Eagle Rock Brewery, Craftsman Brewing - Unity (2011)

Tamarind Saison ~7% ABV

Appearance: It's light to medium copper colored, and slightly hazy with constant, visible carbonation. The pour in this picture is from a growler, so it has lost some of the fizz, but when poured fresh Unity has a small-ish (1-2 fingers) head but very good retention in a tulip glass.

Smell: Primarily tamarind (appropriately), with nice barnyard spice and sweet bready malt. None of the scents are overpowering in any way -- the total effect is that it's subtle but inviting.

Taste: It opens with tangy citrus on the palate, which makes its way into the tamarind notes over a backbone of nice bready character (similar to the nose.) There is spiciness throughout and especially into the finish.

Mouthfeel: It's medium bodied with refreshing effervescence when consumed fresh. From this growler, it was still medium bodied, but smoother.

Overall: Another saison I enjoy. It's not my favorite of Eagle Rock's beers, or even my favorite saison of theirs. But I like the style so much that this is easily something that I would purchase in bottles to have stashed for year-round consuming. As it's a seasonal release, I'll definitely be taking the opportunity to drink this as long as it's on tap.

So far I've preferred to give whole-number scores, but I'm going to break the trend here and give it 3.5/5. It gets a boost for being a saison -- and since I'm biased, being from Eagle Rock -- but there are other saisons (and as I mentioned, other ERB saisons) that I prefer.

Pretty Things - Jack D'Or

Saison "Americaine", 6.4% ABV

Appearance: Pale, like pinewood. Poured a nice, foamy head, but the head receded quickly and there is no residual lacing. Carbonation is very visible, and it's crystal clear in the glass.

Smell: Lemon zest, great breadiness and barnyard funk from the yeast, a bit of coriander.

Taste: Some nice complexity. There is earthy straw, the lemon and coriander from the nose, and some spice/pepper, possibly again from the yeast.

Mouthfeel: Nice light-medium body, and a very dry finish.

Overall: Two things I love about this beer -- 1) it drinks well at any temperature, and 2) the flavor profile. I nursed this one over the course of the evening because I kept getting distracted by various things, and every time I came back for a sip it was still delicious (this is sadly not the case for a lot of beers, excepting of course the ones that are meant to be drank at warmer temperatures.) I really liked that it smelled and drank like a saison typical of the style (with barnyard characteristics and clear spicy notes from the Belgian yeast) but also had some bold touches -- perhaps this is why they called it "Americaine?" -- like the hit of coriander and lemon zest. It's very drinkable and I'd drink it at any time of the year, though the dry finish lends itself particularly well to being a refreshing spring/summer beer.

4/5

Ballast Point - Indra Kunindra

"India-style" export stout, 7% ABV

This was a collaboration between Ballast Point and a local homebrewer, and as a result is one of the more original and out-there brews produced by Ballast Point.

Appearance: Very typical stout appearance -- like dark black oil, but with very little head and head retention.

Smell: It blows the mind. Cumin, coconut, and the spiced curry adjuncts are the strongest. Chocolate is very faint, and I don't get any coffee at all.

Taste: The whole body is bolstered by the (strong) undertone of coconut. In addition to the coconut, the first apparent tastes are the cumin and curry. At the end the added cayenne kicks in and definitely gives you that peppery warmth in the back of your throat. They say they also added lime juice; I don't detect it personally, but it's possible that it's imperceptible but the beer would somehow taste differently without it. The typical stout notes are barely present here, if at all. It basically seems like it's a stout just because that's the kind of weight that would support this much powerfully packed flavor.

Mouthfeel: It's actually light to medium in the body, which is light for a stout, but necessary for this beer. Too much physical body in the mouth would feel so overbearing with the flavor profile here.

Overall: I quite like it. I've had it twice now, both times in small quantities, and both times I've said that though I like it, and that this is absolutely a unique beer and I've never had anything like it, I don't know that I would want to undertake the whole 22oz bottle (or even a whole pint) all by myself. There is just so much going on. If you get the opportunity to try this, I'd highly recommend it, but try it out in small quantities first and see how you feel.

4/5

New Belgium Lips of Faith - Fresh Hop IPA

7% ABV, fresh hops (not pellets) used during the process

Appearance: A clear, light golden blonde color with a very small head, but what head is there is retained pretty well. Not a lot of lacing is left on the glass.

Smell: It's very immediately citrusy, and floral as well.

Taste: Wow. So good. It's very bright, and an immediate burst of fresh floral flavor hits the palate, followed by the ripe citrus fruit from the nose. The ending notes are earthy, fresh hops.

Mouthfeel: It's very light in the body, but with the bright and fresh flavors it's perfect -- very refreshing.

Overall: I don't have a lot of specific notes for this one, because it's kind of beautiful and uncomplicated. And by that I don't mean that it's not complex, because there is so much great stuff going on from the fresh hops that it's really lovely throughout the whole body of the beer. It's probably the most refreshing hoppy beer I've ever had. IPAs aren't heavy in the same way that a stout or a porter can be, but the flavors are often so powerful that you do kind of feel like you need to sit down while you're drinking one. This wasn't that way at all. I've never had another IPA like it, and really wish I could get my hands on some more (it's only available in very limited qualities in Colorado, possibly only at the brewery itself.)

5/5

Alpine Brewing - Duet

IPA, 7% ABV

This bottle was purchased at Alpine itself (really growing to love that place) four days ago, so it's lovely and wonderfully fresh. I've gotta love Alpine for not shying away from big earthy hop character, so having one of their fantastic IPAs fresh is a real treat. It's called Duet because of the "simcoe and amarillo hops in harmony."

Appearance: It's a really perfect butterscotch honey color. As you can see, it's perfectly clear, and it pours a small one-finger's worth of head; however, the head retention is really great and stayed throughout the whole time I drank from the glass.

Smell: Immediate aromas are tropical fruit and spicy grass.

Taste: The first taste to hit the tongue is the spicy freshness of the hops. I then get mango and pineapple, and it's the fruit character that contributes most of the apparent sweetness, not any huge malt background (yay from me!) As the beer warmed up, a bite from the alcohol at the end became more apparent, which is a bit surprising from a 7% IPA, but it wasn't unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: The body is nice -- full and thick, with moderate carbonation that plays nicely with the bitterness to lighten up the overall effect. It's very bright, clean, and refreshing, without being dry.

Overall: This isn't a particularly "unique" IPA, but it doesn't have to be. It's a great representation of the style, and I'd highly recommend it to fellow hopheads. I love the mixture of tropical fruit and earthy grass/pine in both the smell and the taste (something that the ineffable Pliny the Elder brings to the table) and would happily bring this into regular rotation, if such a thing existed any longer -- "regular rotation" is a relic of a time when I wasn't trying to pretentiously blog every new beer I try. But enough about me -- try "Duet." I think I still prefer Pure Hoppiness, but I'd have to do a side-by-side to elaborate why. I may have just thrown a bunch of unintended shade, but really, this is an awesome beer.

5/5

Jolly Pumpkin / Stone / Nøgne Ø - Special Holiday Ale

"Winter" ale, 8.5% ABV

If DFH's Punkin ale is a fantastic fall ale, then this is its winter equivalent.

Appearance: Rich, dark chestnut. Cloudy, and pours out a nice 2-finger head. Retention of the head isn't stellar, and not a lot of lacing is left, but overall it's enticing.

Smell: It smells piney, and wonderfully spiced. Clove, coriander, and wood resin are predominant.

Taste: There is a nice caramel malt backbone that supports the spiced elements to the beer. It tastes a lot like how it smells. The best way to describe it is like a richer, smoother spiced cider -- and not cider like beer-adjacent cider. Cider like hot apple cider in the winter.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, rich, and creamy. The carbonation is present, but doesn't detract from the smoothness or the flavor. Really enjoyable.

Overall: It would be lovely with an apple or pumpkin pie in front of the fireplace. It's called a "Winter Warmer" over on Beer Advocate, and though "Warmer" isn't really descriptive as a style of beer, it's certainly descriptive of the quality and experience of the beer.

4/5