Mike's Beer Blog 2.0 (Important Message!)

Greetings!

I will make this short and sweet. After some deliberation I have decided to change the address of the beer blog, or rather just make a new one. I figured giving Liquor Barn free publicity wasn't the way to go and I wanted a website that represented myself. So here is the address for the new website: http://mikesblogofbeer.blogspot.com/ or you can click here. I have made some snazzy new changes to it and am looking forward to providing everyone with some interesting reads as often as I can manage it.

Thanks for the support,

Michael Rausch
Beer Enthusiast

Beer Review #2

Tonight is a personal favorite and one that has really caught on with all hops lovers. I decided to partake of Green Flash Green Bullet. This DIPA is packed full of flavor without being a bitter bomb. The nose is beautiful with hints of lemon zest, orange juice, apricots, and cut grass. It certainly sets the tone for the adventure ahead. The taste starts out slightly bitter with flavors of lemon zest, pine, and perfume. The finish is smooth leaving just the lingering taste of lemon pith and cut grass. I remember more tropical fruit on last years edition. However, I am tasting a few week old bottle in a glass vs. fresh off the tap in a tasting cup. Still, it was good enough to bring a smile of bliss to my face.

Mike's Rating - 8.75/10

1st Beer Review

I am starting off simple here as it has been a while since I've done these. Yet the ebb and flow seemed to come back to me pretty quickly. Today I tasted Founders Breakfast Stout, a Winter favorite of mine. This years edition is drinking particularly well. The nose isn't as pungent as I would want it, but aromas of roasted coffee and cocoa were certainly present. The taste started off with bitter coffee grounds and a hint of espresso. That quickly lightened up with succulent flavors of dark chocolate, chocolate milk, and cream. It paired quite well with the spicy chili I made tonight.

Mike's Rating - 9/10

Craft Brewers Sue the State of Texas

Who would have thought my first real beer post would involve the Longhorn State? Not only does this seem unconstitutional, but it almost seems as if the State of Texas legalized stealing. Read it here and see if you agree with me.

New Blog

Greetings Gals & Gents,

I guarantee none of you thought you would see me post on this blog again. Though I did sorta give it life and poured love into it when I could. Anyways, you all are probably wondering why I am posting something here. After all, this blog has been MIA since Baker effectively killed every bit of fun at the growler wall in St. Matthews. No matter, I have been visiting the lovely Springhurst Store in the Springhurst Towne Center off Westport Road. They still offer friendly faces and tasty samples. That is when it occurred to me that I should start my own blog.

Start my own blog? Yes, you read that correctly. I have decided to start my own beer blog and post beers that I am excited for, things that I have tasted and their ratings, and just beer news in general. Heck, I might even throw some other things in for variety. I haven't yet decided if I will spit in the face of adversity and keep the same web address or if I will link you all to a new blog. Once I get that sorted out I will post it on here.

I hope some of you will keep reading this, but if not that is cool too. I am determined to keep writing up this blog for my own sake. I can't help it, I miss the damn girl. Yes, my blog is a girl. Deal with it. Wait...Did I just say damn? Shit fuck...Hey! I don't have to be PG anymore! Wee! Now, mind you I don't plan on cussing like an English sailor, but it will be nice to not worry about whether my opinions or descriptions are being gone over with a fine-tooth comb.

Anyways, I hope to hear from a few of you. Feel free to hit me up via my personal/business email at MRausch13@hotmail.com, or even at LiquorBarnLetters@gmail.com. I check both regularly and hope at least some of you all will enjoy this blog as much as I will writing it.

Thanks,

Michael Rausch

A Daring and Bold Move

This time, dear readers, I have tapped yet again!  What makes this tapping so exciting is the selection from Hammerheart Brewery, whose kegs are strangely spherical and have funny tap couplers.  Twas an adventure to get them on the wall to be sure, and unfortunately one of the three cannot be tapped right now because of a lack of proper couplers; it will have to wait until the Thor's Imperial Porter is gone. Onwards:

• Hammerheart Åttebeint Hest Northern IPA
• Hammerheart Thor's Imperial Porter
• Bell's Oktoberfest
• Bell's Two Hearted Ale IPA

Thor's Porter drinks heavily and darkly, fitting for a wrathful, powerful god.  The smell is of smoke and peppers, like pepper jack cheese.  It conjures a deep bitterness, rich yet extremely dark chocolate, a quick flash of maple syrup, a hint of smoke, and a fierce fieriness in the belly reminiscent of smoked peppers (chipotles perhaps); magnificent and intense for a porter.  The Northern IPA is slightly perfumy on the smell, perhaps with a little grapefruit.  The taste however is a lot darker than expected, with hints of roasted nuts and tree amber, perhaps with a little lime zest.  Earthy, deep, and quite good.


