233. Sonoma Crowbar Habanero Lime

"The Crowbar Commandments:  #1: Sweet ciders are meh.  #2: The apple shall not be confined to cold weather months. #3: Friends don't let friends pronounce habanero with a tilde." 

I decided to consume this cider to go with a dinner of roasted pork loin and a vegetable salad.  

The beer was poured into a pilsner glass.  It has a yellow-gold color with a bunch of sediment within.  Not sure if it is pieces of habanero or something else.  Of course, no head or lacing to go with a cider.  Aromas of lime, apple, and maybe the slightest bit of pepper.  

The taste is of lime, dry apples, and habanero, exactly as advertised.  I didn't expect the habanero to be so pronounced in the beer.  I've had pepper beers before but the pepper was just a complement and virtually non-existent from a heat standpoint.  I actually had to drink this periodically because the spice in my mouth would bring the heat.  The cider is light bodied, a little on the slick side, and has low carbonation.

I wasn't big with the lime and apple combination.  This is more of a gimmicky cider than one that I would recommend for regular consumption.  Interesting to try, but not worth drinking the whole thing.

Grade: D+

Price Paid: $2.99 (12 oz can)

232. Devil's Backbone Stringduster Ale

This is the other beer from my fantasy football draft.  Apparently the description behind this beer is that it is a combination of barley, wheat, and corn.  

It poured a hazy golden color with orange highlights into a stemless snifter glass.  One finger of off-white head.  Low retention.  Seems like a lot of the Devil's Backbone line has low retention head.  No lacing on the glass.  I get aromas of apple, honey, caramel, toast, and grassy notes.  

Tastes of toffee, caramel, apple, grass, and a touch of bitter hops.  Light bodied, with light carbonation, coupled with the < 5% ABV makes this a very sessionable beer.  

My expectations for an APA is something that's pretty hop forward and not too dissimilar from an IPA.  In the case of this beer, I didn't find a lot of discerning qualities that would be related to an IPA.  It's a pleasant surprise.  To that point, I think it tastes more like an English APA as that particular style tends to be more muted with the hoppy flavor.  Still, I'm not going to complain as it made for a very good beer that's easy to drink.  I could easily have this again.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $6.99 (32 oz growler)

231. Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager

I bought this beer for my buddies that were attending a fantasy football draft.  Of course I was going to sample some of the goods that I purchased!  The contents were emptied into a stemless snifter.  It's got a dark amber color, one finger of off-white head with low retention and low amounts of lacing.  I can pick up aromas of toast, malt, and brown sugar.

I can taste toasted malt, sourdough, and caramel.  Very simplistic in nature, but not beer styles need to be complex.  Medium bodied with medium carbonation.  Smooth drinkability.  

It's a very clean tasting beer, inoffensive to the taste buds.  If someone wanted to get introduced to the world of craft beer, I think this would be one of those beers that would be helpful for the transition.  Very good beer.

Grade: B+

Price Paid: $1.66 (12 oz bottle)

Haul for 8/22

For this particular haul, I was looking to score some beer for a fantasy football draft party that I was hosting.  I headed down to Lowes Foods with the idea of procuring a 12 pk of Red Oak.  It was to my utter disappointment that they don't carry Red Oak there.  At least, not right now.

So in a previous post, I mentioned the goodness that is the Beer Den within Lowes Foods.  They had a tap takeover on Saturday featuring Devil's Backbone out of Virginia.  I was on the hunt for simple beer.  I know my buddies and they're not about IPAs and stouts.  I'd have to focus on lagers and other types that are not as adventurous on the taste buds.  So what did I end up getting?  Here's the haul:

• Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager - I wanted to primarily get my hands on bottles since they're easier to work with.  The only type of beer featuring Devil's Backbone and bottles were the Vienna Lager.  Yeah, I could have gotten some other type of beer, but I was feeling generous to support the brewery since they did the takeover.  Price paid: $9.99
• Devil's Backbone Stringduster - I felt compelled to pick up something on tap.  While there were plenty of solid selections (I almost sprung for the Not Your Father's Root Beer), it was Devil's Backbone that was doing the tap takeover.  I was going to go with the Golf Leaf Lager, but of the folks working in the Beer Den told me to try the Stringduster as a sample.  Even though it's an APA, it was very mild and wasn't too hoppy for my friends.  I found myself a winner.  Price paid: $6.99.

230. Unknown Brewing Escorpion En Fuego

""La Jordana del Escorpion en Fuego hacia la casa del Chupacabra muerto" translates to "The path of the fiery scorpion through the house of the dead Chupacabra".  Aged on tequila oak staves, brewed with agave nectar, serrano peppers & ninety nine scorpions."

