Tag: beer review

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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.

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In the Tap Lines for July 2023

Climate change has weirded out the weather here in Los Angeles and in many other spots on the globe but this month is the time for lighter beers as we get higher temperatures. Plus the other fun stuff below….

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Australia for the Women’s World Cup

~ special featured reviews of beers from around the country

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Trackers by Charles Frazier

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Drifting Off with Joe Pera

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Bad Owners

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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Review – Pineapple Party Punch from Rogue

For the final review of June, let’s go a bit Tiki with Rogue Ales Pineapple Party Punch.

No rum involved in this hazy IPA, just pineapple and toasted coconut. The aroma is pineapple smoothie. Not unpleasant but a bit sweet to me even for a fruited hazy. When tasting, is actually works. The hop bitterness and the pineapple play off each other and the mouthfeel is pillowy soft. The coconut is a little less present but that is the way I prefer, a little of it goes a long way for me.

I was worried that this would be too much but Rogue has mixologisted it up in balance.

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Review – Sneaky Sips & Juicy Drips

Two breweries. One mission. Use the same hop combo of Galaxy, Mosaic and Cryo Pop.

That is the challenge for Three Weavers and Tarantula Hill and now is the time to see who wore the hops best…

Juicy Drips – pours a light yellow with a light bit of haze to it. Strong stone fruit aroma. Getting peach and nectarine in both the aroma and taste. Also a bit of wine character as well. Body is light as well with a deceptive bitter kick to it.

Sneaky Sips – looks like a pilsner in the glass. Initially this was 100% pine needle with a sharp bitter hit at the beginning of the sip but as it warms up a little bit of fruit flavor kinda like grape adds a secondary note that the beer needed to avoid being one dimensional.

You would not know from tasting that these beers used the same hops, at all. I was more partial to the Three Weavers with that peach fuzz taste.