Beer And Women

Cricket Hill Reserve Ale Russian Imperial Stout

Cricket Hill Brewery.  I can't say I ever heard of them.  I spied a bottle of their Russian Imperial Stout when looking for something else in the beer store.  I noticed that they are a micro brewer in Fairfield, New Jersey.  My husband is from New Jersey and  he loves Russian Imperial Stout.  So, I figured he might like to try something from his homeland.  Obviously, I bought a bottle.


Their motto is fairly cheeky - some of the finest beers ever made on the planet earth.  Hmmm, I'll be the judge of that. Pssst, that's me being cheeky☺

They're off to a good start because I really like their logo.  It's cute.







Reserve Ale Russian Imperial Stout (10.50% ABV) pours a deep dark brown with ruby highlights.  With a moderate pour it builds a thick rootbeer like head that fizzles to a skim of tiny bubbles.  The complexion of the beer in the glass is dark as night.

The aroma is of cocoa and roasty malts.

The taste is initially dark chocolate, espresso and dark malt.  The is a tease of smokiness hiding in the background.  The sweetness of the malt is balanced by mellow coffee-like bitterness.  As a whole, the flavor is what I would expect from a Russian imperial stout but could be bolder.  The alcohol can be tasted a bit in the finish which is otherwise slightly bitter.

The mouthfeel is smooth and slightly creamy.  The alcohol is warming and pleasant.

A pretty good example of the style. One of the finest beers ever made on the planet earth might be a bit of an overstatement.  But I like it.

 Overall: very good.

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut - Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Ale

A doughnut flavored beer?  Really?? Yeah, really. 

Mmmm, okay maybe.  But a Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Ale?  Seriously?  Come on.

Yup.  Rogue Ales did it.  And they did it quite well, actually.  And it's not the first time collaborating with the famed doughnut maker from Portland Oregon - Voodoo Doughnut.  Last year Rogue came out with a Maple Bacon Ale based on a doughnut flavor and it was amazing!  Of course, you really can't go wrong with maple or bacon.  But Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana.  Hmmm . . . 

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Ale (5.30% ABV) pours from the bright pink painted bottle a striking auburn red.  

The aromas is what you would expect.  From a doughnut!  Wow!  Chocolate stands out the most. But it is mouthwatering, just what you would expect a Memphis Mafia doughnut would smell like. But it's beer. And somehow that's simply awesome! (Memphis Mafia - banana chunks and cinnamon covered in a glaze with chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips)
The taste is boldly chocolate.  The banana and peanut butter come through in a more subtle way and add an interesting slant on an otherwise chocolatey beer.  Complex, delicious and not as sweet as you might imagine.  The mildly hopped brown ale rounds out the flavors remarkably well.  The finish is clean and leaves a slight sweetness behind to ponder as you contemplate the next sip.

The mouthfeel is smooth with moderate carbonation to back it up.  It's a nice, too drinkable beer.  

This is one of those love it or hate it beers.  Personally, I love it.  It's adventurous and fun and it tastes good too!

I offered to finish my husband's glass.  But he managed to suffer through it, as well.

I ♥ Rogue Ales!

Overall: excellent.  

Porkin' out on a full pint of Half Full Bright Ale

Once again, date night found us at our favorite place for hot wings and cold beer.  Danielle greeted us with a pitcher of cold beer and a pair of frosty mugs and Katalin served us up some spicy wings that were just as saucy as she is.

I would also like to point out that the wings were especially tasty for some reason.  Very saucy, peppery and quite a bite.  YUM!








I'm always happy to see a new craft beer on the board and happier still to see it's a local brewery.  So, of course, I ordered a pint.

Bright Ale (5.20% ABV) is the gateway beer brewed by Stamford, CT brewery Half Full.  It is a pale ale / blonde ale hybrid.

In the glass it is, indeed, a bright ale.  It is a clear, effervescent gold just a hue shy of honey.  There was little head to speak of, just a halo of foam around the edge of the glass.












The aroma was very lemony, somewhat astringent with a hint of soap.

