Beer of the Week - Andy's Stout

Before Christmas, my neighbor Andy, who is a homebrewer, gave me a bottle of his IPA to try. It was fabulous. I could only hope that one day he would give me another of his brews to taste. Last week he called me up and gave me a bottle of his newest brew, Andy's Stout.

As I poured it, I could smell dark chocolate tones coming off my pour. The head was silky brown like a stout should be until I tipped the glass upright too quickly and lost that creamy head. As for the beer itself, it was either a deep deep brown or black.

Andy's Stout is full of rich tasting dark chocolate flavour. Normally I will notice some coffee tones in a stout but not here in this one and really not missed. There is a nice little bitterness that comes in through the finish.

It's a wonderful tasting beer, one that I would be only able couple of pints of due to its richness.

I know that homebrewers will have some less than successful creations, that comes with the learning and experimentation process. I also know that I will only ever get to taste his successes, that is what I would do, but the two beers that Andy has given me shows me that he knows his stuff.

Not only am I looking to getting another from him in the future but when summer comes around, sitting on his or our patio and trying some different beers that I have cellaring and if he should bring a few of his own brews, they sure would be welcomed.

By the way, Andy, the bottle has been rinsed well and ready to return to you.

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 343 
Breweries 314 
Countries 49

Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay

I just finished reading. "Take Your Breath Away", by Linwood Barclay.

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder--it's always the husband, isn't it?--but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom--he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home. 

Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. Truth to tell, he wasn't sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He's settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good. But Andy's peaceful world is about to shatter. 

One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, "Where's my house? What's happened to my house?" And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman--who bears a striking resemblance to Brie--is gone. The police are notified and old questions--and dark suspicions--resurface. Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? 

It soon becomes clear that Andy's future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers.

If you are a fan of Linwood Barclay, like I am, you'll enjoy this one. I loved the mystery of the woman who appears and disappears, and how people, except for the police, begin to believe could be his lost or murdered wife. As with most Barclay stories, the plot meanders around in surprising ways. 

I quite enjoyed it.

Andy's Belgium Tripel

My neighbour, Andy, was at it again. He is a home brewer and in the past has given me a stout  and an IPA to try. Both were delicious! This time he came up with a Belgium Tripel.

So what is a Belgium Tripel? According to Craft Beer.com:

Complex, sometimes mild spicy flavor characterizes this style. Yeast-driven complexity is common. Tripels are often on the higher end of the ABV spectrum, yet are approachable to many different palates. These beers are commonly bottle-conditioned and finish dry. Tripels are similar to Belgian-style golden strong ales, but are generally darker and have a more noticeable malt sweetness.

So how is this one?

Andy's Tripel poured golden, maybe light amber in colour. It was a lighter colour than I had expected. This ale was bottle conditioned, meaning some yeast was left in the bottle so the beer could ferment further as it ages, and poured with a generous white head. It is interesting that I sensed white wine in the aroma.

I had expected a heavy, funky tasting ale but was surprised that the flavours were not overpowering. Again, like in the aroma, white wine seems to come through when I sip. It tastes clean and fresh, with some funk in the finish.

This is a very well balanced and delicious ale. I quite enjoyed it.

Hey Andy! When you brew your next batch, don't forget about me!

Beer of the Week- Andy's Everyday IPA

Last week Teena and I bumped into one of our neighbours, Niki. She mentioned that her husband, Andy, brews beer. He had been doing that for years.

I never knew that. And they never knew I have a great fondness for beer.

Niki sent Teena a Facebook message saying that Andy had a beer for me that would be ready on Friday. Last night I got that beer which Andy calls his Everyday IPA. He uses Grolsch bottles for his brews as they are easy to cap, with that special Grolsch flip top and are very strongly-made which is a necessity when dealing with carbonated liquids.

So, how does it taste?

I'm not saying this because Andy is my neighbour and a nice guy but when I walked in the front door after taking pictures and having my first sip of his IPA, I exclaimed to Teena, "This is one friggin' delicious IPA!"

When I cracked back the Grolsch bottle cap, it jumped off with a loud pop. It poured light amber with what I can only call an orangy hue. As it is bottle conditioned (yeast left in to allow the ale to continue fermenting), there is yeast left in the bottom of the bottle so I poured very carefully.

The head was nice and frothy and quite meringue-like. The aroma that comes off is an interesting combination of a little pine and citrus. Although I sensed pine in the aroma, I did not taste it in this IPA. It starts with a nice citrus bitter bite which increases in intensity through the long finish.

Some citrusy IPAs are quite light in mouthfeel but this has a much heavier density to it. There's nothing wrong with that as I thoroughly enjoyed every sip.

Andy, I hope you have this recipe in a very safe place,as this is an IPA worth making again. Maybe you'll make an extra one for me!

Beer of the Week Stats 

Beers Profiled 339 
Breweries 311 
Countries 49