Potent Potables Review Time
27 Jul
Thanks to my recent beer drinking binge and Weeger’s pretty recent beer reviews I was inspired to do a beer review of my own.
James and Ryan often cite the virtues of Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Elder, so for whatever reason I set out on a quest to find some of this distinguished brew (my dad happens to know the brewmaster!).
Some of the “haul” from my newly found liquor store.
For whatever reason we began with the Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball, which I think was a good choice.
I was, for some reason, expecting this to also be a pale ale, despite the fact that a) it doesn’t say pale ale on the bottle and b) once poured, it very clearly is not pale. So, naturally I was surprised by the malty flavor and smoothness of the character as it went down. Good brew to start, and I think that this might be a sometimes staple when we aren’t looking for something as heavy as a stout or porter. Not a lot of foam, but definitely a solid brown ale. I think I’ll give it a B+
Next up my dad picked out the Pliny. Going for the good stuff!
Our buddy Jeff had told us that Pliny was kind of pine-y and smelled a bit of spices, so we weren’t too surprised by the nose of this one. Definitely a distinct smell rises up out of the glass, but it is not unpleasant. I’d say I was surprised by how smooth the taste was despite the scent. I expected a much stronger and almost overwhelming taste, much like that of the last collaboration brew with Dogfish Head/Victory/Stone Saison de Buff (which IMO was full of way too many spices and not something I was really in to). However, the Pliny was refreshing and tasty, and very enjoyable. Keep in mind if you find this stuff, true brew heads have warned me to drink it fresh! Which supposedly is the only way the brewer wants you to enjoy it as they are strict on who they distribute/sell to. The date on the bottle was 6/25, so we were good to go. I’d definitely drink this one again, and I’ll give it an A-
I was looking forward also to the Alesmith Yulesmith.
This is a bi-annual release, with one coming out in winter, and one for independence day. The first time I enjoyed this tasty morsel was about a month ago.
The bottle we poured this past weekend wasn’t quite so thick; not sure why!
2010 summer Yulesmith has a pretty citrus-y nose and really smooth taste for an imperial/double IPA. To me it tastes almost more like a strong pale ale. Hoppy, but not bitter. I think the extra malt in this one really tones it down, and maybe that’s what contributes to the “plankton” that can be found in it. Pretty well carbonated also. I like this one and wound up having it with dinner – grilled fish tacos! I think B+
After a break we busted in to the last 2 brews I wanted to review: Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial and Avery Brewing Dugana.
After spying that glass in the cabinet I had to do it just for irony’s sake.
We’ve had a few bottles of Stone 14th, and I’m fairly smitten with it. I actually also want to go back and have a Sublimely Self-Righteous at some point, since I don’t think I’ve had one since November of last year, and I wasn’t enjoying the hops like I currently am.
14th has a slightly spice-y aroma with hints of citrus. Fairly fresh and smooth hops that seem to mirror the pale/easy color. This one goes down pretty easily for me, which like all of these brews is dangerous given their alcohol content! I’ll be sad when this one is no longer available. B+
Last up is Avery’s Dugana IPA, from Boulder.
Citrus-y nose, a little darker and bolder in color than the 14th. I’m not sure I’d say it’s as bitter as they advertise on the site, since I’m not turned away from it! Very well-rounded, and a great summer BBQ IPA. Solid B.
So, there’s my beer review for the summer! Starting tomorrow I am going to try to refocus for 2010 Take C, so hopefully my beer drinking will take a back seat. At least I’ve enjoyed it while it lasted!
2012 is the year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology. For Allison, 2012 is the year of the Phoenix. After a successful 2010 that led Allison to her 1st international competition, at the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, she succumed to an injury that kept her off the bike and out of training for 2011. Missing out valuable training time, race experience, and needed results in 2011, Allison has ensured 2012 will be a year of rebirth and expanded growth and learning. She is looking forward to a solid year of training, racing, and new experiences across the country and internationally where she plans to race and promote Bikes for Boobs benefitting Mammograms in Action. She continues to ride and race with mutual support from Rock N' Road Cyclery in Orange County, as well as with her husband, Justin.
I’m with you on 14th. I think a case is in my future. They nailed it. It’s a good thing just one bomber sets me up. haha
I picked up a few bottles of Avery brews while I was out in CO- their “Holy Trinity” of Ale. I can’t say I could pick a favorite, though I’m betting the Barleywine would have been even better if it aged for a year or two.
I’ll have to try to remember to a review on the beers we’re aging (all darker beers): 2009 Alaskan Smoked Porter (likely will save until 2011 if we can), Deschuttes Black Butte XXI (at least until October of this year), and Deschuttes 2010 Jubel (says enjoy after January 2011). The Alaskan Smoked Porter’s only get better with age (I’ve had back to back to back an 07/08/09 and the 07 was by far the best). Soo, very much looking forward to opening these one dark evening in winter 2011
great post! we all need to get together at stone for some beer tasting… maybe a stone ride!
Sounds fun! But, you guys will all need to carry bricks or we need a big head start on our mountain bikes
Alaskan Smoked Porter = yuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!
LOVE the ironic coors vs. Stone shot! haha
This is a solid lineup of beers you had going. Really great to see the absense of porters and stouts, only real beers this time! The pliny is definitely in a refreshment class of its own, highly revered by me everytime. The new Yule Holiday though, not a fan, I may have gotten a wacky batch though too, cause their stuff is usually on the ball.
Did I over-read the part of if this was all at once or not?
What’s wrong with that much beer in one sitting?
It was over 2 days and they were all shared.