I'm a little late posting this #Beersaturday post, but it's always Saturday when you're drinking a beer.. am I right?!? High fives all around. 🤚
Today I'll share a couple of beers that I drank while BBQ-ing. I hope you enjoy.
Hot Chocolate Stout
Brewery: Ellicottville Brewing Co
Origin: Ellicottville NY, USA
Style: American stout
Abv: 6.0%
Marketing: Simple bottle label with snowflakes, mug of hot chocolate and ghost pepper images - just like the name suggests. It's a bit kitchy but an effective label overall. Bottles always tend to have limited design on them.
Color: This beer poured an inky black with a mocha colored head of foam that disappeared rapidly, much like a fizz. My glass might have had a bit of soap residue in it to cause the effect, you never know.
Nose: It had a sweet malt aroma up front, chocolate notes, cocoa, with some mild smoke and leather coming through as the beer warmed.
Taste: Mild sweetness up front immediately followed by a major kick of heat that coats the tongue, back of the throat and lips. The heat lingered a while and grew with each sip of beer. I got a little residue of chocolate in the finish but was mostly just being overwhelmed by the heat in the beer.
Texture: Nice soft carbonated bubbles over a silky texture. Medium bodied.
Impression: I initially drank this beer at the Ellicottville Brewing company restaurant and I didn't really care for it so much. I found the heat to be overpowering. My wife insistent on bringing home a six pack so I had another one while BBQ-ing some chicken breast that I cut thinly.
I served that with broccoli and a baked potato.
But back to the beer. Overall, I found it to be the same as the first time, way too hot for me. I would not buy this one again but may have to drink more if my wife doesn't drink the rest.
Cottage Lager
Brewery: Bobcaygeon Brewing Co
Origin: Peterborough, ON Canada
Style: Pilsner Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Marketing: Brown, burnt orange, yellow, green, turquoise and blue color scheme that all goes really well together. Cartoony cottage image in a forest on the lake. Personally I found this to be a really beautiful can design overall. I love it!
Color: The beer poured a pale yellow straw color with a pristine white head of foam on top.
Nose: Grass, fresh cut hay, some bread in the back ground coming through.
Taste: Very mildly sweet upfront with a nice balance of bitterness in the finish.
Texture: Little carbonation, tiny bubbles, a watery mouthfeel almost flat feeling. Light bodied.
Impression: Another beer that I drank while BBQ-ing. I made sausages with peppers and onions and another baked potato.
The beer was decent for me, nothing too special though. It didn't stand out a lot but it was still very refreshing and pleasant to drink. It was a good beer for the occasion.
