Tiger Uppercut by. Fieldwork Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Overall a surprisingly dry hazy DIPA which still has an upfront peach, orange, honeydew taste but with very little sweetness which is immediately followed by a big wave of piney, slightly dank flavors and a very dry, medium-to-high bitter finish.
I had a Pliny the Younger today
And also a Focal Banger from The Alchemist (NEIPA) which seems to show up here around beer week. It’s good and very dank.
Are you Afraid of the Dank by Cellarmaker Brewing Company (Oakland, CA) - DIPA
I guess the name clearly spills out the expected flavors of this WCIPA - after some citrus (lime, orange and hints of lemon) notes, tons of dank flavors take over which really showcase the hops. Overall, and in the finish, very dry with no hints of sweetness and high bitterness. Great, bold IPA
Giant Lands by Fieldwork Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - DIPA
Really well balanced WCDIPA with light tropical (peach, mango) and citrus (lime, grapefruit) flavors mixed with piney, dank tastes in the second half of the sip and a dry, medium bitter finish. Nothing is dominant/too prominent but just well dialed in and very crushable
A local limited release from Sky Bear Brewery & Pub. It’s the port barrel aged version of their Hibernation Breaker stout. Aged for 12 months in a port barrel previously home to rye whiskey from NOCO Distillery.
I’m serving this at around 54°F/12°C (cool, but not refrigerated). The aroma is chocolaty, with a touch of sweetness from the port and a bit of rye/wood spice from the barrel.
First sips are sweeter than the aroma leads you to believe, bringing rich chocolate with round port sweetness. As the sips continue, the rye and oak begin to stand out, and their spiciness lingers longer with each consecutive swallow. Curiously, this doesn’t diminish the intense port-sweetened chocolate at the front of each sip! Dark roasted grains are ever-present throughout, and bring their brown bread, molasses, and coffee notes along for the ride.
This is a lovely after-dinner-style stout, which could easily stand on its own or complement a selection of after-dinner spiced nuts and hard cheeses.
Heady Money by Fieldworks Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Creamy, fruity Strata beer with lots of mango and citrus flavors which get well balanced with dank, weed notes and dry, low bitterness finish. Good DIPA which drinks a bit more like a single
Chill’d Out: Rocket Pop by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Imperial Fruited Sour
From their snow cone inspired sour series - this one is less successful: the cherry and raspberry flavors come over too artificial and are too dominant with not enough tartness balancing the fruit flavors. Too much of a fruit punch, not enough of a sour beer.
Heartbreak’s Edge by Wondrous Brewing Company (Emeryville, CA) - IPA
Very crisp WCIPA with a good balance if mainly citrus flavors (with some tropical mango and peach in the background) and a moderate piney taste with a dry, low bitterness finish. Unusual high carbonation. Nothing earth shattering unusual but a very solid, easy drinkable IPA
A bunch of beers lately from Fieldwork (Berkeley, CA)
Hazy Train, which I’ve had before on tap I think. I found it at Costco of all places. Like all the other beers at Costco however it is not stored refrigerated.
And a Pulp Gold Label, which is like their Pulp (one of my favorite hazy IPAs) but triple dry hopped. Very nice.
K Hop Hazy Hunters by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Hazy IPA
NZ hops have for me often a grape flavor undertone and this one is no different. Some added peach notes and plenty of citrus flavors complete the picture. Very dry, low bitterness finish makes this hazy IPA quite fruit and citrus forward.
Banter Lord by Fieldwork Brewing Company (Berkeley, CA) - Hazy DIPA
Very tropical flavors (mango, pineapple, orange) and overall a bit on the sweeter side but also some floral notes in the second half. Relatively low bitterness finish with creamy mouthfeel. Good hazy IPA which could have benefited from a bit more bitterness to counterbalance the sweetness.
Pound of Mosaic Feathers by Icarus Brewing (Brick Township, NJ) - Imperial Pilsner
Very good imperial pilsner with a lot of the characteristics of a pilsner, like malt and some bready, cakey flavors with hints of floral notes but at the same time the dry hopping added some slight, not overwhelming, honeydews flavors and added hints of sweetness in the finish. Very good pilsner with some unique notes which really helps to stand out
Does not look golden enough.
Cool Headed by Wondrous Brewing Company (Emeryville, CA) and Shred Beer Company (Rocklin, CA) - Cold IPA
Flavors not unlike a classical IPA but a bit more muted and with a crisper mouthfeel. Peach, mango and orange flavors are quite balanced with a good dose of floral, slightly piney tastes. Dry, low-to-medium bitter finish.
Sky Meadow by Sapwood Cellars Brewery (Columbia, MD) - Festbier
Rather “classical” festbier with a malty backbone, spicy hop bite and some rather pronounced floral flavors. Dry, medium bitter finish. Easy to drink
Treacherous by Ill Will Brewing (Columbiana, OH) - Not sure what it is but not a beer
I like it a lot when breweries experiment with beers and trying to push boundaries but it is important to still recognize the base as some kind of beer. Ill Will Brewery is pushing it a bit too far with this one - mainly a way overly sweet smoothie of apple and cinnamon flavor with some hints of white chocolate but nothing else what reminds you that you drink a beer (and it wouldn’t even be a good smoothie). Doesn’t happen often to throw something way but here…
A wonderfully crisp, not too hoppy Bohemian Pilsner, and a very good rendition of an Altbier.
As someone from the proper side of the Rhine Altbier shall never pass my lips, but I prefer the Pilsner, anyway 
Daily Dank Hops by Cellarmaker Brewing Company (Oakland, CA), There Does Not Exist (San Luis Obispo, CA), Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Hazy IPA
This IPA is really about dank, resiny flavors which prominently displayed throughout. Some mango, orange and papaya notes are noticeable upfront but otherwise many layers of dankness with piney and resinous dominate. Dry, medium bitter finish.
Baby Blammo! by Cellarmaker Brewing Company (Oakland, CA) - Stout
The little brother of Blammo and very similar flavor profile with less alcohol - plenty of roasted coconut with dark chocolate, toffee, caramel and milk coffee. Notes of roasted malts as the backbone of the stout with long lasting finish which has hints of sweetness and some vanilla in the background. Pretty close to a porter with the relatively low level of bitterness. But nice sipping beer which gets an even “rounder” profile when warming up.
Rainbow Dome by Grimm Artisan Ales (Brooklyn, NY) - Fruited Sour
Fruited sours tend to often have unusual mix fruits and other ingredients but sometimes it is great to have a sour which just focuses on a single fruit and the right tartness. This sour is a great example with well dialed in apricot flavor without being sweet and plenty of tartness. Drinks very much like a berliner weisse - excellent sour
