Beer Review - Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - 90 Minute IPA

Beer Type: American Double / Imperial IPA

Appearance: Brown bottle with a red Dogfish Head style label. Beer poured a light straw color with a thick white head and plenty of lacing. 

Smell: Sweet toasted malt and bread aromas followed by a bit of floral hops spice.  

First Drink: Sweet malt up front like the nose, quickly followed by hops. Finish is a bit bitter but gains a dark fruit or chocolate flavor?   

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation. Overall very smooth.   

Last Drink: More bitterness now and you can get just a hint of the alcohol.    

Drinkability: Great for sippin' and relaxin' and not a beer to be taken lightly. It's pretty damn good! 

Notes: Esquire Magazine calls the 90 Minute IPA "perhaps the best IPA in America." Not sure if I feel that strongly but I do like it!     

Verdict: 4.75 out of 5. Really well balanced IPA that brings out the "classic" IPA elements in a way that highlights each one.    

Links: Beer Advocate and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.

KUBBL 3 - Round 3 Results.

Match started odd with sweltering heat coming up right away. Khorne R'Backs received Fan Factor +2 but lost the option to receive. The Elfa Males opted to receive but due to a couple of failed rolls quickly lost that advantage after moving the ball to the line of scrimmage. The Khorne R'Backs capitalized on this advantage and quickly took out the Elfa Males +S Catcher, then a few choice Knock Outs with chain pushes, and finally took possession of the ball before grinding the Elfa Males for another 7 turns. The Khorne R'Backs did take a cas due to a both down block that could have been a push (two dice uphill, Khorne R'Backs Coach Randroid opted for the chance to see BLOOD) which put them on the back foot a bit for a couple turns.

Second half the Khorne R'Backs received the ball but lost two players to the sweltering heat, leaving the two teams tied and losing their man advantage. After almost losing the ball due to a daring Elfa Males blitz Bitescum was able to break away with the ball and get into a safety position near the end zone. The Elfa Males began throwing their weight around, focusing their elven anger on the remaining chaos warriors, but failing to do any additional damage with the exception of a beastman. After another 8 turns of grinding the Khorne R'Backs scored again and clinched their victory.

Beer Review - Cucapa La Migra Imperial Stout.

New Brew Thursday! This time we have a first from a brewery I wasn't expecting much from...

Lost my photo of this beer, borrowed this one from http://beerandrecordsinmexicocity.blogspot.com

Cucapá Brewing Company - Cucapá La Migra Imperial Stout

Beer Type: American Double / Imperial Stout

Appearance: Brown pint bottle with a white and green label in what I think of as the Cucapá style. Beer poured a very dark black/brown with a thick tan head.

Smell: Dark chocolate malt, a hint of molasses and spice, and just barely a bit of hops. Smells damn fine!  

First Drink: Earthy stout flavors - chocolate, caramel, a bit woody, and again just a bit of hops bite.   

Mouthfeel: Very thick mouthfeel, a little tacky, but goes down smooth with just a bit of carbonation that keeps the beer flavor going.  

Last Drink: More of the bitter hops coming through now, and the high ABV is hidden fairly well.   

Drinkability: A beer with a lot of flavor that seems tailor made for slow drinking. 

Notes: First beer I have had from this brewery and it seems extremely well crafted! Looking forward to trying more brews from Cucapá.       

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5. A solid stout made in Mexico. Not overly complex but it hits all the right points on time.    

Links: Beer Advocate and Cucapá Brewing Company.

KUBBL 3 Round 2 Results.

New Warriors of Chaos pics SHAZAM

Nothing to see here... just shamelessly passing along images I saw posted on Dice and Brush (thanking you sirs). Now feast your eyes (all 5 of them) on THESE!!

Huzzah! Makes me excited! Excited to make miniatures to crush my non-existent opponents in non-existent games of WHFB!!! Most favorite - Dragon Ogres, the Tentacle hell thing (aka Mutalith Vortex Beast which is a much better name actually), Chariots, and Forsaken (even though the suck they will offer up lots of new modeling fun). Least favorite - Throgg. Why does he have a cape!? Totally not brutal enough. Looks like a dumb ass troll playing dress up. What do you think!?

