutal than anything else in the genre.  If you haven't yet checked it out, do so!  Be one of the cool kids!

(link provided via Melinda Simpson):  http://www.ommegang.com/#!limited_release

The Pleasures of Pint Night

I told myself I would only post after Pint Nights when the night had been truly exceptional, however it looks like such a post will become a habit, for it was another fabulous Pint Night!  We had a great crowd that stayed with us throughout the evening and into the night.

I want to thank everyone it particular for purchasing glassware, because we sold more than perhaps we ever have.  Luckily we had lots of new glassware in stock.  Sometimes it is difficult to get a hold of new pint glasses, and I know many of you have thought about your decreasing shelf space more than once; but your patronage and dedication to the glassware helps make our Pint Nights a great success and allows us to keep getting both new glasses and great beer in -- and the strong sale of glasses also looks great to our superiors.

So thanks again and I hope everyone will continue to check out the blog (consider putting us in your favorites tab) while telling everyone else about it.  Also don't forget to come next week for another great Pint Night. 

Toodles!