Such a Procrastinator

Hey folks - my apologies for not posting in quite some time...I should probably do less tasting and more writing, but hey, at least I'm enjoying myself.

This review was long time coming. I think I tried this one before the new year, before Christmas, even before the trip to the Outer Banks...that's how long it's been. Today I'm bringing to you Saranac's Chocolate Orange Porter, part of their High Peaks series.

From the Brewer:

Saranac Chocolate Orange is a limited edition small batch brew from our "High Peaks" series, a line of beers that are bigger, more complex and flavorful.  Brewed as a full-bodied robust Baltic-style porter with five different hops and four different malts, this beer pushes the porter style to a new level.  We start with generous amounts of chocolate malt, and then add blood orange peel.  In fermentation, the finest hand-selected, purest cacao nibs are added to enhance the chocolate malt flavor.  Look for a dark chocolate roasted flavor finished off with a unique surprise from blood orange peel, making this an extra special treat!

Sounds delicious, right? Well, I must say that this was actually quite disappointing. Weighing in at a decent 9% ABV, the pour on this can only be described as "straight up like motor oil", rich, smooth, and almost black in color. The head is an astounding dark brown color, and long lasting. The nose lends to the chocolate malt, as well as a roasty-toasty smell with some sweetness to it.

The excitement pretty much stops there. I hardly picked up any orange whatsoever - at least not a citrusy orange. They use Orange Peel and Chocolate Malt, but it's more of an orange blossom flavor, if anything at all. its full-bodied and creamy, but the orange is severely lacking. I'm sure it's more aromatic and fruitier on tap, but this was just a bit disappointing for me. I know Mike liked it a bit more than I did. This was worth trying, but I'm probably not going to buy it again. I expected so much more chocolate-orange deliciousness. The malt overpowered the beer and the orange just wasn't there. But hey, at least it's pretty.

How this beer made me feel.

Womp womp.

I know there are other Chocolate Orange porters and stouts out there, perhaps I'll try another one and won't be as sad afterwards.

Any suggestions from the crowd out there? Comment below or tweet at us @DrinkLikeAdults.

Cheers!
-Maggie

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

I love a good seasonal beer and Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale is no different. Pat’s overall summation of winter seasonal beers found here is something I couldn’t have put much better myself (well done Patrick).

This beer pours a nice amber/copper color with a very thick head. This ale has a bit of cloudiness in it, and leaves a substantial amount of lacing on the glass.

An interesting aroma of citrus is present upfront with a pine fragrance at the end.  You also get a bit of hops coming in later with the pine.

The taste is piney, and very hoppy when it hits the tongue but mellows out with malt sweetness that keeps you intrigued. The interesting blend of flavors, and overall smoothness makes this IPA very drinkable. The medium body leaves an average mouth feel, and it is not overly carbonated.

All and all, this beer is great for cold winter nights. The pine flavor is great for the season, but the hops and citrus aspects remind you that spring is on its way. It is a very tasty offering from a brewery that seems to always have a pretty good seasonal variety. 

Lager... I Hardly Knew Her

In the spirit of National Lager Day, Marissa and I went to the liquor store to pick out a nice 'merican lager. Nothing really caught my eye at first until I noticed they had a beer I've had before and certainly enjoyed; Creamy Dark by the Leinenkugel's Brewing Company. With Leinenkugel's being a brewery in Marissa's comfort zone we both knew this was going to be the beer for us that evening. (Marissa's Note - Translation: I chickened out of trying anything I hadn't heard of before.)


The first beer out of the 6 pack gave me this incredible head (not pictured) that remained through the entire beer. Every other beer I've poured has had a much smaller head that has dissipated rather quickly. The aroma of this beer is incredibly strong once you pop the cap, and stays true for the initial sips. As you can see this beer in very dark, and has almost no transparency. For being such a dark beer you figure it would leave that Guinness-like heavy feeling in your mouth but the beer is incredibly smooth. It leaves a creamy (Creamy Dark... makes sense) feeling that falls somewhere between a light beer and a Guinness. (Marissa's note: While I normally steer clear of thick, dark beers, I surprisingly appreciated this one. It gave me that overall fullness feeling I expected, but was still smooth and satisfying enough to enjoyed without feeling like I'm going to end up with a giant beer belly.)

