565. Seventh Son Humulus Nimbus Super Pale Ale

I scored this yesterday in Columbus when I was judging beer for Digfest; Jeff Fortney and I had a pint at Seventh Son, and then we each grabbed a growler to take back to Dayton. Jeff describes this as his “favorite beer made in Ohio,” which is pretty heady praise. Elli and I decided to wait to drink this until today, as last night we stopped by 5th Street Brewpub Co-op to check out how it was coming together during their weekend open house. This was my second trip to Seventh Son—the first was beer judging for SODZ British Beer Fest—but this was the first time I got to try any of their beer, as last time they hadn’t started brewing yet.

Humulus Nimbus pours a clear, vibrant dirty straw and features a long-lasting creamy white head that laces the glass well. The nose is bread dough from the malt along with floral, citrus, and general fruitiness from the hops. There might be just a hint of biscuit, but I’m not certain. Flavors are light, bright, and clean—there is bread crust in the front, along with a hint of citrus, followed by clean bitterness in the middle before finishing with hints of grape, pine, and resin. The lingering bitterness is clean and lightly mineral, and there is a touch of candy sweetness that falls just short of caramel. The body is medium to light, with a gentle malt chewiness and creamy mouthfeel rounded by the medium carbonation. Yesterday, there was more of the blueberry hop flavor listed in the description below, but today it comes across more as grape and general fruitiness. Still, a solid, well-made beer. I like the balance between malt and hops: while both are distinct, neither is in your face, and both play harmoniously back and forth across the tongue. My only real criticism is the use of “dandelion” to describe the bitterness in the finish—as someone who regularly brews with dandelion, this doesn’t track as dandelion on my palate. Still, I’m looking forward to getting more of this beer the next time I’m in Columbus. Light, easy drinking, and certainly enjoyable. Welcome Seventh Son!

From the description at the brewery taproom: “A pale golden ale that is both super crisp and super hop forward with a refreshing mouthfeel and a summer friendly 6% abv. Mosaic & Simcoe hops lend tart blueberry and fragrant pine to a pleasingly bitter dandelion finish.”

ABV: 6.0%

(6/2/2013)

550. Free Sail Brewing At Last! American Pale Ale

This is probably one of the weirder beers I’ve reviewed in a while. Not because of the beer itself, mind you, but because of its provenance. You see, it was given to me by a student whose father brewed it for him for his 21st birthday. Which—apart from the context we are discussing here—is pretty damn cool. However, it is not every day that you get beer from one of your students, former or not, although it is not without precedence. Still, I do have to admit I was excited to try it—the last couple of beers passed my way by this student were pretty damn tasty. So without further ado...

At Last! pours a slightly hazy copper caramel that carries a fair amount of orange; the head is off-white but not quite tan, and starts with a half-inch of body before falling to a thin covering that never quite fully dissipates. The nose is orange, pine, and resin on the hop side, and grainy/husky caramel with a touch of Belgian candy on the malt side. There is also some earthiness and grassiness and a hint of corn once the initial burst of aroma recedes. Flavors open with toast and orange marmalade, giving way to caramel and hop bitterness in the middle. In the finish, there is a bracing and clean bitterness that lingers pleasantly and carries hints of pine and evergreen as well as the orange found across the beer’s profile. The carbonation is bright but restrained—it cleanses the palate rather than biting—and allows the bitterness to roll across the tongue and on into the finish. As well, the creamy, chewy malt character gives the beer body and helps support the hop bitterness. A touch of corn from the nose survives in the middle, but nothing drastic. The beer does look a bit darker than it tastes—I expected a bit more caramel from the color, and thus was pleasantly surprised by the brighter malt and hop balance this beer achieves. Kudos to Will’s dad (blame Will—he never told me your name, although my mad google skills did produce this) for a well-made beer, and kudos to Will for hitting that 21st milestone: you are now free to enjoy all that South Park Tavern, Trolleystop, and Lucky’s has to offer! Just don’t forget about that education!

From the bottle: “Adventurously Hoppy, Invariably Smooth.”

ABV: 6.75%

(12/19/2012)

534. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord

Timothy Taylor has been producing “prize-winning Yorkshire Beers and Ales” since 1858 at the Knowle Spring Brewery in Keighly. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord—not to be confused with Chris Wyatt’s Landlord—is something of a staple in England, and, well, I can see why. Here’s to British beer!

Landlord pours a crisp, clear toffee caramel with a creamy and slightly off-white head that has stupendous retention. Visually, the beer is a pretty one—in addition to the clarity, it features small streaming bubbles that light up the beer. The nose is malt mixed with huskiness and light buttery toast. As well, there are hints of floral, musty, and earthy hop aromas. Flavors start with caramel malt sweetness mixed with creamy toffee; there is a floral earthy hop flavor in the front, although some of the floral components could be from the yeast. The middle features a gentle bitterness along with a slight creamy spiciness that tastes and feels hop-derived. It almost comes across as a light herbal mintiness—bright and crisp on the tongue. A touch of graininess comes out in the finish, along with gentle lingering bitterness. The beer is bright and clean; the medium body and prickly, restrained carbonation keeps the beer light on the tongue. It is smooth and even from start to finish. It is certainly a classic. I’m happy to finally taste the original: while it is a bit darker than the one we brewed for the Rockit Cup, the flavors are similar, although this beer has more body and depth. The hint of herbal mintiness is a nice touch in the beer. Landlord is a standard-bearer for the easy-drinking session beer that American craft brewing should be aspiring to replicate: nothing flashy, nothing showy, just straight pure quality. I’d drink pints of this all night long. And so would you.

