What do you do when you know you’re going to hang out with friends for 12 hours? You buy beer, and lots of it! You always think that you’re buying way too much, but every now and then, one of those nights come along where at the end you look into the fridge and think, “Where did all that beer go?” This was one of those nights.
It was a perfect summer day. The kids were playing beautifully together in the sunshine, and the adults were playing a game of cornhole. (If you’ve never played, I assure you that the combination of friends and throwing a square beeny into a little round hole is more fun than you can possibly imagine.)
Buzz cooked incredible fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs and “po-tatoes”, which are potatoes oozing with cheese, onions, bacon, and sausage. (Don’t judge, the onions DO count as a vegetable!) I couldn’t decide which was better, the smell or the taste of the food.
After the food, all four kids got baths and a story, and then the grown-up time began. Our nights always include Rock Band, drinks, (mostly beer, save for Mehrunissa) a ton of laughing, singing, and talking. This, and one choclate cake disaster, is exactly what we were doing when there was a knock at the door at around midnight. It turns out that there was a neighbor in need of some assistance with getting a ride somewhere. Since none of us were in any condition to drive her anywhere by that point, we offered her some cash for a cab. The extended visit promptly ended our game of Rock Band, and started a very lengthy discussion about our own childhoods and how we would want our kids to grow up. At least once a month, we try to show them that an “extended family” is still family. Most of all, we try to teach them to always make room in your life to play, laugh, cry, and experience new things. In the end, if you have those things, it is a pretty good life.
As for the beer, it would be fair to say that we didn’t feel that there was a clear winner or loser tonight. I think that the most fitting thing one could say about all of the beers (with the possible exception of the Sierra Nevada and Stoudts) was that they were interesting and unusual. The general consensus between us was that the Stoudts pale ale was the best of the night, even if it wasn’t a very memorable beer.
Stoudts American Pale Ale
5.0% website
Buzz 
I enjoyed this after the Sierra Nevada, and the hoppy flavor was a welcome change. I wouldn’t say this was a fantastic beer, but compared with the Autumn Brown, the flavor was very good.
Kurt 
This is a nice beer. I was hoping for a little bit more of a big hop flavor, and was left wanting a bit more. Still, I am looking forward to trying more from this brewery.
Sheena 
The American Pale Ale is a very enjoyable, easy going, and hoppy ale. It is versatile in that it can be a stand alone beer or accompany a variety of meals. With it’s strong hoppy flavors, the aftertaste is not as bitter as would be expected. An all around excellent beer.
Sierra Nevada Tumbler – Autumn Brown Ale
5.5% website
Buzz 
This beer had the traditional Sierra Nevada hops taste, but it wasn’t as featured or as prominent as a typical Sierra Nevada offering. Take an ESB from Sierra Nevada, and pour it in a glass with a Newcastle Brown Ale, then drink that resulting concoction.
Kurt
I will start this by saying that I am normally a big fan of Sierra Nevada beer. While this was not my favorite beer I’ve ever had, it wasn’t bad. It starts off with a mild hoppy flavor, and finishes with a nice coffee note.
Sheena
- Has a very strong aroma. Once you taste it you immediately recognize the Sierra Nevada essence. Although not a Pale Ale, you can taste the Sierra Nevada influence in it with the bitter component. It has the sweet malty flavors of the brown ale that should be there.
Smuttynose Big A IPA – Draft in Growler
9.6% website
Buzz 
A traditional IPA with a floral finish. Not as bold as most IPA’s but still bold enough to know that you are dinking an IPA. The finish was smooth and not as strong as most IPA’s.
Kurt
This was from a growler, and I would be curious to see how it would compare with a bottled version of the same beer. It had a big hop flavor and was high in alcohol. As I finished each sip, I was left with a strong grapefruit flavor, which took a little getting used to, but was tasty.
Sheena
As I am a fan of IPA’s, I find this beer up to par with what an IPA should taste like. However, it has quite the bitter aftertaste. This is a really strong beer.
Unibroue Maudite – Draft in Growler
8.0% website
Buzz
Went very well with dinner, unlike the Smuttynose. Drinking it after the food was finished, I felt as it was missing something though. Had a hint of a Belgian offering without being too forward.
Kurt
This was the first time that I have ever heard of this type of beer. I was not crazy about it, but I have to admit that it went well with our hearty dinner. It left a nice after taste, and was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be.
Sheena
My initial take of the Maudite is that it is a very flavorful, strong, and malty beer. It is sweet in flavor and may accompany more savory foods well. Although it is not my favorite type of beer, I feel that it represents a more amber style beer well. (This might be B.S. though.)
Southern Tier Creme Brulee stout
9.2% website
Buzz
We finished the night off with this “dessert” beer. Upon pouring a tasting in the glass I smelled pure Creme Brulee. The taste started the same, however it finished as a pure stout. I didn’t have more then a taster of this, but I enjoyed it.
Kurt
This was the last beer I had of the night. It was a great way to end the fun. As the name indicates, it was a good dessert for the other beers we had tonight. It tasted very sweet, and if you just smelled it, you might be fooled to think it was actually creme brulee. I really enjoyed this beer.
Sheena
The Creme Brulee is a tasty dessert stout. The aroma alone could satisfy a sweet tooth. It really capped off the evening of beer-tasting perfectly.
Thanks to this site, my wife and I tried the Sierra Nevada Tumbler at the weekend. After months of drinking thirst quenching, yet relatively generic, lagers I welcomed the tasty goodness of the Tumbler.
I found it plenty flavorful and mildly hoppy. I prefer it over the sweeter Newcastle Brown Ale – I’ll certainly be trying it again. 4/6
Looks like you guys aren’t overly fans of the Maudite…which is one of my favorite beers to have on a cold night huddled over the fire pit. There’s something about it that I find VERY tasty. I had it about 9 months ago, so my review at this point is less than helpful – but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 5/6
Since you enjoy a good Maudite, which one would you recommend us to try to get a better idea for the style?
Good question, brother.
I was going through a real Belgian Ale phase last winter – Ommegang make some nice beers. Definitely not for chugging – more for sipping and savoring from a nice tulip shaped glass. Their Three Philosophers Quadruppel was very nice, but I prefer their Ommegang Abbey Ale.
I would certainly say they were an acquired taste – you really got to be in the mood for them.
As for other Belgian Ales – I really got to brush off the cobwebs – but I seem to remember the Unibraue La Fin Du Monde being rather tasty too.
Interestingly, both Unibraue and Ommegang are Canadian and American.