Voting ends November 6th at 23:59:59 so keep on voting for Should I Drink That?” (that would be my podcast) in the food & drink category! Finalists for the 2nd year, we want to come home with the hardware and can only do it with help from you!
You can vote every 24 hours so write yourself a reminder!
You can thank that flu thing going around that knocked me out last week for a lack of updates. Still fighting the bugger but at least I can enjoy a beverage now!
Le Freak
brewery: Green Flash – greenflashbrew.com
style: Belgian IPA
abv: 9.2
serving size: 22oz
glass used: wine glass
A purpose of this site is not only to inform you about different views of craft beers out there but also motivate me to try different styles and find the appreciation that others have. I have no problem saying I’m not a fan of Belgian beer. I know, it’s a sin. I’ve never been a fan of sweet, citrus or anything of that nature. It is because of this that I had to try the Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA. A Belgian IPA? Yeah that’s what I said also.
At first I enjoyed a nose full of citrus and spices which lead to a punch in the nose of hops which really appealed to me. At first drink I wasn’t thrilled at all. In fact, I was disappointed. A few more sips and i started to taste the complexity of this beer and pick out different flavors. By the time I was finished I was craving more. Never has a beer started out with me ready to discard it and pull a comeback mirroring that of 3 goal rally late in the third to win 3-2 in regulation. That would be hockey, not soccer.
I always believed that if you truly want to sample a beer you need to have a pint, not a sampler glass. This beer re-enforced that belief for me. While sample glasses are nice, some beers need some space to knock your socks off. The head was a good 2 inches full and thick. The golden orange body was medium as it resembled a Belgian and also a light IPA. It had the flavor of an IPA but with a Belgian twang to it.
At $11.50 I would pick this up for a special occasion otherwise I’ll wait for my next one and savor that moment.
Spoon’s rating: A
After much procrastinating I finally purchased this domain over the summer and if it wasn’t for Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 I would probably still be dragging my butt moving all of my reviews over to this site. A new design will be coming soon as I transfer from the old domain and all of the comments will hopefully make the move also.
Subscribe to the RSS feed and join me each Wednesday as I review beverages to get you over the hump of the workweek and ready for the weekend.
prost!
Last year I had the first ever pumpkin beer that I enjoyed every drink of. Since then I swore it was the Southampton Pumpkin Ale and guess what, I was way off. When I drink a pumpkin beer I like the taste of pumpkin roll. Pumpkin beers are made of either real pumpkins or pumpkin spices. Very noticeable difference if you put the 2 side by side. Trying to keep in the spirit of the season my next few reviews will be pumpkin beers. This is also the last HDH on this domain. I opened my trap about the new HDH domain and now it’s coming up on a local distribution list. Basically I have to get the site done. Motivation baby! You will see my new format for reviewing also. Excited eh?
The Beer
Past on past experiences with pumpkin beer I can usually count on one thing. Over spiced. Southampton while having a noticeable amount of nutmeg upfront and cinnamon in the back, it wasn’t an overkill mount. The nose on it was a little rough as it sparked memories of a spice bomb. I was actually pleased with the selection this year but as a bomber bottle (22oz) you really need to make a commitment to drinking once you open it. It was average but very drinkable. The head didn’t hang out very long as about 2 fingers worth was gone from the time I placed it down and picked up my camera.
Spoon’s rating: C+
Since word first broke of this special brew from Dogfish Head was coming out earlier this year I knew it would be a must buy at any price. Apparently I spoke too soon. This champagne size rarity came in at $15 a bottle which for a 10% ABV beer is a bit steep but this is Pennsylvania after all and we’re use to our wallets feeling a bit light after a purchase 
From the Dogfish Head website:
This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into ‘food of the gods’) is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. Samples I saw poured at 3 Sons last week made me think they were mistaken but sure enough when I poured at home it indeed had a golden hue as you see in the picture above. No way this was going to be a chocolate. As always DFH teaches us to expect the unexpected and the Theobroma lives up to it.
Using my always trustworthy Dogfish Head glass the Theo poured a hazy orange with a solid white head which didn’t stay around for long so thankfully I snapped the picture in time. I was expecting more chocolate/cocoa *umph* to the taste but found it boring for a DFH beer. Someone had to say it, I thought it was boring, dull, the opposite of thought provoking… you get the idea. I thought this was mediocre at best. I had a faint hint of cocoa on the nose so I’m thinking that after my overall experience this needs to be aged more and that’s exactly what’s happening. Sickpuppy is saving a bottle in the SIDT Beer Cellar for us to drink at a future date.
Spoon’s rating: C- (that’s only because it has potential)
This is one of the gems I brought back from my trip to Oswego for Silent Bob’s wedding (i know I still haven’t posted pictures) When I select beers for HDH I try to make it something that I haven’t already had on the show. I have drank Avery products before but being a huge fan of the IPA style it was a dream to see the wide availability of this in NY state (since it’s NEVER in Pittsburgh).
First off, I hate foil. It serves no purpose to me on beer besides to get into my beer and mess with my fillings. Yeah you know the feeling! Fortunately for this beverage i was able to look past that as the label is one of the most well designed ones I’ve seen. The nose is that of a citrus/grapefruit with a hint of pine and hops. My first thought for an Imperial was high alcohol aroma but that wasn’t the case.
The head was fantastic. Fluffy cloud or pillow would be the best explanation. If serving at a bar, a hop leaf would be a killer addition. The whole way down it left beautiful lacing on my glass. The taste… well, OHMY FREAKINGLORD. Yeah, that’s right. It had a full body of balanced heavy malt and hops and didn’t make me pucker. The finish was smooth and no lingering aftertaste which is always a concern for me when drinking Imperial IPA’s. Oh yeah, this gem is an A in my book.
Official spoon rating: A
On a final note, due to a considerable amount of time recording audio and video for SIDT I have been unable to keep up with HDH. Never fear as we have wrapped up recordings for now and you should see this back as a weekly feature. Plus I’m making a run to 3 Sons to see what all i can do for the fall/Oktoberfest season.
prost!