The first of two porters under review for February comes from Utah and Epic Brewing.
Here is how the website describes it: “The Blue Law Porter celebrates Utah’s State Tree, the Blue Spruce. The spruce tips used are hand picked from the grounds of Utah’s State Capitol building where blue laws, like spruce tips, emerge each year!”
Review – Get Up Offa That Brown
The latest Golden Road beer to make it to the cans is Get Up Offa That Brown. They come in the the new-ish four packs with a window to see the really cool Sunset Strip can design.
The crew at Golden Road describe it as a “…traditional English-style Brown, complete with chocolate-y malt notes and a smoky-sweet aroma has been a draft-only favorite since its introduction in early 2012.”
It does indeed pour a cola brown with a bit of a fizzy stream of bubbles. Right out of the ‘fridge the taste is muted but once it gets to room temperature the malt notes start adding up giving you a flavor profile that leans towards toast but touches on a sweetness and a skosh of chocolate before the carbonation takes it away so that you can enjoy the next sip. Like it Hefeweizen and Point the Way counterparts this is very light and quite sessionable.
Maybe next, Golden Road will release a variety pack with one of each of their canned creations.
Review – Liquid Breadfruit from Maui Brewing & Dogfish Head
Time to video review another beer and we head to Maui Brewing for their Liquid Breadfruit collaboration with Dogfish Head.
Here is part of the description from the brewery, “Dogfish Head superstar – Sam Calagione, will be our fearless collaborator! The result – a beer-epiphany never before innovated called Liquid Breadfruit!
To celebrate the cornucopia of a Maui-grown harvest, we will ingeniously combine local breadfruit (or ulu) & toasted papaya seeds into the recipe of an imperial golden ale fermented using Dogfish Head’s DNA ( Delaware-Native-Ale) yeast.”
Review – Proximity from Blue Moon
I saw Proximity made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes and the red wine version, Impulse in the Burbank Bevmo and I took a flyer. Thought, “Why not?”. Blue Moon is so much better than Coors.
Well, I will not be buying Impulse for one thing. Even though it got a slightly better bad rating than the Proximity did. Plus, the names are horrible. They don’t differentiate the grape varietal or beer. They add nothing.
Which is, unfortunately, like the beer. It pours a light yellow with lots of tiny bubbles. No head at all here. Aroma is primarily grape juice or really young wine. The carbonation is good but then this white grape juice flavor takes over and does not let go. Not getting much beer here. Maybe a heartier style like a Tripel would have held its own against the sweet juice.
This is in Bartles & Jaymes territory here. One could also call it an alcopop considering how grape juice forward it is. This has to be filed under failed experiment.
Ohana Pint Night
City Tavern in Culver City has a great line-up of beer nights and Thursday’s Ohana Brewing night was epic.
You see correctly, that is 9 big tasters of the full Ohana range (minus the sours, which I will talk about later). It looks even prettier with the glasses full.
Of this group, my top three would be the Accomplice Belgian Style Golden which had a really soft edge to it and a lovely vanilla spice note at the end, followed by the Grateful Hophead which had a wonderful aroma and nice kick of bitterness and then in third place the Noir with Coffee. Third because the coffee taste was fabulous but ran roughshod over the IPA part of the bill.
It is good to see that the Ohana taphandles are getting space. They are distinctive. You can’t miss that tiki vibe but also it means that all the hard work that Andrew and Chris have put in is paying off with great beer.
I also got to sample three of their sour beers. Blueberry, wine grape and cherry. The wine grape offering was the least sour and the one with more toasted grain notes and I really liked it but the cherry had a tart hit to it plus had the aroma of a cherry pie out of the oven.
Thanks to Ohana and City Tavern for a grand introduction to Ohana’s full set of beers.
Editor’s note : the two better photos are from Rich Rosen
Review – Heretic Gramarye
It is time for a quick review (minus the video).
Today we tackle a Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner, Heretic Brewing’s Gramarye
First, here is the label copy, “Gramarye is the practice of learning magic. For thousands of years, people have used a grimoire (book of magic) to cast spells and summon spirits. Of course, magic fell out of favor over the centuries, the same as brewing with rye. Interest in magic seems to be on the upswing these days, and so is the interest in brewing with rye. A coincidence? This is our take on session pale ale made with a dose of rye malt to give it that luscious feel and snappy finish. We think it is magical.”
It pours a pretty dark orange color with plenty of bubbly action going from the bottom of the glass up. The aroma is primarily rye to me. Usually with rye beers that is a flavor that is part of the whole package and not up front and center. Here it is right on the nose. Has quite a bit of carbonation in the flavor that is followed to the tongue by the rye which is almost bready at this point and then the bitterness which really lingers at the back. I am also getting some vanilla notes as well. All of this at 4.4% abv. No wonder it won gold.
Video Review – Base Camp In-Tents IPL
The first review of 2013 in intense. It comes from Base Camp Brewing in Portland, Oregon and is an India Pale LAGER!
Here is the description from the website, “Our flagship India Pale Lager showcases a copper color that gives way to a crisp, clean lager beer perfectly balanced in its massive complexity. Dry-hopped and aged on an in-house toasted blend of white and red oaks. The IPL finishes clean and smooth, with hop aromas of wild flowers and pine, and a unique maltiness highlighted by the subtle oak character.”
Review – Rueuze
The second Bruery beer to be reviewed in December is the Bruery’s take on a Gueuze. Here is my take on the beer….
MOA – reviewed
In addition to my monthly video reviews, I will be adding my two cents the old fashioned way via photos and words for a set of beers each month.
Now we head to New Zealand to review St. Joseph’s Tripel and Breakfast Beer.
St. Joseph’s pours a medium yellow color from the caged and corked 12.7 ounce green bottle. Big fluffy head on this one. Aroma is citrus and potpourri and vanilla notes. All of which follow into the taste. A pleasing slickness and hit of alcohol also come through with this Belgian tripel via Blenheim. The label is practically all in black with only the red font of St. Joseph’s to see.
Breakfast beer pours a light orange. A pear/grape combo hits the tongue first. It really is viscous though for what should be a sprightly beer. There is a creamy texture too. I like this a skosh more than the St Joseph’s because it is lighter with a more unique flavor.
FoodGPS Teaser – Top 10 Beers of 2012
For every 10 Best List, there are a few honorable mentions. And in the craft beer world, many honorable mentions. But I have decided to tease tomorrow’s FoodGPS countdown list with the three that I agonized over not including. So here are beers 11-13 that I wish I could have cheated and snuck in….
13. Bear Republic – Dry Creek Home Grown
Our tribute to the annual hop harvest brewed with Cascade hopes grown in the Dry Creek Valley just 10 minutes from our pub & brewery. I said, ” The aroma alone is worth the price of the pint. Citrus and flowers spring up. Nice light bitterness that doesn’t interfere with the flavor and is distinct, not a muddle of hops. Makes me want to visit this Dry Creek.” Might be available on tap. Window may be closed on it though since it is a fresh hop beer.
12. 21st Amendment – Hop Crisis
A imperial IPA aged on oak using Columbus, Centennial and cascades as the bittering hops and dry hopping with Simcoe, Ahtanum, Amarillo, and Cascades. I said, “Big but not muddled DIPA that shows off the oak aging and finishes strong with a great pineapple, citrus fruit bitterness that really worked well together. Not super aromatic but just a great beer. Super smooth.” This one is canned and is available in San Francisco and via Let’s Pour at times.
11. The Bruery/Hangar 24 – Ichigo Highway
The base style is a sessionable sour red ale that we aged in oak barrels along with a whopping amount of strawberries, most of which were picked from the fields besides Hangar 24’s brewery. I said, “Nice whiff of strawberry. Initial taste is sourness followed by a jam taste. Tastes really fresh. Good sparkle to it. Some farmhouse notes as well. Excellent mix of flavors.” Head to Bruery Provisions for this fruit find.