Sept. 2: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Tricerahops (Double IPA):
Very boldly hopped. I know I usually start with the color and foam, but with
this, it seems right to go straight for the hops. The beer hits the palate with
a blast of sweet floral hoppy goodness. Once that recedes, the flavor moves to
the periphery of the mouth and morphs of a mildly sour bitter flavor and ends
with an earthy bitter. The beer feels thicker than most, both in the mouth and
as it travels down the throat; this could be in part a result of the high level
of malt needed to create a beer that is 8.8 ABV. The color is a cloudy deep
golden honey, and it has a very limited head and carbonation. There is a flavor
in the malts that reminds me of an English Bitter. It is a very good beer, but
I think the balance of the hops and malts is a bit off. I think it would be
better served to have favored the floral hops throughout to balance the overall
heaviness of the beer.
Sept. 3: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Maiden The Shade (Special
Release Summer Beer; first brewed in 2009; only available in the 4-pack of 22
oz. beers): Sweet and floral ale. It has
a lovely golden honey color, though somewhat cloudy. Limited head and
carbonation. It had 72 IBU, and is very hoppy, but it seems less than that. The
balance of the sweetness from the malts and the floral hops makes this a very
pleasant summery beer. There is a nice fruity character, reminiscent of peach
or apricot as wel. 6.8% ABV
Sept. 4: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Oatis (Oatmeal Stout):
This is a great stout. There are so many good stouts nowadays that it is
difficult to find a favorite. Well, OK, so the Oakshire espresso stout
qualifies for me, but below that is a wide field of excellent dark beers and
this is most certainly among them. It is a deep dark black with a medium tan
head. The initial flavor is almost refreshing for a stout with a bright, almost
citrus opening that reveals a pleasant and limited sour flavor. Many stouts and
porters have a similar mild sour character. Then, as the sip passes the tongue
and down the throat, what lingers is a wonderful, roasted flavor with a hint of
coffee. This is a very smooth and tasty beverage and does everything right in a
stout. Of all of their offerings, this is my unparalleled favorite, though I am
now also quite a fan of Maiden the Shade and think they should bottle and
distribute that more regularly. Oatis boasts a mid-range 7.2% ABV.
Sept. 5: Today’s Beer: Southern Oregon Brewing’s: Holy Water
Maibock: While most of the beers produced are ales, this one is a lager. Lagers
are usually smoother and less interesting, but they can be quite delicious.
This is a good one. It had a light honey color and virtually no head and not
much in the way of carbonation. Nice pleasant sweetness with a hint of alcohol
in the flavor; though at 7.2% ABV, it isn’t overly powerful – it is more that
the limited hoppiness allows the alcohol to come through. It has a bit of a
sharp peppery flavor at first that is balanced with the sweetness. As the
sweetness subsides, a mild bourbon flavor lingers and fades. Good beer, though
SOB’s porter and IPA are more interesting offerings.
Sept. 6: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Radiant Ale: Beautiful
orange-gold color and medium thick head. The beer doesn’t have much of a scent
to it. Very crisp with a citrus and peppery start that mellows to a mild
bitter, with still a hint of sour. Very bright taste. Good, but not
particularly distinct. Though, as it warms toward room temperature, there is a
kind of peach quality that is quite nice. Perhaps it is more interesting than I
initially thought. 6% ABV.
Sept. 7: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Spring Reign: This is one
of Ninkasi’s seasonal releases. It had a deep golden honey color and creamy
head. The foam dissipates quickly in the mouth. Very refreshing and mild on the
hops. It opens with a sharp citrus flavor (almost like a grapefruit rind) that
pulls back quickly. It also has a mildly peppery character in the opening as
well. There is a pleasantly sweet maltiness that is very mildly toasted. The
finishing flavor is a mildly earthy bitter. Another fine offering from Ninkasi.
6%ABV
Sept: 9: Today’s Beer: Ninkasi’s: Mason’s Irish Red: A
Special Release. Nice dark red amber
color in the pour with a medium head. Good sweet hoppy scent coming off the
foam. In the first sip, there is a sweet earthiness that emphasizes the caramel
maltiness. While there is a mild bitter, it is definitely in the background, a
subtle accompaniment. The sip finished with a mildly citrus note and a return
of the sweet earthiness. Very nice offering and pleasant drinking. Just 5.2%
ABV, but with plenty of character.
Sept. 10: Today’s Beer: Alameda’s: El Torero IPA:
Golden-Orange-Honey color with limited head. It opens with a unique blend of an
earthy hoppy flavor with a citrus accompaniment. Just a hint of floral. Quite
an intriguing approach. As it warms, there is a pleasant sweetness – a caramel
flavor that is reminiscent of Cracker Jacks. Very drinkable and complex. 7.2%
ABV.
Sept. 11: Today’s Beer: Dogfish Head’s: Theobroma: Haven’t
visited a Dogfish Head beer in a while and this was a favorite from last year.
It disappeared quickly in the initial offering, so it took on a bit of a mythic
quality among me and my friend Garrett. Saw it in the store yesterday and today
happened to be my birthday and Garrett stopped by. So, it seemed that all of
the stars were aligning and telling me to drink this beer. While some beers
lose their luster in a second offering, especially if the mind has created a
special mythic place of honor for it, this one lives up to the mental hype. As
with many of their offerings, this is an unusual brew. It is brewed with ancho
chilies, cocoa power, cocoa nibs, honey, and ground annatto. Not your typical
ingredients. The recipe is based on a chocolate beverage of the Americas and
the term Theobroma means “food of the gods”. The recipe is based on
archeological evidence dating to 1100 B.C. The beer is a light honey color with
virtually no head. It has a pleasant sweet, caramel scent and a whiff of
alcohol coming off of the 9%ABV concoction. There is a bright citrus and
bourbon flavor with a peppery sharpness that feels almost like carbonation,
until you remember that there is virtually no carbonation, so the sensation is
actually from the heat of the ancho chili. The chocolate presence is subtle,
yet distinct, and comes out more overtly in the aftertaste, where you can
discern a bitter cocoa flavor. This is an excellent, and unique drinking
experience that makes its own myth.
Second Beer: Rogue’s: Mocha Porter: Deep dark brown color that allows very little
light through. It has a nice tan frothy head and sweet and roasty scent. The
flavor is sharp and sour, but as that softens it opens up a subtle coffee
flavor that deepens in the aftertaste. There is somewhat of a dry, astringent
quality as well, but not unpleasant. It is tasty and complex, though I would
like a bit more of the burnt roasted flavor to bring out the coffee character a
bit more. It is good, but not as interesting as some of Rogue’s other dark
beers like the Chocolate Stouth, the Oatmeal stout, the Ditroir Black Lager, or
the Daddy’s Little Helper.
Sept. 12: Today’s Beer: Papa Noel’s Olde Ale: Clearly a
Holiday beer from the name and from the label (which shows Santa through a
window), though I don’t know if it is left over from last year, or early for
this year. But, you know what, it doesn’t matter. This is an awesome beer! It
has a wonderful deep brown color, just shy of a porter. There is very little
carbonation or head. The first sip was
surprisingly devoid of any hoppiness, and instead was slightly sour. But, after
that, the glory of the roasted malts kicks in and the true joy of the beer
shines. There is a nice mild roasted character that blends well with the sour
flavor. It rolls around the mouth and lingers, leaving a wonderfully deep smoky
roasty flavor. Unassuming, yet inviting and with unexpected depth of character.
And it has a sneaky 7.2%ABV
Sept. 15: Today’s Beer: Rock Bottom’s: Porter: There is a
Rock Bottom in Campbell that I go to on
occasion. Since they don’t bottle, I hadn’t really taken the chance to
think about their various offerings and write about them. However, I recently
got a growler of their porter, and decided that I really should say something.
While there are better porters out there, this is a very tasty one. While most
focus on the balance of the sour and the burnt flavor, this one is much more about
the burnt malts. There is an inviting deep roasted smokiness that dominates.
There also is a tasty bitter quality that blends with the deep malts. While it
might not be in the same league as Stone, or Deschutes, or Firestone, it is
tasty and takes a distinct approach that I enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment