mikebaloga.com » spirits

Happy New Year!

mike — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:33:55 +0000

From Vizma, Cooper, Beemer, and I, we hope that everyone has a Happy New Years. Have plenty of fun and keep it safe. We’ll see you on the flip side. PS – we are heading to the event at International Market Square in DT Minneapolis. If you are there, let us know!

Rockin the NYE champagne!

Happy Gnome

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:35:19 +0000

Just getting back from an absolutely fabulous day hanging at the Happy Gmome. We each did a couple of flights and had several exellent beers. Thanks goes to Hacker for driving!

Belgian Beer Tasting ‘09

mike — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:15:52 +0000

One interesting outcome i can always depend on with a high alcohol content beer tasting is by about the 6th round, i cant seem to remember what the previous beer was to compare it to. What i do know though is that we went through some of the finest Belgians available for import here to the US. Thanks to all who attended to make it a great evening….the next day was a tad rough for me but all worth it in the pursuit to find the best Belgian. The photo is of the aftermath of the tasting.

Surly Darkness & Stuff

mike — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:08:21 +0000

First, let me say that yes it’s my birthday, i received a lot of wishes from people on FB, and some nice cards; thanks everyone! So, i guess being 30 feels like 29…never knew. So, i was lucky enough to pick up 6 bottles of Surly Darkness last October on D-Day at the brewery. The last time I’ve had the pleasure to experience this beer was October of last year, on tap at the Muddy Pig. Well, i decided it was time to crack one of these bad boys. Well worth the wait, it is as amazing as i remember. This is still definitely a top 3 beer in my opinion. Liquid chocolate candy bar. Hit the read more link below for an impromptu review.

Feel – Mouthfeel is extremely thick, low carbonation, and leaves a strong aftertaste.

Look – On first pour, about 1 inch of head. Lacing on the glass is beautiful with small bubbles of carbonation. Black and as thick as motor oil.

Smell – Chocolate, cocoa, plumbs, and some citrus are the primary items i can pick out.

Taste – Amazing. Cocoa is the dominator here but items above also come into play. The beer is so complex that my inability to discern everything in it humorous.

So tasty. Anyway, i better finish this post before i finish the bottle or it will go down hill quick.

Stout Tasting ‘08

mike — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:53:02 +0000

Fabulous time was had by all this Saturday for our first annual stout brew tasting party. I’m a bit flabbergasted on how to we managed to drink all of the beer that was brought but we only had 5 beers left and those were duplicates. Maybe that’s why i have a touch of a hangover this morning….hmmm. Anyway, here is a picture of the damage before and after. Full beer list also included following pictures.

The Line-up

Some Aftermath

Whats Left

Full Brew Review List for 2008 Tasting

1. Haandbryggeriet Dark Force – Russian Imperial Stout
2. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout – Milk/Sweet Stout
3. Obovoid Oak-Aged Oatmeal Stout – Russian Imperial Stout
4. The Czar – Russian Imperial Stout
5. Alaskan Smoked Porter – American Porter
6. Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout – Milk/Sweet Stout
7. Bell’s Expedition Stout – Russian Imperial Stout
8. Oak-Aged Ebenezer’s Brew (bottle 127 of 1521) – Russian Imperial Stout
9. Ten FIDY – Russian Imperial Stout (in a can, oh yeah!)
10. Oak Aged Yeti – Russian Imperial Stout
11. Old Rasputin – Russian Imperial Stout
12. Bell’s Batch 7000 – American Double/Imperial Stout
13. Bourbon County Stout – American Double/Imperial Stout
14. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout – American Double/Imperial Stout
15. Moylan’s Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout – Russian Imperial Stout
16. Stone 12^th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout – American Double/Imperial Stout
17. Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2005 bottle) – Russian Imperial Stout
18. O’Hanlon’s The Original Ruby Stout – English Stout
19. Eel River Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout – Russian Imperial Stout
20. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout – Oatmeal Stout
21. Left Hand Milk Stout – Milk/Sweet Stout

I’m hoping we can do this again next year, this was an awesome event this year and everyone had a great time.

Beer Tasting

mike — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:54:14 +0000

Got some good beers in this weekend including the following:

Fort Collins Brewery – Z, smoked amber lager
Victory Sunrise Weissbier – Left over from spring…
Rogue Mocha Porter 650ml - Amazing….

All three of these beers were exceptional in complex, taste, smell, and consistency. They were all completely different as far as style but they were all a pleasant drink from start to finish. None of these brews were over 6.0% abv.

Friends in Town

mike — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:53:04 +0000

What a great evening. Went to Town Hall brewery to try some excellent micro brews. I did the flight of 5 seasonal brews that included a java brown ale that was absolutely top-notch. Got to hang with a friend from work for half the evening and then with my friends from HS that were back in town from the great ol’ state of ND. Time to sit back and relax now at home where it’s peaceful and quiet…until the dogs start doing hot laps.