Tag: beer review

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Triple Review – AleSmith – KickBackRelax, Cloud Stream and Limeberry Twist

Let’s dive into three beers that venerable San Diego brewery AleSmith sent me recently….

Starting with Cloud Stream Hazy IPA, I would label this as medium hazy in appearance.  A dark orange color. The can describes it as red currant, mango and passion fruit.  I see the last two tropical descriptors frequently but red currant is a new one.  But I do get that flavor front and center even though the aroma is fairly muted. Fruit punch plays a minor background chord. 

LimeBerry Twist pours with a big pink foam. Lovely red color. Beginners level of tartness. Raspberry and lime flavors mix together really well. Refreshing with a touch of wheat at the back.  

KickBackRelax Session IPA really bright light pine aroma to near dankness.  4.2% is super duper low. I was expecting watery but this avoids that trap. Not super hoppy tasting as the focus turns to the malt flavor. Perfect for watching sports without losing yourself before halftime. 

Ranking the three would start with KBR move to LBT and in third CS.

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Featured Review – Frucht Passion Fruit

Try as I might, I cannot remember having a beer from the Frucht series that The Bruery has been making. Now I remedy that situation with passion fruit.

Pours into my Bruery tulip a vivid orange color. Oh boy, this is tart and the video said it had been dialed back.  That aroma tells you instantly that this is German Sour territory.  Oddly the passion fruit is fairly muted.  The label for this sorts looks like sea creature suckers and lemons. 

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Review – Merry Christmas from Anchor Brewing

Pours with a big fluffy espresso head. Very spice forward this year. Touch of woodsy here as well. Little sharp astringency as well. Like the roast character which adds a nice heartiness without making it too rich. This is the opposite of a dry beer.  I think this is a higher ABV than in years past hitting the 7% mark. Really like the Three Graces on the label. Such simple and effective artwork. 

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Review – Two from Ten Mile

I ventured out on a smoke filled sky Saturday to Signal Hill to pick up beers from Ten Mile Brewing who seem to have just what is needed for fall beer drinking.

First up to review is their Oktoberfest beer, Evidence of Autumn. This garnet colored gem is a really excellent example of grains being the star flavor of the show. Crackery and toasty yet crisp . It is a filling beer but not in a can’t have another pint way.

Dark Side of the Moo. Sitting on the line of dark brown and black this six percent milk stout is smooth except for a carbonated prickle mid sip.  No dark coffee or chocolate or even vanilla here.  Not super sweet either.  There is a touch of the cream here but it is faint.

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Featured Review – Trend Vampire from Fieldwork

I was so taken by Canopy Pale Ale from Fieldwork that came in my Summit Experience package from the California Craft Brewers Association that I went to their website and saw that they had better shipping options than some of my locals, so I picked up two divergent styles.

Next up is a hazy, Trend Vampire…

Super low ABV.  Love the name and all the DDH, hazy, low-cal descriptors.  Has that scrappy tongue feel.  More OG hazy, less the current fruity bombs.  A bit minty.  Certainly doesn’t taste low ABV

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Review – Smog City’s version of Black is Beautiful

First and hopefully not last of the multitude of beers in Los Angeles under the Black is Beautiful banner of stouts that I hope to enjoy. . The Smog City version has a slightly burnt / roasted caramel aroma. Really nice chicory and chocolate mix  of flavors. Nice balance of the two competing flavors. Has a campfire smokey essence to it as well as being ver smooth. Would pair really well with a sweet, milk chocolate. 

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Review – Wild Little Thing from Sierra Nevada

It has taken me awhile to trying the Wild sibling of Sierra Nevada’s Little Things lineup but I am embracing the color red now. This pours a pink color tending towards red. Even the foam is pink. The nose is very much candied strawberry. This has a soda pop flavor to me. No real sour or tart notes here. Getting that fruit punch flavor as a co-star with the berry. It’s only so-so to me. Not much beer here.

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Featured Review – Fancy Pants Kolsch from Paperback Brewing

Our second beer from Paperback Brewing is Fancy Pants Kolsch.

That is a crazy design for the crowler, though I really do like the sign that doubles as the beer description, that is quite clever. This Germanic beer has a fancy name for a time when most people are wearing shorts. It pours a bright and clear yellow. The taste is crisp with a bit of salty minerality to it. The aroma has a nice corn and grain sweet note to it. Not fizzy but forceful, I just wish it was a little less salty.

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Featured Review – What the Fuck from Paperback Brewing

Very pulp, horror, racy dime store novel label from Paperback How they got away with the actual F word is beyond me. The IPA pours a bright, clear orange color. Aroma is very minimal to me. I took multiple sniffs and did not get much. Flavor wise, getting a mix of candied orange and pine.  A little bit of a juicy note as well. Tastes bigger than 7%. An above average first IPA take for a new brewery.