Kona Brewing Co. -- Koko Brown

Kona Brewing Co.'s Koko Brown ale is the newest in the "Aloha Series" of seasonal offerings.

 It is 5.5% ABV and has a mild 28 IBU's.

Review:
This offering from Kona Brewing pours a dark walnut color and carries very little head. The aroma is dominated by coconut, but somewhere deep in the back of your nasal cavities, you can pull out a dark roast (almost burnt) barley note. The taste, like the aroma, is completely dominated by the coconut flavor. There are toasted coconut notes, sweetened coconut flake notes, and canned coconut milk notes. The malt notes are lost behind this sledgehammer of nuttiness and the only discernible traces of hops arrive late in the taste. The hop bitterness is somewhat earthy but is insufficient in strength to overcome the sweet coconut.

(Side Note: According to the website, this beer is brewed with Cascade, Willamette, Warrior, and Millennium hops. From the taste of this beer, I'd say that Kona must have used one hop cone per barrel... give or take a few.  )

Overall Impression:
-There are two dimensions to this beer-- its color (brown) and COCONUT. 
-If you don't want beer to get in the way of your coconut, try this beer.

Grade: C

Barrel Man says,

"Tastes like

    Malibu Rum."

(This bottle was purchased at Liquor Collection)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. -- Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s Torpedo Extra IPA, is a "big American IPA; bold, assertive, and full of flavor highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.."

 7.2% ABV and 65 IBU's

Review:

The aroma of citrusy (cascade-ish and magnum-ish) hops burst out of the bottle neck the instant the crown is pried. After pouring into a pint glass and letting the beer breathe, the malty backbone becomes discernible. Aromas of crystal and pilsner/two-row barley dominate. The color is reddish copper and crystal clear. The rocky and light cream colored head stands about a half inch tall and is slow to dissipate. Concerning mouthfeel, this beer is medium to full bodied and the carbonation level is appropriate. Flavors of citrus, grass, earth, and malt are all present, giving the sensation of a well balanced beer despite the obvious hop-centric branding. 

(Side Note: I am thankful to all of my fellow beer drinkers for rejecting the really lame English style IPA that Sierra Nevada put out a few years ago. Because of our discerning tastes, we now have this delicious year round release to enjoy! Cheers to all of us!)

Overall Impression: 

This is a great IPA. As a reference point, in comparison with Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing, this beer is more full bodied, earthier, maltier, and has more aroma. That is not to detract from Big Swell-- I love both beers. From now on, it's Big Swell at the beach, and Torpedo at night on the couch. 

Grade: A

Barrel Man Says,

"an oaked version would

be amazing."

(bottle purchased at Liquor Collection)

Mad River Brewing Co. -- Jamaica Brand Sunset IPA

 

Mad River Brewing Co.'s Jamaica Brand Sunset IPA is, "a rich light copper India Pale Ale that features the finest spicy floral dry hopped character with a clean crisp finish."

 7.0% ABV

Review:

Sometimes a label can keep me from purchasing beers that I would otherwise probably try. This label is one example. I finally did pull the trigger and this is what I found:

This ale pours a light copper/orange color and is quite clear. The head is light and fleeting, while the carbonation level is similar to soda. The aroma is a mixture of hoppy citrus and lightly kilned malts. The body is light and the flavor is slightly sweet with notes of orange. Finally, Sunset IPA finishes peppery, citrusy, and dry.

(Side Note: Because this ale has hop bitterness and aroma, but not much hop flavor, I believe that the hop additions were focused in the beginning of the boil and the dry hopping--and probably included Amarillo hops.)

Overall Impression: 

I'm glad that I got over my hangup about the label on this beer. I found it to be very drinkable, but still quite flavorful. Where other IPAs on the market may seem too thick and heavy for a hot day in Hawai'i, this beer, with its light body and crisp finish will be one that I reach for when I need refreshment.

Grade: A

Barrel Man Says,

"Unlike any other IPA."

(bottle purchased at Liquor Collection)

North Coast Brewing Co -- Old Rasputin

North Coast Brewing Co.'s Old Rasputin Imperial Stout is, as far as I can tell, the beer that brought back this style almost lost to history... Like Rasputin, it wouldn't die.

9.0% ABV and solidly hopped at 75 IBU's

Review:

Old Rasputin pours black with a solid tan head. The Head retention is good and lacing occurs throughout your pour. The initial aroma carries highlights of chestnuts, roasted barley, chocolate and a hint of nutmeg covered eggnog. Toward the bottom of the glass, hints of stone fruit begin to emerge. In the category of taste, the progression of flavors starts with a mouth full of creamy barley and is followed by a full roasted malt, lighter roasted malt, dry bite and warm belly--in that order. That initial "creamy barley" flavor is hard to explain-- it is as if the beer is so "beery" that your tongue can't identify any other flavor than beer. Like I said, it is hard to explain. Anyway, the 75 IBU's of bitterness is perfectly balanced in this bruiser of a beer. 75 IBU's would make a respectable, hop forward IPA, but in this beer you don't taste the hops as much as you appreciate their presence in balancing out all of the obvious malt character.

