Header Image

Monday, September 30, 2013

Town Hall Brewery - Masala Mama

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Until tonight I had issues completing the Top 5 as number 2 Masala Mama from Town Hall Brewery was draft or growler only.

I was unsuccessful in my last trip to Minnesota as it was "too late and far" to go with my brother, never mind that we ended up waiting over 40 minutes where we went.

So special thanks to chixdighops for the growler of Masala Mama for a growler of Knucklesandwich.

It arrived tonight and thanks to the cold temperatures was pretty cold. an hour in the fridge while I worked on the keezer was plenty of time to get it to IPA enjoying temperature.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful amber color with a fluffy cloud of head (I'm actually pretty impressed as it was fill on Monday) into my Squatters Imperial Pint. Solid head retention with very nice lacing.

Aroma: I'm a little stuffy but the hop aroma blasts through but in no way over powering, I would guess it is little dry hopped.

Taste: Yup this is a solid IPA, not overly bitter and well balanced. Bonnie says that is is "ooh smooth" and for the most part I agree. It reminds me a lot of Furious in taste and appearance which is not a bad thing.

Mouthfeel: Beautiful

Drinkability: Awesome, at around 6 this is a prefect multiglass IPA!

Now that I have creaked the Top 5 its time to work on both filling the top 20 and getting reviews in place for all

Serving type: growler

01-08-2011 02:34:28

Karl Strauss - Scott's Big IPL

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap multiple times at the Costa Mesa location as well as pro brewers night at the AHA Conference.

This beer was the pro version of their Pro-Am competition for

A: Nice golden orange color with a frothy white head. Lacing remains well through the glass

S: Good hop aroma, I would have excepted more with it being related to an IPA but this is a Karl Strauss beer. I'm picking up Simcoe

T: More East coast then West coast and tasted more Ale then a lager but overall I it had a very nice flavor that I enjoyed greatly

M: Solid monthfeel with good carbonation.

O: A good representation of a non existent style. On of the best Karl Strauss beers I've had in years

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2011 15:46:40

Brasserie La Choulette - La Choulette Framboise

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

12 ounce bottle poured into a Bruery tulip, served at around 44-50. Label lists it as a French farmhouse ale brewed with raspberry juice.

Appearance: Purple-red with a slight garnet tint in head. Reflective light off the glass is a very deep red color. The frothy head clings well to side of glass with some lace lacing which barely sticks to the side of the glass

Aroma: Slight funky with tart raspberry. Bonnie detects an almost metallic smell, it’s very subtle and only something her super sniffer would pick up. I can barely detect it, it similar to the difference between stainless steel aged chardonnay and chardonnay aged in oak barrels. Somewhat of a “clean” smell in the back in my nose, by clean I mean the way a room smells after a thorough cleaning. Not as much funk as I would've hoped for in a “farmhouse” ale but the aroma is very enjoyable and improve slightly as warms. Swirling definitely helped bring out the raspberry character.

Mouthfeel: very small bubbles, some twang, bubbles pickle my upper lip. It has a very raspberry juice and champagne feel 

Taste: It’s definitely a raspberry beer, this is by far the most predominate flavor in the beer however it is not overpowering like some fruit beers. The raspberry is very much in balance in this beer not overly raspberry. It does have very little funk and is not as complex as I would've hoped

Overall: A decent beer but nothing extraordinary. Still it’s very clean very well brewed. I went in wanting a nice funky soured beer and that probably clouded my review. While I’ve stated a lot that I would have preferred more funk I am a lot happier with this beer than if it were listed as a farmhouse saison. A little too fruity of a beer for what I would like in a farmhouse but to me farmhouse means a beer with a great funky bretty character smell and taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 19:18:16

Alpine Beer Company - Ugly

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Attention brewers of Black IPAs, Cascadian Dark Ales, India Black Ales, American-Style India Black Ales or as the Brewers Association recently announced American-Style Black Ale.

This is how your beer should taste, smell and appear.

Had this on tap at the Alpine beer company 11-May-11

Appearance: Poured a dark roasty black with brown around the edge. No really head was present and I didn't see it poured but it does product very nice lacing.

Aroma: The hop aroma blasts through but in no way over powering, very nicely done, piney with some citrus

Taste: Yup this is a solid IPA, not overly bitter and well balanced. I get near zero roasty flavor, how are they getting the color

Mouthfeel: Beautiful, good carbonation, nice body, a little dry

Overall: Awesome, this is everything an American-Style Black Ale should be!

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2011 19:20:18

Brouwerij Oud Beersel - Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at a sour tasting held 7-Mar-2011 at my homebrew club

A: Ruby red, pink head, had a nice fluffy head that did quickly vanish
S: Soured cherry pie
M: Full and foamy, like soda!
T: Old cherry pie or a tart cherry pie, more of the traditional type which showcased the fruit without piling in sugar
O: Cherry pie in a glass!
Original A-
Second thought: B - Its tastes too much like cherry pie, not really interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 19:38:32

HaandBryggeriet - Haandbakk

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at a sour tasting held 7-Mar-2011 at my homebrew club

A: Brown, glossy, low carbonation
S: Earthy, it smells like dirt
M: ~ metalic, slick and dry
T: Shit! it is going crazy in my mouth, Hot, very tarty and sour, its a smack to my palate
O: It's a very nice ride, Buzzy, I could enjoy a bottle
A-

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 19:34:15

Russian River - Temptation

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013


look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at a sour tasting held 7-Mar-2011 at my homebrew club

A: Golden, very clear, small white head even when poured straight down
S: Tart nose, some funk
M: Free roaming, [u]sour[/u], good carbonation
T: Sour, light, tart, lots going on
O: This is a wild ale, its hard to nail down everything going on, this isn't my style but I can respect its craziness
B+ to A-

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 19:05:21

Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen - Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at a sour tasting held 7-Mar-2011 at my homebrew club

A: Cloudy, golden orange - like Younger, head disappears quickly
S: Funky! Shit man, lots going on, People smell this and then still want to drink it?
M: ~
T: Fortune Favors the Bold, tart, lemony, peppery
O: Party in my mouth, I like it
A-

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 19:02:01

The Bruery - Autumn MapHELL

Pulled off of BA in light of the Great Banning of 2013

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a giant pumpkin at the Bruery's Friday tasting. I waited around for 45 minutes to try the first glass. in fact I watched it get made, Tyler and Patrick took a cask of Cherry Chocolate Rain and emptied into the Pumpkin. Then one of the severs filled it up with Autumn Maple poured from the tap into pitchers

A: They started it off by taking some of the spent cherries they used during the fermentation and putting them in the glass, they then poured into a Tulip. it is a murky brown color with very low carbonation. 

S: The nose on the beer is incredible. you pick up some of the coco, the cherry smell is very strong and I also get a very feint vanilla hint

T: The taste is absolutely exceptional, all the notes I loved about the CCR blended beautifully with the Autumn Maple. drinking it was absolutely a joy and well worth waiting around for 

M: A little heat on the back but pleasant. 

D: This beer went down exceptionally well for a 14%+ abv beer. it left a delicious aftertaste that left me wanting another glass right away

Glad I waited around for this beer, who knows if it will ever be available again

Serving type: cask

11-01-2010 18:19:51

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Maui Brewing Company

I drank a lot of Maui on Maui
Bonnie and I recently had the opportunity to vacation sans Syd in Hawai'i. We decided based on past visits to stay in Wailea on Maui and by past visits I'm referring to family trips over two decades ago. While the primary reason for the trip was relaxation and alone time I knew a trip to Maui Brewing (both the pub and production facility) was definitely on the agenda.

I've been a fan of Maui Brewing for several years now after giving there cans a try when I was first getting into beer.  In Bonnie's opinion their Bikini Blonde Lager tastes like Hawai'i and Big Swell IPA was exactly the type of IPA I was into back then. Whenever a new can comes out I make it a point to give it a try and have been presentably surprised more often the not. 

A little background on Maui Brewing Co, they started back in 2005 as a brewpub in Lahaina on the west side of the island. About 3-4 years ago they decided to open a production facility to can some of their best selling beer.  The decision to can was based a lot around the environmentally conscious aspect of cans with a Ball recycling/production facility on the island it was a no brainer for them.  I really got the sense on tour that local and sustainable are very important to them.

Bonnie chilling at the window
The tour at the production facility was great, the guide went into a lot of detail both on the history of Maui Brewing and processed involved in not only just making beer, but making Maui beer.  Some of the fun facts I collected on my tour are as follows: Maui has a contract with their shippers so that the beer the send to the main land is keep below the waterline of the boat which keeps it in the low 50s°F.  The toast all their coconut in house for their CoCoNut Porter. They've been experimenting recently when it comes to when they add it to the beer including in secondary.  Originally they added it to the boil but have recently moved to running the beer over it in a hop back between boil and chilling which has greatly enhanced the coconut flavor. So if you haven't tried it in a while I recommend grabbing a four pack. They date all their cans now (thank you). Bikini Blonde is their top selling beer in Hawai'i while CoCoNut Porter is their top selling beer on the mainland. They really focus on where their beer is sent so they can feel comfortable it's turning over quickly. They are in the process of building their own "destination brewery" in Kihei which will increase their production fivefold. 

The food at the pub was really solid and some of the better food we ate while on Maui.  The tap list was incredible and made me wish they canned more of the brewpub beers as I was absolutely in love with a bunch of them.  I really enjoyed Double Overhead and Black Rock Lager which I convinced the bartender at Monkeypod Kitchen to mix 50-50 with the CoCoNut Porter. This blend, which Bonnie called an Maui Black and Tan (even though they are both dark beers), will be the inspiration for her next brew.  I myself was inspired by my travels to brew what I'm calling a Hawaiian Pale Ale, but we'll talk about that later.

Overall it really made me think about a lot of things and the steps that would be needed to get there...  I have a lot to think about in the next few weeks.  Change is on the horizon.  Till next time

Huli pau!

-SNB
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...