Beer Blog

A week from saturday (1/22/11) will be exactly a year since I wrote my first beer review on here. In that time I have reviewed 48 beers. Seven of them aren’t pictured because I reviewed them in Michigan and didn’t bring the empties home. I’m rather surprised at myself. I have tried blogging and journaling before only to forget/give up in a week or two. Although, there’s usually not tasty beer involved with journaling. Plus I feel more adventurous and like telling people about beers that they have not heard of. I really feel a sense of satisfaction when someone finds a new beer they love because of a recommendation or review that I have.


Looking back, it’s great to see all beers I have reviewed. A few of them I will probably not have again, but most of them are great if not amazing. A good selection of world class beer. I also went to my first beer tasting, which I organized. Hopefully there is another one in the near future.

For any of you who have been to my apartment, you know about the beer wall. There’s this opening between the living room and the bedroom where pocket doors used to be. On the top of the opening there’s this old looking crown molding that also works as a shelf. All the beers I reviewed I stuck up on this shelf and I always got compliments from first time visitors. We are moving tomorrow and the new place has no crown molding. We don’t have much closet space either, so the 2010 beer review collection will sadly have to be thrown away. Our building doesn’t even recycle (don’t know how that’s legal in San Francisco).

This isn’t the end of the beer reviews. More will come shortly. Thanks for reading. Cheers!

“Named after the hop flower Humulus Lupulus, this best selling India pale ale style beer has enormous amounts of hops which really seems like a punch in the face.  Hop flowers from the numerous strains used in this recipe render a delicious bitter taste and enticing citrus aroma.  Flavors from a hearty malt bill meld with the hops to balance this ale and provide a ridiculous urge to sample more. 7.0% ABV. 76 IBUs.”

I’d like to start with a quote from the bottle, “A complex malt and hop theme park in your mouth”. Picked this one up in a randon Michigan beer grab at the grocery store in Grand Rapids. They weren’t kidding. This is a great find by a small, lesser known brewery to those outside the midwest. This beer could go toe-to-toe with the west coast IPAs I am used to and do pretty good. Pouring in the glass it’s a very cloudy amber with lots of sticky lacing sticking to the sides the entire drink. Aroma is hops, hops, and a little bit of hops. Also some grapefruit. In the mouth the first note is of course the hops, just like the nose. 76 IBUs is right on. A little citrus comes through and it finishes dry. Really dry, I like dry, so it’s great. So glad I randomly picked this beer. I picked it because I liked to hop flower on the bottle and the simplicity of the label. Shows that it does matter how you design your product. Thank you Shorts Brew!

“Derived from the traditional English style bitter, this is a classic American pale ale.  A three malt blend provides a medium bodied ale that is balanced with Northern Brewer and Cascade hops from Washington’s Yakima Valley, giving it a distinctive hop bitterness and aroma.  The result is a light-colored brew, firm in both malt and hop presence.  The term “pale” was derived due to the beer’s pale color compared to porters and stouts of the 18th Century.”

Randomly picked this up in Grand Rapids while trying different brews from the pleasant peninsula. Pours a very clear amber with a small head and lots of lacing. on the nose it’s bread, malts, and hops. In the mouth the bread smell comes through and a little of the hops. It ends crisp and that’s about it. Nothing special or complex going on here. A good beer, but there’s much better ones out there.

“Too many strive towards complacency as a goal. We grow up thinking that the ability to become complacent is the equivalence of success in life. True Arrogant Bastards know that this could not be further from the truth. The real beauty, richness and depth in life can only be found if the journey through life itself is looked upon as a constant chance to learn, live and find life’s passion. Passion threatens the complacent, and fills them with fear. Fear of the new, the deep and the different. We, on the other hand, seek it out. Endlessly, joyously…and aggressively. To this end we bring you the “OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale.” Another reward for those seeking new sources of passion, and another point of dissension for those who are not.”

“So good it’s almost wrong. Dark ruby in color and brewed with seven varieties of imported malts. Complex in finish, with hints of smoke and peat, paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard has to live up to. Ain’t for the wee lads. 8.5% ABV. 50 IBUs.”

Fourth Founders beer in a row here and my least favorite so far. Pouring in the glass it’s a dark and hazy rust color. Small head formed with no lacing throughout the drink. Smell is sweet and caramel. A scent similar to Scotch whiskey is present too. Taste is not what I prefer. My taste has moved away from darker beers a lot. I used to love porters and stouts. Now they are too sweet. This isn’t quite as sweet, but enough to turn me off. Besides being sweet, it’s pretty malty. It’s also a big contrast from the crisp and carbonated beers that I prefer, this one tastes a little flat to me.

“Get ready to bask in the glory of the frothy head’s floral bouquet. Relish the citrus accents from the abundance of dry-hopping. This one’s sweet, yet balanced. Malty undertones shake hands with the hop character for a finish that never turns too bitter. 7.2% ABV. 65 IBUs.”

Third Founders review here. I actually cleared the grocery store of two different types of Founders single beers. This being one of them. Just a good all around IPA here. Pouring it in the glass it’s a cloudy orange with a nice head and some lacing throughout. Nose is hops, little bit of citrus and a bit of biscuit. Taste is hoppy with a little of citrus. A bit of fruit and toastiness. This is a great IPA. It’s not overloaded with hops (not that hop overload is bad) and it’s very drinkable. Good ABV % too. You find, you drink.

“A testament to Cascade hops in a bottle, this medium-bodied pale ale has a refreshing citrus flavor and a distinctive floral hop aroma due to the aggressive addition of hops during fermentation. You’ll notice a slight malty sweetness with a balanced hop finish. Perfect to enjoy anytime, anywhere. 5.4% ABV. 35 IBUs.”

I love this beer. My tastes have changed since I lived in Michigan a year and a half ago. When I went to Canada this summer I picked up a variety of beers in Grand Rapids and I wish I had a case of this all to myself. Pouring it in the glass its a darker orange clouded with very fine yeast. Minimal head with minimal lacing. On the nose it’s hoppy and toasty maltiness. Smells more like a light IPA than a pale ale. Taste is really straight forward. Nothing complex here. Citrusy hops and a light maltiness. It’s a simple beer and with it’s low ABV it’s very sessionable. It could be more complex and have more body, but there’s plenty of other beers out there like that. This beer was perfect for the fishing adventure in Canada this summer when it was warm and needed some refreshment that wasn’t light domestic beer. This would also be a great beer to help someone move from pale ales to IPAs, great in between beer.

“Serious hop bitterness, along with an unyielding grapefruit bouquet from the Amarillo dry-hop, balances the malty richness of four varieties of imported Belgian caramel malts. Pours a spectacular crimson with a creamy tan head. A generous addition of rye malt accentuates a spicy, crisp finish. 6.6% ABV. 70 IBUs.”