In Our Fridge

In Our Fridge: Einstök White Ale

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Put on your viking horns and get ready for a killer beer hailing from Iceland, the Einstök White Ale. After spotting the White Ale only twice before at different bars, I was incredibly excited to find this recently stocked at a nearby Wegman’s to imbibe at home. Einstök, which is derived from the Icelandic word for “unique,” is an up-and-coming brewery located near the northern coast of Iceland in the fishing village of Akureyri. At just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle and surrounded by rugged Icelandic mountain wilderness, Einstök brews with what must be some of the purest water on the planet – and it shows.

The White Ale is a traditional Belgian-style wit beer brewed with Bavarian Noble hops, Wheat and Pilsner Malts, and Oats. It is light-bodied, crisp and well balanced, but truly shines with its refreshing citrus and coriander finish that really got me hooked.  The addition of oats seems to smooth out the flavor and add more depth than the typical wit beer. I generally prefer higher gravity beers and do not often get very excited about wits, but this beauty truly stands out from the competition due to its clarity and brightness in flavor. At a modest 5.2% ABV you can drink these all afternoon without overdoing it.

Harness your inner viking.

Other offerings from Einstök include the Arctic Pale Ale, Doppelbock, Toasted Porter, and Arctic Berry. I really look forward to trying more from them and hopefully one day getting to Iceland to check out their brewery. Their slogan is “Drekktu, Sigradu, Endurtaktu!” – Drink, conquer, repeat! Sounds good to me.

If you see this beer, pick some up and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to check out our other beer reviews here.

Cheers!

Mike and Bethany

In Our Fridge: Victory V12

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IMG_0948I have been wanting to try the Victory V12 for years; probably ever since I first developed the love for quads working at Sette Luna and drinking hefty doses of the legendary St. Bernardus ABT 12. The St. Bernie is one of my favorite beers of all time and it leaves you hesitant to stray to other quads.

Despite my loyalty to the ABT 12, I am finally trying this beer thanks to the fine selection over at Cork & Cage and I am definitely not disappointed. This is easily one of the most drinkable 12% ABV beers you can find. It differs greatly from the ABT 12, however, which is dark, noticeably sweet with hints of stone fruits. The V12 is more effervescent, with a deep amber hue and a dense head. And this beer is smooooooth! On the bottle it reads, “Liquid Luxury in the form of a Belgian-Style Quad,” and that is definitely a promise that delivers. The V12 has a silky, luxurious body and perfectly rounded flavor that coats your mouth with complex, baroque flavors. This is one of those beers that demands your attention and I guarantee that no matter what you are doing, you are going to stop to really process this one.

If you are new to quads this is a great jumping off point. It is noticeably different from the traditional Belgian style and has a flavor profile a little closer to a barleywine. But who the hell cares what you call it, this is an awesome beer!

Thank you, Victory, for this beauty!

Cheers!

Mike

 

In Our Fridge: Clown Shoes Trillionaire

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clown shoes trillionaireWow, I am so far behind in my drinking…I mean writing. I am far behind in my writing. So I am trying to…ahem…write… as much as possible this weekend. Fortunately, thanks to Cork and Cage, one of our local bottle shops, I have an awesome selection of beers that I am really excited to review. I just drank and reviewed the Sixpoint Puff which is an outstanding IPA out of Brooklyn that I highly recommend to fellow IPA lovers.

Next up to bat is the Clown Shoes Trillionaire, an English style Barleywine aged in scotch barrels, the greatest of all the barrels. It is an undisputed fact that after beer, scotch is the finest drink available anywhere, ever. The marriage of the two in the Trillionaire results in the manliest boozy beverage you can find. Throw in a fine cigar and I guarantee an hour of unadulterated bliss.

After the Puff it has taken my senses a bit of time to adjust to the sweetness of a barleywine but it was well worth the wait. The nose of this beer smells like someone poured a bottle of merlot over a stack of freshly cut lumber. (A ridiculous analogy, I know, but it’s true.) It has a very pleasing, thick, oily mouthfeel that coats your pallet in the most satisfying way and pairs perfectly with the Gurhka Beauty that I’m smoking. It has a mildly tannic finish with a smattering of hoppy bitterness but it is obvious that the malts are the star of this show. At a massive 12.5% ABV, you may want to share your bomber with a friend. Let it sit out from the fridge for a bit before pouring and use a goblet or tulip glass to maximize the aroma.

Clown Shoes is another new brewery to me and, if you’re interested, you can check them out here. Based on this experience, I will definitely be looking for more of their beers and would love to check them out next time I find myself in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Don’t forget to stop by Cork & Cage and let us know if there are any beers you would like to see reviewed here.

Cheers,

Mike

In Our Fridge: Sixpoint Puff

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Sixpoint puffLast week on vacation I was fortunate enough to try a Sixpoint Resin. Sixpoint is a new brewery to me and I was really impressed right off the bat by my first foray into the brand. The Resin is a hoppy, citrusy, beauty that I blissfully enjoyed on the beach while my daughter crashed about in the waves. (I read to do that in Parenting Magazine) So this week when I stopped by one of our local bottle shops, Cork & Cage, in search of something new to try, Puff in the signature, Sixpoint, energy drink-sized can caught my eye right away. I told the manager that I had really enjoyed the Resin and asked how Puff compared. He said, “If you like the Resin you’ll love Puff.” It is Resin’s unfiltered big brother that got walloped with an extra round of dry-hopping before being tapped directly from the tank.

And let me tell you, that guy was right! As soon as I popped the top, the spray released a mist of citrus that hit me immediately. I was surprised to smell the hops so cleanly straight from the can. So I dove my nose in to investigate further and was greeted by a perfect, unmistakable dose of pine. When I finally forced myself to stop sniffing, the beer poured rich, bronze, and cloudy with a thick, dense, inviting head. The first sip, started off with the perfect amount of sweet malts that seamlessly drifted into those muscular, piney hops. The finish is bitter like an IPA should be and leaves you pining (get it?) to start all over again with another sip. But be careful not to sip too much because with a hefty 9.8% ABV (both the Resin and Poff are high gravity beers) this beer is supremely drinkable as Sixpoint has struck a harmonious balance between hops and malts.

Overall, this was one of the best beers I have had in a while and I am really excited to try more from Sixpoint. Pick some up if you can and let us know what you think. Check out Sixpoint  here and keep an eye out for more reviews of beers from my recent trip to Cork and Cage.

Cheers,

Mike

 

In Our Fridge: Flying Dog Nugget

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Bob Ross would call that a happy little nugget.

It is Monday evening and naturally I am drinking beer and writing about it. Tough life. Tonight’s brew is   new Flying Dog beer, the Nugget Imperial IPA. This is an offering from Flying Dog’s Single Hop Series where they are showcasing just one type of hop in each beer.

Nugget hops seem super popular these days for their pleasing bitterness and floral aroma. I smoke cigars so I couldn’t tell you much about the aroma. I had to ask Bethany to sniff my beer and tell me about it so I could properly review it. She said, “It smells like beer.” I guess I will take her word for it.

What I can tell you is that the beer pours a light amber with a moderate amount of head. As you might imagine the nugget hops really stand out in this beer.

“This has a crisp meowthfeel.”

It has a clean, crisp flavor with the citrus and floral notes of the nugget hop followed by that familiar bitter punch. If you are looking for a light, refreshing beer to sip on the beach on a hot, sunny afternoon this one may not be for you. But if you love clean hops then you will definitely like this beer.

Cheers!

Mike