Life On Tap Life On Tap

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

Dan triples down with another 500ml bottle from Threes Brewing: Sound of Exclamation, a Blanton’s Barrel-aged English Barleywine.







Threes Brewing Sound of Exclamation







STYLE: Barleywine Aged in Bourbon BarrelsINGREDIENTS: Simpson Golden Promise, DRC; Magnum and Fuggle hopsABV: 11.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 500ml bottles (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s bottle and website.















Appearance







Medium brown in color with a thin head.







Aroma







Dried fruit – mix of raisins and dates with hints of caramel and oak.







Taste







Lightly-salted caramel hits first as it trails into a darker caramel, followed by the continuation of dried date and fig from the nose and a woody element on the finish.







Mouthfeel







Velvety and full-bodied with a good degree of weight on the palate.







Overall







Definitely one for post-dinner/dessert, though I could also see pairing this with a medium-strength cigar. Food-wise, go with a gamey-style dish or for dessert, carrot cake all the way or perhaps Brazo de Reina.







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 doubles down with another 500ml bottle from Threes Brewing: Food For Thought (2023), a blended saison made with recovered bread.







Threes Brewing Food For Thought (2023)







STYLE: American Wild AleINGREDIENTS: Recovered Bread; German Pilsner Malt, German Munich Malt, American Malted Rye; German Saphir and Tettnanger hopsABV: 6.5%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 500ml bottles (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s bottle and website.















Appearance







Light straw yellow with a beautiful, fluffy, white head.







Aroma







Crusty bread hits first followed by lemon juice and zest.







Taste







Lemon all the way mixed with a bready/grainy element with a crisp acidity.







Mouthfeel







Soft carbonation is foam-like, which lightens the mouthfeel, and mixed with the acid, doesn’t make it too dry.







Overall







I think this a great aperitif beer to have with some snacks during meal preparation (by the grill came to mind). Pairing-wise, I was thinking about Thai chili chicken wings, fried calamari, and curry puffs.







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 500ml bottle as a detour from cans with Threes Brewing Incredulous Laughter, an Oak-Aged Biere de Miel.







Threes Brewing Incredulous Laughter







STYLE: Oak-Aged Biere de MielINGREDIENTS: German Pilsner malt, Thrall Family Malt Raw Buckwheat, Wheat malt; German Saphir hops; Buckwheat HoneyABV: 6.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 500ml bottles (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s bottle and website.















Appearance







Bright yellow/gold with a thin, white head.







Aroma







Honey hits first, but behind are earthy and herbal elements mixed with the fruity red wine and oak/wood character.







Taste







Hint of tartness hits the side of tongue and not as sweet as expected, but the honey and malt flavor are still present. Earthy and herbal notes continue from the nose, and even a hint of minerality on the finish.







Mouthfeel







Light on the mouthfeel, and surprisingly dry.







Overall







A pretty nerdy beer, in my opinion, which can totally be enjoyed by itself. If you were pairing, some younger, creamy cheddars would hit the spot, and I was also thinking about a nice chicken salad.







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