The Craft Beer Geek reviews the Beer Geek Breakfast from Mikkeller Brewing in Copenhagen, Denmark.
An oatmeal stout with 25.0% oat-based ingredients and a nice touch of gourmet coffee. A beer that goes extremely well with breakfast! Also good for the afternoon and the evening…
Good hints of coffee and smoke as well as dark chocolate and roasted malts. A Mikkeller classic!
7.5% ABV
The Craft Beer Geek reviews the Monk IPA from Inlet Brewing in Jupiter, Florida.
Monk IPA is a hop forward Belgian inspired India Pale ale. Copious amounts of the freshest American hops deliver an array of citrusy, piney, tropical flavors and aromas balanced by the distinctive Belgian yeast. This bonafide combination of styles exemplifies the age old saying “in life, balance is everything!”
6.0% ABV 75 IBU’s
The Craft Beer Geek reviews the Summer Helles Lager from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado.
ABV
5.0
IBU
31
YEAST
Lager yeast
CALORIES
155
HOPS
Target, Tettnang, Hallertau
MALTS
Pale, Schill Pils
Light, bright and easy drinking, now is your chance to drink in the festival season. First brewed to celebrate 40 years of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, it has since become Planet Bluegrass’ signature New Belgium offering (under the name Summer Bliss). This Summer Helles pours a brilliant gold, with soft, white foam. The aroma is fresh grains and honey with a spicy-herbal twang. This danceable lager carries the pleasant sweetness of pale and German Pils malts, and levels off with the light and noble bitterness of Hallertau and Tettnang hops. Summer Helles finishes crisp and dry, and is sure to refresh even the thirstiest reveler. Grab your banjo, crack a bottle and let the pickin’ shine.
Yonder Bock is part of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Beer Camp, a series of 12 collaboration Beers with 12 American Craft Breweries. Yonder Bock is a Tropical Maibock Brewed in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing from Tampa, Florida.
ABV 7.7% 45 IBU’s
Tampa is a long way from our home base in Chico, but the guys down yonder in Florida sure can brew a great beer. Our friends at Cigar City find inspiration in the Cuban roots of their hometown, and that Latin-inspired flair is evident in Yonder Bock. This tropical take on the Maibock adds a Latin island flair to this traditional German style beer.
Enamored with the Latin roots of their Tampa home, Cigar City always tries to channel a bit of local history into their beers, e.g. the Humidor Series whose beers age on Spanish cedar as an homage to Tampa’s cigar making roots. Only five years old, this brewery deserves the fast praise that’s come its way.
http://beercamp.sierranevada.com/beer/cigar_city_brewing_llc
CANfusion is part of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Beer Camp, a series of 12 collaboration Beers with 12 American Craft Breweries. CANfusion is a Rye Bock Brewed in collaboration with Oskar Blues Brewing from Longmont, Colorado.
ABV 7.2% 45 IBU’s
Our friends at Oskar Blues pioneered great beer in a can and, as mutual members of the canned craft club, this partnership was a perfect fit. CANfusion is a coming together—a fusion, if you will—of flavors from across the spectrum of brewing: spicy rye, tangy wheat and a bright citrusy hop aroma.
Oskar Blues is the granddaddy of canned craft beer. Like us, they have a fun-loving passion for the outdoors and bikes. It was a natural fit for them to adopt cans as a portable, durable way to tote their favorite beer on the trail, and in the process they paved the way for all other craft brewers to follow.
http://beercamp.sierranevada.com/beer/oskar_blues_brewing_company
Electric Ray is part of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Beer Camp, a series of 12 collaboration Beers with 12 American Craft Breweries. Electric Ray is an India Pale Lager Brewed in collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing from San Diego, California.
ABV 8.5% 70 IBU’s
As ever, San Diego’s Ballast Point looked to the sea for the inspiration behind Electric Ray. A play on the fish’s scientific name—Torpedo californica—this beer pays homage to our mutual home state, as well as to our Hop Torpedo, the source of much of the big flavor in this high voltage, hop-forward Imperial Pale Lager.
Ballast Point brought their homebrewing dreams to the big leagues and started brewing professionally, but they never forgot their roots. They still run a successful homebrewing supply shop in San Diego. A love for hops and the ocean inspire incredible brewed and distilled offerings, and their one-of-a-kind labels boast some beautiful, and sometimes gnarly-lookin’, fish.
http://beercamp.sierranevada.com/beer/ballast_point_brewing_company
Maillard’s Odyssey is part of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Beer Camp, a series of 12 collaboration Beers with 12 American Craft Breweries. Maillard’s Odysseey is an Imperial Dark Ale Brewed in collaboration with Bells Brewing from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
ABV 8.5% 40 IBU’s
Rich, dark, and roasty. That was the concept Bell’s beer guru John Mallett aimed for and, true to John’s vision, Maillard’s Odyssey is exactly that. Its name honors the Maillard reaction—the “browning” of sugars and amino acids—that creates the wonderful caramelized toffee-like and roasted flavors so abundant in this beer.
Bell’s has done a lot to raise the Midwest’s craft beer bona fides. They are masters of many beer styles from their portfolio of top-notch American stouts all the way through to the alpha acid assault of their Hopslam Ale. Bell’s constantly reinvents beer styles and refines recipes with artful mastery and an oddball slant.
Yvan The Great is part of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Beer Camp, a series of 12 collaboration Beers with 12 American Craft Breweries. Yvan The Great is a Belgian Blonde Ale Brewed in collaboration withRussian River Brewing from Santa Rosa California.
6.3% ABV 50 IBU’s
As longtime friends, Russian River brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo and our own Brian Grossman are no strangers to brewing experiments. While looking for inspiration for this collaboration, Vinnie and Brian decided to honor the creations of legendary Belgian brewer Yvan De Baets with their own hop-forward American-Belgian mash-up.
From complex Belgian-inspired styles to American wild ales and hoppy Double IPA’s, Russian River always pushes boundaries while respecting technique and quality. Co-owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo are longtime friends of Sierra Nevada and they always have a six-pack of Pale Ale in their fridge at home.
http://beercamp.sierranevada.com/beer/russian_river_brewing_company
Hey craftbeergeek fans, be sure to tune into my YouTube channel the week of Christmas for the 5 beers of Christmas which will conclude with beer review #300 on December 26.
Jacksonville Florida’s craft beer scene has been exploding in the past few years making Jacksonville a destination for craft beer geeks like yourself. Visit Jacksonville has teamed up with seven area craft breweries as well as brewpubs and brew tour companies to create the “JAX Ale Trail Passport”
The Jax Ale Trail Passport and Koozie
Starting December 4 visitors can have their passport stamped at each brewery they visit and earn some nice prizes for getting 4 or more passport locations stamped. Passports can be picked up at a Visit Jacksonville visitors center or at any of the participating breweries. With at least 4 stamps passport holders will be eligible to receive a JAX Ale Trail koozie, and with all seven stamps passport holders are eligible for a T-Shirt and a koozie.
Map of the JAX Ale Trail
Jax Brew Bus and Play Harder Tours will be offering guided JAX Ale Trail tours to visitors throughout the week for those that would like to enjoy themselves and leave the driving to someone else.
For more information about the JAX Ale Trail and Jacksonville Florida visitor information please visit www.jaxaletrail.com and www.visitjacksonville.com
The Craft Beer Geek! 