REVIEW: MadTree The Great PumpCan

So apparently brewers love Charlie Brown puns. This isn't even the last one you'll see on the blog this year. I've got another one waiting in the fridge. I suppose if you're going to go with a derivative name you could do a lot worse than referencing Charlie Brown. Plus, at least MadTree is putting their own spin on it. The great PumpCan is only available on draft as of yet, but cans will be coming at some point down the road. It's brewed with molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice and clocks in at 7.9% ABV and 18 IBUs. Let's get to it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Rhinegeist Franz

So last Friday I looked at an Oktoberfest that's about as traditional as you can get. Today, I'm checking out an Oktoberfest that's at the opposite end of the spectrum. I was taking with Bryant from Rhinegeist a while ago and asked him what they were cooking up in the coming months and he told me to be on the lookout for an Oktoberfest come this time of year. But how do you a brew an Oktoberfest, a beer that is traditionally lagered since March when you've only been open and brewing for a few short months. Well, apparently you stretch the rules a bit. When I grabbed this growler I asked how the beer was fermented since I knew they weren't going the traditional lager route. It turns out that it's brewed with an Scottish ale yeast which, as I was informed, acts sort of like a lager yeast when fermented at lower temperatures. I'm always in favor of bucking style guidelines. Let's see how this one stacks up. To the beer!

REVIEW: Rhinegeist Fiction

Today's post is a bit bittersweet. On the one hand it's awesome. I finally made the trip down to Over the Rhine last night to Rhinegeist for the tapping of their newest rarity, a Belgian style extra pale ale called Fiction. Man, If you haven't been down to Rhinegeist yet, get on it. The place is awesome. Big, open, bright, beautiful architecture, and fabulous beer obviously. It's exactly what I like to see in a brewery. Rhinegeist's brews are currently only available in draft so to get your hands on them you'll have to hit up a bar or head down to the brewery to do so. I highly recommend it, the beers are tremendous. So, today I'm taking a look at Rhingeist's second rarity, Fiction. To the beer!

REVIEW: Fifty West Armadillo Crossing

More Fifty West goodness! I mentioned a handful of the beers that I tried in my visit to Fifty West, A bourbon barrel aged stout, a big American IPA, but the beer that really stood out to me was this one here. A session brown ale brewed with local maple syrup called Armadillo Crossing. A year ago, I probably may not have even ordered this beer, but as I've mentioned in recent weeks I have come to appreciate a good session beer. It takes some real finesse to make a beer low in alcohol but full in flavor. And as we will soon see, the brewers at Fifty West have that Finesse in spades. Armadillo crossing checks in at a scant 4.2% ABV and 35 IBUs. To the beer!

REVIEW: Country Boy 3 Hos

Another Christmas post! So this morning's beer was somewhat of a disappointment. But Christmas presents are like that sometimes. Sometimes a gift doesn't fit, sometimes it's the wrong color, sometimes it's just downright lame. I can assure you that this beer is the exact opposite. I was in Lexington last weekend and made it a point to make a trip to Country Boy's tap room. I had read on twitter that they had recently released their. new Christmas ale, and knowing that it would likely make for a good post for the blog, i brought my growler along. I know i've said it before, but if you go to Lexington and leave without checking out Country Boy then you are a damn fool. Every time I go in there I am incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of their beers. And as you will soon see, 3 Hos is no exception. To the beer!

REVIEW: Country Boy Jalapeño Smoked Porter

If you follow me on Twitter you'll have no doubt seen me talking about Lexington's Country Boy Brewery. (If you don't follow me you really should. @QCBeerNerd) My girlfriend, Meredith, lives in Lexington and whenever I go down to visit we make it a point to check out Lexington's burgeoning craft beer scene. County Boy Brewery and West Sixth Brewing Company have both opened within the last year. This past weekend Meredith and I headed out to both. I looked at West Sixth's flagship IPA a few months ago, but have yet to look at a beer from Country Boy. So while we were at Country Boy I decided to take home a growler. There were a handful of delicious beers on tap but I had a feeling that this Jalapeño Smoked Porter would be something special. It was no easy choice though. Especially when they had beers like a habanero blonde and a peanut butter stout on tap. To the beer!

REVIEW: Sun King Sky Cake

The week (ish) of Sun King continues! I mentioned in Monday's post that I tried each of the seasonal/ specialty beers that Sun King had on tap when I visited. The Naptown Brown, the Indians Lager, and this one, Sky Cake. I enjoyed all three, but this one was by far the most interesting. Sun King has dubbed this beer an aleger. Sky Cake (what a great name) is a beer fermented with lager yeast at ale temperatures. Ale + lager = aleger! Now to know what exactly this means you need to know a little bit about brewing and fermentation. Ales are usually fermented at warm temperatures. Ale yeast ferments best at temperatures around mid 60s to mid 70s degrees. Lager Yeast ferments at much cooler temperatures. Since this beer is fermented with lager yeast at ale temperatures it combines the characteristics of the two. To the beer!

REVIEW: Mt. Carmel Third Shift Imperial Coffee Stout

We've got a special one today folks. If you read Monday's post you know I headed down to Mt. Carmel and came home with a growler of this beauty. This is the latest in Mt. Carmel's Snapshot Series, their limited run brewery exclusive beers. Prior beers in the series included Hopton Golden Ale, Barrel Aged Drifter, and Squirrel Bite Imperial Brown Ale. I knew I had something cool in store for all you blog readers when my buddy Alex and I came home with this growler. At the same time though, it's downright mean of me as the vast majority of you will never have a chance to try this tasty beer brewed with coffee from Cincinnati's La Terza Artisan Coffee Roasterie. But I did get to try it, and isn't that really what's important? To the beer!