Life of a mustache beer review

Nighttime ale

2015-07-27T17:28:00.002-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: NightTime Ale

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company (California)

Style: Black IPA

ABV: 8.6%

IBU: 73.4

Pour Color: Black as night!

NightTime Ale poured black as night. Light had no business even trying to pass thru this one. The head even had a dark shade to it showing how much dark malt was in it. The lacing lasted most of the glass as it fought valiantly against my follicles. The scent of the hops had a nice pine citrus mix. The bouquet was rounded out with roasted caramel scent. First sip was a explosion of flavors. The hops and the malts were way over the top but only got better as the face swallowed. The malts come thru as a slightly sweet flavor but the roasted malt bitterness really just added to the hops. Citrus and pine tried to over whelm but the malts held there own. Great great beer!
Lagunitas.... Ohhh how do I love thee... Let me count the ways! Very few beer companies knock it out of the park nearly every beer you have. That's what Lagunitas does. There hop heavy beers are amazing and the back bone of there business. It's beers like night time that make you realize that Lagunitas knows it's niche but can also cross over into dark stuff. Yeah it's still hop heavy but it also makes you think of chocolate and coffee more then most straight up malty beers. Kudos again to one of the breweries that makes me love drinking beers!

Rating: *****

Hopportunity Knocks

2015-07-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Hopportunity Knocks

Brewery: Caldera Brewing Company

Style: IPA

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 100

Pour Color: red and light travels thru.

The pour brought about a redish colored pour. The head was a good size and laced the glass most of the way down. The scent off the top was kind of unsettling. Smelled like sweet resinous smell but the malt blend had a funk to it. The flavor had a hop presence like a IPA should. Those hops came through as a artificial alcoholic flavor more then a real bitter kick. The malts were over bearing and seemed to have a slight smoked flavor that was way out of place. Really a weird IPA.
This beer may be one of the worst IPAs I've ever had. It's a IPA cause of the 100 IBUs yeah.... they chose to bury the IBUS with a absurd blend of malts that didn't just try and balance the beer but tried to take it over. On top of that the scent off the top was just about stomach turning before I took a swig. The date on the can said canned 4/15/15 so I would expect 120 day window would still be good for freshness. Really really disappointed by this beer and wouldn't get it again ever.

Rating:

Hoppy Boy

2015-07-22T15:39:00.001-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Hoppy Boy

Brewery: Twisted Pine Brewing (Colorado)

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 50

Pour Color: Dark golden color.

A sweet malt and hoppy scent off the top. A nice golden color a little darker then most pales. The head was a good size and stuck around for a good few splashes into the follicles. The flavor of this one is much sweeter then most pales I've had. Almost a sweet orange flavor to it. Very ballenced for being a pale.
It says balance is the key but this one is on the hoppy side. I disagree with that statement. This one was really sweet and seemed to hide the hoppy bitter I expected and wanted. I could see this being a gateway beer for someone but it's not a really hoppy beer. I even would say the malts were the star of this beer making for easy drinking. It just didn't strike me as a pale ale though. Good but not anything I'd go out of my way to find.

Rating: **1/2

Even Keel

2015-07-21T17:10:00.001-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Even Keel

Brewery: Ballest Point (California)

Style: Session IPA

ABV: 3.8%

IBU: 40

Pour Color: Dark golden color maybe even a bronze that allowed light thru.

The face poured this one and the smell hit me quick. A nice citrus grassy scent off the top. The head was two fingers high to begin with and disappeared rapidly. The color in the glass was a bronze shade that allowed light thru. I imagine some kind of caramel malt is used to get that shade in a session ipa. It also had a nice little bit of hop haze to it. The flavor gives you a slight sweet taste of malts that coincides with a bitter almost tangerine, orange, grapefruit flavor. This beer is able to pack a punch that most session ales can't. A good beer to have a few when you can't get smashed.
I went to a tap take over from Ballest Point at the basin pub in my area of New York. They had alot of big beers but I had to drive home and I live a half hour away at the very least. This was the beer that got me through. Full of flavor and a real low ABV. Up till that night i didn't give many sessions a chance cause they were just so laid back. This one actually packs the flavor IPA drinkers are looking for.

Rating: ****1/2

Not Your Fathers Rootbeer

2015-06-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Not Your Fathers Rootbeer

Brewery: Small Town Brewery (Illinois)

Style: Spiced Beer

ABV: 5.9%

IBU: ?

Pour Color: A very dark brown that keeps most light at bay.

As the face poured it I didn't see much characters of a beer. The head disappeared instantly. The color was dark brown and let little light pass thru it. The scent off the top wasn't beer either it was a mix of spice, vanilla, and a little alcohol scent. The flavor was almost exactly like the rootbeer barrel candies. Slightly sweeter and with a deeper vanilla tone. The body of the beer was really thin and over carbonated compared to most beers. This isn't a beer drinkers beer this is a soda pop with alcohol in it.
The question you have to ask yourself is do you want soda or do you want beer. This doesn't drink like a beer. It doesn't have the body and it's way more carbonated then most beers. But it delivers on what it sells on the label. A nice clean tasting rootbeer that has a little more vanilla then most other rootbeers. As long as you know what your getting into this isn't a bad beer by any means. If you really want to call it a beer. Really torn on the rating of this one cause I love it for what it is but it's not beer to me. Really really good though.

Rating: ****

Total Domination

2015-06-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Total Domination

Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company (Oregon)

Style: IPA

ABV: 6.7%

IBU: 65

Pour Color: A nearly see thru dark golden color.

The scent as it poured was a piney slightly sweet scent. The golden darker color had a good haze to it showing it was hoppy and unfiltered. The head on the top of the beer was fluffy and faded down quick. It did leave lacing down about half the glass before totally dissipating. The flavor was a little off to me. The bitterness of the hops came across as more of a peel bitter. It also had a slightly sweet and sour backing that was weird. As you swallow this on though you get a strong alcohol taste for a few seconds and it echos for awhile. Very strange beer that I probably wouldn't go out of my way to find.
This really wasn't my favorite beer. The bottle didn't have a best by date or born on date. So the sour flavor I got off it could have been it sitting to long. That sour flavor really was off. This experience alone would make me personally shy away from taking a swim in Ninkasi beer from now on. Luckily this isn't my only experience with ninkasi and I know they have other beers that are good. Maybe soon I'll get a fresh IPA from them and it'll change my mind but for now Total Domination isn't a accurate description of what was in this bottle.

Rating: **1/2

Captain Banana

2015-06-16T17:15:00.002-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Captain Banana

Brewery: Three Heads Brewing (New York)

Style: Unfiltered Wheat

ABV: 6%

IBU: 18

Pour Color: A very hazy gold to dark yellow color. Little light gets thru.

A decent head as we started to eye each other up. The color was a nice full bodied gold. You can tell this beer was not filtered in the slightest. I hit the foam full force and bested it. A nice wheat flavor to this beer. Almost a slight sour dough flavor to. The banana that they advertise on the side of the bottle gives it a slight sweetness and evens it out nicely. The banana comes through as a slightly under ripened banana. A really nice wheat beer through and through.

Captain banana is another great logo and story from three heads. Luckily it's also another good beer. You can tell right from the get go that if you don't like unfiltered beer this isn't down your alley and the wheat flavor is gonna be heavy. The balance that the banana brings to the mix is what makes it a easy sipping beer. Great beer to take a swim in and make my return to beer reviews! Glad i got to try it with some cookie dough at hometown throwdown at lovin cup recently!!!!

Rating: ****

Electric Ray

2014-12-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Electric Ray

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and Ballest Point

Style: IPL

ABV: 8.5

IBU: 80

Pour Color: A bronze color in the glass with light coming right thru!

This one looked great in the glass. A golden slightly hazed bronze that really showed light thru. The scent off the glass was a strong piney and citrusy hops. The yeast smell I've come to expect from sierra beers in this pack also said hello. The head was actually quite fluffy and hung around for a good few sips. The taste was a nice balance of a slightly sweet malt bed with a fully floral hop presence. The flavor is that of a nice full bodied IPL that would be 5% not a big 8.5%.... The 70 IBU can get a IPA lover wondering if this is just a IPA.... Really a amazing beer to be had and maybe the best of this pack!
Electric ray was the first beer that reminded me of the brewery it came from in collaboration not just produced by. Invasion from Ballest Point has a great hop character that really has it's own floral arrangement. This one had a lot more then just the ballenced approach of a pale. It also had very little back bone of malt at the end. One of the best parts of the invasion from Ballest Point. All and all though i have had few IPLs that live up to the India Pale name that they claim. This one does that and more!

Rating: *****

Double Latte

2014-12-04T15:13:00.002-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Double Latte

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and Ninkasi Brewing Company

Style: Milk Stout

ABV: 7.6%

IBU: 60

Pour Color:Dark black color with no light getting thru.