This beer is brewed with a blend of 7 malts, and 3 different hops. This produces a crisp nutty taste, with notes of coffee and caramel. It is a very drinkable beer that is good for a cold winter night.

All and all I'm not a huge Leinenkugel's person but this beer is probably my favorite from their line. Try it out if you're into dark lagers. (Marissa's note: Then go read my post about how much I DO enjoy Leinenkugel's and try them all.)



... Also if you hate on the Jets pint glass, you can suck it.

Mike T's Favorite Places to Grab a Cold One

Instead of the typical introductory "Hi, I like Beer" post I figured it would be fun to name a few places that I like to drink at, and why I like them so much as sort of an introduction to myself. But in case that doesn't work... Hi my name's Mike and I like beer.

One of my favorite places to get a brew in the area will most likely have its own separate write up at some point since it is so close to all of us, and is so delicious. Harvest Moon in New Brunswick, New Jersey has more of an "adult" feel from the typical New Brunswick bar scene. If you're lucky enough to get in on a crowded night you will enjoy their craft beers brewed in-house. Walking through the door you can see the equipment that these fine beverages are conceived and created in, and you can smell the hoppy aroma at all times. The tap selection is always changing, but I have never had a beer I didn't like there. The beers range from IPA's, to a "Firehouse Red" to commemorate a local hero, to seasonal pumpkin or winter ales. They have a sampler option where you can try out a couple of their brews, but if you go there on a slow night the bartenders are usually willing to shell out a sample of each. You can also buy growlers of their beers to take home at a very fair price. This bar has a full restaurant upstairs that is very tasty and very reasonably priced. This is not meant to be a full review, so go check this place out. I could be writing here for hours about it.

Next on the list is The Grove in Miltown, New Jersey. This townie/dive/sports bar mixture works so well on so many levels. They have a very friendly wait staff, a bunch of tv's to catch a game, live music on the weekends, and an awesome tap selection. On tap they have the usual domestics - Blue Moon as well as the Blue Moon seasonal (currently the Winter Abbey Ale), Guinness, the Long Trail Brewing Company Seasonal (Hibernator, currently - review to follow since I love that beer), Brooklyn Lager, Victory Hop Devil, Stella, Guinness, Saranac seasonals, and for the hipsters (and Jon) they have PBR. All of their tap beers are phenomenal.

Moving onto the corporate side of things, to get a good beer, Buffalo Wild Wings is always a great choice. Awesome wing specials mixed in with sports and a great tap selection make this one of the best chain places. I've had a couple Saranac seasonals there that I haven't seen anywhere else, and they always have some of my go-to favorites like Hoegaarden, Smithwicks, and Newcastle on tap.

Another corporate joint to get a good brew is Tilted Kilt in East Brunswick. The atmosphere in the restaurant is a little risque, but outside of the uniforms, the decor of the place is really neat. Two huge projection screens, accompanied by a bunch of tv's means you'll never miss a game or fight. Moving on to the beer... they have the typical domestics with Bud Light as a special, as well as some of my go-to's. I got a Shipyard Pumpkin Ale that had a cinnamon sugar rim one night that was amazing. They also have a house Tilted Kilt Lager which I have not had the chance to try since I normally go with the special or something a bit darker, but I will certainly get around to trying it and I will let you know when I do.

I know this is an "After-College Guide" to drinking, but I drank awesome beer in college. Going to school in Oneonta, New York, I was within driving distance to three or four breweries, the biggest one being Ommegang. The Black Oak in Oneonta, NY had three delicious Ommegang beers; Rare Vos being my favorite along with Hennepin and Witte. Spending the extra cash on a Rare Vos as a broke college student was no problem for myself and most of the people frequenting the bar. The Oak has live music almost every night of the week (drawing local and regionally touring bands), pool tables in the back with free pool on Sundays, and a great crowd of down-to-earth people. I miss this bar so much since I relate a lot of my college experience to it.

I hope this has given you some insight into my beer drinking habits and gives you a little taste of what's to come from my point of view. Comment and let me know where you like to get a good beer so I can check them out!