Category: Beer Reviews

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Review – Hoppy Feet from Clown Shoes

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Clown Shoes got off on the wrong foot (pun intended) with me.  Some of their names seemed chosen for shock value and attention.  Plus ever since Stephen King’s “It”, clowns and I don’t mix.  Even when my dad started donning clown make-up to entertain at his church, I was still spooked.  But now, since some of their beers are wending their way to Los Angeles, I had to put the maxim of “It’s the beer” first and forget the backstory.  So on to Hoppy Feet….

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For me, a good black IPA has an equal balance between roast and hops. Not many get that. But happily Hoppy Feet does. Good citrus bitter notes intermingle with the the medium (not milk-not dark) chocolate notes. And it packs a punch of bubbles and hops that melts into a caramel taste at the very end.  But the balance remains from the first sip to the last.

Oh and in my new tradition, here is what I am doing outside of craft beer.  Reading The Capital of the World about the race to be the city to host the United Nations.  South Dakota had a moment where it might have been the place instead of New York.  Crazy.  And I am still raving about Much Ado About Nothing.  It may not be playing anymore since it is the silly blockbuster season and the White House has to be saved by Channing Tatum but when it comes out on video/streaming, watch it.  Funny stuff and a classic story.

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Review – Terra Incognita from Boulevard and Sierra Nevada

First things first, this is the Boulevard branded version of Terra Incognita.  Now onto what else I am watching/listening/reading while reviewing.  Why?  Because great craft beer makes me enjoy all the good things in life.  Kinda new age-y but that is fine.  So I am on a season 1 of Fringe kick right now.  If you are a Netflix-er.  Catch it there.  I am also a big fan of the ESPN/Bill Simmons/McSweeney’s mash-up Grantland.  Funny and spot on sports reporting/commentary as well as culture analysis of Mad Men that will leave you rolling.

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On to this mash up of Chico and Kansas City…..The cork shot out of this bottle. Lots of foam initially, followed by a big blast of barrel aged notes. Whiskey. Not bourbon heavy. Still quite effervescent after settling down. Getting some acidity and hop bitterness after the oaky notes fade. Amazing that it is 8.5% when you consider how strong the aroma and taste is. But it is indeed light when you let it linger on the tongue.

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Review – Scotch Ale from Monday Night Brewing

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I complete the troika of beers from Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing with Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale.  Personally, I am glad to see a Scotch ale and I saved this one for last because it was the one that I was most excited about.  With my last review of the Eye Patch IPA, I tossed out what I was listening to and reading and I thought I would do that again just for fun.  I have some new Sigur Ros playing on the iTunes and I have a lively and funny Daily Show type of depressing book by Jess Walter on the nightstand called the Financial Lives of the Poets.  Read into those choices what you will.

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Here is the review: Nice big pillowy head on this dark cola colored Scotch ale. Smoke on the nose as well as caramel. There is some rauch going on here. A touch of caramel as well. Good fizz to it as well to keep the beer moving and not become too cloying.  I actually get a hint of cherry coke flavor as well.  Nice third wave of flavor.

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Review – Deschutes & Great Lakes Class of ’88 Imperial Smoked Porter

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This is one of those beers where you know what you are going to get but it still hits with a punch.  Deschutes is known for their Black Butte Porter and Great Lakes has their Edmund Fitzgerald so you know going in that this beer is in each of these breweries wheelhouse.  But then the beer pours a light cola color.  Lulling you into thinking it is not that imperial.  The aroma hints at the smoke but chocolate notes come into play as well.  Then you take a sip and the smoke descends.  This is really “rauchy”.  And that liquid smoke lingers.  You would need a big BBQ sauce to soften this beer.  Otherwise, most other foods would pale against it.

Rauch is not my cup of beer usually.  But I can tell what was being aimed for here and it was hit.  If you don’t like the smokey then this is not the beer for you but if that is a something you like then this is one to pick up.

