The Scene: Flat as Hell

I have a confession to make.  I like pepper beers.  It all started with Hatch Blower Pepper IPA from Triton last October.  The Professor snagged a growler of it for my wedding rehearsal party.   My groomsmen appreciated the beer, I liked it so much I killed the growler...  It was a great "marriage" of green chili flavor up front while still having enough spicy kick at the end to keep my adventurous side amused.

Cut to this October 31st, 2013.  Flat 12 continued their reign as most inventive, fun, and very unique beer brewery with their Halloween event at the brewery: Flat as Hell.  This sinfully delightful event took Hello My Name is Amber (an amber beer) and flavored it nine different ways.  The run down:

9 Circles of Hell(O) My Name is Amber
Limbo:      Green Pepper                       0 Scoville
Lust:         Pablano                 1000-1500 Scoville
Gluttony:   Jalapeno              2500-10000 Scoville
Greed:      Serrano           15000 – 25000 Scoville
Anger:      Manzano                 50K/250K Scoville
Heresy:     Habanero                100/350K Scoville
Violence:   Scotch Bonnet        100/350K Scoville
Fraud:       Ghost                   350K/1MM Scoville
Treachery: Scorpion                       2MM Scoville

For a mere $12 dollars my fearless compatriots and I (just like Dante) were guided through the 9 Circles of Hell(O) My Name is Amber by Rob, Josh and Joe.  There were no poems from Virgil.  Nor were their any suffering souls... well there were some of those.

My descent into Hell(o) My Name is Amber started while watching one of my favorite Halloween movies "Hellraiser" being tossed up on the wall via projection.  Limbo was a nice way to introduce you (the drinker) into the pepper beer category.  Green pepper nose, nice amber body, and no spice to the finish.  Each level after started to ratchet up the spice in the body and finish.  Stand outs for myself were Anger and Treachery.

Anger was the first notable shift from flavor to heat.  I thought Flat 12 did a great job balancing the spicy heat with the amber qualities of the base beer.  Really well done!  The sad part was that this balance did not show up again until Treachery.  I am sure it had something to do with the Scoville's and the brewers trying to make it drinkable and not just face melting hot.  The high note from Treachery was the amount of heat that stuck around in the finish and continued to build as you sipped at the taster cup.  A great idea for a winter warmer?  I think so!

In Sum: Yes. I paid to be a guinea pig for Flat 12's pepper beer experiment. "But I got this nifty pint glass and a full pint pour of whatever I wanted!" said in a little kids high pitched voice.  I will make it a point to hit Flat 12 next Halloween for the festivities and beer.  Wonder what the Mad Fermentologists are going to cook up for next Halloween?!

Big thanks to all who follow the blog who showed up and hung out!  Other of note beers on tap for Halloween: Bloody Jack, Bloody Blonde, & Bleeding Heart.

Sources:
http://flat12.me/events/flat-as-hell-halloween-at-flat-12/
http://flat12.me/uncategorized/6502/

Flat 12 Amber Ale

Take me out to the ball game take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I ever get back.

I don't care if I ever get back either. Other than actually playing the game, the best part of softball is beer in gallon jugs. Not only do they have your traditional domestics, they have some local stuff too. Not every bar is willing to carry local stuff, so I have to give a shout out to Midwest Sports Complex in Indianapolis. They do a great job with the game and the beers.

Tonight I had the pleasure of doing a GALLON of Flat 12 Amber Ale. Flat 12 Amber, or Hello My Name is Amber, is a 5.8% abv. The jug did not have IBUs. It's a tasty amber. It has a beautiful red-brown color with just a little bit of head on top even after being poured into a jug, then out of a jug. The smell is bready with some caramel. Despite the aroma the flavor is surprisingly crisp and there's a pretty strong hop profile for an amber. I was expecting more malty characteristics that you find in traditional amber ales. This one was more like a pale ale that wasn't so pale. The moutfeel and overall vibe was lighter than your average red or amber. The malts are light and toasty but have a slightly burnt flavor to them and are not too sweet which was nice. The hops are strong in this one. Giving you a distinct finish to the beer.

