Day 68, 3.9.11., Hair of the Dog - Fred

Here's a beer from Portland Oregon Hair of the Dog Brewing Comany's Fred.  The bottle tells me it's a 'golden special ale' that's 10% alcohol by volume.  It's 65 IBU.  Hair of the Dog also seems to take a lot of pride in making bottle conditioned beers, meaning that a secondary fermentation happens in the bottle and carbonates the beer naturally.  It shows in Fred, with a little sediment.  It's cloudy and pale golden with a big fluffy white head that lingers.
The bottle also tells me that the brewer uses pilsner malt and rye as well as Belgian candy sugar and northwestern hops in this beer.  The hops are immediately evident on the nose.  The come through fruity and herbal.  There are citrus notes as well as some banana.  The palate is, for some reason, nothing like I expected it to be.  Firstly it's quite sweet, definitely a result of the candy sugar.  There are caramel notes as well as some subtle spice.  This is all backed up by some really delicate hop flavors and some bold bitterness.
Fred has quite a full, rich body too.  It's a little decieving for this pale beer.
They call it a 'special' beer, and it certainly is.  It's very unique, and there is a ton going on.  There are lots of interesting subtle flavors.
Definitely not a daily drinker for me, but a fun study in beer.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Day 67, 3.8.11., Moylan's - IPA

Also over at Moylan's, I tried the IPA.  Sometimes I feel that trying s brewery's plain old IPA is a good way to evaluate the brewery as a whole.  In Moylan's case it was hard to pass up the double IPA and a triple IPA, but the good news is, there are 299 more days to give those a try.

The IPA is crisp golden and clear.  It has a light foamy white head.  The nose is really nice with big floral herbal hops.  It's very fresh and green.
On the palate, there's some mild meyer lemon notes, as well as a fair amount of malt backing.  The malt character creates a nice contrast to the beers sharp peppery bitterness.  It's fairly intense without being too unbalanced.
A nice easy drinking, well bittered IPA.
6.5% ABV
7 out of 10

Day 66, 3.7.11., Moylans - Dragoon's Irish dry stout

Moylan's is a brew pub over there in Novato.  We stopped by after my brother's art opening, which is also going on over there in Novato.  The brewpub is in a sort of stripmall area, next to a Carl's Jr.  It's better on the inside.

I tried a pint of their Dragoon's Irish Dry Stout.  It's a dark black, opaque beer with a light amount of beige head.  On the nose, there are roasty buttery notes.  Sweet wine and sherry aromas are in there too.
The palate has some interesting chalky minerality as well as more roasty dark malt flavor.  And just as the name promises, the beer finishes delightfully dry.
The one rather negative part of this beer is it's thin body.  The mouthfeel is not much bigger than a pale ale or even pilsner.
Pretty good.
8% ABV
6 out of 10

Day 65, 3.6.11., Green Flash, Double Stout

The next beer we tried at The Warehouse was Green Flash Double Stout.  Green Flash is located in one of the best beer cities in California, and even the US, San Diego.  I've tried one of their other beers, West Coast IPA, and It sealed my positive opinion of this brewery.
The Double Stout is an awesome beer.  Incredibly complex, delicious, wonderful!  I give it a 9 out of 10.  Here's why:
The beer poured dark black and opaque.  It's thick as motor oil and with a thick beige head that offers good lacing once it slowly recedes.  Good start.  The nose has coffee and bitter cocoa notes, and then a surprising malted barley aroma.  It is not a roasted or dark malt aroma, but the aroma of fresh, dry, pale malt.  It's not an aroma I've experienced in a stout before, but it's an interesting and intriguing surprise.
This beer has a lovely rich creamy body and velvety mouth-feel, paired with it's chocolaty flavors and terrific maltyness.  I love this stout.  Highly recommended!
8.8% ABV, 45 IBU

Day 64, 3.5.11., Meantime - I.P.A.

