A Placid IPA

Hello all!  We're going back to Lake Placid Brewing Company to give their Lake Placid IPA a shot. Again, I recommend checking out their website as the story behind the brewery, especially their Ubu Ale, is pretty cool.

The IPA selection from Lake Placid Brewing Company has the same logo as their Ubu Ale but with color variations.  I'm partial to how they've designed the labels across their selections as it makes them very recognizable regardless which beer but is also subtle enough to differentiate from the four selections they offer.

The IPA has very little smell after pouring, with a large head that settles quickly.  It's color is a darker-than-amber variation in the IPA category. Lake Placid Brewing Company describes this IPA as overloaded with American hops. If by overloaded they mean tame, then yes. Seriously, this IPA is much more refreshing than I originally expected and was somewhat light on the hops.  This could be the kind of American hops used (sorry, no further information there). In either case, they did successfully manage to create a balanced IPA. Along with the balance is a pleasant but slight malt sweetness.

There isn't much else going on in this IPA but I think as IPAs go it's a nice selection to have, especially for the casual IPA drinker.  It's hard to pull off a subtle and flavorful IPA.  Not quite as good as it's Ubu Ale, the Lake Placid IPA earns itself a UK PINTRS score.

120 Pulls a 1080

We've talked about Dogfish Head brewery before.  They've been able to establish themselves as a US-wide high quality craft brewery that happens to have a few alehouses (where I highly recommend sitting down and grabbing a bite with your brew).  They have a few of what they call "Occasional Varieties" in their beer selection.  The one we're tasting today is the 120 Minute IPA.  I highly recommend checking out the Dogfish Head video regarding 120 Minute IPA.

The labels from Dogfish Head are well done and each of their selections stand out well against each other. There's still not much style to the outside of the bottle, but it speaks of an gentlemanly elegance.  Does what's in the bottle match up?

You'll see I poured in a pilsner-like glass, which I knew was not for this beer's ilk. But I like continuity and you can see the fullness of the beer when stood up within this glass. If a beer could pour like molasses this one would have.  There was a syrupy-thickness to the pour which was further emphasized by the overpowering aroma as the beer was poured out.  The smell of this IPA permeated throughout my bedroom with a pungent, malty alcohol wafer that's sure to intimidate.  On to the taste.

And what a first taste it was.  If we're talking about beers who can TKO just about any other beer, this is it. There's nothing really like this beer, and you can tell from it's strength just how much an impact being aged a whole month with whole-leaf hops has.  My palate felt like this was a beer that had nuzzled up with a warm whiskey barrel and comes out wanting to show the kinds of mountains beers can climb. Syrupy, sticky sweetness which sits in your mouth (and a slap of hardcore alcohol which warms the blood) on every taste.

After a few sips, I switched the glass.  My glass selection is somewhat lacking but this particular martini glass worked great as I was able to keep the beer at just the right cold temperature I wanted. My recommendation? Find this beer, buy it, and age it a little more too. I love this beer as an after dinner drink.  Drinking this in a nice snifter glass, 120 Minute IPA belongs rick with that high backed dark leather chair with an ABV that can light it's own pipe. Complicated brilliance in a bottle, this commands a Scottish PINTRS score.  Be warned, this beer will kick your ass and not feel bad about it.

Stone Cat Swatting at Bitter

Welcome to another Good Brew Hunting!

Today we're taking aim at Stone Cat Brewery's Extra Special Bitter (ESB).  Stone Cat is actually just one of the Ipswich Ale Brewery's lines established in 1999.  The brewery has been serving up beer since 1991 though this is the first time this native New Englander (Rhode Island to be precise) has heard of this brewery. Now I know Ipswich has some well-renowned clams, but can they serve up a beer worthy of merit?

Amazing Clubs' newsletter The Frosted Mug describes ESB as being quite smooth despite what it's name would suggest. Gotta say, I'm loving the label. I'll be one of the first to admit, I've judged a beer by it's label.  I've found good craft breweries put as much ingenuity on the outside of their bottle as they do in. A lack on the outside isn't a good start, but here we have something unique and eye-catching.

All Stone Cat Brewery gives us to go with on their website about ESB is that it's "dark, well-balanced, copper-colored ale is smooth and satisfying with a malty sweetness." Amazing Clubs adds that it has "an earthy hop taste with a wonderfully clean and healthy finish." Well, the picture sums it up that the beer looks as described. Dark amber is a good visualization for both its color and clarity. What should be added in the website's description is the flavorful aroma. Tart and fruity with some hops in the air, I was looking forward to what my taste buds would be telling me.

The best way to taste this beer in your head is think of an IPA. It lacks some of that citrus in an IPA, but overall flavor is powerful. It's really a balance of the citrus in an IPA and the flavor undertones in a copper ale.   It maintains some good carbonation throughout the bottle and has a much stronger alcoholic flavor to it than the 5.6% a.b.v. would suggest.

There's still bitterness here, there's no denying it. But bitter isn't bad! It's tart without the sour, and in a beer with a correctly described malty sweetness the two tastes fit together well. I'm giving this solid performance in the bitter beer category a Imperial PINTRS score. Can't wait to drink more!

A note: I've only spoken highly of this beer, so why haven't I gone higher than an Imperial score? Because in a  Frenche or Scottish score, I'm looking for more. More is different in each beer. It's usually something ingenious, something that really drives off the normal beer course. I can't tell you what was missing from this one, cause I only know it when I taste that it is there. Let the quest for great brews continue!

Does Blue Heron have the wings to take flight?

Hey all!

WAY behind on my beer tastings, which just means I'm gonna have to drink more these next couple of weeks! Our last beer from the Mendocino Brewing Company is Blue Herron Pale Ale. The beer does have an awarding tradition. In 2010 it won a Silver Medal at the California State Fair (which is more prestigious than it sounds) and, according to Mendocino's website, a Bronze Award at the Great American Beer Festival (year unknown).

The beer has an average head that is quite frothy. As far as aroma, it's non-existent. Well, not completely. There is a VERY faint sweet smell to the brew, but nothing that really would enhance the drinking experience.

The best way to sum up the beer once it's been poured is light in color, light to drink. As described by Mendocino, Blue Heron is supposed to live up to the foundational qualities of an IPA with high alcohol content (6.1% ABV here) and high hoppy flavors. What does that actually translate to once you start drinking? This beer is easy to drink, with a heavy note of citrus on the taste buds. Surprisingly, this beer really doesn't have any of the signature 'cloudiness' I'd associate with these flavors. Mendocino said they were going for blend here, and they hit the mark. A little bitter and not overly hoppy. There is a slight, raw citrus aftertaste, but the more you drink it subsides substantially.

My verdict? A Flanders in the PINTRS. Not a creative IPA, is very baselines, but does not suck. I had a bit of an argument with myself about whether I can get disappointed at something for it being what is was. It's a pleasant brew, but not something I'd order by choice given other options. It certainly would deserve being kept in the fridge by someone who prefers a lighter, but not summer, beer.

Stegmaier takes a pot shot at IPA

Hey all!

It's been quite some time since I've posted a review, and my beers are piling up in my fridge, so time to catch up!  I reviewed Stegmaier Winter Warmer as my first review in the blog and we're back to their second offering in my monthly taster, the Stegmaier IPA. 

Stegmaier describes their IPA as an India Pale Ale "with attitde."  After the pour, the bulletin visualizes the beer as having a deep amber color with smells of "peach butter on rye toast as well as sweet carmelized nuts." Ok, let's cut through the flowery description and see what's actually in this beer.

Deep amber is a stretch for illustrating this color and is lighter than I expected. The head is heavy, as you can see, and the aroma is a balance of crisp alcohol with a light sweetness behind it. On the first taste you get the power of strength from the hops which reminds me of a heffeweizen (looking back, the color is right on par with one too).  There's a lot of sweet/sour citrus flavor here (think white grapefruit with some of the peel).

The carbonation is light on the tongue, starting heavy and finishing lighter. The sweetness of the beer is left behind on the palate and again I can't help but compare it to grapefruit. A hint: on one swallow, let it sit in your mouth for a bit. It leaves behind a sweet bubbling on the tongue that is delightful.

This beer manages to maintain it's flavor on every sip, and that's saying something. I find this a particularly delicious IPA and rate it a French on the PINTRS scale. Till next time!