Two Guys On Beer » reviews

Episode 166 – Dark Lord (2010 vintage)

Dave Martorana — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:12:04 +0000

The Darklord Russian Imperial Stout from the Three Floyds Brewing company in Munster Indiana is by many considered to be one of (if not the) best beer in the world. It’s a big one at 15% ABV and is storied – available only one day a year it’s a treat for sure. This episode is a little long but worth the explanation about the flavor nose and profile that makes this one of Dave’s all-time favorite beers and impresses Johnny a whole lot too.

Episode 165 – Bohemia

Dave Martorana — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:12:02 +0000

Paola Garcia from Forumla PR Inc. was kind enough to send us a sixer of Bohemia from the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery… like… in February. We filmed the shows but life gets in the way sometimes and we are JUST getting this episode out. So our apologies to Paola and thanks for her patience! That said this is a great German pilsner from Mexico probably one of the best in the entire Heineken portfolio. Have a watch go find some and give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Episode 164 – Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Dave Martorana — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:12:02 +0000

From Buffalo Bill’s Brewery in Hayward CA this “fruit beer” is a light beer infused with orange blossoms orange peel and honey. We haven’t had too much luck with fruit beers on Two Guys on Beer and unfortunately this isn’t an exception. The beer base is a super-light – and super-thin – lager or pale ale that provides almost no flavor. The mix of orange honey and carbonation lends this beer a bit of an orange-soda flavor. It’s not the worst beer in the world and we can definitely see where some people would love this beer – especially during the summer months where this may bring up thoughts of a shandy of sorts… but as for us we’re left wanting more.

Episode 163 – Santa’s Little Helper

Dave Martorana — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:12:03 +0000

Yeah we know it’s way past Christmas! But there are still random bottles of the heavy winter stuff floating around so we’re tossing this review in to the ring. From the Port Brewing Company in San Marco CA. the Santa’s Little Helper is a 10% ABV Russian Imperial Stout! We didn’t talk about a lot of Russian Imperials this winter so we wanted to share. Russian Imperials top Dave’s list of favorite styles (even if not Johnny’s) and we hope you like them too! This is real heavy on the bitter chocolate the espresso coffee but hides the alcohol pretty well. If you can find it give it a try (and let us know what you think!).

Episode 162 – Gale’s Prize Old Ale

Dave Martorana — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:12:06 +0000

From George Gale & Company Ltd in the United Kingdom this is a 9% ABV Old Ale. Traditionally Old Ales are filled with dextrins which are meant to provide huge amounts of body to a beer. This means at 9% ABV a balancing act has to be played between the ABV and the body of the beer. The nose of this beer was amazing – chocolate covered cherries warmth simply wonderful. The taste however… well… we’ve never been quite so – surprised – on Two Guys on Beer before. Take a watch.

Episode 161 – Noel de Calabaza

Dave Martorana — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:12:03 +0000

We end our “Noel” beer roundup with an American entry from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Brent our esteemed director and editor decided to have a little fun with the editing being the end of a rather heavy ABV day of shooting. This is yet another 9% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The label is misleading – there’s no pumpkin in it! – but that isn’t the worst thing in the world. We get sour on this puppy often caused by the Brettanomyces yeast (which Dave totally mispronounces) but we’re not sure if it’s on purpose or what this beer is trying to be. The almost Flemish Sour characteristics of this beer throws us but we really want to know what happens if it’s aged for a year. Go give it a try let us know what you think!

Episode 160 – Scaldis (Bush De) Noel

Dave Martorana — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:12:03 +0000

The Scaldis Noel from the Brasserie Dubuisson Freres in Leuze-Pipaix a French speaking region of Belgium is the American alias for their Bush De Noel. In either case it’s a big 12% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale that is a Christmas seasonal ale. Unfortunately this beer is as disappointing as it is high in alcohol. All you get is the alcohol on both the nose and in the flavor and it seems as if the alcohol is actually burning off any flavor the beer might have had. We don’t mind a high ABV beer for the winter even those that don’t hide the alcohol burn – as long as there is flavor as well. This beer however fails to deliver on all accounts. Maybe some aging would help?

Episode 159 – Noël Des Géants

Dave Martorana — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:12:04 +0000

From the Brasserie Des Géants in Belgium (who gave us Episode 128 – Gouyasse Triple) enters their Christmas seasonal the Noel Des Géants. A Belgian Strong Ale this one weighs in at 8.5% ABV. Unlike several Christmas beers this one has a hop nose masks the ABV well but the flavor is slightly off for us. This beer has a hop profile that basically sucks the moisture out of your mouth and has nothing in the flavor to indicate “Christmas.” But you know when beers are described in a certain way we expect them to hold up to the style and that affects our ratings. The conclusion? We wouldn’t put “Noel” on the label but it’s still worth a try!

Episode 158 – Gouden Carolus Noel

Dave Martorana — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:12:04 +0000

We’re back with what we’re going to call a new season – it’s been a while since we’ve been shooting and releasing regularly and that’s exactly what we’re doing now! Since it ’tis the season we’re going to start out with a series of “Noel” beers – seasonals that represent Dave’s favorite beer time of year and rank pretty high for Johnny as well. We’ve discussed beer from the Het Anker brewery in Belgium before and this their Christmas offering is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale coming in at a healthy 10.5% ABV. Luckily we get to start the season with a VERY strong contender and we both land in the mid 90′s on this beer. An absolutely fantastic beer to come back to.

A TGOB Tribute to Bruce Nichols

Dave Martorana — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:12:02 +0000

Bruce Nichols a fixture of the Philadelphia beer scene for decades and one of the people instrumental in bringing Philly Beer Week to fruition passed away recently. Carolyn Smagalski long time beer lover and writer in the Philly area has a nice write-up on Bruce as does the Philly Beer Week website.

http://phillybeerweek.org/
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art69722.asp

Further Tom Peters one of Bruce’s long-time friends left a beautiful message about Bruce. It has since been removed from the Monk’s Cafe website but was captured by Bryan Kolesar over at The Brew Lounge:

http://www.brewlounge.com/2010/11/bruce-nichols-rip.html

We tip our glasses to Bruce Nichols – a champion of beer especially in Philadelphia. His legacy will long be felt throughout Philadelphia and the world.

http://bit.ly/BruceNicholsPBW