Tag Archives: banana bread

Golden Sabbath by Big Island Brewhaus of Hawai’i

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1536665_10101623068724230_1793245443_nRating: 4.75/5

Golden Sabbath by Big Island Brewhaus of Hawai’i is an 8.5% ABV Belgian Strong Golden Ale brewed with Hawaiian Honey.

Label:
You hold a special handcrafted beer brewed and bottled only in Hawai’i. This hefty 22 ounce bottle is meant to be shared, but of course you may not want to! Our Belgian Style Golden Ale is brewed with Malted Barley, Hawaiian Honey, and Noble Hops. A Special Belgian yeast imparts a wondrous range of fruit flavors like plum, apricot, and spice. These flavors harmonize well with roasted meats like lamb and duckling as well as rich seafoods like lobster and is perfect with desserts such as crème brulee, tiramisu, and of course…chocolate. Traditionally served in special goblets, this beer turns an ordinary lunch into an extraordinary event and transforms a slow Sunday afternoon into a Golden Sabbath. 
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A very special thanks once again to my friend Richard and his fiancee Megan who were able to bring this special gift for me from their trip to Hawaii. It is an honor to try a Belgian style beer from Hawai’i, especially since that is pretty much the only place you can get this one.

Aromas:
Oranges, peppercorns, floral and citrus hops, honey, apples, apricot, biscuit bread, cotton candy, banana bread, vanilla, caramel, coriander and other spices.

Flavors:
Flowers, peppercorns, banana bread, apricot, plums, honey, biscuits, pineapple, pears, vanilla, bubble gum, cotton candy, rock candy, coriander, cloves, herbs and other spices.

Aftertaste:
Finishing dry with some nice honey, peppery spices and slight banana left over. Crisp, refreshing, easy to moderate drinkability with no alcohol in the taste.

Overall:
A very good Belgian that is really close to a Tripel but it does stay more with the Golden Ale style and the Belgian Pale Ale but less hoppy and more fruity. While I enjoyed this one a lot, I think I enjoyed their coconut porter more. Nevertheless, this is still an amazing beer and an honor to get a chance to try something like this from Hawai’i. Belgian beer lovers will like this one.

Anime Corner:
I was unable to find the artist of this original artwork I used for pairing with this beer. If you are the artist let me know so I can give you credit for using the picture as a background for this beer pairing. I decided on this piece to portray several aspects of this beer. For starters, The label colors fit perfectly. Second, I wanted to find something that would relate to monks in Hawaii or even Monks at the beach. That is what the girl in the cloak is doing at the beach. The sandy and tropical aspects of rich Hawaiian honey are showcased with the beer flavors and also shown as a representative of the sea here in this pairing. Can you find any other things in this pairing?

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale by Wells & Young’s brewing

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1486772_10101588081014880_2011908499_nRating: 4.25/5

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale by Wells & Young’s brewing is a 5% ABV English Brown Ale

Label:
Based on the Great British pudding, full of rich sticky toffee-ness.
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Been looking all over for this on. After being a fan of the Banana bread, I was really curious to try this. I am not sure why they went with a 11.2 oz bottle instead of the traditional 500ml but I am sure it is a treat.

Aromas:
Rich Toffee, caramel, pilsner grains and cereal, brown sugar, hints of chocolate or like a dark fruit, biscuit bread, butter scotch, almond, hazelnut, honey and vanilla. Sweet fragrances all around.

Flavors:
Caramel, toffee, crème brulee notes, chocolate hints, vanilla, strong earthy hop bitterness, brown sugar, nutmeg, hazelnut, honey, rye bread, butter scotch. The warmer the beer, the sweeter it gets.

Aftertaste:
Caramel, toffee, biscuit bread, cereal grains, earthy hop bitterness and pilsner grains. There is more bitterness making it kind of unbalanced if not drunk at the proper temperature (Too cold is bad). Easy to drink and no alcohol in the taste. Very creamy mouthfeel as well

Overall:
While it is a very good beer, you still have to let it warm up if you want to get that sticky toffee sweetness out. May not be as apparent in the first sip but after a couple, you will notice it linger for a while. Very nice stuff but not super consistent with balance with lower temperatures. For those that do not like super sugary beers, it may just have enough sweetness to cover you but there is more earthy bitterness than sweetness, especially at first couple of sips. Let it warm up and it gets better. What let me give it a higher score than expected was the nice blend of hazelnut and toffee as well as those hints of chocolate and vanilla.

Anime Corner:
Tomoe Mami from Madoka Magica who likes tea and dressing up. Pretty fancy considering this is an English Brown Ale but because the colors in the artwork fit with the label and the fact that the beer consist of the rich toffee flavors (not to mention the English influence like it might have been in the old days), I figured it fit since I Tomoe loves desserts like pudding as well.

Shegöat by the Bruery

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1549365_10101585176256040_912968587_n 1483304_10101585175203150_1491038379_nRating: 5/5

Shegöat by the Bruery is an 8.7% ABV Weizenbock.

