CORONADO BREWING COMPANY BIGGER BOAT HAZY IPA - A Review

By Daver.

Look at that can, just look at it! I love sharks, JAWS is one of my favorite movies, read the book over and over, and I enjoy a lot of Coronado Brewing’s brews, so grabbing this beer was inevitable. The can describes this brew: “Hazy IPA brewed with raspberries, blueberries, vanilla and lactose.” Sounds like it’d be like a breakfast yogurt, doesn’t it? I like yogurt. I like creamy beers. 7% ABV, that’s appealing. Imagine a yogurt with 7% alcohol per volume. That’s a good morning! Here’s hoping I didn’t make a mistake out of fanboy enthusiasm by choosing this hazy IPA.


(drinks) 

Hope is stupid.

This IPA, it’s not creamy. It’s not creamy at all. It’s quite tangy, not just from hops but also the berries. The raspberries, blackberries, easy to taste like you picked them fresh from the vine. Only without any sweetness. You don’t detect any vanilla till the end. I’m not thrilled about the color of the body, it’s an unhealthy, thick, cloudy orange. That’s fitting, because it has an after taste like an orange rind. Not zest, the rind. You can smell a little citrus from this too, and the missing sweetness of the berries. Not gone, just redirected from gustatory to olfactory senses. Overall, it’s all just shy of bitter, thankfully. The foaminess is light, so pouring it won’t generally force you to pause and resume.


Funnily enough, letting it warm up a little mellows it out to an easier drinking 
beer. The rind becomes zest, and it gets much further from bitter. It feels creamier, even. The lactose and vanilla finally become more, I don’t know, visible? Upfront? Anyway, you get my meaning. Hell, it almost becomes a different beer that I’m drinking. Or the 7% ABV is kicking in. I’ll lean into the former, some beers just are better when warm.


As a rule, I prefer my beer to be cold. I pull these cans and bottles out of the fridge and pour them cold. And on a hot summer day, I desperately need my beer to be cold. I wish this beer were as good cold as it is warmed up some. Maybe that means it’s a good beer for the beach when the ice is low, or for the winter when you’re already cold everywhere else and would like something that’s not cold. Whatever you choose, as long as you drink responsibly while choosing.


OK, hope isn’t stupid.


I don’t regret picking up the shark beer. It’s not what I thought it would be, but it’s not so bad when that happens. Especially with 7% ABV!

CORONADO BREWING COMPANY PINEAPPLE FARM HAZY IPA - a review

 

by Daver, I'm very sorry

If I see a beer that has lactose in the ingredients, I have to try it. The beer's a little sweeter, a little smoother, rounding off the corners for a more enjoyable experience. I'm glad that so far I'm not lactose intolerant. Y'see, it's actually lactose sugar that is included in the brew. During fermentation, most sugars convert into alcohol, but lactose does not. If it's in there, it stays in there, and if someone's lactose intolerant then this would give them a bad time, no matter how responsibly you're drinking. When you're drinking a Coronado Brewing Company brew, you should enjoy it! And their Pineapple Farm Hazy IPA is a joy to imbibe.

The can label is informative, listing Simcoe, Azacca, and Amarillo hops as well as pineapple and lactose. Its blurb reads, "One thing is clear, this hazy IPA stands out from the crowd. Brewed with a blend of New World hops and fresh pineapple for a tropical twist, Pineapple Farm is a juicy, island vacation in a can." All things considered, it's also the closest I'll get to having an actual vacation. And I do love pineapple.

Once again, I'm tasting this from my only proper pint glass in the house, ye old Yazoo Brewing Company glass.

On first pour you get a cloudy, dark yellow body with a thick foamy head. The head thins out pretty quick, till only a thin gauzy film lays on top of the brew. There's also sediment, unfiltered Nordic yeast, that floats around the lower half of the glass and eventually settles at the bottom. The bouquet is a fruity sour, you can immediately tell there's pineapple. Its tang balances well with the mild bitterness of the hops of the IPA. The flavors are rich, perfumy, and creamier than your average hazy IPA. Thank you, lactose! It hardly feels like a beer with an IBU of 55. The lactose also helps to bring out the pineapple in the body. A little like yogurt with fruit at the bottom, actually. And if you let the beer warm up to room temperature in the glass, it becomes sweeter.

I'd almost say this is a winter beverage, more enjoyable warmed up than cold in the summer time. That's up to personal preference though, it's something to enjoy year round. It's rich, it's flavorful, and the ABV is slightly above average at 6.8%. The only thing that might put off the average beer drinker is the sediment, but if you swish the beer around a bit and chug it back, you don't even notice. Thankfully for me, it's one of Coronado's regulars and not a specialty batch, so they ship it all the time. I would keep a four pack of these pints in the fridge as often as possible.

DARK SKY BREWING CO. S.E.T.I. #1 EXPERIMENTAL HAZY IPA - a review

by Daver?

What happens when you take my favorite local craft brewary, discover they have a new hazy IPA, and that it was canned and shipped to a store a mile away? Damn right that I'll put a four pack in my beer fridge!

I'm not the most well-educated on the various strains of hops, so when the label exclaims that S.E.T.I. #1 is dryhopped with El Dorado and HBC431 hops, I have to judge whether those are good ingredients the old fashioned way. Once again, I'm tasting this with my Yazoo Brewing pint glass. It's really good as an all-purpose pint glass for getting the most out of the drink experience.

