Oops, I accidentally got ahead of myself on this one. WTF has a light floral, hoppy aroma. The 7.8% alocohol is hidden pretty well by the nice balance of flavors and the very clean finish. I actually wrote in my tasting notes that this would make a nice session beer – I must not have read the ABV percentage. Lagunitas is well-known as a solid brewery putting out top-shelf beer at a mid-shelf price – you’ve gotta love that.
A light, spicy aroma is the first greeting you get from this ominously named IPA. The hoppy flavor is balanced with some maltiness. A spicy flavor also flickers in the background – not sure what it is, but it gives some added depth to the palette. I’m very interested in trying out some other beers by this brewery.
This one has a mellow hoppy, citrus aroma. It is lightly malty with a medium hoppiness at first sip. This is followed up by some tartness and bitterness that remains in your mouth for a while. The name made me think that it was going to be somewhat light, maybe a thirst quencher, but this one is a full-bodied beer. Don’t attempt this one as a session beer, it’s better taken in single dosages.
Strangely this beer reminds me of a German or Czech Pilsner even though it is an ale. It has a stronger flavor and more of a tongue lingering finish than a Pilsner but it definitely has some elements of its European cousin. If you are a Pale Ale fan then give this one a try. It isn’t your run-of-the-mill Pale.
Dead Guy Ale
Tan: I just looked this up and found out it is considered a German Maibock style ale. Whatever it is, this an excellent ale – well balanced, wonderful malt flavor, smooth finish. I was on vacation and bought this in the large, 64oz growler and WOW was it ever a perfect batch. It seemed more brown sugary out of the growler. It was so good we ended up buying two more growlers, which is really something since I love changing up my beer selection constantly. So gather your friends, crank up your favorite Dead song, and lift a pint to the sweet life.
Tan: Holy cow, what an aroma. If someone walked by with a pint of this I would be tempted to steal the beer from them just because of the wafting fumes. It has a sunshine hop flower aroma mixed with mango and grapefruit. Luckily the goodness doesn’t stop there. The flavor is a fresh IPA lovers dream. The flowery hop flavor is well balanced and without any heavy bitterness. It has a nice clean finish. This is one of my current favorite IPAs right now. I’m so glad this is now being distributed around Portland now and is available at many of the local supermarkets.
Tan: This is an interesting ale. At the first couple sips I wasn’t sure what to think – an English style ale yet something else is there. Ah yes, now I can taste it… Tea! The aroma is raisin and fig. After a few more sips I can now smell the tea aroma as well. The beer has a light initial bite that quickly subsides. There is a little tobacco in there. The finish is mellow with a tangy fruit flavor.
Tan: This beer is of the “Wee Heavy” variety of Scotch Ales meaning that it has more alcohol and is stronger flavored than a standard Scotch Ale. This one starts with a nice, tongue warming, big malt flavor. Some raisin notes appear in the aroma and chocolate on the palate. After a few sips it almost has a tongue numbing effect. It’s an excellent example of the Wee Heavy or Strong Scotch Ale style.
Tan: Although I love IPAs, I found this one to be a bit over the top. The aroma is quite nice with a fresh, floral hop fragrance. The flavor was very strong and heavy. The finish was citrus rind. The bitter finish was a bit much for me. I like a lot of Sierra Nevada’s offerings but this one was a tad too much for me. But that doesn’t mean I won’t give it another shot. Recommended for only the hard core IPA lovers.
Aaah – the infamous Guiness. A very popular beer especially on St. Patricks Day.
Most people think that because this beer is dark it has to be thick and hard to drink but that is actually not true. When we tasted this beer we actually thought it was quite tangy even a bit sour at times. Of course as Stouts go they are all pretty hardy and bready.
All in all if your looking for a dark beer that has some flavor but isn’t overpowering this is a great beer to go to.
And make sure to serve it as cold as you can. This beer is definitley better when served cold.
Cheers
TallBlackandTan
