Day 230, February 28

The Offering: Erdinger Dunkel, Dunkelweizen , Erdinger Weissbrau, Germany

ABV: 5.3%

From the top of a Bangkok Sky Bar... A delicious German brew. Super malty with pretty strong caramel notes.  There is a definite spice to the brew along with some fruit, apple or pear maybe.  Nice thick mouthfeel.  Enjoy.

p.s. Skybars are the way to go in Bangkok, at least for a night.  The beer is the same price everywhere so you may as well drink at the top.

Points: 85

Thanks to Eric Tao

Cheers

Day 229, February 27

The Offering: Beer Lao, Euro pale lager, Lao Brewing Co. Laos

ABV: 5.0%

Sweet, not terrible. Bad aftertaste. Watery but refreshing in 90• weather.  This beer, like most over here is all about location.  Not to be drunk outside of Asia, specifically tropical Asia.

Points: 78

Thanks to Jansen Tredway

Cheers

Day 228, February 26

The Offering:  Blue Girl Pilsener, American Adjunct Lager, Oriental Brewing Co., Ltd.  Hong Kong

ABV: 5.0%

Now this is local.  German beer, brewed in Hong Kong, modeled by a Chinese Captain America with a man purse.  After all that, we still have a very standard American lager beer.  Not bad but simply your standard pils.  I must say it was fun to drink though.  By the way Chinese Captain America doubles as a magician.

Points: 75

Thanks to Captain America

Cheers

Day 227, February 25

The Offering:  Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout, Imperial Stout, Kiuchi Brewery, Japan

ABV: 7.5%

Still in Hong Kong and surprised to find a pub with a great beer selection.  Nothing local so I thought I'd keep it as local as possible (Japan's still Asia right?).  Anyway, too bad.  I should have gone with one of the Belgians on tap.  I was not impressed.  Basically a shot of espresso in a thin stout. Not great and not complex. I hear some of there other brews are pretty good but this one doesn't do it for me.

Points: 78

Thanks to Joyce Wang

Cheers

Day 226, February 24

The Offering:  Tsingtao, American adjunct lager, Tsingtao Brewery Co. China

ABV: 4.8%

Simply enjoying the brew with a good friend at her own office was pleasure enough (abrewaday may have to consult on future fridge additions however).  The brew was definitely not as bad as I remember.  A bit watered down for my taste but not offensive.  Enjoy with friends.

Points: 71

Thanks to Joyce Wang - joycewang.com

Cheers

Day 225, February 23

The Offering:  Fordham Helles Lager, Munich Helles lager, Fordham Brewing Co. Delaware USA

ABV:  5.4%

Being my least favorite beer style, this is not terrible. It does however leave that soured lager yeast funk in your mouth as a leftover which is really not my thing. Nothing better than average lager.

Points:  74

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 224, February 22

The Offering:  Fred Golden Special Ale, American Srong Ale, Hair of the Dog Brewing Co. Oregon, USA

ABV: 10.0%

Molasses and dark fruit nose. The mouth follows suit... Rich intense thick malts, almost overpowering. Even though this is so base heavy I really enjoy it. Super thick mouthfeel that drinks like a Belgian dubbel. I'm not sure where the "golden ale" description comes from, but this is delicious brew none the less.

Points:  87

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 223, February 21

The Offering:  Jubelale 25th Anniversary Winter Ale, Winter Warmer, Deschutes Brewery, Oregon USA

ABV:  6.7%

Dark malty nose with some sweetness. The mouth is bitter and roasted. The profile is thin for such a dark beer but it's not bad. The finish is super bitter and almost fruity. Like a grapefruit from a fireplace. Leaves a little wanting but alright brew overall.

Points:  82

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 222, February 20

The Offering:  Sanctification, American Wild Ale

ABV: 6.75%

Another winner from russian river. They really have an amazing line up of sours. This is my least favorite and it is still outstanding. Definitely lighter and more citrusy than the others. The bottle says its a Bret beer but it is so subtle that I may not have noticed without the heads up. Usually the bretonomyces is in your face buts it's nice to see it take a back seat here. The nose is tart and yeasty. The mouth is sour as well with some spiciness that stays with you throughout. Like the others,

I recommend this to all beer drinkers.

Points:  90

Thanks to Katie

Cheers
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Day 221, February 19

The Offering: Dubbel Down, Belgian style Dubbel, Black Diamond Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 7.2%

From the makers of the Rampage Imperial IPA, this is another worthy brew.  Dark toasty malty nose. Syrupy dark molasses and bitter. Decent brew and valiant attempt at a Dubbel.  There is room for improvement but solid on it's own.

Points:  83

Thanks to Katie

Cheers
 

Day 220, February 18

The Offering: Supplication. American wild ale, Russian River Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 7.0%

Sour and a little sweet. Bitterness is present but merely compliments the complexity. Very similar to the Consecration. Solid stuff. Do not pass these brews up!

Points: 95

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 219, February 17

The Offering:  Consecration, American wild ale. Russian River brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 10.0%

Great dark sour brew, aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Citrus and currant nose with grape. The mouth is bitter with hints of cider. Incredibly complex sour brew landing somewhere between beer and wine. Great! Drink this and love it!

Points: 96

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 218, February 16

The Offering:  Red Tale Ale, Ale, Mendocino Brewing Co, California, USA

ABV:  6.0%

Super bitter red ale. Fruity nose, apple cider maybe. Reasonable drinking brew.  Alright, but nothing great.

Points:  76

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 217, February 15

The Offering:  Russian River Saison Blonde, Saison, Russian River Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV: 4.2%

Wild citrus nose. There is a little hint of sulphur but not enough to be off putting. great yeast character. The mouth is floral, citrusy and bitter. The yeast profile comes through with strong floral notes, lilacs almost. The finish is funky. Overall the brew has a lot going on but is a little too thin. Good but not great. 

Points: 82

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 216, February 14

The Offering:  The Perfect Crime, Black Smoked Saison, Smoked Saison. Stone Brewing Co. with Stillwater and Evil Twin. California, USA

ABV: 6.8%

Incredibly complex brew. Nose comes off like a Belgian dubbel with the sweet malt character. The mouth is completely different, roasted coffee with a slight farmhouse funk. The finish is dark and bitter roasted malts.  Fun brew and a great collaborative effort of the three brewers.

Points: 86

Thanks to Katie and Happy Valentine's Day

Cheers

Day 215, February 13

The Offering:  Wagner Valley IPA, IPA, Wagner Valley Brewing Co. 42"34'N, 76"51W New York, USA

ABV: 6.0%

Bitter. Nose is a little metallic but mostly hops a little citrus and fruit. The mouth profile is a little thin but still flavorful. I get some woody characteristics in the middle. The finish is bitter but pretty clean.  Not bad but doesn't move mountains for me (small hills maybe...)

Points:  79

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 214, February 12

The Offering:  Union Jack, IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV:  7.5%

Nowhere near the Younger but still a solid IPA. The nose is fresh and floral, with a little caramel maybe. The mouth is bitter but not cutting bitter. Very fresh and clean. Solid IPA.

Points: 89

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 213, February 11

The Offering:  Stone Smoked Porter, American Porter, Stone Brewing Co. California, USA

ABV:  5.9%

Dark and bitter. Great smokey flavor. Surprisingly not much nose.  Stone makes some great brews and this is no exception.  Enjoy.

Thank you Vesta redwood city, best pizza and best salad I've ever had, and a solid brew to go with it.

Points: 88

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 212, February 10

The Offering:  Pliny the Younger, Imperial IPA, Russian River Brewing Co. California USA

ABV:  11.0%

Wow, just wow. 8 hours in line and I will venture to say totally worth it.  Will I do it next year? absolutely not.  I will find another way in.  The brew is hands down awesome though.  Pure Liquid Hops.  If they needed a slogan that would be it.  It is sweet bitter and delicious.  The nose is amazing, like diving into a field of sweetened hops.  For all the hoppyness the mouth is surprisingly smooth and creamy.  There is no astringency, almost as if you are drinking the smell.  On the end a great clean finish!  I really can't recommend this enough.  If you ever get the chance to head to Russian River during the 2 week release, do it, otherwise find it in a San Fran bar during beer week (Toronado etc.)


