Bell's Oberon

You know it's summer when Oberon hits the shelves. Or at least, it's right around Mother's Day. Oberon, beauty of all things summer. Sunshine in a bottle. Gateway to craft beer, at least for me. And yes, of course I have the Oberon glass from which to enjoy it. It makes me happy.

It's been hotter than my hot flashes can handle here the last few days. Not that that has stopped us before; Nathan buys me a mini-keg of the lovely stuff every year for my birthday in January (see picture below of the Oberon Corner in our house. I want to repaint that ugly rose to the Oberon sun). It's a nice midwinter reminder than sunshine and warmer days will be here before we know it. Alas, it's currently mid-May, and it's been in the mid- to upper-80s the last few days, with all the humidity to make it just uncomfortable enough not to hang outside too long. In other words, perfect Oberon weather. You see, Oberon is not only a delightful character in the Shakespeare classic "A Midsummer Night's Dream," it's also a lovely pale wheat ale from our brilliant brewers to the north. Michigan summers can be just as miserably hot and humid as the rest of the Midwest, and this is an ale designed to assuage summer's miseries. 

Pouring a medium golden color, clear with some chill haze, with a moderate white head, the aroma is very mild, reminiscent of mandarin oranges, wheat (surprisingly), and some Triscuit-y malts. See what I did there? Once you sip it, you know you need to be sitting outside in the sunshine, even if it's after midnight. There are citrusy flavors that come through initially, and some wheat, and some very vague spices that make me think of peppercorns. And there it is... that lovely peachy/apricot/light stone fruit flavor that somehow comes through in this that just makes me sigh, "Ahhhhh. Summer." The mouthfeel is interestingly creamy, and yet decently carbonated. This is my harbinger of the warmer months.

Let me wax profane for a little longer. This is the first American craft beer that I fell head over heels in love with. Sure, I'd dappled with the Pete's Wicked Ale and the Sam Adams Boston Lager, but this, this is what beer should taste like (at least to my novice palate). This is also what drew me to Bell's Brewery and made me want to peek inside Larry's head, just enough to nudge his old homebrew-day memories. Summer being my favorite season, I long felt that I needed a har-beer-ger. Let it also be known that I much prefer this out of a bottle than on tap or even poured into my beautiful matching pint glass. I think the fruit esters come out more in the bottle, and they get lost upon aeration.

Oh god, I've been hanging out with my dad too long. His puns have taken over. Time to sign this over to Nathan.

4.8/5 caps

-Jennie

I'm sleepy... So, Jennie's review is stunningly amazing. How do I add anything to this aside from the classic: That's what she said.

This beer is fantastic and it signifies summer. I won't go into long article, as I'm going off 4 hours of sleep and have to work tomorrow... woo hoo. Jennie's described this to a T though, that's all you need to know.

4.7/5 caps

-Nathan

North Coast/Deschutes/Rogue Class of '88 Barley Wine

North Coast/Deschutes/Rogue Class of '88 Barley Wine. Possibly the longest name for a beer I've seen. Why Class of '88? Well, you see, there was a time in the 80's where music was different. This music spurred people to dream and have aspirations again, well, that and a severe fanatical devotion to the Ol' Gipper, the only US President who could claim 'I don't recall saying that' and get away with it. Well, with these life changing factors put in place, multiple breweries opened in 1988, North Coast, Deschutes, Rogue, Goose Island, and Great Lakes are among those breweries. From what I gather, Deschutes is doing collaborations with all the aforementioned breweries to celebrate their 25 years in business.  North Coast/Deschutes/Rogue brewing a Barley Wine, Deschutes/Great Lakes brewing an Imperial Smoked Porter, and Deschutes/Goose Island brewing a Belgian Strong Golden Ale. It will be interesting to see if we can obtain (more of get distributed in Ohio) these upcoming releases. Please note- it also seems like each brewery is releasing their own (like Saison Du Buff from Dogfish, Victory and Stone, which we'll have to pick up soon). This is the North Coast release.

