Evil Twin Brewing Ron And The Beast Ryan - Saison-Style Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Evil Twin Brewing Ron And The Beast Ryan - Saison-Style Ale.

Commercial description: “In Denmark we have a lovely tradition for funky beer, and what you have here is certainly no exception. This is a never before seen collaboration between Ron and the Beast Ryan. A precious and fluffy Saison-style ale brewed with a beautiful yeast called brettanomyces. It may sound like a true fairytale, but don’t be fooled by it’s cute appearance.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a huge white head and loads of lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, tropical and fruity notes, honey, funky brett, grain, wheat and cereal malts.

Taste: Citrus, stone and tropical fruits, grain, wheat and cereal malts, honey, brett funk and a touch of spice.

Overall: Crisp and dry, Evil Twin Brewing Ron And The Beast Ryan - Saison-Style Ale is excellent.  This 7% ABV offering is nicely balanced and enjoyable.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Anchor Brewing Company Winter Wheat

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Anchor Brewing Company Winter Wheat.

From the Anchor Brewing Company website: “We've been making wheat beers since the summer of 1984. They've all been golden summer refreshers instead of dark winter warmers—until now. Anchor Winter Wheat™ is made with a unique blend of malted barley and five wheats from Belgium, Germany, the Midwest, and a family farm just 75 miles away, where we get our soft red winter wheat. Sown in November and harvested in June, it is used in artisanal flatbreads, cakes, and pastries.

In 1848, California farmers forsook their amber grain for golden fortune. By 1878, California wheat was back big-time, winning gold at the Paris International Exposition. There was even a wheat beer brewery in North Beach, one mile from our first home. Today, the robust flavor, malty complexity, enticing aroma, ebony color, and thick, creamy head of Anchor Winter Wheat™ reflect this delicious heritage.

Anchor Winter Wheat™ is made with a unique blend of 2-row pale barley malt, Belgian roasted wheat malt, German pale spring wheat malt, "Midnight" and hard red wheat malts from the Midwest, and unmalted soft red winter wheat from a local family farm. The result is a smooth, complex, dark brew with a creamy, lacey head; deep, rich mouthfeel; nutty, bread-like, and subtly roasted flavors; and a crisp, clean finish. A special ale yeast provides clean flavors with hints of dark fruit. And a single hop, Northern Brewer, provides earthy, woody, and minty notes with just the right amount of bitterness.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a large and dense light brown head and lots of lacing.

Aroma: Roasted, chocolate and bready malts, wheat some hints of spice, dark fruits and yeast.

Taste: Roasted and bready malts, wheaty, nutty, slight dark fruit, caramel, chocolate and a touch of molasses.

Overall: Smooth, wheaty and roasty, Anchor Brewing Company Winter Wheat is delicious.  This 7% ABV offering is worth a try. I’m glad I picked up six pack and next season I’m likely to pick up another.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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21st Amendment Brewery Down To Earth Session IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is 21st Amendment Brewery Down To Earth Session IPA. I was eagerly awaiting the release of this beer as I am a huge 21st Amendment Brewery fan. I picked up a six pack of this at Cask & Flask in San Jose (here).  They have a fantastic selection.  Tell them that Mark Harvey from NorCal Beer Blog sent you!

From the 21st Amendment Brewery website: “Down to Earth is the natural evolution (pun intended) of Bitter American, our original session ale. We thought it would be fitting to bring our space chimp home and let him chill. Whether you have a long mission behind you or a full afternoon ahead, this session IPA will help keep things real. More relaxed than an IPA, but with all the hop aroma and flavor, Down to Earth is our tribute to unsung heroes and unplanned adventures.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a burnt copper orange color with a frothy white head and good lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, tropical and sweet hop scents and nice malt notes – doughy and a some caramel.

Taste: Citrus, tropical, pine and fruity hop flavors balanced excellently with pale and caramel malts.

Overall: Tasty, light and crisp, 21st Amendment Brewery Down To Earth Session IPA is a delicious session IPA. This 4.4% ABV offering is incredibly drinkable and will be a new go to for me! Very solid!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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The Bruery Blue BBLS - Sour Stout And Imperial Stout Aged In Bourbon Barrels With Blueberries Added

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

Tonight’s featured beer is The Bruery Blue BBLS - Sour Stout And Imperial Stout Aged In Bourbon Barrels With Blueberries Added.

From the The Bruery website: “In brewing, BBL is the notation for “barrel,” a unit of measurement equal to 31 gallons.  This is not to be confused with an oak barrel, which typically holds nearly two BBLs of beer.  Still with us? Great.  A special blend of our bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with our bourbon barrel aged sour stout, plus an addition of juicy blueberries, Blue BBLs finishes with incredibly vinous tones. The acidity from the sour stout matches perfectly with the sweet malt character of the imperial stout and the fruity tannins from the berries round everything together.  Notes of red wine, blueberry skins, toffee and roasted oak.  A fine addition to the line up of Hoarders Society exclusive ales.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a thin tan head with light lacing and boozy legs.

Aroma: Chocolate, bourbon, fruity, oak, vanilla, caramel and funk.

