Cape May - Always Ready

Cape May has issued an indirect challenge to me with their food pairings on the side of their cans. They say that their Northeast Pale Ale, Always Ready, pairs perfectly with cheese, chicken, and fish. Not one to back away from such a challenge, I took the rare opportunity of a gathering of friends with some quality meats and cheeses to give this pale ale a good, clean shot at impressing.

Before I jump into the beer itself I have to admit that in the past year, Cape May Brewing has really impressed me with their lineup of hoppy beers. My palate has changed over the course of the last two years from the harsher, super juice bombs into a more of a tropical yet hoppy palate. I've raved about City to Shore in the past and just keep looking forward to the next Cape May beer I can try. Although my relationship with Cape May was bumpier about 3 years ago, they've unlocked a lot of potential for me and my palate.

This is all just to explain my excitement about opening this can and pairing it up with one of the foods suggested. Cheese lineup: gouda, red dragon (think gourmet mustard and cheese), sharp cheddar, and cheddar jack. I tied these in with some hot soppresata from Brick Farm Market and of course, Always Ready.

Upon opening the can, you get that immediate nose of pineapple. If there's an IPA nose profile that immediately can suck me into wanting to try it, it's those reminiscent of tropical fruits. As it pours, it looks juicy, but not overbearingly so. Once I've allowed it to settle, the first sip is impressive. The profile is that of a pineapple and mango, very tropical and pretty enjoyable! Because the ABV is 4.8%, there is more of a drinkability aspect to it than if it were a 7% ABV IPA. You want to heighten the taste of gouda and red dragon? This beer is perfect for it. It also made the soppresata spicier and rounded out the sharpness to it.

The beer itself? Always Ready is sessionable. If anything, my slight complaint would be having it be a tad bit higher in the ABV just to round out the flavor a bit more, but then that'd defeat the purpose of this beer. It's one of the more enjoyable beers I've had under 5%. I'm glad this beer was brewed because it adds to the ever-growing repertoire of sessionable beers made in New Jersey. Does it live up to its pairing? Absolutely. I'd have this again over some quality dairy and meats anytime. If your profile is that of a more drinkable pale ale without the harshness of overdone lupulin powder of oat-based ales that are way too juicy, this is perfect. If this is still around for the summer, it's a must purchase. This should go well with some grilled chicken... now I'm hungry again. Salud!

Kalashnikov - Icarus Brewing

It's been a long time coming, but finally the review for Icarus Brewing's coffee variant of their signature stout, Kalashnikov. The first thing that will always jump out to me about this beer is how massive it comes in at 14%. That's the kind of beer that'll take the edge off of your long work day, especially during the winter. I'd have this tasty beer, months before, and loved every sip of it, but with the coming of the 1st anniversary of Icarus Brewing and the canning of this delicious stout, I just knew I was in for a tremendous treat.

I'll admit that at first, I had no clue what was going into this beer other than it having coffee. With the first can opened, the wonderful aromas of coffee hit the tip of my nose and from that moment on, I knew I was embarking on a wonderful 12oz adventure with this brew. At first sip, the stout was sweeter than I remembered, but still pretty good. I took a sip every few minutes as I let it warm up and the experience became better and better... but still, a bit too sweet. The can was enjoyable throughout and it wasn't until the second can that I realized what was happening. This beer has coffee AND brown sugar along with honey. The sweetness made much more sense and the perspective about this beer shifted. I came to terms with it and enjoyed the second can much more simply because now I understood it.

This really is a great beer and along with the purchase of the variants at the first anniversary, I can tell you right now, this dark, delicious, sweet stout is here to stay. It's sweet without being overpoweringly so. That touch of brown sugar and honey BEG for you to let this beer warm up. Recommendation: Pop open a Yacht Juice AND a can of Kalashnikov at the same time. Let the stout sit, have the IPA. It's a exquisite combination worth having. Just make sure you hit the gym that day to earn those delectably dangerous beer calories. If you like stouts, coffee, and some sweetness to it, this beer is the one for you! Salud!

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We Want the Gold DDH - Icarus Brewing

Icarus Brewing is quickly emerging as one of my favorite breweries in New Jersey. As in my past review for the brewery, I was able to witness the birth of this brewery from even before it opened up until now with a few can releases already under their belts. Although I had tried We Want the Gold at the Maloney's Beer Fest a few weekends ago, I'm a thirsty guy that needed some to go. I picked up a 4-pack of We Want the Gold and was more than excited to give a full pint the try on a nice fall evening. 

It's such a good and underrated IPA. Right now, I'm really into IPA's that are more on the melon and pineapple side of things versus the turbid hop-bombs that I was chasing after at the beginning of the year. We Want the Gold delivered those sweet, sweet tropical dulcet tones within the innards of my Icarus belgian glass. This brew is smoother and more refreshing than the 8% ABV would suggest. If you like your IPA a bit sweeter and toned down on the bitterness, this is a great option to seek out. I've loved that so far Icarus has been able to craft different IPA's with different profiles and I do have to say, as much as I love Yacht Juice, We Want the Gold is up there as well.

Now if only we could can or bottle the Kalishnakov *wink wink Icarus*... Salud!

• Untapped Rating:           4.10
• BeerAdvocate Rating:     4.20
• Hops & Horns Rating:   4.00

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