Magic Hat #9 8-12-2011

Ze Beer? #9
Ze Style? “Not Quite Pale Ale”
Ze Maker? Magic Hat Brewing
Ze Content! 5.1%
Serving type: 22oz

So I have heard good things from Magic Hat Brewing, and I think I was lucky enough to get this ordered into my store when I talked to the Boston Beer Rep. Lots of the East Coast craft breweries don’t make it west of the Mississippi, and I thought this was one of them. So when I had the opportunity to order it I jumped at the possibility. Reasonable priced just had to wait for it to show up, fast forward a week later and it was in stock. My boss bought one up first to try it, and after drinking right after the Theobroma from Dogfish Head, he mind was all confused on what to think of this beer. He made it seem like whoa the magic behind this beer is… mystifying, so in an effort to get me to buy/drink/blog this beer, my boss was kind enough to by me a bottle since he knows how much I make and how poor I truly am. Thanks Bob. I mean this both sincerely and sarcastically. Moving on, I was excited to try this beer, hopes up high… let’s see what “Magic” this beer will bring.

This beer poured a very murky brown color, almost as if an unfiltered beer, with a substantial head that lingered on for a while, though leaving minimal lacing behind. Upon the pour of this beer I got tons of sweet fruity tones. This confused me at first as I was expecting something along the lines of a Pale Ale, but when taking my time to examine the scent; I picked off apricots, and maybe a bit of strawberry. I turned to beer advocate for more info once the confusion hit me, and it appears that this beer under BA is labeled as a “Fruit/Vegetable” beer. Then it made more sense. Now my mind was changed from rating a very crappy Pale Ale, to just drinking a mildly annoying and possibly crappy Fruit Ale. As you can see my love for fruit beer shines, and I am even shinier for this beer, as it deceived me. The taste as the smell pre determined was sweet. Now it wasn’t knock you on your face sweet, but it was sweet enough. Again apricots, orange pulp, wheat, bready malts; think of a awkwardly flavorful Apricot Wheat from Pyramid. (I’d actually prefer a Pyramid I think) The texture was a bit odd on the palate, not what I expected before opening the bottle but pretty dead on from the initial pour. I like to keep my juice separated from my beer, I had a hard time drinking down one bomber, let alone even thinking about drinking two. Quick someone find me an IPA to chase this beer with.

Would I PAY for this beer? Yes and no. It’s that affordable beer I would easily buy for someone else. But for myself, fruit beer? I would have to pass. Very few fruit beers out there I would drink and buy. I’ll admit sometimes I want something different, and ill buy something sweet. Just not this beer.

Overall Rating: C-

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Monk's Cafe 8-05-2011

Ze Beer? Monk’s Cafe
Ze Style? Flemish Sour Ale
Ze Maker? Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Ze Content! 5.5%
Serving type: 12oz bottle

So, this is my first official blog from a 2 month hiatus. First off, I am sorry to let all of you down at least those of you who followed along on my blogs. But now that my promotion at work is regulated and my move to my new apartment is complete, I should have little to no excuse not to update this blog more often. A few months back, I was lucky to attend my friend Robert’s Graduation party, where we were able to drink/taste several delightful beers. During this event, we tasted several beers from Russian River, including their line of sours. My girlfriend has never been much into beer, but when this magical elixir touched her lips, she was instantly in love. To say the least, I will be buying more Sours so I have someone to drink with. With that said, this was the first sour I bought for her, as i truly think this is a must try for anyone into sours.

This Flemish sour when poured into my Tremens Goblet, turns out a very dark red/copper color. Lots of carbonation is present as the Head dwindled away. The head did not retain too long, but it was a nice layer of foam coating the beer as it poured. On the nose you could tell this was a sour with the slight hint of vinegar that came through, but not overpowering the tart apple and sour cherries. The Cherries pull through, but takes a while for the vinegar and apples to settle down. As soon as this beer touches your lips, tart crisp green apple is most of what you can think of; almost like a Sour green soda. The sour taste is not overwhelming as some other Sour Ales can be, but is nice and easy to get into if you are new to Sours as this one has a nice yeasty bread-like body. Very enjoyable, and easy to drink, though however tasty a sour ale can be I cannot do too much of a sour ale before I am ready to move on. Not to take away from its drinkability, this is very easy going.

