Kona Brewing Company Pipeline Porter

Hello beer lovers and welcome to the final 2011 edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review. I’m going to try and get all of my winter seasonal beer reviews done early in January so there’s still time to pick some up before the spring seasonal beers get in.

Tonight’s featured beer is Kona Brewing Company Pipeline Porter. I’ve been drinking Kona Brewing Company beers for years and I always look forward to the release of their Pipeline Porter.

From the Kona Brewing Company website:” Pipeline Porter is smooth and dark with a distinctive roasty aroma and earthy complexity from its diverse blends of premium malted barley. This celebration of malt unites with freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee grown at Cornwell Estate on Hawaii’s Big Island, lending a unique roasted aroma and flavor. A delicate blend of hops rounds out this palate-pleasing brew.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a jet black with a small off-white head and thin lacing.

Aroma: Coffee, sweet malts and some chocolate.

Taste: Coffee dominates, but not too overpowering. Dark malts – roasted and chocolate - and a decent hop presence. Delicious!

Overall: Perfect combination of coffee and porter, Kona Brewing Company’s Pipeline Porter is incredible, drinkable and at 5.4% ABV sessionable. Beer for breakfast? Sure, why not!

Cheers and be safe this New Year’s Eve…see ya’ll next year!

Mark Harvey

Anchor Brewing Company 2011 Christmas Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Anchor Brewing Company 2011 Christmas Ale. Each year (for at least the last 14 or so years) I pick up some Anchor Christmas Ale. It has been a Holiday tradition and I always look forward to “tasting the tree”. I’ve had a chance to cellar some of them as well and this year tried one from 2006. It was fantastic. Anyhow, let’s move on to the 2011 batch, shall we?

From the Anchor Brewing Company website:” Each year since 1975, Anchor Brewing creates a distinctive Christmas Ale, available from early November to mid-January. A rich, dark spiced ale, our secret recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life.
Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew. Our tree for 2011 is the bristlecone pine. Found high atop California's White Mountains, bristlecones are among the oldest living things on the planet. Some date back nearly 5,000 years, to the dawn of the ancient art of brewing.
Each year our Christmas Ale gets a unique label and a unique recipe. Although our recipes must remain a secret, many save a few bottles from year to year. Properly refrigerated, the beer remains intriguing and drinkable for years. Different nuances emerge as the flavor mellows slightly, much like the memories of great holiday seasons past. Celebrate the holidays with Anchor Christmas Ale, an Anchor tradition since 1975.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish brown with a two finger, tan and creamy head with nice lacing.

Aroma: Smells like a beer in a forest with pine, spices, dark fruit and sweets.

Taste: Dark roasted malts, a light hop bitterness, pine, dark fruit (raisin and plum), spices (ginger) and chocolate.

Overall: As in years past, Anchor Brewing Company’s 2011 Christmas Ale is a winner and perfect for winter celebrations or just sippin’ on a winter night. At 5.5% ABV I can drink this all night long. Each year this beer is different and each year it is worth picking up.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

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 Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale. I’ve stated many times before (read about it here) I’m a fan of Anderson Valley Brewing Company and enjoy the styles and types of beers they brew. AVBC Winter Solstice is one that I eagerly await each year and when I see it arrive I usually purchase a case of it since I can’t seem to get enough of it.

From the Anderson Valley Brewing Company website:” The holidays are a special time in Anderson Valley. The days are darker, weather colder, and foods richer. And Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is perfect for this time of year. Deep amber in color, with an inviting aroma of spice and nutmeg, it was made for the turkeys, cranberries, hams, and yams of the holidays. Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale evokes a crackling fire, drifting snow, and smells of home. A hint of spice and hop bite to balance out the creamy and smooth mouthfeel, and medium sweetness. As with all of our products, Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is never sterile filtered nor heat pasteurized.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an amber color with a fluffy off-white head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malts, vanilla, spices, butterscotch and fruit. Smells sweet, like liquid candy.

