Saturday, August 3, 2013

No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn! +4 Others

A motley collection of beer reviews here.  Heading up the line is one of the most interesting beers I think I have ever had the pleasure of consuming, a barrel aged sour stout from Bellwoods and Evil Twin.  Falling in thereafter are some samples I received from Great Lakes Brewery, Hissy Fit and Hissy Fit with Raspberries (AKA Raspberry Manilow).  A wheat wine from Flying Monkeys and a sturdy daily drinking brown ale from Neustadt.


Bellwoods x Evil Twin No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn
500 mL bottle. My bottle said 9.2%. Pours opaque black with a beige cap and lots of lacing. There is a hell of a lot going on here but it?s very well balanced. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, coffee, cocoa, heavy cream, porridge and oak. A touch of sweetness, then a big lactic sour bite, rounding into bitter, roasty malt notes. Ridiculously complex. Full bodied with medium carbonation and no noticable alcohol. Bought another bottle I will have to try very hard not to open. Wow.

Great Lakes Brewery Hissy Fit Grisette
650 mL bottle. Pours a cloudy straw yellow with a nice white cap. Aromas of citrus, banana, bubble gum and light grassy grains. Mild and tasty, bone dry and moderately carbonated with a slightly bitter finish. A quencher.

Great Lakes Brewery Raspberry Manilow
650 mL. Pours cranberry cocktail with a short lived white head. Raspberry, cranberry and a touch of grainy malt. Surprised not to see any yeast flavours here. Refreshing and dry, nice and fruity, but a bit much raspberry. Thin body and moderate carbonation.

Flying Monkey's City and Color
750 mL bottle. Pours dark reddish amber with a thick beige head. Aroma is maple, vanilla and little else. Not overly sweet but lacking balance. Only a hint of hop or yeast character. Nice wheaty mouthfeel. Boozy. Too one dimensional for me.

Neustadt Springs 10W30
473 mL can. Pours a rich dark reddish brown as the name suggests with a nice beige cap of head. Aromas of toffee, nuts, brown malt, licorice, dark bread and a touch of hop spice. Mildly sweet with minimal hop bitterness and only a hint of aromatics. Medium bodied with medium carbonation and a malty finish. Well made, nothing outstanding.

Thanks to Bellwoods and Evil Twin for producing a really great product.  If you live in the Toronto area and are beer adventurous, the bottle retails for $12 and I believe there is some still left; but hurry when it's gone, it's gone.

As usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/

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