We Drink Craft Beers: An Adventure in Home Brewing

BEER REVIEW TIME! Today we will be discussing Sweetwater...

faeriemary — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:30:33 -0500

BEER REVIEW TIME! Today we will be discussing Sweetwater Brewing Company’s Festive Ale. I wrote this review on 15 Dec 2012… apologies for the late posting.

I picked up this sixer of beer the first day I got into town to visit my family for Christmas in Birmingham, AL this year. I’m always excited to get as much local or local-esque beer as I can wherever I travel, and particulary when I travel to Birmingham because… well, let’s be honest. Alabama isn’t exactly known for its progressive politics, and if I can’t get my hands on good politics in this state, I’d like to at least get my hands on some good beer.

The six pack tells me that the Festive Ale is brewed only one day a year, and that it combines a “touch of spice with a s#/@!load sleigh load of malts and hops” to keep you warm and toasted all night long. SOLD! Love ltd edition beer, love spices.

Unfortunately, I was rather let down with all build up…

Appearance: Nice, dark brown. Glimmer of medium caramel in bottom of glass when held to the light. Small head dissipates quickly after pouring. (*cough*) 4/5.
Smell: Not gonna lie, this has a strange smell. Heavy on the molasses, caramel, and malts. There is something off about the smell and I can’t figure out what it is. I don’t pick up the scent of any spices, and the label doesn’t list which spices were used in the brew to begin with so I don’t actually know what I”m even searching for. 3/5.
Taste:Taste is off, too. Honestly, this tastes like a homebrew that got some unwanted wild yeast in it and then kind of soured. I don’t taste any spice. Picking up the heavy malts/molasses in the taste as I did in the smell. Lighter, less robuts taste than I might expect from a winter ale. Oddly, hints of smokiness. 2/5
Mouthfeel:Eh. Mouthfeel is weak. Needs more carbonation. 3/5
Drinkability:I’m finishing this pint of beer because I don’t pour beer down the drain. I wouldn’t buy this again. 2/5

Overall this was uninspiring. DAMMIT, ATLANTA. I expected more from you. I have yet to try your 420 beer, though. Maybe you can make this up to me…

-Mary Mac

BEER REVIEW TIME!! Today we will be discussing Straight to...

faeriemary — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:30:51 -0500

BEER REVIEW TIME!! Today we will be discussing Straight to Ale’s Monkeynaut IPA. I reviewed this beer when I took a trip home to Birmingham, AL, for this most recent holiday season. I wrote this review on 14 Dec 12.

Beer Name: Monkeynaut
Style: IPA
Brewery: Straight to Ale Brewing, Huntsville, AL
ABV: 7.5%

A little background. Straight to Ale was established in 2009. They regularly brew and serve Monkeynaut IPA, Brother Joseph Dubbel, and Lily Flagg Milk Stout. I have been foloowing Straight to Ale brewing for over a year now on facebook, biding my time and waiting patiently for an opportunity to visit their brewpub in Huntsville, AL, since their website states that they are a draft-only brewery, available at local bars and restaurants.” Imagine my surprise tonight at Publix when I found this lovely six pack of Monkeynaut IPA… in cans, no less! I picked up the pack from the refrigerated section ASAP and barely even batted an eye at the fact that it was one of my least favorite styles (I would have much preferred it to be full of Lilly Flagg Milk Stout, but beggars can’t be choosers and after having this beer, I’d choose it any day anyway!).

Appearance: Beautiful, medium caramel color. Crisp and clear. Darker than a “typical” IPA. Head retention impressive. Lacing impressive! Thick suds stick to sides of pint glass. 4/5
Smell:Definitely get that bitter hops smell, but it is very nicely balanced with a welcome sweetness. Fruity sweetness, in fact. Nice and citrusy smelling. 4/5
Taste:That’s a damn good IPA. Nicely balanced. Grapefruit and citrus tones coming through and something else even a little sweeter… can’t put my finger on what. But the balance between the citrusy hops and malty sweetness is welcome. I typically shy away from IPAs because the balance is so off. The beer has a strange aftertaste.. like, almost chalky. Kind of strange but not something I’m overly concerned about, especially considering that I am (what!) legitimately enjoying this IPA. 5/5
Mouthfeel:Full bodied and easy on the tongue. Great carbonation. 5/5
Drinkability:I am halfway through this beer and have a nice buzz. It is a 7.5% for Chrissake! This is possibly the only IPA I’ve ever had that I a). not only want to finish entirely, but b). also would like to drink another one. Despite being a 7.5%, this alcohol is not featured prominently and you think you’re drinking a “light” beer when in fact you are just getting drunk. Is that a good or a bad thing? YOU DECIDE. I give it a 5/5 in terms of drinkability. 5/5

