Recent Updates RSS Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Frosty 11:26 am on August 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Double Mountain Devils Kriek. So sour my teeth tingle. 

    image

    And yes, thats a good thing. Reminiscient of a cross between the original Stumptown Tart and New Belgium’s Lips of Faith, this stuff is fantastic. Tart, cherry, and a cheek puckering sour experience not to be missed. Now if youll excuse me, my teeth need another shot.

     
  • Frosty 5:34 pm on August 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Eel River Organic IPA. Even SwillJockey would drink it. 

    image

    Ok, maybe that’s not true. But I can report that I have found an organic brew that isn’t an insult to all things earth friendly.

    Its crisp, light, tasty, and although not quite my favorite, it’s a solid contender for those times when you want a little something to clear the environmental conscience.

     
    • SwillJockey 7:09 pm on August 28, 2010 Permalink

      Offer me a swig and I’ll try not to choke on it.

  • Frosty 5:14 pm on August 25, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Bridgeport IPA. Awesome by example. 

    image

    Sometimes the measure of how awesome a beer is can really be found in how often it graces the fridge. In the case of Bridgeport’s standard IPA, that little maxim of logic would crown it as one of the best beers I’ve ever had.

    While I’m not ready to say that exactly, it certainly ranks as my favorite beer to buy and drink. No matter what I go into the store for, I feel like I always walk out with a six pack in hand.

    The taste? Well, it’s light, refreshing, and nicely crisp in an IPA sort of way. The hop flavor has a nice hint of citrus, and lets you know its there without punching you in the cheeks.

    For better or worse, it has become the standard by which I rank all IPAs, and so far no one has come close.

     
    • SwillJockey 5:46 pm on August 26, 2010 Permalink

      After such an overwhelmingly positive review you’ll have to force me to swill one the next time we’re over at the Frosty place. Don’t hold your breath that I’ll like it and not make the beer face though.

  • Frosty 9:18 pm on August 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    New Belgium Trippel. The working man’s Belgian. 

    image

    Look, three Trippels. Get it? I digress.

    Trippel by our old friends at NB, is what by all accounts I would call an “easy belgian”. Although it certainly tastes belgian-y, it’s remarkably easy to drink. Apart from a weird aftertaste when paired with eggs and spinach, it’s worthwhile for someone looking to experiment with a new style.

    That being said, it is a bit on the simple side, so people who buy $10 bottles of Upright Six may want to steer clear.

     
  • Frosty 4:20 pm on August 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    New Belgium Hoptober. Its hoppy, and everything else too. 

    image

    To be honest, I was mostly excited to try this based on the fact it hasn’t been infected with the bland new packaging design. Given my new found love of IPAs, I also figured something with hop in the title couldn’t be that bad. Plus, as Skylark once quipped, ‘all New Belgium beer tastes the same’.

    So does Hoptober taste like all the rest? Well, yes and no. It’s way hoppier than any NB brew I’ve had. But its also got that familiar malt flavor. Plus its kind of wheaty. Its a veritable cornucopia of beer flavors. But thanks to the hops, it actually manages to work well.

    I will likely still stick with standard IPAs for my hop fix, but if you see this on the local shelf, I recommend giving it a try. Even you skylark.

     
  • Frosty 9:44 am on August 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Alesmith. Where Extra means India. 

    image

    As it turns out, my aunt-in-law knows the brewer of Alesmith down in San Diego. Having never tried anything from them, I figured it was the duty of my third degree of separation to pick some up and give it a go.

    Mostly due to it being the only offering under $10, I decided to go for the Alesmith X Extra Pale Ale.

    You know how Bridgeport’s  Haymaker Extra Pale tastes light, refreshing, and not overly hoppy? Alesmith X doesn’t taste like that. Apparently, down there Extra means India, since I have had more than one IPA that wasn’t nearly this hoppy.

    That being said, Alesmith X was quite good and refreshing. It bordered on the hoppier end of my taste likes, but I finished the whole 22, and was pleased I did. More sharp than citrusy in the hop department, but still a good swill for a rare hot northwest day.

     
  • Frosty 5:49 pm on August 20, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Bison Organic IPA. Now with more wood. 

    image

    Poor Bison. They have such a hard time making beer that I like. And this is no exception. Urged by my sense of treehuggery, I’ve been trying a swath of organic beer lately. And in this IPA’s case, organic means it tastes like wood. Likely due to the fact that it has to much malt, and I’m a picky bastard, I just couldn’t finish it.

     
    • SwillJockey 7:39 am on August 21, 2010 Permalink

      Have you been ignoring past tasting history? If you read back through Frosty history, more specifically my failed reviews of “organic offerings”, you’ll see that all organic brews have a resounding FAIL cleverly hidden in their depths.

    • Frosty 8:49 am on August 21, 2010 Permalink

      Said by the guy who trank something called “Dump Truck” ;) In general, I agree, but the Fish Tale IPA is really good. The missus really likes their Amber too. So there is one….

  • SwillJockey 5:44 pm on August 20, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Firestone Solace – Craftily Unfiltered Ale – Pour me another please 

    Frosty and I made a long overdue trek to Belmont Station and I picked up one of these because the title, style, and description were all vague enough to be intriguing.

    I’m glad I gambled.   This is tasty stuff.   Slightly sour, malty, and wheaty.  It’s trying to be a lighter version of a  farmhouse Belgian wit and does it very nicely.    Overall a great combination and a pleasant diversion from my normal ambery, pale world.    I should drive back and buy a six pack of this stuff.    It’d be worth the drive.

     
  • Frosty 5:39 pm on August 20, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Rebeccas Divine Wit. Mmmm, cloudy. 

    image

    I love cloudy wheat beer. So this fine wit by Captured by Porches had a guaranteed plus going for it. And it didn’t disappoint. Cloudy, light, and vaguely fruity. This was an awesome beer paired with Costco tilapia.

    To this point, I have liked every beer this brewery has put out. Is it possible? Can a local small brewery have a perfect Frosty record? I, for one, am excited to find out.

     
  • SwillJockey 5:38 pm on August 20, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Dump Truck Summer Bock – Someone needs to rinse this truck better 

    Ok, short and sweet. This stuff tastes like someone washed the dump truck first and then brewed the beer in bucket with a bit of leftover soap in it. It’s drinkable, but it’s just on the edge of bubbly-soapy goodness/badness. I’ll finish off the six pack, but I probably won’t buy this one again.

     
    • Frosty 8:50 am on August 21, 2010 Permalink

      When I think of good beer, I think “dump truck”. :/

    • SwillJockey 8:52 am on August 21, 2010 Permalink

      I was enticed by the “summer bock” subtitle.

c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
e
edit
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
l
go to login
h
show/hide help
esc
cancel