#022: Green Flash - Le Freak (Belgian IPA)

"Belgian IPA" is likely the most understated description possible for this Freak...

The Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
The Brew: Le Freak (Belgian Trippel / American Imperial IPA)
Availability: Bottles
ABV:  9.2% | IBUs:
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story? The beers from Green Flash are those kind which I should just keep in at all times. Anything really. As long as something of theirs is in the house, we'll be good to go.  I had a couple close calls finding this on draft, and for that reason put off diving into it until then.

The official description from Green Flash is "An ‘out of the box’ modern ale crafted by converging two beer styles, Belgian Trippel and American Imperial IPA. Dry-Hopped and Bottle-Conditioned – it’s a zesty brew with enticing American hop and fruity Belgian yeast aromatics." - which is really dead-on compared to some overzealous (or underzealous) from the brewery descriptions. Get ready..

The Beer? Crazy, complex nose - big booze, lots of hops, and Belgian spice all vie for my olfactory attention. Nice lacy head too. The taste - zesty indeed!! Those hops and Belgian spices build wonderfully on each other. It's like a feedback loop of brew-tasticness wonderment in my mouth. You almost have to exclaim something after drinking it. Vibrant and bold.

There really is a lot going on here. Very west-coast on the hops in the best of ways, a bit tart, with the slightest hint of must. A very refreshing, complex beer. I want more now...

#021: Maui Brewing Co. - CoCoNut Porter

In Ithaca, from Hawaii, via Baltimore... 

The Brewery: Maui Brewing Co. (Lahaina, HI)
The Brew: CoCoNut Porter (American Porter)
Availability: Cans
ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 30
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home (purchased in Baltimore)

The Story? As you may have read in earlier posts, a troup of us trekked down to Baltimore for Maryland Deathfest, which was fantastic as expected. On the way out of town, I still felt like I hadn't fully taken advantage of all the beer available in Maryland which is not distributed to upstate NY. I'd heard good things about The Wine Source. We entered and soon after, a four pack of cans with the phrase "CoCoNut Porter" caught my eye...

The Beer? Wow, everything! Milky, sweet, bitter, dark, chocolate, and smooth all at once. Topped with a touch of head and roasted coffee on the nose. This one really catches its stride just a few tastes in. Toasty and silky.

An excellent warm weather dark beer. Not too heavy, with lots to ponder up front and settling in through the can. The coconut sweetness is very well balanced - not as sweet as a milk stout, but more than your average bear. I mean beer.

#020: He'Brew Rejewvenator (Dubbel Doppel)

This year's Rejewvenator is brewed with all-natural dates & figs...

The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY)
The Brew: He'Brew Rejewvenator 2013 (Dates & Figs)
Availability: Draft and bottles (limited)
ABV: 8%
Rating: 8/10
Location: Home

The Story? He'Brew's annual springtime release, which features a sacred fruit each year - fig, date, Concord Grape - is back with a blend of Fig and Date. And won't break the bank, which can't be said for all once-a-year release varieties.

The Beer? Rooty, fruity nose. A nice head bubbles up on first pour, but fades soon. Nice root-beer coloring.

An unexpected brew. Hardy flavor with a delicate mouthfeel. Medium bitter, root taste with hints of the sweet fig and dates in the background. Aspects of the Belgian Dubbel and the Doppelbock are present, though overall it leans a much more towards the latter.

Quite a wonderfully unique ale. I've always enjoyed He'Brew's limited offerings and this one is no exception. Was hoping for a bit more "Wow" factor, but a sturdy brew all around.

#019: Empire Brewing (Skinny Atlas, Amber Ale, Golden Dragon, Deep Purple, Local Grind)

First trip back to Empire Brewing in a while...

My grindcore band Hiroshima Vacation had been slated for a show in Syracuse, NY this past Saturday, but the event was cancelled two days prior (to no fault of anyone directly tied to the show).  No to be deterred, we packed ourselves up anyways and met up with our pals in Blood Money, stopped in at Sound Garden for a handful of LPs, and off to Empire Brewing for wonderful beer and delicious food - the aptly named Spicy Pig Burger was especially tasty.

Skinny Atlas: Kolsch | 4.8% ABV
Named after Skaneateles Lake where Empire draws their water for brewing. A decent Kolsh. Light and bitter up front with a mild, dry finish. Very crisp. Interesting hints and nods to a Hefeweizen towards the end.

Amber Ale: Amber Ale | 5.5% ABV
Beautiful, hoppy amber. Piney and earthy with a great golden color. A great beer for when you just want to drink beer.

Deep Purple: Wheat Beer made w/ NYS Concord Grapes | 6.5% ABV
Fruity and juicy and goes down easy. Great reddish-gold color. Wonderful beer for warm weather, when you don't want a summer ale.

Golden Dragon: Belgian Style Golden Ale w/ fresh Thai Basil | 7.7%
Amazing. Best beer of the bunch hands down. Very smooth. Almost as complex as a winter warmer. Herbal, malty, and the Thai basil is crucial, turning what would still have been a solid Belgian-style into a silky, delicious concoction. Well-balanced, precision beer making right here.

Local Grind: Scotch Ale w/ Coffee Beans | 7.2%
Runner up for best in the flight. Brewed with a custom blend of Guatemalan beans from their neighbor's neighbor's Cafe Kubal, this coffee fueled Scotch Ale is a unique one.

The words dry, malty, dark, and drinkable all come to mind. Great roasted coffee notes throughout which never overpower the quality scotch ale. Very creative and well executed. Pretty sure everyone drinking at the table picked up this and Golden Dragon.


