Wednesday, January 27, 2016

New Belgium Side Trip

This 6.0% ABV Belgian-style pale ale is from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado. It uses a Belgian yeast from the Brouwerij Van Den Bossche.

The beer pours a clear and gleaming light copper and amber. There is a relativley short head of white to off-white foam that is not long-lasting. The aroma is sweet, filled with yeast esters, fruity, a bit spicy, clove and light banana. The taste follows the aromas, spicy on the finish. The beer drinks soft and easy, followed by a sting of carbonation. The finish is mostly dry, with a moderate bitterness. This is kind of like a Belgian inspired session beer.  


Wiseacre Ameliorator

This 8.5% ABV doppelbock lager is from Wiseacre Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee. 

The beer pours an extremely dark brown and dark ruby in color. There is a relatively short head of light tan foam. The aroma is darkened sugars and dark fruits, with very light coffee in the background. The taste is dark roasted malts, light char, dark sugars, dark fruit present, but not as much as in the aroma, more in the aftertaste. The beer is sweet, but never cloying, as a moderate bitterness comes through in the finish. The beer drinks smooth, with a light and soft carbonation.  


Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

The Samuel Adams line of beers are from the Boston Brewing Company of Boston, Massachusetts. This 5.8% bock is a holiday winter seasonal that is brewed with cocoa and natural flavors.

The beer pours a very dark brown, nearly black for all intents and purposes. There is a half-inch of light tan head (disappeared by the time I could take my picture). The aroma is dark roasted malt, light char, light chocolate, the chocolate like chocolate cake. The taste follows the aromas, light char, lots of chocolate, sweet, yet dry, like a chocolate cake. The beer drinks smooth with a light bubbling of carbonation. This has a bit too much added cocoa for me compared to the dark roast of its malt. 



Henry's Hard Ginger Ale

Henry Weinhard's opened in Oregon in the 1860's.  It was a regional powerhouse for over a hundred years; in more recent years being acquired by Miller. They are now producing a line of hard sodas made with cane sugar. This is their 4.2% ABV hard ginger ale. I sure hope this is better than those hard root beers trending now.

The beer pours a very pale champagne in color, like pale ginger ale. It is fizzy like soda and the head quickly disappears. The aroma is straight up ginger ale, not a huge ginger bite, but a bit more than say, Canada Dry. The taste follows the aromas, sweet ginger ale with a touch of alcohol. It drinks like pop with stinging carbonation. It is what it said it was! (And better than the hard root beers.)






Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2016 Tropical IPA

This 6.7% ABV India Pale Ale is a one-time spring seasonal release from the Beer Camp series from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California.

The beer pours a crystal clear light orange amber. There is nearly an inch of thick, white, foam. The aroma is tropical, dank, like the overripe smells from an outdoor fruit market in a tropical country. There is mango skin and passion fruit. The taste follows the aromas, even deeper, a bit richer, than the aroma. The beer finishes dry and quite bitter. It drinks smooth, with a soft, tingling carbonation.  


Samuel Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA

This 6.3% ABV beer takes the Rebel IPAfrom the Boston Brewing Company, makers of Samuel Adams beers, and adds grapefruit peel, grapefruit juice, and other natural flavors. 

The beer pours a very lightly hazed orange and apricot in color. There is a tall half-inch head of white foam. The aroma is grapefruit over a light tropical IPA. The taste is almost all grapefruit, finishing with an intense bitterness, combining the hop bitterness of an IPA, with the bitterness of grapefruit. This is like biting into a grapefruit rind. The beer drinks smooth, with tingling carbonation. This has 52 IBU's, but the combination of hop and grapefruit bitterness makes it pretty intense.


Surly-Mikkeller Brett Mikkel's IPA

This is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale fermented with Brettanomyces. It is from the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center (and now Minneapolis), Minnesota. It was brewed in collaboration with the Danish brewer Mikkeller

The beer pours copper and amber in color. There is a tall, thick, foamy, head of white to off-white. The aroma is funky, strongly floral, leather and wet wool blanket, with a light note of very ripe tropical fruit underneath. The taste follows the aromas, this is damn funky and floral, with the tropical fruit very present, but lying underneath, and as implied as explicit. The finish is very dry, a bit tangy, and moderately to strongly bitter. The beer drinks very smooth, with a soft carbonation.  


Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale

This 6.0% ABV pale ale is from the Green Flash Brewing Company of San Diego, California. It uses Cascade, El Dorado, and Warrior hops.

The beer pours a lightly hazed amber in color. There is a short head of off-white foam. The aroma is bright, citrusy, fruit over lighter caramel malt. The taste follows the aromas, same bright citrus fruity, toasted malt, light caramel, with a very dry, and moderately bitter finish. The beer drinks easy, smooth, but with a crisp and refreshing carbonation.


Leinenkugel's IPL

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. This 6.0% ABV India Pale Lager is their newest year round release.

The beer pours a very clear gem-like amber in color. There is a half-inch head of very light tan foam. The aroma is citrusy, fruity, toasted malt, caramel. The taste follows the aromas, moving back and forth between citrus and fruity hops and toasted and lightly caramel malt. The finish is very dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks easy, with a crisp carbonation.  


Monday, January 25, 2016

Shiner Birthday Beer 107: Hoppy Pilsner

A beer for their 107th year, this 5.0% ABV pilsner is from the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas, maker of Shiner beers. It uses Hallertau and Czech Saaz hops.

The beer pours a crystal clear golden in color. There is a relatively short and short-lived head of white foam. The aroma is toasted grain, farmyard straw, and very grassy and floral. The taste follows the aromas, a solid golden grain lager base with the grassy, bitter bite of German/Czech pils hops. The beer drinks crisp, refreshing, with a biting carbonation. This is a nice take on a pils.


Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

The Samuel Adams line of beers are from the Boston Brewing Company of Boston, Massachusetts. This 5.8% porter is a holiday winter seasonal. 

The beer pours a very dark brown and dark ruby in color. There is a short head of light tan foam, not long-lasting. The aroma is mild, dark roasted malts, roasty, light char, light dark chocolate. The taste follows the aromas, dark roasted malts, pleasant char, dark chocolate, with a fruity, mineral tang. The finish is dry and lightly to moderately bitter. The beer drinks easy with a tingle of carbonation.  This is enjoyable.


Bell's Christmas Ale

This 5.5% ABV Christmas ale is from the Bell's Brewery of Comstock, Michigan.

The beer pours a deep, glowing, amber and copper. There is a short head of off-white foam. The aroma is malty, toasted, cloves, plums, and yeast esters. The taste follows the aromas, hitting the same notes, caramel, toasted, and dark fruits. The finish is very dry with a moderate bitterness. The beer is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. This one didn't do a lot for me.


Saturday, January 23, 2016

Samuel Adams Sparkling Ale

This 4.8% ABV ale is from the Boston Brewing Company, makers of Samuel Adams beers. 

The beer pours a deep golden, crystal clear. There is a half-inch of white, foamy head. The aroma is toasted grain and grassy hops, lagerish. The taste follows the aromas, but is much brighter, adding a light citrus tang on the end of the toasted grain, and the grassy finish has a cleansing bitterness. The beer drinks easy, with a strong, crisp and refreshing carbonation. This is a delicious and highly drinkable beer, that you could drink by the liter.


Westmalle Tripel

This is a 9.5% ABV Trappist ale from the Monastery of Westmalle in Belgium. 

The beer pours dark golden in color. There is a short, but thick, head of white foam. The aroma is rich grain, straw, honey sweet. The taste follows the aromas, rich, sweet, malty grain, straw, hay, floral, honey. The beer drinks smooth, followed by the intense, fine tingling of bottle-conditioned carbonation. Well done, there is a reason it is a classic.


Trappistes Rochefort 10

This is an 11.3% ABV abbey ale from the Trappist Abbaye St. Remy in Rochefort, Belgium.

The beer pours a deep and very dark brown and dark ruby. There is a half-inch of light tan, foamy, bubbly head. The beer pours very carbonated, fizzing. The aroma is dark fruits, plums, berries, raisins, dark caramel, and a bit of a vinous note. The taste follows the aromas, sweet and fruity, cherries and berries, caramel, but with tangy notes with the fruit as well. The beer drinks easy with a fizzing carbonation. There is some spicy warmth on the mouth, but you wouldn't really ever guess that it was 11.3% ABV. A solid classic beer.  


New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA

This 6.0% ABV India Pale Ale is from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado, and is brewed with tangerine, orange peel, and orange.

 The beer pours a clear honey golden in color. There is nearly an inch of white foam. The aroma is tangerine, and hops that have citrus, tropical and musky dankness to them. The taste follows the aromas. There is an intense and very bright high citrus note, followed by a tropical dankness of mango skin and earthy muskiness. The beer drinks crisp, bright, refreshing. The bitterness is low for the style. This is very enjoyable.


Castelain Grand Cru Blonde Biere de Garde

This beer is by the Brasserie Benifontaine in France.  Biere de Garde is the only beer style that is indigenous to France. This 7.8% ABV beer is the Grand Cru version of the Blonde Biere de Garde.

The beer pours cloudy, bright amber in color. There is a relatively short head of white foam. The aroma is malty and sweet, cereal grain, caramel and fruit, with a fruity tang. The taste is rich malted grain, straw, sweet honey and caramel. The finish is dry with a light bitterness.  


Saturday, January 16, 2016

The Sour Note Flanders Style Red Ale

The Sour Note Brewing is out of Gary, Indiana and currently brews and bottles their beers in the space of the 18th Street Brewery in Gary. This is their eponymous Flanders Style Red Ale.