I sipped this beer in my parent’s kitchen. Dad drank one with me and mom had a sip of ours. Their contributions follow:

MOM’S CONTRIBUTION:
*sniffs*
*wrinkles nose*
*sips*
*puckers lips*

Ew. I don’t like this.

*examines can*

Straight to Ale? What does that mean?

*met with silence and sideways glances from me and Dad*

DAD’S CONTRIBUTION:
Dad said that this is “what an IPA should be” and then proceeded to down half of the can in about two gulps.

-Mary Mac

BEER REVIEW TIME! Today we will discuss Chatoe Rogue’s...

faeriemary — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:42:00 -0500

BEER REVIEW TIME! Today we will discuss Chatoe Rogue’s First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale.

I received a very thoughtful winter solstice gift a few days ago, which included three bottles of some really hard-to-find or limited edition beers. One of them was Chatoe Rogue’s First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale. I eyed it longingly for a few days before I finally decided to pop it open on Sunday night and share it with my roomies. What a treat it was!

Appearance: Nice caramel color with beautiful orange undertones. The beer is a pleasure to look at. Crisp and clear and the color of a perfectly baked pumpkin pie. The brew does not have very much head retention. I give the appearance a 4/5 but only because I prefer nice fluffy heads on my ales. The color is exquisite.

Smell: Mmm. This beer smells like a freshly roasted pumpkin. Nice nutmeg and clove complements. 5/5… this is what a pumpkin beer should smell like.

Taste: Holy. Shit. This beer rivals Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin, which has long held the place of Number One Crush in my heart when it comes to pumpkin beers. I have always loved Smashed Pumpkin because Shipyard uses actual pumpkins in their beer, not extract. Rogue has now presented me with the most excellent of rivals to Shipyard’s ale. If you take a look at the label I posted in the picture, you will see that their beer tastes like an actual pumpkin because… well, they used pumpkins that were picked 77 miles away on their GYO farm, driven immediately to their brewery, roasted, and tossed into their brew kettle. Remarkably, pleasingly, and dare I say surprisingly, this beer tastes the same way it smells! So many pumpkin beers are a let down because they smell like pumpkin and only taste like pumpkin pie spice. I’ve found it difficult to discover pumpkin beers that deliver the same taste as they exhibit in the smell.

The roasted pumpkin flavour is balanced nicely with that nutmeg and clove taste that I smelled coming through before I tasted it. And I even get a nice and buttery taste on my tongue to complement the pumpkin and spices. What I’m saying is that this tastes like a pie. What a treat.

The hops are balanced precisely as they should be. Just, just, just enough to knock off the too-sweet edge that may have otherwise occurred. Beer Advocate told me that they only used one type of hops flower: Rogue Micro Hopyard Rebel Hops. So, kudos on that, too, Rogue! Lovely hops taste and very well balanced.

5/5 on the taste. Because this is easily the most well-balanced, freshest, and thoughtful pumpkin beer I’ve ever had.

Mouthfeel: Great mouthfeel. I would be happy with a little more carbonation, as I mentioned in the Appearance section. On the other hand, some people like that silkier, smoother mouthfeel! I give it a 4/5.

Overall Drinkability: The abv is like 5.6% I think. I don’t taste any etoh. I got nothing more than a really pleasant buzz off the serving I had. Low abv, no harsh etoh taste or fumes, and tastes like a pumpkin pie reincarnated into delicious beery form means a 5/5 on this brew’s drinkability.

Well done, well done, Rogue.

thebeerbelly: Ask yourself, why do you seek the Cup? Is it for...

cindiasaurus — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:25:10 -0500

thebeerbelly:

Ask yourself, why do you seek the Cup? Is it for the glory of the beer, or for yours?

from “The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing”

cindiasaurus — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:38:54 -0500

from “The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing”

bottled the not-so-pumpkin ale last night.

cindiasaurus — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:48:23 -0500

bottled the not-so-pumpkin ale last night.

We have a facebook page!

cindiasaurus — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:38:28 -0500

We have a facebook page! :

“like” our page to follow our daily drunken shenanigans.

Rainbow Lazer Lavender Blonde: A REVIEW.Okay people. I brewed...

faeriemary — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:02:00 -0400

Rainbow Lazer Lavender Blonde: A REVIEW.

Okay people. I brewed this lavender blonde ale on 15 Oct 2012, bottled it on 21 Oct 2012, and first opened it on 26 Oct 2012. A LITTLE EARLY… but necessary. (Cindy and I were hosting a beer tasting of our tea infused brews on 26 Oct 2012 at Kaleisia Tea Lounge in Tampa, FL, and I waited a little late to brew the beer… which meant we had to open it before it was done conditioning).

When we first opened it at the beer tasting, it was a little wild. Hadn’t bottle conditioned long enough, so the flavors hadn’t had the full amount of time to mellow out (specifically the lavender). Also, the mouthfeel was a little rough.

This afternoon, however, I’m hoping that will have changed.

LET US BEGIN:

Appearance:
Well look at the pictures! It is beautiful (both the beer AND the ridiculous label). The head is quite fluffy, with excellent retention. I poured it about five or seven minutes ago (which is when I took the picture), and I am still seeing a nice layer of foamy bubbles on the top. The color is a nice medium caramel, cloudy but not sediment-y, and golden hues around the edges and bottom when you hold it up to the light.

Smell:
I added some centennial hops in at the zero minute mark of the boil, and boy can I smell them. I also majorly get the lavender smell. Hits you up front. Smells delish. Nothing smells off. Which mostly just means everything was cleaned properly when I was brewing. SCORE.

Taste:
Oh yes.

…Ooooh yes.

This beer has mellowed right the fuck out and is now *quite glorious.* Like I mentioned before, when we first opened it on 26 Oct, it was not fully bottle conditioned. Today, however, it tastes a little bit like heaven. Like a sexy angel’s breast. (What?!) Okay when we first popped the top off and drank it, we got hit with those centennial hops right up front and then the lavender came flooding in and actually masked any of that initial hop flavor. It was a little rough. Now, though, these flavors have melded together and work gloriously well with one another. The sequence of flavors has, in fact, flipped. I taste the lavender up front, and if I put the glass down and close my eyes for a second, the centennial hops come right through at the end and sweetly dance on the back of my tongue. Really wonderful.

Guys, this is actually the taste I was going for. I am really super thrilled with this. About a year ago, I had The Bruery’s Orchard White ale, which was a white beer brewed with lavender as well as a couple of other herbs. It blew me right away. (You can find my review of it here: http://beerwedrank.tumblr.com/post/16066330957/beer-orchard-white-brewer-the-bruery. Anyway, ever since I had The Bruery’s ale brewed with lavender, I have wanted to recreate that flavor somehow. I am really, really happy with how this has turned out — definitely in the same vein as The Bruery’s creation, but unique! My own creation.

A lot of what I said in the review for the Orchard White stands true for the Rainbow Lazer. It smells and tastes light and perfume-y, which is a result of the lavender. I think it lends it a delicate scent and flavor.

Mouthfeel:
Twenty times better than when we first opened in on the 26th. Much more mellow. Nice and full bodied mouthfeel, but all that roughness has calmed down with another week of bottle conditioning. Perfect.

Drinkability:
Guys I could drink 3 Orchard Whites in and evening, and I could drink 3 Rainbow Lazers in an evening, too. But I wouldn’t want to spend a whole evening drinking this; I would prefer to sit on my back porch on a sunny Florida autumn afternoon, sipping it from a chilled pilsner glass and contemplating the nature of space and time. Which is exactly what I’m doing.

What I’m saying is that this is totally drinkable. Goes down easy and induces philosophical thought, good feelings, and deep breathing.

A note: Now that I am halfway through this beer, I get to see what sort of lacing it leaves around the inside of the glass. It is really quite nice. Not anything crazy, just a scant tracing of bubbles. Very pretty.

Cheers y’all. To drinking whatever tastes good to you.

-Mary Mac

Not-So-Pumpkin Ale! Brewed on Thursday, 1 Nov 12, which is also...

faeriemary — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 11:33:00 -0400

Not-So-Pumpkin Ale! Brewed on Thursday, 1 Nov 12, which is also the date the yeast was added. The wort was apparently suuuuper cold when we added the yeast, and so it wasn’t activating for a day or two, there. I just checked it this morning though, and the foaming head is MASSIVE.

Also, the house is a chilly 70 degrees this morning. Normally I’d be all “fuck that!” but suddenly… for the first time, I find myself way less opposed to cold weather because it means I won’t be fighting a losing battle, trying to keep the wort cooler than frickin’ 78 degrees.

Stay tuned for the recipe for the Not-So-Pumpkin Ale! Will be posted in the next day or two. (No pumpkins were harmed in the brewing of this beer).

fremples: if you watch spn backwards it’s a story of how sam becomes happier and happier by...

cindiasaurus — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 12:29:17 -0400

fremples:

if you watch spn backwards it’s a story of how sam becomes happier and happier by chopping off his hair

IT'S OCTOBER, BITCHES

faeriemary — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:32:25 -0400

It is October.

That means it is cold. Kind of drizzly. Generally miserable. Not to mention, the days are short… and so is my temper.

Thankfully, pumpkin beer exists to temper my… temper. <__<

I totally forgot that I had this Harpoon UFO Pumpkin Ale stashed in the back of my fridge. I was planning on doing some really dismal beeresearch tonight on gluten-free beers (I bought a four-pack of Dogfish Head’s Tweason’ale GF beer earlier tonight at Total Wine) but was really not looking forward to it. Imagine my sheer childish delight and surprise to stumble across this pumpkin ale next to the tonic water in the fridge as I rustled around for my leftover broiled salmon (PROTIP: don’t microwave fish when you re-heat it. Lesson learned). Anyway. I’m not doing GF research. I’m doing pumpkin research. Much more enjoyable.

I know this is weird, but I always forget about Harpoon. I don’t know why. They are a good brewery. I just always forget they exist. Anyway… TO THE POINT!

Brew: UFO Pumpkin Ale
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
Style: Um. “Pumpkin Ale” it says. Regular UFO is a white ale, so I assume this is also a white ale/wheat beer kind of style.
ABV: 5.90%, but the bottle doesn’t say that. I just looked it up on Beer Advocate.

Let’s talk about the appearance, guys. I know the picture doesn’t really do it justice because a). I took it with my webcam and b). I unfortunately decided to pour this unfiltered ale into a frosted glass. *facepalm* But… it is a truly beautiful color. Light caramel hue, crisp yet cloudy, and just generally pretty. Interestingly, the head fizzed up, died down almost completely, and is now back to a fairly consistent quarter-inch thickness. It isn’t a thick head but it isa consistent head, which in my book, is probably more important. Although… damn. This isa wheat beer. The head should be much bigger than a quarter inch. I’m knocking off half a point. 4.5 outta five on the appearance.

The smell is glorious. Honestly this smell reminds me of a Good Gourd from Cigar City, which, along with Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin, are my very favorite pumpkin brews. Smells sweet and spicy. I catch scents of both the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spices. Definitely heavy on some cloves. So many pumpkin ales are made with the spices but not actually made with the damn pumpkin… IT’S NOT A PUMPKIN ALE UNLESS YOU BREW IT WITH PUMPKIN OR AT LEAST PUMPKIN FLAVORING, GUYS. Anyway. This smells like pumpkin. I can already tell this is going to taste good. Five out of five on the smell.

And now for the taste…

Okay. That was weird. It is actually less sweet than it smells, and I taste maybe a bit less straight-up PUMPKIN than I might’ve expected. I can definitely taste those delicious cloves that I smelled so obviously before I tasted it. Also… is this just me? Are my taste buds being bitches? …It tastes kind of hoppy. This is weirding me out. For a wheat beer it is definitely heavy on the hops, but to be fair — I haven’t actually had a non-pumpkin UFO beer before, so I don’t know if the heavy hops is typical for this particular Harpoon brew. However, I’m going to go look up the kind of hops used in this brew. BRB!

Okay. I feel less crazy: they used Northwestern hops. Jesus! Why would you use a Northwestern hop in a wheat beer? Sigh… Americans. *smh* 3.5 out of 5.

The mouthfeel is really excellent. It is super creamy. Very typical full-bodied wheat beer mouthfeel. Five out of five.

This beer is quite drinkable. Definitely heavier on the hops than I would have liked, but on the other hand, the hoppiness lends it a nice lightness that you may not typically have in your regular seasonal pumpkin beer. Which means that you could easily finish one of these and head straight to the fridge for another one without skipping a beat. Four outta five on drinkability.

Okay. Final assessment: 4.4/5, which is pretty good for having less of a fabulous taste than I was expecting. The smell, appearance, and drinkability saved this one!

Cheers! To beer, to pursuing your dreams, and to getting the fuck out of situations you hate.

xo
Mary

Wow it has been along time since the last post. Have some updates:

cindiasaurus — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:26:52 -0400

The cherry chocolate stout and the peppermint tea chocolate porter have both been bottled and consumed, with positive results.

We’ve brewed an orange creamsicle tea wit, which we are bottling this Friday.

We are also planning to brew a vanilla bourbon tea porter.

I bought a converted cooler mash tun off craigslist, so we can finally try the all-grain wit recipe I bought a few months ago.

We also made a few more (cute) brewing friends whom we hope to rope into helping up with the all-grain brew.

Mary moved into a new house, so we have a whole room dedicated to brewing. We’ve got hundreds of empty bottles lined up on industrial racks, ready for bottling. Mary also kept her old fridge for us to use for fermentation.

I joined the AHA and keep trying to get a gig bartending (no luck so far).

I accidentally left my beer notebook at the RenFest brewing tent, so I have to wait to get that back before I can type up any reviews in there. Also, I need that back before we can figure out the ABV of our beers, because I wrote all the info in there…

I submitted the Cherry Chocolate Stout and Peppermint Tea Chocolate Porter to the Hogtown Brew-Off, which will be judged this Saturday! I don’t expect them to win anything, obviously, but it’s good to start putting stuff out there, I suppose.

And I think that’s about it for updates! I’ll try to post some more reviews soon :)

Update!

cindiasaurus — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:27:49 -0400

We bottled the cherry conciliate stout on Saturday and only had enough to fill 39 bottles. We used all 5oz of priming sugar though, so I hope we don’t wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of glass exploding.

We also racked the porter onto cocoa nibs and will bottle it in a week or two, depending on our mood.

Very excited to try these two brews!

Peppermint tea chocolate porter

cindiasaurus — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:46:20 -0400

OG: 1.112

Potential ABV: 15%

Percent Sugar: 28

Brewed April 7, 2012

Racked the stout onto cherry purée and cocoa nibs today! Simon...

cindiasaurus — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:57:37 -0400

Racked the stout onto cherry purée and cocoa nibs today! Simon to bottle next Saturday or the following one.

Gonna start experimenting next weekend. Planning a peppermint tea porter aged over organic cocoa nibs. Very excited!

Photo

cindiasaurus — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:46:56 -0400

I stole this pic form my friend JP. I actually did not get any...

cindiasaurus — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:55:34 -0400

I stole this pic form my friend JP. I actually did not get any pictures from Brewz Crewz, oh well.

This festival was super fun! I’ve never been to a big beer fest like this before and I definitely enjoyed myself. Everyone was really nice and pretty much everyone that noticed me taking notes asked about this blog. Hopefully some of them found it!

The fest was 3 hours long, and I managed to snag 36 samples and two full bottles of beer :)

Because of the time crunch and the fact that the friends I went with were on a beer tasting mission, my notes were a bit brief and probably got more confused and biased the drunker I got.

Anyway, here are the 36 beers I tried (in chronological order):

Orlando Brewing Organic Blonde Ale, ABV: 4.73% , Rating: 3/5
Very light color, light scent, nice clean taste, nice head. Simple, sweet, nice balance, good carbonation. Could drink a lot.
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, ABV: 6.60% , Rating: 2/5
Hoppy! Citrusy hoppy taste. Dark tan, small head. Smells like pine. Not my style, but good for an IPA lover. The lady that worked the table was very enthusiastic and sweet.
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, ABV 5.30%, Rating: 3/5
Smells sweet, tastes kinda sweet. Nice balance. Bubbly going down - nice and tingly. Very light yellow color with nice small white head.
Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale, ABV 6.75%, Rating: 4/5
Really big gorgeous head, light clear brown color. Smells amazing. Warm, sweet taste - very nice and interesting.
Full Sail Pale Ale, ABV 5.40%, Rating: 3/5
Nice head, light tan color, clear. Smells sweet. Sweet taste, high carbonation. I like! Not my usual style, but I approve.
Ace Perry Cider, ABV 5.00%, Rating: 4.5/5
Sweet smell, sweet taste, but not too sweet. Very good balance for a cider :) Pear taste, tastes like candy, but in a nice way. Champagne color, light green.
Napa Smith Lost Dog Amber/Red Ale, ABV: 7.20%, Rating: 4/5
Great malt smell. Nice brown clear color, little head. Tastes great - cold, crisp, high carbonation, light, good balance. I love it and JP (IPA LOVER) loves it.
Napa Smith Organic IPA, ABV: 7.10%, Rating: 3.5/5
I don’t like IPAs and this is good! Sweet, not too hoppy. Organic FTW.
OBP Toasted Coconut Porter, ABV: 5.35%, Rating: 4.5/5
Smells awesomely like chocolate coconut. Taste surprising light, milky taste and feel. Pretty thick head, very dark, almost black color. So pretty! Awesome :)
Orange Blossom Pilsner 2, ABV: 11.0%, Rating: 4/5
Light orange color, nice head. Smells amazing, like oranges and cream and honey. Nice crisp taste. Definitely taste honey. Sweet, but not overly. Medium carbonation. Goes down smooth, can’t taste alcohol. Nice orange after taste.
Flying Dogs’ Stray Dogs Amber Lager, ABV: 5.5%, Rating: 3.25/5
Smells like spring water. Light taste, taste like spring water! Medium brown, small head. Light, crisp, cool / can’t place taste but nice goes well with chili. Could drink at a party.
Flying Dog Hefeweizen In Heat Wheat, ABV: 4.7%, Rating: 5/5
Banana and cloves! Light cloudy yellow. Very little head. Smells like cloves, taste like awesome! Would drink all the beers. Light, crisp, refreshing.
Brooklyn Brown Ale, ABV: 5.6%, Rating: 4/5
Medium brown color, cloudy, small head. Nice smell, dark and malty. Medium body. Tastes lighter than it smells. Sweet finish. Goes down smooth, med/high carbonation. Good retention and lacing.
Brooklyn Lager, ABV: 5.2%, Rating: 3.75/5
Smells hoppy. Tan, good, small head. Surprisingly sweet and light. Little/med carbonation. Goes down smooth. Can’t taste the hops I smell. Filling but feels light?
Boulder Beer Hazed & Infused Dry-hopped Ale, ABV: 4.85%, Rating: 3/5
Very slight hop smell. Nice head - deep tan, slightly cloudy. Sweet and hoppy but good hoppy. Medium body, medium carbonation. Smooth, bubbly in throat. I approve.
(Should be noted I’m kinda drunk by now)
Twisted Pines Billy’s Chilies, ABV: 5%, Rating: 3.5/5
Smells like straight up chili - awesome! Light yellow, slightly cloud. Woah! Weird! Slight chili taste, but great chili aftertaste! So interesting. Not for every day, but would be a great party favor. :)
The Native’s The Eleven Brown Ale, ABV: 4.2%
Deep brown, awesome thumb-sized head! Smells amazing - chocolate? coconut? deep, malty, crisp, nice! Good, light carbonation. Bubbly going down, malty aftertaste.
Native Lager, ABV: 5%, Rating: 3/5
Smells hoppy. Light color with good head, slightly cloudy. Doesn’t taste hoppy, tastes really light and smooth. Pleasant. Would totally dig it if I weren’t such a porter lover. Little plain, but in a nice way.
Geary’s Hampshire Special Ale, ABV: 7%, Rating: 3/5
Nice caramel color, good white head. Smells awesome - like caramel. Caramel taste, sweet but not too sweet. Pretty solid, not the best but good.
Coronado Orange Ave Wit, ABV: 5.2%, Rating: 3/5
Bright yellow, cloudy, no head. Smells awesome - citrusy. Light, crisp, med/high carbonation. Kinda smooth. Solid beer.
Coronado Mermaid Red, ABV: 5.7%, Rating: 2.3/5
Smells great, caramel color. No head. Kinda hoppy. Okay. Pine tree aftertaste.
Cigar City Brewing Jose Marti
Mmm.
Abita 25 Vanilla Double Dog, ABV: 7%, Rating: 6/5
Dark, cloudy brown; nice head. Smells am-zazing - deep caramel and malt, slight vanilla. OMIGOD. Vanilla goodness. I can’t even Best beer tonight. Phenomenal. Yes yes yes.
Terrapin Moo-Hoo, ABV: 6%, Rating: 7/5
Deep rich brown with deep brown beautiful head. Smells like oatmeal cookies and chocolate. CHOCOLATE! What just happened in my mouth? This is amazing! Milky smooth. Gorgeous body. Perfect balance. Low carbonation. What even is this? Is this real life?
Dogfish Head Chicory, ABV: 5.2%
Yes. Awesome. Not as good as previous, but awesome.
Breckenridge Agave Wheat, ABV: 4.2%
Bright yellow, cloudy. Smooth, good. I love stouts, what is happening with my life?
Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout, ABV: 6.10%
Omigod Yes.
Konda Longboard Ale Pale Wheat, ABV: 5%, Rating: 2/5
Light yellow, no head. Smells yellow. Tastes okay. Unimpressive.
Victory Lager, ABV: 4.8%, Rating: 3/5
Bright yellow, cloudy. Smells super familiar but I can’t place it. Fruit? Flowers? Light, faerie taste. Med carbonation, good balance.
Southern Tier Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale, ABV: 5.7%, Rating 2.5/5
Gordon Biersch Lager, ABV: 7.5%
Medium brown, good head. NO smell. Tastes okay.
Highland Oatmeal Stout, ABV: 5.8%
Dark black, opaque. Good head. Warm, cozy, oatmeal breakfast.
Holy Mackrel Mack in Black, ABV: 8%
95% head, brown. Dark black. Smells hoppy and weird. Mocha? Kinda love it. Chocolate mocha alcohol yes. More.
Redbrick Brown Ale, ABV: 6%, Rating: 3/5
Alt. Med brown. Okay head. Smells like chocolate coffee. Good. Like.
Laughing Skulls Amber Ale, ABV: 5/7%, Rating: 2.5/5
Light tan with nice head. Smells like amber and light hop. Smooth. Okay. Party beer?
Highland Mocha Stout
Yes.