Would I PAY for this beer? Yes I would, definitely. For about 4-5 dollars, you can get this solid Sour Ale, a staple of sours too if I may say so myself. If you want to get into sours or try them out this is definitely an affordable buy.

Overall Rating: B+

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Sea Monster 5-2-2011

Ze Beer? Sea Monster
Ze Style? Imperial Stout
Ze Maker? Ballast Point
Ze Content! 10%
Serving type: 22oz Bottle

This beer I picked at my local store, is one I’ve had before, during my hunt for great Imperial Stouts. When I saw it again, I knew I had to buy it to blog, because this beer is quite the treat when it comes to Imperial Stouts. Ballast Point makes several wonderful beers. Not all of them are my favorites, but all their special release labels definitely are. It’s sometimes not the easiest bottle to find, but if you can manage to locate a bottle, it’s worth a buy if you’re into that heavy Imperial Stout. I have a Victory at Sea at a friend’s house waiting to drink and blog on. Can’t wait.

This beer poured a heavy black color just as most Imperial Stouts do. Only slight hints brown colors around the rim where the head meets the beer. The Head for the most part was a light tan brown color as well. The head was large and fluffy, though after a couple minutes, the smell of molasses is heavy through this beer, along with the hints of chocolate and roasted coffee just coming through so boldly. The beer is surprisingly smooth for the intense nose you get. The Ethanol is still present, but that chocolate taste and bitter back end come through and does not fail to help balance this stout, just before the alcohol taste comes through. Very nice, after drinking a bottle you can tell you had a hefty beer. The molasses gives this imperial stout a different but not unique feature that most Imperial stouts don’t have; however, some very yummy ones do. More than one may be over doing it, but, that one you do drink is wonderfully splendid.

Would I PAY for this beer? Yes, I would. Simply put, this Imperial Stout is a wonderful beer, and no more than the price of a pint at a decent pub/bar. It’s definitely worth at least a try. Unless you don’t care for that dark bold taste, because this beer is just that.

Overall Rating: A-
Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Aecht Schlenferla Rauchbier 4-29-2011

Ze Beer? Aecht Schlenferla Rauchbier
Ze Style? Rauchbier
Ze Maker? Brauerri Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla
Ze Content! 5.4%
Serving type: 16oz bottle

Hello everyone, another blog to add to the month, of April, picked out by a co-worker, Virginia Valenzuela. We had just returned from a Wine Tasting for work, and I decided, what a good way to finish a few hours of wine tasting, then to add a beer as the finale! I asked her to pick my beer, seeing as I’ve had most beers at work, and tend to gravitate towards beers I enjoy and would rather prefer, this way, by asking a third party to help select a random beer, I have a non direct way of picking beers not normally selected by the general populace. Here’s to being random, here’s to fun co-workers, here’s to beer! Cheers!

The moment you open this bottle, the aroma has a light malt nose but then is quickly overwhelmed with a smoke heavy scent. This beer pours a dark amber color, with a slight red hue with a nice thick fluffy head. Though the head was nice, it didn’t retain very well; but instead cascaded away to a very thin layer of carbonation. Tons of smokey aroma, absolutely full of it, almost like a chunk of firewood is toasting on a bonfire. I have to admit, the strong smoked wood is actually quite nice, and the malts in this beer compliment them. Very smooth, a very easy subtle hop presence on the back end, almost hard to pick up through the hickory bacon-esque flavor. Not much carbonation in this beer, but not much is needed. Very nice beer, but after a couple, the smoke filled flavor may be too much, seeing as it does leave a type of salted pork after taste, I know unusual, but yummy!

