Only slightly wild...

Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces

ABV: 6.7%

Type of brew: IPA

Price: ~$6

The first thing I noticed when pouring this beer was the thick white head that occurred.  I am fairly practiced at pouring beers so I am doubtful that it was a bad pour .  Not saying that a large head makes the beer bad, it was just the first thing I noticed.  The beer is a nice amber color and it has carbonation similar to Belgian beers.  Looking at the back of the bottle they said they used a yeast that is commonly used in Belgian ales so go figure that the carbonation is similar .

I do find this beer to be not too hoppy.  Supposedly it is an IPA but the hop taste is a bit weak for me or maybe I am just not sophisticated enough to pick up on the subtle notes. It is nice to have an IPA that isn’t crazy strong though.  Since this IPA weighs in at 6.7% ABV it is a nice beer to have on a hot summer night. However, my wife thought the beer tasted exactly like an IPA.  So, as with any beer review it all depends on the person’s tastes and what they normally drink.

Overall this was a nice beer and if you get a chance to pick one up I would suggest it.

The good: A mellow IPA that is a nice everyday beer

The bad: Could be really easy to pour it horribly

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A mighty fine IPA

Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces

ABV: 8.9%

Type of brew: Imperial IPA

Price: ~$8

The very first sip I took of this beer it had a really skunky hop flavor but an awesome floral smell.  However, the taste was only because I took a drink of it while the beer was still cold and had not properly warmed up.  Thankfully, once the beer had warmed up the hop taste matched the smell of this beer.  The taste was what you would expect from any quality IPA, slightly bitter initial taste with a nice dry finish at the end.

When I first saw this bottle I was a bit reluctant to purchase it.  Stone isn’t always my favorite brewer and they usually try and go over the top with their beers.  However, this beer is rather tasty and not over the top.  Granted this is a strong beer alcohol wise but it is on par with many of the other Imperial IPAs I have had.

The beer as you can see from the picture pours a light golden color with a decent white head.  The beer looks very approachable and could catch you by surprise if you were just handed a glass of it…hmm, that gives me an idea .  Anyways, this beer matched perfectly with a hot July night down here in Texas or if you are lucky to not be in the heat some spicy BBQ should probably do the trick.

Overall this beer is a pretty damn good IPA.  I am not sure if it would be my #1 choice for an IPA but it is still a damn good IPA and something I would suggest anyone try.

The good: A very tasty IPA especially on a hot summer day/night

The bad: Probably won’t be around for too long

Related posts:

1. Stone – Imperial Russian Stout
2. Beer Review: 15th Anniversary Double IPA – GDBC
3. Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic

This was one of the two wood-aged double IPAs I recently purchased. I have to say I like this beer more than the other one. This beer has just a hint of sweetness and is a bit smoother than a typical double IPA. But you can still taste the hops which is what I tend to like about IPAs . The beer pours a rich amber color with pretty much no head and small amount of carbonation. The bottle is pretty cool too I like how the label is designed and there was a “cool” foil top on it that just screams “premium” . There is not tons to say about this beer it is damn good, it is semi-sweet but not over the top, a bit hoppy but not crazy, not too bitter and easy to drink. I am not sure if I could drink a whole 22 ounce bottle by myself though (I usually split these bottles).

The good: a damn fine beer, easy to drink and not an over the top (i.e. only extreme hop-heads will like it) IPA.
The bad: It took them 15 years to come out with this beer .

Overall taste: ★★★★☆ 

Bitterness: ★★½☆☆ 

Smoothness: ★½☆☆☆ 

Overall rating: ★★★½☆ 

P.S. There is no picture because my camera died, le sigh

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An IPA for everyone

Amount of brew in bottle: 12 fluid ounces
ABV: 10%
Type of brew: Oak-aged Imperial IPA
Price: $4.50

I am a huge fan of Dogfish Head so I was looking forward to trying this beer. I was curious as to how it would taste since I have never had an oak-aged Imperial IPA. The first thing I noticed upon drinking this beer was that it was a whole lot sweeter and a lot less bitter/hoppy than a normal IPA. Dogfish Head is known for having high alcohol content beers and this beer is not an exception it weighs in at 10% which is pretty dang strong. The beer poured a golden caramel color with a decent head. The beer is slightly carbonated and does have a bit of bitterness to it which is what you would expect from an IPA. This has to be one of the easiest IPAs I have ever had to drink. This would be one of the few IPAs that I would offer to my friends that hate IPAs.

As with most oak-aged beers it is pretty sweet and leaves a tacky feeling on your lips. Since it is an IPA there is a slight bitterness to it but it is not that bad more like a light-colored porter than a hoppy IPA. However, like most oak-aged beers I couldn’t drink many of these in one sitting I think my limit would be one.

The good: A super easy drink IPA that would turn off most hop-heads
The bad: A bit sweet

Overall taste: ★★★½☆ 

Bitterness: ★★☆☆☆ 

Smoothness: ★★½☆☆ 

Overall rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Don't follow this leader!

I have had this beer in my fridge for almost a month now so I guess I should finally get to reviewing it.
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 8%
Type of brew: Imperial IPA
Price: ~$6
The last time I had a laughing dog beer I wasn’t that impressed. Actually I was downright fucking unimpressed but hey I am not reviewing that beer on this post. Thankfully this beer is a little better but it still is not the best beer I have ever had. Supposedly this beer has 120+ IBUs but I don’t feel that it is that hoppy maybe because the malt is over-riding the hops which is too bad. The beer poured a light brown color and had a malty smell. The taste is skunky and very malty. Even though the taste is not that great this beer is decently easy to drink. However, this beer is rather unremarkable and Laughing Dog has let me down once again. Since this is my second beer I will give Laughing Dog one more try before I stop drinking their beers.

The good: A great beer to use for revenge
The bad: Tastes like malty skunk water

Overall taste: ½☆☆☆☆ 

Bitterness: ★★★½☆ 

Smoothness: ★☆☆☆☆ 

Overall rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

Related posts:

1. Beer Review: Dogzilla Black IPA – Laughing Dog Brewery
2. Laughing Dog – The Dogfather

This is one hoppy mofo (picture by Jana)

Note: This is a guest post from my lovely fiancee she also enjoys a good beer and wanted to do a review and why would I refuse?  So, anyways now you know and you can stop wondering why the hell there are references to “Mr. iluvmybeer” that would be me.  Well enjoy reading her witty banter .

Basic Stats:
Brewed By: Moylan’s Brewing Company in Novato, CA
Contains: 1pint 6oz of fluid
Warm and Fuzzy Factor: 6.5% alcohol by volume
Price: Mr. iluvmybeer can’t remember
Type of Brew: India Pale Ale

On the bottle, it says that this beer “provides a stimulating assault on all senses.”  It is true that it is a pretty gold color, it smells like a hoppy IPA, and tastes like someone crammed a few barrels worth of hops into the bottle.  It was a little weak in the sound arena though.

Immediately out of the fridge and bottle, this beer tastes like most other “assaultingly” hoppy IPAs.  You must be in the mood to have this beer.  (No, not THAT mood.)  When Mr. iluvmybeer took a taste, I am pretty sure that he had sour beer face going on.  As this beer warmed up, the hoppy-factor did cool it a bit and it was more drinkable.

The brewers also said that the beer had floral notes to it, but that isn’t something that I picked up on.  Neither did I notice the “notes of resin and herbs.”

Unfortunately, this is the type of beer that isn’t that great for my virgin review.  It isn’t that awesome and it isn’t that bad, just middling.

The good: It is a hoppy IPA
The bad: It is a HOPPY IPA, which may drive some people away

Overall taste: ★★★☆☆ 

Bitterness (changing to 3.5/5 as it warmed up): ★★★★½ 

Smoothness: ★★☆☆☆ 

Related posts:

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Run away from this monster!

This is the second the beer I have had from Laughing Dog. The first one I had was the Dogfather which was pretty good. When I first saw an ad for this beer in a local beer magazine I was really looking forward to it since I had never heard of a black IPA at that point. Since then I have always kept my eye out for this beer and when I saw at one of my local grocery stores I snatched it. Anyways enough back fill here are some pertinent stats for the beer:
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 6.9%
Type of brew: Black IPA
Price: ~$5

From the first sip I hated this beer. It tasted like someone took a sock threw it in a toaster oven for a few minutes, liquefied it and threw in some hops. On the flip side my fiance thought it was a pretty good beer. For me I think the taste was off because the malt and hops they used did not blend well together. Either that or they burnt the shit out of the malts to make the IPA black. One other interesting flavor was that the beer had an initial sweet taste and then went all down hill from there. This is not a beer I will ever buy again.

The good: cool name
The bad: horrid taste

Overall taste: ½☆☆☆☆ 

Bitterness: ★★☆☆☆ 

Smoothness: ★★☆☆☆ 

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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

Overall taste: ★★★★★ 

Bitterness: ★★★½☆ 

Smoothness: ★½☆☆☆ 

Related posts:

1. Beer Review: Collaboration not Litigation – Avery & Russian River
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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.

Overall taste: ★★★★★ 

Bitterness: ★★★½☆ 

Smoothness: ★☆☆☆☆ 

Related posts:

1. Beer Review: Spring Reign Ale – Ninkasi Brewing Company
2. Beer Review: 15th Anniversary Double IPA – GDBC

Not for the faint of heart

On first sip I am not sure if I am drinking a barely wine or a damn strong beer.  But I know in my heart this is the strongest beer I have ever had, bar none.  To give you some background I saw this beer and I was like “wow, $10 a bottle what is the deal with that?”  So, I grabbed the bottle and as I was checking out the bottle was turned around and a custom label had been added that said this “20% Alc. by Vol.”  In my mind all I just said was “WTF!?”  Now this is a beer that has one purpose to punish the drinker and to give him something to talk about.  It punishes the drinker in many ways: the pocket book, the liver and your gut.  This beer has a whopping 450 calories, that is a meal in itself!

Besides the freaking high-ass alcohol content it was surprisingly not that bitter.  The dogfish site (link below) says that this beer has 120 IBUs which would be crazy.  But it isn’t that bad I think there are a few possibilities for this:

1. My IBU rate-o-meter is messed up
2. The alcohol neutralizes the bitterness
3. I got a bum bottle of beer

I am thinking that it is number two, the high alcohol content over powers any bitterness that this beer might have.  Once again this is a beer that I find I have to drink slowly.  I just can’t imagine chugging this beer or even drinking it semi-quickly.  Case in point my sexy girlfriend finished a belgian triple by the time I had about 1/8 of the bottle.  Overall I think this beer was made for one purpose, bragging rights.  Overall it is a pretty good beer you can definitely taste the alcohol but it is not past the point of being undrinkable.  My only wish is that I bought another bottle so I can save it for a few years since this beer is supposed to be good for aging.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA Page

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