11/30/18: Rhinegeist Brewery's Dad

This is a beer that's been around for some time. Odds are, if you live in a place where Rhinegeist is found you've seen cans lining store shelves and taps advertising the stuff on their labels. Once November rolls around, Rhinegeist puts a lot of resources into making sure Dad is on your radar.

And, you know what? Their efforts are effective. Dad's been on my radar since I moved to Cincinnati. I see it every time I go grocery shopping in November, December, and even January. I'll say that I even tried it, once, nearly four years ago, on tap at a barcade. Back then, my palate isn't what it is now, so, when I quaffed my first and only pint of the stuff my thought was: It's a Christmas ale, but hoppy. Now, years later and having gained much more appreciation for hoppy beverages, I'm excited to crack into this can and give Dad a second try. I'm hoping, regardless of how I enjoy the beer, to better understand how my palate's developed. Here goes!

11/26/18: Shiner's Holiday Cheer

This beer and I go back. During my undergrad (and I guess my the first year of my master's at Ohio University), this was my go-to Christmas ale. Why? Because I was a broke college kid. Most Christmas beers would run $11 or $12 a sixer, but Shiner's Holiday Cheer was only around $9 or $10, which seemed much more appropriate for my budget.

Here's some realtalk: I haven't had this beer since my collegiate days. That means that while, yes, I have technically had this ale before, this is, for all intents and purposes, a blind review. So, please come along with me and let's see if I can still find some holiday cheer in Holiday Cheer.

11/23/18: Stein Brewing Company's Ole Doc Neazer

This is not the post I'd intended for it to be. It's not the post I'd expect to make for the first of 2018's Christmas beer blowout, nor is it a beer that I'd imagined I'd include here. It's a beer that, until today, I had no idea existed. But, now I know better and I'm pleased to give the ale it's due here.

See, we visited my folks for Thanksgiving. On the way out of town, Michelle, my brother, my folks, and me decided to swing into Mount Vernon, OH's new (and first ever) craft brewery: Stein Brewing Company. My dad and brother each got a pint (Michelle got a pint of cider) while I opted for a flight. I'm pleased to say that each beer I had was a fine entry into the greater craft beer canon. Four of the seven I tasted, however, are each beers worth talking about: The Woodward (an IPA with habanero), Temperance Crusader (a stout with maple), Jackets Orange (a blood orange IPA), and, the beer of which I got a crowler in order to do a full post this evening, Ole Doc Neazer.

11/18/18: Some Crazy Homebrew Ciders (a Semi-Sponsored Post)

This is a post that, unbeknownst to you, can trace its roots back to February. See, during my bachelor party, my guys and I decided to brew some ciders that we'd crack into the night before the wedding. We all got our own ingredients and concocted some of the coolest cider's I've ever had. I was charged with keeping the stuff as it fermented and bottling it once it was all done.

My groomsmen all made rad ciders--with berries and teas and rose hips--but, since I'm me, I went with something out of left field. My cider had peanut butter and anaheim peppers. The final ABV of it clocked in over 8%.

I took it upon myself to sample my cider while bottling it. I was astounded by it--it was good! Who would've thought it? I posted about it on social media and one of my buddies from high school shot me a message. At the time, he worked for Probar, a food company that makes organic, non-GMO bars and nut butters. Having seen my post about the crazy cider I'd made, he wondered if I'd be interested in making some other crazy ciders with Probar goods. I agreed in an instant.

I came home from work a short time later to find a package from Probar waiting for me. It contained peanut butter, sriracha peanut butter, coconut almond butter, coconut almond bites, and chocolate coconut meal bars. A few days later I ran out to get some peppers, yeast, and pasteurized organic apple juice. Now, months later, I'm finally able to break into these ciders to see how they turned out. And you, lucky you!, get to follow along with me.

11/16/18: Saugatuck Brewing Company's 2018 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout

Over three years ago when this blog--along with my beer knowledge--was in its infancy, I did up a post about Saugatuck Brewing Company's Neapolitan Milk Stout (be prepared for a super early post if you click that link). It was a beer that, a short time before my writing about it, my dad had tried for the first time. He was duly impressed with it and, while making a beer run my uncle, managed to track down an extra bottle for me.

I give you that brief history of my dad, my uncle, and Neapolitan Milk Stout to say that when, for my dad's birthday, I went to Saugatuck's 2018 Barrel Aged Bootleg Bash with him, my uncle, and brother (although he doesn't factor into the tale I just briefly recounted) and we all tried Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout for the first time, it was something special. This evening, I'll attempt to recapture some of that magic with my review of the stuff. Here we go: 2018 BBA Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout.

11/10/18: Great Lakes Brewing Company's Edmund Fitzgerald

Would you believe me if I told you that this is a post I've wanted to make since the summer after I started this blog? That'd be summer 2015, mind you. Well, I hope you said yes, because it's a true statement.

During summer 2015 I accompanied my dad to the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, MI, where I was awed by the exhibit on the Edmund Fitzgerald. See, as often the ship pictured on the bottle of Great Lakes' porter named after the it, the story printed on the label never hit home. But in the museum, listening to the exhibit looping Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and looking at enlarged photos of the ship in its prime, everything clicked.

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the sinking of the ship. To get the full impact of this post, I recommend you hit the link directly above to hear the story of her sinking from ol' Gordon himself before reading onward, or maybe listen to it in the background as you read this. Today's post is about Great Lakes Brewing Company's Edmund Fitzgerald, the first porter I ever had.

11/9/18: Braxton Brewing Company's Mélange

It's a bleak, autumn evening here in the Greater Cincinnati area. It's been grey all day, and I've heard rumblings that we're due for flurries tonight. All of this is fine with me; I've had something special stashed away from a day like this.

A few weeks ago, on October 27th, Braxton Brewing Company released a taproom-only exclusive ale: Mélange. While I had work that day, my brother came through with the pickup. He told me he'd tried it on tap and that he was duly impressed. I've managed to keep myself from it since its release, but tonight I break the wax seal.

11/7/18: Founders Brewing Company's Curmudgeon's Better Half

This post has been a long time coming. I mean that in two ways. The first is that I nabbed this exact bottle I'm about to consume back in early September. It's the last remnant the first four-pack I bought of the stuff (I've since acquired a few more). I'm especially happy to share it with you tonight because, for a hot minute there, I didn't think I'd find the time to post about it here.

The second way is that John Likes Beer Blog has been around since January 2015 and, in the nearly three years between then and now, I have not made a single post about Founders Brewing Company (the fine crafters of tonight's beer). That's a damn travesty and one that I'm amending now with this, the fifth entry into their 2018 Barrel Aged Series: Curmudgeon's Better Half.