"Well Your Left Hands Free..."

The band Alt-J may talk about a left hand being free in one of their hits, but you will want to make sure yours has a bottle of Left Hand Brewing Co.'s Milk Stout firmly in grasp.

For those unacquainted with these brewers, they claim to have a sense of balance in their beer by saying, "A healthy dose of all things in a balanced way keeps your right brain feeling good and the left brain knowing it’s all good... ...Everyday we strive for that perfect balance between malt and hops..."

I'm not too sure about all this "balance" mumbo jumbo. Perhaps it is just my poorly educated palate? Or simply my preference to more "nutty" stouts? At any rate, this wasn't my favorite. Does this mean that I hate it? HA! Heck no. This sweet stout has a proper roasty-toasty coffee feel to it, with a good amount of bitters from the hops, just as any stout deserves. It has the creamy feel any reputable stout with milk sugars should have. It does seem a bit lighter in flavor as other stouts, mainly because I don't feel the requirement to almost chew it as I drink. You may, then, be wondering what warrants the reservations I have. Well, simply put, Left Hand kind of over-hyped this brew for me. They claim that "America’s great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be." That just doesn't sit well with me. I have had many other stouts that I would rate higher than this. Again, not to say this brew is BAD in any way, just doesn't stand up to the words that are behind it. 

All things considered, it is a beer that is worthy of purchase. Just don't get ahead of yourself and hope that it's the best stout you'll ever have.

Taylor rates this beer a 3 out of 5

Mahalo Maui Brewing Co.

Aloha my fellow craft beer Ohana! 

Today we are gonna take a trip down to the Hawaiian islands with Maui Brewing Co.'s flagship Coconut Hiwa Porter.

This dark ale can totally "hang 10" with the rest. What stands out right up front is the distinct flavor of toasted coconut. That rich full flavor is followed by tones of a creamy mocha. Please don't let that scare you off however. Maui Brewing made sure that this brew stayed true to the robust flavor that a porter should have. If you're a fan of dark ales, this should definitely be a staple in your beer fridge, if available. Not to mention it pairs fantastically with homemade chocolate chip cookies.

 (Thanks honey..)

Taylor gives this Hawaiian native a 3.5 out of 5.

Bosnian Beer?

When anyone goes on a vacation and ask me if I want a souvenir, I always request a local craft brew. This time, I got to experience a treat to a beer from the land of Bosnia.

My great friend, and cousin, just returned from a month long trip to Bosnia, and surrounding European countries. What better souvenir than a local beer that I would never be able to have otherwise! So here it is...

Niksicko Dark Beer

Pronounced: Neek-Shesh-Co. It reins from the country of Montenegro, just south of Bosnia to be exact. This beer is quite delicious, given its mysteriously vague title of "dark beer". It is dark....and full of complexities. It had a reminiscent "bitter hop" flavor more common to an IPA, and a smooth nuttiness likened to a porter or even a stout, but without the feeling of having to chew it before swallowing. The finish was dry from whatever hops were used. It made me feel like it was a hybrid between an IPA and a Porter, then it hit me... BLACK IPA! Eureka! 

What is a Black IPA you may ask? Well, a Black IPA, or Cascadian Dark Ale, is an ale that ranges from dark brown to pitch black and showcases malty and light to moderate roasty notes and are often quite hoppy generally with the use of American hops.

Anyway, if you ever find yourself in Bosnia, or heck, if you live there and are reading this now, hunt down this brew. Its a delightful beer to have, and quite frankly, if you're in the beautiful country of Bosnia, you have to enjoy it with a beer.

Taylor rates this experience a 4 out of 5.

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Huntsville and the 805

Ah, Huntsville. A place I've visited many times throughout my life, yet I haven't actually explored the local scene very much, if at all. Luckily, some of my best friends have recently moved in the area and showed us around town this past weekend. One of the notable places (at least for the sake of this blog) is Campus No. 805! 

The old school has been revamped for the use of cool shops and small businesses, and more up my alley, a couple of fantastic breweries. So obviously we had to check them both out! 

Numero uno on the list is Yellowhammer Brewing.

Yellowhammer is quite exceptional in the craft brew industry. Its no wonder that head brewer Keith Yager was named Brewmaster of the Year in 2016  at the inaugural Alabama State Beer Championship. A high caliber of brews, and many of them are on tap. (pictured bellow)

My choice, after a few free samples, was Groovy Dan's Groovy IPA.

Among the many IPA's offered, this was the one that really caught me. It features a nice body, with an exceptional amount of hop to it. Overall it is a dry IPA, to my satisfaction. Yet, it retains a smooth finish at the end. Needless to say, I was happy with my choice.

Taylor rates a 3.5 > 5 for this groovy brew.

My wife chose a brew seemingly a bit more fruity, yet still packed a full flavor.

Belgian Pear Pale Ale

This Pale had a very noticeable pear tone, but remained on the safe side of the "wine-cooler status". I would hardly call this fruity though. It had a wonderful array of hop flavor that kept it full bodied, while still feeling light.

Taylor rates a 3 out o' 5

Last on the list is my good friend Tyler's choice. He went with with one the seasonals, the Frankenhammer Belgian Strong Ale.

This brew had a very wonderful "Nutty" scent, and a bold flavor and an almost creamy finish. Upon research, Yellowhammer explains it as a "malty palette that finishes dry with a slight chocolate roast and woody finish." 

Taylor gives this a 4 out of 5 (at least for the season...ha.) 

Next, we went Straight to Ale... no really...that's the brewery.

The place itself was pretty cool to visit. As you make your way, you pass through where all the magic happens...

...and then you walk in. 

Seems to be a typical brewery pub, bright, loud, TV's and music and an array of taps to choose from. But hey! We're with locals remember? They then take us to a secret door, that leads to the "Speak Easy". A dark room with booths, tables, and taps where you can just chill and enjoy the delicious food and brew. I got a flight here obviously.

My choices were the flagship Monkeynaut American IPA, Pumpkin Lilly Flag Pumpkin Milk Stout, He ain't Hefe German Style Hefeweizen, and the Monkeyhot Habenero IPA.

All were exceptional and delicious in their own ways, especially the flagship Monkeynaut. However, the Monkeyhot was something I have never experienced. Essentially its the flagship, just with a bite of habenero. It doesn't burn the mouth, rather it burns in the back of your throat as would a typical bourbon. With the spice, its almost like taking the dregs of a hot toddy and pouring the Monkeynaut right over it. Quite an experience.

My second favorite of the flight was the Pumpkin Milk Stout. As a white girl would say, I just can't even. Dumb hipster jokes aside, this stout was actually light on the whole "PSL" craze that happens this time of year. It had a full body, and a creamy finish, as would any milk stout. The nuttiness of the brew reminded me of coffee, and the pumpkin flavor was definitely a good fit in there.

Notable mention was the Brother Joseph Belgian Dubbel

  

If you're planning on having an array of brews here, this Dubbel is a perfect start. "It's a gateway into other beers and food" is how my friend Tyler described it as he sipped. It's definitely one to try.

Taylor rates Straight to Ale Brewery a 4.5 out of 5, just to keep them humble.

All in all, the 805 is a great place to chill with friends on a Saturday evening. Plenty of good brews and foods to choose from between the two breweries, and a plethora of activities to join in on throughout the old campus. (like axe throwing)

So if you find yourself in Huntsville, Alabama, defintily stop on in!

Schafly Brewery

So I decided to post. It's been awhile guys. This doesn't mean that I have not been drinking beer it just means I am not slowing down enough to compose my thoughts and write them down.
  We took a short weekend in St Louis and stopped by Schafly Brewery for a taste. As you enter the tap room you'll notice two areas to enjoy a brew. We took the one to the right. There are twelve taps to choose from and since I would be driving later that day I decided on a white lager. This beer was not the average lager that you normally buy from St Louis, if you know what I mean. It provided that smooth lager taste light and airy with a subtle hint of citris and tartness that is reminiscent of a sour.
Matt gives the Schafly white a 3.5 of 5

Here's some pics of our visit.

Kayaking and Beer: The Dynamic Duo.

What better way to spend a lovely end of summer Saturday than with good beer and a kayak on the river? I honestly can't think of much! That's just how I intended on enjoying two excellent craft brews, one even being a Nashville, TN native. We started our relaxing river excursion at the Narrows of the Harpeth in Pegram, TN. A beautiful and easy 3 hour paddle from point A to point B with no worry to be had......

 Brew Numero Uno: Terrapin Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale

 

This was such a refreshing ale, while not entering the realm of "wine-cooler status" with its peachy flavor. The seasonal ale from Terrapin has a delicate balance of hops with peaches and spices that give it delicious and noticeably fruity flavor and aroma, yet the Golding hops used in the brew keep that sweetness from becoming undesirable for my preferences. Albeit I probably would not grab this brew anytime other than summer activities, but hey... that's is probably why the Georgian Brewmasters dubbed it a seasonal. If you have any more activities to be had for the remainder of the summer, grab yourself a case of these and enjoy! 

Taylor gives this brew a 3 out of 5

Check out that Tennessee Sunset on the Harpeth River.

As the evening wound down to the end, we sat and enjoyed the sunset, and yet another delicious beer from our local Blackberry Farm Brewery.

Blackberry Farm puts out some good beer. This Screaming Cock Pale Ale is no exception. I myself prefer a pale ale or its distant cousin the IPA, so obviously I have high recommendations for such. I was quite surprised to find such a fruity first impression with this, that I just couldn't place my finger on. Upon research I couldn't really find much info on it, other than the questionable source that mentioned fruity tones of raisins and dried plums. Honestly, I can concur with that. Whether it be the power of suggestion, or the uncertain facts that may exist, I do not know. Despite not knowing anything about this brew, (Hops used, potential dried fruits, etc.) I honestly don't give a flying feather. Its a darn good pale ale and you'd be slightly crazed to pass this one up.

I, Taylor, drop a whopping 4 out of 5 for this angry chicken.

Narrows of the Harpeth time lapse