Bell's Eccentric Cafe Visit

What's up everyone? Yesterday, I took a trip up to Bell's in Kalamazoo to have dinner with my girlfriend, Kristin, at the Eccentric Cafe. This was our second trip there, and it did not disappoint. The Cafe has a great atmosphere, and attracts craft beer enthusiasts and craft newcomers alike.

The tap list was very impressive!

After situating ourselves at two recently vacated spots at the bar, we ordered our first drinks. Kristin started with a glass of Two Hearted (American IPA, 7%), while I had much more I wanted to try. Because I was driving, I stuck to some smaller, but still delicious glasses to maximize what I got to enjoy.  My half flight consisted of Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000 (American Strong Ale, ??%), Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout (Fruit Stout, 10.4%), and This One Goes to 11 (Imperial Red Ale, 11%).

Pint: Two Hearted; Flight (left to right): BB Batch 9000, BB Cherry Stout, This One Goes to 11

The Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000 was far and away my favorite beer of the day - really great bourbon vanilla, molasses, plum, and chocolate. This One Goes to 11 was very enjoyable as well, but more on that later. Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout was not my pint of choice, and I was just not a fan of the mixture of cherry flavor and bourbon barrel aging. We then ordered some dinner. Kristin got the Pulled Pork Sandwich while I enjoyed the Smoked Chicken Sandwich. Both turned out to be pretty tasty. I do however wish I had ordered the Jambalaya as I had done the first time (delicious!!). After wrapping up the meal, we each ordered one more beer. I opted for the Raspberry Ale (not pictured, but very tart and delicious - I'm a big sour fan), while Kristin got a Two Hearted from the firkin.

Two Hearted on cask!

I will definitely say this, Two Hearted really does taste better than anywhere else, both on cask and draft, at the Eccentric Cafe. I'm guessing it is the fact that it is incredibly fresh, but it blows any bottle or draft of it I've had in South Bend out of the water. Much more juicy, and full of grapefruit and citrus flavor. As we left, we stopped into the General Store located out front, and I grabbed a Hopslam poster for myself, and a 6 pack of This One Goes to 11 for Andy. There seemed to be a handful of cases of "11" left in the back, but I would certainly call before planning a trip up there any time soon to make sure they have it. This beer will also see limited distribution, most likely this coming week.

All in all, a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday evening. The drive isn't too bad, about an hour and twenty minutes using the main roads out of South Bend. I highly recommend making the trip up one afternoon with a few friends to grab a flight or a few pints and a meal. If you would like to check the tap list before you make the trip, you can go to Bell's website via this link - http://www.bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/beers-on-tap/. Navigating through the site will provide you with a food menu as well.

Cheers, and I hope you all make the trip one day!

Founders Breakfast Stout at The Mark (NOW) and Bleachers (9/28)

Founders Breakfast Stout was recently tapped at The Mark in Eddy Street Commons. I unfortunately didn't write down the taplist, but Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf was also on tap, with an additional keg waiting in the wings. Also worth noting is Three Floyds Dreadnaught on tap across the street at O'Rourke's Irish Pub.

Also, it looks like Bleachers in Mishawaka on Grape Road will be tapping Breakfast Stout and have a little release party at 6:30 PM this Friday (9/28). $5 pints!

P.S. - Currently enjoying a Three Floyds Rye da Tiger, their new Rye Double IPA. You can find this at the City Wide on Grape Road and the Belmont Bev. next to Notre Dame's campus. Highly recommended! The rye provides a nice spiciness on the finish. Cheers!

Hoppin' Frog Barrel Aged BORIS Oatmeal Imperial Stout

My next review brings us to a beer I had to search long and hard to find in South Jersey, but seems to be very readily available in the South Bend area. Good thing too, because Barrel aged BORIS is a great bourbon barrel aged stout. Look for this gem at the City Wide downtown, and the City Wide on Grape Road.

Style: Double / Imperial Stout

Brewery: Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Serving Type: 22oz bottle into a snifter

ABV: 9.4%

Appearance: This beer is like motor oil. Completely pitch black, with a minimal head that quickly recedes to thin rim. The viscosity on this brew is very high, and this beer has some serious legs as well (alcohol residual on glass). 

Aroma: A really nice mocha comes out of the glass to start, followed by a vanilla creaminess. Some dark chocolate hangs around. A boozy bourbon sweetness watches over the whole affair, but without being discouraging. A little bit of roastiness rounds out the nose.

Taste:  Bourbon/whiskey vanilla is very up front, but not overpowering. The mocha coffee backdrop from the nose takes over from the booziness as the glass warms. Truly, half through the glass I feel like I am drinking a Starbucks iced mocha. A light booziness and brownie chewiness sits on the back of my palate through the end of the sip. 