Alright, so my birthday came a few days ago.  Turned the big 31.  I can hardly believe that it's been legal for me to drink for 10 years now.  I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do..!  Anyway, since it was my birthday, I wanted to drink one of my more special (rough translation: one of my pricier) beers.  I remembered that I had this one and the bottle said to "drink fresh", which I failed to do.  Better now than later.  

The beer was poured into a pilsner glass.  It has a burnt orange color to it with a finger of beige head.  Don't know if it is particulates or some of the head that floated to the top but it has a cloudiness about it.  Solid retention.  Didn't leave much lacing around the glass.  Aromas of sweet malt, agave, oak, plums, and candy corn.  

The taste is pretty interesting.  It reminds me a little bit of a dubbel.  Very sweet on the front end.  More tastes of the sweet malt, oak, dark fruit, and a very small trace of tequila.  Has a peppery finish that lingers a little bit.  Slight amount of bitterness.  Can't taste the scorpion, but I'd have no idea what the scorpion is supposed to bring to the table anyway.  If I could taste scorpion, I might not like this beer as much.  Full bodied with mild carbonation, it also leaves a slight boozy feeling to it.  It comes in at 10.1%.  

This is a very courageous attempt to be different.  Certainly it will stand out amongst other beers for being brewed with scorpions.  It is certainly a selling point and will pique the curiosity of many.  It did mine.  That said, the beer you get is pretty good.  It isn't fantastic, doesn't leave me wanting more, but it is interesting.  I probably wouldn't buy this beer again, but I'm glad to say that I was able to try this one!

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $16.00 (22 oz bomber)

229. Anchor Steam Beer

"Anchor Steam brand beer derives its unusual name from the 19th century when "steam" seems to have been a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast of America under primitive conditions and without ice.  The word "Steam" may have referred to the pressure of natural carbonation developing in the beers.  Today the brewing methods of those days are a mystery, and for many decades Anchor alone has used the quaint name "steam" for its unique beer."

My wife needed a particular shaped bottle for table decorations and the only bottle that had the shape she wanted came from Anchor.  When I brought the six-pack home, I was expected to consume one quickly so she could use the bottle for an upcoming dinner party.  Since then, I've had another 2 or 3 of this goodness and am finally getting around to reviewing it.

Contents were emptied into a pilsner glass.  It has nice amber color with dark orange highlights. Two fingers of a light tan colored head.  Light retention, leaving a decent amount of lacing on the glass along with a thin cap of head.  Aromas of biscuit, caramel, and other sweet malts.

When I first tasted this beer, it reminded me of a cross between an amber lager and an ESB.  There's a lot of different things going on.  There's the familiar taste of caramel malts, but it also has a metallic component to it to go with a sour component.  Imagine an amber lager mixed with sea salt.  It has a slight bitter finish that'll linger for a bit.  Lightly carbonated and light bodied, it has a sessionable feel to it, providing that the different components doesn't lead to palate overload.

Surprisingly complex for something labeled as a "California Common", its uniqueness is something that I can definitely appreciate.  I'd be very interested in trying other representations of the style.  I'd definitely buy and enjoy again.

Grade: B+

Price Paid: $1.66 (12 oz bottle)

228. Motorworks V-Twin Vienna Style Lager

The last of the 4 beers I sampled while on my Florida trip.  Like the Anderson Valley gose, I picked this up at the Locale Market and brought it back to my hotel room to enjoy.  

Like the other beers, I drank straight out of the can.  Aromas of caramel, toast, and grass.  

I found this beer to be hoppier than I expected for a lager.  It had some initial caramel sweetness to it, but it also had a bitter taste that liked to linger for a while.  It reminded me of some of the amber ales I've had in recent memory.  Along with the caramel and the grassy notes, I could also taste sourdough and lemon peel.  Light bodied with light carbonation.

Overall, I'm not entirely convinced that this is representative of the style.  Granted, I've only had one other beer that was in this style, but this felt so much more like an amber ale to me.  I wasn't big on the lingering bitterness.  While I don't mind bitter, I don't like it where it is not expected and I didn't expect it here.  I'll likely try other beers from this brewery, but I likely won't venture to sample this one again.

Grade: C

Price Paid: $2.99 (12 oz can) 

Haul for 8/15/15

I know I've missed some hauls in between, but I wanted to make sure I got my most current hauls out of the way.  This is the last one, from today!  I headed over to Lowes Foods to do some grocery shopping.  

They just had a facelift and the new store is really cool.  Very customized for NC.  Checkout counters use street names and signs that are local to the area.  It has a very vibrant feel that I really appreciate.  One of the new changes in the store is The Beer Den.  They now have beers on tap and you can get growlers from them.  

When I visited, they had 8 beers on tap, ranging from Mother Earth, Bells, Alesmith, Natty Greene's, New Holland.  Sounds like they plan to rotate weekly and they showed some taps of other beers that were either recently sold or are coming soon.  Seems like they're doing quite well as they've gone through quite the number of kegs.  And they're even having tap takeovers from nearby breweries.  I signed up to be part of the mailing list so I can stay on the up and up.

