A Good Drinking Night

If you are reading this, odds are you aren’t a stranger to some good drinking nights.  I mean the kind of nights you slightly regret in the morning.  It’s funny I start off my next blog post following the non – alcoholic one last week but, I gotta keep ya on your toes. I digress.  There are 2 things I keep in mind when I know I might be imbibing on lots of yummy beer.  1)  Hydrate heavily before an during and  2)  Eat food.  Never, ever, ever, ever drinking on an empty stomach.

I feel like I am forever in search of the perfect foods to match my drink of choice for the evening.  If you appreciate the craft of a small craft brewery you might consider appreciating small batches of tasty pretzels to pair perfectly with your craft beer.  Don’t get me wrong, these would rock with a cocktail or glass of wine.  But Pretzels.com micro batches of pretzels are the perfect compliment for some craft beers. 

Pretzels

(If you go to our article here – The Beer Thrillers and Pretzels.com Affiliateship you can read up on how to get discounted pretzels through Pretzels.com)

The best part of all is they have savory and sweet options.  I have a sweet tooth, so a snack company that keeps in mind both savory and sweet has me sold in a heartbeat.  I started off my first pairing with the Garlic Parm pretzels and grabbed a Legends and Lore from St. Boniface out of the fridge.  This was a large mix of flavors.  Don’t come at me, I don’t pretend to be knowledgeable on pairing options, but I am open to suggestions. 

Beer Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company)

Beer: Legends and Lore
Brewery: St. Boniface Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Milk / Sweet
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 39
Untappd Description: Legend has it that our chai tea milk stout is the perfect cold weather beverage. Roasted barley, black malt, and chocolate malt contribute the dark color and unsweetened chocolate flavors, and lactose provides some body and creamy mouthfeel. Ten gallons of chai tea concentrate were added during the boil, and this layers cinnamon, clove, allspice, and faint notes of honey on top of the dark beer base. Clocking in at a perfectly quaffable 4.5% ABV, Legends and Lore is sure to warm the soul on cold fall and winter evenings.
Global Average Rating: 3.64 (as of 4.2.23)

For me a beer always seems to disappear quicker as you are enjoying it with some food.  The Legends and Lore went down way to fast.  At 4.5% ABV it wasn’t a rough one and I appreciated not being obliterated by a high ABV beer to start off my evening.  I had this one back in December and it was a perfect beer for a cold winter night.  Legends and Lore is a chai tea milk stout.  I was a bit nervous to combine those flavors with a garlic parm pretzel snack but I am an adventurous type of gal.  I was not disappointed.  The chai flavors were there but because it is a milk stout has a creaminess to it that calms the cinnamon flavor down.

Garlic Parm Pretzels

(If you go to our article here – The Beer Thrillers and Pretzels.com Affiliateship you can read up on how to get discounted pretzels through Pretzels.com)

Now let’s talk about these garlic parm pretzels.  It wasn’t the kind of garlic snack that you had to be overly embarrassed about garlic breath fears.  This was a buttery garlic parm they also go down way to easy.  The combo of these two flavors seemed to work out.  Don’t be afraid to be adventurous when trying combo flavors.  Stay tuned for more of my pairing combos and I look forward hearing about flavor recommendations from our readers too. 

Closing Out

This is Amy’s second weekly Sunday article as she continues to write her ‘column’ like posts here for The Beer Thrillers. Today’s been a bit of a busy day. Yesterday was WrestleMania Night 1, where Ben spent the evening with his friends from his last job (at the Casino), and now is WrestleMania Night 2. Earlier today we did Scarlet’s first fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. Walked the neighborhood with her, and stopped at Breski’s Beverages to grab a few four packs.

While Ben took care of Scarlet (watching A Princess and the Frog before getting her to sleep and starting WrestleMania) with the Phillies vs. Texans on his phone, Amy got to relax and write this article, while sipping on this fantastic Other Half beer. (Hopefully the Gusto Phillies beer glass helps them finally get a win this season. The Flyers are getting trashed by the Penquins, so that’s just a loss there.)

Thank you for reading!

Drink more beer.
And Eat more pretzels!
– Amy

Amy’s Weekly Column Articles

Since getting back to writing for the blog after a short hiatus, Amy has started up a weekly column style writing for the blog. You can find these articles here:

• I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
• Beer and Pretzel Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company) and Garlic Parm Pretzels (Pretzels.com)

You can find all of Amy’s articles here: Amy’s Archive of Articles.

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing)
• Revenge of the Fifth / Cinco de Mayo
• May the Fourth Be With You
• Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing)
• Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)
• Beer Review: The Mangolorian (Brewery Fire)
• Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co)
• Book Review: The Jedi Path and The Book of the Sith (Daniel Wallace)
• Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)
• May the Fourth Be With You (2022)
• RAR Out of Order Star Wars Drop!
• Beer Review: Vader (Mispillion River Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Green Milk (RAR Brewing Company) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)

Lord of the Rings:

• Book Review: An Atlas of Tolkien (David Day)
• Book Review: The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Rick and Morty:

• Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

• Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

• Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)
• Book Review: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister (George R.R. Martin)

The Simpsons:

• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

Back to the Future:

• Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

• Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

• Beer Review: Prognosticator Pils (Logyard Brewing Company)
• Logyard Brewing’s Prognosticator Pils is the Official Beer of Groundhog Day (2022)

A Christmas Story:

• Beer Review: The Soft Electric Glow of Sex (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out! (Eight and Sand Beer Co)

Pro Wrestling:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s IPA (El Segundo Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Macho Man (Couch Brewery)
• Beer Review: Royal Rumble (Funk Brewing)
• Stone Cold Steve Austin and the WWE Are Celebrating 3:16 Day

Soccer:

• Beer Review: Pulisic Pilsner (Jackass Brewing Company)

World Cup:

• Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales at World Cup in Last Second Decision
• Breweries Opening Early For the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Ga

Phillies:

• Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

• Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

• Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

• Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

• Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Airing of Grievances (Black Flag Brewing Company)

Other:

• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Pixels (Seminar Brewing)
• Beer Review: Villeinage (Elder Pine Brewing and Blending)
• Beer Review: Intergalactic Deals (Levante Brewing)
• Beer Review: Galactic Space Circus (Creature Comforts Brewing Co)
• Beer Review: The Death of Civilization in Slow Motion I (Ghost 907) (Adroit Theory)
• Beer Review: Ectogasm (Drekker Brewing Co.)
• Beer and Pretzel Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company) and Garlic Parm Pretzels (Pretzels.com)

Thank You For Reading

B. Kline jumping in here now (acting as editor, I suppose I was here the whole time, though Amy fully wrote the article, I just edited it and added the blog “fluff” to it), I just want to say that we here at The Beer Thrillers really appreciate all of you coming to the blog and reading all of our posts and articles. It really means a lot to us.

With it being WrestleMania weekend, I do want to call to attention the Stone Cold beer review – which you can find here below:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull (Stone Cold IPA) (El Segundo Brewing Company)

I also want to point out, that its Sunday – April 2nd, and at 11:59:59 PM EST (so in just about three hours) the voting will end for the Conference Finals. You still have time to vote – and you can vote by going here:

• The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals

I also want to point out that earlier today we covered two breweries going on a temporary hiatus / closing. Fermentery Form and Separatist Beer Project (formerly Sole Brewing Company). You can read those articles here:

• Fermentery Form Announces Temporary Closure
• Separatist Beer Project Announces Temporary Closure

As always, once again, thank you all so very much for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this article – please click the like button, please subscribe and follow our page, and please share our content. It really helps us and means so much to us!

Thanks All!

Drink more beer.
And Eat more pretzels!
– Amy

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

A nice pint of Guinness Stout

When it comes to the age-old advice passed down through generations, one intriguing recommendation for breastfeeding mothers is the consumption of stout beers. The rich, dark brew is often believed to help increase milk supply. But is there any truth to this, or is it simply a well-loved myth? Let’s dive into the details.

