Archive for April, 2008

New Belgium Trippel

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

The Trippel from New Belgium pours a very light and clear golden color with a large amount of pure white foam that dissipates quickly and leaves little lacing on the glass. The copious number of champagne-like bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass are an indication of the strong carbonation expected in the Belgian style Tripple.

The aroma is sweet and fruity with a hit of green apple. The taste is also sweet and is followed by a bit of acidic sharpness that keeps the sweetness from lingering. There is very little noticeable bitterness. The high carbonation also helps clean the tongue and thins the mouthfeel without making it feel watery. This light mouthfeel combines with the pleasant flavor to create a very drinkable and enjoyable beer.

Hopmouth Double IPA from Arcadia Ales

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Hopmouth is Arcadia Ales’s Double IPA and is a member of their Big Beer Series. It weighs in at 8.1% ABV. This beer was poured from the tap into a snifter style glass and was dark amber in color with some orange highlights. The pour provided almost two fingers of long lasting head that left large amounts of lacing on the glass. Grapefruit dominated the aroma but there was some pine and malt as well. There was a citrusy, grapefruit sweetness with some lingering bitterness but it was well balanced with a full, rich body.

At 76 IBU Hopmouth is not as bitter as many other Double or Imperial IPA, especially most west coast examples, but it was nice to have such a well balanced big IPA for a change. The bitterness mixed and grapefruit from the hops mixed extremely well with the sweetness from the malt. It was very rich and was great to drink, but the richness also meant it was not a beer you would want many of in one setting.

Overall, this is an excellent beer to try if you want a break from the west coast style hop-bombs that seem to be flooding the market these days, and it is one I will have again.

Schlafly Bière De Garde

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Last night, to celebrate being off call, I broke out a bottle of Schlafly’s Bière De Garde. It is a French farmhouse style ale according to the label. It pours dark amber, almost orange, with a thick, full head that dissipates relatively quickly leaving a thin layer of foam on top of the beer. It has a hint of citrus on the nose, with a bit of yeasty sweetness. It has a sharp bite in the front of the mouth. I also noticed the yeast flavors coming out as well. It has a bit of hop bitterness that nicely balances the sweetness. Good for what it is, but not really my favorite style of beer.

cell phone blogging

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

In anticipation of my San Jose/San Francisco trip, I have setup moBlog on my Blackjack II. I plan to blog my beer experiences while on the trip.

Posted from moBlog – mobile blogging tool for Windows Mobile

Big IPA’s

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

What a great night of tasting! Lots of up arrows and only a few frownies. It was lots of fun!