The taste is immediately lemon followed directly by the bitterness of grapefruity hops. The finish was crisp and clean.

The mouthfeel was very light and the beer goes down quite easily.  

My husband thought Bright Ale tasted like lemony disinfectant.

I thought the taste was odd and definitely a little detergent-like; perhaps the combination of lemon and bitter hops.  It was a little off putting but drinkable.  

I'd be interested in what others experienced when they drank Bright Ale.  

Overall: undecided

Cooking with Beer - Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

Beer tenderizes the pork chops and adds subtle flavor.  The brine creates a salty sweet taste that perfectly compliments the flavor of the meat.

Yum!

Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

2 Cups Water 

1 12-Ounce Bottle Red Ale

1/4 Cup Kosher Salt 

3 Tablespoons Packed Light Brown Sugar 

2 Tablespoons Dark Molasses 

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Cup Ice Cubes 

6 Thick Center-Cut Bone-In Pork Chops 

Seasoned Salt ( I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)

Combine water, beer, salt, sugar, molasses and honey in large bowl. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Stir in ice. Place pork chops in large resealable plastic bag. Pour beer brine over pork chops; seal bag. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. 

Preheat grill to a medium high heat.  

Remove pork chops from beer brine.   Sprinkle with seasoned salt.  

Grill pork chops for approximately about 10 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside.

Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for about five minutes before serving.

Liquid Gold

Captain Lawrence Brewery is a local to me brewery.  Sort of.  It's right across the Connecticut border in New York.  

They're so close and yet I'd never had a Captain Lawrence beer before.

I received Liquid Gold as a gift and I don't know why I waited so long to drink it! 

Liquid Gold (6% ABV) pours like, well, liquid gold with little to no head with a gentle pour.  It is crystal clear and forms a much deep color in the glass.  Lovely.

The aroma has a pleasant wheat aroma, some spice and a whiff of banana.

The flavor is very heffeweizen-ish, though on the light side. The initial flavor is of wheat and that dominates throughout.  Banana, clove and other fruits come through.  The brew is somewhat sweet but not cloying.  There is no bitterness to speak of.  The finish is completely clean and begs for another sip.

The mouthfeel is light and nicely carbonated.  Liquid gold is exceptional drinkable.  I could drink way too many of them.  Exercise some caution due to the ABV.

This is a perfect beer to refresh a dry body on a hot day.  I love it!

Overall: very good.

Bitch Please

Bitch Please is a collaboration brew between 3 Floyds and Brew Dog.  

3 Floyds is a midwest craft brewery whose beer is known for being both bold and unconventional. They're beers are also notoriously unobtainable due to insanely high demand.

Brew Dog, whose mottos is "beer with bite", is a small batch brewer in Scotland. They started brewing craft beer to inject excitement into the bland, boring UK beer market.

Together these two breweries, each known for their inventive and unique styles, created Bitch Please.  I can say unequivocally that I have never tasted anything like this beer before.  




Bitch Please (11.5% ABV) is considered either an English or American Barleywine depending on the source.  The bottle says it is an ale aged in whiskey casks.  This is difficult brew to put into any one category - it's that different.

It pours a deep amber with a thin, bubbly off-white head.  The complexion in the glass is a dense, murky brown. 

The aroma is mostly smokey but there is an underlying complex of malt, tartness, spice and sweetness.

The initial taste is a distinct smoky flavor.  The smoke flavor is interesting because I tasted one thing and my husband tasted something else.  I thought it tasted like a fragrant cigar smoke, he thought it tasted like a barbecue smoke.   And, while there's loads of malt, the smoke is clearly the heart of this beer.  Any whiskey taste is muted.  Sweet caramely malt teases but isn't fully defined. This is balanced but a resinous hoppiness that adds a nice touch of bitter. The alcohol creates a cognac-like quality but it's not nearly as "big" as some other barrel aged beers I've had.

The mouth is full and big bodied. It's a sipper, and a mighty good one at that.

There's a whole lot going on in that bottle. There's a labyrinth of flavors to maneuver through and enjoy.    Enjoy with a fine cigar or a slab of meat or both!  

Overall: excellent.