The Historical Context

The idea that certain stouts can aid in breastfeeding isn’t new. Historically, dark beers like stouts have been thought to boost milk production due to their higher levels of barley and hops. While the scientific evidence supporting this is limited, many mothers swear by this practice.

Top Stouts Often Recommended

Here are a few stouts that are frequently mentioned in discussions about breastfeeding:

Guinness Draught

Guinness is often recommended due to its relatively low alcohol content and rich nutritional profile. This classic Irish stout is smooth and easy to drink, making it a popular choice.

Oatmeal Stouts

Oatmeal stouts are believed to be beneficial because oats are known to support milk production. Here are two popular options:

• Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout: This stout has a rich, creamy texture and a slight sweetness that pairs well with its roasted malt flavor.
• Founders Breakfast Stout: With notes of coffee and chocolate, this stout is a favorite among beer enthusiasts.

Milk Stouts

Milk stouts contain lactose, a sugar derived from milk, which can be beneficial for milk production. Here are some examples:

• Left Hand Milk Stout: This stout is known for its creamy mouthfeel and slightly sweet finish.
• Mackeson’s XXX Milk Stout: This classic milk stout is smooth and rich, with a touch of sweetness from the lactose.

Important Considerations

While the idea of enjoying a stout to boost milk production is appealing, there are some important considerations to keep in mind:

Moderation is Key

Alcohol consumption should be limited while breastfeeding. The CDC suggests no more than one standard drink per day and waiting at least 2 hours after a single drink before breastfeeding to ensure the alcohol has left your system.

Alcohol-Free Options

For those who prefer to avoid alcohol altogether, there are many non-alcoholic stouts and beers that can provide the same psychological benefit without the alcohol content.

Nutrition and Hydration

A well-balanced diet and staying hydrated are crucial for milk production. Ensure you’re getting enough fluids and nutrients to support both you and your baby.

Six Stouts to Try While Breastfeeding

Stout isn’t just a delicious dark beer that can drink like a meal. It’s also long been believed to be a breastfeeding new mom’s best friend. While some studies warn against nursing mothers consuming alcohol, many doctors believe the occasional drink doesn’t hurt. In certain cultures, dark beer is even considered beneficial: It’s been used to increase the flow of breast milk since the ancient Egyptians started brewing beer 5,000 years ago.

There’s some science behind this belief. Barley, a main ingredient in stout, contains a polysaccharide that increases prolactin, a milk-production hormone. Oats, another common ingredient in stouts, are also thought to promote healthy milk supply, as is vitamin-B-heavy brewer’s yeast. Of course, a beer with a mild proof is the best option for new moms––milk stouts tend to have reasonable ABVs.

These six creamy milk and oatmeal stouts will please those feeding tiny humans from their own bodies and anyone else who appreciates good beer.

1. Copper Kettle Milk Stout ($11 per six-pack)

Made with actual lactose, the ingredient that gives milk stout its name and creamy character, this brew is sweet and malty. While it doesn’t actually taste like milk, this Denver beer has a chocolate milk character and velvety mouthfeel that’s pretty irresistible. At 5.6% ABV, why resist?

2. Finkel & Garf Oatmeal Milk Stout ($9 per six-pack)

From craft-beer-loving Colorado, this oatmeal milk stout is less sweet than a typical milk stout but not quite as heavy as an oatmeal stout. It drinks more like a main course than dessert, but isn’t overly filling. At 5.5% ABV, it shows satisfying malty, coffee, and chocolatey notes.

3. Guinness Milk Stout ($11 per six-pack)

Guinness released its milk stout as part of The Brewers Project series. Using the same yeast base as classic Guinness, this stout offers a kiss of sweetness from the addition of milk sugars, plus bittering hops and roasted barley. It’s smooth and creamy with a toasty chocolate milk undertone. Not quite as low ABV as the original, which clocks in at 4.2%, the 5.3% milk stout is undeniably sessionable.

