MXYZPTLK collaboration by Bottle Logic and J. Wakefield Brewing

 

 

Rating: 7/7

MXYZPTLK collaboration by Bottle Logic and J. Wakefield Brewing is a 13.11% ABV Imperial Porter brewed with Dulce De Leche, Cuban-Style Roasted Espresso Beans & Cassia Bark/Cinnamon sticks and aged in Rum Barrels

Label:

(MIX-IS-PIT-IL-ICKS)

==Introduction==

Named after DC comics mischievous character that breaks all physical laws of the DC universe with cartoon like antics. Similar to Arale by Akira Toriyama, a character that even breaks the Dragonball Universe. I think the assumption was for a beer that would break reality, or in this case, flavor perception and experience and possibly bring one into a journey accessing another realm of existence or even something unknown. Released in October 2017 through special ticket releases (which sold out in seconds) this beer is a collaboration with J Wakefield brewing. The last time I tried one from J Wakefield was with the Bruery’s sour collaboration with the use of dragon fruit. So while, J Wake Field is very popular in Florida, Bottle Logic is the same. It was hard to get this release to the point where I barely made it. While Bottle Logic has not been on my radar until recently due to their hard to get beers, I got lucky in obtaining this one. Mainly since it was a beer made with some really delicious ingredients. A beer with dulce de leche huh? Well, then, looks like “Someone Copies Mes”, since I once made a Goat Milk Dulce de leche Caramel and Banana Weizenbock homebrew. So While I know I can’t really compare, I am super intrigued by this one since it is a Café Cubano Tiramus inspired beer and wanted to see just how much of a hype this one might be. Let’s have a look, cheers!

Aromas:

Rum filled pastries, dark fruits, raisin capirotada, cinnamon, pecan pie, almond joy, toasted coconut, milk chocolate covered raisins, sweetened condensed milk, bananas, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, pan dulce, fruit cake, Mexican chocolate, champurrado, mocha, Khalua, liqueur, tobacco, leather, ginger bread, espresso, Café Cubano Tiramasu, prune juice, flan, Jericalla Mexican custard and piloncillo sugar cone.

Flavors:

Super Rich, dulce de leche covered pan dulce, cinnamon, pecan pie, cuban dark fruit pastries, cuban coffee tiramasu, raisin capirotada, dark fruit prunes, raisins, plums, figs, currants, craisins, dried strawberries, raspberries, pomegranates, blueberries, funnel cake, Rum egg nog, Rum walnut nog, ginger bread, Mexican chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate covered raisins, piloncillo sugar cone, champurrado, flan, Jericalla Mexican custard, borrachitos Mexican alcoholic jelly and milk candies, pumpkin pie, cane sugar, brown sugar, mocha, fancy coffee, espresso, roasted coffee, Khalua Liqueur, Irish cream, nutmeg, marshmallow smores, butter pecan ice cream, tobacco, leather, sweetened condensed milk, tres leches cake, bananas, clove spice, brown sugar, vanilla, roasted barley, tiramasu, toasted coconut and almond joy chocolate.

Aftertaste:

Aftertaste is chocolate covered raisins for days, mocha, ongoing Café Cubano Tiramasu, Marshmallow, Rum Eggnog, Mexican Hot chocolate, Ginger bread cookies, tobacco, milk and jelly alcoholic candies/borrachitos, rum, cinnamon, dark frits and rich dulce de leche that never ends! No alcohol in the taste, pitch black abyss full body, smooth, creamy, syrupy, chewy and velvety and sludgy mouthfeel. Sipping is a must! I cannot stress this enough, the drinkability is slow and steady. A whole glass like I poured is not a good idea! Save for later.

Overall:

Damn, Diabeetus… in a bottle! Not gonna lie, this is freaking amazing but surely took me like 2 hours to finish a small glass. This is literally the most sugar coma inducing beer but I love it!. Pure postre de Café Cubano. This is in that level of bucket list that might actually be that which makes one kick the bucket, but damn you’ll go through one hell of a ride indeed. I feel like this fits in one of those infomercials. You can use this to pour over ice cream or pancakes or anything! The sweetness is only slightly cloying but the coffee, rum, earthy, dark fruit and cinnamon complexity seem to cut a lot of the sugar pureness big time. Although it may be too much for some palettes, but that is probably for the best. The original MXYZPLK was not understood by the world of DC and maybe the real world may not get this one, but damn, if you truly want to know the heart of all pastries in the most complex form into another dimension, give this one a find or a trade.

Anime Corner:

Sash Lilac from Freedom Planet makes an appearance in this pairing of Bottle Logic mainly for the colors of the beer. Granted, not much pairs with her other other than colors, but that poncho/zarape she is wearing is reminiscent of Latin and the Americas in relation to some ingredients used such as the Dulce de Leche, Cuban Coffee and Cinnamon. The beer being Cuban inspired, the island surrounded by water and Lilac being a water dragon. I would like to think that in some instances, other than the rich lilac color, that she fits very well with this one. Besides, this is my 4th Bottle Logic beer I have ever had in bottle form aside from taps and so I really choose my characters wisely for the reviews. Lilac happens to be one of my top favorite anthropomorphic anime/video game characters.

 

 

2014 Tequila Barrel Aged Mexican Cake by West Brook brewing (Halloween Review)

12096022_10102889106743890_4040101086858097951_n 12194605_10102889107257860_2160969544030741492_o 12049517_10102889107886600_7877849483527145356_nRating: 7/7

2014 Tequila Barrel Aged Mexican Cake by West Brook brewing is a 10.5% ABV World Class Imperial Stout aged in cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, habanero peppers and aged 12 months in Tequila Barrels

Label:
Bottled 8/15/2014
Way back in December 2011 , they brewed 1st Anniversary beer – a serious imperial stout aged on cocoa nibs, vanila beans, cinnamon sticks , and fresh habanero peppers. It was so delicious to bring it back once each year and age it for 12 months in oak barrels.

¡Salud!

==Introduction==

Been meaning to try this beer for ages! The original Mexican was soooo good but all of them were always over priced and to some degree over hyped. Maybe it was me but I really wanted to try this one. Long behold we reach 2015 and I was able to finally land one of these for a decent price. Needless to say, splurging on something like this would be ridiculous but since I wanted it and it was at the right price, I got it. This is the first time I try a beer from Westbrook as well so definitely an honor for sure. I have tried so few Tequila barrel aged beers and so few chocolate abuelita beers but the closest I’m sure comes close to this is the Xocoveza Extra Añejo. So without further ado, here it goes. Salud!

Aromas:
Mild habanero, ancho and guajillo chiles, roasted coffee, marshmallows, piloncillo sugar cone Tequila, Agave lechugilla, mezcal, sangria vampiro, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, hazelnut nectar, dark fruit raisins, prunes, currants, blackberries, blueberries, figs, dark cherries, dates, Khalua liqueur, waffle cone, mocha, molasses, Champurrado, Molé hints, pan dulce, milk sugar, ginger bread, crème brulee, flan, sweetened condensed milk, fruit cake, Dark and milk chocolate fudge cake.

Flavors:
Rich Chocolate Abuelita, Tequila, Agave lechugilla, mezcal, charred oak, Cinnamon, Capirodatada Raisin bread pudding, fruit cake, Dark and milk chocolate fudge cake, dark cherries, dark fruits like raisins, prunes, currants, blackberries, blueberries, figs, dates, ginger bread, crème brulee, flan, sweetened condensed milk, Khalua liqueur, waffle cone, mocha, molasses, Champurrado, earthy notes, clove spice, grilled platanitos/bananas, churros, sangria vampiro, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, hazelnut nectar, leche, mild habanero, ancho and guajillo chiles, roasted coffee, marshmallows, piloncillo sugar cone, pan dulce, milk sugar and Molé hints.

Aftertaste:
Rich Dark chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin notes, mild pepper spice, chocolate abuelita, tequila, mezcal, agave, mocha, vanilla, oak, dulce de leche caramel, earthy raisin bread and coffee. No alcohol in the taste, dark abyss full body, very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety and mildly syrupy and a drinkability that is ridiculously easy. Careful not to finish the bottle in one sitting.

Overall:
It definitely feels like a bucket list kind of beer. As ridiculous as this is, I am really pleased I got this. Funny thing is, the spices are not in the heat but allow for a Mexican style that fits similar to how Molé is made with chile and chocolate. There are only a hand full of beers that really deserve the title a World Class and this rarity gets the one of the highest rating for it. My expectations were really blown away and maybe it is worth what the hype is about. I may have not tried the original but the Tequila variant to me especially a year aged is like a dream come true. So yes, I highly recommend this version especially since the Tequila barrel aging just adds that cherry on top of the already awesome cake to truly make, Mexican! Ahuevo Cabrones! Busquenlo!

Anime Corner:
Dia de Los Muertos Samus Aran from Metroid and Vocaloid Hatsune Miku were used in this pairing for several reasons. You can already see some aspects of Mexican themes like dia de los muertos. The Guns Samus carries would be like those Mexican revolvers, you know, to vary it up a bit. She is in the theme. Also, why did I choose Miku for this pairing? 2 reasons. The first being that I used the picture of Miku on her side with the plugsuit representing the first tequila barrel aged beer I tried from Cupaca (Tequila Barrel aged Barleywine back in 2010) and barrel aging process but second, since she played a well known Mexican song called La Bikina (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqIugY6pk0c) so I know already she will work. Also, she has so much of the blue agave colors which pair with what tequila is made but also the colors of the beer. So the singing then ties to the 3rd drawing where she has the acoustic guitar. So much tequila goodness and so much sweetness from art and flavor experiences!

Sources:
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b580/qinchao1204/chuyin%2012/wwwafterschoolsyscom-938.jpg~original
http://fashionablygeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/dead_Upload.jpg
http://static.zerochan.net/Hatsune.Miku.full.1518790.jpg

Smashing Pumpkin Ale by Avila Ales

10926265_10102323269386490_4691924029885868015_oRating: 4.65/5

Smashing Pumpkin Ale by Avila Ales is a 5.5% ABV Pumpkin Ale brewed with Pumpkin Flesh and Cinnamon Sticks.

==Introduction==

It is way past fall and well, were are still technically in winter but even then, when it comes to home brew, any style is great on any time of the year. My friends Richard and Megan Avila allowed me the opportunity not only to get to bring this beer to the site but also get involved in what was their first All Grain Brew process. I was glad I was able to have a very small part in the creation of this nice all grain pumpkin beer. This has inspired me to finally step up to the plate and start brewing my own beers. I will soon have a first batch to present but for the meantime, let us check this amazing fall beer. By the way home brewers, while my friend did get the original recipe from Northern Brewing, his addition of ingredients slightly tweaks the recipe so this review may help as to what to expect if you brew it similarly. Cheers!
(http://www.northernbrewer.com/…/smashing-pumpkin-ale-all-gr…)

Aromas:
Cinnamon, pumpkin, vanilla, honey, biscuit bread, sugar, citrus, ginger hints, pecans, caramel, maple and clove spice.

Flavors:
Pumpkin Flesh, Piloncillo, cinnamon, milk sugar, vanilla, honey, citrus hints, toffee, maple hints, clove spice, banana hints, peanut butter hints, sweet potato, caramel, biscuit bread, hazelnut, pecan pie, earthy hop notes, ginger bread and nutmeg.

Aftertaste:
Pumpkin flesh, cinnamon,earthy hop notes, ginger bread and honey. No alcohol in the taste, honey brown light to medium body, light creamy and crisp mouthfeel and easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A very good pumpkin beer. When I first tried it at a colder temperature, you can definitely a small amount of bitterness while still tasting the pumpkin flesh and cinnamon complexity. However, once it got warmer, that is when the magic happened. The more complex flavors really started to shine and was way more enjoyable that way. Definitely a great beer to homebrew.

Anime Corner:
Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tale was used in this pairing mainly to pair with the pumpkin, fall and Halloween aspects that are brought from these pumpkin beers which is the obvious. While I didn’t show the smashing of pumpkins, the word smashing in English context can also be seen similar to the work awesome or excellent. If the name of the beer was smashing pumpkins, well, we can say that the smashing pumpkin is the one next to Lucy and Lucy has some smashing pumpkins. I leave you to figure that out.

Sources: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/…/i…/4/45/LucyYummyFanart.png