To the nose, there is a rich zesty grapefruit aroma that masks a bitter hoppiness. The body is an opaque, dark yellow. It's not a appetizing color, but you can't get freaked out by the way it looks. Don't judge a book by its cover, it's got so much you should see by the light of day, but by night it's one beer you can savor...  forgive the ersatz cult movie appropriation, some things can't be helped without stronger meds, but I digress. If poured slowly, the head is quick to dissipate, but the foam clings in a ring along the edges of the glass and leaves lacy patterns as it slides down. In fact, as you drink and the level lowers, the foam looks almost like Sanskrit, but that might be the ABV talking. At 7% ABV, a pint of S.E.T.I. #1 must be drank responsibly. But anyway, if you pour it quickly, the head is a little thicker, and it holds together much longer like a paper seal to pull off of the brew, and the foam clinging to the glass is like a shower curtain instead of lace. To the tongue, there's a highly refreshing surge of citrus essence, like pink grapefruit and blood orange notes, with a biting sweetness lying low. Unlike most other IPAs, with its 30 IBU, there's little hops bitterness at the end. No, S.E.T.I. #1 has a shockingly clean finish with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

I'll be upfront here, I think Dark Sky's experiment was a resounding success. I hope this hazy stays in their regular rotation, because it's a relaxing, refreshing summertime brew that I could drink all year round. For now, I hope it's still in production for a little longer because I've already finished my four pack for this review.

HUSS BREWING CO. HOPALOOSA HAZY IPA - a review

by Daver?

I like IPAs. Not many of my friends like IPAs, but I do. First time I tried one, it was just so different than anything else I'd drank. The novelty, and the higher ABV, was endearing. When the most interesting beer you've tried before was a Michelob Amber Bach, the hoppy kick of an IPA was like a wake-up call. But after a while, it seems like every brewery producing IPAs tries to one-up each other with more and more hops. It gets to the point where every IPA tastes like I'm chewing Christmas tree bark soaked in Pine-Sol, and that's no fun regardless how strong the alcohol.

And then came the hazy IPAs, and all was well again. Cloudy as a heifeweisen, fruity as sours but minus their bitterness, and with the hoppiness muted into an easy drinking, satisfying brew. I think they're fun to drink, much more fun than regular IPAs. When one of my favorite local breweries starts producing hazies then I have to give it a go. Huss Brewing Company has its Hopaloosa Hazy IPA, on tap and in cans for home consumption during quarantine.

The can description reads, "our version of the hazy style IPA is double dry hopped with Falconer's Flight, Amarillo, and Citra hops. These hops bring aromatics of orange, tangerine, and pineapple accompanied by flavors of tangerine, grapefruit, guava, and pineapple! This delicious Hazy IPA is named for the strength, pride and majesty of the Native American Appaloosa horse." There's certainly a lot of citrus to this beer, both to the nose and tongue. For optimal tasting, I'll serve this in my Yazoo Brewery pint glass.

If poured right, you'll see a fast-fading thin foam head, resting on a cloudy yellow body. Pour it too fast, the head is much thicker and longer-lasting. The foam doesn't so much cling to the glass as it oozes with purpose down the side. The bouquet, yes, there is certainly orange notes as well as a zesty tingle reaching the nose, and also that deep woods pine aroma that can only come from a generous infusion of hops.  The thing to remember about hazies, is that the hoppy bitterness isn't so predominant on the tongue. In fact, with an IBU of 30, the bite is muzzled by a blend of, to me, tangelo and grapefruit notes. It has a crisp finish, though it's not so clean, and a little heavy at the back with an overall mouthfeel like a lager.

Hazy IPAs are just so much easier to drink than the standard India Pale Ale, and the broader flavor palette is inviting and refreshing. The ABV of 6.6% means it's not as strong as most IPAs, but has a little more kick than other summertime beers so it's essential to drink the Hopaloosa responsibly. You don't have to like IPAs to enjoy a hazy, and Huss Brewing made a highly enjoyable hazy just in time for summer. The Hopaloosa would easily be one of my go-to beers in the beverage aisle or on tap, that is if it's ever safe to go back out and have a beer on tap anyway. Give this a try if you're ever curious about the hazies.

Unita Brewery - Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA

by Daver!

Hidee-ho, beer campers. Yeah, long time no see, right?

As some of you may have noticed, summer is here. And that means swimming pools, popsicles, vacations and campouts to keep cool. And cold beer. The colder the better, especially here in Arizona. I have here a couple of beers with a strong citrus ingredient in their brewing, to make them more refreshing in these scorching months. Today, we have the Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA from Utah's Uinta Brewing Company, a citrus variant of their mainstay IPA.

Named for the Uinta mountains, this Utah-based brewery began brewing pale ales, porters and hefeweizens out of a former mechanics garage in 1993. They've expanded since then to add brown ales, barleywines and IPAs, selling 77,000 barrels as recently as 2014 with distribution to 32 states and the District of Columbia. Uinta stresses their green attitude, being the first Utah company to be 100% wind powered, adding solar power to their operations in 2011, and promoting on their website that "GREAT beer is brewed with environmental stewardship, support for community and a whole lot of passion."

But how's the beer?

