Life On Tap Life On Tap

Dan continued Lager Month in May with another one from KCBC, Octonaut – a German Pilsner with Perle, Saphir, and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops.







Kings County Brewers Collective Octonaut







STYLE: German PilsnerINGREDIENTS: German Pilsner malt; Perle, Saphir, Hallertau Mittelfrüh hopsABV: 5.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Light to medium golden yellow with a beautiful, frothy head.







Aroma







Earthy and herbal hop aroma meets biscuit/bread from the malt.







Taste







Slatey mineralty comes in later and on the finish after the earthy and herbal notes from the aroma.







Mouthfeel







Dry and light, with a thirst-quenching effect.







Overall







This beer begs to be consumed by the liter for sure. Pair this with all German beer hall food, but also your standard bar fare.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

In honor of Lager Month in May, Dan also picked up a few new ones from KCBC, including a collaboration beer with Misguided/OBS: 4AM Pils.







Kings County Brewers Collective 4AM Pils







STYLE: American PilsnerINGREDIENTS: Barley, rice; Tettnang, Hercules & Styrian Celeia hopsABV: 4.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)COLLABORATION: Misguided Spirits and OBSStats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Super-light/straw yellow in color with a sizeable, fluffy, white head.







Aroma







Rice husks meet floral and herbal notes from the German hops.







Taste







The herbal hop note continues from the aroma to meet a dough-like note from the malt bill.







Mouthfeel







Light mouthfeel probably enhanced from the rice edition, but also mouthcoating and moderately dry on the finish.







Overall







This beer would be amazing and super refreshing outside, be it at the pool, beach, picnic, or after a hike. A warm Bavarian pretzel first came to mind on the pairing front, but sushi would be fun as well.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

As May wraps up and summer begins to ramp up with the heat, Dan revisits the Maibock, Bloom, from Torch and Crown.







Torch & Crown Brewing Company Bloom







STYLE: MaibockABV: 6.6%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Dark gold/amber in color with a fluffy, white head.







Aroma







Delicate blend of bread/dough and fruit on the nose almost verging on cherry waffle.







Taste







Flaky bread leads on the palate with the fruitiness taking a back seat with a slight earthy/herbal hop bitterness on the finish.







Mouthfeel







Moderate weight, body, and mouthfeel with the carbonation keeping the balance in check.







Overall







Bloom is a welcome seasonal beer, helping me mentally transition from the colder months into the warmer ones. This is super food-friendly for sure, and would pair with a great many dishes, but chicken or other lighter meats in various preparations would work best, I think.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan picked up a collaboration beer with La Roma out of Mexico City from Torch and Crown – Oaxaca Night, a Mexican Imperial Stout.







Torch & Crown Brewing Company Oaxaca Night







STYLE: Mexican Imperial StoutINGREDIENTS: Cacao, Vanilla, Chillies, Star Anise, and CinnamonABV: 8.5%IBU: 0AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Limited)COLLABORATION: La Roma Brewing Company (Mexico City)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Super, deep, dark brown with a nice, tan head.







Aroma







Vanilla pops first, followed by star anise, cacao, and then the cinnamon and chiles.







Taste







Hint of spice is somewhat subdued by cacao nib, dark chocolate, and vanilla before the cinnamon hits on the finish with the star anise/earthy flavors supporting the flavor.







Mouthfeel







Appropriate level of weight/viscosity for the style and alcohol with a pleasant, soft carbonation, and even with the sweet elements, not cloying like some pastry stouts.







Overall







This flavor combination definitely evokes dessert, with molten chocolate cake and ice cream first coming to mind pairing-wise. It would be interesting to see if this would be good with a heavily-braised meat or game dish.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan cracks open a can care of Dad On Tap…Lagunitas The Beast of Both Worlds, a Double IPA double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic.







Lagunitas Brewing Company The Beast of Both Worlds







STYLE: Double IPAINGREDIENTS: Double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Strata, and SabroABV: 8.0%IBU: 40AVAILABILITY: 12 oz. cans/bottles/Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Golden and clear with a small, white head.







Aroma







Mixture of pine, resin, citrus, and mango.







Taste







Well-balanced with a tit-for-tat between the malt and hops, with some highlights from the aroma notes.







Mouthfeel







Fairly dry with an appropriate weight/mouthfeel for the style.







Overall







Pairing-wise, I was feeling everything from a fried chicken sandwich to pub fare like wings. Pretty approachable for a Double IPA, but I would be careful about having too many in a session for sure at 8%.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

A couple years ago while in the Catskills, Dan was introduced to Subversive’s Forbidden Fruit Black Currant Sour, sharing with you now.







Subversive Malting and Brewing Forbidden Fruit Black Currant Sour







STYLE: Fruited Sour Ale (Simple Sour)INGREDIENTS: Black currant juiceABV: 6.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.















Appearance







Clear, deep red/magenta with a thin, rose-tinted head.







Aroma







Red fruit, with a mixture of black cherry and a hint of black currant.







Taste







Medium tartness followed by the mixed berries continuing from the nose.







Mouthfeel







Light in the palate and fairly dry.







Overall







If you can, go visit and also try the slushy version of this too during the warmer months when they produce it. Pairing-wise, ice cream/gelato, custards, and related desserts would be great with this.







Cheers and remember:







Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.







All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers