Clown Shoes Beer Tramp Stamp Belgian-style IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Clown Shoes Beer Tramp Stamp Belgian-style IPA.

From the Clown Shoes Beer website: “Like a stamp on a tramp, this beer is about not so subtle seduction.  Soft but complex malts, Chambly yeast, sweet orange peel, Columbus, Amarillo, and Centennial hops have merged to create a bodacious Belgian IPA.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours orange with a large off-white head and lots of sticky lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, tropical and floral hops, Belgian yeast and candi sugar scents, spice and bready malts.

Taste: Belgian yeast, citrus, tropical and earthy hops, sweet and bready malts, spice and a slight candi sugar sweetness.

Overall: Clown Shoes Beer Tramp Stamp Belgian-style IPA is a solid representation of the style. This 7% ABV offering is well done and delicious.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company Auld Bitch Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company Auld Bitch Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine. I picked this bottle up at Jane’s Beer Store in Mountain View, CA (here). They have a fantastic selection and I highly recommend visiting them if you find yourself anywhere near the area.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours caramel colored with a large off-white head and great lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel and bready malts, bourbon, dark fruit, vanilla, toffee and oak.

Taste: Flavor follows the nose, sweet caramel and bready malts, bourbon, brown sugar, dark fruit, vanilla, oak and toffee.

Overall: Delicious and smooth, Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company Auld Bitch Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine is one of the best bourbon barrel aged barleywines I’ve had.  This 10.8% ABV offering is something I plan to find more of.  I wish I had purchased more than one bottle. I’m looking forward to trying Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company’s other offerings.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Cigar City Brewing Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale - Ale with Vanilla, Cacao & Coffee Beans added

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Cigar City Brewing Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale - Ale with Vanilla, Cacao & Coffee Beans added.

From the Cigar City Brewing website: “This brown ale is brewed with a heaping amount of Cubano-style espresso beans, vanilla and cacao nibs. Rich coffee notes dominate this beer, while still being balanced by a smooth malty backbone. Pairs well with arroz con leche and, of course, a delicate shot of Cubano espresso.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours brown with a creamy khaki colored head and good lacing.

Aroma: Espresso, chocolate, caramel, vanilla and a slight toasted malt scent.

Taste: Espresso, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, toasted nuts and malts.

Overall: Extremely tasty and flavorful, Cigar City Brewing Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale is another stellar beer from one of my favorite breweries.  This 5.5% ABV offering is a must try for fans of the style or for those willing to be convinced that you DO like this style.  Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Phat Matt's Brewing Company Porter Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Phat Matt's Brewing Company Porter Ale.

Commercial description: “At 7% ABV and 64 IBU’s the late hop additions contribute floral and pine aroma’s that make this Matt’s personal favorite. The hop profile is not overpowering, starting crisp and fresh and building to a mellow, bitter finish. A generous dry hop emphasizes a green hop accent with an enjoyable aroma.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a thin beige head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Roasted and chocolate malts with a noticeable pine hop aroma.

Taste: Toasted malts, pine, slight chocolate malt presence and a touch sweet with a lingering bitter chocolate aftertaste.

Overall: Phat Matt's Brewing Company Porter Ale is creamy and nice.  This 7% ABV offering is worth a try and although it didn’t blow me away it was worth drinking and reviewing.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Firestone Walker Brewing Company Pale 31 California Pale Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Firestone Walker Brewing Company Pale 31 California Pale Ale.

From the Firestone Walker Brewing Company website: “A tribute to our home state of California – the 31st to be added to the Union.  Beautiful floral and citrus hop aromas greet the nose with undertones of lightly toasted malt.  Crisp pale and crystal malts offer a hint of sweetness. Subtle hop bitterness offers a refreshing finish.  Perfect for a sunny California day at the beach or BBQ with friends, Pale 31 represents the bold yet approachable spirit that embodies our state.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance:  Pours a clear golden color with a nice white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, tropical, biscuit and caramel malts and a touch sweet.

Taste: Citrus and tropical hop notes, light malts – biscuity and sweet with just a hint of caramel.

Overall: Supremely drinkable, Firestone Walker Brewing Company Pale 31 California Pale Ale is excellent.  This 4.9% ABV offering is a solid Pale Ale and one that I’ll certainly pick up again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Sleepy Dog Brewery Leg Humper Hefeweizen

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Sleepy Dog Brewery Leg Humper Hefeweizen.

From the Sleepy Dog Brewery website: “Mmmm. This beer smells like Germany!
A true German-Style Hefe brewed with the finest German Hefeweizen
yeast that naturally produces flavors reminiscent of Bananas, Citrus, and Clove. It’s so Yummy you will feel the excitement all the way down your legs!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a light and hazy gold color with a slight white head and light lacing.

Aroma: Banana, wheat, clove and citrus.

Taste: Bready sweet, wheat, banana, clove and citrus.

Overall:  Light and refreshing, Sleepy Dog Brewery Leg Humper Hefeweizen is easy drinking.  At 5% ABV this is a nice summer offering that I’d drink again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout.

From the Deschutes Brewery website: “Deep, robust and richly rewarding, this is beer to linger over. Obsidian has distinct notes of espresso, chocolate, roasted malt and black barley, with just enough hop bite to cut the sweetness.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a large mocha brown colored head and great lacing.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, caramel and molasses.

Taste: Roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee, slight caramel, some dark fruits and just a slight citrus and pine hop bitterness.

Overall: Roasty and delicious, Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout is smooth.  This 6.4% ABV offering drinks bigger than the ABV suggests.  Another solid beer from Deschutes Brewery!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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The Grand Canyon Brewing Company Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Grand Canyon Brewing Company Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale.

From The Grand Canyon Brewing Company website: “Our Pale Ale has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Large quantities of premium Cascade hops gives our Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy character.

The Grand Canyon’s burnt orange cliffs are stained with long curtains of dark desert varnish. These colors, along with the green river and blue sky – dazzle the senses, and the Colorado, itself shimmering in the sunlight 1,100 feet below the overlook is nothing short of hypnotic.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear orange color with a thin off-white head and sparse lacing.

Aroma: Light citrus and grassy hops and light caramel and biscuit malts.

Taste: Biscuit and caramel malts and light citrus, spicy and herbal/grassy hops.

Overall: Easy drinking and crisp, The Grand Canyon Brewing Company Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale is a malt forward American Pale Ale. At 5.5% ABV this beer is refreshing and worth a shot if you find yourself where this is available.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Harvest Moon Brewing Company Pigs Ass Porter

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Harvest Moon Brewing Company Pigs Ass Porter.

From the Harvest Moon Brewing Company website: “First brewed by Harvest Moon in 1997, this beer is a multiple award-winning dark ale brewed in the Burton, England style owing to the similarity of water chemistry in Belt compared to this classic porter producing area in England.  Plenty of body without a sharp bite, this ale is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate and black malts to create a creamy, smooth, roasted, slightly chocolate tasting ale with a touch of hops in the finish.  This ale can be enjoyed in every season and is best when served cool, not cold.  And why the name?  While drinking this new brew one evening back in 1997, the local hog farmer showed up to collect our spent mash and we that what could be better for fattening pigs?”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours reddish brown with a thin tan head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Roasted coffee, caramel, roasted malts, vanilla, chocolate and slightly nutty.

Taste: Chocolate, caramel, roasted coffee, nutty, vanilla, roasted malts and a hint of smokiness.

Overall: Tasty and smooth, Harvest Moon Brewing Company Pigs Ass Porter is easy drinking.  At 5% ABV this Porter is very approachable and something I would have a few of in a session.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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