Imperial Rebellion

Imperial Rebellion is an Imperial Saison/Farmhouse Ale by Iron Fist Brewing Company of Vista, CA. This is beer was brewed to celebrate the brewery's 2 year anniversary.

I got this at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9.3%.

The strong aroma is complex with citrus/lime, spicy notes, apricot or mango, almost like marmalade. The flavor follows the nose with big fruit flavor,but follows up with some tartness (but not sour), some alcohol flavor, and a caramel malt pop at the end.  The warmth from the alcohol coats the throat. There's a bit of the band-aid/rubbery taste at the beginning, but it goes away after a few sips. The mouthfeel is smooth and the creamy head leads to a nice finish. It's medium bodied with average carbonation.

Overall, this is a very interesting beer. I'm not a big fan of sours or tart beers, but this one takes a nice baby step into that world. The big hop profile and ABV takes this beer to the fringes of the saison style, but is walks the fine line of enjoyable and interesting. The beer is brewed with New Zealand hops (Motueka and Nelson Sauvin) even and kaffir lime leave. Because of its balance of uniqueness and tastiness, I'm going to say this is a Must Have It. The flavor profile might not be for everyone, but its definitely worth a try.

Hop Rod Rye

Hop Rod Rye is a Rye IPA brewed by the Bear Republic Brewing Company of Healdsburg, CA.

While rye has been a small component in craft brews for quite a while, its recently seen its quantity in recipes increase. The spice that rye brings can add a third dominant flavor to the sweet malts and fruit/floral/pine hops.


Hop Rod was one of the earlier recipes to emerge putting rye in a more prominent flavor role. Even with that role rye only makes up 18% of the malt profile here, which shows you how far rye flavor will go.

Rye has an interesting role in the history of beer, indeed it helped lead to the famous Reinheitsgebot laws. Long story short, there was a rye shortage in Germany. Rye was a populat ingredient in bread. In order to protect bread production the Reinheitsgebot laws were passed that among other things, banned rye from being in beer. 

I highly recommend visiting the brewery in Healdsburg. The location is awesome - it backs up to a creek and is just off the town center square.

I picked this up at Bel Air, it has an ABV of 8%.

The aroma has a dark candy grape aroma with hints of the rye spice. The aroma has a balance of citrus & pine hops with dark malts and rye spice. There's pops of floral hops as well. The malt flavor is rich and thick, but is cut well by the hops. There's a biscuit and bitter citrus finish that lingers. The mouthfeel is creamy and the body is medium, leaning toward thick. The carbonation is spot on.

Overall, this a very good beer.  Its hard to categorize, because it covers various spectrums from IPA to imperial red to rye, which is what makes it great. A wide variety of flavors that compliment each other.

Unfortunately, I did get an older bottle and the massive hop aroma was gone and the hop flavor muted. Even with that, the beer is still good.  As I have written about before, picking up beers in large markets is a crap shoot. This is especially true for hoppy beers whose flavors fade quickly and you don't know how long its been sitting there.

Despite that this is still a Must Have It. 

Evil Dead Red

Evil Dead Red is an Amber Ale brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company of San Diego, CA.

The amber/red ale category is quickly diversifying leaving the label of "Amber or red" not an accurate predictor of flavor. There are Ambers that are more hop forward and others that are more malt forward. Colors vary from dark like this one to light ruby red. I'm excited to see this style develop because it offers the best of both beer flavors - malts and hops.

Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety is an IPA brewed by the Berryessa Brewing Company of Winters, CA. It's a single hop IPA that uses the new mosaic hops. Mosaic hops have raised the bar on flavor.

Mraz Brewing Company

Mraz (Mer-oz) Brewing Company is located in El Dorado Hills, CA, not far from Folsom Lake. Mraz opened in spring 2013. Brewer and founder Michael Mraz was named California Home Brewer of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

Citra Extra Pale Ale

Citra Extra Pale Ale is an American Pale Ale by the Knee Deep Brewing Company of Auburn, California.

