Easy Operator by Deciduous Brewing Company (Newmarket, NH) - Hazy IPA
Really good hazy IPA with candy, berry, orange-like fruiti- and sweetness upfront which gets nicely balanced by some grassy, earthy hops and a dry, quite bitter finish. Quite complex, yet refreshing beer.
I’m a nomad who is HOPING to stay in New Jersey until retiring in 15 years or so down to Mexico, which means I’m forever discovering and undiscovering beers depending on distribution. Locals to my area of NJ are Magnify and Icarus, both of which I love, and both of which slaughter the often oversaturated IPA game. However, I have a massive soft spot for (and indigestion from) sours, so last night hit an R&R from Magnify brewing. Packs an 11% punch, is inspired by pink lemonade (displacing my Pittsburgh favorite, Pink Yoga Pants), and is brewed with lactose.
It’s dangerous though. One of a few beers that I feel could be renamed the “DUI” since you can’t taste the high ABV.
Fruited sours are the “trendy” beer currently and it is hard to “avoid” them at most breweries. I think the tricky part with fruited sours is the right balance so that it is not too sweet/fruity but still has a significant tart “punch”. Lactose is used in many beers as it gives a creamy mouthfeel
The new brewery in town made a marionberry gose that is incredible. I could only drink one of those, but it has great notes of coriander & salt, besides the marionberry. Tart AF, too.
Here’s their kölsch, too, which they’ll probably run out of fairly soon. No new pilsner on the horizon, for obvious but sad reasons.
The sour looks and sounds great, especially with an emphasis on tartness
Double Strawberry by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Imperial Fruited Sour
Really nice summer sour beer with flavors like a strawberry margarita (fruits, lime, orange, agave) but very well balanced by the tartness. Very refreshing and easy to drink
Dad Bod by Lamplighter Brewing Company (Cambridge, MA) - Hazy IPA
Quite complex tasting hazy IPA with lemon pith flavors at the start and some tropical notes in background. Followed by herbal, piney tastes with a quite prominent floral note. Dry, quite bitter finish.
That gose has my mouth watering.
I just had a few Kolsch (Oddball by MobCraft, Milwaukee). Best beer made for a hot day.
Our Second Most Popular IPA by Evil Twin Brewing NYC (Ridgewood, NY) - IPA
Balanced citrus flavors with a surprisingly prominent floral note upfront which lingers in the background throughout the sip. Some herbal flavors come in the middle with a very weak malt sweetness and with a dry, medium bitter finish. Overall “soft” WC IPA with also a mellow mouthfeel.
Sapporo killed it little by little with a series of missteps - first trying to enter the IPA fray, then changing classic packaging, etc. I’m going to grab a six pack of the classic Anchor Steam beer for old times sake. My first visit to San Francisco many years ago they did free brewery tours led by employees and after the tour you’d taste their beers at the bar. Sometimes the employees wouldn’t want to go back to work so would continue pouring free beers. It hooked me.
This was so depressing to read.
Come Original by El Segundo Brewing Company (El Segundo, CA) - IPA
Nice WCIPA with some slight sweetness with peach, strawberry aroma upfront but than a stronger piney, grassy flavor takes over but still with some malt sweetness in the background and ends with a dry, medium bitter finish.
Eyes to the Sky by Beachwood Brewing (Long Beach, CA) - IP
Very well balanced example of a WCIPA which isn’t going for the extremes. Really nice flavors of citrus, lemongrass on one side and piney, dank earthiness on the other. Dry, medium bitter finish - very drinkable and refreshing
From Good Karma Ales in downtown San Jose, a lovely farmhouse ale brewed with Tarocco oranges. Not sweet at all, but also not sour. 5.4% ABV, 500-mL bottle.
Locust by Ghost Town Brewing (Oakland, CA) - IPA
Lemon, grapefruit and papaya tastes upfront with a little bit of malt. Then an interesting floral aroma takes over before it finishes with some piney dankness which lasts into the dry, relatively low bitterness finish. Nearly creamy mouthfeel.
I was wrong–the beer is actually from Fox Tale Fermentation Project, also located in downtown San Jose.
Sap Moss by Hop Butcher For the World (Chicago, IL) - DIPA
Citrus heavy IPA which dominates the flavor throughout. A bit sweet biscuit malts at the beginning and some mild piney bitterness towards the end but otherwise a lot of citrus. Not bad but also a bit one dimensional.
I was sad to see that Steam is calling it. I should buy a parting 6er, too.
