Jackalope Brewing Rompo Red Rye Ale

February 23, 2016 -

It is not often that I find a beer that is "up there" in taste like this one was. Not sure if I was really graving this and it hit at the right time, but this beer is really good. This was one of the best beers I have tried in my listing so far.

It started out with a very malty/honey aroma. Had a nice taste to it and was really enjoyable red ale.

This was one of the styles I really enjoy. Not too strong and not too weak. I was amazed by this beer.

Let's see what Jackalope Brewing has to say about this:

"Rompo is a twist on an Irish Red, using classic earthy UK hops and caramel malts. We gave it our own Tennessee take by adding flaked rye to the mash. Rompo is a very smooth drinking brew with notes of fruit and caramel, while the rye contributes a spicy and clean finish."

I wish they had a little more on what hops, malts and yeast they use on this but they don't. I can see why they would keep this to themselves. Good Brew.

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin

February 19, 2016 -

Cleaning out some more of the stuff from the fall, tonight I sampled the Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale. The first thing I sensed with this one was nutmeg and ginger from the aroma. The taste was a smooth malt flavor. The pumpkin, although present, was not overwhelming like some pumpkin ales are. This one had a nice mix. Really enjoyed this, but it is not a go out of your way to get beer. Find it funny how it uses some of the same malts as the Hoppy Red.

Malts - Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Caramel 60, special B and smoked malt
Hops - East Kent Goldings and Fuggles
Yeast - Top Fermenting Ale

Color - Deep Amber
Special Ingredients - real pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice


Real pumpkin and warming spices like ginger,cinnamon and nutmeg give this brew a smooth, hearty, and inviting character perfect for the crisper days of fall.

Samuel Adams Hoppy Red

February 16, 2016 -

Tonight I had a few leftover beers from the fall that needed to get enjoyed. Pity to waste some good beer.

This was a very hoppy red, as the name implies, but it had the right amount of bitterness to be enjoyed. Not saying it would be my favorite all the time but it was pretty good. Let's see what SA has to say about it.

"Amber, smooth, and resinous, this ale was inspired by our exploration of Australian hops. We discovered that their rugged, spicy and piney character brightened a back-bone of roasted caramel malts, creating a beer with surprising depth and smoothness."

Hops - East Kent Gouldings, Northern Brewer, Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Nelson Sauvin and Ella
Malts - Samuel Adams 2-row pale malt blend, Caramel 60 and Special B
Yeast - Samuel Adams Ale Yeast

"Our brew uses Nelson Sauvin, named after the Sauvignon grape, a hop grown in New Zealand. It's strong fruity flavor and aroma is described as resembling white wine. We also added Ella hops, native to Australia, which add soft floral notes and hints of anise.

We start with a select blend of five different hops and combine those with Special B and Caramel malts that contribute to layers of caramel roastiness. The malt is balanced with the hops to create this perfect deep red Amber beer."

Back Forty Naked Pig

February 14, 2016 -

Tonight was AMC's Walking Dead Premier and what better way to enjoy the show than to try out a new beer and watch zombies. Tonight was Back Forty Brewery's Naked Pig. This was a delightful pale ale that was on the bitter side. Had a little maltiness to balance it out and was an easy to drink pale ale. Sort of reminds you of Mayday's Borro Blonde. I would classify this as an easy drinking beer. Now to see what the brewer says.

"Naked Pig is a delightfully crisp, hand-crafted ale. The German malts provide a perfect balance to the five hop additions that go into every batch we make. This American Pale Ale is tasty enough for any craft beer newcomer, while the complex character is sure to please even the most discerning craft connoisseur."

Hops - Columbus and Cascade
Malts - Two-row and Munich

May want to try and clone this in the future.

Samuel Adams Noble Pils

February 9, 2016 -

I tried the Samuel Adams Noble Pils tonight with dinner. This is a really clean crisp beer. Very light in color and clear. I have drank this before and enjoyed it and other times did not. This is one of those times I did as I am expanding my beer palate.

This beer is brewed with 5 Noble hops. The hops are not royalty, they are from the "Old World" hops variety as this style of beer originated in the Czech region.

Let's see what SA has to say:

"Citrus and floral character from its 5 Noble Hops and a honeyed sweetness from Bohemian spring barley make this crisp golden lager anything but a plain Pilsner."

Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Tettnang Tettnanger, Spalt Spalter, Saaz, Hersbrucker
Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams 2-row malt blend and Czech Pilsner malt
Yeast: Bottom-fermenting lager

"Noble hops are so called as they are the original hop varieties from the world's oldest growing regions in Bavaria and the Czech Republic, and are prized for their delicate aroma and flavor. Each of the five noble hop varieties used in Samuel Adams Noble Pils adds a slightly different aroma and flavor to the beer, from citrus and spice to pine and floral. The result is a badly flavorful pilsner that's crisp, complex and refreshing."

Samuel Adams Session Ale

February 8, 2016 -

Tonight I tried an Extra Special Bitter Session Ale from Samual Adams. ESB is sort of a misnomer as this was an exceptional beer. Just a touch of hops and clean finish. Very easy to drink. I enjoyed this and it makes me want to try more from this category.

Now on to what SA says about it.

"The Extra Special Bitter style originated as a Pale Ale but over time became known as ESB. Session Ale uses traditional malt character from the Maris Otter malt, along with the fruity and ester character of the yeast. We brewed this beer with English hops to bring out the floral, citrus notes of Bavarian Noble hops.

Hops - East Kent Goldings, Tettnang Tettnanger Noble hops
Grain - Samuel Adams 2-row pale malt blend, Maris Otter, Honey Malt
Yeast - Samuel Adams pale yeast"

Calfkiller Brewing - Christmas Bonus

Saturday, February 6, 2016 -

Tried Calfkiller Brewery's Christmas Bonus. Pretty good. This one is not listed on their website. I am not sure what it is brewed with or what hops are in it, but it was a pretty good beer. Very tasty. It had a bread-like aroma and was not big on a hop flavor.

One website listed it as an ale. It is listed as an ale brewed with local honey, orange zest, and pine needles. The orange zest you could taste as well as the honey. Liked it a bunch. Bought at Sigler's in Chattanooga, TN.

Monday Night Brewing Nerd Alert

Sampled Monday Night Brewing's Nerd Alert. The brewery's website list this as a pseudo Pilsner. The website states: "Technically speaking Nerd Alert is an ale. And if you want to get really technical, we fermented this beer with ale yeast at low temperatures to achieve an incredibly clean flavor."

I could not agree more. This was a pretty good beer. This was a hard day in IT type of beer. One of those where you have finger cramps from the keyboard. A bottle of this is the perfect way to unwind.

It's got a 5% ABV. They claim it is brewed with Hallertau and Williamette hops. Grains are Munich and Pilsner. Would really like to play with this one and see if it is replicable. This did make me want to try some more of their product and hopefully take a tour of the brewery one day soon.

Drank another round of this over the past couple of days and still enjoy it. Really like this one. Need to explore some more of the brand but right now, I would say I like stuff that has the Hallertau hops in it.

Sweet Water IPA - February 2, 2016

I finally tried the Sweet Water IPA. It had a good bit of hoppiness that was very pleasant and not overwhelming. Had a really nice clarity even though it is bottle conditioned. Well worth trying again or trying to clone.

The Sweet Water website describes it as - "This mammoth India Pale Ale is loaded with intense hop character and subjected to an intense dry hopping process. Our IPA is unfiltered, leaving all the natural favors intact. - The beer you've been training for."

The  website also lists the grains and hops used in this beer. Grains are 2-row, Munich, Wheat, and 70/80. Hops are Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and finished with Simcoe and US Golding.

This would be cool to try to clone. Need to try more IPAs and see what the hop profiles are.