Road Dog - Flying Dog Brewery

Before we start with this week’s review, here is a little shout out to a fellow beer blogger who accomplished a pretty cool thing the other day, yep, he did review #365, awesome job Drew.


The brewer of this week’s review was probably my first introduction into the craft brewery world. I was always someone who liked trying different beers but that usually meant imports till I came across this brewer. I remember picking up their 12-pack mixed packs that would have 2-3 different beers included. That was way back before I had any clue about the many different styles of beer. I learned a lot from their beers as they always put a scale on their package that gave you the hoppyness and darkness of the different beers. I think I only liked 2-3 of their beers back then but I have grown to enjoy all of them now.

Road Dog – Flying Dog Brewery

Pours out pretty standard for a porter, very dark basically black. It has a nice thick but loose head that fades quickly but still leaves some lacing on the glass. Unlike a lot of porters that come off as creamy, this porter has a scratchy feel to it, almost dry as if you are actually eating some of the many types of malt they use. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as this is still a very good drinkable beer. No real detection of hops to speak of, but with the IBU at 31 and this being a porter I didn’t really expect any.

Now to the picture, I picked this beer for the name. I looked in my fridge (that is still broken by the way) and as soon as I saw the name, I knew it was the one for this week. Georgia plays Auburn in Auburn, AL tomorrow which makes them the “Road Dawgs”, see what I did there, lame yes I know but amuse me and laugh, and you will also notice a referee shirt wearing creature on the bottle so obviously they had football in mind with this label. So here’s to my Dawg fans out there hoping UGA makes it 5 in a row over the Tigers, or the War Eagles, or do they even know what their mascot is.

So grab yourself some cold ones for tomorrow and sit down at 3:30 PM eastern time and watch the South’s oldest rivalry, this is what Fall in the south is all about people. Cheers!

FourBoysBrewPub!

Sawtooth Ale

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween last weekend, I say weekend cause some people did the trick r treating on Saturday and some did it Sunday and others even did it both days (candy hogs). I wish I had this beer last week as I think the name fits in with the Halloween theme, but it was given to me on Saturday night so, oh well, better now than never right.

Sawtooth Ale – Left Hand Brewing Co.

It pours out a nice deep amber color but I must say I am disappointed in the head, almost none to speak of. I always wonder when this happens if the glass is not beer clean or the beer is too cold or if I poured it crappy or if the brewer screwed up and it just doesn’t produce a good head. I get a nice subtle scent of hops with maybe a touch of citrus coming through, nothing overbearing. The first sip is almost boring with the flavors melding almost too well cause nothing jumps out to forefront, but then just as to go to swallow those subtle citrus hops give you a nice flavor. I guess with a name like Sawtooth I was expecting a bit more kick, it’s nice but nothing to get excited about.

So the weekend is here again my beer friend so let’s all slow down and enjoy our favorite adult beverage cause Monday will be back with a vengeance. Cheers!

FourBoysBrewPub!

Yuengling Porter

Happy Halloween peeps, or is that just at Easter, ok, lame I know but I’m tired. And speaking of Halloween seems like everyone is getting offended these days, no more picking on the witches people, although they look to have some good brew. Maybe this week’s review won’t offend anyone out there cause I am very thrilled about this review, any time I find a Yuengling beer I haven’t tried, you can bet your $@% I’m gonna try it. Also, how convenient that it’s also a porter since I seem to be getting into those here lately.

Yuengling Porter - Yeah, they’re America’s oldest brewery and still American owned. Ahem, AB & Miller-Coors can’t say that now can they.

I really didn’t know what to expect with this beer though, I mean, I love Yuengling as an everyday beer but don’t really think of it as a brewer that varies from the mass produced “Premium” lagers that American breweries are known for. This porter however really does fit the bill of a true porter, it pours nice and dark with a thick creamy head. You can smell the roasted/burnt malts bursting through in the first scent, the first impression of the taste is that it is a little thin but that quickly goes away and you are left with a nice thick creamy mouthfeel that leaves a slight bitterness from the roasted, chocolate malts. This is a very good porter that even the “American Lager” crowd just might enjoy but is complex enough for the beer geek to respect. Very nice job Yuengling, glad I got me a sixer.

So, drive safe tomorrow, drive a little slower and make sure to be one the lookout cause there’s gonna be a lot of those little rascals running up and down the street asking for some candies. Just do like I do, sit on the front porch drinking a cold one and you don’t have to worry about driving too fast through the neighborhood. Cheers!

Oh yeah, almost forgot....GO DAWGS, Kick some Gator @$$ tomorrow.
FourBoysBrewPub!

