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It has been a bit of a NZ Hops month, so I turned to a style away from IPA from Third Window in Santa Barbara, Nelson Saison.
Here is my quick review – Pours a yellow / absinthe light green color. Very dry with a champagne flavor profile. Pronounced wine grape aroma that follows into the flavor. The Belgian yeast esters slide underneath.
Lagunitas is pitting hops against each other with their Vol. 1 of their Stereohopic series. This round is Nelson Sauvin vs. Mosaic. It is a slight twist on the single hop beers. I think these two hops should be distinguishable from each other which should make it interesting.
Earlier this month, I reviewed some Black is Beautiful beers which was started by Weathered Souls Brewing, to end the month, I wanted to review a collaboration done with AleSmith.
Pours a clear yellow with a fluffy head to it. Citra and Nelson hops. Aroma is neutral with a taste by bit of citrus detected. Harsh orange and lemon taste. Very wet mouthfeel to it. Alcohol really shows and still tastes like a higher alcohol beer.
Unfortunately I missed the Citra version of Noble’s DIPA 2014 series. Part of the peril of not chasing after every beer. I just wasn’t in the right place at the right time. But I grabbed a bottle of the second in the series at Sunset Beer Co.. It pours a light orange to the point of yellow. There is a big aroma here. Spice hits the nose first. Cooking spice. The taste has that same bold spice note that is subdued by a touch of fruit. Mostly grape but that fades right back to spice. Strong and delicious.
Happy 3rd Anniversary by the way!
Damn. This is mega funky. And just when you think the funk aroma is done, in wafts more farmhouse. Pours a hazy orange juice color. I get a touch of the Nelson but the crazy funk from the yeast is the star of this show and I like it. And the funk just doesn’t die down. It teeters really close to cat pee territory without tipping over. Just when I think it has gone over the line it pulls back just a skosh.
And boy is this label a trip. Laser Cats. Weird Fish. Bicycles and tailgating and so much more. I would love to see a “patriotic” Bud drinker pick up Merica and think it was some peon to “real America” and then getting a pure blast of funk.
On the non-beer side of the ledger, I drank this beer while watching World War Z. Now I read the book and really enjoyed it. The movie is not the book in any way shape or form. But I enjoyed the movie too. Crazy cool Zombies and an ambiguous ending to boot. Plus it had the 12th Doctor in it!
Here is my thumbnail review of my first ever beer from San Diego’s Saint Archer, their pale ale…..
“Pours a light orange. Has almost a Nelson Sauvin aroma and taste. Some herbal dankness as well. Almost a white wine set of notes. Bitterness is medium. A bit sharp. I am a bit conflicted on how to rate this.”
Here is the description from the brewery, “Balanced toward the hoppy end of the spectrum, this straight-foward, California-style pale is eminently sessionable. Crystal and Munich malts provide a backbone to showcase the bright, citrus, piney notes of Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe hops.”
Here is the Spontaneous video review of an absolutely awesome IPA…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNI-JToJlEQ]