Wünderbar Oktoberfest Pint Night

Güten Tag!  Oktoberfest beers will shine in the spotlight this week, starring:

• Great Lakes Oktoberfest
• Paulaner Oktoberfest
• Samuel Adams Octoberfest
• Schlafly XIPA
• Southern Tier 2XRye

Each bier is delightfully nutty, brushed lightly with seasonal herbs, spices, and fruits, and are incredibly quaffable, as the style's reputation lends.  Both the Schlafly and Southern Tier brews are bitter, complex, and intense -- perfect for all my fellow hopheads out there.

We will also feature lovely Great Lakes and Schlafly pint glasses, so come excited to see glassware that will delight your soul at this joyous time of year!

Let the inner German inside of you blossom forth; come and celebrate with us!

Weekly Beer Reviews

New Holland Ichabad Pumpkin Ale

Ah, the Pumpkin Ales just keep flowing in. This week brings New Holland Ichabad in. The nose on this spicy ale is just that: spicy. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, coriander, and marshmellow fluff form a very enticing nose that brings about thoughts of Autumn. As the nose fades away, you get hints of fresh cinnamon scones wafting from the beer. The taste shows off that spiciness with flavors of allspice, bubblegum, and cardamom. The finish has that spice fade out leaving flavors of baked pie crust, wet grass, and pumpkin meat. Tyler said it brought forth thoughts of the Scottish landscape.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Ale

With it being Bourbon Month here in Kentucky, it is not shocking to see an influx of Bourbon Barrel Ales on tap. This one happens to be one of my favorite Bourbon Barrel Ales, and it remains so. The nose is sweet with aromas of butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, toffee, and oak. It is a fantastic aroma for this style of beer. The flavor is instantly sweet up front with flavors of butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, and bourbon. All of these flavors combine well to form a silky smooth flavor up front. This finish is thick and creamy with flavors of half&half, cognac, and peanut brittle. Softer flavors of charcoal and tobacco round out this wonderful beer. Even Tyler, who doesn't enjoy many Bourbon Barrel Ales, had to concede to the quality of this beer.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Three Floyd's Zombie Dust

I'm sure many of you all have let out excited, high-pitched squeals of joy at the sight of this beer on the blog. Those who don't know, this is quite possibly the hoppiest APA around. Heck, it puts some Imperial IPA's to shame. The nose displays that fact right from the start with aromas of onions, citrus, lime, grass, and pepper. It serves to prepare you for the intense hop flavor ahead of you. The taste is crisp with flavors of lemon, grapefruit, grass, and a hint of salt. The finish is lightly bitter with flavors of green beans, minerals, and mango. A fantastic APA that well deserves its high praise. The only thing I can find that takes a bit away is the lack of the usual oomph and kick it usually has.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10

Bourbon Barrel Pint Night

Hello everyone.  This month is bourbon appreciation month, so we have a selection of bourbon barrel ales for your tasting pleasure, presumably along with a couple of fine bourbons to sample at the tasting counter.  And because it is also craft beer week, we have a very special surprise on tap:

• Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Ale
• New Holland Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout
• Alltech Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Aged Pumpkin Ale
• New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale
• Three Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale

As you can see, along with the bourbon barrels are a selection of pumpkin ales to go along with the season.  And of course our big surprise:  the Zombie Dust.  At this point an explanation of this brew isn't necessary; those in the know, know.

We will have New Holland pint glasses available for all glassware enthusiasts out there as well, so make sure you don't miss out!  So come, come to our Night of Pints!

Green Flash Pint Night

Greetings my beloved readers.  Tomorrow's Pint Night will feature IPA's of the utmost variety, in particular those from Green Flash Brewery:

• Green Flash West Coast IPA
• Green Flash Symposium IPA
• Green Flash Imperial IPA
• Rogue Brutal IPA
• Schneider Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock

We are well through our IPA drought now!  All of these yummy brews will delight the hop head, while the Aventinus is a treat for everyone who likes German-style bier.  We should be getting some Green Flash pint glasses as well, so stay tuned my brethren.

Ahhh, it's going to be a fine night if I do say so myself, what with the lovely weather and all.  Make sure to stop in for a beer while out tomorrow.  You won't regret such a bold action!

Weekly Beer Reviews

Green Flash West Coast IPA

One of our more popular Single IPA's and a regular to our wall returns again. The nose is full of pine and pineapple with lighter aromas of onion and citrus. Amazingly, all of these scents mingle extremely well. The taste is very similar with a smattering of flavors like tea, fresh pine, citrus, and floral notes. Once more this fantastic mix of flavors blends well. The finish starts out with a sharp, bitter twang and continues on with flavors of oranges and rosemary. The West Coast is always amazingly quaffable while still boasting a great tasting and strong flavor.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Rogue Brutal IPA

This IPA is back by popular demand, though with a bit more age on it than I like from a Single IPA. The nose is still pungent with aromas of citrus, pine, cracked pepper, and ramen. None of these aromas are bright, but they still form a decent enough nose. The flavor has strong flavors of peaches and citrus right off the bat, before displaying tastes of soap and toasted sesame seed. The finish is slightly bitter with flavors of herbal tea and citrus. The whole beer is a little more watery and the flavor more muddled than I would like. Still, it remains a refreshing choice for an IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 6.75/10


Schneider's Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock

This is easily my favorite German Beer, and right off the first hints of bouquet you see why. Hints of plums, raisins, banana, and clove make for spicy and fruity nose that is just perfect for this beer. The taste is spicy up front and displays plenty of flavors of clove and coriander. Banana's are also quite prominent with a bit of cream thrown in reminiscent of a Holiday Banana Split. The finish tones down the spice, leaving just tingles upon your tongue to hint at the flavor before. Instead, the finish is all banana nut bread and cream. This beer is full of flavors that mingle and make for a great beer. Tyler and I differed greatly on the rating of this one.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Green Flash Symposium IPA

This is the next beer in the Hop Odyssey Series from Green Flash. Many of you all probably have fond memories of the last beer in that line, the Citra Session IPA. The nose on this IPA is a little light with hints of citrus, soap, pine, and honeysuckle. A tantalizing aroma for an IPA, to be sure. The flavor is all citrus and pine with soft flavors of toast mixing up front. The pine and citrus are quite prominent on the finish as well, with the bitterness picking up and displaying soft flavors of hay as well. It isn't a knock-your-socks-off IPA, but it is very drinkable. I would compare it favorably with a Two Hearted.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10


Green Flash Imperial IPA

It has been a while since we have had this everyday Double IPA from Green Flash. After enjoying this beer, I can't believe why we waited this long. The nose is intriguing with aromas of pine, green onions, and garlic that make for a most delightful aroma that makes you ready for more. The taste is immediately bitter with flavors of grapefruit, vidalia onion, and garlic. These savory flavors move into the finish as well. The bitter is still prevalent with the onions and garlic, but a bit of citrus and soap combine to form a great finish to a great beer. This is definitely one of the best values on the wall.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.25/10

Wine Tasting News

This week our Wine Taster Chelsea will be tasting a plethora of wines from around the world. Our lineup this week is as follows:

Friday, September 13th

Erbacher Riesling
Santa Ema Chardonnay
Regusse Pinot Noir
Maipe Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Saturday, September 14th

No Tasting.

 Sorry about the lack of a tasting this Saturday. We figure most people will be enjoying a fantastic conclusion to another UofL/UK game. Everyone have a great weekend!

New Beer Reviews

This is a pleasant surprise folks. You all will be getting some day-of tasting reviews. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and Great Lakes Nosferatu were just tapped and are ready to go. So, without further ado, let us dive right in.


Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I used to get excited about 60 Minute, each time hoping the keg would be as good as I expected. It has never hit greatness unless combined with the 90 Minute. That time has come and gone. This two week-old 60 Minute not only outshines the 90 Minute, but doesn't benefit from being combined with it either. The nose has tons of bright citrus and pine right off the bat. However, you also get hints of roast beef and toe jam to round out an incredibly hoppy nose. The initial flavor is all citrus as well, with hints of walnuts giving it a well-balanced flavor. The finish quickly ramps up the bitterness and has sweet earth notes which combine with flavors of lemon pith, thyme, and minerals to round out a fantastic IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Great Lakes Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale

It has finally arrived, after 2 years. Many of you all are probably ready to correct me, as it did release last year. However, that batch was nowhere near as good as it should have been. This batch is a return to form and truly shines like this beer should. The nose is incredible with bright citrus aromas mingling with pine, lime, and pepper. Fresh floral and spicy notes practically make your mouth water for this beer. The taste is bitter up front but loaded with flavor. Pine, bright lemon, almonds, and ash show off a magical blend of hops and malt. The finish increases that bitterness even further while displaying deep flavors of strawberries, dark chocolate truffles, hibiscus, and earth notes. It is a dry finish that rounds out this perfect Autumn beer.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.5/10