Beer Haiku Daily

I try to resist
The lure of the Siren Noire
For half a second

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Siren Noire is another from Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet of big beers. It is an Imperial Chocolate Stout. Yum.

Thing of the day: Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink

Oak aged barley wine
Doesn’t seem to help me win
Extreme bocce ball

Written by Captain Hops.

References: I tried the Bourbon Barrel and Cabernet Barrel aged Barley Wines from Heavy Seas side by side today. Wow. Good work Hugh! I preferred the Cabernet Barrel Aged. It went great with blue cheese stuffed peppers and a grilled tuna steak. The Bourbon Barrel aged version was quite good too, but it seemed more appropriate for desert than with the meal. Keep in mind that these babies are 10% ABV. That fact didn’t do much for my bocce ball game and my brother pretty much kicked my ass all over my back yard.

Thing of the day: Halex Premier Bocce Set (107mm Resin Balls)

Imperial Stout:
Roasted coffee and cocoa
With a little heat

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Passing the time trapped indoors with a Peg Leg Imperial Stout.

Thing of the day: HANDLING STORMS AT SEA: The 5 Secrets of Heavy Weather Sailing

Staring at the stars
Right after the Big DIPA
Knocked me on my back

Written by Captain Hops.

References: The Big DIPA is the first release from Clipper City’s Heavy Seas Mutiny Series. Basically it’s a series of big specialty beers in the 22 oz. bomber size. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit.
Thing of the Day: The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers & Rogues

Below Decks

Riding out the storm
Below Decks with my crew mates
Fearing Davy Jones

After a couple
I enter a dream-like state
Or maybe passed out

Long past Christmas day
I find myself harassed by
Gangs of scofflaw elves

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Barleywine or as they are known in the US: Barley Wine Style Ales. This month, the Session is hosted by the Brew Site.

To be honest, barleywines always seemed rather exotic and intimidating to me so I don’t have a lot of experience with them. (Feel free to read that as too expensive for me.) However, this session gave me the excuse and the gumption to finally take the plunge.

I went down to the Wine Source, and picked up Below Decks from Clipper City’s Heavy Seas label (Baltimore), Old Horizontal from Victory Brewing Company (Pennsylvania), and Criminally Bad Elf from Ridgeway Brewing (England).

All of them were different, but they were all good and they were certainly potent. The Below Decks was the hoppiest of the bunch, but all of them had a strong malt profile, almost fruity.

Barley Wine is beer not wine. It got it’s nomenclature because it is brewed to be as strong as wine. The alcohol content is probably the defining characteristic of this style because the flavor profiles can vary a great deal.

I chose to share my barley wines with friends in wine glasses and found it very pleasant. It was almost startling to see how quickly you could feel the punch so I wouldn’t recommend sitting around downing pints of this stuff.

All in all it was a good experience. I’m not about to put barley wine on my regular list, but they certainly make the grade for special occasions.

Cheers!

Check out the full round-up of barleywine posts, now up at the Brew Site.

Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

with floral highlights
and the strength to save my soul
Uber Abbey Ale

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Another successful brew from the Heavy Seas line by Clipper City Brewing.
Thing of the Day: The World of Ships

Imperial Stout
strong foundation without edge
smokey creamy smooth

Written by Captain Hops.

References: Peg Leg Stout from the Heavy Seas brand at Clipper City Brewing. I like these guys.
Technorati Tags: beer, haiku, Clipper City
Thing of the Day: The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856: Characteristics, Construction, and Details

Winter Storm warning
Prepare to be blown over
This is a big one

Written by Captain Hops.

References: I just tried a bottle of the new Winter Storm “Category 5″ Ale from the Heavy Seas brand of Clipper City Brewing. This is really good stuff. Get it while it lasts.
Thing of the Day: Baltimore Ravens Beer Stein