Beer

Curvee Des Jacobins Rouge

/ Adam Barhan / Leave a comment


Curvee Des Jacobins Rouge, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: The red ale is a dark cherry red color, opaque due to the hue, with a small white band of head.

S: The nose is sour cherry, full and sweet, with just a touch of funkiness. The sour aromas are definitely there

T: Sour cherry and vanilla drive the flavor. The flemish red aspects impart the cherry notes, smoothing out acetic vinegar flavors with the sour fruit.

M: The fruit, funk and wood all take their turns, moving from sweet to sour and back again with ease.

D: Weighing in below 6%, with a solid flavor and not too much acetic tartness, what’s there not to like.

Nice beer.

Breckenridge 471 IPA

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Breckenridge 471 IPA, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – Poured a very very clear, bright burnt orange amber. A nice about one inch head graced the top from the very beginning, this slowly faded to reveal just a film across the top. No significant side glass lacing on this one. Decent carbonation could be seen rising up from the bottom of the glass. Nice overall look.

A – Lots of piney citrus likes hops dominated the aroma. But the story was much more complex then that. Lots of balance was present as well. Some good earthy grains and sugar were also present and well represented. Nice balanced smell nothign really blowing you down in either direction.

T – Wonderful. For a strong Double IPA simply great. Super smooth with a delicate underlying malt layer. Lots of sweet orange peel and sugar, a hint of some grapefruit. Very nice fresh cut grass flavor as well. Alot more complex then your typical hop bomb. Very well crafted.

M – Decent carbonation led to a good mouthfeel. Nothing slick or oily.

D – Although the 9% abv by no means feels that strong, you can tell this was one that you just dont gulp down, for sure.

Overall This was a Great brew.

Ranger Creek Small Batch Series No.2: Texas Farmhouse Ale

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A: Pours a murky, dark pale orange color. At first a massive white head forms, but recedes to a second to a ring. Not much lace is left behind after a few minutes.

S: Light Belgian yeast, wood, spice, phenols. Mediocre.

T: Spicy and phenolic yeast up front. Light fruity flavors, mostly citrus and lemon rind. Smoke could do with out not very well balanced.

M/D: A medium body that is very effervescent. Crisp and dry, but way to thin for my liking. Not hard to drink. I will finish the bottle, but not something I will come back to.

I found this pretty standard. Especially considering all that went into making this. Like most of Ranger Creeks latest offerings, needs work but better than the last one.

Bourgogne Des Flandres

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Bourgogne Des Flandres, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: The pour is a dark amber-red color with an off-white/khaki head.

S: Not a very good nose. Very sweet. Lots of prune juice, grape juice, ripe cherries, and raisins. I don’t really even get any tartness or any funk.

T: The flavor is very sweet. Prunes, raisins, grape juice, cherries, and a healthy dose of sugar for good measure.

M: Mediumin body with a medium carbonation. It’s pretty much like syrup.

O: This was like a bad Duchesse de Bourgogne without the sour note. Would pass on this in the future.

New Belgium Red Hoptober

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New Belgium Red Hoptober, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Had in a bottle at the lake so couldn’t really tell but I would guess light brown in color.

S: This is dank and spicy: grass, marijuana, citrus, black pepper; some bready and slightly burnt malts but mostly really dank hops

T: Doesn’t taste as dank as it smells; much maltier with that typical, slightly burnt NB malt profile; some grassy hops with a touch of citrus; not bad but not as good as aromas hinted

F: Medium body and fairly creamy; a touch thin on back end

O: This is a nice beer, but man does it smell awesome–I just wish that translated more in the taste. I will have to try this again in a glass for the proper treatment

Serving type: bottle

Trappist Achel 8° Bruin

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Trappist Achel 8° Bruin, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: The pour is a rich amber color with about one finger of head.

S: The nose is quite complex with yeast, caramel, dark dried fuits, and floral notes as well. A very complex nose.

T: Sweet caramel malt and plenty of dark dried fruits. There is some mild spice (clove is what I mostly notice), and a little yeast as well.

M: Medium bodied with a high level of carbonation and a dry finish.

D: Great mouthfeel and some nice fruit and yeast character to this beer

Serving type: bottle

Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 12

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Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 12, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – This pours a hazy orangeish amber, not much head to speak of.

S – On the nose I get some light spice, small amount of hops, caramel malt.

T – On the palate I get the same as what I was smelling. The spices are very subtle, you almost have to be looking for them. The hops aren’t overly noticeable, but the caramel malt gives way to toffee and caramel flavors. Sweet on the finish.

M – Medium-bodied and it seemed to be noticeably carbonated

O – This beer tastes extremely young and age will do it wonders. I have another five bottles from a six pack that I purchased and plan on letting them sit for quite a while before opening another one. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.

Serving type: bottle

Russian River/ Sierra Nevada Brux

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Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with a modest head that fades rather quickly leaving lace behind

Smell: Bready, with orchard fruit (apples, pears and peaches) with a bit of barnyard funk

Taste: Opens with a bready character that persists and grape flavors add tartness; in the background, the orchard fruit adds another angle. The funkier flavors arrive and the Brett dries everything out in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: Clearly an entry point to Brett beers for the uninitiated, this beer brings a fair bit of complexity, as well; it will be interesting to see how this develops

Serving type: bottle

North Coast Le Merle

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North Coast Le Merle, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: The pour is a cloudy golden orange color with an huge white head that eventually dies down and leaves some nice lacing.

S: The nose is driven by the cracker and bread malt aromas along with a strong yeast presence. Some light citrus zest along with some pepper and banana. Not all that much that says saison.

T: The flavor is similarly boring. The intense carbonation mutes what flavor is there. Again, this beer is mostly wheat bread and yeast (almost doughy) with a light citrus component.

M: Over-carbonated to say the least. The body is medium, but the intense carbonation is just a bit too much.

D: This is a rather mediocre beer. North Coast gets a lot of notoriety because of Old Rasputin and Old Stock, but I’ve found most of their other beers to be mediocre.