The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa American Wile Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa American Wile Ale.  It is no secret that I’m a big fan of The Lost Abbey and when I found out from Nick at The Willow’s Market (here) that he had gotten some Framboise de Amorosa in I headed over to pick up a bottle. If you haven’t yet been to Willow’s Market in Menlo Park, CA you really should.  With well over 1,000 craft beers you’d be hard pressed to find a better selection.

From The Lost Abbey website: “Framboise de Amorosa is our first foray into the world of raspberry beers. It begins as Lost and Found ale and is sent into freshly emptied red wine barrels. The beer spends over a year in the wood during which time it is spiked with three additions of raspberries.

The first sip produces a sweet start with a long drawn out sour finish. So of the sweetnewss from the raspberries comes out before acidic notes join the mix. On the back end of the beer is a smoothing oak character which keeps the beer from becoming dull.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy reddish brown with frothy off-white and pink head and good lacing.

Aroma: Ripe tart raspberries, oak and yeast funk.

Taste: Huge tart and sour raspberries up front giving way to a slightly sugary fruit flavor.  Oak and vinous qualities along with some yeast funk are balanced well with the ripe fruit flavors.

Overall: Sweet, tart and delicious, The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa American Wile Ale is excellent.  Not that I had any doubt that this 7% ABV offering was going to be anything less than excellent.  The sweet, oak and tart properties balance well and left me wanting another bottle. I highly recommend this one!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Deschutes Brewery Class of '88 Barley Wine Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Deschutes Brewery Class of '88 Barley Wine Ale. I reviewed the North Coast Brewing Company version of this beer (here) and since I was able to source the Deschutes Brewery version I thought I’d review that one as well to see how different they are.  I have yet to source the Rogue Ales version.

From the Deschutes Brewery website: “Rogue and North Coast Brewing Co. have joined forces with us to recreate a craft beer classic.

A hoppy citrus aroma radiates from this pale amber Barley Wine Ale. Its sturdy malt backbone is balanced with clean bitterness. Finishes pleasantly without overpowering.”

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Caramel malts, citrus, pine and tropical hops, toffee, bready and biscuit malts.

Taste: Caramel and toasted malts, pine, citrus and tropical hops, toffee and a slight banana flavor.

Overall: Solid and delicious, Deschutes Brewery Class of '88 Barley Wine Ale is quite enjoyable.  I’d like to sample this side by side with the other versions.  Like the North Coast Brewing Company version this also weighs in at 10% ABV.  Check it out if you can find it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Mammoth Brewing Company Yosemite Pale Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mammoth Brewing Company Yosemite Pale Ale (also labeled as Paranoids Pale Ale). When I visited Yosemite the weekend after the 4th of July I picked up a few Mammoth Brewing Company beers that I had yet to try (or review).  Since most of their beers don’t make it to the Bay Area so I was happy to see such an excellent selection of their beers. This is the second of the string of reviews.

From the Mammoth Brewing Company website (and this is the description for Paranoids Pale Ale): “This is a classic American pale ale, featuring a piney citrus hop nose, a full malt body and a clean bitter finish. Paranoids is named after a double black diamond ski run on Mammoth Mountain; the slope is flat… only on a 40 degree angle!”

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Bready, toasted and caramel malts, honey and citrus.

Taste: Malty upfront with bready, toasted and caramel malts followed by light pine and citrus hop bitterness.

Overall: Super approachable and solid, Mammoth Brewing Company Yosemite Pale Ale is easy drinking and delicious.  At 5.5% ABV I could see drinking a few of these and would love to.  I only brought one bottle back with me so it looks like I need to source this (or Paranoids Pale Ale).  So far everything I’d tried from Mammoth Brewing Company has been excellent.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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North Coast Brewing Company ACME California Pale Ale

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 ACME California Pale Ale. It always surprises me when I realize that I have yet to review a beer from a brewery that I like a lot.  Tonight I will add this one to the fold and I plan to review a few other beers I’ve neglected to review from breweries that make my list of favorites. My wife is a big fan of this beer which is what led me to purchase this latest six pack.

From the North Coast Brewing Company website: “This easy-drinking Pale Ale revives the name of one of the early icons of California brewing. Clean-tasting and pleasantly malty, Acme Pale is brewed with Yakima Valley hops, American two-row malt and British specialty malts for depth.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an orangish gold color with a large off-white head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Citrus and slight pine hop scents, toasted and bready malts.

Taste: Pale, toasted and biscuit malts, light citrus hops and toffee.

Overall: Crisp, clean and not overly hoppy, North Coast Brewing Company ACME California Pale Ale is incredibly drinkable and one that I completely enjoy.  At 5% ABV this is an excellent session beer and since it is more malt driven than hop driven it is a beer my wife loves (bonus). Yet another beer to keep around in the beer fridge.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Mammoth Brewing Company Epic IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mammoth Brewing Company Epic IPA. I visited Yosemite the weekend after the 4th of July and picked up a few Mammoth Brewing Company beers that I had yet to try (or review).  Most of their beers don’t make it to the Bay Area so I was happy to see such an excellent selection of their beers. This is the second of the string of reviews.

From the Mammoth Brewing Company website: “Hopped at two pounds per barrel, our IPA unites a strong malt flavor with a wonderfully intense aromatic finish. A favorite among the staff at the brewery so make sure you can get your hands on it before they do!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark copper color with a nice tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Pine, grapefruit, grassy and earthy.

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

Overall: I bought a six pack of Mammoth Brewing Company Epic IPA and only one made it home for pictures/review.  At 6.5% ABV I enjoyed knocking a couple back per night while camping and I’d most certainly pick some up next time I see it.  Now it is time to plan another visit to Yosemite and this time over to Mammoth Brewing Company.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Anchor Brewing Company California Lager

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Anchor Brewing Company California Lager. I don’t tend to gravitate to Lagers, but when Anchor Brewing Company put this one out I knew I needed to try it.  What made it easier is the fact that I got a little sample of it at Caps & Taps in Dublin (here) which made it an easier purchase. I owe this review to them.

From the Anchor Brewing Company website: “Anchor Steam's® roots go back to the Gold Rush, long before icehouses and modern refrigeration made traditional lagers a viable California option. In 1876, thanks to an ice pond in the mountains and a belief that anything is possible in the Golden State, a little brewery named Boca created California's first genuine lager. Anchor California Lager® is our re-creation of this historic beer.

Made in San Francisco with two-row California barley, Cluster hops (the premier hop in 19th-century California), and our own lager yeast, this all-malt brew is kräusened and lagered in our cellars. Its golden color, distinctive aroma, creamy head, balanced depth of flavor, and smooth finish make Anchor California Lager® a delicious celebration of California’s unique brewing heritage.

The California grizzly bear on our Anchor California Lager® label is from a woodcut by Durbin Van Vleck (1833–1898), courtesy of The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley. First published in 1856 in San Francisco, it is a superbly crafted rendering of an original illustration by Charles Christian Nahl (1818–1878), who had painted both eastbound and westbound versions of this bear. Nearly a century later, Nahl's bear served as inspiration for the design of the bear on California's modern state flag. Although that bear is heading west, our bear—like the bear on Boca Brewing's historic lager label—is heading east.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep golden yellow color with a foamy white head and thick, chunky lacing.

Aroma: Toasted grains and cereal, citrus, floral and grassy hops.  Smells clean and bready.

Taste: Toasted grains, sweet malts, herbal and spicy hop bitterness with slight citrus notes. Lager yeast is present, but take a far seat in the back.

Overall: Clean, crackery and refreshing, Anchor Brewing Company California Lager a wonderful sessionable beer.  At 4.8% ABV this would probably be my go-to Lager (if I had such a thing).  I plan to keep this one on hand for folks who desire something lighter and I’ll probably gravitate towards this beer every now and again as well.  Super solid, super refreshing and probably one of the best I’ve had.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Mammoth Brewing Company Ahwahnee Amber Ale (aka Real McCoy Amber)

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mammoth Brewing Company Ahwahnee Amber Ale (aka Real McCoy Amber). I visited Yosemite the weekend after the 4th of July and picked up a few Mammoth Brewing Company beers that I had yet to try (or review).  Most of their beers don’t make it to the Bay Area so I was happy to see such an excellent selection of their beers. This is the first of the string of reviews.

From the Mammoth Brewing Company website (and this is the description of Real McCoy Amber – same beer as Ahwahnee Amber Ale): “Pilsner malt, dark Munich malts and Palisade hops combine to produce a smooth, velvety malt character and a balanced hop finish. A Mammoth Brewing Company original inspired by another original, the man himself: Dave McCoy, founder of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a light amber color with a small white head and almost no lacing.

Aroma: Caramel, toffee and a little nutty.

Taste: Toasted and caramel malt, toffee and a little nutty. Very low hop profile – just there in a supporting role really.

Overall: Malty and smooth, Mammoth Brewing Company Ahwahnee Amber Ale (aka Real McCoy Amber) is quite enjoyable.  At 5.5% ABV this straightforward Amber is well balanced and delicious.  Get some!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Red Brick Brewing Company The Lost Years American Strong Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Red Brick Brewing Company The Lost Years American Strong Ale - Aged 4 Months in Jim Beam Barrels.

From the Red Brick Brewing Company website: “The Lost Years, the 5th release of Red Brick Brewing's distinguished Brick Mason Series, is an American Strong Ale brewed with spices and aged in Jim Beam bourbon oak barrels. This copper colored ale gives off aromas of dark fruit and toffee. The taste of caramel and fruity esters are complimented by subtle spicing of orange peel and star anise, followed by hints of bourbon and oak, leading to a warm finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy dark caramel color with a nice tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Caramel, vanilla, toffee, slight bourbon, star anise, dark fruit, oak and orange peel.

Taste: Caramel malt, vanilla, oak, bourbon, toffee, star anise, coriander, dark fruits and toasted grains.

Overall: Extremely tasty, Red Brick Brewing Company The Lost Years American Strong Ale is a fantastic barrel aged beer.  This is my first Red Brick Brewing Company beer and I hope it is not my last.  At 9% ABV this wonderfully complex beer has left me wanting more.  Guess I have yet another reason to visit the ATL. The South East is fortunate to have Red Brick Brewing Company!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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The Phoenix Ale Brewery Camelback IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Phoenix Ale Brewery Camelback IPA. This is another beer that I brought home from my trip to Phoenix, AZ.  There’s no commercial description available for it, but you can visit The Phoenix Ale Brewery’s website here.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark caramel color with a decent off-white head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Toasted and caramel malts, citrus and floral hops. Smells like a British IPA.

Taste: Caramel and toasted biscuit malts, pine and citrus hops.  Malty aftertaste. Flavor reminds me more of British IPA than an American IPA.

Overall: The Phoenix Ale Brewery Camelback IPA, weighing in at 6.1% ABV,  is much like an English Pale Ale bordering on an IPA.  That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, I did.  Since I'm accustomed to more hoppy offerings I was expecting something that didn’t happen.  I would drink this again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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