Evolution Craft Brewery - Rise Up Stout

February 19, 2010 | Posted by Jim Leether

Recently, Evolution Craft Brewing released its latest creation, Rise Up Stout.  It's a roasty, full-flavored caribbean stout that has been cold steeped in Rise Up Coffee, which is yet another brand local to this area, making this the ultimate in local brews.  The cold steeping produces a strong coffee flavor with minimal caffiene content.

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Otter Creek Pale Ale

February 18, 2010 | Posted by Josh Lindenger

To begin my study of American Pale Ales (APAs), I headed out to my local beer store and acquired a smattering of examples of the style from breweries around the country. The first one that I popped open to taste was new to me: the Pale Ale from Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, Vermont. Otter Creek is a family-owned brewery that started in 1991. I had not previously sampled any of the offerings from either of their two brands: Otter Creek and Wolaver's Organic Ales, so I was excited to try something new. Unfortunately, this brew was a rather inauspicious, hop-backward start to my exploration of APAs.

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Dogfish Head Squall IPA

February 16, 2010 | Posted by Jim Leether

Squall IPA is basically the unfiltered, unpasturized, bottle-conditioned version of Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA.  It's only available in 750ml bottles, a standard for any bottle-conditioned brew.  Squall is dry hopped with Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ, and Willamette hops, giving it a bold, bitter flavor.  The 9.0% ABV is standard for an Imperial IPA, but it can catch you off gaurd if you're not expecting it.  I enjoyed a bottle of Squall with my dinner at Dogfish Head Brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  It paired perfectly with the custom-built burger I ordered.  Squall is a remarkable beer in a beautiful bottle, which they let me take home.

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Blogging for Pintley and EVO Lucky 7 Porter

February 15, 2010 | Posted by Jim Leether

I'd like to continue my journey with my favorite local porter.  Evolution Craft Brewing Company, which I'll discuss much more in the future, opened near my hometown this past April.  Lucky 7 was their first porter, and has now become one of their flagship beers.  It gets its name from the 7 malts used in the brewing process.  It features a beautiful dark black color with a rich foamy head.  It's a full-flavored brew, with notes of coffee, chocolate, and smoke.  Evo uses smoked barley, creating a great smoky finish that doesn't overpower the toffee and dark dried fruit tones used to accent the beer's flavor.  I was lucky enough to sample one of the first batches of Lucky 7 to come off the line and it didn't disappoint. 

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Pintley Blog Rating Guidelines

February 12, 2010 | Posted by Josh Lindenger

As I sat down to start writing up my first tasting reviews for Pintley, I realized that I didn't have a good feel for what a given score in each of the six rating categories really meant and how those scores combined to reach an overall rating.  What is it about a particular beer that sets it apart from others as a five in "Drinkability" as opposed to a two?  Before beginning to review my pints, I spent some time thinking about this and codifying my own rating scales; you'll find the results of this endeavor below.  With any luck, this should both help me to be consistent and help you all understand what the hell I'm talking about.

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February/March Style Study: American Pale Ale

February 11, 2010 | Posted by Josh Lindenger

I'd like to give a big welcome to the readers of the new Pintley blog. The Pintley community is all about drinking better beer, so I hope that those of us writing for the blog can help others pursue that goal. My particular contribution will be in the form of a monthly style study of sorts.  The main component of this will be a survey of commercial examples of the style, but I may throw in some other elements as I think of them (or someone suggests them).  I have been considering doing something like this for a while as a way of expanding both my palate and my knowledge of the various styles, and I'm looking forward to sharing the experience with you all.

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Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

February 10, 2010 | Posted by Jim Leether

Chicory Stout is Dogfish Head Brewery's Winter Seasonal beer.  It's one of the brewery's oldest beers, released in 1995.  It contains a wide array of seasonings, including a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John's Wort, and licorice root. It's brewed with whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggles hops, and the malts used include pale, roasted, and oatmeal.  I recently sampled this beer once again at the Dogfish Head location in Gambrillis, VA.  Let's run through the taste notes.

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Review: Stone Smoked Porter

February 09, 2010 | Posted by Tim Noetzel

The Stone Smoked Porter by Stone Brewing Company is an excellent example of the nuance of the style, especially when matched with the proper meal or a good dessert. The beers pours with a thick, creamy tan head that settles well and retains excellent lacing throughout. The Smoked Porter has a full, sweet aroma with mild hop presence. The beer appears surprisingly dark, even for a porter, and reveals a beautiful ruby color when held to light. The Stone Smoked Porter's taste? In a word: complex.

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Review: Sierra Nevada Chico Estate Ale

February 09, 2010 | Posted by Tim Noetzel

Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated brews of the past year was Sierra Nevada's Chico Estate Ale, which the brewer billed as one of the world's only estate-made beers, crafted using ingredients grown exclusively on its grounds in Chico, CA. So when I finally got my hands on a few bottles, I was excited to see what the fuss was about.

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Welcome

February 09, 2010 | Posted by Tim Noetzel

It's my pleasure to welcome you to the official release of the Pintley Blog. We've got a great lineup of unique content, and we're excited to share it with you! The Pintley Blog will feature indepth beer reviews, up-to-date news and features, interviews with brewers, and—of course—the latest scoop on new Pintley features and progress.

We've got a great group of writers, and I'd like to start by thanking each of them for their hard work. Shannon and I love what we've seen so far, and we can't wait to read more. For those of you readers who might be interested in joining this amazing group, we have a few more spots open. Email us at info (at) pintley dot com for details.

Thanks for reading, and remember to Drink Better Beer.