Today's beer adventure: Anderson Valley Brewing (California, USA). 355ml can. 7.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina. ~$5.00/can.The pour is medium coppery amber with an impressive white head. Great retention. Medium-high carbonation.
Aroma is mostly pine and grapefruit hops, but I was surprised to detect a substantial sweet malt backbone. If an IPA can have a gentle nose, this would be it.The flavour is not what I was expecting. Pine and grapefruit hops blend effortlessly with the sweet-but-not-too-sweet malt, then the bittering hops kick in..but not too much. Incredible balance. The medium-long finish is both sweet and hop bitterness..just like the flavour.Rating is 8.75/10 dogs. Wow. I had been told to try this beer at all costs and now I know why. It isn't the great big hop-monster that some west coast IPAs can be. It is a beautifully balanced hop-forward IPA. Sweet without being cloying. Bitter without being too much. This beer BEGS you to take another pull, and then another, and then another. World class IMHO. Anderson Valley is putting out some incredible beers and is rapidly becoming one of my favourite breweries.What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/193/611Brewer's website: https://avbc.com/our-beers/hop-ottin-ipa/
Today's beer adventure: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale (Oregon). 355ml bottle. 6.7% ABV. Served in a stemmed porter glass. Purchased in the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan - Plentywood, Montana, USA.The pour is clear ruby brown with a huge tan head. Terrific lacing. High carbonation in glass.The aroma is bready, biscuity malt followed by pine-y hops. Small amount of lemon and grapefruit. Graininess. A bit of toffee.
The flavour is HOP FORWARD. Toffee, biscuity malts married to a resin-y pine hop character. A bit of coffee? A slight bit of malt sweetness balances off the brew very well. Medium hop-bittered finish. Full mouthfeel.
Rating is 8.5/10 dogs. This is a seasonal offering from Deschutes that cellars well enough that they had a vertical tasting of it this year I believe. Would have been very neat. Very nice hop-forward warmer. I have one bottle left. I think I might stash it away somewhere.What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/deschutes-jubelale/2142/Brewer's website: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/jubelale
Today's beer adventure: Big Sky Brewing Cowboy Coffee Porter (Montana). 355ml bottle. 6.2% ABV. Served in a stemmed porter glass. Purchased in the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan - Plentywood, Montana, USA.The pour is blaaack with a small amount of ruby highlights when held up to the light. No actual light gets through though. Large, tan head with excellent retention.The aroma is of coffee (duh), bittersweet chocolate, a hint of dark fruit.The flavour is roasted espresso coffee beans, chocolate, and plums/cherries. Roasted malt and hop bitterness is very present. Excellent medium-full mouthfeel both from the thickness of the porter and the carbonation. Finish is bitter, a bit fruity, and relatively short.Rating is 7.75/10 dogs. Actually I had a bottle or two of this a few weeks ago, but just got around to having one more for the review, and it is better than I remember by a fair bit. At first it seems like it will just be a huge coffee-infused porter, but the porter itself stands up very well once you get past the coffee Very tasty!What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/big-sky-cowboy-coffee-porter/121259/Brewer's website: http://www.bigskybrew.com/cowboy%20coffee%20porter
Today's beer adventure: Brasserie d'Achouffe La Chouffe (Belgium). 330ml bottle. 8.0% ABV. Served in a tulip glass. Purchased at the mighty SLGA. About $3.50ish.The pour is slightly hazy yellow amber with a huge rocky white head. Heavy lacing on glass. High carbonation. Perfect Belgian.Aroma is of sweet bready malt. Some banana. Pineapple. Some spiciness - cloves and coriander. Some pepper as well. Small amount of general Belgian funkiness.The flavour is fruity sweet. Banana again and pineapple again. The spiciness follows. Some breadiness and candi sweetness. Very crisp. Sweet Belgian yeast finish with just the slightest hint of bitterness on the very very end. Fantastic full mouthfeel. Soooo good.Rating is 8.75/10 dogs. Yum yum yummers. World class Belgian strong. The sweetness is so balanced with the crispness that it is never cloying. Also, there is no booze in this. None. Zero.What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/la-chouffe/1614/Brewer's website: http://www.achouffe.be/en
Today's beer adventure: Full Sail Amber Ale (Oregon). 355ml bottle. 6.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased in the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan - Plentywood, Montana, USA.The pour is rich amber. High carbonation in glass with one finger of off white head. Excellent clarity. Tons of lacing on glass.
The aroma is of sweet biscuity malt with fruity, floral hops fairly prominent. A bit of lemon. A bit of grass. Very bright nose.The flavour is toasty sweet malt and brilliant fruity hop followed by more grassy, slightly piney hops. Medium full mouthfeel. Slightly creamy? Dryish finish. Alcohol not prominent..a good thing.Rating is 7/10 dogs. Decent Amber. More "brilliant" and definitely hoppier on the palate than a Fat Tire or an Alaskan Amber (yes, I know that's an Alt, but it calls itself an amber, so there). Would be a great deck beer.What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39/131Brewer's website: http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/beers/amber.cfm
Today's beer adventure: Bayern Brewing Face Plant Doppel Weizen (Montana, USA). 355ml bottle. 7.5% ABV. Served in a stemmed porter glass. Purchased at the SuperValu in the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan, Plentywood, Montana USA.The pour is dark brown with some red-amber highlights. Good clarity. Two fingers of off white head. Great retention. Low carbonation.
Aroma is sweet toasted malt, pumpernickel bread, some fruitiness. A little bit of alcohol on the nose as well..just slightly. Not much of the traditional "weizen" character..more bock-ishThe flavour makes up for the relative lack of weizen quality in the nose. Big toasted malt and some banana, floral and fruity esters from the yeast. Decent carbonation and very good mouthfeel. Short, somewhat bitter finish - just a little bit astringent? Rating is 7.25 dogs. Interesting offering from Bayern. I had been looking forward to this for quite some time as I could never find it during my travels to the US, and to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed. Was hoping for a little more weizen character in this one in addition to the big malty bock-y character. I am a HUGE fan of Bayern's Bakken Bock Doppelbock, and maybe was expecting to be wowed by this one equally, but wasn't.What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/605/54452Brewer's website: http://www.bayernbrewery.com/beer/faceplant.htm
Today's beer adventure: Coors Brewing Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale (Colorado, USA). 355ml can. 5.6% ABV. Served in my now neglected stolen BP pint glass. Purchased on my last trip to Plentywood, MT.The pour is fairly dark reddish amber with one finger of white head. Light/medium carbonation.
Aroma is toasted malt. Biscuit. Small amount of vanilla and even less spice. Not much nose to speak of really.The flavour is sweet toasted malt. Caramel and vanilla notes. A bit of toffee. Some green apple (acetaldehyde). What ISN'T there is spice, or alcohol warmness or anything resembling an winter ale. Finish is fairly typical macro-beer...acetaldehyde. Lightish mouthfeel.Rating is 5.5/10 dogs. It's drinkable. That's about it. Regular Blue Moon is actually alright most of the time, which is why I gave this a shot. It's BORING and not even as good as the original. Meh times 100.
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/blue-moon-winter-abbey-ale/132956/Brewer's website: http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com/OurBeers/Product/winter-abbey-ale
Today's beer adventure: Uncommon Brewers Baltic Porter (California, USA). 500ml can. 7.8% ABV. Served in stemmed porter glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina. ~$5.00.The pour is dark mahogany brown topped with a two fingers of foamy tan head. Clear, but opaque. Carbonation can't be seen to the naked eye. Good retention.
Aroma is star anise, roasted malt, espresso coffee, black liquorice (of course). Woody smokiness. Some dark fruit character - plums and dates - is present as well, but is hiding behind the liquorice and coffee.The flavour is smoky, liquorice flavoured coffee. The black liquorice gets into every fibre of your palate and doesn't let go. Some malt sweetness and is present but is overwhelmed by the blacky blackness of the anise. As the glass warms, the wood smoke gains momentum as well as some bitter cherry. High carbonation leads to a full mouthfeel.Rating is 7.75/10 dogs. Very complex beer. Once you get past the anise, there are a lot of other things going on. Certainly if black liquorice isn't your thing (as it wasn't with the friends I shared the first can with), I would steer well clear of this inky black offering. Enjoyable beer, especially at the price.What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17962/47631Brewer's website: http://www.uncommonbrewers.com/baltic.php
From July, 2012:
Today's beer adventure: Spearhead Brewing Hawaiian Style Pale Ale (Toronto, ON). 6.0% ABV. Served on tap in pint glass at Bushwakker Brewpub, Regina SK.
The pour is cloudy, murky orange copper, like unfiltered fruit juice. Decent amount of white head. Low carbonation.
Aroma is of big big big fruity hops. Pineapple, orange, grapefruit. A bit grassy.
The flavour is big hop - grassy, pineapple, lemon, orange. Bready, malty back end. Finish is long, slightly bitter and pineapple-y
Rating is 8.25/10 dogs. Big west coast hophead-style IPA with pineapple juice added. Really enjoyed it. Perhaps it will come on tap again sometime or heaven forbid in bottles at the SLGA...the Saskatchewan Liquor Nazis.
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/coors-batch-19/122612/
Brewer's website: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/spearhead-hawaiian-style-pale-ale/145835/
Today's beer adventure: MillerCoors Batch 19 Pre-Prohibition Style Lager (Colorado, USA). 12oz. bottle. 5.5% ABV. Served in a pint glass. Purchased on my most recent trip to the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan - Plentywood Montana.
The pour is medium-dark copper with one finger of white head. Excellent retention. Highly carbonated.
Aroma is sweet malt, some vegetal qualities - corn, grass. Small amount of noble-type hop aroma, but not too much. Overall, it's aroma is macrobrew+.
The flavour is somewhat sweet - grassy, slightly fruity hop with a solid malt backbone. Adjuncts are definitely in play - corn and possibly rice. Finish is a bit bitter and relatively short.
Rating is 6/10 dogs. It's alright, particularly for MillerCoors, whose beer is not usually reviewed in this hallowed arena. If it was on tap with no other craft beer options, I would buy it and not complain about it. At the time of purchase, I didn't know it was a MillerCoors product, and if I had, I wouldn't likely have spent the money on it. Found out online after purchase. Well played MillerCoors, well played. Oh, and BTW, really cool bottle... :)
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/coors-batch-19/122612/
Brewer's website: http://www.batch19.com/
Today's beer adventure: Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale (Oregon, USA). 355ml bottle. 5.9% ABV. Served in pint glass. This bottle was given to me by my beer-loving co-worker Rob who purchased it during his driving holiday to Portland.
The pour is dark amber with a small amount of tight white head. Good retention. High carbonation in glass. Nose is grapefruit, apricot, candy sugar, lemon, a bit of toasty malt.
The flavour is hop forward with a solid malt backend. Sweet citrus - grapefruit, lemon. Caramel. A bit grassy. Sweet malt. Fuller mouthfeel than I might have expected. Shortish, slight bitter finish. Nice beer.
Rating is 7.5/10 dogs. Very good sessionable pale ale. Could drink a pile of these.
What other people think: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8/46767
Brewer's website: http://widmerbrothers.com/beer/#drifter-pale-ale
Today's beer adventure: Ninkasi Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt Ale (Oregon, USA). 12oz bottle. 7.2% ABV. Served in a pint glass. Purchased on my most recent trip to the craft beer capital of Saskatchewan - Plentywood Montana.
The pour is clear dark brown with a ruby red highlights. Small amount of off-tan head. Good retention and there is some lacing on the glass - likely due to the ABV. Medium-light carbonation.
Aroma is a toast monster, almost roasty, but not quite. Slight espresso coffee. A bit of grassy/pine-y hop is present as well. Not much else really.
The flavour is big toasted malt, a bit of espresso, a small amount of dark fruit flavour, although not much, then the hop bitterness kicks in. Piney, grassy hops, but mostly just bittering. Long medium bitter finish. A medium alcohol presence is in there too. Lets you know you are drinking something. Light-ish mouthfeel.
Rating is 7.0 dogs. Good beer. I've never had nor seen a double altbier before, and so I wasn't sure what to expect. It isn't estery, and maybe I was thinking it would be? The high level of hop bitterness was a bit of a surprise as well, although not an unpleasant one. Not my favourite Ninkasi beer, but pretty solid. I'd like to check out their other "heavy metal themed" beers as well - Helles Belles and Maiden the Shade (with Iron Maiden font and everything!).
What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/ninkasi-sleighr-dark-double-alt-ale/95655/
Brewer's website: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/beers/sleighr
Today's beer adventure: Lagunitas Maximus IPA (California, USA). 355ml bottle. 8.2% ABV. Served in a pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina, SK.The pour is clear yellow amber with a good amount of foamy white head with some lacing on the glass as well. Aroma is of HUGE pine and citrus hops. Slight amount of sweet malt is detected as well.The flavour is huge American hop as suspected - grapefruit, pine needles, lemon, THEN the creaminess and sweet malt kick in. Outstanding mouthfeel. This is described as a double/imperial IPA and it definitely delivers this in spades.Rating is 8.5 dogs. I really like this, but couldn't drink too many as the hop bitterness would get to be a bit much for me I think. Find one and drink one!What other people think: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lagunitas-maximus/7859/Brewer's website: http://lagunitas.com/beers/maximus/
Today's beer adventure: Anderson Valley Brewing (California, USA). 355ml can. 7.0% ABV. Served in pint glass. Purchased at Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Regina. ~$5.00/can.
