Saturday, April 25, 2015

Northgate Old Ale (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

This is a 9.0% ABV limited release from Northgate Brewing of the Northeast area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have bottle 327 of 1,000.  The bottle describes their old all as a full-bodied, malty, English-style ale. This release is aged in bourbon barrels.

The beer pours a hazy medium-dark brown and burnt orange. There is a half inch of dark off-white to light beige head. The aroma is dark fruits, plums and cherries, raisins, toffee, oak, vanilla, with a light bourbon booziness. The taste follows the aromas, there is more fruit in the aroma, and more malt in the taste, caramel and toffee. The bourbon is more pronounced in the taste, and an almost smokey note comes in from the bourbon. The beer drinks very smooth, but also with a warming alcohol burn. There is plenty of sweetness in the malt, but it never overwhelms, and the finish is dry. This is a really nice and tasty sipper.


Old Milwaukee Light

Old Milwaukee was first released in 1955 by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company.  It ended up sold to Stroh's, and is now owned by Pabst Brewing. I dont' know why, but in my area of the Midwest, this beer was always called "Old Mud" when I was younger.

The beer pours a very pale yellow golden, utterly sun bleached straw. There is a very tall head of white, fluffy head. The aroma is light grain, light tangy fruit, mostly apple, and just a hint of grassy straw. The taste follows the aromas, light bready sweetness, turning mostly dry, with just a hint of bitterness. The beer drinks crisp and refreshing, with just a touch of smoothness. Not bad for its genre, but regular Old Milwaukee is better than the light. This beer is best straight from the can. It is a  decent light compared to a lot of the macros.





Sunday, April 19, 2015

Bent Brewstillery Uber Lupin

This is a 8.3% ABV "schwarz" or black IPA that also has 83 IBU's. It is from the Bent Brewstillery of Roseville, Minnesota. The can indicates that in additional to malt and hops, they add in toasted bread crumbs.


The beer pours black in appearance, just a sliver of translucent brown on the bottom edge when held to the light. There is a tall, thick, foamy head of tan. The aroma is pine, tangy, dark roasted malt, toasted bread. The taste follows the aromas, but they clash rather than blending into a harmonious and better whole. A strange vomit note is created as the piney hops combine with an almost burnt note in the malts. The beer does drink easy and smooth. It has a very piney and bitter finish. This beer is why I am leery of black IPA’s. When they are good, they can be great, but when they don’t mesh, the result is a mess. It does get better as you go through the can, but I would choose many black IPA's over this one.






Ballast Point Even Keel Session IPA

This is a 3.8% ABV session India Pale Ale from the Ballast Point Brewing Company of San Diego, California. This is the lowest ABV session IPA I have come across.

The beer pours amber and copper in color. There is a tall, raggedly foamy head, off-white in color (perhaps like sea foam to fit the Ballast Point Nautical theme). The aroma is tropical, melons, citrus, zesty. The taste follows the aromas, over cracker and tea maltiness. The finish is dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks easy, with a refreshing carbonation. This is a good session IPA. Granted, there are better, but when you take into account the low ABV here, it is truly, truly an IPA you could drink and still get things done. 


Kalona Quick Wit

This is a 5.1% ABV Belgian style wheat ale brewed with orange and coriander. It is from the Kalona Brewing Company of Kalona, Iowa. 

The beer pours yellow gold in color. There is an inch of white foamy head that fizzes quickly down. The aroma is yeast, esters, banana, clove, herbal and floral. The taste follows the aromas, adding in sweet malt and fruit. The finish is just on the dry side, with a touch of floral bitterness. The beer drinks smooth and easy, and feels pleasantly fuller in body than its ABV would indicate.


Indeed Stir Crazy

This 6.5% ABV winter ale is made with cacao nibs, vanilla, raisins, brown sugar, and other natural flavors. The beer is from the Indeed Brewing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The can let's you know "Mittens Not Included." Every time I think I am fully done with a season's beers, I always end up with one more. It is high time to have all winter ales out of my fridge.

The beer pours black in appearance, just a bit of dark ruby on the edge when held to the light. There is nearly an inch of dark tan head. The aroma is like reading the ingredient list, cacao up front, then vanilla, followed by the sweetness of brown sugar, and then a bit of the dark fruit of raisins. The taste follows the aromas, but they brightly explode, and are far more intense than the aromas. The finish is dry and mildly bitter, with dark roasted malt and cacao lingering on the tongue. The beer drinks easy, wishing it had just a bit fuller body to hold up all those flavors.


Saturday, April 18, 2015

612 Brew Unrated Rye

612 Brew is a brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 612 is the area code for Minneapolis. This rye India Pale Ale has 6.9% ABV and 80 IBU's. It used to be called Rated R,but apparently the movie picture association responsible for issuing the movie ratings didn't take too kindly to that, and they were forced to rename.

The beer pours a dull, dark amber and copper in color. There is over an inch of off-white head, thick, and somewhat creamy. The aroma is fruity, berries and dark stone fruits, spicy rye, with a touch of pine and Double Bubble gum. The taste follows the aromas, finishing spicy, dry, and bitter. The beer drinks smooth with a tingle of carbonation.




612 Brew Six Pale Ale

612 Brew is a brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 612 is the area code for Minneapolis. Six is their 5.1% ABV pale ale. It has 41 IBU's and is named after the number of the bus that takes one through Uptown, Downtown, and back to the neighborhood of the brewery in Northeast Minneapolis.

The beer pours light amber, and the color of dried apricots. There is a relatively short head of white to off-white foam. The aroma is citrusy, fruity, a touch of yeast, over crackery malt. The taste follows the aromas, finishing dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks smooth and easy. This is a not much to write home about pale ale.


Castle Danger 17-7

This is a 5.8% ABV American Pale Ale from the Castle Danger Brewery of Two Harbors, Minnesota. The name is their address, number 17 on 7th Street. The can explains that they first brewed this hopped up pale ale because they could brew it faster than an IPA and needed to meet demand.

The beer pours a light, glowing amber and copper in color. There is a tall, foamy, head of white to off-white. It leaves layers of sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is hop forward, lots of tropical fruit, melons and citrus. The taste adds in a dank note, keeps the tropical fruits, lays on some unobtrusive caramel malt, and finishes quite dry and with a moderate bitterness. The beer drinks smooth with a soft carbonation. This is a very enjoyable pale ale.


Shiner Haymaker

Shiner beers come from the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas (pop. 2,070). This 4.5% ABV extra pale ale is a limited edition Brewer's Pride selection (No. 6) available in their "Family Reunion" sampler six pack.

The beer pours a dark, golden yellow in color. There is nearly an inch of white, foamy head, but it is not too long lasting. The aroma is lemony, a touch of grapefruit, a light herbal note, with some underlying sweet grain. The taste follows the aromas, lemon, sweet grain, honey, light herbal. The finish is dry and lightly bitter. The beer drinks easy, carbonated, and thirst quenching. This is one of those nice enough, yet underwhelming, beers. Shiner does best when they stick to lager variations.



Leinenkugel's Big Butt Doppelbock

Leinenkugel's Brewing Company is from  Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  They began brewing in 1867. Leinenkugel's has been owned by Miller for some time now (who is now owned by MolsonCoors). This 5.8% ABV doppelbock has the great name of "Big Butt."

The beer pours a medium brown with hints of burnt orange. There is an inch of off-white head that fizzes away fairly quickly. The aroma is sweet, nutty, caramel, light toffee.  The taste follows the aromas, adding in a more dark roasted note, but adding in a tang that is a bit strong for the style.  Further sips get better. The finish is dry and the beer drinks easy, actually a bit too light and watery. This has a few charms, but it is much more like an Oktoberfest lager than a true doppelbock.



Boulevard Imperial Stout Coffee Ale 2015

This 11.0% ABV stout with coffee is a special limited release from the Smokestack Series of Boulevard Brewing of Kansas City, Missouri. Like their Coffee Ale it uses Ethiopian Sidamo coffee from their neighbors The Roasterie. Unlike their annual Imperial Stout release, this beer is not barrel aged.

The beer pours black as black coffee, well carbonated with small bubbles rolling upwards. There is over an inch of tall, thick and bubbly tan head. The aroma is rich, dark roasted coffee, but the coffee does not overwhelm all else. It blends in nicely with dark roasted malt, chocolate, char, along with light and tangy fruit notes, adding in a bit of vanilla. The taste follows the aromas, great melding of delicious coffee and smooth, dark roasted stout. This is so well done, and its flavor profile begs to be barrel aged. The beer drinks smooth, with fine, tingling carbonation, and a warm, pleasantly boozy finish. This is excellent.


Bauhaus Uber Duber

This is a 7.0% ABV "Hoppy Bock" that has 60 IBU's. It is from Bauhaus Brew Labs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They can their regular lineup, but release 22 0unce bottles of seasonal special releases, like this.

The beer pours a deep and dark copper and amber. There is a relatively short head of off-white to light tan foam. The aroma is roasted and toasted, nutty and lightly fruity, very pleasant. The taste follows the aromas directly, roasted, toasted, nutty, caramel malt, with a light and airy fruitiness that eases into jasmine flowers. The finish is dry and decidedly bitter. The beer drinks smooth and easy with strongly tingling carbonation. The beer is both unique and familiar all at once. Huzzah!


Fargo Wood Chipper IPA

This 6.7% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Fargo Brewing Company of Fargo, North Dakota. It uses oats along with five varieties of hops and comes in at 70 IBU's. The name is a wonderful play on the scene in the movie Fargo when one of the crooks is caught in the act of putting Steve Buscemi's character through a wood chipper.

The beer pours apricot, amber and copper in color. There is a foamy head of white to off-white. The aroma is grapefruit skin, a bit of pine and dankness, light citrus, passion fruit and mango skin. The taste takes all of the aromas and brightens them up and intensifies them, letting them all rest on enough caramel malt to support them. The beer finishes with a moderate to intense bitterness, with the refreshing bite of grapefruit. It drinks smooth, yet carbonated. This is a solid IPA.


Sunday, April 12, 2015

612 Brew Gateway Park Pre-Prohibition Lager

612 Brew is a brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 612 is the area code for Minneapolis. This beer takes its name from the Gateway area of Minneapolis. The beer is 5.6% ABV.

The beer pours a hazy yellow golden. There is an inch of thick, white head. The aroma is grain, grass, pleasantly sulphurous lager notes, a note of sweet, and a note of citrus. The taste follows the path of the aromas, very flavorful, finishing dry, and quite, quite bitter. It drinks crisp, strongly carbonated, making a very refreshing and tasty lager.



Anchor Saison Spring Ale

This 7.2% ABV saison style ale is from the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California. It uses lemon, lemongrass and ginger.

The beer pours copper in color with a relatively short head of white to off-white foam. The aroma is filled with yeasty esters, lots of banana and clove, sweet and flowery. The lemongrass, lemon and ginger are present, but quite subtle. The taste follows the aromas, but adds a peppery finish, with some bite from the ginger. The more you drink it, the hotter the ginger gets in the finish. It drinks sweet, then peppery, and finishes mostly dry, with a moderately bitter finish. There is also a lingering note like strong tea. It drinks with a crisp carbonation that matches the sting of the ginger. I wasn’t impressed by the aroma, but the more I drink it, the more I like it.


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Deschutes Black Butte XXV

This is an 11.3% ABV Imperial Porter from Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon. They release a version of this each year to mark their birthday, this was year 25 from 2013. It was brewed using dates, figs, and cocoa nibs with 50% aged in bourbon barrels and blended with 12.5% that had black currant added.

The beer pours black, with some dark ruby tints when held to the light. There is a half-inch of tan, semi-creamy head. The aroma is dark fruits, rich chocolate, light bourbon, with oak and vanilla, all melded into a balanced whole. The beer follows the aromas, the dark fruits take the forefront, adding in a tang, then the dark malts hit, chocolate and a bit of char, then it goes back to the fruits, hitting their dried tones, herbal, moist tobacco, with just a touch of bourbon through it all.  The finish is mostly dry, with a dark fruit tanginess, and a moderate bitterness. The beer drinks relatively smooth, but it could use just a bit more of a heavy, creamy body to stand up to all those flavors, the dark fruits especially cut through and leave it feeling just the tiniest bit watery. Fine point criticisms for a very well-done beer.


Tin Whiskers Flip Switch IPA

This 6.2% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Tin Whiskers Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota. All of their beers are named after things to do with electrical circuitry. So, their motto is "Join the Resistance."  Get it?

The beer pours a deep amber and copper, with a bit of haze. There is a relatively short head of off-white foam that leaves sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is hop forward, very fruity, but still relatively mild. The fruit is citrus and ripe tropical fruits. The taste is caramel malt, a bit of citrus, just a hint of pine, and a bubble gum flavor (think Double Bubble) you sometimes get, most particularly in American pale ales. The finish is dry and moderately bitter. It drinks medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. I liked it better as it warmed a bit and opened up.


Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop IPA - Idaho 7

This 6.5% ABV India Pale Ale uses the new Idaho 7 hop varietal. It is from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California. It is part of their yearly Harvest series that feature single hop, fresh hop, wet hop and wild hop IPA's.

The beer pours a light amber and copper in color. There is a tall, thick, foamy white to off-white head that leaves curtains of thick lacing down the glass. The aroma is fruity, citrus, grassy, tangy, with jasmine tea.  The taste follows the aromas, drinking bright and brassy, herbal, ending in a dry grapefruit and quinine pithy bitterness that is quite intense.  The beer drinks smooth, yet with good carbonation. 