Would I PAY for this beer? At 6 dollars a pint, buying this beer isn’t much more than paying for a pint of beer at a pub. Definitely worth the one time try, but I can easily see why this beer isn’t going to be the beer for just anyone. I suggest trying it at least once, if not tasty, it’s fun! Mmmm Liquid Smoked bacon!

Overall Rating: B+

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Tilted Smile 4-16-2011

Ze Beer? Tilted Smile
Ze Style? Imperial Pilsner
Ze Maker? Uinta Brewing Company
Ze Content! 9.0%
Serving type: 22oz bottle

This bottle was purchased for me by my girlfriend for our 4 year anniversary. Went to the store, and the woman’s smile on the bottle caught her eye; alas, it was chosen. I’ve actually never had an Imperial Pilsner before, so I was a little excited, but never hearing this brewery before too made me a bit apprehensive; more about the taste though, not the selection. That is what this blog is about! Trying new things, something you’d never find yourself buying. And hopefully craft selections you love. All in all, I think this was a great choice made by my girlfriend; here’s to 4 years of love, and a new style of beer!

Beer pours a very tan brown color, very copper; lots of fluffy head with decent retention and surprisingly nice lacing. Can definitely pick up on the pale yeast but it’s not overwhelming on the nose, which is nice. Lots of bread for malts with just a touch of citrus lingering on the back end, also with the longer the more the citrus tones come out. The beer is nice and creamy on the texture which was surprising, I guess that’s what you expect out of an “Imperial” Pilsner. A little bit of that straw taste lingers on the finish, but not bad overall, nothing too exciting either but not bad. Perhaps a small tart of green apple right off the front end before the bread malts power through. It’s a little heavy for a session beer, all that creaminess translates to, one bomber is enough. At the end of the bottle, the 9.0% abv catches up too which is nice, seeing as you don’t have an ethanol finish.

Would I PAY for this beer? For 10 dollars a bomber, I’d pass. Nothing screams out to buy… if it were a decent price on tap somewhere, maybe… but the mood would have to strike me before drinking something so bread malted.

Overall Rating: C/C+

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Titan 4-10-2011

Ze Beer? Titan IPA
Ze Style? India Pale Ale
Ze Maker? Great Divide Brewing.
Ze Content! 7.1 %
Serving type: bottle

Great Divide Brewing is a brewery I didn’t have much knowledge on until I heard about their Imperial Stout, the Yeti, which I reviewed a while back. Since then I have enjoyed most beers I have had from Great Divide. BevMo used to not carry Great Divide beers, and it seems my persistence with vendors or just luck and time made it available for our store to carry. At least at my BevMo!, we carry some of the Great Divide beers as it is making its way through the west coast. Now Great Divide is from Colorado and im not much a fan of Colorado hops, to me they tend to be a little on the skunky side, it may have to do with the freshness but not entirely sure. But here’s to trying a new IPA and hoping for the best. Cheers!

The Titan IPA pours a clean amber color with decent head but little retention, though the lacing is nice. The scent is a bit resiny feeling a little sticky just from the nose, and a little floral and aromatic. For some reason, If I drink an IPA from Colorado, I can usually tell it’s from Colorado by the way the hops taste, very distinctive. It’s a nice IPA, but has a decently sticky, slightly pungent hop bitterness to this beer. A very slight caramel malt taste on the front end helps prepare your palate for the bitterness the hop brings shortly after. Very easy going, nothing too complex, but a great tasting decent IPA; if you are used to the taste of a bitter IPA, this beer will be fairly easy to drink, but if you are not used to that bitter, green herbal IPA taste, this may not be the beer you should drink to get into IPA’s. For me, I enjoy an IPA but this kind of hop, ones enough.