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Video Review – Mother Earth Auld Knucker

I reviewed one IPA from Mother Earth Brew Co. in June before the “hiatus”. and here (finally) is the second review of a  hoppy offering from San Diego that have become available in Los Angeles. I picked both up at Vendome in Toluca Lake, which is on my beer buying circuit.

And here is what the brewery has to say about it, ““Sometimes there is nothing like a simple, refreshing, single American-style India Pale Ale…especially the West Coast variety. In a world of over-complicated beers and brewing extremity, Auld Knucker (pronounced Old Nucker) stands out by using a simple grain bill of domestic Pale 2-Row, crystal malt, and a bit of honey malt, paired with a citrusy hop combo.”

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Review – Longshot 2013

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Three reviews in One!   from the Sam Adams / Boston Beer Co.  Here are my thoughts from the latest Longshot…..
Beerflower Wheat
Pours a medium orange color. Has a spicy and herbal taste. Somewhat reminiscent of Dr. Pepper. The hibiscus is tame here which is good because it can take over a beer. Not bad but two of three of this year’s longshots remind me more of soda than beer.
Strawberry Lager
Pop the cap and a blast of strawberry hits the air. It has a big strawberry taste that is pretty close to jolly rancher / candy flavor. It pours a medium yellow color and has a nice fizz to it. Just to sweeet to me and not much else there.
Magnificent 7 IPA
Probably the most disappointing of the group.  Pours a golden orange color.  Aroma is fine, just doesn’t knock my socks off.  Too much caramel here for my taste.  The hop bitterness is good but this group of 7 don’t coalesce on my palate.
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Review – Eye Patch IPA from Monday Night Brewing

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I received a lovely care package from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta and I have moved onto their Eye Patch IPA.  Oh and just to add a little context to my mindset while reviewing, I am listening to Line of Fire by Junip and reading Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.  Not at the same time.  Not a multi-tasker am I. Anyhoo, on to the review…..

I like the eye patch guy on the label.  It is a really good design from the front logo to the back which includes a Mark Twain quote, what to pair with the beer glyphs and which hops and malt were used.  Nice packaging.  Eye Patch pours a light orange. Aroma is akin to peach skin to me. Faint but nice. Taste is again fairly mild for my West Coast IPA sensibilities but the taste is quite nice. Slight citrus notes and lots of bready notes that normally get buried under an avalanche of hops in many IPAs.

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Review – Tenaya Creek Hop Ride IPA

To some Las Vegas means only Sin City, but to those in the know, the glittering city also has some beer spots. Maybe not rivaling the beer soaked Portlands and Denvers of the world, yet,but they are moving in the right direction.

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That is the semi-ling preamble to my review of Tenaya Creek’s Hop Ride IPA.

Spooky rattler on the label. Pours an orange/yellow color. Fluffy head on this one. Spicy and floral aroma. Bitterness is medium to me and it sticks around on the roof of the mouth. Little bite at the beginning of each sip. A little caramel taste around too.

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Review – Fu ManBrew from Monday Night Brewing

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Out of the blue, I was e-mailed by Monday Night Brewing and now I have the great pleasure of sampling three of their beers.  First up is a ginger spiced wit bier.  (A reminder: any beer I review, no matter how much I pay for it, gets the same treatment)

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Pours a dark yellow or light orange depending on the light. Loads of bubbles here. Aroma is full on ginger. The taste starts with the ginger but you also get a bit of spice, clove I think and a bit of hefe notes. Maybe not a true wit but surprisingly good.

Here is the description of Fu from the Monday Night website, “A bright, spicy Belgian-style wit. An effervescent, easy-drinking wheat beer, brewed with Belgian yeast, German hops, and a whisper of ginger from the Far East. This mustachio’d Belgian-style wit believes that good beer defies borders. The name Fu Manbrew was crowdsourced with some help from our friends at Scoutmob. They call the mustache a “Flavor Savor” for a reason.”

 

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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.