Fou' Foune, others

Fou' Foune (Review # 400)

Thanks islandboi8204!

2011 vintage poured into a tulip. Shared with dc55110 and Jetfire. Thanks guys!

    Hazy and the color of the fruit in it, with good head and retention. Funky, fruity and good! The apricots are strong here... I can only imagine how awesome would it be fresh. The fruit gets stronger with warmth.

    Lactic and soft tartness in taste, very very sour. Some wood. Super dry and very enjoyable, but I am glad it was shared between 3.

4.5, 4.5, 4, 5, 4

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Lou Pepe Kriek (2009)

Thanks dc55110. 2009 vintage poured into a tulip.

    A beautiful deep pink with moderate head and moderate retention. Strong funk and soft cherries. Strongly tart, fruit peel and flesh in taste with fruit not as assertive as the aroma. Very dry, almost abrasive. Full of character and very good!

4, 4, 4, 5, 4

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St. Lamvinus

    Very very good looking pink, almost purple with excellent head retention. A bitter, sweet and tart aroma with loads of funk. Still soft, and hints of grain once in a while. Tastes slightly sweet, very tart with pronounced grape at the end. Strong mouthfeel and good carbonation.

4.5, 4, 4, 5, 4

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Surly Bandwagon

    Amber and somewhat hazy with an appealing head. To echo what other reviewers have said, it is (thankfully!) bitter. The hop profile is tropical but there's more to it. There is a solid maltiness going on as well, and the body is bigger than most IPAs.

Overall it is an intense beer with lots of flavor. It also gave me a good buzz even though ABV is not clear.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

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Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie

16.9 oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Light golden with a great head and spritzy looks. Good retention.

    Hops and slight tartness in the nose. Only slightly tart, somewhat meaty and smoky, with a woodiness to it. Interesting to say the least and quite unique. Slight bitterness at the end that lingers. The palate soon gets accustomed and it drinks as easy as any other light and crisp (and good) beer.

Medium body with good carbonation. Would like to see a Gose soon.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Rye'd Da Lightning

Bomber with a whacky label poured into a tulip. Thanks Dan (dvelcich).

    Clear amber colored beer with a very good head and retention. Kickass lacing. Great tropical fruit aroma typical of FFF with some piney notes. Crisp and bursting with great hop flavor, some bitterness, some sweetness and a hint of rye at the end. Medium finish and a faint lingering bitterness. Very easy drinking and very good.

4.5, 4, 4, 4, 4

Samichlaus

11.2 oz bottle, 2010 vintage.

    Deep rust color with good clarity. Small head with poor retention. A malt monster with plenty of dried fruit, caramel and toffee notes. The alcohol is solvent like at times which is a minus in my book. Adequate mouthfeel with strong alcohol sharpness to it. Somewhat bitter, which could be the alcohol.

    I'd enjoy it way more if it wasn't nailpolish remover like at times. Have a 5 yr vertical to find out how it develops.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

PS: liking it more and more with warmth. Bumped the scores a little.

Town Hall current seasonals

05/05/2012

Gem Single Hop Pale Ale

5.4% ABV

"Single Hop Pale Ale featuring the Pacific Gem hop. Hop forward tropical fruit nose and flavor with berry undertones, supported by pale malt base."

Poured into a 10 oz. chalice like glass.

Looks a little darker than the usual APA with a dense two finger head. A more maltier look, and malts come across in the taste as well. Smells hoppy and slightly sweet with floral and somewhat citrus notes.

Tastes juicy with fruit and fruit peel notes and some balancing bitterness. Some caramel too. Certainly tropical. Like other Town Hall beers the mouthfeel and carbonation are spot on.

Although a good beer, doesn't stand out in any way. I'd prefer it to be more dry and crisp although it's not overly sweet by any means.

4, 3, 4, 4.5, 3.5

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Maibock

6.5% ABV

Clear and clean amber-golden with a good head and good head retention. Clean and still rich with plenty of toffee, caramel and the melanoidins. Only slightly bitter with what I assume is a "noble" bitterness. Medium body and a slightly sweet bready finish. A very well done lager.

4, 3, 4, 4, 4

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Hefe

5.1% ABV

Cloudy and dirty golden with as much head and retention as the stupid sampler glass would permit. Holy phenols! Holy esters! Loads of clove and banana as promised on the menu and some bubblegum too. I am missing the lemony tartness that I sometimes get from this style... fairly crisp and not as dirty as some other examples are. However, it is very good and I will drink it again.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4.5

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Cherry Dubbel

8% ABV

Whiskey and cola colored with a small head, although the 5 oz glass might be the culprit here. Aroma is coconut and cherry covered chocolate, very nice.

The taste is led by cherry but not dominated by it. An exceptionally smooth taste with the malts and the esters complementing the fruit very well. Slightly tart and moderately carbonated with a silky feel and a clean finish.

I enjoyed it thoroughly!

3, 4, 4, 4.5, 4

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Grand Cru

9% ABV

This beer has changed over years as I have been told. Back in 2006 it was a golden colored beer... my sample is not golden by a long shot. It's a bright looking dark copper hued beer with some depth to its looks. It drinks like a Belgian Dark Ale and I think it's an attempt at a Quadrupel, and not an entirely shabby one. Prominent notes include fruit, toast and baked dessert. Light body in spite of high ABV (sugars I assume), and high carbonation. A full, bursting mouthfeel and an overall alcoholic character present both in the aroma and the taste.

While not bad, it doesn't do too well against its competition :-/

3.5, 3.5, 3.5, 4, 3

Assorted reviews

Cave Creek Chili Beer

    There's an actual chili in there! Nice! Best by 01/12/13. Poured into an equally goofy Family Guy pint.

    Pours like a macro lager: pale and clear with some bubbles that leave FAST. Aroma is dominated by the chili and this one will be hot it seems.

    Tastes like a macro: no hops at all and a burp here and there that's full of yuck. And then there's the heat. I was expecting the chili to be total gimmick and it could very well be but this beer (?) overall does deliver some heat. I can feel my lips sting and it feels good. And a good chili flavor too, so that's bonus. I am weird.

    Carbonation is low and the mouthfeel is watery but whatever. I am not entirely disappointed and somewhat amused. Glad I tried it. Seemed a little costly at 11+ bucks for a 6 pack, and even costlier as a single but there certainly could be situations where I wouldn't say no to it.

PS: In a parallel universe they're using chili instead of hops for beer and this one is coveted.

PPS: Sometimes I wish, and more so lately, that awarding points was not necessary.

3, 3, 3, 3, 3

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G'Knight Imperial Red

    Not really "red" but whatever. Red (or its absence) is one of the least important things I would look for in a beer. Medium head, medium retention. Somewhat hazy.

    Muddled aroma, some malts that are quite nice, hint of hops. Doesn't smell like much, let alone an Imperial anything. Taste is also mellow, slightly sweet, definitely lacking any hop flavor or bitterness. Muddled finish but not overly sweet.

    Great mouthfeel, silky and smooth. Goes down with some warmth or burn depending upon how you look at it. Overall a very meh beer though.

4, 2.5, 3, 4, 3

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Gulden Draak

    Poured into a snifter. Dark amber to rusty brown hued with a medium head and good retention. Fruit, toast, very similar to a Quadrupel. I think it is one. Sweet and dark with some tannins and a creamy smoothness. Full carbonation and medium body. Slightly alcoholic at times, but that does not distract at all. Thoroughly enjoyable and very well made.

4.5, 4, 4, 4, 4

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Summit Unchained # 09 Dunkel Weizen

Poured into a snifter. Very slightly hazy and dark amber with a rich head. Good retention and lacing. Fruity as well as phenolic notes, and plenty of sweetness in the aroma. Bready notes as well. Taste is a little unexpected after the aroma... doesn't really taste as 'German wheat beer' as it smelled. Clean, too clean. Some sweetness as well as some bitterness with only hints of esters. Mouthfeel is smooth, and the beer drinks easy.

4, 3.5, 3, 4, 3