New Beer Arrivals

This week wouldn't be complete without a list of new beer arrivals. What a week it has been too, as several new and returning beers have graced our shelves. Here is a list of these fantastic arrivals:

• Three Floyds Alpha King APA 6 Packs
• Bell's HopSlam Imperial IPA 6 Packs
• Stone Matt's Burning Rosids Imperial Cherrywood Smoked Saison 22 oz. Bottles
• Flat 12 Half Cycle IPA 6 Packs
• Flat 12 Pogue's Run Porter

These new beers are a wonderful addition to our store, so come and check them out. We are also proud to announce that we have received more Goose Island Barleywine. Also, whereas it was once $37.99 a 4 pack, we now have it on sale for $23.99! The savings can sure pile up.

Weekly Beer Reviews

This week will involve everything Falls City. We welcome 2 years of their Black IPA for you all to compare and contrast. If that wasn't enough, their Amarillo Single Hop APA and their new IPA that combines Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe hops are sure to delight. Let's kick this off, beer enthusiasts!


Falls City Amarillo Pale Ale

We start with the lightest entry of the night. The nose is light and pleasant and gives off soft aromas of applesauce, oranges, grape juice, and hay. The nose holds up well despite the slight bit of age to the keg. The initial taste is floral with strong flavors of apples and tangerines. The end has slightly bitter toasted notes that linger into the finish before slowly transforming into sweet flavors of oatmeal and honeycomb. This beer isn't the hoppiest on tap, but it sure is flavorful and well-balanced.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Falls City Black IPA '12

Age before beauty they say. So we start with the older of the two Black IPA's. The nose starts off with a burst of sweet smoke before offering thick aromas of BBQ, mesquite, beef jerky, and perfume. The BBQ smacks you in the face from the first sip and offers up lighter flavors of grass, charcoal, and hay. The finish is quite meaty with flavors of grilled steak and brisket. As those flavors dissipate, it leaves sweeter flavors of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. This IPA has certainly aged well and compares favorably against its younger sibling.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.75/10


Falls City Black IPA '13

We went into this one with high hopes, and it certainly seems to have let us down at this point in time. The nose smells strongly of pulled pork, wood chips, and very light citrus. The flavor offers very little in the way of hops with strong flavors of wood, ash, charcoal, and grass. The finish is quite bitter with strong flavors of burnt peanut oil and coffee. There didn't seem to be too much happening in this beer, which is a shame as it has been hopped more heavily than last years. Here is hoping a little time on tap helps to bring out the nose and flavor.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6/10


Falls City IPA

This beer is incredibly fresh, having just been kegged 3 days ago. The nose is light yet provides plenty of pungent aromas. Citrus, soap, and pine are all present and blend well together to form a bouquet that is spot on. The taste is immediately bitter with flavors of wood, pine, and light hints of soap. As the finish approaches, the bitterness dies completely. Soft flavors of perfume and lemon pith become prominent and help to round out this incredibly fresh IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10

Falls City Pint Night

Tonight's Pint Night will highlight our beloved local specialty, Falls City Brewing Company, and not just the everyday Pale Ale, but a host of new other offerings, showing how up-and-coming they are lately!

• Falls City India Pale Ale
• Falls City Black IPA 2012
• Falls City Black IPA 2013
• Falls City Amarillo Pale Ale

Look at that large, unique selection!  It's more from Falls City than we've ever had before!  And what's more, we have four different kinds of Falls City glassware, one for each beer!

Support your locals!  Come in and drink!

Deschutes Pint Night

Greeting Pint Nighters!  This week's Pint Night will feature a new brewery to Kentucky, the Deschutes Brewery straight out of Oregon!  Behold our selection:

• Deschutes Black Butte Porter
• Deschutes Inversion IPA
• Deschutes Red Chair APA
• Deschutes Mirror Pond APA
• Deschutes/Great Lakes Imperial Smoked Porter

Deschutes provides a tempting selection to introduce their beers to us, do they not?  Check out their excellent ratings here, which are incredibly high!  Mike and I are excited to try these beers ourselves.  Won't you stop by and try them with us?  Come in tomorrow night for Pint Night, and never mind the weather!