Taste: Caramel sweetness, vanilla and spices with a faint hop bitterness.

Overall: Perfect balance and flavor, Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is incredibly drinkable. At 6.9% ABV this beer packs a mild punch and since there are no hints of alcohol it can prove dangerous (for some).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Stone Brewing Company Double Bastard Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company Double Bastard Ale.  My first taste of Double Bastard was on tap at the Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido.  I eagerly picked some up once I returned from my trip to San Diego and am keeping some for cellaring purposes.

From the Stone Brewing Company website:” This is one lacerative muther of ale. It is unequivocally certain that your feeble palate is grossly inadequate and thus undeserving of this liquid glory...and those around you would have little desire to listen to your resultant whimpering. Instead, you slackjawed gaping gobemouche, slink away to that pedestrian product that lures agog the great unwashed with the shiny happy imagery of its silly broadcast propaganda. You know, the one that offers no challenge, yet works very, very hard to imbue the foolhardy with the absurd notion that they are exercising ‘independent’ thought, or attempts to convey the perception it is in some way ‘authentic’ or ‘original.’ It’s that one that makes you feel safe and delectates you into basking in the warm, fuzzy, and befuddled glow of your own nescience. Why so many allow themselves to be led by the nose lacks plausible explanation. Perhaps you have been so lulled by the siren song of ignorance that you don’t even notice your white-knuckle grip on it. You feel bold and unique, but alas are nothing but sheep, willingly being herded to and fro. If you think you are being piqued in this text, it is nothing when compared to the insults we are all asked to swallow streaming forth from our televisions and computers. Truth be told, you are being coddled into believing you are special or unique by ethically challenged “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” marketers who layer (upon layer) imagined attributes specifically engineered to lead you by the nose. Should you decide to abdicate your ability to make decisions for yourself, then you are perhaps deserving of the pabulum they serve. Double Bastard Ale calls out the garrulous caitiffs who perpetrate the aforementioned atrocities and demands retribution for their outrageously conniving, intentionally misleading, blatantly masturbatory and fallacious ad campaigns. We demand the unmitigated, transparent truth. We demand forthright honesty. We want justice! Call ‘em out and line ‘em up against the wall... NOW.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish brown with a small tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Scents of sweet and roasted malts, hop resins, orange rind and alcohol.

Taste: Tastes like liquid magic – smooth, incredible balance, malts galore and a nice hop bitterness.

Overall: Stone Brewing Company’s Double Bastard Ale at 10.5% ABV isn’t for just anyone…only the worthy. Very drinkable, but perhaps not as sessionable due to the high ABV unless you’re capable…dare I say, WORHTY (again)? An exceptional brew.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Merry Christmas

Hello fellow beer enthusiasts,

I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who read this blog. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope,The spirit of Christmas which is peace,The heart of Christmas which is love.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Knee Deep Brewing Company Tanilla Porter

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Knee Deep Brewing Company Tanilla Porter. The minute I saw this beer I knew I had to pick it up.  How can you go wrong with a vanilla porter?

From the Knee Deep Brewing Company website:” Made with only grade-A Tahitian vanilla beans, Tanilla carries a smooth chocolate flavor complemented by the delicate intensity of vanilla beans, and a rich aroma of coffee."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a near black with red edges, an off-white head and nice sticky lacing.

Aroma: Vanilla beans, chocolate and roasted malts.

Taste: Roasted malts, bitter chocolate, sweet malts and vanilla.

Overall: Knee Deep Brewing Company’s Tanilla Porter is a beer worth trying, very drinkable and at 6.3% ABV.  I’m looking forward to trying other beers from Knee Deep Brewing Company.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Drake's Brewing Drakonic Imperial Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Drake's Brewing Drakonic Imperial Stout.  I’ve reviewed many of Drake’s beers and since they’re a local favorite of mine I thought I would keep the trend going.

