Happy Halloween!

Greetings from the NorCal Beer Blog!

Halloween is my favorite time of year.

Best wishes to you and yours tonight.  Be safe and lift a pint to the Great Pumpkin.

I know I will!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey
check out my "other" blog here
for Halloween fun

Dogfish Head - Victory - Stone Saison du Buff

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Dogfish Head - Victory - Stone Saison du Buff.  I’ve been enjoying the collaboration beers that Stone Brewing Company has been churning out. 

Read about the beer on the Stone Brewing Company blog (here).

Or just watch the video:

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a lovely pale golden color with a big foamy head and wonderful lacing.

Aroma: Wow!  Herbs galore – sage, thyme and rosemary are huge in the nose.  Citrus hop notes and a distinct Belgian yeast scent also present.

Taste: Herbs and spices at the front followed by a nice malt balance and citrus hop finish. The rosemary, sage and thyme flavors are big, but not what I expected.  I love it.

Overall: Impressive.  The Dogfish Head - Victory - Stone collaboration Saison du Buff is crisp and clean and probably perfect with a meal (I didn’t drink this with a meal).  Although I completely enjoyed this 7.7% ABV beverage I don’t know how often I’d put one in the beer fridge.  I think this might be something I’d want to have on hand with a meal in mind, but I’m glad I tried it and would recommend that you do as well.  Who knows, maybe you’ll want this to be YOUR go to beer.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Avery Brewing Company The Reverend Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Avery Brewing Company The Reverend Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale. 

From the Avery Brewing Company website:  “The Reverend, was created in tribute to the life of Sales Mgr. Tom Boogaard’s grandfather, an ordained Episcopal Reverend. Tom was inspired by the life of his grandfather and wanted to create a tribute beer that contained his sterling traits. True to the spirit and character of the departed Reverend, this beer is strong willed, assertive, and pure of heart.

Our brewers included as many authentic imported Belgian specialty malts as they could, making this the perfect beer for folks who love malty beers and are ready to take the next step. A divinely complex and beautifully layered beer with hints of dark cherries, currants, and molasses, complimented by an underlying spiciness. Sinfully smooth considering the high alcohol content.

The Reverend is the second installment of “The Holy Trinity of Ales” series.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a reddish orange with an impressive tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Belgian yeast, raisins, clove, Belgian malts, candy sugar and fruit. Smells heavenly!

Taste: Sweet Belgian malty goodness, dark fruits, candy sugar, caramel, Belgian yeast, spices and a slight citrus hop finish.  Extremely delicious!

Overall: Astounding! Avery Brewing Company’s The Reverend Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale is truly amazing, complex and tremendously drinkable.  At 10% ABV I probably won’t be knocking back a lot of these, but I sure want to.  I picked this one up through LetsPour (here).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Stout

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 Stout. 

From the Lagunitas Brewing Company website: “Dark and thick like your favorite dessert with a Bonus. Highly roasted malted barley, and plenty of it, gives the beer uncommon richness and smoky, roasty depth… kinda like a hydraulic sandwich in a glass.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a thin tan light tan head and great lacing.

Aroma: Roasted grains and loads of chocolate, coffee, brown sugar and caramel.

Taste: Large chocolate malts take center stage with a nice coffee finish.  Nutty, malty, sweet, caramelly and balanced with a touch of hops.

Overall: Super smooth and tasty, Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Imperial Stout is amazingly good.  Of course I shouldn’t be surprised as I am a HUGE fan of Lagunitas.  At 9.9% ABV this will always have a place in my beer fridge.  I love it!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Pumpkin Beer Roundup

Hello beer lovers and welcome to the NorCal Beer Blog.

As we quickly approach Halloween I thought I should put a little list of beers I've reviewed together for your reading pleasure. Here are links to every pumpkin beer review I've done so far as well well anything else that might fit into a Halloween celebration.

Here goes:
Southern Tier Brewing Company Imperial Pumking Ale - review here

Elysian Brewing Co. Night Owl Pumpkin Ale - review here

Uinta Brewing Co. Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale - review here

Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale - review here

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale - review here

The Bruery / Elysian / Stone La Citrueille Céleste de Citracado - review here

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale - review here

Pumpkin Beer...taste tests (includes Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead Ale and Wasatch Pumpkin
Seasonal Ale) - review here

Uinta Brewing Company Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale - review here

Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin Ale - review here

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat - review here

Heretic Brewing Co. Gramarye Rye Pale Ale - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Evil Twin Blood Red West Coast Amber - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Evil Cousin Imperial IPA - review here

Heretic Brewing Company Shallow Grave Porter - review here

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Dark English Ale - review here

Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale - review here

Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale - review here

Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur - review here

Enjoy your Halloween festivities and be sure to check out my Halloween music...

Happy drinking and haunting!

Mark Harvey

Calicraft Brewing Company Buzzerkeley Light and Zesty Sparkling 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 Buzzerkeley Light and Zesty Sparkling Ale.  Calicraft Brewing Company had their first pint night at Hop Yard in San Ramon on October 2nd and I had the chance meet Blaine Landberg (great guy) and try his Oaktown Deep & Soulful Brown Ale on tap as well his Panisse Pale Ale. Soon after pint night I headed over to Mission Liquors in Fremont to pick this beer up.

