Beer Log: Jan. 16-21, 2013

Jan. 16: Tonight’s Beer: Bridgeport’s: Stump Town Tart 2012: Brewed with Strawberry, Raspberry, and Marionberry. This year’s offering has a mix of berries and is more of a classic beer color – the 2010 Raspberry was a red color. The brewpub didn’t have it on tap since it would have corrupted the supply hoses. This one is a golden-orange-copper color. The head is lacey and disappeared quickly. The aroma is very berry. It isn’t as overtly sweet as the 2010 and has more tartness to it. Very pleasant fruity beer done in a Belgian style. As it warms, the individual berry influenced come through more. Oddly enough, you can really taste the Marionberry. Now I want some Marionberry pancakes. 7.8% ABV.

 

Jan. 21: Tonight’s Beer: Snowshoe Brewing’s: Grizzly Brown Ale: Before a few days ago, I’d never heard of Showshoe. But, my son was scheduled to go on a camping trip to the foothills above Stockton so I looked to see if there were any breweries in the area. Since I knew the chances of going to a brewery while on a Boy Scout function were zero, I looked at a local store and found two varieties. This is the one I chose to try first. The beer is a very dark brown, closer to a porter than many browns. The head is medium-thick and light tan and smells of coffee. There is a slight tartness, akin to what you’d expect from a porter rather than the initial sweet caramel that most browns display. I find it to be a bit smoky and coffee like, and the sweetness does show up after all. There is a slight metallic flavor as well. Overall, a decent beer, though one I wouldn’t go out of my way to find. But if in the area, it is worth a try. Perhaps it’s better on tap. No information on ABV