YEAHHHHHHH SAINTS!!!!! (It took me 4 days to get my voice back)
Well let’s be honest, there is NO WAY I can be expected to give a thorough and intelligently insightful review of these beers when the fervor for the impending Saints game was at such a heightened pitch…
We met at noon to taste these fantastic beers, and believe me we THOROUGHLY enjoyed them, but our minds and butterfly fluttering tummies were channeled toward 4 sacks of crawfish and a game none of us will EVER forget. But take a look at these beauties!!! Thank you Vasu for bringing the Black Ops. Truly an incredible pre-game treat.
Russian River Damnation: always deliciously yeasty, with elegant and balanced notes of tree fruit.
New Belgium La Folie: Mmmm delish and super sour. Tons of sour cherry on the nose and palate. Sip slowly and savor.
Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops: As it says on the label, this beer does not exist. Well, the aromatic air in the glass smelled of charred wood, campfire, tobacco, and roasted nuts. Roasty palate. Quite a lot to handle with such intense elements. Again, sip slowly.
Troegs Nugget Nectar: Always like this hoppy delight.
Bells Hopslam: A cult favorite, this beer only shows heavier honey notes(it’s brewed with honey) when it follows something like Sculpin IPA. Otherwise, a refreshing, eye-opening, yet balanced bottle of yumminess.
Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Babyaga Sylvan Stout: Wow. That’s a long one. Lots of smokiness and herbal notes. Turns out they smoke their malts and use rosemary. Well there ya go.
Left Hand Brewery Warrior IPA: Easy-going IPA, not incredibly complex, but then again we were coming off the flavorful and aromatic Hopslam, and that’s a tough act to follow. And with crawfish coming through the door, this one did not get a fair shake.
And WHAT did we drink DURING the game? The always delicious, sessionable NOLA Blonde and NOLA Brown, and the refreshing hop delight NOLA Hopitoulas. For two interim treats, one of my favorite DIPA’s , the Ninkasi Tricerahops and one I was very excited about, Brewdog’s rare Atlantic IPA, a beer which “survived two months on the North Atlantic, involving a tense barrel-rescue-mission, beatings from force ten storms, 60 foot waves and encounters with killer whales.” (Brewdog’s website) Wowza. A rich, full-bodied IPA, this beer was cracked open in honor of our glorious Saints!!!
CHEERS!!!
Laurie Delk 