Tag: beer review

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Review – Funky Foeder from Russian River

Cherry trees in bloom and cherry ale from Santa Rosa and Russian River Brewing.

The website describes FF as a “Mildly sour Saison aged in large oak foeders with tart cherries for 6 to 12 months. Distinctive aromatics of cherry, notes of raspberry, strawberry, and rhubarb. Light bodied with medium carbonation, slight sweetness, moderate tartness, and low bitterness, with no astringency.”

The beer pours a cheery rose color with plenty of bubbles initially. Acid and sawdust on the nose. The fruit taste is restrained here letting the oak and tartness take the lead. Reminiscent of the old school sours where the barnyard and the funk was let loose. The sour doesn’t force a pucker, it is more balsamic to me, if that makes sense.

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The Beer Search Party reviews We Love LA beers – Part 5

There has been such a fantastic outpouring of support for Los Angeles by breweries far and wide in the wake of the devastating wildfires of this past January.

The charity program spearheaded by Common Space Brewery has garnered quite a bit of support from California and the rest of the Fractured States of America.

Here are my thoughts on the latest beers that I have had, both from outside California…

pFriem Family Brewers went the IPA route but theirs is a super light yellow color. It is nice and crisp with notes of orange floating into and out of focus on the palate.

Hop Butcher for the World did up a Citra and Mosaic West Coast Pilsner which pours more orange on top and yellower at the foot of the glass.  There is a hint of pilsner here but this tastes stronger and danker than even a pale ale.

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Review – She’s The Brewer DIPA from Stone

Picked up a crowler of She’s the Brewer, the new Stone Brewing IPA since I both hadn’t had a crowler in a bit and because of the Pink Boots connection.

This is the 8th year of a Pink Boots hop blend and when I popped the tab, instantly pine scents sprung out. It is labeled a West Coast IPA but it is a DIPA for sure. Pine and tropical notes are the first to show but they yield the stage to a heavier alcohol and woodsy bitterness. There is still some tropical hanging around but it moves more towards papaya than the lighter, brighter fruits.

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Review – Funeral Bock from Wayfinder Beer

Wayfinder Beer makes appearances in Los Angeles on occasion and I do my best to sample their wares as I find their range to be exciting even with old school styles such as, say a bock bier.

This has the initial aroma of a vinous old ale. There is a small touch of sweet and a smaller touch of smoke and some milk chocolate tucked in as well. Many less intense flavors involved in making a bigger whole.

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Review – Double Riwaka Daydream from Other Half

We are lucky in Los Angeles to get a lot of good stuff dropped into distribution and one pretty pink can from Other Half Brewing caught my eye….

….Double Riwaka Daydream, which pours with some serious haziness going on and a tiny little layer of foam to top it off. The aroma is a mix of pine and fruit. The first taste is orange creamsicle. Lots of cream in this one. The oat cream is earning its keep. And lurking behind is that pine note and a quite sturdy backbone. A unique beer for sure.

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Review – MadeWest 9th Anniversary

Hazy IIPA conjures up a double digit ABV beer. For MadeWest Brewing, their 9th Anniversary beer is down the scale a skosh at 8%. More DIPA range to me.

Boy, oh boy, there is some pineapple flying off this in the aroma and in the first sips. You can taste the strength as well. A bit fluffy in the mouthfeel. Some other tropical notes come into play as you drink it.

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Review – Lifeblurred from Stone Brewing

SoCal has had a tiny not cold spell which has allowed me to thoroughly enjoy darker, heartier beers like Lifeblurred, an imperial brown ale from Stone Brewing.

Per Stone, this is a biggie. 11% to be exact and though at first it doesn’t seem alcohol heavy, by sip three, you feel it. I would describe this as British ale seen through a Black IPA glass, then bulked up. Very woodsy and oaky with an ever so slight citrus hop note. It is a russet and brown colored ale with a hint of a dark caramel taste to it.

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Review – Cool River from Pure Project

I have only had the murky side of Pure Project up to this point so when I saw a  Cold IPA on the beer shelf, I plucked it to review.

Cool River pours a super light orange color or dark yellow.  Very crisp on the palate with grain notes being the first to make themselves known. The hop kick is quite potent.  I get honeydew melon and some dankness as well.  Tastes stronger than 6.5% as well.

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Review – Mere Visions West Coast IPA from ISM Brewing and Brujos Brewing

Gotta powerhouse hype combo for the review today, ISM Brewing in Long Beach have paired up with Portland’s Brujos Brewing on a straight up West Coast IPA, Mere Visions.

This has got to be one of the lightest straw yellow IPAs that I have come across. Hopped with an impressive roster of Columbus Cryo, Mosaic Cryo, Strata, Simcoe and Chinook. Very well balanced overall. That Simcoe smell comes through. There is a medium hop hit before a soft bed of wheat notes. You could call this a White IPA as well.

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Review – Yorkshire Stingo from Samuel Smith

I recently had the Winter Welcome from Samuel Smith and then I saw their Yorkshire Stingo (with a super classy logo) which I have not had in many moons and decided it was high time to review to see if I get the same notes of “fruit, raisin, treacle toffee, Christmas pudding and slight oaky flavours”.

The last item on that list certainly comes through but the rest, not so much but despite that adjective failure, this is a real classic of a beer. There is a slight hint of future souring in the taste in the amber coloured ale. I taste grass and wheat and pea shoots myself. Complex and strange for sure.