Review: Union Jack IPA

Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Grade: B+

Appearance: Pours a clear golden orange color with a white head that doesn't want to stick around, but leaves good lacing.

Smell: Sweet honey malt is balanced by strong floral, pine and citrus hops. Some bready notes are present, along with nice nutty notes. It gives off a refreshing earth fragrance.

Taste: The taste mirrors the nose.  The honey malt is picked up right away, with toffee and caramel notes coming in. Then comes the floral and citrus hops.  It is very balanced. One downside is the alcohol burn does show itself every so slightly.

Mouthfeel: Lighter body with good carbonation. It is smooth and really refreshing.

Drinkability: The smoothness and refreshing quality have me asking for another. However, the high 7.5% ABV could be hidden a little bit better.

Overall: A good IPA.  After my last couple reviews, anything decent would taste good. Luckily, this brew is way above the decent barrier.  From the smell to the great malt-hop balance, the is a great IPA all the way through. The strong alcohol burn does bring it down a peg. Overall,  a great IPA at a good price.  I will be searching for this again and you should too.

Review: Tanilla Porter

Knee Deep Brewing Co.

Grade: F

(This is my second straight review from Knee Deep Brewing Co., which doesn't happen often.  After their mediocre IPA, I figured I would give them another chance by trying another offering from the brewery.)

Appearance: Pours a dark black color, with an amber tint.  The head is light and doesn't hold up long, leaving weak lacing.

Smell: Roasted malts, with strong coffee, chocolate and some vanilla.  Pretty light on the nose for a porter. Considering this is a "vanilla" porter, the vanilla note is as strong as it should be.

Taste:  Some dark coffee comes first, then transitions to a sour tart flavor. That's it.  I don't taste any vanilla within the watery, tasteless body .  This stuff is not good at all.

Mouthfeel: Thin body with moderate carbonation.

Drinkablity: This stuff ended up down the drain after 3 sips. I am not one to just poor any beer down the drain, so the drinkability of this one is very poor.

Overall: The worst porter I have ever had....EVER! Every sip makes my face pucker.  Stay away from this one. I am thinking this one is an old/bad bottle.  If not, after their sub-par IPA, I'm left thinking how this brewery is still in business. I will try this one again if I come across it again to see if my suspicion of a bad/old bottle is correct.

Review: Hopstar IPA

Knee Deep Brewing Co.

Grade: C-

Appearance: Pours a clear copper-like amber color with a decent head that slowly dicipates to good lacing.

Smell: Wow.  Hops, hops and more hops of pine, citrus and grapefruit.  Good malt sweetness is found underneath the layer of hops.

Taste: Pretty watered down and frankly, really disappointing. Based on the smell, I expected a hop bomb.  Instead, the bitterness is toned down and one-dimensional. The hop and malt is out of balance, with not enough hop bite to counteract the sweet malt.

Mouthfeel: Very watery.  The thin body and high carbonation isn't very appealing and a recipe for disaster, no matter what beer style it is. The consistency of the head and lacing is very thin and airy, resembling the texture and appearance of soap bubbles (Yuck). I am noticing that the body does get thicker and fuller as it warms, perhaps the result of dissipating carbonation.

Drinkability: The 8% ABV is masked very well and makes this a dangerous session brew. Unfortunately, the bland taste makes it a one and done for me. In fact, I'm struggling to finish this bottle

Overall: A simple and sub-par IPA. The smell had me very excited about this brew, but the taste is a huge letdown.  If you do run across this beer and want to give it a try, my advice is to let it warm up a bit first. I'm not sure if this is what the brewers were aiming for, but I will not be buying it again.  There are far better IPAs out there.

Review: Bridge Burner Special Reserve Ale

Lakefront Brewing Co.

Grade: A

Appearance: Pours a very dark, almost black, blood-like amber with a beautiful off-white head and lacing that does not want to go away. A sight to behold.

Smell: Strong dark malts is immediately picked up, along with earthy pine and citrus hops. Residual sugar from the malt, brown sugar and some alcohol tags along.

Taste: Roasted malts and sweet caramel take center stage. Dried fruits (figs, dates, cherries and raisins) notes are followed by a nice citrus hop punch.  While I initially expected a more hop character, it is on the sweeter side.  Besides the slight warmth in your chest, the high ABV is hidden very well.

Mouthfeel: Excellent for an american strong ale. It has a thick and creamy body with subtle carbonation. It feels like I'm drinking velvet. Yum!

Drinkability: I could easily drink a few of these in a session.  Unfortunately, the 8% ABV prevents me from doing so.  This is a great brew to drink at home when relaxing and not driving later.

Overall: I am fairly impressed with this brew. The mouthfeel and masked alcohol content make this bad boy a pleasure to drink. Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard has been my favorite american strong ale for a while now and this may have just topped it, or at least have it a run for its money.

Review: Obsidian Stout

Deschutes Brewery

Grade: A

Appearance: Pours almost pitch black with a dark brown head that doesn't stick around long and leaves little lacing.

Smell: Roasted malts and dark chocolate jump out, with notes of coffee and sweet malts. Call me crazy, but I also smell some marshmallow.

Taste: Bitter espresso is tasted first with a lot more roasted malts than I picked up from the smell. A rush of dark chocolate comes next, followed by extremely rich and sweet coffee. Earthy hops add to the finish. Tasty.

Mouthfeel: Body is on the thicker end of medium with transitioning carbonation.  Carbonation is light initially, then picks up at the finish. Spot on.

Drinkability: Strong for a stout.  The higher carbonation at the end gives this brew a lighter feel than it is and makes it a sessionable beer.

Overall: One of the better stouts I have had. If drinking beer in the morning was acceptable in society, I would drink this with my breakfast. The prefect carbonation makes this beer. I will definitely look for this again.

Souvenirs: New Jersey Trip

When most people travel, they bring back souvaniers like shirts, coffee mugs, magnets, etc. But not me, I bring back beer!

Beers from my trip to Jersey last week:

Monkey Wrench -- Allentown Brew Works

Coney Island Albino Python -- Shmaltz Brewing Company (He'Brew)

Dragon's Milk -- New Holland Brewing Co.

Three Skulls Cutthroat Red -- Baron Brewing

Imperial India Pale Ale -- Green Flash Brewing Co.

Chipotle Ale -- Rogue Brewing Co.

Nugget Nectar -- Troegs Brewing Co.

REVIEWS TO COME!!

Review: Coronado Golden Yellow Ale

Coronado Brewing Co.

Grade: C

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy golden-yellow with an orange tint.  Very little head that withers quickly and leaves poor lacing.

Smell: Very light with sweet, sugary malt and a hint of wheat upfront. Honeyed fruits show up with a very subtle hop addition.  The hops are hard to find, but they are there.

Taste: Almost cloning the smell, the taste is very light and one-dimensional.  All I pick up are some grains and honey and orange notes in the way back. Hops are non existant.  The overall taste is "meh."

Mouthfeel: Typical light body with medium carbonation, but pretty refreshing.  It leaves some malt thickness behind.

Drinkability: It's light body and taste would allow me to pound these all night, but I'm not sure I would want too.  These could be put away better during a BBQ, on the beach or just a really hot day.

Overall: While there is nothing special with this beer,  there is nothing offensive about it. The taste isn't bad,  just doesn't have enough of it.  A very average beer that I would drink again during the summer, but not bother seeking out.

Review: ACME California Pale Ale

North Coast Brewing Co.

Grade: C-

Appearance:  Pours a bright and clear golden amber with a small head that quickly disappears, leaving little to no lacing.

Smell:  Very fruity. I'm picking up strong mango aroma, along with orange and other citrus flavors.  Honey and red apple are also apparent, with no hops whatsoever.

Taste:  Almost the opposite of the smell. A slightly sweet malt and wheat taste hits first. Unlike the smell, some citrus hop bitterness comes through, but not as strong as it should for a pale ale.  Sweet corn and grain flavors finish off the taste.

Mouthfeel: A medium body with moderate carbonation and finishes with a sweet malt thickness.

Drinkability:  This one has pretty good drinkability.  The sweetness and medium body makes this a very sessionable beer.

Overall:  I am still wondering what kind of beer this is.  The label says Pale Ale, but everything about it doesn't scream a pale ale. Apparent sweet maltness and little to no hop bitterness doesn't fit the bill.  It is a decent beer, but by no means should this be considered a west coast pale ale, more like British.