Category: Beer Reviews

Posted on

Nitro or Not

So, when Left Hand Brewing came to L.A., I basically bought one of everything.  Intrigued by all the possibilities, was I. One of which is the topic for today.

Milk Stout.  Nitro or regular?

IMG_4520

I have only ever had the Nitro, so to be able to taste test the two was great.  Here are the results

Milk Stout – the label is certainly better with the cow and left hands and Van Gogh-ish font and swirls. Much less of a head than the nitro, which is to be expected but the difference is still stark. This beer is super chocolately to me. Almost pudding like with that level of sweetness. Some burnt edges to it as well.

Nitro Milk Stout – the mouthfeel is so different. Really soft and velvety.  The sweetness is cut a bit so there is less of a milk chocolate taste to it. More whipped cream with chocolate instead. Little more coffee bitterness coming through here as well. And much lighter with a touch of spice that lingers at the end.

It is hard to choose a winner. Both have positives in different arenas but I would settle on the Nitro due to the mouthfeel. It is just more unique and plays up the lactose in the beer.

Posted on

Featured Review – Brew Free or Die IPA from 21st Amendment

Our final beer from 21st Amendment, their IPA Rushmore, Brew Free or Die!

IMG_4260

This pours out of the can pretty piney smelling.  Very enticing to start.  The orange color and cool lacing are also positives.  And the taste follows suit for a bit.  But then the flavors start to wear on the tongue.  There is some tropical in the mix but I get a lot of woody notes up front that is barrel-esque but finishes with more of a sawdusty taste.  It is bitter but not overtly so but the hops do start to make their presence felt which is what causes the weariness.

Maybe I appreciate the lighter 21a beers.

Posted on

Review – Unity 2015

I first sipped this beer near the end of the Kick-Off festival but after so many beers on the day, it was hard to get a true look at it. So, once bottles started showing up around town, I grabbed a few to re-test.

IMG_4478.JPG
It is a very simple beer. The initial sip has a spark of tart and that tartness is there the rest of the way but not puckeringly so. The aroma would lead you to think it is more sour than it is. There is a good amount of farmhouse yeast aroma as you swirl the beer in the glass. There is some notes of grapefruit and a bit of the sweet tart intermingled.

I have had various saisons from Smog City with the kumquat being excellent and the plum, not so much. I would like to see fruited variations on this beer in the future. It is good with a nice low ABV but it is missing a little something like a spice or fruit note to add another layer to the beer.

Posted on

Review – Session Gap (in bottles)

All Starburst rants aside, I was intrigued to see that MacLeod’s was bottling. Brewer Andy Black is protective of his beer and rightfully so because it really shines when presented right.  That right being on cask at the right temperature.

But the attractive label lured me in and now it is time to see how the bottled version compares.
IMG_4319And there is quite a difference.  There is zero lacing on this beer.  Absolutely none.  Plus it is many shades nuttier than what I remember. There is a nice hit of bitterness here that seems stronger than on cask as well.  Sort of a tea/lemonade mix going on.  Normally I would say this was a thin beer but because MacLeod Ales generally are on the less strident side, this isn’t much different to me.

I would hazard a guess that the darker, maltier beers like Jackie Tar would fare better with the bottle treatment.

Posted on

Featured Review – Down to Earth from 21st Amendment

Session IPA’s are all the rage and at first it was easy to stand out but now that more players are in the low ABV IPA game, it makes it harder for the latecomers one of which is Down to Earth from 21st Amendment.

IMG_4261

Despite my aversion to the grinning monkey on the can, here is my review of Down to Earth.

The initial aroma is a bit on the wine grape side for me.  Like a white wine almost. There is a brief moment when you first sip that you think it might be too bitter for the style but then it drops off the proverbial cliff and lightens up considerably.  It is still really hoppy and the malt base has left the building.

