Tag: beer review

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Thanksgiving (or Not) Review – Bamboo Pilsner from Dokkaebier

This month the reviews will be a bit expanded from the brief format I normally employ, by adding a simple “Would this work for Thanksgiving?” to it. Thanksgiving staples are generally prepared in a way that is, out with it, bland. Turkey, potatoes and rolls all need some dressing up as it were. So I want to choose beers that will add a note while also not adding to the bloat of eating too much. For further beverage ideas check out Lew Bryson’s Seen Through a Glass Thanksgiving episode.

The first up is Bamboo Pilsner by Oakland’s Dokkaebier.

I chose this because you want light against the heavy thud of spuds and tryptophan. Plus, hoping that the bamboo tea brings a contrasting note.

Pours a dark yellow for a pilsner. Aroma is very much tea with lemon citrus. First sip is really strong with tea. Really herbal. A bit too slick on the tongue for me. Could use a bit more poppy carbonation to it. The tea flavor is not in your English Breakfast arena. This is very much Asian. Woody and earthy with a bit of apple and pear to it.

It is too bold a flavor and not bubbly enough to cut against the grain. Interesting notes to spare but probably not with Thanksgiving foods.

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Spooky Review – Fall Seasonal IPA from Institution Ales

We finish off the spooky beer reviews with the appropriately ghoulish label for Institution Ale Co. and their Fall Seasonal IPA which has been given the three descriptor treatment as Dank, Citrusy, Balanced.

Pours a very clear Halloween orange in the glass. First notes are of fruit punch and softness on the palate. The aroma is very, very red berry. Tastes much less than 7.1% abv for sure. Tilts more pale ale to me. There is a bit of woodsy, earthy bitterness in the background like a scarecrow.

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Spooky Review – Pumpkin π Ale from San Fernando Brewing Co.

Another pumpkin beer but this one is from L.A. local San Fernando Brewing Co., Pumpkin π.

As the can opens, that pumpkin spice aroma wafts up, thankfully there is a bit of actual gourd into it There is, on the negative side, a bit too much sweetness here and a weird metallic taste at the back end of it. For me, this needs a little something else to push it further. Maybe vanilla or a barrel-age to it. As is, it is quite fine but it is one of those where I wanted just a bit more.

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Spooky Review – Warlock from Southern Tier

I remember the first time having a Southern Tier Halloween themed beer. I was in NYC with my wife and ordered it. Was enjoying it before a platter of food as big as me arrived and then the beer was kinda forgotten. Years later, I saw an orphan bottle and grabbed it.

Warlock Imperial Pumpkin Stout is a mere 8.6% ABV. It has that American PSL thing going but behind the curtain is a nice and a bit chocolately stout. The pumpkin actually shines through as well as it warms. More gourdy than pie which is a plus in my book.

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Spooky Review – Wretched from Ghost Town Brewing

There are a few breweries who have leaned into the realm of spookiness, one of which is Oakland’s Ghost Town Brewing. Time to get Wretched.

Pours a hazy light yellow color. Has the requisite softness on the palate. Getting an interesting combination of Concord grape and an earthy bitterness. Crawled out from underground as it were. There is a bit of a lemon underlaying the proceedings and I get that scratchy fuzzy mouthfeel at the end.

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Review – Modelo Especial

It has been big news that Modelo has overtaken Bud Light in recent months as best selling beer in the U.S. Will it stay king of the hill, who knows. Maybe Bud Light will stop shooting themselves in the foot and regain the top selling spot.

Until then, best to taste the beer and see for myself.

Looks real pretty in the bottle. Lovely bright yellow. The aroma is classic pilsner. Gave me a memory of being at a baseball game. This has a good taste to it. Has a bit of a cross between a pilsner and a Mexican lager to it which gives it a bit more complexity than you have in your Industrial pilsner. It also isn’t as super watery as that ilk. Which makes me a little hopeful that the flavor is taking hold of the American palate.

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Hood River Beer Review – Summer IPA from Ferment Brewing

Next Oregon beer review is Ferment Brewing’s Summer IPA. Described as, “Summer IPA offers big citrus and mango hop character in a refreshing unfiltered golden ale topped with a billowy head of foam.”

From the “top ferment” series at the Columbia River waterfront brewery, this IPA has a bright citrus aromatic profile along with a Saison-y first sip flavor. Tang meets Belgium. The mango comes in after the orange for a big one-two fruit punch. Bitterness plays a minor key in this but it is the note that lingers at the end.

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Review – Two from Hop Secret

Time to get hoppy with Monrovia’s Hop Secret Brewing. Hitting up a hazy and a DIPA from their colorfully labeled cans.

Fistful of Haze – had a bit of sediment in this can. Not super hazy or murky. Yellow with an orange tint. Mostly tropical fruity. Soft on the palate with a good level of bitterness.

Hoppa Stoppa – tastes more like a regular IPA. kind of flat overall. There is a little bit of fruit flavor to this, but overall not bunny with glasses cool.

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Beer Review – No, You Hang Up First Hazy Pale Ale from Ogopogo and Common Space

Ogopogo Brewing and Common Space Brewery are on the line with a hazy pale ale.

Time to talk about it….

Pours a hazy lemonade color. Initial aroma is pineapple but more pineapple smoothie than the sharp fruit. The initial taste is a very creamy tropical fruit. This is another super pillowy version of hazy. The end note is orange juice. Really nice example of how a lower ABV pale can have lovely and complex flavors.

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Review – Skaze Race from Alvarado Street

For the first review of July, lets dive into thiols. 2X thiols per the label from Alvarado Street’s Skaze Race.

Here is the description from their website, “This thrilling SKAZE is double dry hopped and thiol boosted for maximum juicy radness. Select lots of Mosaic, Nelson, Citra Cryo and Cryo Pop are teeming with tropical hop oils and potent thiols. A blast of tangerine and pineapple blasts you off a wave of gooseberry before you splash down in an  invgorating spray of passionfruit and blueberry- leaving a hint of coconut candy in your wake.”

I certainly get that big passion fruit aroma which seems to be a thiol hallmark. The beer pours a murky yellow color, almost golden. The first flavor note I get is blueberry. I also get a big orange creamsicle hit as this beer is super pillowy soft. At the end, I get a medium strong banana note which is odd but works with the other fruit flavors.