Fun fact, the bottle's label suggests that this be served in a tulip glass. Luckily, I happened to have such a glass! For wine, but that's not my usual choice of beverage. On first pour, the head is pillowy but thin, and fades out fast while the remnants cling lace-like to the glass. The body crosses from the typical IPA amber straight on to a semi-clear orange color. The bouquet is clearly, obviously infused with citrus notes, with the pungent hops and sugary malt notes hovering in the background. The citrus is, for me, an exciting change from the usual caramel sweetness you find with most IPAs.

The tangerine flavors stand out, especially on the sides of the tongue, and overpowers the malt sweetness. The hops' bite is reduced, but kicks in to give this IPA a dry, pine-y, bitter finish. Overall, the mouthfeel is somewhat dry from both the acidity of the citrus and the bitterness of the hops.
Long story short, I liked it! It's more broadly drinkable IPA because of the citrus balancing out the hops, and the tangerine essence is especially refreshing when served cold. With an ABV of 7.3% it's not a beer to take lightly either. I would recommend it, but in moderation. The same easy drinkability makes it really easy to miss that higher ABV till it's too late.

That's all for today, next time I'll cover another citrus-brewed craft beer. Till then, this is your humble beer blogger signing off.

A Day at Mesa Beerfest!: Three Local Craft Brews

Desert Eagle Brewing Co.'s beer tent. You could wait in line, or walk down the block to the brewery.

I love beerfests. You get to sample a decent range of craft brews among a huge crowd of fellow beer aficionados for the whole day. Great way to chill! Unless some drunk fifty-something trips and spills his pint of dark ale down your back as you try to record your notes, I mean come the fuck on... but anyway. Mesa Beerfest just off of Main Street had a fair range of breweries out, including Desert Eagle Brewery which makes sense because it's also on Main. I'll be going into further detail about their brews later. Instead, let's sample a few that were new to me.

4216 N Brown Ave, Scottsdale AZ 85251

Based out of Scottsdale, Bad Water Brewery was established in 2012 with a farmhouse ale as its first batch on tap. They brought their inaugural ale to the beerfest, and I was happy to give it a chance. The body was a deep amber with thin foam that clung to the sides, even for a plastic cup. The body was cloudy with yeast, typical of a saison. Its bouquet was balanced with wheat and sugary floral notes, and a light fruity note like bananas. It reminded me of some hefeweizens, really. But the taste was definitely not that of a wheat beer, there was a mild hoppy bite that deepened the body through to the finish. It was crisp but not all that clean of a finish, with a nutty quality to it like that I've tasted in brown ales. It was good, and with an ABV of 6% it was overall a quality brew. But in all honesty there was very little to set it apart from saisons that I've tasted before.

1641 S Stapley Dr, Mesa AZ 85204

Next was the 480G IPA from the Beer Research Institute. Opened in 2014, this Mesa brewery specializes in Belgian-style ales and IPAs with a love for hops that borders on obsession. I myself have a passion for the hoppier brews, and with an ABV of 7.4% this one seemed to be the right choice. At first glance this "Best Coast"-style IPA had almost zero head on a semi-clear amber body, though the head may be due to BRI's keg running low by the time I reached them. The bouquet was clearly hoppy, with floral notes with a slightly sweet malt edge that's common to IPAs. The taste is incredibly hoppy, with woodsy notes like you'd find in a taste of scotch, and you can freely pick up notes of citrus zest in the finish. Several, ranging from orange to lemon to grapefruit. It's a broad range, circulating in sensation from the bitter hops to the sweeter malt and orange to the bitter grapefruit and back to hops. It's certainly unique in that regard from other IPAs, and had I gotten to it earlier in the event it would have been better, I'm sure. As it is, I can call it satisfying.

232 S Wall St, Chandler AZ 85225

And then we have The Perch Pub and Brewery, and their Uncommon Good Session IPA. While I do enjoy IPAs, sessions are the exception. They're lighter with the hops and the ABV, and frankly at that point I'd be better off with a simple lager. The Perch is based out of Chandler, and a glance at their beer menu will leave a beer drinker begging for flights. It's huge! Not only with their own brews, but also those from other breweries, totally over 40 at any given time, though at the time I'm posting this they do not have Uncommon Good on tap. The name of the pub comes from their hosting dozens of tropical rescue birds at their establishment. On first pour this IPA had a head that looked, well, so bubbly that it was more like a batch of fish eggs than a meringue. Again, this has to be because it was from a nearly-empty keg. The body was a cloudy amber, and the bouquet was hoppy but the malt makes it overall lighter and cleaner than with standard IPAs. The same goes for the taste, it's hoppy but much more modestly and with almost no bite in the finish. It's alright, and at a 4.9% ABV it's a little stronger than most other sessions. But it doesn't stand out enough to make me change my mind about choosing this over a summer ale or a true IPA.

All told, if you're inclined to try these yourself, you can't go wrong with a visit to these particular breweries around the East Valley. These brews are good quality, though they don't stand out as something to, say, request your local pub to stock in. There's a lot of craft brews out there, and they're all worth sampling, but it takes a little something special to go beyond sampling and into regular drinking. These three don't quite reach that level.

So many brewfests to come, so many new releases, and so many great beers out there to try out. More to come, my friends!