Last Weeks Beer Reviews

Ciderboys Mad Bark

This Cider has strong hints of baked apples, cinnamon, and apple pie. It certainly smells like a fresh Spring day out in the country. The taste is smooth and semi-sweet. Those baked apples shine through with flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and Dutch apple pie. The finish is lightly crisp with flavors of Granny Smith apples. This cider is straight forward (as are most of them) but a fantastic brew all the same.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10
 

Rogue Mogul American Strong Ale

This American Strong Ale isn't too heavy, weighing in at 7% ABV. It has a bit of age on it, but that hasn't decreased the hops that are present in the nose. Lemon, pine, and soap erupt off the nose with subtle aromas of spice and soy present on the end. The taste hits your buds with light lemon before being overwhelmed by pine resin and cracked pepper. The finish is very bitter with hints of extra dark chocolate and grass. The hops have dissipated slightly, but for the age it has it provides a pronounced flavor of both hops and malts.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.75/10


Great Lakes Blackout Stout

This is a nice change from the intensely black beers with tons of dark chocolate and roasted black coffee. This one is much sweeter. The nose displays tons of aromas with hints of hickory bacon, maple, brown sugar, white chocolate, raisins, and coffee. It truly makes for an impressive bouquet. The taste is instantly rich and sweet with flavors of milk chocolate, maple, and raisins. Lighter flavors of hay, orange zest, and alcohol were present as well. The finish combined bittersweet chocolate, hazelnuts, and cream. Lighter flavors of coffee built as the finish evolved. A fantastic stout for these cold, Winter months.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout

This has definitely been Stout week. We decided that with so many Stouts moving onto tap, we might as well do it right. The nose is interesting with an eclectic mix of aromas that included tootsie roll, fudge brownie, dirt, hay, roasted coffee, and manure. The taste has hints of licorice and Necco hearts right off the bat with lighter flavors of brown sugar and toffee. The finish is a little weird with flavors of honey, mint, and sweet cornbread. Needless to say, we will have to see how this Stout does on tap. Last time it drank equally bad to start, but over time became a pretty decent stout. Only time will tell.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6.75/10


The next couple I will be rating by myself. Tyler and I couldn't get it tasted together, so you will get my rating alone.

Founders All Day IPA

This sessionable IPA has gone from a Seasonal to an everyday brew for Founders, due to its popularity. So it is nice to welcome back this incredibly drinkable IPA. The nose is quite pleasant with strong aromas of lemon and pine. Lighter aromas of onion and floral hints were picked up as the nose persisted. The taste is instantly bitter off the front. Lemon, lime pith, and hints of onion all make themselves present before dissipating. The finish has the bitterness fade to nothing with lovely flavors of grass and mint leaf with floral notes. Certainly this beer is a bit light for Winter, but the taste is solid.

Mike's Rating - 7.5/10


Founders Imperial Stout

This big Imperial Stout was acquired and tapped for all of you Stout lovers out there. It makes it our 4th Stout on tap, and what a stout it is. The nose is sweet with hints of brown sugar, raisins, and cocoa. As the aromas moves on lighter flavors of cream and roasted coffee appear. The taste is instantly rich and sweet off the bat. Charcoal, milk chocolate, and hints of mint dominate the front of this beer and make for an intriguing entry. The finish is bitter with strong flavors of dark chocolate, black coffee, and fudge brownies. Some age would certainly serve this beer well in the front, but the finish I would put up against any Stout out there.

Mike's Rating - 9.5/10

Those Who Were Swept Under the Rug, Saved for a Rainy Day Pint Night

Hello all readers.  Friday's Pint Night is fast approaching.  Are you ready for the wild selection that we will have prepared for you?  Direct your eyes toward the following:

• Cider Boys Mad Bark Cinnamon Apple Cider
• Great Lakes Blackout Stout
• Rogue Mogul American Strong Ale
• Left Hand Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout
• ...And One Mystery Keg, Yet to Be Determined!!!

The next four weeks of Pint Nights are definitively locked in and settled, so check out the left-hand side of the blog for our future forecast!  For now, enjoy one more fun mixed Pint Night bonanza!  The Rogue Mogul should prove a tasty, bitter, and intense experience, while the winter stouts are finally arriving in full force.  And lookie there, a cider is finally being tapped, and by one of the best, Cider Boys.  Those of you anxious to sample that crisp sweet orchardy taste will be delighted at last.  So do make sure you make it in this Friday from 4:30-10:30 PM.  Come, drink, be merry!

New Beer Arrivals

This week has been an eventful one, that is for sure. Many new beers have popped in for the season, and a new brewery has arrived to our shelves. Rejoice, for it is a good time to drink beer. This is what we have in store for you:

• Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA 4 packs
• Uinta Baba Black Lager 6 packs
• Uinta Wyld APA 6 packs
• Uinta Hop Notch IPA 6 patch
• Bell's Smitten Golden Rye
• Founders Imperial Stout
• Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale
• Abita Mardi Gras Bock
• Smuttynose Durty American Brown Ale
• Smuttynose Variety 12 Pack

Come in and enjoy these wonderful new additions to our store on your next shopping expedition.

Weekly Beer Reviews

Greetings folks! We have been MIA for a bit as the Holidays arrived with an influx of people. However, we are back to the blog and more determined than ever to update you on our beers!

