Tag: City Beer Store

Posted on

City Beer Store – Review 4 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

Last in line is Põhjala and their Imperial Stout, Gimme Danger. This gluten reduced beer pours a dark brown color. I am catching a little sour on the nose. Cherry to be more precise. Then in comes the roast character. This stout does not have the mouthfeel of a double-digit ABV beer at all. It has a spiky, close to tobacco feel overall.

And that brings it into 4th place. I would put Thematic Glow in the third slot with the Kentucky Mule in the silver. Kaleidoscope takes the prize.

Posted on

City Beer Store – Review 3 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

Next up is a muted colorful can from Parliament Brewing in Rohnert Park of Sonoma County. A hazy IPA named Kaleidoscope.

This is my first beer from them and it pours a murky light yellow. Quite fragrant. It has the distinctive fluffy yet fruit hop roughness to it. Has a mix of pineapple and coconut close to a tropical tiki cocktail. Soft, with a bit of vanilla to it.

This scores above the first two with one beer to go.

Posted on

City Beer Store – Review 2 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

#2 is from Hop Butcher for the World, Thematic Glow. Now this is a proper hazy. Murky yellow/orange in the glass. The famed Bedford Park, Illinois brewery has made a double hazy that has a nearly vanilla creamy mouthfeel to it. It is not over the top fruity either, in fact, it is more pine than anything with a real zing of hops. Maybe more Rakau than Citra.

This is a close call but I think the FW is a skosh ahead here with two beers to go.

Posted on

City Beer Store – Review 1 of 4

Time for another round of which beer is the best! I have four beers to review over the course of this month that I purchased from City Beer Store in San Francisco. (You can subtract the mead, that I will review separately.)

I start with Kentucky Mule from Firestone Walker. Bourbon barrel + ginger + lime peel all at 11.8% ABV. The aroma is bourbon trailed by lime. This is a very viscous beer. Big mouthfeel here. The bourbon barrel is lead guitar with lime following as bass. And if you wait, there is the heat of ginger. As the beer warms up, the bourbon and ginger take over strongly with a brown sugar note piping up. This is a strong one, a sipper for sure but damn tasty for ginger fans.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 6 – Double Daisy Cutter from Half Acre

Next is review number five from the City Beer Store of San Francisco beer purchase. By the end of the month, I will rank all six.

Currently Side Pull is one with IPL is Dead second, Lenticular Cap third, Working for Tips at 4 and pulling up the rear, I Feel Better Now hazy IPA. Where will the final beer rank?

The final beer comes from Chicago and Half Acre. It claims to be fully saturated, whatever that implies. The aroma is bright and right there when you pop open the can. I get a fifty-fifty combo of pine and candied orange peel. The ABV shows its full 8% and there is a big wallop of bitterness.

I am going to put this at #3. I almost went second place but the other two were just more unique.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 5 – I Feel Better Now from Hello Friend

Next is review number five from the City Beer Store of San Francisco beer purchase. By the end of the month, I will rank all six.

Currently Side Pull is one with IPL is Dead second, Lenticular Cap third, and Working for Tips at 4. Only two slots remain to be ranked.

Hello Friend is the hazy side gig of one of my favorite sour beer makers, The Rare Barrel. This hazy IPA has the cloudy look without taking on that dark grey murk. It is a pretty light yellow. Filled with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops. Got a hit of pineapple when first opened. That fades though and the flavor is quite muted. Pineapple mixed with grass but not powerful. Some lemon tucked in the back as well. The can design is a little on the creepy side for me as well.

I am going to put this last. Primarily because I has some high expectations for it and this could have been bigger in flavor.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 4 – Working for Tips from Moonlight Brewing Co.

Next is review number fourfrom the City Beer Store of San Francisco beer purchase. By the end of the month, I will rank all six.

Currently Side Pull is one with IPL is Dead second and Lenticular Cap third, how will beer # 4 rank?

That beer comes from Moonlight Brewing Co., Working for Tips. A redwood ale made with redwood branches. Now I do not get any tree like notes from this brown hued beer, more a latte type of sweet note. Touch of spice tries to escape but is pushed back. The aroma has a little of the forest to it.

This is the outlier of the group. That could have worked in its favor but it was a little too sweet for me, so it brings up the rear.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 3

Next is review number three from the City Beer Store of San Francisco beer purchase. By the end of the month, I will rank all six. Currently Side Pull is one with Lenticular Cap second, how will beer # 3 fare?

BareBottle IPL is Dead is a DDH Pilsner.  Full recipe is on the can down to the hopping schedule. First time seeing that.  Getting grapefruit but the malt sticks around well.  Nice balance here.  Has a more silky mouthfeel than sharp and bubbly.  Might think at first that it is a pale ale.

I would slot this into second. A little more crisp and it might have gone first.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 2

We are onto review two from the City Beer Store of San Francisco beer purchase. By the end of the month, I will rank all six. Side Pull was a strong start, how will beer # 2 fare?

Lenticular Cap is labeled as a “Dry-Hopped Modern Pilsner” by this McMinnville, Oregon (Go Wildcats!) brewery.  ForeLand uses Michigan Copper and Meridian hops. Neither on the tip of the hop lovers tongue. LC pours a light and bright yellow.  The taste is just as bright.  Getting big amounts of bread and lemon.  As it warms, it takes on a more floral near to but not quite potpourri.  

I like the beer quite a bit but was expecting a little more hoppy bite to it so it ranks a skosh below.

Posted on

Beer Cage Match – Review # 1

I am loving the fact that City Beer Store of San Francisco ships anywhere in California. My most recent platypus purchase is a wide mix of beers that I thought, I should rate not in a 1v1 format but WWE style.

Here is review 1. By the end of the month, I will rank all six.

We start with Side Pull a Czech-style pale lager from Fair State and famed lager makers Bierstadt Lagerhaus from Colorado.

SP pours a super light yellow color. Did my best to get the best glassware for such traditional beer. Aroma is beautiful. Brings to mind walking around the old Weinhard plant in Portland. A sweet malt air. This is a really delicate beer to the point of whisper thin. Has a stern bite to it though that really lingers on the roof of the mouth. I hate the word crushable that is used on the label because this is just not something to throw back, this lager has a spine to it.