#216: Bell's Brewery » Third Coast Old Ale

For the love of American Barleywines...

The Brewery: Bell's Brewing (Kalamazoo, MI)
The Brew: Third Coast Old Ale
Availability: Draft & Bottles (Seasonal, Limited)
ABV: 10.2%
Rating: 9.5/10
Location: J Ryan's (Syracuse)

On Friday, some friends and I headed up to Syracuse to catch Lemuria, a trio from Buffalo whom I booked 4-5 years ago, but haven't been able to see since. Any Syracuse stop for me usually involves J Ryan's and their 69 taps. We decided to roll in before the show instead of after for some sandwiches, cross-cut fries, blaring jukebox tunes, and amazing beer. With draft offerings like KBS, Expedition Stout and other numerous Bell's offerings, it was a tough call until I saw Third Coast listed. I'm a sucker for any old ale / barelywine, especially on tap and furthermore if I haven't had it yet, as with this case.

Third Coast is highly aromatic and full of rich, complex flavor. Inviting dark fruit and sherry aromas start things off, furthering into deep, dry flavors. A plethora of enigmatic tastes are woven between ripe fig, esters, soft red apples, burnt caramel, raisin notes that is all quite dry for a barleywine. There's an intriguing sweetness that peaks through for just a moment in the middle of the sip.

Overall, an impressive sipper of an ale that can be aged for years to come. Highly recommended to anyone seeking a complex, palate exciter.

#061: Middle Ages Brewing » Mayan Apocalypse (American Strong Ale)

For the end of days...

The Brewery: Middle Ages Brewing (Syracuse, NY)
The Brew: Mayan Apocalypse (American Strong Ale)
Availability: Draft & cask only (very limited)
ABV: 8.9%
Rating: 9.3/10
Location: J. Ryan's Pub (Syracuse)

The Story? After the palate wrecking hops of Evil Twin's Molotov Cocktail, I was in the mood to hop to the other side of the spectrum. I've always been pleased with Middle Ages' cask offerings at J. Ryan's so I figured for $4 I really couldn't go wrong...

The Beer? A fine, smooth pour of perfectly low-carbonated hazy goodness topped with a creamy crown of head. Even as the glass heads to my mouth I catch a whiff of sweet alcohol.

A plethora of sweet malty goodness, heavy creamy mouthfeel, bold raisin and booze blooms across my palate. A real hop-killer right here and great follow up. Overall, it's quite potent and in a blind test I'd put this in the same barrel as some of my go-to, quality old ales. This works exceptionally well on cask too. Perfectly old, strong, and modern all at the same time. Probably the best deal I've had on a pint in months.

There's very little information on this one, so feel free to comment if you have more details on malts, hops, and process.

I'm glad luck was in the wind, so I could participate in this final cask of Mayan Apocalypse,  which was originally released on December 21st, 2012. Relatively pleases we're all still here too (well... most of us, haha).  Cheers!

#060: Evil Twin Brewing » Molotov Cocktail (Imperial IPA)

Hop bomb and total annihilation of the senses...

The Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing (Denmark)

The Brew: Molotov Cocktail (Imperial IPA)

Availability: Draft and bottles 

ABV: 13.0%, IBU: (100+?)

Rating: 8/10

Location: J. Ryan's Pub (Syracuse)

The Story? It was that time of year again for my day-job's bi-annual meetings, but this time around, the whole week was moved to Syracuse. I like a change of pace, sign me up. Oh, and the first full night we're going to Dinosaur BBQ afterwords? Say no more.

After a day's worth of learning, reconnecting, and powerpoints; I unreluctantly devoured some of my favorite slabs of charred flesh, washed down with an Empire Brewing Amber and Syracuse Pale Ale from Middle Ages. Good food, drink, company, and conversation.

On the way to Dinosaur BBQ, I'd realized that my (so far) favorite pub in Syracuse, J. Ryan's Pub was only an 8 minute walk from DBBQ. I can swing that. I bet I could persuade a few others to enjoy one more round. On the walk back to the hotel from DBBQ, I realize we're going to pass within one block of JR's 69 glorious taps. Now it's just a sign. A few willing compatriots and I bolt in and begin to take in their encyclopedia of offerings when my eyes see two irresistible words - EVIL TWIN. 

For anyone unfamiliar, Evil Twin is based out of Denmark and is one of the largest gypsy brewing companies in the world. 

The Beer? I take a long sip and prepare myself for a mouthful of huge hop juice... "I've made a huge mistake."  Kidding, but in all seriousness, this is the hop equivalent of a hot-sauce drinking contest. Molotov Cocktail is an ultra, brutal IPA and the extreme of hop-head-only territory.

Dry, intense grapefruit and citrus rind dominate alongside piney resin, caramel and fleeting wisps of biscuit. This Evil Twin caries a heavy and full mouthfeel, giving way to a sweetness that almost peeks though, due in part to the high ABV, but is rather quickly slapped back into place by the immense hops.  

Curiously, this pure bitter nectar without a lot of hop heat. Instead, we have a slow sipping, palate wrecker of a brew with hints of tropic and citrus, buried in pine and pith which leaves a dessert velvet tongue in it's wake. 

While this one is obviously brewed to show the extremes of hop potential, there are some subtle complexities just out of reach. I'd be quite interested if Evil Twin ever oaked or barrel aged this one. A few additional subtlties could really fill this one out. It's a estimate to craft beer severity, but seems to lie just south of it's full potential.

Must-try for devoted hop disciples...

#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.