Boulevard Brewing Company - Coffee Ale

Hey gang! So June is over (well it's the last day of June) and frankly, I'm a little tired of Pale Ales. So, I decided to drink my Beer of the Month beer for June, tonight, IN JUNE! What a concept! I'm getting a little crazy with this, I know.

So for June my wife got me a beer from Boulevard Brewing out of Kansas City, Missouri. I've never had a beer from Boulevard but I've heard nothing but good things. So tonight I'm drinking Boulevard's Coffee Ale which is part of their Smokestack Series. This is a beer brewed with Coffee from The Roasterie .Who they are? No idea! But enough rambling, let's just get into the beer because I haven't had a good coffee beer in a while.




Coffee Ale came in a 750ml bottle and is 9.3%abv. It poured out a really nice brown color that once in the glass looked like a solid mahogany with some real nice ruby red hues along the bottom curves of the glass. There was a massive 4 finger of a khaki colored head that is both fluffy and very active. Looks a lot like white wash from the ocean (think foamy). The head sticks around for quite some time and leaves behind a very soapy looking lacing. There's quite a bit of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. This looks like a pretty solid beer. Let's get the nose.

Well it should come as no surprise, first thing on the nose is a nice spicy roast coffee. There's some big brown sugar like notes coming through the coffee. I'm getting some milk chocolate and cocoa here too. Like any good coffee ale, I'm picking up some nice vanilla sweetness as well. This is a fairly nice smelling coffee beer. Let's see if the taste actually backs up what I'm picking up on the nose.

First thing I pick up is that vanilla sweetness followed immediately by the spice from the coffee beans. There's some caramel and vanilla sweetness on the sides of the palate. Not a lot of coffee bitterness in the middle of the mouth just really from the initial impression. Back end of the palate there's a bit more of that coffee bite that I think is missing a bit from the rest of the palate. I'm not picking up much of that chocolate character I found on the nose. Maybe a little bit of that cocoa on the back end but that's about it. The mouth feel on the Coffee Ale is pretty light to maybe medium. Very creamy mouth feel and smooth finish. Not too dry.

Overall, this is a decent Coffee beer. I wouldn't say it's the best I've had by any means but it's decent. Surprisingly, I'd actually like more coffee than I got, more roasted bean flavor. I'm not really sure why kind of beer this is as the base, but it's pretty light. Looking at the back label, I see it's brewed with some Perle hops. This is the 2nd beer I've had with Perle and frankly, I'm not really sure I like this particular hop. I don't really see what it adds. I think if you're going to call something a coffee ale I want it to be intense and I wasn't impressed here. It's OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to get again.

Rating: B-

Hillcrest Brewing Company - Perle Necklace

What's up everybody? Hope everyone has enjoyed the weekend and their Mondays. Just got done watching the last hockey game of the season and since the season is now over, I'm going to do some drinking. What am I drinking you ask? Well, something new and something from down in San Diego.

Tonight I'm drinking Perle Necklace from Hillcrest Brewing Company. This is a 6% abv Pale Ale that features both a dirty name and a dirty description. I've never had a beer from Hillcrest Brewing so let's see how the Perle Necklace holds up to some of the other Pales we've had this month.

The Perle Necklace pours out a pretty hazy golden orange color. Maybe even some slight ruby like hue to the beer. There was about a finger of a very aggressive foamy white head. The head was very active and really reminded me a lot of a wave in the ocean. Lots of foam. A massive amount of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. The head on this dissipated very quickly and left behind absolutely no lacing. Sort of disappointing in that regard. Let's get the nose.

Interestingly enough, first thing I pick up is almost a caramel character. Very sweet smelling. There's also a slight hint of Vanilla. I'm not picking up any kind of citrus on this one. Not a lot of hop bitterness. There's some candy sugar sweetness as well. Almost like a maple sweetness. There's a woody character as well. Very strange smelling Pale Ale. Not a lot else going on in this one. Let's see if the Perle Necklace tastes like it smells.

The first thing I get is... well, not much of anything. There's almost no hint of anything on the first part of the palate. Middle of the mouth there's a subtle bitterness and maybe a slight honey sweetness. That caramel is slight present but no vanilla, no citrus, no woody character. Back of the palate there's not much else going on. There really isn't a whole lot to describe in the taste of this beer. It's just very bland and not flavorful. 

So overall, this is a very big let down. This is brewed with Perle hops which apparently is supposed to be slightly minty and give off a nice aroma. I'll say that the aroma was decent but there's very little going on in the taste. I can't recommend this to anyone. It's just a bummer. Avoid this beer.

Rating: D-

Manzanita Brewing Co. - Pale Ale

How's it going everybody? I'm back drinking another new beer and after this incredibly shitty week of work, it's much needed and frankly, much deserved. So tonight I'm drinking a beer from a fairly local brewery (Santee, CA). I'm drinking Pale Ale from Manzanita Brewing Co.

This Pale Ale is 6.3% Abv. A little bit higher than your typical Pale Ale and not really something that screams session beer. Don't get me wrong, not all Pale Ales have to be session beers, but let's be honest, they tend to be fairly sessionable.

So enough bullshit. Let's get this poured and see how Manzanita's Pale Ale stands up to some of the other Pales we've had.

First thing I notice is this isn't entirely filtered. There's a little bit of sediment floating around but it more or less just causes a slight haze to the beer. There's a finger and a half of a fairly standard foamy white head with a lot of tight white bubbles. The beer itself pours out golden yellow with a slight hue of copper around the bottom and sides of the glass when held up to a light source. The carbonation is fairly decent, nothing too crazy, but there's some carbonation coming up to the sides of the glass. Looks like a pretty typical Pale Ale. Let's see how it smells. 

Immediately get some citrus sweetness. Tangerine, Orange, slight bit of grapefruit. Smells like a weaker IPA. There's some sugary sweetness. Maybe even a slight hint of peach nectar. That's followed by a nice subtle hop bitterness. There's some nice grassy character coming through, maybe a fresh cut grass. Sort of wet grass. This is a really clean smelling beer. Crisp, fresh, with a nice citrus and hop bite. It honestly smells a lot like an IPA. Finally, let's get some drinking done. 

There's a nice hop bitterness right away. It really hits the front of the palate and proceeds to lead the way through the back of the palate. Middle of the mouth there's some sweetness, a little bit of grapefruit, grapefruit zest. There's quite a bit of bitterness after this sweet grapefruit. Almost like a grapefruit pith. Sides of the mouth there's some of the tangerine I picked up on the nose along with some of that peach and maybe even some of that grassy character. The Pale Ale finishes pretty dry. The one thing I notice more than anything is how much earthy bitterness there is. Definitely reminds me more of a single IPA more so than a pale ale.

So overall, this is actually pretty decent. I wasn't expecting a lot but this is a pleasant surprise. Very affordable at about $5.00 for a bomber. Really drinks more like an IPA than a Pale Ale like I figured it would. If you can get it I'd say check it out. Decent enough to pick up on a whim. 

Rating: B

Alesmith - X Extra Pale Ale

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Hope your day was filled with drinking good beers and lots of BBQ. Good or bad, BBQ is always at least pretty decent.

Tonight I'm drinking another relatively local beer. From down in San Diego, this is Alesmith X Extra Pale Ale. This is a 5.25% abv American Pale ale that according to the bottle, is brewed with American hops and features notes of citrus and pine with a delicate malt sweetness. I'm a fan of hoppy pale ales so let's see if the X from Alesmith lives up to the hype... assuming there is hype on this beer. This was bottled back in April of this year so it's somewhat fresh. Let's get it poured.

X pours out a golden straw in color with a nice two fingers, to three fingers, of a fluffy, rocky white head. The head sticks around for a bit and once dissipates back into itself leaves behind a really nice foamy lacing. There's a little bit of carbonation coming up from the bottom but not a lot. This looks like a pretty nice pale ale. Nothing too crazy going on here. Let's get the nose.

First thing I get is a nice hop bitterness. Quite a bit of pine here. There's a big burst of citrus. Grapefruit, orange, maybe even some peaches coming through. There's a little bit of a breadiness. There's a lot of sweet malt here as well. Definitely reminds me a bit more of an IPA than it does a Pale Ale. There's maybe even a little bit of an apple juice character coming through perhaps even an apple skin. Sorta adds to the sweetness but gives it a little bit of a bite in the nose. Smells really nice and refreshing. Let's see how X tastes.

Immediately I get that hop bitterness which is immediately followed up by some peach sweetness. Middle of the mouth I'm getting almost a caramel sweetness. It sort of acts as a vehicle for the bitterness to makes it's way to the back of the palate. Sides I'm getting some orange juice, fresh, with maybe a bit of that orange pith. Back end there's more malty sweetness and a lingering hop bitterness. X finishes pretty dry with more bitterness than anything else. Medium to slightly medium-light body on the mouth feel.

So overall, X Extra Pale Ale from Alesmith is pretty decent. I'm glad to have found a San Diego Pale Ale that isn't bordering on a Pilsner. This drinks like a perfect blend of IPA and Pale Ale which is very nice. The tastes followed the nose pretty well. The apple like character I was picking up didn't show itself in the taste but the citrus and bitterness were nicely balanced. Check this one out if you can.

Rating: B

Saint Archer Brewing Company - Pale Ale

I'm baaaaack!!

What's up everyone?! It's Thursday. The week is FINALLY almost over and I'm ready to drink a new beer. Tonight, I'm drinking a beer from a very new brewery from San Diego, California (I know, another new brewery?!). This is from Saint Archer and it's their Pale Ale which is an american style Pale Ale brewed with Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe hops. In other words? Another hoppy Pale Ale!

So let's get this poured cause I'm ready to drink something new!

Pale Ale pours out a very clear yellow maybe with some slight golden hues on the side of the glass and near the bottom. There was about a 2 finger rocky white head that didn't stick around for very long and really didn't leave behind any lacing. There's a bit of carbonation coming up from the bottom of the glass. It's a fairly typical looking Pale, almost reminds me more of a pilsner just by looking at it. Let's get the nose.

First thing I'm getting is some fresh orange juice, maybe some grapefruit citrus. It's not as strong as an IPA of course, but with this hop variety it's not a surprise. This is brewed with some Crystal and Munich malts which I'm definitely picking up behind that initial blast of fresh citrus. There's a bit of a bready character here, maybe even crackerish. There's a slight bit of bitterness here as well. It smells like a slightly hoppy pilsner. Nothing crazy going on with the nose. Let's see how the Pale Ale tastes.

I'm initially hit with a hop bitterness. It's very crisp. There's a bit of a honey character in the middle of the mouth. It's more sweet like honey as opposed to sticky like the actual feel of honey. It's not overpowering. Sides of the palate there is a bit of that citrus coming through. Again though, it's not very strong. The finish is pretty dry with some of that cracker character. There's also a bit more of that honey and citrus to round everything out.

So overall, this is OK at best. It's nothing mind blowing. It's not a bad beer. On a hot day this would be pretty refreshing. At 5.2% abv this is pretty sessionable. I don't see why someone couldn't have a couple of these and be more than alright. I'd have to say this is just an average beer at best. Nothing in this beer shines over anything else. It's fairly balanced but maybe to a fault. I'd have liked a little more of that sweetness or even a little more of that citrus to shine. I was left wanting more.

Rating: C

Cucapa Brewing Co. - Chupacabras Pale Ale

Hey guys! It's Monday night and even though it's June 3rd, tonight is starting Tastes Like Beer's venture into the world of Pale Ales. My plan is to review a "new" pale ale for each entry into the blog this month. My goal is to sort of find the best Pale Ale I can find in the area (northern san diego). This isn't necessarily going to be the best pale ale on the planet because there's not enough days in the month... or year for that matter.

So without any further distractions, let's get into tonight's beer. Tonight I'm drinking a beer from Mexico! That's right, and it's not a Corona! Tonight we've got a beer from Cerveza Cucapa, this is their Chupacabras Pale Ale.

Now I'll admit right now, I bought this beer because the label has what resembles a Murloc from World of Warcraft. Being a former WoW dork, this instantly stood out to me. This is a 5.8% abv Pale Ale. Looking at their website this is an American Pale ale with dark caramel, dark chocolate and roasted nut aromas. Wait. In a pale ale? OK. Let's get this poured and see if that is actually the case.

The Chupacabra pours out a really nice golden orange/copper color with a massive 3 fingers of a very fluffy, billowy white head. The head on this sticks around for sometime and leaves behind a somewhat disappointing lacing. There's quite a bit of carbonation streaming up the sides of the glass. The ale is pretty clear as well. It's a pretty standard looking Pale ale to be honest. Let's get the aroma... maybe we'll get some of that dark chocolate? We'll see.

First thing I'm picking up on the Chupacabras Pale Ale is a nice citrus aroma. A bit of orange, grapefruit, maybe some tangerine as well. I'm getting a subtle banana character as well. Definitely not bordering on belgian like, but definitely a hint of it. I am picking up some of that nutty character the website describe. Maybe a roasted almond character? It's not overly present but it's lingering in the background. Not really getting any of the dark chocolate they mention but I am getting a little bit of caramel sweetness. I'd say it's a pretty decent smelling pale ale. Let's see how the Goat Sucker drinks!

Right away there's a nice hop bitterness. Definitely not on the level of an IPA but sort of like a Sierra Nevada hop bitterness. After that I get some caramel sweetness to sort of cleanse the pallet from the bitterness. It's creamy and rich. After the fades I get a touch of citrus bitterness. Like a grapefruit peel, maybe a slight orange pith character. This finishes pretty dry. There's a lot of bitterness here more so than the sweetness I got early on.

So overall, this is a pretty decent Pale Ale. A nice start to Pale Ale month. If you see this around it's worth a try. It was very reasonable in price ($5 I think) and isn't awful. For a country that's known more for Corona and Dos Equis this is definitely a refreshing change of pace.

Rating: B

The Bruery - Loakal Red

How's it going everybody? It's been a while since I've checked in and reviewed a beer. Don't get me wrong, I've still been drinking some good beers but really haven't had the time to sit down and properly do a review justice. But alas, I've got some time now and I'm looking forward to tonight's beer. Why you ask? Because it's my May Beer of the Month!

So for May, the beer of the month selected by my wife is The Bruery's Loakal Red. Well, I sort of told her to pick this one out, but that's still OK. According to the label, Loakal Red is a brash american red ale dripping with citrusy Centennial hops, mellowed by oak. So this is 75% American Red Ale and 25% ale aged in American Oak Barrels.

I'm sorry. Oak + Red ale? Shit yes! Let's get this one poured and do some drinking!

Loakal Red pours out a beautiful mahogany that definitely resembles a deep amber/ruby red when held up to a light source. There was about a 2 1/2 to 3 fingers of a rocky white head that sticks around for a very long time. This is bottle conditioned so the big head and the retention time isn't a surprise. There's quite a bit of carbonation streaming up from the bottle of the glass. The lacing left behind is pretty think and foamy. This is a really excellent looking beer. Let's get the nose.

Wow. Lots of things going on here. Big citrus right away. A nice vanilla and oak coming through right behind the hops. I'm picking up a little bit of a spice character, maybe a coriander or maybe even an allspice. There's a bit of a leather note I'm picking up too. I'm getting more earthy wood like notes from the barrel as I go back for another opinion. To compare this to something specific at Christmas time we take oranges and stick clove into them. The fragrance they give off is citrusy and a little spicy. This beer reminds me a lot of that. It's an incredible smelling beer. Let's see how Loakal Red tastes!

Right away I'm getting some hop bitterness. It's not overpowering. Very mellow. A bit of citrus with the bitterness is a perfect segue into a lot of oak and vanilla. But it doesn't overpower the hops. There's some nice caramel sweetness in the middle of the mouth. More vanilla. Sides of the pallet you get that oak and honestly, a bit of that leather I got in the nose. Back of the mouth there's more vanilla, more oak, more caramel, a little bit more of that hop bitterness. There's a little bit of char from the barrel on the back end as well. This is really nice stuff, very well balanced. Medium bodied, very smooth, almost creamy at times.

So overall, Loakal Red by The Bruery is just incredible. I haven't had too many of their beers (3 or 4 to be exact), but this might be my favorite. Everything about this beer works in perfect harmony with itself. I wouldn't have thought a hoppy red would work so well with oak aging but this stops all doubts or questions I had. If you can get this, I suggest trying it out. I know it was originally just for Orange County only (hence the Loakal part of the name) but they decided to distribute elsewhere. Worth the $10 for sure.

Rating: A+