Alpha King - Three Floyds Brewing

Vitals:

Name: Alpha King

Style: American Pale Ale

IBU: 66

ABV: 6.5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a cloudy copper color with lots of tiny carbonation bubbles zooming through it. Half a finger of head that is off-white or even tannish. OK retention but a weak lacing (which was surprising) and a spare cap.

Smell: Smells like it will be very well-balanced...lots of maltiness and breadiness to it, but there is an equal backing of piney-hop presence on the nose. However, this is an extremely pleasant nose, as the sweetness mellows out the big piney hop notes.

Taste: This brew is malty from beginning to end, with other tastes highlighting at different points. Seems mostly like caramel and citrus fruit flavors lacing the beginning, but it actually evolves into a more citrus/piney hop finish. This is a very well-crafted and well-balanced beer; you get a bitter finish for sure, so if that's not your thing then you may not enjoy this one!

Mouthfeel: This brew is a bit creamier and heavier than I expected...it actually drinks more like an IIPA or IPA than an APA. This beer has a lot of nice aspects, though...it's oily (in a good way) so it coats your mouth a bit and is well carbonated (which most Three Floyds brews are).

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: This almost seems like it's improperly classified in a few ways. First, it drinks like an IIPA, not an APA. Second, the ABV is more similar to an IPA than an APA. This is a very good beer; having said that, I would probably take Hopalicious from Ale Asylum over this one, but that's only because I feel like this one is a bit maltier and I prefer my beer to be more on the hoppy end than malty. This is a very solid heavy APA; definitely not something you'll be drinking all night long, though!

Cheers,

Hurls

(Summer) Fest - Capital Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Fest

Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.6%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a nice, clear orange and looks to be highly carbonated. 2 fingers of head with fantastic retention and cap; the cap stayed at about a finger's worth, which is just incredible. The head was just very slightly off-white.

Smell: Smells very bready to me as far as malts go, like a grainy loaf of bread. You get some light hops smell (maybe grassy hops?) and some mild sweetness of the malts coming through. Simple but pleasant nose.

Taste: Very bread, with sweet malts up front. Lemon flavor as well as citrus and earthy hops hold the middle of the beer and a spiciness builds as the tastes roll to the back of your tongue. This sort of tastes like a much better and more complex European lager. There are also some grassy hops in there for sure.

Mouthfeel: I'd say this is on the light side of medium-bodied; very crisp on the palate and leaves you a little bit dried out. No big detractors.

Overall Grade: B

Comments: This is a pretty solid offering, which is just what Capital seems to do...they seem to make typical styles (a lot of German-influence in there) and they're all just OK. I don't think Capital really has a beer that I'd special request or ever have a craving for, but most of them are pretty drinkable. I will admit that I don't have much experience with this style, but this is worth a try if you're into Marzens/Oktoberfests. Probably a bit out of season by now but you might be able to pick up a little of the remaining from the summer brewing.

Cheers,

Hurls

Centennial IPA - Founder's Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Centennial IPA

Style: American IPA

IBU: 65

ABV: 7.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a deep amber/ruby cool, one finger of off-white head. This brew boasts a nice retention, beautiful lacing, and a sparse cap. There is a decent amount of carbonation as well. The beer seems clear-to-mildly-translucent.

Smell: Grapefruit and citrus aromas are immediately evident along with lots of piney resins. The malt is there but totally gets overpowered by the other aromas (which I'm fine with, for an IPA). The nose on this beer is a hop head's dream...seriously tremendous smell.

Taste: Boasts a lingering piney hop flavor and bitterness. There are grapefruit and pineapple flavors that mingle nicely with the citrus hops and toasted caramel malts. The malt taste is very muted by the hops but has enough presence to hold the beer together nicely. I wouldn't exactly call this beer balanced, but it's balanced enough.

Mouthfeel: Adequate carbonation with a pretty full-bodied mouthfeel. This is a very thick and creamy IPA and generally seems to be a heavy, filling beer.

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: Very good IPA, but honestly I would go with one that isn't quite as heavy. Bell's Two-Hearted comes to mind as a good one (and Ranger IPA from New Belgium) that are great tastes and aren't quite as heavy. This is worth a try for sure if you're into IPAs...I just wouldn't recommend putting back more than one or two, because you'll be full (and possibly feeling good with the 7.2% ABV!). Get out there and try this one out if you're a hop head!

Cheers,

Hurls

Blonde Doppelbock - Capital Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Blonde Doppelbock

Style: Doppelbock

IBU: ??

ABV: 7.8%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a burnt orange (very nice), with a half-finger of off-white head. Slightly below average retention, minimal lacing, and a small, thin cap. There looks to be plenty of carbonation in this one.

Smell: Smells of light malt, with a unique green apple smell to it and a hint of caramel and maybe toffee. You mostly get malt and citrus aromas, though, with a slight grassy hops aroma in the background.

Taste: The flavor is quite disappointing after the smell. I will say it improves a bit as the beer warms, though. At first it's very flat with mostly sweet malt and alcohol heat (that is not well-disguised or hidden by the beer). I thought there was a spice to this one, but it was mostly just the alcohol heat, which hits earlier than most brews. BORING.

Mouthfeel: Very creamy, but nearly no noticeable carbonation...which is very odd considering this beer looked highly carbonated. Sticks to your palate a bit; not too much else to describe here...very standard.

Overall Grade: B-

Comments: Not too much to say about this one; it's probably my favorite Capital Brewery beer, which is NOT saying much...this one is pretty forgettable.

Cheers,

Hurls

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale - Lagunitas

Vitals:

Name: Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

IBU: 64.2

ABV: 7.5%

Gravity: 1.076 OG

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a golden honey color with 2 fingers of off-white head. Solid retention, thin cap, amazing lacing, sporadic carbonation bubbles, but ultimately doesn't look like anything special.

Smell: This beer smells amazing - it smells sweet but it's not a very malty smell. You definitely get some grapefruit and lemon, along with orange and/or tangerine. You get grassy and citrus hops as well to complement the other citrus smells. I honestly can't overstate how awesome this beer smells.

Taste: This beer hides its high ABV completely, wow. You get all of the fruits from the nose and you get the citrus hops right up front and center. It's interesting because the hops are almost all flavor with only a little bitterness. However, the wheat flavor imparts some bitterness, which is interesting. This is a great flavor overall and doesn't stick with you too long after the drink, which fits just fine with this one.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with adequate carbonation and a bit of a dry finish. Not much else of note here, but definitely solid.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: This beer drinks much lighter than the flavor would suggest, which is awesome. It could honestly be an IPA with the ABV that it boasts, but it drinks like a pale wheat (which it is) and tastes like a strong pale ale. Very interesting combination and this is definitely something worth checking out. Little Sumpin' Wild is even better (I had it at Quivey's Grove Beerfest, but didn't have time to review it in depth)! Enjoy!

Cheers,

Hurls

Summer Love - Victory Brewing Company

Vitals:

Name: Summer Love

Style: American Blonde Ale

IBU: ??

ABV: 5.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Riley's Wines of the World

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a gorgeous blondish-golden yellow with a huge, fluffy 2.5 fingers of head. VERY good retention and a lot of carbonation on this one. The brew is crystal clear with great lacing and a very respectable cap...overall gorgeous beer.

Smell: Quite a bit going on here...a floral hop aroma is the big one up front. You also get a bit of graininess, honey, lemon, and/or citrus hops. It's a great smelling beer, but there is just a ton going on (not a detractor, though).

Taste: Up front you get some grassy and citrus hops with a bit of lemon. This mixes in with a bread aspect (the grains) and the honey I was smelling to help balance out the beer. You get a floral hop finish with a little tiny bit of a bite and some lingering bitterness. You almost get piney hops, but I'm not sure if that's what I'm tasting at the tail end or not. Very good taste that hangs with you a little while.

Mouthfeel: Very light and drinkable, crisp and clean with a little bit of a dry finish that fits well with the beer. The mouthfeel reveals less carbonation than I thought the beer had just from looking at it.

Overall Grade: A

Comments: What a fantastic summer seasonal! This is almost as close as you'll get to an extremely tasty summer session able brew. Go get some (if it's still available)...you may have to wait until next summer to enjoy it though. The bottom line is that you can pretty much rely on everything that Victory puts out to be extremely good. If you can't get Summer Love, try another of their beers!

