Good Dog Porter

May 17, 2019

stoutmaker Uncategorized , , 1 Comment

We have another local beer today. Good Dog Porter from Zambaldi Beer.

A tall shaker pour from the nitro taps of Need Kelly’s Pub. A short cascade show as the pint arrives, leaving behind the tell tale nitro head. A bit thin but stays right to the end.

As per that nitro head, the aromas are concealed. But a cautious swirl does reveal just the slightest hint of roasted malt. Somewhere between a roasted barley and a black Pat. Grainy is about all I can really say about the nose of this. No hop, nor yeast comes through.

From the lack of nearly anything in aroma, I was hoping the taste would make up it. But sadly, I cannot say that it does. Very grainy, like victory malt overdose, and very light roasty with a very black patenty feel.

Dry on the tongue, yet does have a decent body from the nitro. Bittering is not noticeable at all, which is ok here because the black malts help out a little.

Just for a second, I got a flash of hops but so faint, as with nearly everything about this beer. I don’t wanna say watered down, but more like a shadow of a beer.

It’s not bad by any means, but just too subtle in everyway. Low aroma, low taste, low carbonation, low hop. It just needs something… anything. somewhere.

I personally think this beer suffers being on nitro. Everything about it is masked and hidden. Maybe a Co2 push through a regular tap would let it open up?

But as it sits right now in from of me, I can only manage a 2.5/5 and that might be a bit high.

Deth by Currants

May 16, 2019

stoutmaker Uncategorized , Leave a comment

Well it’s Craft beer week 2019. Let’s grab a couple.

I hit Ned Kelly’s Pub for a Revolution Deth by Currant stout.

Poured from tap 54 out the 100. And it’s looks delicious.

Thick tan head with a black body. Nice Ruby highlights.

First thing I get from the aroma is a mix of berries and alcohol.. but not hot like, just a soft alc note to let you know it’s there. Then comes an even softer chocolate. Reminds me of those craft raspberry chocolate bars.

By now the head has gone away except along the edges. But that would be expected with the higher alc.

First sip is exactly what the aromas were. Soft chocolate and berry like but almost no roast.

A silky or oily, but much lighter body than I expected though. But that is good because it plays with the very low bitterness and the low carbonation. And it definitely does not feel like the 13.5% its claiming. This is one dangerously easy drinking beer for sure.

As its now starting to warm a bit I’m getting some raisin/grape, as well as .. vanilla(?) notes in both the taste and aroma.

Is a fairly complex beer that takes a while to give everything up. But that being said.. it’s just doesn’t grab my attention the way I was expecting. If you put Death in the title, there better be something, anything, that jumps out at you.

Then we come to the price point. Again. It’s a nice beer, but to be almost 3x the price of similar tasting beers? Even the 13% doesn’t even it out.

I would surely drink more of these, but you would need to come down a tax bracket on them.

Good beer here. 4/5 untappd

Ludicrous Lager

February 28, 2019

stoutmaker Uncategorized Leave a comment

Another local beer. This time it’s Titletown Brewing’s Ludicrous Lager.

I guess this is supposed to be an imperial version (9%) of their Dark Helmet Schwartz beer.

On tap of course. Was poured very thick. With even thicker head. If you spilled the mug, I’m not sure anything would come out. Probably the blackest black I’ve seen in some time. No Cascade or any other signs of carbonation up the glass.

The beer seemed pretty cold for some reason. Could explain the lack of much aroma. But there was caramel and grainy pilsner-like followed by a bit if bitter sweet chocolate. And definitely sugar. Not like burnt sugar or syrupy, but like a bag of white sugar.

Thinking of that sweet smell and looking at how thick this beer moves as I’m taking the first sip, I am expecting a gloopy mess of sugar. But that is not what I get.
Thick yes, sweet yes, but countered by the alcohol. There is no doubt this is a strong beer.
Then quickly the chocolate takes over like a warm brownie made with pilsner and black malt.
When the beer is cold and all these things are hitting you at once this beer shines.

The sweetness is pretty potent but the roast and alcohol do their best to keep it in check. And they do while the beer is as cold as it is.. but once it starts warming it’s tough to think about anything but how over sweet it is.

In small doses this beer is fantastic,, but a 20oz mug it a bit much. In fact maybe mixing this Ludicrous and the Dark Helmet might be just the thing to balance it out.

So to give it a score is difficult because between the cold serving temp, and the warmed up beer, it almost felt like 2 different beers. Very good to ok within a few degrees.

But think I’ll give it a 3.5/5

Go get this one and let me know what you think

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