Uinta Brewing Company - Cahoots Double Rye India Pale Ale

What's up everyone? Hope things are going well. Spent my dinner at Stone tonight and had a couple of fantastic beers, one of which will be reviewed in the next few days. But that's for another time. I've had this bottle in my fridge far too long and honestly, it's time to get this one opened and see how it tastes.

So with that said, tonight I'm drinking another new(er) release from Uinta, part of their Crooked Line series. This is their Cahoots Double Rye India Pale Ale. In other words? It's a Double Rye IPA. Or, it's a Rye DIPA... or its... well, whatever. The point is, this is a Rye IPA and is actually brewed with two types of malted rye and loads of malted barley... and finally, two hop varieties. Sounds like they're going for a spicy, hoppy, slightly malty IPA. Coming in at 9.4% abv and bottled 5/17/13, let's pop the cork and see how this one is!

Cahoots pours out a really nice amber, mahogany color. Lots of ruby red hues at the bottom of the glass. Not a lot of carbonation on this one, but there is a small amount streaming up from the bottom of the glass. A really nice billowy tan/off-white head. Lots of tiny bubbles. Great retention time with some thick, sticky foam like lacing. This is a really nice looking IPA, DIPA, whatever IPA! Let's get the nose on the Cahoots!

First thing I get on the nose is some nice juicy hop character. Lots of pineapple, peaches, some mango, papaya. Some subtle citrus behind the juicy fruits. A nice amount of pine/resin like characters. The rye really comes through as the head dissipates back into the beer. A nice spice is left behind that plays really well off the big fruits. It does a nice job bringing out more of the citrus, more of the orange specifically. This is a really nice smelling beer. Enough rambling though. Let's do some drinking!

Really nice mouth feel on this. Right away, I get some of the rye malts. A really good spice comes through immediately. It does a good job of driving the hops through the full palate. Clean through to the back of the palate where you get a nice caramel sweetness. There's some bitter grapefruit in the center of the palate. Lingers really nicely. Sides of the palate you get more of that peach, pineapple and papaya character. It's definitely more noticeable on the nose but it's definitely there. Again, the rye on this really carries the beer in my opinion. Cahoots finishes nice and dry and leaves a nice bitter taste in the mouth. Just a really nice, pleasant and dangerously drinkable beer.

So overall, I'm really digging Cahoots. This is pretty much what I want in a Rye IPA. Lots of spice but nothing overpowering the overall juicy characters and citrus characters of the IPA itself. Everything plays together really nicely here. A good malt profile adds a nice mouth feel and some sweetness to the beer. Once again Uinta nails it. They're slowly becoming one of my favorites, possibly top 3 favorite, breweries that I have access to. If you can get Cahoots I think it's worth picking up and checking out. Definitely one to relax with at the end of a long day.

Rating: A

Oh, here's a video of my wife trying Cahoots. It cuts off, but don't fret, it Tastes Like Beer! 

Ballast Point Brewing Company - Dorado Double IPA

What's up my fellow beer drinkers? Happy Thursday! I don't know about you, but I'm totally stoked that it's almost time for the weekend. What's on tap? Good beers, good beers and.... probably more good beers. Honestly, probably a lot of relaxing.

So why not intro to the weekend with a new beer? Sounds like a great idea!

Tonight I'm drinking Dorado Double IPA from Ballast Point Brewing Company down in San Diego. This is a 10% abv DIPA. I've actually never had this beer so I'm totally going into it blind. I'm a big fan of Ballast Point. They make some great beers and I'm hoping that this beer is no different. So enough intro, let's get this poured and drink some Dorado!

Dorado pours out a beautiful golden color. Totally see through. There's a ton of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. I've had this beer for a while now so I'm happy to see this. There's about a two finger extremely fluffy white head. Tons of tiny white bubbles. Very nice retention time as well. As it starts to dissipate it's leaving behind a ton of sticky, thick lacing. This is a really nice looking DIPA. Let's get the nose on Dorado.

Big peach. First thing I'm hit with is a big blast of peach. Sugary, syrupy peach. There's a nice bit of citrus. It's not overpowering because the peach is just so prevalent. There's maybe a very slight lemon zest (to be more specific) here as well. There's a big sweet bread like character behind everything. Smells a lot like a sugar cookie. I'm getting some caramel sweetness as well. Not a lot of hop bitterness on the nose. Just sugary sweetness. For 10% I'd expect something a bit more aggressive on the nose but this is very mellow. Let's see how Dorado tastes.

Wow. First thing I get is a grassy kind of character. There's surprisingly almost no peach on the palate. There is a pear like sweetness with that grass initially. The pear and grass disappear pretty quickly and are washed away by an intense rush of bitterness. It cleans things out and doesn't really leave a lot behind in it's wake. Maybe some subtle sweet orange and tangerine like characteristics. Sides of the palate there's some hints of alcohol. Back end of this there's some syrupy sugar sweetness which immediately subsides to a very dry finish.

So overall, this is just so-so for me. The appearance and nose were really nice but to me, the taste of the beer just falls a little short. For 10% you do taste some of it on the sides of the palate but it doesn't really do much damage. Not warming going down either. Its pretty easy drinking for a DIPA. Aside from that, honestly, this is just sort of ok for me. A bit of a letdown considering BP is such a good brewery. It could be my bottle is a little too old. I am drinking it before the best by date, so we're good there. Maybe super fresh this is better. I'd imagine it is.

Rating: B-

Side note, here's a link to an Instagram Video of my wife trying this. Enjoy! 

My "cellar"

Sometimes when I come home from work I get warnings. Today, my wife picked me up from work and her Brother was in the back seat. Now, this could mean a couple things which of course, I fear the worst.

The first thing, which isn't bad, is that we've got dinner plans. I love to eat. I love going out to eat. When he's with us it usually means we go out for sushi. Again, I love sushi. But alas, this wasn't why he was in the car, which ultimately leads me to the worse of the scenarios.

The second thing usually involves a lot of moving of furniture. I've come home from work before and literally had everything in the place completely moved, on opposite ends of the apartment, to the point where I have to walk outside and walk back in because I think I've just randomly walked into someone else's home.

Luckily, today didn't involve anything really moving. It did however, involve a pretty big mess where my kitchen table sits and next to where I store my "cellared" beers. Now mind you, I don't have too many beers I'm holding on to, but still, I've got some. I've wanted to keep these in better condition than just a cabinet with no temperature control.

See, being in an apartment, bringing in a new piece of furniture isn't always easy. Obviously, you're crunched for space as it is. We've got a bar cabinet next to the dining table which I've started using. Anyway, my wife and her brother went over to Lowe's and picked up a sheet of insulation and cut it down to size. Below are a few pictures. It's nothing crazy or overly elaborate, but it's pretty damn awesome none the less. Hopefully this helps keep my beer in decent shape for when I eventually decide to crack some of them open.

Here's the beginning. Just a small cabinet with a shelf and the beers I'm currently holding on to. Here's what I've got in there so far:

Firestone Walker - Parabola

Firestone Walker - Sucaba

Sierra Nevada -  Bigfoot (3)

The Bruery -  Autumn Maple

The Bruery - Melange 3

Rip Current - Vanilla Rescue Buoy 

New Belgium  - Cascara Quad (Lips of Faith)

Iron Fist - Dark Days

Deschutes - Black Butte XXV

Stone - Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout (2)

My BiL measuring pieces out. He's good at math. My wife, not so much. 

Work in progress. The books are to keep the sheets down helping the glue dry. I'm only planning on using the top shelf for now. Bottom shelf maybe if I get carried away. 

So yeah, came home to a nice surprise. I don't like to spend a ton of money on beer even though I spend too much as it is. This will at least make it easier for me to make a few extra purchases here and there to add to the stash. I've got a few in mind already. Specifically, an AleSmith Old Ale and a couple more w00tstouts. 

Mother Earth Brew Co - Auld Knucker

What's up everybody?! Been a while. I've been busy with work and drinking some random beers. Some of those will end up here on Tastes Like Beer and others will just be found over on Untappd. You can follow me there by clicking here.

So today I came home from work and found a big mess. Basically, my wife and her brother went and bought some insulation and insulated a bar cabinet we have here at our home. In other words? I've got an insulated cellar! It'll definitely be better than what I was using, which was nothing, but you get the point. Major thanks to them!

But enough about that, tonight I'm drinking another beer from my friends at Mother Earth Brew Co. Tonight I'm drinking Auld Knucker which is a 7% abv IPA. The back of the bottle says it's brewed with some honey and a citrusy hop variety. So, let's get this one poured and see how Auld Knucker stacks up to some of the other IPA I've had recently (and from Mother Earth Brew Co)

Auld Knucker pours out a really nice looking golden color with some orange hue to it. There's about a 2 finger fluffy white head that is sticking around for a long time. A nice amount of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. This isn't the freshest bottle so it's nice to see we've got some active carbonation. The head is leaving behind a really sticky and thick lacing. Very foamy. This looks like a really nice IPA. Let's get the nose.

Nice, right away, big grapefruit citrus. Like, very intense grapefruit. There's a nice bit of orange and tangerine behind that as well. Going back in for a 2nd opinion and I get some of that sweet honey. It's sugary, sticky, and definitely playing a big part in this beer. There's some peach in here as well. I'm getting a little bitterness as well but for the most part, this is a big grapefruit bomb. Lots of sugary sweetness. Let's do some drinking!

First thing is that bitter grapefruit. A lot like a grapefruit peel or zest. That bitterness drives through the entire palate paving the way for everything else. Orange, Tangerine, honey, sugar, sweet peaches. Just a really nice balance between everything. The hops really drive this beer. The honey is much more prominent via bottle than I ever remember it being on tap (surprise, I've had this one before!). Not a bad thing at all, just really a pleasant addition to an otherwise hoppy, citrus forward IPA.

So overall, Auld Knucker from MEBC is another home run. It's everything you want from an IPA; bitter, sweet, citrus, etc. Finishes nice and dry. MEBC does IPA better than most in the area (we've got a lot of breweries) and this one is no exception. Just another fantastic beer from MEBC. Readily available in the area and potentially available outside the area depending on where you're at. Check this one out!

Rating: A

Boulevard Brewing Company - Double-Wide IPA

Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday. Just finished cleaning up after dinner and decided to crack open something new in the fridge. Actually forgot I had this one in my fridge door so I figured it's probably a good time to see how it tastes.

So tonight I'm drinking another offering from Boulevard's Smokestack Series, their Double-Wide IPA. This one comes in at 8.5% abv and according to the label is twister proof! Ok, I sort of doubt that, but this does actually say it's twister proof. In fact, it says to relax! So, I'm going to relax and see how Double Wide compares to some of the other IPA I've been drinking recently. Let's get into this one.

I popped the cork on the Double Wide to a very loud pop and a lot of smoke coming from the glass. This poured out into a MASSIVE 4 finger, extremely fluffy and billowy, bright white head. There's a really nice amount of carbonation streaming up from the middle of the glass. The head sticks around for a very long time and once dissipated, leaves behind a very sticky, white wash looking lacing. Double Wide looks like a pretty standard IPA with the exception of that massive head. Let's get the nose.

First thing I get is a big waft of Peach. Just fresh peach, sticky peach, sugary peach syrup. Just peaches. There's a bit of a caramel note here and what I can only describe as a sugar cookie type of sweetness. I'm also getting some sweet grapefruit, maybe even some raisin like character. Definitely smells a bit different than any IPA I've had in a while. Not picking up a lot of bitterness. Just mostly sweet peach, caramel and just a hint of grapefruit.

Right away I'm picking up some of that caramel. It's very creamy, smooth, and like I got on the nose, very sweet. That's immediately followed by that peach sweetness. It's syrupy. Sides of the palate is more of that peach, a bit of that grapefruit. Interestingly enough, I'm getting quite a bit of plum in the middle of the mouth. Maybe even a green apple like character. It's not tart but surprisingly very sweet. Definitely an enjoyable change of pace. Back end Double-Wide is a little boozy. I'm picking up a hint of alcohol on the back of the palate. Doesn't really drink like an IPA honestly. Not much bitterness anywhere in the mouth.

Overall, this is a pretty decent beer. Definitely different than any of the other IPA I've had in the last month or two. To me, this doesn't drink like an IPA at all. I'm not really sure how to classify this. It's good but I was hoping for more bitterness. I don't think this is the freshest bottle so some of that hop bitterness most likely has faded away. I'd say this is worth a try if you can get it. Definitely a nice beer to relax to and sort of unwind after a busy day. 

Rating: B

Mother Earth Brew Co - Hop Diggity

So it's Friday and if you didn't blow up your hands with some firecrackers yesterday, you're probably hungover and not really wanting to drink some good beers. Well, SUCK IT UP! The weekend is here and if you don't want to drink something good, I'll review something that could potentially be good. That's right, I'm doing this for you!

Tonight I'm drinking local. No really, like legit local... as in this is brewed a block from my home. If you're in or around North County San Diego, you know these guys. Tonight I'm drinking Hop Diggity by my good friends at Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, California. This is a DIPA that comes in at 8.2% abv and from what it reads at the brewery itself, 130 IBU!!! So in other words, HOLY SHIT! Let's get this DIPA poured and see how it stands up.

The Hop Diggity pours out a pretty hazy golden color definitely bordering on a copper/orange. There's a nice amount of carbonation coming up from the bottom of the glass. There's a nice two finger fluffy white head very reminiscent of some beach foam or maybe even some clouds. The head is sticking around for a long time and leaves behind a really thick, sticky lacing. Definitely a nice looking DIPA. Let's get the nose.

First thing is some big hops. Not the big dank hops I was expecting though. Lots of citrus right away. Big grapefruit and fresh oranges. There's a lot of peach, like very ripe peaches. A bit of mango and maybe even some papaya. There's an underlying sugary sweetness here as well. Definitely more fruity and juicy than I was expecting on the nose. This is a really awesome smelling DIPA. Let's stop the bullshitting though. I'm ready to do some drinking.

Right away there's a nice punch of hop bitterness. For a DIPA it's not as powerful as I was expecting, but I kind of like that. That's immediately followed by some of that tropical fruits. A lot of mango and even some pineapple in the middle of the mouth. Sides of the palate I get that grapefruit and orange citrus. It helps to even out the bitterness of the hops. Back end of this beer I get some of that peach sugary syrup and a lot of hop bitterness. The finish is quite dry and I'm left with quite a lingering bit of bitterness. No hint of alcohol on this and honestly it drinks incredibly easy.

So overall, Hop Diggity from Mother Earth Brew Co is another winner. I'm not sure how fresh this bottle is but it still has all the components to make a good DIPA. With that said, coming in at 130 IBU I don't really get that level of bitterness. That's really my only complaint about this one. Otherwise, this is a solid beer and with the guys at Mother Earth if there's one thing they really nail, it's IPA. They make some of the best in the area. Check them out if you're in northern SD, hell, even in southern SD. It's only a quick drive up the freeway.

Rating: B+

AleSmith Brewing Company - Yule Smith Summer Holiday Ale

What's up gang? Back to back reviews? Holy shit! I know right! Pretty rare I manage to get reviews up in consecutive days, hell, sometimes consecutive weeks. But like I said previously, I've got some "new" beers in my fridge and I want to get to them sooner than later. So I figure I get to drink and you get to read about me drinking. It's win win really!

So today I'm drinking the Summer Yule Smith from Ale Smith. That's a lot of Smith's! This is an Imperial / Double IPA that comes in at 8.5% abv. Not too crazy like the RuinTen from last night, but this should pack a punch none the less. So let's get this thing poured cause it's hot and I'm in need of something good and cold to drink.

Yule Smith pours out a crystal clear golden color with some slight copper hues along the bottom curves of the glass. There's about a finger to just under a finger and a half of a foamy white head that is sticking around for quite a while. Lots of tiny white bubbles here too. There is a ton of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. This reminds me a lot of a sparkling wine actually. Really nice looking beer but doesn't scream DIPA. Let's get the nose.