(Side Note: According to my brother, this beer can be mixed with North Coast's Red Seal ale to make a delicious concoction that will hereafter be known as Old REDsputin.)

Overall Impression:
I've had this beer many times in the past. Each time I come back to it, it is like having a reunion with an old friend. You are sure that you like their company, but you can't remember exactly why. But, after some trepidation, you meet up and immediately find that all worries are lost, and the reassuring feeling that some things never change fills your soul... or in this case, your belly.

2275 people have ranked this beer on Beer Advocate. The average score is an A. I have no counter argument.
Go out and try this classic Imperial Stout.

Grade: A

 Barrel Man says,

"The barrel aged 

version of this is 

DELICIOUS!"

(bottle purchased at The Liquor Collection)

Widmer Brothers -- W'11 KGB Russian Imperial Stout

Widmer Brothers' W'11 KGB Russian Imperial Stout is the latest in the Brewmasters' Release series and is, "as dark as a torrid past," "as full as a well kept dossier," and "as complex as a conspiracy theory."   

9.3% ABV and 65 IBU's

Review:

This lovely seasonal pours black, and carries a thin, tan/cream head. The carbonation is obviously light (common for ales of this strength), but is adequate for releasing the pleasant aroma reminiscent of Whoppers malt balls. No hop aroma is evident. The flavor has highlights of slightly burnt sour cherries and after a few sips and some contemplation, I found the hop character to be earthy with a slight citrus astringency. I attribute this astringency to a high alpha acid bittering hop like Millennium or Columbus. But don't be alarmed if you aren't a hop-head. This is in no way a hop-forward beer. I had to sit, sip, and think hard to pull out those hop flavors. As a matter of fact, the more this beer warms, the more the roasted malt character asserts itself and dominates the palate.

(Side Note: Widmer Brothers is part of the Craft Brewing Alliance and is therefore partly owned by Anheuser-Busch.)

Overall Impression: 

This is a nice departure from the bland beers that Widmer Brothers usually put out. The beer that this company is best known for is their Hefeweizen, a beer that despite winning a few awards, I find to be boring and tasteless. KGB on the other hand is well crafted, and although it does lean toward being a bit one-dimensional, it is quite tasty, *has flavor,* and for the price, is one of the best buys on the market.

Grade: A-

Barrel Man says,

"easiest Imperial Stout to drink."

(bottle purchased at The Liquor Collection)

News: Sierra Nevada Fundraiser

 

Sierra Nevada is running a fundraiser for Earth Day. For every person who goes to the below link, enters their name and email, and makes a personal pledge to get outdoors in the month of April, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will donate 25 dollars to one of four charities.

http://www.sierraunplug.com/

It doesn't cost a thing, and takes only seconds to fill out.

The charities that you can choose from are:

American Solar Energy Society
Engineers without Borders
Rails to Trails
The Wild Salmon Center

Mad River Brewing Co -- Steelhead Extra Stout

 

Mad River Brewing Co.'s Steelhead Extra Stout is, "a black opaque ale with rich creamy roasted malt character and a very mild hop compliment.  Dessert beer."

 6.5% ABV

Review:

It is 7:48am and I'm already daydreaming about having a Steelhead Extra Stout tonight.
This ale pours BLACK! There are not even any highlights... just infinite darkness. The head pours to 3/8" and stands for about 2 minutes before settling into a ring around the edge of the glass. The aroma is very complex with hints of coffee, vanilla, plum, roasted chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon. When cold, the flavor starts with a cherry cola note and fades to chocolate covered currants. The hop character is light and grassy and only comes into play late but lingers on the tongue after swallowing. The mouthfeel is fairly effervescent and despite the obvious amount of malts used, does not feel thick or syrupy.

(Side Note: Steelhead Brewing uses the original mash tun that Sierra Nevada brewing Co. started with. That means that this beer has been filtered through the thousands of holes that Ken Grossman drilled by hand in the false bottom.)

Overall Impression: 

For something this black, the expectation might be to have the roast dominate the palate. Not so with this ale. Instead, in the balance between roasty character and sweetness, the sweetness from the caramel/crystal and specialty malts slightly beats out the roasted backbone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and indeed, this tipping of the scales was the intended effect that the brewmaster was looking for in formulating this "dessert beer."
If you're looking for a roast forward, bitter, coffee tasting ale, this isn't it.
If you are looking for a complex, lovely, slightly sweet stout, this is for you.

I plan to take the brewery's advice and make a stout and vanilla ice cream float tonight!

Grade: A-

Barrel Man Says,

"they should barrel age this."

(bottle purchased at Tamura's)