Beer Review: Flemish Sour Ale – Monk’s Cafe
Jun0
Who you callin' sour boy? Photo by Jana
Whenever I drink a sour beer I am always wishy-washy about it. On one hand it tastes like a weird apple cider but on the other hand it is kind of refreshing. Before I get into the bulk of the beer review here are the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 11.2 fluid ounces
ABV: 5.5%
Type of brew: Sour ale
Price: ~$4
If they renamed this beer to “sweet and sour red ale” it would sum this beer right the hell up. It has the taste of an apple cider that had a few extra cups of sugar added but still the slight tang of sourness. It pours with a red color and has a decent head on the top of it. I am not entirely sure if I am drinking a beer or a kids drink that has been spiked by my evil cousin Vinnie. This beer is ridiculously easy to drink and if I was on an empty stomach while having it this beer would do me in not because it has a high ABV but because it is too easy to drink. I do notice that after having this beer there is a slight bitterness that lingers in my mouth. This beer really reminds me of sweet and sour pork mainly because it is really sweet and with just a touch of sour. As with most sour beers it is a taste you must enjoy or else you will not like the beer. When my fiancée tasted this beer she said it “tasted like apple cider gone bad” which pretty much sums up most sour beers 
. I personally don’t mind sour beers and they are especially nice way to cleanse your palette after a meal.
Overall I felt this beer was ok for a sour ale, but I felt it was too sweet for my tastes. When I have a sour beer I want sour not some wussy “sour” beer that just has a hint of sour. That is like getting the “fire” sauce at Taco Bell which is a poor imitation of things that should make you cry.
The good: super easy to drink
The bad: way too sweet
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Beer Review: Rainer
May0
Take your vitamins!
Ahh Rainer also known as Vitamin-R this is a staple of maybe people here in the NW. You can even see the old Rainer brewery driving down I-5 as you are leaving Seattle. Anyways, this beer is super light on flavor and reminds me of flavored water. I couldn’t even bring myself to buy this beer so I had to bum a can of this beer from my neighbor. Well, I could buy this but it comes in cases or big bottles and since I don’t expect to be drinking more than one can within the next month. Anyways back to the review… it is best cold, fairly fizzy and that is about it. There is a slight hint of barley and the can says there are “yakima valley hops” but I can’t taste any hops at all. This beer is what I was expecting from all of the jokes and stereo-types. I think of this beer like an adult version of soda pop; it is easy to go down and chug, makes you belch and doesn’t do much for you except help you gain weight.
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Beer Reviews – Moylan’s Brewers Night
May0
8 Moylan tasters
One of the events for Seattle beer week is Moylan’s brewers night. They had an 8 beer sampler with the following beers: Sömmer Kölsch Bier, Pomegranate Wheat, Moylan’s Special Bitter Nitro, Nor Cal IPA, Batch #1000 Bourbon Double Scotch Ale, Batch #1000 Double Kilt-sickle, Wet Hopsickle 08, Dry-hopped Hopsickle Cask.
Sömmer Kölsch Bier – tastes like water with wheat it is light on the body and flavor. However it is very easy to drink and pretty fizzy. A lot of girls at the table liked this beer and it was described as a good lawnmower beer which is a pretty accurate description.
Pomegranate Wheat – This beer was just slightly sweet with very little carbonation. It was nice because many beers with a fruit associated with them are usually so overpowering. The beer was super easy to drink and there was barely a wheat taste to it, so much that I forgot it was a wheat beer until someone reminded me that it was.
Moylan’s Special Bitter Nitro – This beer had very little bitterness to it and was pretty damn sweet. I know nitro beers tend to be mellower but this was almost over the top it was just too damn sweet for a bitter. It was very sweet smelling and had a sharp bite like cough syrup. Around the table I heard this beer being described with adjectives like soy and whiskey.
Nor Cal IPA – One person in the group said this beer seemed toxic after drinking the bitter but I beg to differ. It had a light hop bit and it was pretty damn refreshing after the bitter. It was a little syrupy for my taste and you it had the mellowness of malt.