So with that being said, enough with the mumbo jumbo, I know what you're all here for, the beer review. This pours a crystal clear, deep amber with decent amount of head (2 fingers worth in the wine glass). While typing the first paragraph, and up until this present point, the head has shrunk a little. This confounds me as when I think Barley Wine style- as I think deep and dark with little head (ala Flying Dog Horn Dog). Phil's already finished his portion of the bottle- thought it was very good and asking if we had more. Unfortunately, no, no we do not. Although the fact that you're wanting more before I even give a review on the aroma means that THIS BEER HAS PHIL'S STAMP OF APPROVAL! So, without further ado, the aroma. This has a piney and citrus front with dark fruit backing. Interesting... Onto the taste now. Oh... Oh my... This is unlike any Barley wine I've had. It's more along the likings of a Strong Ale. This is hoppy up front on the first sip- with piney and citrus tones, following up with caramel and some sweetness. This finishes dry, but has the right amount of carbonation to keep this interesting. There isn't as much booziness as I'd expect from a 10% Barley Wine, there's a slight hint. But you have to search for it. This melds in a perfect harmony in my mouth to where I don't want to stop drinking it. I'm not a huge fan of the Barley Wine style in general, as most are a little too heavy mouthfeel and boozy for my liking. This is, again, like a Strong Ale. Lighter bodied than your typical BW. Although can definitely feel the alcohol content, half way through the wine glass worth. That nice, warm fuzzy feeling seems to be taking hold. But then Phil has to go and kill it by some sort of music award program where a bunch of pop-stars with a twang in their voice (aka, modern country) are butchering "Born on the Bayou". What the fuck. Seriously- why can't it be music from the 80's right now to celebrate these breweries and their 25 years of music. I am finding "Bizarre Love Triangle" on the my mp3 player and cranking it through headphones as soon as I tag Jennie in. Which is now.

4.8/5 caps

-Nathan

I've never been so glad to hear the news at very loud decibels. The aural assault I've just endured is atrocious. I'm so ready for this glass of beer it's not even funny. Let's not even get into the weekend I've had; it's definitely grown-up time. And now that I know that it has not only Phil's stamp of approval but also the olfactory approval of three cats chasing a junebug, I'm in. I mean, I learned that I can chug a PBR in the space of one awful never-before-was country song, even if John Fogerty was onstage. I'm ready for a good beer.

When I think barleywine, the two that come to mind are Flying Dog's Horn Dog and Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot. I've heard good things about Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, but I don't recall having that. The two I've had are good; nay, both are excellent. So let's see how this stacks up. The aroma is exactly as Nathan described. Ive had a couple of whiffs, and this is hoppier than any barleywine I've smelled. I'm getting more and more excited. I don't know if I can find words to describe how good this is. The roller coaster that is happening in my mouth makes me blissfully ignore the events leading up to this review. It tastes like a barleywine to me, but it's so much lighter-bodied and hoppier, I'm left wanting more. It starts out definitely barleywine, with boozy stone fruit esters, then the hops carry you through the middle, and it finishes dry and boozy. Mine has warmed considerably more than Nathan's. It reminds me of a wonderfully complex pinot noir, if you're also a wine fan... it's light-bodied, dry yet fruity, and just boozy enough to make me forget the dreadful weekend I've had. Nathan's description was very accurate, but I'm picking up some different nuances now that it's warmed.

If your inner beer geek is wondering what the difference is between a barleywine and an old ale (or just what the heck is a barleywine?!), this article should elucidate most questions you have. I'm not picking up as much malty characteristics as BJCP (AKA The Overlords Of Beer Geeks; c'mon, they have tests and stuff) suggests, but the hop and booze presence is certainly indicative of the American barleywine style. I found interesting the difference between the American barleywine and the imperial IPA styles; this isn't noticeably heavier, but I do find it to contain more fruit esters than any imperial IPA. I also loved the quote from Michael Jackson (OBG -- Original Beer Geek -- not the pop star, although sadly both have moved on from this world); it's currently 80 degrees in our house, yet the beer is still significantly delicious.