From an interview with Jen Muehlbauer at Bay Area Craft Beer (dot com): “Buzzerkeley: Blurring the lines between beer and wine, Buzzerkeley is beverage unto itself. Fermentation with Champagne yeast adds a subtle tartness to the finish. Our combination of pure California starthistle and a blend of Belgian and American malts support the spicy fruity esters of the yeast. The honey sugars are almost completely fermented, drying out the beer similar to a Belgian golden strong or dry champagne. Its best drank cold and in a tight narrow glass.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a fluffy white head.

Aroma: The scents remind me of a Belgian ale – pale and caramel malts, banana, honey, spices and a hint of champagne.

Taste: Banana, honey, biscuit malt, fruit, spice, a certain champagne tartness and a light hop finish.

Overall: “Blurring the lines between beer and wine” is an excellent description for Calicraft Brewing Company’s Buzzerkeley Light and Zesty Sparkling Ale.  I completely enjoyed this light and refreshing offering. This makes the third beer I’ve tried from Calicraft Brewing Company that I’ve enjoyed completely.  At 7% ABV it is easy to want to drink more than one 750ml bottle.  As it turns out while I was reviewing (and drinking this one) my Mother-in-law inquired about it so I poured her a glass of it.  She loved it which was interesting since she rarely drinks and never drinks beer.  Well done, Blaine!

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

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Hoptimum Whole Cone Imperial IPA

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 Hoptimum Whole Cone Imperial IPA.

 

From the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company website: “A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put —Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped, AND torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.

Resinous "new-school" and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar, and tropical fruit—all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark orange with a large off-white head and thick lacing.

Aroma: Huge citrus hop aroma with pine hops and sweet malts following.

Taste: Citrus hops attack the palate, big and bitter, followed by pine hops and caramel malt sweetness.

Overall: Complex, balanced and just plain delicious, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Hoptimum Whole Cone Imperial IPA is well worth picking up and trying.  It is hard to believe this beer is 10.4% ABV.  The alcohol his hidden masterfully.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Eel River Brewing Company California Blonde Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Eel River Brewing Company California Blonde Ale. 

From the Eel River Brewing Company website: “The California Blonde Ale is a light, crisp blonde ale with a perfect balance of malt and subtle bitterness. Whether you're new to the world of craft beer or a seasoned craft beer veteran, this is just the beer for you!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a bright golden color with a nice off-white head.

Aroma: Crisp, clean with light sweet grains, sugar, honey, caramel and citrus fruits.

Taste: Lightly toasted grain, faint citrus hops, a little sweet honey and biscuit.

Overall: Light and refreshing, easy drinking Eel River Brewing Company’s California Blonde Ale is enjoyable and at 5.8% ABV a beer worth having a few of.  Overall I liked it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Knee Deep Brewing Co. Imperial Tanilla Porter

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Knee Deep Brewing Company Imperial Tanilla Porter. 

From the Knee Deep Brewing Company website:  “Knee Deep’s 2 year Anniversary brew. The Imperial Tanilla was brewed with twice as many vanilla beans as its brother (Tanilla), which compliments this wonderfully balanced, yet full bodied brew with chocolate, vanilla and espresso flavors.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, nearly black with a mocha colored head and thick lacing.

Aroma: Roasted chocolate malt, loads of vanilla, caramel malt and roasted coffee.

Taste: Big roasted chocolate malt and vanilla with caramel malt, roasted coffee and toasted nuts at the finish. Very delicious!

Overall: Super tasty and well-constructed, Knee Deep Brewing Company’s Imperial Tanilla Porter is balanced well with the nearly perfect mix of vanilla, chocolate and coffee and has just the right boozy finish to make this one a favorite of mine (already). At 10% ABV this is right in my wheelhouse of beer to drink after dinner with dessert or for dessert. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Heretic Brewing Co. Gramarye Rye Pale Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Heretic Brewing Company Gramarye Rye Pale Ale.  I’ve been clear about my enjoyment of Heretic Brewing Company’s beers and when I find a new one in the stores I look forward to trying it. This is a perfect beer review for the month of October.  Magical beer!

From the Heretic Brewing Company website: “Gramarye (GRAM-uh-ree) is the practice of learning magic. For thousands of years, people have used a grimoire (book of magic) to cast spells and summon spirits. Of course, magic fell out of favor over the centuries, the same as brewing with rye. Interest in magic seems to be on the upswing these days and so is the interest in brewing with rye. A coincidence? This is our take on session pale ale made with a dose of rye malt to give it that luscious feel and snappy finish. We think it is magical.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear amber/orange with a big white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Citrus hops, rye, sweet caramel and toasted malts.

Taste: The flavor is like the nose with citrus hops, rye spice, sweet caramel and toasted malts.  Slight pine hop bitterness in the finish.

Overall: Balanced very well and extremely drinkable, Heretic Brewing Company’s Gramarye Rye Pale Ale is smooth and at 4.4% ABV quite sessionable.  This beer is exceptional!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey