Tag Archives: craft beer

Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale – Lagunitas Brewing Company – Petaluma, CA

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DSC_0481 Pours a clear bright gold with  snow white head.  Aromas of citrus, grapefruit, jackfruit, and hoppiness dominate the nose as well as background floral aromas.  Underlying spice contributes to the complexity of this beer and blends very well with the fruit flavors and hoppiness.  The drinkability of Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is a testament to the expert use of hops.   When I first tasted this beer I was taken aback with how amazingly balanced and full of flavor it was.  I literally said “damn!”.  This is a beer that you can drink all day and still treasure every sip. 

I had no idea Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is a wheat ale when I first tried it (can you believe it?).  Lagunitas single handedly redefined wheat beers with the way they crafted this ale.  It is in fact a far cry from what many call “wheat beers”.  Unlike any wheat ale, It is brewed with 50% wheat malt which gives the beer its depth and sweetness and “C”- hops* that contribute the fruit flavors and hoppiness.   Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ was a limited release until its unanimous approval nationwide inspired the brewers to make it a permanent addition to the lineup.   Standing strong at 7.5% ABV it has some sass and is true to its name delivering a “Little Sumpin’ Sumpin'”

Seller Description: A truly unique style featuring a strong hop finish on a silky body. A filtered pale wheat ale that is great for both IPA and wheat beer fans.

* “C” – Hops are any of the strains of hops that begin with the letter C, most notably Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, and Colombus.  According to experts, this beer uses them all.

Sweetwater India Pale Ale – Sweetwater Brewing Company – Atlanta, GA

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photo 5 (2)-2-2 Pours a brassy chestnut color, has a very fruity nose with sweet herbal, floral aromas.  Honey and a slight malty molasses flavor are present as well as the stronger lemon zest,  grapefruit, and tropical fruit flavors that emanate from the earthy hops.  The flavor can be slightly tart or sour but maintains an impressive smoothness.  Sweetwater’s IPA epitomizes a great IPA, it has depth, hoppiness, West coast character but maintains a clean drinkability.

Seller Description:  This mammoth India Pale Ale is loaded with intense hop character and subjected to an extensive dry-hopping process. Our IPA is unfiltered, leaving all the natural flavors intact.  ABV 6.3%

Gillian – Goose Island Brewery – Chicago, IL

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Gillian - Goose Island Brewery - Chicago, ILThis Saison/Farmhouse ale pours with a fizzy head and an opaque golden color. It is fruity with a very slight white pepper flavor, the strawberry is also noticeable but a very pleasant cider-like apple/apricot taste is more present in the taste and aroma . The honey is a wonderful background note contributing to the tartness. Beers that are tart and sour are my favorite and the large variety of sour styles are some of the most complex, exciting, creative beers available.  At ~$30 a bottle, Gillian is quite an expensive beer but like any delicious and unique bottle of wine, if the flavor is something special and enjoyable, it is definitely worth the price.

Bottle Description: Gillian is a Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale that brings together fresh ingredients sourced locally from family farms in Michigan and Illinois. Gillian is partially aged in wine barrels with 10,000 pounds of strawberries, 4,000 pounds of honey and white pepper. Gillian is 9.5% alcohol by volume and develops in the bottle for up to 5 years.

Swamp Ape Double IPA – Florida Beer Company – Cape Canaveral, FL

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DSC_0009Pours a golden orange with aromas of citrus and funky tropical fruit. A little spicy with a background maltiness, this beer is dominated by fruit flavors and a noticeable liquor taste.  The fruit flavors dominate with slight tastes of pumpkin and gourd flavors.

This beer is great when Fresh… but is Not great when it is Not fresh.  According to bad reviews outside of Florida it seems Swamp Ape is only to be enjoyed when it is fresh or has been well cared for.  Who knows if it is sitting on store shelves to long, or if it is subject to a transformation along the transcontinental journeys but regardless, people are hopping on the bandwagon to say negative things about this beer.

The truth is:  If you have the privilege of tasting this beer when it is FRESH it will be great.  Sadly, when it is not fresh… it is flat, the head dissipates in seconds and it has very little taste in general, and this is what many have experienced.  Fresh Swamp Ape is fruity, has a great head, a nose encompassing a range of citrus scents, nice hoppy flavors with complex depth, and a smooth funky West Coast IPA finish.

Seller Description:  Florida Swamp Ape IPA is an Imperial IPA, The fresh and lively hop character is derived from using 5 distinct varieties of hops.  This beer has an intense hop bitterness., Flavor and aroma balanced by complex alcohol flavors,  moderate fruity esters and a medium malt character.

Justin Blåbær – Evil Twin Brewing – Denmark

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JustinBlaeberThis Berliner Weissbier pours a purple amber color with a rich sweet and sour blueberry nose.  This beer is true to the sour and acidic nature of the style but with exceedingly pronounced flavors of fruit.  Justin Blåbær has a strong and pronounced blueberry flavor that dominates along with hints of raspberry and lemon, the dark and sweet fruit is sour in a poignant yet pleasant way.  The tartness and overall blueberry flavor of Justin Blåbær is not contrived, it is something to treasure sip by sip.

