Category: Beer

Once again, I find myself reviewing canned craft beer offerings. This time, the outcome is much better than previously.

The first in line is Pizza Port’s Carlsbad Chronic. Pizza Port has a long, illustrious history in the craft beer world. It gave rise to legendary brewer Tomme Arthur (winner of more Great American Beer festival medals than any other individual), and to offshoots Lost Abbey and Port Brewing. Until now, all Pizza Port beers had been confined to its brewpubs.

There are only four different varieties of beer currently under the Pizza Port label, but that should increase soon, and more the better!

The Carlsbad Chronic can has label art that mocks its own name a bit, with something that looks like (but isn’t) a marijuana leaf. The joke here is that Pizza Port caters to the beach crowd of San Diego County, a demographic widely believed to be “Crispy Critters”. It also implies that the beer is habit forming, which is entirely correct.

Carlsbad Chronic is a beautiful clear red-brown ale that pours with a decent, but short-lived head. There is some thin lace in the glass as you drain it. It is all malt on the nose, a dark bread and caramel olfactory tease.

The flavor is like some of the most balanced efforts of traditional German brewers, or Samuel Adams best efforts. It is malty juuuuuust up to the point of being sweet, then the maltiness is knocked down by an earthy hop. The tastes are the same bready, caramel ones the aroma suggests. The finish is pleasant, but exceedingly short.

The point of this beer is that it is a “session ale”; it clocks in at only 4.9% ABV, it is perilously drinkable, and while the flavor is pleasant, it won’t overwhelm one’s taste buds or clash with any food. This is the kind of beer that Bud, Miller and Coors *wish* they could make. This is worth finding.

Second under the microscope is Uncommon Brewer’s Bacon Brown Ale. Continue reading “Beer Reviews by Tom Becham”

Profiled by Maria Devan for professorgoodales.net

Pours a brilliant orange amber with pristine clarity and a frothy head of foam that lasted well and left rings of lace. Nose is orange. Just orange.

Maybe a touch of grass as it warms. How did they do that?

Taste is light. If you are expecting the traditional southern tier malt, a bit of brown sugar on a soft bread . . . forget it. This malt is invisible. Light , fresh squeezed orange juice, a touch of caramel sweetness that seems to light to be believed. and a bit of hop herbal that is also tremendously light. The mouthfeel reminds me of Kern River Citra, it’s that light. Divine lightness. And then it finishes without a trace of alcohol and a bit of orange sweetness at the back palate with a hint of caramel.

Holy COW! The price of this sixpack at $20 has put lots of people off. It was delicious. Darn delicious.

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.”

__________________________________Beer HERE

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

Profiled for PGA by Maria Devan and Ken Carman

Maria…

I just tried Ommegang Fire and Blood and I sure don’t like it.

This poured a murky and darker brown with a stream of effervescence and a fat tan head of foam that fell slowly and left lace.

Nose is a bit confused. There is a brief hint of banana, some lasting cherry, fig and some faint raisin. The yeast is there and it’s light and a bit woody. There is also a nice light caramel.

This drinks a bit flatly as the spelt seems to have muted the rye in the drink. The caramel is light, the yeast is belgian, the beer is dry. The cherry is the most forward fruit with the raisin and fig in the background. The ancho chile pepper tastes dry and seedy and very tame. It does impart a warmth to the throat as you swallow. This leaves a bit bitter and that lingers a little sharply as it really had nothing to contrast or offset it. The flavors were all weak and a bit jumbled.

Ken
Continue reading “Beer Profile: Ommegang’s Fire and Blood”

 Attention Music City Brewers: the version of this column appearing in the March-April edition of the Music City Brew-Score is a different version from the one appearing here. The MCBS edition, for example, is filled with more local references. There are also other variations that may make reading both interesting.

  In the last month Millie and I quickly went from pre-judging for NHC (National Homebrew Competition) to AWOG (Amber Waves of Grain) in Niagara Falls, then back to NHC. Of course we’ve participated in many competitions over the years, as well as just this year, using the regular judging sheets all us judges are quite familiar with.
 In this column you will find pictures of the judging forms. On top the sheet used for First Round NHC. Next your standard BJCP judging form, then an example of a highly questionable: supposedly completed, standard form. And the last has somehow been deleted from the server: the AWOG judging sheet from this year’s Amber Waves of Grain, sponsored by Niagara Association of Homebrewers, and several other clubs, if I remember right from my online interview with Terry Felton last year. If I get a chance I will replace it ASAP. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: Judging Forms”