365 Days of Beer

So last night at Hop Devil Grill, Weyerbacher (out of Easton, PA) was kind enough to stop by with a great lineup of 7 beers.

Weyerbacher currently brews over 20 different styles of beer. One of the things I love about this brewery is that they aren't afraid of pushing the boundaries and trying out new ideas such as aging some of their beers in bourbon barrels. They definitely don't sit on their behinds brewing the same old stuff over and over, and that above all things tells you they are passionate about making good beer.

Kudos to Chris from Weyerbacher for bringing all of his great creations to NYC. He was kind enough to make himself available for questions, stopping by at every table to hear everyone's comments and talk about his beers. I definitely got the impression from him that he is a man who truly loves beer and the craft of making it. I look forward to seeing future Weyerbacher output!

Weyerbacher is open for tours & tasting every Saturday from 12-3. This summer I will definitely be paying them a visit, as it is just a short drive from NYC.

Now onto the beers!

Just $20 got us all 7 beers in a flight. I'll be just reviewing the ones I haven't had. They were all new to me except the Insanity.

62) Weyerbacher Old Heathen - This is an imperial stout. Very deep and complex. Nice roasted espresso and chocolately notes. Just the way I like my imperial stouts. 8.2% alc.

63) Weyerbacher Heresy - The Heresy is made by taking the Old Heathen and aging it in bourbon barrels. It is interesting to contrast the two back to back. I suggest you try the same taste test, and you will really experience all the different characteristics that are added by the oak.

64) Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot - What a great name for a beer, no? At a powerful 11.1% alc. by vol. too much of this barley wine might turn you into one. But what a pleasure it will be just getting there. This particular version definitely brings the malty flavors to the forefront. Like the Old Heathen/Heresy test, try the Insanity (Blithering Idiot aged in the barrels) after this one.

65) Weyerbacher Quad - Very big and full-bodied. With 11.9% alc, this is definitely a sipper for after dinner. Quite complex and heady. I will definitely come back to this one again in the future.

66) Weyerbacher Hops Infusion - An IPA. I should have had this first, because by now my taste buds (and possibly my motor functions) were quite dulled and I can't really remember much about this. The aroma seemed to be dominated with floral hops. I'll come back to this too.

67) Weyerbacher Raspberry Imperial Stout - This is made by adding raspberries during the fermentation process. I'm not a real big fan of fruit beers but this was interesting to try. They did a good job with this one because the raspberries do not overpower everything else. Well-balanced.

With that the Weyerbacher odyssey was over. And now that I looked it up, 2006 began with a Weyerbacher - their Winter Ale was my first new beer of the year. I look forward to visiting them this summer to try their full output and wish them continued success in the future.

Since it was also Kill the Keg Wednesday, we got the Old Chub which was only $3 per pint. At the time I couldn't remember having it before but it turns out I had some last year so it doesn't count.

Finally stopped next door at the Belgian Room (also part of the Hop Devil Grill). Regretted eating so much because I really wanted to try the pommes frites. I'll save that for another day. Had a glass of:

68) Strubbe Super Pils - This is a pilsener brewed out of Belgium. Bitter with some hoppiness. Not a bad pils but nothing special either.

68 beers down and only 297 to go puts me way, way ahead of the curve. About 3 weeks ahead to be exact. I'm going to take a couple days off with no beer and just take it easy for a while. See you again soon.