I had this great beer on draft in Longmont, Colorado at the Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel tap room on November 5, 2011.

Other posts about Oskar Blues

• Oskar Blues Bourbon Barrel-aged Ten Fidy Notes
• Second Annual Craft Beer in Can Tasting, SF Beer Week
• Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils
• Oskar Blues: Gordon Beer, G'Knight Imperial Red Review
• SF Beer Week Recap: Jug Shop Canned Craft Brews

My second day in Denver was not a packed as the first day but I still made it to a few different places. I started out the day at Falling Rock Tap Room for the tapping of the Mutinous Battle Chai followed by the Friday night GABF session and ending my evening at Euclid Hall for a late night dinner.

Falling Rock Tap Room has a huge draw during GABF and the place seems to always be packed. Its a great scene of people who enjoy beer. I talked to several friendly folks while I was eating my lunch and waiting for friends. The special beer on tap was a collaboration between Mutineer Magazine and New Holland Brewing, called Mutinous Battle Chai. The beer is a Chai spiced ale that matches the aspects of Chai tea without loosing the maltiness that makes it beer. It smells like sweet black chai tea consisting of cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. It is malty sweet a little astringent, like tea. The photo of three half-pint beer glasses below are the Mutinous Battle Chai.

The session at the Great American Beer Festival on Friday night started with a very short line for the members and for the first 30 minutes of the festival it seemed less crowded than the previous night. That soon changed to become a night that was much busier than the previous night.

Also out Friday night were many of the brewers, I had a chance to talk with the brewers or owners from Uncommon Brewers, Brooklyn Beer, Brugge, Fat Head’s Brewery, and Eagle Rock Brewery. I also wrote many more notes on the beer I sampled. Check out my raw, unedited tasting notes after the photos.

After the festival, I headed to Euclid Hall with some friends where we, again, had a delicious meal. We sampled the sausage, pickles, and poutines for appetizers and for dinner I had the very delicious brat burger, a sandwich where the meat is like a bratwurst patty.

Tasting Notes

Pro-Am

- Jerry McPhie & Avery, Roggenbeir, choco nose, a hint of banana/clove, earthy. Roasty

- bob peak & Bear Rwpublic, American pilsner w/black pepper, pepper nose, very peppery, nice, sweet, bitter, like eating a peppersteak, fresh cracked pepper

- Donny Hummel & Eagle Rock, Red Velvet, citrus roasty, velvety smooth sweetness, a smooth rye sweetness, 77 IBU but doesn’t seem so bitter

Tustin Brewing

- portola coffee blonde, made w/coffee extract, light color amd flavor, like a fresh pot of coffee

Cigar City

- Guava Grove, fruity, slightly tart, great flavor

- oatmeal raisin cookie, a brown with vanilla and raisin, tastes like cookie dough, raisins

Cumberland Brewery, Louisville

- bourbon barrel keister, 75% bourbon flavors, sweet malt, chocolate, cacoa, intense vanilla, caramel, coconut? Superb

Brooklyn Beer,

- Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, lemon zest, herbal, slight white pepper, not too bitter. Slightly sweet, good stuff

- Manhattan Project, supposed to be like a manhattan cocktail, a little fruity, sweet, interesting

Blue Point Brewing, NY

- toasted lager, lager, slightly toasty, maybe like a Vienna lager

Rockyard, CO

- pigtail cream ale, creamy, crisp, clean

Rocky Mountain

- alt, awful, dirty wet sock, sorry guys, did it ruin my cup?

Ithaca

- Flower Power, ipa, citrusy, grapefruit, floral, bitter, clean, almost dry, crisp

- Super Friends, grapefruit, wet hay, wet dog but in a good way, it’s Simcoe after all

- Brute, sour with just a bit of sweetness, Flinstones vitamins (asorbic acid)

Brugge

- IPA, herbal nose. Tettnang, chinook, centennial, bitter and tasty

- Spider, goji berry, 9-year pickled plums, cherry. Wild yeast. Sour and candy, a little roasty, OMG so complex and delicious, sark chocolate covered cherry liquor. So nice.

Founders

- breakfast stout, coffee beans dark roasted, molasses, a little oats, full bodied

Jolly Pumpkin

- Biere de Mars, sour sweet nose, crisp sourness, hint of spice

Fat Head’s Bewery, PA

- KoKo Head Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout, chocolately, candy sweet. Coconut and cream

- Up in Smoke, smoky alder wood, smokes right on the loading docks, nice smokiness but a sweetness in the finish that balances nicely.

- Collaboarive evil, bourbon aged smoked Baltic porter, KY bourbon barrels, not as smoky but much sweeter almost like molasses or malt extract, the bourbon flavor is also present and compliments the sweet and smoke very well

Mammoth

- Dbl Nut Brown, toasty, sweet, molasses, roasty, light coffee, a little nutty

Il Vicino

-Citra wheat w/citra hops, citrus grapefruit, grassy, light sweet almost lemon hint of pomelo, grainy, delicious, southeast Asia pomelo is the

Green flash

- bourbon barrel stout, whiskey flavors, sweet malty, a little chocatw and coffee

Firestone

- Parabola, chocolate espresso beans, roasty, ice cream, silky smooth

Eagle Rock

- IPA, grapefruit a little grassy, a little sweetness but very well balanced with the bitterness. A food use of both Simcoe and Citra (no manure nor dirty wet at smells)

Cambridge

- The Colonel, porter with cherries and wild yeast, slightly spur and astringent, roasty and sweet, intense

- arquebus, barley wine, malty slight molasses, quite sweet with a hint of sour

My first day in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival was quite full with a stop at Harry’s Bar for a double IPA, Euclid Hall for food and some excellent beer, a visit to Great Divide Brewing, GABF exhibit and tasting hall, and finally a post-party at Freshcraft for a late dinner and excellent beer.

I started off the day at Harry’s Bar (conveniently located in the hotel where I’m staying)where I met up with a few folks that I met on Twitter. Each day of GABF Harry’s plans to carry a new beer on draft. The beer that I sampled was Blue Moon Brewing at the Sand Lot Kneewalker Double IPA. It wasn’t as hoppy as I thought it would be but it also was not as sweet as I expected. Fairly well rounded.

The next stop was Euclid Hall, a great restaurant and beer bar that serves interesting and very tasty food, almost like comfort food. For lunch I had the chicken and sourdough waffles with maple syrup. The special event that I attended was a special tasting of Avery barrel aged beer. A representative from Avery brought over a few bottles of Dépuceleuse and Quinquepartite, both are sour ales aged in barrels. The were both quite sour and delicious and it was great to get a free sample.

The photographer at Beerlens.com caught me in action taking the photo below where I was experimenting using a wide-angle lens that I rented from BorrowLenses.com. I’m not sure I like being called a wannabe though . Enthusiast, hobbyist, aspiring photographer, any of these would work.

Euclid Hall also has a great bottle selection in addition to the tap. It just so happened that while we were there, they had the last 12 bottles of Grat Divide Brewing’s Barrel Aged Old Ruffian aged in Stranahan’s barrels. It was an excellent aged barley wine beer. It was sweet, earthy, woody, slightly herbal, hints of old licorice candy, and the presence of whiskey flavor quite apparent. Quite an amazing beer.

The next stop was Great Divide Brewing Company’s tap room and brewery in Denver. This was a great spot because not only do they have their great beers on tap they were also letting folks wander around the brewery, so naturally I took a few photos. The beer that I sampled that I found quite interesting was the Samurai, an unfiltered beer made with rice. It was a medium bodied beer that had some flavor to it.

After meeting up with The Beer Wench and others at Great Divide we all headed over to the Convention Center for the festival. Even the member’s line was long (see photo below). Once inside the place was crowded but not uncomfortably so. You get as many 1 oz. tasting as you can handle. There is also an annoying tradition where if you drop your tasting glass and the people around you shout “oohhhhh!” and it echoes throughout the hall. Even though the tastes were only an ounce, you could still really get a good taste of the beer. After the photos below you can read through my raw, unedited notes.

Tasting Notes from Day 1 of GABF

New Holland

• Enviuos, raspberry but only slightly sweet, bready & earthy, oaky
• El Mole Ocho, pepper and chocolate, smooth & sweet, peppery but not spicy, tomaco

Cigar City

• Final Push smells dead on like chocolate covered coffee beans, tastes like a dark espresso with a touch of cocao

Sweet Water

• Dank Tank, Belgian quad. Sweet earthy clove, banana well crafted, more drinkable than Koenigshaven but nit as complex.