They'll offer samples and you can bring your own growler.  However, they have a system that works best with their growlers that's set up in such a way that it will keep your beer good for a month as long as you don't open it.

It's not often that I get a growler, but I had a coupon to get a discount on the bottle and they had 32 oz sizes, which I prefer since I can usually finish that off before it goes bad.  I ended up getting the growler and left a happy camper!  Here's the haul:

• Bell's Two Hearted Ale - Okay, so I had the chance to try a beer that was different, but I went to something I've had before.  What's the deal?  I'm more adventurous when I'm dealing with 12 oz or 22 oz samples.  Not so much when I get larger sizes.  Price paid: $7.99 (w/ price of growler, after discount)  

Haul for 8/14/15

So this is more indicative of my usual hauls, which are not nearly as commonplace as they used to be.  Between being on a diet, having a kid, and toying more with liquor and mixed drinks, beer hasn't been as big a priority.  Nevertheless, I have a birthday coming up and thought I'd treat myself to some goodies at the beer store.  I had targeted getting maybe one or two unique beers but walked out with a lot more.  For this haul, I made the jaunt to Tasty Beverage.  Here's the haul:

• Ballast Point Pumpkin Down - Pumpkin beers are popping up everywhere and that just means that we're quickly approaching fall season!  It's exciting.  That said, I'm starting to become a really big fan of Ballast Point and wanted to go ahead and get my hands on this one, as I've never seen them release it in these parts before.  Price paid: $2.78
• Argus Ginger Perry - I do like my ciders and I was intrigued by this stubby brown bottle with its simplistic look.  Apparently this stuff comes from Texas.  I look forward to seeing how this compares with other ciders I've enjoyed.  Price paid: $3.49
• Argus Ciderkin - They had two different types from Argus and I wanted to get one of both.  Price paid: $3.49
• Sonoma Reserve Series Dry Zider - It looked like a seasonal or limited release and I've had their regular offerings and enjoyed it, so I just had to get it.  Apparently they took the cider and aged it in barrels that held zinfandel.  Sounds like an interesting concept to me. Price paid: $13.99
• Ballast Point Dead Ringer - If you don't see a whole bunch of pumpkin beer around to signal fall's coming, then oktoberfest style beers will also fit the bill!  Fall is coming, fall is coming! Price paid: $2.78
• The Unknown 1.5 - Apparently this was supposed to be an anniversary beer but it wasn't ready so they had to wait.  Glad they waited to get the taste they wanted instead of trying to meet a date.  It's a red rye that's aged and soured.  Sounds very interesting.  Had to give it a try!  Price paid: $16.99
• Bells Consecrator Doppelbock - I like Bells and Founders and at this point I'm used to seeing their year-round stuff and not so much their seasonals.  This might be a year-round, but I don't recognize it as well as the others and I know I haven't tried it, so I figured to go ahead and pick it up.  Price paid: $3.71
• Wicked Weed Black Angel - I wanted to get my hands on some sour beers and let them cellar and sit for a while (like a lot of my other beers, whether intentional or not).  This seemed like a good one to start. Price paid: $14.95
• Wicked Weed Terra Locale Hortiglory - At this point, I can start to recognize certain types of beer from Wicked Weed that I consider to be common versus those that don't come up as often.  I haven't seen this one before and thought I'd hoard it and give it a shot sometime later. Price paid: $9.95
• Wicked Weed Canvas Series Bombadile - Like Hortiglory, this one was new to me.  Reading the label, I saw that it was aged with yeast and strawberries and that seemed like a pretty neat combination.  Hopefully I'll be rewarded with a great tasting brew!  Price paid: $9.95  

Haul for 8/9/15

This was a haul from last week, but it was also a very short haul.  My wife wanted a specific type of beer bottle to use as a modified candle holder.  She was designing a table for dinner and we were expecting family to come over.  My baby girl (yeah, so in the long days since I last posted, I had a kid!) just had a baby dedication and we were coming back to celebrate.  

We had 2 bottles that she needed, but she needed a third.  Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), I could look at the bottle shape and know exactly what beer I consumed.  Turned out to be a beer from Anchor.  I knew they sold the brand at the store, so I headed over to my local Lowes Foods to grab a single.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a single, but they did have a six-pack!  I came back a hero.  Here's the haul:

• Anchor Steam Beer - This was the bottle my wife needed, but unfortunately this was the only type that they had.  Not that I'm complaining but I would have totally jumped on a variety pack.  Oh well!  Price paid: $9.99 (6-pack)

227. Anderson Valley The Kimmie, The Yink and the Holy Gose Ale

"The refreshing tartness in this divine, bright golden-colored ale gives way to earthy undertones and hints of citrus followed by a slight sea salt-like dryness and tangy, effervescent finish."

