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Man o’ man am I glad I took the trip to Malt & Vine the other day to get this sweet new release. Every once in a while a beer just takes you by surprise and this is the one. It has probably been a month or two since I have had one hit me like this… so thanks Fish Brewing for your wonderful Old Woody!
This beer kicked off a heck of a night of tasting with the glasses all lined up and ready to try some brews. For the most part it was a great night with all Will Buy Again ratings or better. Of course I should have figured starting off so well. 
So… how was the tasting on this one? The pour was a ruddy red in color, leading to small white and bubbly heads in the four tasting mugs. The nose smelled of sweet malt and caramel, giving me a dilemma on whether I should just keep smelling it or should actually take a drink. My tastes buds finally took over and I had my first swallow of this wonderful malt juice and oh was I rewarded! The nose was right on as the body held sweetness, malts, and a wonderful caramel flavor that made several folks ponder on whether this would be good in a milkshake or over icecream… if I were a betting man, I would bet on it. The oak aging was there but definitely mild, which I think fit this one well as it gave it more of the background character than front end flavor. The cloudy body led to sweetness again in the finish with mild complexity but nice succinctness. Not too much, not too little, especially for 10% ABV.
JBB6 Rating: For The Win
 This past weekend we were busy doing all sorts of errands that we needed to get out of the way. Right before the KU vs. K State basketball game came on, I hightailed it to the local beer store and picked up this little number, Shiner Hefeweizen. I’m a big fan of the Shiner beers from Shiner, Texas and had a good feeling about this one. I couldn’t have been more right (pat on the back for me).
The beer is brewed with orange and lemon peels and thought this would be a good addition to the wheat beer. The smell is full of aroma from the wheat, orange and lemon peels, very tempting. The beer is golden in color but semi clear, not completely unfiltered Hefeweizen style but not completely filtered. The head was nice and bubbly and the taste was quenching, giving the full taste of the wheat and the orange and lemon peels. This is a brew you need to try, highly recommended, you will not be disappointed.
One of the first brews of our trip, Grand Teton Brewing Bitch Creek ESB comes to you from Victor, ID… not more than 60 miles from where I grew up. Such fond memories… although I have never been to the creek the beer is named for… Anyhow, the description on their page is pretty good… this is a pretty big brew from a little Idaho brewery and one that I will be coming back to for sure. It pours very heady and dark amber in color. A tad bit yeasty with definite malt on the nose… the malt and hops mix to almost give a dark hop flavor on the body with the malt sitting just under the surface of a roiling hop surface. Overall a really solid beer that started the trip off right!
JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again
 I’ve had a few Foster oil cans in my lifetime, not bad stuff, kind of middle of the road for me, but nonetheless it’s decent beer. Good stuff for a warm day. The other day I spotted Foster’s Premium Ale in the store and figured why not give this a try, we are not breaking the bank on this one. The Premium Ale comes in the same size oil can the regular comes in, so that was a good start.
I cracked open the large can poured a little in my pint glass to see the color and give it a little whiff. The color is a light amber color with a suprisingly good hoppy aroma that comes with it. The head was semi firm and the taste and flavor was pretty good. All in all a good brew that I enjoyed. Give it a try, you will not be let down, it’s not bad stuff.
I was very excited to get to my new BBFF (Beer Best Friend Forever) tonight with dinner after opening the box yesterday (Oh Happy Day #10 – Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale). Offical tasting splendor: Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale.
Let’s just say I was not disappointed! This is one of those brews that, more so than any in the past 6 months, I really wanted a six pack with me. Sure it has been a bit of a dry spell, but this beer broke it. Overall = oustanding. The nose is malty and sweet, the color is dark brown/amber. It poured a perfect thick, rich, and creamy head with a thick body as the bubbles took a while to mill about in the glass and then finally rise to the top of the thick nectar. The body is nutty, mild, and smooth with malt sweetness in the undertones. And the finish is short and tight, leaving you ready for your next drink immediately. This beer was so easy to drink yet full of flavor that it may be my new favorite session beer once I get my hands on more. I could drink this beer all night and wish I had more… right now!
JBB6 Rating: For the Win
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THINK THING "If you're mad at your kid, you can either raise him to be a nose tackle or send him out to play
on the freeway. It's about the same."
-Bob Golic
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