Ah…! I didn’t look it up.
It’s new to me. And has nothing to do with a women’s undergarment brand.
Baltika #7 export lager. Weirdly sweet.
Russians are good vodka making but not in beer brewing. Had some really awful beers many years ago in Russia
Strawberry Sournova by Almanac Beer Company (Alameda, CA) - Fruited Sour
Excellent natural conditioned sour which gives it a more rounded flavor with non artificially, slightly tart tasting strawberry upfront that gets complexity by being aged in oak - good balanced sourness in the end.
3 Likes
Have you tried any of their other Sournovas? The line is generally good and well-balanced.
No, it was my first Sournova but not my last. Looking on Untappd they seem to have overall some interesting beers (and they are not to far away.
Their taproom/beer garden is worth a visit. And if it’s too crazy, you can visit Admiral Maltings next door and have beers made with their malts.
1 Like
You can’t handle the juice by Heretic Brewing Company (Fairfield, CA) - Imperial IPA
Not surprising with this name, orange juice with peach and mango notes quite dominant upfront, followed by some light malt notes and some piney flavors in the background and a dry, medium bitter finish. Dangerously easy to drink for an DIPA.
3 Likes
8.5% damn!
1 Like
I did drink a bunch of Baltika beers back in my early craft beer days. Was never impressed with any of them.
(D)DH/NEIPAs are getting increasingly more alcoholic. I want to go back to the time when it was simpler.
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Stay Hopdrated (Pulfer brewery, Croatia): 7.3%, 50 IBU.
Galaxy and Idaho7 hops. Good bitterness. Tropical, citrusy, some pine-y, stone fruits. Smells sweet. OK beer. Their other IPAs are better.
Not sure if anyone recognises this (Californian) brewery. Short version: worthless beer.
Novo Brazil Brewing - The Mango Beer.
The label is useless. I had to look up IBU and other info. 7%, IBU 55. A big gusher. The first 1/3 ended up on my hardwood floors (I usually open a beer over the kitchen sink, this time I did not and look what happened). Cloudy, low to medium bitterness, faint artificial “mango” taste but nothing can be described as “fruity”. Low turbidity. No hop smell. Pretty sure there are a lot of good IPAs coming out of San Diego, but unfortunately this one is barely drinkable and very forgettable.
3 Likes
Campfire Stout by High Water Brewing (Lodi, CA) - Stout
Strong notes of chocolate and molasses as the foundation of the stout. Some vanilla and cake-like flavors in the background with sweetness from the marshmallows. Very smooth and easy to drink without being overly sweet.
2 Likes
Champ Rochaux by Gilman Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - Farmhouse Ale/Saison
Typical saison with a grassy wheat flavor as the foundation and some spices (coriander, allspice) quite prominent. The nectarines seem to give the beer a bit more mellow character but are hardly noticeable. Dry finish.
3 Likes
Hop Bandit by Bank Brewing Company (Hendricks, MN) - American Pale Ale
A bit of grapefruit juiciness upfront followed by some mild piney notes and a medium bitter, slightly citrusy finish. Overall an easy to drink session ale but also a bit unremarkable.
3 Likes
Going through photos from Greek holiday. Didn’t take any tasting notes but 99% of stuff from Solo brewery in Crete is good to great. Head brewer is Norwegian who prefers the nomadic brewing life over a successful career as an airline pilot.
Santorini has 2 small craft beer breweries, Volkan is 1. When the Solo beers we brought from Crete were finished we drank Volkan every day. It’s OK, smooth and easy drinking.
There’s a cafe on the island where one can drink Volkan on tap. Is the last column tax? 24%? Damn! Santorini is very expensive. The beer is 7 euros each.
This one is at home. For some reason I thought this was an Azerbaijani brewery, but it’s Russian, in St. Petersburg to be precise. I have had their 2 other beers before.
Bakunin brewery - Flawless DDH NEIPA. 7% IBU 51.
Hint of grass (I dislike grassy and piney tastes) but there’s not much more to describe. Mildly dry aftertaste. Cloudy. “DDH”? No.way. Very flawed. After 3 beers from this St. Petersburger brewery I concluded it’s enough to know I never want to try their stuff again.
2 Likes
I recently had a Founders CBS aged in maple syrup barrels. The syrup came through in full force. Really sweet and unfortunate (for me).
Mango Fluff by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Fruited Sour
Excellent sour which is quite fruit forward with strong taste of mango (and some hints of vanilla and marshmallow) but very well balanced with the sour finish. It’s often the most difficult for sours not to be too sweet or too sour but this is close to perfect.
3 Likes
Wit TF by Hinterland Brewery (Green Bay, WI) - Witbier
Relatively unremarkable wit beer with some citrus notes and faint taste of some spices. Backbone has some grassy and malt flavors. Could be a decent summer beer.
1 Like
Enter Haze by Original Pattern Brewing Company (Oakland, CA) - IPA
Not overly juicy/fruity hazy IPA with more of an orange/grapefruit foundation upfront and. some stronger piney, resiny flavors in the middle with a dry, medium bitter finish.
2 Likes
Bitcollin by HenHouse Brewing Company (Petaluma, CA) - Milkshake IPA
Very nice mixture of grassy, piney, “classical” IPA flavor and some tropical (mango, maracuja, guava) taste which work very well together and a perfectly balanced. The vanilla and lactic acid round out the beer and give it a smooth, creamy finish
2 Likes
