5 O'Clock Shadow (Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, ID)

Pours with a dark tan head that's two tone with brown as it swirls.  Head falls quickly over a a nearly pitch black beer with ever so slight ruby highlights along the edge.  Very clean, singular roast in the nose with a little bit of chocolate. Roast and chocolate follows in the taste with a sweet maltiness. Bitter roast finish that lingers a bit--almost too much.  My notes say I had a draft on my wife's birthday at Grumpy's, but I don't remember much about it.  I was either entranced by my wife or the beer didn't make much of an impression.  Gloria likes schwarzbier and there's no note that she liked it. 


In the final analysis, it's a good beer but the roast is out of balance with the smooth lager characteristics.  Had this beer twice and that's going to be enough.  If you like a a heavy roast, give it a shot.  If not, find another dark lager.

Lost Continent Double IPA (Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, Idaho)

7/4/12



Second draft for my 4th of July stop at Monk's House of Ale Repute. Almost white head on a clear, two-toned amber ale in a tulip glass. Again, a pretty lace (in a well cleaned glass) which funnels a strong grapefruit, tropical fruit and pine resin into the nose. 8% ABV is hidden in the nose, but a light peppery note betrays it on the tongue, which is assaulted by spice and sweet malt and an oiliness that coats sweetly. Very fun Double IPA, and, from memory, seems to be a bit brighter on draft. Not exactly news that a draft surpasses a bottle, but there seems to be a significant boost to the hops for this particular beer (or the bottles I've sampled were not up to snuff).

Location:Monk's House of Ale Repute

Pursuit of Hoppiness (Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, Idaho)

7/4/12

Served well in a tulip glass at Monk's House of Ale Repute. Dark amber ale with an off white head. Clean and a nice lace. Listed on the menu as 100
IBUs using Summit, Chinook and Nugget hops. Nose is full of hops and lives up to the advertising. Some grapefruit and citrus, but more earthiness with some serious spice. Hops and some alcohol hotness on the tongue that doesn't linger heavily, so a nice ale on this very hot triple digit day. Listed as an 8.5% amber ale, this is a great hoppy beer that has enough malt to give a different feel from drinking an IPA or DIPA.



Still learning to use the iPad on this trip, so I was a little slow taking the pic. Beer is half gone, but definitely worth a second draft. I didn't have time for it today, but would definitely give it another shot in the future.

Wake Up Call (Grand Teton, Victor, Idaho)

Listed as Imperial Coffee Porter on the menu at the Muddy Pig, the beer is a dark, black beer with a cream dark tan head that billows nicely in the tulip glass and leaves a nice lace.  Roasted malt, dark chocolate and fresh coffee grounds in the nose.  On the tongue, the coffee is acrid and lingers--great if you like coffee (which I don't), but can recognize the quality in the brew.  Tastes like an older coffee porter before many started using a cold press method to reduce the coffee bitterness.  Or, I'm just spoiled from drinking coffee beers at Town Hall using Peace Coffee.   A good beer that's a bit muddled in the taste, so I will end with this one and recommend it only to an all day coffee drinker.