3X 3XB: Duclaw, Hebrew, Southern Tier
This Week's Big Bottle Breakdowns: DuClaw 31, Hebrew Hop Manna, Southern Tier Gemini
Friday is supposed to be Big Bottle Breakdown day, but it’s been a while since we did one, so we’ve got three in store for today: Duclaw’s Double-Spice 31 Munich-Style Dunkel, He’Brew’s Hop Manna IPA, and Southern Tier’s Gemini Imperial Blended Ale.
DuClaw Double Spiced 31 Munich Style Dunkel
DuClaw 31
A beer brewed with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, & All Spice isn’t exactly a typical spring offering, which is exactly why I picked it up. It poured a nice dark amber with luxurious off-white head. On the nose: Nutmeg. A little Cinnamon and clove, but I mainly picked up nutmeg. It overwhelmed any and all other smells. For taste, well, you can guess where this is going: Nutmeg. There’s a solid, slightly sweet malty backbone, but the spices are really what shine through. But they shine through in a good way. DuClaw has done a really nice job of providing a spiced beer that didn’t have me grasping for a glass of water after every sip (like the Hoppin’ Frog Christmas). It still drank really smooth and finished without too much lingering taste from the spices. If you don’t think cinnamon or nutmeg belong in beer, you will not like this beer. If you enjoy something a little different every now and then, or maybe a new winter option, this is a solid bet.
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He'Brew Hop Mana
He’Brew Hop Manna IPA
An IPA dry hopped with Citra, Cascade, and Centennial? Amarillo during the boil? It’s gotta be good, right? Nope. Pours a clear copper color with no head. There’s a piney/grassy aroma aroma on the nose, but nothing too strong. There’s some sweetness up front in the palate and then a light bitter taste with a really bland finish. At the end of the day, it was just really blah. All the hops combined to produce absolutely nothing. No good spiciness or complexity from the Citra, no great bitterness from the Amarillo or Cascade. Just eh. I really can’t find anything that redeeming about this beer.
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Southern Tier Gemini
Take a great beer like Southern Tier’s Unearthly and combine it with another great beer like Southern Tier’s Hoppe and what do you get: a REALLY great beer. This beer pours a cloudy yellow gold clearly indicating its unfiltered format and a small white head. There’s a great spicy piney/citrus aroma on the nose that I could smell despite seasonal allergies. There are just an incredible spicy hop notes with good fruity characteristics. Tangy with some notes of orange/pine. A slight bitter finish on the tongue, but just what you’d expect from a beer like this. Overall a phenomenal effort.
–X
Brew Review-Southern Tier Oat
I love oatmeal stouts. The Anderson Valley Barney Flats still remains one of my favorite beers of all time. So whenever I see an oatmeal stout, I have to give it a try.
As per usual with Southern Tier, I was a bit nervous trying this product. Will it be a delicious concoction, like their Iniquity or their oak aged Unearthly, or will it be a beer that pushes the limits of my taste buds into the realm of destruction, like their Pum King (yes, I’ll be bashing this beer all year long)?
The Oat is fantastic! It is absolutely delicious!
It pours deep brown, nearly black, with a tan head. The aroma is very sweet and malty with a little bourbon kick (the joys of Imperial beers). The flavor is perfect. Thick and creamy. A nice molasses flavor. It’s very sweet, but it has a nice bitterness added from the hops to keep it from getting too sweet. The finish is slightly boozy, as its 11% ABV will verify. Overall, a great beer.
Get this beer, it’s wonderful.
-Tonzi
Rating:
drboozenstein
jtonzi
Jesse
X
pyzocha
samdinning
shintern1909
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