Review #7 - The Fiesta Beer Review

One of the Escandon siblings decided that her garage would make a great setting for a beer tasting for toda la familia! So everyone and their uncle came over to taste a random assortment of brews and merriment was had by all.

Beer #1 - Alaskan Jalapeño Imperial IPA
8.5% ABV
Red in color

Mamma Whittington - The color is nice.
Ruben Jr. - It's not spicey, but I taste the jalapeño flavor. I could drink this with nachos!
Pappa Whittington - If you hold it in your mouth you'll taste the jalapeño.
Lynn - I still don't taste any jalapeño.
Kurt - Blah.
Melinda - Not a fan.

Beer #2 - Josephsbrau Bawarian Style Hefeweizen
5.3% ABV

Kurt - Is this a UTI beer, Mel?
Melinda - Nah, it's something else. It's rather thick! Has a cinnamon taste.
Lynn - It has a spice to it.
Tiff - A winter spice.
Kurt - Wow, it tastes very smooth on your tongue.
Lynn - Not my favorite hef.
Christina - I do taste the clove.
Ruben Sr. - I def taste the dirt in it.

Beer #3 - Green Flash Treasure Chest IPA
5.7% ABV

Melinda - It's a UTI for sure.
Lynn - It's not a football beer!
Ruben Jr. - It'd be good with fish tacos.
 - Lyn - Yeah, fish tacos with mango salsa!
Ruben Jr., Jr. - It's not too heavy. I like it.
Jamison - I don't taste the grapefruit, but it's good. Refreshing.
Kurt - It's not bad, but it's a run-of-the-mill IPA.

Beer #4 - Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
7% ABV

Christina - This is a staple beer.
Ruben Jr. - Yeah, this has become the go-to IPA.
Papa Whittington - It has a good crispness to it.
Christina - It's hoppy but not too hoppy.
Tiff - I could drink a whole bottle and brush my teeth with it.
Melinda - Ugh, I can't do that one.

Beer #5 - Firestone 805
4.7% ABV

Ruben Jr. - This is my favorite!
Lyn - It's the best.
Kurt - Boring!
Jamison - Eh, I think it's pretty good. Refreshing.
Christina - It looks like Miller Lite.
Melinda - It tastes like water.
Mama Whittington - The pickles are good! (winner of random comment of the day)

Beer #6 - Ale Smith Evil Dead Red
6.6% ABV
Red Ale

Christina - It smells like an IPA.
Papa Whittington - Its kind of malty.
Lynn - It's too strong for me, but I like it better than an IPA.
Jamison - It's okay.
Kurt - Yeah, it's not bad, but ever since I threw up a pitcher of red, I'm not a fan.
Ruben Jr., Jr. - I like it. I like darker beers.

Beer #7 - Saint Archer White Ale
5% ABV

Melinda - It smells like pee.
Ruben Jr., Jr. - Yeah, smells like a dirty bathroom.
 - Melinda - On your way to Fresno!
- Ruben Jr., Jr. - Or a bathroom trying to be clean.
Christina - The initial taste is lemony.
Mamma Whittington - It's refreshing.
Papa Whittington - Definitely has an orange peel taste.
Ruben Jr. - Tastes like pee!
Mamma Whittington - How do you know what pee tastes like???
Ruben Jr. - Well, I was out in the desert this one time . . .

Beer #8 - Knee Deep Brewing Co. Simtra Tripel IPA
11.25% ABV

Kurt - Smells like going on a hike.
Lynn - I don't like it.
Tiff - Less hoppy than I thought it would be.
Papa Whittington - I love it - got some kick to it!

Beer #9 - Guiness Extra Stout

7.5% ABV

Melinda - It's actually not bad.

Michael - Yeah, it's my favorite.

Mama Whittington - I can chug this!

Ruben Jr., Jr. - It doesn't have a beer taste.

Lynn - It has a very coffee taste.

 - Kurt - Well duh.

Ruben Sr. - It's good!

Lynn - This isn't good, but I like the Guiness Black Lager better. 

Tiff - I drink enough coffee, I don't need amy beer to taste like coffee, too. 

Beer #10 - Whiskey Barrel Aged Amber Beer

12% ABV

Ruben Jr. - This has a good story (on the bottle) - give me a hit. It has a whiskey hit to it!

Papa Whittington - Melted wax cap - this is some high class shit!

Lynn - Doesn't taste as strong as it should. It's smooth.

Kurt - It has a serious "huh."

Christina - Does this have a scent? I can't smell anything.

Kurt - I figured out the "huh" - its the whiskey! 

 - Melinda - You're so smart. 

Beer #11 - Figueroa Mountain Hoppy Poppy IPA

6.5% ABV

Kurt - I like it!

Everyone else - We're drunk . . .  

Note - Actually, the below pictured beer was the last beer we tasted that day. That would be beer #12. However, Mr. Notetaker here was too tanked to take notes and doesn't even remember drinking this beer. I didn't understand where this picture was from until my wife explained it all to me. 

Review #6 - The Anti-Hoppy Tasting

After a short break of 21 months since our last BBR, we reconvened to taste some brews. We were a little rusty with not only how to judge the beers, but apparently how to pick them as many of them tasted very similar. Regardless, by the end we were all pretty smiley.

Beer #1 - St. Archer White Ale
5% ABV

Melinda - Tastes like champagne, smells like Miller High Life.
Jake - Yeah, it has a champagne feeling on the tongue - fizzy.
Kurt - It tastes and feels very "lagger-ish" for an ale.
Christina - Smells a little grassy.
Jake - It's a burp-a-lot kind of beer.
[Large burp blasted by Melinda]
Melinda - A UTI beer and it's real hoppy if it sits in your mouth.
Christina - But otherwise, not so much.
Kurt - I'm disappointed in my choice.

Beer #2 - Coronado Brewing Co. Orange Avenue Wit

5.2% ABV

Whit beer brewed with honey & spices. 

Melinda - Hoppy, at least more-so than Blue Moon.

Christina - Yeah, weird for a wheat beer, though. Doesn't taste like a wheat.

Jake - Looks like Blue Moon, but I think tastes like Shock Top.

Kurt - It's scent is the absence of scent.

Christina - I think it smells the same as the first beer, but tastes better. 

Jake - Very fizzy when it's first poured, then lost it's fiz and got foggy. You can see particles of something floating around. Probably orange peal? The end of your glass tastes really good - smooth.

Beer #3 - Ska Brewing Company True Blond Dubbel Belgian Ale

8% ABV

Wax sealed bottle. Neat!

Christina - Soapy looking.

Jake - Very strong when drinking it but no aftertaste. 

Kurt - Smooth. 

Christina - Like buttah.

Jake - Flavor is almost like a cream.

Kurt - Or like butter or olive oil - something thick and slimy. 

Melinda - Meh, tastes flat. 

Kurt - The clarity of this one is the opposite of the last one - starts cloudy in your glass, then clears up (stuff must settle).

Jake - It's not the type of beer you'd want to leave in your mouth. It gets real bitter.

Melinda - It does go down smooth even with a bitter taste. The first sip made me think of Blue Moon, again. It's smooth, kind of light, but you let it sit in your mouth, it gets bitter. 

Kurt - This one has more of a head to it.

Jake - Not an overwhelming amount, though.

Christina - It has enough flavor without being overwhelming. 

Jake - I'd have it again.

Christina - The burp tastes good, too!

#4 - Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale

5.5% ABV

Jake bought this one for the owl on the label

Christina - Lots of head on this one.

Jake - Def an Asian beer 

Christina - Cute label!

Kurt - Super cloudy.

Jake - Very fizzy.

Kurt - I don't think it's too fizzy, but it lacks taste.

Christina - It tastes like nothing.

Melinda - It has a distinct smell, though. Cinnaminnany as Ruben would say. Bitter taste. 

Jake - I think it's a sour aftertaste. Made my jaw tingly from the sourness. Feels like it got nastier the longer it sat, but maybe that's because the glass has been in my hand so long. 

#5 - Avery Brewing Co. The Reverend 

10% ABV

The Holy Trinity of Ales. Belgium style quadruple ale

Christina - The description seems like something you'd read on a wine bottle.

Jake - Cool label, it's reflective.

Melinda - The logo on the bottle reminds me of the Angel's logo. This one's a darky. 

Jake - Sure smells like a red ale, like Newcastle.

Kurt - Newcastle's a brown ale.

Jake - You sure?

Kurt - No. 

Google says Newcastle is a brown ale.

Melinda - [first sip] Ewwwwwww . . . though maybe that M&M I just ate threw off the taste. 

Christina - Tastes flat but sweet.

Jake - Carmel coloring.

Kurt - Carmel smell for sure.

[Tangent - 

Kurt - Mel, did you know until just recently that your sister thought sword was pronounced swa-ord?

Melinda - . . . .

Christina - She thinks its pronounced that way, too!

Jake - Its sword, mom. The W is silent.

Melinda - I'm looking this up!

End Tangent]

Jake - I think this is pretty good.

Kurt - Yeah, I taste the carmel.

Christina - I like darker beers, but not sweet, so I don't think I could drink a whole glass.

Jake - Hell no.

Kurt - Yeah, it's pretty heavy.

Melinda - This one's a tough one for me. And it's supposed to be hoppy? [looking at bottle]

Christina - I don't taste any hops. Just sugar.

#6 - Smog City Coffee Porter

6% ABV

Christina - Cool label artwork.

Melinda - Looked like it came from a coffee shop.

Christina - "Smog City" makes me think it's gonna be nasty.

Melinda - [first sip] Mmmm, rum!

Christina - I bet it's gonna be super flat.

Kurt - Totally smells like a dark roast coffee.

Jake - Foam looks like coffee foam.

Melinda - So if I put ice on this and take it to work . . . 

Jake - But it tastes nothing like coffee at first.

Kurt - Strong coffee aftertaste and smell, but tastes rather watery.

Melinda - I could put cream in this and drink it like a coffee . . . at work. Or with dessert.

Jake - I wonder if you spilled it on  your shirt if it would stain? [Receives weird look from Kurt]

Melinda - Totally doesn't taste like a beer. No beer flavors.

Kurt - Yeah, tastes like an iced black coffee.

Melinda - Lemony aftertaste if you wait a while.

Jake - If you're gonna drink & drive, this would be a good one to have 'cause you might have coffee breath.

Kurt - That's not how those work, at all . . . 

Melinda - [giant burp] OMG, it tastes and smells like coffee!

In conclusion: White Ales suck.