Chapter Announcement

Even though I am wide open working, I've had time to buy a new house and become the Woodland Creek chapter of TnDC. To keep everyone straight I can't remember if I mentioned that Junk is now our Memphis chapter with Red hanging in there in Nashvegas. The Enabler is still our Eastern Oaks chapter and everyone else is still in their respective areas. I've gotten some great feedback about Stout Month. Red apparently is destroying as much coffee stout as he can and I've yet to have anything that wasn't considered a dark brown, porter or stout. It's really a commitment having stout while you're doing yard work. Keep shaping and deepening those shallow minds filled with BMC lager!

Stout Month?

No that's not a typo. I'll be working 199hrs in the month of March and that means I already know I'll miss St. Pat's Day itself, so I announce and challenge each TnDCer to make March "The Month", instead of stout mouth, make it stout month! I've decided to do this all month long considering today's tasters. Convert light beer drinkers for one month with your knowledge of higher B-vitamin content (which helps with blood circulation and neurosynapse firing), greater anti-oxidant power (for cardiac muscle) and greater xanthohumol levels to fight colon cancer. Reach out to the light side of the force and tease them with the dark. Oh yeah and we're bringing back the the tam hat! Got one at Target of brown leather and red flannel innard, if you're a proud beer drinking man, a tam should be on your noggin.

Brew Batch #30 Scottish 80/-

For yet another milestone in my short and not so yet spectacular brewing career, I took it to the old school. I have to try my hand at the Scottish equivalent to an ESB but with more malt influence. Not a hard batch and if I can master kegging between now and the wedding will be on tap! We'll see. I have kegs that I have no idea how to use, but then again I didn't know how to brew either. OG 1.044 @64F. With the start to the day being almost 2" of snow this was the best brewing day lately. The Enabler even finished it up for me so I could go to a business dinner.

Our Tastes-- BlackFlag Imperial Stout

The story goes on and on, with BlackFlag Imperial Stout (American Style). Made by Beer Valley Brewing Company and available year round!! This Imppy poured the equivalent of a black hole, meaning that if light passed into it that it would dissipate and gravity is unknown. The head is a wonderful heavy brown. Only alcohol is present in the nose. The taste after several HG (high gravity) beers knocks you down and kicks you in the cods like Scottish football. The balance of 100+IBUs balances the malt so well it's hard to ascertain anything other than the pure body fuel of ethanol. 8 different malts and Warrior, Chinook, Columbus and Cascade fill this "booty-chaser". I remember this as the day that I almost caught, wait for it.......Capt. Jack Sparrow.

Our Tastes-- Alesmith Speedway Stout

Speedway Stout pours like it says, asphalt black. The head is very tight and retaining, enough so to mask the aroma, I smell little to nothing. If you pull hard on it, there is only alcohol, so we're playing guess the abv, my guess (10.5-11 because on higher gravity beers the head is usually flat unless hops are added in abundance to retain it) The Enabler's guess (10abv), drumroll please...12%! So far good lattice look like a staircase, the taste is sobering alcohol, no wonder the Rooskies drink this shit, they had to stay warm! I guarantee you in Red Dawn they were packing this. On the very back end of this one, I pick up some of the Ryan Bros. coffee beans this is conditioned with. "...which is aged in Bourbon barrels, has been rated the #1 BEST BEER IN THE WORLD at ratebeer.com. It was also featured on CNBC's "Squawk Box" in a segment on the best dark beers in America." Sure enough out of almost 1100 ratings this one is a 4.34/5.0. A superb snag by my cohort. Best had in a snifter we hung it in a pint!

Our Tastes-- Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

My first North Coast beer Old Rasputin looks to be a winner. BTW, we are using my Christmas gifts from Pops to taste these stout and dark beers in, the Rogue Goblets. It pours a nice light brown head and aroma of slight malt. Taste is heavier on the bittering hops and roasted coffee almost too much for my taste. A nice beer produced at Fort Bragg with 9%abv and 75IBUs.

Our Tastes-- LeftHand Imperial Stout

"A black beer to brighten your day" read the label of LH's Imperial Stout pours a dark but NOT truly black color. Aroma of heavy malt and raisins. The taste is exquisite with a full bodied mouthfeel of slight vanilla, roasted coffee and cheek caving in alcohol (9.15%). Made with Premium Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted barley, Black barley and Flaked oats (the oats definitely give this one a smooth velvet feel). Then hopped with Magnum and US Goldings. A nice start to the Kalends of March.