Tag: review

From the label:

Ruthless Rye IPA is brewed with this rustic grain for refined flavors – combining the peppery spice of rye and the bright citrusy flavors of whole-cone hops to create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to Spring.

From my notes:

 Dark amber color, one inch thick tan head, good amount of lacing. Pine and spice on the nose, I think I detect the barest hint of citrus. Taste is hops with a kick of pepper as it goes down, very unique combination. Mild bitter finish. The rye helps to mellow out the hops in this.

Regular readers already know that hoppy beers aren’t my preferred beverage. I picked up this rye IPA in the hopes of finding something a little more mild to ease into these type of brew. Unlike most of the IPAs I’ve had though Ruthless didn’t complete overwhelm my taste buds and leave me coughing, or gagging, or looking desperately around for something else to drink. It was hoppy and there was some bitterness but the rye toned it down enough so that I could continue to enjoy the beer. One of the problems with these type of strong hopped beers though is that the hops are so overwhelming to my palate that it is hard for me to pick out any other flavors in the beer.

Rating (out of five):

From the label:

La MAUDITE (Damned), refermented on yeast base in the bottle, goes down uncommonly smooth. One taste of this excellent malt beverage will instill in you the highest respect.

From my notes:

 Smells of yeast, stone fruit, and bananas… Reddish brown color with a quickly dissipating, light tan head of fine bubbles. Flavor hits you at first with the stone fruit, almost sour mellows into a bready, spiced flavor. Flavor delivers on the promise of the smell. Complexities here that my palate is refined enough to recognize but not so much so as to describe. No lacing.

I didn’t know what a Belgian Strong Dark Ale (BSDA) was until I did some research on Maudite… Turns out this isn’t Unibroue’s only BSDA they have an even darker, stronger one, Trois Pistoles which you are sure to see here in the future. So, what is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale? It’s like your regular dark (brown) ale but with a lot more alcohol (anywhere from 7 to 15% ABV!) Generally, they’re going to be complexities in the flavor profile, they’re going to be fruity and they’re might be some dark malt flavors, spices are also used. The alcoholic content is sometimes hidden by the sugars used in the brewing process. Don’t expect much bitterness or hop flavor in these beers.

Turns out that I like BSDAs and I imagine most of my readers will as well, I found Maudite’s flavor and finish a perfect match that made for an excellent beer, since the beer is so dark and bold I might pair it with lighter food fare…

Rating (out of five):

From their website:

Boasting a ruby hue and an exquisite floral aroma, Red Nectar is a robust yet elegant brew with distinctive accents of toasted malt, caramel, spice and residual sweetness.

From my notes:

Beautiful dark amber-rose color. Citrus and malts with a hint of hops. very little head that quickly dissipates, no lacing,  medium bodied. Tastes of citrus and honeysuckle with some piney notes.  Finishes with hops.

Red Nectar is a  nice, though strong, session beer: enjoyable, drinkable , and sure to win over your friends. I know that ‘inoffensive’ isn’t considered a compliment but when you have a group of friends over with different tastes it’s hard to please everyone. Red Nectar though? It’s hard to find a complaint against Red Nectar. Now you want to know what a session beer is don’t you? It’s killing you isn’t it? You’ve heard the phrase before you might have been drank a session beer before but you were too embarrassed to ask weren’t you? First, a session is a dedicated block of time for drinking, but not getting drunk. A session beer therefore is a low alcohol beer (4.0%-5.1% ABV) that can be drunk in fairly large quantities.

Rating (out of five):

From the label:

Koko Brown’s distinctive, nutty aroma and flavor comes from real toasted coconut blended into each brew. One sip of this roasty, smooth, mahogany colored ale and you will feel like you are on a warm sun-drenched beach in Hawaii. Aloha!

From my notes:

Thin head, light caramel colored, smells like coconut and malts. Tastes of roasted nuts with a coconut finish. Subtle bitterness at the end. Dry, with a medium, creamy, body.

 

I really didn’t know what to think when I read the Koko Brown label and saw that the beer was brewed with toasted coconut. It sounded interesting but while I’m okay with coconut I’m not a super-fan. I’m glad I did though. Koko Brown is a nice American Brown Ale and the coconut is well balanced. Very drinkable.

Rating (out of five):