Thumbprint Series Spiced Ale

Thumbprint Series Spiced Ale, New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 94)

Another great beer from New Glarus' Thumbprint Series. Clear copper pour with a light, white head. Pleasant aromas of caramel, toffee, cinnamon, and ginger spices at the nose. Cinnamon and ginger spicesup front on the taste. Toasted malts, caramel, and a touch of bitterness. Nice little spicy burn at the finish. Great balance of the sweetness and the spices. I'm so very lucky to live in Wisconsin and be able to drink New Glarus' beer. Friends outside of WI, be jealous or come visit!

Whole Hog Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

Whole Hog Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
(Scottish Ale)

This one is as advertised. Pours a dark cooper, almost burgundy color. Aromas of dark fruit, caramel, and toffee. Flavors of caramel, sweet dark fruit, and a bold, rich, malt finish. Full bodied and smooth. A solid scottish ale.  Stevens Point has stepped it up with their Whole Hog series.

Bell's Cherry Stout

Cherry Stout, Bells Brewery, Galesburg, MI
(Stout, Rated 91)

Nearly black pour with a thin, mocha head. Aromas of tart cherries, malts, and chocolate sweetness. Tart cherries dominates the taste throughout. Hints of chocolate and malt round out this fantastic stout. Cherry flavor is amazing.

Hop Head Red

Hop Head Red, Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
(American IPA, Rated 98)

Ok, little confused. The labels says red IPA. Ratebeer.com says this is an amber ale. It's identified as an American IPA on UNTAPPD. Yet, the Green Flash Brewing Company website shows this beer has won awards in the American Red Ale style. At first taste, I can see that this beer has characteristics from a few different styles. Pours a reddish-brown color with a thick white head. Aromas of malt, mild floral hops, and a grassy quality. Malty up front, sweet caramel flavors, and mild hops. Smooth, sweet, and tasty. Has flavors from a red ale and hops from an IPA. Excellent beer!

Three Floyds Takes Over Taps at The Sugar Maple

Last night (March 12) I went to one of my favorite Milwaukee beer bars, The Sugar Maple, for a very special event. Three Floyds Brewing Company took over ten of The Sugar Maple's sixty taps and showcased some rare and really great beer that normally never make it to Wisconsin. If I haven't mentioned The Sugar Maple, let me tell you a little about this great beer bar. The bar is void of electronic distractions with the exception of light music playing in the background. No televisions. No video games. A very long, curved bar sits in front of the sixty, always-rotating taps. It's a full bar that also serves up mixed cocktails as well, but The Sugar Maple is well known for its amazing beer selection. It's a destination bar for many Chicagoans and has been named one of America's Top 100 Beer Bars by Draft Magazine several years running now. Amazing place. If you come to visit me in Milwaukee, I'll take you there.

Back to the event...

Beginning at 6:00pm, patrons could sample as many of these beers as they wanted, but when they are gone, they are gone. The beers on tap were: Alpha King, Behemoth Barleywine, Gumball Head, Live a Rich Life Belgian Double IPA, Man O Awe Michigan Hop Pale Ale, Permanent Funeral, Space Station Middle Finger Pale Ale, Topless Wytch Baltic Porter, and Zombie Dust. Three Floyds happens to be one of my very favorite breweries around. Everything they make is exceptional! One thing I love about Three Floyds is that, when it comes to beer, always expect the unexpected. Here's a review of what I sampled:

Space Station Middle Finger - (American Pale Ale, Rated 92) Easy drinking pale ale at 6% abv was a good way to start this evening. Big citrus and pine notes. Bit of a sweet fruit flavor with a nice hop bite.

Live a Rich Life - (Belgian Double IPA, Rated 98) Normally I'd expect a Belgian IPA to be a fair split of the bready, fruit characteristics associated with Belgian beer with the bitter, hoppiness of an IPA. Expect the unexpected. This beer was very hop dominant with a smoothness that hid the 8+% abv very well. I definitely wasn't expecting that. Very nice!