Label:
All The Wins

We recently discovered this original home brew recipe of Patrick’s with which he won Best of Show awards. Without changing it much, we recreated it for you to enjoy today. Rich, malty and perfect for the winter months. 
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Got this one along with the Preservation Society release. It will be hitting only local distribution in California, however, you can still get it at www.craftbeerkings.com . I have no idea what a Shegöat is, but all I could find is information on a female goat. According to Google, this is all I got: “One of the branches of augury in ancient Rome dealt especially with the signs which might be derived from animals; and it was believed that if a she-goat crossed the path of a man who was stepping out of his house it was a good omen, and he might proceed on his way rejoicing.” Anyway, on to the review.

Aromas:
Rich caramel, banana bread, Dark fruits, cloves, coriander, citrus, earthy hop notes, caramel, rye, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Flavors:
Rich Banana bread, Plantains, dulce de leche caramel, dark fruits like raisins, plums, citrus, coriander, cloves, raisin bread pudding, pecans, almonds, earthy hop notes, pineapple juice, tart cherry, licorice notes, bubble gum, toasted rye bread, cinnamon notes and honey.

Aftertaste:
Banana bread, cloves, caramel, dark fruit notes, spices and earthy bitterness lingers. Easy to medium drinkability. Some very minor alcohol in the taste but clears up as the beer gets warmer, so let it warm up

Overall:
The beer is fantastic! If the Bruery ever made a German beer that is awesome it be like this. The beer reminds of my days with Franziskaner Dunkelweiss. One of the best banana German beers. Although, the Weizenbock is the stronger version of a Dunkelweisse, it its just epic win. That is why the label says all the wins. If you like German beers, you will probably love this one, I sure did.

Anime Corner:
I chose Asmodeus from the Seven Deadly Sins series to represent the She-Goat. I could not find the true meaning of the word Shegöat so I found this one. She is part of the 7 demons of sin who represents Lust and exposes her victims in such fashion as well. She looks like a goat in the pictures but she also represents the banana flavors of the beer or the banana in the banana split she is on. Since the beer is fruity tasting, the pictures compliment it perfectly. Shegoat really is tantalizing, isn’t she? 

Abbey by New Belgium

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1512801_10101561386106690_1780227651_nRating: 4.8/5

Abbey by New Belgium is a 7% ABV Belgian Dubbel

Label:
A beauty of a Belgian dubbel with six different malts and an authentic Belgian yeast strain that’s happiest being served in a New Belgian globe glass.
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Yes, I agree. While it would be plain and simple to use the NB globe glass, I decided against it since I wanted to use the Monkish glass to appeal to the art pairing. Anyways, this beer comes out every year around the Fall/Winter season ready for X-mas. I have never got a chance to review it since the last time I bought a 6 or a Folly 12 pack, they are all gone. This one did not get away and is here for the review. You can get this nation wide in 6 pack or the NB Winter Folly pack.

Aromas:
Rich banana bread, dark fruits like raisins, plums, figs, dulce de leche caramel notes, vanilla, chocolate hints, cinnamon, ginger bread, nutmeg, biscuit and toffee

Flavors:
Dulce de leche caramel notes, dark fruits forward from the raisins, the plums and figs, dates, banana bread, coffee and chocolate notes, cinnamon, ginger bread, nutmeg, earthy hop notes, molasses, anise notes, clove and coriander spice, peppercorns and bubble gum hints

Aftertaste:
Close to a dry finish but some biscuit, raisins, earthy hop bitterness and caramel linger for a little bit. Despite being a dubbel quite the easy drinking. No alcohol in the taste either.

Overall:
A Great beer very delicious. To the height of many of the New Belgium beers that I have tried, only some have made it with a high rating. This one takes the cake and is probably one of my favorite annual releases from New Belgium. This beer definitely makes it to the world class (14th best dubbel according to beer advocate). Belgian beer lovers will love this one

Anime Corner:
I am not sure who created this piece but I was able to find it when looking for different pictures online. This was a perfect pairing because it includes everything about Belgian Abbeys, monks, monasteries and so forth. A tribute to the Belgian abbeys

HefeWeissbier by Weihenstephaner

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!946563_10101174683696420_1040178155_nRating: 5/5

HefeWeissbier by Weihenstephaner is a 5.4%ABV World Class German Hefeweizen. Considered the best German Hefeweizen in the world

RATE BEER DESCRIPTION:
Nothing refreshes you more than this naturally cloudy wheat beer with its wonderful yeasty fragrance and taste. Goes well with dishes that do not have too intensive a flavour, especially that Bavarian speciality ‘Weisswurst’ or white sausage.
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What a perfect way to rate that the best Hefeweizen in the world is made none other than the World’s Oldest Brewery (Since 1040) in Germany. A very common beer in many of the most common craft beers stores and can you believe, this is the first time I am trying it and to put the cherry on top, Hefeweizen style was my first favorite style around the time I started beer reviews. Crazy huh? Anyways, on to the review.

