From the local brewery. Nice pilsner, not too hoppy.
3 Likes
Juicebox Hero by Central Coast Brewing (San Luis Obispo) - Hazy IPA
A great “middle of the road” (in a positive way) hazy IPA - orange juiciness upfront that get balanced by piney notes and some lemon “bite” with a dry, medium bitter finish. Nothing extreme but very well executed.
2 Likes
I’ve been trying out some non-alcoholic beer recently and today did a comparison of regular Heineken and Heineken 0.0.
Caveat: I’m not a fan of Heineken in general.
The regular Heineken to me had a touch more sweetness, and the Heineken 0.0 had a slightly more bitter or watery finish. Overall though they were pretty similar to each other.
2 Likes
For non-alcoholic beer I have found so far Athletic Brewing the best choice with a pretty broad style selection
1 Like
Thanks, I’ve tried a couple of Athletic beers and they were not bad, will need to post some impressions once I drink some more.
IMO, Athletic beers in general are the best NA beers around, and actually taste like real beer. But their various products vary widely in HOW closely they come to being indistinguishable.
After trying as many “flavors” of Athletic as we could find, Wahine and I agree that their Free Wave hazy IPA tastes most like real beer.
1 Like
Slushmouth (Peach & Pineapple) by Alpha Acid Brewing Company (Belmont, CA) - Imperial Smoothie Sour
Very well balanced sour with fruity and a bit floral peach upfront, followed by a healthy dose of tartness from the sour, before the pineapple brings back some sweetness but also a different kind of slight pineapple tartness.
1 Like
Mindspark by Phase Three Brewing (Lake Zurich, IL) - Double NEIPA
Very fruit and juice forward NEIPA with tons of blueberry, pineapple and guava. Quite light on any piney and dank flavors and low bitterness in the finish. Very easy to drink but also a bit too sweet and juicy - some balancing dankness and bitterness would have made it more interesting.
2 Likes
Gnarcotics by Humble Sea Brewing Company (Santa Cruz, CA) - IPA
Prime example of a very balanced and smooth WCIPA with good “harmony” between citrus and pine notes and a medium bitter finish. Easy to drink but not just one note flavor.
1 Like
As Above so Below (Peanut Butter + Marshmallow) by Mortalis Brewing Company (Avon, NY) - Imperial Coffee Stout
(Coffee) stouts and peanut are a popular combination and this one hits all the high notes with a complex base of roasted malts, dark coffee, dark chocolate and dark caramel. The peanut butter add earthiness with not too much sweetness and marshmallow hints of vanilla in the background - excellent sipping stout
3 Likes
Keitora by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - NEIPA
Interesting NEIPA with NZ hops which gave a lot of citrus but also white wine related/grape notes away. The second part of the sip had some dankness and a mediuk bitter finish but it is really these unique grape notes which is always noticeable throughout that makes this IPA stand out.
2 Likes
A Love City Lime City Lager. Nice and refreshing, and perfect for a late summer evening on the top of the city 
3 Likes
‘Tis the season, for a Boney Fingers from Moonlight Brewing out of Santa Rosa, CA. A richer version of their Death & Taxes black lager.
2 Likes
Looks like Harviestown’s classic Old Engine Oil.
Extra Extra Ghosty Bits by Parish Brewing Company (Broussard, LA) and Weldwerks Brewing Company (Greeley, CO) - Imperial NEIPA
Surprisingly little juiciness, just a bit of grapefruit pith and faint flavors of pineapple before a lot of dank and herbal flavors completely take over with a sharp oniony edge. Dry, long lasting medium/high bitterness in the finish. Overall tastes more like WCIPA but even there it feels a bit unbalanced.
2 Likes
Hop Slangin’ from Cellarmaker out of now Oakland, CA. This is apparently their first IPA. Very hazy and quite good.
1 Like
Wake & Bake by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) and Finback Brewery (Queens, NY) - Imperial Stout
This stout really benefited from warming up slightly to get a much more pronounced flavor profile. Once warmed up a few degrees from the fridge roasted malt and dark roasted coffee build the backbone with vanilla and earthiness from crackers remind on smores. The cocoa nibs add some astringency which lasts into the low bitterness but complex finish.
2 Likes
Get Thicker Skin by Anchourage Brewing Company (Anchourage, AK) - Hazy DIPA
Starts like a “classic” NEIPA with juicy orange and grapefruit flavor and hints of peach but very fast gets taken over by a quite harsh grassy and herbal flavors come through with a dry, quite bitter finish. Appears a bit of an IPA with some more “extreme” edges.
1 Like
Centurion by Finback Brewery (Queens, NY) - Triple IPA
Surprisingly “reserved” triple IPA with some citrus and peach notes, followed by plenty of herbal flavors. Dry, medium bitter finish. Kind of middle-of-the-road IPA - was expecting at bit more “oomph”
1 Like
Pineapple Raspberry Glycerin by Hudson Valley Brewery (Beacon, NY) - Sour DIPA
Sours and IPAs are some of the favorite beers and so sour IPAs often nicely combine some of the best features. Unfortunately this sour IPA doesn’t really show any characteristics of an IPA and only shows heavy sourness as its main feature (with some berry flavors in the background). It’s more of an unbalanced, overly tart, kettle sour.
2 Likes
