Tag Archives: Coffee

Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla & Abstraction Coffee Imperial Porters

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Treehouse Brewing, Abstraction Vanilla & Abstraction Coffee

(C) 2018 popsonhops

Treehouse Abstraction Coffee
Beer #: 1,146
Tasting: December 20, 2018
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 8.8%

Has a bit of an acrid flavor quality that cuts through flavors like a knife. Most likely the coffee bitterness and the alcohol ethers working in conjunction. A bit distracting as it mutes everything else down a few pegs. On the plus side, it has cocoa and nutty undertones but conversely I would like some more of a creamy mouthfeel with more mocha quality but it just wasn’t there. Still nice but only 90 points from me.

Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla
Beer #: 1,147
Tasting: December 28, 2018
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 8.8%

This is the clear winner when comparing these two imperial porters. Much smoother with just enough vanilla to make it push it to decadent. Not sure why this one presents more creamy than the coffee version, but it does. Like its counterpart, some nutty and cocoa flavors. I’ll push Treehouse Abstraction Vanilla a couple ticks ahead of its coffee counterpart. 92 points.

Thanks Mark for picking these up…glad you made it.

 

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Aun Mas Cafe Jesus, Evil Twin Brewing

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Tasting: July 30, 2014
Style: Stout (Imperial Coffee)
Beer #: 571

© 2014 popsonhops

© 2014 popsonhops

Aun Mas Cafe Jesus

There is no more complicated relationship than a family relationship. Each minor conflict adds kindling until a seemingly minor incident sets the relationship ablaze. One of the more famous sibling feuds between the Gallagher brothers of the band Oasis fame finally snapped when one brother changed the lyrics of a song written by the other brother while the band was performing live. As children, we have parents to connect us but as we mature we find it easier to move on and submerge ourselves in our own blossoming families and interests.

Since Evil Twin is not available in New Jersey, I did not know much about the brewery. Frankly, I was not aware that Evil Twin and Mikkeller were each run by brothers – feuding identical twin brothers to boot. Talk about kindling – imagine all those times they were confused for each other and were compared with each other. In a NY Times article, (Click Here For The NY Times Article) the brothers Jebbe and Mikkel briefly reveal their sibling feud and subsequent estrangement. Jebbe describes his last straw as the coldness he felt when Mikkel backed out of purchasing Jebbe’s apartment. They are currently separated by the Atlantic Ocean as Jebbe resides in Brooklyn, NY, while Mikkel lives in Denmark.

Funny, in the article Jebbe praises very drinkable beers and chides his brothers quest to mimic Three Floyds and the “undrinkable” novelty that is Dark Lord. Yet, my only experience with Evil Twin thus far has been very large stouts. He even says that his beer Bozo was a shot at the bow of these big undrinkable beers. Jebbe claims he wouldn’t drink it but it gets good reviews. I’m not sure how to interpret someone that doesn’t enjoy his own creation.

How would I best describe the flavor experience that is Aun Mas Cafe Jesus? Well, imagine you take a heaping tablespoon of Hershey’s cocoa powder right out of the metal container and put it in your mouth. Add some iced vanilla coffee. Add a dash of vodka. Swish around until well blended. That about sums it up. Aun Mas Cafe Jesus is a serious coffee stout with big flavors. I’ll put it at 93 points.

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Surly Bender Surly Brewing

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Tasting: April 4, 2014
Style: Brown Ale (with coffee)
Beer #: 527

Surly Bender

©2014 popsonhops

Surly Bender

Wednesday may have been the day to celebrate Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) arriving on New Jersey beer shelves – but it was also a day we get a glimpse at the ugly side of craft beer consumerism. The sad part is that innocent store clerks shoulder the abuse from frustrated customers everywhere. I have a friendly relationship with the clerks in the stores I frequent and I have the attitude that if I don’t get a limited release beer, I’ll be hopeful to get the next one. I was lucky this year with the hunt for KBS and even got enough to share with a few friends.

For me, rare beer is as much fun to hunt down as it is to enjoy. As I mentioned in a post around my fiftieth birthday, I have a wish list of beers I’d like to try but I’m not sure I have the patience to wait for them to arrive in New Jersey. Thanks to a new website (http://beta.thebeerexchange.io), I’ve turned my attention to trying to use the trade route to fulfilling my wishes. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve parlayed a few Bourbon County Brand Stouts and a couple of KBS into a number of legends like Speedway Stout by Alesmith, Hunahpu by Cigar City, Citra by Kern and Abyss by Deuchutes. Reviews to come over the next few months.

According to Matt from Illinois, this sixteen ounce can of Surly Bender was simply a throw in to balance out the box used in one such trade. I appreciate the surprise especially since I tried to Surly Bender and Surly Abrasive on-line from France 44 a couple of years ago.

As you can see from the photo, Surly Bender pours a cola brown. Quick ABV check — 5.1%. First impression on Surly Bender is that it has Smooth drinkability in a very complex flavored beer. Coffee dominates but there is a swirling underbelly of caramel, vanilla and nuts. I have to admit that I couldn’t see drinking this all the time and I couldn’t say that I enjoyed the second half of the can as I did the first. Overall, I’ll give Surly Bender 87 points.

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Founders Breakfast Stout Part of your complete breakfast?

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Founders Breakfast Stout

(C) 2017 popsonhops

Tasting: December 30, 2010
Style: Oatmeal Stout

Founders Breakfast Stout

While the label on this beer seems to be innocuous, apparently some states have laws that ban depiction or reference in any manner to minors. Even Founders’ home state Michigan had such a law and Founders subsequently created an “alternative” label depicting an empty chair, an empty oatmeal bowl and a note that read, “left the crib”. Lawmakers in Michigan acquiesced and after a four-month hiatus, the familiar toddler returned. In New Hampshire, lawmakers had enough of a majority to overrule a governor’s veto. The baby is loved.

You should not pick up oatmeal as a flavor in most beers. Brewers use oatmeal for its lipids (or fats) and their primary contribution is a creamy mouthfeel. Coffee and, chocolate, on the other hand, should be contributors. Let’s crack open this bottle of Founders Breakfast Stout to find out.

I like a big stout and this one is just that. Served this slightly chilled in a half-pint pub glass. The pour is dark brown with a milk chocolate colored head that lingers nicely. The nose is definitely as advertised with heaps of chocolate and roasted coffee. Flavor follows the nose and this stout has a creamy mouthfeel. Sip by sip, the coffee flavor begins to overpower the chocolate until it’s nearly non-existent. You almost forget you’re drinking a beer and drift to sipping on coffee.

I like it…and give it 91 points.

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