Taste: Chocolate, dark malts, bourbon, vanilla, sour and funky, blueberries, oak and a touch of coffee in the finish.

Overall: A back and forth battle between sweet and sour, The Bruery Blue BBLS - Sour Stout And Imperial Stout Aged In Bourbon Barrels With Blueberries Added is interesting. This 15.9% ABV offering is something I would drink again, but I’d share the bottle.  Unique and worth a try if you can find it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Southern Tier Brewing Company Old Man Winter Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Southern Tier Brewing Company Old Man Winter Ale.

From the Southern Tier Brewing Company website: “Our winter offering is here to quell your shivers and get you through the coldest of nights. A rich marriage of hops and barley to cast light upon the evening and melt your mind out of the snowdrifts. Old Man Winters earthy hue and thickness lace around the glass, inviting you to linger in its warmth and share the spirits of the season with your friends and family. A deceptively strong brew, its best to sit and ponder with this old man, sip by sip.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a thin white head and patching lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malts, roasted malts, raisin, floral, grassy and citrus hops.

Taste: Caramel and toffee malt sweetness, roasted malts, dark fruits, brown sugar, citrus and pine hop bitterness.

Overall: Southern Tier Brewing Company Old Man Winter Ale is good.  This 7% ABV offering is fairly smooth and one I wouldn’t turn down if I had the chance to drink again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Green Flash Brewing Company Hop Odyssey Mosaic Session IPA

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 Hop Odyssey Mosaic Session IPA.

From the Green Flash Brewing Company website: “The first beer of our 2015 Hop Odyssey Series features Mosaic hops. This bold hop has notable characteristics from its parentage Simcoe and Nugget hops, but Mosaic creates a unique and complex floral, tropical, fruity blend with earthy characteristics. Mosaic also imparts blueberry and other dark berry notes to the beer.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours clear orange with a nice off-white head and soapy lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, tropical and pine hops scents with bready malts.

Taste: Citrus is way up front with tropical and fruity hop notes balanced well with a solid grainy malt foundation.

Overall: As a big fan of the Mosaic hop I was excited to try Green Flash Brewing Company Hop Odyssey Mosaic Session IPA.  This 4.5% ABV offering did not disappoint.  Delicious!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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18th Street Brewery Devil's Conclave Double Milk Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is 18th Street Brewery Devil's Conclave Double Milk Stout. I acquired this bottle at Caps & Taps in Dublin. The guys at Caps & Taps (here) are really cool and if you go in there tell them that Mark from NorCal Beer Blog sent you.

From the 18th Street Brewery website: “Cinnamon and sea salt churn together in an unholy congregation the likes of which only 18^th Street knows how to host. Brewed with a malty decadence and lactose sweetness that  would please even Satan himself, we present Devil’s Conclave.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a thin mocha colored head and good lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, cinnamon and coffee.

Taste: Chocolate, roasted malts, cinnamon, coffee, lactose and a touch of salt.

Overall: Creamy and sweet, 18th Street Brewery Devil's Conclave Double Milk Stout is very good.  This 7% ABV offering is rich and delicious.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Victory Brewing Company Winter Cheers - a celebratory wheat ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Victory Brewing Company Winter Cheers - a celebratory wheat ale. 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 Victory Brewing Company website: “Winter weather may drive us indoors but cannot dampen our spirits when hearth, home and hops meet in jubilation. Hoisted high in its golden glory, Winter Cheers lives up to its name, fueling festive times and chasing winter’s chill. Glowing and glimmering, frothy and shimmering, our celebratory wheat ale features luscious fruity and spicy notes, making it a perfect brew to brighten spirits even on the deepest of nights.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy light golden color with a large white head and lots of lacing.

Aroma: Banana, sweet wheat, clove, citrus and coriander.

Taste: Wheat and bready malts, citrus, banana, clove, coriander and a touch of sweetness.

Overall: Nicely balanced, Victory Brewing Company Winter Cheers is nicely drinkable.  This 6.7% ABV offering drank more like a Belgian Wit than a Hefeweizen to me, but perhaps that was the goal.  Either way, for fans of either style, if you enjoy a nice wheat beer with some citrusy and spicy notes you’ll dig this one.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Smog City Brewing Company Coffee Porter

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Smog City Brewing Company Coffee Porter.

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 Mark from NorCal Beer Blog sent you!

From the Smog City Brewing Company website: “Gold Medal Winner - 2012 Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO - Coffee Beer
A coffee-beer, rather than a beer with coffee. A robust porter aged on fresh locally roasted, fair trade ground coffee. Enhanced flavors of chocolate, roasted malt, and of course coffee are present. "Like a chocolate covered espresso bean.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a creamy mocha colored head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Huge coffee in the nose, like an espresso, dark roasted malts and chocolate.

Taste: Espresso coffee, dark roasted malts, bitter chocolate and light vanilla and some sweetness in the finish.

Overall: Roasty and HUGE with coffee flavor, Smog City Brewing Company Coffee Porter is delicious.  This 8% ABV offering is one that I will repeat purchasing.  This one was right in my wheel house!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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