Cheers,

Hurls

Quivey's Grove Beerfest 2011 Recap

So, in being caught up in the semester and not having time to even update my beer reviews, I realized that I haven't even properly recapped the 2011 Quivey's Grove Beerfest (QGBF)

For those of you who don't know what QGBF is, the general idea is paying $35 for an all-you-can-drink 5-hour slop-fest underneath a tent with live music. Put another way: it is undeniably the single thing that I will miss most when my time in Madison is up (also I will miss the New Glarus beer availability). So, in late-June each year a few thousand people shell out $35 per ticket (wifey and I included) and therefore buy themselves the right to enjoy an amazing experience in the future.

Mike and Amanda made it with us last year, so we made plans again and included Marc and Carol (and Marc's parents, who were in town as well). Mike, being crafty with his woodwork and tools, crafted us baller paddles to carry multiple glasses (so only one person had to run into the tent to get the beer). In other words, we were much more prepared than last year...when we brought absolutely nothing and huddled around inside the tent.

The only down-side to our plans were realized while Mike and I were watching the Phillies lose a playoff game the night before the wonderful beer-filled holiday. Mike receives a text from Amanda asking where their tickets were and saying that she couldn't find them. Gut punch to the stomach. Mike and Amanda moved in the summer and apparently lost their tickets, so they were unable to attend the beerfest :-(.

All in all, we had a great time, and I am going to list out the beers that I sampled and the grades that I gave them (just quick ratings, and my palate was so abused by the end of the day that some of them may be meaningless). I will also include a listing of brewers who were in attendance.

My Beers:

1. Hennepin Saison (Brewery Ommegang): B+/A-
2. Ommegang Wit (Brewery Ommegang): B-
3. Red's Rye IPA (Founder's Brewing Company): B
4. Little Sumpin' Wild (Lagunitas): A+
5. Satisfaction Jacksin (Ale Asylum): B+
6. Bell's Oktoberfest (Bell's Brewing): B
7. Bell's Lager (Bell's Brewing): B
8. Autumnal Fire Doppelbock (Capital Brewery): B
9. Hop Cream Ale (Capital Brewery): A-
10. Local Acre Wet Hop Lager (Lakefront Brewery): B+
11. Pumpkin Lager (Lakefront Brewery): B-
12. Oktoberfest (Sprecher Brewing Co.): B
13. Point 2012 Black Ale (Stevens Point Brewery): B+
14. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale (Stevens Point Brewery): B+
15. Matilda (Goose Island): B+
16. SOS Weizen (Abita Brewing Co.): B
17. Rusty Red Ale (Oso Brewing Co.): C+
18. Belgian Style Wheat (Upland Brewing Co.): B+
19. Wavehopper Kolsch (Big Bay Brewing): D
20. Long Weekend IPA (Big Bay Brewing): C+
21. Hoptoberfest (Milwaukee Brewing Co.): C
22. Staghorn Octoberfest (New Glarus Brewing Co.): B+
23. Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice (Tyranena Brewing): B+
24. Full House Pale Ale (House of Brews): C-
25. Noble Trappist Ale (Grumpy Troll Brew Pub): C
26. Norski Nut Brown (Grumpy Troll Brew Pub): C+

The full list of brewers is:

1. Brewery Ommegang
2. Crispin Cider Company
3. Founder's Brewing Co.
4. Lagunitas
5. Ale Asylum
6. August Schell Brewing Co.
7. Bell's Brewing
8. Capital Brewing Co.
9. Great Lakes Brewing
10. Lakefront Brewery
11. Minhas/Rheinlander Brewing
12. Pearl Street Brewery
13. Sprecher Brewing Co.
14. Stevens Point Brewery
15. Goose Island Brewing Co.
16. Magic Hat
17. New Belgium Brewing
18. Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.
19. Vintage Brewing
20. Abita Brewing Co.
21. Oso Brewing Co.
22. Pangaea Brewing
23. Potosi
24. Upland Brewing Co.
25. Big Bay Brewing
26. Central Waters Brewing
27. Cross Plains Brewing Co.
28. Furthermore Brewing
29. Jacob Leinenkugel / Blue Moon
30. Lake Louie Brewing
31. Lithia Brewing
32. Milwaukee Brewing Co.
33. New Glarus Brewing Co.
34. Summit Brewing Co.
35. Tyranena Brewing
36. House of Brews
37. Grumpy Troll Brew Pub

If you ever have a chance to go you should definitely try to attend. It's well worth the $35 bucks. Next year we're going to be even more prepared, with bottled water, pretzel necklaces, "order" menus, etc. It's going to be epic...so epic that I'm looking forward to it 10.5 months in advance!

Cheers,

Hurls