Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

5 out of 5 Hops



Ok. How could I not review this beer earlier..maybe even first? This, to me, is the granddaddy of allllllll US craft beers. I believe this may have been the very first ale I tasted back in 1993. Created in 1980 in Chico, CA this beer/brewery set a precedent in the beer world along with Anchor Steam Beer in San Francisco...but more about them later. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is widely distributed in the US and I am sure you have seen it on the shelf. If you have not tried it, please, please, please drop everything and get some! This ale is the flagship beer for Sierra Nevada and they have not stopped creating other amazing brews. I will review more of theirs' very soon. So..onto to the beer in hand. Incredible citrus and malt aromas followed by a crisp, balanced bitter flavor. IBU bitterness is a moderate 37, but there is more hop flavor than the number conveys. There is an aftertaste that is clean and bitter, but not overpowering. Hops used are Magnum and Perle for bittering flavor and Cascade for aroma. This beer is also bottle-conditioned which allows the yeast to add to the flavor profile as well. Alcohol is 5.6% and pricing is reasonable. This could easily be an everyday beer for me. Flawless! Cheers!

Elysian Brewing Company "Mens Room Red" Ale

4 out of 5 Hops



"Hola Bitch Hola!" is the familiar call from a local Seattle afternoon radio talk show called...The Mens Room. It don't get any classier from there. Our local rock station KISW talk show teamed up with Elysian Brewing in Seattle and created this fine red ale you see before you. This is a real decent session beer at 5.6% ABV and a 45 or so IBU. Aroma has a toasted barley note and a wee bit of piney/citrus hop from Chinook bittering and finishing Cascade hops. The taste is balanced and crisp with a medium bodied mouthfeel and a clean dry finish. I would classify this as akin to an Irish Red or a toasted colored Pale ale. Its less sweet than an amber, but more malty than a pale. I think it tastes great as a sit-down with friends brew. I don't get a lot of "remarkable"/"hidden" flavors, but it beats the Hell out of any lite lagers that are mindlessly consumed. Plus, proceeds from this bad boy go to charity; specifically veteran family ones. Bravo to Elysian, who is totally awesome, and the Mens Room, who are not bad for a talk show! Available in 22oz bottles and on tap around Seattle. As they would say, "Party in our tummy"

Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale

4 out of 5 Hops


Widmer Bros "Drifter" is a moderately hopped Pale Ale from Oregon, USA. Aroma is a tasty citrus/orange with malty bread. The taste is toasty/toffee at the front and citrus at the finish. Alcohol level is 5.7% which puts it in the higher session beer category. This beer is enjoyable outdoors ice cold in the bottle as well as in the glass at room temp. I believe Widmer Bros always strives to release quality brews and this is no exception. My wife and I both enjoy this beer and its a great go-to beer in a pinch for a BBQ or Sunday football game on the tube. Its also readily available here in the Northwest. I am really enjoying the malt and mouthfeel of this beer as I write this. Aftertaste is relatively dry and an enjoyable hop flavor. This beer, like all Widmers', feature the proprietary "Alchemy" blend of Warrior, Millennium, and Horizon Hops. Aroma and dry-hopping is courtesy of Summit (citrus/tangerine flavor) and Nelson Sauvin (unique fruity hop). For a large scale production beer, I think they make it consistently delicious. Try one today, six packs on sale often!

Fuller's London Pride English Bitter

4 Hops out of 5



Don't let the word Bitter fool you. It's a term for British light ales; not the old "bitter beer face" guy from Keystone. Bitters come in 3 varietys: Ordinary, Special, and Extra Special (ESB). Generally, the amount of increment alcohol level in each of these. This is my first taste of Fullers Bitter, but I have had the ESB before. The aroma has a bread and citrus quality. Taste has touch of fruity tartness and malt. Aftertaste is clean and delightfully bitter in the mouth. This is a great session beer at 4.7% ABV; meaning you can drink several in one "session". I think the Brits have the right idea when it comes to full flavor and low alcohol content. I get overwhelmed by the Hopbomb, high alcohol Pales and IPA's from here in the states. Two pints of those and I am done..lightweight. This beer has a great citrus hop taste and bittering level. The hops are unique to me and I have not knowingly enjoyed them before: Target, Challenger and Northdown varieties. These you can deduce are very "English" hops. My wife enjoyed this one as well, ladies. So I lift my Imperial Pint towards the Union Jack and say "God save the Bitters..er..Queen..whatever" I love this beer. Stay tuned for a "Tale of Two ESBs" where I compare Fullers ESB and Redhook ESB (a great goto beer thats readily available). Cheers, mates!

Full Sail LTD Lager Recipe No 04

4 out of 5 Hops



Full Sail is one of those amazing Oregon Brewers that most of my casual drinking friends are not familiar with. Admittedly I was not familiar with them until 2007 when I brewed my first beer; a Full Sail Amber clone. Located on the Hood River, brewing commenced in 1987 and no sign of slowing down now. There are currently 3 LTD Lagers released at different times of the year; 02-March to June, 03-June to September, and 04-December to March. The 04 is a single malt, single hop lager masterpiece. Most beers consist of a blend of malted barley grains for color, flavor, and a base malt for alcohol. Additionally, beers commonly have 2 or more hops for bittering, flavor, and aroma. The LTD 04 allows the drinker to single out the malt and hop flavor independently which is unusual in commercial beer. This lager has a light floral and honey aroma courtesy of Willamette hops and Pale malt barley. Pale malt and lager yeast give this beer a crisp, clean, flavor that makes it suitable for any occasion. I grew up as most of us in the US on watery, tasteless light lagers. It is time for the delicious full body lagers to take a stand change my old expectations of that "lager flavor". Full Sail is amazing. Try the Amber, Pale, Wassail, and the original Session lagers in the shorty bottles. "Stoked to Brew, Brewed to stoke"

Stone Brewery Pale Ale

4 out of 5 Hop Cones




Truth be known, I am really partial to Stone Brewery Beers. They are true craft brewer that emphasizes unique flavors and care into each Beer. Alcohol content on this one is 5.4% so you can easily enjoy a few and savor the flavors and fragrances. This beer is an English style Pale with amber color and a unique hop blend of Columbus and Abtanum hops. The flavor is hoppy and refreshing with some malt character and again that unique hop blend aftertaste. I was a little surprised when drinking this one in that I felt the alcohol right away...hmmm...I must not be drinking often enough...what a light weight! I enjoyed this beer very much and would happily keep it around as a "go-to" beer for most any occasion. Stonebrewery.com