The Berliner Weissbeir is one of the most popular and most appreciated sour beers and one of my favorites.  With unknown and mystical origins pertaining to Jusitn Beiber, Evil Twin’s excellent execution of a Berliner Weiss  is a success.

Seller Description:  OMG! It’s JUSTIN BLABAER!!! If you have “Blabaer Fever,” then this is the only cure. We stuffed so many blueberries into this beer- it’s going to make you shout, “Oh, Baby!” ABV 4.5%

BeerLao – Dark Lager – Lao Brewery Co. – Laos

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Beerlao BeerLao Dark pours an amber/brown, almost mahogany, color with an earthy, toasted, malty nose.  This European Pale Lager is an extremely unique and complex Asian beer,  it imparts roasted malty flavors, a bready taste, and sweet background notes of caramel.   Beerlao has a smooth chestnut flavor and an overall nuttiness  that contributes to the complex, malty experience.  Truly one of the most well-rounded, creative, and successful uses of malt I have found in any Asian beer, these flavors are definitely more reminiscent of a brown ale or stout. A must try.

Beerlao Dark can be a hard beer to find, it is often mistaken for Beerlao Lager which is more widespread than the Dark. Beerlao Lager is a Gluten Free beer fermented from jasmine rice, the taste is more typical of an average Asian pilsner or a wheat beer.  It serves as a great alternative for the Gluten-Intolerant but the taste and style does not compare to the Dark Lager.

Seller Description:  Beerlao Dark is an award winning beer brewed with the finest ingredients and roasted malt. A full-bodied tasted experience with a golden brown color.  ABV 6.5%

Jai Alai IPA – Cigar City Brewing – Tampa, FL

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Jai AlaiJai Alai IPA pours a light amber orange with a fruity nose that has aromas of citrus.  The hopps are at the forefront of this American IPA, delivering a incredible citric flavor and west coast hop dankness.  Flavors of grapefruit, orange, and sweet tropical fruit abound while background notes of malt and caramel round out the taste.  I also noticed notes of black pepper that add a pleasant warming spice.  For IPA lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this, Jai Alai is a of exploration of everything IPAs have to offer.  Like many IPAs Jai Alai is an excellent pairing for spicy food, the hoppiness adds appropriate juxtaposition while while the peppery citrus notes add to the flavor.  This is one Kick-ass American IPA.

Seller Description:  Pours copper in color with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in the aroma. Flavor has upfront citrus bitterness with a hint of caramel and citrus and tropical fruit hop notes in the finish. ABV 7.5%

Pumking – Southern Tier Brewing Company – Lakewood, NY

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IMG_0412-2 (3)This Pumpkin Ale pours a golden hue reminiscent of a ripe pumpkin with a ominous foggy white head.  The nose, forever nostalgic of the holiday season, encapsulates the natural aroma of pumpkin spice with a slight hint of caramel. The dominant pumpkin spice flavor is accompanied by the slightly smokey flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Don’t be ashamed to enjoy it with a flavor complimenting cinnamon sugar rim. This is perhaps the best autumn seasonal beer I have tasted and one of the best I have encountered in general.  Pumking speaks for the passion with which Southern Tier conceptualizes and executes the brewing of great beers.

Official Description:  All Hallow’s Eve is a time of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. It is thought that we harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale. Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer. Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has just begun. At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking.  ABV 8.6%

Cubano-Style Espresso – Cigar City Brewing – Tampa, FL

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Cubano-Style Espresso - Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, FLCigar City Cubano-style Espresso pours a dark brown black and has an awakening, delicious nose of coffee.  This English Brown Ale has notes of espresso and coffee that are more rich and poignant than any beer or stout that I have ever had.  Background notes of cocoa and chocolate add to the well-rounded warmth of this beer.  True to the smooth nature of a brown ale, this beer is unique and excellently executed.   I would much rather drink Cigar City Cubano-style Espresso beer than any cup of coffee.

Bottle Description: This rich brown ale is redolent with Cuban-style roasted espresso beans, sweet caramel and toffee and hints of dry nuttiness. Cuban Espresso is a popular drink in the Cigar City of Tampa owing to its many Sicilian and Cuban immigrants. The beans for Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale are roasted locally by Mazzaro’s Italian Market and Deli in St. Petersburg to our exact specifications.  ABV 5.5%

Black Ops 2013 – Brooklyn Brewery – New York, NY

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BrooklynBlackopsA very well-rounded Russian imperial stout.  The lush pour yielded a dark brown/black colored stout with a light, brownish tan head.  The nose exudes the scent of liquor and coffee.  I noticed very nice background notes of chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, and dark fruit and  I found the bourbon and coffee to be the most pronounced flavors.  The added carbonation and texture donated by the champagne yeast is very pleasant, this stout is truly a masterpiece.

Bottle Description: Brooklyn Black Ops, a Russian Imperial Stout was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented in the bottle with Champagne yeast.  ABV 10.5%