Category: Beer Reviews

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Review – Tesla CyberBeer from Buzzrock Brewing

The winner of must clunky beer packaging award goes to, well, you read the post title so you know it is the Tesla CyberBeer. Boy howdy is it the least cool bottle and mug (?) that I have run across. Which would be of little import if the beer inside outpaced the bottle.

But it doesn’t so having to peel off the shrink wrap from the neck, then manhandling the strange top off, you then still have to pop a cap and then try to carefully pour into the lopsided mug. The choice of an Imperial Helles seems odd. If the goal was just unique then mission accomplished but if the goal was instead to be a thoughtful gift or promotional item then why not just a simple lager?

Maybe this bottle was old but it tasted mostly of pear and malt and had a lot of viscosity to it and a weird alcohol-y after taste that was not quite burning but was there in too much abundance.

I hope that Buzzrock Brewing was paid well for this because this must have been extra, extra work to get from tank to bottle.

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Beer Review – A Bagby Beer Co. Duo

I mentioned last year that I made a stop in Oceanside at Bagby Beer Co. but I failed to mention that I brought a few of their beers back with me and it is now time to talk about them further. And for the last time! See today’s other Babgby blog post.

Starting with the cheekily named Corn Star an American Lager brewed with corn at a big 7.8% abv. Originally a collaboration with Sun King Brewing in Indiana. Pours a vividly clear darker yellow. Crisp and sweet aroma. First sip is very sweet on the palate. The corn taste is there for sure. Silky mouthfeel to it. Tastes pretty hefty too.

wEYEssbier was a gem that stood out in my taster tray so I bought a can of the hefeweizen to have again. There was a slight spice note but this was a banana dream. Almost into cream pie territory with a mouthfeel mix of bubbly and silky together. Better version of a pastry beer to me.

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Featured Cider Review – 2 Towns – 2 N/A

I have had limited success with Non-Alcoholic beers but maybe my luck will turn with 2 Towns Ciderhouse and their N/A Cosmic Crisp and Pacific Pineapple ciders, sorry, Sidekicks…

sidekick cc – pours a super light yellow color. tiny vinegar tang upon opening the can.  apples being pressed aroma.  some sweetness.  nice carbonation.  has that Martinelli’s sparkle to it.

sidekick pp – big pineapple aroma on this one.  much like the cc.  a teeny vinegar note tucked into the folds of what is essentially pineapple juice.  pp does not have the carbonation balance though.  Could be amped up to create the illusion of a pineapple cider.

If blind tasting, I would not have pegged either as de-alcoholed cider. I would have said both were juice. With the Cosmic Crisp being the closer to hard cider to me.

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Review – Anchor Christmas Ale 2017 & 2018

The last two bottles of Anchor Christmas Ale. A bit melancholic this is. Sad to have Sapporo be such a Grinch.

But time waits for no one or no brewery so before these go too far, time to crack them open and taste….

2017 – I got an aged barrel, slightly sour smell when popping the cap. A bit of cherry aroma as well. Pretty foamy latte head of foam. Super dark brown color tinged with red. Initial taste is a bit smoky but also bubbly. Mouthfeel is light and what I am left with is a cola note.

2018 – this year pours a bit more red in color and the foam is a shade whiter. Much less aroma upon opening. Initial taste is much hoppier even after 5+ years. Tastes much less lighter than the previous year despite only being .02 higher in ABV. Like a red ale this.

The 2018 is more straightforward while the 2017 is more complex in flavor but I like that streamlined red ale a touch more.

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The Best Beers of November 2023

I have three picks for this month. Two canned and one on draft.

In third with the bronze is the draft Bit-O-Sunny IPA from Eagle Rock Brewery. It was different from their other IPA options, it had a brightness, dare I say Sunniness to it that peaked it above the general IPA din.

Second was my second beer from GOAL Brewing with the long name of Shattered Backboard Ones. A San Diego hazy that like the Bit-O was bright and super fruity.

In first place is the Cold-ed version of Wookey Jack, Arctic Wookey from Firestone Walker. Big dark roast notes but the hops punched through it enough that it never became lopsided like so many black IPA’s can be. Maybe the missing link was the IPLing of the style.

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Thanksgiving (or Not) Review – Pan A Flores from South Norte

I have reviewed a pilsner and an IPA as possible Thanksgiving table choices and now it is time to do a dark beer, Pan A Flores from South Norte Brewing and it has a lot. Cajeta (caramel-esque) , cinnamon, Mexican chocolate and coffee.

This is a porter and not a stout so it doesn’t bog you down. Caramel and cinnamon is there with the coffee and Mexican Chocolate making cameos I would expect that different people would get stronger hits from different flavors depending on what people are more sensitive to. This may not play well with starters or cranberry but I think it would add pizazz to the turkey and stuffing for sure.