New Glarus Road Slush Stout

This stout is made with oatmeal from Chilton, Wisconsin. It is from the New Glarus Brewing Company  in New Glarus, Wisconsin. Their beers are only distributed in Wisconsin. Their beers are tasty, yet very accessible. I tried this the other night when a sudden early April snowstorm was rapidly dumping thick, heavy, wet, slushy snow. So, it seemed the perfect time for this beer.

The beer pours black in appearance, ruby and dark brown when held to the light. There is a relatively short head of tan foam. The aroma is smokey, char, mineral tang, chocolate. The taste follows the aromas, lots of nice char and chocolate. The finish is mostly dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks smooth, but also with a tingle of carbonation. This is a very pleasant drinking stout.




KCCO Gold Lager

This is a collaboration between Resignation Brewery (recipe) and Redhook of Portland, Oregon (brewed and bottled). It is a 5.0% ABV lager with 16 IBU's. "KCCO" stands for "Keep Calm, Chive On." I guess I'm old, I don't profess to get it, but it has to do with The Chive website. There is also a Black Lager in this line of beers.

The beer pours honey golden in color. There is about an inch of white foamed head. The aroma is sweet grain, grassy, with a lagerish sulfur quality. The taste follows on the aromas directly, finishing mostly dry, and with a moderate bitterness. The beer drinks easy, touch of smoothness, but also nicely carbonated. This is a solid lager, so keep calm and drink on with this one.


Evil Twin Molotov Lite

Evil Twin Brewing has its origins in Denmark, but its beers are actually brewed at ten different breweries around the world. This beer was produced and bottled at Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, Connecticut. It is 8.5% ABV and the can says it is brewed with natural flavors, but neither the can nor their website say what flavors are added. I found an online comment by one of the brothers that run Evil Twin, and the natural flavors are mango and orange.

The beer pours honey golden, apricot, a bit hazy, with just over an inch of white foamy head. The aroma is musky, pine, a bit of dank, mango skins, citrus and melons. The taste follows the aromas melding musky pine with bright fruit. The finish is blisteringly bitter and dry, we’re talking quinine here. The alcohol is out front, you would think this was even higher ABV than it is. The beer drinks with a mix of smooth and carbonated. And this is the lite? (just kidding)


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Uinta Detour Double IPA

This is a 9.5% ABV double India Pale Ale from the Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their brewery uses solar and wind power. It has 95 IBU's and is a year-round release.

The beer pours a deep copper and amber in color. There is a tall, thickly foamy head of off-white to very light tan that leaves sticky layers of lacing down the glass. The aroma is hop forward, lushly fruity, juicy, tropical, passion fruit. The taste is a blast of bitter, juicy, ripe fruits over a healthy bed of strong caramel malt. The beer drinks smooth, round and full, with a light tingle of carbonation. All around this is a pleasant drinking DIPA.




Saturday, April 4, 2015

Camo Black Extra

This is a high gravity lager beer brewed by Five Star Brewing of LaCrosse, Wisconsin and Latrobe, Pennsylvania (contract brewed by City Brewing). This is a whopping 12.2% ABV high gravity lager. According to the can, it has "imported hops and extra malted barley for an extra smooth taste,"  is "Ultra Premium," and is "naturally brewed longer with the highest quality extra malted barley." Lies, lies, damnable lies!

The beer pours honey golden, tint of orange. There is a relatively short head of white that bubbles down fairly quickly. The aroma is overly sweet grain, cheap candy, with a tart fruitiness (think apples spoiling on the ground). The taste follows the aromas, sweet and sour at the same time, like drinking a thin gruel of grain that has rotting apples and children’s candy mixed into it. It drinks thin, yet syrupy at the same time. It has an absolute burning throat combination of raw industrial alcohol and stinging carbonation. Wow, this is intensely bad. This is epically bad, monstrous, an atrocity!





Summit Unchained 18 Hop Silo Double IPA

The Summit Brewing Company is in St. Paul, Minnesota and has been making craft beer since 1986.  This is part of their Unchained Series of limited release special batch beers. Number 18 in the series is the first to be canned, and is a 8.3% ABV double IPA. It is Summit's first beer to crack 100 IBU's and has 101.

The beer pours a deep amber, with burnt orange, a touch hazed. There is a tall and thick head of off-white foam that leaves much thick lacing down the glass. The aroma is tropical fruit and citrus, balancing on ample caramel malt, but hops stay at the forefront. The taste follows the aromas, hops out front, passion fruit and citrus, a touch of pine sap, all over ample caramel malt. The finish is very dry, astringent, bitter. It has the feeling of its massive IBU’s. This isn’t for the faint of heart.