The beer pours lightly hazed dark amber and copper. There is a short and short-lived head of dark off-white to very light tan foam. The aroma is vinous, tart, woody, earthy, fruity, tart cherry. The taste follows the aromas, adding in a leathery maltiness. The tartness seems to increase as you work your way through the beer. The beer drinks smooth with a light, tingling carbonation.  



New American Elves' Revenge

This 9.0% ABV winter ale is from New American Brewing of Ankeny, Iowa. Based on its name, I wanted to get to it before we got too far out from Christmas. Per the bottle, it has hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

The beer pours a deep amber tinted with dark, jewel-like garnet. There is a short and short lived head of very light tan foam. The aroma is malty, caramel and dark fruits, with a fruity, yeasty tang and a whiff of herbs and spices. The taste follows the aromas, amping up the caramel and spices, with less of the dark fruits. The beer drinks very smooth, followed up by a tingling carbonation. There is sweetness, but the beer finishes dry.  


Wiseacre Brewing Lord Skylark

This 6.0% ABV pale ale made with Earl Gray tea is from Wiseacre Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee. 


The beer pours a lightly hazy, yet gleaming, copper and amber in color. There is a tall half-inch of off-white head. The aroma is floral, light jasmine, citrus, and tea. The taste is citrus, tea, and light caramel malt. The finish is moderately bitter. The beer drinks very smooth and easy, with a light crispness of carbonation at the end. This puts a citrus and caramel pale ale in delicate balance with the flavors of tea. It works!


Sunday, January 10, 2016

Confluence Special Saison No. 1

The Confluence Brewing Company is in Des Moines, Iowa. They have been commercially available for some time in howlers sold at liquor stores, but are now starting to release some bottled specials. This 9.6% ABV farmhouse style ale is, oddly, actually their third saision. 

The beer pours a slightly hazy amber in color. There is a very tall, thick, and long-lasting head of off-white foam. The aroma is malty, caramel, fruity, plums, with a tangy and fruity yeast. The taste follows the aromas note for note, with a very deep and rich taste. The beer drinks with the intense, fine bubbled, carbonation of bottle-conditioned beer. This is a good take on a malty saison, and that ABV will creep up on you so watch out.


Oskar Blues IPA

This 6.43% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Oskar Blues Brewery of Longmont, Colorado (they also now have a North Carolina brewery). It has 70 IBU's and uses Enigma, Ella, Topaz, Galaxy, and Vic Secret hops. 

The beer pours a deep golden in color. There is a tall, thick, raggedly foamy head of white. The aroma is musky dank and a bit of pine up front, with ripe, opulent tropical fruits and melon underneath. The taste follows the aromas, lots of dank muskiness, tropical fruit, mango, with a dry and quite bitter finish. Citrus starts to make itself known as you get used to the bigger flavors. The beer drinks easy, both soft and smooth, but also with a tingling, refreshing carbonation. Although it doesn't use Citra hops, to me this tastes a lot like pseudoSue from Toppling Goliath, but a bit more bitter on the finish. This is really, really good.


Sierra Nevada Otra Vez

This 4.5% ABV gose-style ale is from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, California and now Mills River, North Carolina. In addition to the traditional salt and coriander of a gose, it adds in prickly pear and grapefruit.

 The beer pours a lightly hazed champagne golden yellow in color. There is over an inch of thick, fluffy, foamy, white head. The aroma is prickly pear, grapefruit, with an underlying tart note like white wine. The taste is prickly pear, then tart, then salt, then grapefruit. The aftertaste is the grain of lager. The finish is dry, yet tart. The beer is smooth and drinks very easy. Solidly done, there is much I can appreciate, but overall I don't like it, it tastes too “flavored.”


Sunday, January 3, 2016

New Belgium and Ben & Jerry's Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale

This 6.25% ABV ale brewed with cocoa is a collaboration with Ben & Jerry's ice cream from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado. 

The beer pours a very dark brown and dark ruby, appearing black. There is a small head of light tan foam. The aroma is dark roasted malt, sweet, yet dry, lots of chocolate, caramel and nut. The taste follows the aromas, hitting the same notes, tasting exactly like it's name. The beer drinks easy, soft, and smooth, tasting like a liquid dessert. This is really good, the dry, salted, nuttiness makes it a “dessert” beer that I could drink more than one of in a night. I was afraid this would taste gimmicky, but it was much better than I expected.


The Sour Note Blackberry Gose

The Sour Note Brewing is out of Gary, Indiana and currently brews and bottles their beers in the space of the 18th Street Brewery in Gary. This German-style gose (a tart style brewed with sea salt and coriander) is brewed with blackberries.

The beer pours a hazy salmon pink. There is a short head of thin white foam. The aromas is tart, tangy, blackberry fruit, and a salty mineral note. The taste follows the aromas note for note, hitting them all, with the fruit, tart and mineral combining in a balanced refreshment. The finish is dry and tart, and the beer drinks easy. This is very well done.