Do you like the miniature Christmas tree in the background even though it's August?
That's my wife's touch. She leaves it up all year long, changing the decorations to match the season. We have pumpkins and bats for Halloween, hearts for Valentine's Day, green shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, eggs and bunnies for Easter time, flags for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. right now it's bare as we're in that in between time transitioning as summer draws to a close and we prepare for the autumnal rush of holidays. In the past we've even had a summer theme with mini sandals and sunglasses. 
Realized since many of my "beer shots" include that backdrop you might have been curious as to how current these photos were. Don't worry this beer was not consumed during the holidays and I am just now getting around to rating it. The blog like the beer is fresh.
Also let me apologize for having been dormant for almost a week. Some bad bugs have been making their way through our household hitting my wife first and then me. So I was out of commission towards the end of last week and over the weekend. But I'm back on tap!
Today we are considering an offering from Otter Creek brewing of Middlebury, Vermont called "Black IPA". As you can tell from the photograph the brew matches the name. It is inky dark. And it tastes inky dark. 
There is the usual hop bitterness you would expect from an IPA. And from the color you would expect a roasted malt flavor, and you certainly get that. The expected notes of caramel and coffee are noticeable. I say expected simply based on the dark color of the ale. 
The taste stays with you for sure. This is no shrinking violet. 
However I only give it 6 mugs out of 10. I recognize it as a worthy effort. And it is quite tasty. This rating is definitely subjective. Personally it just didn't do a lot for me. I would have no problem drinking it if offered. And it is an interesting variation on the IPA theme. And if I was in the mood for an Otter Creek variety pack that included Black IPA I would still gladly buy it and drink the Black IPA as part of the mix. I have enjoyed Otter Creek offerings for years. Have even been to their brewery and showroom and sampled their brews on site. Even purchased an Otter Creek mug there which you will occasionally see in the Brew Blog photographs. So I certainly am a fan of Otter Creek in general. 
It's just that Black IPA was more bitter than most IPA's and just didn't give me enough to get past that. Like I said a very subjective rating.

Okay so to be technically correct this is not a rant about short beer. Rather it is a short rant about beer. 
Specifically what has gotten under my skin is the sighting this week of Octoberfest and Pumpkin Ale offerings in our local package stores and grocery stores where brews are sold.
Come on gang it's the middle of August. It's still summer, time to be sippin those Summer seasonal brews or lighter more refreshing beers. 
Even for a fan of stronger, darker brews it is too soon to turn to the autumnal seasonals.  Of course I noticed Halloween costumes out on display in some stores this week so this may be a lost cause, just as it is now pointless to complain about Christmas wares being in the stores in October. 
But it doesn't mean we need to succumb to the madness.
I was already miffed at the first sighting of Harvest and Octoberfest brews from Sam Adams, Harpoon and others when I noticed a tweet today from @DrinkCraftBeer stating that craft beer cellar (craftbeercellar.com) is banning all fall seasonals until September. 
That's a good policy as far as I'm concerned. I'd extend it a few days and say no discussion or drinking of fall brews until after Labor Day.
We'll save a rant for how soon Holiday brews show up in stores for another time.

