Month: March 2014

Posted on

Beer Profile: Modern Times (“Hoppy Tropical Wheat”)

1920401_1486230918271250_1306943854_n

Profiled by Maria Devan

Beer-Profile1-258x300This pours a hazy light orange with lemon yellow hues. Softly pastel with a thin head of loose foam that fell too fast to a very thin ring and left no lace.

Nose bounds out of the glass with pine! Then mango and stone fruits. A crisp dry wheat scent with a touch of sweetness and hinting at bread. Lightly floral but to really intrigue this beer has a touch of hearty green herbal on it. Taste is light and bountiful with fruit. Mango, apricot, some tangerine. Brilliantly light on the palate.

The malt is a crisp wheat cracker that’s not too sweet. The herbal is the stuff that could have made onion but it stayed just shy and is delightful because it did not reach an oniony flavor. Faint little bit of pepper in the finish and as this warms a honey like scent. There is a hop bitter but it’s gentle and starts in the mid palate. The pine is earthy and prominent. There is a touch of sour undertaste to the malt. By the time it gets to the short finish it’s practically gone and this drinks like a dream. Refreshing, juicy and drinks and so easily you could have a dozen of these in a day and not get bored.

4

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

___________________________________________Beer HERE

meMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is frequent reviewer of beer and a beer lover deluxe.

Posted on

Beer Profile: Monkey Fist IPA

__mfipa

Profiled by Maria Devan for PGA

This poured hazy and darker orange with a fat head of off white foam that fell slowly enough and left some lace. Nose is pungent and bitter herbs with some dankness like marijuana. It had some sweet lemon peel very deep within it but the stiff herbal was dominant in the nose. The malt came across with a little sweetness in the nose and some nuttiness as it warmed. Bit of orange finally came out and some muted earthy pine.

Taste is bitter and grassy, pungent herbal with only a faint touch of spice. The dominant fruit is grapefruit and the pine is earthy and muted. Earthy all the way with some grapefruit pith and bitter, the rind of that fruit and some tart citrus overall. The malt never realized a significant caramel sweetness but did offer a bit of nutty flavor that seemed sour to me. There is orange but only as the beer warms quite a bit. The mouthfeel is good. A nice bit of malt to give some moderate mouthfeel, good carbonation to tickle and excite the palate and a bit of hop oil and resin to coat the palate . There is a bitter on this that is actually medium but appears pretty sharp because there is not any sweetness to contrast it.

This IPA had a balanced approach to it’s body that was noticeable. The malt did it’s best to stand firm against the powerful hops character but the hops won.

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

______________________________Beer HERE

meMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is frequent reviewer of beer and a beer lover deluxe.

Posted on

Beer Profile: Miller Fortune

1622650_1486402888254053_1096014770_n

Profiled by Maria Devan

Pours a true amber with a fat head of dirty white foam that fell slowly and left patchy lace. A stream of bubbles rise up from the bottom and the clarity is perfect. It has a corny nose that is more like girts than corn syrup but it is sweet underneath. A grassy hop herbal cruises the nose and so does a bit of grain and a touch of appleskin. It’s not off putting and it does add to the sweetness. No alcohol on the nose.

Taste is a bit fuller than your average AAL. it has more abv and more grain even if it’s corn and more mouthfeel. This is smooth and well integrated. it’s not coarse or rough and there is no alcohol on the nose. Nor is there vanilla or bourbon. There is a prominent grassy herbal form hops and a corn like grits. Naturally sweet. The green apple does get sweeter as it warms. It drinks with a moderate light mouthfeel. The hops in this are present , even more present than the average macro light lager but not as much as an IPA. They lighten the beer substantially. In fact as far as a lager that is toying with an IPA abv this one is exceptional in drinkability. There is no alcohol on the palate. This drinks without any yeast bite from lager yeast and the biggest criticism I have is the acetaldehyde. This beer does the abv as well if not better than many of the craft IPL’s out there. It drinks like a lager without fanfare. The only thing is that if you let this beer get too warm then it does get a lot sweeter and more syrupy. Finishes off dry.

So in the grand scheme of things lagers re meant to be drunk a bit colder than stouts and that is true of this beer. This has a smooth grain taste that while corny is not over the top with sweetness. It has a grassy herbal and no alcohol on the plate. It has successfully preserved the lager character even with this minor flaw of appleskin.

3

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

______________________Beer HERE

meMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is frequent reviewer of beer and a beer lover deluxe.

Posted on

So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery…

20140302henhousekeg.jpg

I brewed my first batch of beer at home about seven years ago. It took me three years to land my first professional brewing job, and one more year to start HenHouse Brewing with my partners Scott Goyne and Shane Goepel. It was humble beginnings—a year of jumping through legal hoops and fine-tuning some recipes, followed by two years of brewing beer 60 gallons at a time on nights and weekends on a brewing system Scott built from an essential oils extractor and a 1960 A&W Root Beer Syrup kettle, while we all worked other jobs and daydreamed about the future. In November of last year, HenHouse raised enough investment capital to hire me full-time and expand from nano-brewery to micro-brewery status, which is the most dream-come-true thing I’ve ever experienced.

Curious about what it takes to go pro and start a brewery? Looking for advice? I’ve got some. A lot of it, in fact. The bad news is that what I’m about to say may not make opening a brewery sound like that much fun.

I’ve come to a general theory of brewery work: it’s not what you think it is. None of the jobs I’ve had in the brewing industry have been close to what I expected they’d be. Is life working in a brewery—or opening your own—for you? Read on.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Cigar City Offers Refunds, Free Beer, After Hunahpu Day

Cigar City Brewing’s fifth annual Hunahpu’s Day Release Party didn’t go as planned on Saturday, and there were lots of disgruntled beer fans.

To make up for the trouble after the brewer was swamped with customers, the company is offering free beer in the tasting room today. And, refunds are available, according to a post on its Facebook page.

“If you purchased a ticket to Hunahpu’s Day directly through Eventbrite.com, you will automatically be refunded your money,” Cigar City said in its post. “ We will begin these refunds starting Monday.

“If you paid for your ticket with cash or credit card in person, please email refund@cigarcitybrewing.com and we will directly communicate with you to determine the best way to get your money back.”

Video posted on the website Beerpulse.com shows angry customers after the brewer ran out of Hunahpu Imperial Stout, even though patrons were promised three bottles each.

Want to read more? PLease click…

HERE

Posted on

We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

Massive boat/submarine brewery ready to launch. NAH, it's Coachella Valley Brewing's impressive filter.
Massive boat/submarine brewery ready to launch. NAH, it’s Coachella Valley Brewing’s impressive filter.


I don’t normally do this, but here it is. I write a weekly newsletter. The weekly digest of beer news is prefaced by some of my musing. Like this. For whatever reason, I decided to post this one on the blog.

We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

They’re calling it 20-by-20. It is part of a craft beer mission statement. It’s a craft beer forecast. Here’s what it’s about.

The numbers are a bit hard to find and figure, and nobody wants to go on record, but last I heard, craft beer accounted for just 7 or 8 percent of overall beer sales in the USA. That’s a national number. Here in the Seattle area, that number is closer to 30 percent. I digress. Although 7 or 8 percent may not seem like a very impressive number, consider the fact that America spends almost $100 billion on beer each year. The Brewers Association (a national organization representing the craft beer industry) recently issued a new mission statement. The BA believes that by the year 2020 craft beer will account for 20 percent of overall beer sales in the USA: 20-by-20.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

Posted on

Beer Profile: Bell’s Smitten Golden Rye Ale

fPEW18o

Profiled by Maria Devan for PGA

Pours a hazy golden color with a slight orange blush on it when held to the light in the room. Fat head of off white foam that fell slowly enough and left lace and a small ring.

Nose is lemon, lemon peel and some spicy rye. A powdery and perfume-y floral and a bit of spice. It has a juicier fruity scent that reminds me of orange but it’s hard to place. Citrusy.

The taste is sharp and bold. Dry bread-y rye with a touch of spice. The citrus is powerful and the sweeter fruitiness is juicy and laid into the beer. The finish is slightly sharp with a bit of bitterness. Mouthfeel is creamy and a bit of bitter to last.

This is a strong beer for only 6 percent and the flavors are bold and uncompromising.

Serving type: bottle.

4

3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white3361242-simple-drawing-of-a-pint-of-beer-isolated-on-white

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

1-2-3-4-5-fingers-on-hand1

____________________________________Beer HERE

meMaria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is frequent reviewer of beer and a beer lover deluxe.