High Water Brewing Retribution Imperial IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is High Water Brewing Retribution Imperial India Pale Ale. 

From the High Water Brewing website: “Retribütion per Wiktionary: "punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance." Well that pretty much sums it up, however to be a little more politically correct, you could just say "When life hands you lemons....make lemonade" Well I guess I traded in my lemons for a full silo of malted barley, a tasty stash of killer hops, some high quality California water and a healthy and continuous supply of brewers yeast. Blend these all together and throw in a little west coast brewing attitude and this wonderfully balanced Imperial IPA comes to life. Please enjoy!!!! Cheers...Steve”.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a burnt copper orange with a thin off-white head and lots of lacing.

Aroma: Huge citrus hop scent up front with caramel and sweet malts following behind.

Taste: Starts strong with citrus hop bitterness (grapefruit, orange, lemon zest) and herbal hops followed quickly by sweet caramel malt.  Alcohol is present and accounted for as well in the far back.

Overall: High Water Brewing’s Retribution Imperial India Pale Ale is a great hop forward beer.  Smooth, crisp and weighing in at 9.5% ABV I found this to be highly drinkable and enjoyable. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Calicraft Brewing Company Oaktown Deep & Soulful Brown Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Calicraft Brewing Company Oaktown Deep & Soulful Brown Ale.  I noticed that Calicraft Brewing Company was going to have their first pint night at Hop Yard in San Ramon (October 2nd) and while shopping at a local bottle shop (Mission Liquors) I found that they carried their beers so I thought I’d pick up a 22 and sample this offering from a new local brewer.

From an interview with Jen Muehlbauer at Bay Area Craft Beer (dot com): “Oaktown Brown: Redefining traditional brown ale, this is a hoppy, malty, deep and soulful brown ale. We use California-grown organic Cascade hops that give this beer a flavor reminiscent of an IPA. The California grown hops express flavors of orange and marmalade vs. pine and grapefruit from the Pacific Northwest. We then ferment the beer with a blend of three oaks with the foundation of the oaks being American. The beer starts bitter and roasty with subtle smoke. As it warms, layers of chocolate, toffee and caramel begin to shine. The use of oak during fermentation gives this beer structure that lays in your mouth similar to a great cab or zin.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish brown with a huge thick tan head and loads of sticky lacing.

Aroma: Roasted and sweet malts, chocolate, caramel, toffee, roasted nuts and sugar with just a touch of hops.

Taste: Sweet malts, coffee, roasted nuts and grains, chocolate, toffee, caramel and finally a nice citrus hop finish. Very good!

Overall: Well balanced and smooth Calicraft Brewing Company’s Oaktown Deep & Soulful Brown Ale is highly drinkable brown ale and one that’d I most definitely purchase again.  At 6.7% ABV it drinks more like a 5% ABV so careful as you open your 2nd or 3rd.

Special thanks to Brian Stechschulte (Founder & Editor at www.BayAreaCraftBeer.com) for allowing me the use of the beer description in the interview that Jen Muehlbauer (a writer for Bay Area Craft Beer dot com) did with Blaine Landberg (founder and head brewer of Calicraft Brewing Company) here.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Southern Tier Brewing Company Unearthly Imperial IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Southern Tier Brewing Company Unearthly Imperial IPA.  Years ago I had the chance to try Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk Stout and absolutely loved it, but of course finding it in NorCal has been impossible.  When I found their Unearthly Imperial IPA at a place shippable to me (and with free shipping) I jumped on it.

From the Southern Tier Brewing Company website: “At the Southern Tier Brewing Company, vigorously hopped beer is our standard and inspiration. We continue a commitment to innovation with our most aggressive offering yet. Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange with small white head and thick lacing.

Aroma: Citrus and pine hops, sweet caramel malt and all that’s good about an Imperial IPA.

Taste: Surprisingly malt forward, caramel and roasted followed by citrus and pine hop bitterness.  Really well balanced and not the hop bomb I was expecting, but fantastic and enjoyable.

Overall: With IBUs sitting around 100, Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Unearthly Imperial IPA is very easy to drink, not too over the top bitter and one heck of a DIPA.  At 9.5% ABV the alcohol is very well hidden most likely due to the excellent malt profile so be careful, that is, if you can find some. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Pyramid Breweries Dunkel Dark Wheat Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Pyramid Breweries Dunkel Dark Wheat Ale. 

From the Pyramid Breweries’ website:” Building upon the German Dunkel Weisse style, our Dunkel is a rich, dark and malty offering.  Fermented with our house Hefeweizen yeast and bottled unfiltered, this is a sweet and robust play on a traditional wheat beer.”

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Roasted and caramel malts, toasted grains, wheat and a bit of chocolate. Slight banana and citrus hops are present, but very light.

Taste: Caramel, chocolate, dark roasted malts and wheat with a touch of hop bitterness.

Overall: Very drinkable and lighter than what I’m accustomed to for the style, Pyramid Breweries’ Dunkel Dark Wheat Ale is enjoyable and one that I’d drink again.  At 5.6% ABV the malty base would keep me coming back for seconds and maybe even thirds.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine.

From Mikkeller marketing (that I had to hunt for): “Big Worse is the long awaited big brother of the small test brew Big Bad Barley Wine. The idea behind Big Worse is still to make a simple yet heavy barley wine – just like it’s smaller brother. But this time both the alcohol and bitterness has been pumped up! Big Worse is both thick and sweet and is the perfect beer for desserts. Enjoy it now or keep it for many years. Best stored dark and at cellar temperature.” 

