Tag Archives: nitroplus

Peanut Butter Dark Seas by Mission Brewery

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15325317_10103803534498340_4484081246687087118_oRating: 6/6

Peanut Butter Dark Seas by Mission Brewery is 9.8% ABV Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Peanut Butter.

Label:
Since the very first batch, the recipe for Mission Dark Seas has remained unchanged. The classic, award winning Imperial Stout is rich in toasted coffee, chocolate and all those bold roasted flavors. WE have added peanut butter for a rich, creamy taste sensation. Peanut Butter Dark Seas; Just as amazing as the original, but with a nostalgic twist.

==Introduction==
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A limited release from Mission Brewery. It has been a long time since I tried the Missions Dark Seas and the Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Seas. Both are world class beers and definitely some of the best. When I first saw they had released a peanut butter version I nearly flipped. While I haven’t had too many of the Missions brews, they are always amazing! I am not sure if this is the same as their Captain Crunch Peanut butter version they had on tap but it would make sense as the Captain is a captain of a ship. Pirates or not, it would sure fit. Let’s have a look at this one, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, bakers chocolate, peanut butter, nutter butter cookies, roasted peanuts, Reece’s peanut butter cup, vanilla, roasted coffee, mocha, pralines, hazelnut nectar, dark fruit currants, prunes, raisins, rye bread, molasses, anise, tobacco notes, rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, graham cracker smores, toasted coconuts and brown sugar.
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Flavors:
Rich peanut brittle, roasted peanuts, real peanut butter, nutter butter cookies, Reece’s peanut butter cup, captain crunch peanut butter cereal, vanilla, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, bakers chocolate, rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, graham cracker smores, toasted coconuts, coffee cake, flan, dark fruit currants, prunes, raisins, rye bread, molasses, anise, tobacco notes, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, caramel, roasted coffee, mocha, pralines, hazelnut nectar, walnuts, macadamia nuts, almond milk, roasted barley, bananas, dark cherry hints, chocolate mousse, fudge and peanut butter cake and brown sugar.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with lots of nutty unsweetened peanut butter flavor, roasted coffee, dark fruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel and roasted barley bitterness. No alcohol in the taste, dark full body, smooth, creamy, chewy and velvety mouthfeel and a moderate drinkability.
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Overall:
Damn insane. Very exceptional brew. Yes, it is not barrel aged but the peanut butter flavors and chocolate are ridiculous. Overall, the beer is very complex and it does appear that they are using real peanut butter and not peanut butter flavoring. Either that or peanut flour. I am not sure, but regardless, the semi-sweet peanut butter and chocolate flavors from this one are definitely unique from other peanut butter beers. Not to detract from other peanut butter beers as they are all amazing, but this one definitely stands on its own. Also, the Russian Imperial style and flavors complements the peanut butter and chocolate flavors so well! Highly recommended.
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Anime Corner:
Franco il Nero (Cyan hair) and Donne Annonime (Blonde hair) from Outlaw Django Tre Donne Crudeli as well as Nitro+ Cross over of Ignis from Jingai Makyo and Al-Azif from Demonbane were used in this pairing mainly since I used Franco and Donne in the original and Bourbon Barrel aged version of Dark seas. Like finding the treasure. This beer is a treasure in itself. The addition of the other characters was mainly for the sake of using new art work to pair with the beer. I must say that they pair really well with the flavors and the colors of the ingredients this feels like it has. Especially the complexity. Overall though, they all come from the same company, Nitro+ so I like how this turned out.
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Sources:
http://i.imgur.com/21oMSKa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/p0iaGxU.png
http://static.zerochan.net/Franco.Il.Nero.full.138803.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mretZWu.jpg
http://img1.reactor.cc/pics/comment/full/Anime-tre-donne-crudeli-под-катом-еще-574309.jpeg

(Homebrew Project#25) Frontier Tropics At Mirage Sunrise by Nubis Sanctum Ales

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14379789_10103559179837040_7433726519403536685_oRating: 5/5 
 
Frontier Tropics At Mirage Sunrise by Nubis Sanctum Ales is an 11% ABV Tropical Double India Pale Ale Brewed with, Citra, Cascade and Summit hops, Toasted Coconut, Strawberries, Kiwis, Mangos, Oranges, Grapefruit, Limes and Coriander.
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Label:
Tropical Double India Pale Ale Brewed with, Citra, Cascade and Summit hops, Toasted Coconut, Strawberries, Kiwis, Mangos, Oranges, Grapefruit, Limes and Coriander.
 
Saving townsfolk comes at a high price. Even for the noble outlaw duo like Franco il Nero and Donne Anonime who’s good deeds don’t go without punishment. Like the lost oasis of indigenous lore, Licuados Alets, the duo has never been captured. Only fools waste their search on such legends. Although, tales told that during sunrise, while in search of the duo, off in the distance, the tropical oasis has been seen with the deceiving eyes of the dessert heat. An illusion of the cowgirls can be witnessed but even the thirstiest of pursuers will never reach them…Until today, the water from that lost oasis, was given by the sexy outlaws to the few. You are, but the few…
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==Introduction==
13217167_10103252646078150_4895582831966392613_o
Project #25 was technically a last minute creation for the end of spring 2016. You see, I cannot brew beer in the summer as the temperatures in my room are not viable for brewing. However, since my friend Richard Avila of Avila Ales gave me a birthday present, basically the ingredients to make a cascade and summit double IPA, I decided to take my own crazy and twisted approach to the base recipe and create something awesome. Since I always wanted to make a more tropical IPA ever since last year’s IPA I made, I decided to buy all sorts of fruits that would not only compliment the citrus and grapefruit flavors of cascade and summit but also the tropical fruits in citra which is the other set of hops I added. The origin of the name really came from the use of hops like Summit like in the mountains of the Frontier of the old west. While many are stuck in the dessert in the old west, they desire water and often would find an oasis in the distance only for it to be a mirage. Hence if they ever got to the oasis, it would be like reaching a tropical beach full of delights. The water would also trickle form the mountains into this paradise tropical oasis, hence the use of the cascade. So all and all, the name came to be, Frontier Tropics At Mirage Sunrise. The sunrise part is all the citrus added since it would also remind one of drinking orange juice for breakfast, Nevertheless, this beer came to be. There was a lot of trial and tribulations since I had not used toasted coconut before and so this would be my first attempt. So let’s take a look at the final beer that was made at the end of spring and ready to drink in the summer time, Cheers!
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Aromas:
Rich toasted coconut, piña colada, macaroons, Tropical fruit pineapple, kiwi, mango, dragon fruit, honey dew melon, vanilla, biscuit bread, agave nectar, honey, kiwi jelly, Oranges, orange juice, limes, lemon peel, tangerines, grapefruit, piney, grassy and herbal hops, coriander hints, strawberries and sweetened condensed milk.
14324298_10103559179717280_4878994497619442482_o
Flavors:
Rich Piña Colada, toasted coconut, macaroons, rum notes, tropical fruit kiwi, mango, dragon fruit, mild passion fruit, pineapple (even though there isn’t any added to the beer), strawberries, strawberry cream pie, sour hints of lemon peel, Oranges, orange juice, limes, tangerines, grapefruit, piney, grassy and herbal hops, hint of coriander spice, stone fruit peach, apricot, earthy hops, flan hints, sweetened condensed milk hints, caramel hints, vanilla, biscuit bread, agave nectar, honey notes, honey comb hints and kiwi preserves.
 14524463_10103586804342310_8397508240260283130_o
Aftertaste:
Finishes with hints or strawberry, orange juice, toasted coconut, sour lemon, tart grapefruit hints, piña colada, macaroons and herbal hops. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, Golden Amber and brown medium to full body, crisp, refreshing, and smooth mouthfeel with a moderate drinkability
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Overall:
Damn perfect fruity and tropical IPA. My only gripes would be that since this is my first time toasting my own coconut, it changed the color of the beer to a brown color but other than that it was awesome. I think the fruit may have over taken some of the hops but the hops really did compliment the fruit and the bitterness is there with a hint of tart from the citrus fruits and kiwi but then rounded off by the delicious and pleasant coconut. Overall, I think it came out great but I think next time I would probably add more hops just because and buy already toasted coconut as toasting the coconut by baking it in the oven changed the color which then changed the color of the beer. This toasting though would work great for darker beers and even if it is a browner IPA, still taste perfect to me. One of my best!
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 14435336_10103586804926140_8765915958620446701_o
Anime Corner:
Franco iL Nero and Donne Anonime from Nitroplus series, Outlaw Django Tre Donne Crudeli were used in this pairing as I wanted to have not just the colors of the different ingredients complement as well as the flavors, but the theme of I was going for when I came up with the name revolved around the images of Franco and Donne at the beach which was pretty damn creative. Thus, the story beer complements the art, the other side of the pairing viewpoint!
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14435301_10103586804996000_7900692704053470370_o
Sources:

Bockslider Toadies Texas Bock by Martin House Brewing Company

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12744132_10103065580808450_4320531151318071025_nRating: 4.75/5

Bockslider Toadies Texas Bock by Martin House Brewing Company is a 5.6% ABV Dunkler Bock.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Bockslider is the official beer of Fort Worth’s own Toadies. An easy-drinking, copper-colored, lightly-hopped beer perfect for on-stage, backstage, or anywhere your rock music takes you.

==Introduction==

Obtained this brew thanks to Aaron atBeerMetalDude.com as well as other cans. This is the second time I get a chance to try something out from Martin House brewing. The first one I tried from them was the Pretzel stout which made for a very unique beer. Today we bring forth the Bockslider which is a tribute beer for band, the Toadies, an Alternative Rock band from Texas. Now that I have this brew here, let’s see what this one is about. Cheers!

Aromas:
Roasted malt notes, earthy hop notes, coffee, banana hints, clove spice, caramel, dark fruit notes, coriander, wheat bread, leather notes, tobacco notes, pecan pie, coffee cake, brown sugar, vanilla and hazelnut hints.

Flavors:
Caramel, bananas, clove spice, anise,molasses, vanilla, chocolate notes, roasted malts, earthy hop notes, dark fruit raisins, plums, cherries, raspberry notes, toffee, coriander, wheat bread, leather notes, tobacco notes, pecan pie, coffee cake, brown sugar, piloncillo sugar cone and hazelnut nectar.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with dark fruit notes, caramel, roasty notes, pecan pie notes, earthy hop hints and vanilla. No alcohol in the taste. Brown full body, creamy, smooth and refreshing mouthfeel with an easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A very delicious brew. While being roasty, there are many sweet flavors ranging from dark fruits, brown sugar and nutty flavors. It feels along the lines of a stout meets a bock really. I definitely enjoyed this one and I think many would enjoy it if you can find it in Texas. This one is definitely local stuff.

Anime Corner:
Honebami Toushirou from Nitroplus was used in this pairing as I wanted to showcase the label of the skeleton animal visiting the grave of his passed loved one. In this case, it shows cases the bond people have with their loved ones is strong even after death. The way it shows it with the string around the skeleton is reminiscent of this. I am unsure if the reason for the cans artwork was a tribute to something but maybe we would have to look at the Toadies and Martin House brewing for that answer.

Sources:
https://anime-pictures.net/pictures/get_image/464724-1000×1100-touken+ranbu-nitroplus-honebami+toushirou-haruis-single-tall+image.jpg

Dairy Tank Collaboration by Eagle Rock Brewery and Ale Smith

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10269528_10101781316918580_4351099030030525926_n 10250154_10101781317382650_6896812474485191607_nRating: 5.75/5

Dairy Tank Collaboration by Eagle Rock Brewery and Ale Smith is a 10% ABV Imperial Milk/Sweet Stout

Label:
ALESMITH BREWING CO
Alesmith Brewing Co. opened in 1995 with the purpose of making great beer – in dairy tanks! Sever budget constraints and the homebrewers mentality of making due with the equipment at hand put us to the test. We made it work and will forever be indebted to the original dairy tanks that were used for out hot & col liquor, mash & lauter, fermenting and conditioning tanks.

Alesmith expanded in 2008 and bid farewell to the dairy tanks sending them to their new home at Eagle Rock Brewery. In deciding on our collaboration beer, we thought it would be fitting to utilize these tanks in brewing a stykle that employs lactose sugar derived from milk. The name of our collaboration Milk Stout. We Hope that you enjoy this tribute to our beloved dairy tanks!

Peter Zen, Owner Alesmith

====
EAGLE ROCK BREWERY BEER FOR THE PEOPLE.
In May 2008, as were planning the opening of Eagle Rock Brewery, Alesmith Brewing was upgrading their brewhouse and selling their old equipment. We had been a huge admirer of Alesmith long before this, so being able to star our brewery with equipment from one of our all-time favorite breweries, felt like a miracle.

