During my first visit to The Great American Beer Festival in 2010 I came across the Souththeast section where I discovered The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery. The very first beer I sampled was Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and it was so delicious that I had another 1 oz. sample and another. From that moment I knew that I had discovered one of my favorite stouts ever.

After I discovered this wonderful brew from a small brewery in Farmville, NC, I knew I had a problem: Duck-Rabbit beer is not distributed to California. Luckily, a few weeks later, I made some new friends at the 2010 Beer Bloggers Conference and I was able to enjoy an entire 12 oz. bottle, thanks to Doug Brumley, author of The Fledgling Brewer. Finally, in May 2011 I made a trip to Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, the home of Duck-Rabbit, where the Milk Stout was be plentiful. I even had the opportunity to try Left Hand Milk Stout side by side with Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Both are great beers but I enjoyed the Duck-Rabbit just a little bit more.

After my trip to North Carolina, I was able to bring back a few bottles of beer including the bottle that I used to write and photograph this review.

Date Reviewed. November 2, 2011

Where I Found It. Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham, NC.

Serving Type. 12 oz. bottles into a nonick pint glass.

Appearance. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is opaque black through and through. It has a long lasting, frothy tan head with a color similar to latte foam lightly mixed with espresso.

Aroma. This beer smells like cream and chocolate with just a touch of coffee. The roasted malts come off with more of a rich dark chocolate aroma than a coffee aroma. Any espresso notes are very muted, much like an espresso con panna that is heavy on the whipped cream. The sweetness of the malt and milk sugar is apparent in the nose. It is very inviting.

Taste. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a sweet stout with a rich, roasted bitterness that gives it a flavor more like a dark chocolate milk than a standard chocolate milk. The roasted malt comes off ever so slightly harsh and a touch like espresso but is very nicely balanced by the sweetness of the lactose and malt. It is a sweet, rich and for the style a bit more bitter than average, which is a flavor that I really enjoy.

Mouthfeel. This milk stout is a medium bodied that despite the milk sugar comes off a bit thinner than I expected. It is neither light nor heavy but it doesn’t have a rich thick velvety texture that I might have expected. It still has a very nice mouthfeel.

Overall. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout is a fantastic beer that almost fits well within the style guidelines for a milk stout. It is a touch more bitter than average but I find this to a great way for the brewer to differentiate their milk stout from others. I always like to describe this beer as dark chocolate milk.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 5.0
• Aroma (24%): 5.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Overall (20%): 5.0
• Total: 4.75

Information

• Name: Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout
• Brewery: The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery [more  info]
• Style: milk stout
• Alcohol by volume: 5.7%
• RateBeer rating: 94 overall, 89 style (as of November 2, 2011)

I find it refreshing when I find a full flavor stout with a wonderful aroma that is not strong or imperial. Firestone-Walker Brewing has done a wonderful job in doing this with creating this superb oatmeal stout with a familiar, yet complex, aroma and flavor profile.

Although Velvet Merlin is now available in bottles since 2010, and 6-packs for that matter, it started it’s life as a very limited release beer under a different name. It was previously called Velvet Merkin. Due to potential issues with labeling as well as possible marketing problems with the work merkin [wikipedia link but still NSFW], the name was changed to Merlin and a magical beer it is. Update: Additionally, Velvet Merkin is a slightly different beer, it is 100% barrel-aged whereas Velvet Merlin is partially barrel-aged.

One of the unique aspects of this beer is that it is partially aged in bourbon barrels. It’s not enough to detect a strong bourbon flavor but it does provide a little something extra that you might not find in a traditional oatmeal stout.

Date Reviewed. November 1, 2011

Where I Found It. Whole Foods Market in San Francisco, CA.

Serving Type. 12 oz. bottles into a nonick pint glass.

Appearance. Velvet Merlin has an opaque inky black color with just a tinge of glowing dark brown on the edges of the glass. The head is a tan color with large foamy bubble and a little above average head retention.

Aroma. This beer smells fantastic. It has a hint of oats that, when combined with the malt aromas, makes the beer smell a bit like an oatmeal cookie. It also has a creaminess that comes off like milk chocolate. The typical roastiness of a stout is nicely balanced by the sweet creamy bouquet. There is no discernable hops and little to no coffee aromas. If it were not for the oat smells, I would think this to be a milk stout. There is just a small hint of cola in the background.

Taste. Velvet Merlin falls half-way between a sweet stout and a dry stout. It has strong flavors of malt and dark roasted malt with out being too sweet. It is also not dry by any means. The bitterness from both the hops and the malt is quite light. The flavor is reminiscent of a chocolate milk with a dash of espresso with an oatmeal cookie on the side. The bourbon barrel aging comes off in the flavor as a hint of vanilla.

Mouthfeel. This beer has a smooth texture that is just short of velvety, despite it’s name. Even though this is a beer made with very dark roasted malt, it comes off as smooth with little to no astringency.

Overall. Velvet Merlin is a great stout that keeps you going for more and allows you to drink more without falling off your chair. It has just as much flavor as many stouts, that are higher in alcohol percentage. This is a full flavored oatmeal stout that I feel fits well into the category with the added benefit of a slightly creamy aroma pushing it close to a milk stout in aroma but not in sweetness.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 4.0
• Aroma (24%): 5.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Overall (20%): 4.5
• Total: 4.59

Information

• Style: oatmeal stout
• Brewery: Firestone-Walker Brewing Company [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 5.5%
• Original Gravity: 1.061
• Hops: U.S. Fuggle
• Malt: Maris Otter, 2-Row Pale, Roast Barley, English Dark Caramel, Medium Caramel, Carafa Malt, Oats (15%)
• Other ingredients: Partially aged in bourbon barrels
• RateBeer rating: 97 overal, 97 style (as of November 2, 2011)

Deschutes Brewery calls their American-style Black Ale, also known as Black IPA, a Cascadian Dark Ale, which reflects the nature of it’s origin. This beer is a great example of what happens when you innovate to combine a hoppy, bitter IPA with a roasty, chocolatey porter.

The American-style Black ale style of beer was originally created by the late Greg Noonan at the Vermont Pub and Brewery. However, it hasn’t been until recently that the style has gained popularity among craft beer drinkers with the advent of such beers as Deschutes Hop in the Dark and 21st Amendment Back in Black.

Date Reviewed. August 29, 2010

Where I Found It. Whole Foods California St., San Francisco, CA.

Appearance. Hop in the Dark has an opaque obsidian black color with faint clear dark-brown color on the edges. The head is the color of espresso crema and when first poured is thick and frothy.

Aroma. This beer exudes roasted malt aromas with a bit of earthy nuttiness. It smells bit like peanut or beer brittle candy. The hops bouquet adds a floral, citrus, and grapefruit quality much like an American IPA. The hops also have a touch of green vegetation and herbs.

Taste. Hop in the Dark has a nice dark roasted flavor from the barley malt but not overly so. It is just enough dark malts to add the obsidian color while bringing in roasty flavor. The hops come through with a nice IPA bitterness accompanied by just enough sweetness to offset the bitter. This is a hoppy beer, there is no question about it. The hops have a bit of the same qualities as the aroma with some grapefruit qualities. It is not particularly sweet and can be characterized as being more dry than sweet. Hop in the Dark is truly like an American IPA with the careful addition chocolate malts.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium bodied be but maybe on the lighter side of that spectrum. It has a smooth not-quite silky texture.

Overall. This is a surprisingly crisp, snappy, and refreshing beer. It is a perfect example of this somewhat new style of beer. Hoppy like and IPA and roasty like a porter or stout, while maintaining a body and sweetness more like an IPA. It is well crafted and enjoyable to drink.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 4.0
• Smell (24%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 5.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Overall (20%): 4.5
• Total: 4.62

Information

• Style: American-style Black Ale
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 6.5%
• Bitterness: 70 IBU
• Original gravity: 1.067
• Malts and grains: pale malt, flaked oats, munich malt, dark crystal malt, chocolate malt, chocolate wheat malt, black barley, toasted oats, dark candy sugar
• Hops: Northern Brewer, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade, Citra
• Web page: Hop in the Dark by Deschutes

Sculpin IPA is a delicious IPA where dominated by citrusy hops yet with an expertly crafted balance of sweetness and bitterness. Sculpin IPA comes out of San Diego, CA from Ballast Point Brewing Company. Ballast Point was founded in 1996 after two home brewers, Jack White and Yuseff, built a brewery in the back of a the homebrew shop that White had opened 4 years prior.

In the years since opening, Ballast Point grew their reputation of producing well crafted and delicious beer. It was exciting to finally find their top notch beer available in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially Sculpin IPA, which won a Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup in 2010 for International Pale Ale.

Although Ballast Point produces a wonderful line of craft beer Sculpin IPA and Calico Amber are consistently beers that I seek out and clear off the shelves whenever I see them available.

Date Reviewed. June 14, 2011

Where I Found It. La Beau Nob Hill Market, San Francisco, CA

Serving Type. 22oz. bottle to nonick pint glass

Appearance. Although it started to pour crystal clear, the agitation of pouring must have loosened some sediment and it eventually poured as hazy glowing golden orange color. The head is slightly off white with good retention with a thick foamy texture. It leaves a nice thin lacing on the sides of the glass.

Aroma. Sculpin IPA has wonderful floral hop notes with a strong bouquet of citrus-like sweet oranges, ruby red grapefruit, and a touch of pine. It has a malty-sweet aroma, which is almost biscuit-like in nature. The sweet citrus hops combined with this malt aromas almost reminds me of a slightly melted gourmet creamsicle, made of orange sorbet and creamy vanilla ice cream.

Taste. This is an excellent tasting IPA with just the perfect balance of sweetness and hop bitterness. This is certainly not a dry IPA and I might go so far as to describe it as just a little sweet but not overly so. The effect of the sweetness is enhanced by the floral and citrus aromas that you experience while drinking it. The bitterness is slightly harsh but not quite as prickly as a sculpin fish. The bitterness and builds on your palette over time but is cooled by the sweet malt flavors.

Mouthfeel. It is a full-bodied beer with a smooth and a nearly velvety texture that helps contrast and cool against the ever building bitterness accumulating on your palette.. The carbonation is just the right level.

Overall. Starting with the pour and the light color, this beer is inviting you to quaff it down. As you bring it close to you mouth, the aromas from Sculpin IPA get you salvating until you taste this wonderful IPA. The sweetness and the bitterness combine into a wondeful experience. I wouldn’t consider this a dessert beer by any means but I also would not characterize it as a crisp and refreshing beer. It is a slightly-sweet very-hoppy IPA. As you can see by my rating the high point is the wonderful aromas, which Ballast Point has mastered in so many of their beers. The taste does not disappoint but the aroma is incredible.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 4.0
• Aroma (24%): 5.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 5.0
• Overal (20%): 4.5
• Total: 4.64 

Information

• Style: American IPA
• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 7%
• Bitterness: 70 IBU

Other Reviews

Guest Beer Review: Sculpin IPA – By Bernardo Pena | BarleyPop – A Beer Blog Gotta love having friends that are as passionate about beer as much as I am. Mr. Bernardo Pena, close friend of 20+ years has been sending me tons of texts about all the beers he’s been trying in LA and abroad the past few years.

Sculpin IPA | Mike Loves Beer Name – Sculpin IPACountry – United StatesType – American IPA A little over a week ago I did my first video review for Ballast Point’s Big Eye IPA. And during I said that a review would be coming soon the IPA brother in the Ballast Point household, Sculpin.

The Barley Blog » Ballast Point Sculpin IPA California’s Ballast Point Brewing makes an IPA that, when I can find it, is a favorite of the household here on the East coast. My wife and I have enjoyed the piny, hoppy Big Eye IPA on several occasions through the years.

Cleveland Food and Brews-CraftBeer: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA Here is what the Brewer says: The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA – Voted Best IPA! | thefullpint.com We had a close race for our Best IPA poll. With so many tasty, hoppy dank IPAs to choose from, San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits Sculpin IPA came out on top as the Best IPA. While there was nothing in the rules discouraging disproportionate voting, this poll was pretty even Steven as far as online polls go.

The Napa Smith Brewery is a fairly new brewery out of Napa, California. The brewery was started by “The Smith Family” who was able to hire a master brewer of 30 years, Don Barkley, with the simple premise that the beers they produce should pair well with food. Their core offerings are Pale Ale, Amber Ale, and Wheat Beer. The beer that I reviewed is either a seasonal or special release called Lost Dog Red Ale and is quite delicious.Napa Smith describes this beer on the back of each 22 oz. bottle as follows:

Napa Smith is a handcrafted artisan beer brewed at the southern gateway of the Napa Valley. Our family brings together the finest ingredients and 35 years of brewing experience. Our full-bodied Red Ale is rich and robust with a hoppy finish. With a warm red hue and a dense off-white head, Lost Dog is the perfect beer to share with someone special or a long-lost friend.

Following with the philosophy of pairing beer with food, the following food pairing is on the back of this bottle, “Our Lost Dog pairs well with short ribs, hamburgers, and garlic fries.”

Date Reviewed. January 4, 2010.

Where I Found It. Draeger’s in San Mateo, CA.

Serving Type. 22oz. bottle to an imperial pint glass.

Appearance. Off-white head foamy head that has average to below average retention. Crystal clear orange amber color.

Smell. Lost Dog Red Ale has a wweet malty, toasty, and biscuit aromas. Floral, pleasant, orange blossom hop bouquet. Maybe a slight vanilla flavor. Very inviting smell.

Taste. The taste of this beer matches the aroma quite well. It has a pleasant bitterness that contrasts well against the malty biscuit sweetness. In this respect, the bitterness is smooth and refreshing but present and tasty and just slightly spicy. Quite delicious and well crafted.

Mouthfeel. Lost Dog Red Ale has a medium to full bodied beer with a smooth and almost creamy texture.

Drinkability. For a malty sweet beer, the bitterness makes it refreshing and smooth.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.5

Information

• Style: red ale
• Brewery: Napa Smith Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 7.2%
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.36 (as of May 12, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Bay Area Beer Blog – Beer of the Week: Napa Smith Brewing Lost Dog
• BetterBeerBlog – 14th Annual Fairfax Brewfest Recap
• Beer Advocate - Lost Dog
• Rate Beer – Napa Smith Lost Dog

Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon has a solid line of year round beers and many times an even better line-up of seasonal ans special release beer. The spring seasonal beer from Deschutes in 2010 is the Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale). I thought it would be heard to beat Cinder Cone Red from 2009 but they did it.

This beer has a nice balance between hoppy and malty and I found it to be an excellent beer to accompany a long day of snowboarding. When I saw this beer at Northstar-at-Tahoe during lunch, there was no doubt that I was going to pick some up. Although, this beer worked well in cold weather, I think it would be great anytime of the year.

Deschutes named this beer after the oldest operating lift at Mt. Bachelor and they describe this Northwest Pale Ale as follows:

What makes this copper colored beauty so wildly popular?  As a debut Northwest Pale Ale, it’s an adventure all its own.  It has a plush body with satiny caramel flavors derived from seven varieties of malt.  Yet, despite it all, it remains a hop-forward ale with that distinctive citrusy punch.  Just minus any mouth-puckering bitterness.

Date Reviewed. April 5, 2010

Where I Found It. Draeger’s in San Mateo, CA.