The astute reader will notice that, along with the Hammerheart and Bell's beers tapped just now, another Bell's brew was just tapped a couple of days ago -- the Winter White Ale.  It's just as well then to frame this week as a Hammerheart/Bell's bonanza!  So there it is, don't forget to come in.  Journey into a higher realm of delight.

Transition Time

Greetings readers.  My update is coming a little late, and for a logical enough reason.  Due to my shifting schedule and my classes, I'll be updating the blog on Saturdays most likely.  That means you can expect another bigger and more impressive update for tomorrow.  But for today, here are a couple of fillers:

• Bell's Winter White Witbier
• Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale

A humble offering, but they join a greater whole to be sure.  And don't forget to check tomorrow evening, because more impressive beers shall be on display!  Cheers!

A Deep & Decadent Quintet

Hello all.  This week the Southern Tier brews have dropped, and my goodness aren't they all rich and dessert-like.  Behold the staggering display:

• Southern Tier Pumpking Pumpkin Ale
• Southern Tier Oat Imperial Oatmeal Stout
• Southern Tier Mokah Imperial Blended Stout
• Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout
• Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout with Chocolate 

Whooooaaaa, look at all of those intense, sweet stouts!  A delightful dessert they will make, and those of you with a sweet tooth will be in paradise.  The Mokah is a delightful mixture of the Choklat and Jahva Stouts.  Also bear in mind that the Oat is discontinued, so this will probably be the last chance you'll ever have to drink it!

And as is the popular tradition, we still have a plethora of IPAs available, including the Road Warrior and the 90-Minute IPAs.  So make sure you stop in the try the diverse range of beers available for sampling.  Don't be a frampler, come on in!  You shan't regret it!

This Time A Trio

Hello everyone, I'm frantically trying to finish everything and update the blog before close, so without further ado:

• Sierra Nevada Harvest Single-Hop IPA
• Southern Tier Pumpking Pumpkin Ale
• Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout

A fine trio, I admit.  Come on in and try them, do it!

A Delightful Duo for the Ages

Hear ye, hear ye!  A couple of dynamic, delicious brews are coming your way!

• Green Flash Road Warrior Imperial Rye IPA
• Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Short and sweet...well, not really sweet.  More like short and hoppy as hell, as is this message!  You have the bare necessities, now come forthwith!

The Ceremonial Tapping of the Beers

The time has come yet again to perform our sacred rite.  Here are the offerings for this week:

• Negra Modelo Munich Dunkel Lager
• Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' American Pale Wheat Ale
• Flat 12 Half Cycle IPA
• Oskar Blues G'Knight Imperial Red IPA

These selections ought to do nicely for our purposes.  They contain no rhyme or reason in their selection, save for the fact that they are some of the few left to choose from.  But that should be remedied in due time, as I have requested a fresh resupply of our wares.  For now, join me in enjoying these four featured brews, you'll find that you won't be disappointed after all!

Behold, A Random Assortment for our Wall

Hello all, this week I've had the privilege of tapping a few yummy beers, observe:

• Schlafly Coffee Stout
• Green Flash White IPA
• Stone RuinTen Imperial IPA

All three of these beers were a delight to taste.  The Coffee Stout is milky, creamy, and to my surprise, exhibits the qualities of coffee. The White IPA pops with piney bitterness, with floral and Belgium notes dancing around different spots on the palate lightly and speedily.  The RuinTen is hoppy and intense, carrying a heavy mango-like sweetness and some savory characteristics as well.

Don't forget that you are welcome to come in Thursday (tonight) for a pint glass, while tomorrow we will be serving six-ounce samples and knocking dollars off of our growlers.  Stop in tonight or tomorrow, or hell, why not both?

Cheers!

