Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Sierra Nevada | Tags: active, Alcohol by volume, amazing, basil, beautiful, beer, Beer rating, blood, cardamom, cloudy, creamy, curry, deep, Drink, dry earth, drying, excellent, Food, fresh, grains, grapefruit, grass, India Pale Ale, orange, peanut oil, pine, Recreation, red, rye toast, sawdust, strong, white
pourn: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2008
Glass: Shaker, Tulip
Purchased at: Oaktree buy rite, South Plainfield, NJ
Price: $16.99
Size: 12 fl oz
ABV: 6.8 %
IBU: n/a
Estimated Calories: 170 C
RateBeer Rating: 96
Aural: quiet opening, active carbonation, nice pour
Aroma 8 out of 10
Intensity: strong
Balance: sweet
Impression: nice
Malt Aroma: rye toast, peanut oil
Hops Aroma: dry earth, grass, basil, grapefruit
Other Aroma: pine
Notes: A great active aroma. Very mindful of a strong IPA.
Appearance 5 out of 5
Color: dark
Clarity: cloudy, bottle conditioned
Head Retention: average
Lace: intricate
Notes: Beautiful beer. Deep red orange hues with a white head and lace.
Flavor 9 out of 10
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Impression: nice
Malt Flavor: grain bread toast nut
Hops Flavor: curry, cardamom, grapefruit
Other: orange, grapefruit, pine
Notes: Sawdust and blood. Like an accident happened, but in a good way. How do they make such a commercial beer so very good?
Palate 5 out of 5
Mouthfeel
Sensation: creamy drying
Body: full
Carbonation: average
Finish
Length: long
Intensity: strong
Balance: bitter
Notes: Perhaps the best aspect of this very good beer. Leaves you wanting more.
General Impression: 18 out of 20
Craftmanship: excellent
Freshness: fresh
Personal Taste: loved
Notes: An amazing beer for the brewer and price. Just fantastic.
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Filed under: Victory, lager (lager glass) | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, clear, crisp, dry, golden
Victory V Lager
Style; glass: Lager; lager glass
12 fl oz x 4.8% ABV = 57.6 / 60 = .96 beers * 150 C = 144 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Beer Outlet at Franklin Mills, Phila, PA for $1.25
Aroma: corn, hay, rice, grains, barnyard, dust
Visuals: inspiring packaging, propagandistic, bright clear brilliant filtered body, thin white head is fleeting, little lacing.
Taste: clean, crisp, light, mostly malty sweetness, some light hop bitterness follows.
Palate: Crisp, two notes of sweetness and quick bitterness.
Overall: Well done for one of my least favorite styles. I always enjoy Victory brews.
Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Sierra Nevada | Tags: amazing, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, citrus, clear, crisp, delicious, dry, golden, grapefruit, high quality, hoppy, hops, long finish, nice, orange, pine, resin, well balanced
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
First tasted on 2/21/2009
video added 3/25/2009
Style; glass: IPA; tulip
12 fl oz x 7.2% ABV = 86.4 / 60 = 1.44 beers * 150 C = 216 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $1.12
Aroma: hops, citrus, stinging, and pine needles. Invigorating.
Visuals: beautiful brand safe packaging, summer sunset, brilliant golden orange clarity, thinning white yellowish head, exquisite lace.
Taste: starts sweet and bitter simultaneously, middle is dark with some roasted notes and lots of citrus, which lingers as grapefruit, resin, and tar.
Palate: peppery, stinging, and tart, middles dull to a warming and a throb in the back of the mouth, the finish is dark, warming, and delicious.
Overall: This is a spectacular, delicious, and superlative achievement. At this price, intensity, and quality, I have found my go-to daily bread. Sierra Nevada, you’ve absolutely done it. You are so hired.
http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/torpedo.html
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Filed under: Pilsener (flute or footed pilsener), Sly Fox | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, clear, crisp, dry, golden, long finish, nice, wheat
Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner
Style; glass: Pilsner; pilsner
12 fl oz x 4.9% ABV = 58.8 / 60 = .98 beers * 150 C = 147 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $7.99
A crisp, dry and increasingly bitter brew. Very well done version of the style, with a lot of character and depth, surprising for such a light refreshing brew.
Filed under: Belgian Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Victory | Tags: amazing, beautiful, bitter, crisp, dark, deep, dry, hazy, long finish, mold, pine, resin, sour, strong
Victory Wild Devil
Style; glass: Belgian Ale, Trappist
22 fl oz x 6.7% ABV = 147.4 / 60 = 2.45 beers * 150 C = 367.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $9.99
It’s a deep bitter style that eludes traditional style descriptions – not quite an IPA, not quite a Belgian, but delicious, dank, and a bit soapy. Recommended as a different direction for hop lovers and Belgian lovers.
Filed under: Imperial Stout (snifter), Moylan's | Tags: alcohol, beautiful, bitter, black, chocolate, coffee, crisp, dark, delicious, hops, long finish, opaque, resin, roasted, strong, well balanced
Moylan's Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout
Style; glass: Imperial stout; snifter
22 fl oz x 10% ABV = 220 / 60 = 3.66 beers * 150 C = 549 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Burlington, NJ for $6.99
A roasted malt taste explosion, supported with coffee, chocolate, grapes, sourness and a heap of bitterness. Delicious, with a beautiful opaque body and thick, long lasting tan head. Really great, as usual, from Moylan.
http://www.moylans.com/site/pages/brewery/beer.php
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Filed under: Avery, Saison [farmhouse ale] (tulip) | Tags: beautiful, brilliant, cherry, citrus, crisp, dry, fruit, golden, hazy, long finish, mold, resin
Avery Fifteen Saison
Style; glass: Saison/Brett; flute, Trappist
22 fl oz x 7.68% ABV = 168.96 / 60 = 2.816 beers * 150 C = 422.4 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Burlington, NJ for $9.99
Beer Style: Brewed beyond any known category
Hop Variety: Sterling
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Belgian wheat
OG: 1.064 Alcohol By Volume: 7.68 IBU’s: 19.2
Color: Hazy Sunset
originally posted at: http://www.averybrewing.com/BigBeers/seasonal/AnniversaryAleFifteen
Avery Fifteen is a golden bodied, white headed farmhouse style brewed with figs, hibiscus flowers, and white pepper. Funky, fruity, sour, and bitter, it is a surprising ale with a fantastic and generous dark finish.
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Filed under: Avery, Belgian Strong Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Russian River | Tags: alcohol, Alcohol by volume, banana, beautiful, Belgium, brilliant, cherry, citrus, crisp, delicious, fruit, grapefruit, resin, ruby, strong, well balanced
Troeg's Collaboration not Litigation Strong Belgian Ale
Style; glass: Belgian Strong, Trappist, Snifter
22 fl oz x 8.72% ABV = 191.84 / 60 = 3.19 beers * 150 C = 478.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $8.99
Avery’s LNC is a Belgian IPA moshpit of flavors, with banana, peach, cloves, and hops all battling, and I’m the winner. It’s a beautiful mixture of flavors, an enjoyable layered voyage.
Update: The two brews were Avery’s Salvation and Russian River’s Salvation. I’ve had the RR, and it’s amazing, as this was. A great brew, a great opportunity for collaboration, and a great example of how mediation can transform potential conflict into real opportunity and creative achievement. Cheers.
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Filed under: Sampler Sessions | Tags: beautiful, bitter, brilliant, cherry, citrus, clear, deep, delicious, dry, golden, hoppy, nice, sweet, well balanced
Hi, all,
One of my favorite things in the world is a flight. A multi round sampler that allows you to taste a series of brews on tap, while only imbibing about a pint altogether (e.g. 4 * 4 fl oz), at a little past the price of a pint. One of my favorite places for this sort of pleasure is the Hulmeville Inn in Hulmeville, PA, home of Jeff Louella, The Aleien Homebrew club, and a whole lot of great craft beer.
I’ve decided to add a category to BeerCritic that focuses on these Sampler Sessions, rather than doing individual posts for the brews, because I can’t showcase them in the same way as I can in my home studio, and taking notes for each of the brews can be a daunting task in public, since some people think it’s, well, weird. As a result, my reviews are often more concise, tight, and immediate, and photos, if I get them, are minimalist.
So, here is the first post in this brand new category, but certainly not the last. Future Sampler Session entries will reveal the glorious visit to Bella Vista at the grand re-opening in September of 2008, with over 100 samples, as well as past visits to Hulmeville and other sampling spots, such as Triumph, Canal’s Lawrenceville, and Firkin Tavern.
Russian River Blind Pig, DFH Red and White, Troeg's Mad Elf, Boulder's Mojo IPA
Russian River’s Blind Pig IPA: gold body with a white head, very hoppy, flavors are sweet, washy, not bad, but surprisingly, not great, finishes very bitter, a bit chilly, which is killing flavor and aroma.
Dogfish Head Red & White: More gold than red, thin translucent head on a deep, golden hazy body, looks very nice. Taste is deep Belgian, fruity with a very warm finish. Truly great and with an amazing finish. You can really taste the wine. Sticky, sweet and warm. A must have.
Troeg’s Mad Elf: deep red body, rich finish, no head on a ruby body, delicious and beautiful. Mostly malt with a bit of carbonation.
Boulder’s Mojo IPA. An amber body with a tiny white head, dissipates to nil. Good hops at the end, and lots of sweetness up front. Raspberry notes, orange juice, some sourness. Very enjoyable.
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Filed under: Belgian Strong Ale (trappist, tulip, tumbler), Brooklyn | Tags: amazing, banana, beautiful, citrus, deep, delicious, dry, fruit, hazy, long finish, nice, ruby, sour, sweet, well balanced
brooklyn local 2 belgian strong ale
Style; glass:Belgian Strong; trappist
25.4 fl oz x 9% ABV = 228.6 / 60 = 3.81 beers * 150 C = 571.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $ (have to check)
Aroma: cloves, banana, peach, fruit. A wonderful version of the style, aroma fills the room.
Visuals: Meticulous packaging, beautiful and royal, thinner translucent head, hazy ruby body, gossamer lacing.
Taste: Begins bubbly, sweet, and washy, middles to a fruity candy, finishes dark with some bitterness. Delicious.
Palate: Heavily carbonated, very fresh, middle dulls and flavors emerge, finish is long lasting, sweetness, roastiness converging.
Overall: As most of my purchases from Garrett O., this is a quality brew, worth the price, with exquisite care, packaging, and attention to detail. Superb.
