Son of a Peach with a Pit

Hey brew lovers!  We're back with another iteration of Good Brew Hunting.  Our schedule is set and ready for new posts at least once a week so make sure to stay on top of us as the weeks go by.

This weeks review hails from the RJ Rockers brewery from Spartansburg, South Carolina.  If I rated beers on websites alone, RJ Rockers gets high marks for both website design and content.  I won't steal their thunder, but I highly recommend visiting the RJ Rockers website and perusing their various tabs.  I was really intrigued by their focus on sustainability.  The best beers are represented by wholesome natural ingredients and it seems like RJ Rockers really has an appreciation for the craft.  Now for the beer!

Today's selection is RJ Rockers's Son of a Peach American wheat ale, a Gold Medal winner at the Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition in the Fruit Wheat Beer category.  As is the case with their website, RJ Rockers deserves high marks for their bottle/label design.  That peach sure looks like an angry S.O.B. and it would really stand out when stacked aside an aisle of craft beer selections.

(Sorry about these angled photos, must have been that East Coast earthquake tilting my equilibrium!)

I was impressed when I popped the top of this brew.  The color of the beer in this picture really doesn't do it full justice.  It had a fleshier tone, dare I say closer to a peach color.  I was thrown off a bit by the amount of sediment I saw but I wasn't completely surprised.  A bit of sediment in an American wheat ale isn't all that strange, but it is something you will notice when pouring.  The aroma tempted me with the peach fruit ale I was promised on this label.  It had a wonderful sweet peach smell that was really more reminiscent of a dessert than just the fruit itself.

The taste...left something to be desired.  Maybe it was the smell that had me expecting more from this brew.  It certainly was complex, but I'm not sure it was complex in a good way.  It was a light beer and was certainly more of an American wheat ale than anything else.  Granted, that's exactly how it's sold on the bottle.  When you smell that aroma though you will most likely get stumped by the actual taste.  It just doesn't carry over the sweetness I would've expected.  There really is very little fruit flavor inside the beer but definitely had the light but noticeable aftertaste of a white or wheat beer.

This beer is going to get a US PINTRS rating.  It's a light summer beer that will appeal to the general mass, but I felt like this was a missed opportunity.  RJ Rockers had the chance to really make a fusion beer with very positive complex flavors working and it just didn't happen.  It's like an unripened peach;  refreshing but not nearly as good as it could be.  I look forward to more beers from this brewery thought as they have the right mentality for an American craft brewery that's sure to breed success.

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.

Stung By Uinta

So here's the thing about Utah.  There are some alcohol laws found in a few other states that key in on low-alcohol beers.  I'm usually turned off by low-alcohol beers because...well...I like alcohol.  I like it at a high content and I think you get your most refined but creative beers at the high alcohol beer level.  Uinta is going to try and prove me wrong today with HIVE Honey Stung Ale.

There it is.  Nice labeled bottle and if you can tell from the picture, it comes in a stouter bottle not the typical long-neck variety.  It stands it apart from all the other beers in the fridge (there are a lot in there, so it's important to stand out).  But what's on the inside?

Color is not the mead-like color you may have thought about in a 'honey' ale.  It's kind of like a tanned sandalwood color. The head is close to a summer ale (predicted that) but the color was certainly darker than expected.

Inside the bottle we have exactly what Uinta describes on their website; a bittersweet swallow.  This beer is highly carbonated in a very refreshing way.  It's bitterness reminds me of a copper/amber ale.  It leaves us off with a hint of sweetness that you have to go digging with your tastebuds to find.  When you compare this to a certain brewery's Honeymoon it comes up short. It certainly does impress for its 4% abv and for that we'll give it a satisfying, but not exceptional, US PINTRS rating.  Till next time!

Hippo over the River Saison

Tonight is a review from a brewery I have a love affair with River Horse Brewing Company.  Their website isn't as impressive as their beers.  I've grown quite fond of this gem along the Delaware River, and have high hopes for our taste this evening.

Each season,  River Horse Brewing Company does a different beer under its Brewer's Reserve label.  This season is a first tasting for me, they're Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale.  This is a style of beer I've yet to taste so I decided to do a little research about what a saison farmhouse ale is all about.  According to Wikipedia, the saison ale originated from Wallonia, a French-speaking region of Belgium.  The beer was meant to be refreshing but local alcohol content so as not to easily intoxicate it's primary consumers, farmers.  It was meant to be just strong enough to prevent spoilage.  The US versions of saison ales are less concerned with the ABV content and more concerned with getting the hoppy base flavor just right.

The picture above doesn't do the beer's color justice.  The head is light and with a fizzy consistency.  It's got the sweet smell I'd expect from a honey ale or mead.  I was excited from the moment I poured it and was expecting the refreshing flavors of a Belgian wheat summer ale.

Wow, these flavors were complex.  It's hard to break down the complexity of all the flavors at work but I like to think of it as an explosion of spices and hops.  Lighter on spice than a Christmas ale which gets overpowered with nutmeg, but definitely a cavalcade of different spices at work here.  As far as getting a hop base right which is in traditional saisons, it's definitely there in force.  The two combine for something not quite light enough for a hot beach day but I look forward to coming home from a day of work and letting my body soak in the deliciousness that  River Horse Brewing Company has created with this saison.  I can't wait to stop by and hear the story behind this recipe from some of their staff.  This beer doesn't QUITE survive the test of all seasons that I'd like to see in a Scottish PINTRS, but it most certainly deserves a French rating. Till next time!

Going Several Rounds with Brawler

Hello everyone! Another installment of Good Brew Hunting coming at ya, this time sampling one of two brews I have from Yards Brewing Company, a Philadelphia-centric brewery with a lot of promise.  

Today's beer is Brawler, what's advertised as a craft beer in the style of English session ales.  WTF is an English session ale you ask?  Session ale is just your standard ale, in the case an English standard ale.  

Here it stands after the pour (mmm, I just love me the sight of a frosted glass).  The aromas are nothing noteworthy.  If you try REAL hard you may be able to detect a hint of malt.  It poured smoothly with a modest foam head.  The beer is described ruby in color but it's really a tarnished brass color; think the color of brass rings at an old-style carousel.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, go find an old-style carousel where they have brass rings and you'll have a simple but fun time. 


Tasting yielded a toasted malt flavor but without the sweetness.  More bittier than the classic American ale, but not offensively so.  The malt and bitterness bring out a light beer that could stand in the ring as a fall or winter selection.  Honestly, the beer has more flavor than most beers with an ABV of 4/2%.  It's always impressive when a beer can do more with less and in the case Yards Brewing Company deserves a tip of the cap for Brawler.  I feel comfortable with giving the beer a US rating on the PINTRS, and look forward to tasting some more!

Taking A Sip of a Mother's Milk

Hey everyone! Wow it's been awhile, but that's okay because we're back with fervor and a passion to drink.  Just look at all the beer in this fridge begging to be sampled!.

Tonight we're bathing in the beer teat that is Keegan Ales, located in Kingston, NY. That's right, I said teat, because one of their stand-out brews are Mother's Milk, a oatmeal milk-like stout.

The bottle is nothing special, but it's not hiding what it is.  I like the label for it's crisp, modern-like lettering.  But what's it look like when the cap gets popped?

Gorgeous, that's what.  Seriously, this is a MILF of a beer as far as milk stouts go.  Pour is rich, dark, molasses, chocolate liquid that came smooth.  The color is pitch black...or is it? When people think opaque beers, Guinness comes to mind.  This is more like trying to look through a worm hole, where a caramel-tinge is being sucked in.  The head had a soft caramel color throughout and immediately piqued my interest.  And the aroma! Very inviting, malt and slightly sweet with a hint of bitter.

What's in the taste, because that's where it counts right?  No disappointment that's for sure. First is an undeniable smooth taste that comes with an oatmeal milk stout. Also an enjoyable malty sweetness.  What's in it that may come as unexpected?  I think hints of coffee are an incredible addition.  Did I mention bitter chocolate? I know I didn't, but I will! It's there, part of that sticky sweetness and part of the acceptable bitterness.

So where does Keegan's Mother Milk stand in our PINTRS?  I feel comfortable giving this a French rating, as it really stands out against other, simpler, less-inventive milk stouts.  Bravo Keegan Ales! 

Trust the Midas Touch?

Hey everyone!

And no, today's post hasn't turned this blog into an auto-mechanic forum.  Dogfish Head Brewery, one of the premier craft breweries around, also has one of the widest variety of craft beers.  One of these is Midas Touch.  The recipe for the brew is a Turkish recipe similar to one supposedly found in the tomb of King Midas himself (go ahead, check out the Wiki article for this ancient Greek mythology here).  Is this brew a royal flush, or more worthy to be flushed?

The bottle itself is pretty cool, and it stands out amongst the Dogfish line while keeping the trademark shark logo along the top of the bottle.   Dogfish describes the brew as balancing between mead and wine and as props to the website also suggests some tasting notes we should be looking for inside the bottle.  They include honey, saffron, papaya, melon, biscuity, and succulent (I question biscuity being a word but whatever).

It certainly pours light, and just looking at the picture above you can almost see that line Dogfish talked about as balancing between mead and wine.  It's a light golden color, and gives off the faintest, almost dainty sweet aroma of a flower.  So far, so good....

On the first sip I'm expecting some good ol' honey sweetness...and it's just not there!  This is one crossdresser of a beer.  It's a beer that wants to be a wine, or a wine that wants to be a beer.  I want to say its refreshing but, for me, it's almost slightly offensive to the palate.  It does have complicated flavors and distinct grape dryness with florals bordering close to what I'd expect to see in gin.  It maintains a particular dryness throughout, for better or worse.

If you can tell through this review, I wasn't a huge fan of it.  But I won't give this beer a bad rating just because I didn't like it.  It's notable for it's ingenuity and I can see how this beer will appeal to different kind of folk throughout.  As an aside, I also tasted this beer recently on tap and was more impressed by it flavors (yes I know, tap beer is tops anyway).  The beer deserves at least a Imperial PINTRS, for ingenuity but for also missing some of the mark when translated to the bottle.  Till next time!