Indeed Midnight Ryder Review

Name: Indeed Midnight Ryder
Style: Black IPA
ABV: 6.5%

How have I not reviewed anything from Indeed Brewing yet? They've been around for a couple years not yet I haven't had the decency to take a closer look at any of their offerings. Ironic considering that I've been to their taproom on more than a few occasions. In any case, I have their Midnight Ryder Black Ale.

Now you can't tell from the photo I took above but the label is awesome to say the least. In fact, here is the full label below...

Come on, I beg one of you to tell me that isn't the happiest looking Kodiak Bear you've ever seen!

Appearance - Pours a Pitch black color with a small amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite foamy in appearance and takes on a dark tan color. The lacing is also quite plentiful.

Smell - I'm getting some very sharp piney hop bitterness paired with a strong roasted barley aroma. I'm also picking up on some chocolate malts and a hint of yeastiness. For a black ale, it smells quite hoppy. Then again, it is 80 IBUs.

Taste - The roasted barley and chocolate maltiness take center stage in the flavor. However the sharp piney hoppiness makes itself known by lingering on in the middle and back of the palate. Speaking of which, the aftertaste consists of strong hop bitterness, light caramel sweetness and roasted barley.

In my opinion, it's got the best of both worlds. On one hand, you have a good roasted barley & chocolate maltiness. On the other, you have a nice bitter & piney hoppiness that counteracts the sheer dark characteristics of the beer itself. In other words, I found this to be nicely balanced for what it is and is worthy of your attention.

Indeed Midnight Ryder - 9/10

Bad Weather Ominous Review

Name: Bad Weather Ominous
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 7.5%

It's been a few months since I've reviewed anything from Bad Weather Brewing, one of the newer breweries to open their doors in Minnesota. In anticipation of the upcoming cold snap, I'll be looking at Ominous, which is called a Midwest Warmer by the brewery....and boy are we going to need one.

Appearance - A very hazy and dark brown color that borderlines on black, with the exception of a brown tinge that shows up on the bottom of the glass. The head is khaki-colored and the lacing is pretty good.

Smell - Strong caramelized malts with some potent licorice notes. I'm also getting some mild roasty notes and some blackcurrant notes that reminds me of blackberries and plums; Along with a bit of light citrus hoppiness.

Taste - Strong Roasty and Caramelized Malt notes upfront followed by some blackberry and licorice notes. The aftertaste is a mix of blackberries, mild bitter hops and a lingering roastiness. In other words, it's pretty similar to the nose.

I may have had only 2 beers from Bad Weather, but they have impressed me yet again. It's been a while since I've had a good Strong Ale and this is quite good....even excellent as a matter of fact. If you find yourself in Minnesota during the winter, this is worthy of your attention.

Bad Weather Ominous - 9/10

Putting The Beer Diet to the Test

A couple of days ago, I was reading The Growler Magazine when I came across this article and frankly, I found it hard to believe at first. It's about a gentleman by the name of Troy Rogers, who followed what he calls a beer diet. In the article, he followed a specific regiment of fasting on nothing but 1-2 bottles of beer (and water) four times a week and 3-5 hours of exercise each. To make a long story short, he loses 50 pounds in 3 months by following this diet and by doing exercise everyday.

Reading the article inspired me to try it out and to see how it works plus 50 lbs is also what I'm looking to lose. Right now, I'm 6' 4'' and currently weighing in at 275lbs, a far cry from the bean pole I was in high school and only weighing in at 160lbs. 

So I will be tracking my progress as I go about doing this on a Bi-Daily basis, which includes:

• Beers Consumed
• Exercise Done
• Anything else on an "As Needed" basis
• Weigh-in at the end of each week

I should point out that I will be attempting to work out every day as opposed to every other day. My goal is to replicate the diet as closely as possible. After 3 months has passed, I will be posting my results to see how far I've come along and if it indeed works.

Every diet I've tried recently hasn't worked for me at all and I keep falling off the wagon, but I think this is one diet I can get behind and stick to. I also start Grad School in about 3 months and I want to look better when I go back to school so the timing couldn't be better. So a big shoutout to The Growler for giving me the inspiration I need to get off my ass and try something new for a change and to Troy Rogers for coming up with the idea!

Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale Review

Name: Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%

Another beer from Toppling Goliath? Don't mind if I do! After having their Golden Nugget, I've been very eager to try out their other offerings. I recently came into possession of their Tsunami Pale Ale or as I heard someone else call it, Toppling Goliath's OTHER Pale Ale.

I found out too that this was a draft only beer until very recently when they decided to bottle this up. It's not PseudoSue, but it'll have to do for now. Though I've heard whisperings and rumors that PseudoSue may be arriving in the very near future; Only time will tell.

Appearance - Hazy orange with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is thin but foamy and has distinct orange complexion on an otherwise white head. Maybe it's just the lighting but it's worth mentioning. The lacing is also very abundant and quite sticky

Aroma - Floral hops and yeasts permeate the nose up front. I'm also picking up on some toffee malts and a bit of resin bitterness as well. Nothing I haven't already seen this far, so let's see how it is.

Taste - Floral & Bitter hops dominate the front of the palate before being taken over by some mild yeastiness and toffee malts. In the aftertaste, the bitter hops make a reappearance along with some yeast notes. The bitter hops in particular linger on the palate long after everything is done.

Tsunami Pale Ale is a solid American Pale Ale that manages to please. At the same time, it doesn't do anything that I haven't already seen before in an APA and plays it safe flavor-wise. Still, it is worth checking out if you so happen to see it.

Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale - 8/10

Sand Creek Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Review

Name: Sand Creek Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.6%

A new brewery makes its way to my blog today, and that would be Sand Creek Brewing straight out of Black River Falls, WI. For this review, I have Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. I'm going to assume that Oscar is the black bear on the label that is leering back at the cameraman.

Here's the kicker, the brewery makes it known this beer from Wisconsin by putting on both the label and the bottle cap "Real Wisconsin Beer." At least we know this stuff is authentic and not from some contract brewery in say.....Colorado.

Appearance - It pours a pitch black color with some minor bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. The khaki-colored head is nice and pillowy but not really much in terms of carbonation.

Aroma - Right away I'm getting some strong roasted barley and rich oatmeal notes. There's also some rich chocolate maltiness as well along with some minor creamy lactose notes. The nose does become richer the more it warms up.

Flavor - Upfront I'm getting some prominent roasted barley and oatmeal notes. Followed up by this is some chocolate malts and very light lactose notes. There is also some slight bitter hoppiness in here too but it doesn't show up until the very end.

Though I would've preferred the palate to be a bit smoother, this is a pretty solid oatmeal stout nevertheless. It's got a nice flavor and is perfect for the winter or any time of the year for that matter

Sand Creek Oscar's Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - 8.5/10

Milwaukee Brewing Black Iron Review

Name: Milwaukee Brewing Black Iron
Style: Black Ale/India Black Ale
ABV: 7.4%

It's been too long since I've reviewed a Black Ale. It's not that I tend to avoid them, it's just that I don't have too many chances to get around to it. I'm hoping to buck that trend with Black Iron from Milwaukee Brewing. The name of this beer is a nod to Milwaukee's strong blacksmithing heritage. Now the website likes to call this an India Black Ale so I'll humor them and list it as both.

I'm also going to be trying something new with this review. I've decided that I'm going to switch up the format in which I critique the beer. The content will be the same but the start of each descriptor will have a label. The reason for this change is that the style in which I have been writing has gotten monotonous when it comes to analyzing the beer. Any feedback about this new format is welcomed.

Appearance - Pitch black with a very, very foamy head that would make Brewery Ommegang proud. Don't believe me? Here is a photo took when I did the initial pour and you'll see what I mean. Keep in mind too that this is when I poured around a third of the bottle (give or take) into the glass...

In case you were wondering, the lacing is also very abundant.

Aroma - Starts off with some very piney strong hop bitterness, followed up by some roasted barley, chocolate malts and a hint of toffee. I'm also getting a slight grapefruitiness but it isn't apparent right away.

Taste - A strong piney hop & grapefruit bitterness greets you upfront along with some potent chocolate maltiness. The roasted barley element of the flavor doesn't show up until the end along with a strong bitter hoppiness in the aftertaste. It's worth noting that the piney hops in particular do linger throughout the flavor, which is impressive when you consider that this is only 48 IBUs.

Whether you want to call this a Black Ale, Black IPA, India Black Ale, etc., there is no denying that this is a great beer. It may be a bit bitter for those looking for a traditional Black Ale but despite that, I feel that the flavor strikes a good balance between hoppy and roasty. Have a glass and decide for yourself.

Milwaukee Brewing Black Iron - 8.5/10

Founders Imperial Stout Review

Name: Founders Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%

Originally I was going to continue with reviewing my sampler pack from Blue Moon but the realization dawned upon me that all of those beers tasted remarkably similar to one another and I felt that each review was going to be similar.

So I'm back to craft beer and I'll mark this occasion with Founders Imperial Stout. To my knowledge, this is a winter release, and it also has the courtesy to let us know it's a Russian Imperial Stout by adorning the label with the Russian Double-Headed Eagle.

The beer pours a pitch black color with no visible carbonation. The head takes on a dark brown color look and the lacing is quite good.

The aroma has a some chocolate maltiness and strong vanilla sweetness. There is also a strong cherry fruitness in here with some light citrus hoppiness. For an Imperial Stout, it's really fruity smelling.

The flavor has some strong bitter hoppiness upfront with some equally strong roasted barley and chocolate malts notes. The cherry sweetness is a bit more subdued here along with the vanilla notes. As for the aftertaste, it's quite bitter and roasty and it lingers for a long time.

This Imperial Stout is a lot more bitter than the nose leads one to believe; It is 90 IBUs after all. However it's still a pretty good Imperial Stout. On top of that, the price is pretty good for what I paid for it so check this out if you're able to.

Founders Imperial Stout - 9/10