Bison Organic Chocolate Stout

Bison Brewing
2030 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710

I definitely needed to review something other than an IPA today... I dont want anyone to think that all I drink are IPAs, although I have been very partial to them lately. Before I really got on the IPA bandwagon 4 years ago, whenever I chose a beer I leaned toward stouts and porters. When I say "leaned" lets just say my dog's name is Guinness...

I picked up this beer up at my local beer supplier, Sprouts (I think I have given them enough plugs... Its not like I am getting any kickbacks here...) I had seen this beer there many times before but because of my recent penchance for IPAs I had never tried it....This blog is making me open up my brain to new beer selections, the way it was back in college when I was more willing to try new things to keep my roomates at bay.

Reviewing this beer while watching SDSU and UNLV play BBall...GO AZTECS!!!

Enough talk...on to the review.

Organic Chocolate Stout (5.0% ABV)

Appearance:
Pours a clear dark brown. Once in the glass you cannot see though it except on the very edges of the glass where it gives off a slight red tint. Medium brown head ~2cm in height. Lots of medium sized bubbles with very sparse lacing. The head will reform to about half its original size with agitation.

Smell:
Chocolate and cocoa. Roasted oats and a slight hint of nutmeg.

Taste:
Strong taste of cocoa and roastiness. Surprisingly light tasting for a chocolate stout. The medium carbonation actually gives it a very "bright" taste. Slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel:
Sits on the tongue and the top of the palatte. Grabs the tongue lightly once swallowed.

Overall:
Very smooth and drinkable. This is not a "typical" stout with a heavy/thick mouthfeel, the medium carbonation gives this beer a very light taste. I really enjoyed this beer and I would recommend it to anyone who likes stouts. I think this would be good beer to introduce stouts to someone who has never tried one before.

This stout is USDA Certifed Organic.

San Diego Beer Review: Mission Brewery IPA

Mission Brewery 
1441 L Street
San Diego Ca 92101

I have been near Mission Brewery many times for Padres games, but for some unknown reason I have never been inside or had any of their beers...a bit perplexing. My local beer supplier (Sprouts...) had some Mission beers in stock so I grabbed a couple to tryout. First up to the plate was...

Mission IPA (6.8%)

Appearance:
Light caramel coloring, cloudy. Beautiful 1cm head forms on first pour. Nice lacing. Head easily reforms after agitation to regain its initial 1cm height.


Smell:
Floral with sweet undertones. Hint of red licorice or ...Cherry Tootise Pop..?

Taste:
Medium carbonation, great hop character from front to back, from sip to swallow. However, it is not too bitter. Very clean and smooth. The slight maltiness comes through as you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to swallow.

Mouthfeel:
Hoppiness fills the mouth (again not too bitter) but it is not too heavy.

Overall:
Extremely balanced and drinkable. I really like this beer. As I said earlier I have never had this beer before but I think it just became one of my "go to" beers... I stand IMPRESSED.

This IPA won a Bronze medal at GABF in 2007...I definitely see why.

San Diego Beer Review: Butchers Brewing Mucho Aloha Hawaiian Pale Ale

I reviewed one of Butchers Brewing beers a couple of days ago, saw this one at Sprouts today and picked it up. Still waiting to find out where they are located exactly... ;)

"Hawaiian" Style Pale Ale (5.6% ABV)

Appearance: Light caramel color, clear, low carbonation. Small, fast dissipating head < 2mm. No lacing on glass. Medium bubble size. 1mm head reforms on agitation but quickly dissipates.

Smell: Malty sweetness with a slight hint of nuts

Taste: The malts are definately prominent here, although there is a hint of hops at the top. Bitter when it first hit the tongue then the malts take over.

Mouthfeel: Drinks smooth with a slightly bitter finish. Doesn't coat the entire mouth.

Overall: Drinks smooth, a bit thin in taste and texture. However, I can picture drinking this on a hot and humid Hawaiian day and having it be very refreshing. If that is was they were going for then, in my opinion, they have succeeded.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
1075 East 20th Street
Chico, CA.

I originally found this beer at the local Albertson's (a chain supermarket) a couple of years ago and I had never seen it before, even though Sierra Nevada beers have been a staple of mine for 10+ years. I was pleasantly surprised by the boldness of the hops, usually you dont find beer with this much hop character in a mass chain supermarket.

This beer has become one of my favorites when I am looking for something with a little edge to it, and by 'edge' I mean hops... anyway, ON TO THE REVIEW ;)

Extra IPA

Appearance: Caramel color, slighty opaque, 1cm head on pour which easily reforms with agitation, head consists of nice tight bubbles which almost give it a nitro appearance. Head will hold 1-2mm for duration of drinking

Smell: Piney, resin, with some malt sweetness with agitation

Taste: Hoppy bitterness jumps on the tongue with first taste, carbonation "pops" on tongue for a "bright" taste

Mouthfeel: Hops grab the tongue and do not let go without a fight!

Overall: A classic American IPA with a very bold hoppiness. Mid range ABV at 7.2%

San Diego Beer Review: Double Shaka-Imperial Mucho Aloha IPA

Never seen or heard of this beer before, bought it at Sprouts in Carlsbad tonight. After researching it a bit on their website, I am a bit confused. In one area of the website it looks like the brewers are from San Diego County (Bonus points!) but they are brewing/bottling at Bayhawk Ales in Irvine, Orange County, California http://butchersbrewing.com/#about-tab . However, a Google search came up with another page showing that they have a location in Barrio Logan, near Petco Park http://www.butchersbrewing.com/about.php ...(bonus points either way but you guys might want to clear up your website...)

Imperial IPA

Appearance: Medium amber color, cloudy, small head with very low retention. Agitation will form a small head of approximately 1mm

Smell: Sweet with caramel undertones. Once agitated there is a definite alcohol odor but it is
not unpleasant

Taste: Slight alcohol taste/burn on first blush, caramel, bitterness of hops do not kick in until well after swallowing

Mouthfeel: Silky, very low carbonation, grips the tongue slightly

Overall: A different take on an Imperial or Double IPA. In my experience Double/Imperial IPAs are very heavy on the hops with a strong flowery/citrus aroma and very bitter. This beer is not overpowering for an Imperial IPA and is fairly easy to drink, even at an ABV of 10%.

Not sure if this is correct but:

Butchers Brewing

1848 Commercial Street

San Diego, CA 92113

San Diego Beer Review: AleSmith IPA

AleSmith
9368 Cabot Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
www.alesmith.com

Bottle-conditioned IPA
Appearance: Very light amber colored, clear, medium carbonation, can easily attain a head (must be careful with your pour), head retention is good, head will grab the sides of the glass from start to finish, head reforms easily after slight agitation.

Smell: Flowery, with resin/citrus undertones

Taste: Light well built IPA with very slight bitterness. There are no overpowering flavors here...nice and balanced

Mouthfeel: Velvety/Grips the tongue slightly on the way down but with medium carbonation

Overall: Easy to drink and not too high on the alcohol content (7.5%). A very good example of what a true IPA should taste like.

Been putting this off for too long...finally jumping in

So I actually created this blog back in November 2009...redesigned it in May 2010...now it is December 31, 2011 and I am actually going to start posting! HAHA...

God I know how to procrastinate sometimes...