Deftones Phantom Bride by Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, CA) - IPA
Interesting mixture of light citrus with piney, dank hoppiness from the first sip. This IPA is closer to a classical west coast one but somehow a bit muted and without any particular flavor upfront or dominant but more a constant mix with some mild bitterness in the finish.
Lavender Radler by Old Caz Beer (Rohnert Park, CA) - Shandy/Radler
Radlers tend to be mixtures of pilsner and lemonade but here they used a hoppy sour which really nicely works together with the not overly sweet lavender lemonade which also has only subtle floral notes. Great radler, very refreshing.
Picking Fields by Dust Bowl Brewing Company (Turluck, CA) - Imperial Milkshake IPA
Milkshake IPA like this one have a nice creamy, milk-like consistency by the addition of lactose which gives it also some sweetness that works well with mango and the hoppiness. Well balanced with a good bitterness in the finish.
Juicy by Barrelhouse Brewing Company (Paso Robles) - IPA
Very juicy IPA with a burst of orange, apricot and some hints of mango. Followed by some spices and a medium bitter, dry finish. Good beer but could be better with some more dank, resin to balance out the first fruit “wave”.
Don’t think I’ve seen lavender as a flavouring ingredient in beer here. Pretty sure if some high profile brewery makes it and the fanboys love it then maybe they would start making it here, too.
This one is from Amsterdam. Even though I’m not a big fan of “west coast style” IPA I decided to to give this one a go. Has a handful of classic American hops it it but the end result is not really soapy tasting (a problem associated with my allergies and intolerances). I think it tastes more like an APA.
From Berkshire, England. Faint smokiness and berries, roasted coffee and chocolate.
Descriptions on their site:
Primal Cut is a high-concept beer inspired by our Head Brewers tasting of some blackcurrant purée we sampled. He thought it would be ideal for a BBQ sauce, so we built a recipe with some smoked malt and coffee (imagine a coffee-rubbed brisket), which is all complemented by the fruity ’sauce-esque’ high notes.
Next 2 are from the Icelandic capital. Both are pitch black, “peated”, alcoholic and chocolatey/coffee. The kind of beer you want savour slowly on a chilly day/night.
Lovely! 2017 Armagnac barrel aged!
How did you like it - the description sounds very promising with a potentially nice balance between the smokiness and fruitiness from the black currents
A Beer named Duck by Mast Landing Brewing Co. (Westbrook, ME) - Pale Ale
Lime, lemon flavor upfront which get immediately followed by some peach and papaya notes. Afterwards the beer shows some spices, pine and a lot of bitterness and finishes with dry, bitter flavors.
Book of Tropics by Laughing Monk Brewing (San Francisco, CA) - Sour - Fruited Berliner Weisse
Fruit-added sours tend to be either go for extremes (very sour with strong fruit flavors) or try to find a moderate balance. This sour definitely goes for the latter - not overly sour but also only moderate guava and passionfruit flavors with a dry finish. Easy to drink but also a bit unremarkable.
A glass of Harvey’s Elizabethan Ale. Tasted a little raisin-y with kind of a tannic taste as well. Would drink again.
From the brewer’s website:
Juiced ! Guava by Henhouse Brewing Company (Petaluma, CA) - Sour - Fruited Gose
Typical gose with a characteristic of lemony tartness with a slightly, but not overwhelming, salty finish. If it wouldn’t have been written on the can I wouldn’t have guessed it contained any guava juice. Hardly any fruitiness detectable and so it was very unbalanced and one-dimensional.
Hovered Ridge by Ten Bends Beer (Hyde Park, VT) - DIPA
Strong tropical (passionfruit, mango) flavor with some citrus/orange sourness. Followed by some medium bitterness with a long finish. Nicely balanced DIPA and very drinkable.
Brother Harvey by Laughing Monk Brewing (San Francisco, CA) - Milkshake IPA
Creamy mouthfeel from the lactose but not overly pronounced. Moderate mango flavor, relatively little pineapple and overall more focused on the sourness than fruitiness. Good beer but was hoping for a bit more mango to balance the sourness.
Foederville by American Solera (Tulsa, OK) - Sour
Wild ale with a nice lemon, grapefruit sourness but also mellowed by the oak flavors. Reminds a bit on a very young white wine which sometimes can be quite tart. Long dry finish. Overall a lot of funk but a great beer to sip.
Tin Sky DDH by Mountains Walking Brewery (Bozeman, MT) - DIPA
Nice example if a NE DIPA - Upfront grapefruit, lime and peach flavors which get balanced by the medium hoppy bitterness and some mildly spicy, resin notes. Long bitter finish.
Big Papi by Commonwealth Brewing Company (Virginia Beach, VA) - DIPA
Great tropical juice with enough bitterness to not get too sweet. Followed by some spicy bite and an interesting dank flavor similar to wet hay. Long, medium bitter finish. Very drinkable with the higher ABV not really noticeable.
Fashionably Late by Laughing Monk Brewing (San Francisco, CA) - IPA
Very hop-forward west coast IPA with a very complex, hoppy, resiny flavor but also some upfront peach flavors which don’t become dominant like with some NEIPA. Excellent IPA.
Dear Rich by Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co (Waltham, MA) - IPA
Guava, mango and passionfruit upfront followed by a strong hoppy, resin, peppery flavor with quite a lot of bitterness and a long, lingering finish. Good NEIPA but with some characteristics of a west coast IPA
Continuing my exploration of locally available Pilsners, now that the Bay Area is experiencing its warmer days of the year.
Simpler Times is a low-price brand sold at Trader Joe’s, and this can cost just 75 cents. It wasn’t even worth that. Immediately, the smell of banana esters filled the room, and I poured it out after just a taste (and crushed the can, as you can see).
Scrimshaw wasn’t defective, just a little boring, without the crisp hoppiness I’ve gotten in Sierra Nevada Summertime and other local micros.
Moonlight’s Reality Czeck, however, is, um, the real thing. Bracing and, yes, crisp, with a wonderful aroma and refreshing aftertaste.
I guess you get what you pay for these days. The Scrimshaw was $2.00 for the can, but the Moonlight was about $16 for a four-pint pack. Other locals are also hovering at the $4.00/pint price point.
To me, Scrimshaw is the least interesting of North Coast’s beers.
I’ve been impressed with most of Moonlight’s beers. Harmonic in San Francisco does a nice Pilsner too, Prague Rock, if you find it.
