Blog Archives

Empty Growler now has actual Empty Growlers!

May 22, 2013
By

emptygrowlers1

You would think that a website called Empty Growler might actually have their own growlers. And up until now, it was just something we were talking about doing, but now, well, it’s a reality.

We partnered with our friends from MOTR Pub in Cincinnati for these fantastic growlers and we have to admit, it’s pretty amazing to see them finished and ready to take on whatever beer you want to fill them with.

They will be unveiled officially and available for you to purchase at our next MOTR tap takeover on June 19th in Cincinnati. We will also be giving a couple of them away here on EG, so stay tuned for that as well.

But until then, get excited for our event on June 19th, we have some great beers lined up yet again and will be sharing the full tap list very soon.

Dark Lord Day 2013 sets a new standard for beer festivals

May 1, 2013
By

darklord2013
Last year I gave you Dark Lord Day through the eyes of a total rookie. I talked about the bad weather, the cramped conditions and the amazing, amazing beer. Well, one of those three things are worth talking about after this years fest, and thankfully, it’s only the return of the great beer.

If you spend any time on the forums over on BeerAdvocate, you know that the questions were flying non stop leading up to this years Dark Lord Day. Would the ticket buying process improve? Would the Floyds do something to curb second hand sales of tickets? Would it be at the park? What would the variants be? What about the allotments?

Part of the reason for all of these questions is that Three Floyds keeps information pretty close to the vest. After all, it’s not like any of us won’t show up if they change things up, we want the experience, we want the Dark Lord!

So with plenty of questions and just enough doubt, I stumbled into a ticket again for DLD, and after that there is no going back, literally. After all, this year when you bought a ticket they stamped your name on it, so good luck selling it on StubHub for quadruple the price you paid. And they also doubled the price (to 30$) of the ticket, which gives you nothing more than the RIGHT to stand in line in Munster, Indiana. And it darklordlineturns out, they didn’t decide to just let the bartenders follow a metal band on tour or get their full back tattoo pieces finished, they actually used it to improve the festival experience!

Going from 2012 to 2013 was like going from a backyard BBQ to an actual festival. I know the event has grown like crazy in recent years, so it was quite a treat to show up and see Port-O-Lets as far as the eye could see and an gigantic area full of picnic tables and even a legit music stage. Yep, we didn’t know where we were at first. But after the shock wore off, it turned into the best beer festival you could ask for. Why? Well here are 25 reasons off the top of my head, in no particular order.

1) Fantastic weatherwhitechocbt
2) More room to roam
3) Mostly great people all around
4) New Dark Lord bottle art
5) The brewpub was closed, so less reason to get there super early
6) Cycle Brewing Nooner
7) Jackie O’s Oaky Golden Pucker
8) 2009 Fred From The Wood
9) Bells Batch 7,000
10) Hill Farmstead What Is Enlightenment?
11) White Chocolate, Chocolate Rain and Black Tuesday side by side by side
12) 3 Liter bottles of Supplication and Temptation
13) Barrel Aged Speedway Stout
14) Beachwood Full Malted Jacket
15) Mother Of All Storms
16) 10th Anniversary Utopias
17) Cantillon Iris
18) Three Floyds Cat Moves
19) Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Grand Reserve
20) Hill Farmstead Vera Mae
21) Cantillon Blåbær Lambik!
22) Sun King Pappy Van Muckle
23) 2011 Bourbon Barrel Dark Lord
24) BA Dark Lord with Vanilla Bean
25) BA Dark Lord Moscatel

Yeah, that was just some of the highlights of this years Dark Lord Day. The only low point was the long wait in line to buy our allotment of Dark Lord this year. I was in Group D and there were several bottlenecks which kept us waiting for nearly three hours. But at the end, I was happy to get my allotment, plus a bottle of Moscatel Barrel Aged Dark Lord. And with empty pockets and full backpacks we left another Dark Lord Day. The best one yet, and hopefully not the last for me.

joevanilladl
(Yes, I’m drinking Bourbon Barrel Dark Lord. This picture kinda proves it.)

How was your Dark Lord Day experience?

The night we drank all the Bourbon County

April 8, 2013
By

bourboncounty

They called it the Bourbon County Stout tasting to end all Bourbon County Stout tastings. Well, maybe I just called it that because the lineup was phenomenal. If you like Goose Islands sometimes elusive, always amazing Bourbon County Brand Stout, abbreviated affectionately by beer dorks everywhere as BCBS, or BCBCS or BCBVS or well, you get the idea. Then this tasting is one you might dream about.

We didn’t end up tasting every Bourbon County Stout and variant ever created, but it was damn close and there were some ‘custom’ variants and desserts to offset whatever might have been missing. Here was how things went down.

