Beer Reviews – Page 66 – Beer Search Party

October 18, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Double IPA from Strike Brewing Co.

I am not one for baseball but even the faux baseball stitching on the can of Double IPA from Strike Brewing of San Jose, did not deter me from picking up a can. I have heard about this brewery but as with many new, smaller brewers not in LA, their beer had not reached us. Now we have one to base a summary judgement on.

This DIPA clocks in at 93 IBU’s. Quite the fastball that is. The aroma is very spicy and pepper filled and the taste that follows is nice and strong. After a pair of herbaceous fresh hop ales it is nice to get back to a truly bitter beer that has a nice balance of carbonation. It is sprightly and I am glad it is in the 8% realm of ABV. I am torn as to whether I like the aroma or flavor better. Leaning towards the aroma though. I would have liked to try their other baseball themed XPA, Chin Music to see how they work hops at the lighter end of the spectrum. But this beer was brewed with a deft touch and for a first beer tried, is a really strong start.

October 11, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Longevity Baltic Porter from Eagle Rock

Full disclosure:

A) I know the home brewer whose recipe this beer is based on

B) I had this beer at the Kick-Off Festival for L.A. Beer Week (at the end and my taste buds were shot) and I wasn’t blown away by it.

That being said, I wanted to go back and re-visit this beer with a fresh palate. So here is a second taste and first review on the blog of Longevity Baltic Porter from Eagle Rock Brewery & the Maltose Falcons home brew club.

The Porter pours a dark and inky black with streaks of brown to it. There are a mixture of roast, tobacco and chocolate notes on the nose that are quite nice. It did take a few sniffs to figure out exactly what was coming through to me even though the aroma is fairly potent.

The texture is quite light and very drinkable. The most dominant flavor to me is smoke with hints of a sweet cola underneath. This is no rauch bier by any means but that taste of smoke is certainly there.

This is one of those styles that may not be to my taste. It is well done but the smoke notes are a distraction to my palate.

If you are in the mood to try other Baltic Porters then check out Flying Dog’s Gonzo Porter, Victory’s Baltic Thunder or Baltika #6.

September 24, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Venn & Oktoberfest from Ninkasi

I love it when a box of beer comes in the mail. And when it is stamped Eugene, Oregon, I get more excited ’cause I know it is from Ninkasi.

So, which of these two media samples did I like better. Let’s start with Venn…

…which pours a darkish yellow meeting orange. That smell is the traditional swirl of spice and toast that you get from a clean, well made lager. This is a crisp beer. Not bubbly. Just crisp like biting into a neutral apple. It is strange but I taste a bit of strawberry here. Might just be me. But this is a juicy type of beer. No off flavors. No metallic minerality. Just really strong.

Now onto Oktoberfest in September. This beer pours a lovely orange color. Right off the bat, the aroma screams mineral to me. Again very crisp. Odd to have malt forward beers back to back. I just can’t escape the mineral saltiness that is in every sip. I keep looking at the empty Venn bottle. Not a good sign. There is a skosh hit of citrus in the flavor but it can’t overcome the major taste.

Obviously, this isn’t a toss up. Venn by a country mile.

September 17, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Dopplebock from Widmer

I am still unsure about the label on this beer. As much as I like the concept, it seems a little too cartoon-y for me and for a big, bold Double Bock. But, as I have mentioned before, I am here to review the beer inside….

Time to check out the Dopplebock from the 30 Beers for 30 Years series from Widmer.

This Doppel pours a dark garnet color with flashes of red if the light is right. There is a residual head around the rim and a bit in the center as well. Nothing a barista could fashion into a design but certainly nice to look at.

The initial taste is quite zippy with a medicinal tinge to it. It is not thick at all. Flavor wise this is in the fig and plum realm exclusively. No coffee or chocolate. Just that tingling on the tongue as the bubbles cross the palate. In the way back, there is a slight burnt note or char that sorta creeps in as well.

The top two dopplebocks (per Ratebeer) come from Augustiner and Andechs of Germany. And California wise Navigator from Ballast Point earns top marks.

September 11, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Anchor Zymaster No. 6

The subtitle for this San Francisco treat is Saaremaa Island Ale and thanks to a fortuitous vacation by Anchor brewmaster Mark Carpenter we get to try an Estonian inflected ale.

Carpenter got some of the Estonian yeast back from the island and melded it to a pale ale to create this hybrid beer. It has some tripel notes to it such as vanilla as well as hefe notes with a clove spice character and it also really sticks to the palate and becomes a bit viscous.

It pours a very bright and clear orange. And frankly, I am of two minds about this beer. I like the complexity here. I believe two different beer fans would pick out different flavor and aroma notes. But the end taste of stickiness with a dose of toasty malt notes doesn’t quite tie this beer up with a bow. I have had a few beers like this lately that start out great but then turn in a direction that I am not fond of.

As an FYI, the top selling beers are from Saku (a local owned by larger interests) and A. Le Coq a Finnish brewery. Certainly a place due for some craft infusions.

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September 8, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Widmer 30th Anniversary Bockbier

First off, thanks to mi madre for hitting up multiple stores in the Portland area to find me not one, but two Widmer beers from the 30th anniversary beer series.

We start with the year 1989 and the Bockbier. And boy does the label scream the ’80’s.

The Bockbier pours a light orange color. There is some nice lacing on the glass as well. But from a non aroma distance, you could mistake this beer for many un-bockish styles.

Honey is first to the nose. Followed by a bit of vanilla. The taste adds a bit of medicinal qualities and some bitterness. The finish has a bit of dryness to it but is more subtle than pronounced. There is a bit of hop character here as well but I don’t think there is enough to push it out of the style boundaries.

This beer was a very limited release and is probably only found in Portland or a beer hoarders cellar. If you want to try a bock to acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with the style, La Trappe makes a bock that is highly rated and would make a good start.

August 31, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Yonder Bock from Cigar City & Sierra Nevada

Does Sierra Nevada teamed with Cigar City create something different? I ask this with the last Beer Camp beer because SoCal gets a few CC collaborations and I have yet to look at the contents of the glass with wonder. Will Yonder Bock make me wonder?

I do like the idea of a Tropical Maibock. And the mixture of the guava notes from Calypso hops and the blueberry of what was known as Hop 366 aka Equinox should liven up a stalwart German style. Yonder pours a reddish tinted orange. Lots of initial foam that fades into the ether completely. The bock style comes through loud and strong. The Mai part of the bock doesn’t enter the picture for me. The aroma carries notes of a tropical cocktail. One you might find in a tiki bar. Pineapple and guava come through to my tongue.

This is certainly more bitter than your average Maibock which usually has more caramel in my reviewing history. This beer substitutes that for fruit punch and a little residual bitterness in the back. This is unique and I do like it but it is not the type of beer that blows your palate away at the start. You do have to search your memory banks to identify the aromas and when they come they do reward you.

I am a bit sad that the Beer Camp has left my ‘fridge. I wish a new box of 12 was coming down the pike. I could review these type of beers each month.

August 28, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Yvan the Great from Russian River & Sierra Nevada

The penultimate beer from the Variety Box – Beer Camp Across America. There is but one lonely can remaining. For this beer Sierra Nevada brewed with the infamous Russian River to produce Yvan the Great. Named in honor of Yvan de Baets the famed Belgian brewer this is a hoppified version of a Belgian Blonde. Something that Russian River does very, very well.

This is a blonde for sure! This pours an extremely light and extremely clear yellow. I can see very clearly through it. I was expecting more hops in the aroma but I am not picking them up. This drinks Belgian all the way. Lots of spice. Clove in the forefront. I’m getting a ton of vanilla as well. Ice cream vanilla to be more exact. No head or lace at all here and not much in the way of bubbles either though it is crisp on the palate. Towards the back there is a subtle note of orange but you have to reach for it.

I like it but I don’t know if this is what was envisioned if the label copy is to be truly believed.

August 26, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Alt Route from Victory & Sierra Nevada

Last review was ESB and now another iconic and oft ignored style, the Alt. Widmer made their bones on this and an American Wheat. So how does Sierra Nevada teamed with Victory of Pennsylvania see this style in 2014? Let’s take the Alt Route and find out…..

The Alt Route pours a reddish to dark brown. Lots of bubbles on this one. This beer really pops. I had imbibed two other dramatically different beers earlier this day but this one stands out. That can be hard to do when palate fatigue sets in. I am getting notes of cola and a little bit of spice here. Maybe licorice as well. Light and refreshing are descriptors that pop into my mind and stay there.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this. Maybe something heavier and Germanic but this is almost liquer-ish in flavor profile while not in alcohol. If you had told me that the Bell’s and Victory beers would be my top two, I would not have been shocked but certainly surprised. This is most certainly my second most favorite beer in the pack. With only two left!

August 24, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – There & Back from New Glarus & Sierra Nevada

Oh how I have been looking forward to this collaboration. One because it is New Glarus and two and ESB. I love this style and I don’t see many out there, and back. How does Sierra Nevada do Extra Special bitter?

T&B pours a dark orange color. Not much head or lacing here. Rapidly faded on both counts. There is a spice note in this beer very similar to Orange pekoe tea. I like it. Good balance of malt here, I’m getting some toast notes. It is light but well away from watery. Good carbonated bubbles really add to it. Simple but not boring. I think I might be due a trip to England because my taste buds seem to be leaning English of late. I would have to rank this up there with Torpedo Pilsner and Electric Ray and close to Maillard’s Odyssey. Top tier stuff.