Taproom Talk

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of pleasantly hoppy beers. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that I approached River Horse’s Hop Hazard with the same glee and excitement I used to experience as a wee lad with a whole dollar to spend in a candy store.

The beer poured with absolutely no head and gave off a welcoming citrusy hop smell; moreover, upon inspection, the Hazard was a darker than expected color, almost typical of a logger. Crisp and smooth as I drank it, I did notice a malt backdrop that progressively became more pronounced as I continued to drink giving the beer a grassy taste that left me somewhat disappointed. Hazard’s malt finish was a bit bland as well.

I love hoppy beers, especially in the summer time; however, River Horse’s Hop Hazard didn’t live up to my expectations.

Wolaver’s pale ale poured with a dark gold essence that revealed a light hop nose containing little-to-no head. In my glass, the beer gave off a few bubbles and had a wonderfully light hoppy pale ale taste that had a subtle malt backdrop with hints of grapefruit. All in all, this beer has an elegant taste that is superbly done.

Apparently, the brewers in the great state of Vermont know a few things about good beer- Wolaver’s pale ale is a strong showing, that easily complements the likes of the Magic Hat Brewery. Wolaver’s has the added benefit of being entirely of organic barely and hops. On a warm summer’s day, it’s easy to hail Wolaver’s pale ale.

Here are pictures.  Check back for a podcast from the event.

Rogue’s Juniper Pale Ale offers a delicious, dry, pleasant taste. This smooth, golden ale arrived in their well known 22oz bottles. That makes me happy, because I can’t get enough of their brews.

Juniper, besides sounding like something Bugs Bunny would say, is one component of gin. These berries come from a shrubbery and when I think of shrubbery I think of Monty Python’s Knights of Nee! That and a little researching describes how juniper berries have many diuretic qualities. The malts and hops used (Rogue always lists their ingredients including the variety of hops and malts) marry in a balanced fashion and reduce the aftertaste on the palate. There is a crispness in the finish that I would love to enjoy more often.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer as it was offered 2004/2005 as Yellow Snow Ale. I applaud the new label and name as a forward way to bring the drinkers attention to its ingredients.

My recommendation? Shout out NEEE!!! and enjoy this good beer of the shrubbery!!!!

I can’t say I’ve had many beers from the great state of Georgia; however, based upon the SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale I had recently, I should keep my eyes peeled for more chances to imbibe some southern comfort (in the form of beer).

This strong citrus smelling beer poured out golden hued with no trace of a head but carried a light bodied clearness with minimal bubbles. The 420’s taste was a hoppy citrus with subtle malt flavors, which was followed by a strong bitter finish traced with spices. This is a superb beer that has a wonderfully smooth, crisp taste that has just the right balance of hops.

SweetWater’s 420 is an excellent ale worthy of a tasting, should you find yourself in Georgia or any of its neighboring states. For me, I’ll be keeping a watch at my local neighborhood beer super store for their next shipment of sweet water.

I’ve been a fan of Stone beers ever since I had the opportunity to attend a beer dinner hosted by these guys a few winters ago. I’ve pretty much tasted their entire selection and have enjoyed each one. It wasn’t until a recent trip to San Diego though, that I had the opportunity to taste their Pale Ale and I must say, this is one of the best beers I’ve ever had!

This amber colored beer poured with a thick head to reveal a pleasant hoppy smell, which was incredibly inviting. The taste was simply awesome- a light citrus hoppiness balanced by subtle caramel malts, followed by a wonderful light bitter finish. This was a beer of Liberty Ale proportions and the frustrating part is that this is a hard beer to find on the east coast!

As far as coast to coast Pale Ales go, on the east coast, an excellent pale is of course, Dogfish Head’s Shelter Pale Ale; however, I’d have to say that at this point, the west coast’s Stone Pale Ale is by far the best pale I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking.

These guys can’t go wrong with their selection of beers- in time, I’m sure a greater variety of their nectars will be available to the faithful. Until then, you’ll just have to schedule some time to go to San Diego where you can buy their beers in grocery stores.

Yet again, I’ve tasted an excellent Extra Pale Ale. It’s rare to come across a bad one and this one was exceptional due to the complex citric taste and a highly complementing finish.

The Mad River Brewing Company’s Steelhead Extra Pale Ale poured with a light gold hue and appeared to be unfiltered due to the suspended particles, which lasted the entire tasting. At first, these particles caused me a bit of concern; however, any worries abated once I took my first sip. This is an impressive beer with a Clementine-like orangey taste that is highly sweetened- almost like candy. Don’t be fooled though by the sweetness comment- this beer is smooth with a good hoppy balance.

Mad River brewed an excellent beer with their Steelhead Extra Pale Ale. I highly recommend this beer and am looking forward to enjoying more from this brewery.

During a cold weekend stay in Minneapolis recently, I had the pleasure of imbibing a hometown favorite: The Summit Brewing Company’s Extra Pale Ale. Minneapolis was indeed a cold place (there was roughly ten feet of snow on the ground); however, this beer was definitely the warm spot of the weekend.

This incredibly smooth beer poured with a thick head and a darkish color that took me off guard as most pale ales are a lighter hue. The bronze-ish color, however, yielded an excellent beer with a hoppy smell balanced with a light malt essence. The taste was quite good and well balanced with hints of citrus. I found myself drinking this beer slowly to fully enjoy its not overly aggressive hoppy taste mixed with a subtle maltly background.

Bottom line- this is a spectacular beer from Minnesota that is fit for a snob. While the landscape in Minneapolis is flat, this is the one summit one can climb. And the view at the top is beautiful.

Unfortunately, on the whole, Canada’s beer selection has never really impressed me. Beer from the province of Quebec, with its French influences, however, is a totally different story.

Take, for example, the McAuslan Brewing Company, who brews the amazingly smooth St. Ambroise Pale Ale. This fine amber colored ale pours with a medium head, which slowly dissipates while delivering a wonderfully citrus nose. The taste is crisp with an elegant balance of bitter hoppiness and caramel malt hints that leave you awe inspired and yearning for another sip.

This is a phenomenally bonne bière that I highly recommend drinking as often as socially possible. Bon Appètite!

I picked up the ominous sounding Smuttynose Brewing Company’s Shoals Pale Ale thinking that with a name like theirs they had to have good beer. This dark copper colored ale poured with a nice medium head which gave off a pleasant hoppy smell with hints of malts. On first taste, I was pleasantly surprised by its light smoothness which proved to be refreshing; however, I found myself quickly wondering where the rest of the taste was.

Like a batter with an impressive swing who never manages to hit the ball, this beer didn’t follow through. After my first sip with its initially refreshing taste, I eagerly took another expecting something (like a pleasant bitter Pale Ale taste) that wasn’t ever delivered. This second attempt left me wondering why I was still drinking this uninteresting beer.

This beer has won awards before; however, tonight it struck out after the third sip. I hope their other beers have better batting averages.