Hailing from a family of dairy farmers it felt fitting that the brewing equipment we had just acquired was converted from old Dairy Tanks . As homebrewers, we’ve always had a sense of “do it yourself”engineering and having equipment that felt like a large-scale homebrewsetup made the transition from brewing 5 gallon batches to 500 gallon batches a LOT less daunting.

Jeremy Raub Co-Founder Eagle Rock Brewery

___

Beer made in Milk tanks for a milk stout. This beer was so coveted it sold out quicky. You can probably get this one online now since it is hard to come by. It has an enjoy by date of 7-16-2014, so definitely the fresher the better. Milk stouts are genius especially if done right. Let’s see how big this one is.

Aromas:
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, sweet bakers chocolate, chocolate milk shake, bananas, mint chocolate, caramel, vanilla, lactose sugars, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, roasted barley, coffee notes, mocha, notes of hazelnut, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, marshmallows smores and mild coconut.

Flavors:
Milk, Sweet, dark and mink chocolate with bananas, caramel, vanilla, earthy hop notes, molasses, mocha, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans, marshmallows, chocolate mousse, waffle cone, rocky road icecream, fudge brownies, mint chocolate chip ice cream notes, anise, mild coconut, pecan pie, dark fruits like cherries and raisins and lots of milk sugar.

Aftertaste:
Milk chocolate, bananas, dark fruit, earthy notes, lactose sugar and mocha linger for a bit. No alcohol in the taste, a damn big smoothness and easy to drink despite the ABV with a buttery, creamy and a bit syrupy mouth feel. This is damn well made.

Overall:
Damn, over the top! I definitely loved this one just as much as I did smog lifter. A crazy guilty pleasure driven beer. There is a reason this bottle of great potion sold out and it has to do with the fact that it was way too damn good. You still have until July to enjoy it as fresh as possible so whether you live in California and cannot find it or live elsewhere, definitely seek this one before it goes offline too. A great beer and makes me wish I had gotten more bottles.

Anime Corner:
Coffee Mascot Girl from Yukizirushi Coffee Milk and Satan from Nitroplus’ 7 deadly sins were used in this pairing to pair with the colors of the label, the aspect of milk in dairy tanks relating to cows and well, the overall flavors of the beer including the chocolate, milk sugars and coffee earthy notes. Satan loves Kittys so giving them their guilty pleasure is like me having this guilty pleasure for drinking this awesome beer. This beer can be dangerous since it is so damn delicious and smooth. Just like the sweet personality of Satan in the 7 deadly sins story. Drinking this beer is like drinking coffee and chocolate milk. It is damn perfect!

Tumescence collaboration by The Bruery and Bottlelogic brewing

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IMAG5969 IMAG5968Rating: 4.4/5

Tumescence collaboration by The Bruery and Bottlelogic brewing is an 8% ABV Saison/Farmhouse Ale brewed with Mangoes, Raspberries, Herbs and spices.

Label:
RAGING HAPPINESS

This saison was brewed with brettanomyces, mangoes & raspberries and a selection of herbs and spices for extra enjoyment.

The OC beer community is growing quickly and luckily it is filled with amazing people. We had a lot of fun brewing this experimental ale with our old friends who are now our new neighbors. Best enjoyed fresh, but may pleasantly evolve over time if cellared properly
___

The first collaboration of the year for The Bruery and maybe for Bottle Logic. This was a february release for the Reserve society but will also be released for the preserve society and possible to the markets soon next month. A saison is a delicious style of beer brewed in the French speaking parts of Belgium, or so I heard. They are very prominent by many breweries and even my favorites are from Stillwater Artisanal. So, for the brewery to make one with mango, this I had to see.

Aromas:
Mango, peppercorns, hibiscus, raspberries, grapefruit and herbal hops, citrus, coriander spice, strawberry, cilantro, lemons, biscuit bread, brettanomyces funk, stone fruits like apricots and peaches and apples.

Flavors:
Lots of flowers, spices, mango, grapefruit hops, tart raspberries, peppercorns, stone fruit apricots, peaches, sour apple, sage, grapes, funky brett, biscuit bread, farmhouse hay, lemongrass, cilantro herbs, pineapple, strawberry, chamomile and hibiscus.

Aftertaste:
Citrus, herbs, spices, mild mango, tart raspberry, herbal and grassy hops. There is no alcohol in the taste. This is moderate drinking beer.

Overall:
If you love saisons, you may love this very delicious beer. At some points, the herbs were pretty sharp but I think that was the point when they needed to balance out the sweeter tropical notes of the beer. In this sense, it is not as sweet as other saisons but the bitter flowers, spices, herbs and some sweetness of the tropical fruits do come together nicely. 

Anime Corner:
Ignis from Jingai Makyō was chosen to for the pairing of Tumescence for the label, beer colors and flavors. Tumescence is actually the word for inflammation of something. In this case, Ignis representing the raspberries and Mango fights off the demons of the living Brettanomyces to maintain a place in the beer so that it does not sour out and shows the tropics a bit more. The surrounding red of her hair and the red of the background really shows the raspberry and mango aspects of the beer. Can you see any other art of this luminescent beer that pairs with the artwork?

Raspberry Wheat by Alaskan Brewing

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!944672_10101174685113580_800659945_nRating: 5/5

Raspberry Wheat by Alaskan Brewing is a 6.5%ABV Fruit beer brewed with raspberries and raspberries added.

Description: 
With nearly one pound of real fruit per gallon, Alaskan Raspberry Wheat has the inviting aroma of fresh-picked raspberries and an enticing red hue. The flavor of the raspberries lends a tartness that balances the full-bodied wheat profile and malt sweetness. Bigger than most traditional fruit beers, Alaskan Raspberry Wheat adds an extra kick to its dry and effervescent finish
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Been hearing good things about this beer. I was able to luckily find a bottle. Many times when I go to the store I have seen but I haven’t picked it up. When I opened the bottle I was pleasantly surprised.

The fragrances that came from this beer are of thick raspberry preserves and strawberry Jelly. They weren’t kidding at all. This beer smells so good. The other aromas I picked up were of citrus, biscuit bread, honey, caramel and brown sugar. The flavors were of citrus, raspberries, coriander, orange peel, lemon, framboise, brown sugar, biscuit bread, tart cranberry, sweet raspberry and strawberry preserves on toast, toffee and caramel notes. This beer was very nice despite it not being too complex. The bitterness definitely comes from the citrus side but this beer has enough raspberry flavor to make it very exquisite. It is not to the level of Dogfish Fort, but its still has enough natural raspberries to make it fruity and delicious. I like sweet beers and this one leaves with a nice sweet raspberry aftertaste. The bitterness is only an initial part of the taste. Definitely an awesome beer.

Second Anniversary Grand Cru by Figueroa Mountain Brewing

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524681_10101129754165560_1250385001_nRating: 5/5

Second Anniversary Grand Cru by Figueroa Mountain Brewing is a 10.7% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Label: 
Hand picked – imported – specialty malts, and a yeast strain from the Brasserie de Rochefort gives this Belgian-style strong ale aromas of dried stone fruit, raisins and dates atop caramel and toffee. Rich and malty-sweet but with a dry, warming finish.
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Looking back at the first time I tried this beer in Pasadena’s own King’s Row Gastro Pub, I remember I had to order this one like 3 times. What can I say I realized it was an amazing beer. I only recently was able to get one of these for review. Aromas are of delicious Belgian beer goodness. Dark fruits like plums, cherries, raisins, dates, figs, dulce de leche caramel, whole cane unprocessed sugar cones, sweet bread, biscuit, like a port wine reminiscent of Trois Pistoles, grapes and some minor chocolate. The flavors is where it’s at. The flavors are close to the Cherry and Belgian bread from Three Philosophers but lighter in terms of mouth feel. You get raisins, cherries, toffee, dulde de leche caramel, dates, apples, plums, minor banana esters and cloves, grapes, brown sugar, honey biscuit and Belgian bread dipped in a light port wine. This beer is great since it allows the great complexity of some Belgian beers but drinkable level. It is not a quad, but it is close to the Trappists as it is using Rochefort yeast. Overall, this is definitely a must try. Now I need to go back to Pasadena and get some more on tap. This little bottle was kind of pricey but very worth it. Just supporting local breweries here in California 😛