Anchor Brewing Co. – Porter *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Jan 032012
 

Not too long ago during a beer discussion started for a reason I cannot remember it occurred to me that there were a few beers that I had yet to try for another reason that I am not aware of.  The beers in question were both porters from very important breweries in the world of American craft brewing.  Today is the review for the first of those two.

Now for the first review of the year . . .

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Co. (San Francisco, CA)

Name: Porter

Style: Robust Porter

ABV: 5.60% (via internet)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before serving in a pint glass.

Aroma: A moderate roasted malty aroma with maybe some slight hints of chocolate.  Also a bit of sweetness and maybe a floral note in there.  Relatively mild overall. – 8.5/12

Appearance: Dark brown though with garnet highlights at the edges when held to light.  One finger light brown head that is think, holds very well, and leaves a solid trail on the glass.  Opaque though clear at the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Fairly strong malt flavor that is heavily roasted with a bit of burnt character.  Some hop flavor also comes through.  A moderate bitterness though I think that is a combination of the dark roasted malts and the hops used.  There is a dryness to the finish with a hint of sweetness and some roasted bitterness lingering. – 17/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate to low level of carbonation.  Very smooth and pretty creamy on the palate with just a bit of astringency. – 5/5

Overall Impressions: The mouthfeel is really nice and quite enjoyable.  The beer goes down very easily and I could definitely go through a few more than the one I have.  The creaminess and sweetness are even more prominent as it warms some and the burnt character also fades a bit.  Better when not super cold, but good regardless.  Damn fine beer.  – 8/10

Overall: A- (41.5/50)

6624153927 c66d40332f Anchor Brewing Co. Porter *

Anchor Brewing Co. - Porter

 Posted by Lucas at 11:00 am  Tagged with: , ,

Blueprint Brewing – What A Sap *

 My Brew Reviews  No Responses »
Sep 162011
 

Though I probably should have saved the best of my home brews for last it seems that I am ending this run on the other end of the enjoyment scale.  Actually I think the best was posted on Tuesday.  Granted all of these likely would have received different grades a few months ago (and a few did), but this more recent run of evaluations was necessary for me to better understand how they hold up over time in my house.  When I get the brewing fever I cannot exactly drink it fast enough, so it is good information to have.

Once again The Wife gave a suggestion for the name and I gladly went with it.  I did not even wait for her second suggestion.  That is how my brewery (in name only) operates.

Probably retiring this recipe for now . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: What A Sap

Style: Brown Porter

ABV: 4.55% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Pretty light roasted aroma with some sharpness and a faint sweetness as well.  Not very enticing overall.  – 6/12

Appearance: Dark, dark brown in color.  Two finger light brown head that is thick, holds well, and leaves a nice trail on the glass.  Opaque though rising bubbles can be seen at the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Fairly light roasted malt flavor up front followed by a light bit of sweetness from middle to finish.  There is just a hint of bitterness but really not much depth of flavor overall.  Finishes with some dry bite and a bit of astringency. – 10/20

Mouthfeel: Medium in body with a really high level of carbonation that definitely adds some bite.  Pretty smooth on the palate after the initial carbonic bite. – 2.5/5

Overall Impressions: Has not held up as well as the others over time though it was not one of my favorites to begin with.  The flavors do open up and become more full as the beer warms some.  The carbonation was so high that it started to slowly climb out of the bottle just after opening and that carbonation really overwhelms the less intense flavor.  Was one of the more expensive batches to brew for me in my relatively short time doing so and I ended up without the pay off to show for it (drinkable, but that is about all). – 5.5/10

Grade: C+ (27/50)

6150297764 a6227c28f8 Blueprint Brewing What A Sap *

Blueprint Brewing - What A Sap

 Posted by Lucas at 10:15 am  Tagged with: , ,

Left Hand Brewing Co. – Fade to Black (Vol. 2) *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Mar 152011
 

No matter what type of system I use to evaluate the beers that I drink at home, I will always have a tough time giving really high scores to anything.  I easily could have been persuaded to give this one even higher marks, but I find myself making sure to leave room for an even better beer.  There may be no such thing as a perfect beer, but I do want to make sure to leave the perfect score for the one that I think is someday.

To kick the week of reviews off . . .

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmont, CO)

Name: Fade to Black – Volume 2

Style: Baltic Porter (or more accurately a Smoked Baltic Porter)

ABV: 7.80% (website and bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled early to allow to warm some then served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Roasted malt aroma with some earthy and leathery notes and also a light smoky character.  A bit of sweetness and maybe just a touch of warmth in there as well. – 9/12

Appearance: Black (very dark brown at the edges when held to light).  Solid, two finger, light brown color head that is frothy with great retention and leaves a nice trail.  Opaque, though is see through clear when held to a light. – 3/3

Flavor: Full roasted malt flavor up front with notes of coffee and a nice hit of bitterness after that and through finish.  Smoky earthiness (just the right amount) shows up more toward the finish.  Finishes with some roasted astringency and nicely lingering coffee and smoked malt notes.  – 17/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body, though the creaminess gives the impression of a more full body on the palate.  A moderate level of carbonation that seesm to be just right for this beer. – 5/5

Overall Impressions: A really nice beer.  I was not even in the mood to have one, but the first sip quickly changed my mind.  The mouthfeel is perfect.  Just the right amount of somkiness in the flavor that does mellow and blend into the whole as the glass empties.  Has the fullness in flavor of a stout, but drinks lighter like a porter.  Certainly a good idea to let warm some before drinking.– 9/10

Overall: Excellent – 43/50

5530072405 4b34302693 Left Hand Brewing Co. Fade to Black (Vol. 2) *

Left Hand Brewing Co. - Fade to Black (Vol. 2)

5530656676 232ae2a321 Left Hand Brewing Co. Fade to Black (Vol. 2) *

In black and white

 

 Posted by Lucas at 8:00 pm  Tagged with: , , ,
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