The first blind wave…

To start we had four different Bourbon County vintages put in front of us. We didn’t know what years would be represented, but were told that the 2006 and the 2012 were part of the mix. What ended up happening though is we were lied to. It’s true that the 06 and 12 were in front of us, as well as the 2009. What we didn’t know was that Bourbon County Rare had been substituted as the fourth blind competitor. I’m not going to lie, I gravitated towards the Rare right away. Of the four glasses it was the one I couldn’t stop drinking. So, naturally I thought it had to be the 2006 vintage.

I ranked them blind this way.bc3
1) Bourbon County Rare
2) 2006 Bourbon County
3) 2012 Bourbon County
4) 2009 Bourbon County

Among our group, this is how it shook out.

1) Rare – 8 1st place, 4 2nd place
2) 2012 – 4 1st place, 7 2nd place
3) 2006 – 1 1st place, 2 2nd place
4) 2009 – lots of last places…

What can we learn from this blind tasting? Well, first off, Rare is still badass and even though a couple people didn’t rank it #1 or even #2. The 2012 batch, which many have said is as good fresh as any in the past, is tasting fantastic still about 7 months since bottling, and the 06′ is decent, although most agreed is past its prime. Also, the 2009 was weird, it had a bit of a acidy taste in my opinion. Either it’s at an awkward stage or just wasn’t a great batch.

We didn’t go blind with the rest of the BCBS stuff, but here are my personal tasting rankings for the other stuff we tried, along with the blind beers.

1) Bourbon County Vanilla (2010): This was my first Vanilla taste and it didn’t let me down at all. Not only does it smell amazing still, but the vanilla finish is simply fantastic.

Recommendation: Trade for it like a madman!

2) Bourbon County Rare: Like I said before, still a badass beer and almost a 1a ranking for me. It’s still plenty boozy with just enough of those Pappy barrels tingling on the tongue.

Recommendation: Trade for it like a madman!

3) Bourbon County Cherry Rye: The most recent BC variant in our tasting really surprised me this time. I’d had it before and enjoyed it but didn’t feel the need to go out of my way to acquire more. bc2But now I just might. The cherry is toned down just a tad and isn’t cloying whatsoever. If you don’t like cherry, it doesn’t matter, this is a great beer.

Recommendation: Get your hands on a bottle.

4) Bourbon County Stout (2010 / 2006 / 2011): I’m grouping these together because they were all excellent and it would be tough to rank one ahead of the other. The 06′ wasn’t a favorite for many when tasted blind, but I found it mellow, smooth and really tasty. The 2010 and 11′ were both fantastic and just about in their prime in my opinion. I don’t know the ideal age for BCBS, but if I had a gun to my head I would say two years.

Recommendation: Drink the 06 now. Drink the 2010 now and sit on the 2011 a little longer if you have the patience.

5) Bourbon County Stout Coffee (2012): This years Coffee version is still tasting really really good. The Intellgentsia Coffee or maybe it’s still just fresh enough but I really loved it. I had another bottle back in December though and there was more coffee present, so as you might expect, the fade is on.

Recommendation: Drink it if you have it as soon as possible.

The rest of what we tried, with minimal notes. (Sorry, it was a lot)

Bourbon County Stout 2012: It’s only 7 months old but it really might end up being one of the best batches ever. I can’t wait to try this again at the one year mark, and the two year mark.

Recommendation: Hoard it.

Bourbon County Stout 2007, 2008: These two were very close for me. Neither was particularly offensive but neither stood out enough to rank them any higher.

Recommendation: Trade it.

Bourbon County Coffee (2010): I was really surprised to still get a solid coffee flavor when tasting this one. If I was drinking it along I’d probably rate it higher, but next to the 2012 it wasn’t as good.

Recommendation: Drink it now.

bc1smallBourbon County Bramble Rye: It’s been compared to Bourbon County plus Robitussin by many and it’s still not difficult to see why this was one of the least popular BC variants. It still has a heavy raspberry and blackberry flavors but the rye whiskey barrel is almost non-existent to me at this point.

Recommendation: Trade it.

We also got to try Bourbon County Stout aged in a coconut for three days, which was better than you might think, and BC with peanut and chocolate, which I hope becomes an official variant in the future.

My recipe for Bourbon County cupcakes was utilized, and there were three types of Bourbon County Ice Cream on hand as well.

Mt. Carmel Brewing Announces New Packaging

April 1, 2013
By

mtcarmelaprilfools
Mt. Carmel gets in on April Fools Day.

Ohio Brewery Makes History with Foil Swan

(Cincinnati, OH) – Mt. Carmel Brewing is shunning the popular growler in lieu of what experts are touting as a modern marvel in carry-out draft beer technology. Mt. Carmel has become the first brewery in history to utilize the foil swan as a means for taking home draft beer from their on-site taproom.

“Far too much time has gone by with people lugging these uncivilized glass jugs home. We want to bring some civility to the experience,” said Patrick Clark, MCBC’s Brand Manager. “What is more fancy than a foil swan? Nothing! That is what!”

The revolutionary packaging comes just in time for the release of MCBC’s arguably most fancy beer to date – Ardennes Belgian Quad. The brewery spent more than 2 hours developing its aluminum prototype and settled on a model reinforced by the proprietary foil manufactured by Athens’ based Big Mamma’s Burritos.

In response to criticisms that the container is extremely awkward to carry, lacks the basic structural integrity to hold carbonated beverages and doesn’t securely hold liquids, Clark stated “It’s a freaking foil swan!”

The brewery plans to roll out both a 32 oz and 64 oz version. As well as a 66 oz, 15 oz, 41 oz and 29 oz size. When asked about the multitudes of sizes Clark responded “These damn gooses are hard to make the same all the time.”

The Mt. Carmel Brewing Company taproom is open 12pm – 4pm Monday through Thursday, 12 pm – 7pm Friday and 12 pm – 5 pm Saturday. Bring your own foil for a discount on your Swan fill.

Review: Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA

February 28, 2013
By

GreatLakesAlchemyHour

When the announcement came down that a new Double IPA was going to hit distribution in my neck of the woods, I got excited. After all, like many of you reading this, I’m a hophead. I go through phases of wanting nothing but double IPAs and plenty of hops, but have been in more of a malty stage in the past couple of months. However, the hop cravings are coming back, and that means I start looking for great Double IPAs, which aren’t as common as you might think.

Of course, when I heard that it was Ohio’s own Great Lakes Brewing that would be pushing a new DIPA on the shelves of my local bottle shops, I knew it would be a must purchase. After all, they already make a pretty amazing DIPA seasonally called Lake Erie Monster that is fantastic in its own right.

So, I’ve had a few of these now and I’ve come to a conclusion, it’s a great great beer.

At first taste, I wasn’t impressed, and by that I don’t mean it wasn’t good, but I didn’t get the bitterness I like to experience from a big IPA. But then I remembered, this wasn’t supposed to be an IPA that is a palate jackhammer, no, it’s meant to fall more in line with the west coast style of DIPAs, and well, it does a pretty great job of that.

And the more I accepted this fact, the more I embraced the warmth of the alcohol (which at 9.4% is masked nicely), the peach tea color, the mango, citrus, grapefruit and pine oiliness and even the surfer on the label.

And the more it reminded me of another DIPA, one you might have heard of called HopSlam.

Yeah, it’s the closest comparison I could come up with, and I have to be honest with you, I’d drink this one over HopSlam on most days. Now keep in mind, HopSlam is fantastic, and I like it a lot, but I’m not the fanboy that I know lots and lots of others are either.

And you know why Alchemy Hour brings HopSlam to mind? It’s gotta be the honey. That’s right, the honey. Just like the DIPA from Bells that drives people wild once a year, Great Lakes brewed this bad boy with honey malt, and with Mosaic and Nugget hops as well.

But enough with the comparisons, you should just do your best to get your hands on some Alchemy Hour before it’s all gone because like most IPAs the fresher, the better.

Ohio continues to add to the list of amazing IPAs with Alchemy Hour.

Here is a Vine I did for the beer.

A Tale Of Three Gueuzes

February 18, 2013
By

3foudegeuze

I had the opportunity to attend a great tasting here in the Cincinnati area recently based around Sours. This is increasingly one of my favorite styles and so I was excited to attend. I had tasted most of the beers already, but it’s always a nice reminder of how the beers stand up to each other.

There were tons of great sours to choose from at the tasting, but I’m focusing on three for this post, because overall, they are the cream of the crop. I haven’t tried every gueuze out there, and I know there are several out there that are beyond amazing that I’ve never had access to. But before I dive into the beers, what is a gueuze?

Gueuze (or Geuze) is a type of lambic, a Belgian beer. It is made by blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is then bottled for a second fermentation. Because the young lambics are not fully fermented, the blended beer contains fermentable sugars, which allow a second fermentation to occur. Lambic that undergoes a second fermentation in the presence of sour cherries before bottling results in kriek lambic, a beer closely related to gueuze.

The three I’m highlighting are not readily available in all markets, but are certainly attainable and each is worthy of a spot in your fridge or beer cellar.

In order of what I think is the best, the three are…..

1.) Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze

This is the best of the best in my opinion. It has just the right amount of tart, just the right amount of earthiness and the finish is clean enough that I don’t feel as if I’ve abused my toungue after taking down a 375ml bottle. It’s the most consistent in the bunch and I will always have some on hand at my house.

2.) Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L’Ancienne

The underrated gueuze in the bunch, Tilquin never disappoints. It doesn’t quite live up to the 3F but it is closer than you might guess. It’s incredibly well balanced, tart and finishes pretty clean as well.

3.) Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic (Classic Gueuze)

In my mind, I always put Cantillon on the top of the list, in part because they make some unreal sours. They are also, at least for us here in the midwest, the toughest sours to get your hands on. And it’s a fantastic beer, but among this trio, I rank it third. Getting the bronze medal in this contest is nothing to be ashamed of, but there is just something about classic that puts it a step behind the other two. I think, for me, it has to do with the finish. I feel like I’m tasting this longer than I want to, and the tartness at times is more than I want out of a full glass. Are those nit-picky things? Yes, they are, but consider these rankings a tiebreaker if you find yourself only able to pick one.

What are your favorites gueuzes?

Support Local Music, Support Local Beer

February 7, 2013
By

drmshirts

Today here in Cincinnati is the beginning of Cincinnati Beer Week. There are plenty of great events scheduled here in town, here is a full listing of all the things you can check out. But even if you aren’t a Cincinnatian, you have an opportunity to grab a really great t-shirt here today.

One of our sister sites, Eachnotesecure.com has a feature called Drunk Music Reviews and they have a great new shirt now available that allows you to show your love for Local Beer and Local Music.

So wherever you hail from, you can wear this great shirt proudly!

BUY YOUR SHIRT NOW!

Bourbon County Stout Cupcakes Recipe

February 3, 2013
By

bourboncountycupcakes2

A couple weeks ago, I ran across this amazing idea for cupcakes over at BeerChow and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. I’m no baker but the idea of baking with beer is something that has for some time intrigued me.

So I asked my wife if she would be willing to do most of the work help out with the recipe this weekend. We wanted to stick kind of close to the original recipe but ended up making some changes as well.

Here is the recipe and instructions. Very similar to the Beer Chow recipe, but with a few subtractions, additions and tweaks.

INGREDIENTS FOR BCBS CUPCAKES

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter melted
12 oz. bottle of Bourbon County Brand Stout (room temp)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt
3 large eggs

DIRECTIONS FOR BCBS CUPCAKES

In a medium bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt cocoa powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine butter, Boubon County Stout, vanilla, nutella, sour cream. Beat eggs in one at a time.
Preheat oven to 350 dF. Slowly add bowl of dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Combine until completely smooth.
Fill batter into a lined cupcake tin, or if you prefer non-lined cupcake tin, then greased.
Bake for 18 – 22 minutes until cooked through using a tooth to test.

INGREDIENTS FOR BCBS FROSTING

1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Elmer T. Lee Bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoon of milk
pinch of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING BCS CUPCAKES

In a medium mixing bowl whip butter until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and then the bourbon. Combine until smooth and silky. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting and serve!

I have to say, the cupcakes themselves are fantastic. They are rich, smooth, not too sweet and well, awesome. The icing has a nice boozyness to it and really makes the cupcake stand out.

Up next, I might give this a try with Bell’s Black Note, Dark Horse Bourbon Plead The 5th or even Bourbon County Coffee!

Three Floyds Dark Lord Day 2013

January 29, 2013
By

It’s coming, hide the women and children, and maybe yourself. Three Floyds Dark Lord Day is back for 2013. Right now, the DLD website simply shows this image.

darklordday2013

Here is your link for tickets!!

Mark your calendars for April 27th and be prepared for a vicious online ticket sale in advance of that which will claim many craft beer fans as its victims.

Empty Growler did our first DLD last year in Munster, Indiana, and we plan to return again in 2013. Who else is going?

The Growler Bike

January 23, 2013
By

I’ve never been a big fan of bike riding. I mean sure, when I was a kid riding a bike around the neighborhood and through the woods was the thing to do. But once I started to drive, it just didn’t make as much sense to me….until now.

Introducing the amazing growler bike!

growlerbike

Here is what the dudes that invented the bike have to say.

This “Growler” concept concept city commuter is a working sketch prototype in a series of thoughts on what we carry around with us and the importance of those items. We took a Growler from a local pub and set off to design a bike around it. With or without the beer, this changed how we view typical beach/ city “cruisers.”

I understand that this isn’t exactly a groundbreaking achievement but it still makes tons of sense. I can already picture myself biking to the local brewery or bottle shop with a great growler station and biking home with 64 ounces of liquid bliss in the growler bikes holster.

Plus, we here at EG are all about the growler, after all.