Asada Shino | Brewerianimelogs (Anime and Beer Lore)

Rating: 6/5

Grandpa Brians Caramel Apple Pie by Brew Rebellion is a 9.4% ABV Old Ale brewed with Caramel Apple Pie Flavors.

==Introduction==
Got this one at Craftshack.com. After trying many of the Brew Rebellion beers such as white chocolate raspberry and Peanut Butter Jelly for example, this one seemed to strike some flavor chords in my mind. The whole Caramel Apple Pie idea was just damn scrumptious and way too delicious to pass up. So I definitely wanted to get it along with the other goodies I got from the site. Since Brew Rebellion has had a great track record with me, let’s see how true their experiment shines here, cheers!

Aromas:
dark fruit boysenberries, raisins, blueberries, black berries, dates, figs, figgy pudding, strawberry preserves, rye bread, strawberry short cake, rich Butterscotch, Red Apples, Green Apples, Pecan Pie, brown sugar, Rich dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, coconut hints, toffee, walnuts, hazelnut nectar, cotton candy, marshmallow, smores chocolate, cinnamon, Pistachio ice cream, burnt caramel, grilled bananas, clove spice, funnel cake, Stone fruit peaches and Irish cream.

Flavors:
Rich Butterscotch, Red Apples, Green Apples, Pecan Pie, brown sugar, Rich dulce de leche caramel, vanila, coconut hints, toffee, walnuts, hazelnut nectar, Stone fruit peaches, apricots, dark fruit boysenberries, raisins, blueberries, black berries, dates, figs, figgy pudding, strawberry preserves, rye bread, strawberry short cake, cotton candy, marshmallow, smores chocolate, cinnamon, Pistachio ice cream, burnt caramel, grilled bananas, clove spice, funnel cake, waffle cones, buttery caramel popcorn and toasted rye bread.

Aftertaste:
Sweet caramel, caramel, apple pie, cinnamon, earthy notes, dark fruit soaked rye bread and vanilla. No alcohol in the taste, Dark brown crimson medium body, creamy, velvety, syrupy and silky mouthfeel and a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Holy Malty Bombs Batman!! Is it me, or is it everything I keep trying from Brew Rebellion so far has been damn mind blowing. I don’t get it, but somehow they have mastered some crazy beer flavors of the likes I have not seen other than the Bruery and possibly Belching Beaver and the great extent, Terrapin. I am not sure how they do it but it taste way too close to what they were going for. I love this beer!

Anime Corner:
Shinon/Sinon Asada from Sword Art Online 2 was used in this pairing as I wanted to pair a girl with the color of green apples as green apples are what usually define caramel candied apples. Also, as Shinon’s colors look very similar to camouflage, it goes with the whole grandpa thing as many grandpa’s have stories of war and such but the cool part is they be making some very delicious apple caramel apple pies. Shinon in this pairing contrasts and complements just that. Cheers!

Sources:
http://orig04.deviantart.net/45aa/f/2014/344/9/d/sword_art_online_2___sinon_by_januaroreo-d89c10w.jpg
http://pic.prepics-cdn.com/akuchoo/36199260.jpeg

Rating: 5.5/5

Itasca Loonidragon by Clown Shoes brewing is a 14.5% Russian Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Label:
Itasca Loonidragon the beer is Blaecorn Unidragon aged in bourbon barrels. Itasca Loonidragon the label depicts a new creature, a gentle monster, the get of a unidragon mated with a giant norther loon, drinking peacefully from the headwater of the Mississippi River.
___

Released only in Minnesota, very few online places will carry this beer and unless you know someone who is willing to trade something for this one is most likely the only way to get this one. Since the previous beers, the Unidragon itself has not been released bourbon barrel aged so the fact that Minnesota gets this one is pretty awesome. I have yet to try Ohio Unidragon which is the regular Unidragon with special ingredients. The awesome Texas one was made with special Texas ingredients. I can only assume that this one uses Minnesota bourbon or something. I tried finding more info about this unfortunately I could not in terms of what it is made with. If you know, please leave me a comment below. So let us see what this fine creature has to offer, cheers!

Aromas:
Rich bourbon, oak, smokey notes, earthy notes, rocky road ice cream, dark chocolate, milk chocolate hints, dark fruits like currants, blackberries, raisin and cherries, coconut hints, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, mocha, brown sugar, mint, anise, molasses, pipe tobacco and mocha.

Flavors:
Bourbon Rocky road ice cream up front, lots of oak, dark chocolate, semi sweet Bakers chocolate, coconut, toffee, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, marshmallow smores, dark fruits like raisins, cherries, currants and blackberries, pipe tobacco, flan hints, burnt sugar, brown sugar, banana notes, pecan pie, earthy notes, mocha, molasses, anise, licorice and mint chocolate chip.

Aftertaste:
Finishing slightly dry with some Oak, dark chocolate, marshmallow smores, smokey notes, earthy notes, and mild dark fruit. Slight boozyness that is mainly hidden by the complex flavors, silky smooth mouthfeel, sipping drinkability and pitch black night body with very little head retention.

Overall:
Surely exceeding expectations by several notches. The predominant aspect of the beer is the oak followed by the rich and sweet complexities but there is a good amount of earthy and roasted bitterness here to make stuff alittle more balanced. This goes down really well only hinting at the fact that it is 14.5% ABV afterall. Surely ofcourse, would I recommend it. If you cannot find it, that is okay but if you do, this one is awesome!

Anime Corner:
Asada Shino/Sinon from Sword Art Online II was used in this pairing to basically play at Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck but a more innocent version of her. I used Nelliel as the original Unidragon and she stuck around for the longest time so I figured I wanted to do something different but pay tribute to her green hair or a character that kind of resembles her. Sinon is an up and coming character that many fans of the show Sword Art Online like so I figure, new beer, new character. The fact that she is a bad ass in the show but also all the colors pair super super well with the colors in the label of the Itasca Loonidragon. It works very awesomely!

Sources:
http://mythicxgamer.deviantart.com/art/Sinon-Wallpaper-460056006