Big Happy Hopper

Hoppin' Frog's Oatmeal Imperial Stout (BORIS the Crusher) is quite an intense beer. Which is great - I love that it! But tonight I was in the mood to mess with that big fat bullfrog of a beer. I found a bottle of Big Hoppy Monster - Terrapin's "Imperial" Red Ale - and blended that with the "Crusher." The Monster is great. It has both the hops and the malt galore, but it does not have the sweetness to tie it together. The blend is very nice... it mellows out the crusher's oatmeal malt a bit and adds more hops in the nose, AND it brings out the crusher's sweetness, which by itself is buried under all that oatmeal malt. This blend is a big happy winner!
[PS.: I should mention that the Hoppy Monster was a bit aged - I acquired it in Nov. 2008 - so it had been in my fridge for 8 months.]

The Inauguration Blend

A historic day in America. This special occasion required a special beer blend. So I opened my bomber of last year's Sexual Chocolate Stout - an intense imperial stout from .... you guessed it ... Foothills Brewery. This is a dark beauty with intense, roasty maltyness and a feisty hop kick. If it's chocolate, it's dark, dark chocolate lingering in the back of you palate with a slight bitterness that blends with the hops.

I paired the year-old Sexual Chocolate Stout with a bottle of Flying Dog's Double Dog Ale. The malt character of this double pale ale gives the front of you palate a bit more to do and adds some sweetness. It mellows the stout a bit - the blend turns the whole experience more towards milk chocolate. It takes the edge off a bit and adds complexity at the same time. Very cool.