I keep mentioning how I'm a big fan of IPA's, but I haven't reviewed one yet. So time to pull out one of my favorite IPA's from the archives. 
This is from one of my favorite breweries, Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, NY.
I found variety packs from this brewery at one of my favorite package stores (that's New England speak for liquor store). This particular establishment carries quite a variety of beers from many locations. 
It was the name that first caught my eye. From age 4 to about half way through the 5th grade my family lived in the town of Vestal, NY just outside of Binghamton. The region was referred to as the Southern Tier. So when I saw beers from a place called Southern Tier I had to pick it up. I have never been disappointed.
Southern Tier advertises itself as liking "vigorously hopped" brews so they were already on my good side before I had tasted a drop. Every beer I have tried from them so far has been good, but the IPA is outstanding. It just may currently be my favorite in the entire genre. 
The hops are strong in this one for sure. You get the bitterness you expect from an IPA. But it is nicely balanced so the bitterness does not overwhelm or get in the way of a very flavorful brew. This is an IPA you could drink all night, at an appropriate moderate pace of course. It will stand up to spicy or strongly flavored foods, but can be enjoyed immensely all by itself. The taste fills the mouth as they say and has the usual hoppy taste with tones of caramel from the malts. What more can I say? This is one of the smoothest, tastiest IPA's I have ever had. They also have an Imperial IPA that is allegedly much stronger than their "regular" IPA. Can't wait to find that one and try it.
I'm giving Southern Tier IPA 8 mugs out of 10 only because I'm harder grading IPA's than other styles. 
And they lose points because it turns out Lakewood, NY is closer to the southwest corner of New York state near Jamestown, hours from the Binghamton area. So while technically still Southern Tier, it is not as close to my old home as I thought when I first purchased these beers. Hey my scoring is nothing if not highly subjective and capricious. 
But all seriousness aside, if you're a fan of IPA's find this beer and drink it. And if you find other offerings from Southern Tier try those too. Like I said I have yet to find a bad beer from these people. And apparently it's not just me, they have expanded their operation dramatically in recent years and are shipping to more and more areas of the country. So find out what the excitement is all about. 

Today we review another offering from July's beer of the month club. It is called Paradise Porter. 
Again this comes from Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Little Rock, Arkansas. 
Like its Irish Red offering (see Blog #3) this beer is no shrinking violet. 
As a fan of IPA's I like my beers with strength and a touch of bitterness. 
This Porter does not disappoint in that respect.
Its inky darkness hints at how strong a brew this is. It has the usual hint of "toastiness" in aroma and taste. A strong almost coffee-like flavor is the first impression I noted. (And that was confirmed with the tasting notes that accompanied the monthly club brews. But again I do not read those until I've tasted the brew myself and made my own notes.)
I would simply say this beer is very tasty. It has a complex flavor that stays with you even after the swallow has taken the beer away. 
But it is a powerful example of the Porter style which is too strong for many as a matter of course. So if you are one of those who doesn't like strong, dark brews stay away from this one.
But if you appreciate the Porter style then definitely search this one out. Be prepared though because it is stronger than most and also carries a bitterness in the aftertaste. Being a fan of complex hoppy brews I enjoyed it, but it won't be for everyone.
I gave it 7 mugs out of 10. It is very good, aspires to greatness even with its strength and flavors, but just a touch too bitter to be able to drink for any length of time. But would definitely stand up to strong foods.

How do you like that glass? It was a gift from an in-law and became one of my favorites. Gotta love that inverted bottle shape.

Today we chronicle another entry from July's beer of the month club.
This is Irish Red from Diamond Bear brewery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
It is by far the most powerful Irish Red I have ever sampled.
So powerful it screwed up my phone's focus. For that I apologize. But it did not screw up the focus of my taste buds.
The first word that came to mind when I sipped this beer was "overpowering". But that is wrong. To me that connotes a negative, something that is too strong and gets in the way. That is not the case here. "Powerful" is the correct word. 
Now the beer of the month club sends along a sheet with each month's delivery that provides information about the breweries and brews contained in that month's offering.
I purposely avoid reading the tasting notes until I have actually tried the beer. Avoid the power of suggestion and all that. Don't want to taste the beer and say "you're right I do taste a hint of black currants". Like I know what the hell black currants taste like.
But in reading the notes afterwards I found them to be largely spot on. This is by far the strongest most interesting Irish Red I have come across. I'm sure we've all tried the bland, inoffensive Killian's. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Better than drinking many mass produced beers. It just isn't that interesting once you sample more robust versions of the style. Something like the Sam Adams Irish Red is definitely more complex and a step up in class.
But this brew from Diamond Bear is the best I have come across. Strong. Bold. Tasty. The two words associated with the taste that crossed my mind were "toasted" and "caramel". Sure enough when I went back to the club's write up those words were used often.
I was not surprised to read that this beer was a gold medal winner. This is a beer I would go out of my way to find. Maybe not all the way to Arkansas. But it's worth a trip. Definitely one of my favorite discoveries on my beer drinking journey. There is another beer from Diamond Bear in the monthly package that I am now looking forward to drinking.
The Irish Red is scored 9 mugs out of 10. Probably as close to a 10 as I'll ever come but I hesitate to call something a "10" on the third posting!

