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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The Sea Stares Back - Kane Brewing & Troon Brewing

The long awaited and much rumored collaboration brew from Kane and Troon Brewing finally came out this past weekend. The Sea Stares Back is an Imperial IPA clocking in at 8.1% ABV. Additionally, this is a wheat IPA that seems to border on something of the less citrusy, yet creamier, though still delicious spectrum. It's an elegant IPA with Citra with a double dry-hop of one of my favorites, Nelson Sauvin... amongst a few others. The taste isn't so much citrus or grapefruit as it is a melon on the sweeter, but more restrained side. 

Two years ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate an IPA like this because it's not really in your face full of juicy, hazy flavors. This is a refined IPA ranging on a creamy end that needs to be sipped to be enjoyed. The aroma is intoxicating as you go further down the glass and into the beer more and more. This is probably one of my favorite IPA entries that I've purchased from Kane in 2017. You can tell there is a refinement from the Kane end with an elegance from the Troon end. I could be wrong about that, but it's still obvious that these two New Jersey breweries could compose a hell of a classical (beer) symphony together. Salud!

Mexican Stout - Ship Bottom Brewery

I love me some dark beers from Ship Bottom Brewery. I truly have enjoyed the Barnacle Bottom Stout, the NYD (Russian Imperial Stout), and the Baconator Stout. I believe that I now have a new favorite from Ship Bottom Brewery - the Mexican Stout. The ingredients read as follows: brewed with coffee, mexican chocolates, cinnamon, ancho chipotle peppers, vanilla beans, and lactose. There's so much going on there that I couldn't wait over 24 hours to crack one open. Now, I'll admit that I had cheated and had tried a sample at the brewery itself, but the small sample glass wasn't the full experience I wanted to indulge in at home. I wanted a nice big glass that would be able to warm up and give me the full experience with all of the aromas.

Upon opening the can, the smell of cinnamon and coffee greats the nose. It's a very pleasant welcome to this fantastic brew. The very first taste of the beer is so good. Cinnamon and the peppers dominate in the front end with the coffee and chocolate rounding out in the back end. I was a bit worried with the inclusion of ancho chipotle peppers that the beer might be TOO hot, but honestly, what I found was a well-balanced heat that worked in perfect unison with the cinnamon. The coffee isn't heavy-handed and works well with the mexican chocolates. A part of me would have loved a richer stout, but I'm sure if that had happened, it'd just drown out the cinnamon and pepper aspect of the beer. Honestly, I'd prefer it the way it is right now. The Mexican Stout is one of the rare beers that I enjoyed almost the same straight out of the can and 20 minutes after it warmed up a bit. Not much changed and I loved it.

If you have a chance to grab this at the brewery for pours, do a full pour or else take a 4-pack home to sample. The experience was much, much better upon having a 12-16 ounce sample to have to truly enjoy the complexities of this beer. Well done Ship Bottom, this is a hit for me. Salud!

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