Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

☺☺☺☺½

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; Chico, CA
Brew: Torpedo Extra IPA
Pour: Heady pour. Head sits around for a good while. Lots of glass lacing. Really beautiful.
Appearance: Coppery-blush colour. Non-transparent.
Aroma: Pine needles hit you right on the nose. I could smell when I opened the bottle. Lots of fresh, fresh pineapple, too! Fruity-tooty.
First sip: Nice round hops. Almost a caramel-y malt. (I know I'm probably wrong on their choice of malt, but whatever they used, it's interesting.) Pineapple is huge, with grapefruit coming right after.
Mouthfeel: Not thick, but definitely not watery. Not too much bitey carbonation.
Finish: Hoppy finish with a lemony aftertaste.
Notes: Lovely!! I just burped and it tasted like a Christmas tree! Not bad for a 7.2% ABV. I knew Sierra Nevada could make a good beer!

Intro to Beer-o

This is the start of my new blog, "Here, Beer." I have a beer journal (you know, a real physical one, made of paper, glue, and leather) that I've kept pretty well (even after a few too many) and wanted to digitalize it. For awhile, I'll just be typing up pages and excerpts from my "real" journal. But will start adding recent ones as I go along. I mean, I must try three or four new ones a week (don't remind me of all the repeats, please. My liver will hate you) so I should be here often, right? RIGHT?

Saint Arnold Oktoberfest

☺☺☺☺

Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewery; Houston, TX
Brew: Oktoberfest
Pour: Weak head. Thick pour. Huge bubbles.
Appearance: Golden amber.
Aroma: Hoppy, toasty. A little sweet. Okay, fine, a lot toasty.
First Sip: Very toasty malt. Hops are a little strong at first.
Mouthfeel: Wonderful. Very gentle; low minerals, low carbonation. Not overbearing at all.
Finish: Hops fade out. A little honey at the very end.
Notes: Like a hoppier Fat Tire. I like. I like a lot. Not a bad session beer. Easy to drink.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

☺☺☺☺

Brewery: Paulaner; Germany
Brew: Hefe-Weizen
Pour: Beautiful pour. Large bubbles and yet a thick head.
Aroma: Cardamom and bananas. Rusty. Like a nail. I think I smell bubblegum?
Appearance: Dark, cloudy amber. Lots of proteins swimming around unfiltered.
First sip: Bananas, cloves, cardamom, and butter. Still a little rust. Malty, but nice hops. Very sweet. Burnt malt.
Mouthfeel: A little bite with a lot of foam.
Finish: Creamy with a little of that odd bubblegum flavor at the very end again.
Notes: Happy beer! More complex than a Franziskaner, but more confusing with the rust and the bubblegum.

Pyramid Curveball Blonde Ale

☺

Brewery: Pyramid Brewery; Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Berkeley, CA
Brew: Curve Ball Blonde Ale
Pour: Light pour. Very weak. Doesn't hold a head for more than a millisecond.
Appearance: Light amber. Very pretty little blonde ale.
Aroma: Fresh hops. Little malt. No trace of anything but nice hops.
First sip: Very hoppy. Not many other flavors besides the nice smooth hops. A little unpleasantly bitter, like Heineken. Like vomit.
Mouthfeel: Light. A little bubbly, but not too bad. Not too acidic.
Finish: Bitter. No flavor. Really. Nothing.
Notes: BOOOOOO.

Two Rows IPA

☺☺☺☺☺

Brewery: Two Rows; Houston, TX
Brew: India Pale Ale
Pour: N/A: I didn't see it pour from the tap. However, it did keep a really nice head for awhile.
Appearance: Beautiful bronze color, kind of bubbly, very small bubbles.
Aroma: Super hops. A hint of mango and especially pineapple.
First sip: Just like the aroma. Very hoppy, tropical fruit flavors. Awesome. An expected roasted malt is apparent.
Mouthfeel: Bubbly. Nice carbonation. Not too heavy; not light.
Finish: Everlasting hops. Pineapple lasts forever.
Notes: All my exes live in Texas, and it's why I hang my hat in Tennessee! Thank you Pranav and Chris.

Shiner Smokehaus

☺☺☺½

Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery; Shiner, TX
Brew: Shiner Smokehaus
Pour: Nice head! Small bubbles, but not too thick. Foam disappears, but not too quickly. No lace on the glass.
Appearance: Golden amber colour.
Aroma: Instantly hoppy. A little bit of smoke, just like it says on the bottle.
First sip: Smooth and delicate. A little tangy. Definitely smoky, like I'm sitting next to a barbeque pit.
Mouthfeel: As expected for a lager. Very nice, not too watery.
Finish: Clean finish. A little hoppy aftertaste, but not much else.
Notes: I like it! And I'm not even particularly fond of lagers. It's not the most amazing brew I've ever had (far from that, sorry Shiner), but it's definitely worth note.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout

☺☺☺☺

Brewery: Samuel Adams; Boston, MA
Brew: Brewmaster's Collection Cream Stout
Pour: Heavy pour. Not much head or carbonation. Very thick and syrupy.
Appearance: Dark, dark brown. Light does not pass through this bad boy.
Aroma: Chocolate and bananas! Very malty aroma.
First sip: Thick, rich, creamy. Flavors of coffee and chocolate and, yes, a little caramel. Different with that little wee bit of banana in there.
Mouthfeel: Rich without being too heavy. Creamy without being butter or syrup. Heavy but not stinging carbonation.
Finish: All the hoppiness at the end makes your mouth water.
Notes: Great with coconut ice cream. I promise. Jason agrees.

Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale

☺☺☺½

Brewery: Pyramid Brewing Co.; Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Berkeley, CA
Brew: Audacious Apricot Ale
Pour: Nice. Doesn't fall too quickly. Pretty foam.
Appearance: Colored like a hefeweizen, light orange. This is obviously a wheat ale. Zach says it looks like an overly ripe orange.
Aroma: Peaches and Cream (so says Zach), I say apricots. Maybe he's never had apricots. They are a little similar. But yes, an abundance of apricots and clove. Malty.
First sip: Off flavors of lemongrass. Very fruity. A bit apricoty, yes, but more mixed fruitiness than anything.
Mouthfeel: Not too heavy, but nice feel. Nice and fizzy for a few seconds before going down.
Finish: Delicate. Like if green had a flavor. Maybe I'm tasting that weird lemongrass again.
Notes: This beer also brought to you by Suzie and Zach Drink Beer Night.

Pyramid Thunderhead IPA

☺☺½

Brewery: Pyramid Brewing Co.; Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, Berkeley, CA
Brew: Thunderhead India Pale Ale
Pour: THICK pour, but not the head so much, no. A few big bubbles.
Appearance: Amber and as Zach-Attack says, a little bit of orange.
Aroma: Hoppy with a wee bit of fruit.
First sip: Hoppy as hell. Lemony with a little bit of grapefruit. A bit of pineapple and mango.
Mouthfeel: Very nice, balanced: not overly heavy and not watery. Zach says it's a little thick.
Finish: A little hoppy bitterness with a hint of sweetness.
Notes: This beer tasting brought to you by Suzie and Zach Drink Beer Night.

Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen

☺½

Brewery: Pyramid Brewing Co.; Seattle, WA, Berkeley, CA, Portland, OR
Brew: Haywire Hefeweizen
Pour: A little bit of foam, large bubbles. Light density.
Appearance: Unfiltered amber color. Almost looks like orange juice.
Aroma: Nice malt. A little bit of fruit. Maybe bubblegum and iron? Strange...
First sip: Bland. A little bit of iron. Too much hops. A tiny bit of orange.
Mouthfeel: Light, a little watery.
Finish: Nonexistent. A little tiny bit of hops in the back of the throat, but not really much of anything.
Notes: I love Hefe, but this is terrible. Like funky soda water.

Widmer Broken Halo IPA

☺☺☺

Brewery: Widmer Brothers; Portland, OR
Brew: Broken Halo India Pale Ale
Pour: Very light head. Tiny bubbles. Syrupy pour. Very thick, just no head.
Appearance: Coppery-blonde with a red glow. Nice amber. Non-transparent.
Aroma: Fruity, nice hops. Typical of an IPA.
First sip: Pineapple first, followed by fruity sweetness. Lots of fruit.
Mouthfeel: Pleasant carbonation, but a little heavy.
Finish: Hoppy finish. Mouthwatery at the very end, but no saltiness.
Notes: Easy to drink (for me, the hophead, at least). Good session beer.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager 2009

☺

Brewery: Sierra Nevada; Chico, CA
Brew: Summerfest Lager 2009
Pour: Medium head. Big bubbles; lots of carbonation. Head disappears pretty quickly.
Appearance: Rich golden blonde colour.
Aroma: A little hoppy. No other discernible aromas.
First sip: Very light hops. Very little/no malt. No depth or character.
Mouthfeel: Very light, even for a lager/pilsner.
Finish: A little bitter at the end, but mostly clean.
Notes: What a pity! Sierra Nevada usually makes good beer. It's better than Bud Light, but not any better than a Budweiser (ouch). I hate being disappointed by beer. FAIL.

Samuel Adams Imperial White

☺☺☺☺½

Brewery: Samuel Adams, The Boston Beer Company; Boston, Mass.
Brew: Imperial White
Pour: Like an apricot syrup! Not at all what I was expecting from a witbier. Rich syrup with almost no head.
Appearance: Rich apricot and gold with a bronze heart. A little yeast protein.
Aroma: Weird. Apricots. Definitely a wheat malt, complete with cloves and vanilla.
First sip: Strong apricot as expected (well, now). A little grapefruit. Cloves, vanilla. Nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: Very heavy. Almost no fizz. Heavy alcohol and syrupy feel.
Finish: Pretty dry. Taste doesn't linger but for just a moment. Maybe a little wood. (that's what she said!)
Notes: Jason says he now hates all other beer. How cute. Personally, I love how different it is from virtually any other beer I've had (thus far). Really, it's a very very good beer. However, this is NOT a good session beer.

Carlsberg Lager

☺☺☺½

Brewery: Carlsberg; Copenhagen, Denmark
Brew: Lager
Pour: Thin, not very foamy. Very light.
Appearance: Light gold colour. No bronze. No yeast.
Aroma: Lightly floral. Like lilacs. Light hops, no malt.
First sip: Same floral taste as was in the nose *whiff whiff*. Nice and hoppy without being too bitter. No skunky preservative taste. ♥ Almost no maltiness.
Mouthfeel: Foamy and bubbly on the tongue. Very pleasant. Almost ticklish.
Finish: Creamy. Very cream aftertaste with a long light finish. Salty, then creamy, then finally a last hint at a woody bitterness.
Notes: Nice little lager. Very good for people that like Heineken (UGH) to try as a step up (WAY up).