Yep, I’m 31 going on 10, if you couldn’t tell…lol. Anyway, tonight’s pour is from Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg, CA. Quite honestly I picked this one up Because Racecar! There’s a faint checkered flag background behind the huge yellow number roundel. Bear states right on the back of the label that this is a big beer from a brewery who’s motto is “Bigger is Better.” They’ve certainly hit the nail on the head with this one – and driven it straight home to collect the checkered flag it deserves. Straight away, the aroma is a balanced mix of pungent resin with a super floral note; and the first sip lets that floral continue into awesome flavor. The resin aroma gives way to some interesting fruit flavors. Very clean and refreshing, orange and grapefruit come charging up to round things out nicely. Despite being a “bigger is better” sort of IPA, it’s still very approachable, something even a novice IPA drinker could appreciate, I think. Overall, this is definitely one of the best IPAs I’ve had, and considering I picked it up on a whim because I liked the label, it’s amazing!

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Here’s a good one – Stone Brewing’s brewmaster has turned to one of his idols to create a one-of-a-kind IPA – Sierra Nevada Brewing. I’ve said it many times, but here it is again – both Stone and Sierra LOVE playing around with experimental brews, and now that they’ve teamed up, they might have “blown the bloody doors off.” NxS has so much going on, it’s simply incredible. I’ve never tasted anything like it, honestly. They brewed an IPA which was then split 50/50 into rye and gin-infused bourbon barrels for aging, then mixed that with an identical IPA — I think. The description on the bottle is a bit confusing, and I think seeing a “family tree” style drawing might make it easier to follow where everything went, and when. Somebody create Beer Ancestry, now!! 

Being a HUGE fan of rye whiskey, that’s obviously the first flavor that comes at me. And it’s all there. I’ve had plenty of other whiskey and bourbon barrel aged brews, but this takes the cake. It’s amazingly well-balanced, super smooth, and there’s no harsh finish you get on some of them. Once the rye subsides, the army of hops comes charging forward. They’ve used Magnum, followed by Amarillo, Chinook and Cascade to create a unique mixture of bitter, floral, citrusy, slightly herby, and pleastly resinous. I know that sounds like most of the typical descriptors for hops, but it’s true – they all shine individually; but also combine at various stages on the palate to create some new flavors. The finish is super smooth – it has an almost vanilla flavor, reminiscent of a quality porter or stout. In closing, this is likely one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted, I’d absolutely pick up many more bottles in a heartbeat. I would love to see how this one ages, despite being an IPA – which should absolutely be consumed as fresh as possible – I think it might age 3-6 months very nicely. 

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Well, it’s been a while. My apologies on that…pretty much hit Thanksgiving week and everything “normal” went straight out the window. Now that we’re a full week into 2016, I feel like things are finally calming down enough to focus on some good beer. So here we go!

My first review of the new year is from a small brewery I’d never heard of in Biddeford, ME, despite having been through there a number of times for work. Banded Horn Brewing, despite being small and relatively unknown, is doing something right. Very right. Veridian IPA is described as a combination – Verdant, Viridia, and Veritas. Lush, green, truth – more or less. While the beer is not green, luckily (though green eggs and ham with green beer would be fun), it’s certainly lush, and that’s the truth. There’s a really nice tang to this one, it sits right on the middle of my tongue. The nose is super light, mostly a hint of mild citrus with a slight herbal tail. Working through my glass, this brew opens up nicely, releasing a wonderful floral flavor. Overall, Veridian IPA is an awesome beer, and I can’t wait to try more Banded Horn, and visit the brewery.
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Here’s a new one – a maple syrup- finished, bottle-conditioned IPA. Right on the  bottle they say sometimes 90 is too much and 60 is too little, but 75 is perfect…they’ve got that right.

The nose on this one is very much traditional Dogfish IPA, sort of a musky aroma. After that, all bets are off – the maple comes through really strong, but not overpowering. As much as I like 90-minute, I find the finish to be harsh, resulting in my only drinking one at a time – not something overly sessionable. This has a similar underlying flavor, but the sweetness of the maple cuts the finish down by a ton, making a big bottle easy to drink in its entirety. This brew is the perfect “Sunday Sipper” when sitting on the couch with friends, watching your favorite television program (for us, it’s F1 racing today), or just relaxing on your own. Regardless of where you’re at when popping this bottle, you’re in for an awesome experience!

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Beer Man and I were pleasantly surprised by this Zin. Zins for us are sort of hit or miss. Sometimes I like them, sometimes he likes them, sometimes we both like them. I tend to love old vine zins most of all, which usually means I find regular zins a little lacking.

Not this zin! The Pellegrini is nice in that it has a lot of the flavor characteristics of an old vine (oak, smoke, dark dark berries, dry), but it is a lighter more user-friendly version. This is a wine you can drink with food, sip all night or both! Both Beer Man and I have thoroughly enjoyed this bottle and were a little sad to see the bottle pour its last drop. This was another highly delicious bottle shipped as part of our Wine Awesomeness membership.

-Winey Woman 🙂