I guess we have to agree to disagree on your assessment of the craft beer quality in the US compared to European beers and I also strongly disagree your reasoning.
You don’t taste the haze, I take it. Like a sore thumb for me. But, yeah, we have different perspectives. I’ll still enjoy my brews, hope you love every drop of the ones you dig. Cheers!
S.M.A.S.H. Citra Session IPA - Dogma Brewery - Belgrade, Serbia. 4,7%
A gusher. Taste is very Citra. Lemony and grapefruit, some pineapple as well. Juicy and good bitterness, not too sweet. Some grains or cereals. I don’t usually give “session” beers much time of day but this one is pretty good and easy drinking.
Akvarel DDH IPA - Nelson Sauvin & Hallertau Blanc -Panzer Brewery - Russia. 6,9% 60 IBU
Creamy and soft. Very sweet (not sure if something has been add to achieve this sweetness). Not as bitter as I had anticipated. A tad gingery and soapy. Fruity but not tropical. Quite a heavy DDH IPA and alcohol is still under 7%.
Rock‘n‘Roll All Night - DDH Small IPA - Sudden Death Brewing - Lübeck, Germany. (brewed at Frau Gruber brewery in Bavaria) 3,5%
Citra Incognito in the whirlpool, dry hopped with Mosaic BBC, Amarillo BBC and El Dorado.
High turbidity, almost like pure mud. Very bitter (a nice surprise, totally unexpected at such a low alcohol content). Tastes predominantly of pithy grapefruit. In fact, just like drinking super hoppy grapefruit juice. Full-bodied and dry. If you just go by the alcohol content you’d probably brush it off, not giving it the time of day. Turns out to be a good one. How do they do it? It’s my second or third Sudden Death beer and they have now made a good impression on me.
KISS font
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I also like the “Kiss” font - they should make a “Gods of Thunder” Imperial Stout.
Met up with some friends at Almanac’s taproom yesterday. My wife and I went on opposite ends of the beer spectrum: she got Sunshine and Opportunity (barrel-aged sour ale–5.5% ABV) and I got Boost (imperial coffee stout–9% ABV). Either they changed the Boost recipe or it’s better on tap than in the can, because I enjoyed it much more than when I had a can of it a couple of years ago.
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When I was in Germany, in the monastery I drank this beer Andechs, only on draft, I can’t say anything about this bottled pasteurized beer. They have very good beer on draft.
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Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel is a really nice beer - sometimes you can also find it in the US.
Fruity: Pineapple Mango by Temescal Brewing (Oakland, CA) - Fruited Sour
Quite sour but still balanced gose - upfront mango flavor (hardly any pineapple detected) keeps the overall flavor profile in check. Coriander rounds out the taste and slight saltiness removes harshness. Pairs nicely with Thai food
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Sugar Water by Hello Friend Beer (Berkeley, CA) - IPA
Despite the name the IPA is actually not overly sweet or fruity but has some upfront orange juice flavors, followed by mellow piney taste and a dry, low bitterness finish. Overall a very drinkable IPA for a warm summer day.
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Key Lime Pie by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Fruited Sour
Great Notion is currently with Mighty Squirrel my favorite brewery for fruited sours. This one again has a perfect balance of fruity and slightly sweet key lime pie (key lime, vanilla, coriander, lactose) and tartness.
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Pleasant enough pineapple weizen on a warm afternoon sitting next to Leliegracht (canal) in Amsterdam. Just a hint of pineapple.
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If you have half a day you could take the train from AMS to Haarlem, where they have a beer bar. Before or after drinking take a look around the historic old town. The train ride is about 15 minutes.
They also have a bunch of beers available in supermarkets. Contrary to their advert, not really the “greatest craft beer”. Presumptuous much.
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Moonlight makes good beers. I went to their tasting room once, it’s a warehouse space in an office park - but worth the visit to try a variety.
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Mraz Tandem Apricot - apricot flavored gose. Very nicely balanced. Not too sour with a bit of salt and good apricot flavor. 8.5% ABV but doesn’t taste boozy.
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Where did you get it ? I have looked for cans/bottles but haven’t found Mraz beer yet - you pic looks like somewhere on tap ?
This was on tap at Toronado in SF.
What other beers would you recommend from them?
I really like Death and Taxes, which is probably their most well known brew.
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Is there an outlet that carries this brew? I don’t have a Total Wine by me.
Hoping to find both, next time I get to a bigger store.