4. Left Hand Milk Stout ($10 per six-pack)

With roasted barley, flaked oats, and flaked barley, this delightful milk stout is rich and chocolaty thanks, in no small part, to the addition of actual chocolate. At 6% ABV, it’s surprisingly approachable with its sweet, toasty notes and seductive mocha character.

5. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout ($12 per four-pack)

This 5% ABV beer contains hops, malted barley, brewer’s yeast, and oats, making it your classic oatmeal stout recipe. Each batch is fermented in stone Yorkshire squares in the oldest brewery in Tadcaster, England. The result is a refreshing and filling drink with a smooth and bittersweet finish.

6. Sand Creek Oscar’s Chocolate Oatmeal Stout ($7.50 per six-pack)

Oatmeal, chocolate, and barley sound like the components of a breakfast of champions, but they also come together beautifully in dark beer. This nutty, slightly sweet Wisconsin brew caps at 5.6% ABV. It’s “full-bodied yet smooth-drinking,” according to the brewer.

Final Thoughts

While some mothers find that enjoying a stout helps with milk production, it’s essential to approach this practice with caution. Always consult with a healthcare provider or a lactation consultant before making any changes to your diet or alcohol consumption while breastfeeding.

Ultimately, whether it’s for the potential benefits or simply for the love of a good craft beer, enjoying a well-crafted stout can be a delightful experience. Cheers to happy and healthy breastfeeding!

Guinness Articles

• Beer Review: Baltimore Blonde (Guinness Open Gate Brewery)

• Guinness Brewing is Closing Their Maryland Production Facility

• Beer Review: Guinness Draught (Guinness Open Gate Brewery)

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

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You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

I had originally ran out to Harrisburg because I had to go to the DMV to renew my license, only to find out that I now have to go to Enola to renew my license and they are open Tuesday through Saturday (which… of course… today is a Monday). So I walked my dog along the Green Belt and the Riverfront, taking her over to City Island and back, and then decided I’d hit up ZeroDay Brewing. Well… I forgot they are doing the renovations and reconstruction on the old ZeroDay Brewery on Reily Street, and that their new current location doesn’t open til 4PM; so that was obviously a no – go. So I drove home, dropped off Leela, and met Drew and Andy at Troegs.

Sadly, they did not have a cranberry beer, so I only have a cranberry / lemon or lime or something gose I picked up from Urban Artifact for this year’s Thanksgiving. Typically, Troegs does a cranberry every year for Thanksgiving, usually a porter, sometimes something different, and I try to pick up a 4 pack or 6 pack or a crowler of it for the meal. Also, in recent months, it seems Troegs has also really slowed up on their scratch series. Pre-COVID they were doing a new scratch release every Thursday (or nearly every Thursday; and even sometimes doubling up and releasing two on a Thursday), but it seems now they have really slowed up their scratch series, and are releasing them intermittently.

So there was a bit of a dearth in ‘new’ beers for me to try at Troegs today. I was afraid I’d have to drink more when I got home just to hit my requirement of a new beer today, but, I am being a bit cheeky and calling my Mad Elf and Mad Elf Grand Cru picks as ‘new’ since they are technically the Mad Elf (2020) and Mad Elf Grand Cru (2020) vintages. Bit of a loophole… but I’m taking it.

Troegs has slacked a bit on their uptight mandates as well. No longer needing to check into the host and waiting for a text to be seated, and no longer having to “all be together” before seating, I was able to meet up with Drew and Andy who were already seated. Drew ordered a pork waffle thing (no clue), and Andy got fries, I just drank. I had a draft of the Grand Cacao, followed by the Coco-Nator, then the Mad Elf Grand Cru (2020) and the Mad Elf (2020). Funny thing – the very first beer review on the blog here was the scratch Coco-Nator released a year and a half ago – Scratch #375 – Coco-Nator. They then released it later last year as a new seasonal – Coco-Nator, and now its been re-released for the first time this year. And now, here I am, also enjoying a Grand Cacao that I will be doing as another review for Troegs on the blog. (And here I was just thinking to myself how it’s been a ‘hot minute’ since I’ve done a Troegs beer review.) Its almost like coming full circle….

