Award

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Foothills Brewing Hop of the Month Mosaic India Pale Ale


Finally an IPA for Foothills and Hop of the Month series, this is Mosaic India Pale Ale, 7.0% ABV with an IBU of 69. This IPA is brewed with Mosaic hops, which are true to their name; provide a medley of flavorful notes. Bred from Nugget and Simcoe Hops. The Mosaic hop complex aromas yield to a variety of earthy, pine and fruit flavors; you should look for a predominance of mango, berry and lemon. Mosaic pours a deep copper orange color with a massive four finger white foamy head. Aroma is big and flavorful with nice fruits like a big of mango and slight lemon with faint hints of pine and some earthy notes. Taste is great with big grapefruit, touches of mango with very faint lemon. There is a bit of a pine with earthy notes as well to round it out. The mouth feel is on the lighter side with a nice semi-sweet, semi-bitter fruit finish with some slight pine to it. The after taste is smoother than you would expect on an IPA. There is a nice pine and fruit taste to it. This is another great beer in a great series. I give this an A+ for sure. I would have this again and again. Every flavor of this beer was awesome, they all melted together to create one great IPA. Foothills Hop of the Month Mosaic India Pale Ale is one I highly recommend trying, as well as the previous months in this great series of beers from Foothills Brewing. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Devils Backbone Cran-Gose

The Goes style is really growing in popularity among craft beer drinks and I think will continue to does. It was a once forgotten German style of beer that has made it back from near extinction, and now brewers are experimenting with this style. Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Lexington Virginia brews Cran-Gose, 4.0% ABV. Cran-Gose is a Gose style brewed with tart Cranberry, and comes via Brewpublik (www.Brewpublik.com). Cran-Gose pours a pinkish color with a bright white fizzy head that doesn’t stay very long. The aroma is filled with light cranberries and a slight saltiness. The flavor is much like cranberry juice with saltiness to it that is a little tart but not so much as some cranberry juices can be. The base Gose on this beer is mild with not a big tartness as some and some good salted flavor, but the addition of cranberries to it helps make slightly more tart. The mouth feel is light with a nice tart finish with a tart cranberry finish with a slight saltiness. Cran-Gose is a refreshing beer and that gives it a B. Just not enough on the base Gose to really make this a great beer. Needs stronger Gose flavors. But it was not bad. I would have this again and so should you. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Terrapin Beer Co. Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale


Farmhouse Ales have a strong popularity and continue to grow. The Farmhouse ale is an old world style that originally brewed in winter. To be consumed trough out the summer. The Farmhouse or Saison generally are a complex style, and many have very fruity aromas and flavors with earthy yeast tones and mild to moderate tartness. I have had my share of farmhouse ale but never one with a fruit add. This one, Terrapin Beer Co., Maggie’s Peach Farmhouse Ale, 5.3% ABV, comes to me via Brewpublik (www.Brewpublik.com). Terrapin is out of Athens Georgia. Maggie’s pours a very light orange and yellow color with a hazy to it, and an almost two finger head that bubbles away kind of slowly. Aroma is not as peachy as you might think it to be but there is a subtle yet faint peach aroma with some yeast notes. Taste is like what you get on the aroma not much peach flavor, but what I did get was okay and there is some spiciness with slight yeast notes that make it taste more along the lines of an apricot than a peach.  The mouth feel is light with a juicy feel, and this beer finish with a nice tartness. Aftertaste is fruity with some peach/apricot that fades away after settling for a while. This is Farmhouse ale isn’t bad but the peach flavor could have been stronger. I give this a B. I would like this to have more of a full peach flavor to it. It is quit drinkable and yet refreshing. I enjoyed this and would have it again as well as recommend that you try Terrapin Beer Co., Maggie’s peach Farmhouse Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!