Month: October 2014

Sunday Beer Blog: Jacobite Ale

Published on by TraciLeave a comment

Today our beer has travelled from far away and my blog is subtly laced with betrayal. Yes, today I will speak highly of a Scottish beer, and being that I’m Irish, this is not something I do lightly.

(Although I think it should be said that if we had spent thousands of years as a united front, we’d all be speaking Gaelic. Just saying that amount of ornery would have been unstoppable.)

Anyhoo…today’s beer is Jacobite Ale from Traquair House Brewery. Hailing from Scotland, these fellows have been brewing since 1745.

One of the perks of being in the “biz” so long is having a collection of cool brewing supplies. For Jacobite, they utilized a copper kettle from 1738 and oak fermenters.

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This ale is yeasty, nutty, and lighter on the palate than expected. Coriander is supposed to be a main brewing ingredient, but I have to admit the distinct flavor escaped me.

Jacobite is very reminiscent of Newcastle’s Black Cabbie, and that’s a beer I have trouble sharing.

Derek’s take: “That’s a beer to enjoy by the fire.”

Beer Name: Jacobite Ale
Brewer: Traquair House Brewery
From: Scotland
Purchased From: Wine House

Sunday Beer Blog: Kill Devil ’13

Published on by TraciLeave a comment

Hot damn! We had our first snow today. It was perfect, powder sugar snow that floated down like a dream. This is the time of year where the snow is simply gorgeous. Later, it’s pretty…pretty aggravating.

Other than the white surprise this morning, I was quite taken by our visit to the new Brown Jug location on Old Seward. I had heard rumors the growler bar was substantial, but there was so much more.

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The “Jug” offered a growler bar with over 30 choices on tap. They had also allowed for a customer choice where one lucky patron gets their pick on tap. The available beers were varied and difficult to narrow down. (We had only brought two growlers.) I like having that problem.

The next surprise was the general beer selection. Wow. Beer floor-to-ceiling down an entire aisle AND a cooler.

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While we perused Derek noticed Kill Devil. This is a beer we swooned over last year and didn’t expect back due to it’s limited edition status. A bit too giddy, we grabbed a bottle.

Kill Devil is brewed by Widmer Brothers and is a brown ale. It’s special due to its ingredients- Barbados & Blackstrap molasses, Palm sugars, Calypso hops- and due to its conditioning in Puerto Rican Rum barrels.

There’s a malty initial taste followed by a smooth butterscotch, and concluded with tingly sweet hops. The beautiful golden copper brew is “deeeelicious” if you ask Derek.

Beer Name: Kill Devil ’13
Beer Style: Brown Ale
Brewer: Widmer Brothers
Region: NW
Alcohol Content: 9.5%
Purchased From: Brown Jug