Uncle Bear's Grill &  Tap, from Chandler, was also serving, though I didn't get to sample from them this time.

San Tan Brewing Company - Part 4: So Long, And Thanks For The Beer

Greetings fellow beer snobs, it's me again, your humble beer imbiber Daver with the final chapter in my examination of local brewery San Tan Brewing Company.  I wasn't all that sure there was anything left to say about San Tan, so I went back for one last sit-down at the bar. Glad I did! I sampled four of their specialty pilot concoctions, and a year-round brew that's only available on draft. We'll start there, with the Sunspot Golden Ale.

Sunspot Golden Ale is an American blonde ale, a clear yellow in color with a modest head at first pour that fades out fast. The bouquet is light, I can just barely pick up notes of wheat and barley, likewise with the body when it reaches your tongue. The finish is crisp and clean, but a little more robust than I would expect from a blonde ale. It's simple, well-crafted, and its light flavor and cleaner finish makes this an ideal summer brew! Why isn't this one in stores?

Now we're on to the pilot brews, available only at the tap. The Imperial IPA Heavy D is a stronger version of San Tan's Devil Ale, a deep, foreboding red ale with a thin head.  The bouquet is sweet with notes of caramel, citrus, and hints of the hops. The hops bitterness is strong, just at the utmost limit of tolerable. Harsh like Kentucky bourbon, a robust body that isn't too heavy, with a rich finish.

Next is the Moonjuice I.W.A., the acronym stands for India Wheat Ale. An American IPA, it looks like a hefeweizen brewed like an IPA. The Moonjuice is a dark yellow color at first pour, with a thick head, a light floral scent, and the taste of bananas balanced with the hops' bitterness and notes of lemon limey goodness.

The Hibiscus Pale Ale, pictured above served in a goblet, is a brew the color of a red chardonnay. In fact, chardonnay is an accurate descriptor overall, this is like beer brewed from a good table wine. The head lingers, fadining unevenly and clinging to the glass sides. Floral bouquet, rich flavor like a wine cooler that means fucking business, and oddly refreshing in the finish. Can you tell that I liked this a lot? I liked this a lot. Please, San Tan, make more of this!

And the Arizona Farmhouse, a Farmhouse ale being a brew crafted in cooler months and held in storage till summer, has a cloudy yellow color and modest head that fades fast. The cloudiness is likely from the yeast in its brewing, and you can pick up hints of the yeast in the flavor, as well as a more prevalent banana character. The bouquet also has notes of banana and faint yeast traces, but also cloves and clover. The finish is unusually fizzy, but that's normal for a highly carbonated beer like a Farmhouse ale.

Friends, if you want to try anything by San Tan Brewing Company? GO TO THE ACTUAL BREWERY. Sure, they have six packs in the store, and a few of them are actually pretty good, but San Tan is the example proving that beer is better on tap than in the can, and at that best at the source. Plus, their pilot brews are always changing, between those and their seasonals, you won't know what you'll get. Hell, by the time you read this, the batches will have changed and no telling if those I've just told you about will come back. I really enjoyed the pilot brews, the care and creativity that goes into them makes me want to go back to see what they'll have now.

In conclusion? San Tan is like a star baseball player, they won't hit them all out of the park, but when it's a home game, they hit it right into the stadium lights showering sparks all over Robert Redford.

SanTan Brewing Company - Part 3: On Tap and Served Cold

Hey there, beer drinkers, Daver here! Welcome back for more craft brews by the good people at the San Tan Brewing Company. This time we've got some offerings from their brewhouse in Chandler, two that are only on tap and their fall seasonal, a real tale from the crypt. And I have to warn ya, boys and girls, it's not pretty. Let's get on with it, here's the Gordo Stout, the Negri Nitron, and Count Hopula.

I don't know, am I supposed to like the grainy, earthy texture to the Gordo Stout? Aromatically it was chocolatey, a good sign at first. The head was thick from the nitrogen infused in the brew, and colored a rich pale mocha. The body itself was a deep dark brown, almost black. There were strong coffee and cocoa notes in the taste, like a dark roasted mocha venti with hardly any sweetener, and it started out just as smooth, not too thick and not watery at all. The finish was dry, but a little too chemical-y that I would guess comes from the nitrogen. And the graininess became more and more pronounced, which personally ruined the experience for me. Would not recommend.

Next up was the Negri Nitron, a black IPA poured from a nitrogen tap. Like the Stout, it had a thick nitrogen-enriched head, and there were notes of coffee and oranges in the bouquet. Body-wise, the hops came through loud and clear, biting with caramel and cream tones to soften it somewhat. The nitrogen aftertaste was present as with the Stout, what the hell is it with nitrogen? Maybe I just don't like beer infused with nitrogen. I wasn't completely dissatisfied, the smoother hops sensation is enough to at least merit a second chance, but I won't go out of my way for another Nitron.

I have to explain, I had the Count Hopula seasonal IPA last August, prior to my visit to the brewhouse, and as a seasonal it'll no doubt be on shelves again in time for Halloween . Consider this a preview! The body is daaaaark, a deep red with a thick head. It had an intense hoppiness, and it was nearly as rich as a stout in flavor if not in thickness. I tasted some chocolate undertones, but that might be the malt coming through. If you like IPAs then by all means give it a try, it's got a lot to offer. But honestly, the strength of the hop might put off the casual drinker. Still, clever name.

I've heard it said that India Pale Ales in general are an acquired taste, but these nitrogen infused brews?  I can't imagine the palette who would enjoy these. I'm sure there are those who prefer them, but I'm not one of them. 

Worry not, though. This isn't the final summation of my San Tan observations, there's one more entry to go before we conclude this brewery review. 

San Tan Brewing Company - Part 1: On The Market

Hello my friends, it's your humble beer blogger Daver again, and today on tap we've got a, shall we say, reprint of a review? You see, for several months I was contributing content to an Arizona web-zine, but the site has since changed its focus from local events and reviews to a blog about the editor's friends' parties. Can't say I agree with the new direction, but it's not my webspace or my problem. But that means that everything I contributed? HOSED. Now, I just can't be having with informative beer reviews being lost, so I'm importing what I've backed up, starting with the San Tan Brewing Company.

Based in Chandler, AZ, San Tan opened in 2007 and has since earned name recognition around the Valley as one of the top breweries in Arizona. This brewery has created a diverse range of craft brews to offer at their microbrewery restaurant in Chandler's historic district, at bars around Arizona, and in grocery stores and liquor stores. They're popular enough that they've been working towards expanding their distribution to neighboring states for almost a year now. San Tan offers their four most popular brews in six packs of aluminum cans, and a rotating seasonal at their respective time of year.  

Wait, aluminum cans? Oh dear... as a beer snob, I'm prejudiced against anything aluminum smaller than a keg jacketing my beer. It just doesn't taste right to me! Nobody should have to drink from the can. But in the spirit of fairness, let's see how these cans stack up. We'll start with two of their year-round offerings, and one of their seasonals.

First we've got the Devil's Ale, their pale ale offering.  On first pour, the head is thin and fades out fast. It clings to the glass unevenly, and doesn't linger for long either. It's a clear amber colour. The bouquet is surprisingly strong with the malted hops, an almost pungent sweetness if you tilt the glass back a bit to increase the surface area of the top of the brew in the glass. OK, that might be a little more complicated than you should have to go for drinking any craft brew, but it works that way. Taste-wise, oh yes. Strong with the hops, it is. But not that strong. You really have to drink this in a glass to get the full experience. Straight out of the can (dear god I hate cans) it's almost watery with the body. Poured properly, you get the effervescence of the carbonation and a bit of bite. The carbonation fades out faster than usual, and the brew mellows out as it does to the point the hops become the finish instead of the body. There's almost none of the caramel-y sweetness you'd expect from a brew with malted hops. Seriously, drinking this out of the can and out of a glass is like night and day. Night. And. DAY. At first I thought it was a let-down even with an ABV of 5.5 because of the can, but I'm glad I went a little further.


Next is the Hop Shock IPA, and boy howdy the hops are strong with this one. On first pour, it's a clear amber with a porous head. The foam doesn't cling to the sides of the glass, but rather hangs and slips slowly into oblivion. I can taste the malt, and I can smell it in the bouquet, a sweet and slightly citrus-y aroma. The but the hops are extraordinarily bitter. The body feels a little syrup-y in the finish, and notes of tangerines come through. Carbonation seems to be a thing, San Tan brews lose their fizz fairly quickly. This doesn't hurt the brew, it's just interesting. And with an ABV of 7.1 that's a lot of interest. Again, pouring this in a glass makes a vast difference over drinking it out of the can.

Now, the seasonal selection for today is the Mr. Pineapple, a Pineapple Wheat Beer. Oh man, that would probably pair well with a krabby patty. How did they come up with this? That's not to say it's bad, it's quite refreshing, as expected from a spring wheat beer. On first pour you get a head of foam that pops and sizzles, and fades out completely with no lacing or drizzling along the glass. The color is a cloudy dark yellow, like the syrup from a can of sliced pineapples. It has similar notes of banana in the taste and bouquet as you'd find in the Hefeweizen, and floral notes and some coriander, even a hint of oregano if you can believe that, that pleases the nose. And with an ABV of 5.0, the alcohol content doesn't overpower the overall quality. You can easily taste the real pineapple juice balanced out with the banana, that citrus-y tang all the way to the finish. Unlike most of the others, the San Tan carbonation was modest and subtle, fading into the background with each sip without going flat. All told, for a funny concept, it works really damn well.


Check back in a little bit for Part 2, I'll be covering an amber, a wheat beer, and their seasonal porter. Fun times, my friends.

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

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

Happy Hour at Monsterland

*watching Heinekin commercial*

Daniel Craig... WHY? Did Skyfall really need that advertising revenue? Was Eon Productions really that hard up for cash because of the recession?!

Ugh, not my problem, and not my first or fourth choice of beer. Anyway. Beer Blogger here, and if there's one thing I have a soft spot for, it's local craft brews. Arizona has a LOT of local brews, so I could easily dedicate a good couple months to reviewing them all, roadtripping statewide on my free time. Which actually isn't a bad idea...but I digress. What I'm really getting at is that Monsterland has a delightfully diverse display of brews from around Arizona on tap.

But what's Monsterland? It's a Halloween-themed restaurant located on Main Street in Mesa, originally opened in 2011 as a haunted house but was converted the following spring into a theme restaurant open year-round. It's a popular spot for the spooky decor, the animatronic beasties that activate without warning, and the wait staff often dressing up in costume like they're about to go trick or treating. The food's decent, but pricier than it's really worth during regular hours, but between the hours of 3pm to 6pm Wednesday thru Friday, the appetizers are $2 cheaper and the beers a dollar off.

And that's where I come in! My sistah-from-another-mistah (and movie co-reviewer) Kat was in town, and while searching Main Street for suitable craft-y souveniers we stopped in for lunch. Thus did the beer taps flow with the following brews.

SanTan Count Hopula - Seasonal IPA. Daaaaark, a deep red with a thick head. It had an intense hoppiness, and it was nearly as rich as a stout in flavor if not in thickness. I tasted some chocolate undertones, but that might be the malt coming through. If you like IPAs then by all means give it a try, it's got a lot to offer. But honestly, the strength of the hop might put off the casual drinker. Still, clever name.

SanTan Hefeweizen Wheat - This has a spiced, perfumey bouquet, it's a cloudy orange with thick head. It's very good, with a banana citris flavor that does not even require the usual lemon garnish. It's a veritable bouquet for the senses, you can taste everything right away. It's a surprise for the average beer drinker interested in trying something new, and I definitely recommend giving it a try. Unless you don't like bananas.

Sonoran Victorian IPA - I like that name. For an IPA, this has a rather light hoppy flavor. Golden amber in color with a light frothy head, it's really a good starter for this type of beer. I'd almost say it's double hopped from the flavor, but without the higher alcohol content. It's a nice casual beer, easy on the palette but with more than enough character to merit another pint. (Really wish I could show you a picture of it, but I didn't take any and couldn't find one that I was positive would permit its use here.)

Stay tuned, I'll be posting next about several seasonals that Kat and I tried...and THIS time there'll be pictures I don't have to pull from the web!
Photo Credits: Monsterland Interior, Source: The New Times, Author: Bella.
 SanTan Count Hopula and Heifeweizen Wheat, Source: SanTan Brewing Company.

Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake

Oh, Oktoberfest.

This past weekend, Tempe Town Lake was host to the Budweiser Oktoberfest, a three-day event with live music, rides, carnival and German food, and more beer than you could possibly drink in one sitting. A few people tried, and thankfully they had friends to carry them out when they failed. Several thousand people were in attendance, and quite a few dressed like German barmaidens, pulling off the look oh so very well! Me, I wasn't going for anything so ambitious as getting plowed, just the opportunity to taste some beers I'd be hard pressed to find any other occasion without plane tickets, passports, or a TARDIS.

(It always comes back to a fucking TARDIS, doesn't it...)

I rode the light rail into Tempe because I sure as Heidegger didn't want to risk driving after sampling whatever beers struck my fancy. The BBF would aid me in narrowing my selections from the near hundred different beers on tap, and checking off the harder to find brews makes the decision easy.

The various biergarden tents they had set up accepted drink coupons, which could only be purchased by cash. VISA fails me once again. However, aside from the many generic ATMs conveniently near the coupon tables, there were drink specials during certain hours of the day to balance out the cash/credit inconvenience. My interest was in a beer flight of 8 German beers for purchasing my tickets between 1pm and 3pm, but as luck would have it I got there just too late. Instead, the purchase table attendent, a sympathetic motherly type with curly brown hair, gave me extra tickets to make up for the trouble.

And thanks to that becurled woman's generosity, I was able to savor the following brews.

Warsteiner Premium Verum - A German Pilsner. Generally my palette for pilsners isn't well refined, they taste alike to me. This Pilsner, though, was crisp, dry, and best of all, a little more hoppy than I expected. It's light bodied, but not too light. One more German, checked off the BBF. Yeah, I liked it.

Estrella Damm - Spanish lager, I thought it was light on taste, inoffensive to the palette but not exceptional. The BBF says that it's an easy drinking pale lager with a touch of hops but I couldn't detect that. My impression was that it was like a thicker, stronger Budweiser. Might try it again, if only to pick up on those hops it supposedly has.

Hop City Barking Squirrel - A Canadian lager, dark orange, and tasted a more than a little hoppy. I'd say it's more like a weak IPA as well as a strong lager, which is a good thing. Fact is, I thought I tasted a subtlest hint of apples, which is weird because according to Hop City Brewing Co's website there isn't any apple in this. Huh. Olfactory hallucinations aside, I really liked this lager, and would enthusiastically recommend and order again.

Firestone Union Jack - American double dry hopped IPA out of CA. The hoppy taste is much more subtle in these double hopped IPAs, so you can taste more flavors all around. The Firestone Walker Brewery claims that this has grapefruit citris-iness, I could detect a citrisy character but I thought it was lemon or orange. The overall taste is mild, but alcohol-wise it's strooooong (7.5% alcohol by volume). I'm a sucker for IPAs, especially double- and triple-hopped, so this is one I'd recommend as well.

All told, it was three hits and a miss beer-wise. But it was Oktoberfest, brauts and beers and cute girls in poofy short skirts with knee socks, it's all a hit! And besides, any day that ends with a cold beer is a good day.

Photo credits:Warsteiner Premium Verum, source: Wikicommons, author: LeeKeoma. 
Estrella Damm, source: Wikicommons, author: Erik Cleves Kristensen. 
Hop City Barking Squirrel, source: Hop City Brewing Co. 
Firestone Union Jack, source: Seattle Beer News.

