Founders Brewing Company Rübæus Pure Raspberry Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Founders Brewing Company Rübæus Pure Raspberry Ale.

From the Founders Brewing Company website: “Not another boring summer wheat beer or lemonade shandy—Rübæus is Founders’ way to celebrate the season’s warmest months. Optimizing the flavor of fresh raspberries added at multiple stages during fermentation, this stunning berry red masterpiece is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. No question about it, with a hefty malt bill and 5.7% ABV, this beer is 100% Founders.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy raspberry red color with a nice pink head and good lacing.

Aroma: Raspberries are huge in the nose with light grains and yeast in the background.

Taste: Sweet and tart raspberry flavor – very jammy – light bready grains and just a touch alcohol in the finish.

Overall: Light, sticky and delicious, Founders Brewing Company Rübæus Pure Raspberry Ale is really good.  This 5.7% ABV is seriously refreshing and a nice change of pace (for me).  Reminds of raspberry jam or syrup in flavor, but very drinkable.  If Founders sold this offering in CA I’d most definitely pick more up.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Knee Deep Brewing Company Hop-de-Ranged Quad IPA

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 Hop-de-Ranged - A Quad IPA That Borders On Insanity.  I picked up this bottle at the brewery on a recent trip to Lake Tahoe.

The drive to Knee Deep Brewing Company took me and my family WAY off track for our trip, but I wanted to get some fresh and didn’t know when I might see it in the Bay Area (it has sense arrived all over).  I purchased two bottles and a nice logo tulip glass while there.  I wanted to stop and sample a few beverages, but I had my wife and two of my kids in the car so…next time…

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear golden orange color with a nice white head and tons of sticky lacing.

Aroma: Tropical fruit – loads of mango and pineapple, grapefruit and other citrus scents and sweet malts.

Taste: Tropical fruits with mango dominating, citrus, melon, sweet caramel, a touch of pine, boozy finish.

Overall: Sweet and slightly boozy, Knee Deep Brewing Company Hop-de-Ranged is a solid Quad IPA.  This 13.1% ABV offering is BIG and delicious.  Another fantastic offering from Knee Deep Brewing Company!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale.

From the Brewery Ommegang website: “Ale Brewed with Orange Peel, Grains of Paradise, Coriander. Belgian-Style Café Ale. Mellow, Fruity, Spicy. Every day we race towards something. This should be one of them. Rare Vos was made to reward your victories.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color, looks like honey with a large white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet citrus, caramel and bready malts, Belgian yeast, floral and spice notes.

Taste: Caramel and bready malts, citrus and grassy hop flavors, spice and Belgian yeast.

Overall: Rich and refreshing, Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale is delicious.  At 6.5% ABV is very drinkable and worth a try.  The alcohol is very well hidden on this well executed Belgian-Style Amber Ale.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Caldera Brewing Company Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Caldera Brewing Company Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale - Brewed with Rose Petals and Rose Water Added.

From the Caldera Brewing Company website: “Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale is like a party at Grandma’s house, with the intense, aromatic fragrance of roses. Brewed with real rose petals and Bulgarian rose water.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours golden orange with an off-white head and loads of lacing.

Aroma: Very floral, rose is dominant with sweet, pale and bready malts and a touch of spice.

Taste: Floral notes take center stage with huge rose notes, sweet and pale malts and a peppery spice.

Overall: I found Caldera Brewing Company Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale to be very interesting. This 6.7% ABV beer isn’t something I would drink regularly, but for those intrigued by the addition of rose petals and Bulgarian rose water I’d say go for it. Not a drain pour by any means.  I liked it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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The Bruery Rugbrød JuleBryg-Style Dark Rye Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Bruery Rugbrød JuleBryg-Style Dark Rye Ale.

From The Bruery website: “Meaning “rye bread” in Danish, we took our
inspiration for this beer from the Danes’ staple dark, whole grain rye bread. Brewed with three types of rye malt, this robust brown ale showcases the earthy, spicy character of the grain,
complemented by bready, nutty barley malts and a hint of roast. Loosely based on the Scandinavian Christmas beer or “Julebryg” tradition, this beer is perfect for the colder weather of winter. And don’t worry about the name, we can’t pronounce it either!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a dense off-white head and soapy lacing.

Aroma: Caramel, dark fruits, brown sugar, spicy rye, bready, cloves and other spices.

Taste: Caramel, rye bread, light chocolate, nutmeg, brown sugar, dark fruits, clove, bready malts and a touch nutty.

Overall: Enjoyable and malty, The Bruery Rugbrød JuleBryg-Style Dark Rye Ale is smooth and well rounded. This 8% ABV offering is certainly worth a try for fans of the style.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Chris Banker - Stone - Insurgente - Xocoveza Mocha Stout - Ale Brewed With Cocoa, Coffee, Peppers, Cinnamon And Nutmeg

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Chris Banker - Stone - Insurgente - Xocoveza Mocha Stout - Ale Brewed With Cocoa, Coffee, Peppers, Cinnamon And Nutmeg. I picked this bottle up at The Wine Club in San Jose (here). They have a small craft beer section, but they have an incredible selection.  If you're anywhere near The Wine Club go visit them and tell 'em I sent you!

