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For September, I will be reviewing two new to me beers from RavenBeer. I finish with hearty ale that tells tales….
For your Poe-ification, here is the website description, “Your first experience with this IPA is the citrus bouquet from its rocky white head. The initial taste is subdued but gradually becomes intense without any harsh bitterness. The Heartier the Better.”
Thanks Hopworks, now I have to get my hands on the Amarillo, Meridian, Falconer’s Flight and Cascade hop versions too! Love the label. Simple design with a great use of graphics to give a little bit of hop knowledge to the drinker. I especially like the disclosure of the hop farms that grew the hops that made it into this particular beer.
The Centennial version pours a dark orange. Aroma isn’t huge to me. I get some spice notes primarily. The taste has a solid level of bitterness and it is tilted more to spices and herbs. By solid, I mean that it delivers hops but doesn’t bludgeon you with them. Nice and bubbly and fresh tasting. The IPX tastes a bit stronger than 6%.
And since we are reviewing part of my bounty that I brought back from Portland, I would be remiss not to mention that Season 3 of Portlandia is now streaming on the Netflix. I thought Season 2 was a bit less funny than 1 (despite the standout Battlestar Galactica episode) so I am curious as to how the latest season plays out. And to see which Portland Trailblazer (if any) make a guest appearance.
Billed as an India Style Session Ale, Simple from Coalition Brewing pours a slightly hazy orange. Aroma is almost wort-ish but pleasant. I get some spice notes from the addition of the rey and a small touch of orange. But the dominant note is grapefruit and the pith. You almost get a grapefruit juice quality of bitterness. Some slight grain notes as well. And I think the label is quite well done. Bright colors and a easy to spot hop cone to latch onto when beer shopping.
My recommendation for this review is neither books nor movies nor music but donuts! Blue Star Donuts from Portland. My mother and I had a great time choosing a donut to have with our coffee but I can easily see pairing one with a beer like this that has such a great citrus taste. The Rhubard/Berry glazed donut would be a great start.
I was lucky enough to steward at the Bruery competition for the Batch 1,000. I didn’t taste the eventual winner from Brian Pramov & Bryan Keas of Denver who won best in show. But I did taste a few contenders that tasted more Bruery-esque than what I find with this Cascadian Dark Rye Ale.
Not to intimate that this is a bad beer. It is a solid example of the dark IPA category. It just is not what I expect from the Placentia brewery. It is hoppy first with rye and chocolate behind it. Has a bright sparkle to it. It just doesn’t have the “house” taste to it. Maybe that is what drew the final judges to this beer. It drew me in for sure.
So I finished the Owen King book, Double Feature which I give a mild recommendation to and I am now up at night reading NOS4A2 by his sibling Joe Hill. The book jacket promises alternate universes which I am a sucker for. Oh and the whole good vs. evil thing is a draw as well.
For September, I will be reviewing two new to me beers from RavenBeer. First up is Pendulum Pils….
For your edification, here is their description, “Pendulum Pilsner is a rich velvet smooth, yet clean, dry and crisp pilsner of a pale gold color. The complex mix of hops and malt creates an elegant floral nose and delightful taste that is very drinkable without overwhelming even the most tepid beer drinker. Not overly bitter but just enough of the hop to enjoy their subtle complexities while still enjoying the smooth, and almost sweet taste of the malt.”
Last Sunday, I drove out in the stifling heat to Agoura Hills, parked right next to the Ladyface van (of which I did not try to even peek inside or try the door handle) all so that I could taste their new Pro-Am beer for the Great American Beer Festival.
I am a huge Ladyface fan but what makes their Dark Horse – Belgian Dark Strong even better is that I know the “Am” half of the equation as well. Pipe Dream Brewery fronted by the great Kingsley and Brian got to take one of their beers to the taps!
It has already won accolades at the Mayfaire Competition (Best in Show) and at the L.A. County Fair this year. And now I got to taste it!
Not a big surprise that I really enjoyed it. It is a big, big beer but the alcohol is effectively masked so that the dark raisin taste and the nice bubbly carbonation can take more of the stage. There is a bit of sweetness but overall this is more a dry beer with some minor caramel notes that really lets that typical Dark Belgian flavors shine. It pours a dark brown but when the light catches it, it gets a red glow to it. The aroma is mostly dried raisin and prune but is not too bold and it doesn’t contradict the flavor either. My only regret is that it was really too hot to enjoy it fully.
A double review! I first had this beer in December of 2012 and had these brief words to say, The canned version. Another strong IPA offering from Oregon. Restrained with a load of hops to work through. Nice and vibrant.
In my latest trip to Portland, I picked up another can of the Alpadelic from Hop Valley at the new Imperial Tap Room (where I also had a pint of Boring Brewing’s Oatmeal Pale ale) on Division Street on da’ Eastside. And this is what I think of the beer now, this IPA pours a light amber. The aroma is citrus with a hint of medicinal notes to it. The taste is pretty bitter but it fades away nicely before the next sip. Much better cold when there is a snap to it. The warmer it gets the more caramel sneaks in. Cool looking can design as well.
And I have just started watching Moone Boy on Hulu. Funny stuff. Very much in the vein of “A Christmas Story” just set in 1989 Ireland. And it has the very funny Chris O’Dowd in the imaginary friend role.
I have had a couple Ruhstaller beers now. They of the distinctive netting on the bottle necks and the detailed information on the provenance of the beer’s ingredients from this Sacramento brewer. Then I see this hoppy lager (in a can) which I immediately grabbed knowing that I would review it later. So here goes….
Pours a medium yellow. Foamy head at first. Nice amount of bubbles, very sparkly and festive looking. Cereal aroma hits me first with a spicy hop note on the side. Taste marks this as more of a hopped lager. Initial flavor is that malt crispness that is quickly hidden by the piney hops. Though the grain does make a comeback at the end of a sip which is cool. Love the stick on label attached to the plain silver can. And I love even more the listing of the hops and barley. Makes for a more informed customer!
And what am I reading now. you ask? Well it is Double Feature by Owen King. Yes, another writing son of Stephen and Tabitha. Must be genetic. I have just started but I am partial to father-son dynamics so it should be up my alley.
Our second and final huge, Gigantic review is the Hole in the Head IPA, cause you need another IPA like you need…you get the picture.
First off, thanks to Steve at the Glendale Tap for the bottle. I did not want to open it sooner. But at a low 5,8% abv, I knew it wouldn’t keep.
I first had this beer (my one and only purely Great Lakes beer) back in 2010, then I had their uber-smoky collaboration with Deschutes Brewing. And now, I return to the original.
First is my review from back in 2010, “I have been waiting awhile to taste this porter and I was not let down. Strong malty flavors with hits of coffee and some chocolate. Not heavy though. Light as a feather. Nice carbonation too. Lovely all around. Wish I saw it more in LA.”
Now the re-review, Edmund pours a dark cola brown color. Not much head to it. The aroma is smoke but it is only medium and not in the rauchbier territory. The taste is coffee bean and mile chocolate. Bitterness coming from not smoke but from those two flavors which throw off that taste. Light but it does really cover the palate. A little viscous but not heavy at all. A classic beer that is well deserving of award. As it warms that milk chocolate really comes on strong.
I cracked open this beer while watching the free preview of the BBC’s Broadchurch. I enjoyed it to a point but British murder mysteries seem to be going very dark. I may watch the remaining episodes but I think I will try Orphan Black first.