Lagunitas / Pint Night Update

Hello everyone.  Some business before the beer selection.  The head honcho, Baker, is experimenting with the format of Pint Night.  Starting tomorrow, instead of doing pints, we will be running growler specials.  We are still selling our famous six ounce beers, so come in and enjoy those and think about getting a growler while you're here.  Starting in a couple of weeks in August, Baker will determine a night to do pint glasses.  If it ends up being on a day inconvenient to you, just remember you can always come in for six ouncers and discounted growlers on Friday. Thanks for hanging in with us while we play around with the format.  Baker is accepting the blame for the switch; how kind of him to volunteer to be our scapegoat!

Nevertheless, tomorrow we'll be featuring the Lagunitas Brewery, and some of their delights:

• Lagunitas IPA
• Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra Imperial IPA
• Lagunitas NightTime Black IPA

So there it is.  I hope for and would sincerely appreciate your continued patronage.  Thanks!

Bell's -- The Planets

The Planets by Gustav Holst is one of those iconic symphonies that everyone, even the classically laymen, knows and loves.  To my personal delight Bell's Brewery is brewing a special series of beers, one for each of Holst's famous movements, with tastes that reflect both Holst's personal story and the Roman gods his music was inspired by.  Click here to witness them and see what they are all about, and don't forget to listen to this awe-inspiring piece here.

Brooklyn and Founders Amazing Independence Day Pint Night Spectacular!

Happy holidays everyone!  We have a very special Pint Night in store for the per-explosives portion of your evening.  Our founding fathers surely would have approved of the event, for behold!

• Brooklyn Summer Ale
• Brooklyn Ridgy Didge Saison
• Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale
• Founders Centennial IPA
• Founders Double Trouble IIPA

These wonderful, even patriotic beers will provide you with all the zeal that our descedants would have wanted on this glorios day.  Besides, why blow your money up in the sky when you could watch a dazzling light display in your head?

We'll have pint glasses for both breweries available as well, some come with unclenched fists!

Jolly Pumpkin Pint Night

Hello everyone.  This week we have a new arrival to the Barn, the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, and the interesting brews that they put forth:

• Jolly Pumpkin Bière De Mars Bière de Garde
• Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière Farmhouse Ale
• Jolly Pumpkin IO Saison
• Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial Brown Ale

Whoa, look at those fancy titles!  Each and every one of these beers rates over 90 points on ratebeer.  Put these two things together, and it is obvious that we are in a for a fancy night of fine, tasty brews.  Come upon our Barn tomorrow evening for a taste, won't you?  Quite.

A Smattering of Specialties Pint Night

Greetings readers.  In an attempt to beat the heat, tonight we present you all with a sumptuous smorgasbord-style smattering of specialties.  Behold our beer selection for the evening:

• Schneider Aventinus Weizenbock
• Breckenridge Summmerbright American Pale Wheat Ale
• Sixpoint Spice of Life Ella IPA
• Heavy Seas Riptide White IPA
• Three Floyds Backmasking Oatmeal Stout (growlers not for sale) 

The astute reader will note that each of these beers not only comes from a different brewery, but is its own distinct style. There's a lot of unique and tasty flavors floating amongst these five, I can attest to the fact personally.  It's another good evening to try a flight of samples, in order to try them all!  All you hop-heads needn't fret though, because there are still plenty of IPAs and Imperial IPAs on tap.

Don't bake away in the sun, stop in and cool off at our famous Pint Night!

Post-Pint Night Bonus Post!

Greetings everyone, and thanks for a great Pint Night!  Here's a little light reading to compliment your evening with us, enjoy!  Beer + Food = Success!

http://www.craftbeer.com/recipes/brooklyn-brew-shops-ultimate-beer-burger

http://blog.redstamp.com/beer-pairings/

Weekly Beer Reviews

We welcome back our weekly column that includes nothing but the honest reviews of these usually fine beers. In the end though, they are nothing but opinions, so come up and try these beauties for yourself.

