Lagunitas Sucks

20160529:
I loved the hoppy smell; there was a complex mix of sugars. Meanwhile, the taste was reasonably hoppy. Overall, it was a great beer and I would recommend it to IPA lovers.

I also enjoyed the balance of this beer.

At 12:59PM PT, I began feeling the effects of the alcohol.

The beer had a sugary aftertaste. I love beers with this sugary aftertaste.

Besides the beer being tasty and strong... er... I don't know where I was going with that. I think I should have some food.

As a side note, yesterday I waited in line near the craft beer stand for the ID checker guy to skip me a couple times in addition to being meticulous. It was fine when it seemed like he was checking girls before guys out of courtesy, but then when he started checking IDs of guys who had come after me, I got a little agitated. Anyhow, it was much nicer coming to the Lagunitas vendor near the Lagunitas Stage where there was no line and no wait for getting a wristband.

[20160703 Edit]

---

Lagunitas Sucks

Relevant Links:
Sucks (Lagunitas Website)
Lagunitas Sucks (Brown Shugga Substitute Ale) | Lagunitas Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
Lagunitas Sucks (RateBeer.com)

---

Website Information:

Sucks
Brown Shugga' Substitute Ale

This beer is a 'cereal medley' of barley, rye, wheat, and oats. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous flavor.

ABV: 7.85
O.G.: 1.07
IBU: 63.21
Availability: unLimited Release
Introduced: 2011
Sold As: 6pack, 12pack, keg
Pair With Pork loin, Humboldt Fog & Crackers

E. K. Ross would have enjoyed our suffering in 2010 when we saw we couldn't brew our Brown Shugga. But in that time of deepest despair, as is common to artists everywhere...broke, hungover, abandoned by the muse, and prepared to take a job at Arby's, we found in that darkness, the spark of inspiration that would yield up this nearly sanctified recipe!

Fort Point / Freigeist Manzanita

Fort Point / Freigeist Manzanita

Relevant Links:
Freigeist Charred Manzanita Ale | Fort Point Beer Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
Fort Point / Freigeist Manzanita (RateBeer.com)

Lagunitas BottleRock Fusion Ale

Lagunitas BottleRock Fusion Ale*
*Lagunitas Fusion 37

Relevant Links:
Kickin' Off Summer With Lagunitas at BottleRock (Lagunitas Website)
Fusion 37 | Lagunitas Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
Lagunitas Fusion XXXVII (RateBeer.com)

2014 Apothic Crush

20160521:
The wine had a deep red smell.

While the wine initially tasted smooth, it later had a sour taste which was beyond my liking.

[20160625 Edit]

---

2014 Apothic Crush

Relevant Links:
Apothic Crush (Apothic Website)
2014 Apothic Crush (CellarTracker.com)

---

Website Information:

The first taste entices, stimulating the senses. The next taste ignites, arousing the passion.

Flavor Notes: Red Fruit, Caramel, Chocolate

A decadent red blend that combines red fruit flavors with notes of caramel and a velvety smooth mouthfeel.

Leinenkugel BeerGarten Tart

20160521:
Having just had some wine out of a flute, I poured my beer into the glass (after I rinsed the glass with some of beer) and got a look at it's color and head.

Leinenkugel BeerGarten Tart

The beer had a wheat smell and a subtle sour taste amid the carbonation. Upon a second sip, I reiterated that it was tart and had a wheat taste.

[20160708 Edit]

---

Leinenkugel BeerGarten Tart

Relevant Links:
Beergarten Tart (Leinenkugel Website)
Leinenkugel BeerGarten Tart (RateBeer.com)
BeerGarten Tart | Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)

---

Website Information:

Beergarten Tart

Balanced, refreshing, subtly sweet, and tarty. This is our American take on a classic German biergarten favorite.

Leinenkugel’s® BeerGarten Tart starts out with a snap of tartness balanced by a subtle sweetness from pale malts. It’s our take on a Berliner Weisse, a classic German biergarten summer favorite. Brewed with American wheat, BeerGarten Tart’s light body and refreshing finish are perfect for warm summer days.

ABV. 4.80%
AVAIL. Apr-Jul

Pairs with: club sandwiches, pasta, salads or pizza flatbread

Leinenkugel's India Pale Lager (IPL)

20160521:
This beer had a hoppy taste with a good amount of carbonation. However, there was not as much flavor as the average IPA.

[20160601 Edit]

---

Leinenkugel's India Pale Lager (IPL)

Relevant Links:
India Pale Lager (IPL) (Leinenkugel's Website)
Leinenkugel's IPL (India Pale Lager) | Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
Leinenkugels India Pale Lager (IPL) (RateBeer.com)

---

Website Information:

India Pale Lager (IPL)

A hoppy lager with five varieties of hops and smooth finish

Everything you love about hops comes through more clearly because IPL® is a lager instead of an ale. We brew ours with five varieties of hops including Mandarina Bavaria from Germany and Citra® from right here in the U.S. We taste citrus, tropical fruit notes and a little spicy pepper followed by a refreshing crisp finish. Give it a try and see what you discover.

ABV. 6%
IBU. 57
AVAIL. Year round in select markets

Pairs with: Wisconsin cheese curds, salmon or trout, and lemon cake.

New Braunfels Spread Eagle

20160519:
The Spread Eagle was amazing. It was sour - the kind that isn't bitter - and packed with a cherry flavor. 6:04PM CT.

New Braunfels Spread Eagle Bottle

[20160708 Edit]

---

20160522:
Today I had the pleasure of drinking more of the Spread Eagle. It's amazingly good.

A Taster of New Braunfels Spread Eagle

[20160708 Edit]

---

New Braunfels Spread Eagle

New Braunfels Spread Eagle Bottle - Back

Relevant Links:
Spread Eagle (New Braunfels Website)
Spread Eagle | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)

---

Website Information:

Spread Eagle
Doppel Saur Berliner Dunkel Weiss

Spread Eagle is our DoppleSaur Berliner Dunkel Weiss. What??? It is a soaring, screaming saur experience. We add our house lactobacillus culture twice to produce a predatory level of saur flavors that will rip your tastebuds to shreds. Spread your wings, party your lips, and wet your beak.

New Braunfels Eis

20160519:
Getting a sample of Eis, I noted that it had a nice sour taste. It was more sour than the New Braunfels Uber. 6:04PM CT

[20160708 Edit]

---

20160523:
The beer had a sour smell. Matching the nose, it had a sour test. However, there was also an odd, possibly chocolate taste.

[20160708 Edit]

---

New Braunfels Eis

Relevant Links:
Eis | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)

---

Label Information:
Front:
unpasteurized ; unfiltered ; bottle-refermented
Local Beer ; Local Taste
New Braunfels Brewing Company
Eis
Sour Farmhouse Eisbock
alcohol by volume 9.5 international bitter units 27 finishing gravity ?
1 PINT 9.4 FL OZ ; STORE DARK AND KEEP REFRIDGERATED

Back:
Before the advent of modern refrigeration and chemical sanitation the bier of the day would have had a very different character than the beers of today. More rustic, more artistic, more real. The recipes would have been similar, but the final flavors would have changed between batches. Our line of German farmhouse ales is how we imagine biers of the local German farmhouses would taste a few hundred years ago. Each bier is fermented with our house saccharomyces yeast cultured from the native yeast of Weihenstephaner, Germany. At bottling, we add our indiginous [sic] wild yeast and souring bacteria to condition with the residual sugar spared during primary fermentation. Flavors develop naturally and artistically in this bottle before release.

BAUERNHAUS BIER by New Braunfels Brewing Company

A farmhouse approach to German ales

Eis is an 85% wheat weizenbock brewed with a modified decoction mash and then freeze-distilled to condense the flavors. Dry, earthy and unexpectedly smooth for a 9.5% ABV bier. Eis highlights the wild yeasts in our indiginous [sic] culture. Pairs like a boss with rich baked dishes, aged cheeses and challenging life choices.

New Braunfels Uber

New Braunfels Uber

Relevant Links:
Uber (New Braunfels Website)
Uber | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
New Braunfels Bauernhaus Uber Weizenbock (RateBeer.com)

New Braunfels HimmelWeiss

New Braunfels HimmelWeiss

Relevant Links:
HimmelWeiss (New Braunfels Website)
Himmel Weiss | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)

20160519: [20160704]
The HimmelWeiss initially seemed like it contained a banana flavor. However, after looking at the menu description and reading that it had vanilla, I immediately nodded in agreement.

