#293: Bell's Brewing » Venus: The Bringer of Peace (Blonde Ale)

Bell's Brewing » Venus (Blonde Ale w/ Honey, Apricot, Cardamom, & Vanilla) | ABV: 7.5%
Bell's second offering in their Planetary Series, Venus has been garnering some polarizing reviews. Somewhere in there there's a joke about what what humanity through the planet was like until we actually landed there, but it's a bit too early for that.

Curiously brewed with apricot, honey, over 60 lbs of hand cut vanilla beans and cardamom, it's a complex, adventurous, and atypical brew. At it's core, Peace Bringer is a Blonde Ale, but that's about as far as the thread of that style goes.

Unabashedly aromatic, Venus emits a big, sweet, nectar and juicy nose. Notes of elderberry, vanilla, stone fruit, and oranges swirl through the olfactory system.

Onto the palate, it's dry and puckering and far beyond just a beer at this point. Venus is dense and mildly astringent - tart, but not sour. Wielding a myriad of fruit (apricot nectar, blood orange, tangerine), herbal and spice flavors (the cardamom and vanilla gracefully dancing), this is a mouthful of a beer with a stacking mouthcoat.

Straight up, this is a fruit beer. A big bold fruit beer, akin to a younger sibling of Founders' Rübæus and Mango Magnifico. Not quite as refined as those brews, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.

A goddamn great beer aimed for those with a curious and adventurous palate. If you're looking for a strong ale or dimmur blonde, better look elsewhere, but for those looking to sip the fringe of craft brewing, grab this while you can.

#070: Dogfish Head » Aprihop (IPA)

A few drops of summer left this fall...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)
The Brew: Aprihop (IPA)
Availability: 12 oz. bottles & draft
ABV:  7.0% | IBUs: 50
Rating: 8/10
Location: Silky Jones

The Story? Birthday's are best with a bit to wet your whistle. This time around, my partner and I hopped on a bar crawl for a friend of ours who we don't see often because, well, bartenders don't really do the Friday/Saturday weekend out thing. First stop for us was Silky Jones, which I realized I hadn't been in over a year. I forget what a solid beer (and scotch) selection they have. Looking over their beer offerings, well-scrawled in chalk, I also realized I once again had forgotten to give Dogfish Head's Aprihop a try. Summer's over (well over in Upstate NY), but why not keep it going for one more night?

The Beer? Floral nose with lots of apricot up front, plus some mild citrus. Transparent copper body with a cap of which, fluffy head. Open the hatch and Aprihop goes down amazingly smooth. This is likely the most drinkable Dogfish Head I've had.

At the bar and on Dogfish's website this one is described as "massively hopped", which coming from DFH, is a bit misleading if you're expecting a fruity 90 Minute or something to that effect. Instead, we're met with a creamy, easy on the palate brew with a firm hop backbone, but a very low bitter intensity. The apricot really mellows out the hops and puts some juice behind them. A unique, but accessible spin on the ever expanding world of IPAs.