A big head came up on this beer and lasted most of the glass. A very formidable foe! A nice chocolate and coffee flavor comes through. A real dark color to this beer and even the head had a nice brown color. The body of the beer is richer but not as thick as I expected from a milk stout. Nice roasted flavor to the whole brew. The sweet character of the milk also comes through. A good milk stout and dark beer from a pack that really seems hop forward so far.
First dark beer outta this pack and I was all sorts of excited. Every burly hair was waiting for the first sip. The head even when bested was leaving lacing down the whole glass. The mouth feel is the one thing that seemed wrong with this one. Yes it was thicker then most I feel it could have went heavier on that lactose sugar. Slightly creamy feel but just not enough for me. The coffee and roasted malts definitely came through clearly in this one. Really great beer but there and back is still number one in this pack!

Rating: ****1/2

Yonder Bock

2014-12-03T14:30:00.001-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Yonder Bock

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and Cigar City

Style: Tropical Maibock

ABV: 7.7%

IBU: 45

Pour Color: A nice red to orange color

Really nice red to orange color to this one that light went thru easily. A nice head at the start. I bested it in two or three sips. A nice hoppy almost papaya scent off the top. Slight scent of the yeast too. Really nice bouquet off this one. Really easy drinking for almost being a 8% beer. The yeast is a nice mellow bread flavor. Malts are a mellow caramel flavor that adds a nice sweet. The first hop flavor is in the mouth and goes through a fruit punch of flavors. Pineapple, mango, and apple really come thru most for me. The hops also come thru as a slightly bitter flavor in the swallow. Almost a lime flavor at the end. Sweet and flavor full each sip of this one. Much much more flavorful then most Maibocks I've tried. A really great beer in this box.
Beer Camp got a little tropical flair in this one. Honestly one of my favorite Maibock. Much more hop forward then most Maibocks I've had and I think that's why i like it. It's also got such a wide variety of flavors that you can't just point out one as your favorite. Really an amazing beer to take a swim in for a glass or two!

Rating: ****

Chico King

2014-12-02T14:08:00.002-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Chico King

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and 3 Floyds

Style: Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 45

Pour Color: A golden nearly red pour slightly hazy

The head of this one held on for quite a few sips. A redish color to the pour that let light straight thru even with a slight hop haze. This is the first beer camp that left rings all the way down the glass as I sipped. The scent off the top is mostly flowery scented hops. A slight scent of the mix of yeast and hops is noticeable if you really try. The follicles frolicked in the resinous flowery hop flavor. A real mellow sweetness also come thru after swallowing. All and all a nice pale ale with a little more hop zip then usual.
This beer really has a lot to live up to to beat a classic sierra pale. Most find the original pale as a gateway to craft beer and is really easy drinking. This is not that kind of pale. The hops are very prevalent and to a normal pale drinker would be over the top. As a hop head this isn't really a problem for this mustache. Yet this beer has little to no balance. It leaves me wishing that it just had a little more malt backing to even it out. Really really good almost IPA that would impress most beer drinkers.

Rating: ***1/2

There and Back

2014-12-01T13:05:00.002-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: There and Back

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and New Glarus

Style: English Style Bitter

ABV: 5.6%

IBU: 40

Pour Color: A very slightly hazed bronze color

This one had a head that fought for just three sips. The color was a nice bonze that was fully see thru. A mellow scent of hops off the top. It almost has a pear scent. Tasting it you get a real range of flavors. Lemon and lime are mixed to make a nice bitter flavor. A slight sweetness of pears and a real mellow spice makes it easily palatable. The part that really gets me is the lingering on the pallet of those bitter parts. This really is a treat to taste and one of the best beers i've tasted from the pack.
I have heard legend of New Glarus but never have had the pleasure. I'm really glad that Sierra decided to have a tour stop with New Glarus. An amazing beer that really makes me wonder what else is out there in ESBs. Honkers is the only bitter I've had consistently but after this one I may have a new style to explore more often. Really great beer!

Rating: *****

Torpedo Pilsner

2014-11-30T16:55:00.001-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name:Torpedo Pilsner

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and FireStone Walker

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 5.2%

IBU: 45

Pour Color: Light golden color

Upon pouring the face and I found it to be very heady and nice and golden. Easily seen thru. The head on this lasted for about half the glass before finally giving up to my follicles. The scent off the top was hoppy and yeasty. Nice tropical/piney scent off the top. The lager yeast was a small contribution to the bouquet. A sweet bready scent. The flavor is that of a strong dose of hops. Sweet meets up with piney tropical hops and really works well as a hoppy pilsner. If your looking for a Canadian pilsner then this one will just be to much for you. Really really good and delivers what it says it will!
This pilsner is quite delicious. The hand in hand with firestone walker and sierra nevada suggests it will have a good hop flavor and ballance as both sierra and firestone know how to use hops. This pilsner delivers what you would expect and is nice and crisp. The flavors of the hops just make for a more refreshing taste then most pilsner. Having a lower ABV could have hurt it for the time i've let it age but that is not the case. A great beer that anyone would be lucky to find even now when it's not at it's optimal freshness.

Rating: ****1/2

CANfusion

2014-11-29T18:52:00.002-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: CANfusion

Brewery: Sierra Nevada and Oscar Blues

Style: Rye Bock

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 45

Pour Color: A bronze color with a slightly more red hue.

The rye bock was slightly over carbonated and exploded out of the can. A bronze slightly red hue to the pour. The head came up and met up with me as soon as the glass was lifted. The head disappeared quick once it tangled with me. The aroma was mostly malts. Slightly sweet lager scent with a slight presence. The hops come thru as a slight citrus scent. Not really much for the rye in the aroma. The flavor is quite sweet. It has a good flavor from the rye but not as spicy as I hoped. The hops are citrus and nice but not enough to balance out the flavor of this sweet bock beer. Wouldn't be one of my every day go tos.
First review in awhile and the big number 200! Seems fitting that it just happens to be a oskar blues/ Sierra Nevada collaboration. Sorry I waited so long to open this beer camp. Most won't be able to find it now but me and the face found it while travling from NY to FL. Wish this one would have been a better one. Much sweeter then most bocks I've enjoyed and not as rye as I hoped. Really a good offering but not as great as I would hope from two of my favorite breweries. Hope one of my other ones in the box surprises me for a different reason.

Rating: ***

IPA

2014-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: IPA

Brewery: WestBrook Brewing Company

Style:IPA

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 60

Pour Color: A golden slightly orange color that has a haze. Light still get thru.

This one poured nice with a nice fluffy head. It fought valiantly but was bested before half the glass. The lacing shows the nice amount of malts used to make this beer. The scent off the top is hop forward but a sweet backing of malts. Quite resiny scent actually. The hops come through as the normal citrus and pine scents. The malts are actual more complex and give it a slightly spicy sweet scent. The taste is a nice resiny and sweet mix of IPA! The malts come in to give that sweetness but also to finish it off with a bit of biscuity goodness. A well ballenced and delicious IPA that luckily comes in cans!
This one outta South Carolina really nails a balance of east coast malt ability with westcoast hop ability. Amazing how full of flavor this one is. Of course since it's in a can you don't have to worry to much about the dating cause light doesn't get in. I LOVE CANNED BEER! Sorry off on a tangent but this beer is amazing and really easy to drink and quite refreshing! Glad our bud Kristy put it on her Stash Shelve at AJ's Beer WareHouse in Hennrietta NY!

Rating: ****1/2

Hop Ottin' IPA

2014-03-02T15:58:00.001-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Hop Ottin' IPA

Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company (California)

Style: IPA

ABV: 7%

IBU: 78

Pour Color: A slightly hazy bronze that light makes it thru.

The head came up fluffy and capped the bronze glass of beer well. It laced the glass as I sipped but didn't last very long. The scent off the top is mostly hops with a slight yeast and malt scent. The pine and citrus mix are a nice bouquet with the rose scent they get. Many beers claim scents they don't have, Anderson Valley nails the mix of scents off the glass. While sipping a strong lemon citrus is the first up front flavor. It also has a nice sweetness that balances a quite bitter beer. The echos of flavor come in that sweet flavor almost taking over up front and ballencing that bitter even more. It's not quite a peel bitterness that echos time and again on the back of the pallet. Very good and very refreshing for a mustache bath!
Anderson Valley just makes good beer. Everything I've had is a experience unto itself and most of the time a great one. I may be bias against this IPA cause i've had Heelch O Hops but this beer is still good. A IPA that I would most likely grab before most on a shelf. I would be down right giddy to see it at a local grocery store near me.

Rating: ****

!Pliny The Elder!

2014-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Pliny the Elder

Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company (California)

Style: Double IPA

ABV: 8%

IBU: 100

Pour Color: A hazy bronze to copper color.

This pint poured out with a good head and a real hop haze. About two fingers of head that fought the good fight. Eventually i bested it and but each sip left residue of where it had been. The scent off the top was a bouquet of fruit and pine. Pineapple, grapefruit and pine needles all hit you to make a amazing mix! The mix comes through on flavor too. A slight sweetness of the malts try to even it out but the hops are on display. The most amazing part of this beer is the after tones. The echos of citrus peel stay with every follicles in-between sips. Long, Long, Long after each sip! Prost!, Russian River!
That's right, me, the hop headed mustache, got to swim in a very special bottle of the Pliny elder... I don't know what else to say but AMAZING! This is my unicorn. It took me for a ride and a half. It was just everything I expected and more. Then I hit the bottom of the bottle and now I'll be chasing this beast again. By far the best double IPA I've ever had!

Rating: *****

IPA

2014-02-19T16:35:00.005-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: IPA

Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company (Oregon)

Style: IPA

ABV: 6%

IBU: 60

Pour Color: A golden color that is nearly see thru.

The pour brought a good head that was fluffy and full. Competed with for about half the glass but my follicles beat it down. The color of the beer was a golden shade and seemed pretty well filtered. The scent off the top is very full of citrus. The taste was full of lemon and grapefruit. It's almost a citrus fruit peel bitterness. It still has a great balance that works. A really interesting and as the say tasty IPA.
This is a great IPA. Hoppy and full of flavor in the right way. It's completely citrus flavored though. No hop spectrum but that citrus flavor. That comes across this mustache as a nice refreshing beverage. Not really every hop heads dream though. I'd grab this on hot days any day. Not really a cold weather beer for me though!

Rating: ****1/2

Hop Rod Rye

2014-02-15T15:50:00.003-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Hop Rod Rye

Brewery: Bear Republic (California)

Style: Rye P.A.

ABV: 8%

IBU: 80

Pour Color: A hazy reddish color to this one that lets light thru.

Pouring it came out to have a nice see thru hazy light red color. The head held up nicely through most the glass. The scent off the top is a spicy rye. That mixes well with a citrus hop mix that makes a nice bouquet. Slightly thicker feel in the mouth then I expected. The rye is strongly present on the taste and holds up well with the hops. A nice orange and grapefruit mix is what the hops amount to in taste. This beer is actually really bitter to with a little alcohol taste. All and all though really well ballenced!
I love me a good rye p.a. and this one delivers. Unlike another one of my favorites, Ruthless Rye, this one I can find year round. It's hard though to say which I like better. This is a little thicker and heartier though and is a much better winter beer. You can't get much better then rocking back and fourth on a sea of this one in a pint glass. Heaven for a drinking mustache like me!

Rating: *****

Choklat

2013-12-21T14:29:00.004-08:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Choklat

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company (New York)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10%

IBU: ?

Pour Color: Just black and no light gets thru!

The head of this beer wasn't very high and didn't really last that long. It's a black hole of a stout poured into a glass. Absolutely no light makes it out of the glass. A sweet alcoholic scent comes off the top. The flavor is bitter, sweet chocolate and a nice compliment of roasted malts. Not really much hops to mention. The alcohol though has a strong bite and really isn't hidden. The high ABV is right up front but still a great dessert beer!
The only problem this beer has is that alcohol flavor and scent. As you drink this one it nearly has legs like wine. It has a strong alcohol scent too. Then you sip it and find it too has a alcoholic kick. All and all this one tries to mix in with that ABV instead of hiding it like some others. This can easily alienate those who buy it thinking it's liquid Hershey's. Myself though found it to be delicious.

Rating: ****

Racer 5 IPA

2013-08-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Racer 5 IPA

Brewery: Bear Republic (California)

Style: IPA

ABV: 7%

IBU: 75

Pour Color: A golden slightly amber color with a haze. Light travels thru easily!

I've got my follicles all in this one. The head was fairly high and lasted as a lacing for most the glass. The color was a very hazy gold. The haze and scent off the top screamed dry hop! A nice bouquet of citrus and alchol off the top. A fairly sweet back ground for a IPA. The hops come through as a mix of citrus and pine. Noticeable alcohol taste in mouth too. A nice original tasting IPA.
An IPA that tastes different then most I have tasted before are hard to find. Racer 5 really is one of those kind of IPAs. The really sweet backing is usually found in a slightly overly bitter pale ale. Dale's uses it nicely. Deviant Dale's does too. This one isn't on par with those for me but this mustache enjoyed this beer. The alcoholic bite is just a little to much for every day of the week..

Rating: ****

Milk Stout Nitro

2013-06-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Milk Stout Nitro

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing

Style: Milk Stout

ABV: 6%

IBU: 25

Pour Color: A dark nearly black pour that lets little if any light thru

This one had a eventful pouring as it has nitrous in it. The head came up nice and fluffy. A very creamy feel to it and it lasted for most the glass. The scent off the top was a nice roasted chocolate malt verity. The nitrous and milk give this beer a great feel in the mouth. The flavors are rather watered down though. A roasted/sweet flavor is really the most dominant tastes. You also get tones of coffee and chocolate. A nice milk stout that really has the body you want just not as strong of a flavor profile.
Pouring a nitros beer is always so much more fun then a normal beer. The cloudiness that seems to settle out but really just builds the head up. It also adds the right carbonation to a milk stout in my opinion. Creamy, fresh, and light this beer really is good. I just wish they went further with the flavors cause it's slightly boring for my taste buds. I'd probably buy this again if I was hanging with a Stout drinker though.

Rating: ****

Lunch

2013-06-03T08:04:00.002-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Lunch

Brewery: Maine Beer Company (Maine)

Style: IPA

ABV: 7%

IBU:

Pour Color: A extremely hop hazed golden/amber color

You open this bottle and find out quick you in a hop haze! The scent comming out the bottle gave a preview of the glass. It was strong pine, citrus, and passion fruit. A bouquet that made the face's wife look at me and say "I can smell it from here!" The color of the pour is gold and quite hazy showing the hop residue in this IPA. The head was fluffy and big and didn't just go away. I was afraid it was going to be over whelmed. The flavor is where it just gets real so much better! You got a buffet of hop goodness just dancing on the follicles! Passion fruit, orange, pine, and a slight grassy flavor. All and all it's the most flavor packed IPA I've ever had. This beer is incredible!
As far as a IPA goes this is it. As far as a great beer with complexity and verity in flavor this is it! Recently i've had Heady Topper and Ghandi-Bot also top rated beers but still I compare them to my favorite beer. Dale's is my favorite beer period. Deviant Dale's used to be my special occasion must have beer. There is no question that this is now my must have for,or just after, any celebration that's really special!

Rating: *****

Ghandi-Bot

2013-06-01T11:43:00.006-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Ghandi-Bot

Brewery: New England Brewing Company (Connecticut)

Style: Double India Pale Ale

ABV: 8.8%

IBU: 85

Pour Color: A mix between gold and amber but see thru

This one poured with a nice fluffy head. It fought well but was bested quickly by my follicles. It had a lacing on the top and sides for the rest of the glass. The amber color was slightly hazy but mostly see thru. The scent off the top of the glass was a spicy, floral, grassy verity of hops with a sweet malt backing. The taste was mostly those same hops. The floral seems to take center stage and the alcohol being 8.8% is really pretty easy drinking to me. The malts lend a slight sweet backing but no real flavor to compete with the hops. All and all a really really good DIPA!
This is one of the ones I've heard stories about and it really didn't disappoint. A hop heads dream in a Double IPA and the ABV is pretty palatable. The flowery taste though is super fresh and smells super good out the can and in a glass. I would find it real hard to decide between this and Deviant Dales if I saw em on a shelf and that's saying a lot for a DIPA in my book! Then again I've been looking for this one for months. Deviant Dales I been drinking all that time. Availability will always effect what you drink and Gandhi-Bot is sometimes hard to find!

Rating: *****

Stranger

2013-05-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Beer Stats:

Beer Name: Stranger

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company (Colorado)

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5%

IBU: 36

Pour Color: An amber golden color that lets light thru

A gold colored amber that can be seen thru easy in the glass. The head wasn't much and didn't hang around to long. The scent off the top is citrus and piney. Not really much of a malt character to the bouquet. The hops give you a mix of granny smith apple, lime, and lemon. You also get a nice spiciness. Alot of stuff going on and a pretty good pale ale.
I enjoyed what this beer had to offer. A mustache swim in something this complex is always fun. Unfortunately I think they go a little too light on all of these flavors. A pale, to me, should drink this easy and leave such mellow notes on the finish. This being my first Left Hand product I was excited but really didn't find it to be that special.

Rating: ***