Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Ahoy ahoy - thar be a stout in these here waters

The Active 20-30 Club held their meeting at Total Wine in Uptown tonight and afterwards, I wandered over to the beer aisle to see what new stuff had landed in Albuquerque.  As of late, I sorta look for something that stands out as different.  With all of the new breweries being distributed out here, it's been fun finding new things.

Don't ask me why a bomber with a bright purple galleon seemed like a good choice...but it sure did.  The Ipswich Oatmeal Stout out of Ipswish, MA does stand out for me as a somewhat different style of oatmeal stout.  I like me a good stout, but most of the ones designated as an "oatmeal" stout lean much more to a mellow flavor than I found with the Ipswich.  Not that this is bad - you got a big ol' hit of coffee at first taste.  This beer is thick and sticks to your mouth a bit, really coating it with flavors of bold coffee, tart dark chocolate and a whole lotta malt.  Without reading the brewmaster's recipe card, I also believe they use a lot of roasted malt - there is a heavy smoke flavor to this brew.  It definitely meets the visual and aromatic qualities of an oatmeal stout - good luck seeing anything on the other side of this glass.

Would I get this beer again?  Yes, but it's not one I would probably pick up on a routine basis.  I checked it out on BeerAdvocate and I can't say I agree with the overwhelmingly good reviews.  While good, I have found a lot of other beers that I think better embody the style - check out my posts on the Marble Oatmeal Stout and the Four Peaks Oatmeal Stout.

Emerging next from the fridge will be a pumpkin beer from Samuel Adams.  'Tis the season for pumpkin beers, so only seems right to review one...or a few.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Fridge is open for business!

Holy crap, has it been that long since I posted? 

So, before we get back into more beer bidness...let's see what has been happening in the world of the Beer Fridge since the last post...
  • Tina and I welcomed Baby Levi Jackson into the world.  I am disappointed I have to wait 21 years to share a beer with him.  Who knows what we'll be drinking then (space beer?  Venus Pale Ale?), but I certainly hope he enjoys a good stout like his papa!
  • We've seen a bunch of new breweries open up
    • Il Vicino's Canteen (sorta a revival of the old tap room)
    • Bosque Brewing
    • Broken Bottle
    • Marble opened a West Side tap room
    • Sierra Blanca opened a grill/taproom in the Sunport.  Now you can suck down a imperial stout when you have 5 minutes to get to the gate
    • BJ's Brewhouse opened up in ABQ Uptown (it's a chain, but enough good taps that I don't complain)
  • The west side found two new beer paradises - Latitudes and Total Wine.  Both have a fantastic selection at really good prices. 
  • Total Wine took over the old Morgan Stanley office - now all of the alcohol that was there is just out in public and not hidden in a desk.
  • Beers we get in Nuevo Mexico now...
    • Green Flash
    • Pike Street
    • Clown Shoes
    • Alaskan

So, I'm taking any special requests!  Let me know and I will hunt it down to try it!