Russian River Brewing Company Redemption Blonde Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Russian River Brewing Company Redemption Blonde Ale.

From the Russian River Brewing Company website: “This beer was inspired by the Belgian Single or Blonde Ales. It has a fruity, banana bouquet with a spicy, mild finish.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy light golden color with a large white head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Bright and crisp, sweet malts, banana, citrus, apple and Belgian yeast.

Taste: Tart fruit, lightly sweet, herbal and floral hops along with bready and pale malts.

Overall: Packed with so many flavors, Russian River Brewing Company’s Redemption Blonde Ale is light and refreshing and at 4.8% ABV a beer that I could drink a bunch of without worry.  I highly recommend trying this offering from Russian River Brewing Company.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Stone Brewing Company Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale. 

From the Stone Brewing Company website: “Allow us to present you with the Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, in all its unadulterated glory. We make small adjustments to the recipe every year, just a little bit...as it provides an opportunity to try some different hops or malts. For the 2012 release, we made a deliberate effort to move away from the English hop influence of the past few years, taking out the East Kent Golding hops, subbing in a blend of American Chinook, Calypso and Cascade. Yes, that's right, Cascade. This is the first use of Cascade in one of our beers, and we really enjoyed the hints of grapefruit and pine it contributed to the aroma and flavor. We also bumped up the Maris Otter crystal malt by a mere 0.5%, and it's amazing how much of a difference it made in the color and the upfront body. All in all, it's resulted in a well-rounded beer that is ready to drink now, or can be aged at cellar temperatures for many years. (If you can wait that long.)”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark red with a thick off-white head and chunky lacing.

Aroma: Malt overload, bready, sweet, toffee and caramel, dark fruits and balanced wonderfully with citrus and pine hops.

Taste: Sweet and roasted malts followed by darker roasted malts, dark fruits and brown sugar. Alcohol and bitter hops follow.  This is one of the best of this style I’ve tried hands down.

Overall: Stone Brewing Company’s Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale is truly an epic drinking experience.  Old Guardian didn’t drink like an 11% ABV beer, but after finishing the bomber it felt like it. This is a big beer for those who enjoy ‘em.  I certainly do!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

21st Amendment Brewery Monk's Blood Belgian Dark Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is 21st Amendment Brewery Monk's Blood Belgian Dark Ale. 

From the 21st Amendment Brewery website:” 21st Amendment founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveled to Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small, traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the famous Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Monk’s Blood is designed to pair beautifully with rich winter stews, creamy cheeses, unctuous desserts or just by itself, in a Belgian tulip glass, with a good book by the fire.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark amber with a fluffy dark tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and dark malts, dark fruits, brown sugar, spice and Belgian yeast.

Taste: Rich roasted malt, vanilla, dark fruits, cinnamon, Belgian yeast, oak and light hop presence. A rummy or boozy heat to it as well. Excellent!

Overall: Smooth, sweet and thick, 21st Amendment Brewery’s Monk's Blood Belgian Dark Ale is well balanced and is huge on flavor. The rich maltiness led me to another one after finishing the first.  At 8.3% ABV this is one that can catch up on you quickly, but you have a great time getting there.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

North Coast Brewing Company Blue Star Wheat Beer

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is North Coast Brewing Company Blue Star Wheat Beer.  I thought I’d do another edition of “my wife’s favorite beers” and this is one of ‘em. North Coast produces some of the best beers around. I almost always have Blue Star Wheat Beer in the beer fridge since it is a go to beer for my wife and I like to have beers on hand that make her happy. 

From the North Coast Brewing Company website: “Brewed in the style of the American Craft Beer renaissance, Blue Star is unfiltered, the yeast adding a complex note to the flavor profile.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a cloudy pale yellow with a white creamy head.

Aroma: Smells like the perfect wheat beer with light fruit notes, citrus, yeast, sweet malt and wheat.

Taste: Crisp and sweet and balanced well – wheat and fruitiness. A perfect example of an American Wheat.

Overall: Smooth, drinkable and delicious, North Coast Brewing Company’s Blue Star Wheat Beer is fantastic and one of my favorite wheat beers on the market. At 4.5% ABV you can drink several of these in a summer session. I’m a huge fan of North Coast Brewing Company.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Lagunitas Brewing Company Day Time – A Fractional IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Lagunitas Brewing Company Day Time – A Fractional IPA.  I was happy to see this offering in the store the other day. I await seasonal Lagunitas releases like a kid on Christmas morning.  I picked up a six pack immediately.

