New Belgium Brewing Co. Eric's Ale

I am really intrigued with sour ales because of Justin Crossley with The Brewing Network.  He goes on an on about how good they are and I really had to try one for myself.  I grabbed this one off the shelf for two reasons.  One, its a (relatively) local brew.  Two, the description; "This is a sour ale for those whose don't like sour ales, and a fruit ale for those who don't like fruit ales."  So let's dig in and see what Justin is talking about:

Aroma - Sourness upfront.   Peach and floral hints in the background.  Subtle funkiness of a farmhouse ale, possibly from brettanomyces.

Appearance -  Clear golden ale.  Fluffy white head that dissipates to a fine lacing.

Flavor - Oh moley!  Nice clean sourness, hints of peach... champagne like.  Very dry.  I'm speechless.

Mouth-feel - Light, very dry.  High carbonation.

Overall - My first sour ale.  I was drawn in by the label, "This is a sour ale for those whose don't like sour ales, and a fruit ale for those who don't like fruit ales."  Very approachable beer, especially for those who aren't beer drinkers.  Very dry, like champagne, accompanied by the 7% ABV.  Hints of peach that goes perfect with flavors of this beer.  Highly recommended first time sour ale.  I'm in love.

Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi IPA

Woohoo!  Another brewery putting out their craft in cans.  Ska Brewing Co. out of Durango, CO puts out some good brews inspired by Ska music and lifestyle.  Let's dig into their IPA, Modus Hoperandi.

Aroma - Smells like grapefruits, citrus, and pine.  Slight malty sweetness in the background there.

Appearance - Clear, amber, orange brew.  Thin white head.

Flavor - First thing that gets me is the balance of his beer.  There are a load of hops; grapefruit and pine.  Then comes a nice subtle maltiness, not too sweet or over-powering, but balanced.  A nice smooth bitterness finishes everything off.  I'm ready for the next swig.

Mouth-feel - Medium body and carbonation.  Nice and dry.

Overall - What a great easy drinking IPA!  Plenty of hop aroma and flavor, right on for the style.  Very balanced and easy to drink.  Time to go hit the poolside with a couple more of these!

Sierra Nevada XXX Fritz and Ken's Ale

This is the second installment of a dual tasting with Beaner.  This time we pop the cork on the first release of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s 30th Anniversary line-up of beers.  These beers are designed by the pioneers of craft beer; Charlie Papazian, Fritz Maytag, Ken Grossman, Fred Eckhardt, and Jack McAuliffe.  The first release of this series is a collaboration from Fritz and Ken, a Russian Imperial Stout.  Here's our thoughts:

Me:
Aroma - Coffee, roasty, molasses, burnt sugars, and dark fruits.  There is also a hit of hops that makes it way through.

Appearance - Deep black.  Opaque.  Thick, sticky, brown head.

Flavor - Roasty, but not acrid.  Hints of fine espresso.  Subtle molasses, burnt caramels, and dark fruits, prunes and raisins peak through.  Firm bitterness, both from hops and the use of roasted malts or grains.  Nice warming alcohol to dry everything up.

Mouth-fell - Full bodied, yet very drinkable.

Overall - Oh what a treat Sierra Nevada has made for us!  Great RIS, tons of roasty coffee flavors from the malts with complex caramels and dark fruity esters.  Pleasant, but in your face hop bitterness to balance the massive malt backbone of this brew.  Dangerously drinkable for 9.2% ABV.

Beaner:
Aroma - Coffee, dark fruits, and molasses.

Appearance - Very dark, opaque, black.  Thick head.

Flavor - Coffee and hops followed with a touch of dates and prunes.  Firm bitterness, yet very smooth.

Mouth-feel - Full bodied, yet smooth and easy to drink.

Overall - One of my favorites.  I love the coffee flavors.  A manly brew!

Oskar Blues Gubna IIPA

Oskar Blues Brewing Co. has recently released their Imperial IPA in cans.  I have been a fan of Oskar Blues ever since I was on my internship in Houston, TX where I had my first taste of their canned beers.  Everything from Ten Fidy to Dale's Pale Ale was great stuff.  So I had to try their IIPA.  Hops are in the spotlight of the IIPA; Oskar Blues uses all Summit hops through out this brew.  So I'm expecting some nice tangerine/orange citrus notes along with some resiny-dank flavors from this high alpha variety.  My broski, Beaner, is in town this week and he stepped up to the plate to give a go on this tasting and review.  I introduced him to the style by reading the Beer Judge Certification Progam (BJCP) guidelines for the style of IIPA.  Then I showed him some techniques of tasting/evaluating and walked him through what I was tasting so that he could get an idea of what he was tasting.  Here's what we thought:

Me:
Aroma - Hop blast to the sinuses!  Orangy, citrus, and drank!

Appearance - A wonderful orangy-amber.  Thin lacing head.

Flavor - Upfront bitterness followed by a hop punch; citrus, resiny-dank, and a hint of onion.  The bitterness is balanced with a hardy malt backbone but not sweet.  No harsh after taste, very clean.

Mouth-fell - Medium, medium carbonation.  Nice warming alcohol after you take a swig.  Smooth.

Overall - Great IIPA.  Very smooth drinking.  Great hop aroma and flavor, complex for just the use of one hop variety.

Beaner:
Aroma - Very hoppy.  Hints of orange citrus and reminiscent dank scent.

Appearance - Orange with hint of amber.  Small lacy head.

Flavor - Very hoppy!  Dank/oniony followed by a smooth citrusy malt taste.  Easy drinking.

Mouth-feel - Medium, medium carbonation.  Dry alcohol sensation, warming.

Overall - My first IIPA and review.  Smooth, great hop aroma, making this easy and fun to drink.  I didn't really like the dank/onion quality to the beer.  But overall this is a good IIPA, best beer I have had from a can!

Newcastle Brown Ale

Yum, Newcastle Brown!  This is by far one of my top five beers.  I love the complex maltiness and touch of hops to make this a incredibly easy drinking and tasty beer.

Aroma - Dark caramel and chocolate tones.  Sweet malt.  Hints of dark dried fruits, figs and raisins.

Appearance - Beautiful clear, brown ale with ruby undertones.  Thin head.

Flavor - Sweet toasty malt with chocolate, toffee, and caramel tones.  Slight hint of fruity esters.  A very delicate bitterness to balance the sweetness.  Dry finish.  Delicious!

Mouth-feel - Medium-light body.  Very drinkable.

Overall - A very nice Northern English Brown Ale.  Nice and dry with a toasty, toffee malty backbone  with a slight bitterness to balance this out.  I love it!