From the Drake’s Brewing website:” A big, malty beast of a beer that exemplifies the way we roll here at Drake’s. Two-row malt is blended with Chocolate malt, roasted barley and dark Crystal malts to make up the grist. Only one hop addition, Columbus, is added for bittering, allowing the abundance of malt in this beer to shine through.  Drakonic is smooth and dense with flavors of licorice, coffee and chocolate and a slightly dry finish. Enjoy.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a brownish black with a slight dark tan head and good lacing.

Aroma: Oh so good…chocolate, roasted malt with hints of coffee.

Taste: Sweet chocolate malts up front with a nice coffee back.  Very nice malt combination. Light hop bitterness and booze in the finish.

Overall: Drake's Brewing Drakonic Imperial Stout is a very drinkable beer and at 8.75% ABV one to enjoy over and over again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Deschutes Brewery Jubelale - A Festive Winter Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Deschutes Brewery Jubelale - A Festive Winter Ale. Keeping with the Holiday beer theme I thought it was time to review this seasonal favorite.

From the Deschutes Brewery website:” A dark, malty celebration ale with layered flavors and beautifully balanced hopping. Jubelale pours deep garnet in color, medium bodied, with notes of chicory, earth, spice and fruit. To beer lovers, it’s like Yule fire and family.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep dark amber with a cream colored head, excellent head retention and good sticky lacing.

Aroma: Broad malt character with roasted toffee and coffee aromas. Dark fruits, hop spice and earth notes.

Taste: Chocolate, toffee and caramel malts, hops, dark fruits and coffee. Did I mention hops? Very complex.

Overall: Very enjoyable and drinkable, at 6.7% ABV Deschutes Brewery Jubelale is a beer I seek every season.  Well worth grabbing this Holiday season.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Lagunitas Brewing Company Sucks Holiday 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 Sucks Holiday Ale.  When I heard Lagunitas wasn’t going to distribute their Brown Shugga’ Ale I wasn’t  sure what to do with myself.  Each year I eagerly await the coming of Brown Shugga’ (as well as other Lagunitas seasonals).  I was completely bummed out.  They announced the coming of their ‘Cereal Medley’ substitute beer so I kept an eye out on the shelves for its coming.

 From the Lagunitas Brewing Company website: “This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feard BrownShugga’ Ale. So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.6% ABV, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor.”

THE COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feared BrownShugga’ Ale. You see we had a couple of really good years (thank you very much) and so heading into this season while we are awaiting the January delivery of a new brewhouse we are jammin’ along brewing 80 barrels of IPA and PILS and such every 3 hours. A couple of months back we realized that since we can only brew a mere 60 barrels of Shugga’ every 5 hours, that we were seriously screwed. For every case of Shugga’ brewed, we’d short 3 cases of our favorite daily beers. It’s a drag. This year, we brewed something that we think is also cool and brews more like our daily brews. The new brewhouse will help insure this kind of failure never happens again. It’s a mess that we cannot brew our BrownShugga’ this year and we suck for not doing it. There is nothing cool about screwing this up this badly and we know it. Maybe we can sue our own sorry selves. There is no joy in our hearts this holiday and the best we can hope for is a quick and merciful end. F*@& us. This totally blows. Whatever. We freaking munch moldy donkey butt and we just want it to be all over...
So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.85% ABV, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a golden amber with hardly any head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Huge pine and citrus hops with tropical fruits mixed in for good measure. Smells exactly as I would expect…perfect.

Taste: Well balanced – upfront malty magic mixed with incredible citrus and pine hop power.

Overall: My angst about Brown Shugga’ begins to fade as I sip. After all the disappointment about a season without Brown Shugga’ Lagunitas Brewing Company Sucks Holiday Ale comes in and soothes my sadness with another extremely strong brew. At 7.85% ABV I have sessioned this beer (at home) and up to today have purchased probably three cases with certainly more to come (before it is no longer in stores).  Although I REALLY want my Brown Shugga’…next season I hope they brew this one too. I’m A BIG fan!!!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey