Hobgoblin was a surprise for me. I was expecting a trick of cloyingly sweet treacle flavored old ale and instead sipped a refreshing ESB. Hobgoblin pours a beautiful ruby-brown with a big creamy tan head. Dark fruit, caramel malt, toffee and chocolate pervade the nose. A faint earthy, nutty, grassiness, hop aroma and even a whiff of Fall fireplace smoke …Read more »
Tonight 510 Bistro hosted an Oktoberfest tap takeover. Five breweries included: Gordon Biersch FestBier, Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest, Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Dust Bowl Oktoberfest and High Water ReinheitsgeNot Oktober-Phest. After much practical research it came down to two finalists: Firestone and Dust Bowl. Dust Bowl Oktoberfest has beautiful deep reddish-brown color and a huge white foamy head. It also has a …Read more »
Allagash Curieux is pure bliss. This is so complex that I got lost between the first malty-sweet sip and the long journey that ended with a spirit laden finish. The only change I’d make is to pour Curieux into a brandy snifter to capture and concentrate those bourbon, spice and vanilla aromas. Nice, very nice. Oh, and Curieux is one …Read more »
As the sunset on Oktoberfest I celebrated with an Oktoberfestbier at sunset. I wrapped up Oktoberfest with a Weihenstephaner Oktoberfestbier. What else? The pour revealed a bright, deep golden color with a huge, long-lasting, white rocky head. The nose was dominated by a clean toasted maltiness. A note of yeast is also hiding in the background. The first sip impression …Read more »
I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that Oktoberfest officially ends today…in Munich. The good news is that here in the US the celebratory reason-to-drink-beer-season cheerfully continues through October. Carry on with your brats, pretzels and dirndls. Vitus Weizenbock is light in color, but big on flavor. Big at 7.7% abv. It is one of the …Read more »
It’s Oktoberfest so German beer is in order. I started my tour with a Kristall Weissbier from Weihenstephaner which is a filtered wheat beer. Kristall is an indicator of the clarity of the style. Wheat beers are normally cloudy or hazy due to the yeast and the absence of husks that unlike barley, wheat lacks. The barley grain husk provides …Read more »
I say this is a little tame for a self professed “Wild” ale. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really good. Reinaert Wild Ale is a bottle conditioned Belgian strong ale. It pours a beautiful gold orange, slightly cloudy with a huge, long lasting, rocky head. The brettanomyces is very evident in the aroma. It does offer a distinctive horse blanket …Read more »
Oh such sweet sorrow… The last glass of my homebrewed Imperial Red Rye. Big, bold, malty and hoppy. This guy weighed in at 8.5% abv and 80 IBUs. The aroma is big with citrus and pine immediately followed by a malty almost roasty nose. The flavor strikes the palate as malty sweet at the start and immediately shows the character …Read more »
I attended an event at the Elbow Room in Fresno last night. I arrived early to explore their beer selection. Sadly, they didn’t have much of a beer list. I hadn’t tried the Sudwerk California Dry Hop Lager before, so I ordered up a bottle. The lager poured a very yellow, pale gold color with a big white and long …Read more »
Petrus Aged Pale & St Feullien Triple The Trappist in Oakland was once again a must stop. They are located on 460 8th St at Broadway. Very unique. Very cool. Visit the Front Bar and the Back Bar. You can order any beer from either bar. This stop I ordered the Petrus Aged Pale. It is a Flanders Oud Bruin …Read more »
