North Cal Beer Blog

NorCal Double IPA Grocery Store Showdown

2014-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Nine of us blind taste-tested four Double or Imperial IPAs from NorCal breweries. They were bought a grocery store to see how they compare. We bought them all from Bel Air, knowing they've likely sat on the shelf longer than if they were bought from bottle shop.We wanted to see what an average consumer would find if they picked up a bottle from a grocery store.

We used a score range of 0-5, five being the best.

We bought Heretic's Evil Cousin, Napa Smith's Hopageddon, Bear Republic's Cafe Racer 15, and Rubicon's Hopsauce.

Evil Cousin
Beer Advocate: 87
Rate Beer: 3.68
Our score: 3

Hopageddon
Beer Advocate: 83
Rate Beer: 3.52
Our score: 2.5

Cafe Racer 15
Beer Advocate: 94
Rate Beer: 3.88
Our Score: 3.38

Hopsauce
Beer Advocate: 85
Rate Beer: 3.66
Our Score: 2.1

Overall, the hop flavor was lacking. These must have been sitting around for awhile. However, it was clear the Cafe Racer was the favorite and Evil Cousin a close second. Cafe Racer's hop flavors held up and Evil Cousin was more malt-forward with a enjoyable bitter finish. The other two had off-flavors ranging from slightly sour, buttery, to dirt.

Is it fair to judge beers we know are older? Yes. These are the bottles to which the average consumer will have access, especially new or irregular craft brew drinkers. Beers can win medals at beerfests, because breweries put their best, freshest, and well-tended batches forward. But, those aren't the batches consumers will end up taking home from the store.

The supply chain (breweries, distributors, and stores) needs to do a better job at rotating, storing, and labeling dates on brews. The four brews we tested either did not have bottling dates or had date stamps that were not easily understood. All nine tasters have had disappointing experiences of buying old beers and this tasting validated the problem.

We understand that breweries want to get their brand out and increase production, but the decline in quality turns off the craft beer nerds who help recruit more craft beer nerds. There's at least two breweries we we won't be buying stuff from or recommending (this isn't our first negative experiences with these breweries). We're looking for breweries that focus on quality and consumer knowledge.

Cascaderade

2014-09-15T23:03:00.003-07:00

Cascaderade is an India Pale Lager (IPL) by the Sudwerk Brewing Company of Davis, CA.

The IPL style is still emerging and I think it'll take a bit to work out nuances, but I like the idea. While quite a number of breweries are putting out this style, lagering is a challenge for most small breweries, so don't expect this style to explode. Sudwerk has been doing lagers for 25 years, so they have the ability to make them.

I bought this at Bel Air, it has an ABV of 6.6%. I recommend when serving to do a gentle pour, unless you like a lot of head.

I had seen this beer around for awhile, but hesitated on trying it. Sudwerk has been going through an evolution, for the better, over the last few years, so I wanted to give them some time to work out new recipes before writing reviews. I like the direction they're going in.

The aroma has the cascade hops with faint whiffs of malt. The taste has some hop bite up front with citrus hops and light pine flavor through out. This bitterness continues to linger enjoyably after the finish. There are hints of pilsner malts. The body is medium light, with higher carbonation then an IPA, but it still maintains a smooth finish.

Overall, this is an enjoyable, tasty beer. If I didn't know it was an IPL, I probably would have just thought it was an ale. The body is lighter than you'd expect for a 6.6% ABV, but not exactly sure what the lagering adds. I recommend you Try It.

Fire Break

2014-09-11T19:30:00.003-07:00

Fire Break is an Irish Red Ale by the American River Brewing Company. The brewery is right off of the Sunrise exit on Highway 50 and close to light rail. They have a solid selection, but this is one of my favorites.

Fire Break comes in at 6%ABV. You can typically find this at any store that sells local Sacramento brew.

The aroma has caramel malt and more subtle notes of roast and chocolate, followed by light fruit hops. The taste is malt upfront and follows the aroma - caramel with hints of roast and chocolate. There's a light bitter hoppiness. The mouthfeel a medium/light body with moderate carbonation with smooth and slightly dry finish.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer. Despite this bottle having sat in my fridge for a couple of months, I did not notice and depreciation of flavor. This not a west coast red, which are more common are more hop forward. This definitely hits the mark for the malt-forward, Irish red style. Even if you threw it in with other reds being brewed in NorCal this is one of the better ones. I strongly recommend you Try It.