Beer Review - Chimay Grande Réserve

New Brew Thursday continues! This time around we have another import from the well known Chimay brewery... 

Bières de Chimay - Chimay Grande Réserve

Beer Type: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Appearance: Short brown bottle with the classic "Chimay" blue look. Beer poured a hazy chestnut brown color with a bubbly beige head.

Smell: Yeast, a bit of spice and dried fruits come through in the aroma. Smells a bit of alcoholic cherry and prunes. 

First Drink: First the alcohol kick quickly followed by a dried fruit (raisins or prunes) and followed by some grain and a nice cherry finish.   

Mouthfeel: Has a bit of bite in the carbonation, overall it is creamy but not as smooth as I would like (though seemingly common with this style).  

Last Drink: More cherry flavors come through as the beer warmed up. Getting more of the yeast now as well.   

Drinkability: You can't hammer these beers without being hammered (both physically and financially). Good for one or two if you can find a way to buy them individually (or handle a full 750ml). 

Notes: A classic beer made in an equally classic style. It has been too long since I had this beer. The last time I drank one it was the "straw that broke my stomach's back" in a sickened haze. Glad to be back on the Chimay train.     

Verdict: 4.75 out of 5. Well crafted to a superior level. I don't see how you can go wrong with this brew if you enjoy strong ales or Belgian Trappist ales.   

Links: Beer Advocate and Bières de Chimay.

   

KUBBL 3 Round 1 Results.

Progress Report 1/13/13 - The Khorne R'Backs are ready for blood!

Wow that week went by fast! It seems like time has a way of speeding up when you least expect it. Last week I didn't manage to get too much done on the table. Finishing up the Khorne R'Backs for their KUBBL debut tomorrow against a team of dirty Norse known as Trondheim Steamroller coached by Tridriscoll. Not what I would have loved for a first match (looking at you squishy Wood Elves) but I am hoping I can hold out against the Block and get some CAS with the lower armor of the Norse. 

This season is turning out to be a potential bash-fest. We've got...

• A second season Lizardmen team coached by Thorn one of the consistent league record holders and multiple champion of the KUB Bowl. This is the team that crushed my Vampires in my first season game last time around, forcing me to restart them right after the game. And that was without any skills! Now they have Block and Mighty Blow and Jump Up all over. Ugh.
  
• A first season Undead team coached by Beaux who has won the last two championships with 1 season teams (Dwarfs and Skaven). He's a good coach who doesn't often make mistakes and has crazy good dice rolls and he's playing one of the best teams around in Blood Bowl... but for the first time. We'll see how that shakes out.
  
• A second season Human team coached by Furry who has also won the KUB Bowl and also rarely makes mistakes. Furry usually loses to his own bad dice rolls which are almost as bad as mine at times. His team is skilled and looking pretty specialized. Hoping he loses a few of the key playmakers or  his team could be one to take it all.
  
• New Norse, new Skaven, new Wood Elves, and new Dwarfs round out the remainder of the team. My record against Skaven and Wood Elves is spotty.. maybe 50/50. Against Dwarfs it is down right miserable.. probably something like 10/90. Plenty of Block and other nasty stuff in those remaining teams. 

So where does that leave me? Well... my models are mostly painted and my roster starts with no skills! That's a good thing right??

Kinda hard to read that... select the image to zoom in on details. The gist is this... started with all four Chaos Warriors and seven Beastmen. That left me just enough for three rerolls which should last me for quite awhile and help off-set the lack of starting skills. No Apoth and no Minotaur but my plan is to level up the Warriors ASAP, focusing on skill development over winning if need be early in the season.

Here's what the Khorne R'Backs looked like on the painting table this morning (as usual, apologies for the shoddy cell phone camera photos... I will get real ones once the are finished I promise):

Chaos Warriors as played by old Bloodletters with some modifications.

WIP Minotaur butt.

Blurry WIP Minotaur front

Beastmen as played by blurry Bloodletters.

Also on the painting table are the almost finished Horusburg Hackers my Khemri team. Just need to finish the bases and I am calling these guys done. 