Topless Wytch - (Baltic Porter, Rated 98) Once again, totally surprised by how great this beer was. Nice dark pour with strong coffee aromas. Tasted closer to a stout than a porter. Smooth, creamy, and loaded with coffee flavors and a 9% abv punch.

Man-O-Awe - (American Pale Ale) I decided to finish the night with Man-O-Awe, another amazing pale ale, a style that Three Floyds does so very well. After having the bigger beers (Live a Rich Life, Topless Wytch) this beer was like water. Very smooth with light hop tones.

I drank lots of water in between beers and had some great conversations with friends. After the Man-O-Awe and during one of these conversations, I discovered something very special. The Sugar Maple had a pretty rare beer on tap that wasn't on any of their beer lists, Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout. Had to have it! This beer is very rare and difficult to get, so you need to get it when you can. That's exactly what I did. So smooth, rich, full of flavor. Coffee, chocolate, molasses, bourbon. Such an amazing blend of flavors that compliment each other so well. Not one overpowering the other. After the first sip, I could taste the coffee and bourbon in my throat for a good minute or two. Amazing! Quite possibly the best barrel-aged coffee stout I have had yet!

These events are fun and I look forward to those I am able to attend. The Sugar Maple holds monthly beer sessions, which I have written about before. Other bars and restaurants have events too. With Milwaukee Beer Week coming in April, there are bound to be more of these kind of events in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more of my adventures.

Hopothermia Double IPA

Hopothermia Double IPA, Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, AK
(Imperial/Double IPA, Rated 92)

Nice clear, copper pour with a thick white head and great lacing on the glass. This double IPA has the fruity, citrus hop aromas normally associated with the style. A little sweetness detected in the nose as well. Taste is hop driven with a malty finish. Sticky, resinous, grapefruit, and floral hops with medium carbonation. Light mouthfeel and smooth for an 8.5% beer.

Durty Mud Season Hoppy Brown Ale

Durty Mud Season Hoppy Brown Ale, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth, NH
(American Strong Ale, Rated 96)

Commercially this beer is described as a brown IPA. It's definitely different and has characteristics of both a brown ale and an IPA. Pours a dark brown with a thick tan head. Nice lacing on the glass. Big roasted malt aroma with citrus hops. Nice combination of the nutty, biscuity, caramel flavors with a nice amount of hop bitterness. Taste starts off sweet then moves to the hop flavors that linger through a dry finish. Really excellent beer!

Avery IPA

Avery IPA, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO
(IPA, Rated 96)

Avery Brewing's IPA might be my favorite that I've had from them so far. Pours a clear, amber-copper color with a nice white head and great lacing. Citrus hop aromas with some cloves and malts. Taste is super fresh, tropical, citrus hops, and a smooth malt back end. Very clean and refreshing. A great IPA!

White Rascal

White Rascal, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO
(Belgian Wit)

Staying with the string of beers from Avery Brewing Company, this witbier pours a hazy, golden yellow with a thin white head and faint lacing. Typical Belgian wit aromas of Belgian spices, bread, and citrus. Taste is light, sweet bread, with lingering orange zest. Not a lot of carbonation. A smooth drinker.

New World Porter

New World Porter, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO
(Porter, Rated 98)

Definitely wasn't expecting this. Pours a dark mahogany with a tan head. Aromas are subtle notes of chocolate and roasted coffee. The taste is where things went different for me. A combination of the chocolate and roasted coffee flavors of a porter and floral hops of an IPA. Hops aren't overbearing, but more than normally found in a porter. Nearly more like a black IPA than a porter. Medium body with minimal carbonation and a light finish.

Ellie's Brown Ale

Ellie's Brown Ale, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO
(Brown Ale, Rated 90)

Brown ales are one of my least favorite styles. Not many have impressed me, but this one from Avery Brewing has. Nice dark chocolate pour with a very thin white head. Really nice aromas of roasted malts and chocolate. Tastes of sweet roasted malts, nutty, and cocoa. Nice little battle of sweet and sour, but very mild. Light body, medium carbonation, and a smooth finish.