Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

On a Lagunitas kick… Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale has a strange ass name but the beer isn’t all to far from normal… pours a dark, dark brown… nearly opaque. Head is solid… creamy brown. Nose is slight… malty. Taste is dark and bitter… almost like a mix between a dark lager and an IPA. Not sure what they were shooting for but this is good… and unique.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

8.7% ABV
56.7 IBU
1.090 O.G.

Scuttlebutt Homeport Blonde

Haven’t had a blonde in a while… bad dum dum… especially of the brew type… so Scuttlebutt Homeport Blonde didn’t have a lot of comparison… but I know what I like and so we will go from there… and they are NW natives out of Everett, so they can’t be too far off…

Pours a very light yellow, almost pilsner or american lager in color. Small head. Nose is sweet and smells a bit of honey. Taste is sweet and malty… with very light hop additions, I am guessing. Finish is meh… just kind of dies on you. Overall not bad… not great and so there you go.  This blonde can keep out of my fridge…

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale… Off the bottle:

“We brewed this especially bitter ale in dedication ot all of the world’s would-be astronauts, in rememberance of the 2005 St. Patrick’s Day Massacre on the Brewery Party Grounds and also in joyous celebration of our 20-day suspension that following January. Do the crime. Do the time. Get the bragging rights. Cheers!”

I never quite understand Lagunitas (i.e. I had to look this up)… but I like their beer, so I don’t really care that much. This little bottle packs a punch both in ABV and bitterness and I like it!

9.03% ABV
72.41 IBU
1.092 O.G.

Pours a dark amber/copper color. Small head. Nose is sweet and smells of brown sugar. Taste is bitter and dark. Malt offsetting the hops for sure. Sweet finish that doesn’t linger too long. Overall really solid.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Ninkasi Radiant Summer Ale

Brought to us by our friends from Ninkasi in Eugene, OR… Ninkasi Radiant Summer Ale pours so fresh and so clean, right into my beer glass. A light, slightly cloudy orange color, this brew pours a nice white head. The nose is nice and hoppy but not overpowering. The taste is bitter… right at the top of the mouth but it doesn’t flow through to the back… the back of the taste is a little sweet, dusty, and earthy. The finish is back to bitter with the top of the mouth lingering.

A little heavier than what I would consider a normal summer ale, but this brew is tasty none-the-less. Maybe you need a little shade… not quite that sit out in the sun all day brew…

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid IPA

Another one from our friends at Lagunitas… Lagunitas Hop Stoopid brings you some happy hoppiness from CA in a somewhat strange looking labeled bottle… 

Coming through a respectable head, this brew is floral and fruity in the nose… so far just like a nice American IPA should be…   This leads right to the hoppy, HOPPY body… when I say hoppy, I mean hoppy… super hoppy… but the 102 IBUs are misleading because the bitterness is there but not overwhelming… so far just like a nice American IPA should be…   the hoppy body leads to a clean sweet finish… not too long or complex, not too short and simple… about all you could ask for in a nice American IPA…

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Full Sail Session Black

Brought to you from the folks at Full Sail in commemoration of their 10th anniversary as an employee-owned brewery, Full Sail Session Blackfollows in the footsteps of the original Session Lager (which we actually don’t have on the blog yet).  This time around, they were going for more of a dark malt/chocolate spin, but keeping it light and easy to drink (Session… duh…) in lager style.

I have to say… I brought this one out to the ‘sac last night and received a ration of shit from around the fire.  “Drinking some cough medicine, Dug?”  “You need a nipple for your little baby bottle?”  and so on and so forth… at the end of it, I didn’t really care, though, because I would be proud to call this little bottle ‘mine’ any day.

As far as the taste goes, this really is a pretty solid little dark lager.  Not much of a head to go on, but nice lite aroma on the nose and dark, dark amber coloring as you hold it up to the light… almost like root beer (but don’t let the kids try it).  The body is light and easy to drink… roasted coffee and dark chocolate are evident… I can’t catch the citrus that is supposed to be there, but I will take their word for it.  Decent carbonation and the finish is well balanced. 

