Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Founders Centennial IPA: 24

Taste: 8 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 24

Centennial IPA has a cloudy and amber color. The aroma is full of grapefruit, hay, and hops. Upfront it has a nice honey and hay flavor. That is quickly overtaken by bitter hops. Under it is a bit of earthy hay and grains and a bit of spice. Under that is some alcohol. The hops and alcohol stays on the tongue for a bit, but it's not too heavy. Overall, this is a medium IPA leaning towards extreme. Good balance of flavors and good complexity. A very solid brew.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Rebel Yell Bourbon Whiskey: 21

Taste: 8 Finish: 5 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 21

Rebel Yell delivers what you expect and yet surprises. The aroma has a bit of butterscotch and grains. And also a big whiff of alcohol. Up front it has a very nice buttery flavor and mouthfeel. It just rolls over the tongue. It also has some spice and hay. But mostly butter. In the back the Yell kicks in. It's a very bold whiskey with lots of alcohol and burn. Even cutting it with a splash of water or ice can't stop the Yell. I can take it, but it's a bit much. So definitely check it out if you want flavor and kick. A good choice.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale: 23

Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Visual: 3 Aroma: 5
Total: 23

Hop Stoopid clocks in at 102 IBU. This should put it in contention with Arrogant Bastard and a few other excessively hopped brews.

The color is kind of bland. A very plain amber color. But it does have a large head. The aroma is great. Tons of grapefruit and orange. It's perfect.

Wow it's smooth. Yes there is a good hit of bitterness upfront. It's lightly carbonated which helps take some of the bite off of it. The hops make way for some nice grapefruit underneath. And unlike Arrogant Bastard, the finish is very clean.

Overall a nice brew but it's not as complex as I'd like. And I don't taste the 102 IBU. It's much mellower than that.