So my friend, iZathrez on twitter (who posts so very little) swings by to raid my comic book collection, suggests that it was a good day to taste a new beer, which is weird for him, but as it turns out he just wanted to see my beer spot… So, we took the trip there and spent way too much time looking around the beer section. A pink elephant kept catching my eye but I continued looking around anyway. I was looking at Flying Dog bottles, as well as Brooklyn Beer, Chimay, and other various beers. I see him pick up the bottle, with the pink elephant and out of the corner of my eye, I swear he was talking to the bottle, but I let that go and we decided to purchase it. Got Lunch for my wife and kids, sorted through comics, put the kids down for their nap and sent the wife out to do what she does well, SHOP.

I pulled out my favorite glass (thanks Beer Utopia), my friend bought one just to try the beer with (I am getting him a proper glass for Christmas) and we went forth, to try this Delirium Nocturnum. And man let me tell you, this was one of the best choices, beer-wise, we have made in some time.

Delirium Nocturnum is from Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium. It has been in business since the 1500s and is still a small family owned operation. Delirium Nocturnum is a dark ale of 8.5% alcohol. It is a triple fermentation ale using 3 different yeast strains and 5 different malts. Incredibly well-balanced for ale this high in alcohol, the bouquet has an aromatic sweetness. The body is bursting with flavors of raisins, bittersweet chocolate, and aniseed. The finish is long and develops into a hoppy aftertaste.

Now first off, I have to admit we tried it wrong. We chilled it down, not doing the research which basically said “should be served at room temperature.” **Note to future me, research your beer for 5 seconds before you try.** Now on to what we thought…

How Does it Smell?: POUR, COLOR?: The beer poured this brilliant brownish garnet ruby color, while the head contrasted it and had a great cream color. When the sun hit this beer it was just stunning. As you brought the glass up for the first taste you could smell a slight fruit sweetness.

Taste?: The taste was just amazing. We just got quiet as we drank it, because it was cold, we had to think about the flavors. There was a sweetness to it, with a dark and mysterious fruity undertones at first. Chocolate eventually came out. Drinking this beer cold, as we did, I found this beer to be very balanced and I’m curious how the taste will be at room temperature.

Body?: This beer has a medium body feel, but it was so full of flavor, the carbonation was not that strong making it nice and smooth.

Finish: The finish is pleasurably long, with fruity lingering notes. It builds up, eventually, into a nice hoppiness as the description I read said it would.

Drinkability: This beer was bittersweet with all the proper hints of things all through it, this beer is a must drink, I will have this again properly.

What about the packaging? The Pink Elephant is brilliant, even though I swear my friend was talking to it. The bottle has the ceramic-like coating with the Elephant logo on it. It was a great looking bottle and I had a hard time letting go of it, but the wife said I had to get rid of it. I guess it’s just to the list of the many excuses to buy it again.

Comic Pairings: It was agreed that the Best Comics for this beer was Grant Morrison’s Doctor Who. This is not a beer for Marvel or DC, it’s not for superheroes, a little too refined for that. Before “The Invisibles,” before “Doom Patrol,” before “Animal Man,” even before “Zenith” — there was “Doctor Who.” Grant Morrison cut his teeth on the comic versions sprung from the TV version, writing three stories that 20-some years later, people still talk about.

As for food, don’t hate me, I would love this with a really good pizza, my friend wanted it with a really good roasted Cedar plank Atlantic salmon and red potatoes.

Anime Pairing: I would love to drink this while watching FLCL. FLCL (フリクリ, Furi Kuri^?, also Fooly Cooly) is an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records. FLCL’s odd style, hyperactive pace, convoluted, esoteric plot, and tendency to break the fourth wall sets it apart from other contemporary anime. It has an abstractly designed storyline about growing up and losing the childish viewpoint of life that all people once had, and seeing the true reality of the world.

Availability
It’s available in 12oz and 750 ml bottles, year-round. Serving types had: bottle (435), on-tap (13), growler (3).

Some Info on the beer can be found here http://www.delirium.be/

Brewed by: Brouwerij Huyghe In business since the 1500s, Brouwerij Huyghe is still a small family owned operation in Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale |  8.50% ABV

Other Notes:
Très dense en goût, elle s’oppose en caractère à sa consoeur blonde. Very dense taste, it is contrary to his character consoeur blonde. Elle reflète d’un caractère plus dur et plus corsé et qui fatalement ne rassemble pas spécialement les mêmes amateurs que la traditionnelle “. Elle est à la fois forte en goût, amer d’écorce et de houblon, ainsi qu’en saveur alcoolisée. Son évaluation finale n’arrive qu’en fin de dégustation, avec une prolongation assez longue de son amertume. Chaude et veloutée, elle plait généralement au vrai connaisseur, mais ne la prive pas de découverte auprès des curieux pionniers de bières de caractère.

http://www.delirium.be/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_Nocturnum

Popularity: 7% [?]

It was a late night and I needed to relax, sit back for a minute and soak in the madness of the last few days. It was a cool September Saturday night and the sky was partly cloudy. It was really quiet and one of the last nights I would be having in what used to be ‘my back yard.’ I got to have a bottle that night and I gave a bottle to my good friend iZathrez. Anyhoo, it was a very good beer.

Smell from the bottle - At that time of night, it was nice to get delicate smell of sweet hoppyness and malts. I know I did not get the full effect from the bottle but it was good.

Appearance - I did not pour this beer into a glass, but Flying Dog has great labels, nuff’ said.

Taste – This was a nice clean, light caramel beer, left me wanting more.

Mouth feel- This beer is halfway from a REALLY GOOD natural soda and a Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale to m.

Comic Book Pairings - I am going to read JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #25
On October 1, 2008 Written by Dwayne McDuffie; Art by Ed Benes; Cover by Ed Benes
Vixen and Animal Man journey into the sacred Tantu Totem to solve the mystery of their altered power.

Food Pairings – All I wanted that night was a hotdog from Grey Papayas in the east Village in New York City and if I knew my wife would not beat the living crap out me, I would of gone out there and gotten one.

Drinkability and repeat Drinkability - I have drunk this beer every year since the first time I had it. Dogtoberfest is not just some beer you enjoy just for the tasting, it’s something you have in October in as many ways as possible. For me it’s the Oktoberfest beer that sets the benchmark for all the others

Brewer’s breakdown and info

The origins of Dogtoberfest are shrouded in mystery, but scholars think it has everything to do with an insane German king and a crazed Oompah band. You can read the full historical record of Dogtoberfest at FlyingDogAles.com. Dogtoberfest is deep mahogany in color with an intriguing caramel finish and brewed with 100% imported German ingredients for a true German flavor.

ABV: 5.3%
Plato: 14
IBU’s: 30
Specialty Malts: Vienna Malt, Munich 90 Malt, Munich 100 Malt, Light Munich Malt
Hops: German Perle, Hersbrucker
Process: 100% imported German ingrediants for an authentic flavor

Popularity: 6% [?]

On Sunday, a beautiful beer drinking Sunday at dusk, I had Flying Dog Brewery’s In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen in the as-yet-unnamed glass from Samuel Adams Brewery. I have given the glass two names “my precious” and/or “The Nirvana Lager Glass,” while other names used for the glass are “The Perfect Pint Glass” and “The Boston Beauty.”

About the “Nirvana Lager Glass” glass, my Precious, such a beautiful glass, it held the beer so well. It’s true it does “elevate the craft beer experience.” The glass is well weighted and comfortable in the hand. The way Samuel Adams placed their logo is a perfect line for the pour, and everything else, well, it’s just as the company describes it. I cannot do a better job in its description.

“It’s been a personal passion of mine to develop a beer glass that elevates the craft beer drinking experience” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “We wanted to create a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory drinking experience by fully showcasing Samuel Adams Boston Lager’s complex balance of malt and hop flavors. This glass achieves that mission.”

“Our research has demonstrated that the right glassware can make a world of difference in optimizing the consumer’s sensory experience with taste, color, and aroma, especially in a complex craft beer like Samuel Adams Boston Lager,” said Todd Rhodes, Manager, TIAX Food, Formulation, and Sensory Science Group.”

You can read the rest of their article here

I must recommend this glass for any halfway serious beer drinker. Nuff’ Said.

The first beer I tested the Glass with was new to me - Flying Dog’s In-Heat Wheat.

-Smell after pouring: A good hoppy, slightly malty smell rose off the top of glass right after the pour, making itself known.

-Appearance: It’s a great looking beer, especially after the whole bottle is poured. Great golden cloudy look with a nice head to it when poured correctly.

-Taste:  A full flavored taste. I had to think about it at first and after another sip or two, banana was what I was tasting.

-Mouth feel: It filled my mouth nicely, with all parts of my tongue getting different flavors.

-Food Pairings: I would like this with a good German sausage will an load of sauerkraut and some good spicy mustard and some crusty bread.

-Alcohol feel: This beer had a slight kick to it, maybe I had not eaten enough at the time because I felt it!

-Comic Book Pairings: I would like to have this beer while reading Nova from Marvel Comics. Its and action sci-fi book with as much flavor as In-Heat Wheat. The last issue I read was # 16 “The Story: SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!– … is our always-outnumbered space cop actually teaming with one of the enemy? When Super-Skrull comes asking for a favor, can you ever trust the warrior whose life was dedicated to destroying us? “

-Drinkability and repeat Drinkability: I can see myself drinking this again. Definitely a Good Beer.

From the Flying Dog:
She taunts and teases… In-Heat Wheat is our German-style Hefeweizen. She is a full flavor beer, perfect for the more adventurous craft beer drinker. The addition of malted white wheat gives this brew its smooth, full mouth feel. A proprietary yeast creates intriguing flavors of bananas and cloves.

ABV:4.7%
Plato:12
IBU’s:12
Specialty Malts:Malted White Wheat, Munich Malt
Hops:German Perle
Process:Unfiltered for added flavor
Nutritional Information: Carbs/8.3g  Calories/131

This was a Great Tasting thanks to Beer Utopia. I think I will do all my future tastings from this glass, and Flying Dog has not let me down yet, their beers are always top notch.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Following about ten days of malicious and extraordinary insanity, my wife and I were finally able get a hold a moment where we could relax. My beautiful bride had the joyous and uncanny idea of visiting my favorite pub, Gaslight Brewery. The Gaslight, as we call it, is located a block northeast of the South Orange train station and west of Scotland Avenue. It’s a big place with a very good selection of bottled Belgian beers, German beers, ciders, and meads. The pub is a minuscule stroll from my favorite Comic Book store, so it’s fundamentally ideal!

We ordered the fish-n-chips that day, which I had with the pub’s Bulldog Blonde, a Golden or Blonde Ale. It is one of their standards, but a very good brew. It has a fantastic golden color with a slight sweetness to it, lightly malty, with a small hoppy taste and a great light aroma. A good starter but not the star of the evening.

My second beer for the evening, the beer that brought a tear to my eye, that actually lived up to its name was Gaslights Perfect Stout. It’s a Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout and here is what I think of it.

Smell after brought to table- There was just a great aroma which had a great hoppiness to it without being overpowering.

Appearance- This was just a really good looking stout. It was as black as a moonless cloudy night sky, with a nice dense contrasting nitro head on the top. A perfect Guinness commercial pales in comparison to the sight of this beer.

Taste and mouth feel- The taste, OMG! It was that good. This beer was a silky smooth wonder, with this astonishing coffee and malt flavor with subtle molasses sweetness to it and the texture made it embracing.

Alcohol: This beer was subtle in it’s alcohol, I could drink it all night.

Pairings: Pairing with food, well this is a hard one for me, I would like this with roast chicken and some steamed veggies and if with a dessert, a piece of Coffee Cake or a Chocolate Cheese Cake would work for me.

Comic Pairings: I would Pair this with DC comics: Final Crisis : Revalations Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Philip Tan, Jeff De Los Santos and Jonathan Glapion; Covers by Philip Tan. In issue #1 With the end of creation nigh, Crispus Allen must embrace his role as The Spectre by exacting God’s vengeance on some of the DC Universe’s most vile sinners. But even as Allen struggles with his duty, a new threat is arising – one that only his former partner, Renee Montoya, a.k.a. The Question, can help him fight! And in issue #2 The Question’s been marked for death by The Spectre! How will Renee escape the grasp of the Spirit of Vengeance? Can either of them stop the immortal Vandal Savage once he has the Spear of Destiny? Plus, the return of Batwoman! A dark book with smooth art, goes great with this Perfect Stout.

Drinkability – This beer made me shed a tear, I believe, it was so good, so familiar and overwhelmingly full of flavor. This stout, I held, made me so wide eyed and hopeful. I now barely remember any stout that came before this precious moment, all the past stouts I drank were but illusions. I give my compliment to the brew master.

Yeah I know I am going a bit overboard here, but, yeah, it was that good. I want to make that a regular in my beer consumption and I wonder how it will hold up in a growler. Good to the last drop, it was it was a Perfect Stout.

Popularity: 10% [?]

A German Hefeweizen brewed by Brooklyn Brewery, New York

Commercial Description:
Brooklyner Weisse is a Bavarian-style wheat beer, unfiltered and chock full of spicy esters that evoke hints of cloves and fruit, some say even bananas. The beer is made with a traditional weizen yeast strain. The malt mix is half malted wheat and half barley malt. The hops are Perle, from Germany. Bitterness is low to medium. 5.1%abv.

Smell after Pouring: This beer has a very good smell after pouring, it’s hits you a.s.a.p. and says drink me Poozer (a poozer is a New Green Lantern recruit, or at least that’s what their drill sergeant Kilowog calls them but I digress).

Appearance: This beer looks great after its poured. You get a good foamy head with a slightly cloudy look, which is nice to look at. Nuff’ said.

Smell after sitting a minute: After pouring and you take a moment to let it breath, it’s gives off a slight fruity smell uncannily merged with spices.

Taste: This is a very nice tasting beer, light and a little refreshing. There is a nice balance of hops and malt which gives it a good character.

Mouth feel: This beer is very good cold. It’s got good flavor cold and it if you drink it slow it subtly changes on you, which is very nice in the end.

Alcohol feel: Not too strong, rather relaxing, does not hit you.

Drinkability: I was surprised by this beer! I was not expecting much after drinking Brooklyn Brown Ale. In hindsight, I was underwhelmed. My review of that is here. I would drink this beer again definitely. It made me want to visit the Brooklyn Brewery.

Comic Pairings: If you can’t tell from an Earlier statement, I can see this beer in the warriors bar on Planet OA, home of the Green Lantern Corps. That is the DC comic I would pair this Beer with — Green Lantern Corps, which is a fantastic Monthly Series.

Food Pairings: I would like this beer with a good sandwich, but also a taco, or a burrito, and not that Taco Bell Crap either.

More Info on this beer can be found here:http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/

Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1987 by by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. The pair hired Milton Glaser to design the company’s logo. Glaser had been the creator of the world famous I LOVE NY logo.

In 1994, Garrett Oliver was hired as the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. In 2003, he published his book “The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering The Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food”, which has earned national acclaim.

Popularity: 10% [?]