Tag: Craft Beer

Ballast Point – Grapefruit Sculpin Review

Posted on by Drews Brews Reviews

Grapefruit SculpinAll You Need to Know

Brewery: Ballast Point
Style: IPA
ABV: 7.0%
Cost: $5 (10oz)
Glassware: Water Goblet (Tulip)
Temp: 55°F
Availability: Variable Times
Purchased@: Friendly Greek

Quick Take: This is a west coast beer specifically made to satisfy the bitter is better crowd. If your idea of a great IPA is honeyed Chillwave or Hopslam, stay far away. But if bitter grapefruit is your thing, meet your new beer king. For me, it takes one of my favorite drinking IPAs and turns it into a one note bore of bitter grapefruit peel that lacks the juicy grapefruit I crave.

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Jackie O’s Brewery – Dark Apparition Review

Posted on by Drews Brews Reviews

Dark ApparitionAll You Need to Know

Brewery: Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery
Style: Russian Imperial Stout (RIS)
ABV: 10.5%
Cost: ???? (12oz)
Glassware: Snifter
Temp: 55°F
Availability: Various Times
Purchased@: Beer Trade Extra

Quick Take: Dark Apparition is in a different class of RIS, being a drinker instead of an intense sipper. It isn’t battling for the top spot in my RIS-loving heart, but I would gladly buy a case to get me through those fall evenings without hesitation. Dark Apparition is simply delicious and another reminder of why I love dark beers.

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Maine Brewing Co. – Dinner Review

Posted on by Drews Brews Reviews

DinnerAll You Need to Know

Brewery: Maine Brewing Co.
Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Cost: ???? (12oz)
Glassware: Tulip, Snifter
Temp: 55°F
Availability: Various Times
Purchased@: Beer Trade

Quick Take: Out of the numerous Maine beers I’ve sampled, Dinner is hands down my favorite and one of the best IPAs I’ve had. This is a great example of a rich, full-bodied, finely hopped IPA similar to those Vermont IPAs you hear so much about. The dank deliciousness of Dinner makes this a beer worth seeking out, even if the availability appears limited right now. I gotta say that Maine Brewing knocked this one out of the state.

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Mikkeller – Hues 2014 Review

Posted on by Drews Brews Reviews

HuesAll You Need to Know

Brewery: Mikkeller
Style: Gueuze
ABV: 5%
Cost: $12 (12.7oz)
Glassware: Flute (Hefeweizen Used)
Temp: 45°F
Availability: Various Times
Purchased@: State Line Liquors

Quick Take: This is a sour beer that keeps the alcohol under control, features the classic elements of the style, and doesn’t overindulge. This also means that the flavors aren’t particularly deep or complex, but it makes for a good drinkin’ not thinkin’ beer. It’s ideal as a starter Gueuze for the craft beer-ers that are just dipping their toes into the sour waters.

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Great Divide – Wolfgang Doppelbock Lager Review

Posted on by Drews Brews Reviews

WolfgangAll You Need to Know

Brewery: Great Divide
Style: Doppelbock Lager
ABV: 8%
Cost: $12 (24oz)
Glassware: Pint
Temp: 45°F
Availability: Summer
Purchased@: The Foodery

Quick Take: Great Divide created a smooth beer with a toffee body, backbone and full skeletal system, but without the over sweet. The phrase “over sweet” is important here as an earthy sweetness is still a key player, but in a drinkable, ESB kind of way. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you, but Wolfgang shares enough traits with malty Doppelbocks and English pub beers to potentially satisfy both crowds.

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