The nice thing about doing the thirty blogs in thirty days thing, is that it gives me a chance to do a lot of reviews I might have skipped, and to really hit a lot of local breweries for the reviews. Getting to do a Tattered Flag one (The Pandalorian) as a recent local brewery beer review. You can see all of my November 2020 posts here: November 2020. Its fun to do a mix-up of local brewery reviews to get the name out and to help promote and because its obviously what I’m drinking, as well as doing some bigger name ones that are maybe from further away breweries or just bigger known beers or breweries, like the Yuengling Hershey Porter or Aslin’s Isolation Anniversary, or Elder Pine Brewing and Blending’s Villeinage.

Troegs Independent Brewing has always put out very strong beers, solid, hard to ignore, hard to hate beers. They are also the biggest local craft brewery in the Central PA area. One of the biggest producers in Pennsylvania, and the East Coast alone. They are often talked about, and one of the more well known breweries. So its great having them theoretically “right in our backyard”. When I was coming of age (of drinking…. legally) (at 21), they were the first real craft brewery that I got into (not counting Sam Adams) and was really the first brewery I visited and went to often. I don’t get to them as much as I used to, and there’s a ton more options now in the area, but they are still a solid brewery.

So let’s break down this latest seasonal beer from Troegs Brewing:

Beer: Grand Cacao
Brewery: Troegs Independent Brewing
Style: Stout – Milk / Sweet
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description:

Welcome to Grand Cacao. This deliciously decadent stout is built on a foundation of rich chocolate malt, caramel malt and roasted barley. Cold-steeping on Peruvian cacao nibs and natural vanilla doubles down on the smooth symphony of chocolate, and a splash of milk sugar delivers a velvety sweet and creamy finish.
We taste: milk chocolate, roasty grain, hints of sweet cream

As per usual with a stout, this is dark black, jet fuel black, Razor Ramon hair black. Stephen Hawking black hole black. Black as my….. (oh…. thats too easy….) ….anyway… moving on from the apt description of somebody’s heart and soul that I know….. This is a dark black beer. It had a nice creamy foam head to it, not big, but not small, nice carbonation, and nice lacing on the glass. Good bubbles that were diverse and varied in size.

The aroma is very chocolaty, very cacao, very baker’s chocolate. As me and Drew and Andy were discussing, like with the Yuengling Hershey’s Porter, which is a super sweet chocolate, we kind of (the three of us in consensus) agreed, that we prefer a more bitter baker’s chocolate to a chocolate stout. This smells just like that. This has more of the bitter, earthy, nib, roasted malt, chocolate smell to it.

Taste is surprisingly smooth, but its not the overly sweet Hershey’s syrupy / syrup taste that the above porter has. Despite this being smooth, silky, and creamy, its more of the bitter chocolate notes. The roasted malt and caramel also gives it a very deeper, darker tone and flavor, and brings out more of the bitter and earthy notes, rather than the sweet chocolate. That not to say that this isn’t sweet or creamy or smooth or silky, it is all of those things and more. I think there’s just more complexity to the flavor in that it provides a bitter chocolate taste, while being creamy and smooth and silk and sweet. A nice complexion and degree of difference between the vanilla and the bitter, between the sweet and the bitter, between the cacao nibs and the vanilla and milk sugar. This tastes more like the hot cocoa you get at a football game once the negative 10 degrees sets in fully and turns your hot cocoa into ….well… regular cocoa. Or the milk after a very chocolaty cereal and you ate all the cereal and are now draining the bowl of its chocolatey milk. This is also a pretty crushable drink too. I could easily down a six pack of the 12oz cans of these (thanks Deuane for the can by the way), or if they ever re-release it in four pack at 16oz cans, I could drink a few of them in that size as well. The 6.5% is pretty low (lower than Troegs own Perpetual IPA – their flagship and staple beer and IPA), so its enough to give you a good surprising buzz after a can or two, but not enough to send you hurting for a hangover the next day. (Jokes on my buddies too, telling me I’ll end up with a headache and hangover from the Mad Elf Grand Cru and Mad Elf I had after the Coco-Nator and Grand Cacao…. I don’t get hangovers anymore……..) A low ABV but high flavor stout is always perfect for the fall months and fall weather leading into the more wintry weather and months. This will go great for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties… I mean…. your own personal home get together’s of Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Not sure if this will become a seasonal regular for Troegs or if this was a one-shot done deal, but if it does become a seasonal regular each year, I will certainly be looking forward to it. Make sure you stop out at the brewery for some of this, not sure if the cans are hitting the distributors or stores, but its at the brewery, and its also on draft at the brewery, so make sure you at least get a try of it before it disappears.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.87 (as of 11.23.20)

