Archive for March, 2010

Dogfish Head – Aprihop

Mar 31

Posted by Joe in Beer Reviews | No Comments

Spring has spring my friends and I couldn’t be happier. Not because of the weather, no my pale skin doesn’t do good in the sun. I’m more excited because spring time is when Dogfish Head Aprihop hits the shelves. It’s truly one of my favorite beers and might possibly be the best thing on a warm spring day. On top of that the label matches my short shorts that I usually wear around this time of year. Did you just get sick? I hope so.

For those of you who don’t get the clever name, Aprihop is a hopped up beer made with real apricots. You like apricots don’t you? Sinner. The hops aren’t too overpowering on this but you do get some in the aroma. I wouldn’t say it’s to crazy with the apricots either but you do get a decent amount of citrus in the nose. The taste brings more of the hops to the table though. Again I wouldn’t say a lot of apricots but the flavor is nicely balanced. Might be good to get more of the apricots here but in general the flavor is great.

Dogfish Head - Aprihop

I love March Madness and hate college basketball

Mar 19

Posted by Joe in Drunken Rants | No Comments

March Madness, why must you come but once a year. I say this not because of my love for college hoops but because I love a good open bar. Truth be told I have never understood or liked college basketball. Probably because I went to an art school and our mascot was a pretzel. But there really are no two better words in the English dictionary then open bar. Sure most of the time it means bottles of Coors Light and Bud on tap but beggars can’t be choosers. So last night when I went to a company event at the ESPN Zone in Time Square I was happy to find Goose Island Mild Winter on tap. Even if it was 70 in this fine city yesterday and a winter wasn’t exactly what I was looking for it’s still a pretty nice offering in a lineup of macros, yeah yeah I know who owns them and you can shut it. So I put down a few of those and was all kinds of chipper.

Then I saw it happen. As the bartender went into the fridge to get a few bottles of Bud out my little peepers caught a glimpse of just what I was looking for. I spotted Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA in the mini fridge behind the bar as the door was being closed. Now you can ask my wife. I miss red lights, stop signs and even oncoming traffic. I’m not what you would call the most perceptive of guys. But my beer senses were on my friends and I caught just a glimpse of those fine beauties and knew they would be mine. But are they a part of the open bar I wondered? Oh god I hope so. So I asked and the bartenders response to me was, “You saw nothing”. Like the Dogfish beer was some sort of hidden treasure that they only give out to royalty. Just in case you were wondering I was the one guy at this event in jeans and a t shirt. Everyone else was in suits or button down shirts at least. I was however sporting my Dogfish Head zip up hoodie so I asked again and he gave up the goods so I was happy. Very happy. Too happy some would say. Drunken proclaiming my love for my wife on twitter but misspelling the word wife happy. These things happen.

The moral of the story here is there can be too much of a good thing. One minute you’re happy to just be sipping a winter ale and the next your double fisting IPAs like your life depends on it. So today I sit and type to you with a headache, only 4 hours of sleep in me and a mouth that feels like an ashtray. I love me some March Madness!

Flying Dog Brewery – Gonzo Imperial Porter – Aged Three Years

Mar 8

Posted by Joe in Beer Reviews | No Comments

Aging beer is always a tough one for me. Sometimes I just get so excited about cracking open a beer that I run through the apartment drinking everything in site. By the end of the night there are broken bottles everywhere and I’m hammered out of my mind. Alright that’s not really true but honestly who the hell can put a beer aside for a year or two and not want to drink it? Luckily I’ve been able to with a couple offerings thanks to a small wine fridge we got a few years back. Out of sight out of mind as the kids say. So this weekend I decided to crack open a three year old bottle of Flying Dog’s Gonzo Imperial Porter. That’s how I roll son.

I first had Gonzo Porter man moons ago when I had a chance to visit Flying Dog’s brewery back when they were based out in Dover. It was a limited release only available at the tasting room back then and it was mighty good. Big and mighty brew which didn’t hide its 9.2% ABV. It made a bitch out of me you might say. This is probably the best part of aging this beer out for a while though in my opinion. It does a lot to mellow out alcohol flavor. I liked it a lot fresh from the bottle but a couple years in the slammer did a lot to help the chocolate and coffee flavor combine well with the malt sweetness. If you can wait on this one I’d suggest giving it a year at least. But what the hell do I know. It makes a really good beer great if you ask the old Joemeister, and you’re at the site so I assume you are asking. Thanks for asking buddy!

So if you have the will power, which I didn’t think I did, I’d say give it a go. Toss it aside for a while and let the mgic flow in you.

Flying Dog Brewery - Gonzo Imperial Porter - Aged Three Years