Russian River Blind Pig



Russian River Blind Pig, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

Appearance: Pours a hazy light amber color and a fluffy white head that leaves great lacing

Smell: Nice citrusy grapefruit aroma

Taste: Grapefruit flavors dominate the taste buds with a subtle amount of caramel malt in the background; the finish is long and resinous

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Very smooth and surprisingly flavorful for a 6% beer; exceedingly drinkable fruity IPA

Russian River Supplication



Russian River Supplication, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a copper/ruby color with a nice two-finger head that is ever-so-slightly pink. Plenty of lacing initially as the head recedes, and some nice legs as it goes down.
S: A good amount of cherry in addition to a hefty amount of lactic sourness. Some oak. The cherry itself isn’t overpowering at all. Also detecting a very modest amount of earthy funk.
T: The cherries bring this beer to a completely different level. Absolutely beautiful how they are integrated–both sweetness and tartness–with the lactic sourness of the base beer. A bit of brown malt underlying the entire brew.
M: Fairly low carbonation on a medium body. Not terribly mouth-puckering, but fairly dry with a nice acidity.
D: Very drinkable, especially considering the style. Good carbonation levels, beautiful fruit, and a beautifully-balanced sourness.

Stone Saison de Buff



Stone Saison de Buff, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with a modest head that leaves some spots of lace

Smell: Fruity and herbal, with floral lemony taste and rosemary, thyme and herb dominant

Taste: The floral lemon/lime elements kick off the flavor fest with the peppery yeast and herbal (rosemary, thyme and sage) aspect developing by mid-palate; after the swallow, the herbal tone grows medicinally bitter

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Drinkability: A very interesting brew, but the aftertaste is too medicinal and leaves it lacking compared to the other versions of this beer

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale



Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: I poured the bottle picked up from Specs into my Lost Abbey Teku glasses. It poured a clear, light brown color with a two finger off-white foam.

S: Not that much going on in the nose. I primarily pick up a yeasty and doughy aroma with some notes of spice.

T: The taste is much better than the nose. Nice notes of cinnamon and all-spice, and a solid pumpkin flavor. Not as sweet as many other pumpkin beers which is a nice break.

M: Medium bodied and moderately carbonated. The carbonation helps to keep things a little bit lighter.

D: It’s definitely a solid offering, and one of the best pumpkin beers I’ve had.

Jester King Bonnie the Rare



Jester King Bonnie the Rare, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: pours a golden yellow in color with pale yellow highlights and a nice thin head which left some good lacing sticking to the glass.

S: funky earhty with spice was noticeable upfront on the aroma with apple, slight pear but with grainy notes and a little tart astringent qualities.

T: the tart character was more prominent on the palate alongside toasty grains, apple fruitiness, some spice, citrusy accents a touch of bretty funkiness.

M: the brew was medium in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a funky, mild fruity, spice, grainy, tart and slight dry finish.

O: definitely one of the better offerings from JesterKing but still needs some work.

Six Point Bengali Tiger



Six Point Bengali Tiger, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: The beer pours a cloudy light amber color with a huge white head that sticks to the glass.

S: Mostly bread and pale malts with just a hint of floral hops and maybe some tea, touch of hops. Just a little bit of citrus peel and that’s about it.

T: The flavor is simple and easy to drink. There is a light bitterness and just a bit of grassy and floral hops. Mild citrus peel notes and a little bit of tea here, too.

M: Medium in body with the carbonation just on the low side of medium.

O: Amazingly smooth for an IPA. I’ve had several good beers from Sixpoint, so this was right on par. Nice guys

New Belgian Lips Of Faith – Super India Pale Ale (Alpine Collaboration)

Appearance: Pours a clear amber; the head is rather modest but it does an impressive job of sticking some lace

Smell: Fresh and citrusy, with grapefruit, mango and pine notes

Taste: While there is clearly a big malt bill that adds some sugary sweetness, the hops dominate the flavor profile from start to finish; tropical fruit flavors are up front, with the mango and grapefruit, but by mid-palate, the resinous, piney flavors start to dominate; the finish has a wild onion flavor going on

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation and a bit of warmth in the gullet

Overall: While I am not crazy at all about the wild onion flavor, there is a lot going on and the flavor profile is rather distinctive; nice to see an Alpine-influenced beer outside of southern California

Serving type: bottle

Sixpoint Resin



Sixpoint Resin, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a gold with light amber tint and massive foamy head. Some lazy carbonation evident.

S: Smells like a hop lover’s dream with pungent aromas of pine & citrus. Totally in-your-face hop aroma. The name “resin” aptly fits this beer from aroma alone.

T: Truly resinous on the teeth. It feels like there is so much hop residue that it coats your tongue. I like it. Very faint malt character but mostly hops through & through. Some warm alcohol notes are evident.

M: Highly bitter. Feels a bit heavy due to the high amount of hop residue. Drinks like a barley wine.

O: A very nice interpretation of a DIPA. And an East Coast version at that. I really like this one and will absolutely come back to it again and again.

Deschutes Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale

A – Poured out a dark brown color with a small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left minimal lacing.

S – It smelled of roasted malt, grasses and pine.

T – It had a nice bitter hop bite with a piney/resiney flavor. Good roasted malt backbone provides needed balance.

M – It had a nice pop and bite on the tongue with a dry finish. Medium bodied and relatively sessionable.

D – This is a good black IPA. Liking the west coast pine aromas and flavor.