Would I PAY for this beer? It was a bit pricey for a 6 pack reaching the upwards of about 10 dollars. If I found it in a single bottle or it was reasonably priced at a bar, sure. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to make sure I try this beer.

Overall Rating: B-
Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Dragoons 3-17-2011

Ze Beer? Dragoon’s
Ze Style? Dry Irish Stout
Ze Maker? Moylan’s Brewing
Ze Content! 5.0%
Serving type: 22oz bottle

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Right?! How many of you had a Guinness today? That’s right, you did. Don’t lie. Now how many of you actually enjoyed that Guinness the same way you’d enjoy your standard craft beer? And having Guinness in an Irish Car Bomb, does not count. Well, Guinness is a Dry Irish Stout, and I stand by my word, when I call it the bud light of stouts. I don’t care much for Dry Irish style stouts, as I much prefer a hearty Stout, dinner in a bottle, Mmmmm. But I direct your attention to Moylan’s Dragoon’s, the same style as your comforted Guinness, but a much better taste. Don’t get me wrong, I love to drink a Guinness every now and then, but try this beer out. I first had it a couple of years ago, and ever since, I recommend this beer as an alternate to Guinness. People have been thanking me for introducing them to this beer instead for years. I challenge you, try this beer side by side with a bottled Guinness; unless you’re a diehard Guinness fan, you won’t be disappointed.
Disclaimer: This challenge is void if you’re in Ireland drinking a fresh Guinness… That’s cheating.

Dragoon’s pours a solid black color and leaves a nice 2-inch head but doesn’t retain very long. Almost no lacing to the glass, but this is expected of a Dry Irish Stout, as opposed to the creamy Imperial Stout styles. Tons of roasted malt radiates from this beer; coffee, freshly brewed coffee, is what you smell. A subtle hint of caramel from the malts are present, If you’ve ever had a caramel macchiato from Starbucks, this is what that beer smells like. Dry Irish Stout’s aren’t my favorite of stouts but they are very drinkable, however, compared to a Guinness, this Dry Irish is definitely better. Still gives a bit of that metallic taste, but this has almost none of that burnt charcoal taste Guinness is known for. Still has a bit of bitterness with maybe just a touch of chocolate. Very easy to drink, it amazes me when people say Dry Irish stouts are too heavy, when they are the lightest of stouts. To each their own in any case.

Would I PAY for this beer? Yes, for 3.99, you cant go wrong. If it was more than that or a smaller bottle, I may have a hard time wanting to buy this. As long as the price point remains the same, I don’t mind paying for it.

Overall Rating: B-

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Twilight 03-16-2011

Ze Beer? Twilight
Ze Style? American Pale Ale
Ze Maker? Deschutes Brewery
Ze Content! 5.0%
Serving type: bottle

Picked this bottle up at work by itself when we were practically forced to sell them individually, due to the fact that instead of a case of 6-packs, we received a case of loose bottles, apparently it is much too hard to trade them with your vendor for the proper item. Although this beer is an summer ale, but since we couldn’t sell it as we were trying to trade the beers for 6 packs, it has lasted this long in the store, and since we have recently started selling single 12 oz bottles I picked it up. Deschutes makes one of my favorite beers, The Abyss, I have yet to be let down by a Deschutes beer… lets see how this summer ale holds up.

This beer pours a subtle orange amber color with a decent head but doesn’t last very long. You can smell the pale malts on this beer along with a soft orange hint as well. The hop scent is present but not at all overwhelming, but the more I smell this beer the more the orange scent is apparent. Very simple in taste, very bready, like a traditional orange wheat beer, but instead of the heavy wheat, you have bready malts. Nothing spectacular about this beer, but its decent and very easy to drink, in fact I wish my gf was here as I tasted this, she may like it, seeing as she likes that orange coated flavor taste. The beer itself is easy to drink, however, this beer is missing a certain ‘punch’ to truly make it stand out. Its decent, but not much beyond that.

Would I PAY for this beer? Maybe for a one time pint, to mix things up, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to ensure I had this beer. Not bad, Deschutes still has a flawless record, just not something I would personally enjoy over and over again.

Overall Rating: C

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Tricerahops 3-13-2011

Ze Beer? Tricerahops
Ze Style? Double IPA
Ze Maker? Ninkasi Brewing
Ze Content! 8.8%
Serving type: 22oz bottle

I do love an IPA, Double IPA’s are just that much nicer, or at least that’s the idea. I have had some Nasty Double IPA’s and when I try a new one, I really do hope it’s not as bad as the aforementioned nasty Double IPA’s. I have had some beers from Ninkasi brewing before, so going into this beer I had expectations; and high ones. I mean let’s be honest, Tricerahops? C’mon, how awesome is that name?! It’s named after a dinosaur that is known to kill Tyrannosaurus Rex’s; regardless this beer was chosen and purchased for me by my best friend Chris Ramirez. I just wish he showed a passion for beer as much as I do, so we could actually enjoy beer tastings, and drinking beer together. I guess on a positive note, I’ll always have a designated driver.

The Tricerahops pours a beautiful cloudy golden amber color. Very consistent tiny micro bubbles streaming from the bottom of the glass while a nice fluffy 3 inch head remains behind and while it slowly froths away over the next several minutes. Once the bottle is opened you can smell the hops slightly piney, and a little sweet before even getting a chance to try this beer. A bit of pineapple along with grapefruit is hinted in on the nose. Even though it is labeled a double IPA, the bitter hop flavor you’re probably expecting isn’t really there; though the hops are very present in the taste with a bit of bitterness, but overall it has a very mellow and tasty sweetness mimicking passion fruit like flavors. After a few sips, you do begin to taste a bit of the ethanol through the fruit sweetness, but for a double IPA, this beer is very nice, and very easy to drink. Cheers!

Would I PAY for this beer? Yes, this beer is a 22oz bottle and goes for about 3.99. For a double IPA, let alone a good craft beer, this is a wonderful price, and will not break the wallet. It is also within easy price range, to recommend or suggest to a friend. Affordable and yummy; Me Likes.

Overall Rating: A-

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Lucky Bastard Ale 2-19-2011

Ze Beer? Lucky Bastard

Ze Style? American Strong

Ze Maker? Stone Brewing

Ze Content! 8.5%
Serving type: 22oz bottle

I’ve had this bottle laying around for about a month and a half, waiting for the right moment to drink. Before I opened this bottle I was going to blog on an American Stout, a stout which I’ve had before, and enjoyed. But when I smelled and drank this stout, it was nothing like I remembered. My beer went bad, and it was my fault, I had it lying around for about 6 months before drinking. Some beers just weren’t made for aging. So I thought to myself, Holy Crap! I have a bunch of bottles that may be just as old or older, I guess that’s what you get for trying to prolong the life of a beer, just by “waiting” So what beer did I go for first? Lucky Bastard, Oh yea… didn’t want this one going bad, let’s enjoy…

This beer poured a very solid and consistent deep amber color, with a decent 2 inch fluffy head. Retention was nice at about a minute and a half to two minutes as it left wonderful lacing around the glass. A fresh hop smell, very piney with a citrus grapefruit rind hint; smells a bit oily but heavy on the hops. A wonderful sticky resiny taste as the grapefruit sweetness hits your mouth, right before the bitter hops clean it up. Incredibly smooth on the palate, not to overwhelming on the hops, but still very present throughout this beer. The malty sweetness is surprising up front, backed up with the citrus sweetness, very nice and easy to drink for the standard hop head I’d say. But for those not accustomed to copious amounts of hops, it may be a bit much. The finish has a slight but hidden ethanol taste but the oaked quality of this beer is very nice. I do wish I had more of this lovely liquid, but I do believe this was a one-time deal, for shame.

Would I PAY for this beer? Hells yes, I would. But unfortunately as I mentioned above, I don’t think it’ll be coming back. Maybe a later anniversary? One can only hope.

Overall Rating: A

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Sancti Adalberti Miraculum Novum 2-18-2011

Ze Beer? Sancti Adalberti Miraculum Novum
Ze Style? Belgian Tripel
Ze Maker? Brouwerij De Prael
Ze Content! 7.5%
Serving type: 335ml bottle

So, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog, and I know I keep saying I’m going to do more in a more timely fashion, but it hadn’t occurred to me just how much time it takes in the scheme of things to continuously keep a blog updated. Well, I can say ill do better, but why? When we can just wait to see if I post instead :D. Anyways, my buddy Matthew brought this beer back from Holland from his last trip out in that area. And alas, here it is in my glass and now my blog. Thank you Matt! We both had this beer, on the day we brewed out first batch of beer together. Well, I look forward to drinking more beers again, and sharing my thoughts with all of you soon! Enjoy.

There was little head retention and not much head on the pour. Decent carbonation, a very cloudy orange color. On the pour you can smell the yeast, and the bottle had a large amount of sediment yeast on the bottom of the bottle now clearly present on the bottom of my glass. Coriander and lots of yeast on the nose, a touch of sweet sugar, not dark. a small bit of clove gives this a little bit of a spiced nose with just a bit of as banana ester, similar to a Bavarian style wheat beer. Very smooth medium body with just a small amount of creaminess. After a few sips you can begin to taste the trace amounts of ethanol on the back end. that sugary sweet falvor is a bit more flavorful in the form of a apricot/orange taste. Not much complexity to this Dutch beer, but hey it’s no Heineken or Amstel.


Would I PAY for this beer? Yes, I would, but I think I would prefer to try this on tap or on location in Holland. To get a fresh taste of this beer, and truly experience what it has going for it.

Overall Rating: B-

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Pangaea 1-23-2011

Ze Beer? Pangaea
Ze Style? Belgian Strong Ale
Ze Maker? Dogfish Head
Ze Content! 7.0%
Serving type: 750ml Bottle

So, I know it’s near the end of January, and this is my first blog of the month. There went my resolution right? I’ll make a comeback you just wait and see. My resolution was to kick this site, and my beer passion into the next gear… New Glassware, better styles, more limited release beers to review, etc... So this beer I let my girlfriend choose, as well as the glass I would buy for my “Belgian-style” possibly even my imperials etc, though I wanted something simple, less labels so the beer could be seen easier through the glass; the allure of “pink elephants” was too much for my girlfriend to handle. Alas, a Delirium Tremens glass it was. Moving on, Pangaea from Dogfish Head was the bottle she chose for me. I’ve had standard bottles of the 60/90 ipa’s, palo santo, punkin, midas touch and aprihop; but nothing really from the “limited” release bottles that are typically harder to get. This is a fall seasonal bottle that is brewed from ingredients from every continent on Earth. Not only is the concept unique, the bottle can age as well. Let’s see what it’s got.

This beer pours a very clean copperish amber color with a very fluffy head with nice retention. Smell tons of Belgian yeast throughout the beer, very noticeable. Some sweet malts and a decent but not overwhelming amount of spices; very smooth and mellow on the taste, I was expecting something heavier, but I like that it’s this mellow and soft. Light body, medium carbonation bottle indicates brewed with crystallized ginger; I can taste the ginger, however, not much ginger presence. Personally I don’t care for much ginger in anything, but the fact that it was just a trace amount, made this quite tasty. It’s a bit too similar to a Belgian or German ale, it takes away from the uniqueness of the beer. Very easy to drink, and not too expensive makes this beer very nice. Easy to drink very smooth just nothing too unique about this “unique” beer.


Would I PAY for this beer? For a reasonable price yes, but not too often. It just tastes too much like any other Belgian or german ale.

Overall Rating: B

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy