Beer reviews, news, commentary, and more from a guy who just likes to drink beer!
Hey, everyone. I'm proud to present Part 2 of my Octoberfest beer series, featuring beers from Bell's Brewery and Left Hand Brewing Company. Check them out!
Also included in the video is a rundown of the next few videos, and their timing. Thanks, everyone!
I have three good beers to discuss today, and I don't have much of an intro in me right now, so let's just get to it.
Left Hand Brewing Company makes one of my favorite stouts on the market, their Milk Stout. This stout is available in Nitro (think Guinness-style tiny bubbles), but this bottle was not nitrogenated. Still, as expected, the Milk Stout brings a hint of creaminess, along with a nice maltiness. I also found mild roastiness, along with cocoa and maybe a bit of coffee as well. This stout had a medium body and was very smooth. A really enjoyable stout.
Next up was a great surprise from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Sierra Nevada has started branching out of late, and started this some time ago under their beer fan-driven Beer Camp series. Last week, I tried a "Tropical IPA" from that series. Having a low-medium body, the first impression of this beer was straight up fruit bomb. Tropical fruits dominated the front of this beer, eventually giving way to a moderate amount of hoppiness that was especially evident in the aftertaste. A good amount of hop bitterness throughout rounds out this beer's flavor profile. Sierra Nevada has been diversifying their line-up of late (even going into Goze territory recently), but even this early-year seasonal was a bit of a stunner.
Finally, an entry from Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, their amber ale/Altbier, called Copper. Copper had a lightish body, but a good amount of flavor. There was plenty of malt, some nuttiness to me, maybe something grainy or grassy (or maybe something else?). I also detect hints of caramelly sweetness (especially in the finish and aftertaste) and bitterness. Surprisingly complex for an amber.
And now, I give you four more reviews, including a Georgia beer I had during my trip to Savannah. We'll look at a few beers from pretty widely-available breweries, as well as a first-time tasting of a Wild Heaven Craft Beer. I'll also review this blog's inaugural winter seasonal, but we'll save that for last.
Leading off this review is Left Hand Brewing Company's Fade to Black, Volume 1, one of several volumes. This particular volume is a stout, and shows with a lot of the typical stout characteristics: pitch black, with a fair amount of body to me. There was some creaminess to it, with some cocoa and coffee notes. There was also some smokiness and smoky sweetness present, perhaps the most unique notes in what is formally called a Foreign Export Stout.
Next up is Oskar Blues' Dale's Pale Ale. This canned pale ale leads off with bitter citrusy hops and a slight malty sweetness. While these are fairly well-balanced early on, the hoppy bitterness maintains throughout, and my particular can was quite carbonated, which made it a bit of a tough swallow. This is nothing to dissuade me from having the beer again, I promise. Overall, this is a very solid pale.
My very first experience with Wild Heaven was quite extraordinary, as I was presented with quite the unusually-designed can of beer.
Emergency Drinking Beer was a very interesting Pilsner-style session ale. Weighing in at just 4% ABV, I put the pint glass up to my nose and immediately smelled Cherrios. Some faint fruit notes were present, but largely the typical Pils characteristics were there: very clean and crackery.
And now, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company's Brrr, our very first winter seasonal. Early on, the hops blend with caramelly malts. For me, the hops lasted all the way through the drink, and there was a good amount of bite in the finish. Now, I will write some more on this later this week, but I am not a fan of the super-spiced fall and winter beers, so I have no problem with a hoppy seasonal option.