SunUp Brewery

It seems like Arizona has no end to local and regional breweries. There's Four Peaks in Tempe, Sonoran Brewing Company and Rock Bottom in Scottsdale, Oak Creek up in Sedona, Mudshark out in Lake Havasu, the list goes on. And the list, which is real friggin' long, can be found through the handy search feature at Beerme.com. There's a lot of beer facts that can be found at Beer Me, of which I've only taken the briefest of peeks. One more item for the "to-do" list, for another time. Today I'll be reviewing the selection offered by the SunUp Brewery in Phoenix, located at 322 E Camelback Road.

Now, there's a little bit of confusion about the name. There was a time not too long ago when SunUp was called the Sonora Brewhouse, in fact I remember seeing the sign that way as recently as early 2009. However, there was conflict with the Sonoran Brewing Company claiming the names were too similiar, and there being a lot of confusion between customers of one going to the other, so the name was changed to SunUp. The brews are the same, however, which is really the important thing.

I sampled six of their year-round beers, a diverse selection from the taps. The first was their Horizon Hefeweizen, their wheat beer. It had a bright, unusually clear yellow color; the clarity is more typical of a kristallweizen than a hefeweizen, where the yeast is filtered out to remove the hefe's cloudy appearance. It was also milder in taste than a typical hefeweizen, very light finish and hardly any hop to it. There was a hint of sweetness, but really overall it was a modest taste that lingered on the roof of the mouth. In fact, it was so mild that it didn't need the citrus from the lemon wedge garnishing the top. I've never run into that before with a hefeweizen.

The Light Rail Cream Ale (named for the fact that the brewery is quite close to the Phoenix light rail) was also a mild taste, but it had more body than the hefeweizen of course. It's a dark yellow, like good whiskey. It starts out somewhat bold, and there's a hint of sweetness to this as well. It's also very smooth. I couldn't detect the creaminess of the name except at the finish, where it balanced out the boldness of the taste for easy drinking.

The Stinger Pale Ale starts out bold like the Light Rail, but stays bold and strong because of the hops for a well balanced taste. It's a bright, clean, clear amber color, and it feels oddly warm as it goes down. There is some bite to the Pale Ale, and you can clearly smell the hops and detect the malt in the flavor. The balance and strength of the Pale Ale made this a personal favorite.

Now, the Sun Up Amber stars out stronger, much stronger, than the Pale Ale, but the taste mellows out as it reaches the back of the tongue. The bouquet is very faint, I could barely detect the hints of the malt. A dark reddish amber color, it put me in mind of a less overpowering Killian's, especially in the finish. Now I do like Killians, but I'd take this Amber over the Killian's any day.

The Trooper IPA was intimidating, because of my last experience with the Abita Jockamo, but this brew renewed my interest in IPA's. It's a very dark amber, and the bouquet was surprising, it was harder to detect the hoppiness than I'd expected in this type of beer. But the taste, oh yes you will know how strong the hops are in this, and it will linger on the tongue. For a beer as bitter as this IPA was, it was exceptionally light on the bite, far more smooth than sharp on the palette. It has to be the malt. That to me made this IPA more than just a damn good beer, it was a friggin' revelation.

Then there's the Vanilla Porter, and I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, how good this was. A deep ruddy black, the red showing in the head around the edges, the bouquet had the most enjoyable aroma of chocolate. The chocolate was the strongest ingredient in this brew, but there are layers of flavor, I could detect traces of cherry and nuts, with subtle hints of vanilla all throughout. Very full bodied, to be expected from a dessert beer, and so smooth and warming. This porter was an absolute joy to drink. My waitress suggested trying it as an ice cream float. Oooooh cheezburgers fries and shake what a good idea. She also suggested I sample a couple of the seasonals they had on tap, the Double and Triple IPAs.

Now both of these IPAs were a deep rich amber, with the Triple being just a shade darker than the Double, I mean you really have to look. They're both heavy on the hops, so much so to me that the Triple's bouquet seemed just a little stronger. The Double IPA was very sharp, very strong at the start with a hard bite to it, but sweet at the back of the tongue. And yet in spite of that bite it still had a smooth finish! The Triple on the other hand, was very malty, with less bite to it than the Double if that makes any sense. It was almost syrupy in consistency, and sweeter all throughout and not just at the end. They were both also much stronger in alcohol content than your typical IPA. Oh yes, these two make me want to try more IPAs.

SunUp is a small microbrew compared to others like Four Peaks, and their beers are only available on tap or in kegs, but they are absolutely worth the effort. The beers are easy to drink, either light on the palette or smooth all the way down, without any disappointment to be had. As far as food goes, I only had a cobbler with my beer flight, but it was delicious. I'm thirsty for the next occasion to stop by SunUp, maybe I'll give that porter float a try.

Addendum - It wasn't till two years after I wrote and posted this article that I gave that porter float a try. Honestly, it was a bit of a letdown. The stout was too chalky, and didn't balance with the ice cream as evenly as would regular root beer.

The Abita Brewery Tour (November '09)

I have two absolute, drop-dead favorite brands of beer, Four Peaks and Abita. Now, Four Peaks is a local brand. They don't have a brewery tour, just an adjoining restaurant. Ha, JUST an adjoining, like that's a crime. It's an excellent beer, and I'll cover it in more detail later. Abita is a Louisiana-based brand, brewed in (of course!) Abita Springs, north of New Orleans... a loooong ass way north of New Orleans. Sure as hell felt long the first time that I toured the brewery.

Here's a little back story. I've been visiting New Orleans for going on ten years now, at least once a year. I have friends who live there, and even more that come there to meet up, hang out, see the sights for a few days, like you do. They began touring the brewery in '06, and it became an annual thing for most everybody to have a shuttle take them across the lake to the brewery. Me, I kept sleeping in... sleeping it off. A flat tire in '08 kept me from making it then. Last year I finally joined everybody for the tour. Well worth the repeat visits!

The entrance was through an open patio decorated in the same architectural style as the rest of the French Quarter, balconies with rod iron railings and gas lit lanterns on each side of the upper story windows. Red brick fences and clay fountains bubbling away, and more rod iron patio seating. The Abita logo was set as a tile mosaic in the sidewalk through the gate. Past the patio was the Tasting Room, the combination gift shop/waiting area/all-you-can-drink-tap for visitors going on the tour. The gifts were pricey, the seating was leather and overstuffed, and the beer was practically endless. The waiting area was made to look like a pub, with a polished dark wood countertop, stools and a long mirror framed by the same polished wood opposite the seating, and right behind the taps, with the Abita brand etched into the glass. All of their various beer products, be it the Amber, the Purple Haze, the IPA or even the ever-so-delicious Andygator, were available for the visitors to sample as often as they liked (cups were included). Can you tell which one was my personal favorite? Oh yes.

Andygator was a gold colored ale with a sweet taste, sweeter than I've been accustomed to tasting in beers, with a fruity aroma and no bitter finish. I like beer with a little sweetness to it, so this one truly stood out ahead of all others in my recollecting. And smooth, it was almost like water it was so easy to drink. The Amber was hoppier, very close to my tolerance for hops before it becomes the last thing I drink, with a modest bite to it at the end. And I don't mind telling you that it tapped my sobriety on the noggin fast. The Purple Haze was not as sweet as the Andygator, nor as smooth. I'd actually call it a fruitier version of the Amber, with a lighter finish that was quite nice altogether. The Restoration Ale, another pale ale, was agreeable, but it doesn't stand out. The ingredients list it as having a mix of "Pale, Lager, Crystal and Cara Pils malted barley," and it shows because I could only see it as a middle-of-the-road brew. Actually, Restoration would be a good starter beer for someone getting to know the Abita brand. The Jockamo IPA was friggin' harsh, very hoppy, very bitter finish, were it a wine I'd call it full bodied because it was almost as thick as an oatmeal stout. Think of taking your coffee black, no sugar, with a finish like something charred by the fire, that's my impression of the IPA. My least favorite, I would say it's for someone with a developed pallet, who likes it that way, perhaps both. As for me, for fuck's sake, it turned me off ALL IPA's.

Now I quite like oatmeal stouts, depending on the occasion, for the rich creamy consistency where the bite is fully complimentary to the chocolate-nutty taste. I've yet to try Abita's Turbodog, which is their oatmeal stout (and wouldn't you know, it's also one of the four Abita beers that actually makes it this far west!), I'll have to write that up sometime.

The brewery tour was prefaced by a video that was played in the Tasting Room, complete with lights dimming, about the history of the brewery. The music was a generic hometown tune, suitable for framing the narrative that emphasizes the importance of local business, quality ingredients, and brewers you could relate to, even (haha) see yourself having a beer with. Hell, if it'd been a presidential candidate I was ready to vote for it. It wasn't long enough to be boring, so no worries about losing interest while the lights are low. The only true complaint I would leverage at the intro video is that you couldn't get more beer while it was playing! However, you could refill it in the brief window between the end of the video and the start of the tour, and you could bring your beer with you.

The interior of the actual brewery, named The Cellar, was like some sterile, chrome temple to the gods of alcohol, high ceilings to accomodate the massive metal silos where fermentation was taking place. Lean in close and you can hear hymns sung to Ninkasi. Or Drinkasi, Ninkasi's rascal of a li'l bro. There were touches to the decor that made it a little, I don't know, homey to everyone coming through. There were banners suspended from the ceiling to denote the mash tun, the lauter tun, and the merlin kettle, all mounted around a raised platform with a sign overhead reading "Brewhouse." Behold, Drinkasi's alter! Leave the votive offerings at home.

If you have the opportunity. if you're in Louisiana, by all means. GO. You'll be glad you did! Just be sure you have a designated driver, it's a long way to go and after sampling all of Abita's stock you're not gonna be in driving shape. Myself, I'm absolutely planning to go back the next time I'm in New Orleans, and I'll be working to add the OTHER Abita landmark, the original brewhouse which is now the Abita Brew Pub. I had no idea it even existed until I looked up the Abita website. Well, the tour guide did explain that the current brewery wasn't the original, but he failed to explain that it had been made into a restaurant. Wouldn't that make for a fine capper to an afternoon of free beer, lunch where it all started.

Oh yes, there will be an Abita Brewery Tour update late this year. There's still so many brews I've yet to taste!