North Coast Le Merle

October 6, 2012November 3, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

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.

Maui Brewing Sobrehumano Palena Ole

September 27, 2012November 3, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Maui Brewing, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

a: murky brown yellow orange color. an inch of off white head quickly fades and leaves no lacing.

s: some cherries and malt with a juice aroma to it.

t: Not what I was expecting but not horrible.

m: kinda thin, lacks carbonation.

o: I was expecting an amazing beer from these two great breweries. I would buy this again but not what I expected.

Hold the Line APA

July 16, 2012August 10, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Hold the Line APA, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a deep copper amber color with a good three fingers thick of persistent tan rocky foam head. Some large bubbles form sticky globs of lace all the way down the glass. The carbonation could be a bit much.

S: Nice dank and pine notes up front with some light suggestions of citrus and an underlying sweet pale malt aroma. Pretty nice nose on it, will dry hop this with some Cascades next time.

T: Has a nice caramel full body with some hop notes in the end. Its still pretty green, I have a feeling it will get better with some age on it.

M: Lighter body nearing Medium thickness. Creamy with a real dry and crisp finish.

D: A bold and hoppy APA. Time will tell on this one.

Wild Blue Lager

July 10, 2012July 14, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Wild Blue Lager, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

GROSS, tastes like carbonated blue berry syrup. Poured it out after 2 sips. No review needed.

Brasserie Dupont Foret

April 14, 2012April 20, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Brasserie Dupont Foret, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Thick dense three finger white head leading to a clean, but slightly cloudy, golden straw nectar.

S: Lemon grass, funky, nice saison smell.

T: Pretty much like it smells…except a lot more yeast character, lemon and grass. Herbs…earthy…slight tang and some mild hop flavor coming through.

M: light to medium finish, quite refreshing, lots of carbonation but has been settling out since my initial pour.

A nice Saison pretty close to Saison Dupont from what I recall. Very refreshing and paired well with the pizza we were having.

Maui Brewing La Perouse White

April 14, 2012April 20, 2012 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Maui Brewing La Perouse White, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A= Pours a hazy golden-hay color. About a half inch to an inch of a white head forms, and slowly fades

S=Great nose on this one, refreshing summer notes. Very clean and crisp. You definitely get the mandarin orange. Coriander, and a bit of clove seem to be the most dominant.

T= Clove and Coriander again are prominent. Mandarin gives way to balance it out, some sweet hay/grassy flavor comes through as well. I get a hint of banana on the back of the tounge as the beer warms.

M=Great summer beer, This would be a nice intro for people who have not been craft beer drinkers in the past.

O= A really, really good and refreshing witbeer. Stockup on this on before its gone. It will be great in the heat of the summer.

Odell Brewing Company Friek

April 11, 2012April 20, 2012 / ashleymyhre / Leave a comment

Odell Brewing Company Friek [ ale with cherries and raspberries added, aged in oak barrels]

Appearance: pours a medium brown/amber, slightly transparent with a slight head that dissipates immediately

Aroma/Smell: a light fruity, slightly sour yet noticeably sweet smell

Taste: tart fruit profile, raspberries and cherries highly detectable with an extremely high carbonation and dry finish

Mouthfeel: light bodied, dry finish. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Overall/Drinkability: An extremely drinkable beer to those that are a fan of sours. However, if skeptical of wild yeast flavors and the unpredictability that sours deliver; drink when embarking upon an adventure. Highly recommend getting your hands on a bottle of this, even if it is outside of your comfort zone. As a fan of sours, I loved the characteristics of this beer and will drink it again without a doubt.