J.C. Flyer

2014-05-07T11:41:00.001-07:00

J.C. Flyer is an IPA by the Iron Springs Pub and Brewery of Fairfax, CA. I bought this at Capitol Beer and Taproom. J.C. Flyer is a country-rock artist in the Bay Area - check them out.

Iron Springs is a green certified brewery. They even have an "Ambrewlance" powered by vegetable oil that delivers their beer.

The aroma has grassy and herbal hops with hints of citrus. The flavor kicks off with some grassy, herbal and spicy hops, mixing in some citrus in the middle and finish with some delicious English malts. It finishes with the same mix of hops, but with an added underlying English bitterness, like grapefruit rind, which is toned down. The body is medium and it has spot on carbonation.

Overall, this is a very delicious, unique IPA. I've seen other, less tasty, brews marketed as English Style IPA with West Coast flavors, but this hits all the right notes. There's a the well-blended west coast and English hops, and the English bitter bite that is softened by the west coast hops. Its hard to find new, truly unique, well-crafted IPAs in California so this is a Must Have It.

I'm looking forward to visiting the brewery.

Kermit the Hop

2014-04-30T21:28:00.001-07:00

Kermit the Hop is an organic Double IPA by the Bison Brewing Company of Berkeley, CA, although Bison contracts with the Mendocino Brewing Company to brew their beers.

I bought this at the Capitol Beer and Taproom.It has an ABV of 8.5%.

The aroma has hints of citrus and grapefruit. The taste follows the nose, with light citrus, bitter hops and light caramel malts. The finish has a bite of alcohol which lingers at the back of the throat. The mouthfeel is a bit sticky and the body a little lighter than you'd expect for Double IPA.

Overall, its a decent IPA, but without any unique characteristics. It's probably the better of the Bison brews I've tried - you should Try It too.

Maharaja

2014-04-29T21:32:00.004-07:00

Maharaja is an Imperial (Double) IPA by the Avery Brewing Company from Boulder, Colorado. I first came across Avery during this year's Sacramento Beer Week - probably my favorite new find. I bought this bottle at Capitol Beer and Taproom.

Maharaja is part of Avery's dictator series with two other brews - the Kaiser an imperial Oktoberfest, and the Czar an imperial Stout. They are all high octane beers, with this one clocking in at 10.2% ABV.

The aroma has citrus rind and grapefruit, some caramel malts and whiffs of booze. The taste is malt forward but soon gives way to a range of citrus flavors mixed with malt. The finish has bitter citrus and pine notes and a punch of booze that subsides as you drink. There's also some bitter grassy notes that linger. Spot on carbonation creates a nice medium body and an overall smooth mouthfeel despite the big ABV.

Overall, this is an enjoyable DIPA. Solid range of hop flavors and well crafted. The high ABV and alcohol flavor could be tamed a little more, but I recommend you Try It.

Vindicator

2014-04-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

Vindicator as an IPA brewed by the Loomis Basin Brewing Company of Loomis, CA.

I bought this at Capitol Beer and Taproom.

The aroma has light citrus hops. The flavor is all over the place, mostly muted citrus, both fruit and bitter. The finish has light bitter citrus rind, that lingers for a bit. Not much malt flavor. Flat, light/medium bodied.

Not much else to say - Skip It. Boring, faint flavors.

Dark Seas

2013-12-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

Dark Seas is an Imperial Stout by the Mission Brewing Company of San Diego, CA.

I bought this at BevMo, it has an ABV of 10.5%.

The aroma has dark sugar(brown sugar/molasses), some prune/dark fruit, and whiffs of chocolate. The flavor has a full range from sweet dark fruit upfront to roasted and chocolate malts in the middle to a slightly sweet milk finish. The lactosse/milk taste picks up after a few gulps. A light roasted flavor lingers. The mouthfeel is creamy although the carbonation adds some bubbliness to the tongue. The body is heavy and thick.

Overall, this is a good Imperial Stout. I enjoy the full range of stout flavors.

Sasquatch Double IPA

2013-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Sasquatch Double IPA is brewed by the Six Rivers Brewing Company of McKinleyville, CA. For being a brewery located in a far corner of the state, Six Rivers has found its way to Hollywood.

I picked this up at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9%.

The aroma has whiffs of toffee malts and light fruit hops with some earthiness. The flavor has the malts up front, with subdued fruit hops in the middle followed by light spice (almost like rye), and a bitter citrus finish that's balanced with caramel malt. The mouthfeel is lightly resiny and sticky, but smooth. The body is slightly heavier than medium.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer with diverse flavors; strong English malts play a forward role, and the hops bring a mix of fruit, spice, earthiness and bitter. This is a nice break from the in your face fruit hop DIPAs. I'm glad to see Six Rivers is integrating more flavorful English malts to add some complexity and uniqueness to DIPA world. I strongly suggest you Try It.

Imperial Rebellion

2013-12-18T18:27:00.001-08:00

Imperial Rebellion is an Imperial Saison/Farmhouse Ale by Iron Fist Brewing Company of Vista, CA. This is beer was brewed to celebrate the brewery's 2 year anniversary.

I got this at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9.3%.

The strong aroma is complex with citrus/lime, spicy notes, apricot or mango, almost like marmalade. The flavor follows the nose with big fruit flavor,but follows up with some tartness (but not sour), some alcohol flavor, and a caramel malt pop at the end. The warmth from the alcohol coats the throat. There's a bit of the band-aid/rubbery taste at the beginning, but it goes away after a few sips. The mouthfeel is smooth and the creamy head leads to a nice finish. It's medium bodied with average carbonation.

Overall, this is a very interesting beer. I'm not a big fan of sours or tart beers, but this one takes a nice baby step into that world. The big hop profile and ABV takes this beer to the fringes of the saison style, but is walks the fine line of enjoyable and interesting. The beer is brewed with New Zealand hops (Motueka and Nelson Sauvin) even and kaffir lime leave. Because of its balance of uniqueness and tastiness, I'm going to say this is a Must Have It. The flavor profile might not be for everyone, but its definitely worth a try.

Son of Wrath

2013-12-17T21:52:00.001-08:00

Son of Wrath is a Double IPA brewed by the Dust Bowl Brewing Company of Turlock, CA. The beer is named after the brewery's flagship IPA, Hops of Wrath. I can't believe its been over 2 years since I visited Dust Bowl, just a couple months after they opened. Good to see they're still brewing!

I picked this up at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9.5%.

Strong aroma with citrus and stone fruit - peaches/apricots. The flavor has the stone fruit up front, some light citrus and pine in the middle and a distinct grapefruit bitter finish. There's malt sweetness to temper the hops, but it doesn't come with flavor. The grapefruit lingers a bit. The mouthfeel is smooth for an DIPA, not much resin or stickiness. It has a medium body with a slightly lower level of carbonation.

Overall, I enjoyed this DIPA. Great punch of citrus and fruit hops, no off flavors, nice mouthfeel. As common as DIPAs are these days, well-made ones are still hard to come by. Dust Bowl has made a good one. I haven't revisited their flagship Hops of Wrath since they first opened, but this has motivated me to do so. I liked Hops of Wrath back then and I'm happy to see they're still doing a good job. I highly recommend you Try It.

Hop Rod Rye

2013-11-11T20:27:00.001-08:00

Hop Rod Rye is a Rye IPA brewed by the Bear Republic Brewing Company of Healdsburg, CA.

While rye has been a small component in craft brews for quite a while, its recently seen its quantity in recipes increase. The spice that rye brings can add a third dominant flavor to the sweet malts and fruit/floral/pine hops.

Hop Rod was one of the earlier recipes to emerge putting rye in a more prominent flavor role. Even with that role rye only makes up 18% of the malt profile here, which shows you how far rye flavor will go.

Rye has an interesting role in the history of beer, indeed it helped lead to the famous Reinheitsgebot laws. Long story short, there was a rye shortage in Germany. Rye was a populat ingredient in bread. In order to protect bread production the Reinheitsgebot laws were passed that among other things, banned rye from being in beer.

I highly recommend visiting the brewery in Healdsburg. The location is awesome - it backs up to a creek and is just off the town center square.

I picked this up at Bel Air, it has an ABV of 8%.

The aroma has a dark candy grape aroma with hints of the rye spice. The aroma has a balance of citrus & pine hops with dark malts and rye spice. There's pops of floral hops as well. The malt flavor is rich and thick, but is cut well by the hops. There's a biscuit and bitter citrus finish that lingers. The mouthfeel is creamy and the body is medium, leaning toward thick. The carbonation is spot on.

Overall, this a very good beer. Its hard to categorize, because it covers various spectrums from IPA to imperial red to rye, which is what makes it great. A wide variety of flavors that compliment each other.

Unfortunately, I did get an older bottle and the massive hop aroma was gone and the hop flavor muted. Even with that, the beer is still good. As I have written about before, picking up beers in large markets is a crap shoot. This is especially true for hoppy beers whose flavors fade quickly and you don't know how long its been sitting there.

Despite that this is still a Must Have It.

Evil Dead Red

2013-11-10T17:47:00.002-08:00

Evil Dead Red is an Amber Ale brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company of San Diego, CA.

The amber/red ale category is quickly diversifying leaving the label of "Amber or red" not an accurate predictor of flavor. There are Ambers that are more hop forward and others that are more malt forward. Colors vary from dark like this one to light ruby red. I'm excited to see this style develop because it offers the best of both beer flavors - malts and hops.

I picked this up at Taylor's Market in Sacramento. It has an ABV of 6.66%.

The aroma has caramel malts with light pine and citrus malts. The flavor is a balanced blend of roasted & caramel malts, and fruit, citrus & pine hops. The layered blend of malt and hop flavor is from start to finish making each sip a consistent balance of malt and hop. A light toasted malt flavor lingers. The mouthfeel is slightly resiny and chewy with a medium body. The finish is slightly dry.

Overall, this is a really good red ale. It's not easy to have both delicious malt and hop flavors stand out and not over power each other, but AleSmith knocks it out of the park with this one. Just very delicious and satisfying. This is a highly recommended it Must Have It.

Strike Imperial Red

2013-11-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

This Imperial Red is actually an Irish Red brewed by the Strike Brewing Company of San Jose. Strike is a

The aroma has some varied roasted and toasted malts reminiscent of an English ale. The flavor starts to follow the nose but then takes a turn into a metallic flavor that masks the malts. The metallic flavor does subside after a few sips which brings out the malts. The English malts with the light toffee and biscuit flavors finally come through. The mouthfeel is smooth with a medium body.

I found this at BevMo it has an ABV of 6.5%.

Overall, this beer is ok. I say that not necessarily because of flavor. Don't get me wrong, this brew is close to what an Irish Red should taste like.

What bothers me the most is this should not be called an Imperial Red. When I bought this, I didn't see the side story on the bottle that states its an Irish Red. If the beer is an Irish Red and not an Imperial Red, then don't call it an Imperial Red. When I think of Imperial Red I think of Lagunita's, Oskar Blues, Grand Teton, Epic, and other brews that have american malts and west coast hoppiness. I understand that beer styles and categories are loose and fluctuate, but there is a certain flavor profile one expects from something called an Imperial Red versus something called an Irish Red. I love a good Irish or English ale as much as a west coast amber. But if I want to buy either one, the beer should be labeled properly. Its a little bit my fault for not reading the side story, but the front label has 3 conspicuous words "Strike", "Imperial" and "Red".

That being said, this is a decent take on an Irish Red, although I believe the metallic flavor (which can be desirable) should be toned down a bit along with the carbonation. Not many California breweries are making an Irish Red, so its good to see the style being played with. I recommend you Try It.

Electrical Tower IPA

2013-11-07T19:47:00.001-08:00

Electrical Tower IPA is brewed by the Santa Clara Brewing Company of San Jose, CA. SCBC opened in spring of 2013 with two brewers that have almost four decades of professional and homebrewing experience. There's not many craft brewers in Santa Clara Valley, let alone good ones. It's exciting to see one open that has potential.

The beer is named after Santa Clara's Electrical Light Tower built in 1881 with the intent of providing light over the then-small city of San Jose.

I picked this up at Nugget Market. It has an ABV of 7.2%.

The aroma has an assertive blend of tropical, citrus, and light pine hops. The flavor is less distinct in its flavors, but there are plenty of fruity hops through out. The finish has subdued bitter citrus and pine. The bitter citrus lingers on the roof of your mouth. The mouthfeel is slightly sticky but smooth overall. It has a medium body. The lacings leave an interesting thick web.

Overall, I like this beer - a solid IPA with all the right flavors. SCBC is a young brewery with only two beers, so this is a good start for a flagship IPA. This brew demonstrates strong brewing skills and their ability to deliver flavor. I look forward to trying more. I highly suggest you Try It.

SSB IPA

2013-11-06T21:28:00.002-08:00

SSB IPA is an IPA by the American River Brewing Company of Rancho Cordova, CA. The website says SSB stands for Sacramento's Special Bitter, but the bottle says its Super Special Bitter.

The inspiration for the beer is Sacramento's history as a hop growing region.

I picked this up at Taylor's Market in Sacramento. It has an ABV of 6.2% and 70 IBUs. I haven't seen too many bombers of ARBC. I have enjoyed their Coloma Brown and Fire Break Red, so I was excited to see a new brew. They also had the spiciest chile beer I've had.

The brewery is a nice spot to stop if you're heading down the 50, it's not far south off of Sunrise.

The aroma has grassy hops with some light citrus. The flavor has blend of fruity hops, bitter citrus, light caramel and biscuit malt flavors. There's a light biscuit and bitter citrus flavor that lingers. The mouthfeel is slightly resiny with higher than average carbonation, the body is medium to light.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure how trying to adapt an English ESB with a West IPA would turn out, but this is a solid beer. This isn't a big hop, in your face IPA, but it is flavorful and well made.The use of English malts and west coast cascade hops makes a tasty beer. I strongly suggest you Try It.

Separation Anxiety

2013-11-04T20:03:00.001-08:00

Separation Anxiety is an IPA brewed by the Berryessa Brewing Company of Winters, CA. It's a single hop IPA that uses the new mosaic hops. Mosaic hops have raised the bar on flavor.

I brought this home in a growler from the brewery.

The aroma has strong distinct fruit, mango, apricot, lemon, and the flavor I've found to be called "earthy pine" by others. Although its almost like a subdued mint or juniper. Faint caramel malts in aroma. The flavor has the tropical fruit up front and the earthy pine at the end. The malts play a back role by just holding up the full range of mosaic hop flavor. There's a light bitterness at the end. The mouthfeel is smooth with a bit of resin and it's medium light in body.

This is an amazing beer that puts to use every flavor that mosaic hops can muster. More breweries are getting their hands on mosaic hops, but Berryessa is the only one in northern California to do a single hop version. This is definitely a Must Have It.

Mraz Brewing Company

2013-10-31T16:12:00.001-07:00

Mraz (Mer-oz) Brewing Company is located in El Dorado Hills, CA, not far from Folsom Lake. Mraz opened in spring 2013. Brewer and founder Michael Mraz was named California Home Brewer of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

Located in a shopping center off of busy Green Valley Road, you should probably look for Lake Forest Plaza and the 76 Gas Station.
From the outside it looks fairly small, but they use the space well can probably comfortably fit 60-75 people between in door and outdoor seating.

The craft is visible as soon as you walk. The plank, high-top tables are hand built. The simple no frills (but comfortable) bar stools create a rustic and authentic decor. The red drapes and a touch of old parlor class.

The brew room, visible through a window, is small, but underscores the craft at the heart of the brewery. It's nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

The Mraz Brewing logo is of a sword, blade facing down, with wings sprouting from the handles. It's designed to symbolize their aggressive approach to brewing - never settling and always moving forward with their styles and recipes.

Overall, we were very happy to discover this gem hidden in the hills between El Dorado and Folsom. Each beer style was well crafted - no off flavors, spot on body and mouthfeel, and the flavors you want.

My top brews that for me demonstrate the brewery's talent are the Amber, the EDH IPA, the Coffee Porter and the Francisco Dubbell. Right now Mraz plans to only have the EDH IPA available year round. All other taps will have revolving seasonal and one-off brews.

The Amber impressed me with its complex layers of malt and hop flavors from the Simcoe dry hopping. Probably one of the better ambers I've had. These are often throw away styles, but Mraz has done a lot to make this recipe a keeper.

The EDH IPA was a delicious, tropical hop IPA that had some unique flavors I've only found in Berryessa's Double Tap. The EDH uses El Dorado hops, an experimental hop numbered 5256, and some citra for dry hopping. A top contender for best Sacramento area IPA.

The Coffee Porter had the right balance of coffee and malts, without being to heavy. Great mouthfeel and a lighter body than its appearance suggests.

The Francisco Belgian Dubbel has delicious Belgian malts and sweetness with hints of dark fruits.

I usually do not drink sour ales, but their American Sour #1 with cherries could convert me. They will be brewing sours regularly and have the barrels to aged them.

With many new breweries popping up in Northern California, its hard to decide which ones to put some time into visiting. Some are worth visiting and some are not. New breweries tend not to have quality under full control, their recipes aren't fully worked out, or they lack creativity or soul. Not so with Mraz, put them on your Must Visit list.

Spike Driver

2013-10-30T18:20:00.003-07:00

Spike Driver is a Double IPA by the Roseville Brewing Company, although this was released under the label of Iron Triangle label. Iron Triangle references the history of the railroad in the area. The brewery opened in March 2012.

I found this at Nugget Market in West Sacramento. It has an ABV of 8.2%.

The aroma has strong tropical and bitter citrus hops, with notes of grassiness. The flavor has tropical fruit and apricot hops up front and finishes with the bitter citrus, grapefruit hops at the end. There's a light, sweet malt backbone, but doesn't provide much flavor. The alcohol pops up at the end. The bitterness at the end only lingers for a short time. The mouthfeel is slightly resiny, but smooth with a medium body.

This is a good DIPA. There's enjoyable flavor and aroma. The body could be better, and the alcohol flavor mitigated, but that wouldn't stop me from buying this again. Overall, it hits almost all the right notes with a good blend of tropical, citrus, grassy hops and a bitter bite. I strongly suggest you Try It.

Diablo Dark

2013-10-29T19:07:00.002-07:00

Diablo Dark is an American Stout by the Schubros Brewing Company. The brew pub is in San Ramon, CA although the bottle states it was brewed in San Jose. Not sure if they contract or if that's where they have their production brewery.

The brewery opened in spring 2012. Here's an interview done with the owners when it opened. The owners are committed to giving back and have pledged to donate 1% of sales fro their core 4 beers to good causes.

The name is suggested on the label - Mount Diablo is within sight of the brewpub. I picked this up at BevMo, it has an ABV of 5%.

The aroma is sweet with light roasted malts and some coco. The flavor is sweet upfront with distinct roasted malts and hints of chocolate. There's also an underlying milk flavor that pops up now and then. The end has a slightly bitter roasted flavor. The mouthfeel is slightly dry with a medium.

Overall, this is an enjoyable stout. Lighter in body than it looks, the flavor profile is interesting and it's sessionable ABV. I suggest you Try It!

This is my first taste of Schubros and it makes me want to taste some more.

Citra Extra Pale Ale

2013-10-27T17:54:00.004-07:00

Citra Extra Pale Ale is an American Pale Ale by the Knee Deep Brewing Company of Auburn, California.

This is a single hop ale made with Citra hops. Citra hops are new to the craft brew world, being introduced about 5 years ago. Read a little about their history here in California at the bottom of this page. They have quickly become a staple in hoppy beers across the US.

I picked this up at Bel Air, but in the Sacramento area, they are fairly easy to find.

The aroma has grassy and floral hops with bready/caramel malts. The flavor has the bready malts, light caramel, and citrus hops through out. There's a bitter citrus finish that lingers faintly. The mouthfeel is is mostly creamy with a few sharper bitter hop bites, which are enjoyable. It's light to medium bodied.

When I first had this, I thought it was an IPA with the amount of flavor the brewers are able to get in. But at 6% this is a Pale Ale making it a great sessionable, full hop flavor brew. I have to hand it to Knee Deep for raising the bar for sessionale pale ales. This is a Must Have It.

I noticed on some rate site complaints about funky flavors. In the past, I also came across issues with age or contamination. However, from recent experiences Knee Deep has been succesful and mitigating them. Quality control is always a challenge, especially for a brewery growing in popularity and production like Knee Deep.

The Legendary Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale

2013-10-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hobgoblin is a, well I've seen it called a Northern English Brown, a Extra Special Bitter, and Strong Dark Ale. Either way, it's English and doesn't really fit into the standard American styles. It's brewed by the Wychwood Brewery of Witney, England. The brewery is named after the Wychwood Forest that is near Witney.

Hobgoblin was first brewed for a wedding in 1988. In 2003 Hobgoblin started an advertising campaign that went after the the drinkers of flavorless lagers with the slogan "What's the matter lagerboy, afraid you might taste something?"

I picked this up at BevMo. It has an ABV of 5.2%.