From the Stone Brewing Company website: “This year’s winner of our American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned homebrewing competition, Chris Banker, helped keep us grounded to our homebrewing roots by introducing flavors consistent with our regional palate. His chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, chile pepper and coffee-infused milk stout was built to mimic the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate, a beloved specialty from our neighbors to the south, as our callaborators from Baja California, Cervezería Insurgente, will attest. Layered with tiers of earthiness, spice and roast, this creamy, semisweet blue-ribbon beer confirms that the spirit of the American homebrewer is not only alive and kicking, but thriving at an all-time high.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a dense brown head and leaves spotty lacing.

Aroma: Smells like Mexican hot chocolate with scents of cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppers, vanilla with the addition of roasted malts.

Taste: Cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee, slight pepper heat and roasted malts.

Overall: Over the top delicious, Chris Banker - Stone - Insurgente - Xocoveza Mocha Stout is amazing.  This 8.1% ABV offering is a must try in my opinion. Smooth, sweet and highly drinkable you should run out and find some now before it is all gone.  Two HUGE thumbs up!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged on New Oak Spirals

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged on New Oak Spirals - No. 3.

From the Widmer Brothers Brewing website: “This week, we’ll be introducing Gentlemen’s Club, a special collaboration beer that we brewed with Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing. Drawing inspiration from an Old Fashioned cocktail recipe and the Gentlemen’s Clubs where the cocktail was first served over 100 years ago, this collaboration beer brings together two breweries from opposite ends of the country and ingredients from the home states of both breweries. Using an Old Ale recipe as the base beer, Gentlemen’s Club “Old Fashioned Style Ale” was brewed with cherries and oranges, Alchemy, Sorachi Ace and Pacifica hops, and hand-selected specialty malts to mirror the qualities typically found in an Old Fashioned cocktail. The beer was aged on three different woods: bourbon barrels, rye whiskey barrels and new oak spirals, resulting in three unique versions of the beer, each offering a slightly different take on the same age-old recipe.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy reddish brown with a slight off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel and roasted malt, toffee, dark fruit, molasses, vanilla and oak.

Taste: Oak dominates followed by caramel and roasted malts, baking spices, toffee, cherries, molasses and vanilla.

Overall: Oaky and boozy, Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged on New Oak Spirals is my least favorite of the three, but still somewhat interesting.  At 9.5% ABV I think this one was alright, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Bourbon Barrels - No. 2

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Bourbon Barrels - No. 2.

From the Widmer Brothers Brewing website: “This week, we’ll be introducing Gentlemen’s Club, a special collaboration beer that we brewed with Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing. Drawing inspiration from an Old Fashioned cocktail recipe and the Gentlemen’s Clubs where the cocktail was first served over 100 years ago, this collaboration beer brings together two breweries from opposite ends of the country and ingredients from the home states of both breweries. Using an Old Ale recipe as the base beer, Gentlemen’s Club “Old Fashioned Style Ale” was brewed with cherries and oranges, Alchemy, Sorachi Ace and Pacifica hops, and hand-selected specialty malts to mirror the qualities typically found in an Old Fashioned cocktail. The beer was aged on three different woods: bourbon barrels, rye whiskey barrels and new oak spirals, resulting in three unique versions of the beer, each offering a slightly different take on the same age-old recipe.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color, (lighter than No. 1) with almost no head (what was there was an off-white) and slight lacing.

Aroma: Caramel, bourbon, oak, toffee, dark fruits, vanilla, roasted malts, molasses and orange.

Taste: Caramel malt, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, orange, dark fruits, oak, toasted malt and boozy.

Overall: Sweet and fruity, Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentleman's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Bourbon Barrels is nice.  I picked up another bottle of this 10.5% ABV collaboration for cellaring.  My favorite of the three.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentlemen's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels - No. 1

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentlemen's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels - No. 1.

From the Widmer Brothers Brewing website: “This week, we’ll be introducing Gentlemen’s Club, a special collaboration beer that we brewed with Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing. Drawing inspiration from an Old Fashioned cocktail recipe and the Gentlemen’s Clubs where the cocktail was first served over 100 years ago, this collaboration beer brings together two breweries from opposite ends of the country and ingredients from the home states of both breweries. Using an Old Ale recipe as the base beer, Gentlemen’s Club “Old Fashioned Style Ale” was brewed with cherries and oranges, Alchemy, Sorachi Ace and Pacifica hops, and hand-selected specialty malts to mirror the qualities typically found in an Old Fashioned cocktail. The beer was aged on three different woods: bourbon barrels, rye whiskey barrels and new oak spirals, resulting in three unique versions of the beer, each offering a slightly different take on the same age-old recipe.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a thin tan head and good lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, vanilla, cherry, whiskey, toffee, orange, oak, molasses and boozy.

Taste: Caramel, orange, cherry, vanilla, whiskey and oak.

Overall: Sweet and boozy, Cigar City Brewing - Widmer Brothers Brewing Gentlemen's Club Old Fashioned Style Ale - Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels is a nice barrel aged beer.  This 10.5% ABV offering is certainly something for fans of the style to try. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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