Beer Review: Southern Tier Pumking
Oct3
…Jana’s version.
aka: the more accurate version
The Jack-o-lantern King o' Beers!
Type o’beer: Pumpkin ale
Warm-and-fuzzy Factor: 7.9% ABV
Wallet/Purse thinning Factor: A growler cost us $25
I finally found it. I have been looking for a “pumpkin” beer that actually was impressive. I have had the Punkin by Dogfish Head. I have had the Elysian Night Owl. I have had the Elysian Pumpkin Stout. I have also had a few others.
Obviously, I have been on a mission.
I have had this beer once before but did not review it because of certain life events. However, I knew that I wanted to review it. When I finally went to go look for this beer again, I couldn’t find it in the bottled version at two different stores! I did find it on-tap at our local Bottleworks and nicely “asked” Mr. Beer Guy to spend a bunch of money on the growler so that we could have it. I worked in a “dual review” so that we could get some additional mileage out of the purchase. 
Per the people at Bottleworks, 17 cases were delivered of this beer and in 2 weeks, they were gone. Wow.
I finally found an awesome pumpkin beer. This one tastes like pumpkin, but is not over-powering. It also has hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and possibly some hazelnut. The smell is definitely one that reminds of you of sitting next to a warm fire with a toasty cookie while it is quite cold outside. I know that my description of this beer makes it sound very sweet. And that could be true. It is sweet, but not overpowering as some of the previously reviewed beers have been.
The beer starts with a sweet, homemade-cookie smell, with a somewhat sour taste, but sweetens as it warms up. The beer is not hard to drink at all at any stage or temperature, and it is one that we invited our awesome neighbor over to drink because it is that good that it needs to be shared.
I would have to say that I could look forward to this beer almost as much as I look forward to the acceptableness of pumpkin spice lattes when the season changes.
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Beer Review: The Men’s Room Original Ale by Elysian
Oct2
A damn fine ale
A local radio show here in Seattle paired up with Elysian – one of the micro-breweries in Seattle – to brew a beer. I happen to be a fan of the show so I thought I would give it a whirl.
What can I say? For a bunch of drunks it is actually a damn fine ale. Granted they didn’t make but helped create the recipe so I guess it would turn out since the creation of the beer was left in the capable hands of the Elysian brewers. The beer is golden brown like an ale is supposed to be and is pretty smooth. This beer has a very prominent floral taste which was surprising to me. The beer is 5.4 abv and is really not bitter and has a very nice finish. It was damn easy to drink and I could see how it would be easy to drink a few pints without even noticing it. Some of the proceeds of this beer go to a charity so while you drink you can have a warm fuzzy feeling without actually getting buzzed.
Unfortunately this beer isn’t being bottled yet and is usually fairly quick to go. I don’t think Elysian is brewing huge batches of it either and with the radio show pimping the beer it sounds like a recipe for a beer to go quickly.
The good: Easy to drink ale some proceeds go to a charity
The bad: Limited quantities
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Beer Review: Consecration by Russian Review
Aug0
Yumminess in a bottle
For my birthday my fiancée bought this bottle of beer for me.
Amount of brew in bottle: 750ml
ABV: 10%
Price: $23
Type of brew: Sour beer
This sour ale is brewed with currants and is barrel aged. Which made the brew fairly fruity and pretty sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste that quickly vanished. I shared this beer with some friends and they where wondering if it was even beer and not wine. What does that mean to you? Mainly that the beer is a good beer for people who don’t like beer. Granted at the price we paid for this beer you can get a pretty decent bottle of red wine! The beer is pretty carbonated, very darkly colored, super easy to drink and really enjoyable. One thing you might have noticed is that this beer weighs in at a hefty 10% ABV which is no slouch of a beer. However, you could not even taste the alcohol in the beer which would be very dangerous if you wanted the whole bottle by yourself. The flip side to that though is that with many beers with alcohol levels in the double digits you have to be ok with tasting alcohol, so this beer was a nice change of pace.
The real question for me though is the beer worth the price? Personally I don’t think so. Even though it was a great beer I just couldn’t see dropping that kind of money on this beer. Granted it someone was to give me this beer I would greatly appreciate it .
The good: Easy to drink and not overpowering
The bad: A bit too expensive.
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Brewery : Black Raven Brewing Co.
Jul0
Today I decided to take a trip to Black Raven Brewery in Redmond, WA. Black Raven serves up 7 brews including the classics, Hef Pale Ale, IPA, Porter and Stout. However they have a couple extras that are a little more unique. On the lighter side they have a Kristallweizen, which is a nice filtered wheat beer, light in color and alcohol. And to finish up, there is La Petite Mort. Meaning “The Little Death” in French (which is an innuendo FYI, in case you mention it in France) it is a strong Abbey Ale, running 8.8% ABV.
Kristale Wheat:
I began my journey with the lightest. The Kristale is a cross between a pilsner and a Hefeweizen. Very light and crisp, its light palate still contains some distinct flavors including light honey and banana undertones. Generally I’m not a big fan of light beers, but I would definitely take another look at this one.
The Good: Light and refreshing. For a Light beer I would drink it again.
The Bad: A bit too light, and the banana undertones (though prevalent in many beers due to the type of yeast) can be distracting.
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Hefeweizen:
Hefeweizen’s are a classic; Black Raven’s however, is an unfiltered version of the Kristale. Their differences are slight but noticeable. The Hef has a bit more of a bite, and a little fuller bodied. With a choice between the two I would take the Hef.
The Good: Same as the Kristale but with more body.
The Bad: The unfiltered version ends up with the same issues as the Kristale.
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Totem Pale Ale:
The Totem is a light amber ale. On first taste, it’s bitter, with the ESB malt smoothing out in the end. I’m not a big fan of bitters, but this Pale Ale might be worth a shot for IPA fans. The bartender tells me their IPA is even bitterer. The Totem Pale Ale rates a 38 IBU while the IPA pulls 68. *shiver*
The Good: It’s smooth and has some good flavors.
The Bad: A bit bitter, with a little too much hops. (But I’m biased)
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Obligatory beer sampler shot
Tamerlane Brown Porter:
I’ve moved past the lights, and entered the darks. My Expectations are high. The Porter… meets them. With a slightly smoky, nutty taste, this is a smooth brew. Not very sweet, there are Northwest hops and coffee undertones. Very enjoyable, and as my second favorite (and it’s not nitro) I’ll be taking this home in the growler.
The Good: Very tasty Porter. I love the full palate of flavors.
The Bad: Could be a bit smoother, and there is a touch of light bitterness.
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Morrighan Stout
This Nitro stout is yummy. A bit smoky, there is definitely a coffee flavor, with light mocha undertones. This nitro stout pours like a Guinness, and settles down into a beautiful head. The stout is smooth enough to drink all day, but still has the dry Irish stout satisfaction of a Guinness. Since I’m comparing to Guinness, I should state that the Morrighan has a solid, more flavorful set of tastes than a Guinness. Unfortunately because it’s Nitro I can’t take a Growler of this with me, shucks.
The Good: It’s Nitro. Lots of flavor. Would take over a Guinness any day
The Bad: I can’t take it home!
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La Petite Mort
This Abbey ale is also very tasty. The Belgium yeast leaves a bit of a spicy taste to this dark amber ale. Cloves, honey and banana are all light undertones. Additionally there is a very light tobacco flavor, which reminds me of my father smoking a cigar, while playing golf. I’m not sure if the innuendo of “The Little Death” quite compares to this brew as I was expecting a little more kick. As it stands you can barely even notice the 8.8% ABV, and honestly any more would be too much.
The Good: Enjoyable Abbey ale. Lots of flavor and a little more kick than the other Black Raven brews.
The Bad: The banana yeast is back, and it was a bit sweet. Still very good.
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Black Raven Brewing Co.
With 7 beers on tap made in house, only 1 of which is a seasonal (La Petite Mort) there is a beer for everyone here. The wait staff was friendly in the tap house, and overall the service was good. I was very satisfied with the sampler, and I shall go home and enjoy my Growler.
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Hola!
Dec0
Welcome to the newest beer review blog on the interweb! This review site will be ran by me (Mike) and a few of my friends. We all like beer and like to try new kinds. This won’t be your stuffy type of beer review site it will just be our thoughts on different beers and brewing events. If you like our writing and review style, that is awesome if you want to give us some feedback that is cool too. If you want more “scientific” reviews well I am sure you can find them else where. Well enough babbling onto my first review.
I hope to hear from someone some year .