Sierra Nevada Glissade
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Where: Chico, California
Beer: Glissade Golden Bock
Style: Maibock / Helles Bock
IBU: 42
ABV: 6.4%
Welcome back. I haven't written a beer review in quite a while, and I should be punished for it. I have a huge stash of tasting samples that I really need to get rolling on again. The beer has been stacking up way faster than I have been drinking it lately. I have about two cases of individuals ready for tasting, so let's get rolling with another entry from those great folks out in Chico, California...
I'm never one to pass up a chance at any of Sierra Nevada's offerings. I saw some of the Glissade Golden Bock in a local cooler so I grabbed a sixer and stuffed it in the cart. This beer poured with a rich golden color and a thick foamy head. The hop aroma of this beer was a bit subdued, but that is normal for this style. It's classified by BeerAdvocate as a Maibock/Helles Bock and I'm not totally sure I agree with that classification. The ingredients list provided by Sierra Nevada sorta fit that bill but it doesn't quite have the earthy taste of some of my favorite examples of this style. Maybe I'm just spoiled on Rogue's Dead Guy Ale.
I don't want to give the impression that I don't like the Glissade. I do. It's an excellent beer with a medium body and a smooth taste. The hops that aren't as apparent in the aroma are definitely found in the flavor!
Piedmont Pilsner
Brewery: Olde Hickory Brewery
Where: Hickory, North Carolina
Beer: Piedmont Pilsner
Style: German Pilsner
IBU: 18.2
ABV: N/A (Estimated 4.5%)
Piedmont Pilsner one of my favorite beers from the Olde Hickory Brewery. This beer pours with a nice foamy head and a beautiful light golden color, much like a blonde, if not even lighter than most. It has a very clean and extremely crisp flavor from the German and Czech pilsner malts followed by a very minimal hop presence of Saaz and Hallertauer hops. This beer also has a fair amount of carbonation that adds to its refreshing and light character. This is definitely a good choice when you want a lighter fare on a nice summer day. Unfortunately, it's 45°F outside here today, but I can enjoy this beer anyway :)
If I haven't mentioned it in the past, I'm extremely happy that Jason and Steve at OHB are offering up their brews in 22oz bombers these days. I have quite a few more samples from the OHB on the shelf here that we'll be getting around to over time. I still have over 35 beers in the tasting queue, so I have a lot of work to do.
Until next time....
St. Rogue Red Ale
Brewery: Rogue Ales
Where: Newport, Oregon
Beer: St. Rogue Red Ale
Style: American Amber / Red Ale
IBU: 44 IBU
ABV: 5.1%
When I first started this blog and my beer tasting experiments, Amber Ales were one of my favorites. I love the malty flavor of this style and I hadn't really experienced very many varieties of the style. If I have learned anything about styles in the last year, it is simply that a style is nothing more than a general guideline for what a beer might be like. It's also a set of rules to follow if you plan to make competition beer, but that's beside the point. The taste and characteristics of American Amber / Red Ales has been quite diverse.
Today's sample is St. Rogue Red Ale from Rogue. As usual, I'm quite impressed with this beer. St. Rogue is dry hopped, and this may be the first sampling I have had of a dry hopped red ale. This beer is made up of a nice mix of 2-row and crystal malts followed by a nice helping of Chinook and Centennial hops to create great balance between the malt character and the citrus/floral characteristics of these hops.
We're gonna chalk up another score for Rogue Ales with this beer. I might just do a run on Rogues for the next few reviews as well. I have at least five more sitting here that are dying to be opened...
Big Bear Black Stout
Brewery: Bear Republic
Where: Healdsburg, California
Beer: Big Bear Black Stout
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
IBU: 68
ABV: 8.1%
It's been a while since I have had a good stout, so I decided to pick up a couple samples for my trials. Yesterday, I was by Gail's Hops and Grapes and snagged this bomber of Bear Republic's Big Bear Black Stout. This beer poured with the expected rich black color and was followed by a creamy tan-colored head that left beautiful lacing on the glass as I worked my way through this monster. The initial aroma consisted of roasted coffee and some caramel notes with some very mild but subdued hop character. This beer has a fantastically sweet malty character with very little presence of the 68 IBU provided by the hops in this recipe. The hops only seem to be present in the mildly roasted and bitter after taste of this huge beer.
My next homebrew is gonna be a beer of this style, but I'm shooting for the upper end of the alcohol scale. I'm hoping to dial mine in around 11% and also push the IBU up to around 90. It's gonna be the biggest beer I have brewed to date with a 21.5 lb grain bill and a pound of molasses to finish it off. I hope to brew this upcoming beast before the weekend is over. I'm not sure exactly which day I will get to brew yet.... we'll see...
Olde Hickory Ruby Lager
Brewery: Olde Hickory Brewery
Where: Hickory, North Carolina
Beer: Ruby Lager
Style: American Amber / Red Lager
IBU: 20
ABV: N/A (Est. 4.0%?)
I'm glad that the Olde Hickory Brewery is offering a lot of their beers in bottles these days. It gives me the opportunity to include them in this blog. Since the OHB is the only brewery in my town, I want to make sure to share their goods with everyone here! I have quite a few more on hand, but today's sample is the Ruby Lager.
The Ruby Lager poured with a nice rich amber color and a foamy head that has a wonderful malty aroma with no pronounced hop aroma. This beer has a fantastic crisp flavor and a rather light body as well. It's definitely an easy drinker and I would also put this beer into the category of craft brews that I would recommend to a newcomer in the world of micro and craft beers. It's not too heavy or too high in alcohol and it is a great beer for that transition between the BMC world and the universe of real beer.
I'm going to try to work my way through several more OHB beers in the next few weeks. The Doppelbock is staring at me and calling my name!
Old Leghumper Robust Porter
Brewery: Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
Where: Akron, Ohio
Beer: Old Leghumper Robust Porter
Style: American Porter
IBU: 24
ABV: 6.7%
Today's sample is another beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron, Ohio. The Old Leghumper Robust Porter caught my eye on the shelf of the World Market in Mooresville on my last visit, so I grabbed a bottle. From the bottle:
This robust porter is dark brown in color and full bodied with a malty sweet taste. Deep roasted, yet silky smooth! Two types of roasted malts, including roasted chocolate malt give this beer its award winning flavor.
This porter does have an excellent roasted flavor that headlines the malty sweetness. Compared to other beers of this style, I think this one is average with no particular qualities that make it stand out. It's a good beer for sure...
