Category: Beer Reviews

After a whirlwind weekend in the San Diego area, the only beer i managed to bring back with me is this this IPA from Mission Brewery.

I also recently realized that with my Netflix account I can stream some movies right to my computer.  I saw THX 1138 on the instant streaming list and figured I would try this beer from a brewery I had never heard of while checking out this movie I had never heard of made by a guy that everyone had.

So here goes….

A murky light redish brown with a full thick off white head.   Classic citrusy hop aroma and lost of sweet carmel malt notes as well.  There is a little bit of “holiday” spice.  Cinnamon or nutmeg or allspice or something there as well .   Plenty of malt flavor and a hefty bitter slap in the face.  It has a rather dusty and woody character that seems to me like it is not fresh.  Lingering bitter tannin like bite and disappointingly little of the crisp hoppiness from the Centennial and cascade varieties that are claimed to be used.

According to their website, Mission has only been around since 2007, and though their site shows teh 4 beers they feature, other online sources show that there are in fact 18 or so that they have made since then.  Looks like a case of someone setting up their web page for them and not maintaining it.  The Vons supermarket in SD where I got this IPA had a couple of their others but if given a choice, I typically go for the IPA as opposed to an Amber or Hef, which were both there as well.

Another IPA that was mediocre altogether and all I could think of was how the slow only mildly interesting movie that was depressing and dystopian, somewhat paralleled the beer I was drinking.  But with less calories.

…perhaps I should clarify.  The beers were rare, the tasting of beers…not so rare.

I was extended an invitation to a private tasting at Brewforia, in Meridian, ID the other day as Rick was trying a few beers from Mayfield Brewing Company, considering whether to carry themat the store.    Saturday at 2pm I showed up and spotted Chad, Chris and Clayton, guys who are plugged in to the Treasure Valley craftbeer scene, and of course our host.

First up was the Mayfield Iconoclast “Aurora”.  an altbier that was a hazy light tan/copper that mustered up head that barely consisted of a ring of coarse bubbles.   Light aroma of mustiness, applesauce and honey.  The oak character was subtle and worked well with the pale maltiness, light body and lively feel it had.

The next was another Iconoclast series brew, “Eclat”.  As an IPA I thought it was sweet, fruity and somewhat floral.  The Cabernet and Zin American Oak barrels that it is conditioned in lent it a noticeable tannin-like bite and while it seemed to have the IBUs for the style, it didn’t come across with a big hop flavor profile.

The third Mayfield beer was the best, “Nocturna”  Aged in French Oak barrels previously filled with a California Port Wine.   Huge licorice, chocolate and something else I couldn’t put my finger on…that is untill Rich blurted out “green apples…! “.  He was right,  in the aroma and even more so in the flavor.  That wine/tannin flavor comes through as well, with a medium body and very soft carbonation.  The slightly roasted smokey trailer finished it off.   We all agreed it was delicious but like the other two of the set, we wondered aloud if they merited the rather spendy price tag they would wear.  $40ish for the first two and $50 for the Nocturna is what I was told.

We also shared a Dogfishhead Burton Baton, and the famous, or rather notorious 120 Minute IPA both contributed to the cause by Clayton.  Like almost anything DH makes, the Burton baton was big and brash.   Open fermented and oak aged and blended with their 90 Minute IPA.   It had a huge pine and citrus pith aroma, carmely malts that had quite a bit of residual sweetness but was bittered enough to make it all work out.  The 120 was very sweet and at 18% ABV you would think after smelling that it should come witha “No Smoking” warning on it.  I hae sampled this beer back in 2006 when it was 21%.  Yeah, that’s right…Twenty-One.  Good for what they are, but very sweet, syrupy almost, but tons of flavor and  something everyone should try once.

To lighten things up we had the Stumptown Tart (Frambiose), from Bridgeport Brewing.  Ive had most of their offerings, 14 or so I think and this one was my least favorite of all of them.  Pink, spritzy, and disappointing.   Definitely not up to their Marion Berry edition of this series and quite frankly I am rather hesitant to try the  “Cherry Wheat”, the third one of the set.

Next was  splitting a 12oz Harviestoun Ola Dubh 7 ways.  It’s classified as an “Old Ale” but the name translates to “Black Oil” and not surprisingly it tasted more like a stout or very rich dark porter.  Aged in 40 year old whiskey barrels, the earthen peaty aroma and flavors were big time and other smokey and whiskey notes made this the most “Scottish” tasting beer I can remember having.

To cap it all off I pulled out the DogfishHead World Wide Stout.  Even the label unabashedly claims that it is brewed with a “ridiculous” amount of barley.  Very dark, sweet, roasted flavors with tootsie roll, purple grapes and a heavy slick palate.  this bottle was 3 years old and if anything, it may have toned down a little of the bitterness that usually should be in an Imperial Stout this big.

Just about that time I got the call I was waiting for and had to leave to pick up my daughter from a baby-sitting job.  That all these samples were small, worked out for the good I guess.

My thanks to Rick of Brewforia for the invite and to the rest of the group there for some enjoyable “Beer-Snobery”

As a bit of a beer geek, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting brews I have not tried and fun places that have interesting taps.  The establishment I visited tonight qualified for neither, really. 

Old Chicago fancy’s itself a member of the inner circle of craft beer.   (Along with overpriced Pizza and servers with a little too much “flair”)  This is evidenced by their apparent infatuation with Guinness.  They even offer several “mixed” beer drinks…all include the first item on the menu of international “Craft Beer”   One of them is Guinness and Stella Artois.   I don’t recall what catchy name they gave it but I have one or two suggestions.     OC also is known(undoubtedly among its own clientele) for their “World tour of Beer.  110 different offerings from around the world (taps and bottles) and some kind of a punch card system to track your progress.  110   Wow.  I have had a third that many, from a single local BrewPub.  Well, you learn to walk before you learn to run and I guess and I am all for the proliferation of  non-macro awareness.   I still have this secret longing for the day when they suggest their world beer tour pitch on me.  I am still formulating a reply that is sarcastic and witty enough to amuse myself, but no so rude that I risk forfeiting reasonable service for the duration of my visit.  We went cheap tonight when I was there with the fam for dinner.

We had a gift card so the only non-water beverage I allowed myself as one of there mini-samplers.  Oh sorry…”Flights”   Not sure what the back-story is, calling them that.   I chose the one with four selection of  “Americas best Craft beer”  Moose Drool, Widmer Hefeweizen, and Deschuttes Mirror Pond.  I don’t recall what the fourth one was.  Yeah, it was that special.  All were good, but these should be called “Best American Craft Beers that budding beer geeks have probably heard of”   The Mirror Pond was quite good.  It always is.

Regardless, they all washed down my pizza…which was very tasty BTW.

The Pizza was good though

Since New Belgium unveiled their “new” line of specialty beers and packaged then in their own special bottle/lables I have been spending more of my time and effort thatn I should, trying to determine if each one is a new beer, or just froofed up version of something existing.  This “Lips of Faith” thing is a case in point.  No I don’t know the story behind it, well, I do now as I just popped over to NBs site and read up on it.  They are taking there somewhat more experimental offereings and putting them in consistent labels/packaging and marketing them that way.  Fine, but the Bierre de Mars and the La Folie are not new, even though they are part of this “new” series.

I picked up the “Eric’s Ale” tonight after I saw it was a Sour and a few seconds after I realized that La Folie was a Sour as well..  Already this little item was on my good side.  It pours a very nice lively copper-orange with a spritely off white head that quickly evaporates under  several lines of streaming microscopic bubbles.   Sour but fruity aroma of soft spices, apples, peaches, bubblegum and bananas.  Very nice actually.   The flavors it delivers is not so dry and tart as I expected.    Sour, sure, but still a little sweet and flavorful.  Barely peach, but other mild soft fruit notes are here.  Pear, apple, banana, and a modest, even faint musty barnyard note.   The oak aged character is very subtle, which I love.   At 7% ABV, it is disguised well.    Even though the purists out there would want to lynch me for even suggesting it, I am a little surprised that NB didn’t drop the “L” word on any references to this sour, fruit, oak aged beer. (Lindemann’s, I’m talking to you)

This a very drinkable example of the “Sour” style.

I would reluctantly agree with the cheesy marketing dribble on their site… “A sour beer for those who don’t like sour beers and a fruit beer for those who don’t like fruit beers”   I see what they are trying to say and I agree.

New Belgium’s most recent, and current “Spring Seasonal”, “Mighty Arrow” is a Pale Ale, and I suppose lives up to expectations.  My expectations anyway.  NB is a Micro-Brewer that I am not so sure I consider very “Micro”.  No, I do not know what the barrels per day production rate limit is for micro vs non-micro classification, (Wikipedia does apparently) but they just seem to stay within the envelope of beers that try to keep from offending anyone, rather than going all out as if to say “We think this is good, and if you don’t, then it’s your loss”.  One or two Southern California breweries  readily come to mind on that.

So my fears, or expectations were more or less confirmed as I knocked down this “Mighty” Arrow. It has a quite nice, fresh west coast hop aroma. Actually, I was glad to affirm my senses when I saw on the label the description of Cascade and Amarillo hops used. That was my guess. One of my favorite beer thing, in my several years of beer-geekdom is that bright, fresh, mostly citrusy and slightly pine aroma. Kind of like when you peel a tangerine or a grapefruit and take one of the pieces of peel and crease it so the oils come out. (hopefully not in your eye) That smell. This little number has it. Not very big and bold, but it is there, and it is the bright spot for this beer.

A nearly crystal clear light orange-amber, with a nice fairly coarse off-white head. This lasts very well as I drink this down, leaving stubborn traces of spider-web lacing down the sides of my Lost Coast souvenir pounder.

There is some light bready, slightly sweet malt notes as well. NB refers to “Honey Malt” which is the name of a barley variety they could have used, or simply a description of what they think it smells like. Not sure I would call it “Fetching” like they do, but it’s nice. Either way, I get it and I agree.

I am not as excited about the flavor. It has a slightly stale, papery, malt flavor and the right amount of bitterness for the style. Kudos to NB for keeping the IBUs up a little. I’ve had a few IPA’s that were similar to this. Posers. That lovely fresh hop number that I was extolling a few moments ago is not here on the tongue however.  Often that happens.  Flavors and aromas frequently do not share the same wavelength, as it were, and it is common to get some serious turn-arounds or no-shows when you try that first sip.  Especially in fruit beers and coffee/chocolate porters for example.  I have many times smelled what seemed to be a big juicy raspberry, only to taste what I could best describe as the lingering foulness of “Red Dye # 5”

Fairly light, attenuated nicely, slight sweet maltiness but not overly so. Keeping the final gravity down a bit, helps to show off the hops and there bitterness. A fact which I’m sure is not lost on the accounting department of these breweries, when considering the still high prices of hops these days.

As I get through this, I notice the papery flavor a bit more and find my self reaching for the Frito’s a little more often.

This not so “Mighty” Arrow doesn’t exactly miss the mark,  I’d have it in my fridge…right behind the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that has already established prominence as my stand-by, go-to, always have on-hand beer.

-Cheers