From the bottle: “Landlord is the classic pale ale, brewed in the traditional way from the famous Knowle Spring water, using only the finest malt and leaf hops. This full-flavoured brew has been crowned Supreme Champion Beer of Britain four times at the Great British Beer Festival; no other beer in the U.K. has won as many awards. Timothy Taylor started brewing at Keighley in 1858, and his business continues as a family company at the original brewery, maintaining the tradition of excellence he established.”

From the Timothy Taylor website: “A Classic Strong Pale Ale, Landlord has won more awards nationally than any other beer: This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers’ International Exhibition and four times as CAMRA’s beer of the year. Refreshingly reliable, nationally renowned, this full drinking Pale Ale with a complex and hoppy aroma has real ‘Pulling Power’ and stands out in any bar as the ideal regular.”

They also have an entry for Bottled Landlord: “The bottled version of the Classic Pale Ale that commands its own loyal following. Bottled Landlord boasts six national awards in recent years and is a natural selection for those who wish to enjoy beer at home.”

ABV: 4.1%

(10/23/2012)

498. Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

Let’s start with the obvious. Headwaters drops science like Sean Morgan talks game. Or drinks beer. Or flim-flams. You get the picture. That’s right, I’m bagging on ol’ Mercury. Because today, he officially got older. And if you don’t get the reference, you can check with this guy. Anywho, Victory is back. Not like they went anywhere. Our other encounters with Victory include Yakima Twilight (since renamed Yakima Glory), Saison du Buff, the collabo with Stone and Dogfish Head, plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil.

Headwaters pours a light, clear copper; it has only a slight haze, and a thin but consistent white head with profuse small bubbles rising through the beer—which is just another way of saying that Headwaters is pretty. The hop aroma in the nose is delightful—citrus—including lemon zest, orange and grapefruit—coupled with spicy resin and a dank mustiness. At the same time, however, it is bright and floral, followed by a touch of biscuit malt. Flavors start dry and lightly spicy; the biscuit malt flavor comes out in the middle, along with the resin and a slight hint of evergreen that follows through into the finish. The bright bitterness builds gently across the profile, contributing to the dry, biscuit-like, almost cracker-y finish. Bright, crisp, dry, and bitter, yet carrying plenty of subtlety—this beer is top-notch. I’d drink Headwaters all the time if I could actually find it on a regular basis; my best bet is to follow the example of my current mild experimentation, and get busy crafting myself a light, easy-drinking APA that goes down like this luscious liquid gold. Not that I’ll be topping Headwaters anytime soon. But I can certainly give it the ol’ college try, can’t I?

From the bottle: “Malted barley, hops, and yeast are the building blocks of beer. But none of these elements would exist with water, the essence of life. The waters that feed our brewery begin just over a dozen miles away, making for spectacularly pure and vital water for brewing. Having worked with watershed advocacy groups since our inception, we value our headwaters, our source, in many ways. We think you’ll value them as well when you taste this firmly crisp and aromatically arousing pale ale. Cheers!”

ABV: 5.1%
Malts: imported German 2-row
Hops: “whole flower American”—what the hell does that mean? My call is Citra
First release: Feb. 15, 2011

Happy Birthday, Sean! Get that drink on, my man!

(12/8/2011)

495. Boulevard 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale

Ah, Boulevard. That there was more of you in my life. Why don’t you come to Ohio, and make my life better? Pretty please? Can I consider that a maybe? This is our fifth Boulevard beer, including Collaboration No. 2 White IPA, Saison, Saison-Brett and Two Jokers Double Wit. Oh, and Happy Birthday, by the way.