It was light, but even still it may have been too heavy to drink while playing softball. After three of us had half the jug I was moving pretty slowly and I move slowly to begin with... by the end of the game and the end of the jug I just kinda wanted to die, but that's my fault not the beer's. It is never the beer's fault

This is a great summer amber. It has a unique flavor for the style. If you are into the hoppy beers I totally recommend you give this a try.

I give it a 3

O-Dawg: I have had the distinct pleasure of having this little wonder off of both the Nitro draft, regular draft, and bottles.  Each and every time I have had it I always come to the same conclusion, "Nice Solid Amber!"  Not something I would actively seek out, but if it is on tap I would have one.

If I were doing the labeling I would have sprung for something more like Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja meets The Girl Next Door.  Wait, that is kinda what they did didn't they...

3.5 Above the average and great compliment to the line up at Flat 12 Bierworks!

Rad Red

Upland is Indiana's second largest craft brewery. They are well known for their wheat beer and their wheat and most importantly they are located in Bloomington, by the IU campus which makes them near and dear to my heart. With the Big 10 tournament underway I felt like it might help my Hoosiers if I enjoyed some Bloomington beer while wearing my striped pants.

One of the best parts of being so large, is they are easier to get in liquor stores, and anywhere that may sell premium beers. Rad Red is their amber ale, and one that I did not drink a ton of in college, so I wanted to give it a chance. I picked up a six pack and made it happen.

It poured out a nice light amber color with more sediment than I expect from a major craft brewery, but since I home brew that doesn't scare me off. Upland is known for doing great beer and doing it green, so I am not sure about their filtration process. They head went away quickly. It didn't have much of an aroma, sort of a bready beer like smell (not very helpful I know, but sometimes beer just smells like beer).

The beer had a light maltiness with some smoked flavor and caramel and bread flavors making up the sweet side. It had a piney hop bitterness throughout the entire beer that I was not expecting from an amber, but also not over powering. It finished with a sharp hoppy bite, but some of the caramel flavor lingered after every taste. It had a nice mouth feel with a strong effervescence. It was very light in flavor and in consistency  This beer is nothing wild and crazy, but it tastes good, and has a nice easy feel that would let you drink it all day long.

I give it a 3.

Buttface Amber Ale

The Ram's Buttface Amber Ale is an American-style Amber Ale with 5.8% ABV and 25 IBU.

 I picked up a growler of Buttface Amber Ale earlier that day.  It pours an amber color, with very good clarity and a thin, off-white head that has fairly short retention and slight lacing. There is a definite maltiness to the aroma.  The taste was carmel malts, well balanced with the hops, and finishing with a sweet maltiness.  It has a medium body, and low carbonation.

The Buttface Amber Ale is another solid offering on The Ram's regular lineup, and a good example of an Amber Ale (as evidenced by its victory at AMBERgeddon).  An enjoyable beer that I will get when I'm in the mood for something a little lighter than the Total Disorder Porter.

The Scene: AMBERgeddon!!!

AMBERgeddon!!!

Winners!

1st:  the RAM - "Buttface Amber"

2nd: Half Moon - Nameless entry

My Favorites of the Event

Flat 12 [who doesn't love a little Joe in their Beer?!]

3Wisemen [This shocked me... Seriously!]  

Shameless I know... Go to their website! 

TheBigGuys card.  

He was looking off of the Professor!

And I got Photo bombed... 

 "Welcome to Mid-EVIL TIMES!"

 That's Right... TheBigGuy wants a slice too or 

did he already eat the other half of the pizza AND Spice Box?!

The Professor with a Chewbacca from 

Der Pretzel Wagon!  Get the Vader TOO! 

"Gggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllll!!!"

Shots are on me! 

Featuring the elusive photo guy, O-Dawg!

I finally know what Michelle was talking about all those years ago...  

JOE!  Being bitter... as usual...   

The Crew! Plus 2 minus 1! 

Swag! 

I dub him SIR Noodle... 

The boy can double pour with the best of em! 

SHEEEp! 

MOOOO! 

Ducks go Quack! 

The molecular structure of this fluid seems to be too volatile to... nope its beer.

Der Pretzel Wagon! 

People!  Not the Brewery... /sadface 

"Which should I vote for?" 

BEER! 

1st:  the RAM - "Buttface Amber"

Key West Sunset Ale

It is holiday season again, and for me nothing says holidays like being with family. Since I actually grew up and got married and my brother moved away etc, family has really changed. With all the change that has happened as we grow up, our time together is the only thing that has remained consistent.

This year we went down to the Florida Keys for Thanksgiving, and I knew I had to look for something I couldn't find back home. I tried to get some time to actually go to the brewery, but with family, you do not always get what you want. I had to settle for checking out local bars and restaurants and trying to pick up what I could. Not a bad compromise if you think about it.

Key West Sunset Ale is an amber ale by Florida Beer Company and it is absolutely everywhere. I couldn't go to a bar, restaurant or grocery store without running into this beer. The ABV was 4.8%. It has a very unique flavor for an amber ale. I am used to something that is more like a UK beer. Ambers tend to be heavy and malty. This beer was sweet but very different.

It poured a light golden red color with a thin white head. It smelled sweet and citrusy with a slight floral hop aroma. 

The beer was sweet as one might expect from an amber, but it was not heavy. It was actually very light for an amber. This beer was as light as some Mexican style lager and was light fruity. There were hints of caramel and honey in the malt. The hop profile was a bit weak.

  

This was a light summery beer, and I do not know that I would rate it as well if it were winter in Indy, but for a summer beer or a vacation beer it hit the spot. The flavors make you think of the beach on a hot salty day. I plan on trying to find a way to get this up here for June and July because there is not another amber beer that would be better while we were sitting out on a hot day.

If you are in FL anytime soon, try this one out.

I give it a 3

Mustache Ride Red

"Who wants a mustache ride? ... Ooh, I vant von!!!!"

You will vant von soon too! So Movember is done and over with. My mustache looked like a cross between a 70's porn star and someone from the TV show Cops, but it was all for a good cause and my wife hasn't left me yet. We have raised all the money that we can. Thank you to everyone who joined the team or donated. Since it is all over, I wanted to make sure we threw some love to those people who put together a good brew for the cause.

Flat 12 Bierwerks did a great job with their Mustache Ride Red. It was damn good. This is a bourbon barrel vanilla amber. It had 6% ABV and 42.7 IBUs. The Flat 12 amber tends to be a hoppier amber than the average red. This worked out great for this beer because it had been barrel aged with a hint of vanilla, and the hop profile did a lot to even it out.

The beer poured red with a nice faint dusting of pure white head. It looked like a snowfall on a beautiful sunset. It was not a ton of hops, but enough to make a wicked grown up milk mustache. It had a bready aroma with a hint of the bourbon barrel and a nice earthy hop scent.

The beer was sweet and malty with hints of caramel and obviously the vanilla from the barrel and the vanilla beans added in fermentation. It was sweet and smooth and went down surprisingly fast for a 22 oz of beer. There was almost no alcohol flavor, it was just like drinking a malty soda. There was a slight bourbon oakiness that was pretty intense at the end of the beer. It mixed well with the flavor of the earthy hops and made for a very strong finish to an overall great beer.

I know it may be a while before you can get your hands on this, but make the effort. Its a great beer for a great cause.

Thanks to Flat 12 for putting it together.

I give it 4 beer head mustaches.

O-Dawg: 4 Heads, I would give it another half head if it was off of the Nitro tap... My god there are certain things that Flat 12 does right... and this is so right its wrong... in all the right ways!