This is a single hop ale made with Citra hops. Citra hops are new to the craft brew world, being introduced about 5 years ago. Read a little about their history here in California at the bottom of this page. They have quickly become a staple in hoppy beers across the US.

DevESTATEtion

DevESTATEtion is a Black IPA by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company of Chico, CA.  Or is this a Cascadian Dark Ale?

Behind the name: Every year Sierra Nevada releases their Estate Ale, which uses organic barley and hops grown by Sierra Nevada. This year, the dry weather (it's not yet an official drought) killed off much of their harvest, so they had to buy organic ingredients from another local farm. To mourn the death of their beloved barley they dressed up their annual release in black.

Hop 15

Hop 15 is a Double IPA from the Port Brewing Company of San Marcos, CA. Their San Marcos location was once occupied by another famous San Diegan brewery - Stone.

Tin Pants Ale

Tin Pants is a California Common Ale  (also known by its trade marked name "Steam Beer") by the Six Rivers Brewing Company of McKinleyville, CA which is located in Humboldt County.

Tap It IPA

This IPA is brewed by Tap It Brewing Company of San Luis Obispo, CA. The brewery opened in 2010.

In 2012 this IPA won the Gold Medal for American IPA's at the Great American Beer Fest, beating out Alpine Brewing Company's Duet. California has brought home many a gold medal for IPA's including the very first one in 1989 with Sacramento's Rubicon Brewing. Since then, Seabright, SLO Brewing, Bear Republic, Firestone, Drake's, Port, Hoptown, Santa Barbara Brewing won IPA gold.

I found this at Taylor's Market in Sacramento for $4.99. It has an ABV of 7%.

The aroma has strong tropical fruit hops. The flavor is mellower than the aroma, but the tropical fruit hops are present throughout along with a gentle bitterness and a light caramel malt background. There's a slightly stronger citrus rind bitterness at the end, but it doesn't linger long. The mouthfeel is bubbly with a medium light body.

This is a well-made, tasty IPA. I wish I could put this next to Duet, because I want to say I'd side with Duet, but this is still a very good IPA. IPA's are a standard style now for California breweries, but they're not easy to pull off.  This is an impressive offering for a young brewery. My critique is that for an IPA I'd prefer a fuller body and slightly less carbonation, but that's my personal preference. With its Gold Medal and solid flavors this is a Must Have It.

Yin Imperial Taiji Stout

Yin is an Imperial Stout by the Evil Twin Brewing Company, a gypsy brewery. This beer is meant to be one half of a black and tan with their other beer Yang, an Imperial IPA. They also brand the beer "Taiji", which relates to the Yin-Yang/Black and Tan balance.

I bought it at Pangaea Beers bottle shop, its has an ABV of 10%.

As a gypsy brewery, Evil Twin uses other breweries equipment o make beer. This one and its series were brewed with BrewDog of Scotland. BrewDog and done quite a few collaborations with other established breweries.

The aroma has whiffs of chocolate, roasted malts, and hints of what seem to be "Brett", but that flavor doesn't appear anywhere else. The flavor is complex and transforms with every swig. Sometimes I taste the big 10% ABV, others the chocolate and roasted malts, and sometimes an assertive flavor as though I was eating the roasted barley directly. Even the roasted malts have a complex layer of flavors ranging sweet chocolate to bitter roasted. The mouthfeel is thick, but not too heavy or stick and satisfying. The body is heavy, but doesn't fill you up.

Overall, this is an amazing Imperial Stout. It came in a small bottle and I've been trying to savor it. Very rich, flavorful and thoroughly enjoyable. . Definitely a Must Have It.

Barrel Noir

Barrel Noir is an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels by the Almanac Beer Company of San Francisco. I bought this at Pangaea Brews for $11. It has an ABV of 10%. They are a contract brewery, meaning they work with another brick and mortar brewery to brew. They used to brew our of Drake's but, I think they switched.

The aroma has the bourbon upfront, with a backbone of the roasted malts. While not the same, there are whiffs reminiscent of a dark Belgium ale. The aroma isn't too strong, but you definitely get the preview of the complex flavors. The first taste has the bourbon without any burn upfront followed by roasted malts, chocolate malts and some vanilla. I even get some Belgian sugar flavors. Subsequent drinks reveal the alcohol flavor. The mouthfeel is not as sticky as you'd expect and the body is spot on for an imperial stout.

Overall, I really like this imperial stout. There's an interesting and unique blend of flavors without being too overpowering. This is a Must Have It.

Almanac prides itself on using ingredients from local farms, "Farm to Barrel" or "Farm to Bottle" are their tag lines. I appreciate that philosophy and that the brewery is proud of it. But something about their marketing irks me. Maybe it's the "Almanac Aims to Elevate the Status of Beer" part of that philosophy bothers me the most. It's a bit elitist, especially when there are plenty of long standing breweries making as good or better beers.

Midnight Hoppyness

Midnight Hoppyness is a Double Black IPA from the Knee Deep Brewing Company of Lincoln, California. I found this at Nugget Market in Davis, CA. Its 9.5% ABV.

Black IPA's are a uniquely American style beer, but it is not without controversy. In certain northwest parts of the country this style is referred to as a Cascadian Dark Ale. The Black IPA was only recognized as a specific style 3 years ago by the Brewers Association.

This style has continued to be improved upon over its short life, but the concept is simple - mix the dark, roasted flavors of a dark ale with the bitter or fruity or piney punch of an IPA.

Midnight Hoppyness looks like a typical dark ale, no light shines through the body. It pours a tan thin head and leaves very little lacings. The aroma prepares you for the taste - a balanced blend of roasted malts, chocolate malts, citrus hops, and piney hops. The flavor is balanced throughout although the chocolate malts seem to provide the backbone from start to finish. An enjoyable, bitter piney hop flavor lingers at the end, although if you wait a bit the chocolate reemerges. The mouthfeel is clean and satisfying and the body is medium - not heavy as its color would suggest. Despite the big ABV, there is no alcohol taste.

Overall, this is a great example of a Black IPA. Strong, distinct flavors from the dark malts and the hops. Knee Deep has done a great job. This is a must have it. I had a feeling this would be good.

Hop Henge

Hop Henge Experimental IPA is an Imperial IPAfrom the Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon.

Hope Henge is a part of Deschutes' Bond Street series in honor of their first brewery and its experimental nature. While the ingredients of Hop Henge are traditional, Deschutes experiments with the process and various amounts. Hop Henge won the 2011 World Beer Awards for World's Best Pale Ale.

Lagunitas Imperial Red

Lagunitas Imperial Red is brewed by the Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, CA. This is a limited release. 

Imperial Red Ales are another emerging, new style. They are essentially a double red ale, bigger malts and bigger hops. However, the name is loosely used. Some ales calls themselves Imperial Reds when they are just hoppy strong ales or darker DIPAs. 

Jubeale

Jubeale is a Winter Specialty or Winter Warmer by the Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon.

Winter Warmers, Christmas Beers, Holiday Beers, are usually darker ales, with a dominant malt taste and a mix of spices to balance the sweetness of the malts. Some do not use spices and are simply higher in alcohol, and are more along the lines of strong ales.

Trappist Westvleteren 8

Trappist Westvleteren 8 is a Belgian Dubbel by the Westvleteren Brewery in Westvleteren, Belgian. The brewery is a part of the abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren. The beer can only be bought on premise in Belgium. Its suggested you call to make a reservation as they only sell enough beer a day to maintain the abbey. Westvleteren also makes the Westvleteren 12, which is the top rated beer on Beer Advocate.

Night Shade

Night Shade is a Rye Ale  brewed by the Berryessa Brewing Company of Winters, CA. Berryessa just opened in 2011, and is owned and operated by experienced brewmaster Chris Miller, formerly of Snipes Mountain Brewery in Washington State.

The brewery currently does not have a tap room, but will be opening one up in Winters in the near future. Their beers can be found at the Davis Beer Shoppe, Village Bakery Restaurant in Davis, Paesano's in Davis, Lucca's in Sacramento, the Shady Lady and Sam Horne's.