Brooklyn Fire and Ice Smoked Porter

We start off the tastings with a Smoked Porter out of good ole' New York City. The nose is chock full of roasted coffee, milk chocolate, and raisins. Subtle aromas of smoke and mint leaf intermingle to make a beautiful nose that isn't overpowering in the smoke department. The taste is rather light up front with hints of cream, mint, and smoke. The smoke completely and utterly disappears and leaves you with strong flavors of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, oatmeal, and brown butter. This is a wonderful porter for those cold Winter days.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Southern Tier 2XMas Spiced Ale

Christmas is never over until it is over in your heart...at least that is what we hope you are saying when you look at this last survivor of the Christmas Craze. The nose is quite aromatic with strong hints of mint, sterilized gauze, pine nettles, basil, sage, and cardamom. It definitely seems to smell like a house at Christmas. Well, a house with a live Christmas tree. The taste is overwhelming with strong flavors of pine sap, pine nettles, rose petals, and Pine-Sol. The finish continues that strong flavors with flavors of pine nettles, mint, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. If you love the Spiced Christmas Ales, then this one will be right up your alley. However, Tyler and I both agreed that it was far too much.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6.75/10


Stone Double Bastard American Strong Ale

I am usually indifferent about this beer. Age seems to help smooth out some of the flavors, but it usually just doesn't have enough oomph for my liking to mask that intense amount of alcohol. With this batch, we have the opposite. The nose is interesting with hints of grass, lima beans, brown sugar, and tons of chapstick. The flavors has hints of licorice before being completely overpowered with intense flavors of pine and hairspray. The finish is intensely bitter with strong flavors of grass and perfume. This beer had so much of that hairspray/perfume flavor that it nearly choked Tyler.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.5/10


Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

This one has probably caught everyone's eye. First off, Black IPA's are rare as it goes and Utah beers are practically unheard of here. Pronounced Doo-Bee, the name itself will make a few of you turn your heads. The nose is full of hop aromas with hints of mango, pine, soap, prunes, cocoa powder, and floral notes. The taste is full of pine resin with hints of lemon pith, cracked pepper, and water crackers. The finish is lightly bitter and is full of a lovely flavor of prunes, raisins, and dark chocolate that slowly becomes thick and creamy throughout the finish. This will definitely be the class of the night.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10

Mike's Cross-Country Pint Night Specialties

Hello dear readers, this Pint Night will feature, not one, not two, nor three, but four random beers from assorted breweries spanning the nation: two from New York, and one each from California and Utah.

• Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA
• Stone Double Bastard American Strong Ale
• Brooklyn Fire and Ice Smoked Porter
• Southern Tier 2XMas Spiced Ale

Quite an eclectic and varied selection, no?  The pleasure in feeling these flavors dance from one part of the palate to the next cannot be overstated.  And its such a fine day out anyways, how could even consider resisting a visit to our fine establishment?  Word 'round the grape vine is that an additional surprise keg from Ohio is to be put on tap.  Now I wonder what this mystery keg could be?  There's only one way to find out!

Drinking Word of the Day

I'd like to thank Melinda Simpson, our regular contributor, for providing us with this gem from the Oxford English Dictionary, combining her's and my deep love of both beer and knowledge:

OED Online Word of the Day
~~~ 

† abligurition, n.

[‘ Extravagant spending on food and drink.’]

Etymology: <  post-classical Latin abligurition-, abliguritio action of devouring (4th cent.) <  classical Latin abligūrīt-, past participial stem of abligūrīre to squander on dainties ( <  ab- ab- prefix + ligūrīre (also ligurrīre) to be dainty, lick, lick up: see ligurion n.) + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare earlier abligurie n.

 Obs. rare^—0.

  Extravagant spending on food and drink.

1742  N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict., Abligurition, a prodigal spending in Belly-Cheere.

 ~~~

Try to use this word in your everyday vocabulary, for instance, "Melinda's abligurition astounded all those who witnessed it, even those at Pint Night!" Add this word to your vocabulary, and perhaps more beer and alcohol-related terms from the OED could come your way as a reward!

 

Green Flash Pint Night

Greetings to all in this new year, and welcome to the Liquor Barn Blog 2014, now featuring a brand new year number!  To kick it off, let us tempt you with a few of our finer selections, featuring two souped-up IPAs from Green Flash and other delights:

• Green Flash Green Bullet Triple IPA
• Green Flash Palate Wrecker Imperial IPA
• Founder's Breakfast Stout
• Widmer Brothers Brrr Winter Warmer Ale
• Southern Tier Harvest ESB Ale
• Left Hand Warrior IPA

Come satiate your palates with some of the finest beer on tap in the city, won't you?  Yes, you shall!