Sierra Nevada Brewing -- Juniper Black Ale -- Beercamp 16

Sierra Nevada's Juniper Black Ale from Beer Camp 16 was brewed using juniper berries and a complex malt bill complied by Master Brewer Scott Jennings... (and Ramon Gutierrez).

Review:
Aroma: There is a light vegetation note with dark malts, dark unsweetened chocolate, and roasted malts coming through for a complex nose. A hint of smokiness is also present.
Appearance: Juniper Black Ale (JBA) is a very dark beer with coloration from deep dark brown to black. Ruby brown highlights slip through the bottom of the glass. The head is tan colored and somewhat rocky.
Taste: First impressions are dominated by caramel and smoke. Heavy dark chocolate notes and chocolate covered espresso beans reveal themselves as your mouth calibrates. Deeper into my investigation I found touches of herbal, menthol, and pine needle tea flavors.
Mouthfeel: A very nice, and expected, full sensation that finishes fairly dry. This dryness is where the juniper becomes most evident and is very pleasant. For those who have tried Rogue's Juniper Pale ale, this sensation will not be too much of a surprise.

(Side Note: I think that in the original recipe, the Juniper berries were from somewhere in the N.E. United States. I am not sure where SN sourced the Juniper berries for this batch)

Overall:
This is a surprising beer. I have friends that have panned it because the Juniper wasn't present enough for their taste. That's a valid point. However, as a person who has brewed a juniper beer where the juniper was at the forefront, I can say with certainty that the complaints about the lack of juniper in this beer would pale in comparison with those received if this beer were truly juniper-centric. (Although I would like it.) That a brewer was able to put out this beer on his first try speaks to a great level of acumen, competence, and skill.

Grade: A

Barrel Man says,
"Via con dios, Ramon."

(Bottle Purchased at Tamura's)

Kapittel Watou -- Abt Ale

 

 Kapittel Watou's Abt Ale is 

10% ABV

Reivew:

This Belgian Tripel pours a hazy orange color that clears up as it warms. This phenomena is called "chill haze" and is mostly a result of a slow cooling process after the boiling of the wort (unfermented beer). There is a nice 3/8" cream colored head that dissipates somewhat, but remains in a small amount throughout the glass, leaving behind light lacing. The aroma is spicy and sweet with notes of cloves, bread dough, and sweet malts.

The flavor of Kapittel Watou Abt Ale is both sweet and tangy-- with the tanginess overcoming the sweet. There doesn't seem to be much malt complexity. Also lacking in complexity is the mouthfeel, although it is acceptable for the style. There is some amount of dough in the finish, and the carbonation seems to finish by biting the middle of the tongue where it lingers and adds to a slight, but present, spicy hop character.

 

(Side Note: Brewery Van Eecke and Kapittel Watou are a part of the Global Beer Network. Their website is interesting and informative, although I don't know why they are called "Global" when they are solely focused on Belgian beers.)

Overall:

I was going to give this beer a B- because of the lack of complexity and the heat that I sensed from the alcohol. After noticing that this beer is a full 10% ABV, I decided that the skill of the brewers deserved a solid B. I must warn you though, this is not for people who desire a sweet Belgian Tripel

Grade: B

Barrel Man says:

"wish the monks

were still brewing..."

(bottle purchased at Liquor Collection)

Murphy's Draught Style Stout

 

Murphy's Draught Style Stout is an Irish style Dry Stout that comes in a can with a widget.

4.0% ABV

Review:

Murphy's is an exciting beer to pour. Because it is nitrogenated and has a widget, the tiny bubbles are slow to float to the surface and as a result the beer goes from foamy, to brown and thick with bubbles, to dark black with a tan head. It is also fun because the guys at Murphy's have trained the bubbles to creep up to the top of the glass and create a foam-dome but to never overflow. 

Well played, lads!

Anyway, that nice thick head that is pictured above does reduce a bit as you are drinking this beer, but never really goes away. Honestly, it lasts throughout the glass. I've said before that I don't put much stock into the importance of the head retention, but still, I've gotta say that this is pretty impressive. The aroma is dominated by sweet roasted malts and not much else -- which is appropriate. As for the taste, well, it tastes like slightly chalky roasted malts. That's it. Can we go back to talking about the impressive foam now? 

Oh, mouthfeel is very nice. Kinda like a pillow of nitrogen foam landed on your tongue and dissolved into light flavored beer.

(Side note: This page has a nice writeup about a taste-off between Murphy's and Guiness.)

Overall:

Meh. 

Did I mention the foam...?

Grade: C

(Can Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Birra Moretti

 

Birra Moretti is a "Premium Lager" that is produced by the Heineken Corporation.

4.6% ABV

Review:

Birra Moretti pours a straw color with a quickly dissipating head. The aroma has both sulfur and sweet lager notes that hint at a touch of corn. (I could be wrong, but since their website states only that they use, "the highest quality raw materials" I would bet that corn is their adjunct of choice.) The taste is lightly grainy-- not as robust as a Munich style lager, but not as thin as an American lager. The mouthfeel is appropriately light but the high carbonation level makes the beer feel a bit foamy. The finish? Well, Bierra Moretti's sweetness lingers for quite a while... long enough for you to almost give up on the hops... but they kick in very late and cleanse your palate with their peppery Saaz/Hallertaur flavor.

(Side note: This beer gets an astounding 11 out of 100 on Ratebeer.)

Overall:

Bierra Moretti is an average lager. I'd grade it higher than the domestic big 3, but I wouldn't pay a premium for this beer. It simply doesn't have enough flavor for my taste, but it would be refreshing for those intense yard work days. 

Grade: C

Barrel Man says,

"good for days 

out on the boat."

(Bottle purchased at Tamura's)

Anchor -- Small Beer

Anchor Brewing Company's, Small Beer, is a beer brewed from the second runnings of their Old Foghorn beer. This style is also refered to as a Parti-Gyle beer.

3.2% ABV

Review:
Small beer is "light" in many ways. The aroma of this beer is tart and lemony but pretty light. The flavor is light and crisp with a slight tartness and light huskiness. The mouthfeel is bubbly and light with the carbonation feeling medium/high for a beer of this strength. All in all, this beer tastes like a very light ale of a slightly complex lager with a squeeze of unsweetened lemon juice in it.

(Side note: "For centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer. By association, the term came to mean something of little importance." Ref)

 

Overall:

I haven't bothered to look at Ratebeer or Beer Advocate to see what this beer is being rated. I would put money on the reviewers panning this beer. My feelings are that this beer is outside the bounds of many people's taste preference but that it still has something to offer the world of beer. Both Anchor's method of making Small Beer and the style itself are unique in the brewing industry and, personally, I am glad that there is a brewer with the chutzpa to market this beer. Imagine North Coast making a small Old Stock ("Small Stock?), or Sierra Nevada making a "Smallfoot," or Deschutes making a "Mini Abyss..." the possibilities are endless. 

Grade: A for guts, B for flavor.

 

Barrel Man says,

"Talk about a 

session beer!"

(Bottle Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Maui Brewing Co -- Flyin' HI. P. Hay

 

Maui Brewing Company's, Flyin' HI. P. Hay, is an IPA that was brewed in the memory of Glen Hay Falconer, a beer brewer who was close to the guys at Maui. Proceeds will be donated to the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation to provide scholarships to Homebrewers and Brewers who wish to further their knowledge and experience.

6.8% ABV and 68 IBU's

I am happy to report on this new beer from Maui Brewing. It seems that in Hawai'i, brewers put out less seasonal or special brews than on the mainland, so I've been eagerly awaiting this beer since I first heard it mentioned. 

Review:

Appearance- Take a look at the above picture. That is what I would label as a classic IPA color. (They are probably using some Crystal 40L in there.) The head pours to one half inch and the beer is crystal clear.

Aroma: Interestingly, this beer seems to have a very similar nose to the Maui Bikini Blonde. I think that they put Munich Malts in both, which might be what I am picking up on. There is a surprising lack of hop aroma here. Unlike Big Swell, that was dry hopped extensively, this beer may not have had any dry hop at all.

Taste: There are the hops! Thank goodness! West coast hops abound and grapefruit and grass dominate. Without a doubt, the malts take a back seat in this one. This is a very nice IPA. The mouthfeel influences the way the flavor is perceived... see below.

Mouthfeel: Full and creamy. Almost like a dry stout in a lot of ways. I am surprised at how this balances the American hops. Most beers are balanced between hops and malts. This beer is balanced between hops and the creaminess of the carbonation. As there is no widget, I suspect that this beer may have been brewed with an English or Irish yeast, which could explain this phenomena. The only other explanation is that Maui went BIG on the Dextrin malts.

(Side Note: This IPA is brewed with a hop mix  called Falconers Flight, which includes both common IPA hops and some experimental hops. )

Overall:

I am a sucker for new beers. I always feel that I HAVE to try them. Sometimes this leads to buyers remorse. Not this time. This beer is a wonderful and playful example of an American IPA. I've read reviews that said this is English style, but that's  bunk. Despite its lack of dry hopped aroma, this is as American as Chinook Hops... Or maybe this is the newest style of IPA -- The Hawaiian style IPA.

Grade: A

 Barrel Man says,

"Here's to you, Hay."

(This Beer Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Deschutes Brewing Co. -- Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale

Deschutes Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale is brewed with seven malt varieties and has a citrusy hop bite.

Review:

This copper colored ale pours perfectly clear and carries a light, very white, head. The aroma is very complex with both citrus and grass notes mixing with a malty Munich malt nose. The mouthfeel is more reminiscent of IPA's than a pale ale. Nice flavors including honey and roasted malts are mixed in, and the roast character is more dominant that I would have expected from the color. The hops are quite bracing.

(Side Note: Red Chair NWPA is named after the oldest operating lift at Mt. Bachelor.. in Central Oregon.)

Overall:

I didn't assume that I would like this beer. I guess the name Northwest Pale Ale made it sound like it was going to be a Widmer beer or something of that caliber. Instead I found a beer that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wish I had a case of this to drink!

Grade: A

 

Barrel Man Says,

"I wish I had a barrel

of this beer!"

(Bottle Purchased at Liquor Collection)

Kiuchi Brewery -- Hitachino Ginger Beer

Hitachino Real Ginger Brew is brewed with real ginger added in the brewkettle.

7.0% ABV

Review:

This hazy, toffee colored beer has little head and a very light carbonation. The aroma is slightly sweet with a spicy ginger aspect. Similarly, the taste is dominated by caramel malts and ginger flavors which combine to drown out the light grassy notes of the hops.

(Side Note: Hitachino lost quite a bit of their backstock in the big earthquake, but they have been brewing since, and the availability of their beers should be back to normal soon.)

Overall: 

This beer is quite nice, but I would only desire to drink one glass unless I was at an all- you-can-eat sushi dinner... then I could have a couple. If you are a big fan of Bundaberg ginger beer, you will probably like this. It is similar in a lot of ways, but has a little less bite. Personally, I would say that It is one of the best ginger beers I've ever tasted. It simply isn't as "beery" as I'd like, so I can't give it an A grade.

Grade: B

Barrel Man says,

"unique brew."

(Bottle Purchased at Liquor Collection)

San Miguel Corporation -- Red Horse Beer

San Miguel's Red Horse Beer is a malt liquor that is 7.0% ABV

Review:

Light yellow color, 1/8" head, aroma has both sulfur and DMS notes. Slight malty sweet note also present. Tastes like OE, Bud HG, or 211, only less offensive.

(Side Note: Manny Pacquiao is one of the spokespeople for this beer.)

Overall:

This blog is supposed to be about good beer. This beer is HORRIBLE. I just wanted you all to know.

Grade: D

(I'm not stating where I got this beer because its "suckyness" is no fault of the retailer.)