Ballast Point - Sculpin (Can)

Ballast Point - Sculpin India Pale Ale - 7% ABV -  From San Diego, CA.  I have always enjoyed this IPA when it has been on tap because they have always put it on while it was a fresh keg.  Bottles have always been a gamble upon the freshness of this beer and they have been pricy for a bomber and six pack.  I am excited for this in cans because the freshness will be more on point and also this is such a great IPA I like the idea of having another beer available to drink from a can.

Appearance - larger foamy head when poured out of the can than from the bottles but the head resides pretty quickly and leaves a nice 1/4 centimeter head around after subsiding.  Lots of active bubbles in the glass which shows this has some nice carbonation.

Smell - Pineapple, pinetree and honey. The sweetness comes out first versus the smell of a straight hop bomb.  All I can think of how delicious this will taste because i notice this is almost what it smells like on tap versus the glass bottle because in the bottle it seems more hop dank forward and this has more of the honey sweetness smells coming out of it.

Taste - Honey pineapple sweetness followed up by a extremely mild hop bite at the end.  I can't deny this IPA has always been on the top 10 of my favorite single IPAs because of how clean it tastes and how the sweet hops are tasty but they do leave the bitterness about 10 seconds after the first sip.  It is balanced and the hoppy flavors like most California beers is not the focus but the pine and sweetness are well balanced. 

Mouthfeel - Carbonation starts well but fades fast but for the sweetness in this IPA it isn't as sticky as many of the others that are from Southern California.  Sculpin has a nice watery mouthfeel that makes this easily drinkable from the can or from the pint glass.  The ease of drinking this for a 7% ABV single ipa is quite amazing because most are so bitter it takes awhile to drink. 

Overall -  This beer is way to dangerous to be in a can because the ease of drinkability and that it tastes like sweet honey.  I am going to be always keeping this in my fridge and this has ensured my confidence in buying a great product.  Compared to most six packs Sculpin has always cost around $15.99 and is far by the most expensive bottled six pack for a single IPA i have seen but now with these cans they are the same price but the freshness has now justified buying it on a constant.  I might be harsh on the bottles but drinking this beer for many years and being a huge fan of all the beers this brewery comes out with I am glad they took the step to get some consistency for there flagship beer.

I got the point!

Cantillon Kriek

Cantillon Cantillon Cantillon - Kriek.  Few months since i posted last but might was well come in with a bang!   So here we go this is one of my most favorite beers and has always delivered because of the reputation and the taste.  I am one to hail this beer as one of the greats that is accessible for most but i will fight my way to get bottles of these.  I would like to talk about this brewery as they have put down such amazing beers and they are rightfully in the correct hands of a brewer that just wants to spread his great quality beer around the world.

Appearance - Dark red which has the same color as a cherry just ripe off the tree.  Poured in it will have a small pink head that will reside and leave a nice foamy ring.  When seeing this color for the first time i realized most kriek and kriekstyle beers have never come to a eye popping color like this.  Many might argue that i am hyper critical about this but i feel tha amazing krieks should hold the color of  some sort of dark red or even pinkish color and that many people blend cherries into the beers to just say that they are a kriek but are more like a sour brown ale. The color is spectacular and is a 5/5 rating for awesomness.

Smell -Oak, sour cherries, small hints of vinegar.  The oak and the cherries overtake the smell of this and water the mouth because you can almost taste the sourness from the sniff.  AMAZING nuff said this smells like what it is going to taste like.

Taste - LLJKEKLJLFEJJFELJELEJLFKJELKJFEKLJ = uhm yeah i think this tastes like sour cherries aged in an oak barrel which still retains all the flavor of a tart cherry.  Once this beer hits your mouth it is an explosion of sour cherries without the face puckering sourness that one would think.  Balance is the key and i say this is one of the more drier krieks and has great balance of the sweetness versus the sourness.  SOUR CHERRIES and if we where Little John we would say YEAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHhHhh.

Mouthfeel -  Best feeling in the mouth of that it is dry, crisp and balanced,  Cantillon makes amazing fruit forward sour beers and all i have to say is this is what i want in a sour. Nuff said.

Overall -  Hype is well deserved for this beer but i still feel it is one that is underrated in the sense that is is the gateway beer that most lambic, kriek, sour & wild ale fans forget about how simplistic this beer is and how it has the flavors that we all want.  I would never turn down this beer and is spectacular because of how well balanced and tasty it is.  If a fast food restaurant had this on tap i would camp out by the spigot and sleep there for days.

Notes - will try and update more often.  Leave comments of beers you want me to talk about or try!

L'Amoureuse - Brasserie Trois Dames

L'Amoureuse  - Brasserie Trois Dames.  Uhhhh yeah so this is one of those that I tried because it was supposedly sour and I have no real idea of what i was getting.  Sounds almost like a St Lam from Cantillon but lesser known.  This bottle after pouring was heavy and its heavy duty so if i ever need a club/bat to ward off drunk people i know to go for this bottle because it has double the glass as any regular 12 oz bottle.

Appearance - Small lacing of foam but also really bright grapefruit, brown & ruby color to it.

Smell - Hawaiian punch, boozy grape soda & some sort of gummy flavor object that is a mixture of both said before.  I am not sure what to expect because it has the smell of most belgiums with the sweet fruit flavors but has that crazy sweetness in the smell that is telling me that the 8% abv is going to really show.

Taste - Boozy with a light flavor burst of grape soda.  The alcohol flavor overtakes a lot of the fruity characteristics of this beer but the hints of grapes are subtle and is almost musty in flavor.  The smell of gummy flavored candy disappears and we are left with a dry grape booze flavor with very mild sourness to it.

Mouthfeel - Easy to drink I must say for being an 8% abv fruit/little bit sour/belgium boozy kick to it. 

Overall - This thing needs time in the cellar but i know if i need a weapon to bludgeon a robber I know this bottle would be perfect and would not break under the force of impact.  Time will also free this beer into subduing the boozy characteristics and I can see this going well on the fact that the fruit flavors will come out and become more floral.  I would buy this again to cellar but drinking fresh i would be interested in taking a sip to see how different age will have an effect on this beer. 

Waldo - Lagunitas

Waldo from Lagunitas on tap.  Many of you know Lagunitas and this is their special 4:20 beer that they create named Waldo.  It is a triple IPA weighing in at 10.7% ABV and is only poured on tap.  I have enjoyed this beer and would say i have enjoyed it more than some years of the PTY.  Many of you might say I am crazy but until you drink this thing it is on its own level.


Appearance -  as seen above.  Awesome dark color little foam lacing.

Smell - Maple syrup sweetness, hella pine and small notes of citrus.  In my mind this thing smells almost like Surly's Abrasive ale.  On this beer is sweet any syrupy and you know its going to be a beast to drink.

Taste - F(*#)##))#(*# DELICIOUS!!!  Sweet danky pine flavor with a nice alcohol burn comes in the back while having a nice smooth hop flavor come up in the aftertaste.  If they made pine scent cough syrup this would be very close in flavor and I must say for being a triple IPA this thing is super balanced with the hops and the sweetness.  Liquid love is all i say this thing is and if more triple IPA beers could be made like this I would be a bigger fan of this style

Mouthfeel - Its thick as hell and syrupy tasting but versus things like PTY, Dogfish Head 120 & even Boneyards Notorious this thing is smooth as they get for this style.

Overall - People line up for PTY but for me I get excited over the Waldo because its lower ABV and how dank and pine this beer tastes with a refined smoothness.  I would not suggest drinking this beer at any fast rate because it will kick you in the behind.  I will say that this is the most enjoyable 3x IPA because it is drinkable and you don't have to have your bar servers serve you in little tiny 8oz pours and be able to enjoy this in its full entirety as a pint.   Next 4:20 hope to see you excited for this because i know i always do!

Lunch - Maine Beer Company

Lunch - Maine Beer Company from Portland, Maine.  Currently I know nothing at all about this beer other than it came in as an extra from a trade.  I enjoy the simplistic label they have going and currently ranks in at #96 on Beer Advocate.  I have been on a quest recently to find and taste a lot of great IPA style beers and this one seems to be up my alley of around a 7% abv.

Appearance - This pours with a quite foamy head and notice on the bottom i see a little bit of sediment.

Smell - The sweet smell of hops, piney, honey and grapefruit are predominant and almost remind me of a Bells - Two Hearted but a little less floral.  The hops smell gorgeous in here and remind me of also Russian Rivers - Blind Pig.

Taste - Balanced flavor of hops and the sweetness which gives this an amazing clean taste to it.  The hops come up as soon as you drink it but they do not leave a bitter hoppy taste behind but a nice light coating of sweetness finishes this up.  From the initial smell to what the taste is i don't get as much sweet citrus flavors which are predominately apparent in a lot of IPAs which is nice and refreshing.  Their is almost like a green tea/black tea thing going on with a tiny hint of honey flavor without the sweetness which I haven't seen before in many IPAs but it make this one stand out. 

Mouthfeel - Perfection!!! This sucker drinks smooth as hell and even with the initial pour of it having a large foamy head.  Compared to many other IPAs which leave a huge sticky or bitter tingle in your mouth this one actually has a nice dry finish and is a great refreshing beer.  If many other IPA makers could reproduce the carbonation like this beer it would vastly make a lot of my ratings a lot better for them.

Overall -  The taste is a little subdued from the upfront crazy assault from the nose with the hops of the citrus but the ease of drinkability and refreshment value of this rates awesomely high on my list because I can see myself drinking a lot of these outside on a hot summer day.  For a single IPA this packs a great taste and would rank high on my top ten single IPA beers i have tasted.  I do not know how far this is distributed but it is worth taking a dip into this one.

Dayman Ipa - Stone Colab

Stone Stone Stone hmmmmmm what is this that you released?  This seems to be a IPA brewed with coffee at 8.7 ABV.  I am going into the hype and trying this only because of the enjoy by series has tasted so well and the some tastes of some aged old guardian and RIS have been tasting really well.  I know stone has produced some great beers but once you drink one they all seem to taste the same.  I hope the jump out of the box with this newer style of beer isn't as hop forward/clone of arrogant bastard comes with the flavor as advertised on the bottle.

Appearance - Above

Smell - What it advertises I smell coffee and ipa which in no way sounds like a good day.  I would never while waking up go "OH YAY MY COFFEE SMELLS LIKE IPA."  I would say Folgers brand coffee is predominant with a nice danky hop/stone brewing smell comes out of this.

Taste -  Well guess what they killed this!!!  This beer tastes great with a coffee forward and hops in the aftertaste.  The taste is coffee and it tastes like a simple coffee ale without the stout inside itself.  I would never see myself enjoying this flavor but this works well.  It is a smooth drinking beer that tastes like cheap coffee and a tiny tingle of masked hops.

Mouthfeel - Upon tasting this and realizing that this is an IPA that tastes like coffee it drinks like a a kolsch because it has this watery effect that is so desirable in a high abv that is masked by awesomeness of the coffee.

Overall -  Uhhhhhhh yeah so uhm yeahhh I go WTF Stone why can't you do more collaborations like this.  I would really love if Stone could produce this with the product they do already and not have to be so hop forward like all of the bastard series.  This is a great example of something a lot of us will taste once and go WHY WHY WHY can't they replicate this again.  I will say this is one of the most innovative IPA style beers I have tasted in this new year. 

O rly - its sessionable as hell and you know what i will say that if it was on tap it would be a crowd pleaser within the most die hard ipa fan!

Almanac Barrel Noir

Almanac Barrel Noir -  I like this brewery and love to support them because they are a newer small brewer in town trying to push for great things.  They have a great vision of what they like to brew and their beer does not disappoint and never brew the same thing twice.  This seems like the first time they are trying more barrel aged items and expanding to different styles.

Appearance - As shown above when poured!

Smell -  Chocolate, cocoa, bourbon & small hints of honey.

Taste - If you have ever tasted a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout it tastes like a more welcoming cleaner tasting and less abv version of this.  The cocoa and the bourbon shine through but the alcohol burn from this does not linger around much but is present.  The 10% abv is well masked and makes this almost a session style of stouts.

Mouthfeel - Light stout and drinks easily.  At 10% ABV it is masked and is drinkable.  The beer itself is quite watery versus a lot of stouts which are more thick.  A lot of lingering bubbles and is quite awkward.

Overall - This is a fun stout to try and i would say easily to drink.  10% is masked well but does not quite hit a stout in the creaminess as i would crave of a barrel aged stout or the bold flavors.  I wish they might have aged this more because the notes of bourbon aren't coming out.  The beer though for a California stout is a nice version but I would have loved this if it came out during the cold winter times and not the warming of the spring time.  I would want to try this beer again once aged and if all the carbonation has gone.