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SingleCut Beersmiths: Conform or Be Cast Out

SingleCut Beersmiths: Conform or Be Cast Out

ABV: 7.2%

IBU: 70

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.16/5

Don’t worry, we won’t cast you out of the Windowsill today, whether you conform or not!

In 1982, Rush released their ninth studio album, Signals. The first track on that album, Subdivisions, says this: “Subdivisions / In the high school halls / In the shopping malls / Conform or be cast out.” Whether you agree with that social commentary or not, that lyric inspired the name of today’s beer from SingleCut Beersmiths. If you’re wondering about the label, you Rush fans should recognize “that Darn Dragon!” The Dragon originally appeared in the live concert tour Rush in Rio, before the band played “One Little Victory,” and eventually returned during their R30 tour. The writing uses simplified Chinese characters generally only used in China (thanks @mindic1782 for the translation) to say the name of the beer. Conform or be Cast Out!

OK, enough about Rush, let’s talk about the beer. This one was really special, and really tasty! It’s an IPA brewed with pink peppercorns—actually a berry related to cashews and not pepper—and Szechuan peppercorns, which is a commonly used spice in Chinese cuisine (is the label situation becoming clearer?). The result is really astounding. The pepper hit my nose immediately when i poured it into the glass, and the tropical flavors combined really well with the late hint of heat from the Szechuan. Really a work of art!

Ready to conform? Well then follow us on Instagram for more great beer!

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Black Hog Brewing Company: Granola Brown Ale

Black Hog Brewing Company: Granola Brown Ale

Grains: 2-Row Pale, British Pale, Crystal 150, Brown Malt, Chocolate Malt, Flaked Oats, Malted Oats, Munich Malt, Special B

Hops: Chinook, East Kent Golding, Nugget

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 18

Availability: Year-round

@untappd says: 3.71/5

Happy National Beer Day from my Windowsill to yours!

Last year, we covered what National Beer Day is all about. It’s the anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially ending Prohibition back in 1933. Unfortunately, it took 76 years for someone to actually create this unofficial holiday. In 2009, friends Justin Smith and Mike Conolly decided to honor the anniversary of the end of Prohibition by starting a National Beer Day Facebook page. It caught on like crazy, and is now recognized by many people around the world. How are you celebrating National Beer Day?

On the Windowsill, we’re starting it off with another local Connecticut brew, Black Hog Brewing Company’s Granola Brown Ale. It’s an award-winning brown ale brewed with a “granola” mix of oatmeal, grains, hops and roasted malts. Now, I’m not a big brown ale fella, but when a beer takes home the Gold Award at the 2016 World Beer Olympics, it gets my attention. Plus, who doesn’t like granola?

Celebrate National Beer Day on our Instagram. Like and follow us for more great beer!

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SingleCut Beersmiths: Weird & Gilly

SingleCut Beersmiths: Weird & Gilly

ABV: 6.6%

IBU: 88

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.1/5

“Now Ziggy played guitar / Jamming good with Weird and Gilly on the Windowsill. – David Bowie… kinda.

If you know SingleCut Beersmiths, you know their brand is, more or less, designed around classic rock. If you know your David Bowie, you know where Weird & Gilly comes from. Ziggy Stardust is a song written from the perspective of the Spiders from Mars, the backup band for fictitious singer Ziggy Stardust (Bowie’s alter ego for the album). In real life, “Weird” is bassist Trevor Bolder and “Gilly” is drummer Woody Woodmansey. SingleCut keeps the it rocking, and I love them for that.

Now let’s talk about the brew. The Weird & Gilly label says “Some Cat from Japan asked us to make an IPA that was juicy, and nothing else.” The first part is another Ziggy Stardust lyric reference, but did SingleCut get the job done? YES. The soft, tangy malt backbone lays out and really lets the hoppy citrus, pine resin and tropical fruit aromas and flavors shine bright. So many flavors. So delicious! So juicy!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more great SingleCut beers!

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Bell’s Brewery: Oberon Ale

Bell's Brewery: Oberon Ale

Malt: Wheat

Yeast: Bell’s signature house ale yeast

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: N/A

Availability: March to August

@untappd says: 3.76/5

“Lord, what fools these mortals be… on the Windowsill!” – William Shakespeare (maybe)

In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and also in literature from as early as the 13th century—Oberon was the name given to King of the Fairies. In Shakespeare’s famous work, he is involved in an argument with his wife, Titania, over how to raise an orphaned child. Should he be a henchman, or just a normal kid? Go read the classic to find out who wins! OK, you can also find the 1999 Calista Flockhart movie…

The Oberon Ale might just be King of the summer beers. It’s a wheat ale fermented with Bell’s Brewery’s signature house ale yeast. The wheat malt gives it a smoother mouthfeel, and it has a nice hoppy and mildly fruity aroma and flavor. Bell’s takes pride in that this beer is only made with four ingredients, and no spices or fruit. Look at that color. Doesn’t it seem like something you’d want on a nice, hot, summer day?

Make sure to like this one on Instagram, and follow us for more great beer!

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Half Full Brewery: Emil (Without Rhyme or Reason Release #5)

Half Full Brewery: Emil (Without Rhyme or Reason Release #5)

Hops: Motueka (dry-hop), Simcoe (dry-hop), Citra lupulin powder

Grains: Canadian 2-Row, Wheat (raw and malted), Flaked Oats

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited (in-house only)

@untappd says: 3.98/5

“I found a reason for me / to change who I used to be / A reason for all that I do / and the reason is Half Full on my Windowsill!” – Hoobastank… sort of.

Let’s talk about Emil Christian Hansen! Why? Because he’s the inspiration behind the name of today’s beer, Half Full Brewery’s Emil. Hansen, a Danish mycologist and fermentation physiologist (that title has quite the mouthfeel, eh?), is best known as the first person to isolate a pure cell of yeast, which he did while working for Carlsberg in 1883. The yeast he created from this cell is the yeast from which all yeasts used in lager beers are derived. It was reading about Hansen that originally inspired McLain, Half Full’s head brewer, to enter the winemaking business and, ultimately, bring us this beer.

The Emil is, as you can see, the fifth can release in Half Full’s Without Rhyme or Reason series. It’s a double dry-hopped IPA brewed with Canadian 2-Row, wheat (raw and malted), flaked oats and a touch of lactose sugar. It’s then double dry-hopped with Simcoe and Motueka hops. The finishing touch is Citra lupulin powder. The end result is a hazy, citrusy and delicious IPA that I really loved having on the Windowsill.

Make sure to check us out on Instagram. Like and follow us for more great beers!

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Thomas Hooker Brewery: Super Duper Double Citra

Thomas Hooker Brewery: Super Duper Double Citra

Hops: Citra

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 4.21/5

Are those rubber chickens in your hula hoop pants, or are you just happy to see today’s Windowsill beer?

In case you haven’t noticed, the label on this beer from Bloomfield, Connecticut’s Thomas Hooker Brewery is inspired by one of my favorite childhood gameshows—Double Dare. You remember the show, right? Host Marc Summers would ask one of the teams a question. They could dare the other team to answer it. The other team could double dare them back. The final option? Physical challenge, y’all!

Today’s physical challenge was drinking this incredibly delicious brew. You don’t have to dig through a nose full of slime to figure out where this beer gets its name. It’s a double IPA brewed exclusively with Citra hops. Despite the heavy ABV, it’s a silky smooth brew that goes down nice and easy. Let it warm up a bit to get those tropical flavors of grapefruit, melon, passion fruit and lychee from the Citra hops. Super tropical, super delicious, not overly bitter. So good, you’ll want to sit in a giant bowl of spaghetti and catch oversized, sauced up meatballs with my teeth just to drink a Super Duper Double Citra!

Make sure to like this amazing brew on Instagram, and follow us!

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Left Hand Brewing Company: Saison Au Miel

Left Hand Brewing Company: Saison Au Miel

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 10

Availability: Spring seasonal

@untappd says: 3.61/5

The Windowsill is feeling sweet like honey today!

Left Hand Brewing Company is the brainchild of Dick Doore and Eric Wallace, two friends who met in college, at the Air Force Academy. They incorporated in 1993, and started rolling out the beers. Why Left Hand? The company is named in honor of Chief Niwot, an Arapaho chief who wintered his tribe in the Boulder Valley area of Colorado. Niwot, whose name meant Left Hand, was killed during the Sand Creek Massacre, betrayed by the U.S. soldiers he thought were his friends.

I love a good saison (aka farmhouse ale). The Saison Au Miel was my first of the style from Left Hand, and I really enjoyed it. It was dry, crisp and mildly tart, and the Colorado wildflower honey really came through in the middle to soften my palate. Makes me sad that I only picked up one!

Head over to Instagram to like this one, and follow us for more great beer!

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Yonkers Brewing Company: Bakesale Oatmeal Nitro Stout

Yonkers Brewing Company: Bakesale Oatmeal Nitro Stout

ABV: 5.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Very limited in cans

@untappd says: 3.65

Having a delicious bake sale on the Windowsill today! What treats do we have in store?

Yonkers natives John Rubbo and Nick Califano grew up helping their grandfathers make homemade wine. They’re endlessly proud of those years spent crushing grapes and learning about booze, but they’re even prouder of their home city. When they decided to open their taps in 2015 only one name stood out: Yonkers. Appropriately enough, their brewery is located in the heart of downtown Yonkers. John and Nick wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love a good Nitro anything, and the Bakesale Oatmeal Nitro Stout is not an exception, at least when it comes to flavor and mouthfeel. This brew had what I love in any stout, with great flavors of chocolate and oatmeal, as well as the nice, creamy, thick mouthfeel that laced the inside of my mouth. The one thing I didn’t like is the ABV. If you know me, you know I love a good imperial-level stout. The Bakesale falls short there, so I guess I just have to drink two!

Check this one out on Instagram. Like and follow us for more delicious treats!

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Half Full Brewery: Albert (Without Rhyme or Reason Release #5.5)

Half Full Brewery: Albert (Without Rhyme or Reason Release #5.5)

Hops: Simcoe (dry-hop)

Grains: Canadian 2-Row, Wheat (raw and malted), Flaked Oats

Yeast: Hefeweizen

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Extremely limited

@untappd says: Not enough ratings as of press time

Feel the reason! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it’s Windowsill time!

Half Full Brewery is back on the Windowsill! Today, let’s talk about “Together We Can,” the brewery’s “Volunteer—Drink Beer” initiative. Once a month, they organize volunteer days where anybody can come together to volunteer at a local community organization. Afterwards, they take it back to the brewery to celebrate. Every beer that sells that day results in a $1 donation to the organization, and a portion of all sales for the whole month get donated as well. If you’re looking to support a business that gives back, Half Full’s a good place to start.

Now, the beer! If you’ve followed my Instagram, you’re familiar with the Without Rhyme or Reason series Half Full has been releasing over the last 5 months or so. The series is known for the special can releases, but the brewery also releases even more exclusive WROR beers that don’t even make it to cans. The Albert—named after Albert Einstein—is one of those. That’s why it’s the “5.5,” and not the 6. I wish they had canned this beer, because it was amazing. It’s a hazy and full-bodied IPA brewed with hefeweizen yeast and double dry-hopped with Simcoe. The Albert has some great notes of peach and banana, goes down super smooth and tastes great!

Make sure you follow us on Instagram, and give Half Full a follow, too!

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Great Lakes Brewing Company: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Great Lakes Brewing Company: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: 37

Availability: Year-round

@untappd says: 3.8/5

Today we honor the fallen crew of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on the Windowsill.

Did you know there have been over 6,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes? A lot of them happen because of the turbulent weather in the region, which is what caused the most famous shipwreck in the area in November of 1975. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was carrying 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets made of processed iron ore when it sank in Lake Superior, killing 29 men on board. It remains the largest ship to go down in the Great Lakes.

Cleveland, Ohio’s Great Lakes Brewing Company chose to honor the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald with their award-winning porter. It’s complex and roasty with a bittersweet, chocolaty coffee flavor and a “bold hop presence.” The Edmund Fitzgerald Porter has won 12 medals at the World Beer Championships, and is a great way to pay tribute to the freighter’s fallen crew.

Check this one out on Instagram now. Make sure to like and follow!