Six Point Bengali Tiger

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

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)

November 15, 2012November 15, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

New Belgian Lips Of Faith – Super India Pale Ale (Alpine Collaboration), originally uploaded by adambarhan.

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

November 14, 2012November 14, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

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.

Harvest Moon Regatta 2012

November 12, 2012November 12, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Harvest Moon Regatta 2012, a set on Flickr.

Photos from the trip. Feel free to tag your boat, I started but its a lot.

Deschutes Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale

November 5, 2012November 14, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Deschutes Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

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.

Curvee Des Jacobins Rouge

November 3, 2012November 3, 2012 / 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

October 24, 2012November 3, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

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

October 21, 2012November 3, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Small Batch Series No.2: Texas Farmhouse Ale, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

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.