4.9/5 caps

-Jennie

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest 2013

Continuing on our American Craft Beer Week celebration, we dive, pint glass deep, into another Sierra Nevada selection. This time is the Southern Hemisphere Harvest (from here on out in my portion of the review, shall be referred to as SHH). The SHH is a 'Fresh Hop' ale (for description and shortened debate of 'fresh hop' vs 'wet hop', see our previous post about Sierra Nevada's Estate) with hops from New Zealand. It utilizes, according to Sierra's website, Southern Cross hops as bittering and Pacifica, Motueka, and Southern Cross as finishing hops. Another Dave Navarro brew (6/7/67 being his birthday, this beer is 6.7% ABV and 67 IBU), this makes me wonder about how many brews out there have my birthday between the IBUs and ABV. But then I start thinking at I think too much, and the problem of focusing becomes more prevalent.

This beer pours a beautiful amber color with moderate white head that doesn't stick around. The aroma is faint, but has earthy, citrus, and floral tones to it, pretty well balanced between the three. The flavor is much different than the Estate. This has a lighter body and lighter maltiness to it, giving way to the hops. The hops, however, aren't that overwhelming. There's a slight herbal tea with hints of citrus flavor up front that fades to some earthiness and bitterness.The backend leaves some slight resiny tone about it, not overwhelming, though.

This is good, definitely worth checking out for $4.99 a bomber. Worth checking out to expand your horizons on the world of hops (as these are non-American hops that most people around here are familiar with).

4.5/5 caps

-Nathan-

Nathan's description was pretty right on. And I don't know about you, but after the last review, I'm afraid of what happens in his head. Thankfully he didn't take us on a guided tour this time, other than his unabashed man-crush on Dave Navarro. Understandable.... he's totally tappable. As is Nathan. But it's late on Saturday night/Sunday morning... let's let things happen as they may.

My beer is now about room temperature, which is now about 105 degrees, or so it seems. Must be having a hot flash. We've returned the upstairs neighbor's daughter to her, and my charge tonight is assuredly sleeping soundly. The malts come out more at room temperature, but it's still about half the body-weight as the Estate. Earthy tones are still prevalent, and the citrus and pine notes are much more subtle at this late hour. The body is much thinner than Estate. On the very back end, there are some lovely pine and grapefruit notes, leaving a resinous dissonance dancing happily in my mouth.  Funny aside, if you should, say, for example, belch from the carbonation, it's a whole lot hoppier.

Agreed, it's definitely worth checking out. I like that it's not in-your-face hops, and different hop strains (and flavors) from the usual west coast-east coast battles. Or discussions. Because we beer lovers tend to be a lot more mellow and loving and hippie/hoppy than Tupac and Biggie could have dreamed. On that note, I think it's time to delve into some lovely dreams of hop farms and malting processes. Or jump around to some The Presidents Of The United States of America. One of these things is going to happen. Just not sure the order.

4.4/5

-Jennie

Sierra Nevada Estate 2012

I've been babysitting all day... first the neighbor's kids, then little girl who lives upstairs from us. I'm a little burned out on the mom/babysitter role, and trust me, it's time for some good craft beer! I get two kids again in the morning, so a beer (or five!) is definitely in order.

It just dawned on us that we haven't reviewed a lot of Sierra Nevada: the Torpedo, the Celebration, and ill-fated (at least in my eyes) collaboration with Dogfish Head, Rhizing Bines. I still shudder when I think of that and my throat just clogged a little with Calvin Klein perfume. This is Estate by Sierra Nevada, an ale that is brewed with hops and barley grown on the brewery property. There seems to be some disparity between wet-hop and fresh-hop definitions. My understanding was that wet-hopped merely meant that the hops weren't freeze-dried, as most of us homebrewers are accustomed to using. Fresh-hopped meant that the hops were harvested and then made into wort within 24 hours. An article in "All About Beer" magazine seems to indicate that the two are basically interchangeable, and uses Estate as an example of fresh-hopping. Sierra Nevada's website states that wet hops are straight from the field within 24 hours, fresh hops are dried and used in under a week. I'm confused. The bleach must have seeped through my hair follicles via osmosis again.

So, let's get to the beer and see how this is. Let it also be noted that this was brewed once, in 2012, and was a one-time release. It's been a good six months since then, so I would expect some of the hop characteristics to have mellowed. We'll see. It pours a medium amber color with some chill haze and a decent sized off-white head. In the aroma I pick up a lot of orange, some mango or passionfruit, notes of biscuity malt, with just a hint of pine and grapefruit. Taking a sip, this isn't quite a hoppy as I expected, but it's really good. The malt structure really comes through and the hop notes are earthier, which can be expected when drinking a fresh- or wet-hopped ale. It tastes much as the aroma goes, with really earthy, yet not offensive, nuances throughout the taste. Long after the sip is gone, the earthy tones take on a tangible form of fresh-mown grass. It's quite lovely. It has a fairly large body for being an IPA, even with the healthy hop additions. It finished dry, even though the beer itself is moderately sweet from the malts.

All in all, I wish we had this closer to the time it was brewed, but aging it for 6-7 months hasn't denigrated the flavor too much. It's still tasty, and I love that they grew the ingredients for this brew on Sierra Nevada's brew-estate.

4.6/5 caps

-Jennie

Very well put, female partner in crime. This was discovered, and we had to try it. It was thoroughly dipped in wax around the cap and top of the bottle. No idea if this actually does anything aside from look classy (apparently it helps with oxidation problems when cellaring a brew), not many manufacturers we can obtain in Ohio do the waxing. Speaking of waxing,  my back is getting hairy again... hmm.. awkward...

Jennie nailed the coloring, the carbonation was fantastic. It poured with tons of head, Jennie's glass almost running over with head. The aroma to me (after warming up some), citrus, mango, spice, earthy and piney in a full frontal assault on the nostrils.  The flavor is interesting. There is what you got in the nose toward the front, then almost an black tea-esque flavor that lingers with some bitterness of the hops. Very interesting as this uses hops and grain that were grown at Sierra's brewery. According to Sierra's website- bittering hops are Cascade and Chinook, finishing hops are Cascade, Chinook, and Citra. 6.7% ABV, 67 IBU. Huh... 6767- breaks down to 6/7/67- Dave Navarro's birthday. I wonder if he's had this. I seem to be getting lost in my own head. It's a scary place, no one should try and delve in there. Maybe someday I'll create a short animated feature about the things that go on in my head- it pretty much starts off with a background of fire with a dwarf wearing a leotard, holding a pitchfork, free-style dancing to Thunder Kiss '65, while flying penguins, smoking cigarettes, shower the dwarf with old rusty metal buckets full of fire ants. And that's just the first layer. Analyze that, my dear Siggy Freud. Yes, I have issues, but this beer does not.

If you can find a bottle, do it, get it fast. It's worth the experience to say you've had a one off brew from a big name in the craft scene without losing a limb (it's inexpensive at $7.99 a bomber).

4.65/5 caps

-Nathan-

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Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf

Yet another Three Floyds selection. I understand why their beer sells faster than it hits the shelf.

This is the Arctic Panzer Wolf. Fierce, insane eyes, 9% ABV, 100 IBUs. Insane amount of IBUs to match the insane eyes. The aroma is sheer assault of hops on the nose as soon as the bottle was opened. The pour is golden with a tinge of orange. Solid off-white head that sticks around. The aroma is an onslaught of amazingness. There's citrus, tropical fruit, some pine, hints of grass and caramel. Very hop forward on the nose. The longing for the taste is just too much to bear. OH SWEET HOPSUS!!!!!! This is... hang on, I need another sip. Such a hop forward flavor. Tons of flavor. There's grapefruit, there's some citrus, there's tropical (mango-esque) fruit, there's some hints of floral, some biscuity malt and a hint of sweetness toward the back with some citrus rind bitterness, think grapefruit zest, with the finish. Slight resiny mouthfeel. Slightly carbonated to make this the perfect 'I only drink on the 7 Holidays. Tonight I'm drinking because it's Thursday' sort of beer.

With each sip, the flavors change to where there's now a peach or apricot sort of flavor added into the array of hop onslaught. This wolf is lovely, and as wolves are related to dogs, I feel as though I can thoroughly enjoy this without feeling like I'm cheating on my Doggies.

Hopsus Be Praised!!!

5/5 caps

-Nathan-

It's been nearly an hour since we started this review and I had my first sip and "Oh holy Hopsus" moment. A friend stopped over and, as friends do, we got to chatting and carousing and enjoyed a couple of "everyday" beers. Right before she got here, we poured this. At fridge temp, my nose enjoyed the onslaught of grapefruit aromas that were prevalent. Now that it's warmed a bit, it's precisely as Nathan described, with the grapefruit being much more subtle. Oh shizzle, this is amazing. I love the grapefruit zest note in here. Wait, "love" isn't a strong enough word.

If you're a hophead, try to find some of this if you can. If you enjoy grapefruit, you will probably love this. If you enjoy neither, save that bottle for us. Please. Pretty please. Pretty please with hops on top.

5/5 caps

-Jennie

Revolution Brewing Cross of Gold

In keeping with the blonde theme tonight, we hereby present Revolution Brewing's Cross of Gold. And in keeping with the blonde theme on my head, I'm totally confused by this. I'm twirling my hair and writing in Valleyspeak in my head. Like, totally. The label calls it a golden ale on one part (pictured), another part of the label calls it an English-style summer ale, and BeerAdvocate categorizes it as an English-style pale ale, and RateBeer lists it as a golden ale/blonde ale. Not that I think that BeerAdvocate and RateBeer are 100% right all the time; I've seen them make errors a time or two. I just don't need any help in the blonde department... I can be pretty ditzy, and I'm pretty sure the platinum blonde sank in through my follicles to kill off even more brain cells than I needed to lose. I'm all for pushing the envelope with brewing, but when you come up with four different categories for one beer -- two by the brewer even! -- I'm left twirling my hair and muttering to myself, "Totally radical." The good news is that this beer is listed at 5% ABV, so my remaining brain cells aren't at too much risk.

This pours a pale, hazy, straw color with a white head. I probably should have rinsed out the glasses after the last beer, because the head was thick on the bottom of my glass, and streaked all down the side of Nathan's, leaving that eerie solid foam in the bottom. Alas, I didn't rinse them, and this frothed over quite a bit. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been that fizzy otherwise. The head also quickly dissipated, furthering my suspicions. The nose on this is lovely: a light, crisp aroma of vague lemony citrus and faint Cascade hops, lending some pine and citrus notes to the nose. A sip reveals a more complex beer: there's lemon, there's a fair amount of hops to make it citrusy and piney and just a hint bitter, and there's a just enough malt backbone and honey underpinnings. This is deeeeelish. Like, totally tubular on my tastebuds. It's very light and refreshing, and another strong candidate for hot summer nights on a porch or in front of a campfire. It's well carbonated, tickling my throat all the way down, and finishes nicely dry.

My case for Revolution Brewing is strong: I've yet to have a bad beer from them. In fact, I might have to Ro Sham Bo Nathan for the last Anti-Hero in the fridge, which has become a regular in our rotation. At under $5 for the bomber of Cross of Gold, this may be another regular, as far as I'm concerned. It's wonderful, light, refreshing, and yep, totally gnarly. The cads at Revolution have brewed yet another Betty of a beer.

4.65/5 caps

-Jennie

Wow... um... Time for an English translation of all the above 'this is a good ass beer.' To expand on the goodness, I will venture, nay, delve into what I like to call 'drinking beer.' I know, I know, it's a crazy term that will never pickup, but someday, in some lonely bar with 2 other patrons and a bartender who has passed their prime a decade ago, you'll hear someone saying that they're 'drinking beer' and you'll think back to this blog. You'll wonder what the hell happened to us, then you'll preform a google (or whatever search engine has become the go-to) search for us, then get sidetracked by all the random pornographic adverts. At some point you'll realize you should delete your history and cookies, as that's why all the porn is popping up. Then you'll forget what the hell you were searching for and go back to your 'drinking beer.'

And with that, we come to another Revolution Brewing selection. This pours a nice straw color that reminds me of perfect summertime brews, slightly hazy with little white head. I would like to point out that despite Jennie being a bartender, she sucks at pouring growlers and bombers. Suck it woman, I said it. Shit, where was I? Oh yes. The aroma, after warming up (decided to be a gentleman and give the feminine-type lead on both reviews tonight as I had lead on both Flying Dogs from last night). The aroma is lemon, pine, citrus, and some slight hints of fresh cut grass and very faint hints of some sweetness. Huh, interesting. I pictured this as more a Kolsch style with it being called a 'golden ale', but it smells more like a Pale Ale. But now, onto the best part, which you should pay money for, me 'drinking beer.' I say you should pay money for this, that way I can quit my job and make money off drinking beer, it's a flaw proof plan, really, and at some point, I may go into the multi-step plan for making this happen. But, I seem to be getting off topic. The taste. The initial lemon, citrus and pine poke fades and gives way to some slight bitterness. That bitterness tapers off into lemon-esque flavor that is faint and rides the peak of the wave until the flavor fades. The mouthfeel is nice and light, like a Kolsch, with decent carbonation, making it a nice refreshing brew, especially for the upcoming hellishly hot and humid months of what little Summertime we get in Ohio. Yesterday morning, around the freezing point and snowfall in places, tomorrow is high 80s (85-88) throughout most of the state. These are in degrees fahrenheit, as the US has decided to make it confusing with converting degrees, on top of all weights and measurements, with the rest of the world who is one Metric. Metric makes sense, to a degree, but with the US Standard system pounded in my head my entire life, the conversion boggles me from time to time. Much like this beer. I think of a golden ale to be like Tire Bite, but this is more like All-Day IPA.

Good, and great for the price.

4.7/5 caps

-Nathan-

New Albanian Brewing Naughty Girl

This is a new brewery to us, and a new brew to Ohio... and the rest of the world. It was brewed once in collaboration with the Louisville Brew Store and De Struise Brouwers. The New Albanian Brewing Company is based out of New Albany, Indiana, and getting a fair amount of recognition in the craft beer world. I would guess our New Albany neighbors to our west are somewhere down along the Kentucky border. I was taken in with the name, and the fact that it's a blonde IPA. It tickles the seedy underpinnings of my soul. It brings a mischievous twinkle to my eye and I feel even more self-righteous drinking it since I recently went platinum blonde.

These fine collaborators were supposed to brew a Belgian IPA... until the brewers arrived and instead came up with this blonde IPA. Or so the bottle says. Either way, it has IPA in the name, so I'm down. Let's see how amazing this is.

It pours a medium golden color, slightly hazy, with a decent amount of white head. In the nose I pick up some banana and mango, and hints of a Belgian yeast strain. The aroma is pretty faint, though. Taking a sip, I pick up flavors of orange, mango, peppercorn, and the unmistakable Belgian yeast, which is not overwhelming, dryness from the hops, and then a late hit of banana esters. It feels pretty smooth going down, and finishes very dry.

I don't know that I'd classify it as an IPA, as the hop characteristics are so subtle they get kind of lost in the esters of the yeast. But they are noticeable in that they really dry out the finish, and they lend themselves to the citrus and fruity aromas and flavors. Thankfully, the yeast isn't overpowering. It's relatively mild, as is this beer overall. It's an interesting beer, and I'd suggest it if you want to expand your horizons. And if you can still find some.... this was selling pretty fast last week.

4.35/5 caps

-Jennie

Wow, how is one supposed to follow that? Well, let's try. I like the label, as it's a tattooed mermaid in a beer. How can you go wrong with that?

This pours a quasi-hazy golden orange color with decent amount of thick white head. This has had time to sit and warm up, and yet the head has not dissipated much. The aroma is interesting. It's spice, some citrus, banana, and something tropical, like mango. Definite tones of a Belgian yeast strain, but more like New Belgium's Belgo than a hefe strain. The flavor is, well, not quite as hoppy as I'd thought for the 69 IBUs this claims to have. It's a thick mouthfeel, like a smoothie, that gives way to a multitude of different flavors. This coaster of flavors starts off with orange, fading to mango, which gives way to some earthy tones from the hops, with some peppercorn popping in at different times with each sip. It finishes dry, and I now realize that I'm basically repeating and reiterating Jennie's review, because she described it to a T.

Definitely worth checking out, it's an experience, especially since it was brewed once, but don't expect a Belgian IPA like Belgo or Raging Bitch, expect more like a full flavored farmhouse with a Guinness-like mouthfeel.

4.2/5 caps

-Nathan