Category: review

Beer of the Week 45: Twilight Summer Ale

Deschutes Brewing Company’s Twilight Summer Ale

From the bottle:

Down goes another brewing dogma. Select malts and a heady dose of bold Amarillo hops deliver full-in flavor and crafted nuance in a spry summer style. Enjoy chilled as the days linger.

From my notes:

Amber brown color, tan head with medium sized bubbles that last awhile. Smells of pine needles with hints of sweet, floral. Bright, sweet, citrus on the tongue with a nice hop kick in the middle and as it goes down.  Light bodied, very little carbonation, smooth.

Twilight went really well with grilled salmon!

I was expecting something a lot lighter and more mild from a summer beer, but Twilight has a robust flavor profile and more hops than I expected! Surprised in a good way! I don’t think this is going to replace my preferred summer beer, Blue Star, but it’d be nice when you’re sitting around the fire watching the stars come out.

Rating (out of five):

Beer of the Week 44: Summerfest

Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest

From the bottle:

Summerfest is a Pilsner-style lager brewed for enjoyment on warm summer days – featuring a slight malt sweetness, delicate spicy and floral hop flavor, and a crisp, refreshing finish.

From my notes:

Straw colored beer with medium bubbled white head. Smells of grass, lemon, and some malty sweetness. Tastes like it smells with some orange/lemon in there as well.  Crisp dry finish with some hop highlighting. Like a really mild Pilsner.

That’s a fine looking lager!

Like a lot of Sierra Nevada’s beers Summerfest is good without being amazing. If you’re sick of drinking Pacificos or Coronas at your summer/fall BBQs pick up a six pack of this instead!

Rating (out of five):

Beer of the Week 43: Aprihop

Dogfish Head’s Aprihop India Pale Ale

From the bottle:

An India pale ale brewed with real apricots

From my notes:

Smells of stone fruits and citrus, pretty faint. Pours a nice auburn color with a fine tan head, mild lacing as I drank. Medium bodied beer with a hoppy finish. Tastes like cherries and apricots and malt sweetness when it hits the tongue and then it hits the back and it’s citrusy hops going down. Not a lot of flavor here not a lot of hop either, mild for an IPA.

Who could go for a beer right now?

With Indian Pale Ales being such a popular beer right now Aprihop doesn’t have a lot to distinguish it from the pack. The apricot flavor is weak and the hops aren’t that powerful either. Not a lot to say about this middling brew, really.

Rating (out of five):

Beer of the Week 42 Tweason’ale

Dogfish Head’s Tweason’ale

From the bottle:

A gluten-free sorghum-based ale brewed with strawberries and buckwheat honey.

From my notes:

Strawberry blonde color bordering on light pink with a one inched, cream colored  head with fine bubbles. Smells of fruit, grape, strawberries, and honey. Tastes like berries, and something that I can’t identify, I’m thinking it is the sorghum? It’s not pleasant. This is a sweet beer. Almost a wine cooler. Dry finish.

Almost looks like a crappy rosé, huh?

I bought this beer out of curiosity mostly. A gluten free, sorghum based beer? I’ll try that! Except, the beer isn’t that good. The problem with going out to the edge is that, sometimes, you fall off. Strawberry is a good match with beer, as is honey but they’d do better in a beer that is made from either wheat or barley.

Rating (out of five):

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