Vanilla Java Porter - Atwater Block

Hello once again. Yep, you read the title correctly, Vanilla + Java + Porter, as you may have noticed; I’ve been bringing out the heavy dark beers lately. I have had this one for awhile, ever since my last java stout actually, which is what really got me interested in the stouts/porters of the coffee/mocha mold.

Vanilla Java Porter – Atwater Block Brewery

Well, as you should know, it is a porter so it is going to be black; it has an interesting head though, a very thick but loose one that dissipates fairly quickly. The smell is mostly of roasted/burnt malts, no sign of vanilla or java. The taste however is a totally different story, I immediately taste the sweetness of the vanilla extract. Very similar to the vanilla syrup Waffle House puts in their vanilla cola and in fact gives you the idea you might be drinking one but then comes the roasted/burnt malts that dominate the scent as it quickly reminds you that this is no cola. A very light mouthfeel for a porter, once again very reminiscent of a cola not a beer. Very drinkable not sure if I would seek this one out again though.

Weekend is here friend so pour yourself a cold one and enjoy the next two days even if you can’t be at one of these cool watering holes, (pun intended). Cheers!

FourBoysBrewPub!

Fat Dog - Stoudts

OK, so another week in the books and here are again wasting away on a Friday night, at least we still have the MLB playoffs going on even if the Braves couldn’t do the new math of 11 for 6. We are finally getting some nice cool weather so here come the thick heavy beers. This week I will go where I have never gone before, an Imperial Oatmeal Stout. I have had an Oatmeal Porter if you recall and enjoyed it very much, not sure exactly what the Imperial style brings to the table but will check with Beer Advocate after the review.

Stoudts – FAT DOG (Imperial Oatmeal Stout)

It has a smell of really rich chocolate roasted malt, if you could ever smell thickness this would be it. It also poured really thick almost syrupy and black in color then forming a nice thick tight creamy head. The first taste is a slight bit of alcohol that mellows for just a second but then really hits you hard, hitting the stomach very heavy as a shot of whiskey might. The last lingering taste is a small bit of licorice which normally I wouldn’t like but it actually helps with this beer. After the third or fourth sip, you begin to enjoy the experience and realize this is a beer that you will want to take your time consuming, making sure to notice each slight taste sensation being created. Just like the Oatmeal Porter, this beer is very thick and creamy, most definitely a meal in a glass.

Enjoy the weekend cause Monday is here before you know it beer friend.

FourBoysBrewPub!

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Hello again, we come to you from our normal Friday spot after two weeks of cheating with Thursday and I have a beer I have been waiting for some cool weather to try. I also broke out my Boston Beer Works Fenway American Pale Ale glass in honor of the MLB playoffs starting this week, Go Braves! Now onto the beer, pretty cool can, orange and purple and a Double Chocolate Stout at that. I have become more and more a fan of stouts as my beer venture has moved along this year, just really love the thick rich taste and full body they provide.

Double Chocolate Stout – Wells & Young’s

Ok, so the can says open carefully and pour in a glass and watch the head form, which it does very similar to a Guinness. Starts out mostly head and then bubbles into the normal head you are accustomed to seeing on a beer, this beer just looks so thick and creamy. The first scent gives you a good bit of chocolate with a little bit of burnt/roasted malts. Wow was I blown away by the first taste, it really is like drinking a chocolate malt that isn’t frozen and has a hint of alcohol with some bitter burnt malts at the end. This makes me want to go out of my way to look for these mocha/chocolate/coffee stouts that have been popping up lately. Although I am blown away by the amount of flavor this is a real thick heavy stout and I probably could only consume one at a time, but oh how I would enjoy it.

So beer friend, don’t be afraid of the dark, reach out and try something new and exciting, you just might be pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t come across as strange as it sounds. Cheers and Go Braves!

FourBoysBrewPub!

Black Mocha Stout

Not so sure my sinuses will allow me to give the best review tonight but it is tonight or skip this week as I’ll be camping and watching some GT racing at Petite Le Mans tomorrow and Saturday. And after just missing my first week two weeks ago I don’t want to start a trend, so here we go. This beer is fitting considering I spend the first four days of this week just north of where they brew this beer. I also think this is my most reviewed brewer, Highland Brewing Company from Asheville, NC.


Black Mocha Stout  

Wow, I have poured myself a coke with no ice, yeah I know, most stouts are going to look like this. It has a smaller head than I imagined but that’s ok. Even with my stopped up sniffer I can smell a ton of chocolate and coffee tones. The first taste is just as smooth as it looks and then finishes with the bitterness of burnt malts. I don’t get much mocha in the taste but very good never the less. Very good cold weather camping by the fire pit beer thank you very much.

Until next week, cheers beer friends.

FourBoysBrewPub!