A short take on a bad beer. 
We've all had bad beer. Beer that was "skunked". Beer that tasted bad even when fresh in the bottle. Mass produced dreck. We've had it all.
This summer however I experienced my first truly bad microbrewed beer. 
Oh there have been disappointments, or beers that were too heavy, too light, too bitter, not just right. But that was more a matter of personal taste.
But this is the first beer from a microbrewery that was just plain bad.
I am referring to Magic Hat's HiCu. An ale brewed with Hibiscus and Cucumber. 
I mean I suppose it sounded like it had the potential to be a refreshing summer brew as they sat around the office up there in Vermont. 
But seriously dudes, next time make sure you've been off the bong at least a couple of hours before actually taking an idea to production.
And did anyone actually taste this stuff before allowing it to ship?
The first exposure was at a party this summer. We had a keg of Sam Adams but some people brought their own and we also had some in reserve in case the keg ran dry (which it did, my family has many prodigious beer consumers). 
Among the reserves was a variety 12 pack of Magic Hat Summer brews. 
Now I'm usually a fan of Magic Hat offerings. They are intriguingly different. The old standby #9 Ale is one of my go to brews to accompany Oriental food. They had a beer that included beets that was very refreshing and tasteful. But HiCu missed the mark.
The first sign of trouble was my nephew who actually lives in Vermont. He took a few sips, made mention of this brew reporting to have both Hibiscus and Cucumber and could not finish it. Others sampled some from the bottle, or tried one of their own. I mean we like trying different things and a brew with hibiscus and cucumber had to be sampled. However each person who tried ended up declaring it undrinkable. 
A few weeks later in a moment of weakness I purchased another summer sampler 12 pack containing some bottles of HiCu. My wife and sons laughed at me. Hadn't I sampled the beer at the family party? Had I not heard and seen all the negative reactions?
I told them I wanted to be fair. Try the beer on its own rather than after drinking Sam Adams lager from a keg and some other brews as well and eating all sorts of grilled food. Maybe it had thrown off my perception of the flavors.
A couple of swallows though and I knew it had not been a mirage. This beer was really bad. A sour unappealing flavor that was just plain strange.
On the bottle the folks at Magic Hat had invited people to write a haiku in praise of this different refreshing summer offering.
Challenge accepted:

Hibiscus flavor.
Cucumber in beer as well.
Your brew really sucks.

Until next time, hoping your best friend doesn't float in the bottom of a glass!   

So here is a beer I probably would not have picked up on my own. 
Admit it, as a guy the label art is shall we say "off putting"?
But my wife loves me and occasionally enrolls me in the Microbrewed Beer of the Month club. (www.beermonthclub.com) 
The shipment that arrived at the end of July included this offering. It is called Honey Amber Rose and comes to us from an outfit called Beer Diva. This particular brew however they outsourced to the Mendocino brewery in Ukiah, California.
It does pour a nice amber color. Very pleasing to the eye. There is an initial touch of sweetness as suggested by the Honey in the name. It is not overpowering or cloying though, nicely balanced I'd say. Then comes a slight bitterness, presumably from the rose hips that are also part of the recipe. It is as noted in the monthly newsletter "lightly hopped". Maybe it works for this style brew, but since I'm an IPA fan, it seemed a tad on the light side to me. Still even though only 4.5% alcohol by volume the beer taste does "fill the mouth", just not as much as you might like or as suggested by the aforementioned amber color.
Overall though, a tasty, flavorful drink. 
One of those brews you don't mind trying and tasting. But not one that I'd keep going back to or going out of my way to find. 
But if it's the last beer in the fridge, or a cooler at a party, you can grab it without hesitation. A good summer brew for those looking for something lighter, without going "lite" and losing all flavor and character.
Overall i give it 6 mugs on a scale from 1 to 10.