Firestone Walker Brewing Company Barrelworks Lil Opal Barrel-Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Firestone Walker Brewing Company Barrelworks Lil Opal Barrel-Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale.

From the Firestone Walker Brewing Company website: “Our first 2013 blend from masterblender Jim Crooks! Lil' Opal is a cunning blend of two-year-old American oak and eight-month-old French oak saisons. Both go through a secondary fermentation and maturation in barrels.  This traditional Belgian farmhouse saison has notes of citrus and tropical fruit, a smooth mouthfeel, and tangy crisp finish. Round this all out with a little earthy funk and we have one refreshingly complex offering.”

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Citrus, sweet dried and tart fruits, oak, vanilla, funk and light grains.

Taste: Tart and sour – citrus and grapes, oak, vanilla, light grains, Brett funk, some wheat and slight hop bitterness.

Overall: Crisp and refreshing, Firestone Walker Brewing Company Barrelworks Lil Opal Barrel-Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale is a delicious Saison.  This 5.9% ABV offering is well worth trying if you can source it.  I’m headed to Firestone Walker Brewing Company in hopes to pick more up. Well worth the drive!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Mission Brewery Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Mission Brewery Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout.

Commercial description: “Our award winning Russian Imperial Stout has been aging in Bourbon Barrels for 22 months to add complimenting notes of oak, vanilla, and bourbon to its massive coffee, chocolate, and roasted malts flavor profile!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a thin khaki head and great lacing.

Aroma: Bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, oak, coffee and vanilla.

Taste: Roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, toffee and some oak.

Overall: Light and easy to drink, Mission Brewery Dark Seas Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout is delicious.  Weighing in at 11.25% ABV this drinks much lighter than the ABV.  Would drink again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Escondido/San Diego Bottle Shop Recommendations

Hello,

I'm going to be heading down to Escondido and was looking for bottle shop recommendations.  I plan to visit a few breweries, but to maximize my time I wanted to drop in on a couple bottles shops so as to make sure I bring back some of the more rare beers that area has to offer.

Thank you in advance for your advice and thoughts!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Belching Beaver Brewery Horchata Imperial Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Belching Beaver Brewery Horchata Imperial Stout. 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 Belching Beaver Brewery website: “A salute to our south of the border brothers brewing great beer! An imperial stout brewed with vanilla, cinnamon and rice malt with a creamy medium body. It’s a real treat and dessert in a glass!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a dense tan head and great lacing.

Aroma: Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate, coconut and some coffee notes.

Taste: Lactose, cinnamon, chocolate, toasted coconut, vanilla and some coffee. 

Overall: They hit the nail on the head…an Imperial Stout that’s got the scents and flavors of Horchata.  Belching Beaver Brewery Horchata Imperial Stout is sweet, medium-bodied and delicious.  This 9% ABV offering is worth a try for fans of Imperial Stouts with a twist. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Wicked Weed Brewery Genesis - Blonde Sour Aged in Tropical Fruits in White Wine Barrels

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Wicked Weed Brewery Genesis - Blonde Sour Aged in Tropical Fruits in White Wine Barrels.  I picked this bottle up at Stella Brew (here) in Winston-Salem, NC. They have an excellent selection and we’re very helpful helping me pick out some local “must have” beers to bring home.  If you find yourself in the area stop in, buy some beverages and tell them that Mark from NorCal Beer Blog sent you!

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a pale golden color, a lot like a white wine with a thin white head and slight lacing.

Aroma: White wine, tropical fruits, citrus, funk, oak and some subtle malt sweetness.

Taste: Pineapple, mango, papaya, guava, white wine soaked oak, mildly sour, tart and funky.  Slight citrus, pepper and moderate malt sweetness.

Overall: Wonderful, fruity and well balanced; Wicked Weed Brewery Genesis is exceptional.  This 6.6% ABV offering is a must try for fans of the style.  I wish I had bought several of these.  One just wasn’t enough.  Highly recommended!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Lagunitas Brewing Company Equinox - A Genuine Pale Oat 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 Equinox - A Genuine Pale Oat Ale.

From the Lagunitas Brewing Company website: “A creamy, pale oat ale hopped up with a huge charge of Equinox and Simcoe hops for a piney, eucalyptus, cedar, sprucey, forest blast. First brewed in 1995... brewed today in a time of change.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear copper color with a dense slightly off-white head and great lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, pine, tropical and floral hops, sweet malts, oats and a touch bready.

Taste: Citrus, pine, floral and some tropical hop flavors, oats, sweet pale malts, biscuits, honey with a bit of a spicy finish.

Overall: Smooth, silky and delicious, Lagunitas Brewing Company Equinox is impressive. This 8% ABV offering is crisp and highly drinkable.  A great beer from one of my favorite breweries!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Anchor Brewing Company Summer 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 Summer Wheat.

