Tag: review

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Review – Double IPA from Strike Brewing Co.

I am not one for baseball but even the faux baseball stitching on the can of Double IPA from Strike Brewing of San Jose, did not deter me from picking up a can.  I have heard about this brewery but as with many new, smaller brewers not in LA, their beer had not reached us.  Now we have one to base a summary judgement on.

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This DIPA clocks in at 93 IBU’s.  Quite the fastball that is.  The aroma is very spicy and pepper filled and the taste that follows is nice and strong.  After a pair of herbaceous fresh hop ales it is nice to get back to a truly bitter beer that has a nice balance of carbonation.  It is sprightly and I am glad it is in the 8% realm of ABV.  I am torn as to whether I like the aroma or flavor better.  Leaning towards the aroma though.  I would have liked to try their other baseball themed XPA, Chin Music to see how they work hops at the lighter end of the spectrum.  But this beer was brewed with a deft touch and for a first beer tried, is a really strong start.

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Review – Chico King from 3 Floyds & Sierra Nevada

As threatened at the start of the month, I will be reviewing ALL 13 of the special Sierra Nevada Beer Camp collaborations in August.  I had my non-drinking wife randomly select the order and we start here with 3 Floyds and the Chico King.

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“Chico King is a mash-up of our mutual passion for hoppy pale ales and combines a uniquely robust malt body with intense citrusy and fruity new school hop varietals.”

The King pours a dark but still luminous orange color with quite a bit of foam and lacing to it.  The aroma is split between a toasty malt note and grapefruit pith with the toast coming out more and more as you smell it.

The taste is bright and carbonated.  Lot of bubbles rising in the glass as you watch it.  Bitterness sticks everywhere and, for me, primarily on the front of the tongue.  I keep coming back to toast but this is almost like having good bread with a tart marmalade on it.  The peel note isn’t there but this has that type of flavor mix going on.  The beer tastes heavier than the 6.5% noted on the label.

I have not had a pale quite like this though I would guess you could call this an IPA without anyone batting an eye.  Good start to my randomized journey through Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp.

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Review – Mexican Logger from Ska Brewing

Hot days in L.A. will be the norm and I am glad that I will have a supply of Mexican Logger from Ska Brewing to turn to in the heat.

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This Colorado brewed lager pours a very light yellow.  It is neither bubbly (on the tongue, certainly is in the picture) or creamy but in the middle of that spectrum.  It is very flavorful.  I get grapefruit pith, floral accents and a nice amount of cereal grain as well.  This is an impressive set of flavors for such a light beer and puts the Saaz hop right in the spotlight.  It certainly made me wish it was in a 16oz can instead of the 12.  And it once again disproves the lager is boring myth

The only downside being the design, which is certainly striking but not the type of artwork that I prefer on a can.  It does make me wonder if there is a differently hopped version out there.

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Review – Toasted Oak IPA from Innis and Gunn

First off,  I didn’t hold out much hope for this hoppy British beer.  Not because of fear of the Innis & Gunn brewery. But because the two previous IPA’s  that I had bought at Total Wine were old, old.  My fault for not checking the best buy date, but still you would expect a store to rotate the old beers off the shelves. And this beer was coming further than the other two.  And British IPA’s tend to be lightly hopped compared to American ones.

Anyhoo, this was the first I&G beer that I have had,  the marketing copy says, “Its fervent hoppy character hails from the unique addition of large quantities of hops at three separate points during brewing. The result is a beer that’s rounded yet refreshing, with delicate floral notes and oodles of zesty freshness.”

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And here is what I think, or what I would have thought if this beer hadn’t been light years from prime condition. Though it is difficult to tell without any bottled on date. Thus my Total Wine trip was a total IPA loss. This beer, in poor condition, is sickly sweet with a light bit of hops and metallic notes in the background. The toasted oak isn’t clearly coming through but if you swirl it around your mouth a faint bit of it appears. And that is disappointing because toast notes and hops could really work well together.

Maybe if I had cellared it, the sweetness would have diminished and it would be better. As it is, I have learned a lesson. Big Box stores make you do the legwork.

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Review – The Ogden from Goose Island

There is a very herbal nose on this new to L.A. bottled offering from Goose Island of Chicago. Getting notes of licorice and vanilla intermingling in this bright orange drink that bears the name Ogden in honor of hizzoner William Ogden, the first mayor in Chicago. (Are they called that in Chicago, or is that just a New York thing?)

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I am also getting some rye and citrus background flavors here as well as I take in all the details of the well-designed and classy label.  There is almost a creamsicle essence as well. This saison does show it’s 9% ABV on its sleeve but there is such a nice mix of flavors here that it doesn’t cause a detriment to drinking it. The licorice and orange + tropical particularly really work well together.

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Review – Dixon California Nugget Ale from Ruhstaller

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I love the design on the Ruhstaller beers.  They are playful and simple.  The neck is adorned with fabric and tape and though the graphic is busy, it isn’t annoying.  It is like a piece of art that some may like and others may not.  Plus their backstory on the beer is simple and straightforward as well. This hoppy beer made with hops grown in Dixon, California at the Ruhstaller farm. It is part of their Rapid Fire R&D series.

That bodes well but what about the beer itself? It pours a really dark reddish/brown.  Akin to an imperial red, hence the lack of an IPA moniker in the name.  The initial aroma has balsa wood notes and some caramel as well.  It is one of those beers with a low ABV that taste stronger.  The hop character is mostly woody and herbal and is pretty strong without being overwhelming.  Their website alludes to a licorice taste that I don’t quite pick up myself. But I do get some toast notes here that balances the affair out.

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Review – Monumentous from Coachella Valley Brewing

I had my first beer from CVBC at Firkfest and then on the road to Paso Robles, a sip or two of Kolschella made it’s way into my glass courtesy of Erin (aka The Beer Goddess).

Now it is time to formally review their IPA – Monumentous.

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The IPA clocks in at 7% ABV but initially tastes a little heavier than that.  My palate feels weighed down by a dankness and herbalness that just sits on the tongue and doesn’t move.  It has an almost silky mouthfeel to it which is a bit strange and different from IPA’s that I have had.  Although, I have encountered it in Imperial or Double IPA’s.

The aroma is mostly pine but not the needles.  More the actual cut board.  A hint of sawdust is there.  There are some citrus notes here and it certainly isn’t burdened by caramel maltiness which confuses me even more.  I would expect this to be more sprightly.  Maybe I am being confused due to the whole hop flowers and two separate dry hop additions.

All I know is that it is certainly different from many IPA’s but without a born on or best buy date I can’t be sure how fresh this bottle was.

 

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Review – Brawler Pugilist Style Ale from Yards Brewing Company

Yards Brewing is well known on the East Coast but less so here so when I had an opportunity to try some “malt forward” beer for a change.

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Brawler pours a dark cola shade with a thin head that disappears quickly. There is a sweet but not overly so caramel maltiness in the aroma. That same caramel is quite evident in the taste as well. This is the anti-hop beer. No bitterness at all. Very light and super easy to drink bordering on watery.

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I wouldn’t call it pugilistic by any stretch but it is a solid and simple beer.

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Review – Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher

Despite some hops becoming hip, some have staying power and cachet. Simcoe is such a hop. And Weyerbacher has doubled it.

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DS pours a hazy dark amber color. And before I go further, I am glad that they have time stamped the bottle. I assume, since there are two dates, that one is the bottle date and the second is best buy. Which means I caught this a month before it technically expired.

It does taste a bit aged. The hops haven’t dropped out but they have changed. This is a bit in barley wine territory. But there is a big juicy orange taste that just sticks to the tongue that is balanced/fought by a caramel sweetness. There is a bit of a cola taste here as well.

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It doesn’t taste super boozy despite the 9% ABV. The cheeks are warming though. This beer shows glimpses of what it probably was fresh. And is a good example of why beer fans need to travel and taste beer fresh. If this is an indication, I will like the full Weyerbacher.