By the time I got to their Pale Ale, we were knee deep in conversation and elbow deep in amazing food. I recall a wonderful, bitter & hoppy beer, but that is all to report unfortunately. Better stop by yourself to make your own ending for this one!

Overall another solid experience at Empire Brewing. Great food, service, and beer. Also worth noting that their flight is 6 six ounce beers for just $10... which is unbeatable.

#018: An Evening at Bandwagon (Compass, Too Kind, Sixty-One, 400LB Monkey, Rye of the Tiger, High Step)

We found out a good friend was still in town a few days after his band Del Paxton performed at Ithaca Festival, which prompted the notion that a catch-up hangout was needed, along with some quality beer. To Bandwagon..!

Figuring we'd be chatting for a while, I started things off with their aptly named "First Class" flight which boasted 2013 releases including Too Kind from Three Heads Brewing, Compass from Southern Tier,  Great Lakes' Rye of the Tiger, Dogfish Head Sixtey-One, plus Left Hand Brewing's staple 400LB Monkey.

Southern Tier - Compass: Bottle Conditioned Sparkling Ale w/ Rose Hips | 9% ABV
A wish-list beer. Deliciously delicate. Rose hips are very subtle. Dry, floral citrus ale with a touch of bitter.

I'm absolutely giving this one another try. It's brand new release for Southern Tier's bomber sized-bottles, which always peak my interest and usually my pallet as well. This one isn't as urgent, pull-you-in as I was expecting, thought I'm sure this one will climb in my ranks soon. I love that Southern Tier is getting into the bottle condition side of things. LIVE is fantastic. Curious to see what this will progress after it has a little time to mature.

Three Heads Brewing - Too Kind: Double IPA | 8.5% ABV | 87 IBU
3HB's first release of 2013. Based of the consistent experiences I've had with The Kind, the fact that this is a good beer is no surprise.

Nice floral flavor with hints of spice and a bitter, dry finish. Earthy with some rind-fruit tastes. If you've never had a 3HB, show some Rochester love and give 'em a try.
(Update: Turns very fruity drinking again after tasting the Rye and Sixty-One below!)

Left Hand Brewing - 400LB Monkey: English Style India Pale Ale | 6.8%
The "English" in this IPA should be emphasized. Far sweeter than expected, but pleasant and refreshing. A bit metallic and earthy - no American uber-hopping here. Wet up front with a butter-esq, dry finish. Almost a note of cheese on the nose.

Great Lakes Brewing - Rye of the Tiger: Rye IPA | 7.5% ABV | 92 IBU
My second time on dating this one. First on tap. My favorite brew from Great Lakes at the moment and it's their 25th anniversary beer.

Hoppy, bitter, and nicely spiced. Rye is very prominent. A bold, dry, bitter offering that is tops for the price.


Dogfish Head - Sixty-One (61): American IPA brewed w/ Syrah Grape Must | 6.5% ABV
Beautiful, ruby color. Big fluffy, lacy head. Fruity and hoppy and very drinkable with a pleasant mouthfeel. A very juicy IPA that is a wonderful blend of bitter and sweet. Faint hints of the Syrah's dry pepper and there in the background, but the whole thing is smoother than I was expecting, based on Dogfish's hop pallets and the Syrah. Another one off the wishlist.

Bandwagon Beer - High Step: Weizenbock | 9% ABV
While debating whether to finish the night with a after-flight pint, I was made aware that Bandwagon's Weizenbock is their brewer's favorite and won "2012 Best Craft Beer in NYS" from TAP New York Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival. Thank you for making my decision very easy.

Total opaque goodness. A big, boozy, matly beer. Looks like unfiltered apple cider and is simply amazing. Subtle inits of banana with very little carbonation. Hell of a beer to end on and one I'll be heading back for seconds for sure. Have a look...

Way to close out the night with the best beer of the batch, Bandwagon!

#017: Founders Brewing Co. - Doom (Oak Aged Imperial IPA)

Our first visit with this oak-aged version of their delicious Double Trouble IPA...

The Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.(Grand Rapids, MI)
The Brew: Doom 2013 (Oak-Aged Imperial IPA)
Availability: Draft and bottles (limited)
ABV: 10%
Rating: 10/10
Location: The Westy

The Story? Any of Founders' "Backstage Series" is always a quick hit to the wishlist, followed by some sort of seance or offering in hope that we can actually score a bottle before they sell out. Luckily enough, my partner and I hit such a score with a beautiful bottle of Doom. Shortly thereafter, we learned the owner of The Westy (our favorite draft beer stop in Ithaca) had hoped to obtain this wondrous brew for their taps, but alas, missed out. Since he provides us with such wonderful libations on a regular basis, we saw it fitting to track down another bottle to share. A few weeks of searching later, bottle #2 was procured.

For those new to this impending Doom, the brew is the result of Founders' award-winning specialty Imperial IPA, "Double Trouble", being aged in bourbon barrels - a method more commonly reserved for maltier beers such as stouts and barleywines in the past, but now being applied to hefty IPAs as well.

The Beer? Wonderful caramel color with almost no head. Big, smooth taste up front. An equally big, hoppy breath in with a nice whiskey burn on the way down. Boozy, with hints of coconut. Very smooth and perfectly balanced. With the second glass, we see increased hop presence as the beer takes on drier notes with an even boozier breath.

Overall a well-balanced, drinkable, intense, but mature beer. Looking forward to how it ages a bit. Plenty of hops and bourbon present, but neither overpowers as they compliment one another. Hoppy, with sweet notes and plenty of alcohol presence. A very complex, rich take on a high-gravity IPA.