In addition to the vanilla flavor, there was a taste which I described as bready. 3:05PM PT

After second pass. Left to Right: ErdeWeiss, LuftWeiss, HimmelWeiss, Uber

Menu Description:
HIMMELWEISS vanilla wheat saison ABV 6.5% IBU 27

I didn't taste the vanilla flavor during the second pass through the flight. I did, however, note that it had a softer taste than the LuftWeiss. 3:17PM PT

I could smell the vanilla during the final pass, but... [unfinished thought] 3:26PM PT

Website Information:
HimmelWeiss
A Heavenly Wheat Saison-ish

Himmel (hee mul) A vast palette of flavors in a smooth, drinkable beer. HimmelWeiss is a bier as smooth as it is complex. Opens with banana and hops on the nose. Full on vanilla and spice on the tongue and citrus and hop finish. An awesome year round summer bier.

We truly stayed local on this one and went with 85% Texas wheat in this one. Come taste this one grown deep in the heart of Texas.

ABV: 6.5
IBU: 27

New Braunfels LuftWeiss

New Braunfels LuftWeiss

Relevant Links:
LuftWeiss (New Braunfels Website)
Luft Weiss | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
New Braunfels LuftWeiss (RateBeer.com)

20160519: [20160704]
The LuftWeiss smelled brighter and I detected lemon. Matching the nose, there was a definite wheat taste together with citrus flavors. 3:05PM PT

I tasted wheat and citrus flavors. 3:17PM PT

Head has dissipated. Left to Right: ErdeWeiss, LuftWeiss, HimmelWeiss, Uber

Menu Description:
LUFTWEISS sunkissed hefeweizen brewed with 85% wheat and American citrus hops ABV 4.7% IBU 16

During the final pass, I noted the beer's hoppy notes were more pronounced than the citrus notes. 3:26PM PT

Website Information:
LuftWeiss
Sun-Kissed Hefeweizen Of The Sky

Luft (looft) is the hefeweizen you didn’t see coming. Not too complex, not too overwhelming, just a Goldilocks-ish amount of simplistic beauty. Luftweiss is a summer afternoon in a glass. It’s great beer, don’t blog about it, just drink it.

Food Pairing: LuftWeiss pairs with a wide variety of foods. Much like a white wine, it’s works well paired with similar flavors like bright, acidic fruits and salads. LuftWeiss also works well with creamy cheeses, poultry, shellfish and cream sauces.

ABV: 4.7
IBU: 20

New Braunfels ErdeWeiss

New Braunfels ErdeWeiss

Relevant Links:
ErdeWeiss (New Braunfels Website)
Erde Weiss | New Braunfels Brewing Company (BeerAdvocate.com)
New Braunfels ErdeWeiss (RateBeer.com)

20160519: [20160704]
ErdeWeiss had a dark, coffee smell. It tasted like a black stout. Additionally, there seemed to be a taste of wheat and the beer was slightly sour. There was a nice amount of carbonation. It appeared black. 3:05PM PT

It's a bit sour. 3:17PM PT

Menu Description:
ERDEWEISS black dunkelweizen ABV 4.5% IBU 20

On the final pass, I continued to get the coffee smell and black stout taste from the ErdeWeiss. 3:26PM PT

Head still settling. Left to Right: ErdeWeiss, LuftWeiss, HimmelWeiss, Uber

20160523: [20160709]
Before leaving the New Braunfels tap room, we got a bottle of New Braunfels Eis, a bottle of New Braunfels Spread Eagle, and a growler of New Braunfels ErdeWeiss. Today, we drank the beer from the growler.

Unfortunately, my notes deviate from those above and I can't help but wonder if the growler was something other than the ErdeWeiss.

In any case, I wrote the following: "This beer tastes most like banana bread. It has a bready flavor. While I think of cotton candy, it definitely doesn't taste like such. I know, however, that I've tasted this same flavor before, I just can't pinpoint it. I mostly like it. I like it more than the day we had it."

Website Information:
ErdeWeiss
Not Your Unkel's Dunkel

Erde (air-duh) is inspired by the German Dunkelweizen, the double espresso, and Irish drinkin’ songs. Erde comes on heavy, strong, and powerful but slides off your palette like a penguin on ice. Easy to drink, easy to understand, and easy to love, Erde may just be your new favorite (dark) beer.

Food Pairing: ErdeWeiss pairs extremely well with roasted meats and vegetables. The roasted grains also complement earthy flavors of a hearty soup. For a truly amazing pairing, try it over ice-cream or in a float.

ABV: 4.5; IBU: 20

Side Comment:
The following adjectives were found in describing the beer: malt/malty (6), banana (5), roasted (5), chocolate/cocoa (5), wheat/bread/toast (5), coffee (3), earthy (2), sour, clove, nuttiness.

From another point of view, here's the BeerAdvocate description of a Dunkelweizen:

"Similar to a Hefeweizen, these southern Germany wheat beers are brewed as darker versions (Dunkel means 'dark') with deliciously complex malts and a low balancing bitterness. Most are brown and murky (from the yeast). The usual clove and fruity (banana) characters will be present, some may even taste like banana bread."

In conclusion, although my two reviews show little to no overlap, together they run through all the right adjectives.

Sierra Nevada / Cigar City Beer Camp Yonder Bock

Sierra Nevada / Cigar City Beer Camp Yonder Bock

Relevant Links:
Yonder Bock: Tropical Maibock (Beer Camp Across America) | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (BeerAdvocate.com)
Sierra Nevada / Cigar City Beer Camp Yonder Bock (RateBeer.com)

20160514: [20160531]
Unfortunately, I have a bunch of these old Beer Camp beers which are well beyond their intended drinking date and will taste vastly different.

In any case, upon drinking this Yonder Bock, I was reminded of the taste of the sugars in the Dogfish Head 180 Minute IPA I had after it had aged. The one difference was that this aged beer didn't taste nearly as strong. In particular, the Yonder Bock was drinkable whereas the 180 Minute was barely sippable.

As a final note, I remarked that I didn't taste any citrus notes, instead I only tasted a truckload of complex sugars. 20160515 1:56AM PT

Website Information:
Sierra Nevada
Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock
Brewed in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing, LLC
Tampa, FL

Tampa is a long way from our home base in Chico, but the guys down yonder in Florida sure can brew a great beer. Our friends at Cigar City find inspiration in the Cuban roots of their hometown, and that Latin-inspired flair is evident in Yonder Bock. This tropical take on the Maibock adds a Latin island flair to this traditional German style beer.

Enamored with the Latin roots of their Tampa home, Cigar City always tries to channel a bit of local history into their beers, e.g. the Humidor Series whose beers age on Spanish cedar as an homage to Tampa’s cigar making roots. Only five years old, this brewery deserves the fast praise that’s come its way.

Overview
ABV: 7.7
Beginning Gravity: 18.8
Ending Gravity: 5.5
Bitterness Units: 45

Ingredients
Yeast: Lager
Bittering Hops: Magnum, Experimental variety
Finishing Hobs: Azacca, Calypso, Experimental variety
Malts: Vienna, Munich, Pilsner, HOney

Tasting Notes
Yonder Bock is a summery twist on the robust blonde bock. Its silky, semisweet malt body is bolstered by a blend of new and experimental hops that impart bright, fruity hop aromas of guava, mango and passion fruit.

Golden Road I'll Have Another Stout

Golden Road I'll Have Another Stout

Relevant Links:
I'll Have Another Stout | Golden Road Brewing (BeerAdvocate.com)
Golden Road I'll Have Another (RateBeer.com)

20160501: [20160526]
1g. This beer had a black color. 5:39PM PT

2h. This beer was pitch black and had a malty smell.

It had a creamy, smooth, chocolate taste, but not an overpowering, malty chocolate taste. It had some other interesting flavor as well, but I was unable to describe it. In any case, I would agree with my friend Josh that it was the best of the eight. 5:54PM PT

3. Food.

4j. Saving the best for last, I first noted the beer's great coffee smell. There was also an interesting sour taste towards the end. 6:34PM PT

Golden Road Get Up Offa That Brown

Golden Road Get Up Offa That Brown

Relevant Links:
Get Up Offa That Brown (Golden Road Brewing Website)
Get Up Offa That Brown | Golden Road Brewing (BeerAdvocate.com)
Golden Road Get Up Offa That Brown (RateBeer.com)

20160501:
1b. This beer had a dark red smell. 5:39PM PT

2f. It tasted malty and had a coffee smell. Actually, it tasted like a red lager. Furthermore, it left a nice sugary aftertaste. 5:54PM PT

3. Food.

4d. During the second and final pass I had the Get Up Offa That Brown after the Plum Riot. Despite the beer's name suggesting that it was a brown ale, I still did not believe it. 6:28PM PT

4i. During the second pass, there was enough of this beer left that I got a second sip. In the end, it finished okay. 6:34PM PT

Website Information:
GET UP OFFA THAT BROWN
First Brewed January 2012

Available: Year Round
Style: Brown Ale
OG/FG: 14.8/4.5
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 20
Malts: 2-Row, Crystal Light, Biscuit, Chocolate, Simpsons DRC
Hops: Galena, Northern Brewer

Notes: Our brown ale has a toasty complexity, balanced by rich notes of caramel and chocolate. Ask your bartender to “Get Up Offa That Brown!”

Left Coast San Clemente State Park Dark

Left Coast San Clemente State Park Dark

Relevant Links:
Tap Room Page (Left Coast Brewing Website)

20160501: [20160525]
1f. This beer had a dark, dark red color. 5:39PM PT

2g. As one of the darker beers, I tasted the San Clemented State Park Dark towards the end of the flight. On the first pass, I had it after the Get Up Offa That Brown.

The beer had a sugary smell, there was little carbonation, and it had an alcoholic, vanilla taste. 5:54PM PT

3. Food.

4f. The beer had a dark smell and a bit of an alcoholic smell as well. However, there was not, during this second pass, an alcoholic taste. I also noted that it had a slightly sugary and flat mouthfeel. 6:28PM PT

Website Information:
SAN CLEMENTE STATE PARK DARK*

SCHWARTZBIER | ABV 4.5%

*Classified under "Specialty Brews" (as opposed to "Seasonal Brews" or "Full Time Brews")

Old Orange Saison Du Max

Old Orange Saison Du Max

Relevant Links:
Saison Du Max | Old Orange Brewing Co. (BeerAdvocate.com)
Old Orange Saison Du Max (RateBeer.com)

20160501: [20160521]
1d. This beer had a orange color.

2e. The Saison Du Max had a floral smell to it.

It also had a floral, hoppy taste. On further thought, the taste wasn't hoppy, just floral. 5:39PM PT

3. Food.

4g. It had a floral smell. Almost floral like potpourri. 6:28PM PT

Strand Beach House Amber

Strand Beach House Amber

Relevant Links:
Beach House Amber (Strand Brewing Website)
Beach House (Strand Brewing Co.)
Strand Beach House (RateBeer.com)

20160501: [20160520]
1e. This beer had an orange red color.

2d. During the first pass, I had the beer fourth - after Berliner Weisse. The beer had a hoppy smell and tasted like a light pale ale. It was smooth around the edges. 5:39PM PT

3. Food.

4e. During the second pass, this beer smelled like a pale ale smell and had a decent pale ale taste. Furthermore, there was a slightly lingering grassy flavor, but I didn't detect any bitterness. 6:28PM PT

Website Information:
Beach House Amber

Beach House Amber ale was created as a simple and clean, medium bodied ale. It has subtle earthy notes in its malt character which are balanced by a light hop profile. Perfect for a sunny day. Pair it with BBQ, pizza, burgers and wings.

5.0% ALC BY VOL

Available year round - on draft and in 500ml bottles.

Golden Road Berliner Weisse

Golden Road Berliner Weisse

Relevant Links:
Berliner Weisse (Golden Road Website)
Berliner Weisse | Golden Road Brewing (BeerAdvocate.com)
Golden Road Berliner Weisse (RateBeer.com)

20160501: [20160519]
1h. This beer had a light yellow color similar to white wine.

2c. First drinking the two lightest in front of me, Plum Riot and Cherry Sour, I next tried this beer.

It had no discernible smell and like the nose it tasted a bit like white wine. It had a lemony flavor. 5:39PM PT

3. Food.

4a. Pinning the Berliner Weisse as the lightest (least bitter) of the beers, I start the second round with it. This beer was so refreshing. It had a super bright flavor. 6:28PM PT

Website Information:
Golden Road Berliner Weisse

ABV 3.3%
IBU 12

This bright, refreshingly tart wheat beer is our nod to the traditional German Berliner Weisse.

MALTS: 2-row, Malted Wheat, Acidulated Malt, Carafoam
HOPS: Northern Brewer

Availability: Year Round