The latest offering is a Rye IPA. I didn't enjoy rye beers as recently as a a couple years ago, but they have grown on me, and grown quickly. I have enjoyed more rye beers in the last year than I had in all my years previously. Guess Mom and Dad were right--again--tastes do change.
Review #30
Rocket Dog IPA ABV 6.9%
Laughing Dog Brewery Sandpoint, ID 650 ml poured into pint glass
A - Pours much lighter than other ryes I've had, a golden, honey hue. A snow white head retains surprisingly well, and the lace is very clearly indicated
S - Sweet nose, with spice and lemon. Lots of hops here with a toasty backbone that is much more rye, than malt. Sweet fruits, orange and pineapple on the end. Appears to be super hop-forward, but the balance is certainly there.
T - Immediate smack of full cone hops, lemon and white grape acidity matched by the return of the sweet fruits and now some raw sugar and grassy notes. I almost get a tropical vision. The rye is a supporting actor here, but it is a Rye IPA, so I did expect a bit more. There is a bready quality to counteract all the hop craziness, but it doesn't quite reach a full, level balance.
M - A definite oily feeling, coming from the hop resin. The overall mouth feel is on the high side of light, or low side of medium, depending on your perspective. Light carbonation.
O - This is not a bad beer. Not at all. Something just doesn't quite work though. If you take it in pieces, it seems fine, but all together it lacks cohesiveness. I'd certainly drink it again, my hope is that further production would have a bit more peppery rye to counteract the hops, or reduce the hops a bit; make it more fully a Rye IPA.
Cheers,
Chris
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Bock, Bock, Bock...Gone!
Trying to stay in the saddle now that I've got a rhythm going. So, here we again. Another 'trip beer' courtesy of Lace's Cobb travels to Kentucky. Perks of the job I guess. She leaves me for 3-10 days, returns with an appeasement gift of quality brew. The way to a man's heart IS through his liver after after all...
Review #29
Double Smoked Doppelbock ABV 10.2%
Fort Collins Brewery Fort Collins, CO 650 ml bottle poured into tall pilsner
A - The pour is an amber brown, with gorgeous orange edges playing in the light. A small, cream colored head disappears quickly leaving very little bubbled lacing.
S - Initial aroma is ripe fruit with fig, date, and cherry flavors. A warmed molasses, smooth caramel secondary smell lingers after the fruity notes pass. Dark malts, with a certain smoke note, but nowhere near as overwhelming as I feared it might be
T - Darker fruit immediately again, this time with some raisin and plum mixed in. Its a seamless transition from the sweet fruit front end to the smoky secondary presence. The smoke starts faint, and grows with a caramel balance to keep it at bay. The finish is reminiscent of slightly burned bacon, the lingering smell in the air of the grease still cooking. Some maple syrup sweetness just before the finish, which is all smoke, wood, and bacon. Little to no hop, but I wasn't expecting much anyhow.
M - A medium level mouth feel, smoothed out caramel textures
O - While there is no question that I am a 'Hop Head' the lack here does nothing to upset me. There are so many different flavors and complexities created here with mostly malt, that I almost don't even miss the hops. Almost. The 'double smoked' description had me a bit scared, but it is so mellowed by the dark, ripe fruits and sweet toffee, the smoke, though powerful, never gets OVER whelming. A very nice beer, and Lace scores again.
Cheers,
Chris
Review #29
Double Smoked Doppelbock ABV 10.2%
Fort Collins Brewery Fort Collins, CO 650 ml bottle poured into tall pilsner
A - The pour is an amber brown, with gorgeous orange edges playing in the light. A small, cream colored head disappears quickly leaving very little bubbled lacing.
S - Initial aroma is ripe fruit with fig, date, and cherry flavors. A warmed molasses, smooth caramel secondary smell lingers after the fruity notes pass. Dark malts, with a certain smoke note, but nowhere near as overwhelming as I feared it might be
T - Darker fruit immediately again, this time with some raisin and plum mixed in. Its a seamless transition from the sweet fruit front end to the smoky secondary presence. The smoke starts faint, and grows with a caramel balance to keep it at bay. The finish is reminiscent of slightly burned bacon, the lingering smell in the air of the grease still cooking. Some maple syrup sweetness just before the finish, which is all smoke, wood, and bacon. Little to no hop, but I wasn't expecting much anyhow.
