Sunday, December 18, 2016

Uinta Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA

This 7.3% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is made using tangerine zest. 


The beer pours a sparkling light copper and amber in color. There is a half-inch head of white foam that leaves a curtain of sticky lacing on the glass. The aroma is citrus, tangy, tangerine, juicy, with a bit of tropical fruit. The taste is very tangy and juicy, citrus, tangerine, zest. The finish is dry and quite bitter, like biting into a grapefruit, rind and all. The beer drinks very smooth with a soft tingling of carbonation.  


Saturday, December 17, 2016

Uinta Pale Ale

This 4.0% ABV Pale Ale is from the Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their brewery uses solar and wind power.

The beer pours dark amber and copper in color. There is a tall, thick, foamy head of off-white. The aroma is fairly mild, citrus and caramel malts. The taste is the same, caramel malt, citrus, a bit of tea with lemon. The finish is dry with light bitterness. The beer drinks very refreshing, carbonated, yet smooth. This is mild, refreshing, enjoyable, and very crushable.  


Friday, December 16, 2016

Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale

The Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is in Decorah, Iowa. They make the best beers in Iowa, and some of the best beers in the country. This is a 5.0% ABV pale ale.


The beer pours a crystal clear amber in color. There is a tall, thick, foamy head of off-white. The aroma is citrus, mango skin, a bit of muskiness, and iced tea. The taste follows the aromas note for note, like a strong, quality, iced tea with lemon and mango. The finish is very dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks smooth and easy with a tingle of carbonation. This is really, really good!

(there's some great label art on beer cans these days, but so many are now wraparounds, and can't get a picture that does justice)


Friday, December 9, 2016

Toppling Goliath Sosus DIPA

The Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is in Decorah, Iowa. They make the best beers in Iowa, and some of the best beers in the country. This is their 8.0% ABV Double India Pale Ale featuring the Mosaic hop. 


The beer pours a deep, clean dark golden in color. There is a very tall head of thick white foam, and it is well carbonated. The aroma is a blast of tropical fruit, lots of mango and passion fruit, ripe, musky, dank, with citrus tang. The taste follows the aromas, an intense blast of all the same tropical, fruit, and musky notes. The finish is dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks very, very smooth, with a soft, fine, but still tingling carbonation. This is an awesome blast of flavor.  


2018 bottles:

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Barley John's Wild Brunette

This 7.2% ABV brown ale is made using wild rice, and is from Barley John's Brewing. Their brewpub is in New Brighton, Minnesota, but their cans come from their facility in New Richmond, Wisconsin (which due to Byzantine various state alcohol laws, allows them to sell their cans in Minnesota, which they could not do from their own brewpub).

The beer pours a dark brown with dark ruby tints. There is a half-inch of light tan, creamy head. The aroma is sweet and nutty, caramel, dark fruits, hazel nut and toasted wild rice. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, fruity and nutty. The finish is dry, clean, and moderately bitter. The beer drinks very easy with light carbonation. This is a pleasant beer. 

Ommegang Game of Thrones Valar Dohaeris

This 9.0% ABV Belgian-style tripel ale is from the Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York. Ommegang is part of the Duvel family, and is essentially a Belgian brewery plopped down in New York State. It is one of their special releases tied to the HBO television series Game of Thrones. This is the counter saying to the coin (and beer) Valar Morghulis, a saying in High Valyrian meaning "all men must die," that when spoken guarantees you assistance from any person from Braavos. Valar Dohaeris means "all men must serve."


The beer pours a hazy very dark golden. There is an inch of raggedly foamy white head. The aroma is sweet, fruity and floral yeast esters, tangy and bright. The taste follows the aromas, a very balanced blending of sweet, tangy, and floral. There is a moderate floral bitterness on the finish. The beer drinks easy and smooth, with a tingling of carbonation. This is very nicely done, one of the tastiest that they have had in this series.