Rogue Mogul Madness

Rogue's Mogul Madness is labeled as a "Winter Ale" by the company, but I would call it a Cascadian Dark Ale. It has 15 ingredients and is, to say the least, complex.

 16 degrees Plato = 6.8% ABV(estimate) and 68 IBU's

Review:
The weather outside may be frightful (currently 75 degrees F here in O'ahu) but this beer is so delightful. Even on this snowless isle, "winter warmers" have got to be the highlight of the brewing year.
Similar to Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, this beer is dominated by hop character. As soon as the crown is pried, the delightfully citrusy aroma of the Northwestern hops hit your nose. The off-white head floats atop a burgundy tinted liquor. Hops dominate the flavor from the beginning to the bitter end. The website states that the hop character will linger for at least 15 seconds, and sure enough it does! Some notes of nutty/coffee flavors appear as the beer warms.

(Side Note: Rogue offers two beers specifically for winter: Santa's Private Reserve, and Mogul Madness)

Overall Impression: There are certain styles that I object to paying $6-7/bottle for (e.g. lawnmower ales). This beer is different. Call it a Winter Ale, Winter Warmer, Cascadian Dark Ale, Black IPA, or whatever you wish....in the end, this is just a tasty, hoppy beer. This is a beer that, come next winter, I will remember to purchase.

Grade: A

(bottle purchased at Whole Foods Market, Kahala Mall)

Whole Foods Market, Kahala Mall

My fellow O'ahuans-- I have found one of the seven wonders of the island: a grocery store with a great beer selection. That's right-- this place has things in stock other than the standard wall of Bud in 6, 12, 18, 20, and 24 packs. Not only that, but they have prices that are competitive with, and sometimes better than, those other supermarket chains!

(Side note: Their Poke was highly rated in Metromix)

Highlights: Good selection of Rogue beers, Maui Brewing Co.,Mehana, Hawaii Nui,  Mikkeller, BrewDog, Sierra Nevada, Mad River Brewing Co, Anchor, Nogne O beers (including the varieties brewed with sake yeast) Sam Adams Infinium, Ballast Point Victory at Sea and Sculpin IPA.

Missing: Stuff not distributed to Hawaii. That's about it.

Selection: 9/10 (always leave room for improvement--like getting Pliny, for example.)
Location: 7/10
Price: 9/10
Friendliness: 9/10
Beer Knowledge: Troy, their beer purchaser-- 10/10
Over all grade: A

Kona Brewing Co. - Big Wave Golden Ale

Kona Brewing Co.'s Big Wave Golden Ale is "a light golden ale with a subtle fruitiness and delicate hop aroma," with "lightly roasted honey malt [that] contributes to the golden hue of this beer and also gives a slight sweetness." 

It weighs in at... what, no info on the label or website?! Sounds like a Anheuser Busch product to me...

Review:
This will be a quick one. No aroma, little head... Taste is lightly sweet at first but finishes with an lightly earthy hop taste. HOWEVER, this beer is dominated by diacetyl. The hops attempt to cover up this brewing flaw, but they fail, and fail badly. This beer has little taste except for one that is a flaw, and has no redeeming qualities.

(Side Note: I know that a Golden Ale isn't supposed to have much flavor. According to most sources, it is the same category as a Blonde Ale. Still, if you want to make a light beer, you've gotta nail down your processes and not have any flaws. This beer is flawed.)

Overall Impression:There is another Hawaiian beer review site online called "Two Beer Queers." They have a 3 point scale: Mean, Shi-go, and Fuckin' Shitty.
This is Fuckin' shitty.

Grade: D-

This beer was purchased at: I don't remember. Who cares!

I wish I could forget the taste of this beer.

I only rated this beer because it is a Hawaii brand.

Deschutes Brewing Co. - The Abyss

 

Deschutes Brewing Co.. THE ABYSS

Ummm... This beer is famous. If you don't know about it, you probably don't like dark beers. When it is released, the brewery throws a party. When I see it, I buy it.

This will kick your ass with an 11% ABV, and  65 IBU's

Review:
I enlarged the photo so that you could look at the color of that head. It's kinda dark! I'd call it a toffee color. The aroma is composed of roasted malts and caramelized sugar. The flavor starts as toffee/caramel/chocolate, but as it warms you start tasting some chocolate covered cherries. Then, as you sip, enjoy, think, sip, smell, stare, sip, slouch, sip, slouch further, sip again, all the while warming your beer, you start to taste some nice vanilla notes. If, as a child, you liked to mix up your neapolitan ice cream, you will love this. If you like dark beers, you will love this. If you like complex beers, you will love this.

(Side Note: the bottle informs you that this beer is best after 11/15/11. That's right... next year! I can confirm that aging these for a year or two increases the complexity. By two, keep one for next year!)

Overall Impression:
Great dark beer. I endorse this quote from the bottle:
"It's dark. It's deep. It's mysterious. This imperial stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the Journey."

Grade: A

(bottle purchased at Whole Foods, Kahala Mall)

Mikkeller, Simcoe Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller's "Simcoe Single Hop IPA" is, "the first in a new series of single hop IPA's from Mikkeller." 

This beer rumbles up at 6.9%ABV and (a solid #!) IBU's.

Review:
This is not the first "simcoe single hop IPA" I've tasted. I believe that Bison Brewing Co. made one a year or two ago.  A home brewer I know also made a delicious example. Based on these two previous experiences, I was very excited to try this new beer.
The head was light, but acceptable and the aroma was very nice. In my experience, the Simcoe hop can lend a couple of characteristics to a beer depending on how it is used. The aroma can be "Piney or Woodsey" but can also smell like passion fruit. This beer definitely had more woodsey/citrusy notes in the nose. The flavor is a bit bready, but the balance leans toward bitterness with a stout amount of hopping. If  Mikkel or Kristian are visiting Hawaii and reading this blog, guys, tune down the caracrystal malts!

Overall Impression: A nice example of an American IPA. It is fun to taste the full expression of a hop and see what it has to offer. (If cloudiness bothers you, well, see the photo above.) However, I still think that it is a nice beer to sit, sip, and think about.

Grade:B+

(Bottle purchased at The Liquor Collection)

Maui Brewing Co., Big Swell IPA

 

Maui Brewing Co.'s "Big Swell IPA"  is a "Handcrafted India Pale Ale brewed with four different kinds of Northwestern hops and malted barley... dry-hopped to perfection." 

This baby sports a 6.2%ABV and 65 IBU's.

Review:
The can cracks open... immediately I smell quite a bouquet of citrusy hops.  Niiiiiccce! This is very obviously an American IPA. Holding the glass up to the light, it is a pale golden color. The picture above makes it look darker than it is in reality. The first flavors you taste after the first sip are sweet and malty, but these are paired with a nice grain texture that makes it obvious to you that this was made from an unrefined ingredient, and not some B.S. corn sugar adjunct. The body is nice, at a level that reminds you you're drinking something thicker than water, but not too thick. The flavor progression goes from sweet to sour to earthy/husky, to hoppy... then the hops just linger.

(Side note: Similar to Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, the hops in this beer include "Chinook" hops, which are noted for their rustic taste and sharp bittering quality. I love this hop, but it isn't for everyone.)

Overall Impression:
This is a great example of an American IPA. The care taken to ensure balance, texture, body, flavor, and aroma is obvious. This beer is so tasty, and has so many enjoyable "beery" flavors, that unless you simply don't like IPA's, you have to say this is pretty good.  When a company goes the extra mile and puts this much hops into  dry hopping just to get the proper aroma, you know that they aren't being stingy with their beer.

Grade:  A

This beer purchased at The Liquor Collection

Safeway, Manoa

Manoa's Safeway is an interesting spot for beer. They divide their beverage isle into three sections. Closest to the door is the wine cooler / fruity crap section. Then you have the beers that are microbrews, craft brews, and beers with color. In the section farthest from the door, you have a wall of blue (Bud Light), Red (Bud), and Silver(Coors light). 

As they are a supermarket, I can't blame them for having a beer selection that is 2/3 useless... that's just the name of the game. I can however blame them for watering down their craft brew section with things like "shock top" (owned by AB), and "blue moon" (owned by Coors).

Highlights: Mehana Pale Ale, and  Maui Brewing Co., both at good prices! 

Lowlights: Third section. (see above)

Missing: Specialty beers other than local brews. 

Selection: 6/10
Location: 6/10
Price: 8/10
Friendliness: 7/10
Beer Knowledge: 5/10

Grade: C+