21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale pours a hazy orange copper—basically, a slightly darker Werther’s caramel color. The head is a yellowish tan, and lasts long and rouses easy, which makes it akin to a drunken Australian. Aromas open with a mixture of spicy resin hop and creamy caramel malt. I don’t perceive any of the citrus the label describes, but I do get the complex peppery components, which are quite alluring—possibly the caramel is masking the lighter and more delicate citrus character. Elli concurs with this assessment, and since her nose is better than mine, I feel better, although she could just be pandering to me. Which is always possible. When she reads this, she will roll her eyes at me, tell me it sounds fine, and send me back to the kitchen. As the beer warms, there are some orange marmalade aromas that emerge to balance the spiciness of the Magnum, which is the only aroma I can definitively pick out. Flavors start with spicy hops and caramel malt that is sweet but clean on the palate; the middle has some light and bright bitterness (again, I’m thinking Magnum) mixed with a touch of nutty and dry biscuit malt that is cleaned off the tongue with the carbonation bite prefacing the final third, closing with dry biscuit and more of the lingering clean bitterness. There is a touch of sweetness there, but more in relation to flavor than mouthfeel; again, the beer sits lightly on the palate, and drinks easier and far cleaner than the 7.4% ABV listed on the bottle—there is the perception of sweetness, but not the corresponding stickiness in the mouthfeel. Overall, an enjoyable fresh hop beer—clean and interesting with subtle yet complex hop flavor. I’d like it better with a little less caramel malt so that the subtlety could shine through more, but according to Jeffrey, that’s my answer for everything. Either that, or age it for longer in the basement, which I vociferously would not recommend for this beer. This is, however, the best of the fresh hop beers I’ve tried this year—well, unless Pig War is a fresh hop, but I don’t think it is. And yes, I just wanted another chance to say Pig War.

From the bottle: “In November 1989, John McDonald loaded his pickup and drove three blocks down the street to deliver the first keg of Boulevard beer. Though significantly more assertive, Boulevard 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale is brewed in loving tribute to that original Pale Ale. English pale malt gives the brew a rich, nutty malt flavor. Munich and Caramel malts add color and body, while a blend of Cascade, Hallertau, Magnum, Styrian Golding, and Centennial hops contribute scintillating citrus aromas and complex peppery notes.”

From the website: “This is a beer that is best enjoyed fresh. It will not be enhanced by cellaring for weeks or months, so there’s no reason to wait. It’s time to celebrate, and—now that we’re old enough to order a beer for ourselves—we plan to raise a glass or two in November to mark the occasion. Please join us! Cheers!”

See, I told you so.

ABV: 7.4%
IBU: 40
OG: 16.5˚ P
FG: 3.8˚ P

And the best jokes are the old ones.

(11/29/2011)

480. Three Floyds Alpha King

So after the IPA brewday, we headed on up to Indiana for a little vacation time. Which means scoring all the beer we wish we could score regularly. Like Three Floyds Alpha King. I remember the first couple of times I had this beer—at that time, it tasted so so hoppy. Now, I’d consider it a rather moderate and well-balanced version of an American Pale Ale—sure, it’s got some hops in it, but there is less bitterness and enough malt character in the body to balance and round the beer. How’s that for yet another example of the hop tolerance created by American craft brewing? Even though we’re regionally challenged, we’ve still managed to score our fair share of Three Floyds: Moloko Milk Stout, Blackheart IPA 2010, Dark Lord 2010, Rabbid Rabbit, BrooDoo Harvest Ale, Brian Boru, Gumballhead Wheat, Robert the Bruce, Dreadnaught, Black Sun Stout and Blackheart IPA.

Alpha King pours a hazy orange and copper—probably more copper than orange—with a creamy white head that puts in some work to keep hanging around. Serious work. It does, however, manage to lace up the glass pretty decently. The nose is a mix of biscuit and caramel malt and citrus, herbal, and floral hop aromas. Or in other words, it smells delicious. Tastes delicious too, what with the gentle biscuit and sweet caramel bready flavors in the front and the citrus, floral, and herbal hop flavors in the middle (there is more floral than herbal flavor, hence the lack of parallelism in my two lists—no, I’m not rummy with beer). There is a touch of bitterness to the middle, albeit very light, that lingers nicely through the finish, helping to lighten and clean the overall finish. The turn into the finish has a brief return of the caramel sweetness before the bitterness comes to the front, along with a slight mineral and herbal touch. The body is medium with a chewy, bright mouthfeel; the carbonation helps cleanse the palate in the finish, contributing to the crispness of the beer. All in all, Alpha King is a damn good beer—we both dig on it, and are always happy when we can find it. Like now. So hurry up and get your ass to Ohio, Three Floyds. We love you, but we do get tired of searching you out.

From the bottle: “Alpha King is an American Pale Ale with a bold citrus hop character. We brew all out beers for our own demanding tastes. If you’re unwilling to compromise on your beer, we urge you to try it.”

From the Three Floyds website: “3 Floyd’s flagship beer, Alpha King is a big American Pale Ale that pours a deep amber with a creamy head. This ale is brewed with Centennial, Cascade, and Warrior hops giving it an intense citrus aroma and a crisp hoppy finish.”

ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 66

(5/14/2011)

448. Bruery Humulus Session

Sometimes, dreams do come true. But any dream that you want to come true—that you really really really want to bring to fruition—is gonna also require some hard work. Like this one. So let me set the scene...I’m in Los Angeles, doing that academic literature thing I do to finance my more fruitful and enjoyable hi-jinx, like, well, beer. Looming close by, close enough to taunt me (and taunt me it did), is the Bruery. For many, a potentially interesting place to visit, but nothing worth getting worked up over. Not for this guy, however. I like me some funky esoteric beers. Add a solid dose of Belgian influence, and you had me at hello. And that hello came from the Bruery. My problem: I’m in L.A., and they are in Placentia, which wouldn’t mean much to me either, unless you’re like me and had already researched and discovered the dearth of effective and useful public transportation between the the two locales. Yes, that was me with the cyber-stalking and the trying to find the secret path to enlightenment that won’t cost me that $100+ cab ride I so know I’ll be taking if I can’t discover any other viable options. After all, 30 miles is 30 miles. Unless it is in L.A., when it becomes like 287. Plus traffic. Today, Sunday, is my best option, as the train making up the bulk of the trip doesn’t normally return from the Fullerton stop back to L.A. much past the opening hours of the tasting room on Friday and Saturday. And if I’m going, I’m going. Being that it is my last day in L.A., I’ve also checked out and have my luggage with me. Classy, I know, but you’ll forgive me: I travel light. So I take a subway to the train station for a 3o minute ride south and west (at least I think) on the Orange line to Fullerton, where I catch a cab the last five or six miles. Sure, I could have finished off the trip by bus and kept it real, but another transfer and an additional hour and a half sounds like a sucker’s bet. I like epic adventures and all, but I don’t need to overdo it. And sure, the train is pretty much a one-way trip, but since I am flying out tonight, I scheduled my Shuttle Express pickup at the Bruery instead of the hotel. That last part was sheer genius. Go on, admit it. I’m guessing you’re wishing you’d thought of that one, hmmm? But I digress...

My plan worked flawlessly. I hit the Bruery at a little after 1 pm. Closing time is 6 pm. Let the festivities begin. Ordering a sampler gets you 2 oz. tastes, plus an awesome Bruery snifter glass. They were pouring nine beers, so I got down to work: in order, I tried 7 Grain Saison, Humulus Session, Saison de Lente (last year’s, and out of the bottle), Loakal Red, Saison Rue, Mischief, Rugbrød, and 3 French Hens. After the sampling, I opted for the Humulus Session to start out the next round of full beer drinking. Let’s just say that this is a beer I could easily drink all night: it was super fresh and hoppy with a light dry malt body. The touch of sweetness in the front gave way to solid hop flavor in the middle and finish, while the lighter body was an excellent vehicle for the Simcoe and Centennial hop flavors—they worked hand in hand to create a delicious drinking experience. This type of beer—the low alcohol complex session beer—is something that the American craft beer scene needs a whole crapload more of, and Humulus Session is by far the best example I’ve come across yet. Next up was the Loakal Red, which, as I texted to a couple of people in my giddy beer-geek euphoria, “is a mother-fuckin’ oak bomb. Dag.” The hops, malt, and oak create a complex marriage of sweetness (malt) and dryness (hops and oak) that taunts your palate. Dag is right.

Can you say new anniversary beer?

In my excitement to tell my tale, I’ve left out two important points to my story thus far: first, the Bruery provides food for their tasting room by inviting a rotating number of food trucks to park out back. Today’s food option was the Bacon Mania truck, and since I knew I’d be getting into my cups, right about the time I ordered the Humulus Session, I also ordered some lamb, beef, and bacon sliders from the server who was gracious enough the walk around and take orders inside. Second, the Bruery’s Reserve Society Membership Initiation was last night, which means that last night was the the night of super-fancy beer. And, luckily for me, that today is the day of leftover fancy beer. At this point, I also start talking to the couple seated next to me. It turns out that he works in one of the food trucks in the rotation outside. And likes the sours. Ah, a man after my own heart. He asks me if I’ve tried the Bert Zuurman. I give him a quizzical look, and he points to the small chalk sign that, in my initial school-girl giddiness, I had missed. Bert Zuurman, is described as a Rugbrod soured with lingonberries. Damn. Can you guess what my third beer was? Ah, the sour murky goodness.

Since the couple I was talking to knew the bartenders, they got the scoop on other fancy beers lurking around—they got a sample of Old Richland, which, via their generous benevolence, means I got to sample it as well. The sweetest words I have ever heard in English passed from this man’s lips as I poured some of his sample into my glass: “No, no. Pour yourself some more. I don’t need all of that.” Seriously? I’m not certain, but I think you can get sainted for that type of behavior. And if you can’t, I’m going to go on record and say that that is truly a crime of biblical proportions. I also heard about the Cigar City/Bruery Collaboration (which at that point, neither I, nor anyone I knew, had even heard of—trust me, I asked) that is now known as Marrón Acidifié (as posted on the Bruery blog on January 12). Not that I am connected enough to score a bottle, but I do like being among the first to know. After all, it happens so rarely to me...

Sadly, my new friends had to take off, although since it was approaching 5:30, it also meant I had to at least pretend to motivate for my upcoming trip to the airport. After I purchased a couple of t-shirts, just when I thought it couldn’t get ANY better, the Bert Zuurman keg cashed, and a keg of Oude Tart went up. So that’s how I closed out my evening at the Bruery Tasting Room. Stupendous.

When the Shuttle Express pulled up, they poured my into my seat, and I contemplated the back of my eyelids all the way to the airport. Once on the plane, I was asleep before we were airborne. Let’s just say that was the most painless red-eye flight I ever experienced. And for the record, I chose the Humulus Session as the beer of the day over all the other potential choices because it represents American craft brewing at its best: it is both accessible and complex at the same time. If craft beer is going to transform the way Americans drink, if people are really looking for the type of beer that will convert macro drinkers while respecting the traditions of craft brewing, they need look no further. I’ve already found myself pining for this beer, mostly because there is nothing really like it out there. So thanks to the Bruery for doing what it is you do, and making me feel like a rock star, even if only for a few hours.

From the day’s beer list and information sheet: Humulus Session: “A delicious session ale brewed and dry-hopped with Simcoe & Centennial hops, this light & refreshing beer is perfect for those late Santa Ana winds.”
ABV: 4.5%

IBU: 35

I love it when a plan comes together...Oh yeah, and previous beers from the Bruery include 3 French Hens, Saison de Lente, Rugbrød, Hottenroth, Orchard White and Saison Rue.

(1/9/2011)

432. Iron Horse Hop Hub Pale Ale

Our first beer from Iron Horse Brewery, located in Ellensburg, WA, “straight from hop country” as it says on the bottle. This is their 4th Anniversary ale, labeled as the “Beer Shoppe Anniversary Ale” on the bottle, although there is nothing on the Iron Horse website to indicate that this beer ever existed. And the bottle is bike-themed! So in other words, it is all good. We also had Caldera Ür Bock Rauch Beer, which was a bit too sweet in relation to the smoke flavors—it was more Kansas City BBQ than smoky rich bacon-y goodness. Our third beer for the day was Hopworks Urban Brewery (or HUB) IPA; HUB is located in Portland, OR, and is pretty much a straight up West Coast IPA: say hello to Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascade hops coupled with a lighter malt load—organic Canadian pilsner and organic German Munich and Caramunich. Big hop flavor coupled with a chalky dry malt body. Dee-licious. HUB IPA also contributes to the bike-theme of today’s post: Hop Hub Pale Ale and HUB IPA (see the bottle photo if you’re more into the visual thing)—we couldn’t plan this if we tried. Sure, the Caldera is dragging down the bike-themed post, but you’ll all suck it up and deal, won’t you? Because if not, I’ll be forced to taunt you a second time.

Pouring a hazy tan with a light white head, Hob Hub Pale Ale has a restrained spicy hop aroma with lower levels of caramel malt sweetness underneath. There are also light fruity and apple hints along with the spiciness in the nose. Flavors are crisp and bright; there is light breadiness in the front followed by light bitterness and fruity and floral hop flavors. The finish is bready and bright with lightly lingering bitterness. Hop Pub Pale Ale is medium-bodied with a crisp body and brisk carbonation that helps round the bitterness and the body, along with a light chalky dryness. Elli liked it more when it was cold; I liked it more as it warmed up—the hop character ended up much like the fresh hop beer we made (well, minus the bitterness)—the floral, fruity, and light apple components are a lot of what we got of those hops we pulled off of the bike path. The difference here is the bitter components, which do help the overall beer. Nice job, Iron Horse. Wish we had more, but I doubt I’ll be seeing this in Dayton anytime in the near future. Ah, beer: why must you taunt me so?

HUB IPA says “Ride your bike,” dammit.

From Rate Beer: “Hop Hub is fermented just up the street from America’s hop mecca; the Yakima Valley. In this pale ale we are showcasing two strong and odiferous domestic hop varieties; chinook and amarillo. Hop Hub has ample citrusy hop aromas and flavors. We backed up these two high roller hops with a snappy blend of specialty malts, including caramel, honey et al., to keep this beer from tipping over.”

ABV: 6.0%

(11/23/2010)

402. Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale

It’s more of that pesky Rogue—they keep coming back around, and coming back around. And it is soooooo hard to say no. SO hard. After all, who doesn’t have a little rogue in them? (Rim shot, please!) This also marks our like gazillionth Rogue beer: our Rogue’s list includes John John Juniper, First Growth Single Malt Ale, Dead Guy, Shark Tooth Ale, John John Dead Guy, Mogul Madness, Dirtoir Black Lager, Yellow Snow IPA, Chipotle Ale, First Growth Wet Hop Ale, Juniper Pale Ale, Maierfest and Capt’n Sig’s Northwestern Ale. OREgasmic Ale makes 14, including four from the Chatoe Rogue series.

Pouring a hazy orange copper, OREgasmic Ale has a thin eggshell head and a hoppy and biscuity nose—the hoppiness in the nose is a rather generic hop smell, but it is distinct in its hoppiness. Flavors begin with bready and warm bread crust maltiness coupled with dry biscuit; the middle has a good bitterness mixed with hop spiciness and resin flavors, and the finish has a slight return of sweetness—more caramel here than bready—and lingering bitterness. With a medium body and carbonation, and a bright, fresh mouthfeel along with some drying characteristics from the hoppiness, OREgasmic Ale is interesting but also has something of a homebrew feel to it—flavors are good although a bit muddled, and while enjoyable it could use a bit more balance. OREgasmic Ale is also bottle-conditioned, which, unless I’m mistaken, is something new from Rogue. While the flavors are muddled, the beer does finish clean—we said it has a homebrew quality to it, but it is still Rogue, and Rogue ain’t half-steppin’.

From the bottle: “Orange-amber in color, malty aroma, spicy fruity hop flavor with solid malt background and lingering finish. Brewed using 100% OREGON Ingredients. Micro Barley Farm first growth Dare™ & Risk™ Malts; Rogue Micro Hopyard Willamette & first growth Independent Hops, Pacman Yeast and Free Range Coastal Water.”

From the Rogue website: “OREgasmic Ale is brewed with all First Growth Oregon hops and malt grown on Rogue’s own micro hopyard and barley farm. OREgasmic Ale is the third Chatoe Rogue release, following Dirtoir Black Lager and Single Malt Ale. Available July 1st.”

ABV: 6.0%

OG: 15° P
IBU: 40

(8/9/2010)

393. St. Feuillien/Green Flash Bière de L’Amitié

Ah, the collabo. Seems like everyone is doing it nowadays. Which is a good thing—spread that beer knowledge and share that beer experience. And with Green Flash willing to head east and cross the pond to Belgium to visit St. Feuillien, the world just got a whole lot more interesting. Because while the domestic collabo is good, the international collabo is all things to all people. And yes, you can quote me on that. We’ve previously tried beer from both breweries: from St. Feuillien we’ve tried the Saison and the Belgian Abbey Ale, while with Green Flash we’ve had Hop Head Red Ale.

Bière de L’Amitié pours a lightly hazy bright gold—we can see through it, but there is some slight cloudiness. The head is white and mousse-y, and laces the glass rather well. The nose has bubblegum (Bazooka Joe, to be specific) and creaminess, along with spicy phenols that are lightly clove-like and spicy. Which is just a fancy way of saying that it smells very Belgian. Bière de L’Amitié starts slightly sweet in a candy-like way with some juicy flavor coupled with fruity esters and spicy phenol flavors across the back of the tongue. The middle dries out on the palate, and has a fair amount of bitterness, especially in relation to the drop in sweetness. There is a slight touch of alcohol warmth in the turn to the finish that sits on the tongue, further drying out the beer on the palate, although the beer does finish a slight creaminess in both the flavor and mouthfeel. As well, there is a bit of lingering dryness and bitterness on the tongue after the creamy finish passes, leaving a pleasant and lightly fruity taste. The carbonation is bright and effervescent, helping to dry out the beer, while the body is pretty light—while there is some alcohol warmth, the body is far lighter than your normal 9.5% ABV beer. In fact, while the label refers to this as a “blond Belgian collaboration ale,” it does have some saison characteristics to it, specifically with the dry body and mouthfeel coupled with some of the aromatics. The complexity and nuance of this beer made for a great drinking experience—Bière de L’Amitié is a study in subtlety and enjoyment. I wish we could find some more of this so that we could both enjoy more of it in the short run, and throw a couple of bottles in the basement to see how it ages. It should go without saying (although I’m still gonna say it) that this beer is a Top 10 best contender for the year. So delicious.

From the bottle: “St. Feuillien’s centuries old brewing traditions combine with Green Flash Brewing Company’s cutting edge brewing techniques to form our first collaboration brew: Bière de L’Amitié (Friendship Brew). A blond Belgian collaboration ale, brewed with St. Feuillien’s traditional yeast and spices. For a modern twist, we add rye malt, wheat malt, and American Amarillo hops. At the crossroads of collaboration, we dry-hopped the brew for more zest. It’s old-world Belgian Abbey-style meets new-world American craft brewing—and a friendship is formed.”

From the Green Flash website: “During a recent twelve day Great Belgium Beer Tour, brewer’s from Green Flash Brewing Co. of San Diego County, California and Brasserie St. Feuillien of Le Roeulx, Belgium teamed up to produce the first-ever collaboration ale between American and Belgian family-owned breweries. The beer will be called Bière De L’Amitié, or Friendship Brew, and will be released in the United States in June 2010.”

ABV: 9.5%
Brew Date: March 9, 2010

(7/28/2010)

384. Nantahala Pale Ale

Nantahala Brewing Company is located in Bryson City, NC. They only started selling beer on May 24, 2010, although they attempted to get going a bit sooner—their site runs through all their fun hijinx getting labels approved and accepted by all the appropriate local, state, and federal agencies. Good times! We found this on tap at Nick & Nate’s in Sylva, NC. So close to Asheville, and yet so far...

I know this is from the IPA, but I couldn’t find anything else to steal...

Nantahala Pale Ale was served in a pint glass; it is a lightly hazy deep copper brown with a persistent, creamy eggshell head that laces the glass well. Flavors start sweet with caramel and biscuit malt in the front before moving into a large amount of bitterness and dryness in the middle—we’re guessing the dryness is a result of the bigger hop presence—with hop pine and resin flavors (Simcoe?). The finish continues dry with more hop flavor—citrus and possibly smaller amounts of grapefruit—as well as a fair amount of lingering bitterness. Nantahala Pale Ale has a medium body and carbonation with a slightly chewy mouthfeel. The carbonation has a bit of a bite in the turn to the final third, creating a lightly bright feel on the palate. As well, there is some dryness in the mouth via the bitterness, along with a slightly tacky sensation. We picked up on a couple of lighter sensations in the beer: there is something of a light brown malt taste and a slight rye graininess in the body, but it was hard to specifically place or quantify either—both were more of a presence invoked in the drinking. Overall, Nantahala Pale Ale is a very nice beer. While it is a bit dark for a pale ale, there is a good balance between malt and hops and a nice complexity in the body. Well done.

From the Nantahala website: “An American Pale Ale made with a variety of malts and hops to create a well-balanced, reddish colored ale that is citrusy and sweet.”

Couldn’t find anything on the ABV or other pertinent brewing details...

(7/19/2010)

375. Jackie O’s OPA

Since I was in Athens judging beer for Ohio Brew Week, I figured it was my civic duty to grab a couple of growlers from Jackie O’s. The best part was that since I was a judge, they had a nice reception for all of us in the smaller original part of Jackie O’s after judging was over, and had some tasty special treats on tap. Ah, the velvet rope. Sometimes it is nice to be on the other side. I tried the Black Bacon Ryno on tap (which was good, but had more smoke than bacon flavor), and grabbed the OPA to take home to share with Elli. Ah, love. Oh, and this is our second beer from Jackie O’s (three if you want to count this—see the bottom); the last one was a bottle of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Impy Razz. Here’s hoping for many many more.

Ohio Pale Ale pours a hazy dull gold with a thin white head; the nose has a gentle malt aroma with a slight corny aroma followed by some general bitterness. Flavors favor bitterness pretty much across the profile; there is some initial light malt flavor mixed with some hop grassiness before the bitterness of the middle takes over, and continues all the way through the finish, lingering nicely on the sides and back of the tongue. There is not much else in the way of malt characteristics—the balance is certainly towards the hops here. OPA has a medium body with a soft, slightly creamy mouthfeel. The carbonation is light and gentle; it does peak a touch in the final third, but is mostly gentle on the palate. There is fair amount of hop tang on the tongue along with a slight metallic bite to accompany the lingering bitterness. OPA is well made and easy drinking; while it is not the most exciting beer, it is hard to argue with quality.

From the Jackie O’s website: “A regional favorite that has hop heads rejoicing. A golden hue and thick white head invite the hop lover in all of us to enjoy floral notes infused with lemons and fresh cut grass. The taste is bitter as malts resonate through the abundant Cascade and Centennial hop character. The finish is reminiscent of bouquets, citrus groves, and peppered earth. Triumphantly back after being discontinued due to the 2007 and 2008 hop shortage.”

ABV: 6.0%
Malt: American 2-row, Munich, Cara 8, & White Wheat
Hops: Warrior, Perle, Centennial, & Cascade

(7/10/2010)

366. Brooklyn Summer Ale

This beers marks the start of a new year, and since we had so much fun last year, we’ll at least give it the ol’ college try of doing it again. And what better way to set the pace of summer than with something from Brooklyn Brewing? This is our fifth beer from them, including Sorachi Ace, Black Ops 2010, East India Pale Ale and Pennant Ale ’55. Ah yeah. Beertastic.

Summer Ale is a clear must gold with a creamy white head that laces the glass rather well. With a grainy and bready nose that carries both a slight bitterness and sourness, the beer starts out smelling something a bit more like a lager than an ale (albeit a malty lager). There could also be some mustiness in the nose. Flavors begin bready with just a touch of sweetness; the middle has a touch of sourness mixed with low levels of bitterness, and the finish brings with it some musty and grainy flavors couple with slight sweetness and creaminess. There is also a return of some of the bready flavors from the start, and a bit of lingering bitterness to close things out. Summer Ale has a medium body with a soft, creamy, and bready body that is just short of chewy, while the carbonation is low to medium; it is generally soft on the palate, with a bit of a bite as the beer transitions into the final third. Pretty good as summer beers go, although the slight sourness makes this beer less thirst-quenching—if it was nice and hot, we’re sure it would go down smooth, but as is, it is a bit distracting. As well, the hop levels do fall short of what is indicated on the bottle—unless mustiness and sourness are new hop aromas we’ve missed, the “bright hop aroma” appears to be incognito. Nonetheless, as with all things Brooklyn, a well-crafted beer.

From the bottle: “Brooklyn Summer Ale is a summer refresher with difference. The difference comes from the malt-100% British two-row barley, prized for superior taste. Our Summer Ale is gold in color, with a soft bready flavor, snappy clean bitterness and bright hop aroma, and will taste best before the freshness date indicated. Please write or visit the brewery Saturdays noon to 5 p.m., at #1 Brewers Row, 79 North 11th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, or our web site as www.brooklynbrewery.com”

From the Brooklyn website: “Available from April through July, Brooklyn Summer Ale is a modern rendition on the ‘Light Dinner Ale’ brewed in England throughout the 1800’s right up until the 1940’s. They were also called ‘luncheon ales,’ because they were refreshing and flavorful without being too heavy. We brew our Brooklyn Summer Ale from premium English barley malt, which gives this light-bodied beer a fresh bready flavor. German and American hops lend a light crisp bitterness and a citrus/floral aroma, resulting in a beer with a very sunny disposition.”

ABV: 5.0%
Malt: British 2-row
Hops: German Perle and American Cascade, Fuggle, and Amarillo
OG: 11° P
Best Before: Sept. 2010

Merciful matching glassware!

(7/1/2010)

356. Founders Pale Ale

This marks our sixth beer from Founders, following KBS (which was itself a bonus beer), Centennial IPA, Black Biscuit, Harvest Ale and Breakfast Stout. We found this on tap at Dewey’s, so we had it with dinner.

Served to us in pint glasses, Founders Pale Ale was a soft copper that was slightly yellow; it has a minimal head that quickly ringed the glass, although it did leave behind some lacing. The nose was a toasty, bready, and grainy malt nose with a little spicy hoppiness and some slight bitterness. The flavors followed the nose: the opening was mostly a toasty and bready malt that shifted to a spicy bitterness in the middle. The finish saw a return of some of the breadiness with some caramel malt flavor and dry biscuit, and also some graininess; the spicy bitterness from the middle also lingers on through into the finish, and also a bit beyond. Founders Pale Ale has a medium body and also a medium carbonation; there is some creaminess and dryness in the mouthfeel, although the dryness is more from the malt than the hops. As well, the bite from the carbonation and the hop bitterness merge in the final third to help clean and round the beer. Founders Pale Ale is more British than American as pale ales go—the bitterness defines the second half of the beer, with minimal hop flavor and aroma. Good, but nothing really outstanding.

From the Founders website: “A testament to Cascade hops in a bottle. This medium-bodied pale ale has a distinctive floral hop aroma and refreshing citrus flavor. You’ll notice a slight malty sweetness with a balanced hop finish. Perfect to enjoy anytime, anywhere.”

ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 35

I guess ours was a little old or something, because there was none of that “distinctive floral hop aroma and refreshing citrus flavor” to be found. Oh well.

(6/21/10)

344. Rogue John John Juniper Ale

Lucky number 13: we continue to pile up massive numbers on Rogue; this beer is the second in the John John series, and our thirteenth Rogue beer for the year. The run down includes First Growth Single Malt Ale, Dead Guy, Shark Tooth Ale, John John Dead Guy, Mogul Madness, Dirtoir Black Lager, Yellow Snow IPA, Chipotle Ale, First Growth Wet Hop Ale, Juniper Pale Ale, Maierfest and Capt’n Sig’s Northwestern Ale. Is there a Rogue we won’t drink? Until they make a vomit flavored beer, we don’t think so...

Triple J pours the color of toasty bread crust, and is a bit hazy with a fine creamy white head; the carbonation is small and bright in the glass. The nose is lightly bready, but only lightly—there is not much going on in the nose, at least not when first poured. Flavors begin with a light soft toasty breadiness in the front; the middle has some dryness and bitterness and a light juniper flavor that lingers into the finish, which has a more pronounced bitterness as well as a light spruce flavor. The bitterness and the spruce linger on the palate; as they dissipate, there is a light alcohol/gin flavor that emerges at the back of the throat. John John Juniper has a medium body with a creamy, soft mouthfeel, and the carbonation is bright in the glass but soft in the mouth. Overall, Triple J is clean and very well balanced, although not much different than the regular Juniper Pale Ale. In fact, the only really perceptible difference is the presence of the spruce flavor that mutes the juniper (either that, or a bit less overall juniper flavor), and the light alcohol/gin taste that lingers after the beer leaves the palate. As well, we are very glad to see that while Rogue continues to experiment, that they are not just running full-tilt into the gi-normous big beer craze—John John Juniper is subtle, nuanced, and an easy-drinkin’, well-made beer. Keep on keepin’ on, Rogue.

Here’s the pint of John John Juniper I had in SF

From the Rogue website: “In their second collaboration effort, Rogue Master Brewer, John Maier, and Master Distiller, John Couchot are releasing John John Juniper Pale Ale. This ale consists of Rogue Juniper Pale Ale aged in Rogue’s Juniper Gin barrels. Gin lovers will recognize the oddity in this approach – gin is not typically aged in barrels.To craft this unique brew, John Couchot aged the Gin in oak barrels so the barrels can soak up the flavor of the gin. The barrels are then emptied and rolled by forklift from the Rogue Distillery to the Rogue Brewery. John Maier later fills these barrels with Juniper Pale Ale so that his creation can absorb the gin flavors from the barrel.”

IBU: 34
OG: 13° P
Malts: Harrington, Crystal, Triumph, C-15, & Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare
Hops: Sterling, Golding, Amarillo, & Rogue Farm Willamette
Other ingredients: Juniper Berries

(6/9/10)