From the Lagunitas Brewing Company website: “Sometimes you want a beer, then you realize how much crap you need to do before you call it a day. This is it. Nicely dosed with Big, Round Hop Flavors and a Toasty Malt Foundation to satisfy your every need. But it still lets you stay in the game to do what needs to be done. Yup.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear golden yellow with a fluffy white head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Light citrus and pine hop aroma and toasted malts. Smells great!

Taste: Pine and citrus hops (grapefruit galore) balanced well with toasted malts.  A light, crisp, refreshing beer – tastes more like a Pale Ale than an IPA, but the taste is addictive. I'm ready to open another. It really is a Day Time beer.

Overall: I am certainly glad I picked up a six-pack of Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Day Time – A Fractional IPA. At 4.65% ABV I could see drinking a couple of these with lunch without a worry of being fully functional.  The cost is a bit prohibitive at $9.99 a six pack.  Something about low ABV beers costing this much is a hindrance, but if you want that GREAT Lagunitas flavor in a sessionable beer, this one is for you!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Rubicon Brewing Company IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Rubicon Brewing Company IPA. I enjoy travelling and getting a chance to pick up beers not available in the Bay Area.  I picked up this gem on a trip to Lake Tahoe.

From the Rubicon Brewing Company website:” Generous portions of Cascade, Columbus and Chinook hops are added throughout the brewing process to create Rubicon’s Flagship Ale. Golden in color with an assertive hop bitterness. This beer won gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival. A true American Classic.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a burnt orange with a nice fluffy white head and good lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, pine and floral hops with some biscuit malts lingering in the back.

Taste: Nice hop presence – grapefruit, citrus and pine with a nice sweet malt backbone.  Well balanced and delicious.

Overall: I very much enjoyed Rubicon Brewing Company’s IPA from start to finish.  I wish I had picked up a few more bombers of this one.  At 6.5% ABV I could’ve been good for at least another in this session.  Next time I see this one I’m picking some up.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Iron Springs Pub & Brewery Casey Jones Imperial IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Iron Springs Pub & Brewery Casey Jones Imperial IPA. 

From the Iron Springs Pub & Brewery website:” This double IPA has twice the hops and grains as its counterpart.  Significant floral, citrus, and peppery notes on the nose, yet even with the enormous hop profile, the huge grain bill results in a very well balanced brew.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark orange with a thick white head and very nice lacing.

Aroma: Huge hop aroma and just a wee bit of malt in the background.

Taste: Citrus hops flood in followed by a nice caramel malt aftertaste.

Overall: Iron Springs Pub & Brewery’s Casey Jones Imperial IPA is impressive and goes down easy, but at 9% ABV you need to watch out for this one as it’ll put you in your place. Great hop bitterness, balanced and one I would certainly try again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Stone Brewing Company Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. 

From the Stone Brewing Company website:” We're brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous ale. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it --- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale --- serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form.

We're certainly not perfect. Too often, we allow our modesty to get the best of us as we're simply not inclined towards senseless braggadocio. When you're good, you're good. And when you do something great, the least you can do is acknowledge it. Others benefit from knowing. In this case, we find that we are compelled to point out how amazing this ale is that we rightly call the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn't last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn't be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a very dark (very dark) brown…nearly black with a tan head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Pine and citrus hops, chocolate malt, dark fruit and coffee.

Taste: Front heavy on the citrus and pine hops, but balanced very well with roasted malt, dark chocolate, brown sugar and caramel.

Overall: Stone Brewing Company’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale is excellent.  Although the ABV is 8.7% the alcohol is hidden so careful opening up more than a bomber at a time.  I completely enjoyed this one!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Heretic Brewing Company Shallow Grave Porter

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Heretic Brewing Company Shallow Grave Porter.

From the Heretic Brewing Company website:” Shallow Grave Porter is dark as night, perfect for a cool evening out in the woods. This a big, dark ale with a complex and rich chocolate and caramel malt character followed by a touch of warmth and light malt sweetness, leaving you ready for more after each shovelful. You will love this so much you won’t have time to dig a six-footer, so make it a Shallow Grave. We’re sure you’ll dig it.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an extremely dark brown – nearly black with an off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Roasted chocolate malts, coffee, sweet caramel with not much of a hop presence.  Smells like the perfect porter.

Taste: Roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and some sweet caramel are followed by a slight pine hop bitterness.

Overall: This is a great beer and one of my favorite porters.  Heretic Brewing Company’s Shallow Grave Porter weighing it at 7% ABV is fantastic and well worth checking out.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey