Cascaderade

Cascaderade is an India Pale Lager (IPL) by the Sudwerk Brewing Company of Davis, CA.

The IPL style is still emerging and I think it'll take a bit to work out nuances, but I like the idea. While quite a number of breweries are putting out this style, lagering is a challenge for most small breweries, so don't expect this style to explode. Sudwerk has been doing lagers for 25 years, so they have the ability to make them.

I bought this at Bel Air, it has an ABV of 6.6%. I recommend when serving to do a gentle pour, unless you like a lot of head.

I had seen this beer around for awhile, but hesitated on trying it. Sudwerk has been going through an evolution, for the better, over the last few years, so I wanted to give them some time to work out new recipes before writing reviews. I like the direction they're going in.

The aroma has the cascade hops with faint whiffs of malt. The taste has some hop bite up front with citrus hops and light pine flavor through out. This bitterness continues to linger enjoyably after the finish. There are hints of pilsner malts. The body is medium light, with higher carbonation then an IPA, but it still maintains a smooth finish.

Overall, this is an enjoyable, tasty beer. If I didn't know it was an IPL, I probably would have just thought it was an ale. The body is lighter than you'd expect for a 6.6% ABV, but not exactly sure what the lagering adds. I recommend you Try It.

Fire Break

Fire Break is an Irish Red Ale by the American River Brewing Company. The brewery is right off of the Sunrise exit on Highway 50 and close to light rail. They have a solid selection, but this is one of my favorites.

Fire Break comes in at 6%ABV. You can typically find this at any store that sells local Sacramento brew.

 The aroma has caramel malt and more subtle notes of roast and chocolate, followed by light fruit hops. The taste is malt upfront and follows the aroma - caramel with hints of roast and chocolate. There's a light bitter hoppiness. The mouthfeel a medium/light body with moderate carbonation with smooth and slightly dry finish.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer. Despite this bottle having sat in my fridge for a couple of months, I did not notice and depreciation of flavor. This not a west coast red, which are more common are more hop forward. This definitely hits the mark for the malt-forward, Irish red style. Even if you threw it in with other reds being brewed in NorCal this is one of the better ones. I strongly recommend you Try It.

Kermit the Hop

Kermit the Hop is an organic Double IPA by the Bison Brewing Company of Berkeley, CA, although Bison contracts with the Mendocino Brewing Company to brew their beers.

I bought this at the Capitol Beer and Taproom.It has an ABV of 8.5%.

The aroma has hints of citrus and grapefruit. The taste follows the nose, with light citrus, bitter hops and light caramel malts. The finish has a bite of alcohol which lingers at the back of the throat. The mouthfeel is a bit sticky and the body a little lighter than you'd expect for  Double IPA.

Overall, its a decent IPA, but without any unique characteristics. It's probably the better of the Bison brews I've tried - you should Try It too.

Maharaja

Maharaja is an Imperial (Double) IPA by the Avery Brewing Company from Boulder, Colorado. I first came across Avery during this year's Sacramento Beer Week - probably my favorite new find. I bought this bottle at Capitol Beer and Taproom.

Maharaja is part of Avery's dictator series with two other brews - the Kaiser an imperial Oktoberfest, and the Czar an imperial Stout. They are all high octane beers, with this one clocking in at 10.2% ABV.

The aroma has citrus rind and grapefruit, some caramel malts and whiffs of booze. The taste is malt forward but soon gives way to a range of citrus flavors mixed with malt. The finish has bitter citrus and pine notes and a punch of booze that subsides as you drink. There's also some bitter grassy notes that linger. Spot on carbonation creates a nice medium body and an overall smooth mouthfeel despite the big ABV.

Overall, this is an enjoyable DIPA. Solid range of hop flavors and well crafted. The high ABV and alcohol flavor could be tamed a little more, but I recommend you Try It.

Sasquatch Double IPA

Sasquatch Double IPA is brewed by the Six Rivers Brewing Company of McKinleyville, CA. For being a brewery located in a far corner of the state, Six Rivers has found its way to Hollywood.

I picked this up at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9%.

The aroma has whiffs of toffee malts and light fruit hops with some earthiness. The flavor has the malts up front, with subdued fruit hops in the middle followed by light spice (almost like rye), and a bitter citrus finish that's balanced with caramel malt. The mouthfeel is lightly resiny and sticky, but smooth. The body is slightly heavier than medium.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer with diverse flavors; strong English malts play a forward role, and the hops bring a mix of fruit, spice, earthiness and bitter. This is a nice break from the in your face fruit hop DIPAs. I'm glad to see Six Rivers is integrating more flavorful English malts to add some complexity and uniqueness to DIPA world. I strongly suggest you Try It.

