“Craft beer is concerned that you keep discovering, it’s never finished…”
What's in the 'fridge?
One from Mexico and one from Washington state..
Nice Amber ale with just a touch of sweetness. This would go well with sweet BBQ. Easy to drink and not bland like some ambers can get.
From Red Hook brewery, this is another amber type beer. Nice to drink but lacks a little something. Not bad but I could certainly find more bold tastes in the beer aisle.
new from Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
The great Imbibe magazine/website alerted me to this new beer set to arrive in June. When I get my hands on some, I will give you a review. Sierra Nevada is branching out into newer beers. First there was the Torpedo IPA now a hefe. I wonder if this will be in the banana/clove style or the Widmer wheat style.
Rubicon Brewing
As part of American Craft Beer Week, I tasted two from the Sacramento brewer, Rubicon.
First up was Monkey Knife Fight Pale Ale. Now usually, I am not impressed by Pale Ales. To me they all tend to blur together. This one stands above the masses. Has a slight spice taste and not too hoppy.
Second was the Purple. A helles-maibock. It’s a good solid beer but not very bold. This would be better served with food. Something spicy like good kung pao chicken.
Christmas in May
In my travels this week, I came across a deal to good to pass up. A nice big bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale on sale! $9.99 to be exact. So I snapped it up.
This doesn’t quite fill the winter warmer category but it does carry an alcohol punch to it. Surprisingly light and malty with a touch of spice to it. Personally, this would go great with turkey and cranberry and stuffing. But make sure to share it will catch up with you.
What's in the 'fridge
A new offering from the folks at Eel River Organic Brewing. They do quality stuff. This new offering with Acai seems trendy but may turn out to be good if they get the balance of wheat and fruit right.
Full Sail reserve series continues…
…with Keelhauler, a Scottish style ale. I enjoy the Full Sail specials. They really let the brewers shine.
Trumer Pils
Trumer Pils is, in my humble opinion, the one true pilsner. The main reason for this is that most pilsners tend to have a tinny aftertaste. And that just rubs my palate the wrong way. Trumer is a solid refreshment from first sip to last. And in this age of seasonals and special beers, it is nice to see that they do the one beer. No imperial pils, no Christmas pils. And they have good distribution, though I would be interested to compare/contrast their Austrian version to the Berkeley version. When the weather in my neck of the woods turns scorching, I pick up a six-pack of Trumer and cool off.
What's in my fridge?
Collaboration not Litigation. One of the reasons why I love the craft brewing movement is the open source code ethos that runs through it. New Belgium and Hair of the Dog make special beers for a bottle shop in Seattle. And Russian River in California and Avery in Colorado get together to make one great beer out of two great beers.
What's chillin' in the fridge
Laurelwood Espresso Stout. Coffee and beer works well together. Will need to wait for a chilly night though. Bright sunshine and stout don’t go together for me.
