Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oregon. Show all posts

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Tripel Exultation (Eel River)


Tripel Exultation = 8/10
Ratebeer 3.59 96th percentile
Beer Advocate 85%

Order up! Today's special is vinous, figs and caramel in a glass. It comes with a side order of slick and warming sherry notes but not too burning. You can upgrade to a thin sherry with prunes, herbal and floral hops. For Dessert: extra alcohol vapours are on the house. A little thin for a big ABV.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9.7%
Value  +1 barely
Appearance +1 full label and organic!

Old Boardhead Barley Wine (Full Sail)


Old Boardhead = 8/10
Ratebeer 3.8 99th  percentile
Beer Advocate 87%

This glass emitted a fear inducing odour of alcohol soaked cherries, earth and wood. These scents can either be from a fresh grave or a barley wine; luckily it was the latter. Thin alcoholic malts gave more warmth than expected. The real shock came from copious amounts of caramel, brandy, minerals and earthly, resinous hops. Flavours still resonated long after the glass was empty.


Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Other barley wine reviews
GreenFlash Barley Wine
Old Bad Cat (Fat Cat)
Battle of the Victoria Barley Wines 2010

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Mirror Pond Pale Ale


Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Ratebeer 3.46 92nd percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +4

This is a go-to beer for a lot of people; I can understand why. The aroma says it all: glorious and hoppy with floral and citrus. This is well balanced with bready malts and a slight vegetable. The hops impart citrus, floral, banana and a cool menthol flavours.

Aftertaste +1

It was a wet finish with lingering bread malts and menthol. There was a slight herbal mouth coating.

Alcohol Content 0 5%

Value +1

This is unlike all other pale ales; it is the king. The flavour is above average but not overly challenging for the routine beer drinker.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I have this beer often and is always enjoyable. It goes will with everything.

Overall 7/10

A truly great pale ale. The bready malts are slightly shadowed by the sharp citrus and menthol hops

Phillips Blue Buck
Salt Spring Island Pale Ale
Deschutes Hop Trip

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hop Trip Deschutes

Things are not good in the basement. My trusty notebook where I keep my beer tasting notes is almost full. I also have a backlog of almost 40 beers not reviewed. There is an upcoming trip to Toronto which means more research and more notes. I plan to visit Bar Volo, Duggan's Brewery and the big LCBO at Summerhill. Sigh.. But I will do one plug for a cool product, 33 Beers Journal. It is a very handy journal to keep tract of all your beer tasting notes. My only complaint is the 'notes' section is too small. Now that I think about I should order a few more.

Hop Trip Deschutes

Ratebeer 3.63 96th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +3

There is no mistaking this nose for anything other than a fresh hop monster. The sweet hops are a mix of citrus and cotton candy. This aroma explodes from a tan/ruby body with a wafer thin head. The low carbonation does not distract your senses from enjoying the pale malts. The hops..the hops. They are fresh with sweet citrus, cotton candy and various light fruits. Oddly the mouthfeel is slightly watery. A little light roast flavour appeared as the beverage warmed up.

Aftertaste +1

The finish was clean and slightly sweet. The pale malts fades quickly to leave a mash of citrus hops.

Alcohol Content 0 5.5%

This is only slightly about session strength, but well above in flavour.

Value +1

This was a good beer, but not a good as Driftwood's Satori.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Again with the lag. This is still a Seattle hotel room beer. I actually leave for Seattle again in about a week. It is sad, or good, when most of the beers from the previous trip have not yet been written up.

Overall 6/10

This is a must from any fresh hop lover. The flavour was not monstrous, but clean, sweet and heavy on the citrus hops. Your malt profile was very restrained.

Driftwood Satori
Phillips Grow Hop
Sergeant's IPA

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Slipknot IPA


Slipknot IPA (Full Sail Brewing)

Ratebeer 3.49 86th percentile
Beer Advocate B

Taste +3

Yet another IPA in my fridge. Well the nose is right with puffs of sweet cotton candy and citrus. It is upfront bitter hop assertive, rather astringent like ruby red grapefruit. There is still the strong malt backbone, but somehow it seems a bit below average.

Aftertaste +2

The nice resiny coating that would not go away. I felt like a dog that was just given peanut butter. It didn't feel right, almost got a -2.

Alcohol Content +1 7.8%

Value +1
This was slightly stronger than Brockton on the IPA scale.

Ingame Enhancement +1

It looks like critical mass for L4D is building in the shire, just in time for L4D2 to come out.
Overall 8/10

If you like a strong IPA, but not too strong then this is the one.

Racer 5 IPA and the bailout

Paddywack IPA (Nelson Brewing)
Dogfish Head 90min IPA

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Yellow Snow IPA and New Year Resolutions


Flavius: Have you made any New Year resolutions?
Meterman: I resolve to simplify my life.
F: Very modern of you, focus on what's important.
M: Yup, you're the first thing to go; you are to complicated and unimportant.
F: I resolve to not let negative comments and thoughts affect my sense of inner peace.
M: Great now I don't have to feel so guilty.

Yellow Snow IPA (Rogue)

Beer Advocate B+
Rate beer 3.68 93rd percentile

Anything by Rogue provides a unique tasting beer experience. These beers are not for the faint of heart or soft of palate. If you think Alexander Keiths is a great IPA, stay away from the Rogue. The Rogue XXX Stout is the nastiest thing in a bottle; one step below draino. I can't get enough of these beers; I have had my fill of draino.

Taste +4

The nose is straight up aromatic hops and apricots. The taste is the same full IPA hoppiness. The flavour of hops is hard to describe; put this beer at a 7/10 for hoppiness. A rating of 10 being undrinkable-pucking-taste-bud-shattering. Some Phillips IPA's reach a 8 or 9. Alexander Keiths might rate as a 3. It does fill the mouth with full hop bitterness. Hidden amungst the floaties are flavours of grapefruit and just a bit of malt sweetness.

Aftertaste +2

Very nice for an IPA. Pleasant and long lasting slight bitterness; it lasts for over one minute. Yes, I did time it.

Alcohol +1 7.5%

I'm sure there is alcohol in there somewhere.

Value +1

This one set me back $6.95 for 650ml at a local CBAW (Cold Beer and Wine). Well worth it if you are an IPA fan.

Ingame (Life) Enhancement +1

I shared this beer with my father on Christmas day. Whenever I get a reaction of "great beer, what is it?" from the old man, it scores high marks.

Overall 9/10 BOOM SANTA HEADSHOT

It is a rare day that I find an IPA that I truely like, but this is the one. Don't rush out an buy this IPA and suck it back, you might hurt yourself. Warm up with a few Keiths, usually after a Irish whisky shot.