From the Anchor Brewing Company website: “The crisp, clean flavors of Anchor Summer® Wheat are refreshingly light, a thirst-quenching American-style filtered wheat beer.

Released each year in advance of the summer season, Anchor Summer® Wheat is an all-malt craft beer, with over 50% of its malt derived from malted wheat. It is fermented with a traditional top-fermenting "ale" yeast, yielding a clean, balanced flavor that highlights the refreshingly light flavor of malted wheat. The head is unusually abundant due to the natural protein deposits of wheat, with a thick consistency similar to meringue.

First brewed in the summer of 1984, Anchor Summer® Wheat is the first American wheat beer in modern times. Anchor Summer® Wheat is intended to be a lighter beer for those who don’t want to sacrifice historic tradition or character.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a bright and clear straw color with a large dense white head and lots of spotty lacing.

Aroma: Wheat, sweet bready malts, citrus and some biscuit.

Taste: Wheat, citrus, sweet bready malts, crackery malts and yeast.

Overall: Crisp and refreshing, Anchor Brewing Company Summer Wheat is excellent.  This 4.5% ABV offering has a clean finish and drinks easy.  A nice session beer. I’m on my second six pack.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Almanac Beer Company Tequila Barrel Noir - Ale Aged In Used Tequila Barrels

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Almanac Beer Company Tequila Barrel Noir - Ale Aged In Used Tequila Barrels.

From the Almanac Beer Company website: “This robust American Stout is aged in used Tequila barrels. As it matures, the toasted oak breathes in the beer, infusing the stout with hints of smoke and spice from its former life holding distilled agave. Pair with a San Francisco-style super burrito.

Farm to Barrel

Our Farm To Barrel beers build on the eons old tradition of aging beers in oak casks. This robust American stout was aged in used Tequila barrels for nine months. Inside the casks, this hearty black ale gradually matured, slowly pulling out hints of Tequila smoke and spice as well as oak and vanilla flavors.

Tequila Barrel Noir is the perfect pairing for equally rich and decadent meals like a San Francisco-style super burrito or a festive holiday feast. Best enjoyed in front of a crackling fire, serve in a small tulip or whiskey snifter to focus the intense aromas. Tequila Barrel Noir is alive in the bottle, and will continue to mature gracefully for years.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours black with a fluffy tan colored head and lots of soapy lacing.

Aroma: Chocolate, molasses, tequila, dark fruits, caramel, coffee, dark malts and a hint of vanilla and oak.

Taste: Dark malts, caramel, dark fruits, molasses, chocolate, coffee, tequila, vanilla, oak barrel and mild smoke.

Overall: Smooth and interesting, Almanac Beer Company Tequila Barrel Noir is delicious.  This 10% ABV offering is worth a try.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Knee Deep Brewing Company Breaking Bud 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 Breaking Bud IPA.

From the Knee Deep Brewing Company website: “Old school meets new school in this fresh approach to the classic IPA.  At 50 IBU’s and 6.7% ABV, Breaking Bud features the restrained bitterness and alcohol of a classic IPA with newer tropical fruit hop flavors and aromas of Mosaic.  Also in the hop mix are Simcoe and CTZ, creating layers of mango, passion fruit, pine and dank.  A malt bill with a pinch of crystal malt and a hefty dose of flaked wheat keeps the beer crisp while adding flavor complexity.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a frothy white head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Tropical, citrus, pine and earthy hop scents with just a touch of malt grain and sweetness in the nose.

Taste: Malt sweetness and grain upfront balanced nicely with citrus, tropical and grassy hop notes with just a touch of stone fruit.

Overall: Easy drinking and crisp, Knee Deep Brewing Company Breaking Bud IPA is refreshing.  This 6.5% ABV offering is yet another fantastic beer from Knee Deep Brewing Company.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Heretic Brewing Company Petit Rouge Belgian-Style Ale - Ale With Hibiscus

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Heretic Brewing Company Petit Rouge Belgian-Style Ale - Ale With Hibiscus. I picked this bottle up 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 Heretic Brewing Company website: “Go ahead, hold it up to the light. Super cool color, right? That is all from the hibiscus flowers. We brew a sessionable Belgian blonde ale and then abuse it with an insane amount of hibiscus. It gives the beer that red color and a wonderful tart cranberry/pomegranate fruitiness. Wow, who would have thought flowers in beer would be so awesome.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear red color with a pink colored head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Hibiscus, floral, pale malts, Belgian sugar and yeast.

Taste: Hibiscus, pale and crackery malts, cranberry, Belgian yeast, sour berries and a touch of spice.

Overall: Unique and easy drinking, Heretic Brewing Company Petit Rouge Belgian-Style Ale is delicious.  This 5.4% ABV offering is light and well worth a try.  The hibiscus is so noticeable it is amazing.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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