Mouthfeel: This beer is a definite sipper. Really thick and very much like a milkshake. You'll be working on a glass of this for an hour - not because it's hard to put down, but because the flavors and heaviness of the body require you to go slowwww. Not much heat from the barrel aging, just enough to remind you to enjoy it and take your time.

Overall: After the second time trying this beer, I enjoy it a lot. I'll definitely get another bottle at some point in the near future, and I encourage you to do so as well!

Grade: A-

Special Bell's Tapping at Bar Louie (Mishawaka, IN)

Our friends over at Bar Louie in Mishawaka are throwing a little all day bash tomorrow including the likes of "The Oracle" and "Hopsolution," among others. Hopsolution will be a new one for me, although I'm sure it's rareness will really shine through. The Oracle on the other hand, well, it's every bit as incredible as people claim it to be. The Oracle is easily the best Double IPA in the Midwest, and would certainly hold its own against any of the delicious West-Coast DIPAs. Don't believe me? Good. I don't want you to drink it anyway. In fact, forget I said anything.

From the FB Event...

"HOP into Bar Louie this Thursday to drink some outstanding limited IPA's from Bell's Brewery! The beers will be tapped as soon as Louie's doors open at 11am. And the party will go on until the doors close or the beer runs out! Come on out and try the always amazing classic Two Hearted Ale. Also on tap will be 2 limited releases from Bells. Hopsolution IPA, which rarely makes it way out of their brew pub these days, and The Oracle Double IPA, which as been described by me as "drinking liquid gold". Even if you cannot make it, please pass this event on to some of your beer drinking friends who might like to attend."

This may be the last time you see Hopsolution in this area, and The Oracle won't be back until next year, so get it while you can...

Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout

For my first beer review, I'm going with a seasonal release from Three Floyds, the Moloko Milk Stout. Moloko is currently on shelves in our area, specifically with a numerous amount at the Martin's on South Bend Ave. and Ironwood. For those wondering, other Three Floyds currently on shelves there are Alpha King, Pride and Joy, Calumet Queen (Kolsch, 22oz), and Zes Zes Zes (Saison, 22oz - review to come).

Style: Milk Stout
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Serving Type: 22oz bottle, FFF Teku
ABV: 8%

Appearance: Moloko offers the quintessential stout pour with a midnight black body and two fingers plus of fluffy khaki head. This beer leaves minimal lacing save for a few patches on the glass. Head subsides to a film then a light rim fairly quickly

Aroma: Chocolate and coffee roastiness burst from the glass. Really, really nice dark roasted malts with a light char. A little bit of dark fruit (raisin namely) sits in the background.

Taste: Bitter chocolate and coffee come up front. Bitterness isn't your typical dark chocolate you'd find in most stouts, but has a slight citrus aspect to it - I would expect nothing less from Three Floyds than to shower a beer in aromatic, juicy hops. Chewy raisin comes along mid palate. A nice lactose sweetness encompasses the entirety of the palate, while the brew finishes with a sweet mocha.

Mouthfeel: Velvety smooth, and fantastic carbonation. Really refreshing, but with a heavy enough body to encourage you to sip this (as it warms, the dark fruits on the taste materialize more thoroughly).

Overall: A really great milk stout, and another great offering from Three Floyds. This beer is an August only release, and like other Three Floyds beer, it won't stay on shelves long, so grab it while you can!

Note: Moloko was on tap at The Mark in Eddy Street as of two days ago... I will confirm this for anyone looking to grab this beer in an even velvetier state than from the bottle.
Also, I had the privilege to make it to Three Floyds to grab a bottle of Cognac Barrel Aged Moloko (which I will review shortly) and Conquistador de Muerte - Moloko aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels with ancho and guajillo peppers (holding onto this one to share with Andy).

Grade: A-

Introduction

Hello fellow beer enthusiasts!

Recently, Andy asked me to start helping out with TheBeerIsGood, and post some beer related news, events, reviews, brewery visits, and general beer talk. After frequenting the site for a number of months now, I happily obliged.

I am currently a masters student at Notre Dame, and graduated undergrad here in May. Among other great experiences, attending school in the area introduced me to fantastic beer (first craft beer was Gumballhead, and I was immediately in love). Over time, I've become very involved in the craft beer scene and it has become a definite passion of mine. Hopefully through my posts I can channel some of that enthusiasm to all of you! Most of my posts will involve beer reviews, breweries and craft beer bars I have the luxury to visit, and interesting craft beer events occurring in the area (and sometimes Chicago).

For anyone that uses the site, you can find me on Beer Advocate under the username, cfrances33. As I said, I'm very excited to start posting, and I look forward to helping support the craft movement!

Cheers!

Colin

P.S. When posting and enjoying a beer, I'll likely add a "now enjoying." So for my first post, I am now enjoying a Three Floyds Alpha King!