Wet Hopsickle 08 - Ahh there are the hops I was hoping to see. This beer was pretty good it had an initial sweet taste but the refreshing aftertaste of the hops. This was a great change from the sweeter and bland beers I had just been having.
Dry-hopped Hopsicle Cask - Oy, this beer sucked! It smells like a wet sock, and no taste and no fucking hop taste. It was like someone took one of my gym socks ran some water through it and rung it out into the keg.
Batch #1000 Double Kilt-sickle – This beer had a tangy fruity smell, the taste was like the smell but it included lovely lovely hops. By far the best beer so far in this tasting and it the color was like a pilsner but it sure didn’t taste like one!
Batch #1000 Bourbon Double Scotch Ale – Sweet like you would expected from a beer aged in a bourbon barrel but it also had a nice bitter taste to it. It was not over-sweet like you get with some bourbon aged beers. It was very strong alcohol wise (I think it was like 10%+) but there was no noticable alcohol taste to it.
Recap – Overall I felt these Moylan beers were pretty good there was some crap ones in there but I am sure that is a matter of taste. I was glad I got to go to this and try some beers that are not available up here in Washington or available ever.
Beer Review: Panty Peeler – Midnight Sun
May0
* Results may vary
Panty Peeler is brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company in Anchorage, Alaska. Here are the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 8.5%
Type of brew: Belgian style ale w/orange peel & coriander
Price: ~$8.99
My fiance picked out this beer for her and I would have to say she made a great choice. Although I am not sure why the beer is called panty peeler . The beer tastes like a Belgian styled ale but it is a bit sweeter and leaves that sweetness as an aftertaste. It isn’t over powering but if you were to pay attention it is there which is kind of nice. When I usually have a Belgian beer I don’t really notice much of an aftertaste and if I do it is just kind of blah. Like most Belgian beers it was fairly carbonated which is always a nice change of pace. I didn’t really taste any orange or coriander nor did I smell anything but then again I had this beer right after standing around a BBQ with mesquite smoke penetrating my smell and taste buds. This Belgian isn’t my favorite beer of all time but it is darn good that is for sure! If you ever get a chance I would pick-up a bottle and if you are on a date maybe you can put the name of the beer to the test .
The good: Great tasting Belgian ale
The bad: It can’t over ride the smell of mesquite BBQ (is that really a bad thing?)
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Beer Review: Collaboration not Litigation – Avery & Russian River
Apr2
Maybe a lawyer should have been involved...
I have seen this beer at one of my favorite watering holes but have never purchased a glass. The back story of this beer is that it was created because both the Russian River and Avery breweries had the same beer name and instead of getting all of those crappy lawyers involved they decided to combine beers. Here are some stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 8.72%
Type of brew: Belgian style ale
Price: ~$6
Like many craft beers this beer is not meant to be consumed cold (i.e. right out of the fridge) but I always like to try it anyways . For this beer I would highly suggest not doing that as it gets about 10x better once it warms up a little bit. But even after the beer has been warmed up there is nothing really noteworthy about it. The beer has a hazelnut color, is decently carbonated and had no noticeable smell. When the beer did warm up it did have a very slight sweetness to it but only slightly. This beer gave me a serious case of the blahs and I consumed it without much fanfare. My fiance was not a fan of this beer she thought I should rate it 0.5 out of 5 and she tends to like Belgians.
The good: easy to drink Belgian beer once it warms up
The bad: not very noteworthy just a middle of the road Belgian (once it warms up that is)
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Beer Review: Hop Rod Rye – Bear Republic
Apr0
One hoppy mofo!
This review is full of firsts: my first bear republic beer and my first rye ale. Before we get into the bulk of the review here are some pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 8%
Type of brew: Rye ale
Price: ~$5
This beer smells like an IPA but it doesn’t exactly taste like one. The hop taste is very prominent but go figure since the name of the beer is “Hop Rod Rye.” However it does not exactly taste like a normal IPA it has a hint of weird spiciness and bitterness to the beer. On top of the flavor differences the color of the beer is a dark amber. Besides that this beer is pretty much a middle of the road IPA like beer. I don’t have too much to say about it except that it is pretty much a strong ass IPA. I know it isn’t called an IPA but it sure as hell tastes like one. I think the added rye does give a certain punch to the beer I know on first swig I respond with “wow.” But it is something I got quickly used to. If you ever are in the mood for a different type of hoppy beer I would definitely suggest you try this one!
The good: Pretty good hoppy beer
The bad: If you don’t like hoppy beers run away
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Beer Review: Spring Reign Ale – Ninkasi Brewing Company
Apr0
It is reigning beer! - Photo by Jana
This is the second Ninkasi beer I have had and my first seasonal from them. Here are the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 6%
Type of brew: Session / ale
Price: ~$5
The first thing I noticed when I poured this beer was how much carbonation it had, it almost poured like a pop! This beer has a hoppy taste but not as full of hops as an IPA. It has an IBU rating of 38 so it isn’t as bland as a lager but it is no 120 IBU monster . The color of the beer is close to apple cider but thankfully it doesn’t taste like cider. The beer is not that sweet so the bitterness from the hops is very apparent which makes it a nice weekday beer. Like many spring and summer beers it is highly refreshing and it would be great to have during a warm day or while eating a nice juicy burger.
There is not much more I can say about this beer. It is a great beer for drinking throughout the day on a hot day or after a hard bike-ride/hike/run. I like this beer but it is not something I will be having dreams about.
The good: great session beer
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Beer Review: Pliny the Elder – Russian River
Apr0
This IPA is a keeper!
So for the past month I have heard about this beer Pliny the Elder as a must drink IPA, given all of these claims I was skeptical. My fiance was even told by a bartender at a local beer bar that a grocery store had some but they didn’t stock it on the shelves but you had to ask nicely and they might give it to you. Before I get into the bulk of the review here are the pertinent stats:
Amount of brew in bottle: 500ml (~17 fluid ounces)
ABV: 8%
Type of brew: IPA
Price: $6
What can I say? This beer lives up to the hype! It is one of the best IPAs I have ever had and it comes at a decent price which is a welcome change to some of the beers I have been drinking. The beer has a fruity smell to it and on first taste there is a slight sweetness to it with a hoppy aftertaste. One of the cool things about this beer is that it isn’t too hoppy but it still has a great taste. Considering that this beer is an IPA it is fairly mellow. But being a mellow IPA is not a bad thing. I think it is great especially for an IPA as many people try to just load up on the hops and make it a hop monster. I feel that Russian River has struck a great balance between a beer that you can taste the hops but still make it great tasting. If you ever get a chance to try out this beer do so, I know I can’t wait to try the beer off the tap.
The good: a great IPA!
The bad: not always available
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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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Elysian – Pandemonium
Jan0
This is another U.S. Sour beer it has been cask conditioned for over four years. It has a husky almost bitter initial taste with just a small hint of sourness. The after taste really brings forth the sour part of this beer, also, the sour taste seems to longer for a good minute before it slowly dissaptes a way. As with all of the other sour beers I have tried it reminds me of an ale mixed with hard cider. It is a very refreshing beer that seems to cleanse the palate after each drink. For instance I started this beer with a plate of BBQ wings and after each wing I would take a sip and I could no longer really taste the wing I just had. Although it does nothing for the spicyness . It is light in color and has no head to really speak of, I mean look at the head on the picture it is uber-thin. Overall I would recommend this beer if you are a lover of sour beers or would like to try one.
The Good: smooth after taste, easy to drink with a very nice finish
The Bad: Comes in a small glass
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Cheers!
P.S. If you are ever in the Greenlake area try out Tangletown which is where I had this. It is owned by Elysian and they are pretty good beers there with decent food.