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Thanksgiving (or Not) Review – The Art of Quiet IPA from Liquid Gravity

I chose this beer for two reasons.

One, it is an oft repeated trope that Thanksgiving brings out the family blowhards who claim to not know that what they just said was beyond the pale (to put it lightly). To the point where pretty much everyone wishes the meal could be enjoyed in quiet.

Second is that like the blowhard, you can’t ignore IPA because it is everywhere for both good and bad. So we have to see if there is a way to wedge a good bitter hop charge with the turkey and stuffing.

That leads us to The Art of Quiet from noted SLO brewer Liquid Gravity.

Described on their website as, “Hopped with massive doses of Somcoe and Citra this clear hop nectar explodes with papaya, citrus and pine needles. A moderate bitterness helps keep this beer highly drinkable and each sip finishes dry, crisp and refreshing.”

Pours a bubbly light yellow. Could fool a person into thinking it’s a pilsner. And the aroma doesn’t give away the game too much either. First sip does reveal a goodly sized amount of bitterness but it has a secondary fruit juice flavor. Grapefruit and papaya for my tastebuds. Damn tasty West Coaster this.

I think this could work under the right circumstances. Turkey will not be a problem if it is the mainstay simple prep. If the stuffing isn’t spiced or the potatoes are not super buttered, this beer would work. I do think it would be a discordant note for other side hustles on the table though.

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Firestone Walker Anniversary Now and Five Years Ago

Each year, I taste test the current FW Anniversary blend and then taste the blend from five years ago.  This time around it is 27 vs 22.

This years anniversary beer, aka XXVIII or 27 was created by the team of Molly Lonborg from Alta Colina, Kevin Sass from Halter Ranch Beer Club Member Ezekial Palmer. Below are strands used in the blend:

DDBA Batch 10k – Aged in Wheated Bourbon Barrels (33%) – Imperial Special Bitter

Dividing Time – Aged in Wheated and Rye Bourbon Barrels (29%) – Munich Wine Made in Collaboration with Private Press

Bravo – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%) – Imperial Brown Ale

Rip This Joint – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%) – Imperial Stout Made in Collaboration with Side Project

Velvet Merkin – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (12%) – Milk Stout

XXII is made up of the following componemts: 44% Stickee Monkee, 22% Parabola, 22% Bravo, 7% Rum Barrel Helldorado, 5% Gin Barrel Helldorado.

Now onto the reviews…

22 – even though the rum and gin barrels are only 12% of the total, I am getting a bit of both. There is chocolate and a kick of spice here that I like the interplay between. Has a definite Belgian quad taste, sorry Central Coast Quad.

27 – seems kind of one note to me overall. It is a really good chocolate brownie. in beer form. Thick and muddy in a good way. Not much barrel notes to be found which I was sorta expecting considering the beers in the blend.

Even five years on, the 22 wins. If there has been more bourbon in 27, I might have given it the nod though.

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Thanksgiving (or Not) Review – Bamboo Pilsner from Dokkaebier

This month the reviews will be a bit expanded from the brief format I normally employ, by adding a simple “Would this work for Thanksgiving?” to it. Thanksgiving staples are generally prepared in a way that is, out with it, bland. Turkey, potatoes and rolls all need some dressing up as it were. So I want to choose beers that will add a note while also not adding to the bloat of eating too much. For further beverage ideas check out Lew Bryson’s Seen Through a Glass Thanksgiving episode.

The first up is Bamboo Pilsner by Oakland’s Dokkaebier.

I chose this because you want light against the heavy thud of spuds and tryptophan. Plus, hoping that the bamboo tea brings a contrasting note.

Pours a dark yellow for a pilsner. Aroma is very much tea with lemon citrus. First sip is really strong with tea. Really herbal. A bit too slick on the tongue for me. Could use a bit more poppy carbonation to it. The tea flavor is not in your English Breakfast arena. This is very much Asian. Woody and earthy with a bit of apple and pear to it.

It is too bold a flavor and not bubbly enough to cut against the grain. Interesting notes to spare but probably not with Thanksgiving foods.

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Spooky Review – Fall Seasonal IPA from Institution Ales

We finish off the spooky beer reviews with the appropriately ghoulish label for Institution Ale Co. and their Fall Seasonal IPA which has been given the three descriptor treatment as Dank, Citrusy, Balanced.

Pours a very clear Halloween orange in the glass. First notes are of fruit punch and softness on the palate. The aroma is very, very red berry. Tastes much less than 7.1% abv for sure. Tilts more pale ale to me. There is a bit of woodsy, earthy bitterness in the background like a scarecrow.