I'll be pouring our wit at CCB's Hunahpu party on Saturday, so come by the Tampa Bay BEERS table and to try a sample and say hello!

cindiasaurus — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:02:25 -0500

<3, c.

Our (mostly) extract belgian wit is ready for consumption and the results are good!

cindiasaurus — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:05:20 -0500

Mary and I will sit down and actually review the beer ourselves (I have a review of our porter written that I need to type up), but I just wanted to share some comments we got from the home brewer’s club last night.

I went to a Tampa Bay BEERS meeting last night and after listening to a speech from Jeff from Boulder Brewing, everyone got up and went around trying everyone else’s homebrews.

I brought in two of the belgian wit, but was too nervous to walk around by myself so my gracious and personable friend DT walked around and introduced the beer for me. About twenty people tried the beer and all said it was good!

It got a hearty nod from the brewer at St. Somewhere and positive feedback and reviews from Jeff from Boulder :D

Some of the comments we got were:

delicious
good amount of spices
very standard and representative wit
good balance
too much priming sugar
thin mouth feel, but solid taste
not a great sipping beer, but good for gulping
good yeast
no unusual or bad flavors
tasted good warm, but would be better cold
impressive for a beginner

One guy said he didn’t normally drink light beer but he liked it. And then later came by and asked for another sample!

That’s all I can remember for now. It was really exciting!

<3, c.

Brewing Company: Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FloridaName:...

cindiasaurus — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:15:05 -0500

Brewing Company: Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, Florida
Name: Cubano Espresso
Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Serving type: draught
Price: $5

Aroma: Straight up smells like chocolate espresso.

Appearance: Nice head, slight retention. Dark, clear brown. Some light comes through the bottom.

Taste: Nice, sweet taste, good balance. Nice feeling on the lips, but not as foamy as I’d like. Not as thick or milky as I’d like either. Medium carbonation - goes down a little bubbly, but in a nice way.

Finish: Tingles in the throat. Beer-ish coffee aftertaste, slightly bitter. Filling. Feeling a buzz.

The smell alone is worth getting a glass.

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended.