Ninkasi – Tricerahops Double IPA
Feb0
Yummy! - Photo by Jana aka The fiance
See even cats like it! Photo by Jana
Tonight I am drinking the Tricerahops from Ninkasi Brewing Company. This is the first beer I have had from Ninkasi Brewing Company and I am very impressed. This IPA definitely has hops to it but it isn’t so overpowering that you can’t taste other parts of the beer. It has a very light color with almost no head and has a flowery smell to it, to go along with the smell the taste has hints of lavender. On first taste there is the sharpness of the hops and then it mellows out to a sweeter smooth taste. The mixture makes the beer very easy to drink and taste great after a work out or if you just want to forget that the next day you have to return to your day job 
.
The Good: A very approachable IPA that is easy to drink and doesn’t overpower you with hops.
The Bad: Sorry, I am drawing a blank there really isn’t anything bad about this IPA.
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Full Sail – Black Gold Imperial Stout
Feb0
That's it I am moving to Beverly Hills
Today I am reviewing Full Sail’s Black Gold Imperial Stout, this beer is a limited brewmaster’s release. Upon pouring this beer you can see it is dark, very dark. This beer is cask-conditioned that was aged in bourbon barrels which gives the beer some additional flavors. While the beer is still cold it is more bitter than I expected, however, after the beer warms up that bitterness goes away. This beer has a sweet smell that is a bit like a liquor and brown sugar which I am guessing is from the bourbon barrels. The taste has small hints of vanilla and the alcohol taste comes through more (but not much) as it warms up. Once the beer is at a good serving temperature (~55) it is more mellow and a delight to drink. The aftertaste on this beer is very sweet and it sticks around for at least 15 seconds.
Let me digress a little about why I am even reviewing this beer. I was recently at my local grocery store and this beer was at the bottom of the end display with a sign saying “2 bottle limit per customer.” It piqued my interest. I know Full Sail is a good brewery but the sign tipped me over the edge for purchasing this $10 bottle of beer. That and it was the very last bottle. Anyways, I am very glad that I bought this beer. Ok, back to our regularly schedule review…
As the name suggests this beer is thick as black gold, but probably sweeter. This beer has an ABV of 10.5% which is pretty strong but the alcohol taste isn’t overpowering which is nice. I have had quite a few beers that had an ABV of 9+% and it is quite common for the alcohol taste and smell to be very noticeable. I have now let this beer sit for an hour and a half and the beer has become almost sickeningly sweet. What does this tell you? Don’t nurse your dang beer! However, both my fiance and I have nursed ours as it is just not a beer you drink quickly. I couldn’t imagine drinking the whole bottle by myself!
The Good: A great tasting beer that is easy to drink, until it gets really warm
The Bad: It is a limited release and a bit expensive
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Laughing Dog – The Dogfather
Feb0
Even dogs must bow down to it...
Tonight I am drinking The Dogfather from Laughing Dog Brewing. From the get go you can tell this is a serious stout! The beer is rated at 10.85% ABV which is not exactly a budweiser . The higher alcohol comes through in the taste and the smell of the beer. I can’t drink this beer quickly for many reasons: it has a high ABV, the taste would be over powering, the bitterness would get to me. Overall the Dogfather isn’t that bitter but it does have an IBU rating of 71 which is higher than some IPAs. I am going to guess based off of the sharpness in the bitterness that it is mostly coming from the malts with the hops giving it the sharp finish. The aftertaste of the beer is surprisingly sweet which would be almost gross if someone was to take a huge gulp. As the beer warmed up the bitterness and sharpness toned down a bit and a slight smokey flavor showed up.
Overall this beer was pretty damn good. I would say the hardest part of this whole review was getting a picture of my dogs looking like they actually gave a damn about the beer. It was almost as bad as getting a girl interested in engines: the easiest way is to put a “cute” pair of shoes around the damn thing. However, in this case, the “engine” was beer and the “cute” shoes were freeze-dried liver treats.
The Good: aftertaste, makes you feel good after a tough work week, taste
The Bad: A little too bitter
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Rogue – Mocha Porter
Feb0
Ahh… the memories that I have drinking Rogue brews. When I lived in Issaquah there was a Rogue brewpub half a mile away from my apartment, it was awesome! Bummer I didn’t appreciate beer as much as I do now. Because of these past experiences Rogue is one of my stand-by breweries when I can’t find anything different or I just want something that I know is good. But enough reminiscing, down to business.
Today, I will be reviewing Rogue’s Mocha Porter. You can find this beer in most decent grocery stores in the Washington area and is good if you want a smoother porter. There is a hint of bitterness which comes from the toasted malts but overall it goes down very smoothly and has a slightly sweet smell.
Because this is a porter it doesn’t have much alcohol in it which makes it great to drink during the week. I ate some chili with this beer and the two items were a great pairing as the beer counter-acted the spiciness in the chili. This beer is a great beer and I would probably bring it to a BBQ or some other social function, however, it is not something that I would save for a special occasion.
The Good: Smooth finish, easy to drink, the beer is abundant
The Bad: The beer is pretty common (yes that is all I can come up with, that tells you something!)
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Stone – Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Feb0
When I first poured the Stone bitter chocolate oatmeal stoat I said “that is one dark beer” my fiance said “that looks delicious.” Even though we have different tastes if you combine our two statements it becomes a great summary for this beer. While the beer was cold I could definitely taste the chocolate flavors but as the beer warmed up those flavors went away. The chocolate taste wasn’t overbearing but was noticeable. One thing I noticed about this beer is that it was incredibly rich and thick, however, it wasn’t so thick that it felt like you were swallowing 10w30 motor oil.
Since this beer is a chocolate oatmeal stoat it has a hint of bitterness which more than likely comes from the oats. However, the bitterness is not over powering and once the beer warms up it mellows out even more. The beer is also incredibly smooth and easy to drink which can be really dangerous since this beer is rated at 9.2% ABV. According to Stone there is actually cocoa in the brew which is a bit different than the majority of other chocolate stouts which usually use a chocolate malt (a malt toasted to a chocolaty color). The smell of the beer is sweet with a hint of malty goodness. I enjoyed drinking this beer and found that it was easy to drink and I thought the logo on the beer bottle was awesome.
The Good: A great tasting and smooth stout
The Bad: The beer is a bit strong for weekday drinking (at least for me).
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Dogfish Head – Midas Touch
Feb0
No corny jokes required!
This beer has been in my fridge for a week and I am finally getting around to it. On a semi-side note I am turning into a real fan of Dogfish Head all of the beers that I have of theirs have been unique but yet good. On first sip this beer is a bit sweet but what else would you expect from a beer that is brewed with barley, honey, white muscat grapes and saffron? Having grapes in beer is a bit weird but for this beer it works quite well. I am surprised I like this beer as I tend to shy away from light beers but this is one that I would drink again. But then again this beer isn’t really considered a beer, the brewer describes it as “between a beer, wine and mead.” I can understand why they say this as it doesn’t have the bitterness of a normal beer (since there are no hops), the grapes make it have a wineish taste and the honey is often found in meads so go figure .
Overall I think this beer is pretty damn good and would be another candidate for me to give someone who doesn’t like beer. But before you discount this beer as a wussy beer take into account that it has a 9.0% ABV so it is roughly twice as strong (alcohol wise) as most beers. It is also only 20 IBU so all things considered it is not bitter at all.
The Good: Easy to drink and a great overall taste.
The Bad: Kind of expensive (about $4 a bottle) and high on the alcohol content so it is not a weekday drinker (at least for this reviewer).
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Ommegang – Abbey Ale
Feb0
This will be my first review of a beer that I was expecting to like the beer and I didn’t. It has a fruity taste at first, followed by a slightly bitter taste and then…..nothing. Since this beer comes from the same people that brew three philosophers I was a bit surprised. As the beer warms up the alcohol taste becomes more prominent and makes the beer a little bit better, but not much.
I didn’t really enjoy drinking this beer and will probably shy away from trying it again. As a belgian beer it has some stiff competition and doesn’t surpass (at least in taste) any of the other belgian beers that I have tried. Even mainstream ones like Chimay are better than this beer
The Good: Hmm… it is pretty easy to drink
The Bad: Pretty boring taste and it is a let down after the first taste that hits your tongue.
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Big Al Brewing
Feb0
This last weekend I went down to a brewery that has been opened for less than six months, Big Al Brewing. I first found out about this brewery last week when I went out to eat and there was a beer called the “local hero”, the waitress told us that it was a home brew selected by this new brewery to be brewed in bigger batches. My fiance and I thought that was an awesome idea and we decided that we should go see the brewery and what other beers were available.
The brewery is located in West Seattle, more specifically white center which is not exactly the best place in the world but hey it works for a start-up brewery . Since we went in the afternoon trying all of the different brews in pint glasses was not something we were about to attempt, thankfully they had a sampler which served up all the beers for only $4.50, score! I particularly liked the Dark Roast and Irish Red. But all of the beers where good. Currently they only distribute growlers, pony and fully kegs but everyone has to start somewhere. I am looking forward to seeing more brews from this brewer and I am sure I will be going there again very soon.
The Good: Good local brew at a very decent price, supports home brewers
The Bad: Not a place I would like to go late at night