Caguama Cerveza

Caguama Cerveza, (caguama = sea turtle) brewed by Cerveceria La Constancia, comes to us as the season is about to change for the worse… and I can’t think of a more fitting beer.  Ok… it wasn’t something that had to be spit out, but this cerveza is rough.  It is so rough, that the neighbor actually enjoys it… much love, Vinny.

A light lager that smells like cheap lager, tastes like cheap lager, and leaves you just feeling cheap all over.  My apologies to anyone out there that actually likes this beer… for many reason, my apologies.

A nearly unanimous cul-de-sac rating, Just Not Right.

JBB6 Rating: Just Not Right

Spaten Oktoberfest

According to the Spaten website, Spaten Oktoberfest is the first Oktoberfest beer in the world, started in 1872.  I don’t have any reason to think they are lying with us, so lets run with it.

I bought the world’s first oktoberfest beer in a 24 pack at Costco for ~$20.  I figured you can’t go wrong at a price like that.  While not dissapointed, I wasn’t wowed by the world’s first oktoberfest, and I won’t be purchasing it again.

You see, this is a lager… a dark lager that smells a lot like a strong lager.  The lager smell I get, though, isn’t German beer goodness… it smells more like American Lager… I will probably piss someone off with that statement, but that is what I get.  Most of the cul-de-sac agreed… this wasn’t the best beer in the world, even if it was the world’s first oktoberfest.  All in all the most notable thing about this beer was the somewhat satisfying, slightly bitter finish that left itself on the roof of my mouth after each drink.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Full Sail Prodigal Sun IPA

On a fine fall day in the not so distant past, I thought to open a bottle that glowed like the beautiful leaves on the trees around me… Full Sail Prodigal Sun IPA.  Part of their Brewmaster’s Reserve, I found this at Top Food about a month ago and have been waiting for the right time to open it up.

Their promotional material notes the following:

PRODIGAL SUN IPA

Available June to September. An aggressive IPA packed with a strong hop flavor and bitterness and a solid malt character. A pleasure to drink for hop lovers. Watch out for solar flares! Available in 22oz Bottles and Draught. ABV 6.2 % IBUs: 80

And my experience with it:

PRODIGAL SUN IPA

A particularly heady beer, it pours a festive color and shows you how excited it is about the season with its 2 inches of head.  The first smell brings you the obvious hops of an IPA… come to think of it, this beer proves that it is all IPA… not substitution.  Overall, the nose is clean, crisp, and a bit fruity.  This beer also tells you how excited it is with its taste.  Bitter hops assault you mouth in the beginning third of the drink, mellow out a bit through the middle, and then leave you right back with a bitter finale and finish.  It is one of those that gets you right on the roof of the mouth, which is interesting and a bit unique.

Through its excited nature, though, comes a beer that is a bit premature in everything it does… including the overall experience.  I was in love with this beer for about 2 minutes and 1/4 of the bottle and then it went flacid.  Middle of the Road for you, Prodigal Sun… catch you on the flip side.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws

From the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company in Portland comes this rollocking bottle of fun, full of the 2007 vintage Doggie Claws barley wine style ale (try saying that after you’ve have a few). Let’s not beat around the bush – this is one hell of an ale, kicking you where it hurts with it’s 11% ABV and a mouthful of sugary sweetness that lets you know you’re diving right in at the deep end of the creek without a paddle.  

 Bottle-conditioned to keep things changing over the course of its life (if you keep it correctly), first impression of the pour is of a deep red-brown ale with a creamy head frothing on top and a bright layer of carbonation keeping things busy in the glass as it tries to settle down. You can smell this ale from a mile off, the alcohol rubbing burly shoulders up against some sweet molasses and fruit, the hops a distant presence in the background.

Taste-wise is stands up well, the alcohol clearly in the fore along with a sweet stickiness that’s helped down by the bubbles and a decent hit of hops and malt that provide an ale you can almost chew on. Clearly one for sipping and not a monster session, here’s a barley wine you should lay down a case or two of and enjoy on those cold winter evenings by your fire for years to come. Thoroughly enjoyable.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Issaquah Brewery Roe Ale

We had a good tasting in the office the other day.  Justin found this little gem at Salmon Days in Issaquah, WA.  Issaquah Brewery Roe Ale comes to us from the Issaquah Brewery folks, which is one of the Rogue locations.  We poured around 4 glasses and started the tasting. 

Subtle smells of the malts came through first with some hops in there for good measure.  You could tell the emphasis was on getting an interesting mix from the many and varied malts used and the brewers did a good job.  This beer is very mild but has enough complexity to round it out very nicely.  I mean, if you are easing someone into beer, this would be a really good candidate for some early tasting. 

Another solid offering from the folks at Rogue/Issaquah Brewery.

From the Bottle since there isn’t a lot of info out there about this beer:

13 Ingredients: 2-Row, Dark Munich, Light Munich, Vienna, Victory, Cara Munich, Crystal, Honey, & Wheat Malts; Crystal, Centennial Hops, Free Range Coastal Water, & Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast.  No Chemicals, Additives, OR Preservatives

Tawny amber in color with a coffee aroma and a tight head.  A delicate flavor with a roasted malt accent, generous use of hops and a smooth finish.

12.58° Plato – 24 IBUs – 79 AA – 5.4% Alc/Vol

Oregon Brewed – Established 1988 – Oxygen Fixing Caps

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Erdinger Oktoberfest Weizen

From the world’s largest wheat beer brewery comes this crafty little number, a handsome weizen dressed up in Oktoberfest clothes to cash in on America’s favourite beer marketing event. Nice move by Erdinger, and you really can’t blame them for wanting to take part in a little bit of the Munich breweries fun. Quite how well it was going to stack up against the rest of the Oktoberfest’s we’ve been tasting lately I wasn’t sure – but today was the day to find out.

FIrst impressions are good – I like the label, the bottle opens with a satisfying hiss, and soon enough the glass in front of me is full of deep orange beer with a thick, feisty head that sticks around for the better part of the pint. Smells rich and malty at first, and delivers a well-carbonated, refreshing blast of faintly lemon-scented wheaty goodness as you dive into it.

Good stuff, that gets better as it goes down. A second one is equally as enjoyable – and while it’s got nothing to do with Oktoberfest in the strictest sense of the word, I’m not going to hold that against it too much. Welcome to the party, Mr Erdinger…

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Twin Rivers Brewing IPA

The second beer I had at Twin Rivers brewing just so happend to be the Twin Rivers Brewing IPA.  More information about Twin Rivers Brewing here: Twin Rivers Brewing Russian Imperial Stout.

This one was yeasty again… they need to pull back on that, I think.  Not a bad IPA.  Definitely hoppy with a floral and fruity nose.  Good copper color.  Slightly bitter finish.  I liked the Stout better but just barely. 

6.4% ABV 60 IBU 8 HCU

From the menu: “A stronger version of our pale ale with a bit of a bite from Chinook hops.”

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

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Blanche de Bruxelles

 Ah, Belgian white beers – something of an acquired taste, and something I like to get my hands on now and again. Not having seen many examples of them around here in the old Pacific NW, I was pleased to spot this in QFC the other day, and the logo of the Manneken Pis on the front made me smile… taking a bit of a chance there lads, eh? Some very unfortuante comparisons could be made…

Fortunatley for Brasserie Lefebvre, no such analogy is required – this bottle pours out a straw-yellow pint with a characteristic white haze and a well-defined thick head of foam that’s a delight to the eye. On the nose, a definite spiciness, with coriander and orange-peel (says so on the label, I’m not just pretentious) well to the fore.

Refreshingly light and with a strong level of carbonation, this would go down fabulously well on a warm summers day. The only drawback was a slightly too astringent aftertaste which took a couple marks off at the end, but you should probably seek this out and give it a try some day. With a  big bowl of fries and some mayonnaise on the side.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Redhook Double Black

Drum roll please… budubudubudubudubu…  ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… come one, come all to witness this spectacular event… the official JustBeer tasting of Redhook Double Black.  <trumpet-cymbal>

Ok… so that wasn’t really how it happened, but we did have it for lunch today, both Po and I, and I have to say we both rather liked it.   We weren’t on the ground in ecstasy, but we were both very pleasantly satisfied with Redhook’s latest offering. 

Truth be told, I had about 8 of these the night of the official release party on 10/8 (picture below).  That was a wonderful time when we were able to purchase them for $2 a pint and I actually won a shirt… go me.  They had a band going called boogilistics, and much merriment.  I actually bought a copy of their CD since I really kind of liked their sound.  Even the next day.   I have been waiting since that time to post this because I really wanted to get the tasting right and not skew it do to the amounts partaken that night.  So here you go…

Definitely a coffee beer, this one has the nose of coffee, the taste of coffee, and the finish of coffee.  It is in the finish that you notice it the most, right in the back of your throat, although when it was fresh and cold out of the glass, it had that iced coffee kick to it.  Very solid.  As it warmed up, you could feel it mellow out and the full flavor come to light.  That and the pairing with the Dagoba Organic Chocolate and it left me really satisfied after the glass was long empty.

Overall a solid offering from Redhook and one I will look for in the store later this month and into early November.

More info here: Oh Happy Day #5 – Redhook Double Black Stout

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Twin Rivers Brewing Russian Imperial Stout

Yes, folks… there truly is a brewery in Monroe, WA – The brewery only serves at the Sailfish Bar & Grill in downtown, but they do serve.  The selection is pretty solid with a Russian Imperial Stout, an I.P.A., a Vienna Lager, a Pale Ale, and a Golden Wheat.  Root Beer, Ginger Beer, and Cream Soda all brewed here, as well… 20oz for $4.00 is a steal for some American Craft beer.

The first beer tasted there was the Russian Imperial Stout.  It is smooth and creamy, similar to a Guinness.  Thick milky brown head that stays up and follows the outside edge of the glass as I drink.  Slight dark ruby cast.   Interesting that I can taste the yeast on this dark stout… not used to that in this type.  Also has a hoppy edge to it.  Overall not a bad brew, but the yeast and the hops don’t compliment the creamy dark malt and barley and take this down a notch to Middle of the Road…

As noted in their menu, “The big big black brew with roast, smoke, and coffee flavors on nitrogen for a rich creamy texture.”  6.0% ABV 85 IBU’s 107 HCU’s

To go with this, I had the soup and asked for some bread to go with it:

Soup – Sweet Potato, Corn, & Jalapeno – $4.00 – Outstanding!  Creamy yellow with chunks of corn and a mild-medium spice that warms the mouth and belly and asks you to keep eating more.

Bread – complimentary and tasty, as well.

All in all, not a bad place to hang out for an afternoon, have some lite fair, and tip back a few pints.  The beer isn’t outstanding but it isn’t bad, either.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road