Points:  97

Thanks o Katie

Cheers

Day 211, February 9

The Offering:  Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Oregon USA.

ABV: 6.2%

Another Deschutes brew for my Oregonian friend Alan.  This one I like. Citrus and floral hops on the nose. Super bitter mouth with major grapefruit tones. Astringent finish. Fun brew.

Points: 83

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 210, February 8

The Offering:  Shipyard Export Handcrafted Ale, American Blonde Ale. Shipyard Brewing Co. Maine USA

ABV: 5.1%

Interesting brew. A lot of berry on the nose and mouth. The nose has some apricot kind of like magic hats #9. The mouth is more blueberry on the front end and raspberry on the finish. It's a pleasant fruit though with some great bitter hop qualities. I find this especially interesting because berry is not mentioned anywhere on the bottle so it probably wasn't intended which is great. A lot of brews will add berry extract to get the desired berry flavor which always comes up a bit short. This is all through the brewing process. Interesting brew and pretty tasty. I recommend it.

Points: 87

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 209, February 7

The Offering:  Fordham Scotch Ale, Scotch Ale, Fordham Brewing Co. Delaware, USA

ABV: 8.0%

The nose is sweet and a little smoky, malt centered with some molasses. The mouth is bitter with grains and malts coming through in the mid palate. The bottle says smoked beechwood is used in the process. If only I knew what beechwood tasted like I could compare. Not bad, not great. Slightly unpleasant on the finish.

Points:  80

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 208, February 6

The Offering:  Hibernator, Scottish Ale, Long Trail Brewing Company. Vermont, USA.

ABV:  6.0%

Rich malty lagerish tone. Definite bread notes with a slight sweetness. Nice complex astringency with no bad aftertaste. The nose sweetly pleasant. Decent brew.

Points: 83

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 207, February 5

The Offering:  Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Saison.  Boulevard Brewing Company, Missouri, USA.

ABV: 8.0%

Once again a clear winner from start to finish.  Great bitter funky farmhouse ale. Full rich and wonderful. Enjoy this brew.

Points: 90

Thanks to Kevin

Cheers
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Day 206, February 4

The Offering:  Scaldis Blonde Ale, tripel, Brasserie Dubuisson Freres sprl. Belgium

ABV: 10.5%

Usually when I have little to say it's a bad thing.  This time that is not the case.  Citrus and peach on the nose. Sweet cloves in the mouth. Really delicious. Rich and complex.

Points:  90

Thanks to Kevin

Cheers

Day 205, February 3

The Offering:  St. Stefanus. Belgian strong pale ale. Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V. Belgium

ABV: 7.0%

When I popped this brew, I was hoping for a 49ers superbowl comeback.  Unfortunately, even the power outage couldn't help us.  The brew was solid, however, even though the game was not. The citrus and yeasty nose really got me excited.  You know right away what you are getting into.  The mouth was citrusy and bitter and proved to be quite complex with some random unnamed spices. The finish is bitter and clean.  Nice brew.

Points:  89

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 204, February 2

The Offering:  Omission lager, light lager, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.  Oregon, USA

ABV:  4.6%

Gluten free beer for those who are interested. My condolences for those with an allergy I hope you find better offerings than this.  It smells great, floral hoppy citrusy, but falls apart after that. The mouth is bland bitter, flat and a little funky (bad funky). Terrible long lasting finish.  Even Nira (my dog) is skeptical.

Points:  71

Thanks to Katie

Cheers

Day 203, February 1

The Offering:  Mikkeller Alive, Belgian Wild Ale. Mikkeller at de Proef Brouwerij. Belgium

ABV:  8.0%

Wonderful brew, great bitterness. Floral and complex. Rich malty nose. Just really pleasant.

Points:  90

Thanks to Katie

Cheers