Comp results and new tastings

Too much work and travel adds up to no brewing :(
It has been a long few weeks. I entered the Honey Stout in a So Cal comp and didn't advance to the medal round. That didn't disappoint me as much as my beer was judged by 2 amateurs so the feedback was lame. Everyone I know that has tried it liked it so I will brew again and try other comps.
In the last few weeks I was in Bahamas for work and let me say that the beer selection is weak. The only beers readily available are the local Kalik and Sands. Both light lagers and both about like Miller lite.
I was missing hops in a major way.
The Honey Cream Ale turned out well. It is nice and easy drinking with a subtle honey flavor. That is going pretty fast.
Have more reviews to post but it will have to wait to next time.

Another Beer Revolution trip

Going to Beer Revolution is an ever changing experience. The taps change so fast that if you spend more than a few hours there you may not be able to finish with the beer that you start. Not that you would want to. With so many great beers there are always more than you can taste in one trip. That's why going with other beer lovers is a great idea. Everyone gets to taste more beers. With that said here is the list for the evening

Blending goes well

As I posted before I blended an all grain IPA with an extract version of the same recipe.

June beers

 The IPA that I had to save by blending will be poured on the 4th. It turned out well.

My beer, other beer, and more

I have been brewing and tasting over the last month.

Triple Rock and a keg party

I stopped in at Triple Rock this weekend. It is the brew pub on Shattuck in Berkeley. It has been far too long.

Beer tasting clean up and new brews

It appears that I have been slacking in my posting. I have been taking notes but not getting them on the blog. These notes will be short and sweet. Most tastings are from Beer Revolution quickly becoming the East Bay destination of choice for beer snobs.

Sonoma County beers

 I started off the weekend with a stop at Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa.

Finishing vacation with a few beers with a friend

The time in LA was filled with family time, relaxing time, beer time and just barely some friend time.

LA in April with beer

For those in LA who read this. Yes, I am in LA and I didn't call you. I have a pregnant wife, a dog, and family to visit. I will have to see you next time. For everybody else, I have some great beer notes.

World Cup of Beer and other notes

As I mentioned in the last post, I entered my 1st home brew competition. It is one of the largest competitions on the west coast and the club I am part of, Bay Area Mashers, is the primary organizer.

Getting back to the local

Ahhhh .... Back in the Bay Area. So many great beers and so little time.
Back on Feb. 5 Beer Revolution opened http://beer-revolution.com/index.html

LA Beers big weekend

After working in LA for 10 days and trying a beer here and there I decided to take the weekend and cover as many places as I could. A big shout out to Tommy for being my host for the weekend and for getting us around. A note about consumption. I am not super human. Many of the reviews are from a taste or small pour.

So Cal Beers expanded

In the last 2 days I had the opportunity to try 3 Southern Cal beers. 2 from Stone Brewing in San Diego and one from a brewery that is new to me, Bootlegger's Brewery in Fullerton. I enjoyed all 3 beers.

LA Beers round 2

Downtown LA doesn't have many bars with beer selection. The Yard House has the most selection but because it is in Nokia plaza it is always packed. While I was there I was able to do a taste comparison between Stone IPA, Green Flash IPA, and Racer 5. Since Racer 5 is one of my favorite beers I was surprised to find that Green Flash was my favorite. I mentioned 7 Grand in the last post and the other bar downtown that I really like is Library Bar. It is small low key and had Arrogant Bastard and Russian Imperial Stout. It was a welcome option to the hotel bar.

LA Beers round 1

I have arrived in LA and made the preliminary scouting for beers near the hotel. There are a few small brew pubs that I have not heard of before. I went to the closest tonight and was disappointed.

Green Flash!

Green Flash Brewing Co's Imperial IPA is a perfect example of the California IPA. This monster comes in at 9.5% alcohol and hits you with the flowery hop aroma as soon as you open the bottle. It is followed by the super bitter flavor of the Summit and Nugget hops. It is a fantastic beer with a very simple malt build that allows the hops to shine. If you see it definitely pick it up.

2010 is here!

Well, it's Jan. 6 already and I have not started most of the things I said would start in 2010. I have made it to the gym a few times but that is about it. After much consideration (and an evil eye from Alisa) I have decided that an IPA a day is a bit ambitious. With my schedule it is just not realistic that I will have the time to drink an IPA every day much less write about it. (Well, look at that I am doing something on my list for 2010: lowering expectations) So I won't be bringing you an IPA a day. I will be bringing you an IPA review whenever I have one. Probably once a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
With that in mind I bring you the 1st IPA of the year. Santa Cruz Ale Works India Pale Ale is mild by West Coast standards. It is sweeter than most IPAs which I would contribute to a big malt base. It clocks in at 6.5% ABV which is right in the wheel house of the IPA but it lacks any real character. I get no distinct hop aroma and the bitterness in the body is mild. Although it does hearken back to the English IPA it lacks the complexity of those IPAs. Overall I would say that given the opportunity to drink it again that I would pass.

IPA a day on pause

I was off to such a good start. Well, today I had to take a day off the IPA. I am right on the edge of getting sick. I was supposed to go to the Barrel Aged Beer Festival today but I decided against it. I briefly considered trying to "tough it out". But I have a scratchy throat and bit of a cough. I decided that it was not worth it. I have a big week at work before Thanksgiving break. I don't want to be sick for either one.

Instead I will take it easy today and rest. Still have a full day tomorrow with the Happening meeting. (Church youth retreat planning) And then I need to keg to batches of home brew.

With enough rest and Vitamin C I hope to be back on track in no time.

English IPA

Today I expanded the IPA samples to Europe. Belhaven is the oldest independent brewery in Scotland. Their Twisted Thistle IPA is a traditional English IPA. Much milder hop flavor than the American IPAs. The ride across the pond may have contributed to the hop aroma loss. But this beer has very little hop aroma. It has a nice bitter flavor but it is very mild in comparison to American IPAs. It is enjoyable but compares more to American Pale Ale than an IPA.

As a friend of mine pointed out I did not plan the launch of my quest very well. My refrigerator is empty and I started with one of the easiest IPAs to find in the Bay Area. (Hence, I had a Lagunitas IPA on tap at the 49ers game but it did not count) Instead I had to stop at the local market and choose from their selection. Fortunately one of my all time favorite beers is made just north of here in Healdsburg. Racer 5 is made by Bear Republic Brewing Company. For a west coast IPA I think it is perfect. It starts with a nice Hop Aroma full of the taste that it is to come. The taste is bitter with just enough malt to take the edge off. It is not as balanced as other IPAs but that is what I love about it. It has an excellent Hop flavor all the way through.

Life is uncertain, Don't Sip

That is what it says on the side of the Lagunitas IPA bottle. So it is that I embark on the different IPA a day quest until I run out of IPAs. (IPA is a style of beer that is usually included in the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 18th century. Today, IPA is a popular style of beer among American craft brewers.) Living on the West Coast (home to many of the best IPAs inthe world) made it difficult to choose where to start. In the end it came down to what was available at the corner market. Lagunitas IPA is brewed nearby in Petaluma. It has become popular and considered by many to be the "standard" IPA. It starts with a nice hoppy flower aroma followed by a bitter bite supported by a sweet malt back bone. For an IPA it is quite balanced. For my taste it is not hoppy enough but it is still a nice beer and often the only IPA available in smaller bars. The refrigerator is empty so tomorrow's IPA will be a surprise.