Serving Type. 12 oz bottle to pint glass.

Appearance. Red Chair has a creamy meringue-colored head with average retention and a crystal clear orange-brown color.

Smell. The aroma of this beer is a little toasty, bisquity, syrupy, and malty. The hop nose is very noticeable with a hint of citrus, like orange and grapefruit, Squirt comes to mind. The hops are not earthy and certainly not grassy. It includes a hint of pine, a dash of cedar, and some citrus. The bouquet of fresh green hops predominates.

Taste. The bitterness of Red Chair is very apparent and a bit spicy but it contributes to the crisp drinkable nature of this beer. It is balanced by just enough roasted malt sweetness to smooth out the bitterness without having being too sweet. This is a very enjoyable and delicious beer.

Mouthfeel. Red Chiar is a medium bodied beer with an average amount of carbonation and it goes down smoothly.

Drinkability. I find the balance of this beer makes it highly drinkable and easy to quaff several. It has just enough sweetness to counter the bitterness of the hops. It has a crisp nature to the bitterness that make it quenching and quaffable. I find that there are aspects of this beer than can adapt to nearly any beer craving. I wish it was offered all year round.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.50

Information

• Style: IPA
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 6.4%
• Bitterness: 60 IBU
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.92 (as of May 1, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Brewed for Thought - Beer of the Week: Deschutes Red Chair IPA
• The Full Pint – Deschutes Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale
• Drink Hacker – Review: Deschutes Brewery Red Chair IPA
• Beer Douchebaggery – Deschutes: Red Chair NWPA
• Beer(ein)stein – Red Chair NWPA Review

While I was on vacation in Belgium in August 2009, I was using the Good Beer Guide Belgium by Tim Webb to assist in my travels and beer drinking. After finding the Beer Temple in Brussel I cross referenced the beer in the store with beer in the guide with particular styles that I wanted. Of the saison beers that I selected this one came highly recommended and it turned out to be one of the best saison’s I’ve ever had.

Brasserie de Blaugies is a tiny brewery in the hamlet of Blaugies in the province of Hainaut near the city of Mons and closer to the French border. According to Good Beer Guide Belgium the brewery was built on the principle of one of the founders, Pierre-Alex Carlier: “Brew them for me to drink and if other people like them that is fine.”

Date Reviewed. October 10, 2010.

Where I Found It. Beer Temple in Brussels, Belgium.

Serving Type. 375ml into a 25cl glass.

Appearance. Saison d’Epeautre has a hazy yellow-brown dark straw color  The head is white with small tight bubbles and lasts for a very long time. The head starts out large and slowly recedes down the glass until it rests with a nearly permanent 10 millimeter head. It hardly leavs a trace on the glass as it recedes. This beer is very effervescent and you can see several champagne-like bubbles streaming to the top.

Smell. The hop bouquet of this beer is earthy, woodsy, and pleasant with a splash of lemon citrus. The aroma has a sweet grainy smell almost like that of a pilsner. There is also a touch of cloves flavor but it is not as strong as I expected it would be. In fact, it smells like just the right amount of cloves, a nice hint with out overwhelming your nose with a memory of bubble-gum.

Taste. The initial taste was tart but not as tart as a sour beer. It is possibly slightly more acidic than most beer or the high carbonation levels enhance this tartness. With that said, it is a refreshing taste. The tartness combined with the hop flavor or flavor from spices gives this beer a slightly lemon taste. The beer finishes like a beer with a grainy malt flavor with a bit of malty sweetness. It is not overly sweet and not overly bitter, it has a nice balance.

Mouthfeel. Despite being 6% abv, this feels like a light bodied beer on the tongue. It is also very effervescent providing a refreshing sensation.

Drinkability. This is very drinkable. Light-bodied, well-carbonated, slightly tart, grainy malt, and a little spice. I could drink several of these in a single session.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 5.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.6

Information

• Style: Saison or farmhouse ale
• Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
• Alcohol by volume: 6%
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.06 (as of April 29, 2010)

Other Reviews

• A Good Beer Blog - Belgium: Wallowing In Four Saisons
• Draft Magazine – Saison d’Epeautre
• Beer Advocate – Saison d’Epeautre
• Rate Beer – Saison d’Epeautre

AleSmith is an awarding winning brewery out of San Diego, CA where all of the employees are homebrewers. In fact, according to their website, the owner and the head brewer were both past presidents of their homebrew club.

AleSmith touts that, “every AleSmith ale is an all-natural, unpasteurized, handcrafted artisan product brewed using only premium domestic and imported malts and hops, precisely conditioned water and our quality yeast strains.” This quality craftsmanship is readily apparent when you try the AleSmith IPA, an IPA that has won numerous awards including Silver at the World Beer Championships and Bronze at the Great American Beer Festival. The brewery describes AleSmith IPA beer as follows:

Deep golden to light amber color, and a nice off-white head, with good retention when properly served. Starts off with pleasantly strong hop flavors, balanced by a firm malt backdrop, then fades to a dry finish with a lingering hoppiness.

Where I Found It. BevMo in La Quinta, CA.

Serving Type. 22 oz. bottle into a glass.

Date Reviewed. June 26, 2009.

Appearance. AleSmith IPA has a golden honey color with an orange hue. It is very clear as long as you don’t pout the yeast into your glass. This IPA has a foamy and frothy head that lingers for a very long time. It just doesn’t seem to go away; half-way done with the beer and there is still a thin layer of head on top.

Smell. This beer smells like hoppy goodness. The sweet maltiness combined with the fruity hops made me think of fresh plums while I was taking the photos. There is a hint of vanilla or caramel and the hops are clean and fresh. This IPA has a slight hint of cedar (instead of pine) and a slight hint of spice but also fruity like fresh pineapple. There was a slight bready yeast smell when I first opened the bottle but could not pick it up after that.

Taste. I tried AleSmith IPA closer to 50ºF on a hot evening in the desert and although it does not sound like ideal conditions, it was fantastic. This beer has a nice malt flavor with a hint of caramel and vanilla sweetness. The maltiness is topped by a generous dose of hops. The hop flavor is like white pepper spice, grapefruit citrus, and for the first few sips I tasted fresh plum.

Mouthfeel. This is a big IPA and has a smooth silky nature to help glide the strong flavors through your palate. It is a full bodied beer that is almost creamy in texture and well carbonated.

Drinkability. This is a smoother IPA that has a nice balance between smooth bitterness and spicy bitterness with a bite.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.5

Caption on the Bottle

The following caption appears on the back of a 22 oz. bottle of AleSmith IPA:

I prefer AleSmith it’s pretty awesome. That’s what our People’s Choice Award says to us. Each year at the San Diego Real Ale Festival , everyone is asked to vote for their favorite beer. In 2001, they chose AleSmith IPA over all the others. If you like your beer hoppy, you’re gonna love this one.

AleSmith IPA is brewed using only premium-quality malts, along with pounds and pounds of the freshest hops and our championship yeast strain. Even the water we use is precisely conditioned to make sure everything is just right for the best possible product. The results is a hoppy, malty hand-forged American-style IPA with a tantalizing aroma and a flavor that’ll have your taste buds in ecstasy!

The brewer’s yeast at the bottom of the bottle is living proof that this is a top-quality bottle-conditioned beer. Conditioning in the bottle gives the beer a lush, velvety texture that you just can’t get with force-carbonating. The bubbles are smaller, giving your taste buds a lot more surface are to grab onto, and the difference shows from the first sip to the last.

To serve, chill to approximately 45-50º and pour gently into an AleSmith pint glass, leaving the yeast in the bottle. To learn more about AleSmith Brewing Company and our many other premium products, please visit our website.

Information

• Style: IPA
• Brewery: AleSmith
• Alcohol by volume: 7.25%
• Original Gravity: 1.072
• Final Gravity: 1.018 (calculated)
• Hops: Columbus, Warrior, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, Chinook, Palisades [source]
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.36 (as of Nov. 15, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Brewed for Thought - Beer of the Week – AleSmith IPA
• The Full Pint – Review – AleSmith IPA
• The Beer Spot – AleSmith Brewing Co. IPA review
• The Drunken Polack - AleSmith IPA
• Emerald City Super Tasters – AleSmith IPA
• BoozeReviews.net – AleSmith IPA
• The Vice Blog – AleSmith IPA
• Two Beer Dudes – AleSmith IPA
• Premium Bitter – AleSmith IPA
• 97 Bottles – AleSmith IPA
• Beer Advocate - AleSmith IPA

Over the summer while I was visiting Southern California I searched for a brewery in the area and found Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, California. I arranged for a visit and tried all of the beers on tap at the time. More on the brewery tour in a future post.

Hangar 24′s flagship and most popular beer is Orange Wheat, a wonderful summertime, or any time, American style wheat beer made with oranges. The oranges in this beer are organic and are sourced from local growers from the Inland Orange Conservancy. The oranges are pureed whole and added to the beer giving it a strong orange natural flavor.

Where I Found It. I tried this beer at Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, California on June 6, 2009.

Serving Type. I tried Orange Wheat from the tap into a plastic cup.

Appearance. This beer has a pale yellow pastel color and has a cloudy appearance, as you would expect a wheat beer to be. The head was frothy and lasted a good amount of time, especially for a fruit beer. With the style of beer in mind, it has a refreshing appearance like grapefruit juice.

Smell. The aroma and bouquet of Orange Wheat is primarily related to the oranges in the beer. It has a strong smell of fresh squeezed orange  juice, orange rind, and orange rind. It has an inviting tangy smell accompanied by a hint of grainy and bready aroma.

Taste. Orange Wheat is exactly how I think that an orange beer should taste. It has the perfect blend of fresh natural oranges and beer and does not taste nor like orange candy like some other of the orange beers on the market. Just like the smell it has flavors or orange juice and slightly tart and acidic making it clean and crisp. The malt reveals itself as a slight grainy sweetness of wheat and barley while finishing more dry than sweet. There is little to no discernible bitterness in this beer.

Mouthfeel. This beer is light bodied with a refreshing amount of carbonation. Orange Wheat has a slight and pleasant orange aftertaste.

Drinkability. This beer is thirst quenching and very easy to drink. It has an ideal blend of orange and beer and tastes fresh both with regard to the beer and the oranges. It is crisp, light, and easy to consume several in one sitting. Although it might be best suited for a warm summer day, it is also great for any time of day in any California season.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 5.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.6

Information

• Style: American Wheat, Fruit Beer
• Brewery: Hangar 24 Brewery website, twitter, facebook
• Alcohol by volume: 4.6% abv
• Other ingredients: whole pureed oranges
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.83 (as of September 5, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Summer of Beer – Hangar 24 Brewery, Redlands, CA
• Beer Advocate - Orange Wheat
• Rate Beer – Hangar 24 Orange Wheat

I picked up a 4 pack of Gordon Beer after tasting it during SF Beer Week at the Jug Shop Canned Craft Beers event. It left such an impression during the event that I had to take some more home to do a full review with pictures. Update (6/23/2011): Oskar Blues has renamed Gordon Beer to G’Knight Imperial Ale. At the time of writing this review, the beer was still called Gordon Ale.

Oskar Blues describes the style of Gordon Beer as “somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA” and it certainly fits that bill with a wonderful and intense hoppiness, 85 IBUs of bitterness, and a sweetness that creates a great balance and flavor.

Besides a great taste the other benefit of Gordon Beer is that it comes in a can. I’ve mentioned the benefits of cans for craft beer in previous articles but I’ll mention it again. Cans are both better for the beer and better for the environment. Cans hide the beer from the harmful affects of light and sunlight as well as keeping the beer more airtight. Environmentally speaking, cans are easier to recycle than bottles and are lighter so you can ship more cans per truck and save on fossil fuel usage. Finally, the plastic ring holders for Oskar Blues cans are photodegradable meaning that they break down quickly in sunlight.

This beer was formerly only available as a seasonal beer but is now available year round. The Oskar Blues website says the following about the origin of the name of the beer:

We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.

Where I Found It. I picked up a four pack from The Jug Shop in San Francisco, CA. I was also graciously provided with some samples from an Oskar Blues representative. Thank you and cheers!

Serving Type. Served from a can into a glass.

Appearance. Gordon Beer has a standard off-white tan head that is pleasantly foamy and frothy. The head lasts an average amount of time and leaves a nice froth on the glass. The color of this beer is a wonderful red-orange or caramel amber and is very clear. It looks very inviting.

Smell. The hop bouquet leaps out of the can immediately after opening. I’ve never opened a bottle of beer and had the same experience. Gordon Beer has a wonderful hops smell that can be described as citrus, orange juice, pine resin, and floral like fresh cut flowers. I say fresh cut flowers because it has a nice green plant freshness to it. The aroma is like sweet barley malt and caramel. The combination of these attributes produces a smell that informs you that this will be a great tasting beer.

Taste. The taste of Gordon Beer lives up to the smell. The citrus and floral smells are delicious and clean on the tongue. It has a great malty and caramel flavor and is pleasantly more malty than I expected. The malt sweetness is accompanied by a slight nuttiness and roasty flavor, which probably comes from the chocolate malt. At 85 IBUs there is no doubt that this beer has loads of hop bitterness but it is not a harsh bitter flavor. The bitterness is smooth, which is due to a good balance of malt sweetness and probably hops low in cohumulone. For instance, I felt that Gordon Beer is smoother than Green Flash IPA and probably has as much, if not more, IBUs.

Mouthfeel. Although this beer is malty sweet and has 8.7% alcohol by volume it is seems about as dry as a beer with two-thirds the amount of alcohol. I would characterize this beer as medium to full bodied with a smooth and nearly creamy texture from the carbonation. The smooth bitterness lingers on the tongue and builds up over time.

Drinkability. Many super hoppy beers are great for about one beer. With Gordon Beer, however, I can, and have had, two while still wanting another. The bitterness level is high but the combination of flavors and hops make this beer smooth and easy to drink any time. Just take it easy drinking these beers, the high alcohol content can catch up with you quickly.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 5.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.7

Caption on the Can

Each can of Oskar Blues Gordon Beer includes the following short caption on the back of the can:

If you knew Gordon Knight, this beer needs no explanation. If you didn’t, we’re sorry.

On the lip of the can the following text appears:

BIG. RED. STICKY.

[can'o bliss. satisfy ya.]

Information

• Style: Imperial IPA
• Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 8.7%
• Hops: 3 types of hops then dry hopped with Amarillo hops
• Malt: six types of malt including chocolate malt
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.12 (as of April 19, 2009)

Updates

• June 23, 2011: Oskar Blues renamed Gordon Beer or Gordon Ale renamed to G’Knight.
• June 23, 2011: Updated the photos to use the larger versions.

Other Reviews

• BeerDorks.com – Beer Reviews: Gordon
• The Opinionated Beer Page – Gordon Ale
• Eating & Drinking – Beer Review: Oskar Blues Brewery-Gordon Ale
• The Full Pint – Review – Oskar Blues Gordon
• Drink Craft Beer – Oskar Blues Gordon
• Fermentedly Challenged – Oskar Blues Gordon review
• The Brew Site – Gordon (Canned Beer Week follow-up)
• The Captain’s Chair – Oskar Blues Gordon
• BeerAdvocate – Gordon
• RateBeer – Oskar Blues Gordon
• 97 Bottles – Oskar Blues Gordon