Review #3 - Brits & Krauts

The beers for this review were gringo's choice. It was Mr. Steinback/Whittington's birthday, so we drank all German and English beers. Beers were consumed in order by color from lightest to darkest.

Beer #1 - St. Pauli Girl Lager
German
Abv 4.9%

Lynn - It looks and tastes like Budweiser, but more bitter than Bud. I think Hitler brought it over to kill us.
Mel - Smells like a hardcore, old school beer.
Christina - Smells like Coors.
Ruben - I like it!

Beer #2 - Hopf: Helle Weibe
German
Abv 5.3%

Helle Weibe is similar to a hefewizen

Mel - This smells much sweeter than the lager
Ruben - Cinnamony; tastes like Christmas
Lynn - I taste the spice, I like it.
Christina - It doesn't taste as "thick" as other hefs
Ruben - I don't usually like wheat beers, but this one's not that bad. *burp*
Lynn - It smells different coming out of Rubin's burp.

Beer #3 - Wells & Young Banana Bread Beer
English Pale Ale
Abv 5.2%

Kurt - The greatest beer in the history of Earth.
Ruben - It's too sweet.
Christina - It's very golden in color. When it first hits your pallet it really tastes like banana.
Lynn - I could order this at a bar. Very flavorful - desserty.  I can really smell the banana.
Mel - Not bad. I like the smell.

Beer #4 - Morland's Old Crafty Hen
English Ale
Abv 6.5%

Christina bought this with her older sister, Mel, in mind.

Ruben - This is smooth. After you drink, breath out with your mouth partly open and you taste raisin.
Kurt - It smells like an amber.
Christina - It doesn't have the smell that I normally equate to beer, which I think always smells like piss. Though we should get it again and chill it more.
Mel - Oh my god. *hack* It left my mouth so dry.

Beer #5 - Bamber Mahr's Brau Christimas Bock
German
Abv 6%

Christina - It's a little hoppy, but I could drink this.
Ruben - It's like an IPA light

Note: rest of table is a little buzzed and is getting sleepy.

Beer #6 - Newcastle Brown Ale
English
Abv 4.7%

Ruben - This tastes like nothing, now.
Mel - Yeah, I barely taste a thing after the other beers.
Christina - Tastes like mud with water.
Lynn - I like it.
Kurt - It has more color than taste.

Beer #7 - Erdinger Hefe-Weizen Dunkel
German
Abv 5.3%

Mel - Smells good. Tastes like a strong Newcastle. I like it.
Ruben - It's very carbonated, like it's a man's soda.
Kurt - I think it smells like seaweed.
Christina - An oaky aftertaste.
Lynn - Doesn't taste as thick as it looks. I like it because it doesn't have a lot of taste.

Beer #8 - Mean Time London Porter
English
Abv 6.5%

Lynn - It tastes very different and looks like a dip cup.
Kurt - It smells like fish or bait.
Christina - Smokey. Not my favorite porter, but I'll drink it.
Ruben - Bitter coffee. I wouldn't buy it, but I'd drink it.
Isaac (guest taster) - It tastes like bitter old-man ass.

That wraps up BBR #3. Most of the beers were a little bland compared to ones tasted in the past. Wells & Young Banana Bread Beer was the default winner.

Review #2 - Blondes and IPA's

For this second beer tasting the ladies in the group thought blondes sounded nice - cute and fun! IPA's were chosen as well to 1. be a stark contrast to the blondes and 2. IPA's are the it beer right now, not just with hypsters, but particularly in Southern California. It's all but mandatory for breweries in San Diego County to make an IPA their primary beer.

So, lets get to the beer . . .


Blonde #1 - Wychcraft
4.5% ABV
A dry tasting beer.

Christina - Smells like Coors Light! It's a beer my dad would like.
Kurt - The smell reminds me of a (cheap) beer from high school.
Ruben - Yeah! Like a beer from high school. No foo-foo flavors, just straight out beer. What teenagers should drink if they're going to drink beer. It's an expensive sporting event beer.
Lynn - Tastes like pee . . . but I don't know what pee tastes like. 

Blonde #2 - Stawberry Blonde
4.5% ABV
Very strong strawberry smell. Lemony, zesty, bitter.

Kurt - Mmmmm, smells like girls in elementary school. It has a lot of smell, but not a lot of taste.
Ruben - Oh yeah,  it smells like that lip gloss that Brenda Hughsman used to put on.
Melinda - This is a beer that you can put sugar on the rim and have, like, a lemon drop.
Lynn - Maybe you have to, to give it some flavor.

Blonde #3 - Afflingem
7% ABV
It's got floaties. You can taste the hops, but without the bitter hoppiness of IPA. In general, the group thought it was very good, but hard to describe.

Melinda - Smells good.
Kurt - More carbonated.
Ruben - Almost like a wheat beer. Kind of thick/syrupy. Rich in beer flavor.
Lynn - It would make you full very fast.

Blonde #4 - The Lost Abbey Devotion
6.25 ABV
Hoppy, tastes more like a mild IPA

Ruben - Tastes like a hoppy Fat Tire.
Melinda - It's thick. Looks like pee with a UTI. So hoppie my burp hopped out of my throat.
Lynn - It smells like farts.
Kurt - The bottle pours weird. It was hard to poor without a foamy head and it dripped everywhere. 

Blonde #5 - Alley Cat Amber Ale
5.5% ABV
Slightly bitter after taste, but smooth flavor while drinking. Very refreshing

Ruben - Whoa, I got a totally different flavor than the first sip . . . like my buds were confused.
Kurt - Wouldn't drink it with food. It has too much flavor.
Ruben - Yeah, except for pizza! It would be excellent with pizza.

IPA #1 - Port Brewing Wipe Out IPA
7% ABV

Melinda - Holy!!! . . . If I were to eat shit, this would go good with it.
Lynn - Can you write this down? (bitter beer face)
Ruben & Kurt - We think it's like something you could drink on a hot day at the beach.
Christina - You know what IPA's taste like to me? Like you're chewing on an orange or a lemon peel. This one, though, tastes like a 16 year old boy's . . . . . . . armpit.

IPA #2 - Port Brewing Mongo
8.5% ABV
Smell is not as strong and flavor is more mild than previous Port Brewing IPA.

Melinda - It looks like sewer water.
Kurt - It tastes like the last one, to me.
Ruben - Ah, smells like feet. It's stronger taster . . . it's strongier. You can tell these beers have more alcohol.

Lynn - Didn't I say this one tastes fruity?
Melinda - That was three beers ago.

By the 7th beer, the conversation had turned to farts, hot boxing and cartoons . . .


IPA #3 - Renaissance Brewing Company Malty Pale Ale
8.5% ABV
New Zealand brewed beer

Ruben - This is the best IPA I've ever had. It's crisp, not citrusie. A smoother IPA.Hint of chocolate; dark chocolate.
Melinda - Like how mom likes her men.
Lynn - I didn't make a face with this one.
Christina - It has a weird smell, like yeast. This one's bitterness hits the middle of my tongue. Smoky taste on the front. Go Kiwi's. This is a good tasting beer.
Kurt - I can really taste the malts
Ruben - Good to drink at a barbecue

Es bueno!

IPA #4 - Underworld IPA
6% ABV
Kurt - It smells sweet.
Ruben - Very sugary. If you have diabetes, stay away from it.
Christina - It was on sale for $1.99.
Melinda - And it tastes like a $1.99.

Barrio Beer Review Quote:
Melinda - "Addendum" - See, I can use big words.

Note: After beer #9 the conversation moved to menstruating. Ruben - "Hey, hey, lets go back to talking about farts."

IPA #5 - Stone IPA
6.9% ABV

Ruben - The typical IPA; little citrusie & hoppy, then a bitter aftertaste. Light flavor. A novice to a beer snob would appreciate this beer.
Kurt - It's the baseline IPA. You can tell it's a hypster beer - it has a long, self involved description.
Melinda - It smells like the first beer we had tonight; the Wychcraft.

Bonus Beer - Oyster Stout
4.5% ABV
Brewed with oyster shells.

Lynn - It looks like I'm drinking Ruben's dip cup.
Anonymous - It smells like a dookie yard. Doesn't taste how it looks.
Kurt - It tastes blah.
Lynn - It tastes better than I expected.
Ruben - I taste a hint of the sea.
Christina - A little salty.

And that wraps up BBR #2. Renaissance Brewing Company's Malty Pale Ale was the winner this round.

Review #1 - A Beer Tasting Medley

This initial beer tasting and idea for this blog stemmed from a night when the three Escandon siblings brought their stockpiles of beers together to see what they could get rid of. Bottles were opened, glasses were poured, beers were drank and somehow legible notes were taken.

This tasting consists of a random medley of beers. No rhyme or reason was given for which beers were chosen or what order they were drank in.

Beer #1 - Ass Kisser Smoked Porter
8% ABV
Smokey with a chocolatey aftertaste. Not too dark.

Beer #2 - Abita Amber
4.5% ABV
Smooth with an initial caramel flavor. Smells like a common light beer.

Beer #3 - Moose Drool Brown Ale
5.1% ABV
Smooth. Not too dark. Slightly malty. A crowd pleaser.

Beer #4 - Alley Cat Amber Ale
5.5% ABV
Bitter and hoppy

Beer #5 - Sierra Nevada Hoptimum IPA
10.4% ABV
Very strong aftertaste.
Ruben - "Very piney, sweet to bitter taste."
Melinda - "Taste like you accidently sprayed perfume in your mouth."
Christina - "Tastes like armpit."

Beer #6 - Underworld Brewing American IPA
6% ABV
Not as piney as Hoptimum. Leaves mouth dry. It's like an angry chihuahua.

Beer #7 - Bootlegger's Brewery Old World Hefeweizen
5% ABV
German style unfiltered wheat beer. Cinnamon and citrus tastes.

Beer #8 - Hanger 24 Orange Wheat
4.6% ABV
Very light bodied. Fruity compared to other wheats. Like beer mixed with pulpy orange juice. Your burps have a hint of lemon.

Beer #9 - Buffalo Bill's Brewery Strawberry Blonde Ale
5.2% ABV
Polarizing taste. Some thought it was great with a unique, slight ginger taste. Others thought it was too sweet or tasted like grass.

Beer #10 - Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
6% ABV
Smooth, slightly smokey coffee flavored porter with a hopie aftertaste.

Beer #11 - Ballast Point Indra Kunindra Stout
7% ABV
Very peppery, spicy taste, like Cheyenne.Slight vanilla taste. Smells like coconut curry. Might make a good marinade.

Beer #12 - Alaskan White Wheat Ale
5.3 ABV
Brewed with spices. Refreshing.

Beer #13 - Firestone Solace Wheat
4.8% ABV
Seasonal, summer beer. A very light wheat beer with the taste of citrus and cloves. An "everyday" drinking beer. Tastes like a fruity lager.

Beer #14 - Traquair House Ale
7.2% ABV
Scottish brown ale brewed in the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. Flavor of a dark brown ale, but very smooth. Has a mysterious taste to it. A favorite by several in the group.

Group Polling
If you were going to a party and wanted to take a good drinking beer with you, which one of these would you take?
Ruben, Melinda and Kurt - Alaskan White (anybody would like eat)
Christina - Moose Drool
Lynn -Buffalo Bill's Strawberry Blonde

Which was the most interesting beer you tasted tonight?
Ruben, Melinda, Christina & Kurt - Ballast Pointe Indra Kunindra
Lynn -  Buffalo Bill's Strawberry Blonde