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!

Fireside Nut Brown - Leinenkugel's

Hello out there in blogosphere, is that the right word? Sorry about last week, I usually get my beers out of my ‘broken’ fridge and place them in the family fridge on Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, I did last week but come Friday I just didn’t have the energy to review the beer that was planned. It was a beer I had tried several times and so there in-lies the problem. I was used to it, even liked it a lot but was just no excited about reviewing it. It is even a beer I have brewed a few times (I like mine better but we’ll leave that out) but I think I have grown tired of it. Just in case you’re wondering it was Son of a Peach by RJ Rockers and this is their second year brewing it as a summer seasonal. I must say that this year’s is not nearly as good as last year’s but still good.


Now, on to this week’s beer, it is definitely one I have never had before so there is no chance of me being disinterested. Although the first beer I tried from this brewer was like drinking fruity peebles so if you have tried it you already know what beer I speak of. This one though is spot on for the style and very good indeed.

Fireside Nut Brown – Leinenkugel’s 

It pours out a reddish brown color that is almost identical to what a glass of sweet tea looks like without the ice. Nice big bold head but it’s a shame it didn’t stick around as long as it looks like it should. The scent if of mostly roasted nuts and almost no hint of hops, taste is pretty much the same but it takes you a few seconds to actually get the full taste of the roasted nuts and caramel. Like I have said before I love a full body roasted beer like brown ales, stouts, porters, etc… so this was just what I expected, nice and hearty and really makes you wish you were sitting by the fire as the name suggest. The alcohol content is a modest 4.9% A/V so you can consume more than just one without losing yourself. So stock up beer friends on the big and hearty beers as Fall is here and old man Winter ain’t far behind and you are gonna need something to warm the belly. I say Fireside Nut Brown is a good start. Cheers!

FourBoysBrewPub

Octoberfest - Samuel Adams

Oh yeah, my favorite time of year. College football has started, baseball is entering its final stretch to the pennant race and Samuel Adams has released Octoberfest. One of my all time favorite styles, I guess you could say I more of a malt head instead of a hop-head. I also love the English brown ales, stouts and porters cause their so full of malty goodness.

Octoberfest – Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co)

As to be expected with a rich malty beer, it pours a deep orange-brown color with a thick off-white head. You can smell the scent of all the malts right away, no need to put the glass up the nose. First taste gives you the bitter semi-sweetness from the roasted malts that transition smoothly into the finishing bitterness of the hops, very clean and refreshing leaving absolutely no after taste at all. I always look forward to the first batch of Octoberfest as it is only brewed a few months a year and seems to always have a slightly different taste each season. Last year was so so but this year has really nailed it. I had it on draft last week and I really can’t tell that much difference in the bottled version vs. the draft, usually there is always a difference even if it is ever so slight.

So with a awesome weekend of college football this weekend, there is no reason not to pick up a few of these delicious brews to chase down that tailgate food, that was obviously prepared on a charcoal grill right, that’s what I thought. Cheers my beer friend!

FourBoysBrewPub!