Tomb Guardians with big weapon hands.

Blit-ras on the left and right and the Tho-ra in the middle.

Skeledudes looking tough and stuff.

And that's what we look like at the moment! Hoping to get some models sealed and the Minotaur done today. Then it's on to the final bloody details of the Khorne R'Backs but probably not in time for their first outing tomorrow. Wish them luck!

Beer Review - Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock.

New Brew Thursday! Yet another one from the bottomless depths of the beer review "archives". This time we have something that is not from the United States!

Ayinger Brewery - Celebrator Dopplebock

Beer Type: Dopplebock

Appearance: 12oz brown bottle covered in rams - on the label and the little white plastic one around the neck. Beer poured a dark reddish-brown with a thin off-white head that left no lacing.

Smell: Sweet malt, dark dried fruits, and a hint of spice?

First Drink: Sweet malt again, followed by some flavors reminiscent of oak or other aged wood. There is more going on here but the beer is still a little cool.   

Mouthfeel: Very smooth (silky smooth even) with a nice level of carbonation.  

Last Drink: More of the alcohol coming through now and some other "dark" flavors that remind me a bit of aged leather... though not in an unpleasant way.  

Drinkability: I could kick back with a few of these for sure, but I feel it is a beer best savored one or two at a time.

Notes: Overlooked this beer for a long time as I thought I had tried it before, or knew what it tasted like. I was wrong. I think this beer is worth the price of admission (which can be a bit hefty here in the US).    

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. Smooth, flavorful, and complex. Plus you get a free plastic ram/goat with each bottle! Now what to do with them all...  

Links: Beer Advocate and Ayinger Brewery.

Progress Report 1/6/12 - KUBBL 3 pre-season.

It's that time again! Time for BLOOD BOWL in a LOCAL LEAGUE. Hell yeah! Most excited to get back into it. Ended last season with the Vampires of Strigoi Slash with a fairly dismal record. Had to reset my team after one match and it was all uphill after that. Did manage to win my last game of the season though and got some skills on the Vamps to boot. Would like to come back to this team later on but for now we're talking.... CHAOS!!

Starting (this week?) in KUBBL 3 we have the Khorne R'Backs my all Khorne themed Chaos team. Here is a picture of them on the pitch today during their first pre-season practice match against The Fancybottom Lads a damn dirty Wood Elf team coached by one of our new coaches Max. I also work with the fellow... a first for me, playing Blood Bowl with a co-worker! Exciting times.

This photo is terrible but it is the only one I have!

On the painting table we have the mostly finished Horusburg Hackers who were just narrowly outvoted as the team I would play in this latest season. To be honest I would have rather played them but I am trying to play more "good" teams in an effort to not lose so damn much. If my pre-season game is any example it won't go exactly as planned (lost 2-1 to those freakin' Woodies). Check back later this week and maybe I will have results from my first game of this season? Who knows...

Beer Review - Unity Vibration Triple Goddess Ale.

New Brew Thursday! This time we have a local "brew" from the archives - a cross between kombucha and beer. Woah.

 
Unity Vibration - Triple Goddess Ginger

Beer Type: American Wild Ale

Appearance: 22oz brown bottle with a "Unity Vibration" logo on a die cut label. "Beer" poured a hazy pale yellow color with no head but plenty of carbonation.

Smell: Spicy ginger and some mild lemon aromas, plus the sweet and sour smell of kombucha. 

First Drink: Very tart and a little sour like kombucha. Not getting as much of the spice from the ginger as was present in the aroma.  

Mouthfeel: Very sticky with lots of carbonation. Not something you will be able to slam. Reminds me a bit of sparkling wine or champagne.  

Last Drink: A lot more kombucha flavor coming though now with the ginger bringing up the back.  

Drinkability: Not really sure? If you are in the mood for a kombucha and you also want to get a bit drunk then this is the drink for you!

Notes: This is brewed here in Ypsilanti, MI. Unity Vibration makes some higher alcohol level kombucha as well. I like their "beer" better I think.   

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. Something different, and something local. Can't really complain. I think the beer elements of this brew could be amplified a bit.  

Links: Beer Advocate and Unity Vibration.