Son of Wrath

Son of Wrath is a Double IPA brewed by the Dust Bowl Brewing Company of Turlock, CA. The beer is named after the brewery's flagship IPA, Hops of Wrath. I can't believe its been over 2 years since I visited Dust Bowl, just a couple months after they opened. Good to see they're still brewing!

I picked this up at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9.5%.

Strong aroma with citrus and stone fruit - peaches/apricots. The flavor has the stone fruit up front, some light citrus and pine in the middle and a distinct grapefruit bitter finish. There's malt sweetness to temper the hops, but it doesn't come with flavor. The grapefruit lingers a bit. The mouthfeel is smooth for an DIPA, not much resin or stickiness. It has a medium body with a slightly lower level of carbonation.

Overall, I enjoyed this DIPA. Great punch of citrus and fruit hops, no off flavors, nice mouthfeel. As common as DIPAs are these days, well-made ones are still hard to come by. Dust Bowl has made a good one. I haven't revisited their flagship Hops of Wrath since they first opened, but this has motivated me to do so. I liked Hops of Wrath back then and I'm happy to see they're still doing a good job. I highly recommend you Try It.

Strike Imperial Red

This Imperial Red is actually an Irish Red brewed by the Strike Brewing Company of San Jose. Strike is a

The aroma has some varied roasted and toasted malts reminiscent of an English ale. The flavor starts to follow the nose but then takes a turn into a metallic flavor that masks the malts. The metallic flavor does subside after a few sips which brings out the malts. The English malts with the light toffee and biscuit flavors finally come through. The mouthfeel is smooth with a medium body.

I found this at BevMo it has an ABV of 6.5%.



Overall, this beer is ok. I say that not necessarily because of flavor. Don't get me wrong, this brew is close to what an Irish Red should taste like.

What bothers me the most is this should not be called an Imperial Red. When I bought this, I didn't see the side story on the bottle that states its an Irish Red. If the beer is an Irish Red and not an Imperial Red, then don't call it an Imperial Red. When I think of Imperial Red I think of Lagunita's, Oskar Blues, Grand Teton, Epic, and other brews that have american malts and west coast hoppiness. I understand that beer styles and categories are loose and fluctuate, but there is a certain flavor profile one expects from something called an Imperial Red versus something called an Irish Red. I love a good Irish or English ale as much as a west coast amber. But if I want to buy either one, the beer should be labeled properly. Its a little bit my fault for not reading the side story, but the front label has 3 conspicuous words "Strike", "Imperial" and "Red".

That being said, this is a decent take on an Irish Red, although I believe the metallic flavor (which can be desirable) should be toned down a bit along with the carbonation. Not many California breweries are making an Irish Red, so its good to see the style being played with. I recommend you Try It.

Electrical Tower IPA

Electrical Tower IPA is brewed by the Santa Clara Brewing Company of San Jose, CA. SCBC opened in spring of 2013 with two brewers that have almost four decades of professional and homebrewing experience. There's not many craft brewers in Santa Clara Valley, let alone good ones. It's exciting to see one open that has potential.

The beer is named after Santa Clara's Electrical Light Tower built in 1881 with the intent of providing light over the then-small city of San Jose.

I picked this up at Nugget Market. It has an ABV of 7.2%.

The aroma has an assertive blend of tropical, citrus, and light pine hops. The flavor is less distinct in its flavors, but there are plenty of fruity hops through out. The finish has subdued bitter citrus and pine. The bitter citrus lingers on the roof of your mouth. The mouthfeel is slightly sticky but smooth overall. It has a medium body. The lacings leave an interesting thick web.

Overall, I like this beer - a solid IPA with all the right flavors. SCBC is a young brewery with only two beers, so this is a good start for a flagship IPA. This brew demonstrates strong brewing skills and their ability to deliver flavor. I look forward to trying more. I highly suggest you Try It.

SSB IPA

SSB IPA is an IPA by the American River Brewing Company of Rancho Cordova, CA. The website says SSB stands for Sacramento's Special Bitter, but the bottle says its Super Special Bitter.

The inspiration for the beer is Sacramento's history as a hop growing region.

I picked this up at Taylor's Market in Sacramento. It has an ABV of 6.2% and 70 IBUs. I haven't seen too many bombers of ARBC. I have enjoyed their Coloma Brown and Fire Break Red, so I was excited to see a new brew. They also had the spiciest chile beer I've had.

The brewery is a nice spot to stop if you're heading down the 50, it's not far south off of Sunrise.

The aroma has grassy hops with some light citrus. The flavor has blend of fruity hops, bitter citrus, light caramel and biscuit malt flavors. There's a light biscuit and bitter citrus flavor that lingers. The mouthfeel is slightly resiny with higher than average carbonation, the body is medium to light.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure how trying to adapt an English ESB with a West IPA would turn out, but this is a solid beer. This isn't a big hop, in your face IPA, but it is flavorful and well made.The use of English malts and west coast cascade hops makes a tasty beer. I strongly suggest you Try It.

Spike Driver

Spike Driver is a Double IPA by the Roseville Brewing Company, although this was released  under the label of Iron Triangle label. Iron Triangle references the history of the railroad in the area. The brewery opened in March 2012.

Diablo Dark

Diablo Dark is an American Stout by the Schubros Brewing Company. The brew pub is in San Ramon, CA although the bottle states it was brewed in San Jose. Not sure if they contract or if that's where they have their production brewery.

The Legendary Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale

Hobgoblin is a, well I've seen it called a Northern English Brown, a Extra Special Bitter, and Strong Dark Ale. Either way, it's English and doesn't really fit into the standard American styles. It's brewed by the Wychwood Brewery of Witney, England. The brewery is named after the Wychwood Forest that is near Witney.

Monkey First IPA

Monkey Fist IPA is brewed by Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine. Yes it's not a California beer, but I found it in California at Bel Air. And since they name boldly challenges the Sacramento native Monkey Knife Fight, I had to give it a try.

As the taste craft beer expands, established breweries try to expand as well. I can imagine the market is somewhat limited in Maine, so like many breweries Shipyard hooked up with a national distributor. National distribution can raise the profile of breweries, but with a risk of quality control. Beers that rely on hops for flavor, like an IPA, need to be drank sooner rather than later. Its very difficult for a brewery to control how long a beer sits on a shelf and most places that sell nationally distributed craft beers, like Bel Air, don't think about it.

Shipyard is an East Coast chain of brewpubs and breweries. They also own Sea Dog Brewing Company. Shipyard produces 150,000 barrels a year, putting it in the top 4% of of craft breweries in terms of production.

The aroma has caramel malts and distinct cascade hop profile, although faint. The taste has the caramel malts, some nuttiness, and an under current of piney hops. There's an enjoyable hop bitterness picks up in the end and lingers to round out the malt forward flavor. The mouthfeel is bubbly, a but dry and it has a medium body.

Overall, this is a different and decent IPA. It's self-described as a hybrid of American and English IPAs, which makes sense with the flavors. If you're a fan of English IPAs, they took the tasty English malts and threw in some American hops. It's worth a Try.

AleSmith IPA

This IPA is brewed by AleSmith Brewing of San Diego, CA. This is one of their year round beers. I bought it at Taylor's Market in Sacramento. It has an ABV of 7.25%

The aroma has some sweet grass and light fruit. The flavor is malt forward with caramel through out quick hit of alcohol flavor and some light fruit hops in the background. There's a light citrus rind bitter bite at the finish.The mouthfeel is creamy with a dry finish and the body medium to light.

This is a decent IPA and not as special as the reviews claim. I will give a little leniency since the bottle I got was bottled 7 weeks ago. At 7 weeks its a standard, though well-crafted, mellow IPA.

This is THE top rate IPA on RateBeer. I respectfully disagree. This is a good, IPA, but there's no rush. Try It sometime. I'm not sure how to  review a beer like this, other than to consider that the beer is nearly two months in the bottle. I bought the beer from a high end local market whose beer supply turns over fairly fast. So, I'm not sure who to blame for the long shelf life, the brewer or the seller.

This is one of the challenges of growing as a brewery - maintaining quality control of your brew as it reaches consumers hundreds and maybe thousands of miles away. IPA's are meant to be drank ASAP, the longer on the shelf the more flavor lost. I imagine having this brew fresh on tap in San Diego is a different experience. I appreciate that the brewer puts the bottling date on the bottle, its rare. Without the date I would right this off as a decent IPA.

I had this IPA before about a year ago. I had the same reaction that I am having as I write this - "eh". So, is the beer overrated, is the quality control not where it should be, or are my taste buds off?

Try It.