:: BEER JUDGEMENT DAY // WHAT THE ALE EVENT
Your brackets were busted last month, but now you can start over with a new bracket for breweries pouring at Hop Jam this August.
All it takes is a vote. So be an American and vote for your favorite beer. I like them all, so it will be up to you to crown the king of the Jam. You’ll have the opportunity to vote each week. The more you vote, the better the chance that your favorite beer will be victorious.
Whitewater Brewing Co. // Chula Vista, CA
:: RAVER'S EXTRA RIPE OLD ALE
Westbrook Brewing Co. Old Ale / 8.20% ABV
3.78/5 rDev +1.1% | rAvg: 3.74 look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Ratings are correct below, but I changed some marks above to make the final rating as close as possible with Beer Advocate's "revamped" system. The 3.78 overall rating is accurate.
Type: 22-oz. bottle Glass: Karl Strauss 26th anniversary snifter glass From: Beer Advocate’s mschantz Price: N/A Purchased: N/A; Received on April 17, 2015 Consumed: April 29, 2015 Misc.: Bottled on Oct. 24, 2014
Poured a brownish, auburn, murky color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki tan, rocky head. Decent amount of uneven, layered lacing on the sides of the glass. Above average retention. (Sight - 4.00)
Smelled tons of sour notes up front (and pretty much the whole way through), getting cranberry, apple, Brett, sour bourbon, cherry, candied sugar (Smarties/Sweet Tarts) and grape. Smelled more like a dark sour/wild ale than an Old Ale. (Smell - 4.25)
Taste wasn’t nearly as good as the smell. Similar flavors, getting boozy, sour cranberry, cherry, Brett, apple, Bourbon, red grape and grape juice. (Taste - 3.63)
21 votes
Thornbury Brewery // El Cajon, CA
:: AYINGER UR-WEISSE
Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying Dunkelweizen / 5.80% ABV
3.98/5 rDev -2.2% | rAvg: 4.07 look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16.9 oz bottle poured into wheat beer glass
L: dark orange-amber with huge head of beige/off-white foam, a good 2 inches tall; no sticking though the head lingers for a while, every so slowly subsiding to a full skin and thick collar; beer is about 80% clear, just a bit misty, but clean -- no residue or floaties; the color is remarkable, very much like a toasted hefeweizen color; no lacing; over time the skin mostly disappears, but the thick collar remains
S: banana for days ... it's possibly a bit buttery, but the banana is unmistakable and so bright or light that I would figure this to be a straight hefeweizen if I didn't no better; perhaps some clove or allspice, but the banana prevails along with a sweetness that belies any spiciness;
T: banana sweetness prevails, at times just a little tart note chimes in; there's little here to distinguish it as a darker wheat beer, the flavors mainly centering on the banana with a hint of spice (allspice/clove) in there, no bitterness to speak of
21 votes
Oysterboy Brewing Co. // Chula Vista, CA
:: TWO HEARTED ALE
Bell's Brewery, Inc. American IPA / 7.00% ABV
4.36/5 rDev +2.1% | rAvg: 4.27 look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Poured a pale gold, thin and short head.
S - Grapefruit, citrus, soggy woodland soil and grass.
T - Resiny, woody hop flavors bloom out from the front. Very earthy and herbal, gradually fading into a more juicy, citrusy flavor. Almost 'soaked' tasting. The citrus hangs powerfully in the residual taste.
21 votes
Muskoka Brewing Co. // San Marcos, CA
:: SERAFIJN CHRISTMAS ANGEL
Microbrouwerij Achilles Belgian Strong Pale Ale / 8.00% ABV
3.2/5 rDev -16.2% | rAvg: 3.82 look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Starts out nicely enough, with bubbles streaming up the amber brew. Decent foam in the Affligem chalice. But jostled by the bubbles are swarms of floaties. Another argument against aging beers. Hint of blackberry and biscuits in the aroma, though not very enticing.
Toasty and fairly dry. A flavor of vanilla wafers. No trace of hop flavors. A little gummy at the finish. Pronounced drying at the finish. Bitterish and dishwatery. This is certainly not one of the better Belgians. From the 750 ml bottle.
21 votes
Chimney Stacks Brewing Co. // Chula Vista, CA
:: LAST CAST IPA
Bitter Root Brewing American Black Ale / 6.70% ABV
4.23/5 rDev +2.2% | rAvg: 4.14 look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Pours dark cola brown with a tan, 2 finger width head. Great retention, breaking down to a fair layer of surface suds across the top. Laces in broken sheets around the glass with great stick.
Smell - Wow. Grapefruit hops hit the nose from 2 feet way. Closer sniffs reveal more grapefruit along with a leafy aroma. Faint malt roast.
Taste - Mmmm. Grapefruit and a leafy hop flavor met by a light roast malt that also hints at caramel. Ghostly traces of smokiness. Mostly clean, balanced finish.
21 votes
Brickworks Ciders // La Jolla, CA
:: OUD BEERSEL OUDE KRIEK VIELLE
Brouwerij Oud Beersel Lambic - Fruit / 6.50% ABV
4.27/5 rDev +2.6% | rAvg: 4.16 look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Semi-hazy dark crimson pour with a big and foamy salmon pink head. Sticks around forever. Light, quickly receding lacing.
Tame. Certainly sour cherry, sweet wine vinegar. Heavy wood. Light on the funk; I get more of a 'fresh hay' then rot. Clean.
Cherries everywhere. Bold tartness at the front, sweetness in the mid, and a gorgeous fresh cherry bite at the end. A touch of vinegar thrown in. Vibrant, bright, intense.
Highly carbonated. Light bodied. Dryness is quite subdued for the style. Cherries stay in the throat.
21 votes