Across the straits of Carquinez, from my home town of Benicia here in Solano County, is the tiny village of Port Costa.  It's home to about 245 people, as well as one of the coolest old biker/dive/honky-tonk kinda bars around: The Warehouse café.  There's a juke box, a pool table, tons of crap on the walls and ceiling and a taxidermied polar bear in a glass case.  Oh, also they have a pretty awesome beer list.
This trip out to the Warehouse, I tried a beer from England called Meantime IPA.  I've tried the coffee porter from Meantime before and found it pretty terrific, so i was excited to give the IPA a try.
It's a Gold cloudy ale with a decent head. (although, The Warehouse offered only a mason jar to drink in out of, so the appearance of the beer may have been compromised)
The dry hop character definitely manifests itself in the bitterness, but the hop character is rather reserved in aroma and flavor.  And the bitterness is well integrated. 
Compared to my usual Pacific Coast IPAs, this one is extremely reserved.  It's a delicious bitter ale, and is a terrific easy drinker.  Nice.
8 out of 10

Day 63, 3.4.11., Lindemans Pêche Lambic

Lambic is a style of beer that originates in the Pajottenland region just outside Brussels in central Belgium.  It's a 'wild beer' style meaning that yeast is not manually added to the wort, but instead the hot wort is traditionally allowed to cool in shallow trays, where wild yeast blown in on the breeze finds it's way into the wort.  Beer made with this process of fermentation is also sometimes called farmhouse ale, after the practice of fermenting in attics and other available spaces in farmhouses in the Belgian countryside. 
But what sets lambic apart from other wild ales is that after fermentation, fresh whole fruit is added to lambic giving it fruit flavors as the main aroma and flavor characteristics.  Traditionally, this was done in order to mask the off flavors that result from wild fermentation.
Although lambic style beers are now made the world over, Lambic actually has terroir like Champagne does, and only wild fruit beers made in the Pajottenland region are technically Lambic.  Lindemans is one of the most widely available Lambics here in the US.
The Pêche (peach) variety poured light amber and fairly clear, with a big fat fluffy white head.  The nose is, not surprisingly, all fruit.  The nose comes through as dried stone fruit, peach and apricot.  But there's also some aromas of sour apple.
On the palate, the beer is quite sweet.  Peach undoubtedly is the primary flavor, with very little hop bitterness or malt flavors.  But there's also cider flavors and some funky, sour nearly rotting notes.  This is presumably a result of the Brettanomyces wild yeast.
This is an interesting style, not one that I'd necessarily drink more than one glass of, but fun to try.
6 out of 10.

Day 62, 3.3.11., Gulden Draak

Here's a beer I've been meaning to drink for a really long time.  My brother John swears by it.  It's a dark Belgian strong ale called Gulden Draak.  It pours very dark amber brown with a thick creamy head.  The nose offers aromas of caramel or burnt sugar as well as dark dried fruit and Belgian yeast.  Alcohol is also prevalent on the nose, which is not surprising for a beer that comes in at 10.5% ABV.
On the palate, this beer is big and malty, with the alcohol content also playing a big role here too.  There's dried fruit and candied fruit flavors that finish off the alcohol notes and round it down nicely. It's sweet, but not overbearing, with some bitter character on the back palate and some interesting sour fruity notes. The sourness is really rather strong, a sour cherry kind of flavor that tweeks the back of the tongue.
I will say that this beer is definitely not my general preferred style, (it's much too sweet and malty) but I think it's a very well executed ale.  It's strong and interesting, but not all that complex.  
7 out of 10

Day 61, 3.2.11., Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier - Märzen

Rauchbier is a new style to me.  It breaks down into Rauch (German for 'smoke') and bier ('beer').  So, as you may be able to guess, this märzen is smoky.  Märzen or märzenbier is a German style meaning March beer.  The term refers to a beer brewed between September 29th and April 23, and traditionally lagered (aged) in caves or stone cellars until the following October.  Generally, märzen is a brown , malty, full bodied beer.  To aid in preserving the beer it is generally is quite hoppy or has a high original gravity.
Aecht Schlenkerla fits these standards to a t.  It's big and brown and has a nose like a campfire.  On the palate, there are some nice bitter notes, and the smokiness is omnipresent.
Although intense, the smoke is pretty well integrated. There's a touch of sweetness that balances the BIG smoke character.  Still this beer is absolutely all about smoke.
I've only ever had a couple of smoked beers before, but this one certainly features the best use of smoked malt that I've tasted.  An interesting and unique beer.  6 out of 10.

Day 60, 3.1.11., Mikkeller - Big Worse

The more I learn and taste of Mikkeller, the faster this brewery ascends to the pinnacle of my list of most favorite brewers.  Avid readers will remember their name from a past entry in this blog for Mikkeller 1000 IBU, which I awarded 9 out of 10.  It's one of two beers which have received such a high score from me, and none have received a 10.
I finally got around to looking at the Mikkeller website too, and read a bit of back-story too.  It's pretty awesome; here's the long and short.  So two Danish buddies, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller (hence Mik-Keller, get it?) started the brewery in 2006 and the same year were called the fifth best brewery in the world, and the Danish Brewery of the Year.  Damn.

And here's the kicker, from what I understand, there is no brewery.  Bjergsø (who is now the sole man behind the beer) is referred to as a gypsy brewer, meaning he travels around the world making awesome beer on other breweries' equipment.  He's a brewhouseguest.  To put it simply, he has the worlds coolest job.  And if you take a look at the list of beers Mikkeller has produced,  you'll find 196 beers.  196 different beers produced for distribution in 5 years.  Damn.
So Big Worse is a barley wine made to be the big brother to their other barley wine called Big Bad.  (The name on the bottle actually reads 'Big Bad worse').  It's in a nice big bottle with a cork and cage.  I poured it into the glass to find a dark brown, muddy looking beer with a very thin layer of creamy beige head.  The head subsided quite quickly and left a beer very light in carbonation.  The nose has some musky notes, and some over-ripe red fruit aroma.  There's some alcohol aroma too; not surprising in a 12% ABV beer.
The beer is thick on the palate, and has an aggressive bitter punch.  A big malty sweetness plays a supporting role, and balances the flavors nicely.  It's at once mouthwatering and somehow biting and puckering.  An incredibly complex and intriguing beer.  Terrific, just terrific. 8 out of 10



ps. I drank a pint of this beer.  I am now drunk.

Day 59, 2.28.11., Sapporo - Reserve

So I often go out to eat with my good friends Kelly and Shane, and a regular choice, (especially late-night after work) is sushi.  One night recently, Shane ordered Asahis for the table.  "no,no," I stopped the waiter, "make mine a Sapporo."  Now aside from making me feel like the lead businessman in a cheesy Sapporo commercial, I also got a fair bit of grief from Shane and the others for actually having a preference between the two main Japanese lagers that I believe are available at every Sushi place ever.  But for whatever reason (even I cannot say exactly why) I have always preferred Sapporo over Asahi.  One day I'll have to do a side by side tasting.
So when I saw Sapporo Reserve I figured I'd better give it a try.  The difference, from what I can gather, between the Reserve and the regular is that the Reserve is an all-malt beer.  All-malt means that only malted barley is used to make up the fermetables in the beer.  What this likely means in the case of Sapporo Reserve is that they aren't using any rice.  One source I read said that it does in fact follow the  German purity law, meaning that only water, barley and hops are used in making the beer. 
Enough about that, how is Sapporo Reserve?
Pouring it into the glass from the big steal can, I noticed it's a bit darker than Sapporo Premium (the 'regular' Sapporo) with a big creamy head.  It has a lovely fruity nose.  There's some citrus and some floral hop aroma.  On the palate, the beer has plenty more of hops, certainly more than its Premium cousin.  The hop character is nice and bitter and well integrated.  There's a bit of citrus sourness too.  It has a bigger body too, with a really nice silky, velvety body.  Actually that's probably one of it's best attributes.
At any rate, I think this is  a really good Japanese lager in the European style.  I'll definitely ask for it next time I'm out with Shane... "Make mine a Sapporo Reserve please!"
8 out of 10

Day 58, 2.27.11., Full Sail - LTD Series #04

So, according to the information on the bottle, Full Sail is now producing a line of special limited edition beers dubbed 'LTD'.  I picked up a bottle at Trader Joe's.  This one is Recipe #04 and is a single malt single hop beer featuring pale malt and Willamette hops.
It's a nice thought, but I feel like this one just a little boring.   I guess if you just wanna sit and split a six-pack, this one is a fine choice.  It's a golden yellow beer with a medium amount of white head that left a bit of lacing.
On the nose there is a little caramel and some subtle citrus notes, lemon and orange.
The palate offers some very nice dry, sharp hop bitterness.  There's a touch of some honey, but not really enough of this malty backing to really make it a great beer.  It's fine. 

45 IBU, 7% ABV, 6 out of 10

Day 57, 2.26.11., Rahr & Sons - Ass Kisser Double IPA

So my pal Derek has been ranting and raving about Rahr & Sons for a while now.  He never seems to have a glass or a bottle in an outstretched hand when he does rant and rave though, so I have yet to try them.   Rahr & Sons opened in 2004 in Forth Worth, Texas and currently produces 5000 barrels per year in a dozen or more styles.

Today I tried their Ass Kisser Double IPA.  It's a fairly cloudy amber beer with a nice lacy white head.  On the nose, this beer offers spicy hops and caramel as well as sherry notes and dried plum.  On the palate, Ass Kisser has a full fruity body with some intense, concentrate, dried fruit flavors.  Maybe some apricot and more plum.  All of that accompanies a big hop bitterness that finishes leaving the mouth dry.
There's lot's going on in this beer, but It's not spectacular.  Definitely good, and from what I gather pretty damn exceptional if judged against the other Texas brews.  I will also say that Ass Kisser is some sort of specialty beer coming from Rahr.  It's not listed on their website as either a 'year round' or 'seasonal' offering, and the packaging is completely different from the others.  So I'm eager to try some of their more conventional offerings.
9%ABV, 7 out of 10

Day 56, 2.25.11., Sheaf Stout

I pick up Sheaf Stout at the Harvest Market in downtown Mendocino.  It's a cool little old school market/general store with a pretty good beer selection.  I love places like this.   I've never seen this bottle before before.  It's from Australia.
This is a deep, dark black stout.  No light gets through this badboy.  It has a creamy beige head.  Basically it appears just like a good stout should.
And it continues down the right path.  The nose is full of coffee and smoked spice.  There's a very interesting aroma in this beer of smoked, dry chilies.  Very intriguing.
Sheaf has a a big strong bitterness that's nestled oh-so nicely among a very round and slightly sweet malt body.  It's a terrific stout, albeit one on the sweet/cream/milk side of the stout spectrum.
I really like this beer.  Such a pleasant surprise to pick up a random beer, just because it was the only one on the shelf I hadn't tasted/seen, and have it turn out to be one of my new favorite stouts.  Kudos, Australia.  I can only assume that the brewery is run by koalas, kangaroos and the entire cast of the Road Warrior, but they are doing something right.
9 out of 10

Day 55, 2.24.11., Ninkasi - Spring Reign

Ninkasi is a great brewer from Eugene, Oregon named for the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer.  What a babe.

Spring Reign is a seasonal release marketed as a session beer that everyone can enjoy.  And I think they hit this nail on the head.  It's a hazy orange/Amber beer with a big aggressive white head.  In fact, it attempted to leap out of the bottle when I pried the cap off.  I stopped it with my mouth. 
Also, when I poured it in the glass, one of the first thing I noticed was a pretty high amount of sediment.  It looks like malt sediment.  The nose has some lovely floral hop aromas, as well as honey and toasty malt.  On the palate, there's a bunch of hop bitterness that is so well integrated it's ridiculous.  The body is not overly heavy, but the malt is there to really round it out nicely.
The brewer intended this to be a session beer for everyone, and with its light-ish body and easy drinking nature coupled with some serious flavor character, they really got it right.  An awesome beer.  Highly recommended.
8 out of 10.