LoneRider

• IPA, hoppy nose like Dogfish Head, but dry not terribly sweet, nice and crisp, grapefruit, bitter, nice

Carolina Beer Company

• cottonwood moonrise rye, dirt and like a bin of pale malt barley, maybe like rye bread, taste is lighter and a hint of cola butane green tea

Alltech’s Lexington brewing co

• Bourbon barrel ale, like drinking bourbon w/out the alcohol sting

Maui, holy caw these guys rock

• smokeStack lager, very smoky, cherrywood, beechwood, beef jerky, wow

Main Street Brewery

• Old Woody, sour with a bit of sweetness, very nice, reminiscent of Cantillon. 18 months in the barrel, should be a contender. Inland Empire. Corona, CA

The Brew Kettle, OH

• Collaborative Evil Baltic Porter, good porter

Brugge

• Trippel is good, expected & good
• Peachy something, sour peach, crisp

Half Acre

• Daisy Cutter Pale ale, smells like Simcoe hops, grassy & grapefruit. Squeaky clean taste & texture, a little bitter, dry

3 Floyds

- Fest Beer, a little malty, mostly flat flavor

Mama’s Little Yella Pils is the latest addition to the canned beer offerings of Oskar Blues and their first canned lager. It was released earlier in 2009 just in time for the warm weather of summer. Speaking of summer this is a refreshing, crisp, malty beer that is perfect for warm weather.

This name of this beer is very likely an allusion to lyrics in the song Mother’s Little Helper by the Rolling Stones. The first verse of the song is as follows, with the reference underlined:

What a drag it is getting old
Kids are different today,
I hear evry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though shes not really ill
Theres a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

The brewery describes Mama’s Little Yella Pils as follows:

Our new canned good is a delicious, small-batch version of the beer that made Pilsen, Czechoslovakia famous. Mama’s is made with hearty amounts of pale malt, German specialty malts, and traditional (Saaz) and 21st century Bavarian hops. It’s the perfect antidote for the watered-down, cornfed versions of pilsner clogging America’s shelves. Our first canned lager, it’s also fermented at cool temperatures with a German yeast.

This pilsner is certainly not watered down. It has a nice malty flavor and a great hops bouquet making it a well crafted beer perfect for summer or to be paired with salty cuisine like pizza, burgers, or Japanese food.

Where I Found It. Generously provided by the brewery.

Serving Type. Served out of a can into a glass.

Date reviewed. August 27, 2009

Appearance. Mama’s Little Yella Pils is Crystal clear to slightly hazy in clarity. It is wonderfully bright yellow with a touch of golden-yellow color. The standard foamy white head lasts an average amount of time on top of the beer.

Smell. The hop bouquet is slightly coppery or metallic but also pleasant, earthy, and just a hint of spiciness. The Saaz and German hops really stand out nicely in this beer. The hop bouquet is accompanied by a malt aroma that is grainy with a light sweet malts.

Taste. There is a smooth bitterness to Mama’s LIttle Yella Pils that is well balanced by the grainy sweet malt flavor. The sweetness in the malt combined with the earthy hops gives a flavor that is almost like a diluted honey. The hops are earthy and the bitterness builds up just a little bit over time. A great combination of flavors and complexity for a pilsner.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium or medium-light bodied beer. The carbonation level is just right and makes this a refreshing malty beverage. It is crisp and smooth with a hop bitterness that adds to the refreshment of this beer.

Drinkability. Mama’ Little Yella Pils is a smooth and easy to drink beer. A perfect beer for a warm summer day to accompany BBQ or grilled meat. It has a great thirst quenching characteristic.

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

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.05

Information

• Style: pilsner
• Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 5.3%
• Bitterness: 35 IBU
• Hops: Czech Saaz and “21st century Bavarian hops”
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.66 (as of September 23, 2009)

Other Reviews

• The Full Pint – Review – Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Fermentedly Challenged – Oskar Blues will can Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Beer Critic – Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Drink a Better Brew – Review – Oskar Blues Mamma’s Little Yella Pils
• My Hoppy Place – Tasting Notes: Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Beer Advocate – Mama’s Little Yella Pils
• Rate Beer – Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pils
• 97 Bottles - Mama’s Little Yella Pils

For many years we’ve celebrated Valentine’s Day at New Belgium Brewing by creating a special small batch beer for our family and friends. These beers tend to be a little funky, fruitful and straight from the heart. This year we decided to share the love.

On the same page, they describe Dark Kriek as follows:

New Belgium Brewing’s Dark Kriek is a limited edition Belgian kriek or cherry beer. Much darker than a traditional kriek with a dash of sour cherry up front, our Dark Kriek is actually a blend of two beers. We start with a light, dry, tannic beer aged two years in oak barrels and combine this with a heavier, dark ale and cherries to create one smooth cherry blast of love.

Although I enjoyed this beer, especially after it warmed up to probably about 50ºF, it is not for the casual beer drinker and it is not a sweet and sour lambic like Lindemans’ lambics.

Where I Found It. I found a 22 oz. bottle of this special release beer at BevMo in Sacramento, CA.

Serving Type. I poured from the bottle into a glass.

Appearance. Dark Kreik has a frothy head that lasts a long time. The head has an eggnog-like color with a touch of pink from the cherries. The beer has a dark amber-red color that reminds me of redwood or mahogany. Although very dark, this beer is crystal clear.

Smell. The aroma has a a dark, roasty malt quality like that of a barley wine. It is, however, just a touch yeasty smelling. The bouquet has a rich fruit sourness like that of dark cherry and cassis. This sour bouquet is the prevalent smell in the beer especially as the beer warms up to an appropriate drinking temperature.

Taste. When consumed too cold, Lips of Faith Dark Kreik tastes sour and the other interesting flavors are subdued. After this beer warms up a bit, the flavors are much more pronounced. This beer is sour like a sour lambic ale but unlike other lambic ales like Lindemans’ kriek, this beer is not fruity sweet. Instead, it has a roasted malt sweetness that is more like the molasses sweetness that you might find in a barley wine. The fruit flavor is not lost in the sourness but is enhanced by the other flavors to create a nice dark cherry flavor.

Mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is what I like least about this beer. It was thick and syrupy with some chalkiness probably caused by tanins.

Drinkability. Dark Kreik is a interesting, complex, and tasty beer to try. It is a strong beer with unique flavors and sourness but is not a session beer. A 22 oz. bottle of this beer is perfect to share with somebody else. With that said, I would pick up this beer again, if it were available.

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

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 2.5
• Drinkability (10%): 3.0
• Overall: 3.75

Information

• Style: Belgian kriek, fruit beer
• Brewery: New Belgium
• Alcohol by volume: 8%
• Other ingredients: cherries
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.6 (as of May 29, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Better Beer Blog – Beers in Review: New Belgium Mothership Wit, 1554, Mighty Arrow, Frambozen and Dark Kriek
• Beer at 6512 – Review: New Belgium Lips of Faith Dark Kriek
• Food, Beer, and Travel – New Belgium Lips of Faith Dark Kriek
• Krausen Rising – New Belgium – Lips of Faith Dark Kriek
• JustBeer: A simple beer blog – New Belgim Lips of Faith Dark Kriek
• Fermentedly Challenged – New Belgium Dark Kriek review
• Beer Advocate - Lips of Faith Dark Kriek
• Rate Beer – New Belgium Lips of Faith (Dark Kriek)

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

While visiting Southern California recently I met up with Ryan, a good friend of mine from college, and we headed to the Yard House in Pasadena, CA. If you are not familiar with the Yard House, it is a chain of bar and grill restaurants in Southern California where they have on the order of 100 different beers on tap. If you go, I suggest surveying the tap handles while you wait for your table. Upon leaving I discovered that there were a few offerings that were not listed on the menu.

One of the beers that I selected was Avery White Rascal from Avery Brewing out of Boulder, CO. Avery is a brewery that has been coming up in some of the beer reviews on other blogs and so I thought I would try some of their brew. White Rascal is a traditional Belgian style witbier brewed with two-row malt, Belgian wheat, Czech Saaz hops, corriander, and Curacao orange peel.

Avery Brewing provides the following description of White Rascal on their website:

A truly authentic Belgian style wheat or “white” ale, this Rascal is unfiltered (yup, that’s yeast on the bottom) and cleverly spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel producing a refreshingly fruity thirst quencher.

Where I Found It. I found this beer on tap at the Yard House in Pasadena, CA.

Serving Type. This beer was served on-tap into a pint glass.

Appearance. White Rascal has a nice white frothy head that lingers in the form of a thin layer of foam on the top of your beer until the last drop.  It is pale yellow-white in color and cloudy in appearance, both are attributes to be expected from a Belgian witbier.

Smell. The aroma of this beer has the expected Belgian yeast smell but it is slightly subdued and not overwhelming. The aroma has a smooth ripe banana smell and light accompaniment of cloves. It has a hint of citrus and and sweet grains.

Taste. White Rascal has a light grain-like sweetness that can be described as refreshing and not sugary. There is just the lightest hint of bitterness, with only 10 IBUs, and it is enough to balance the light maltiness in the beer. The orange peels come through with a some citrus flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is that of a light-bodied beer with just the right amount of carbonation. It was just a touch watery tasting and based on the final gravity I’m surprised it is not more watery tasting. The original gravity is listed as 1.050 and the alcohol content is 5.6% so, based on calculations, this makes the final gravity 1.007.

Drinkability. Just like many beers of this style, White Rascal is a very drinkable beer appropriate not only for warm weather but also for a slightly chilly evening. Although I prefer Flying Dog’s Woody Creek White, this beer comes in at a close second and I would drink it again and again.

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

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 3.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 4.0
• Overall: 3.65

Information

• Style: Belgian witbier
• Brewery: Avery Brewing
• Alcohol by volume: 5.6%
• Original Gravity: 1.050 (12.4 Plato)
• Final Gravity: 1.007 (1.8 Plato)
• Hops: Czech Saaz
• Malt: two-row malt, Belgian wheat
• Other ingredients: Curacao orange peel, coriander
  
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.69 (as of April 5, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Mike Loves Beer – Avery White Rascal
• Just  Beer: A simple beer blog – Avery White Rascal
• Fermentedly Challenged – Avery White Rascal review
• Daily Beer Review – White Rascal Belgian-Style Wheat Ale
• Beer Diary – Avery White Rascal
• Drink Craft Beer – A Battle Of Wits – Craft Beer Takes On Blue Moon
• Bearded Brewing – Beer Reviews- North American Belgian White (Wit)
• Rate Beer – Avery White Rascal
• Beer Advocate – White Rascal
• 97 Bottles - Avery White Rascal

For Super Bowl I was looking for a refreshing beer to accompany BBQ and a beer that friends would enjoy. I noticed that Flying Dog Woody Creek White was still on the shelves at a local market so I picked up a six pack.

I was first introduced to Flying Dog Brewery, a Colorado headquartered (and now with the brewery facilities in Maryland), in the late 90s when a college roommate introduced me to Flying Dog’s Old Scratch Amber Lager. I’ve thought very highly of all of their beers that I’ve tried since, including Woody Creek White.

Woody Creek White is a Belgian Wit style beer, also called witbier or bière blanche, which is a hazy wheat ale brewed with coriander and bitter orange peel. Flying Dog releases this refreshing beer as a summer seasonal but, although it is great during warm weather, I found that this beer is just as good in the middle of winter, while eating ribs and watching a football game.

Where I Found It. I picked up a 12oz bottle 6-pack at a Draeger’s Market in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Serving Type. When I sampled this brew, I poured it from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance. Woody Creek White has a cloudy yellow-orange color that looks like lemonade with a splash of orange juice. Another possible description of the appearance is like that of a light colored honey. The head is white and doesn’t last very long.

Smell. The bouquet has citrus, lemon, with a hint of orange and spice. The aroma has a hint of sweet unroasted grains. The smell is not bread-like.

Taste. The taste is crisp with light citrus, like lemon with a hint of coriander. It is sweet and refreshing with very little bitterness. There is just a hint of banana and coves, which is found in many Belgium beers and hefeweizens.

Mouthfeel. Woody Creek White is light bodied, crisp, and has no bitter aftertaste. With an original gravity of 1.047 and an alcohol content of 4.8%, then the final gravity is around 1.0125, which is indeed a light bodied beer.

Drinkability. This is a smooth witbier and it is easy to drink more than one of these in a single session. I’ll pick up another six-pack this summer.

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

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.5
• Overall: 4.25

Caption from the Bottle

Each bottle of Woody Creek White includes the following caption:

Flying Dog Brewery founder George Stranahan is widely considered to be the unofficial mayor of Woody Creek, Colorado. George and his collection of social misfits known as “Woody Creatures” are the reason this mountain community has morphed into Gonzo Ground Zero. This unfiltered and traditionally spiced Wit Beer pays tribute to this hotbed of progressive thought.

Information

• Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery
• Style: Belgian wit
• Alcohol by volume: 4.8%
• Original gravity: 1.047 (11.7 Plato)
• Bitterness: 17 IBU
• Hops: German Hallertau
• Malts: Belgian Pilsner, wheat, oats, unmalted wheat, flaked wheat, flaked oats
• Adjuncts: coriander and bitter orange peel
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.77 (as of Feb. 14, 2009)
• More information at Flying Dog

Other Reviews

• Everyday Drinkers – Woody Creek White Belgian-Style Wit
• 801 0n Tap – Flying Dog: Woody Creek White
• The Brew Site – Woody Creak White
• Beer Haiku Daily – Woody Creek White
• The Opinionator Beer Page – Flying Dog Woody Creek White
• The Drunken Polack – Flying Dog Woody Creek White
• RateBeer – Flying Dog Woody Creek White
• Beer Advocate – Woody Creek White