Santa Rosa - Not the NM one...

I was at the Active 20-30 International Convention in Santa Rosa, CA last week. Northern California is a lot of fun - lots of breweries and wineries, plus I've got a bunch of family and friends out there. I had heard about Russian River Brewing, and was glad to actually get a chance to visit it. I got to go there twice, so instead of a buttload of posts, we'll just consolidate into one fat post.

The brewery itself is a chill place - could tell that there were some definite regulars who frequent there. The first night we swung in, I got a pint of their Consecration - a 10% ABV American Wild Ale (i.e. sour style). Thursday, we came for my buddy's birthday and had some tasty beer bites as appetizers and started off with a pitcher of the Little White Lie, their Belgian White Ale. Followed that up with a pint of Pliny the Elder, then got a mega-sampler of beers that we ended up sharing with the table.

Pliny the Elder was probably one of the best beers I've ever had. I had heard a lot about both this one and Pliny the Younger, so definitely had to try it.

Appearance - A creamy head with medium carbonation and a golden amber color. Pretty standard looking for the IPA style. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Lots of piney hops - definitely the most definite feature of the aroma. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Hoppy, but not bitter. Some citrus and a lightly bitter aftertaste. The mix of the malt and hops are perfect. As mentioned in previous Imperial IPA posts, I get the impression that Imperial IPAs are either over the top or delightfully subdued. This fits into the latter. The hops are flavorful and the bitterness is perfect - 5.0/5.0

Feel - Extremely smooth, not as bitter as I would expect. Aftertaste is refreshing and has a good amount of flavor. 5.0/5.0

Drinkability - I think I would have this thing on tap at my house at all times. 5.0/5.0

My notes for the other two beers aren't terribly complete - talking with friends and family precluded good note taking! But here's the brief on them:

Little White Ale - a Belgian style White Ale. Refreshing with a nice kick of spice that you would expect in any Belgian style beer. I would say that the amount of spice and coriander in this beer is more than most other Belgian beers I've had. Definitely drinkable - if you like a lighter beer, try this one.

Consecration - an American Wild ale. If you are wanting to try something...unique, I would suggest grabbing a pint of this one. Sour...but not so bad as the Lips of Faith that I had from New Belgium. I think one pint was enough of this, but was worth a try for sure. At 10% ABV, will definitely kick you in the butt. The local guy who suggested this called it their "weird beer" - can definitely see why.

ya sure ya betcha

The first brewery I ever visited was the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, Washington. I had a blast there and just missed the brewery tour, but got some delicious bratwurst instead. Now, I know they've been bought out by some craft beer group, but I still have fond memories of this place. This beer, the Big Ballard Imperial IPA, is a tribute to one of the first beers they brewed, the Ballard Bitter IPA.

Appearance - Light auburn color, nice frothy head (about a finger's width). I enjoyed the head retention, especially in IPAs. Looked slightly bubbly. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Piney, floral hops. Distinctive scent, but not overwhelming. I prefer my Imperial IPAs to have a potent aroma, which this was lacking. 2.5/5.0

Taste - There are five hops used this in beer (Alchemy, Williamette, Sterling, Northern Brewer and Cascade) and they are expertly blended well together. Imperial IPAs seem to go either over-the-top strong or extraordinarily smooth - this beer is the latter. There are lots of IBUs (73), but I didn't think it was really that bitter. Grapefruit, pine, hint of sweetness from the malt. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Unerrily smooth, the head tasted thick. Minimal aftertaste, the flavor hits you strong then dissipates. 4.5/5.0

Drinkability - This beer falls into the category of Imperial IPAs that will kick you in the butt without you knowing it. I would pick up again, if anything, for the nostaglia of it coming from the first brewery I visited. - 4.0/5.0

Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays

Today was the first day back to the office for me. After April 15th, I hopped state lines with Tina and hung out in Phoenix for a few days. Had some great beer out there, and ended up bringing a bunch back. Tina asked me if I was ready for going back to the office today....I felt like I worked at a bank that had just been robbed and I just wasn't sure if I ready for the experience again. It didn't help that when I got to the office at 7:30, I had realized I forgot my office keys...awesome. One of my monitors apparently took a dirt nap too.

Anyway, after this amazing "back to work Monday", I needed a beer. I hadn't had an IPA in a while, so thought I'd give the Full Sail Slipknot Imperial IPA a chance. With a 8.2% ABV, it wasn't so robust to floor me, but would likely help numb the irritation of broken technology and leave me in a condition where I could go to the gym later this evening.

Appearance - Gorgeous tangerine color that is especially dark in the upper part of the glass. The head is foamy, white and leaves a sticky lacing on the glass. The beer generally looks thick, but in a rich, inviting way. 4.0/5.0

Smell - The hops are surprisingly subdued and lean on the earthy side of aroma. There's a..."funk" too. Not sure how to describe it other than if you walked into a room that hasn't been opened in a while and there is an odd smell to it. 2.0/5.0

Taste - Pine and earthy hops, some bitterness initially, but that goes away pretty quick. Other than that, not really much to write about. 2.5/5.0

Feel - Feels as thick as it looks. Great mouth coverage, but disappointing bitterness. 3.0/5.0

Drinkability - Eh, I've had other Imperial IPAs that I way prefer over this one for a similar price (or a buck extra). Not really what I would expect from the style either. I've had a few things from Full Sail, but I gotta say, none of their beers stand out - they are all adequate. Nothing terrible, but nothing noteworthy. 2.0/5.0

Yippee!

Tina and I watched a documentary on beer called "Beer Wars" tonight. There was a neat historical prospective on beer, Prohibition and then there was some sort of jump to "Corporate People Are Real A-Holes." Also, there was a shot of "If you sell out, you're a real sucker and not true to your roots." A number of entrepreneurs I know tend to get something going, make it successful and sell it...so they can move on to a new adventure. The founder of Dogfish Head was in the deal a lot - he's definitely an adventurous beer guy, but I gotta say - get off the soapbox. Instead of being "Oh, woe is me - big beer keeps us out of Wal-Mart.", focus on just making awesome beer. Whatever, this isn't a soap box - but a BEER FRIDGE!!!


Tina and I really enjoyed the Santa Fe Brewing 20th Anniversary Imperial Penn Porter, so I picked up a bottle of the Yippee! Imperial IPA. I had high hopes, since we really enjoyed the Imperial Penn Porter. Fortunately, I was happily pleased with this offering from Santa Fe.

Appearance - Foamy tannish head; amber coloring. Pretty standard for an IPA. 3.0/5.0

Smell - There are some piney hops, but more malty and alcohol than I would have expected. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Very well blended hop flavor. Piney, citrus, grapefruit, sweetness, malt. Not overly strong, but notable flavors. Not as bitter as I would have expected either. My wife, who isn't an IPA fan, said the sips she had were nice - that's saying something. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Thickness, almost a syrupy feel to it. the lack of bitterness that I have come to appreciate in IPAs is a downgrade, but at the same time, the beer felt good and the flavors stick around a lot. 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - It's one of the better Imperial IPAs that I've tried. given it's a limited run, not sure how often I'll get this, but would definitely do it again. 4.5/5.0

Tonight seemed like a good night to get ruined

Not that type of ruined, more like the Stone Ruination IPA. I taught class tonight and after a long day and having to talk for 4 hours, beer was a good idea to close out the night.

This IPA is lighter than I expected, almost the color of a hefeweizen. Not as cloudy, obviously as a hefe, but still pretty opaque. Head didn't stick around much, leaving being spotty clouds at the top of the beer and a little filmy residue as you drink the beer. Lovely floral, piney hops that offer enough scent to be inviting without being terribly overwhelming. For being a Stone beer, I really did expect a more robust taste. This brew is surprisingly subtle and blended. The sourness of the hops is blended in with some yeast that really does change the flavor of the beer from what you'd expect out of an average IPA. I think that it brings out a very fleeting moment of hoppy sweetness near the end of each taste.

I have to disagree with the bottle which describes the hops as "binding and blinding" that will have a "ruinous effect on your palate." While this was a very enjoyable beer, this isn't so blatantly hoppy that I want to cut my tongue out to regain some sembleness of taste. It really didn't taste THAT bitter, especially for being 100+ IBUs. Perhaps I have abused my mouth with so many IPAs that it takes a really REALLY intense hoppy beer to knock me out of my chair. I like that though, as it takes more skill to make a beer so infused with hops, but not so bitter that you can't drink it.

There is definitely smoothness to the beer, with distinct flavor and hops. If you enjoy hops, you'll really enjoy this beer. It's a sneaky bugger, with a 7.7% ABV, so just don't partake in too many of these.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - Golden, opaque, minimal head with lots of lacing

Smell - 4.5/5.0 - A tastefully blended mix of hops that are obvious but not overpowering

Taste - 4.5/5.0 - Smooth, hoppy with bitterness, but not enough to make it tough to drink.

Feel -5.0/5.0 - Silky, feel it all over the tongue, aftertaste is a nice lingering bitterness

Drinkability -5.0/5.0 - an excellent double IPA!

The password is "Joe sent me"

I had an alternate title for this one, like "I like it when you call me Double Daddy..." I went the Speakeasy route instead. Anyway, today's brew is the Speakeasy Double Daddy Imperial IPA. Found this one in the cooler at Papago Brewing, where I included it in my mix-a-six-pack. The brewery name stood out to me, but then I noticed the really high 9.5% ABV and figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

The beer looked as expected - a clean, golden amber color with a decent head. The smell was a light citrus floral aroma, with a decent hoppy scent to it, but nothing overpowering. I do like my IPAs was a lot of hop though... The taste was also subdued. It was mellow with a medium thickness, but bitterness but not enough to really stand out. Aftertaste was crisp with lingering citrus flavor. Not a lot of carbonation either, so didn't fill you up. The beer did go down pretty smooth, which was appreciated. This isn't a beer I would likely get a lot of, as I like my IPAs much more characteristic than this beer. Also, the high alcohol content would get me into some trouble.

Appearance - clean, golden amber - light head - 3.0
Smell - 3.5 - nice citrusly floral hop aroma - not overpowering
Taste - 3.5 - nice mellow taste, bitterness there but subdued
Feel - 4.0 - smooth and little aftertaste; crisp, cirtus aftertaste
Drinkability - 3.0 - dangerous beer because of high alcohol content; being a smoother beer, these would go down fast without knowing it.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Brew

So sue me, Chama River doesn't have a whole lot of logos I can use. But the inspiration for Chama River's Dr. Strangehop Imperial IPA seemed highly appropriate. Did you realize that Russians have vodka running through their veins, rather than blood? I didn't either, but then I found out that true-blooded American drinkers have hops running through their veins.

The Dr. Strangehop was an extremely hoppy brew - but in a really good way. The cloudy and light amber look of the beer was nice, but it was the fragrant citrus aroma was what really sold me on the beer. Compared to another local Imperial IPA (from Marble), I feel like the Dr. Strangehop Imperial IPA was far more masterfully blended so that the bitterness was illustrated in the beer, but not so up-front that it overpowered the beer. The beer's aftertaste was nice in that it lingered for a little bit, but did not outright dissipate. For being at 120+ IBUs and 8.9% ABV, this was indeed a potent brew, but it was very drinkable and enjoyable over a nice crab cake and green chile stew.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - The cloudiness was semi-unique for an IPA and the color was very appealing.
Scent - 4.5/5.0 - The citrusly fragrance was really appealing and inticing to drink.
Taste - 4.5/5.0 - Hoppy, bitter, but well blended to make for a high quality taste.
Feel -4.0/5.0 - Strong taste that lingered, but not in a bad way.
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - If I was in the mood to drink potent Imperial IPAs all day, this would be a beer I would pick as part of the rotation.

On the Road Again - 21st Amendment Brewery in San Fran

The one thing about my parents moving out to San Francisco is that going to visit them was WAY better than going to visit them in Los Alamos. San Francisco - you can see professional sporting events live, eat a lot of great food and hang out by real bodies of water. Los Alamos - you can watch professional sporting events on TV, maybe check out a movie and hang out...at the house. This last trip, before heading to the airport, we stopped at the 21st Amendment Brewery right near Giants stadium.