The Session IPA pours a dark orange when I expect something of a lighter hue. This beer is strong out of the gate but then falters from there on out.  Some bitterness lingers for awhile after each sip.  It doesn’t quite grow on me though.  The lack of malt backbone really hinders this beer.

 

Posted on

Kolsch-Off

It is time to pit one canned Kolsch vs another.

IMG_4298

Who will win when Maui Brewing Kihei Kolsch takes on Flat Tail Tailgater of Corvallis, Oregon.  Both new to L.A. shelves.

Design – hands down win for Maui with the striking Germanic colors over a rendering of their Kihei taproom.  Tailgater has the Orange State of Oregon but little else.

Color – slight edge to Maui.  A little more eye candy lacing than the Flat Tail.

Aroma – Tailgater smells more traditional.  A little too much spice in the Kihei. Edge to Corvallis.

Taste  – Kihei is bright with orange notes and spice character much like an orange pekoe tea. Tailgater is crisp and clean with with just the right touch of viscosity and citrus notes.

Verdict – if you are looking for a clean and crisp Kolsch without bells and whistles than Flat Tail is the choice.  If you are looking for a Kolsch evocative of the islands than the Maui Brewing can is for you.

Posted on

Featured Review – Hell or High Watermelon from21st Amendment

Now this is a divisive beer. Some think it is too sweet and others (like me) could drink it by the gallon. I first encountered this beer, long, long ago at the Oregon Brewers Festival and was smitten.

But now that it is newly arrived in LA, it is time to re-evaluate the Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment.

IMG_4259

The wheat ale pours a medium dark yellow out of the can.  There is an immediated whiff of watermelon.  Not the fakey Jolly Rancher kind (though some people feel it is).  To me, it is more watermelon juice.  Divorced from the normal sensation of how we normally eat watermelon.  So it throws people’s tastebuds off.  But for me the balance is spot on.

It is very refreshing.  The watermelon flavor is there and strong but nor cloying and overpowering.  A true summer in LA type of beer.

Posted on

Featured Review – Lost Meridian Wit from Base Camp

Our last featured review is a wit by the name of Lost Meridian from Base Camp Brewing of Portland.

IMG_4187

This found Wit pours a pleasing hazy orange color. You never know with witbiers, where the brewer wants to take it. Floral, perfumey could be an option or more citrus notes.

Lost Meridian has both. Layered with creamsicle orange and tea-like tannin notes there is also a potpourri touch as well, especially in the aroma. It is dry and bitter as each sip finishes. You could probably also characterize it as being redolent of orange jell-o. But that finish keeps that from getting too out of hand.

Neither flavor knock my socks off though and I would like an edge of spice to round out this beer.

Posted on

Review – Grandpa Tractor from Barley Forge

You have to look for and grab any lagers that aren’t hopped or imperialized. And if you want to dig deeper to Vienna or Dortmunder Export, you have to search further.

Thankfully the refurbished beer aisle at my local Whole Foods recently had two bottled offerings from Barley Forge in Costa Mesa. One of which is the excellently named Grandpa Tractor, a Dortmunder “style” export lager.

IMG_4175

This beer is a bit too mineraly and salty to me but otherwise is close to the style mark in my mind. It has a nice hit of malty sweetness to it and drinks easy.  The initial aroma was a bit off-putting but it soon rounded into form. I would categorize this offering as better with food than without. It offers some compare and contrast flavors that would work in the pairing arena.

Posted on

Featured Review – Summer Wheat from Anchor

For our next canned beer we head back to Anchor Brewing and their Summer Wheat. Which pours a little darker than I expected it to. More orange than the yellow that I was looking for.

IMG_4177

The taste is also a bit heavier than my palate was ready for afte a day of work crunching numbers. There is a lime and bread mixture to the aroma which is more in line with my wheat beer definition. That lime note is the main push of this beer, flavor-wise as well. Like a laser of citrus that flares and dies.

It is not bad but it is more abrupt than I would like and doesn’t have some of the refreshing qualities of other lighter beers.