Triple Voodoo Brewing Inception Belgian Style Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Triple Voodoo Brewing Inception Belgian Style Ale.  I’m a big supporter of Bay Area brewers.  A friend of mine had mentioned Triple Voodoo Brewing as he had run into them some time ago at a beer fest.  Once I found this offering I quickly snapped it up.

From the Triple Voodoo Brewing website:” Triple Voodoo Inception Belgian Style Ale is not brewed in traditional Belgian style like traditional Trappist ales. Inception is bright and clear with a sharp alcohol note in the beginning and an added twist of black currant in the center of the flavor profile. The beer finishes clean and has a solid malty backbone. This unique flavor profile was achieved using a special hop varietal. The high hop load also makes it reminiscent of an IPA and gives it that unique California characteristics.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an orangish caramel color with a frothy white head and nice lacing. (Failed to pour into a Tulip)

Aroma: Textbook Belgian scents – banana, cloves, coriander, candied sugar and sweet malts.  Smells fantastic!

Taste: Sweet biscuit malts, sharply bittered by hops, Belgian yeast, bananas and spices.  Tastes fantastic!

Overall: A very well made Belgian with a West Coast hop presence, Triple Voodoo Brewing Inception Belgian Style Ale is delicious and well worth checking out.  Surprisingly drinkable at 8% ABV the alcohol is well hidden.  Be careful!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

The Pike Brewing Company Tandem Double Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Pike Brewing Company Tandem Double Ale.  After trying this beer in Seattle back in May of 2011 I knew I had to find a way to get some here in NorCal.  I finally found a distributor that carried it and now I’ve got a few bombers in my fridge of this excellent beer.

From The Pike Brewing Company website:” Rich, round, & complex with flavors of fruit, freshly baked bread and treacle. Monks originally marked double ales with 2 †s. Our Double is named for the Finkel's bicycle.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a reddish brown with a nice cream colored head and good lacing.

Aroma: Roasted, caramel and chocolate malts, dried fruits, coriander and slight hop presence.

Taste: Caramel malt, toffee, dark fruit and Belgian yeast.  Faint citrus hop flavor. Sweet and delicious and a bit nutty.

Overall: Almost exactly how I remembered it (on tap), The Pike Brewing Company’s Tandem Double Ale is very good and one worth seeking out. At 7% ABV it is a beer I could drink regularly if I had the option.  For now, I do and I will cherish the bottles I have in my possession. I hope I can get my hands on more of these as this is a beer I'd like to have on hand all the time.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Mammoth Brewing Company IPA 395

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mammoth Brewing Company IPA 395.  I had the chance to try this beer while on vacation at a place called Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint in Carson City, NV (great food if you find yourself out that way - website) and I really enjoyed it.  I was happy to see a bomber of it and picked it up for strictly review purposes. 

From the Mammoth Brewing Company website:” Our ode to the Owens Valley and the Highway 395 corridor, this double IPA is distinctly bolder than our Epic IPA and celebrates the aromas hops, desert sage and mountain juniper. IPA 395 has a unique personality.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a rich amber color with a thick head and good lacing.

Aroma: Juniper and sage is abundant in the nose followed by pine hops.  Smells like the woods. Felt the need to go camping.

Taste: Juniper and sage are balanced very well with hops and caramel malts.  Certainly not a hop bomb, but very nicely done.

Overall: I completely enjoyed this beer although some might find the sage and juniper weird.  Mammoth Brewing Company IPA 395 weighing in at 8% ABV might not be for everyone, but it is worth a try for those who dare to drink in the great outdoors.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Green Flash Brewing Company Le Freak Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Green Flash Brewing Company Le Freak Ale. 

From the Green Flash Brewing Company website:” An ‘out of the box’ modern ale crafted by converging two beer styles, Belgian Trippel and American Imperial IPA. Dry-Hopped and Bottle-Conditioned – it’s a zesty brew with enticing American hop and fruity Belgian yeast aromatics.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy gold with a thick white head and loads of sticky lacing.

Aroma: Floral and citrus hops up front, sweet malts followed by clove, banana, candy sugar and Belgian yeast.

Taste: Strong hop blast, but nicely layered with sweet malts, candy sugar, banana and cloves.

Overall: With Green Flash Brewing Company’s Le Freak Ale we find the perfect combination of a Belgian Trippel and an American Imperial IPA (as advertised).  An enjoyable beer and one that I would buy again and at 9.2% ABV a bomber does the job nicely.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Ovila Abbey Dubbel

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Ovila Abbey Dubbel.  I had heard good things about this beer so I thought I’d pick up a four pack strictly for review purposes (HA!).

From the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company website:” Ovila Abbey Dubbel is brewed in the abbey tradition, and perfect for the rebirth of spring. Clean and deep copper in color, this Abbey Dubbel has a complex and rich malty sweetness with hints of carmelized sugar. The aroma is a heady and layered mix of fruit and spice with hints of clove, raisin and black pepper from the use of an abbey-style yeast.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep caramel color with cream colored head and slight lacing.

Aroma: Caramel malt, sweet fruit (fig and raisin), Belgian yeast and spice.

Taste: Rich caramel and roasted malt flavor, slightly sweet with dark fruits, spice and clove.  This beer is delicious!

Overall: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Ovila Abbey Dubbel is a very smooth and tasty Dubbel and one that I would seek out again.  At 7.5% ABV it is easy to have at least a couple (or maybe a few) of these. Check it out!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Drake's Brewing Company Hopocalypse Black Label Triple IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Drake's Brewing Company Hopocalypse Black Label Triple IPA.  On February 4th I waited in line to pick up this gem of a beer.  Drake’s has done a great job building the hype for their releases, particularly the ones that won’t be available outside of their Barrel House. 

From the Drake’s Brewing Company website:” What rough beast’s hour has come round at last? It’s Drake’s Hopocalypse Black Label- A Triple India Pale Ale. From a foundation of American 2-row, Maris Otter, Caramalt and Vienna barley malts, a hopped-up tide of Magnum, Chinook, Zythos, and mysterious experimental varietal HBC342 is loosed, and everywhere, your innocent tastebuds will be drowned with revelations of citrus and pine. The darkness drops again but now I know… The End is Beer. — Available in February in limited release.” 

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Great hop nose – citrus, pine, grapefruit, orange, apricot and peach.  Malt is present as well – sweet caramel and biscuit malts.

Taste: Nice upfront and big citrus and pine hop flavors with sweet caramel malt to follow.  Great balance between the hops and malt.  The alcohol is very well hidden making this one dangerous.

Overall: Drake's Brewing Company Hopocalypse Black Label Triple IPA is fantastic.  Since there was a two bottle limit at the Barrel House readers might find it impossible to partake in this one unless Drake’s decides to fully release this one to stores. My hope is that they brew this for distribution as it is a very well done Triple IPA.  At 12.5% ABV I plan to savor the next bomber I open and then wish for the day when I see it once again. Drake's continues to be one of my favorite breweries.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Mission Brewery Shipwrecked Double IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mission Brewery Shipwrecked Double IPA.  I had this beer on tap several months ago in San Francisco (loved it) and so on my recent trip to San Diego I thought I should pick up a 22 strictly for review purposes. 

From the Mission Brewery website:” San Diego Style Double India Pale Ale. An amazingly balanced and hoppy beer, yet finishes as smooth as silk with no hint of high alcohol hotness usually associated with strong double IPA’s. Super citrus and grapefruit aromas and flavors from the generous use of Cascade, Magnum, Centennial and CTZ hops.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy caramel color with an off-white head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Citrus and pine hops up front with sweet malt scents to bring balance to this wonderful nose.

Taste: Citrus and pine hop presence up front and like the nose balanced wonderfully with sweet malts.  Alcohol is hidden very nicely on this one.

Overall: A fantastic DIPA, Mission Brewery Shipwrecked Double IPA is impressive and is incredibly drinkable which is dangerous as it is 9.25% ABV. Well worth hunting for and trying.  Get some!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Real Ale Brewing Company Rio Blanco Pale Ale

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

In keeping with the “beer I drank while in San Antonio, TX” theme here’s the final review from the Lonestar State.

Tonight’s featured beer is Real Ale Brewing Company Rio Blanco Pale Ale.

From the Real Ale Brewing Company website:” Deep golden and malty, with a spicy hop flavor and well balanced hop bitterness, Rio Blanco is a uniquely Texan interpretation of an English-style pale ale. Czech Saaz hops provide a crisp finish and delicate aroma.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark golden color with a large fluffy white head and some lacing left behind.

Aroma: Sweet malts dominate with citrus and pine scents in the back.

Taste: Nice upfront malt flavors similar to an English Pale with pine, floral and citrus hops to balance this beer out nicely.

Overall: So good! Real Ale Brewing Company’s Rio Blanco Pale Ale is an easy to drink and very well made beer and at 5.3% ABV I could drink this one all evening long. After having three of their offerings I would give them a HUGE thumbs up.  I hope their beers make their way over to California.  I'm a fan.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 60 Minute IPA

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

Continuing on with the “beer I drank while in San Antonio, TX” theme here’s another beer I reviewed while in Texas.

Tonight’s featured beer is Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 60 Minute IPA.  60 Minute IPA isn’t to be found in NorCal (or at least I’ve never been able to find it).  I had the chance to have it on tap in Houston, TX and found this bottle while in San Antonio, TX.  I was going to try to keep my reviews purely local, but I couldn’t pass this one up.

From the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery website:” 60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)

60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!

Every Beer Has A Story...

In our Quick Sip Clip video below, Sam Calagione talks about the 60 Minute IPA. For some perspective, he compares this beer to its predecessor, 90 Minute IPA, and its big brother, 120 Minute IPA.

Sam stepped out of the brewery for the taping of this Quick Sip Clip and comes to us from the place where it all started: Dogfish Head, Maine.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark gold with a tight white head and very nice lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, floral and pine hop scents with a toasty malt notes.  Smells excellent!

Taste: Strong malt backbone with an exceptional blend of hops – citrus, floral and pine.  Very balanced and very good, I think I might like this more than the 90.

Overall: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s 60 Minute IPA is a beer that shouldn’t be missed if you find yourself in a state that it is distributed in (look for it on tap!!!).  At 6% ABV you can knock a few back without worrying too much about falling over.  I’m a fan of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s beers and 60 Minute IPA is a well-crafted and delicious offering!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey