beer blah blog

01.16.09 | DROOG presents DINKY | MATT TOLFREY

2009-01-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

After the big techno fun at the cavernous Avalon this past Saturday, we return to more intimate confines to occupy Boardner's, offering the welcome proposition of its 3am closing time. An establishment with nearly 70 years of history in Hollywood nightlife, Boardner's most recently hosted Los Angeles house institution "Free Thinking". This Friday, we will bring our Dynacord Cobra sound and two outstanding artists to take full advantage of it, Dinky and Matt Tolfrey.

Lost Abbey Inferno

2008-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

89 / 100

I was happy to see this on the shelf at my local (Cap N Cork in Los Feliz, Los Angeles). Haven't been lead wrong yet by the good people at Pizza Port / Lost Abbey.

This Belgian Pale pours a straw color with the slightest of head. Aroma is clove, Belgian yeast and maybe even elderberry. The sweetness in the nose was far more subtle and complex in the taste. I got some lemon zest and honey in the mouth.

For the alchohol content, this was extremely drinkable - I wonder how this would age.

Tröegs Nugget Nectar

2008-05-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

92 / 100

Third day in a row he is blogging? Get the fuck out.

I really like the make up of this beer - an ultrahoppy amber ale. I admit ambers are not toward the top of my favorites. Hop the shit outta them and now we're talking!!!

The color is (wait for it...) amber. Little bit of a head tops it off. First inhale - boom, hops. I tried to get the malty red character but enough my nose wasn't having it or it simply wasn't there. Oh well - I like hops. The taste mellowed out with some of the toasted characteristics you would expect from a red, all of the while hammered by hops.

This is how I like my reds.

Father's Office Los Angeles

2008-04-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

3229 Helms Avenue

Los Angeles, California

(310) 736-2224

I've always liked the original Father's Office but it had 3 things that always kept me from loving it: the crowd - Westside yuppie types, the hassle - having to fight for a table / waiting to get in & distance - I live on the East Siiiiiiiiiiide. This improved greatly for me in all 3 categories.

It's roughly 3 times the size of the SM location with one long room almost entirely open to the outside. There's an outdoor patio that increases the size even more. The bar runs along the length of the room with the taps behind it. There are 72 taps in total BUT each is duplicated, so actually there are only 36 draught beers available. The beer selection, while quite good, is a bit more pedestrian than the other one. Nothing really stands out as something you couldn't find elsewhere. That said, there's plenty there to enjoy.

The food is exceptional. The sweet potatoe fries with bleu cheese are unbelievable. Of course, they are known for their hamburger and that will not disappoint. Love it. It's worth looking into some of their other dishes as well as everything I've tried has been extremely tasty. I kinda went with what I know, so I didn't ask for any pairings; but I guess each dish has a corresponding beer to go with it. Unlike the previous location, this one has a full liquor license. With that they have an impressive selection of spirits much in the way they pick particular beer. I saw someone order a a drink that came with a dropper full of liquid - a bit pretentious, yes.

With all the good beers though, I didn't feel any need to go into the liquor section.

Again, you pay for what you get. A tulip of Delirium Tremens is $8. The food isn't cheap either. The location is dangerously close to my office, so I'm hoping they will remain open only a few days for lunch so I don't become a poor man.

Trumer Pils

2008-04-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

89 / 100

As of 2005, Trumer set up a 2nd brewery in Berkeley, California - the 1st is in Salzberg, Austria. It always puzzles me why I cannot find this beer easily in Los Angeles. In the Bay Area, every corner liquor shop has this everywhere.

It's a fine, easy-drinking pilsener. Everything about it shouts "session time". Nice straw color with a minimal head. Nice and balanced with a slight more hop kick than a German (or in this case, Austrian) made beer in this style.

The only drawback is the green bottling, I've come across some sun contaminated ones that have made me sad.

Yebisu

2008-03-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

81 / 100

My favorite fish spot in Los Angeles, Sushi Zo, just started carrying this which is a step up from my usual draught Kirin.I actually quite like some of the macro rice Japanese lagers when paired with raw fish. I realize they are all made somewhere other than Japan. Yebisu is not.It's has a nice malt profile - something you won't find in the rice beers. It also has a slight yeast flavor - something I've never really came across in lagers.

It's a unique beer and quite tasty. Enjoy with some sushi, if every you get the chance.

Telegraph California Ale

2008-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

90 / 100

I've had this beer now several times and each time I find myself enjoying it more. My brother now lives in Santa Barbara; so one fine sunny afternoon while visiting him, we biked over to the Telegraph Brewing. It's a small operation that offers tastings - I definitely recommend swinging by if in SB.

Since then I've been seeing their quality beers popping up throughout Los Angeles and more often than not - it's this one.

It's generally considered a saison but thisdarker and a bit maltier than a traditional one. In fact, there's no indication by Telegraph themselves that this is a saison. The rest of the elements certainly suggest it though. It has the pepper and citrus tones. A flavor that is quite complex but enjoyed so simply. The malty edge Telegraph infuses will probably be a bit confusing initially - for me the first two times I've tried it. But it warms up to you and you can easily see how this helps it transcend to a be a beer that can be enjoyed all year round.

Imperial Norway

2008-01-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

At an iceberg pace, fine Scandinavian craft brewed offerings are slowly coming to the United States, though quite difficult to find. Three of these breweries seem to be popping up in superlatives everywhere: from Denmark - Ølfabrikken and from Norway - Haandbryggeriet and Nøgne Ø, the two I've been lucky to come across. Both were dark and scary stouts.

Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout
84 / 100

The more intimidating bottle was from Nøgne Ø - det kompromissløse bryggeri. The text on the label told of "The Uncompromising Brewery" poetically. I'm sure Vikings would gets with this.

The stout itself was dark as night. Viscous as a motor oil with a slight cappuccino head, I immediately thought this foreboding libation would be conqueringly murderous. It was quite tame actually. A nice sweetness added to the dark malt texture and slight bitterness.

Haandbryggeriet Dark Force
90 / 100

I poured this into a tulip glass, the color was motor oil though seemingly a little less viscous. The aroma was coffee, roasted malts and a touch of smokiness. The flavor came as almost a cross between a RIS and a strong porter. The malts were foremost with the smokiness in the finish. Despite the 8.5% ABV it went down like less potent porter. Fine beer.

Pure Luck

2007-12-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Pure Luck
707 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 660-5993

Somewhat new vegan restaurant / pub in my hood that I somehow only found out about last night. They have 15 beers on draught: some incredibly tasty stuff (6 from Craftsman, 3 from Stone, AleSmith Speedway Stout , Hop Rod Rye and about 5 others). One of the best beer selections in Los Angeles, I was floored. For $4, you get a 16oz OR 20oz "pint", which is about as cheap as pretty much anywhere for quality beer.

The food is really good as well. I got the "carnitas" which were made of marinated jackfruit. I was very impressed. It didn't taste like pork, but was very flavorful and definitely seemed meat-like. I saw their french fries, which looked great and their plantain taco is supposed to be bomb.

I definitely recommend. And Scoops is right across the street for desert.

Hollister Brewing Company

2007-11-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Since my brother has moved to Santa Barbara, it has been an easy excuse to skip out of LA to meet him and grab a few pints. The Santa Barbara region is booming now with new breweries and brewpubs and none is better than Hollister just a few minutes north in Goleta.

I would kill for a place like Hollister in Los Angeles or even a place half of what Hollister is. Set in a shopping plaza (perhaps the only drawback), its décor is modern but not stuffy. It’s a bit more than your average brewpub but still a place you could feel comfortable catching a game and throwing back a few pints.

The brewer who’s name escapes me, formerly of SB Brew Co has big awards – most notably a GABF Gold Medal for his Santa Barbara IPA, a mighty fine beer at that. At Hollister, he shows that he can do many styles and do them well. Of there many beers, that change quite frequently I’ve tasted the gamut from Saison to DIPA, from Brown Ale to Hefe Weisen. All have been quite tasty. I’m an IPA guy at heart and his IPAs are nothing short of outstanding.

The food is a bit better than you would expect from a brewpub in a big college town. There’s some creativity in the menu – not just your traditional pub faire. The duck fat fries are a must. Yum. I’ve never made it to any of the entrées, but I’ve been compelled.

The reason we’ve stuck with a few beers and some appetizers is that the location makes it a little bit difficult to really make a night of it if you are in / staying in SB. We had some big beers and wanted to be sure we could make the drive back down the 101 out of Goleta. Again, a minor drawback, but certainly no reason to not stop and have a few beers at this fantastic brewpub.

Do you know the HARVEST??!!!

2007-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
86 / 100

Pizza Port High Tide IPA
89 / 100

Every Autumn the finest of American hops are harvested. Most of these hops are dried and preserved to last until next harvest. Notice I said MOST. Some of the fresh hops get shipped directly to brewers so that they can unearth some of the flavors lost later down the line. The result are freshly hopped ales, some have been known to call them Harvest Ales.

Sierra Nevada have been making their Harvest Ale since 1996, but this is the first year they have bottled it. Previously, it was hard to come by,
only in keg form and usually in bars close to the California source. It was always a pleasure for me as Father's Office in Santa Monica; they had in on draught every Autumn. Being a HUGE fan of IPAs, it was always the different subtleties that the fresh hops resonated that pleased me. You get the big hop profile but it's far more subtle - the balance seems just right. In a way it seems like a muted IPA - not in the flavor but in the bittering. And I don't mean that negatively - this is a fine fucking beer.

Pizza Port's High Tide takes this idea and improves on it. The flavors are more fresh and the different hops really pronounce themselves: Centennial - I getcha, citrus but now boom in your face like Cascade (think West Coast hopbombs), Chinook - I'm with ya - dry hopped to give that floral and bitter cut.

This is something I recommend to everyone. Bitter not your thing? This is so well-rounded you'll push through. Get this soon, it's not going to last. And the fresher the better.

Holiday Beers up next...

Kennebunkport Brewing Company

2007-09-29T17:37:00.001-07:00

If you've been to Trader Joe's recently you may have noticed a new line of beers they're selling. Bottles read Kennebunkport Brewing Company, which is also known as Federal Jack's. The bottles say that they are brewed at The Pugsley Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Along with Shipyard and Sea Dog, these are all under the same parent company. I wouldn't be surprised if these beers and Sea Dog's are exactly the same.

Pumpkin Ale
49 / 100

This time of year is glorious for pumpkin ales but there is a dearth of them available in SoCal. Trader Joe's often has "orphans" (singles) available; so with the jonesing for a pumpkin ale, I had to give this a try.

It's orange in color (surprise!) with virtually no head. The initial scent is gumball, quite pungently sweet. Notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin follow up. But really it's sickly sweet, tasting more like a soft drink than a beer.

Why did I buy 2?

IPA
70 / 100

This was thankfully much better, but still nothing special. Probably more of an English IPA than the American hop monsters I'm used to; I could taste the Fuggle hops but they weren't that in your face. This is definitely more on the malty side. There was a little buttery taste I could have done without. Passable IPA but I probably won't be buying again.

In all, I haven't been impressed by the Kennebunkport Brewing Company. If you are into the Sea Dog beers, these will probably please you. Otherwise, Trader Joe's has plenty of better options.

Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

2007-09-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

87 / 100

I've been hearing the myths of the "black IPA" and at last I've found stock of them and am able to try it for myself.

My initially thoughts: Arrogant Bastard meets Ruination. Ruined Bastard? Kinda like the sounds of that. It pours "pitch dark" as the label alludes. Brilliant looking - full frothed head, lacing all over the fucking place. Just looking at it you'd reckon you're dealing with a Trappist quadruple. But that couldn't be further off. It's the roasted malt and caramel flavors of Arrogant Bastard meshed wit h the hop bang of an IPA. After half of a bottle the flavors have proved my "Ruined Bastard" presumptuous. There is a big hop presence, but not as far as Ruination.

As you can see this beer confused me. One thing I can say, is that it's a delicious confusion, drink some.

A Tale of 2 Rogues

2007-09-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Stout
94 / 100

This has long been one of my alltime favorites stouts. It's a breakfast beer. It's a dessert beer. It's chocolate. It's stout. It's fucking delicious.

I always use a chalice for this fine beer. It's beautiful - deep dark coffee color with a nice frothy cappuccino head, lace cascading throughout as I roll the glass about. The initial aroma is bittersweat chocolate followed by flavors of toast and roasted malt. The chocolate is in the forefront of taste too. What is truly remarkable about the taste is the high hop content. Hops are certainly not something that comes to mind when you think about a stout, no less a chocolate stout. Somehow the fine brewers of Rogue make this effortless and most importantly - truly delicious.

A phenomenal beer for any time.

Glen Ale
72 / 100

I had this on-draught at Father’s Office in Santa Monica the other day.

I knew very little about this beer going into it, but the chalkboard read “new Rogue – malt and very hoppy” so I was sold. It was served in a chalice for an unbecoming $8. The color was a reddish brown, nicely poured with a finger-width cappuccino head. The aroma was very subtle. After some searching I came upon some chestnut, caramel and a slight grassy scent. The taste too was subdued but the roasted malts were the most prominent flavors, slight bitterness. I definitely noticed the higher ABV. This reminded me a bit of Lagunitas’ Big Shugga though not quite as tasty. In all, I was glad to have tried it but won’t drop $8 on it again.

Craftsman 1903 Lager

2007-08-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

80 / 100

I wish I could get this in bottle form to convert some friends from their Bud/Miller/Coors standards. This is usually on draught at the Library Bar in downtown LA, where I used to work. So I've had this a bunch of times but always want more.

The first thing you notice is the glorious malt profile in the nose. Touches of corn also come through. It's a full flavored lager - slight peaks of hops show through, but this is malty beverage. Refreshing in the summer, with high drinkability.

Stone Brewing Old Guardian early 2007 release

2007-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

84 / 100

I don't often partake in Barleywines, except around winter when SN Bigfoot is an annual staple. Aside from a few other various offerings that pretty much makes up my barleywine intake. Every year I buy a few and they always linger. They're big, intense offerings that often scare me when I look into my refrigerator. So in that regard, I find them quite easy to age - not drinking it = best way to age, of course.

Old Guardian is one I try every year. So far, it's been until today nearly August for me to sample Stone's 07 offering, and to be honest, I'm not sure what drove me to try it today, but I'm certainly glad I did.

As expected this is a big beer. Chewy malt characteristics up and down with tons of hop bitterness. Not as floral as my favorite, Bigfoot, but some say that has too much hop character for a barleywine. I like lots of hops so perhaps that is what makes me so comfortable with that. This is far more balanced, which is not to say there are subtleties - everything is there and there in spades.

Wonderful caramel and bready flavors fill out the hops and chewy malts. The body is rich and full with a smooth finish. Quite tasty. Why have I waited so long to try this?

Thankfully, I have another one to age for a few years to see how it mellows out.

Miller Chill

2007-07-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

43 / 100

This is basically a hatecrime in a bottle.

For whatever reason this seems to be the rage. The lime flavoring taste is very artificial. Almost like someone dropped green Skittles in my beer. My very bad beer. Oh and there's salt flavoring too. Surprisingly, the salt taste was actually not terrible.

Anyhow. Avoid this.

San Pedro Brewing Company

2007-07-05T15:50:00.001-07:00

I was in the area for work and one of our clients wanted to get lunch here. A brewing company lunch? Done and done.

The inside has a very collegiate feeling - TONS of UCLA memorabilia. Port photos - some of which very impressive - line the walls. It was a cozy, neighborhood brewpub. Most of the people there looked to be locals - longshoremen / truck drivers.

I don't quite remember what was on tap but I went with their Point Fermin Pale Ale. I would definitely have had another were this not work time. I ordered the tri-tip sandwich and it was tasty. It was a lot of food with the sides and all. I couldn't finish it.

Los Angeles could use a lot more places like this.

Redwood Bar and Grill

2007-07-02T07:43:00.001-07:00

The moment I walked in I knew I would like this place. It was a late lunch and as we were being escorted to our table we passed the bar which had the Red Sox vs. Rangers game on and a Stone IPA tap handle. This Boston ex-pat was sold.

Just having Stone IPA on tap raises anything in Los Angeles to the upper echelon of beer bars even if slowly more and more I'm seeing places catch on to better beers. They also had a couple Craftsman and some better Germans amongst others. The pirate theme of it all is not subtle, but nor is it irritating. The staff were very pleasant, making sure our party was kept happy.

The food was decent. The menu said about the hamburger being the "best in town" or some other sweeping accolade. It wasn't but it was good.

Good friends, good food, good beer and the Red Sox game on? Can't beat that.

The Redwood Bar and Grill
316 W. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.theredwoodbar.com

Full Sail Brewing LTD Series 02

2007-06-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

74 / 100

Saw this at my local Trader Joe's for $5.99 a 6er, so I figured might as well give it a go - the other Full Sail Ltds did me right.

It poured an orange color - almost as the same color as the label! Nice retained head topped it off. Sweet malts dominated the aroma along with a slight helium smell that I've noticed it heavily malted beers such as Arrogant Bastard. It sounds more off-putting than it really is. The taste is rather sweet as well. It has a creaminess to it that was kind of unexpected but welcome.

I have 5 more left and I'll drink them but it's doubtful I'll be rushing back for more.

Stout Week: Day 4 - Brooklyn Chocolate Stout

2007-04-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

89 / 100

I keep liking all these stouts as you can see. This one I acquired in a trade from someone on the East Coast. I remember drinking this back in my eastside days. It's pretty damn good.

This combines the best of the Russian Imperial Stout and the Sweet Stout to one particular thick and creamy tasty beer. It's thick and resiny, with a slight cappuccino head. Dark chocolate and espresso dominate the nose. Very full with little subtleties. The taste is quite filling - full of the chocolate and coffee flavors with some roasted malt and even a bite of vanilla.

This has become an East Coast classic. Worth looking for this one.

Stout Week: Day 3 - Young's Double Chocolate Stout

2007-04-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

80 / 100

Young's Double Chocolate Stout is the world's most popular sweet stout. Stout and chocolate just make sense together.

After the pour the most immediate thing you notice is the frothy head. There seems to be a lot of carbonation too. The color is a thick black. The aroma is milk chocolate with some grain. The taste is full of chocolate and a slight hop bite. The taste actually improves as it warms up.

I was drinking the 500mL bottle, I remember it being better in the nitro-can - more creamy.

Stout Week: Day 2 - Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

2007-04-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

85 / 100

I just noticed that I haven't reviewed many of Lagunitas Brewing Co's fine beers as of yet. Over the past 2 years I've noticed a steady improvement in their offerings to become one of Northern California's most underrated brewers. Their DIPA, Maximus has become a staple in my 'fridge and their seasonals are quite tasty.

The Cappuccino Stout is brewed with Sebastapole's Own Hard Core Coffee as listed on the label. It pours a medium bodied, medium thickness dark almost opaque color. The aroma is roasted malt, a bit of chocolate and guess what? Cappuccino! Or well, most likely coffee scents. The frothing makes it more cappuccino like even if the head does not hold very long.

The taste is great. Full of flavor - the aforementioned malt, chocolate and coffee with a surprising hop bitterness. The bite of the hops, the sweetness of the chocolate at the acidity of the coffee balance well together. It's has an after dinner quality to it, but I could also see myself drinking this in the morning - after all it does have coffee in it ;-)

Stout Week: Day 1 - Stone Russian Imperial Stout 2007

2007-04-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

84 / 100

As the missus noted this weekend, "Wow, you've really gotten stouty!" So true. Thus begins Stout Week.

To start Stout Week, I thought it fitting to have one of my favorites which happened to had it's 2007 release: Stone Imperial Russian Stout.

The 2006 version was incredible, as were the previous years'. Often big stouts like this are better over time and would expect that to be very true for the version this year. There was a edgey bitterness that I don't remember from past years' offerings. It wasn't all that unpleasant, but this could be better. In that it was slightly disappointing.

The malt character is very well pronounced. It hints at cocoa and caramel but is very much M A L T. The alcohol level is quite high, so be careful. f you're able to find years' past, I'd cozy up to one of those - this year's will be best with some time.

THIS SAT @ AVALON - Droog || Acquaviva || Wink || Freestylers

2007-04-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Not necessarily beer related but my alter
ego is DJing this Saturday, as part of Droog.
This weekend, the lads continue the Avalon
residence playing main stage hosts to Josh
Wink, John Acquaviva and The Freestylers.
The terrace will be hosted by Droid Behavior.

AVALON HOLLYWOOD
2007 APRIL 14

RSVP to droog.la@gmail.com

www.myspace.com/droog_la

DOWNLOAD "DROOG - COUGAR" (right click, save as)

Full Sail Slipknot Imperial IPA

2007-04-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

83 / 100

2007 Brewmaster Reserve, 22 oz.

Found this in the back coolor of the West Hollywood, BevMo in my desperate attempt to find a half decent chilled beer. It was in a box that clearly had a few removed from it, so I figured that was like saying, "You can buy one too!" though the cashier gave me a bit of grizzled "Where you get this?" when I was at the check out. Oh well, I wasn't stopped and gots to take this new-to-me beer over to a buddy's for the evening.

The appearance was good not great: a bit light for a DIPA. The smell wasn't though - big citrus hops profile. There's sweetness in the underlining malt character but it takes a few sips to reach under the bombastic hops.

At 7.8 this is not an all day session beer, but it goes down very easily. Hopefully this beer gets made more often, I liked.

AleSmith Speedway Stout

2007-04-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

96 / 100

I'm finally getting around to reviewing this beer, my favorite stout.

Certain beers get to me sometimes and it becomes almost all I can think about. Usually with me it's an IPA or a Belgian ale, but every once in awhile it's a fine crafted stout. Speedway Stout is one of those beers.

This special beer works best in a snifter I've found (or perhaps a large red wine glass). The snifter allows the beauty of the deep, viscous blackness as it pours along the curve of the glass, leaving a creamy lace. The espresso frothed head is glorious in the small mouth of the snifter.

The aroma is wonderful - rich coffee, sweet malt and an almost vanilla flavor. It takes awhile to get around the complexities but it's very rewarding. The texture is thick and creamy - exactly what I like in a big stout. You can almost chew it.
Tasting it starts with an espresso flavor that gets a bit bitter before rounding out with a sweet malt backbone. There's a bitterness of dark chocolate with a sweetness of vanilla bean and hint of cherry wood. It's difficult to put a finger on all of the flavors, but it's enjoyable to try.

At 12% ABV, this is not for everyday / all day consumption. At that level it is rather remarkable how easily it does go down. The alcohol warmth makes this perfect for a colder night. Living in Los Angeles, I've enjoyed this just as much at bbqs and even for a nice weekend breakfast sipping. Stouts are not for everyone, but if you ever wanted to crossover this is the best place to start.

Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA

2007-03-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

88 / 100

Now that this is available in 6 packs, it has become a near permanent fixture in my refrigerator. Very few double IPAs are available in 6 pack and none are of this quality and relative accessibilty to me.

It has a dark, caramel-like color to it, in fact the aroma kinda follows that as well. There is sweetness in the malt character that is very appealing and balances well with the massive hop presence. The flavor is less balanced, but this is a DIPA – so it wasn’t much expected. Hops all over the place: piney, sweet and citrus flavors shine. The finish is clean, less bitter than I would expect. There’s something very clean about this beer.

For the price and availability here in Southern California- it’s hard to beat.

Santa Cruz Mountain IPA

2007-03-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

59 / 100

In the thumbs-up / thumbs-down world that we like to live in - I have to go with down. I struggled with it, but this is just isn't good enough.

It starts well enough - looks like an IPA. The smells has not enough hops to warrant it though. Lots of malts and not very balanced. The malt character has a sweetness that is pleasant. It's not the worst beer - it's just doesn't scream "West Coast IPA" to me.

In California, with some many delicious IPAs to choose from - I'd skip this one.

Lucky Baldwins 8th Annual Belgian Beer Festival 2007

2007-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Lucky Baldwins
17 South Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
Phone: (626) 795 0652

On now through the end of February.

on-tap this past Saturday:

1- Het Kapittel Prior 9
2- Saison du Pont Avec les Bonnes Voeux
3- St. Bernardus Prior 8
4- Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru
5- Duchesse de Bergogne
6- Maredsous 10
7- Witkap Pater Tripel
8- Urthel Quad 11%
9- Wiiekerke Rose'
10 - Troubadour Brown
11- Witkap PAter single
12- Lucifer
13- Hoegaarden
14- Urthel Dark
15- Adriaen Brouwer
16- Piraat
17- Urthel Bok 7%
18- St. Feuillen Noel 2005
19- Abbaye Val Dieu Winter
20- Grimbergen Double
21- Abbaye Val Dieu Tripel
22- Het Kappittel ABT 10
23- N'ice Chouffe 2006
24- Liefmans Kriek
25- Houblon Chouffe
26- Chimay Tripel
27- Abbaye Val-Dieu Blonde
28- Oud Beersel Kriek
29 - DeDolle Teve 10 Mad Bitch
30- Affligem Blonde
31- Double Enghien Blonde 7.5
32- Echt KriekenBier
33- Kasteel Brown
34- Maredsous 8
35- Brigand
36- Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale
37- De Konink Winter
38- 'tSmisje Dubbel
40- Petrus Tripel
42- Bavik Pils
43- Gouden Caroulus Grand Cru 2003
44- Chouffe Bok
45- Stella Artois
46- La Chouffe
47- Mc Chouffe
50- Scaldis Noel
51- Saison Dupont
54- Manneken Pis Blanche de Bruxelles
56- Het Kappitel Pater 6
58- De Konink Ale
60- Kwak

Petrus Oud Bruin

2007-02-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

82 / 100

After getting rather into the sours a year back, I found myself picking this up every so often for 2 reasons: it's one of the probably 2 sours I could get frequently (the other being Duchesse de Bourgogne) and because it's quite tasty.

Turbid and brown with a half finger head, the 11.2 oz just filled my tulip glass. 11.2 oz is not a volume amount I like seeing on my beer labels. Call me greedy, if you will. The aroma was sour cherry and slight red wine vinegar. It sounds like an odd combination but it was quite enjoyable. The sour tart bite is not as noticeable in the mouth, it's a little more subdued than expected. Sour notes of apple are present with rich malts and an almost chocolate quality.

This is a good sour if you're not wanting to really get the pucker of a Flanders Red.

Pelforth Brune

2007-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

69 / 100

Seeing it on the shelf and curious, I grabbed a can of this at the local convenience shop in the Bastille area of France. I poured it into a wine glass as it was the most appropriate glassware at the flat I was staying. Colorwise and aromawise - everything was fine, basic Belgian brune qualities. The taste was - I guess it tasted like a Heineken maker making a brune. So I wasn't surprised to see that they were the owners of the Marseille brewery. One was enough; Leffe, Affligem and Grimbergen were readily available and much better at this type of beer.

Weyerbacher Brewing Company

2007-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Weyerbacher has been in the beer business for nearly 12 years. I picked up a few of their beers on a recnt jaunt back east to give them a try.

First thing you notice with Weyerbacher is that they desperately need a new graphic designer. Looking at these bottle designs and it's pretty clear.

Hops Infusion
68 / 100

From various places online, I have read that this has gone through some considerable changes in the recent past. I'm not sure which incarnation I had but this is the label. I hope this was an earlier version as it could use a lot of help.

It poured rather orange with tons of carbonation clinging to the pint glass. Aroma was somewhat hoppy but very subtle; definitely some wheat tones in there. The taste again was a lighter hoppiness than I am used to from an IPA. There was a also an unbecoming sourness it’s finish. With all the delicious IPAs out there, I think I’ll skip on this again, unless there are dramatic improvements.

Blanche
72 / 100

Poured this into my Hoegaarden glass. A bit light on the color - almost looked like Sprite. The aroma was citrus and coriander with a slight bit of clove. Taste was much the same, except there was more coriander - almost too much. While drinking it seemed to grow on me, but it's not something I'd actively seek.

Old Heathen Imperial Russian Stout
79 / 100

Everytime I get an Russian Imperial Stout I make the mistake of pouring it into my Stone Imperial Russian Stout goblet. This gets me thinking about Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Ahh so good. How can I not compare now?

The color was dark as can be with a cappuccino head. Toffee, dark chocolate and expresso dominated the aroma. Flavor followed suite with a slick, resiny texture to it. Also a bit of Irish Whiskey in the flavor. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the other Weyerbacher beers I've tried...

Surly Brewing Company

2007-01-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Furious
95 / 100

Surly Brewing from Minnesota, have an absolutely delicious thing going. IPA is my favorite style of beer and this IPA is in the top 5 IPAs for me.

This wonderful nectar comes in a 4 pack of pint cans. The ones I had were so fresh, it seemed like it came right off the line. The glorious hops were well pronounced - fruit filled with grapefruit and lemon. The floral pine element is there too, rounding out the flavor of the hops. The chewy malt character tries to balance the hops - but this is an IPA, so it stands lil chance. It provides a welcome almost Scotch ale flavor.

With so many IPAs punishing with the hops in the West Coast style, this has its own character. It is its own animal. With Bell's Two Hearted, Minnesota Town Hall's Mama Masala and now this - the Midwest is proving to be a IPA location to reckon with. Shame none are available on the West Coast.

The label reads “Beer for a Glass, from a Can" and to drink this straight from the can would be an injustice.

Bender
89 / 100

Like Furious, Bender comes in a can. This is their nut brown ale. This pours a dark deep brown from the pint can leaving a 2 finger robust cappucino head. Aromas of coffee, roasted malts and even some hops breathe through. The malts dominate the taste too with a strong crisp hop bite finish. Almost seems to taste like a cross between a dunkel and a brown ale smothered in hops. Admittedly, American Browns are not my favorite. This is easily the best of the style that I've encountered.

Between this and Furious it's easy to see how Surly is becoming a force to reckon with in the Midwest. I find myself coming around to the cans too. Go on Surly!

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

2007-01-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

94 / 100

I made a point to drink a few of these on my recent trip to France. I should have brought as many as I could home with me. Not being able to get this style of Guinness in the United States is a crime.

Oh the lovely, sweet, thick black elixir. It kind of looks like motor oil. The coffee and toffee aromas hit first. Yum. It has a warming, familiar flavor. It's kind of like that hot chocolate your mother used to make for you. That sort of comfort comes through in the flavor. It's sweet, it's malty - it's delicious.

Night and day from the stuff you can get here - sadly.

Bière de France: Part 4 - Falstaff

2007-01-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Falstaff Bastille
10/12, Place De La Bastille
Paris, 75011
France

I was happy to see that Falstaff Bastille, a popular beer bar, was about a block away from where the missus and I were staying in Paris. Hungry and in dire need of a beer, we sauntered over after unpacking.

Like most places in Paris, everyone is smoking - it's just how they do. The selection of beer on draught was nothing stellar but the bottle menu was great. Tons of Belgians and a nice selection of quality French ales. One problem is that everything is crazy expensive. Most bottles were in the 8€ to 9€ range. With the going exchange rate, that is roughly $14. Crazy. I settled down on a Grain D'Orge Biere de Garde (750mL for 13€) and the missus on Hoegaarden Grand Cru.

We ordered up some food: me the mussels, her a croque madame. Neither were very good. The mussels came with fries which were like something you'd find in an American highschool's cafeteria.

The service was okay. Our server didn't know much about beer but was nice enough. After seeing such a high score here, I was disappointed - then I checked back and found there were only 4 previous reviews. It's worth stopping by if you're in the area. Great beer is hard to come by in this country, I found. Make no mistake, France is not a beer country.

Grain D'Orge Bière de Garde
79 / 100

Bière de Gardes had a big area in the Falstaff menu, many made in France - so I decided to go local and try a new one. It poured a lot blonder than I expected - basically the amber color the picture to the side shows. The aroma is fruity with a bit of woodiness (think cedar) to it. There is a good degree of hoppiness to the taste that helps warm the malt and fruitiness. I enjoyed it, I have it again.

Bière de France: Part 3 - Où ?

2007-01-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

Affligem Noël
92 / 100

EVERYWHERE I went in Paris, I would see the Affligem Noël advertisements. Every Metro stop, every newstand, even almost every bloody building had the nice looking poster showing a proper goblet of this fine elixir surrounded by the spices within it. I've had this years version once prior to my trip. It was delicious, no 'bout a doubt it. These omnipresent ads took over my world while in France. I needed to have more. I just did. Only problem NOWHERE had the actual beer!

After looking in about a dozen shops and probably peering into two dozen bars (even many places listed I looked up online), I all but gave up. My travelmates were all enthralled. What was the delicious nectar that evaded us so? We can it be? Finally, one bar we sauntered by had it on draught, but we were lunchbound and no one else wanted to pop in for a glass.

When I got home to LA, I stopped in my local shop - a place I knew would have it. Sure enough, it was delicious as could be.

Pouring into my chalice, it looked exactly like Coca-Cola. Sniffing at it, I even get some of that Coke smell - not much mind you, most is filled with spices: clove, cinnamon, and star anise. A slight bready yeastiness seeps out as well. The spices and malt characters shined in the flavor – even more so than the nose. It was a subtle sweetness that rounded the balance. Delicious.

A fine Belgian holiday offering.

Bière de France: Part Deux - Flanders

2007-01-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

On our final night in Paris, we had our best meal of the whole trip at a wonderful restaurant called L'Ourcine. Everything about the experience was great. Careful time and consideration went into all aspects of the meal, including the beer. They only had two beers available - both regional artisanals from Brasserie Thiriez in Flanders.

La Rouge Flamande

80 / 100

The bottle was poured into a chalice and yes, it was rouge.
It had a pleasant aroma: dark cherry with strong malt and caramel flavors. It's flavor was less sour than expected, which is traditional for a Flanders Red Ale. The malts were the most prevalent taste with hints of fruits and raisins. It paired well with my meat dish, so no surprise to see a cow's head on the bottle.

La Blonde D’Esquelbecq
82 / 100

My buddy ordered the bière blonde, which was admittedly better than my choice. Bastard. Same style chalice for the unfiltered fizzy yellow nectar. Aroma of cloves and yeast. The taste was quite refreshing - some lemon, lots of yeast which even lent to some breadiness. Lots of flavor and quite drinkable.

Bière de France: Part 1

2007-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Many things of come to mind when thinking of the food and drink of Paris. The drink that is almost always conjured is wine. I like wine. Yes, I do. But this blog isn't about wine, is it? Drinking wine isn't the only thing I do well, is it? I beer. Do they beer there? I was determined to find out.

Kronenberg 1664
70 / 100

The most exported and most popular brewed beer in France is Kronenberg 1664 made in Strasbourg. It's an easy drinking lager akin to Stella Artois. A beer to not be actively sought out but neither one worth avoiding. Sometimes it can be the best there is, sometimes the worst. It's a pale lager with a slight sweetness to it. It's a mile better than the Bud / Coors / Miller staples here in the states. In France, it is everywhere and if you actively like drinking beer and are there - you will drink it.

Kronenberg 1664

71 / 100

The newest offering from Brasseries Kronenbourg is a witbier. It seemed to be popping up a bit over Paris and was the best beer offered at one particular nightclub that I ended up in a couple of times.

It comes in bright celyon bottle. "Ceylon" is fancy color printing for "blue". The aroma is very fruity: peach, cinnamon and clover dominate. It's light and whitish. Initially, it's quite refreshing. The yeast is balanced with the sweetness of the fruit flavors. This balance dissipates after a bit and the fruit really takes over. Have one, not many.

Library Bar

2006-12-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Library Bar

After reading about this in the Downtown News, I was intrigued. I stopped in for a lil "afternoon cap" since I work downtown and tis the season.

It's located in this redone building a block away from the LA Public Library, next to a Wolfgang Puck Express. Inside seems a bit, well like a library. Not the kind like up the block, but more of a library room in a like in a mansion: wood floors, dimly lit and quite cozy. It has an old time feel but at the same time is quite modern. The marble bar is a plus.

There was some holiday party going while I was there, so it was pretty full. The rest of the crowd seem to be downtown working types of all ages.

Beer and wine seem to be the focus. There was not an enormous selection but most of it was well thought out. On-tap: Craftsman 1903 and Xmas Ale, Hoegaarden, North Coast Rasputin, Leffe, Stella and one or two more. Bottles included all 3 Chimays, Delirium Tremens, Maredsous 8, Kasteel, a few lambics and some others. Not the beer paradise of the world but definitely the best spot I've come across to have a drink downtown.

Craftsman Brewing Co.

2006-12-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

In the Los Angeles area there is very little to call your own in the way fine, locally made beer. San Diego has a ton. The Bay Area has even more. Los Angeles has one: Craftsman - and even that is in Pasadena.

Their woefully outdated and terribly unhip website paints a picture of another era and another place. A brewing company that is about making fine beer for people that appreciate fine beer.

I first came across Craftsman offering at Lucky Baldwins in Pasadena. It seemed for years that this was the only place I could get their fine brews. Over the past couple of years, Craftsman has been popping up all over the place. Restaurants that understand local values such as Lucques and Engine Co. #28, have their beer to pair with fine dining. Newer beer bars like Library Bar and The 3rd Stop understand the helping LA out of the beer desert includes nurturing from within. All of this is painting a better beer 2007 for Los Angeles and Craftsman looks to be a contributing factor.

Craftsman Holiday Ale

81 / 100

This is a fine example of a Winter Warmer transplanted to Los Angeles. Unlike some, Craftsman's version remains somewhat light and subtle on the spicing. In colder climates this might be a bit thin - a thick, hearty Anchor Our Special Ale is what you need. This has the cinnamon and the malts but it also has a slight hoppiness to it. It finishes sweet with a slight brown sugar flavor.

Craftsman IPA

85 / 100

Last time I was at Lucky Baldwins, the IPA was out - thankfully this time, it wasn't. It came in a perfectly poured pint glass - a deep amber hue with a well retained 2 finger head. It's aroma was of glorious hops: mostly floral, but some pine too. Taste is blessed with hops too, with a sweet maltiness hidden inside. Plenty of hoppiness but very well balanced. This is one of those West Coast IPAs you could drink a bunch of.

Bonaventure Brewing Company

2006-12-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Even though I work in downtown Los Angeles, it's rare when I visit any of its drinking destinations. The happy hour crowds downtown usually get too yuppie for my likes and to be honest, none of the establishments are good enough for me to weather that. Since I had to drop off a rental car right next door, I decided to stop in to the Bonaventure Brewing Co and see what they had brewing.

First off, this place is EXTREMELY difficult to locate. I remembered that from my previous visit, even still – I had trouble finding it. Getting to the Bonaventure is easy enough, but inside is like a labyrinth and brewery is snuggled amongst it somewhere on the 4th level. The inside was almost empty, a few hotel guests were eating on the outside terrace. I hopped to the bar and took a look at the draft pulls: 5 of their own and 2 guests: Bitburger Pils and Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse. The 5 house beers were Stout, Pale Ale, Blonde, Strawberry Blonde and their Seasonal which was an IPA.

An IPA lover, I quickly order a pint. It comes out looking very light for an IPA, I’d say it visually resembled a definition pilsner. The aroma is pleasant, again on the light end of things, same held truth upon tasting it. It was a below average beer, it really lacked character. But still it was an IPA, so I drank it without complaints. I decided to get the sampler next. The stout was decent, a full flavored offering. The Blonde was a bit bland and I could have easily down without the Strawberry Blonde. The Pale Ale was the clear favorite, it was the only one I tried on my previous visit and likely the one I’ll stick to with subsequent trips.

The staff was very friendly, perhaps not terribly knowledgeable of the beer – but it’s probably rare when they need to be. The food was very good, I just scarfed down some boneless buffalo tenders. They were really good. I’d say it’s worth the visit if you are downtown and need a decent beer, there aren’t a lot of great options and Bonaventure Brewing Co is probably your best bet.

Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown Ale

2006-12-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

83 / 100

Seconds after opening this bottle, the carbonation went buckwild and went everywhere. I rushed it to the sink where it would cause the least amount of harm. After it settled down, I poured into my chalice. Sadly, 1/3 of it was lost in the foam explosion.

It was a dark, murky, muddy water with an enormous head. Sediment swam around the bottom. It smelled of brown sugar and raisin - sweet but not overwhelming. As was the taste - the spiciness carried well with the dark malts. I paired it with some spicy Thai food and the combination was brilliant.

I'm still a bit saddened to see that the former Abbeye Des Rocs Grand Cru is no longer being made. It was a favorite. I enjoy the Special Brown but it's really not in the same league. But still, it's a fine Belgian brew.

Oaked Arrogant Bastard

2006-12-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

78 / 100

I procrastinate every year when the 3L bottles of Oaked Arrogant Bastard are released and eventually never get it. Since it was only available in this large bottle (or if very lucky, on-tap) I never got a chance to try it. So this year when I found out it was going to be available in 6 packs, I had no excuses. Maybe one excuse – the 6 packs are generally in the $13 range – kind of a lot to pay for 6 beers. I had to try it so I didn’t think twice about it.

The color is a deep amber with a hearty head lacing all over the glass. The aroma put me off at first. It has an almost helium birthday balloon smell. That mostly dissipates and becomes an oaky, caramel. The taste is the same but a heavy malt presence. Hops break through once in awhile. The texture is thick and chewy.

Admittedly, I’m not the hugest Arrogant Bastard fan in the world. I think it’s a fine beer, but certainly it’s not near the top or my favorites as it seems to be with others. The oak aging improves it, rounding out the flavors. Definitely glad I picked it up.

City Beer Store, San Francisco

2006-12-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

City Beer Store
1168 Folsom Street
San Francisco, California 94103

Just a few blocks from the Moscone Convention Center, this made for an easy escape from the drones of the seminar speakers. Craig, the owner / proprietor and as he informed me, “only employee” was stocking the shelves when I walked in. The shop isn’t huge but the space is used well: the front area is kind of a lounge while the back is entirely lined with bottles. There’s a small bar on the opposite side with 4 active drafts and a well-stocked refrigerator just beyond that. The shop is half store / half bar with the benefits of both.

Looking over the taps, I cross one I’ve not had before: Presidio IPA. So I order it. While pouring it the keg kicks, so I move on to my 2nd choice: Deschutes Jubelale. While I sip this, I talk beer with Craig while he cleans the draft line formerly occupied by the Presidio. I wish other places would have this diligence about keeping their draft lines clean. I peruse the bottle shelf and the fridge. There’s a well thought out selection ranging the whole spectrum: tons of great local offerings, the better end of American beers and plenty from the UK and EU (as expected, the majority from the Belgians and Germans). Another great thing: for only $1 corkage fee, you can have at any of the bottles while at the shop.

Craig clearly knows his beers and his love shines throughout the shop. I really wish there was something like this in Los Angeles. The beer lovers down here are starving for something like City Beer Store.

AleSmith YuleSmith

2006-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

AleSmith makes 2 delicious versions of this beer every year. The obvious, Winter edition (bottle colors being red and green) and the "Christmas in July" Summer edition (pictured to the left). Both are extremely delicious and very limited. So pick up as many as you can if you are lucky enough to cross paths.

Winter Edition 2006
92 / 100

AleSmith has been strong in it's stance that this beer is an Imperial Red. This version seems to be most along that terminology, but far less than the Winter 05 version, which in some ways was much like this year's Evil Dead Red.

It pours a burnt red color with a consistent head that retains with slight lacing. It packs the hop punch - pine scent mostly. The taste is more complex than just the hops - there's a nice caramel maltiness. It has a medium to full body with plenty of warming and a slightly bitter finish. The alcohol was definitely apparent but it was still easy making it through the bottle.

I've found that despite the high hop profile these age pretty well in the short term. I wouldn't push it beyond 15 months, as by then the hops have lost their bite. A year old one though is brilliant.

Summer Edition 2006
90 / 100

This one is described by AleSmith as a Double IPA. It's everything a DIPA offering in Southern California should be: a full flavored with lots and lots of hops. Immediately after opening the bottle, the wonderful aroma (think hops with a wee bit a of pepper) lets you know you're in for something special. The pine and citrus notes of the hops are relatively well balanced with the sweet malt. But generally, if you're drinking a DIPA, you're not looking for a lot of balance - you're looking for a lot of hops. And that's what you get. Refeshingly crisp too.

A textbook example of a Double IPA. Drink this one as fresh as you can.

Green Flash West Coast I.P.A.

2006-11-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

87 / 100

"This West Coast IPA..." is how the label reads. Exactly.

This is absolutely a West Coast IPA. It's loaded with big hops - lots of citrus, lots of pine. It pours an amber color with a frothy cappucino head. Some sediment lurks toward the bottom of the glass. It's aroma is very grapefruit. The bitter tastes hits first but rounds out with the slight sweetness in the malt character.

Very drinkable and quite delicious.

Pilsner Urquell

2006-11-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

75 / 100

Pilsen, Czech Republic is the birthplace of the pilsener. The world's first pilsner and one of Europe's most exported lagers, Pilsner Urquell is still made there today.

Very few drinking establishments in Los Angeles have decent beer. So often I end up having to grab something that, in other circumstances would not be my first choice. Such is the case with Pilsner Urquell.

A proper fresh serving of Pilsner Urquell in a pilsener glass at an above-freezing temperature is great. Fine beer. That's another thing that's rare in LA. Generally you're served it in a pint glass (if you're lucky not frosted) or with no glass at all - straight from the bottle. Czech Pilseners are not the most durable beers and that with the fact that if drinking from the bottle - the green bottles are poorly designed for proper shelf life.

The one I happened to be having was not terribly fresh but it wasn't terribly old either. I was at the Hambuger Hamlet on Hollywood Blvd, in the thick of the Hollywood bullshit. They served it in a goblet, for whatever dumb reason. It was too cold. I tried to enjoy the beer for what it was. It did that quite well.

It's a remarkably refreshing beer - light, crisp and quenching. The Saaz hops are omnipresent providing most of the flavor. The finish is clean and slight bit sweet. This is a great gateway lager to try to get those so used to the American macros to see that beer can have flavor and not be intimidating.

Thanksgiving and Beer

2006-11-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

This Turkey Day, why not pair your bird with your beer? The Pilgrims would approve. The Boston Globe gives you some insight.

AleSmith Evil Dead Red

2006-11-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

79 / 100

Ambers / reds are definitely not my favorite style of beer. That said, this is the way I like them - full with lots of hops.

I've only had this once before, about this time of year at the same place I had this one - Father's Office in Santa Monica. This time it reminded me a bit of last winter's Yulesmith, just tone-downed considerably.

The color was a deep dark ruby with a billowing head, lacing throughout. Cotton candy and roasted malts with a piney hops afterkick dominate the aroma. The flavor takes the best of a traditional American amber - the sweet maltiness and an IPA - the booming hops.

I liked this quite a bit. When I finished it I was ready to move on, there were plenty of other tasty beers awaiting.

Harpoon Winter Warmer

2006-11-14T14:59:00.000-08:00

72 / 100

My experience will likely differ with most with this beer. I haven't had this in many years, living away from Boston now for over 5 years. I think that this particular one may, in fact, be that old - if not older. This was buried deep in my father's 2nd refrigerator in Massachusetts. Recently back visiting and with space in my car for the cross country drive, coupled with the fact that my father was not going to drink this ever - I brought it with me.

A few months have past. Of course, being in Los Angeles in the late summer, a winter warmer is never going to be your first choice. So I let this cool out with some other older winter offerings until I was ready. I suppose yesterday I was ready – I busted that bad boy open.

I poured it into a pint glass. Tons upon tons of sediment everywhere. No big deal that would simmer down within a few minutes. When it did it was a murky, ice tea looking beverage. The aroma was pretty intense, nothing subtle about it: pumpkin pie, cinnamon and nutmeg. The first thing I noticed when I tasted it was that the body was a lot thinner than I expected, especially since recently having Anchor’s Our Special Ale (a much better winter beer, imo). The spice flavors were there but not a lot more. As I drank more, I started warming up to it a bit more. Malt and nut flavors came out as the temperature of the beer increased.

I would have liked to have a fresh Winter Warmer to compare this to, but that wasn’t going to happen. I’m sure that one will taste quite different

Stella Artois

2006-11-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

71 / 100

Unfortunately this is the first beer that most Americans associate with Belgium. For shame. That said, it's not terrible. If you live in Los Angeles, like I do, it's often the best option places will have. So with these caveats, I end up drinking a bit more of it than I would truly want.

It is very light in color: golden straw with a good deal of carbonation. It's very light in basically all areas: aroma, taste, body and appearance. I guess that's why Americans like it so. With the American macros, this stands a level above, as it does have some flavor qualities. Its aroma is grainy with a slight sweetness. Much true too for the taste. The water taste is particularly Belgian, but that's about it. It's drinkable, but nothing I would crave.

Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA

2006-11-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

77 / 100

Hair of the Dog, of Portland, Oregon, makes some interesting beers. I've found I either love or hate their offerings. And their latest the Blue Dot falls into that category as well.

To be straight - I neither love nor hate Blue Dot. There are some aspects about it that I think are great and others get me scratching my head. Like all of the HOTD beers I've previously had, it's loaded with sediment. This makes the beer extremely cloudy. In this case, I was shocked out how light the beer was. This almost looked like a Belgian Pale Ale. The head was out of control, as if I shook it. The aroma was dead giveaway that it wasn't. It's a lemony hop scent, with the slightest bit of stale bread in it.

At this point, I was ready to not like this beer at all but then it goes and surprises me. The taste is actually quite good. It tastes a lot like other DIPAs. It's bitter and bold and quite interesting. the malts were quite pronounced and there was little to no citrus tones in the flavor. It finishes nicely with a round sweetness that brings it all together. Intersting stuff.

Trappist Keeper

2006-11-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

Rochefort 10

92 / 100

If you like big, delicious beers painstakingly concocted by papal Belgians - you need not look any further than to the fine Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy. Trappist monks have been creating fine beers there for the last 80 years.

The 10, their biggest and best beer is a remarkable quadrupel. It pours a dark cola color with a thick, picky finger head. The heads laces all over the glass. The aroma is sweet: plum and brown sugar. A nice crisp yeast scent balances the sweetness. The flavor is extremely complex. Initially the sweetness hits, similar to the nose. It continues with the slightest sour notes - green apple and dark cherry. Just a tiny bit of bitterness finishes. There's a lot going on here and it all comes together wonderfully. Incredibly delicious, the 11.3% ABV is hardly noticeable. I enjoyed this as an after dinner beer but it certainly would do well with many cuisine options.

Dogfish Head: The IPAs

2006-11-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

Dogfish Head of Milton, Delaware, has become one of the most popular names in brewing amongst the craft drinking populace. Known for their "Extreme Brewing" the brewery often seems like a satire, that is until you try their beer. Yes, they make their own malt liquor and founder, Sam Calagione has his own hiphop outfit called the Pain Relievaz (his moniker is Funkmaster IBU). On the other side, Dogfish knows looks to history making beer-like beverages that go back thousands of years (their Chateau Jiahu is their version of an ancient Chinese elixir). Through all of this, what Dogfish Head is probably known best for is it's delicious India Pale Ales. And sadly, none of these are available in California.

60 Minute IPA

85 / 100

This is the Dogfish Head flagship beer and a delicious one at that. It's has a biscuit-like hop character that separates it from the monsters made on the West Coast. This is distinctly East Coast and one of the best examples of it. The hops are mellowed out by a nutty backbone, but they are definitely present and quite sweet. Smooth tasting and quite drinkable.

90 Minute IPA

90 / 100

One of the first Double IPAs, I've ever had, it stills seems to be the dictionary definition of what one is. There are better, there's tons worse - but this since this was my starting point and characterizes the style well - I often use this for the jump off. The hops in this are huge. West Coast huge. The flavor, though, is less pine and citrus than those out here. It far more raisin and candied fruit. I like this more than the 60 because I like the bigness and how well it's balanced.

120 Minute IPA

83 /100

On the other side of things the 120 smashes the balance. The 60 comes in a 6 pack, the 90 in a 4 pack, this comes solo - all for about the same price. This beer polarizes the beer faithful: some think it went too far, others love it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's an experiment - I've heard it described as a "pixie stick hop bomb" - but I think it does what it does well. It's a thick, viscous syrup - think afterdinner drink (and at roughly 20% ABV, it's proofed like one). The aroma is afterdinner drinkish too - sweet almost plum brandy. It's sweet, it's hops-in-your-face, it's overboard - all that it's supposed to be, but also quite tasty. The version I had was from 2004, so the hops have likely mellowed out a bit. I'd love to try it fresh.

It's a Celebration, Bitches!

2006-11-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2006

90 / 100

Sure, Halloween just ended yesterday. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, one of the most eagerly waited annual beers, was in stores last week. And no surprise here, it's delicious.

It pours an orange-copper with a slight head. Robust hops - pine and floral are balanced by a roasted malt aroma. There's a slight sweetnesss - caramel / cinnamon. The taste has citrus (lemon / orange) notes, but mostly - it's very balanced. Perhaps, because it was only bottled quite recently - it tastes extremely fresh. This is what fall tastes like. It's very crisp, thorough palate coverage, with bitter finish.

Easy drinking, time to stock up. Last year's got better with over the past year. I have a feeling this one is best right now. Drink up.

ReaperAle Sleighor Double IPA

2006-10-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

87 / 100

Boo! Yeah it's fucking Halloween. Also happens to be the day after I have a spooky looking bottle of ReaperAle's Double IPA. ReaperAle has this crusty-guy-in-a-jean-jacket-with-a-metal-band-patch kind of artwork going on. Thankfully, in this case the beer is much better than the label.

From San Diego, this is definitely a West Coast DIPA. It pours a bit darker than most. The aroma is all hops - the pine, the sweet = all there. The 9% ABV is well hidden in this, so it's worth being careful - it could catch up with you quickly. If you like hoptastic beers this is for you. If you like hoptastic beers and Judas Priest album covers - run out and get this now.

Tiger Beer

2006-10-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

57 / 100

Look at that Tiger all cold and ferocious. Makes you want a beer, don't it?

This is probably the best imported beer I've had from mainland Asia, though that is not really saying much. This is basically a typical macro lager with one slight exception: sweetness. The lager hits instantly with a slight sugary taste that kind of distract away from the bland taste of the beer itself. It's likely some adjuunct that gives it this taste.

Tiger works well in relief from spicy Asian cuisine, so it has that going for it - but not much more.

Oktoberfest at Alpine Village

2006-10-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Previously I discussed my neglected Oktoberfest so finally I gave it it's due respect. According to Angel City's website, "Last year Angel City Brewing sold over 1150 kegs of its Alpine Lager!" All of this was at the Oktoberfest Celebration at Alpine Village in Torrance, California - which little did I know, was under the same ownership as Angel City.

I met some friends down there last week in the tented beer gardens. Time for big beer drinking, pretzels and oompa loompa songs. Lederhausen the garb of choice.

Alpine Village Lager

69 / 100

The two choices of beer were: Bud Light and this. Never having this before but familiar with Angel City, it was an easy choice. One maß was poured into my Spaten mug (worth bringing your own mug, unless you want it in a flimsy styrofoam cup). It was an amber color with no head. It had a bready aroma with slight sweetness. I drank the whole maß easily enough so I guess it's drinkable. The party there was fun and added to it all.

I don't think I'd drink this at home, but it did me well at the time.

Brouwerij Liefmans Frambozenbier

2006-10-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

84 / 100

I had this on-tap at Lucky Baldwins Belgian Beerfest a few years back but haven't seen it again until I was in Toronto this summer.

What I remember liking about this was the subtleties of the raspberry flavor. The more popular raspberry favorite, Lindemans Framboise is far too sweet. Unlike the Lindemans, the Liefman’s offering is not made as a traditional lambic so it’s considered a fruit beer – though it’s quite similar.

The bottle comes in an almost tissue paper wrapper. When poured the dark, murky purple liquid forms a slight pink head in the wine glass. The aroma is of tart raspberry that grows in strength as it warms. The sweetness of the fruit hits the tongue first and is immediately followed by a strong tart finish. It’s never too sweet nor too tart. It’s sounds odd, but the taste is rather refreshing.

Since my return, I’ve seen this in a few more locations so perhaps it’s gaining wider distribution. This is a good thing.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2006-10-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

96 / 100

If I were to make a list, 4 out of the 5 best IPAs I’ve ever had would be from California. This would be the one that’s not.

From Michigan, Bell's Brewing Co. make this is a fan-fucking-tastic beer. I’ve waited a long time to try and when I finally got my hands on it – I got as much as I could. In Chicago, I had this on-tap every place I crossed that had it. I even had it on engine (a method of serving the beer unpressurized to simulate cask-conditioning) which was delicious but not quite as tasty as the regular draft.

This is a bold IPA for sure. It manages to walk the line between an IPA and a DIPA keeping the best aspects of each. The aroma is a gorgeous bouquet of pine and citrus hop flavors. The hop flavors are held in check by a sweet doughy malt character. It’s a very well made beer.

I could and did drink a bunch of these. I could drink it all day honestly. Can’t say enough good things about this one.

Lost Abbey Avant Garde

2006-10-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

89 / 100

A couple of the Lost Abbey offerings finally made their way to Los Angeles and just in time for the weekend.

Bière de Garde is a style I still don't think I could pull out of a lineup. The ones I've had have been varied in flavors and complexities. In fact most of the ones I've tried have been American made.

It poured a gold-amber color with mdeium head that dissipated quickly, but the lacing was impressive. The aroma is flan-like; almost a creme brulee subtle sweetness. Quite nice. Tasting it mirrored this with some Belgian tasting yeast and hop presence. I was impressed with the amount of flavor that was achieved without upping the sweetness factor. It was very easy drinking and went well with the Spanish salami-like meat the missus was serving.

Otter Creek Oktoberfest

2006-10-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

78 / 100

As you've seen below, I've woefully neglected Oktoberfest this year and now it's gone. Well, the real one has ended, us Americans think it last from Oct 1-31. I guess with that, I can have solace that it's still alive. Thankfully the BeerMonthClub did not neglet this fine.

This is certainly not to style of your Märzen / Oktoberfest, this is definitely an ale. That said, this is not terribly different in flavor either. The beer poured a deep amber in my footed pilsener glass. There was a caramel sweetness, but also a slight bready aroma. Taste: the sweetness of the nose balances well with a roasted malt background with a German hop flavor finish. The missus and I enjoyed this after dinner, watching some television. The sweetness gave it a dessert appeal while the malts and hops levelled it out.

Gore Range Brewery

2006-10-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

105 Edwards Village Boulevard
Edwards, Colorado

After finding out that there was no brewery in Vail, Colorado – the good people at the tourist info sent me 12 miles west to the Gore Range Brewery. Driving up to the brewpub, I saw a big, ugly Budweiser truck unloading into the delivery. What would a brewery need from Budweiser? Ugh.

I was hungry as hell, so threw up my hands in a “fuck it” manner and went in. I saddled up to the bar to see a series of taps that consisted of about 4 of their beers and yes, Budweiser. Ugh ugh. I was already in and still hungry as hell, so I ordered up the most palatable looking beer on the menu: Powder Day Pale Ale. I was parched and needed sustenance. It was a 6 hour drive already from Denver since the Eisenhower Tunnels were FUCKING closed. This made for a long-ass circuitous route around part of a lil mountain range called the FUCKING ROCKIES. So yeah I was hungry and in dire need of a beer.

And the beer did the trick. It was nothing special, nothing amazing – maybe in other circumstances, I would not have even enjoyed it. It was hazy and cold and moderately balanced and I drank it with a big smile on my face. I ordered up the pulled rotisserie chicken sandwich which had onion rings on top. Same thing – hit the spot.

The place looked like a spot that locals hit after skiing in the winter. I could see that. I wouldn’t go so far to say this place was great, but if you’re driving through the Rockies and hungry (and perhaps thirsty) – it works wonders.

Oktoberfest!

2006-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oktoberfest is upon us and sadly yet another one that I'm enjoying in Munich. This year's is from September 16 to October 3. I'm a little late on it this year, so I'm going to have to get my hands on some of German's finest ASAP.

In the Los Angeles area there are few places to celebrate this occasion. The most popular is Alpine Village in Torrance. It's a bit silly and during the day it's family oriented - kinder during oompa dances is definitely in effect. Be sure to pick up a glass (Maß) at the giftshop or bring your own or you'll be drinking out of a big plastic cup.

Another spot and one worth checking out year round is the Red Lion Tavern in Silver Lake. This is a pretty legit Bavarian restaurant / beer garden. The sausages are crazy delicious as is their beer. They have a fine selection of German favorites and I'm sure they'll roll out the Märzens (aka Oktoberfests) for this time of year. A good place to start is with the Paulaner Oktoberfest , one of my favorite lagers.

Prost!

Corona Extra

2006-09-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

32 / 100

This is the beer of ubiquity in Los Angeles. Maybe people like the active aspect of ramming limes into the bottle, maybe it's because we're so close to Mexico, maybe it's because LA likes shit beer - but mostly a combination of all these things.

Harsh fake malt flavors? Check. Sinus burning additives? Check.

Make no mistake about it - this is a T E R R I B L E beer. Mexico makes some bad beers and this amongst the worst. At least it is common practice to disguise the taste with fresh citrus. The lime is the only part worth ingesting.

Liars Club

2006-09-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

3844 Mission Blvd.
San Diego, California, 92109

After a much needed few hours of sleep after the Stone 10th Anniversary Festival, the missus and I headed over to Mission Beach, as it was the closest area to our hotel. The area is nice, something I wish LA had more of in it's beach communities. Parking wasn't all that easy, but we finally came upon something within 5 blocks or so.

The bar itself is a bit dingy, something that didn't bother me at all. Great jukebox playing stuff from Pixies, Elvis Costello to Chuck Berry. Seeing that it was a Saturday night, I expected to see a lot more people in there at 9PM. Even stranger that the place thinned out considerably more by the time we left at 10:30.

The beer selection is outstanding: TONS of great local offerings (Alpine, Alesmith, Stone, Pizza Port) and others (notably: 3 different from Russian River and some harder to find Belgians). Not terribly hungry, we just ordered an appetizer - hush puppies served with a chipotles aoli. The food was quite good and the spiciness went well with the Alpine IPAs I was enjoying.

The only setback was the service. Our server (pale, kinda punk rockish red headed woman) was terrible. She was particularly rude when the missus asked which appetizer was better. Her boyfriend / husband was there and they would start "making out" (I use this phrase to indicate how high school they were being about it) by the bar quite distractingly. Yeah, it was pretty gross. Not only that, after ignoring my girlfriend's order for Russian River's Lil White Lie, she returned asked if we wanted anything else. She politely reminded the server that she ordered that and I ordered another beer for myself. About 10 minutes and a few make-out sessions later, without our beers, we decided to just get our check. Mind you this all when the bar was, at most, a quarter-full.

The rest of the staff seemed nice, so I will come back. I'll definitely avoid this server's area. We didn't let this terrible server get us down - so we still had a good time and I would definitely recommend going here. If a pale red head comes to take your order, might wanna see if there are seats in another server's section.

Lone Hill Liquor & Deli

2006-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

1828 E. Route 66
Glendora, California
(626) 963-0611

Driving east on the 210 on the last leg of my 3200 mile journey, I see a sign for the Lone Hill exit in Glendora. Shit, Lone Hill Liquors must be near. I'm never ever in Glendora, why not take this rare opportunity to stop in to this heralded shop? I quickly call information and turns out I'm half of a mile away. Perfect.

Throughout my cross country (and parts of Canada) travels, I accumulated beers from all over the place that I could not get in LA. Some of these - Bells, Dogfish Head, Founders, Great Divide - Lone Hill had them! One of the owners told me that they have been making national trades to bring in stuff not distributed out here. Great. The bottles were priced at a premium - but this was to be expected at the laborious method used to procure them.

On top of that they had as good a selection as any I've crossed in Southern California. And all refridgerated. It was clear that these were beer lovers. I was very impressed. As I mentioned, Glendora is not terribly near me. It is worth the drive and I plan to go out and stock up some day soon.

I highly recommend this place.

Russian River Temptation

2006-09-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

84 / 100

From the label:

Is it beer, or is it wine? "Aged in French oak wine barrels for twelve months with distinct characteristics of fruit and subtle oak" sounds more like a description of wine than beer. But, of course, Temptation is indeed beer. Actually, Temptation is a Blonde Ale Fermented with a special strain of yeast, then aged in French oak chardonnay barrels. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout twelve months of aging. During this aging process, a secondary fermentation occurs using a yeast strain disliked by most brewers and winemakers called Brettanomyces. The "Bret" gives Temptation intriguing characteristics and a pleasant sourness. Temptation is re-fermented in the bottle to create its carbonation--a process commonly used to make fine champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast forms a thin layer of sediment to remain in the bottle.

After over a year of waiting, I finally cracked open my lone bottle of Temptation. Batch 001, 350 mL.

The golden color fizzed nicely in my Chimay chalice. It swirled a nice pinky finger head. A sweet and sour Brettanomyces fragrance reminded me of an oud bruin, almost. The taste was tart without being cloying, as a sweetness followed. Sour apple and meringue flavors were evident. It's close in taste to Depuration, but a bit sweeter. A fine beer.

Left Hand Imperial Stout

2006-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

81 / 100

"A black beer to brighten your day" as the label says. Bottled on 2/22/06.

I picked this up in Boulder, Colorado on my travels. I poured this into my Stone Imperial Russian Stout goblet and then started thinking about Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Ahh so good. Anyhow this was a fine beer too, not one to compete with Stone's but very few can.

The color was dark as can be with a cereal milk looking head. Coffee, chocolate and toffee dominated the aroma. The taste was much of the same with a slight single malt scotch flavor in the slick finish.

This did brighten my day.

HITE!!!!

2006-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

58 / 100

Prounounced "height" despite one of my jabroni friends insisting it was "hee-tay".

This beer works very well when eating Korean bbq. The watery light lager cuts through the spicy gochujang that I slather all over the meat (galbi / bulgogi). My Korean girlfriend has shown me the ins and outs of proper Ktown bbq'ing and it has made me very happy.

Initially, I thought "Wow, Hite is fucking great!" It's not. It's one of those time and places beers that holds up quite poorly outside of it. One day when I loaded up on Hite at a local Ktown market - I learned the hard way.

First off, it's one of the lighest color beers I've ever seen. If you soaked a few grains of straw in a glass of tonic water for an hour, the color would be unmistakeably Hite-ish. The smells would probably be similar too. The taste isn't terrible - it's watery, there's lil character but it is refreshing. At a Korean bbq you'll probably drink like 4 before you realize that it's not very good. But for those 4, at that bbq joint - Hite does the trick.

Breckenridge BBQ & Brew Pub

2006-09-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Back to some of my x-country adventures - this stop in Denver. My friends knowing all about my beer geekdom had a spot all lined up rather close to their home. And it was happy hour, where everyone wins.

Surprisingly the place wasn't very crowded. The layout was part bbq joint / part brewery. The huge kettles filled out the back part while the kitchen was more to the front. You could smell the glorious hops.

Breckinridge Mountain is a popular ski resort about 2 hours west of Denver. The brewery is now headquartered in Denver with 2 brewpubs in the city (the other by Coors Field). My guess is most (all?) of the brewing is done at the location we were at. Their bottled beer is available pretty much everywhere in Colorado.

Having driven 675 miles that day (from Des Moines, Iowa), I had plenty of appetite. I ordered the pulled pork sammich, which came with corn bread. It was plenty of food (maybe too much) that hit the spot. The bbq sauce was nice and tangy. I couldn't finish the whole thing especially with my belly filling up with their beers.

Never having any before, it was a pretty easy pick to get the sampler. With the happy hour pricing - it was only $6 too. Usually samplers are a couple ounces each. Not here, each sample was around 5 ounces. So all of a sudden the sampler is a TON of beer.

Summer Bright Ale

74 / 100

We started lightest to darkest. Maybe not the best way, especially with a DIPA in the middle - but it worked out. This was a citrus wheat, quite light in color and taste. It was easy-drinking and quite refreshing. I'm sure this sells well with the recent boom in popularity of the hefes and such. I enjoyed it enough, but I kept looking forward to the bigger ales.

Avalanche Amber

76 / 100

Colorado has these American Reds down. Very akin to New Belgium's Fat Tire, Avalanche has a smooth start with a sweet middle and a slighty bitter but crisp finish. In a blind taste, I wouldn't be able to differentiate the two. It goes down easy and balances my pulled pork sammich quite well.

Trademark Pale Ale

79 / 100

Now we're moving toward my styles. This is a wonderfully balance American Pale. It has enough hops to keep me interested, but not too much to scare away John Q Public. The malt shines through cutting the citrus hop profile and keeping things in check.

Small Batch 471 Series IPA

83 / 100

Boom! Hops all up in my face. This was no regularly IPA, this was definitely a double, despite how it was explained by our waitress. I liiiike. The hop character is very citrus - TONS of grapefruit and some pine. It's thick with a slight carameliness that makes it remarkably creamy. The bite is very bitter. This is not a beer to mix with food, but I didn't mind it's palate crushing. Of note: I purchased a 6 pack of this to bring back West with me - the draft version was much better and far less grapefruity.

Vanilla Porter

71 / 100

No surprise that the aroma from this is pure vanilla bean. The color is dark and smooth. Some chocolate scents are in there too, along with the malt base. I was surprised how thin the mouthfell was. I was expecting something more thick - more of a hearty after dinner beer. It was awful sweet, perhaps great after a long day of skiiing, but I wasn't in love with it right now.

Oatmeal Stout

81/ 100

Thankfully after the vanilla sweetness of the porter dissipated, I was able to fully enjoy this hearty stout. It was full of flavor: roasted malts, almost Cheerio-like oats and expresso. It had a all of the thick meatiness the porter did not. It was dry with a slight bitter lingering. This was the perfect finish to a healthy bounty of samplers.

Pizza Port Wipeout IPA

2006-09-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

91 / 100

Pizza Port comprise of 3 San Diego area restaurant / breweries (Solana Beach, Carlsbad and San Clemente) that makes some extremely tasty beer. Earlier this year, they opened Port Brewing Company in the old Stone Brewing Co.'s facility in San Marcos. They've already started distributing their Sharkbite Red to SoCal shops and plan to start bottling more.

This is fantastic news because until now, the only way you could get their offerings were at the restaurants themselves (and a few select SD bars). On the way back from San Diego this weekend, the Solana Beach Pizza Port was directly en route. So I picked up a growler of Wipeout - the best PP I've tried to date.

No doubt about it, I fucking love hops so fucking much. This here is a fine way to get a healthy dose of hops into your diet without the intensity of moving on to a Double IPA (not that there's anything wrong with that).

With a little help, I bombed through this growler very quickly. Whatever the ABV, it just didn't matter. It was well buried in the gorgeousness of the hop character. Pine and citrus hopness all over the place. Not too intense, perhaps just quite right. Everything about this was pure class.

Sadly, now it's gone and I'm 150 miles away from the closest Pizza Port.

Alpine Beer Company

2006-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

The only disappointing thing about Alpine's beers is limited geographic area that I can get them in. Everytime I'm in the San Diego area, one of my goals is to get a bunch of these delicious brews in my belly. When the missus and I arrived at the Stone 10th Anniversary this past weekend, we notice the guest breweries were alphabetized. Brilliant! Alpine for the start!

We sauntered up to the pourers and got 1 each of their 2 offerings. Both were incredibly delicious, but alas the small taster only made me want more. Luckily that evening, at the Liars Club in Mission Beach, San Diego they had both on-tap, so of course, I had to get a pint of each:

Duet IPA

96 / 100

Duet, new to me, is everything I long for in an IPA: fruity, floral with a generous portion of American hops. Lots of lacing throughout my glass, the bright amber beer had a good sized head. Plenty of hops in the nose, the best type: fruity with a slight pine flavor. The taste was much the same, rounded out with a pleasant malt balancing that limited the bitter bite. This is an outstanding IPA, of the hundreds that I've tried - this is right near the top.

Pure Hoppiness

93 / 100

The hop nose hits you instantly: very floral, slight pine and citrus tones. The pour was perfect: a frothy laced head topped the golden colored ale. The hop bite is substantial, but the taste is well-balanced. It has a nice creaminess that masks the 8% ABV, making it potential dangerous – I could see myself drinking this all day.

These are outstanding beers, sadly only limitedly available in San Diego. If you ever cross pathes with them, you know what to do.

Rogue Imperial India Pale Ale

2006-09-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

78 / 100

Despite the thick pricetag ($12.99 for a fancy ceramic bomber), I had to give this a try, at least once. I love IPAs and love Rogue. Had to do it.

It's hoppy, not the mega-sweet hop bombs I've come accustomed to. It's akin to Stoudt's Imperial IPA - the kind of meaty hop malt character. It's a flavor, I'm noticing more from East Coast hop monsters, even though this is from Oregon. Someone with better brewing knowledge could ID the type of hops better.

Overall it's a fine beer. The flipcap was put to good use, as the 22 oz. was a bit much for my one sitting. And the price was a bit much for a bomber. I'd love to try this on tap.

The Silver Fucking Bullet

2006-09-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

Coors Light

40 / 100

At my girlfriend's parents this past weekend, I went searching through the refrigerator looking for something to help ease the pain of some spicy Korean food. The Silver Fucking Bullet? I haven't had this in years. Sure why not?

I wanted to be fair and go in with an open mind. I poured the can into a pint glass. It's watery and yellow, not much head. It actually smelled a lot better than I remember. Perhaps the spicy food had dulled my olfactory or perhaps it wasn't a terrible smelling lager. Either way, the taste was pretty much as I remembered: not very good. I searched for that Rocky Mountain refreshment but didn't find it.

I drank about half of it and then switched to warm Brita filtered water, which actually seemed less watery. Oh well...

Perdition

2006-09-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

79 / 100

I make no qualms about saying it, "I fucking love Russian River Brewing Co." I can't wait to see what they have in store for the Stone 10th Anniversary this Saturday. To tie me over until then, I had a Perdition yesterday at Father's Office.

It's pours a dark copper color, opaque - a small head. Touching the glass, the beer seems a little bit too cold. The aroma is of spice: cinnamon and clove and some mustiness. Toasted malts come through on the palate followed by a strong yeast. It goes well with Father's Office's incredibly delicious sweet potato fries.

Stone 10th Anniversary India Pale Ale

2006-08-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

91 / 100

This is a glorious beer by a glorious company. Their Ruination and IPA have long been two of my favorite hop creations. On September 9, 2006 they will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with a big bash at their Escondido brewery - information available here. The lineup of brewers reads of a who's-who in American beer. The missus and I will be in attendance!

The beer they made to commemorate this grand occasion is an enormous hop monster. The bottle is beautiful, complete with a story on the side – all painted on. It pours a ruby-orange with a frothing eggshell head. The aroma is a floral bouquet hop assault. All of the hops of the rainbow are present: from sweet to pine to everything in between. There’s a lot of fruit on the palate – some lemon, some pineapple and lots of grapefruit. All of the taste soaked in hops with a tinge of maltiness. The creamy texture smoothes out the alcohol warmth. Delicious. I’ll have to stock up on these.

Bluegrass Brewing Co. American Pale Ale

2006-08-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

85 / 100

For Christmas, last year my father signed me up for a Beer of the Month Club. It's great. I get 12 beers delivered to me every month. Two breweries are represented - 2 different styles from each, so a total of 3 of each different beer. Many come from places, I would not normally get to try - like Kentucky. This came as part of my beer of the month club, several months ago.

Pour a golden almost amber color with a decent 2 finger head. The aroma is exactly what I want in a APA: nice hop presence, some citrus and a pleasant grassiness. The hop flavors finish with a nice malt character. Very smooth, very enjoyable. At times it seems more IPA than APA. I guess that's how I like 'em.

Sadly, there were only 3 and this not available anywhere near me.

The 45th State, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Beer

2006-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

According to Utah state law: Beer and other malt beverage products that exceed 3.2% alcohol by weight or 4.0% by volume are considered "liquor", and beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% or less is defined as "beer". So, no beer that exceeds this can be made, sold or legally brought into Utah. Thankfully, when I was pulled over for speeding in Richfield, UT - the officer did not look in my car to see the roughly $400 worth of contraband that would definitely not get the Utah rubberstamp.

A little over 60% of state residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Wikipedia). Mormons. Boom, there's the restrictions. So you can get a can of Silver Bullet in Utah, but you cannot get the same one that get over the border Colorado. So even if you find Coors Light to be watery and unpalatable - the one in Utah is even more so.

Despite these laws there are a couple of craft brewers within the state borders. When I saw a couple local singles in the fridge of the gas station I stopped at, I figured I give them a go.

Cutthroat Pale Ale

63 / 100

This pours a yellow straw color. The aroma is part caramel, part wheatfield and slightly fruity with some citrus. Flavorwise, it has some subtle hops with some cereal oat. It is somewhat watery and not as hoppy as I would like as it sneaks right in at 4% ABV. Not to say that there cannot be a good beer made at this percentage - but this isn't it.

Wasatch Polygamy Porter

67 / 100

Obviously the first thing you notice about this is the hilarious label. No matter how bad the beer inside would be, I knew the bottle alone was worth it.

It poured with medium dark brown with a slight head. The malt character was the initial aroma followed by some chocolate and coffee. The body is thin and that's not particularly something I crave in a porter. The malt finish tries to even it out - a worthy attempt, but not terribly successful.

Three Floyds Gumballhead

2006-08-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

89 / 100

I've been wanting to try some Three Floyds for a long time and this was one of the most intriguing I've heard of. Thankfully, this fine summer beer was easy to find in Chicago - so I made the most of it there and even brought some home.

Gumballhead is descibed by the brewers as, "a highly dry hopped American wheat." It has an interesting color, a lot lighter than I was expecting - but more accurate to what a wheat looks like. The aroma was sweet, a bit lemony with a dose of hops. The tastes follows that but with a wheat balanced finish.

It's a very unique taste and quite delicious. The sweetness is different but very welcome. I sure wish I could get this in LA.

North Coast Silver Jubilee 25th Anniversary Ale

2006-08-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

80 /100

I saw this a few months ago at Whole Foods. Not recognizing it I picked it up and checked it out. A saison from North Coast? How have I not heard of this. Oh, because it was made special for Whole Foods. Ok, I'll fucking try it.

Nice lather tops the golden color ale. The aroma is of lemons, honey and Belgian yeast. The flavor is champagne like with a subtle citrus tang and a slight hop bitter. I quite enjoy it. It seems like this would pair well with many types of food - no surprise for a Whole Foods commissioned saison.

Unibroue Chambly Noire

2006-08-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

82 / 100

Unibroue, have long been one of my favorite North American brewers. Obviously by when anyone says, "North American" - they mean "Canadian". No one would say "it's one of my favorite North American..." and mean something from the United States. And they definitely wouldn't mean Mexico. Does Mexico even consider themselves "North American"?

From Quebec (definitely in Canada), Unibroue has been making some of the most forboding and downright delicious beers since I was legal to drink. They are known almost as well for their twisted labels of man's fight against beast - most complete with the stories. Maudite and La Fin du Monde (yeah that means,"The End of the World") have long been favorites in my fridge.

Recently, I heard of their latest, but have been unable to find it in my local shops of Los Angeles. On my recent cross-country trek, I finally came upon it in Chicago. Again with the cool label (yeah you like it too), Chambly Noire was not messing around. It poured dark into my glass. It looked almost exactly like Coca-Cola, but with less carbonation. A dark ale indeed.

It had wonderful aromas of cherry, raisin and Belgian yeast strains. The flavor was strong and a bit sweet. It is a lot lighter than the color suggested but has a slight welcome alcohol warmth. The dark Belgian taste is predominant. A fine beer from fine brewers.

Z Street Brewing Company

2006-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

From what I've been able to find, Z Street Brewing Company is not what it used to be. Sadly, I don't know what it used to be. I do know that it was a wee brewery in Fitchburg, Massachusetts that was well received. Alas, in that carnation, I had not had any of their brews. Now contracted out to Mercury Brewing Co., Z Street as a self sustained brewery, is no more.

ZIPA
70 / 100

Z Street's IPA pours an orange-yellow with some head. A decent hop bouquet with some grapefruit flavors, that covered a light sweet malt. The flavors is a bit powered with the citrusness, that gives it a bitter bite at the finish. All and all, this is a serviceable IPA but I would not trouble to seek it out.

Mocha Java Stout

79 / 100

Yup, some more coffee and/or chocolate flavorings in a stout. It works though and I liked this one. The color is dark as night with a creamy pillow of froth at the top. It was hearty looking, thick in texture. Burnt chocolate and coffee bean dominate the nose - duh. Some bitter hop presence tries to sneak out too. Flavor wise, it does exactly what it says on the tin. The finish is a tad bitter, but in all - I enjoyed it. It's surprisingly drinkable on this warm summer night.

Magic Hat #9

2006-08-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Magic Hat #9

77 / 100

Initially, this interesting ale was distributed only in Northern Vermont. My friends in school up there would talk of it as legend. Finally, I went to Burlington, Vermont (home of Magic Hat Brewing Company) for a visit and got to try it myself. And I thought it was weird. It was hard putting a finger on this fruity apricot ale. It took a few tries, but I liked it. Within a couple years, it was distributed over much of New England, gaining a rather large following.

This is a summer beer, the light crispness and the apricot flavors seem only appropriate in the warmer months. It pours like it tastes, a light orange color - rather carbonated with the slightest head. Something you would imagine a beer version of an apricot might look like. The aroma is clearly that of the fruit with a lingering bready malt. It goes well with my being lazy on a hot summer day, kicking it out by the pond. I had another and that seemed plenty. Though still predominantly distributed in the Northeast, if you cross paths with the #9, it's an interesting beer that's worth giving some thought.

Berkshire Brewing Company

2006-08-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Still in Massachusetts, I grab some bombers from another old familiar place - the Berkshire Brewing Company. Living in Western Masasachusetts when it opened in 1994, I remember foundly sitting on the porch with a Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, their flagship beer. It was a crisp American summer beer I enjoyed regularly. For whatever reason the shop I was in, didn't have any. But they did have...

Lost Sailor India Pale Ale

80 / 100

I grabbed the last 22 oz. of this in the refrigerated section of Cappy's Liquors (the one in Medford). Any good Bostonian knows Cappy's. Usually it's referred to as Fuckin' Cappy's. Cappy's has the certain astringent mixed with stale beer smell you can usually only find at a frat house crime scene after they were ordered to clean things up.

This pours a hazy orange color with an everlasting head. Lemons and grapes dominant the nose. The taste has floral hops with a well balanced, almost fruity malt backbone. Albeit made in the good ole U.S. of A. this is definitely a British style IPA. This was refreshing after my usually intake of copius West Coast hop bombs. The British are more subtle than us loud asshole Americans, aren't they? "FUCKIN' CAPPY'S!!!"

Coffeehouse Porter

81 / 100

Coffee and beer, pretty much the only things I ever drink (and H2O, but obviously both have plenty in them). Together at last. Actually, there's been many combinations of stouts and porters and coffee. Some worked well, some not so much. The first I remember is the delicious Redhook Double Black Stout that advertised being made with Starbucks coffee YEARS before that name was on every street corner in the country.

Back to the point - Coffehouse Porter. It pours dark and thick. The aroma is very expresso, a hint of caramel and smokiness. Not much indicated this is a beer. The flavor delivers that nicely. A hop kick bursts through the coffee and sweetness. It rounds out the intense flavors. The creamy goodness went down extremely quick. I wish I could get more of this on my coast.

Smuttynose Brewing Company - the Big Beer Series

2006-08-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Smuttynose makes limited edition batched every so often and bottle them in 22 oz. bombers as their Big Beer Series. A few months ago, I reviewed the Wheat Wine. On my travels I crossed paths with a couple more:

Big A IPA

75 /100

This is their Double IPA. Apparently, the "A" stands for "Ass" making it Big Ass IPA. And that's kind of what this is. It has an murky, amber color with a slight froth that leaves a minor lacing on the glass. The aroma is citrus-y, with an agressive hop presence. There's a sugary malt taste in there but it's all but buried with tons and tons of hops. It's tasty, but falls short of the Russian River, Stone and Alesmith hop glories I've come used to. This is less balanced and the hops run rampant. The 9.2 ABV% warms the body quickly. One bomber of this is a lot.

Farmhouse Ale

82 /100

The Farmhouse Ale is Smuttynose's venture into the Belgian world of the Saison. Often I worry when sitting down with American interpretations of this style - more often then not, it just doesn't work. This one works.

It pours a unfiltered, straw yellow haze. It has an aroma of bread yeast, clove and bubble gum - sweet but subdued. It has similar flavors, very juicy but somewhat tart. It's very reminiscent of Ommegang's Hennepin. This is the finest of the Big Beers I've tasted.

Smuttynose Brewing Company

2006-08-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

One of the better breweries in the U.S. is Smuttynose Brewing Co. of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The website is well planned out and quite informative, including Brewer's Notes discussing the batches - beer geeks find this stuff very sexy. Their labels have always been amongst my favorites - very classy. Sadly, Smuttynose beers aren't distributed on the West Coast (very few New England beers are). Back in the Boston area visiting, I loaded up some of their fine ales.

Smuttynose IPA

89 /100

"Finest Kind" as it's formally known, has only been around for only a couple years. I love the label with the 2 fellas on the lawnchairs, enjoying some beer. The guy on the right kind of looks like Drew Carey (If you can make that out). It has a cloudy peach-orange color with a brilliant head that leaves lace rings on the pint glass as I enjoy the nectar. The aroma has a great citrus hop nose: grapefruit and lemon, yum. The taste is much of the same with a caramel malt hint that doesn't balance the bitter hop attack, but I don't think it was meant to. The creamy texture is something that I've found some of my favorite IPAs make complete. This is no exception. Probably the best IPA, I've had from New England. Delicious.

Shoal's Pale Ale

81 /100

I used to rock this stuff often in my Masshole days. Harpoon IPA was always a staple in the refrigerator due to it's easy availabilty and easy price but quite often I'd kick it to Smuttynose's Shoal's. It's weird to think that these beers were hoppy to me back then, with the West Coast hop bombs that now routinely fill my belly. Now I rarely, pick up American Pale Ales when at the shop. But for old times sake, Shoal's really did the trick.

What sets this apart from the IPA is its incredible balance. The toasted malts blend effortlessly with the cascade hops. It has bready malt that you can chew on. With the 5% ABV, it's a fine summer session ale.

Summer Weizen

76 / 100

Much like the hefeweizens that seem to be popping up everywhere, Smuttynose takes on the classic German ale with an American sensibility. The unfiltered color is a pale staw with a generous head. The scent is full or banana, clove and lots of wheat malt as does the taste. It has a nice sweet yeast kick that pleasantly rounds the taste out. This is a good summer beer. Please no lemon in mine

Wachusett Brewing Company

2006-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to visit when I'm visiting my father in Western Massachusetts is the Wachusett Brewing Company.
Located in Westminster, Massachusetts, the brewery is sort of hidden - tucked away in an industrial complex. The three brewers / proprietors are friends from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They used their engineering know-how to build the brewery’s operating systems in 1993. From then the brewery has grown considerably. Even in the past 2 years since I’ve visited they’ve increased their production and distribution immensely.

What I like so much about Wachusett is the way they’ve integrated themselves within the community and how they’ve been embraced this way. Now their beers are on every local tap, next to your Buds and Coors. On this visit, there were several locals in to fill up their growlers. Each was eager to talk about his favorites. I really wish there was a place like this in my Los Angeles neighborhood.

Green Monsta

71 / 100

This is their strong ale seasonal named, of course, for the landmark left field wall on Fenway Park. There are big hops and lots of malt in this and the smell and taste are loaded with them. It is a monster. The slight problem I have is that it is slightly boring. The balancing makes it unclear which way it goes. It only knows big.

Wachusett IPA

82 / 100

This is the first of their beers that I've tried. It pours an nice, amber color with a cumulo nimbus looking froth. It has a nice hop bouquet - one that seemed intense when I lived back in Boston, but now in the land of the West Coast hop monsters seemed subtle. The finish is dry and refreshing. This is Wachusett's finest.

Wachusett Blueberry

80 / 100

Their best selling beer, the Blueberry has a very subtle fruit flavor. Generally, I'm not too big on fruity American beers (I do like me some lambics though). There is very little sweetness in the fruit and the wheat finish ends things very crisp and smooth. It's a pleasure to drink this in the summer.

Wachusett Country Ale

76 / 100

This is there pale ale. It's like a tone downed more accessible version of their IPA. It has a nice fruity summer wheat taste that makes it easy drinking for the summer months.

Cambridge Brewing Company

2006-07-31T20:25:00.000-07:00



Within minutes of landing in Boston, I rushed away to get beer in me system.  Luckily, my friend that picked me up works at Cambridge Brewing Company.  From my days of living in Boston, now almost 5 years passed, I used to visit CBC every so often.  When I return nowadays, it's always in the cards.

Located in Kendall Square, just a bridge and a few blocks from the center of Boston, it's easy to find. The menu is far more impressive than a brewpub would suggest. This time I was strictlly heading for the brew.  There is a great selection of house beers but I usually step to one of the specials.  Brewmaster Will Meyers always has some unique creation looming about - magically one appeared before me...

Weekapaug Gruit

81 / 100

 The gruit  is an interesting ale.  It doesn't have hops in it, but still somehow manages to be delicious.  Having only tried one gruit previously (Fraoch, from Scotland), I had an idea what I was getting into.  The Weekapaug Gruit (named after a Phish song) was a bit better.  It's a deep, dark black with almost no head.  The aroma is hard to put a finger on - some caramel, a bit chamomile.  It has a unique flavor as well.  It's malty and somewhat sweet.  It seem non-beer until the wheat and malt kick in.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Arquebus Summer Barleywine

88 / 100

 This here is straight up delicious. Barleywine and summer don't seem to fit.  Barleywines: thick, syrupy, staggeringly high in alcohol, made for men with beards.  Summer: generally none of that ('cept me, me and my beard). Arquebus is aged in chardonnay barrels which give it well, a chardonnay type fruit flavor.  This sounds odd and it is, but somehow it all works.  It seems slightly lower in hops than most barleywines which allows the tannins slick over the top giving an almost honey flavor.  Served in a wine glass, this is far more accessible than most barleywines. A day later I returned to the CBC and this is exactly what I wanted.

Bier de Miel

76 / 100

A fine representation of this sweet Belgian beer. This would work quite well after dinner.

La Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

2006-07-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

74 / 100

The title suggests there's a lot going on in this beer. Is it a Belgian Tripel? Is it a triple IPA? Is it both? Is it neither? What the fuck are you doing to me La Chouffe?

Anyhow this is an IPA, brewed with 3 different hops. Don't think California IPA, this is definitely a Belgian and the hop character is quite different. Different hops, more yeast - yeah we're in Belgium, especially with the cloudy golden straw color and finger cloud froth topping.

There are familiar Belgian pale ale flavor attributes as well: spicy foreground with citrus tones. Of the hops, the Saaz come through most most - the noble pilsner-esque spice.

It's hard drinking this not thinking you're drinking an experiment, which is strange as it so very subtle. A good tasting beer, but generally in the $10 range for a 750 mL - likely one I won't revisit often.

Pacífico Cerveza

2006-07-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

71 /100

In Los Angeles, there's no shortage of Mexican beer. It's everywhere, just as easy to find as your basic Bud/Miller/Coors, if not easier. The problem is: most of them are downright nasty (the need for lime is not disguise the terrible taste because at least then you'll have lime-tasting nastiness!).

All need to be served quite cold - another sign that the beer is of poor quality. A common misunderstanding is that the darkness of the color is indicative of the caloric quanity. So people think light Mexi-lagers are light on the carby calories. WRONG!!! One Corona has roughly 25 calories more than a Guinness!!!

Summertime finds the Mexi-lagers all over the place; a bbq staple here in Southern California. And as not particularly fond as I am, of the beers - Pacifico has always had a soft spot in my heart on these occassions. It's a refreshing lager. Thin and watery, there's nothing complex about it. That's not to say the subtleties make it a fine lager. It's the wateriness that makes it refreshing, that and it being generally served very cold. The color is not particularly enticing and it's possibly over-carbonated. It's grainy with a slight bitterness that neither adds nor detracts from the flavor. It's drinkable, but generally speaking I'll reach for something else.

Jolly Pumpkin Ales

2006-06-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

I've been reading some reviews of the Jolly Pumpkin Ales of Michigan for years now. I appreciate their old world Belgium brewing methods: open fermenting, oak aging and bottle conditioning. Sadly, I've been unable to try these beers - no distribution in California, that is - until recently.

The missus asked me to pick up a bottle of wine to accompany her fine duck confit. After a more local shop was closed, I headed to RedCarpet Wines in Glendale. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable; pointing me in the right direction for a quality California pinot noir. The beer section is great, too - there's a place I know my way around. It's the only thing I'm good at, you may say.

Calabaza Blanca White Ale

88 / 100

Many American brewers fall so very short when it comes to the subtle simplicity of a Belgian white ale. So I was ready to be underwhelmed. WRONG!!!

This had a lovely golden straw color with a slight head. Carbonation bubbles erupted within. The aroma was subtle but inviting: lemon, orange zest, coriander and a nice tart, sour aroma. The flavor was much the same. I was pleasantly surprised by the tart kick. It was light and refreshing with the sour afterbite. The low 4.8% ABV makes this easy to sip on all summer long. Wish I had more.

This is easily the finest American white I've come upon.

Bam Bière Farmhouse Ale

79 / 100

Another phenomenal Belgian beer, so often mistreated by Americans is the saison. After finding such deliciousness in the Calabaza, I was sure this would be a treat too.

The beer pours a cloudy orange with a minimal head, lots of bubbles dancing around in the glass. It has an interesting aroma of apple, citrus and a good heaping of yeast. The taste was nice: lemon and apple, a nice floral touch with the open-fermentation tartness and overall very refreshing for a warm summer day.

Victory Brewing Company Prima Pils

2006-06-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

90 / 100

Most of the beers available in the world are lagers. All the garbage beers (read: Budweiser, Miller, etc.) are lagers. Some have dare define them as pilsners. Pilsners originated in Pilsen small city in the western Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. Pilsen is the home of Pilsner Urquell, one of the most imported European pilsners. Like the Czechs, the Germans are very proud pilsner makers. German pilsners tend to be a bit more hoppy than their Czech counterparts; providing the bitter bite in the finish.

Prima Pils is the best American example, I’ve had of a classic German pilsner. In fact, Prima Pils is probably the best pilsner I’ve ever had. The bottle pours a straw color into my glass. Nice carbonated streams of bubble percolate the glass reaching the ¼ inch froth head. The aroma provides the obvious hops: herbs and spices. Pale malts come through in the taste with the said hops. A lil grain flavor hides beneath. The taste is smooth and subtle; even though it far out-hops any European pilsner you’ll ever have.

It’s a remarkably delicious and easy drinking lager. One word of wise: if picking up a 6 pack of this delicious nectar, be sure to check the Born On Date. This is not a beer that tastes as good past it’s prime. I’ve walked that road, please don’t follow.

Sequoia Brewing Company

2006-06-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sequoia Brewing Company

777 E. Olive Ave.
Fresno, California, 93728

On business the other day in Fresno (why else would I be there ;-) ) I happened upon the libatious Sequoia Brewing Company. On Olive Street in the artistic Tower District (from what I was told), the brewpub has 6-8 of their own beers brew on the premises. The place itself is low-key. Sports are on the several screens and everyone seemed to know everyone. I can dig. After reading good things on Beer Advocate and being a hop loving freak, I stepped to the Mineral King IPA.

Mineral King IPA 80 /100

Slightly cloudy and golden in color, the IPA has a nice one finger head. Quite pleased with the hop aroma: very California – Cascade and Crystal hops breathe out a nice piney, floral bouquet. The flavor is all hops with a slight malt underkick. Well balanced and full off character with a light sweetness in the finish. A fine beer, if ever in Fresno it’s worth swinging by for this beer alone.

Anchor Summer Beer

2006-05-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

77 / 100

Anchor Brewing has long been one of favorite American breweries. Since 1896, this San Francisco landmark has been producing great beers. If ever in SF, make the brewery tour a part of your visit. Great fun. The tours fill up quick; so be sure to sign up a few weeks in advance.

This is their summer offering - a beer is something I could throw back quite easily during some summer bbq days. I got an early start and did so this past weekend.

It has a light yellow color with a medium white head. Aroma is slight: some wheat and a hint of citrus. The taste is refreshing, the wheat is the initial flavor. The malt brings it altogether. It's light and refreshing.

A decent summer wheat.

2006 Stone Imperial Russian Stout

2006-05-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

91 / 100

This is one of those remarkably delicious things that everyone raves about, it is rank as the 2nd best beer in the world according to Beer Advocate. It's hype so much that you just know it's going to be a letdown. And then it isn't.

This pours dark as night, slightly syrupy with a chocolatey slight head. It looked real nice in my Stone Imperial Russian Stout tulip glass. Yeah I'm pretty fucking rad.

The aroma is slightly subdued: expresso, roasted malt and dark chocolate. The sip is smooth and full of body. The taste is complex: the coffee, the chocolate adding a slight sweetness. A lot is going on and it's all quite pleasant. The texture is brilliant.

While there's undenying the alcohol content (at 10.80% ABV), the warmth it provides is not overbearing and it's quite drinkable. I imagine having this aged a year or two will bring out some other characteristics. Pretty damn good now too.

Westmalle Tripel

2006-05-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

96 / 100

To continue my love for the Trappists, I recently hundered down with an old favorite: Westmalle's Tripel.

Pours beautifully into my chalice; a nice hazy golden color with a thin white head that retains quite well with some gorgeous lacing. It has a sweet aroma with citrus fruits evident and the slightest hint of coriander. It tastes remarkable - sweetness in the yeast, some cloves and bit tart. Nice medium body with a warming alcohol feel. The 9.5 is very well hidden. I could drink a few of these.

The best tripel I've ever had. Delicious.

Monks, what can't they do?

Trappists

2006-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Much like sparkling wine can only be Champagne if it’s from the Champagne region of France and whiskey can only be Bourbon if it’s from Bourbon County, Kentucky; only beer made in by monks in Trappist Abbeys can truly be called – Trappist.

In today’s Belgium, there remain just 6 Abbeys of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, more commonly known the Trappist Order, that carry the official Trappist approval :

Bières de Chimay

Brasserie d'Orval

Brasserie de Rochefort (Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy)

Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse

Brouwerij Westmalle

Brouwerij Westvleteren (Abbey of of Saint Sixtus)

The most prevalently available is Chimay. Three varieties (Première, Grande Réserve and Cinqs Cents) of Chimay can be found quite easily with a bit of effort - even Trader Joe’s is now carrying them. If nothing else, do yourself a favor in sampling one of these delicious ales. The Cinq Cents is a great starting point if you’re not ready to jump full into heavy ales.

I’ve sampled most of the imported bottled versions of all of the other Trappists – all but one: Westvleteren. According the Beer Advocate Top 100 Westvleteren 12 is the best beer in the world, as reviewed by it's readers (Westvleteren 8 is the 4th best). Perhaps it's a bunch of beer geeks showing off that they were able to get this elusive beverage, or perhaps it really its that good. My bet is somewhere in between. There is only one place outside of the Abbey of Saint Sixtus where this can be purchased (and for a hefty shipping fee, also ordered online) and that is Belgian Shop. Before you hurry off to buy some, I will tell you that I've ordered a few, several months ago that I'm still waiting to be delivered.

If you scour the local beer shops you can find the others. Rochefort and Achel seem to have gained distribution over the last year. A trip to Cap N Cork can find you Rochefort, Achel, Chimay, Westmalle and Orval (thus far, my favorite). Worth any trip for these fine beers.

Taj Mahal Premium Lager

2006-05-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

43 / 100

Like many before me, I kicked it to this not terribly delicious beverage while enjoying some fine Indian food. It's light, bland and a bit sweet when it shouldn't be.

This rivals a bad American macro beer but without the crisp, refreshing qualities that a better one would have.

Go fo the mango lassi.