Iron Fist Brewing Company Velvet Glove Imperial Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Iron Fist Brewing Company Velvet Glove Imperial Stout. 

From the Iron Fist Brewing Company website: “You know the expression, “A Velvet Glove and an Iron Fist”? It was coined to refer to a regime that used a soft exterior to hide its punishingly unforgiving nature. This seems an apt description for our Velvet Glove. Its placid appearance and unparalleled smoothness hide the truth; this is one fiendishly strong stout. Rich, chocolaty espresso dominates the flavor profile, with a velvety smooth texture that will haunt your senses.”

I had this beer for the first time when I was visiting Disney’s California Adventure. At the time I hadn’t heard for Iron Fist Brewing Company…now I find their beer at many of my local bottle shops.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a brown head and soapy lacing.

Aroma: Chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts and coffee.

Taste: Roasted malts, espresso, bittersweet chocolate, molasses and a touch of vanilla.

Overall: Very smooth and delicious, Iron Fist Brewing Company Velvet Glove Imperial Stout is an excellent balance of roasty and sweet.  The 9% ABV is hardly noticeable.  I’d highly recommend this for fans of the style.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Almanac Beer Company Sourdough Wild Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Almanac Beer Company Sourdough Wild Ale - Ale Brewed with Lemons and Aged in Wine Barrels.

From the Almanac Beer Company website: “Brewed with a mash of raw and malted barley, oats, rye, spelt and lemon, this beer was fermented in used wine barrels with a blend of Brettanomyces wild yeasts and Marla Bakery’s San Francisco sourdough yeast. The finished beer is dry-hopped with tropical Mosaic hops. This unfiltered ale is alive in the bottle: drink fresh for a bright, passionfruit aroma or age to develop the wild yeast funk.

Farm to Barrel

Our Farm to Barrel beers focus on the eons-old tradition of aging beers in oak barrels. This American wild ale was aged in used wine casks with our house “Dogpatch” sour culture, a cocktail of wild Belgian and American yeasts, including San Francisco sourdough starter. The yeasts slowly morph the beer from a traditional ale into something wild, creating a mild acidic bite as well as pulling oak and vanilla flavors from the barrel. After maturing, the barrels are blended together—creating a vinous, delicate beer that captures the essence of a particular harvest. Farm to Barrel Beers are alive in the bottle, and will continue to mature gracefully for several years.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours golden orange with a fluffy white head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Tropical fruits, lemon, oak, wine, biscuit malts, funky, bready and yeasty.

Taste: Tropical hops – passion fruit, grapefruit and peach, lemon, wine barrel, funky Brett, a touch of vanilla, slight rye spiciness along with what seems like sourdough breadiness in the finish.

Overall: Unique and strangely refreshing, Almanac Beer Company Sourdough Wild Ale is worth a try.  At 6.5% ABV Almanac Beer Company has produced yet another interesting beer in their line-up. I am debating whether or not to pick up another bottle to age…decisions, decisions…

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Anderson Valley Brewing Company Huge Arker Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Huge Arker Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout. As a HUGE fan of Anderson Valley Brewing Company I was really looking forward to trying this one.

From the Anderson Valley Brewing Company website: “True to its Boontling moniker, “Huge Arker” is a massive force of nature that detonates on your tongue. After primary fermentation, the beer is aged in Wild Turkey® Bourbon barrels until it fully matures. The deep mahogany color is evocative of the opulence to follow. Dark luscious aromas of burnished oak mingle with candy sugar, bourbon and hearth-baked bread. The luxurious flavors redolent of honey and molasses are intertwined with the richness of dark chocolate and the ardent warmth of alcohol, underpinned with hints of coffee, vanilla and dark fruits.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours very dark brown, nearly black with reddish highlights, a nice tan head and soapy lacing.

Aroma: Bourbon looms large in the nose followed by, candy sugar, bready malts, oak, vanilla with touches of dark chocolate, caramel and toffee.

Taste: Bourbon, dark chocolate, vanilla, molasses, coffee, bready malts, oak and dark fruits.

Overall: Creamy and smooth, Anderson Valley Brewing Company Huge Arker Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout is exceptional.  This 13.5% ABV offering is one to source and drink lots of if you can find it.  Sweet and boozy (in a really good way) I HIGHLY recommend this for fans of the style.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Maui Brewing Company Lahaina Town Brown

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Maui Brewing Company Lahaina Town Brown - American Brown Ale. I picked this up while on Maui, but have noticed that it can be purchased on the mainland now.

From the Maui Brewing Company website: “American Brown Ale. Malty, slightly sweet, with a toasted nutty character. A blend of munich, dark crystal, and chocolate malts result in a refreshing smooth and satisfying craft beer experience.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a fluffy tan head and soapy lacing.

Aroma: Roasted and chocolate malts, nutty and sweet smelling.

Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, toasted nut, hints of caramel and coffee and a slight herbal hop bitterness in the finish.

Overall: Drinkable and delicious, Maui Brewing Company Lahaina Town Brown is enjoyable. This 5.1% offering is easy drinking on a warm day.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Auburn Ale House PU240 Imperial IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Auburn Ale House PU240 Imperial IPA.

From the Auburn Ale House website: “Named after the isotope essential for nuclear grade weapons, this “Weapons Grade Ale” is the hop bomb you didn’t see coming!

At 100 bittering units, PU240 captures the explosive hop flavor and aroma necessary to achieve a Critical Mass that you won’t find in other high-hop ales. A classified and combustible amount of Summit and Galena hops along with a double Dry-hop bombard­ment of Simcoe, Columbus and Nugget contribute to PU240’s high rate of spontaneous hop fusion.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours clear copper/orange color with a small beige head and great soapy lacing.

Aroma: Citrus and pine hops, biscuit, sweet caramel and a touch of crystal malts.

Taste: Citrus (grapefruit, orange, tangerine), mango, and pine hop flavors are balanced nicely with sweet caramel and biscuit malts.

Overall: I completely enjoyed the bottled Auburn Ale House PU240 Imperial IPA and have enjoyed it on tap at the Auburn Ale House.  This 8% ABV IIPA is malty, hoppy and delicious.  I highly recommend trying this one.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Santa Clara Valley Brewing New Almaden Red Imperial Red Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Santa Clara Valley Brewing New Almaden Red Imperial Red Ale. I picked up this bottle at Royal Liquors in San Jose (here). If you get a chance, head in there and tell ‘em that Mark from NorCal Beer Blog sent you.  You’ll be glad you did – they have an incredible selection!

From the Santa Clara Valley Brewing website: “During the California Gold Rush the foothills just south of San Jose were mined for their red cinnabar, which contained the quicksilver essential for extracting gold from its encasing rock. The historic town that is home to the oldest and richest mine in the state is called New Almaden and is the inspiration for our Imperial Red Ale.
New Almaden Red pours an exquisite cinnabar color. It is brewed with a combination of pale and crystal malts to create a complex malt profile, while copious amounts of hops are added to balance the malt sweetness and create a piney, citrusy aroma and flavor.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear reddish amber with a tan head and loads of sticky lacing.

Aroma: Pine and citrus hops, sweet caramel and toffee.

Taste: Pine, citrus, grapefruit hops balanced well with caramel and toffee malts.

Overall: Nicely balanced, Santa Clara Valley Brewing New Almaden Red Imperial Red Ale is solid.  The 10% ABV is somewhat evident, but does not detract.  Very enjoyable!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Coronado Brewing Company Barrel Aged Stupid Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Coronado Brewing Company Barrel Aged Stupid Stout - Imperial Stout Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels.

Commercial description: “Barrel Aged Stupid Stout is an Imperial Stout with lush flavors of chocolate, caramel and roast with a hint of vanilla and bourbon from the aging process. It’s jet black in color with a light brown head, full-­‐bodied mouth-­‐feel and dry finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a thin light brown head leaving light spotty lacing.

Aroma: Bourbon, chocolate, oak, vanilla, dark fruits, roasted and caramel malts.

Taste: Bourbon is way up front followed by lots of chocolate sweetness, oak, roasted malts, vanilla and caramel.

Overall: Smooth, sweet and nicely boozy, Coronado Brewing Company Barrel Aged Stupid Stout is very enjoyable.  This 9.8% ABV barrel-aged Imperial Stout is solid and well worth finding if you’re a fan of the style.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Sprecher Brewing Company Pipers Scotch-Style Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Sprecher Brewing Company Pipers Scotch-Style Ale. This bottle was gifted to me by a friend.

From the Sprecher Brewing Company website: “This hearty red-brown ale has a slight, smokey aroma complexed with caramel and lightly toasted malt. The flavor is malty, yet very smooth, with a delicate hop finish and a creamy head.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark copper color with a thin white head and slight lacing.

Aroma: Caramel and roasted malts, toffee, smoky peat and fruity esters.

Taste: Malty and sweet, roasted, caramel and smoked malts, smoky peat and molasses.

Overall: Sweet and smoky, Sprecher Brewing Company Pipers Scotch-Style Ale is good.  This 8.3% ABV is smokier than I am accustomed to for the style, but I found it to be drinkable.  I’d certainly try this one again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Elysian Brewing Company Super Fuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Elysian Brewing Company Super Fuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale.

From the Elysian Brewing Company website: “…Is a mind-bending whirl of the aromas and flavors of blood orange and Northwest hops.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a pale cloudy orange with a fluffy white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Fresh squeezed oranges, grapefruit, pine, tropical fruit and sweet malts.

Taste: Blood oranges take center stage, but do not overpower the tropical fruit, pine and citrus hop bitterness and the sweet malts balance this one out.  Fruity, but in an excellent way.

Overall: Exceptionally well done, Elysian Brewing Company Super Fuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale is a real treat.  This 5.4% ABV Pale Ale is a great mix of sweet and bitter and is incredibly refreshing. Pick some up if you see it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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