Lost Coast Brewery: Raspberry Brown

I have become a big fan of Lost Coast Brewery and this time have picked up a bottle of Raspberry Brown to check out.

This is a really enjoyable brown. When you open the bottle and give it a sniff the first thing you notice is the raspberry scent...behind that there is almost a hint of a licorice smell.

The malt has a great creamy chocolate flavor and the finish is a complex sweet coffee/nutty taste. The raspberry that has been infused into this brew is not lost at all!
It is a great combination of classic tastes.

This American Brown Ale has an ABV of 6.5%.

I think this is a great beer and would appeal to a wide range of people. Though I would have to say that for me this is very much a desert beer or a beer for a special occasion - others may disagree. One thing that is for sure is that any beer lover should at least give this one a sample!

St Peter's Organic English Ale

Today I decided to try St Peter's Brewery Organic English Ale. This is a really great English ale...great malt flavor with some nice hops. The taste lingers on the tongue in both a soft and subtle earthy malt and the taste of lemon rind and bitter hops. The ABV is 4.5%.

The brewery says: "Water is extracted from our own 300’ deep borehole and combined with Soil Association accredited light malted barley from Norfolk. Organic hops provide the distinctive palate. The yeast used is St. Peter’s own single strand variety. The result is a delicate, clean, crisp, lightly carbonated, traditional English Ale with a full ‘citrus hop’ aftertaste. This lovely beer won the Soil Association’s (organic certifying organization) top prize in 2002 and a silver medal in 2006."

This is a great ale and the fact that it is organic makes it even better and makes me start thinking about the NAOBF! (Is it Summer yet?)

My advice is buy this beer and give it a try soon!

Lost Coast: Indica IPA!

Lost Coast Brewery has a very tasty brew with Indica IPA!

When I first opened the 22oz bottle there was an instant smell of fresh pine needles....at least that is what I picked up.
The taste is of a light malt and sweetness along with a very floral tasting softly hopped IPA. There is also a citrus...almost grapefruit taste.
The carbonation is very light...and balanced to the brew.

I am a little confused that the brewery webpage doesn't talk about this beer at all...that I could find....you would think they would talk this one up.

This is a VERY drinkable IPA and one that would be enjoyed by a hop lover and those still in the early days of IPA love!
The only stat I can give you is that is that it has an ABV of 6.9%

Happy Birthday Ruby!

Nice Video!!

Full Sail: "Bump in the Night" Dark Ale

Full Sail Brewing's lead brewer, Barney Brennan, came up with this wonderful Cascadian Dark Ale and the brewery brought it to life.

This ale is a "Brewmaster Reserve for 2011 and will only be available for a short while longer. It is scheduled to be around from January to March of 2011 only...so, seek this one out before it is too late!

Full Sail says...."The array of dark malts present a full bodied beer with notes of cocoa and slight roast. It has a big floral citrus hop flavor and bitterness, reminiscent of an IPA."  I have to agree with this...yet...there is something else. I am having a hard time putting my finger on it.
The finish seems to lift the taste buds to a totally different level rather then just linger. To me it is not so much a "big floral citrus hop flavor" (though that is there) as a slightly sour herbal taste..... Just my opinion.
If you have not tried this wonderful liquid make sure you do!

The stats on this one are an IBU of 65 and an ABV of 6.5%

Leavenworth Biers: Whistling Pig Hefeweizen

Leavenworth Biers...brewed by Fish Brewing....has a brew called "Whistling Pig" which is an unfiltered "Hefeweizen" (wheat) beer. Not only is it a pretty sweet name but, it is a pretty good hef too.

According to the website "Whistle pigs are actually marmots. Small and furry, these high country critters sometimes communicate with an ear-piercing whistle that’s not soon forgotten. Marmots abound around Leavenworth. They seem especially at home north of town at Whistling Pig Meadow."

This beer is mild and refreshing with a mildly sweet fruity finish. I tried it without the traditional slab of lemon tossed in and it was still very enjoyable.

It also seems to have won the Bronze Medal in the American‐Style Wheat Beer category

at the 2010 Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition.
OK, that doesn't sound too exciting but, this beer is worth a try on a warm Spring day!!
The stats on this one report an IBU of 22 and an ABV of 5.4%.

Rogue: Juniper Pale Ale

This is an interesting Rogue beer....lower IBU then I  usually buy (IBU: 34). - But, this is a very good ale. It is brewed with whole juniper berries. Yet, the flavour is pretty mild and the malt is very balanced with an almost sharp dry finish.

Juniper Pale Ale isn't exactly a mystery beer infact the awards listed for this one are: 2010 World Beer Championships—Gold,  2010 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze & 2010 US Beer Tasting Championships—PNW Champ!

The Ingredients Rogue provides are:
Crystal, Triumph, C-15 & Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare & Risk Malts; Styrian Golding, Amarillo & Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution Hops; Juniper Berries, Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast.
(That made me kind of dizzy reading the ingredients....just saying....)

It goes without saying...But, I will anyway....This is a great Beer!

Fish Tale: Organic India Pale Ale

I love this IPA...is it Organic...a lighter yet very satifying beer with wonderful hops and an almost floral (in a manly way!) finish.

This beer always reminds me of fantastic sun filled afternoons at the North American Organic Brewer's Fest up in Overlook Park! - I tend to consume many pints of this IPA over those wonderful Summer days!

Fish Brewing describes this IPA as "...a medium-bodied beer with a rich golden color. The organic pale and crystal malts lay down a firm malt body. This provides the backbone for an assertive hop profile featuring organic Pacific Gem. The moment the Mighty Fish Brewers sampled this pungent and resinous New Zealand hop, they knew it would be perfect for their Organic I.P.A. The result: A Cascadian treasure."
I have to agree it is a treasure!
The stats on this brew are an ABV of 6.7%, an OG of 1.061 and the IBU as 42.

Lagunitas Brewing: Olde Gnarly Wine

Lagunitas Brewing is always a favorite for me personally....Today I bought a bottle of "Olde Gnarly Wine".
The bottle's label says, "Making a mondo ultra mega super premium barleywine is a little like having a kid. The first part is fun and messy, it takes awhile to ferment, and then a whole lot longer to mature. It is expensive and takes up a lot of space. You worry about how it’ll grow up and whether or not you’ll still be friends. Eventually it stays out all night and comes home with its skirt on backwards. You know how it is. Usually we package our ales within 15 days of brewing. This is one we aged in the tanks for over a month."

Lagunitas describes it as a "...BarleyWine Style Ale is Dated and Built to Last. Flavors Evolve as Hop Bitterness Yields to Crazy Caramel and Rich Toffee Flavors."
It is indeed a fine brew....smooth...mildly sweet...and totally fantastic! I can't say enough good things about the barley wine!
It really needs to be experienced...either all fancy in a snifter or right from the bottle! - A++
The stats on this one are as follows....O.G. 1.096,  A.B.V. 10.6% and a respectable I.B.U. of 69.39!