#28 Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest Amber Marzen (3B) (28/69/84/85/100/101/102)

 When Ludwig I, the Crown Prince of Bavaria, was to celebrate his wedding in Munich in 1810, he decided it was an occasion for all of Bavaria to celebrate. He commissioned Joseph Pschorr, then the brewmaster of the Hacker-Pschorr brewery, among other Munich brewers, to develop special brews to commemorate the occasion. The beer was so good that the party lasted for days and Oktoberfest beer was born.

Subsequent annual celebrations evolved into the city of Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest, which is attended by over 6 million people each year, who in 2003 consumed over 6 million liters of beer. By Munich law, only the six breweries within the city limits of Munich are invited to serve their beer at Oktoberfest.   The Hacker-Festzelt (Hacker) Tent has a capcity of 9,300.

BJCP Style 3B ABV 6.04 OG 1.062 FG 1.016 Calories 176

Grains  3 lb Munich Extract 3 lb Extra Pale Extract 1 lb Extra Light DME 4 oz Malto Dextrin 2 oz Biscuit Malt 2 oz Aromatic Malt 12 oz Munich Malt 12 oz Cara Munich Malt 2 1/2 lb German Pilser Malt Hops-Bittering 1 oz Tettnang and 1 oz Hersbrucker Yeast WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen Lager

#21/86 AHS New Belgium Abbey Ale

This is one of my favorite beers to date.  This has been a great winter beer.  This beer sat for six months before we had our first taste.  

Winner of four World Beer Cup medals and eight medals at the Great American Beer Fest, Abbey Belgian Ale is the Mark Spitz of New Belgium s lineup - but it didn't start out that way. When Jeff and Kim first sampled the beer at the Lyons Folks Fest, reviews were mixed at best. One of founder Jeff s first two Belgian style homebrews (along with Fat Tire), Abbey is a Belgian dubbel (or double) brewed with six different malts and an authentic Belgian yeast strain. Abbey is bottle-conditioned, weighs in at 7.0% alcohol by volume, and pairs well with chocolate (or boldly served by itself) for dessert.

BJCP Style 18B Date Brewed 6/2/2012 ABV 7.09 OG 1.065 FG 1.011 Calories 183 SRM  14.9

Grains 6 lb Amber LME 2 lb Cane Sugar 1.5 lb Munich Malt .25 lb Cara-Pils Malt .25 lb Chocolate Malt .5 lb Crystal 75L Malt Hops-Bittering .75 oz Target Hops-Aroma .25 oz Willamette Yeast WLP500 Trappist Ale

The original beer produced by New Belgium.

Birthdate: June, 1991

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 20

Calories: 210

Hops: Willamette, Target, Liberty

Malts: Pale, Chocolate, Carapils, C-80, Munich

Body: Medium - Full

Aroma: Candy banana, sweet chocolate malt, clove, bubblegum, sweet spice cake, cinnamon, dark fruits

Mouthfeel: Full mouthfeel, creamy and rounded start and middle, slight warming and peppery perception give it a clean and slightly dry finish

Flavor: Spiced banana bread, slight peppery/clove/herbal, sweet caramel and bitter roasty chewy chocolate malt, nuances of pipe tobacco

Visual: Clear (kegs) or Hazy (bottles) with a deep redwood-mahogany, tan head with elegant billowing lacing

#13 Northern Brewer - Dry Dock Paragon Apricot Blonde (#13/56/105)

Blonde ale: pale, refreshing, balanced. Already a crowd-pleaser, but add in apricot and you’ve got one of Dry Dock Brewing Co.’s most popular beers. A very light, slightly sweet malt body is the foundation, accompanied by minimal hopping and classic American yeast. The secret here is using real apricot puree, which contributes fresh apricot flavor, additional body and a bit of fruity tartness. Some apricot extract added at bottling supports the flavor and extends it. The perfect end to a summer evening, or an excellent pair for a light almond pastry.

Northern Brewer - Dry Dock Paragon Apricot Blonde

BJCP Style 20 ABV 5.2 OG 1.055 Calories 160 SRM 8.1 IBUs 17 ABV 5.1%

Grains 6.3 lbs Gold Malt Syrup 1 lb Golden Light Dry Malt Extract 8 oz Briess Caramel 20L Hops-Bittering .75 oz Cascade Yeast Wyeast 1056 American Ale Secondary Apricot Puree

Dry Dock Brewing Company of Aurora CO is one of the hottest up and coming breweries in the US. In the 6 years that it has been open, it has racked up more than a dozen World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival medals, including Small Brewing Company of the Year. But to try one of their amazing brews you’d have to live in the tiny section of Colorado they cater to. Good thing for the rest of us Dry Dock has worked closely with Northern Brewer to develop these Pro-Series beer kits.  Northern Brewer sourced the same ingredients and kept all the recipe particulars the same, just scaled down to homebrew size.

Check out the Dry Dock Beer Menu

#07 Austin - Left Hand Milk Stout

My favorite Milk Stout and one of my favorite beers.

Left Hand Milk Stout Bottle Label

Left Hand Brewing creates a number of great beers.  This one is my favorite.  Rate Beer list this beer as a 96 out of 100.  This beer is worth a try.

Check out the Left Hand Brewing - Milk Stout

Austin Hombrew Supply sells this as a kit.

Austin Homebrew Supply - Left Hand Milk Stout

BJCP Style 13B ABV 5.64/6.04 OG 1.064 FG 1.018 Calories 182 SRM 21.3

Grains 7 lb Amber Extract 1 lb Lactose 12 oz Munich Extract 12 oz Chocolate Malt 1 lb Black Roasted Barley 12 oz Crystal 60L Malt 10 oz Flaked Barley 8 oz Flaked Oats

Hops-Bittering .75 oz Magnum Hops-Aroma 1 oz Kent Golding Yeast WLP001 California Ale