HopNose

How can you appreciate beer when you can't drink it? With these.

Recently, we came across these cool, hops-scented air fresheners from HopNose Hops Scented Air Fresheners, and figured we'd give them a try.

When you think of a hops scent, you're likely to think back to the big IPAs in your past, with that great citrus or pine aroma. 

But in their raw, harvested form, hops have a much more complex smell, often with subtle nuances and earthy tones that transform into those great flavors during brewing. And WOW, do these air fresheners capture that perfectly!

"We went through probably 100 different tries to get the scents correct," reports Paul Wartman, Director of Business Development. "They're so aromatic and accurate that a lot of breweries will actually hang a few HopNose fresheners around the tasting room."

A big room is one thing - so what's it like hanging in your car? 

To be honest, the first day is a bit overwhelming. Don't get me wrong - it's a pleasant aroma, but I found I needed to crack a window. But by the next day, it had mellowed to a welcome companion on my daily commute, with nice hint of grapefruit and resin permeating the cabin.

Bottom line? Definitely a fun gift for you or the hop head in your life. 

For more info and purchasing, click the link above or go to HopNose.com.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric 

Boulevard Radler

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a beer that wouldn't typically go well with February's weather.

Like much of the country, the Maryland area has been experiencing an odd, but not entirely unwelcome, mild winter. In fact, last week saw an unseasonable 75 degrees.

So when looking through the beer selection, I skipped over the wonderfully seasonal stouts and porters, and reached for the Cranberry Orange Radler from Boulevard Brewing Company

So what's a "radler" beer? 

Radlers, better known as shandy (think Leinenkugel's), are actually beers blended with soda. As a result, they're very light, easy-drinking and typically fruity deliciousness. Perfect for warm weather!

The beers used are typically something lighter like a wheat beer or lager, and Boulevard uses an unfiltered wheat beer in this case. It pours a pinkish-orange with good carbonation and a light alcohol content of 4.05% ABV.

As you can imagine, it's full of fruity flavor - mostly blood orange with mild cranberry. There's also a slight sourness to it, along with a little bready wheat beer flavor, but none of the flavors are terribly overpowering. 

This one is considered Boulevard's cooler-weather radler, so it should still be available for another month until their lemon radler starts being distributed.

It's definitely one I'd recommend to the casual beer fan, particularly if you like fun cocktails or even sweeter wines. Beer geeks will love this, too - it's just easy drinking tasty fun.

Who's up for trying one?

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

JavaHead Stout

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a breakfast stout with dessert.

My wife and I were out the other night and decided to stop by a local place for some amazing dessert and a tasty beverage. 

I had my heart set on a chocolate tart with raspberry sauce topped with chocolate ice cream, so which beer did I go with? JavaHead Stout from Troegs Brewing.

Originating in England, oatmeal stouts like this one are dark, malty beers made with a variety of grains - including oatmeal. This addition not only creates a heavier beer, but actually adds a toasty, slightly bready flavor that complements the beer. They're even sometimes referred to as a "breakfast stout".

As you'd expect from a stout, it pours an opaque black with good carbonation. What's not expected is the higher 7.5% ABV alcohol content, but it doesn't taste like it.

What you do taste is some mild chocolate, roasty malt, and mild hops. The coffee is actually the best part - when so many brewers will choose a heavily-roasted coffee (that gives a lot of strong, bitter flavor), it seems as though Troegs went with a milder, "regular" roast. 

In the end, it's loaded with a lot of great flavors that don't seem to overpower each other. This is definitely a beer I would recommend to both the casual beer fan and the beer geek, too. It's just that good.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Lot 6

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has an evolution of an IPA from, well, Evolution.

A few weeks ago, on the recommendation from some friends, I got my hands on some of Evolution's Lot No. 3 IPA. And it was really delicious.

So when I found their Lot 6 double IPA, I jumped at the chance to see if it enhanced everything that was great about #3.

"Enhanced" is really the key word here, as everything is cranked up several notches by the extra hops that have been added. Lots of grapefruit, a little lemon, and slight pine in the aftertaste. It's slightly dry, VERY bitter, and has a solid 8.5% ABV, so the alcohol content is on-par with other double IPAs. 

There is definitely a lot of BIG flavor (and bitterness) in this beer, and it's enough that I'd be hesitant to recommend this to a casual beer fan. Hop heads should make a beeline for s bottle, though. Personally, I prefer the #3.

Anyone else do this head-to-head battle? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Kilt Flasher

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian is surprised by a rare seasonal beer.

Last February, I was invited by Devils Backbone to be among the first to taste a rare batch of their wood-aged Kilt Flasher - and it was delicious! So when I came across some Kilt Flasher on tap,?I had to try this rare treat.

Kilt Flasher is a Scotch ale (sometimes also called a "wee heavy"), which is an older style of Scottish beer that's darker in color (and higher in alcohol) due to the longer boil on the malted grains. 

Given the beer's dark, dark, red color and 8% ABV alcohol content, it's very traditional.

What's also traditional is the taste, which is a sweet, malty flavor with hints of a raisin flavor. It's also a little bready with a dry finish. It's a tad bitter, but not in a hoppy way.

Unfortunately, Scotch ales aren't brewed too often, so there isn't a mainstream beer to compare to their unique flavor. It's definitely worth a taste, particularly if you enjoy something like a brown ale. It's a rare treat to enjoy on a chilly, winter day!

Cheers!

Christian and Eric