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 for two 6 packs.
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: Barleywine Style Ale (snifter), Dominion | Tags: alcohol, bitter, brilliant, caramel, citrus, crisp, dry, fruit, grapefruit, orange, red, resin, ruby
Dominion Millennium BWSA
Style; glass: BWSA; snifter
12 fl oz x 10.5% ABV = 126 / 60 = 2.1 beers * 150 C = 315 calories (est.)
Purchased at: The Beer Outlet for $1.25
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: IPA (shaker, tulip), Troeg's | Tags: bitter, citrus, crisp, deep, delicious, dry, golden, grapefruit, long finish, orange, pine, resin, sweet, well balanced
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Style; glass: India Pale Ale/Imperial Amber; tulip
22 fl oz x 7.5% ABV = 165 / 60 = 2.75 beers * 150 C = 412.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Burlington, NJ for $5.99
A beautiful deep amber body under an off white head. Full of sweetness and bitterness so very nicely balanced. Pine, citrus and rind all meet in a deep and delicious beer.
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: Abbey Tripel (trappist), Chouffe | Tags: alcohol, banana, beautiful, bitter, citrus, cloudy, delicious, fruit, golden, grapefruit, hazy, hoppy, layered, long finish, nicely balanced, resin, rich, well balanced, wheat
Pourn: Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Volume: 25.4 fl oz * ABV: 9% = 220.5 / 60 = 3.67 beers * 150C = 550.5 C est.
RateBeer rating: 98
Style; Glass: Abbey Tripel; Trappist
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ
Price: $8.99
Aroma: fruity, musky, humid, wet. Nice mix. Faint aroma, but delicious.
Visuals: pale golden hazy, immense white long lasting head. Carbonation is a bit overactive, but calms down after some time.
Taste: delicious, rich, hoppy, layered, nicely balanced, slight burn of alcohol. Banana, cloves, pineapple, very hoppy.
Palate: back of tongue, top back, roof. finish is long, dark, deep, and fruity. This marriage of california style hops and Belgian style fruit is an instant classic for me.
Overall Impressions: Banana, cherry, lemon, orange, hops, bitterness. One of my all time favorites.
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Filed under: Barleywine Style Ale (snifter), Sierra Nevada | Tags: alcohol, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, caramel, cherry, citrus, crisp, delicious, dry, grapefruit, hoppy, long finish, nice, orange, pine, resin, strong, sweet
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot BWSA 2009
Style; glass: BWSA; snifter
12 fl oz x 9.6% ABV = 115.2 / 60 = 1.92 beers * 150 C = 288 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Super Saver Pennington, NJ for $1.99
Aroma: Tea, cherries, alcohol, oak, hay, smoke, agitation brings out the hops
Visuals: well designed packaging, inviting, funny, and brand-strong, A deep pool of tea, orange to red, brilliant and clear, thin gray head, very nice lacing.
Taste: Overtly sweet and malty, some roasty flavors, high gravity, caramel, sharp crisp hoppy bitterness.
Palate: Starts heavy with sweetness, syrupy, quickly moves to tea and caramel, followed by slow descent to bitterness and hoppy overload.
Overall: Delicious and amazing. I have to grab it when I first see it each season. Great stuff. An absolute go-to fave. Value is amazing for the craft involved. Despite the macro overtones of what Sierra Nevada is doing, on their scale, you have to give them credit for delivering on flavor and quality on their brews — they do macro right.
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Filed under: IPA (shaker, tulip), Stone | Tags: amazing, banana, bitter, brilliant, citrus, crisp, delicious, fruit, golden, grapefruit, hoppy, nice, pine, sweet, wheat
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA
Style; glass: IPA; tulip
22 fl oz x 6.9% ABV = 151.8 / 60 = 2.53 beers * 150 C = 379.5 calories (est.)
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville for $7.99
Aroma: sweet, banana and cloves, some citrusy hops, pine, grass.
Visuals: packaging is beautiful, though screen printing always seems to be coming off the bottle. It gives the brand a bit of crumbly marble style, though I wonder if it’s intentional? Perhaps the most brilliant IPA I’ve ever seen, absolutely crystal clear. Like the final scene in THX 1138, it’s that bright sunlight. Golden, pale, transparent, bright white head, sticky fresh Belgian lace. Carbonation is continuous.
Taste: Delicious, sweet, and hoppy. A great blend, very much in the spirit of Chouffe’s Hobblon Dobblen (sp?). Expertly balanced, nice easygoing maltiness, great hops. Perhaps my favorite new session brew.
Palate: Crisp, clean, and refreshing. A dream of fusion of two of my favorite styles. I hope they develop an imperial of this. Starts very sweet, crisp, middle has a bit of a burn and slight roastiness, finish is hops and bitterness with a salty sweet end note. Amazing.
Overall: In terms of lighter brews and more reasonable ABVs, this is a clear winner, and easily my favorite IPA at the moment, and very much a favorite all around, though my top honor still goes to Mikkeller for Black. I’m going to get more, soon. Stone, just keep them coming, and please consider an imperial version of this.
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Filed under: Founders, Imperial/Double IPA (snifter, tulip) | Tags: alcohol, amazing, beautiful, bitter, brilliant, citrus, clear, delicious, golden, grapefruit, hoppy, hops, orange, pine, red, resin, sweet, well balanced
Founders Double Trouble DIPA
Style and Glass: DIPA, Tulip; snifter
ABV, Volume & Calories: 9.4% in 12 fl oz. estimated at200 C
Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $2.75
Aroma: A beautiful, hoppy explosion. Pine, citrus, resin, salt, seawater, and burn of alcohol is very present.
Visuals: design is fun, inviting, and apropos, body is a winter sunset, deep reddish orange with a bright white head, very clear, head is small but withstands the tasting, lace is missing.
Taste: smooth, sweet and burning, syrupy and spicy with savory notes, hops are forefront, bitter and biting.
Palate: smooth throughout. Alcohol inhale on first taste, followed quickly by sweetness, then intense bitterness, then a long dulling battering of the mouth. Delicious.
Overall: An amazing and delicious brew. A bit expensive, but always worth it. .
