review – Page 20 – Beer Search Party

March 20, 2014September 5, 2018

Video Review – Wake ‘n’ Bake from Terrapin Beer Co.

I am finishing up my epic beer buying binge from Let’s Pour with reviews of two AM oriented beers from Terrapin Beer Company.

First up is Wake ‘n’ Bake…

Here is the brewery description: “Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of real coffee flavor. Brewed with a special blend of beans from all over the world developed and roasted specifically for Terrapin by our friends at Jittery Joe’s Coffee right here in Athens, Ga. This unique blend of coffee produces a robust and flavorful beer that will leave you asking why not beer for breakfast!”

March 19, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Firestone 805 Blonde Ale

Thanks to the folks up in Paso Robles at Firestone Walker, I got not only a stylin’ hat but the new(ish) to L.A. 805 Blonde ale to review.

Pours a medium yellow with lots of bubbles. Waves of grain taste with this one. From wheat to toast. On top of that sits a honey sweetness. A bit dry at the end to me. For a light beer it has many layers to it. And it has just enough scrubbing bubbles to clean up in the end. This could easily be a great March Madness beer.

And for your reference, here is the official line on the beer:

style
Blonde Ale
abv
4.7
ibu
20
color
7SRM

And stay tuned for a review of their new Barrelworks Opal Saison…..

March 16, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Global Warmer from Sixpoint

Kinda sad as I pop the cap on what is my last can of Sixpoint Craft Ales. (until my next interweb purchase). But I will solider on and review the Global Warmer….

Global Warmer pours a grapefruit red color with a nice amount of lacing on this one at 7% alcohol by volume and 70 IBU’s and 17 SRM I think they have something to say with the number 7. The taste of it has got a strong grapefruit citrusy of hop bitterness going on vs. caramel sort of malt backbone. Has some peppy carbonation in there too. Tastes stronger than the ABV for sure. I love the label artwork but I am a bit perplexed by the skinny can. Makes me think of energy drinks and not beer.

March 13, 2014September 5, 2018

Review: Freigeist Geisterzug Gose

Love the old time feel of the black and white photo on the label of this Spruce infused Gose from Freigeist. Pours a hazy light yellow color. This is one of my favorite styles that I first encountered by accident when I visited Leipzig (briefly) in 2006. It has a light tart note in the aroma along with a slight woodsy tinge to it. Sweet tart is what first comes to my mind because the taste is light lemonade. There is an acidic burst that flames out but is quite nice. The bottle was gone very, very fast. I will have to look for this the next time that I am in Europe so that I can compare a fresher version to the older, bottled type.

March 9, 2014September 5, 2018

Review: Maduro Brown ale from Cigar City

From the can from Cigar City. Love to see more cans because I feel a bit better carbon footprint wise. Checking in on Ratebeer I see that Damn, there are a lot of different versions of this base beer. And I am just now trying it. Back to focusing on the shadowy figure on the can. A definite milk chocolate aroma on this one. The taste has both a nice carbonated zing to it and some creaminess as well. More milk chocolate taste here. Followed by a touch of caramel. It is more on the thin side but that doesn’t stop this beer from being complex and a really nice sipping beer.

March 3, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Tree Hugger from Terrapin

Later this month, I will (video) review two stouts from Terrapin Beer Company. But to kick things off, I will tackle the Tree Hugger Ale. Which is labeled as an “Altcentric” ale. Proceeds from this beer also help the Dogwood Alliance which works to save Southern forests. This is one of my first Terrapin beers in a while. Not much Georgia beers make it to LA which is fine. Makes each one more of a special event. Something to look forward to. Tree Hugger pours a garnet color. Quite pretty and opaque. The taste is a duo of mineral and nutty notes which is different from the slightly sweet caramel notes in the aroma. Some toast and malt notes round out the flavor. It’s fairly thin but it isn’t insubstantial at all.

February 23, 2014September 5, 2018

Up From the Cellar – North the 5th from Fort George

cellar

This bottle is from quite a few years back. I was out beer shopping with my patient parents while I would trek from place to place looking for seasonals and other beers that I couldn’t get in SoCal. If I remember correctly, we were at Woodstock Deli when I picked out this winter release from Fort George. So a raise of the glass to my Dad who is probably scouring all the bakeries in heaven and to my mom who still takes me out beer shopping when I return home.

We have a gusher! Quick action saved pretty much the whole bottle but boy does that get the heart rate up. “North” pours a dark orange color. The first aroma that I get is an oak wood barrel note. I am also getting a little of the promised fruitcake. Mostly citrus and a touch of pineapple. First on the palate are notes of caramel and cola but what really amazes is how bubbly it is. Very bright for such an old beer. Then I get a bit of dark chocolate covered orange and more of the oak mix together pleasantly. And believe it or not, I think I am getting some hoppy bitterness at the very back end of the beer.

Verdict – I should have brought this up a couple Christmas’s ago. I believe that I would have gotten a bigger hit of fruit notes and more of that hoppy spice would have tied this together into more of a holiday fruitcake seasonal. But it did hold up incredibly well for a beer that was only 7.5%

February 23, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Mean Old Tom from Maine Beer

MOT

2014 has been filled (already) with firsts. Me getting to try my first beers from breweries new and old. And another brewery etches its name on the list. Maine Beer Co. from Freeport. Here is my review of their Stout aged on Vanilla beans, Mean Old Tom.

First off (sorry about that), love the simplicity of the label. Believe it or not that does send a message almost as powerful as the aroma of a beer. “Do What’s Right” really resonates with me. The initial aroma isn’t as vanilla forward as I thought it would be. Beneath the espresso/latte foam lies a smooth mellow and persistent hit of milk chocolate. Some bitter coffee notes linger just out of reach as well.

Flavor wise, again it hits the milk chocolate. Maybe that is the subtle mixture of chocolate malt with the vanilla beans that creates that. The taste is really nice though. And I get a hint of cola flavor as well. And while it isn’t velvety smooth, Mean Old Tom isn’t thin on the palate either. It is riding the line in between which is rare these days. Same for the ABV. This is light but deep.

February 21, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Nelson Showers from Noble Ale Works

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!

February 3, 2014September 5, 2018

Review – Next Adventure Black IPA from Fort George

This stranger than usual collaboration between Fort George and Next Adventure is a Black IPA. Why strange? I don’t know of any other beers done in concert with a new and used outdoor equipment store. Do you?

It pours a dark black and if you like your black IPA’s to be 50/50 between roast and hops. (Like I do). Then this will not be that one. Not to say it isn’t a good beer. It is. But from the aroma to the flavor and the aftertaste, this beer is more roasty. Loads of coffee ground bitterness in the aroma. Same with the initial flavor notes. There is also a floral/spruce/pine note of bitterness floating around as well which does tie the beer up into a nice bow. The coffee taste wins me over in the end.

I still won’t buy any camping gear though.