Tasting Tuesday: Funky Buddha Nib Smuggler Porter

One of our favorite things is when someone brings us beer from a region that we normally can't get. For this week's Tasting Tuesday, we have a beer that was hand-carried over 1,200 miles back to us. 😎

Friends of ours went on vacation to south Florida and, being avid beer fans, they tried as many local beers as they could. On the way out of town, they stopped by a liquor store to bring us a few more brews from Florida. 

One of them was Funky Buddha Nib Smuggler porter. They mostly purchased it because of the name, and because I'd be a fan of the '80s-inspired label, but it turned out to be an interesting beer, too.

This 6.3% ABV porter is a dark, heavier beer with mild carbonation. It's made with dark chocolate from South America, along with vanilla, and both flavors come through pretty clearly.

Being a porter, it was slightly bitter (no doubt enhanced by the chocolate) and, despite what you may think, it really wasn't sweet at all. There was a mild milk chocolate flavor in aftertaste, and was actually a little dry. 

To be honest, I liked it, but I don't know that I would drink it again. My friends really liked it though, so don't let me sway you. We've been hearing good things about Funky Buddha, so if I ever get to South Florida, I'd be interested to try their other beers.

Bottom line, a good beer for the casual fan and beer geek alike. This one's a seasonal, so you'll have to wait a few months for it to return.

So what local beers have you tried when away from home? Let us know in the comments below & feel free to tag those breweries to show them some love.

Tasting Tuesday: Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale

This week's Tasting Tuesday is related, and comes via popular demand from some of you - our fans.

Long known for their signature hard Root Beer, Small Town Brewery followed up the wild success of the soda-licious brew with NYF Ginger Ale. 

The root beer was the best hard root beer I'd had in a while. The ginger ale, however, didn't impress me as much. Personally, I don't care for ginger beers, but I expected it to follow suit with the root beer, and taste like soda. But, it didn't really taste like ginger ale, either. 

So when the subject of NYF Vanilla Cream Ale came up at one of our recent Beer Club gatherings, we were asked to give it a try & report back.

This past weekend our friend (and long-time Frank About Beer fan), John, invited me over for a sampling of  beers he'd recently acquired. Among those being a bottle of NYF Vanilla Cream Ale.

Out of the bottle, this 4.1% ABV ale pours a dark gold color with good carbonation. And, really, you want this out of the bottle because there is a BIG aroma of vanilla.

That big vanilla continues to the flavor, which fills your mouth with an abundance of sweet, fizzy flavor. The aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Oddly, we both noticed there's a slightly odd flavor that appears on the sides of your tongue. My guess was black licorice, but it's an off flavor that showed up in the root beer, too. We've since come across a few other beer aficionados who agreed with us, but none of us can put a finger on it.

If you're a fan of cream soda (or vanilla), you'll likely appreciate this one. It's fun to try, but it's rich enough that you probably wouldn't drink more than one at a sitting. In fact, you might appreciate a glass of water as a chaser.

So - what do you think of the Not Your Father's line? Let us know in the comments below.

Brewing a GREAT Craft Beer

We wanted to share with you something very rare, and very special, that any beer drinker will find interesting.

Recently, we were invited to a private tasting of Devils Backbone's limited-run Wood Aged Kilt Flasher.  

While there, Christian got a chance to sit down with Jason Oliver, Brewmaster of Devils Backbone Brewing. All he asked was for a couple minutes of audio, but what he got in return was an awesome glimpse into the mind of an experienced craft brewer. 

The interview was so good, we decided to show it to you in its entirety. You'll get to see all the thought processes, considerations and more that goes into the beer that we all enjoy.

So take a look, and drop us a line or leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought. We have a few more of these interviews in the can, so if you want to see more, we can make it happen. Cheers! 

#TBT: Snat's Workshop bottle opener

"Snat's Workshop, North Pole, NY"

For this week's #TBT, we're revisiting another item from Christian's collection of bottle openers.

This one is another he inherited from his grandfather over 20 years ago, and is a bit of an anomaly.

It's made from heavy, stainless steel, and has what seems to be white Bakelite for the center "grip" portion. Interestingly, the casting indicates it was made in Japan, which may account for the REALLY odd part of this.

Imprinted onto it are the words, "Snat's Workshop, North Pole, NY".

So what's the story behind Snat's Workshop? Maybe it was a car repair garage. Or perhaps a cabinet maker. Or a metal fabricator, right? Thanks to the power of Google, the mystery may be finally solved!

As it turns out, there is actually a North Pole, NY (outside Lake Placid) and a Christmas-Themed amusement park with, you guessed it, Santa's Workshop.

The age on this bottle opener is unknown but, despite the typo, it's still a great tool for opening a bottle of craft beer.

Got a favorite bottle opener with a great story? Let us know or post in the comments below - we might even feature it in an upcoming #TBT post here on the blog & you can brag to your friends.

Tasting Tuesday: Zekes Coffee Porter by Brewers Art

A dark, delicious pint of Brewers Art Zeke's Coffee Porter.

What's your favorite porter? For this week's Tasting Tuesday, we have a cool collaboration between one of Baltimore's small-batch brewers and what is arguably Baltimore's best small-batch coffee.

It was 13 years ago when I was invited for a late night cocktail that I first discovered The Brewer's Art in Baltimore. It's a smaller brewery housed in a beautiful old mansion in Mt. Vernon, and has a great vibe. If sitting on a sofa or wingback chair by the grand fireplace doesn't appeal to you, the artfully-lighted basement bar is a great escape. Their beers, naturally, go great with the ambiance - full of flavor, and tastefully done.

But it was only last year that I discovered Zeke's Coffee, also from Baltimore. My friend, John, bought me a cup in a local sandwich shop. Hand-roasted with a careful eye (and nose), Zeke's is a wonderfully smooth cup of coffee rich in flavor.

Together, they collaborated to make a 6% ABV porter that is  a dark reddish color with slight carbonation, and a definite aroma of cocoa. It's very malty with a mild sweetness and, when combined with the gentle roasted coffee, is a bitter, but very smooth drink that has a dark chocolate hint to the taste.

Normally, I'd steer the casual beer fan away from porters, but this one is worth a try, particularly as a dessert complement - it went amazingly well with the peanut butter cheesecake I was eating with it. Serious fans should definitely have this on the list.

So what are YOUR favorite porters? Let us know or write it in the comments below.

Tasting Tuesday: Devils Backbone Wood-Aged Kilt Flasher

We have something VERY special for this week's ‪#‎TastingTuesday‬, courtesy of the good folks at Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

A few weeks ago, we received an invite that was to-the-point. "We’d like to invite you to an exclusive private tasting with Devils Backbone Brewing Company as we release the next brew in our Peak Series: Wood Aged Kilt Flasher."

If you're in the Mid-Atlantic area, you've likely seen Devils Backbone beers around, and staples like their Vienna Lager are delicious.

Kilt Flasher, however, is a strong Scotch Ale with a wonderfully complex flavor. For this release, they've one-upped it by adding wood to the brewing process that once held some fine whiskey.

We also had a chance to sit down with Jason Oliver, Brewmaster at Devils Backbone, so we'll let him explain it a bit more.

So click the link above for our short video, and see why YOU need to find some of this amazingness.

Tasting Tuesday: Rolling The Dice On Casino Beer

A glass of Long Hammer IPA from Red Hook brewery.

Sometimes when your craft beer choices are limited, you need to roll the dice on something new, right? That's exactly what Christian had to do recently.

On a whim, a friend called and talked me into going to the local casino, Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV.. Not being much of a skilled player, and without an Uno or Go Fish table in sight, I soon found myself out of my league. In no time, I was licking my wounds from the blackjack table, and I wandered past the flashing lights to find my way to the bar.

Kristy, the cute, girl-next-door brunette bartender, flashed a great smile my way. "What can I get you," she asks with that heart-melting smile.

"What beer do you have on draft?" I ask, already guessing the list in my head.

As expected, she rattles off the beer selections, which are pretty standard-issue. "Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors Light..." Her voice trails off - a polite way of hoping I'll bite on one of them. Now, I love an ice-cold Budweiser but, to be honest, none of them really appealed to me that night, and I find myself considering a mixed drink. I'm out, but then she circles back around and says, "Oh, we also have Long Hammer IPA."

I'm back in.

Made by Red Hook, Long Hammer is a 6.2% abv India Pale Ale, with a clear, dark gold color and good carbonation. This one tastes very "East Coast" to me, meaning it's somewhat dry, with a flavor dominated by pine and a hoppy bitterness. It's not one of my favorites, but if you prefer something less grapefruit-like, this might be one to look for although, to be honest, I don't often see it on tap. If it's your first foray into IPAs, I wouldn't recommend it.

However, if you find yourself among the slots and poker tables of a casino, it's worth rolling the dice on. It may just be the one sure bet in the whole place.

So what's been a go-to beer for you when your choices are limited? Let us know or post it in the comments below.