TLDR Beer Club - Page 53

MrWookie · #**521** 04-06-2007, 05:16 PM

I feel once again compelled to vent about Californians and their cheap Stone beer.

MrWookie · #**522** 04-06-2007, 06:35 PM

In that vein, I'll do a Stone review tonight, their Ruination IPA. I paid $6.29 for a 22 oz bottle of 7.7% ABV beer. The Stone website gives the IBUs as 100+. I went to look it up because, to spoil the surprise, I thought the hops were on the milder side.

The beer pours a more golden color than the orange-ish DFH 90 and Saranac IIPA. The head is pretty light, but it is persistent and does lace my glass.

When I sniffed this beer, I expected to be knocked over by hops. Instead, the hops are there, but not as pungent. The malt comes through with a little bit of caramel. The flavor features the hops a little more strongly. It's not overly bitter or dry, but I taste more of the citrus than the flowers in the hops. The malt isn't too sweet, and it's not overpowering. While I'd expect a beer that claims to pack 100+ IBUs to be bolder, my impression is that this beer's strength is that it's more balanced compared to, say, the Great Divide Hercules. It's other strong suit is that it lingers very nicely. I confess, I wasn't floored when I first had it, but it's grown on me more. I'm going to give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I'd say I like it a little more than the AV Boont Amber, but not quite enough to merit an extra half heart. This is a good beer, but I can't really call it a value pick at the prices I'm paying. It's much better in CA.

steelcmg · #**523** 04-06-2007, 06:50 PM

Stone is an awesome brewery.. They had Ruination IPA, Old Guardian and one of my favorite beers Arrogant Bastard Ale. I decided to go with ABA and OG this time.. I will have to try out Ruination IPA and will try and post what I think of it.

MrWookie · #**524** 04-06-2007, 08:16 PM

I rated the Ruination a half heart higher than the original ABA. It's quite good, but the Oak Aged Bastard is really where it's at.

MrWookie · #**525** 04-06-2007, 09:54 PM

I couldn't help but do a 2nd review tonight. I had a bottle in my fridge I was itching to try. This is the Double White Ale from Southampton Publick House. Belgian whites are already some of my favorite beers, and double has to be better than single, right [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]? I paid $4.95 for a 22 oz. I can't even find the ABV at their website. It does taste a little stronger than the average white.

It pours the usual light gold color with a typical head for the style.

This beer smells pretty damn good. The wheat, coriander, and orange show through nicely. The flavor is better. This beer is pretty sweet, and that works well with all the flavors in here. The fruit from the orange and the typical flavors of cloves and coriander are excellent. The flavor lingers very well, no doubt helped by the sugar, but there's still a lot there to enjoy. I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], the same as I gave Allagash's white. I like this one a hair better, but not enough to give it a perfect score. I'd still like a little more complexity in the spices to put it over the top. Regardless, this beer goes out with the highest recommendation to any Belgian beer lover. It's not a bad buy, either, at this price.

steelcmg · #**526** 04-07-2007, 12:31 AM

The ABV for that beer is 7% which seems to be about 2-3% more then single whites. I am not a huge fan of Belgian style beers some i like but most do not apple to me theres just something about that style not sure what they add that turns my taste buds off.

ScottieK · #**527** 04-09-2007, 04:10 PM

Aw man, my trip report got the boot [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Wookie...sorry no pics. Um...imagine me holding a soupcan upside down with tongs and molasses coming out, stirring it into a pot of water. Then pouring brown/black water out of the pot into a brown-tinted keg with a Mr. Beer logo on it. Then sprinkling a sugar packet full of malt-o-meal on top of it. Then wrapping the keg in a beach towel with an 80's design on it. That's about it. Promise to take pics of the finished product. By the way, I do dig your beer photos.

Also, I got the 500 Great Beers Guide by Michael Jackson for my friend...but I read it first. Interesting selection in there.

ScottieK

MrWookie · #**528** 04-09-2007, 06:14 PM

I'm going to review my second can from the Oskar Blues brewery, this time Dale's Pale Ale. I paid $1.99 for a 12 oz can. I'm not sure of the ABV.

The first thing I noticed about this beer was that, in spite of sitting restfully in my fridge for more than a week, and with no rough handling before pouring, the beer exploded out of the can. I lost a portion onto the floor, and it was pretty uncontrollably foamy in my glass. It's a little darker than I expected.

As I was wiping the beer off my floor, though, I could notice that it smelled pretty good. It smelled malty and fairly sweet with a decent hop backing. The taste is pretty similar. I should note, though, that it tastes a little flat. I think I lost a good bit of the residual carbonation when I opened it. The other flavors are pretty good. The hops are flavorful without being too bitter, and they linger nicely. The malt, I'd say, is a little sweet for this variety. It almost reminds me of the malt of an imperial IPA. I picked this beer because I was in the mood for a lighter, drier beer. I would have cared for something either a little less sweet, or a little more strongly hopped. I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. If it was a little less flat, it would have picked up an extra half heart. I guess you have to be especially gentle w/ this beer.

Blarg · #**529** 04-09-2007, 06:28 PM

There are a lot of thumbs in these reviews, which I approve of. I'm not sure I could select my favorite thumb, but they all look intriguing, and I wish I could add them to my collection.

Interesting reviews of beers, too. If I was ever going to read a thread about beers, this would be the one. Even without the thumbs.

MrWookie · #**530** 04-10-2007, 07:09 PM

Blarg,

The first time I read your post, I was thinking your were talking about thumbnails, as in pictures. I didn't really understand your fascination w/ all the pics, but it seemed plausible. Now that I think I get you better, I don't think that my ol' hitchhiker's assistant should get the nod. The scar visible in most every one of my pics precludes it from perfection.

All,

Couple reviews tonight. One is from last night that I didn't bother to do. No pics, since it was a crappy beer, and I don't bother w/ the crappy ones. I picked up a bottle of Saranac's Pomegranate Wheat for $1.65. I maybe should have been more scared of the gimmick, but I was curious, I almost certainly wouldn't be overpaying, and Saranac has been doing pretty well on the cheap. Instead, I got a fairly insipid American wheat beer with just a hint of fruit that I couldn't really distinguish as pomegranate. It wasn't bad, I suppose, but it wasn't great. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

Tonight's beer, though, was pretty good, and I'll include the pics. I'm reviewing Lagunitas's Maximus IPA. This ran me a modest $4.55, but my receipt lists a different Lagunitas beer. I'm not 100% sure if the price I paid was the price on the display. Anyway, it's a nice 7.5% ABV and 72ish IBUs.

The beer pours a pleasing golden brown with a light head.

The smell is surprisingly sweet -- caramel and peaches. I don't smell the hops as strongly as I was expecting. The flavor, though, is somewhat reversed. The hop flavor is strong, dry and bitter. The sweetness of the malt is noticeable at the first taste, but it soon fades behind the hops. This beer reminds me a lot of the Great Divide Hercules Imperial IPA. The hops aren't as complex as the DFH 90 or the Stone Ruination. They're mostly just bitter. I was, however, much too hard on the Hercules. I gave it just 2 hearts, and it deserves a rating more like this one. I'm going to give the Lagunitas Maximus [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], and I should probably revise my rating of the Hercules to this, too. If $4.55 is indeed the right price, this is a pretty good buy for imperial IPAs, and it's a good choice for people who really want a bitter kick in their beer. I had a little of this beer with my dinner of spicy Mexican tonight, and bitter, hoppy beers are great pairs w/ spicy food.