Recent Staff Beer Reviews
Since it has been an interesting experience trying these beers at different temperatures, I think that I am going to continue with that theme.
Since I've had this stout several times over the past few years and I've definitely had mixed results, I'm doing this staff review at a few different temperatures to see if some of the differences I've noticed can be attributed to different temps or if there's just a lot of variability in the beer or brewery. All the temperatures used are in Fahrenheit, taken via an infrared thermometer pointed down the top of the glass at about an inch or two away.
I tried Velvet Evil a year ago, my memory was about how luscious of a beer it was. The chocolate and raspberry mingle with the booze so nicely that when I heard Straight to Ale was releasing this year's batch, I got quite excited.
Velvet Evil poured out of the bomber and into my glass caramel colored with a ruby hue. There was a mere wispy ring, but that stuck around the entire time I drank. This looks very luxurious. I kinda want to put on a smoking jacket or tuxedo as I drink it.
Bough in a 4-pack of pint cans. I think that this is a great way to package beer - the can is a better vessel than bottles and the pint is just the right amount of beer (plus, my pint-sized glass looks kind of pathetic half filled) .
I ordered a couple of pints of Hawt Blonde at Salty Nut Brewery's tap room for this tasting. This brew recently received recognition at the Pro Bono Brews event in Huntsville, so it seemed like a good choice. The blondes came to me a clear gold brew. There was a thumb-thick off-white head, foamy with creamy-looking bubbles. It shrank to a film and a ring. Chunky lacing is being left behind with each drink.
This beer pours out just a bit darker than I expected from the term "ale", but it still is a very attractive and golden amber to copper, depending upon the light. The off-white head pours out at about three fingers, but settled down to a thin film after only a about a minute or two. I would have liked the head to stick around a little bit longer, but this is still quite a nice looking ale.
Poured out of a bomber at about 40 degrees.
This beer pours out of the bottle basically pitch black. If you catch the light just right you can occasionally get a dark brown, almost reddish hue, but that may be just a trick of the light. The head, which, with a vigorous pour, tops out at around 4 to 5 fingers, is a medium to light tan in color. The head dissipates over the course of about a minute to about a finger or so down to very firm and finely textured bubbles.
Poured out of a large bomber at about 40 degrees into a pint glass.
Poured out cold, this beer is a slightly hazy medium amber, although after a few minutes, it becomes quite clear. The head is full - a pour down the middle of the glass gives a full 2.5 fingers - and it stands up well. It also leaves some nice lacing along the glass as it works its way down.
Sat down at the Yellowhammer taproom bar in Huntsville, Alabama this evening and ordered a Miracle Worker. Before me was placed a tulip glass with 12 oz of golden goodness. A pinky-thick head of white bubbles rested on top and slowly melted away to a ring. There is some lacing, mostly sheets as I drink which break apart. The tripel is fairly clear with merely a slight haze obscuring my view through it.
Poured out of a bomber right out of the fridge at about 38 degrees.
In the glass, this is a pretty standard looking IPA, although it is a bit cloudier than some. A light amber in color, and completely translucent. A thin head off the pour, that slowly grows into an off white head that was, at most, about one finger thick. The head did stick around for awhile, though, leaving some bubbles along the edges of the glass.
A bright and appealing nose (assuming that you like IPAs and their typical hop aromas). Hop aromas from the Amarillo hops are very strong on the grapefruit and orange/tangerine aromas as well as a light fruit aroma. A malty background aroma is nice and bready and also has a very slight caramel malt sweetness.