Day 54, 2.23.11, Thirsty Bear - Polar Bear Pils

As you may have noticed in the Anderson Valley posts a few day ago, I've become ok with tasting and writing about multiple beers from the same brewery consecutively.  So there you go.  That's what I'm gonna do.
While at Thirsty Bear, I also took their Polar Bear Pils for a spin.  This is a classic pale yellow pils, with a light bit of head.  It's crystal clear.  On the nose, there is little hop aroma, but a good amount of yeasty notes. 
The hops come through later though, on the palate.  There's a good amount of bitterness.  It's quite clean, with only a small amount of sourness and lagery yeasty flavor.
This is a fine beer.  Very easy drinking, just rather boring .
35IBUs, 5.7ABV, 6 out of 10.

Day 53, 2.22.11., Thirsty Bear - Cask Conditioned Meyer ESB

So I've worked in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco for about three months now and am just now getting around to trying out Thirsty Bear, a brew pub that lives just a few blocks from my place of employ.  I know very little about the place, except for the fact that they have an awesome logo of an ursine beast dumping a punt down it's gaping gullet.  Bears always eat things all at once. 
So John and I stopped in for a few tastes the other afternoon.  It seems like a pretty cool spot with a fairly typical pub menu (although we didn't eat) and about 7 beers on various taps.  I went straight for the cask conditioned ale, because I think I really love it.  As we drank though, we discussed whether I actually only like the idea of cask conditioning and hand pumping.*  I think I'd better continue drinking beer until I figure it out.
This day they had their Meyer ESB on the hand pump.  It's an interesting beer.  The nose has some very interesting grassy, earthy hop notes as well as dried flower.  It's deep amber with some very fluffy foamy white head. 
As the style's name suggests (Extra Special Bitter) this is quite a nicely bittered beer.  Occasionally the bitterness comes across sour as well.  It's all balanced out nicely with full malty backing and some intriguing smokiness.
It seemed like each sit of this beer was different that the last, which made it a fun beer to drink.
30IBUs, 6.4%ABV, 7 out of 10.



*Cask conditioned or real-ale means that the cask the beer is stored in is also a vessel in which the beer is conditioned.  Residual live yeast allows for secondary fermentation, giving the beer a very light effervescence and helping to mellow the beer.  No carbon-dioxide or nitrogen is added and the beer is drawn out of the cask and into the glass via a hand pump.  The bartender literally pumps the tap handle up and down to exchange the outside air for the beer in the cask.  Also, the casks are kept at cellar temperature.  So the result is essentially a warmish flattish beer with a creamier head and some interesting added character.  It's a British thing.

Day 52, 2.21.11., Hinano

Here's a beer from Tahiti.  Another bottle of beer that's more well traveled than I am.  The official website calls it a 'Deluxe Lager' at 5% ABV.  I would sooner call it a 'blond lager' at 5% ABV.

Regular readers of this blog will remember that I have a rocky relationship with beers from the tropics.  We're ever dubious of each other.  Actually, I'm not sure how it feels about me; I'm dubious.
But here's the good news: Hinano is terrific.
It's a cloudy blond with a big white head.  On the nose, there are fruity notes, including some interesting sweet lemon aromas.
The flavor of the beer offers some of the yeastyness that I generally associate with lagers, and it's very well integrated into a beer with enough body to keep its character interesting but keep it nice and refreshing. 
It's really well hopped to, with the perfect amount of bitterness.  This beer is a perfect refreshing lager to enjoy on a hot day.  Or perhaps a hot location.  Like Tahiti.  Pairs nicely with lawn chairs.
7 out of 10