Beer Reviews – Page 61 – Beer Search Party

April 23, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Three Eyed Raven from Ommegang

I am a season behind in Game of Thrones, the show. But I am well caught up on the beers that pair with the show. And though I still am unclear what Brandon Stark and the 3 Eyed Raven have to do in Westeros, I will still drink the beer.
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Here are my thoughts on the latest from Ommegang:

Brewery Ommegang has the fun and hard work of creating beers to coincide with Game of Thrones. But part of me really wants to see a dark, dank Black IPA or and Old Ale as part of this series. It would seem more fitting to me than a Belgian Golden like the initial beer, Iron Throne. Another brewery, not constrained by Belgian sensibilities, might be able to produce something drastically different from beer to beer but Ommegang has a smaller palette to paint with.

That being said, Three-Eyed Raven though works for as both a beer and an accompaniment to the show. It has a pronounced rye spice character to it along with a hearty malt presence. It has a nice little carbonated kick to it as well which amplifies the spice and makes it very zippy while still being easy to drink.

April 20, 2015August 31, 2018

Featured Review – Java Stout from Bell’s

Coffee beers are one of my favorites and to get a different taste of beans from Michigan is tempting.

Here is my review of Java Stout from Bell’s.

Java Stout is really strong on the Starbuck-ian very roasted bean side of the equation. Burnt notes with a bit of smoke are the dominate notes here. The base stout is overwhelmed in one sense but also holds the beer up. There is a load of bitter coffee acidity here as well. There are some fig and anise notes tucked into the beer as well. It is, in the end, well balanced despite the darkness of the roast.

I just wish the label weren’t some sort of Jigsaw meets coffee mug dementia.

April 17, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Abel Brown from King Harbor

I like quite a few of King Harbor’s beers but this one has a leg up because it is kinda/sorta the base for their vanilla accented Swirly which I hope is a bottle contender soon.

There is a nice amount of lacing from one of the lightest brown ales that I have seen. It comes in at 4.7%. The aroma is similar to the smell of coffee being ground. The coffee flavor is quite strong and really lingers but there is a good amount of chocolate too to force a balance plus a touch of char as well. Abel Brown seems a heavier beer than it is. It has a certain nitro creaminess to it even when coming from a bottle. A point of beer reference would be the Milk Stout from Left Hand. They both have a similar flavor profile to me.

Just a really great beer.

April 13, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Citraholic from Beachwood

I am late to the party. This is my first time tasting the famed Citraholic from Beachwood Brewery.

This West-Coast IPA pours a pretty orange color. The aroma is mostly spice with lemon peel backing that up. The taste reinforces that duo with the lemon taking more of a co-star role. It tastes strong and a bit heavy almost to DIPA territory for me. But the lemon notes that alternate between just cut and a lemon pledge really works. And in the end it has an almost emonade quality.

Plus, Bless Beachwood for date stamping too. This bottle was 5 days old when I cracked it open.

April 10, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Expedition Stout from Bell’s

While the IPA obsessed on the West Coast were giddy about getting Two Hearted (and it is deserved giddiness). I was more excited about the stouts and porters. Ales made to warm on cold days. Cold days that L.A. brewers don’t normally experience. So let’s check out what the Expedition Stout from Bell’s is like.

It pours an inky black with some nice coffee colored foam that fades off but clings to the edges of the glass for a pretty picture of light and dark brown. Expedition is a really dark bitter roast. In line with a Starbucks coffee. There are also some burnt wood notes. This is a heavy, slightly viscous brew that lingers on the palate. Not much in the way of chocolate or fruit notes to balance out the near rauch character. Some balancing flavor or a rounding of the sharp edges would make this stout more tuned to my palate but it is a good late night beer.

April 8, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Cabotella from Baja Brewing

I didn’t quite know what to expect from this beer. Cabotella is the flagship of Baja Brewing of which I knew little about until the beer arrived at my doorstep.

I was expecting light to watery. Hoping for more, secretly. And what I tasted was quite strange. But not in a bad way at all. It was very grainy yet had notes that reminded me of Naughty Sauce from Noble. It was no blonde for sure and I wouldn’t consider it a thirst-quencher in the model of a kolsch or crisp pilsner. It is also a bit too much for food in my opinion because of the malt heaviness and sweetness. Though it would be interesting to taste it on nitro to see if that amps it up.

Disclaimer – This beer was provided free of charge for review.

April 5, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Two Hearted from Bell’s

Is this what the Doctor would drink on Gallifrey? Too geeky? Probably but I see a chance for cross promotion. Which I think would be cool especially since I do not like the label for Two Hearted at all. Though to be fair the rendition on the Bell’s can is much better.

On to the beer, it pours a lovely medium orange. To be frank the aroma is muted from my west coast perspective. A bit of spice orange teas drifts up but that is primarily it. The taste is almost more session wise except for the beefy malt base. The main note that I get is orange. Almost a candied, creamsicle type of orange which works really well. More smooth than carbonated but that works here and the bitterness rounds it out in the back. You can taste why this is popular.

March 30, 2015August 31, 2018

Home Brew Review – Cranberry Wheat

Well, it is certainly a wheat beer. But for the life of me, the cranberries are hard to find. And that is the only ding I can levy against this home brew. It is crisp. The flavors linger without cloying. There is a subtle tartness to the aroma as well, that I really enjoy.

The power of cranberry would have added such a potent effect to this beer and made it a really good match with a salad with blue cheese dressing. As it is, there is a touch too much wheat and not enough punch to make that match.

March 27, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Steamers Lane Lager from Uncommon Brewers

Certain ingredients can overwhelm a beer. And a beer like a California Common lager is especially at risk of being lost to a potent ingredient like lavender blossoms. So I was curious to see if Uncommon Brewers has succeeded or not with their Steamers Lane lager….

I think the can design is lovely, especially the ragged top of the label and the color scheme. The color is right in the Cali Common spectrum and the lavender is light,which is good because it can be too much even in small doses. The dominant note in the flavor thoug is apple cider. There is a really nice crispness that balances with the malt notes and a nice British bitter aroma as well. But in the end it doesn’t quite work for me. It tastes a little old and I would like a bit more spice to work with the lavender.

March 23, 2015August 31, 2018

Review – Sweet Crude from Beach City

The second Huntington Beach brew to review is Sweet Crude Stout. And though I don’t like comparing beer to petroleum products, I am glad that Beach City bottles their scaled down or small version of their Imperial Stout.

Now, on to the review: Dark chocolate and a smokey roast greet the nose from the Sweet Crude. There is a sharp tinge with some metallic note to it that is the dominant take-away from the beer. Underneath is a coffee ground taste that would play well as a brunch beer if there wasn’t also a smoke note there as well. A well-carbonated rauch meets stout.

For me, there is too much of a spike to this beer where it needs to be velvety. Also the taste really sticks to the top of the palate and makes me want a drink of water to release it. Nothing technically wrong here, it just doesn’t have the flavors that I desire, in the right balance, for me to really enjoy it.