Stone Collective Distortion DIPA w/ Elderberries & Coriander

You hear of White IPA's more often now. It is a blend that generally uses a different yeast strain. Sometimes they pack in coriander and orange peel with that yeast. Stone decided to go in the other direction with this play on a White IPA that stays a DIPA. The nose is quite pleasant with hints of cologne, incense, oranges, and strawberries. As the nose rounded out, different aromas started to emerge. Light hints of elderberries, coriander, and chives bring a little more diversity to the nose. The taste starts off with strong hints of pine and lemon zest. Bitter flavors of perfume, armpit, and coriander soon add to the flavor. The finish is quick with only hints of lemon pith, rye bread, and toast. This is a nice twist on a Double IPA, if not a push towards an Imperial White IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.25/10


Stone Enjoy By 07/04/14 Imperial IPA

This is the first time one of the Enjoy By series has made it to our wall. For those of you who don't know, this Imperial IPA is released every 2 or 3 months. It is a push to encourage people to drink their IPA's fresh and so that you know that it has been bottled for no more than 35 days. Thus, Stone slaps a date right on the front as part of the name. Once the date hits, Stone picks up all the leftovers...though they never last that long here. We start out by sniffing at the delectable nose. Skunky herbal notes and green onions hit first, with strong aromas of grapefruit and lemon zest soon to follow. The taste is bursting with citrus and lemon pith while lighter flavors of peanuts and seaweed take shape. The finish is quite astringent with flavors of lemon zest, pine sol, and bleach. While some of the flavors don't sound appetizing, they certainly work.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Prairie Ale Saison

This marks the third (if you are counting) unique beer to hit our wall this week. I promise some old favorites ahead, but we take a break for the only non-hoppy beer added to our wall this week. This brewery is out of Oklahoma, which is yet another first for us. The nose is one of the most diverse and exciting aromas that we have ever encountered with a beer. It starts out with strong hints of oranges, apple sauce, green grapes, worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. However, after sitting for under a minute, other aromas quickly emerged. Hints of oak, dark candied sugar, floor cleaner, baked apples, and cinnamon finished off one fantastic bouquet. The taste wasn't as intense, but it certainly had a great flavor. Tart cherries, grapes, rosemary, and hay start off this beer. The finish is far more subtle with only hints of cherries and crackers. Tyler also picked up hints of his great grandmothers basement. He made sure to clarify that that is a good thing.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10


Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA

Great Lakes Chillwave is done just in time for the Erie Monster to emerge. I generally prefer this beer over any other Great Lakes brew, but this years seemed a bit off from the get go. The nose has hints of ham, onions, mango, grapefruit, and hot dogs. An odd start to this beer, but we trudged onward and gave it a taste. Tyler tasted intense flavors of salami, but all I could taste was sickeningly sweet mango. Hints of perfume finishes off the front. This beer actually finishes decently with flavors of linen, mango, grapefruit, pine, and a little alcohol. However, it is too little too late to save this beer. Some IPA's tend to get better after a few days or even a week on the tap. I sure hope this is one of those, as right now it is the biggest disappointment we have.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6.75/10


Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA

We welcome another old favorite back to the wall. It has been a year, but finally the Hoptimum has returned. The nose on this one was near perfect. Fresh grapefruit, oranges, and lemons assault the nose with just that hint of cat pee/cat litter. It is a nose that can only be described as an American Double IPA. The taste is a little more subdued with flavors of linen, grapefruit, lemon, and lime. None of them is incredibly popping, and an odd mint flavors comes out of left field. The finish is chalky with hints of lime pith, cough syrup, wheat bread, and sun tan lotion. None of the odd flavors are bad, they just don't accentuate the other strong flavors.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10

Imperial IPA Pint Night Supreme

Why hello everyone.  It brings me great pleasure to present you with this week's Pint Night offerings, which will feature the darling of the season: IPAs - nice bold, hoppy imperial IPAs.  A large variety of them await you, as well as something completely different:

• Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA
• Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA
• Stone Collective Distortion Imperial IPA (brewed with coriander and elderberries)
• Stone Enjoy By 07/04/14 Imperial IPA
• Prairie Ale (a new-world saison with funky house yeast)

If that selection doesn't just blow your socks right off, then you aren't a true beer fan, but a mere mortal I claim!  I stand here in eager anticipation of trying these beers, for in a few moments it will be my fortune to tap and sample them all.  Ah, but do not envy me too much dear readers, for you all have such a chance tomorrow at Pint Night.

You'll also have the chance to purchase one of the fine Prairie Artisan Ales goblets, of which there is a very limited quantity.

I hope to see all of you here come tomorrow, don't forget now!