The aroma has soft toasted malts and whiffs of dark malts. The flavor is subtle all around with sweet malts, roasted, some nuttiness and a light bitter end. The mouthfeel is smooth and a bit creamy and a medium to light body.

Overall, this is a very good beer, but in a different context. English ales have different flavor profiles than American. Even though this ale is sold as more flavorful than a lager, compared to most American ales, its flavor is tame. It's definitely more flavorful than the lagers they challenge. That said Hobgoblin is an enjoyable, smooth, tasty beer. I like to grab a good English Ale for a break from American brews now and then. Of the English Ales out there, this is a good. It's also a REAL ale. I recommend you Try It.

DevESTATEtion

2013-10-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

DevESTATEtion is a Black IPA by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, CA. Or is this a Cascadian Dark Ale?

Behind the name: Every year Sierra Nevada releases their Estate Ale, which uses organic barley and hops grown by Sierra Nevada. This year, the dry weather (it's not yet an official drought) killed off much of their harvest, so they had to buy organic ingredients from another local farm. To mourn the death of their beloved barley they dressed up their annual release in black.

I found this at BevMo, it has an ABV of 6.7%.

The aroma has roasted malts, some earthy notes and hints of citrus rind. The flavor has layers of roasted malts, assertive pops of chocolate, earthy hops and ends with the bitter citrus, although they never over power the dark malts. It has a creamy mouthfeel and a medium body that is lightened even more by the carbonation.

I really like Sierra Nevada's take on a Black IPA. There's a great mix of balanced flavors and not too much alcohol. Sierra Nevada's standard beers stay within the same malt flavor profile and core hops. I guess if you find a successful mix, why change it. However, it does get old so it's nice to see a brew from them that goes in a different direction. I still get hints of their core flavors, but just hints.

This is a limited release and a good beer, so it's a Must Have It.

Hop 15

2013-10-22T21:07:00.002-07:00

Hop 15 is a Double IPA from the Port Brewing Company of San Marcos, CA. Their San Marcos location was once occupied by another famous San Diegan brewery - Stone.

Port Brewing, one of San Diego's earliest craft brewers. It is an award winning, group of breweries and brew pubs that have dozens of beers under the name. They also own Lost Abbey. Hop 15 has won several medals at the Great American Beer Fest.

Hop 15 is named after the 15 hops that are added every 15 minutes during the brewing process. Which hops are used is the colonel's secret recipe. Although I'm not sure they have a colonel. This beer has been around for over a decade, when many breweries had yet to even brew a DIPA.

I found this at Taylor's Market in Sacramento for $8.49.

The aroma has big tropical, citrus hops and piney, with whiffs of alcohol, biscuit malts and caramel. The flavor is a hop punch to the face with the tropical fruit followed by pine and grapefruit, which lingers. Somehow the caramel malts break through and some sweetness. The alcohol pops up at the end and calls out the 10% ABV. A creamy mouthfeel, although the alcohol pops up and adds dry notes. It's a thick body, but with enough carbonation to not make it heavy.

Overall, this is a great in your face hoppy DIPA. All the of the big hop flavors are found here, tropical fruit, bitter citrus rind, and pine. These are the types of beers to finish your session with, as the hops ruin your pallet for anything the follows. For a DIPA that's been around a while, this one still packs a punch. With a lot of DIPAs to choose from, this certainly ranks high on the list. This is a Must Have It.

Tin Pants Ale

2013-10-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tin Pants is a California Common Ale (also known by its trade marked name "Steam Beer") by the Six Rivers Brewing Company of McKinleyville, CA which is located in Humboldt County.

I don't come across too many beers from Six Rivers, so this is a treat.

This ale was brewed in celebration of the 100th birthday of California State University, Humboldt(HSU). The name derives from the water resistant, warm clothes worn by lumberjacks, the mascot of HSU.

This is a very limited release. I found it at Taylor's Market in Sacramento.

The aroma has sweet grass hops with some light floral notes. The flavor is subtle, but complex with light toasted malts, grassy hops, stone fruit, and a biscuit malt finish. There's even some honey flavor. There's a slight bitterness that picks up at the end to round out the sweeter front. The mouthfeel is dry and bubbly like a lager, with a light body.

Overall, this is a very tasty version of the iconic California Common. The light, crisp body, sweet malts with a good hop addition. With its limited release, this is a Must Have It.