World Brews - Barrel Trolley Nut Brown Ale

I swear, at first I thought this was a New York brew. I don't know why, I just looked in the freezer at Total Wine and saw this, thinking "I haven't had anything from New York in a while."

Nope! Not only is it out of California, it's World Brews-brewed. Their novelty products disappointed me, let's see how this goes.

On first pour, its appearance is a deep, dark, but clear brown; if you didn't hold it up to the light you'd mistake it for a stout. The head is thin and firm, but fades away quickly with little to no lacing of foam remaining on the glass.  A little foam ring lingers on the lip of the beer due to the carbonation. Its strange that a beer with such strong carbonation doesn't have a thicker head.

It smells clean, but with a little agitation of the brew you can pick up the malt sweetness and the nuttiness in the bouquet. Swirl it around a little in your glass, you'll see. The taste is strongly hazelnut with some pine nut and pecan notes. There are also maple and caramel notes from the malt, but it's easy to miss because of the strength of the nuttiness. It's moderately bodied, it's not heavy but it's not so dry and crisp overall. There is some bite to it, and it does have a dry sensation just before the finish, but the nuttiness resumes in the very end and lingers in the mouth, with the carbonation.

It's a decent brew, and proof that World Brews can make a quality product. It's good, but it's not great. I like brown ales, but personally I wouldn't go out of my way to stock up on this. If you like really really nutty brown ales, Barrel Trolley Nut Brown Ale will be satisfactory.

Odell Brewing Company - 90 Shilling Ale

Right, time to open up the Big Book O'Beer. I knew I saw this one in there! And it's already checked off... but not written up yet. Let's remedy that right now. The Big Beer Flight rises!

The name for this amber ale was chosen from taxes charged per barrel on beer in the 19th Century, where the strongest brews were taxed 90 shillings. Now the alcohol by volume for the 90 Shilling is 5.3%, which is comparable to most American brews out there, and it's not the strongest. What's that say about beer in the UK back then? But we're not here to judge what your grandparents' grandparents were drinking.

On first pour, into my typical American pint glass, it has a deep copper red appearance, cloudy like you'd see in a hefeweizen. But there isn't any citrus banana notes to my nose, but rather a caramel-y scent, with walnut and chestnut undertones, even a woodsy element. The head is thin but solid, and fades fast. And it leaves a lacy foam along the sides of the glass that stays long after you've finished your pint.

The taste is full and rich-bodied but oddly dry and refreshing at the finish, that was unexpected but welcome.  It has a nutty, oaken flavor overall with some slight cocoa undertones and a smoothness that I attribute to the taste of yeast, but also has a little harshness to the palette; it's a bitterness like you'd get from an overroasted nut, likely from the Northern Brewer and Cascade hops in the ingredients. There's a diverse mix of malt in this brew - barley malt, Vienna malt, Crystal malt, and Chocolate malt.

According to "Beers of the World" this was originally a seasonal winter brew, but as it grew in popularity it became a year-round production. I agree, this is a terrific brew to drink anytime. It's flavorful, with an interesting bouquet, a real treat to the senses for a typical beer-drinker.

Boston Brewing Company - Samuel Adams Rebel IPA, West Coast Style

With a rebel yell, I cried more, more, beer...

From the Samuel Adams website: "Unlike some West Coast style IPAs that overpower with hops, Samuel Adams Rebel IPA features citrus and grapefruit highlights. These bright flavors are balanced by subtle pine notes, allowing for an exceptionally smooth pour, without sacrificing any of the character you'd expect from a West Coast style IPA."

Grapefruit? Uh oh... my doctor warned me against grapefruit. Ah, I'm sure I'll be fine.

I'm curious about what is a "west coast style IPA," and how strongly the hops come through compared to a typical India Pale Ale. Something to try out later.

On first pour, there is a thick head that leaves lacy trails along the lip of the glass over a golden amber brew. The bouquet is surprisingly clean, with a rich orange and malty sweetness strongly coming through.  The hops is strong on the first taste, with floral and citris undertones in the flavor overall, but it rapidly smooths out to a caramel-y and brown sugar-y finish. Fans of IPAs will appreciate the mellowing of the usual hops "bite," and the average beer drinker will enjoy the sweetness and the full-bodied flavors. Give it a shot! You'll find it at grocery stores and on tap. It's a terrific introduction to India Pale Ales, unusual and harmless. Even if there's grapefruit in it, which I'll have to take at face value because I couldn't tell ;ljk;j.l,......................,

CONNECTION LOST

Barrio Brewing Company - Mocha Java Milk Stout

Hello, and welcome back to BB&B! I'm your sometimes-inebriated host, Daver, coming to you sober with my take on whatever interesting beer catches my fancy. Tonight I'm bringing to you a craft brew from a Tucson brewery and restaurant, the Barrio Brewing Company. I've been there before and sampled their brews in a very wide-ranging beer flight, but sadly this was before the blog began so I didn't take any notes...so I'll have to go back sometime for a more thorough write-up. Sigh, the sacrifices I must make.

I did have occasion to try again the Barrio Mocha Java Milk Stout, while hanging out this weekend with a friend at Old Tucson Studios. There is no bottle, Barrio's products are strictly on draft all over the city of Tucson. On first pour, it is a deep dark brown, with a tan head that isn't so much thick as it is firm. The bouquet is rich with coffee and cocoa tones, and hints of brown sugar. It's thick-bodied like you'd expect of a stout, and it's very smooth, but not that creamy like, say a Guinness. Dark chocolate tones come through the mild malted sweetness up till the finish, where it actually loses its smooth and semi-creamy texture.

