Tag: hoppy

Posted on

Featured Review – Luponic Distortion 13 from the FW Hoppy Lion Variety Pack

Pina Colada. Key Lime. Nectarine. Those are the three descriptors for the 13th version of Luponic Distortion from Firestone Walker. For me, I do get lime peel on the nose, so that is one down. This is a sharp IPA. Almost more of a margarita like flavor profile to me, so add a 1/2 point. Sparkly carbonation.  Little bit of pineapple in the back and as it warms a touch of stone fruit so add a 1/4 point. All told 1.75 out of 3.  I would rate this lower on the scale of 13 but still an interesting set of flavors.

Posted on

Featured Review – Two Beers from Roadhouse Brewery – Part 3

We enter the hoppy realm of Roadhouse with their Wilson IPA and their Volume 1 Hazy beer, Mountain Jam.

Mountain Jam Volume 1
This is pineapple all the way through. The aroma is like opening a can of pineapple chunks and the flavor follows through. There is a spritzy bitter hit that livens up the proceedings and ably tamps down the perceived sweetness. Certainly looks the hazy part.

Wilson
A little orange citrus. Mostly dank heaviness here. Wet and sticky on the tongue. Little bit of pine needle aroma. Nice lively carbonation. Like the lizard on the label. Good balance but doesn’t have the wow of the hazy.

Posted on

Review – Unity IPA (bottled) from Three Weavers

IMG_6859
After experiencing Unity 2016 from Three Weavers and the LA County Brewers Guild in the cask format, it was time to try the bottled version. Though I am not a fan of the artwork on the label, I can see why a certain niche would think it is cool.

I cracked open the bottle and immediately the hop nose bubbled up before even pouring into the glass. It was a dual hit of pine and tropical fruit with berries swirling around. After that though, the beer sorta fizzled out. Bitterness was there, but the aroma just didn’t carry through into the flavor and when that aroma faded off, I was left with a bit of an underwhelming IPA.

I had a can of Stone’s Go To IPA earlier in the night and that beer had a well executed juicy orange character to it. Did that influence my taste buds? I don’t know but I couldn’t help but compare the two and hoping for Unity16 to pop a little more. Instead it just sorta rolled downhill into a bit of dankness at the end.

It leaves me perhaps to try it on tap and see if that is the optimal dispense for this beer.

Posted on

Review – Evil Dead Red from AleSmith

IMG_6268

What could be more perfect for Halloween?  For a SoCal hop fan, AleSmith’s Evil Dead Red is a perfect Halloween treat.  It pours a reddish brown and has a fragrant hop aroma coming off the glass.  The taste starts off with some chewy maltness that is quickly overcome by some sharp carbonation and a wild melange of hops.  I get a little citrus, some fruit punch and some floral notes.  And they are strong. But the whole thing is well balanced.  You get some more cereal notes at the end to really round the beer off.

IMG_6269

And in keeping with the zombie theme on the label, my favorite Halloween film to watch is Shaun of the Dead (tragically mis-spelled).  Followed by the first Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, Arachnaphobia and the Blair Witch Project.  I am not a big horror fan.  Don’t like the chain saws and knives and crazed pyscho’s on the loose.  I prefer a little more realism and some humor.  Maybe it is because I watched a Pinhead movie when I was young and was turned off the whole blood and gore thing.  Obviously, Evil Dead should be paired with it’s namesake movie but for Shaun of the Dead, I would go with Fuller’s Black Cab Stout.  Dark but light bodied.

Posted on

7 Times as Hoppy

port-anniversary-ale

Port Brewing’s Anniversary Ale has reached the 7 year mark.  And I bet that each year it gets hoppier!  This year the recipe is brewed with Columbus, Amarillo and Simcoe and then to add more kick, dry-hopped with Columbus, Amarillo and Citra hops.

According to folks at Port, “Anniversary Ale has pleasant tones of citrus and pine, a screaming hops presence and just enough malt character to add a hint of sweetness. Port Brewing’s Anniversary Ale comes in at 10% ABV”

Anniversary 7 will be available at the brewery and through distribution in draft and 22oz bottles.

Posted on

Xmas 2012 – Double Mountain / FaLaLaLa

We head to the mecca that is Hood River, Oregon for our next holiday treat from Double Mountain, FaLaLaLa.

“T’is the season for a big, malty hop bomb…We’ve loaded our inaugural holiday brew up with enough Centennials to fill Santa’s toy bag. Cheers to hoppy beers! Brewed with Gambrinus Organic Pilsner and Munich malt, imported crystal malts and Centennial hops.”

Posted on

Hellhound

The beastly beers reign supreme today!

Here is the latest on the Dogfish Head beer….
“Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse, Alc. 10% by vol., 10 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. To accentuate and magnify the citrusy notes of the centennial hops (and as a shout out to Robert Johnson’s mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) we add dried lemon peel and flesh to the whirlpool.”

It is the second music related beer from the Dogfish Head brewers. The first being Bitches Brew.