Sweetwater Java Stout

This is a new offering the Blue Tractor offered up for us to try; it’s a Stout that has been dry hopped with Sweetwater Cafe’s coffee.  Java Stout is dark brown to black and cloudy adding to the depth of color, and has a thick and rich head mirroring a Guinness.  This is a rich beer with only a hint of palatable bitterness (and that mostly tastes of coffee and pine), since most of any hops derived bitterness is covered by the rich coffee and chocolate flavors.  Most surprising about this beer is its spiciness and lack of residual hops flavor that can be all too common in Micro-Brews.  The best flavor comparison for me is a mocha, as it has almost dark chocolate as the overarching flavor followed by coffee.  So if you like stouts, or enjoy a little more of a coffee flavored bitterness in beer, or if you just want a smoky and rotund beer; head over to the Blue Tractor and check out their Sweetwater Java Stout.

Malty -|———— Bitter

Light ————-| Dark

ABV: 6%

East Bound & Brown

This is the Blue Tractors offering in an American Brown Ale.  Another dark and cloudy beer with a medium bodied cream colored head.  East Bound has a wonderfully smoky and roasted flavor that compliments the expected nuttiness.  This is contrasted slightly with a pine like bitterness.  For a brown ale East Bound has a wonderful crisp snap on the tongue making it feel lighter and smoother than many other brown ales.  And while the bitterness can linger on the tounge a bit it’s not at all bad.  I would probiblly recomend this to people who enjoy Sam Adams Boston Lager,  and if you like brown ales this is a great addition to the lineup (although it might be a bit lighter than you used to).

Malty —-|——— Bitter

Light ———-|— Dark

ABV: 5.3%

Bumper Crop IPA

Bumper Crop is a Light Colored Medium Bodied IPA and one of Blue Tractors year round beers.  The first thing you will notice about this beer is the floral bitterness that you can even smell on it. This beer has a nice thick head (great lacing) and a citrus flavored start with a bitter snap at the end.  Bumper has hints of mango, grapefruit, and caramel that can be tasted around a floral and pine like bitterness that sits on the tongue.  This is an IPA that hits you and will not let go and Balanon stated at the tasting this is a “face sucker”, and if your love is bitter IPAs with good complexity this may just be for you.  While not as bitter and hopy as say Bells Breweries Hopslam, Blue Tractors Bumper Crop is a wonderful addition to the beer world especially for those among us who enjoy the bitter spiciness associated with IPAs.

Malty ———-|— Bitter

Light —-|——— Dark

ABV: 6.5%

- @iamFournier

This is the first of a occasional series I’m going to be running (on and off) about Wisconsin beers.  As a son of Detroit living in Wisconsin (for a few more months at least) I figured it would be a good idea to give some of the folks back home and over the internets some incites into beers they might want to try on a visit to Wisconsin.  First up is a Wisconsin classic Spotted Cow.  Spotted Cow is all over Wisconsin it’s as common as Labatt Blue is in Metro-Detroit; in other words if your out at a bar or restaurant you can almost guarantee Spotted Cow will not only be available, but probably on tap. The downside is that with a brewery who’s motto is “drink indigenous” your not likely to find this anywhere outside of Wisconsin, ever.  On the upshot though Spotty (as it’s called locally) has a wonderful aroma of fresh bread with hints of honey and citrus, and a nice golden yellow color and unfiltered cloudiness.  Spotted Cow’s popularity here comes in large part to it’s sweet and clean flavor with a nice hint of flowery bitterness and a thin white head making it not only drinkable, but repeatedly so. One of the nice things about Spotted Cow is that it’s nice and smooth despite the unfiltered cloudy nature of the beer.  It’s got a similar flavor to light ales like 312, but is best described as a lager with character (imagine MGD with some bite to it and your getting there).  A good beer and a Wisconsin classic so if your over in the Badger state give it a try.

Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Co. - New Glarus, WI

Malty —-|——— BitterLight  -|———— Dark
ABV: 4.8%
-Mike Fournier

New Belgium’s 2 Below is an example of what has become a standard season beer, the winter ale.  Now standard doesn’t mean bad, in fact these beers are often a showcase for a breweries talents and ingenuity, in part because they can have a lot of ingredients and a wide range of spices.  As for 2 Below, it has a clean carmel color not unlike most ales, and because it’s filtered it’s fairly clear unlike some winter ales.  Starting with a mild sweetness this beer quickly changes directions to fennel, coriander, and orange notes (the orange is almost a orange candy) and it ends on a bitterness reminiscent of the oak in chardonnay.  2 Below has a fairly thick head and goes down pretty well, while I would be more inclined to drink this as an occasional beer or with a meal, due in part to the strength of the bitterness and the overall complexity.  Now if your into complex beer, spiced beer, or just love bitter hoppy beers, this could be an interesting addition to your night (especially at a decent 6.6% ABV).  As for points of reference I would categorize this beer as being really similar to Blue Moon, but much lighter on the orange and more on the bitter end of things.  If you like bitter style ales or winter ales (such as Sam Adams), or even other bitter beers and want something with some complexity this might be a good beer to try.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewery - Fort Collins, CO
Malty ———|—- BitterLight —-|——— Dark
ABV: 6.6%
-Mike Fournier

Brewery: Furthermore Brewing - Black River Falls, WI

Malty ———-|— Bitter

Light —-|——— Dark

Proper is a traditional English Pale Ale with a light golden caramel color and frothy although not that thick head.  I have to confess I picked this up because i thought this was one of the coolest looking labels I have ever seen.  I love the art deco almost propaganda style logo for this beer, but my strange beer picking whims aside I felt it was a good representation of a pale ale.  It starts out with a light malty flavor not unlike MGD (I know if the brew-master reads this he’ll probably kill me), but with a rich and earthy finish that immediately sets it apart.  The strong bitterness that this beer has might turn some people away but if that’s what you like this might be your new love.  For me personally without the sweet flavors of a wheat beer like 312 this is a little less balanced, but for lovers of our traditional IPAs this would be a beer to consider. So if you like stuff like Bell’s Two Hearted Ale or other generally bitter beers keep this in mind next time.

ABV: 4.5%

-Mike Fournier