Category: Beer Reviews

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Review – Shore Break Hefeweizen

As part of a Twitter Tasting hosted by the Fresh & Easy Market chain, I had the opportunity to sample a beer new to me, Shore Break Hefeweizen.

This is a “phantom” craft as it depicts bucolic surf scenes and is sold here in California but is brewed by Rheinlander in Wisconsin.

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It pours an orange golden color with not much aroma to speak of at all.  First sip comes and goes without any banana or clove so you can safely assume this is not a real hefeweizen.  But even worse, this beer is watery.  Not much there, there.  Grain taste is practically non-existent.

Not only is this not a “craft” beer it isn’t a German hefe and it is flat out a really poor example of a wheat beer. I do not recommend this beer and I would avoid other Shore Break and Underworld brands at Fresh and Easy and focus on the tried and true you can get there.

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Review – Monks’ Ale

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Made with Care & Prayer is the motto of Abbey Beverage. They are semi-new now to the L.A. area and this is my first beer from them.  Here is the review: Love the stained glass look on the label though I would like to read more about the brand on it. Pours a light orange with minimal head. Has some of the dubbel spice to it. A touch viscous. Some orange notes in the background too. A bit of a bready cinnamon roll aroma. Simply, I enjoyed it.

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Here is what the Abbey says about their beer, “Monks’ Ale is an excellent session ale that is distinctively spicy with moderate fruity esters (particularly stone fruits).  The yeast lends a note of clove and in combination with the malts, hints of plum and apricot. The malts provide a distinct honeyish quality up front and round full middle.  The malts and yeast provide a clean, crisp, dry, finish to Monks’ Ale.”

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Video Review – Mother Earth # 1 – Kismet IPA

June takes us to San Diego and Mother Earth Brew Co. I will be reviewing two of their hoppy offerings that have become available in Los Angeles.  First stop: Kismet.

“Do you believe in fate, destiny, chance, will? Does it really matter? Something brought you to drink this beer. Oh wait, could it be a mad man of an IPA that reeks of NZ Nelson hops and leaves a lingering anesthetic bitterness that is sure to ruin any beer consumed after it? Columbus tends to do that. You forgot what we were talking about didn’t you? Did you care in the first place? That’s what we thought. Just relax and savor every sip, that is, if you can take your schnoz out of your glass.”

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Review – Dat Moi from Monkish

If all goes according to plan, this will be on tap at Beer Belly for my “Light and Crafty” event on the 9th of this month.  Along with Pivo Pils from Firestone-Walker it is a new favorite summertime beer and perfect for a growler buy because it will go quick.

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Dat Moi pours a striking yellow color with a bit of a floral perfume aroma.  Nice big fluffy head as well.  The first sip is sharp but I don’t get either metallic or corn pop like certain lagers I could name.  Instead, I am getting notes of grapefruit and flowers.  Very crisp with nice bubbles.  For a primarily Belgian influenced brewery, Monkish has made a mean lager that I really enjoy. Beer-Hope-Love indeed.

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Review – Organic Hop Cuvée

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With new organic rules in place that now include hops, it is heartening to see an organic IPA already.  Here is my review of this offering from Bison.
Pours a bright yellow with streaming bubbles. Not too much hop notes on the nose. The taste is pretty mild too. An organic XPA as it were. Get a touch of citrus and a little floral flavor but otherwise a mild showcase.
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And I liked that their website had a definition of Cuvee as well….”Used by both winemakers and brewers, the term cuvée indicates a blend—typically, a special blend of higher quality. Each year, “Organic Dan” will work with organic hop growers from the Pacific Northwest to select the best organic hops as well as explore the development of new organic hop varietals to be used in all of Bison’s organic beers—especially Hop Cuvée. The 2013 Hop Cuvée recipe includes Citra® and Simcoe, two new and exciting organic hop varietals not previously available as certified organic, as well the classic Centennial hop. This year’s hops were grown by Carpenter Ranches, Perrault Farms and Roy Farms, respectively.”
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Review – Saint Archer Pale ale

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Here is my thumbnail review of my first ever beer from San Diego’s Saint Archer, their pale ale…..

“Pours a light orange. Has almost a Nelson Sauvin aroma and taste. Some herbal dankness as well. Almost a white wine set of notes. Bitterness is medium. A bit sharp. I am a bit conflicted on how to rate this.”

Here is the description from the brewery, “Balanced toward the hoppy end of the spectrum, this straight-foward, California-style pale is eminently sessionable. Crystal and Munich malts provide a backbone to showcase the bright, citrus, piney notes of Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe hops.”

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Review – Sculpin (in cans)

My bier buddy Richard aka Cap’n, recently went to San Diego and he brought back the new, canned version of the iconic Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point.

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Here is what I found when I opened the cans….

Pours a lovely orange color.  I am a little dubious about the variety of fruits listed on the label but I am surprised to get quite a bit of apricot balanced out by a charming hit of hops.  The bitterness isn’t super big but it adds a nice punch akin to sea salt too caramel.  Just tastes more frutier than I remember and I like it.

And here is the website info from the brewer, “The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.”

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Review – Class of ’88

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I will admit it.  I graduated in the Class of ’88 when North Coast, Deschutes and Rogue started their breweries.  So I was drawn to this beer the moment I heard about it.  So, expectations were high from a brewery reputation standpoint and a sentimental viewpoint too.

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’88 pours a bright and clear orange color.  The head is bubbly and then fades.  It is 10% abv after all.  Initial aroma is reminiscent of many a barleywine before.  With some orange notes at the back too.  Good sparkly and carbonation to this that fades into an orange zest and alcohol taste.  The top of the mouth is coated with hops of a medium/high bitterness.  That orange taste could be amped up some to combat the slickness and the alcohol but a damn fine sippin’ beer.

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Review – Rolle Bolle

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Ever since getting the Great American Beer Festival media tour of their brewery, I have been impressed anew by New Belgium.  And they have a new summer beer (Rolle Bolle) that I can’t pronounce but forthwith is my review….

Pours a light yellow with many, many bubbles flowing to the surface.  Tiny white film graces the top of the glass.  Aroma doesn’t reach out and grab you but gives you a gentle nudge in the Belgian yeast direction.  The taste heads that way too but is mostly influenced by the soursop and the Monk fruit.  The hop profile is next to nothing for me because the yeast and weird fruit are battling it out for supremacy.  I get a citrus tea overall note.  It works for me and I can see this as a nice summer sipper with a light salad.
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Here is what the brewery says about Rolle Bolle, “A delightful summer ale for easy sipping and a classic Belgian yard game for easy enjoyment, Rolle Bolle is how we roll. Brewed with monk fruit and soursop, this beer pours a brilliant blonde, with a fluffy, white head. Earthy and tropical tones carry the aroma and the taste follows accordingly. Rolle Bolle’s hint of tartness is backed with the citrus bite of Cascade and Centennial hops. Oats add some creaminess to the mouthfeel, and it finishes dry and clean. Time to get in the yard, crack a bottle and start rolling.”