Three Floyds - Arctic Panzer Wolf

Imperial/Double IPA, 9% ABV
This beer is available year-round from Three Floyds. As with other Three Floyds beers, I received it in a trade because we don't get it here.

Appearance: Cloudy, light honey-colored. Similar to a hefeweizen, actually. Very little head (as you can see in the photo!) and no retention of that head.

Smell: Citrus! Very sweet citrus, almost overripe. I get primarily pineapple, and maybe some orange?

Taste: For me, it's equal parts yeast and hops, which isn't bad, since as you know my main criterion is that it's not too malty. I definitely get some orange and pineapple, with a bready finish. Even though it's rather boozy, the heat from the alcohol is pretty well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Pretty average -- not very heavy or light, and a somewhat sticky finish. If it were a little more dry, I'd be impressed.

Overall: I like it! It's not the best DIPA I've ever had, but I'm pretty picky after trying as many as I have. But this definitely falls into the category of "would recommend, and would have again."

3.5/5

Three Floyds - Alpha King

Pale ale, 6% ABV
Alpha King is available year-round in areas with Three Floyds distribution. As with other Three Floyds beers, I received it in a trade because we don't get it here. 

Appearance: Cloudy amber, head is practically nonexistent. Not a lot of lacing left behind on the glass either.

Smell: Wow -- this smells like it is going to be one hoppy pale ale. There is a burst of citrus, primarily lemon and grapefruit as well, and a hint of caramel malt backbone.

Taste: This really does toe the line of IPA territory! Citrus is at the forefront of the sip, and it's fortified by malt on the palate. It finishes with a touch of pine and earthiness. It's really refreshing and very nice.

Mouthfeel: Overall light, with a creamy texture as well. A decent amount of carbonation, but not overbearing. Overall effect bolsters the refreshing feeling of the taste.

Overall: Three Floyds likes their bold flavors, and as such they've released a pale ale that is equally close to an IPA as it is to a pale. It still drinks really easily, and there is no heat from the alcohol, which is nice. I'd definitely love to be able to have this on hand, but alas, it's pretty much only acquired through training!

4/5

Three Floyds - Dreadnaught

Double/Imperial IPA, 9.5% ABV
This IPA has year-round availability in Three Floyds distribution areas. As with other Three Floyds beers, I received it in a trade because we don't get it here.

Appearance: It's light golden amber with a dense, creamy head. The head has great retention and leaves sticky lacing on the glass.

Smell: All sticky, dank hops, with biscuit and honey.

Taste: This beer claims citrus, but I taste floral character from the hops hops on a caramel malt backbone. There's also slight astringency and burn from the alcohol. The lasting flavor on the tongue is pine and grass.

Mouthfeel: Big and smooth, a bit sticky, but it finishes more dry than I would expect.

Overall: A pretty balanced, drinkable (relative to the style) double IPA. I'm the type that (perhaps unfortunately?) doesn't want my double IPAs to be well balanced though -- I want to leave the malt behind and be blown over by hops. Still, this was a tasty, skillfully crafted beer that I enjoyed drinking, so I can't fault it too much for doing its thing well.

4/5

Rogue Brewing - VooDoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale

This 5.6% smoked ale boasts 13 ingredients: "Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, House-smoked Hickory Malt, Great Western 2 Row, Munich, C15, C75 Malts; Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Pure Maple Flavoring, Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution & Independent Hops, Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast."

This is a limited release from Rogue that I got from Red Carpet.

Group tasting means unconventional photo. Live a little!

Appearance: Looks like a fairly non-assuming amber ale, with a pretty decent head. The head disappears quickly though and doesn't add much character to the beer itself.

Smell: Smoke.

Taste: Smoke.

Mouthfeel: Ok, I'll keep going with taste. There is a bit of maple right at the beginning of the sip, but it's quickly overpowered by smoke. Then if you get past the smoke (it's hard) there is an umami character from what I presume is the bacon. Other than basic malt/yeastiness, the doughnut part doesn't really seem to contribute at all.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied but finishes pretty heavy. The smoke just makes the whole thing seem so oppressive.

Overall: I give them points for creativity, but I really was not a fan of this. If this drank more like an actual maple bacon doughnut, it would be a little weird, but still totally tasty! It actually tasted just like ingesting a smoke bomb. Not a fan.

1.5/5

Alesmith - Yulesmith Holiday Ale 2011

Red ale, 8.5% ABV
This is pretty widely available in larger California markets during the fall (starting about September/October.)

Look at that head!

Appearance: It's reddish amber with a thick head (4 fingers) and sticky lacing on the glass. The beer is totally clear and lacks visible carbonation.

Smell: Honey and caramel are at the forefront, along with some pine from the hops.

Taste: Like on the nose, the main contribution from the hops is pine, and a bit of resin. They're nicely balanced by the sweet malt backbone. There is a bit of a bready character as well.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light, actually, but the finish is a bit on the sticky side.

Overall: A nice, hoppy alternative to a lot of the sweet, spiced holiday ales! It's not per se up there with my holiday favorites, but it was definitely a different direction compared to most of the other holiday offerings in the fall.

3.5/5

Ska Brewing - Toasters 30th Anniversary SheBeen Black IPA

ABV Unknown
I know nothing about this brewer or this beer! It was purchased and consumed in Vail, Colorado -- likely a local microbrewery.

Drinking beer out of a wine glass... I'm so FANCY!

Appearance: It looks like a porter. Deep black and opaque. There is some nice lacing.

Smell: All I get is roasted coffee.

Taste: There is a slight hop bitterness, and also bitterness from the roasted (almost burned) coffee character. Overall it's just bitter and acerbic.

Mouthfeel: Medium and smooth bodied, with light carbonation.

Overall: I was really not impressed by this. There was no depth of flavor or balance. It was just coffee and bitter both on the nose and the palate. It wasn't gross or horrible to drink, just very basic.

2/5

Russian River - Blind Pig

IPA, 6.1% ABV
Blind Pig is brewed year-round, but it's only available in many markets on a batch-by-batch basis. When a new batch gets sent here to LA, it probably won't be on the shelves for more than a day or two at most good bottle shops. Some shops limit purchases to one bottle per customer per day because of its popularity.

 Appearance: Honey colored, with a smallish (2 fingers) head, which recedes quickly and demonstrates little retention. There is also very little lacing on the glass.

Smell: The aroma here isn't overpowering, and the hops in particular were not very prevalent. The malt was obvious, with caramel and biscuit scents.

Taste: It's also very biscuity on the palate, with some pine. The male backbone is present but not overpowering. There are also notes of apricot and lemon zest.

Mouthfeel: This beer is medium to full bodied, and a bit sticky.

Overall: I hinted earlier that I may be doing Russian River a disservice by comparing Blind Pig to Pliny the Elder, a DIPA and one of my favorite beers of all time. This is definitely a quality IPA, but I wasn't blown away, unfortunately. Adding to that was my disappointment in missing out on the hop aroma that I love so much. It just wasn't there for me.

3.5/5