Aromas are dead on rich Banana cloves, with this one seems to have honey, vanilla, bubble gum, toffee, caramel, citrus, lemon, wheat, banana bread, peppery notes, caramel apple and butterscotch. The flavors are of Bananas, draped in honey, caramel, lemon, orange, peppercorns, bubble gum, wheat, banana bread, banana cream and biscuit bread. Simply amazing. No chance for comparison, even people who fathom the idea of what an awesome hefeweizen is supposed to be like have no idea what a REAL GERMAN HEFF is supposed to taste like. This is the best Hefeweizen I have ever had, but my love still goes out to the Hefeweizen Dunkel. The one made by Weihenstephaner and Franziskaner are the best. I’m a nut for more sweeter beers.

Migdal Bavel (AKA Tower of Babel) collaboration by Stillwater Artisanal and Extraomnes

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420354_10101060596353370_621134300_n 28992_10101060588050010_309083145_nRating: 4.75/5

Migdal Bavel (AKA Tower of Babel) collaboration by Stillwater Artisanal and Extraomnes is a 6.66%ABV Italian Saison made with Myrrh an Szechuan Peppercorns.

Description:
a crisp blond farmhouse ale brewed with Myrrh & Szechuan Peppercorns.
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Been looking all over the place for this one. Took almost half a year for me to find to so reviewing this one was gonna be such an awesome task. Aside from the eerie 6.66%ABV, this beer has some mysterious aromas and flavors. The aromas start off herbal, floral and spicy. Fragrances of bread notes, flowers, mango, peppercorns, citrus, grapefruit, oak wood, pears and pineapple. The taste is very rich in herbs, spices and funky wild yeast. Flavors can gather are of citrus orange, slight pineapple, lemon, herbs, flowers, honey, vanilla, peppercorns, a bit of wine grapes, banana bread, bubble gum, pears, mushrooms, basil, coriander and spices. The after taste leaves with some nice grassy and spice bitterness which still complemented by flowery sweetness. I am unsure as to how Myrrh taste but possibly the little bit of herbal and spicy bitterness maybe a result. Either way, another awesome saison and an awesome collaboration. Saison and Farmhouse ale fans will enjoy this one 😛

The Royale Beer #5 by Gigantic Brewing Company

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184673_10100992655602180_1861313622_nRating: 4.6/5

The Royale Beer #5 by Gigantic Brewing Company is a 6.3% ABV Belgian Pale Ale. This is the 5th beer in the endless series of limited edition artist and artisan beers. Hooray for Beer and Art 😀

Label:
A beer fit for sophisticates and flaneurs, The Royale is a golden concoction of fruity and citrusy flavors meant for whiling away one’s time in brasseries, cafes and pubs, or anywhere friends can be found.
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The aromas of this beer are of yeast bread and grassy hops with fragrances of banana, grapefruit, citrus, grassy herbs, spices, fruity esters, floral almost like a saison and farmhouse ale. Reminiscent of the the Eschatological and the Bitter Monk. The flavors are of grassy, grapefruit and pineapple hops, citrus, banana bread, biscuit, pears, apples, grapes and flowers. It is a great beer if you can find it. However, if you can find the other BPAs even better. It is an awesome example of a Belgian Pale Ale and truly delicious. Maybe not blow your mind delicious but is still great.

Jubilee by Eagle Rock Brewery

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224830_10100951664353970_285875234_nRating: 4.8/5

Jubilee by Eagle Rock Brewery of Los Angeles California (Yes my home county) is a 8.1% ABV Winter Warmer Spiced Old Ale. I explained in an earlier review about winter warmers. Usually malt forward, sweeter beers that only hop bitterness is used for balance and are spiced up for holiday servings.

Label:

Jubilee, spiced old ale, is a delicious holiday treat with the aromas of freshly-baked banana bread and rich caramel. The spices used in this full-bodied winter warmer combined with a hint of molasses are reminiscent of the complex flavors of gingerbread. The rounded malt sweetness is balanced by an earthy finish, and just enough bitterness to give way to a lingering warmth, subdued sweetness, and rich fruit character on the palate. 
Whether you choose to drink this beer during this holiday season or age it for another special occasion, enjoy it! Because ‘tis the season for jubilation!
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The fragrance reminds me of a cherry bread, cinnamon, and grapes. It is somewhat like the Holiday Fruit Cake Ale I tried before. Yet, the flavors are more abundant than the fragrance. The flavor is pretty delicious. Just the right type of Christmas beer. Its is full of cinnamon, delicious gingerbread flavors, cherry, some pumpkin spice, vanilla, caramel, bananas, raisins, pears, apples and brown sugar cookies. This is a very damn good Christmas beer. This is a definite pickup for Christmas, it is really awesome 😛