This was the 3rd of 4 beers that I got to enjoy while on my Florida trip.  I ended up getting this beer from Locale Market in downtown St Pete.  Awesome place by the way, I could just live there.  Anyway, back to the beer.  This is one of the few beers that I've had that's characterized as a gose.  They always seem to sell out where I live, which is why of the reasons I was quick to snatch it up when I saw it in the store.  Or maybe people are enamored with the name of the beer.  I dunno.

Like the others, this was consumed straight from the can so I couldn't judge the pour characteristics.  In the aroma, I detect meyer lemon, some grassy notes, cracker, and coriander.  

I wonder how close a gose is to a sour, because they share some of the same qualities.  I would guess that a gose is a hybrid of a sour and a wheat beer.  I taste lemonheads, salt, wheat, and some kind of funky taste that reminds me of a saison.  Might be just a combination of flavors that are giving me that idea.  It might make you pucker a bit.  It'll definitely leave you to drink more, and the sharp flavors mellow a bit after you get through the initial shock.  Light bodied with light carbonation.

When it comes to goses and sours, I'm still trying to get a feel for what I like and what I don't like.  I did like this beer enough to finish all of it, but it sometimes feels like such a departure from what I expect from beer that I don't know what to make of it.  That said, I did find it to be pretty tasty and I appreciate the fact that it has a low ABV, which makes this stuff very sessionable.  I could see it get mixed into some lemonade without a hitch.  I'd love to sample goses side by side.  For now, I'll give this one a decent grade and look forward to trying more of the style.

Grade: B-

Price Paid: $2.99 (12 oz can)

226. Two Henrys 7 Mile Bridge English IPA

"In 1905, Flagler embarked on what many called impossible and his biggest folly, a ridiculously difficult to build railroad line from Miami to Key West.  After 7 years, millions of dollars, many terrible hurricanes, and deaths of dozens of unsuspecting laborers, Flagler prevailed and his 7 Mile bridge still stands today.  This beer is audacious like Flagler.  We brew this IPA with six different hops giving it a complex robust herbal and citric hop flavor.  Strong Simcoe hop nose, Medium bodied with a reddish amber color."

2 reviews in two days!  Feels like I'm on a bit of a roll.  Hopefully I can keep up with the momentum.  I had the opportunity to sample this brew while on my Florida trip.  I was able to get this brew from the same place I got the Jai Alai.  Must've been in an IPA type of mood, or maybe the Florida weather put me in that type of mood.

I drank straight from the can, so I didn't get to judge the pour and the look of the contents.  I do like the can design a lot better than the Jai Alai.  I could pick up aromas of pine, pummelo, and some caramel sweetness.  

I find English IPAs to be milder than the American counterparts and this was the case here.  Tastes of brown sugar and baked bread are not overpowered by citrus and resin flavors.  Still has that lingering bitter kick that's expected from an IPA.  Lightly carbonated, medium bodied.  

I found this to be more enjoyable than the Jai Alai.  I don't know if I have a discerning preference between American IPAs and English IPAs yet, but hopefully I start to get there.  I wasn't amazed by this beer, but it was definitely satisfying.

Grade: B

Price Paid: $1.99 (12 oz can)

225. Cigar City Jai Alai

"Jai Alai, the "merry game," is a game native to the Basque region of Spain.  Tampa was once home to this high speed game, but sadly all that remains here is this India Pale Ale that we brewed in tribute to the merry game.  Pair Jai Alai India Pale Ale with Empanadas, Deviled Crabs and other spicy dishes."

Man, how many of these do I have sitting in draft status?  I know I've been AWOL for a while.  Wanted to make a better effort to get these out there, preferably in a reasonable amount of time.  

Anyway, I had the opportunity to go to Florida for work and met up with my wife's cousin and her husband.  After dinner, they took me by a beer store they frequent and I had the chance to pick up a few cans of beer that I can't find in NC.  I always heard good things about Cigar City and Jai Alai, so I picked up a can and brought it back to my hotel to enjoy it.

Since I didn't have a glass to use, I drank it straight from the can.  Didn't get the chance to see how well it poured.  I could detect some tropical aromas with papaya and orange, but the dominating aroma was pine.  

Since I had read other reviews about this beer, I was expecting this pop of tropical, fruity goodness.  Nope.  I tasted a beer that was more akin to a Sierra Nevada Torpedo.  It had that bitter IPA bite, with the pine notes coming through.  There was a bit of a malt backbone to it, but that was it.  Pretty one-note, not overly complex.  The other flavors didn't come through for me.  It was medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Maybe I got a bad can or an older can.  Granted, based on the feedback I got from the owners, they tend to cycle through these pretty quickly.  It was just underwhelming and I'd be hard-pressed to try another, not when there are better options out there.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $2.99 (12 oz can)