Hale's Ales, Seattle, WA: El Jefe, Weizen Ale

First off, you have to love this beer's name and label.  Coming out of the rich craft beer region of the Pacific Northwest, Hale's Ales in Seattle is one of my favorite breweries.  The host a great variety of beer, one of my favorites is their cream ale - and their pub restaurant has some mean corn-beef and hash.

El Jefe is a good example of an American style wheat/weizen with a strong grassy/wheat taste, semi filtered straw-like color with a bubbly head.  I enjoyed this beer on a hot day in central Washington after walking through apple, pear and cherry orchards with a belly full of Mexican tamales.

"El Jefe" Weizen Ale possesses a flavor profile that is "true Bavarian Style" -complex and mouth-filling, with the spicey and fruity influences that only genuine hefeweizen yeast can produce. This is a beer that combines old world quality and character with new world freshness--the best of both worlds. -Hale's

Brasserie d'Achouffe, Belgium: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Gnome crazy Belgians rule!  I love this Indian Pale ale Belgian style beer, with a harmonious balance between bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE is an aggressive unfiltered, and bottle re-fermented Belgian IPA.  Although I really love this beer, its gnome sister beer - LA CHOUFFE (golden style), is my favorite from this brewery.  While I've found this beer bottled in both bars and grocery stores, I would love to taste it on tap. 

Knee Deep Brewing, Tanilla Porter

Knee Deep Brewing's Tanilla Porter has become one of my favorite porters if not one of my favorite beers after tasting it earlier this week.  The porter has a sweet chocolate flavor from the roasted malts and a very pleasant vanilla flavor from the use of Tahitian Vanilla beans.  Drinking this beer on draft I didn't notice much head and the beer is a medium to light body and holds 6.3% abv. Although I didn't see a physical address posted on the Brewery's website it is apparent that Knee Deep is out of the Sierra Foothills and the Master Brewer is from Reno which makes this Lake Tahoe guy very happy.  Despite the low ratings and poor reviews for this beer on Beer Advocate.com I am sticking with this one and think it is top notch.  I am going to hunt down more beer styles from this brewery asap.

Unibroue - La Fin du Monde

(My first time enjoying this beer was in 2001 while on a road trip through Canada with my buddy Ty.  I remember buying the beer from a liquor store because I liked the name and label, the complex tastes of the beer expanded my horizons for high ABV Belgian beers.  After visiting some hot springs and sipping this beer we ended up sleeping in the car.  To this day, I still find myself seeking out this fantastic beer which invokes these great memories. You'll find a wide variety of sweet exotic flavors in La Fin du Monde; tropical fruits balanced with a nice bitter aftertaste.

La Fin du Mond: French for "The end of the world" is a Belgian Style triple fermentation (also refermented in the bottle) Golden Ale.  La Fin Du Monde’s appearance is a light cloudy golden hue, and while similar to most other Belgian triple ales in appearance, its flavor is less bitter and more spicy (featuring coriander and orange peel).  

The fully-fermented beer contains (9% ABV) alcohol content and an abundance of awesomeness.

21st Amendment Bitter American

I had heard of this brewery before because of this blog, so I knew that what I was getting into was probably going to be good, but to be honest with you, I probably would have bought this craft brew just because the packaging jumped out at me. First of all, it comes in cans, which are becoming increasingly popular. Then of course, there's the picture on the cans. Who can say no to a chimp in a space suit? 21A say that the plan behind this beer was to create something lighter in alcohol that could be consumed over a longer period of time. I think they did it rather nicely with this beer. There is a lot of late hopping or possibly a dry-hop aroma in this beer that goes along with a malt bill that gives this beer tons of flavor, but not nearly as much bitterness or alcohol as some of the other products I've reviewed on this blog. It's actually a refreshing change to what seems like an ABV arms race of sorts that has been developing over the past couple of years. Thank you, Bitter American. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Okay, so I'm delving into the archives of photos a bit, but this brew from Rogue was definitely memorable.  I got it because I heard from a respectable source that it was a great example of an American stout. Boy was I glad for the recommendation. Shakespeare himself could have hyped this beer and I still would have been impressed. It pours dark black with a nice light brown head. Initially, I thought there would be more hop aroma because of the "American" label, but this is definitely more for the roasted malt lovers out there. Very silky smooth mouthfeel with dark chocolate and roast coffee overtones. The yeast strain is mild enough to really let the malt and hops shine in this one. Finishing the last sip made me say "parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight 'til it be morrow." Delicious.
-Taster Be

Grand Ivey Brewing Co., "Wit and Nerdy"

Wit beers have become increasingly popular the last few years and with good reason, they’re refreshing and flavorful yet can be complex enough to satisfy beer geeks, especially on a hot summer day.  Much of the credit for this beer's popularity is due to Master brewer, Pierre e Celis, a farmer from the city of Hoegaarden, brought this ancient style back into modern brewing in the mid-1960's.

I was fortunate enough to learn how to brew this beer earlier this year with the head brewer of Grand Ivey who told me about the importance of Pierre's work.  We happen to brew this batch of Wit on Friday April 9th, 2011 - We later learned that Pierre past away the following day on Saturday April 10th.  So this one's for Pierre, Cheers! 

Congratulations to Grand Ivey for producing such an incredible wit style brew.  I loved the light white-wheat color and its refreshing flavors,  The beer had a medium, bright white head that laced perfectly and all of the spices came through just as we hoped.  I am sure there is room for improvement in brewing this beer but I am proud of it and I think Pierre would be too!

Delicious!

-K

Full Sail Brewing Company

My-oh-my.  My Beer-connoisseur-sister from Portland, OR sent me a special-special gift of black nectar from one of the world's beer meccas.  Thanks for sending me Full Sail's Black Gold Sis, even though it came with a "only drink after: date" that kept me waiting for about 3 months... but it was worth the wait to enjoy this bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout.  This is a serious beer: it tastes like a french roast coffee  cappuccino mixed with a shot of strong Kentucky whiskey.  With out a doubt, this beer put some hair on my chest, not to mention my wife's too.  At some 11% ABV it was like licking the inside of a bourbon cask with it's woody, boozy flavor which was balanced out with its smooth, malty, chocolaty, coffee flavors that are more commonly associated with stouts.

“This extended aging presents hints of vanilla and allows the Stout to pick up the flavors of the wood, bourbon and oak. The aging combined with the robust character of the Imperial Stout make for an extraordinary and wonderful taste experience. It has a strong roasted malt character and a full body. Chocolate and caramel nuances blend with the hops for a smooth Imperial Stout,” described by Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail Brew Master.

Awesomeness.
-K

Iron Springs Brewing Co., Fairfax, CA

Just as I started to feel like, maybe I've had one too many IPAs and it is time leave those hop-headed-heroes on the shelf for a while, a friend of mine put this beauty in front of me and I was re-inspired.  This is an excellent IPA, an excellent beer.  The first thing I noticed while enjoying beers at Iron Springs Brewery just 7-10 miles north of me in Fairfax, CA was the amazing color quality of ALL of their beers (I ordered 10 samplers so I got to see most if not all of the beers they had on tap).  Secondly, Iron Springs does a great job bringing out the characteristics of each beer style, so while I see them as a creative brewery, I also think they are really good at following traditional modes of brewing.  There must be some Block-headed German in one of the beer-masters, just try their Kolsch style beer: "Kent Lake".
Anyhow,  I enjoyed this 22 of the JC Flyer IPA at the brewery and took one home with me.  It pours with a hazed golden body with a small white head. The aromas are of orange, tangerine, and pine. The flavors are dry, grainy, citrus and there is a very light caramel flavor, dry body, lively carbonation with no astringents and weighs in around 9%. A well balanced big hoppy beer that reinvigorated my pallet. -Kbaer

Wittekerke

Yes, it's another Belgian witbier, and this one happens to be one of the best ones I've tasted. I think most anyone could like this beer. First off, the color is incredible. The cloudy almost off white beverage is a spectacle in itself. I tried it in a dark room and I was still amazed by how light it was. I can only imagine what it would look like in the late afternoon summer sun. Next is the aroma and flavor which are equally appealing. Nothing stands out as overpowering, and I would venture to say that Wittekerke is quite restrained for this style, with only a slight taste of belgian yeast and traditional spicing. But, my fellow flavorful beer aficionados, fear not. Wittekerke's balance is what makes this beer so special. Flavor-wise, it is simply refreshing- in the hot days of July and August (add May and June if you live where I do), this would be like bottled heaven. The malted wheat provides something here that most beers just don't attain. I tried to describe it (unsuccessfully) in an earlier post, and I still can't pin it down, but if you're a fan of wheat beers, you might know what I'm talking about. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Ommegang Hennepin

My second beer at The Brick Store, this belgian-style saison straight from New York was delicious. Spicy, tropical fruit, combined with loads of carbonation made this the perfect beer to drink when in an optimistic mood, ready to float off with the dreams of tomorrow. I was in heaven imagining descriptors for this one until someone (and if you know me, you know who it was) suggested circus peanuts. There's nothing like orange foamy sugar to bring you back to Earth. Maybe I shouldn't take myself so seriously and just enjoy this fine beer. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Victory Storm King Stout

As someone who cut her brew teeth on red cups of Natty Ice and water's second cousin, Rolling Rock, I'd like to think that I've come full circle. And by that I mean completely reformed, not regressed. Victory Storm King Stout is about the best way I could think of to tip my proverbial forty to that reformation. It's creamy and chocolate-y and high gravity. It made me want to compliment the waiter. It must be good.

-Nic B.

Full Sail Cascadian Dark Ale

Growing in popularity, the CDA variety is gaining some traction this season. This one from Full Sail blends dark malts with a pleasant hoppiness that is full bodied but not heavy. Very tasty.
BJ - Posted from my iPhone

Gouden Carolus Tripel

Oh my fellow fine beer drinkers, last night I had the pleasure of enjoying a few rare beers at The Brick Store in Decatur, GA. This place was incredible. Each beer I ordered came in its own special glass not only appropriate for the style, but also baring the name of the brewery. I began the evening with this Belgian tripel in the upstairs Belgian tap room. The nose reveals very subtle hops and the spiciness of the belgian yeast strains.  The taste was soft, yet very complex with fruits reminiscent of apricot and delicate sweetness. This beer made me want to sit and sip and enjoy a mind-expanding conversation with my wife while marveling at my good fortune in life. I don't get a chance to drink this style on draft very often, and the whole experience was something I will remember for a long time.  Delicious.
-Taster Be

Marin Brewing Co., Mt. Tam - Pale Ale

This is a pretty good Pale Ale.  Apparently, judging by the bottle's very discriptive label, some beer afficionados this this pale is simple supurb with several awards from festivals and associations to its credit.  The color was a cool-yellowish amber and the taste was very mild, kind of middle of the road and perhaps a bit too balanced because I didn't find a lot of character within.  Never-the-less, I enjoyed this beer and would go back for more.  It is my impression that this brewery and restaurant has been doing good business and making distinguished brews for a long time.  Plus, I have to root for my local brews, this one out of Larkspur, CA.

Mammoth Brewing Co: Hair Of The Bear - Dopple Bock Lager

Hailing from 8000 feet above sea level is Mammoth Brewing Co. where the waters of the Eastern Sierra mix with roasted dark malts to produce this amazingly delicious Lager.  Standing in at 9% ABV with a smooth chocolate-nut flavor this is one big bear of a beer and one of the best beers I've posted this year.  I'd track down this beer any day of the year.

Coors Brewing Company: Blue Moon- Pale Moon

Golden Colorado lays claim to a Belgian-Style beer with its line up of Blue Moon beers but the end result remains in line with what the brewery does best...perhaps these beers should be called Belgian-style-light beers and come packaged in a hyper-colored-gimmicky can. Ahh, I am upset that I spent good beer money on this 6-pack.

Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition Lager

The name of the brewery sparks up nostalgia of underneath the bottle cap picture puzzles, but this lager is a probably a bit more interesting than what my six-year-old palate remembers of the sips of Lucky Lager that Dr. Grandpa used to let me have. I like the label and its description of the beer, but this is the first beer that I have imbibed thus far that I taste and think "Holy corn!" It makes me wonder if they used it as an adjunct, but according to the description of this beer, there aren't as many additives as one finds in most of today's American lagers. To me, that reads like the adjuncts used today. An interesting drink, but not my favorite American lager. I don't really taste the west coast hops used in dry hopping, and really all I can think of is corn.  Now if it would have had some drawings underneath the cap, I might be swayed to buy some more. Weiner desk a shin.
-Taster Be

Michigan Brewing Co. Nut Brown Ale

This was a nice brown ale in the same vein as a Newcastle. Definitely had some nut-like overtones and went down smooth. A nice relaxing beer to drink after fixing something around the house- flavorful with subtle complexity, yet rather light.  Incidentally, when I went to the Michigan Brewing Co. website, I saw that they also are now the home of the Celis line of beers and that a brewing legend, Pierre Celis passed away earlier this month. Celis is often credited with bringing the Belgian style wit beers back from near extinction, so here's a toast to your memory, Pierre, and may you continue to inspire more fine brews. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Leffe Blond

I could have sworn I've tried this before, but when I tasted the first sip, it was clear that I hadn't. I would have kept drinking them all night if I didn't have a final the next morning in Alabama. The richness of the taste reminded me of a sweet, custard-like dessert, followed by a spiciness much like cinnamon. It was a welcome departure from the other beers I had been drinking all week, which were heavy on hops, roasted malts, or both. This is an excellent drinking beer and I can see how the complex flavors and aroma could compliment a large variety of foods. It is so smooth that I was blown away when I read it measures 6.6% ABV. I will drink this again many times over. Delicious.
-Taster Be