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a murky caramel color with a creamy head and very thick lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, brown sugar.  Big, big nose.

Taste: A giant! Sweet malts, raisins, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate and tart citrus flavors.  Alcohol is not masked, but not overwhelming.  This one would age VERY well.

Overall: I’m a big fan of Barley Wines and Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine is fantastic! Flavorful, sweet and well balanced this 12% ABV beast has me thinking about grabbing more as well as checking out their other beers. I think this will be another one for the cellar (if I can handle waiting).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Stone Brewing Company 16th Anniversary IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company 16th Anniversary IPA. 

From the Stone Brewing Company website: “We've been loving creating Collaboration beers with great creative brewers from all over the world these last several years-unique beers that would never have existed without the free-flowing imagination and idea generation of the collaborative process. However, when it comes to the Stone Anniversary Ales, it's all us. Yet, it is indeed still a collaboration with great creative brewers (if we do say so ourselves). We're talking about our own brewing team, of course. And while some of our beers, anniversary and otherwise, have been designed by a single person, the Stone 16th Anniversary IPA was definitely a team effort.

This year our brewing team was inspired by some exotic-ish additions of the lemony persuasion. Yes, it's a Double IPA (can you really say you're surprised?), but as we strive to do with all our Stone Anniversary Ales of the let's-take-this-IPA-in-a-new-direction variety, we've brewed up a Stone-worthy divergence from tradition. The amount of rye malt we used isn't quite enough to warrant the appellation "Rye IPA," but it still adds hints of spiciness that contrast deliciously with the tropical fruit flavors and aromas of the Amarillo and Calypso hops. Add a few European specialty malts, some lemon verbena, and three more hop varieties to the mix, and you have a highly complex brew melding both bitter and fruity hop notes with rich toasted malt character punctuated by nuances of spicy rye and subtle lemon.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a light golden amber with a large fluffy white head and tons of lacing.

Aroma: Big citrus hops hit my nose first followed by pine, toasted malt, rye and lemon.

Taste: Huge hop bitterness – pine and citrus – sweet malts, rye and a delicious lemon finish.  Very nice.

Overall: Very refreshing and complex, Stone Brewing Company’s 16th Anniversary IPA is over the top good.  At 10% ABV the alcohol is very well hidden so be careful.  I wanted to open another 22 after I finished the first, but then the ABV caught up with me and I thought, maybe not tonight.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Red Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Red Ale.

From the Lagunitas Brewing Company website:” Big on the spicy, skunky hops, bigger on the rich red malt. A variation of our original 1993 "Lagunitas Red". Still in the handy 6-pack carriers for your enjoyment.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark red amber with a thin white head and great sticky lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and hoppy…citrus and pine hops and sweet malts, brown sugar and molasses.  Incredible nose!

Taste: Fantastic combination of citrus and pine hops and sweet caramel malt.  Hops are in the forefront on this one, but balanced well with a sweet malty back. My favorite Imperial Red.

Overall: Flavorful, drinkable and thoroughly enjoyable, Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Imperial Red Ale weighs in at 7.8% ABV and is available around January.  Keep an eye out for it as it is very much worth grabbing a six pack (or a case if you’re me).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Ninkasi Brewing Company Tricerahops Double IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Ninkasi Brewing Company Tricerahops Double IPA.

 From the Ninkasi Brewing Company website:” Tricerahops is double everything you already love in an IPA. More hops, more malt body and a higher gravity define this Double India Pale Ale. Fiercely flavorful, guaranteed to satisfy.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a golden orange with a foamy tan head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Pine and citrus hops – Pacific Northwest at its best.  Scent perfection.

Taste: Excellent balance between citrus hops, pine hops, biscuit malt and sweet caramel malt.

Overall: This is one of the most approachable and drinkable double IPAs I’ve had.  At 8.8% ABV Ninkasi Brewing Company’s Tricerahops Double IPA is a sneaky one as the alcohol is hidden very well by the superb balance.  I would rank this up towards the top of DIPAs.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Midnight Sun Brewing Company Obliteration VIII Double IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Midnight Sun Brewing Company Obliteration VIII Double IPA. 

From the Midnight Sun Brewing Company website:” With passion and purpose, we present this series of hop-centric beers. Using different hop varieties and brewing techniques, we aim to capture bold, distinct hop characteristics in aroma, flavor and finish. While we explore the world of hops, we invite you to learn along with us: these beers offer an incredible opportunity to experience the diversity of hops while engaging the palate and obliterating the senses. Obliteration VIII returns the Obliteration series to its Double IPA roots. This one, however, is MSBC's first beer brewed with hop extract: Amarillo. Dry-hopped with Bravo hop pellets. While bitterness exists, an amazingly high IBU score hits the palate with floral, tropical and citrus properties. Inhale. Behold. Taste. Obliterate your senses with the newest addition to Midnight Sun's Obliteration series.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a golden orange with a dense white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Mostly citrus hops (lemon) and pine with little malt in the nose.  Alcohol scent is present.

Taste: Pine and citrus up front with a slight malt sweetness in the back.  Finishes with hoppy bitterness and alcohol.

Overall: Overall a nice offering.  Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s Obliteration VIII Double IPA had ample hop flavor and decent amount of malt to balance it out.  Certainly not the best DIPA I’ve had, but by far not the worst.  At 8.5% ABV the price is a bit steep (must be the transit from Alaska) so I don’t know that I would grab another, but if the price was right I’d certainly drink this one again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey