West Kill Brewing Fur-Bearing Trout

STYLE: French-Style Lager
INGREDIENTS: French Pilsner malt; French Strisselspalt hops; Lagered in Toasted French Oak.
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

A little chill haze out of the fridge, though boasting a gold-like yellow with a white, foamy head.

Aroma

Graininess meets a floral hop element.

Taste

Clean, with a bit of sweetness from the malt, with the floral hop profile continuing into a slate-like minerality.

Mouthfeel

Refreshing, mostly dry, and crisp, with foamy carbonation and light body.

Overall

I feel the world of pilsner is spreading out from the OGs of Czech and German, as we have seen Italian and West Coast come up as well. Because of the refreshing element, I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing some more of these on the market. Pairing-wise, I would go lighter with pairings due to the floral and other subtle elements; was feeling Loire-based aged goat cheese (Selles-sur-Cher and the like), a light and rustic sandwich or flatbread would be lovely with scallions or shallots.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 450: Fur-Bearing Trout appeared first on Life On Tap.

Zeroday Brewing Company Dark Lager

STYLE: Dark Lager
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 21
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Dark brown with a half-inch, foamy, tan head.

Aroma

Deep, dark caramel/burnt sugar with toasted bread/Maillard reaction notes plus herbal hops.

Taste

Caramel notes continue along with the toasted bread.

Mouthfeel

Fairly light on the palate with a medium body, soft carbonation, and fairly dry finish.

Overall

This was trending more Tmave for me, but totally approachable. Pairing-wise, those Maillard-reaction notes lead me to barbecue, leading towards pulled chicken or pork with some sweet sauce.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 449: Zeroday Dark Lager appeared first on Life On Tap.

West Kill Brewing The Fountain

STYLE: Historical Beer (Skibsøl)
INGREDIENTS: Beechwood-smoked, rye, and chocolate malt
ABV: 3.8%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)
COLLABORATION: The Fountain, a novel by Casey Scieszka

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Super dark brown with a fluffy, off-white head.

Aroma

Blend of ash and smoked meat, remeniscient of rauchbier.

Taste

Mixture of barbecued meat/Maillard reaction, ash, some spice, and some burning leaves on the retronasal.

Mouthfeel

Light on the palate, with a smooth carbonation and enveloping mouthfeel.

Overall

I really have developed a love of these lighter, smoked beer styles, and this (my first), will hopefully not be the last one of these “ship beers”. Pairing-wise, having this with jerky on a ship would make a lot of sense, though onshore, I would say smoked meat, hearty stews/soups, darker brats, and aged cheese.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 448: The Fountain appeared first on Life On Tap.

GearHouse Brewing Company Fog and Folklore

STYLE: IPA – New England / Hazy
INGREDIENTS: 2-Row Pale malt, flaked oats, flaked wheat, malted oats, malted wheat; BRU-1, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Super orange in hue and hazy, with a white, fluffy head and a little lacing on the glass.

Aroma

Guava hit first, followed by pineapple, peach, and some pear.

Taste

Guava, followed by some of the other tropical notes from the aroma.

Mouthfeel

Fairly dry, medium body, with soft carbonation and mouthfeel.

Overall

Super interesting and tropical-forward for sure. Pairing-wise, I was feeling ceviche would go great as well as fish tacos, poke, or anything to embrace those flavors.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 447: Fog and Folklore appeared first on Life On Tap.

KCBC Devil You Know

STYLE: American IPA
INGREDIENTS: Malted barley; Centennial, Nelson Sauvin, and Chinook hops
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Beautifully clear, medium yellow in color, with a frothy and foamy white head.

Aroma

Grapefruit juice/peel hit first, with muted pineapple, and a little white grape.

Taste

Similar notes to the aroma, with pine and resin mixing in with pineapple juice in the mid-palate and some lemon/lime notes towards the end and finish.

Mouthfeel

Dry, keeping you coming back for another sip, with zippy carbonation and medium mouthfeel.

Overall

As of the time of the recording, Daredevil:Born Again is airing, and this is sort of a tie-in to it. Pairing-wise, you can go a lot of different ways with it, but I was feeling Thai chili wings or something with a bit of spice to hold up against the hops notes.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 446: Devil You Know appeared first on Life On Tap.

West Kill Brewing Gone Afield

STYLE: Wheat Beer/Witbier/Blanche
INGREDIENTS: Coriander, orange, and chamomile
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Hazy, medium gold/yellow with a white, fluffy head.

Aroma

Orange hit first, followed by the floral notes from the chamomile before the coriander/spice element lands, with an impression of malt sweetness.

Taste

Sweet bread/honey bread meets the orange and coriander notes with a subtle floral element.

Mouthfeel

Refreshing, light and slightly off-dry, with soft, foamy carbonation.

Overall

It’s great to see wheat beers out and about. Not typically my favorite style, but when they’re well-executed, they are still pretty delightful. Pairing-wise, I would definitely go lighter on flavors, maybe goat or lightly flavored cheeses, flatbreads, or something fresh that can complement the orange, chamomile, and coriander notes.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 445: Gone Afield appeared first on Life On Tap.

Crooked Mouth Brewing Melisandre

STYLE: Irish Red Ale
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 26
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/draft

Stats above taken from the can/website/Untappd.

Appearance

Lightly-tinged copper and reddish in hue with a slightly off-white head.

Aroma

Sweet caramel malt meets the earthy/spicy/floral hop notes.

Taste

The earthy hop notes hit first, with the sweet malt and caramel element following on the mid-palate.

Mouthfeel

Smooth carbonation, light, refreshing, and moderately dry.

Overall

I don’t see Irish Reds around much, but they are flavorful and food-friendly when you might not have other distinct styles you are craving. Pairing-wise, I think general pub fare would be great from wings to Southwest Egg Rolls.

Thanks again to @scotchfullyyours AKA Doug Zeigler (Speakeasy Conversations, Mortal Content, The Cult Bar) for sharing!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 444: Melisandre appeared first on Life On Tap.

Troegs Independent Brewing LaGrave

STYLE: Belgian Tripel
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 31
AVAILABILITY: 300ml/12.7 oz bottles (Limited)

Stats above taken from the bottle/website.

Appearance

Brilliant gold in color with a fluffy, white head.

Aroma

D’Anjou pear hits first, followed by bread and breadstick.

Taste

Bread and Champagne-like notes lead from the yeast character with some fruity elements interjecting into the mix.

Mouthfeel

Smooth mouthfeel and medium body with some scrubbing bubble-like carbonation.

Overall

Thanks again to Dad On Tap for sharing! Pairing-wise, I was feeling a lighter chicken preparation, or something rustic with baked potatoes.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 443: La Grave appeared first on Life On Tap.

Other Half Brewing Doug

STYLE: Coffee Stout
INGREDIENTS: Ninth Street Espresso Alphabet City Roast; Rahr 2-row, Flaked Oats, Weyermann Munich Type 1, Weyermann CaraFoam, Simpsons Brown Malt, Simpsons Crystal Dark, Weyermann Chocolate Rye, Weyermann Carafa III Special; German Herkules hops
ABV: 6.0%
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans (Limited)

Stats above taken from the bottle/website.

Appearance

Super dark brown with a light tan head and large bubble carbonation.

Aroma

Medium coffee roast leads, with a blend of milk and dark chocolate and impression of creaminess.

Taste

Freshly roasted coffee again starts with dark chocolate and dark caramel blending together with slight roast bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium-to-full body, smooth and creamy with soft carbonation.

Overall

I love coffee stouts, and I will almost always drink or buy one as long as they are lactose-free. This also can introduce roasters new to you, which is also neat since they also deal in fermentation. Pairing-wise, coffee-based or creamy desserts like cheesecake, but it would be interesting to try it with roasted meat or braised roast beef.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 442: Shop Talk appeared first on Life On Tap.

Other Half Brewing Doug

STYLE: Black IPA / Cascadian Dark Ale
INGREDIENTS: Maris Otter malt; Simcoe, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus Cryo hops
ABV: 7.2%
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz cans/Draft (Limited)

Stats above taken from the bottle/website.

Appearance

Super dark brown with a light tan, foamy, and large-bubbled head.

Aroma

Pine/resin hop notes right off the bat with a mix of coffee roast and a sweet almost molasses-like element.

Taste

Hop and roast bitterness lead, with some medium-to-dark roast coffee, and a hint of residual malt sweetness, and a cola note in the mid-palate.

Mouthfeel

Supple and soft, with the foamy carbonation adding to that with an off-dry finish.

Overall

I will almost always taste or buy a Black IPA, as they tend to bring a bit of the nostalgia play to my palate. This one is an excellent entry, and doesn’t finish bone dry like many of yesteryear. Pairing-wise, anything with meat or chicken would be great, with chicken mole hitting my mind first, though anything with fat or spice that the hop bitterness can cut through or that the malt could complement would work.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 441: Doug appeared first on Life On Tap.