Ballast Point Brewing Company The Commodore American Stout

These days The Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California) is more famous for they’re Sculpin IPA beers more than they’re other beers. But I have decided to seek out some of their other offerings such as this The Commodore American Stout, 6.5% ABV. The Commodore pours a thick deep motor oil color with a dark brown almost black four finger bubbly head that stays for a long time until it fades into thick lacing. The aroma is of roasted burned coffee and dark chocolate with some coco. Taste is pretty much like the aroma with some added coffee bitterness in the middle and more so on the back. Not such a great taste. The mouth feel is full and big with a roasted bitter finish and a bitter chocolate finish that lingers till the next sip. I didn’t find this American stout to be great; it’s more of a D+. It had too much bitterness and a burned flavor to it. Reminded me of coffee that has been over cooked or burned. I don’t like it that way. That’s bad coffee and so is The Commodore American Stout. Ballast Point Brewing does brew good beers but this isn’t one. Don’t try this one! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!   

Leinenkugel Brewing Company Grapefruit Shandy

Shandy is beer mixed with a soft drink, such as carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale, apple juice, or orange juice. The mixture is adjusted according to taste and is usually half-and-half. Leinenkugel Brewing Company of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (since 1867) brews this Grapefruit Shandy 4.2% ABV and is a Weiss beer brewed with honey and grapefruit. Grapefruit Shandy pours a hazy yellow color with light pink hues to it and a one and a half finger of white head that fades somewhat quickly into thin lacing. The aroma is very sweet with honey and fresh grapefruit and a bit of Weiss beer scent. The taste on Grapefruit Shandy is really refreshing with lots of sweetness with some touches to tartness from the grapefruit but mostly a nice sweetness from it. The sweetness kind of over takes the Weiss beer but there is a little bit of a faint banana note there. The mouth feel is medium with a sweet and faintly tart grapefruit finish. The after taste is sweet but a little less than the first taste and lingers enough for you to really enjoy it. Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy is so refreshing I say its A+. I recommend that you go and try it! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Sugar Creek Brewing Company White Ale

Local beers from you town are always good to at least try. Here is a good example of that, Sugar Creek Brewing White Ale, 4.9% ABV. Sugar Creek takes its name from the local Sugar Creek that flows through Charlotte. White ale or witbier is Belgian style that is usually cloudy due to that fact that it’s unfiltered, and is brewed with high levels of wheat and oats that are used in the mash. Sugar Creek White Ale pours a cloudy bright yellow color with a half to one finger head of brilliant white that quickly fades away in to foamy lacing. The aroma is somewhat sweet with hints of oats and faint wheat. White Ale taste at first like most white ale and the middle you get a thick flavor of a yeast note followed by a nice semi-sweetness in the back. The mouth feel is on the higher side of medium. This beer has nice smoother faint sweet finish with wheat like light sweet aftertaste. This is good white Ale but I’ve had better so I give it a C+. Hoegaarden is a better example but not to say that Sugar Creek White Ale is bad. This just lacked the lemon notes that are sometime found in good white ales. I might have this again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly

Coronado Brewing Comapny Crown Series Sock knocker IPA

IPAs are good and I enjoy them, but I’m not a big fan of Imperial IPAs. They tend to have too much hoppy intense flavor and can be quite bitter, and in your face. I do try them to see if it’s a good Imperial IPA. Well he is on Imperial IPA from Coronado Brewing Company in Coronado California is Their Crown Series Sock Knocker IPA, 8.5% ABV. This is an Imperial IPA that is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus, and Simcoe hops.  Sock Knocker pours a lighter copper color with some orange hues and a one and a half finger white head that fade quickly into some light lacing. Aroma is dank and bitter with earthy notes and touches of strong pine aroma. You definitely smell that this is an Imperial IPA. Sock Knocker up front is slightly bitter with flavors of light onion then becomes a more earthy, piney and bitter in the middle and the back is big with hop resin flavors and bitter pine and earthy notes. The mouth feel is medium Sock Knocker finishes earth and bitter with a bitter after taste that lingers just enough to wallops you in the face. As this beer warms you get more of a onion flavor with some hoppy notes This beer proves to myself that I am not a big fan of Imperial IPA. So it gets a D-. Too much bitterness isn’t to this is not to my liking. I found to Sock Knocker to kill your taste buds, so this isn’t a beer you want to drink first when have multiple beers. I won’t beer have Sock Knocker again. Cheers! Please Enjoy responsibly!   

The Pike Brewery High Five Salish Lodge & Spa Hopped Honey Ale

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The Pike Brewery in Seattle Washing is one of my favorite breweries. While I was in Seattle this past spring I happened to go to The Pike Brewery and have some of their beers. One, in particular, I had I tap, Pike High Five Salish Lodge & Spa Hopped Honey Ale, 5.6% ABV with 24 IBUs, really caught my attention and I said I need to review this. Well, it just so happens that they have bottled it and are distributing into here in North Carolina. High Five is collaboration, but a different kind of collaboration, not just between to breweries, but between the Pike Brewery and Salish Lodge & Spa. Salish produces the honey that is used in this beer, along with aromatic Yakima Valley Hops. High Five pours a dark yellow color with a deep orange tint to it that makes it look more of an orange color. The head is a bright fluffy white standing two fingers tall and slowly fades into thick gorgeous laving.  The aroma is sweet with tiny traces of a hopped aroma; there is also a faint biscuit scent. The taste is that you’ll what to enjoy over and over. There is sweetness from the honey up front and a biscuit flavor in the middle and a very faint hoppy note on the back. High Five has a nice faint hoppy-sweet finish that lingers into a sweet honey biscuit aftertaste, which coats the mouth. When I had High Five on Tap at the Pike Brewery I knew it was excellent and had to review it for sure. It’s is most definitely A+ beer. I highly recommend it and would rush to have it again, and I can’t say enough good things about The Pike Brewery. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

New Sarum Salisbury Brewing Co. High Rock Red Ale

I am not one that truly loves the Red Ale style of beer. I like some and I don’t like others, unlike some styles that I love, like a hefeweizen. Red Ale or American Amber is a catch-all for any beer less than dark ale/brown ale in color. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. New Sarum Salisbury Brewing Co. in Salisbury North Carolina brews High Rock Red Ale, 6.0% ABV. This Red Ale is brewed with Marris Otter and Rye with an addition of English hops. High Rock Red Ale pours a gorgeous deep amber-red color with a slight off white tan head that sits two and a half fingers high. The aroma is sweet with rye malts and a slight yet faint caramel notes. High Rock Red Ale tastes smooth at first followed by a smooth sweetness and malted sweetness on the back. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice smooth and sweet finish with a nice light fruity sweet after taste that lingers around for what seems like forever. This is one beer that you don’t want to stop drinking it’s for sure an A+. It is smooth and very well balanced. You need to try this! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!