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Cheers to Billie!

Fat Orange Cat
Collaboration with Twelve Percent Project
All The Kool Kats On The Back Of The Bus
New England Style India Pale Ale
8.4% ABV
Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Nugget Hops
North Haven, CT

Hazy golden orange with a big frothy head. Inhaling all that NEIPA citrus goodness: grapefruit, tangerine, clementines, orange zest, and pine needles. Tasting all the same citrus fruit goodness again added with pineapple and apricots. Then bitter, pine, herbal (like singed sage) and something a little toasty and dark. A very smooth easy drinker that gives you that delightful tingly feeling on your tongue and lips.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Makes it more herbal and floral…hmmm

I head over to Fat Orange Cat’s site to see how they’re doing and am greeted by a post that says their open air drive-thru is closed till April 2021, but you can still pick up their beers at your local purveyors and also Twelve Percent Project, who works with them on their large batch beers. Their small batches are made back at their brewery East Hampton, CT with great care to their land, their ingredients, local agriculture, and recycling as much as possible. This is a socially conscious brewery that was once overseen by their “brewmaster” and fat orange cat, Billie who is sadly no longer. There are pics of him on their site in case any of you other cat crazy people, like me, would like to see how cute he was. Join me in a little dance for him with G Love & Special Sauce – Back of the Bus.

@fatorangecatbrewco @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @cheezits #beer #wine #winestagram #instawine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits  #neipa #ipa #craftbeer #beerstagram #beersofinstagram #Simcoe #Citra #Nugget #hops

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A Swede and a Buckeye Walk into a Bar

Collaboration from Hoof Hearted Brewing & Dugges Bryggeri
Faster Than the Future
Imperial Stout with raspberry, vanilla and Marcona almonds added
13.5% ABV
Hoof Hearted Brew Master: Trevor Williams
Dugges Brew Master: Mikael Dugge Engström

Dense dark chocolate color with a small coffee head. Whoa this is total dark chocolate tickling my nose, along with espresso, vanilla, lots of raspberries and nutty. Drinking in tingly chocolate covered raspberries, brownies, sweet and mellow vanilla, espresso that snaps back, and that rich nuttiness of Marcona almonds. Lord, how I love Marconas. I had to cut back on them at one point. It was totally becoming an addiction.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oddly it makes it super sweet. If you want, try them together, but I prefer the Imperial Stout on its own

So excited when I found this Hoof Hearted collaboration and giddily brought it home. They have so much fun with their irreverent ever changing label art. I think “Don’t Microwave It Don’t Boil It” is my favorite. Love their sense of humor! Heck, the brewery’s name came from a fart joke. They also have such a dedicated following (especially for their IPAs) and there’s good reason for that too…it’s damn good beer! As for how Hoof and Dugges decided to collaborate, I’m not sure of that tale, but would love to hear how this power team came about. Funny enough, the Dugges Bryggeri story page starts out with what sounds like the beginning of an old joke, “An Englishman walks into a bar.” So like Hoof, I’m seeing the humor and also that they also have quite a following in Sweden to the point of their having to expand in 2009, and from what it sounds like on their page they may need to do it again. And I’ll leave it with their own motto, “Brewing our beer. Preaching our brews. Living the dream. And, loving every minute of it!”

@hoofheartedbrewing @duggesbryggeri @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #wine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits  #imperialstout #stout #craftbeer #Marengo #Ohio #Sweden #marconaalmonds

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Keep Them Around for Luck

Other Half
Crickets Pilsner/ Kölsch
German pils, Vienna malt, Hopped with motueka
5.1% ABV
Brooklyn, NY

Crisp deep golden with a half inch head. Sniffing a blend of citrus: grapefruit, tangerine, and orange zest. Grass, clovers and their flowers creep in too. It’s a crisp pilsner with some delicate sweetness. On the backend there’s something like licking a sugar cube. It’s not powerful but just reminds me of swiping them from my grandmother’s stockpile as a kid. We didn’t have cubes in my house, so whenever I could get my hands on one it was an amazing treat that I savored. Back to the beer, there’s also light fruitiness as was in scents of grapefruit, tangerine, orange zest, lemon/lime, and also again a grassy splash. Has me craving an everything bagel.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out more sweet and floral hints

So what about this cricket? I’ve searched Other Half’s site to see why and coming up with zip. This little golden chirper is known for good luck, prosperity and wealth, so maybe that’s my answer. And for goodness sake, never accidentally step on one. The ancient tales say you will be doomed…and none of us need that now do we? 2020 was bad enough. Maybe Baby New Year 2020 crushed a couple crickets and that’s what caused this mess. So be kind to the hoppers you find, and treat them well so 2021 will be the best ever.

@otherhalfnyc @BeerBoutiqueInc @cheezits #beer #Pilsner #Kölsch #germanbeer #wine #cheezit @worldbyglass  #pairswithcheezits #motueka #malt #crickets #brooklyn #NY #NewYork #otherhalf

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One More Beautiful Sunset

Coyote Hole Ciderworks
Sunset Sangria
Cider Sangria
5.6% ABV
Mineral, VA
Naturally Gluten Free, keep refrigerated, not from concentrate

Pale faint yellow reminding me of a sparkling wine with delicate bubbles. Pouring and definitely green apples hit you first, next are strawberries, and as it breathes more here come the peaches, and a touch of some holiday spice. Ooh tingly on the tongue, sweet green apple pie mixed with this before mentioned strawberries and peaches, and a touch of cranberry. This is a holiday sangria cider, but Coyote Hole says it is year round. I can get on board with that too. Very fresh and crisp.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: oh this is good! You know how sometimes you take a lovely slice of cheddar and warm it on top of a slice of apple pie. It’s a lot like that.

Coyote Hole Ciderworks only works with fruit from Virginia and to be more specific the Blue Ridge Mountains. All fruit is fresh too. Absolutely no concentrate, and absolutely from local farms, so you know you are supporting the small farmers. And as we all know, right now and honestly always, that is a very good thing!

@BeerBoutiqueNYC @BeerBoutiqueInc @CoyoteHole @cheezits #beer #cider #sangria #whitesangria #wine #glutenfree #cheezit #supportlocal #supportsmallfarms #supportsmallfarmers @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #coyotehole #Mineral #VA #virginia

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Just One More Treat

DuCLaw Brewing Co.
Sweet Baby Jesus!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
6.2% ABV
Baltimore, MD
Founder: Dave Benfield

Very dark black brown pour with small tan head around 1/4 inch that disappears. The second you pop the can and even before it hits the glass, it’s Incredibly forward dark chocolate, espresso and a little peanuts. Here goes the first sip and baker’s chocolate mixed with dark Belgian chocolate flavors. Roasted peanuts lead into the feel of peanut butter spread and at last again a bitter ending of espresso that is welcome and not too sweet, but nice and dry.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: NOPE! Dreadful! Or as the can says “Sweet Baby Jesus!” Don’t do it!

Ok, I know we’re all stuffed from yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast, but come on you have to have room for just one more treat. This classic can of porter is filled full of a very dark brownie with peanut butter morsels that have been cooked right up to the last second before they get too burned. You know you want one of the end pieces. They’re always the best. Anyway, I’ve had my fill of pumpkin pie, this is exactly what I need.

@duclawbrewingco @BeerBoutiqueInc @independentbeer @cheezits #beer #porter #cheezit @worldbyglass  #pairswithcheezits #chocolate #peanutbutter #thanksgiving #dayafterthanksgiving

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Hazy Fantayzee

Skygazer Brewing Co.
Watercolors – Synergy
Mango, Guava, Marshmallow, Vanilla, Milk Sugar
Berliner Style Weisse Beer
5.5% ABV
Brewed and packaged by Twelve Percent
North Haven, CT

Deep orange gold thick hazy swamp color…kind of like a super healthy full of fiber carrot orange juice. Was not expecting the marshmallow and vanilla to smack my nose that hard at first. Next comes the mango/guava combo. Smells like it reads. I’m also getting a small faint grapefruit waft. This is just dreamy sipping. All of the above from how it smelled is perfectly rolled into one big soup. It’s creamy and tingly with a little lemon too. Sweet but not where it overpowers you. I can definitely keep drinking this whole can. I could see this going really well with super hot Thai food.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Oh no! DO NOT DO THAT! The Cheez-It ruins the beer. Please for the love of all things sacred, do not attempt to pair with Cheez-It.

Tried straight and not blended with their other Watercolors – Synergy – Raspberry, Blackberry, Graham Cracker, Vanilla, Milk Sugar; which is another way advised to try. Maybe next time but this was fabulous all on it’s complex, fun and fruity self. Oh and beware, this is easy to drink and way too fast, so I suggest buying a few.

@skygazer_brewingco @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @twelve.percent.beer.project @twelve.percent.nyc.metro @hkarlphoto @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #skygazer #berlinerstyleweisse #Weisse #fruitedsour #watercolors #craftbeer #NorthHaven #CT

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Hopping Down that Trail

Stillwater Artisanal/AZ Wilderness
Stillwater Is Nothing Big Bunny Is Everything Stout*
*AZ Wilderness approves this message
Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout
8% ABV
Brewed & canned in Stratford, CT
Stillwater Brewer and Owner: Brian Strumke

Dark deep chocolate espresso with a half inch tan head. Wow the aroma of chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Both milk and dark. Also espresso and a toastiness. Drinking in more dark chocolate but there is milk too. It’s also kind of like a baker’s chocolate cookie which I love to eat. Deep coffee/espresso and I’m talking good espresso that you get in Italy or even at Cafe Zurich in Barcelona. They make a fabulous one. Back to the beer…I’m getting a bit of hazelnut too. Absolutely delicious, and I don’t want to put my glass down.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: surprisingly it only makes it a bit bitter, so if you like it bitter, then go for it.

This is my second Stillwater. First was their Extra Dry Sake Style Saison which is a complete polar opposite to the Bunny but they both are consistently fabulous. This chocolate bunny is not like the type you get in your Easter basket, but I wouldn’t mind it if it was. It’s a much greater quality. It’s like trying to compare one of those minis that you get around Halloween to a great Belgian dark chocolate truffle. Awesome collaboration with AZ Wilderness too. Now, I have to track down one of their non-collabs around here.

@stillwater.artisanal @azwilderness @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @cheezits #stillwater #brianstrumke #beer #stout #chocolatestout #chocolatemilkstout #cheezit @worldbyglass #nomad #pairswithcheezits #stillwaterartisanal #arizonawildernessbrewing #CT #AZ

 

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Searching for that Nut

Prairie Artisan Ales
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Sour Ale with pineapples, pecans, cherries and yellow cake
4.9% ABV
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Color golden somewhat fuzzy with very little head. After the pour it’s toasty-cakey and pineapple. Tilt back the glass and take a sip and it’s tart, pineapple smashed with cherries, lemon salt and sweetness, and then toasty after taste but not sure I’m finding pecans. They may faintly be there mixed into that toast. I grew up on fresh ones from my Granny’s trees. I never understood how they were so pricey in the stores. All we had to do was throw a stick up in the tree, and they’d come raining down. We’d spend hours in the living room near the fireplace cracking and picking them. That’s one of my happier family memories. It’s the simple things in life you cherish.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Hmmm not so sour. More of that cake.

This is a light fun easy drinking sour-gose. Don’t over think it. Just relax, enjoy it, and take the break you deserve in this tipsy topsy upside-down world.

@prairieales @BeerBoutiqueNYC @cheezits #beer #wine #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #sour #sourale #gose #PrairieArtisanAles

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Bubbly Berry Breeze

Evil Twin Brewing
Evil Water
Blue Raspberry
Hard Pastry Seltzer
Made with red raspberries and butterfly pea flower
4.5% ABV
Ridgewood, New York
Founder, owner, brewer: Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø

Sea foam green-blue tinted bubbly water. Smelling candied raspberries, just like the “blue raspberry” popcorn I used to get as a kid at the mall. Ok this will be fun, that was my favorite treat. Loved when mom would get me a kid sized one for behaving and putting up with trying on clothes for school. Back to the taste…again candied raspberries and seltzer. Not overly sweet just very berry and crisp. Makes me want to be out on a lake with the sun beating down…on a boat just cruising along sipping this very chilled refreshing can and feeling the breeze on my face.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: better than I expected. It knocks back the berries.

Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø’s story is of a man who can’t sit still. Constantly taking on one creative project or job to the next. Starting out in Denmark as a teacher and beer tasting traveler, to opening a beer shop, collaborative brewing, becoming an importer, and opening a bar in NY. Now he’s put down brewery roots also in NY with Evil Twin and is still very much into collaborations. He’s definitely proof if you have a dream and put your mind to it you can make it a reality.

@eviltwinbrewingnyc @BeerBoutiqueInc @twelvepercentbeerproject @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #hardseltzer #HardPastrySeltzer #seltzer #jeppejarnitbjergsø  #EvilTwinBrewing

 

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Thrill on Blueberry Hill

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery (Farm Brewery)
Blueberry French Toast Imperial Brown Ale
8% ABV
Goochland, VA

Dark Coca-Cola pour. Once the can is popped, out comes caramel, blueberries, maple, and toasty. The label doesn’t lie, my tastebuds are all over the blueberries or from what I remember as a kid…blueberry syrup (was great on homemade biscuits), toast, maple, cola, and a touch of bitter but in a good way.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: At first sip it takes away the blueberries but even before the next sip they just come back and slap you in the face. So if you want to get slapped in the face by blueberries then go on ahead.

Checking out Lickinghole’s site, and what an idyllic place. It’s a brewery, it’s a farm, and they have their own sustainable water source. They grow most of what they use for their beers and if it’s something they don’t have, they work with other local farmers. They also have a show this Saturday, Oct. 10th (The Trongone Band) which is a start to a series of concerts. All ticket sales go to support the artists, who really need it right now. Prices vary depending on which package you want. Just remember mask up, social distance and wash your hands. Make this a safe event for all.

@lccb_farmbrews @BeerBoutiqueNYC @BeerBoutiqueInc @trongoneband @indiebeer_ @cheezits #beer #cheezit @worldbyglass  #pairswithcheezits #imperialbrownale #ale #lickingholecreek