This turned into a rather longer winded beer review than I intended, but hopefully you stuck around for it, as its now dragged me from 11PM when I started this til just a wee bit after midnight – 12 – so I’m still counting this as upholding my ‘post’ for the day of the 23rd. (Especially since the time stamp and posting of this is based on when the article was started, so I fly by on a technicality there.)

Be sure to check out some of my other Troegs beer reviews:

• Beer Review: Haze Charmer (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch #417 – Orange – Lemon Peel IPA (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch #400 – Pre – Prohibition Lager (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review: Scratch #394, Scratch #395, Scratch #396, and Mad Elf (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Two Beer Review: Fresh Fest and Trail Day Pale Ale (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review: Fest Lager, Scratch #385 Krausened Dunkel Lager, and Scratch #386 Tangerine – Passionfruit – Guava Tart Ale (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Beer Review: Fuzzy Nudge (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review: Scratch #382 Blackberry Lime Tart Ale, Scratch #383 Hazy IPA (Citra, Galaxy, and Simcoe), Dear Peter, and Naked Elf (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review: Scratch #379 Krausened Keller Pilsner, Scratch #378 DIPA, Scratch #377 Oat IPA, and Scratch #376 Passionfruit and Guava Tart Ale (Troegs Independent Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch #375 Coco-Nator (Troegs Independent Brewing)

For those interested in the Trip to Indianapolis, you can read more through the following articles (some full length articles, some recap articles):

The Trip to Indianapolis – Full Articles:

• Day One: Thousand Steps Trail, Juniata Brewing Company, Ghost Town Trail, Levity Brewing
• Day Two:
• Day Three:
• Day Four:
• Day Five:
• Day Six:
• Day Seven:

The Trip to Indianapolis – Recap Articles:

• The Trip to Indy
• The Trip to Indy – Day One Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Three Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Four Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Five Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Six Recap
• The Trip to Indy – Day Seven Recap
• Recap and Stats

As always everyone, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the beer review and your time here at The Beer Thrillers. Be sure to like, follow, subscribe, and if you want, comment or ask any questions please feel free to do so. Love hearing from you all.

Also be sure to stay safe this Thanksgiving week, with COVID-19 and everything going on, this is going to be a tough week, and one where everyone needs to do their best to stay safe and healthy.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

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Thursday night I took the time to travel up 283 for 20 or so minutes to get to Mt. Joy to visit my friend Ming to help him with some post-interview writing he had to do for a potential future job, and of course I can’t help myself but stop in at a brewery that is fifteen from his house.

So upon arrival, me, Ming, and Don head over and I grab myself a flight, and over the course of a good forty minutes we drank, they ate (and drank), and we chatted. What’s better than that?

I’ve been to Twisted Bine once before, soon after they had opened (again when visiting Ming) and this was my second time. I’ve only had their beers from visits (don’t know if they’ve done any brewfests, I know their not canning/bottling and distributing). Both times I’ve come away enjoying the beers I’ve had and the brewery itself is a lovely bar room and a fun inviting place.

As the name implies…. this was sweet. Very much so sweet. Like milk stout sweet (which coincidentally is the next beer, Mr. Radar).

Beer: Sweet Tooth (Barrel Aged)
Brewery: Twisted Bine Beer Co.
Style: Stout – Double/Imperial
ABV: 9.5%
IBU: N/A
Untappd Write-Up: Imperial Stout – Just as the name suggests, we sweetened up this bold full bodied imperial stout and then stashed it in a whiskey barrel. We should have called this one Smooth Tooth!

It certainly is smooth and a great sipper or easy gulper, whatever your preference. The look is pure jet engine oil black and you could take a UV light or a regular light or a five thousand power watt lightbulb to it and probably not see through it. Aroma is very malty, with a bit of the whiskey peeking out.

The taste is very sweet, smooth, but with very little whiskey bite or flavor. Its not cloying and the mouthfeel is very heavy and thick, pretty much everything you’d want in an Imperial Stout. Was hoping for some more of the whiskey flavor though which sadly goes too unnoticed.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.21 (as of 8.10.19)

I had to do a double-check on these, Sweet Tooth tasted more of the milk stout than this did, and this actually has a bit of the bite to it. But its not a whiskey bite, and its a bit thinner, just odd that the “Milk Stout” is less smooth, less sugary, and less sweet than the Imperial Stout aged in whiskey, but after drinking it more you can definitely tell the difference between the two.

Thats not really to take anything away from this. Its still a fine beer, just the lesser of the two in most aspects.

Beer: Mr Radar
Brewery: Twisted Bine Beer Co
Style: Stout – Milk / Sweet
ABV: 5%
IBU: 22
Untappd Write-Up: Velvety smooth with a touch of sweetness, this milk stout brewed with lactose sugar gives nutty hugs and chocolatey kisses.

I don’t think this is nearly as velvety smooth as the Sweet Tooth, nor is this as sweet either. Also a bit surprised to find an IBU listing for this, would be curious which hops they used.

Again, none of this is to say its bad. Just expected a bit more sweetness, smoothness, but its still a good beer.

Appearance, its dark, but not quite as dark as the Sweet Tooth. Aroma has notes of chocolate but subtle behind a malted grain bill.

Taste is roasted malt, biscuity even, with some chocolate notes, and a bit smoother and sweeter the more you drink it. I think a full draft would showcase the sweetness and smoothness better than a taster can do. As this definitely seems made for sipping and enjoying rather than ‘breezing through’.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 8.10.19)

I’m a sucker for bocks, of all types, if I see one on a tap list, you best be betting that I’m trying it. And this certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Beer: Mai Concerto
Brewery: Twisted Bine Beer Co.
Style: Bock – Hell / Maibock / Lentebock
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: N/A
Untappd Write-Up: Maibock- Pale, medium to full bodied lager whose bready, sweet malty palate and subtle hop character comes in around 6.8%.

This was a nice change-up from the previous two stouts. Lighter but with great flavor and a whole different vibe than that of the stouts.

This has a nice bready, biscuity, light earthy aroma to it. As if opening the door to a bakery that might not have made a brand new fresh loaf but has made one recently (within the past hour) and the air still has the smell of it on it.

The coloring is a nice light brown clear hue that looks like most well made lagers (glares menacingly at Bud Light, Budweiser, and Coors).

Taste is on point. Bready, malty, with a sweetness, and then kicks off with a bit of a bittering from the hops. Its not so much blended but the tastes kind of come in waves, first bready and with some malt, then a sweetness, and then a slight bitterness. A nice pleasant aftertaste that sits on your tongue as well.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.52 (as of 8.10.19)

As you could see in the previous picture, this came with an orange slice, which, on the whole is ‘meh’ to me, but I can see the appeal to the “Blue Moon” crowd, and the likes. Plus if you want to eat an orange slice, there ya go….

Belgian Wits and Witbiers in general are once again another style that I will seek out when seen on the draft board (over say an IPA or Pale Ale), so over the two IPAs on their taplist that I haven’t had yet I chose this to close my night here.

Beer: Song About Rainbows
Brewery: Twisted Bine Beer Co.
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: N/A
Untappd Write-Up: This traditional Belgian style beer has a mild spice and a hint of sweetness from the clementine peels used in the boil. Sunshine and rainbows in a glass, great on a hot summer day!

This was a well done, crisp, clear, dry, Witbier, done in the Belgian style, so typically a bit dryer than some Witbiers, which I tend to prefer.

The coloring is light, clear, and has a nice ring of head to the top, just appropriate.

The aroma is very heavy orange/clementine. And thats even after pulling the orange slice out, it still resonates. Which is a bit of a reason why I wish the orange slice wasn’t given, as it kind of clouds this, but its nothing to really agitate me over or anything.

Taste hits all the style points and markers. Its dry, its crisp, its smooth, it has that Belgian spice medley that plays on your tongue and leaves a wonderful aftertaste, and it has the notes of clementine and orange. You pick up the coriander that is the staple spice and it all plays well together. Mouthfeel isn’t thick or cloying, and its not too thin of a beer either, so all is done well there as well.

My Untappd Rating: ***.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.65 (as of 8.10.19)

And that wraps up another brewery visit and stop. I would definitely recommend Twisted Bine if you are in the area. Great location, nice spot, my friends rave about the food (the fries are good, from what I’ve had), and the beer is all done very well. Always a must stop for me whenever visiting Ming.

In blog news, expect to see the Moo-Funk Home Brew event blog post either tonight or early tomorrow (I know, I know, finally! Its only nearly 1 month after the event…. )


Until then, see you next time and keep drinking people. Don’t want to put your liver out of a job!

-B. Kline

The start to any weekend (and yes, my weekend begins Wednesday night, with my days off being Thursday-Friday) requires a relaxing fantastic beer to enjoy, and something strong to remove all lingering reminders of work…. and I picked a wonderful one to do it with.

This is not a new beer for me (or even a new beer period) by any stretch. And I’ll be upfront on this, I helped Tattered Flag (and Derek Wolf of Wolf Brewing Co) to can it. We canned it on 1.17.19, so roughly four months ago. But obviously, as a stout, that’s no problem, especially kept cool in my fridge from the time it came home. (And according to Untappd, I’ve checked into this now 15 times, so I’d say I’m a bit familiar with the beer).

So, in essence, a big, strong, tasty, dark beer to relax to while reading is the perfect start to any weekend. And yes, its always stout season, no matter the temperature, don’t let the haters fool you.

So lets get right into this big boozy beer:

Name: Boulangerie Stout – Imperial Churro

Brewery: Tattered Flag (collaboration with Wolf Brewing Co.)

Style: Imperial Stout: Milk/Sweet Stout
ABV: 11.2%

IBU: None

Untappd Description: Straight from Latin American churrerias to your glass – via our friends at Costco – Tattered Flag and Wolf Brewing Company bring you Boulangerie Imperial Churro Stout. Brewed with whole churros, then conditioned on ceylon cinnamon and the finest vanilla beans, this is truly pastry in a glass. Todo el mundo debería creer en algo. Yo creo que debemos tomar otra cerveza. Salud!

So, the first notes of this are immediately boozy, warm, and strong. As it warms up it mellows out a bit, but the first impression will be sweet, strong, and boozy, and very tasty.

As you delve into the beer, the vanilla and the cinnamon takes a bit more prominence, especially as the beer warms up in your glass. There is a nice sugary taste and feel to it (afterall it is a pastry stout), but its not cloying, or over sweet, or over powering, it seems to be just right on.

The churro is a nice backbone to this sweet, boozy beer, providing it with the thick mouthfeel and much of the aroma. The vanilla lends it that sweetness that makes it very delicious, and the cinnamon provides just the right spice to keep it interesting to the last sip.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25

Global Untappd Rating: 4.05 (as of May 22nd, 2019)

• B. Kline