168. Founders Brewing Double Trouble

All I can say is WOW!. Just look at the color of this beer - bright orange and yes it really is that color, that is not just the camera playing tricks. Double Trouble is a Double IPA so it packs a little extra punch but you would not know it when drinking it. This beer is smooth from start to finish with lots of citrus aromas and taste. It has been about 30 minutes since I finished it and I can still taste the grapefruit. Very easy to drink for a DIPA and another beer that I wish I had more than 1 of. Look for Founder's Double Trouble if you head out to the mid-west. 
Pros:Color, taste, drinkable  

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 9.4% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 86
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Founders Brewing

Brewers Description: An imperial IPA that was brewed to turn your world upside down. Hops will get you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front pair with a malt-balanced backbone and a smooth, bitter finish.

167. New Glarus Spotted Cow

So far I am really enjoying Wisconsin beer and I have not even got to the best stuff yet. This is another selection from New Glarus, 2 more to go but both are fruit beer bombers so those will wait for another day. This one is a very drinkable cream ale. Color is a deep yellow/light orange with a fair amount of carbonation. Lots of grassy aroma and I have not had enough cream ales to compare but this one seems to be a good indication of what the style should be. Sweet taste with a bit of maltiness in there, maybe some corn in there too which is unusual but flavorful. Overall this was a very drinkable beer that I enjoyed and would not have minded having a second or third. 
Pros: Original style

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 4.8% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: New Glarus

Brewers Description: Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn.
Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise. Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow.

166. New Glarus Black Top

This is the first of 12 beers I received as part of my first beer trade. I found someone on ratebeer.com that was looking for Maine Beer Company offerings and I shipped a mix of 12 beers from Maine, NH and Mass and he shipped me 12 beers from Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. It was great to get home from work to a package of beer from another part of the country. Included were 4 options from New Glarus. Their Black Top is a Black IPA and it is excellent.Pours an almost black color with tan head that leaves excellent lacing on the glass. Aroma has a bit of everything starting off with some roasted malts and hops and a bit of citrus, pine in the end. The hops are up front in the taste but quickly balanced out. The beer is smooth, easy to drink and I enjoyed every last drop. A great start to my beer trading. 
Pros: Color, aroma, taste

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 6.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: New Glarus

Brewers Description: We invite you to discover this newest beer style Black IPA. Political debate rages over the origins of this jet black beer as both coasts feel they deserve credit. Our Black Top is a pleasant road connecting Villages and Communities statewide on a ride of Black IPA discovery.
Expect this beer to pour a hop forward jet black glass brimming with aromatic bitterness. Brewmaster Dan skillfully weaves molasses and chocolate malt undertones with a soaring rush of clean citrus and pine hop notes, to deliver a drinkable Black IPA. Savor Black Top, like Wisconsin’s miles of licorice ribbons of ink that meander through armies of corn and bovine mowed fields. Enjoy the journey on a road less traveled.

165. Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale

I stopped by Oxbow Brewing in Newcastle on Friday and met the brewer Tim Adams. Very nice guy and it is always fun to talk with a brewer. Also got to sample the 3 beers they had available and ended up with 2 growlers to take home. If I didn't already have a refrigerator full of beer I probably would have taken home one of each. The Farmhouse Pale Ale is their flagship beer, the original and always available. The color of this one is what you would expect from a pale ale with a one finger head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Aroma has a bit of everything; some citrus notes, floral hops and a bit of yeast and spice. Taste is hard to describe; dry is the first thing that comes to mind but in a good way. Plenty of hops and a bit of bread and some spice. ABV is 6% but it does not drink like it and since you get a 64 ounces in a growler this can be dangerous. This is another beer that works well in any season. I happened to drink this on a warm winter day (40+ degrees in Maine in February) and I am sure it would be just as good on a hot summer day. 
Pros: Aroma, color, easy to drink

Cons: Only available on tap or growlers at the brewery

Alcohol Content: 6% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Oxbow

Brewers Description:

Mash:   Pilsner Malt, Wheat, Aromatic, Light Crystal

Hops:   American

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:    Citrus, Herbal, Rustic, Dry

Abv:     6%

Availability: Year Round

Maine Beer Company Visit (2/10/2012)

After visiting Allagash I stopped by Maine Beer Company to check out their small brewery. Dan Kleban was there with one employee that was working very hard operating a forklift and cleaning out brew tanks. This brewery is located at One Industrial Way which is the same building Rising Tide and Bull Jager are in. Maine Beer has a small greeting area with a kegerator, a couple of items for sale; glasses, beer and a few other things. I picked up a glass to ship out to Wisconsin for a beer trade I was working on. The brewery is not very exciting from the outside but once you make your way in you find the typical polished stainless steel, hoses, drains and plenty of kegs. The most exciting part of the visit was the announcement that a fifth Maine Beer Company option will be available later this month or very early in March. The new beer is named Mo and I am sure that has an interesting story behind it just like the others. For more photos click below.

Allagash Brewing Visit (2/10/2012)

I visited the Allagash Brewing Company facility in Portland, ME on February 10th 2012. The building is located on Industrial Way which also has a number of other breweries which makes it easy for beer lovers to visit more than one in an afternoon. In addition to the brewing facility they have a warehouse located about one mile away where they store their beer prior to distribution. It is a modern facility that was expanded last year and continues to grow as Allagash expands their reach. The brewery grew by nearly 50% last year and expects similar growth in 2012.

164. Maine Beer Company Zoe

Well I have been looking for a good amber/red ale for some time and this certainly ranks up there as one of the best. It does stray a bit from the traditional amber/red as it has a lot more hops than others in the style. It also pours a bit darker than most reds with a nice light tan head with big bubbles. Aroma is full of citrusy hops and a bit of biscuit. Taste is well balanced with plenty of hops but the strong malt character helps keep them in check. Very easy to drink and would go down easy in any season.
Pros: Citrus aroma, Well balanced 

Cons: Not your typical red (is that a pro or a con?)

Alcohol Content: 7.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Maine Beer Company

Brewers Description: Our Happy, Hoppy Amber Ale - One rainy fall day in 2009, my five-year-old daughter Zoe and I were wandering the streets in Bar Harbor and stumbled across the Whale Museum. Zoe loved it. It put a smile on her face. Hopefully our ale will do the same for you. Cheers!

For all the smiles that whales put on children's faces we decided to give 1% of our sales from this beer to Allied Whale through their Adopt-A-Whale program. Allie Whale is a non-profit organization committed to the understanding and preservation of marine mammals. They respond to marine mammal strandings from Rockland, Maine to the Canadian border and operate the most remote field research station on the eastern seaboard of the United States: Mount Desert Rock. To Adopt-A-Whale go to www.alliedwhale.org