Overall a solid little brew that may get you made fun of a little but will be worth it in the end.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Terminal Gravity ESG (Extra Special Golden)

I just so happened to pick Terminal Gravity ESG up from Malt & Vine the other day and then cosequently received a recommendation for it from my good friend Duncan… very much a coincidence I have to take advantage of, so here you go old chap… lets see if our tastes are aligned at all… Actually… I think Duncan recommended the IPA… this one is a Rye ale, so won’t compare beer to beer but lets see what this brewery can do.

Pours a clean, clear golden yellow with moderate head. Nose is light an sunny… hard to put a finger on it, but I note slight citrus. Taste is light… but thick… overall the taste is very mild from front to back, start to finish… they compare it to having more flavor than a traditiona American lager on their website but I would even draw that comparison… I can actually *drink* this beer…

Overall a very easy drinking brew that would be welcome in my fridge on any warm summer’s day.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

It has been a while since I had something new to drink, so thought I would go with the new Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen that I picked up at ol’ Malt & Vine the other day… Sierra Nevada touts that this beer was brewed in open fermentation style where the top of the fermenting tank is left open… this can be dangerous as it is easier to contaminate, but if done in a very sanitary environment can also lend depth and character to the brew… lets see… on to the review:

Pours a cloudy, light-yellow with a small head. Nose is defnitely yeasty… it almost smells like it is in the fermenting tank still… Much more yeasty than a traditional hefeweisen, that is for sure. First taste is nice… different. The front of the beer definitely has belgian influences but as you head to the back and finish, you can taste the citrus of the American Hefe… very nice. Overall, drink after drink brings the same results, giving you a little European flare to your standard American Hefeweisen. Think Hefe meets Belgian and you have this one nailed.

Nice work on the style, Sierra Nevada!!

Details:

alcohol content 4.8% by volume
yeast Ale Yeast
beginning gravity 12.8 Plato
malts Two-row Pale, Wheat, Munich
ending gravity 3.5 Plato
bittering hops Perle or Sterling
bitterness units 15

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Hale’s Ales Aftermath Imperial IPA

Hale’s Ales Aftermath Imperial IPA is a biggie… 8.4% IPA hopped like a mother… extensive use of Colombus, Cascade, and Centennial hops though-out the boil and dry hopped with Cascades… this bad boy could give a Northwest beer drinker wet dreams… lets see if that may be true tonight or not, shall we?

Pours a a somewhat cloudy dark amber color with a good sized head. Head is short lived, but that leads to a nice hop-conglomerate nose… you can definitely tell there are multiple varieties of hops used here but that isn’t a bad thing. The taste… HOLY COW… the first drink actually makes me cough… this brew is thick, creamy, and punches you in the mouth right while you are looking… second drink goes down a little better… still smooth and creamy, thick and viscous… the hops are there from the middle of the taste to the back and you can feel it coat the inside of your mouth… the finish is bitter but in that really hoppy ‘I expected it’ kind of way… so again, not bad.

Overall this is probably one of the hoppiest brews I have ever had… and I have had a lot of hoppy brews, my friends… This is not for the faint of heart or the mild beer drinker… this one will knock you out and have your name tattoed on its ass without blinking an eye… watch yourself.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Scuttlebutt Porter

Not sure what happened with this brew, Scuttlebutt Porter… on the smell, I can smell light porter and brown sugar… on the taste, though, something isn’t right… a bit too light and a bit phenolic… this brew either isn’t to my taste at all or something went wrong in the brewing process… I was drinking it with Mr. Dave, though, and he had the same reaction so thinking it is the brew. Either way, nose was ok, body and finish were off… not a great one for me.

JBB6 Rating: Just Not Right