The first brew I had was the Double Trouble Imperial IPA. Whenever I can find an IPA with over 100 IBUs, I gotta try it and this beer comes in at 120 IBUs and a 9.8% ABV. Yikes! Fortunately, this was a masterfully blended beer. The hops go extremely well with each other, providing an extremely smooth taste with that sharp bitterness one would expect from a potent double IPA. The hops were very fragrantly fruity and enjoyable to just smell. Of course, you want to drink the beer, so can't just smell it all day. The beer was really clean on your tongue, with the taste oddly on the upper palate.

Taste - 5.0/5.0 - Wonderfully blended hops, deliciously smooth, lingering flavor, clean but sharp hop bitter taste
Smell - 4.5/5.0 - Fragrant fruity hops
Appearance - 4.5/5.0 - Nice solid head, amberesqe color
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - Smooth in mouth, lingers to back of mouth, clean on tongue (more on upper palate)
Drinkability - 5.0/5.0 - This beer was delicious - just dangerous to have a lot of.

The Monks Blood was the follow up to the Imperial IPA. This brew was extremely tasty, offering a nice blend of caramel, coffee and malt flavors with a medium body. With 35 IBUs, this beer has a hint of bitterness, but not much. The head was lacking on this one (sad face), but the color was a rich brown. You can smell the malt on this one, but it lack any alcohol scent, which was nice. No aftertaste on this one, you can expect the taste to be sharpest on the tip of your tongue, then fading as it goes down your throat. Be careful with this one, as it weighs in at 8.5% abv.

Taste - 4.5/5.0 - caramel, coffee, malt, oat - very tasty, medium body
Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - no head, but nice rich brown color
Smell - 3.5 - malty with oats - no alcohol scent
Feel - 4.0 - no aftertaste, taste sharpest on tip and middle of tongue
Drinkability - 4.0 - good beer, would definitely get again.

Marble Double IPA - A Hoppy Punch in the Face

I really enjoy Marble Brewery - they have one of my favorite IPAs, though I have yet to try this year's NM IPA Challenge winner the Ilvico IPL. So, obviously, if I like the regular IPA, the DOUBLE IPA must be twice as good, right? I'm an accountant...the math works out. Word to the wise - Marble doesn't sell bombers of this bad boy...just FYI. The 8.7% ABV speaks for itself.

Whatever the unknown hop complex Marble used, it's potent. I kinda think of the Punchy from the Hawaiian Punch commercials when I think of my first sip of the Double IPA - a real punch of hops....right in the kisser. It made for a really strong taste (not a bad thing), which was very distinctive from the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which I think was a much smoother blend of the hops (and far more dangerous). The bitter taste was characteristic, but there was sour aftertaste that stood apart from the regular IPA aftertaste.

Good beer - I think I'll stick with the standard IPA, though. The Double IPA, while good, doesn't have that same delicious blend that the regular IPA has.

Sactown Brews

Got the pleasure to visit some friends in lovely Sacramento, California recently and I drafted my buddy Kevin into the beer tasting service. So, we ended up getting a number of them in, but here are the high (and low) lights...

First off was this delicious IPA - the Green Flash Brewing Imperial IPA. We were checking out the variety of bombers at the Nugget and was looking for the most IBUs we could. The Imperial IPA came in at 101 IBUs (yikes!) and a sturdy 9% ABV. You really got that delicious hop bitterness in the beer. If you were doing a blind taste test, you could just smell this sucker and know it was an IPA. Suprisingly enough, it's a smoother beer - you just have a really strong bitter taste with it.

On the other end of the spectrum, we had the Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA. Ah...yea...not so good. It looked, smelled and tasted like an IPA...just not a very good one. While a number of IPAs I've tried have a decreasing bitter taste (so, starts strong, then phased down), this did the opposite and I didn't care for it.

The Black Boss Porter was a good way to end this, as it was a really delicious porter. This thing was pitch black - it was almost like trying to look into a black hole. No light was escaping the gravity of this beer. It's a Polish beer - Hey, what is long and hard that the the Polish bride got on her wedding night? Her new last name.

Anyway, lots of malt and coffee aroma and taste to this porter. You can even get a hint of chocolate if you look for it. It went down really smooth and quickly...heh heh. At 9.4% ABV, you can really taste the alcohol on this one, but fortunately the malt doesn't make it overwhelming. Definitely go pick this one, even if just for an one-time taste.