M - A medium level mouth feel, smoothed out caramel textures
O - While there is no question that I am a 'Hop Head' the lack here does nothing to upset me. There are so many different flavors and complexities created here with mostly malt, that I almost don't even miss the hops. Almost. The 'double smoked' description had me a bit scared, but it is so mellowed by the dark, ripe fruits and sweet toffee, the smoke, though powerful, never gets OVER whelming. A very nice beer, and Lace scores again.
Cheers,
Chris
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Better with Pepper
I decided to back up the fresh made salsa tonight, made with home grown jalapenos, with a complimentary, peppery beer. I chose the beer Gypsy's Chipotle Porter, also known as 'Texas Ranger.' Perfect.
Review #28
Mikkeller Chipotle Porter aka Texas Ranger ABV 6.6%
Mikkeller Gypsy/Phantom brewers 22 oz brown bottle poured into a Guinness Imperial Pint glass
A - A midnight black pour with a good half glass of tan head. Nice retention, with wonderful lacing in multiple lines. A beautiful, lace-like image is left on the glass from the gorgeous evaporating bubbles.
S - A mild smoke aroma amidst the dark chocolate and coffee bean. A wispy aroma of dark cocoa, baker's chocolate, earthy wood smells all intermingle in the second wave. The peaty aroma clings to the back of the palate with just a touch of pepper. Not near as much as I would have expected. A very nice, complex intermingling.
T - Initial tastes of roasted malts, wood charring and dark toasted bread give way to a smooth, mellowed chocolate flavor. The earthiness is strong again here, with a reminder of 'forest after rain' smell; wet leaves. The finish starts off thin, but the pepper builds, clings to the throat, finally showing off its namesake. No alcohol heat, a little lacking there. A burnt coffee finish clears out the pepper at the very last. Makes me want to brew a pot...or have a doughnut. Or both.
M - With as much as there is going on with the aroma and taste, the mouth feel is definitely on the thin side. Not awful, but easily the weakest segment of this brew.
O - This is a really, really nice beer. Lots of complex hints of flavors not readily noticeable in the aroma and vice versa. These crazy Danes know what they are doing, and they have a great plan of using everyone else's breweries to do it. While every Mikkeller beer isn't a hit, they will certainly never be accused of being boring or not thinking outside the box. Their willingness to try new things, new flavors is to be commended, and I will continually try their offerings on that basis alone.
Cheers,
Chris
Review #28
Mikkeller Chipotle Porter aka Texas Ranger ABV 6.6%
Mikkeller Gypsy/Phantom brewers 22 oz brown bottle poured into a Guinness Imperial Pint glass
A - A midnight black pour with a good half glass of tan head. Nice retention, with wonderful lacing in multiple lines. A beautiful, lace-like image is left on the glass from the gorgeous evaporating bubbles.
S - A mild smoke aroma amidst the dark chocolate and coffee bean. A wispy aroma of dark cocoa, baker's chocolate, earthy wood smells all intermingle in the second wave. The peaty aroma clings to the back of the palate with just a touch of pepper. Not near as much as I would have expected. A very nice, complex intermingling.
T - Initial tastes of roasted malts, wood charring and dark toasted bread give way to a smooth, mellowed chocolate flavor. The earthiness is strong again here, with a reminder of 'forest after rain' smell; wet leaves. The finish starts off thin, but the pepper builds, clings to the throat, finally showing off its namesake. No alcohol heat, a little lacking there. A burnt coffee finish clears out the pepper at the very last. Makes me want to brew a pot...or have a doughnut. Or both.
M - With as much as there is going on with the aroma and taste, the mouth feel is definitely on the thin side. Not awful, but easily the weakest segment of this brew.
O - This is a really, really nice beer. Lots of complex hints of flavors not readily noticeable in the aroma and vice versa. These crazy Danes know what they are doing, and they have a great plan of using everyone else's breweries to do it. While every Mikkeller beer isn't a hit, they will certainly never be accused of being boring or not thinking outside the box. Their willingness to try new things, new flavors is to be commended, and I will continually try their offerings on that basis alone.
Cheers,
Chris
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