Now, I have to make it clear that I liked it well enough, but neither I or my friend finished it completely satisfied. I thought it became a little powdery at the finish, easily missed while cold but the longer you drink and the warmer it gets, it became more chalky. My friend thought that it was too heavy, and that it was best served with a glass of water on the side.

It's not a bad brew, but it just didn't have enough for me to try it again. If I were you, I'd only order this in the colder months, and would not let it warm up or you might not want to finish it.  That's one down, lots to go!

Photo credits - Mocha Java Milk Stout, source: untappd.com, photographer: TheAbbabond.

Full Sail Brewery - LTD Limited Lager Series, LTD 04 Pale Bock

Oh, Full Sail, why can't I quit you? Why would I want to?

From January to March, Full Sail has released its limited edition Pale Bock. From the Full Sail website: "This Pale Bock is a finely balanced single malt, single hop, lager that is pale-golden in color and brewed with just pale malt and pleasantly hopped with just Willamette hops." I don't know what's so special about Willamette hops, but here's my impressions of the quality overall.

On first pour it's a clear but dark golden color, with a thick head that lingers. The malt is ever present in the bouquet, as is notes of citris and honey, but in a very clean and crisp manner if that makes any sense to you. The malted barley comes through loud and clear in both scent and taste. There's hints of oak and caramel, similar to double-hopped IPA to a modest degree. The hops gives it a strong bite in the finish. It's a very filling brew, though there's nothing crisp or clean in the body.

It's an interesting brew, like the bastard love child of a Firestone Double Hopped IPA and a Carlsberg pilsner. I liked it, because of that unique combination of sensation. The 7% ABV didn't hurt either. Check it out before it's off the shelves for the year!

Abita Brewing Company - Mardi Gras Bock

Happy Mardi Gras, everybody!

It seemed appropriate to write up this seasonal brew by Abita, since Abita's a Louisiana-based brewery and one of my favorite brands. This was also all I could do to kick off the season instead of hitting any Mardi Gras events (goddamn rain) like I'd wanted. May as well write something topical, y'know?

Enough bellyaching, let's get this review moving.

On first pour, you can see it has a thick head that slowly dissipates into lacy foam, which clings to the edge of glass. The brew is a clear amber, and the bouquet is easily detectable. You can pick up the malt, and something like brown sugar. The malt flavor comes through clearly as well, with some slight honey tones for sweetness, and a little like the taste of fresh bread.  The Abita website states that the strong malt is similar to German maibocks... something to compare later. The bite of hops is there at the start and finish, and it's a full bodied beverage all throughout.

My final thoughts, I like this. I like this a lot. Give it a shot, and don't be surprised if you like it just as much! Abita Mardi Gras Bock is only available January to March, so if you're gonna try it out, now's the right time.

World Brews - Dieselpunk IPA

From the Dieselpunk Brew website: "Once, ours was a dark metropolis rife with corruption and urban decay; our soot-covered city needed to be restored. Fueled with inspiration, we look to what the future holds in our new city — our vision inevitably tainted by a layer of grime. Fuel your vision with Dieselpunk Engineered Ales."

It's a good mission statement, I'll give 'em that. World Brews out of Novato, CA also produced a porter and a stout in their line of Dieselpunk Brews, dark ales for an industrialized world. Haven't tried those, couldn't say anything about their quality. But their IPA, is it a good brew?

On first pour you can see it has a thick, prominent head. I don't know whether you can really avoid that with every pour. It has a dark copper color, nearly red, and you can pick up right away the bouquet. It's sweet, like honey and apples; that may be the hops. Normally there'd be a citris-y quality, but not this time, or if it's there I couldn't taste it. The hoppiness starts off strong, but mellows out with every drink, and has a heavy, bittersweet finish. I really couldn't pick up any malty sweetness. I've had better IPAs. I'm damning it with faint praise by saying it's got novalty value. It's drinkable, and it'd be acceptable for anybody that has a steampunk/dieselpunk theme going at a sci-fi convention. The box art and the bottlecap even has the Rocketeer's helmet as part of the design, I gotta give 'em credit for that. But personally, if you're looking for a good IPA, then I'd tell you to put this back on the shelf.

Photo credits - Dieselpunk IPA, source: monarch-beverage.com. Bottlecap photo, source: untappd.com

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - Summerfest Lager

A seasonal brew that is perfect for a hot day. This Czech-style pilsner is brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in California, is exactly what it says, only available in the summer. It has a bright yellow color, and the head fades away quickly with fine lacing as you can see in the photo.

Tastewise, it's crisp, dry, with a clean finish. On closer examination, it's also somewhat malty. It may just be me, but it took a little work rolling the beer around on the tongue to pick up the malt. It's more full-bodied than you would expect from a pilsner. The malt was faint in the bouquet, and I thought I picked up a hint of wheat in the aroma.

I liked it, and would definitely restock it when the summer comes around.

Full Sail Brewery - Extra Special Bitters Limited

Everyone knows, it's bitters! (that's me!)

Yeah, I know, getting back on track now.

The Extra Special Bitters is a summertime release, between April and June according to the Full Sail website. When poured, the bitters have a rich amber orange color, and a modest head without being too foamy. It starts out thick, but that dissipates quickly.

Tastewise, the hops come through clear, well balanced. They're neither overpowering nor subtle, which would I'm sure tickle IPA drinkers. It's also malty, there is a crisp caramel bite to it in the finish. Reminiscent of orange juice and honey lemon tea, which I'd guess comes from the citris hops. There is supposedly a pleasant bouquet, but it was too subtle for me to tell. I'm told it's a sugary aroma. Overall, it's a mellow well balanced beer, and in my opinion it has something for everyone.