Beer and TPB on a Sunny Sunday Afternoon

I invited a friend over on Sunday afternoon to enjoy a few beers and watch the latest Trailer Park Boys movie. And since he appreciates craft beer as well as Canadian comedic mockumentary television, I dug a few things out of my cellar to share:

Great Lakes - Dortmunder Gold (2007)
Issaquah Brewhouse (Rogue) - Menage a Frog
Sam Adams - Hallertau Imperial Pilsner (2007)
Great Lakes - Holy Moses White Ale (2007)
Saint Arnold - Stout (2005)
Saint Arnold - Stout (2006)
Rogue - Smoke Ale
New Belgium - Frambozen (2005)

Since it was a Sunday afternoon, I stuck to a lighter selection. Had it been a Saturday night, I would have dug out the bigger beers.

My friend brought over the Noble Pils which is the latest seasonal offering from Sam Adams. Its a German Pilsner brewed with all five of the Noble Hops. Light and refreshing with a strong hoppy finish. Would be a great beer to release for the summer instead of late fall and early spring.

The Saint Arnold Stout from 2005 had lost most of its carbonation and finished with a soy sauce flavour. Drinkable, but not overly enjoyable. However, the 2006 release still had full carbonation and flavours of dark roasted malts with a hint of chocolate.

The raspberry flavours seemed to have intensified over time in the 2005 Frambozen and the finish has become a little more tart and sour.

I picked up the Smoke Ale while visiting Rogue in Newport, OR last fall. For being called Smoke Ale, the smoke qualities were a little underwhelming and delicate. Although it did have a smokey aroma and flavour to start, that smokiness was wiped out by flavours of sweet tea in the finish. It would have been nice if that smoke flavour carried all the way through in to the finish.

I enjoyed the Menage a Frog from the Issaquah Brewhouse (Rogue) a little more when I had it on tap then in the bottle. Seemed a little sweeter then I remember it being. A big caramel flavour with hints of fruit and spices into a grassy finish.