This is one dank, resinous smelling DIPA. Lots of hops on the nose. Like, an overwhelming hop presence. Lots of dank onion and garlic. I can see how some would say this smells like weed. I mean, it's THAT resinous here. Beneath all that dankness there's a decent amount of grapefruit peel and zest. It's quite sweet but is really just beat down by that dank hop character. There's also a little bit of pine hiding out as well, like it's afraid of getting destroyed by the dankness. Really strong smelling beer. Let's see how dank this one tastes.

Massive amounts of hop bitterness right up front. Like, palate destruction 101. A good amount of carbonation sort of pushes that bitterness through the middle of the palate. There's a nice sweetness along the sides of the palate. I'll be honest, it's a welcome relief to the brutality from these hops. Grapefruit and maybe even some tangerine. Very refreshing. Back of the palate if you didn't know the hops were there, well guess what, they're here too. Good amount of pine needle chilling out back here as well. Incredibly dry finish and I'm left with a lingering bitterness. It's just refusing to go away and honestly, in a DIPA, that's how it fucking should be!

So overall, this is a fantastic beer from AleSmith. While it's an all out assault on the palate, it's nicely balanced. Not a juicy IPA by any means or is it overly citrusy. This is just a big, dank, in your face, DIPA. I'm not even drinking this very fresh. I think it was bottled towards end of May so over a month old. I know, fresh enough, but some would say it's past it's prime and to drain pour it (looking at Pliny fanboys and girls now). But seriously, no bullshit. This is another great beer from AleSmith. Pick this up. You won't be sorry.

Rating: A

Stone Brewing Co. - RuinTen IPA

What's up everybody?! It's the first of the month and I'm jumping into this month full steam ahead, hitting the ground running. What's that mean? Well, I've got a bunch of "new" beers in my fridge right now that I'm planning on reviewing for the blog. Hopefully you'll come along for the ride.

Tonight I'm drinking the latest release from Stone Brewing Co, this is their RuinTen which is their 10th anniversary salute to Stone Ruination. Originally released last year as sort of a one off kind of thing, Stone is planning to release this annually to the masses. They spoke and Stone listened. Kudos to Stone for making their fans happy (just like they did with Sublimely Self Righteous). So let's get into the beer and see how it holds up to the hype.

Ruinten pours out a very clear auburn/amber color. Maybe some golden hues on the sides of the glass but this is definitely a beautiful amber color. There is a ton of carbonation billowing up from the bottom of the glass. The pour left behind a real nice finger and a half of foamy, almost silky, white head. It sticks around for a little while and leaves behind a nice soapy white lacing. This looks like a really nice DIPA. Let's get the nose.

Right away, big dank hops. Just really aggressive and in your face hops. That's followed up by an immediate smack of citrus. Big grapefruit and tangerine. A lot of a syrupy kind of peach juice is right there with the citrus, holding hands while it pretty much uppercuts your sense of smell. There's some nice pine needle coming through to sort of clear out the remnants of your nostrils after the citrus and peach assault. You get some onion and garlic to coincide with the sweetness of the peaches. This just smells like a really awesome DIPA. I'm tired of typing. I'm drinking now. 

Yep. First thing you get is a MASSIVE amount of hop bitterness. This is a palate destroyer. No doubt about it. The bitterness just floods the mouth leaving everything else in it's wake. Sides of the palate you get the citrus. Big tangerine and orange. A nice grapefruit lingering as well. The peach syrupy sweetness sort of picks up where the hop assault left off. It does a nice job of kind of cleaning the palate out. Sort of like a street sweeper, just sweeping aside all that is not worthy. RuinTen finishes very dry and leaves behind more bitterness. This is one seriously heavy beer. Little bit of alcohol on the back end with a nice warming sensation down the chest. But just really great shit here from Stone.

So honestly, this might be my favorite hoppy beer from Stone. I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of their IPA and I'm so-so with regular Ruination. It's not that they aren't good, but just not my personal favorites. This however, is just fucking amazing. Honestly, this might be one of the most bitter, hop assaults I've had in recent memory. And while it's an all out assault on the tastebuds and nostrils, it really is well balanced. It's not just one dimensional like say an Arrogant Bastard. RuinTen is just incredible stuff and Stone absolutely fucking killed it with this beer. GET THIS IF YOU CAN.

Rating: A+