Bridgeport Witch Hunt Spiced Harvest Ale - 300th REVIEW!

300th REVIEW!
Bridgeport Witch Hunt Spiced Harvest Ale: This slightly spicy brew has a surprisingly clean finish, but can increase in bitterness with each passing sip. I did enjoy it, and it held its own without need for an appetizer to accompany it. However, I could see it being paired with a mild and creamy cheese (like Havarti) and some whole grain crackers if you prefer to eat with your beer!

Humboldt Brown Ale Brewed with Hemp

Humboldt Brown Ale Brewed with Hemp: I can’t say I know what flavor hemp is supposed to impart, but overall this was a pleasant enough beer. It had a warmth without any overpowering bitterness, but did remain on my palate long enough to make me thirsty (for water!). It had an inoffensive flavor that could please a variety of beer lovers, but might be too bland for those who prefer an extremely bold taste.

Elysian Loser Pale Ale “Corporate Beer Still Sucks”

Elysian Loser Pale Ale “Corporate Beer Still Sucks”: Being that I am not a huge Pale Ale fan, I was expecting to hate this and dump it down the drain….however, this was not a total “loser” in my book of beers! It had a medium bitterness, and was vaguely fruity/grassy in flavor, but in an earthly way. Not too over powering for someone of my limited bitter loving taste-buds, the ONE I had was more than enough to drink, but not exactly one I would seek out to buy again. 

Phat Matt’s Kolsch Ale

Phat Matt’s Kolsch Ale: This beer had a nice balance between toasty malts and bitter hops, and the flavor lingers on the tongue well after it’s been downed. It was something I might prefer to drink with my dinner, perhaps a hearty club sandwich or BBQ chicken. But not something I would drink for refreshment purposes only.

Laurelwood Brewing Co. Portlandia Pils

Laurelwood Brewing Co. Portlandia Pils: The bottle promises a bitterness ranging from pine to citrus to fresh cut grass, and it certainly delivers. It wasn’t overwhelmingly so, but still wasn’t my idea of a beer I’d like to sip on. But this is from a girl who isn’t a huge fan of heavily hopped beer, so take my review with a grain of salt…I didn’t care for it, but hop lovers certainly shouldn’t have complaint!

Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider

Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider: My friend Susan turned me on to this scrumptious treat by giving me a bottle to try…oh so yummy and tart! I was glad I only had one bottle to drink because if I had had an entire six-pack in my fridge, it would have been gone by the end of the evening! Very real apple flavor, almost couldn’t tell it had alcohol in it, so definitely something to keep around for your non-beer loving friends (and I have some of those!).  At 200 calories per bottle…it is certainly a treat only to be enjoyed on rare occasions.

Wild Blue Premium Blueberry Lager

Wild Blue Premium Blueberry Lager:  So recently I mentioned that I hadn’t cared for this beer when I tried it a few years back. Figured I had better revisit it for a review. Um…WHAT WAS I THINKING?! This stuff is good, and I can’t figure out why for the life of me I didn’t enjoy it the first time! It is lightly sweet, subtle blueberry flavor and just plain delicious. Not a “beer” beer, more of a fruity malt beverage, so if you go into it expecting big beer flavor, you’ll be disappointed. But if you take it for what it is, you’ll likely enjoy it as much as I did.

Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA

Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA: I’m almost embarrassed to admit I’ve been ignoring this on the shelves simply because it said IPA. So I grabbed one out of the six-pack (what kind of beer reviewer can I be if I neglect a brew because they don’t suit my palate?), and when I got home and read the bottle more fully, I was pleasantly surprised. Though it refers to intense pine & citrus flavors from the hops they use, they added a touch of apricot and spice to balance it out. The end result? Not at all bad though it still packed a bitter bite at the end. The lack of nuttiness I love was replaced by heady apricot sweetness, making the one I had enjoyable.

New Belgium Fall Seasonal Red Hoptober Ale

New Belgium Fall Seasonal Red Hoptober Ale: The bottle promises “just enough bitter to delight” but I’m assuming that is geared towards those that love the bitter to begin with. It was okay, but the flavor was enough to induce a “hop headache” in me. Had it contained even a hint toastiness, it might have been bearable, but I will leave this brew to the hop lovers.   

Widmer Brothers Omission Gluten-Free Lager

Widmer Brothers Omission Gluten-Free Lager:  I know gluten causes a lot of problems for a select portion of the population, so I am happy to see one of my favorite brewing companies make beer for those who otherwise couldn’t enjoy it. And guess what? I enjoyed it too! I love my lagers, and this one was no exception. Refreshing, touch of citrus bite balanced with a slight warmth of the malt. I could go gluten-free and still enjoy a beer!

Kona Brewing Co. Big Wave Golden Ale

Kona Brewing Co. Big Wave Golden Ale: This was a really, REALLY yummy beer with a very decidedly grapefruit citrus quality followed by a very pleasant nutty finish. I am in love! Now my biggest dilemma will be choosing between this one, and Kona’s Wailua Wheat!

Metolius Rusty Spinner Amber Ale

Metolius Rusty Spinner Amber Ale: I am finding that I have enjoyed all 3 of Metolius’ River Ales…this one was no exception. Well balanced in flavor with the perfect amount of slight toastiness enhanced with a kiss of bitter. Not too heavy, but perfect enough to satisfy your desire for a beer on a warm summer evening. 

Speakeasy Prohibition Ale

Speakeasy Prohibition Ale: At the risk of upsetting the group of beer lovers that covet this type of beer, I simply was not a fan. It had a heavy, assertive hoppiness to it along with a slightly sweet caramel malt taste that just made it too strong for my palate. When I drink beer, I like to feel refreshed, but this felt to me more like something you have when you want to drink your dinner.

Sapporo Premium Beer

Sapporo Premium Beer:  Well this is something I usually sip on when I’m gorging on sushi, and when I do that, sushi is my focal point so I rarely think twice about the beer I’m drinking. Without the distraction of my very most favorite food, I was rather shocked to discover that this tastes much like a German or Mexican “skunky” style beer. A Japanese Corona if you will. Hmmm…wonder if a lime would be a good addition? Heck, it is Japanese, maybe a slice of pickled ginger even – sushi style..HA!

Metolius River Ales Yellow Sally Blonde Ale

Metolius River Ales Yellow Sally Blonde Ale:  I enjoyed this brews crisp flavor and vague nutty taste, and was surprised to see it had a 6.2% ABV since it seemed so light and refreshing. If you haven’t tried this beer yet, give a 6 pack a try, it’s likely you’ll be pleased. Perfect to sip on during these hot summer months!

Blue Moon Belgian Style Pale Ale

Blue Moon Belgian Style Pale Ale: Blue Moon always has quite a variety of beers well beyond the Belgian Whites, and this is one I personally liked. It had a slight tangy herbaceous quality followed by the ever coveted toasty finish (coveted by me anyway!). It was easy to drink, but flavorful enough to me to satisfy my beer craving without drinking too many. 

Shadow’s Wild Black Premium Blackberry Lager

Shadow’s Wild Black Premium Blackberry Lager: Given that I enjoyed the previous Red version, I was hoping for more of the same. New favorite! This was even better than the red in my opinion, as the natural blackberry flavor somewhat enhanced the lagers nuttiness. Overall, it was another nice fruity beer to sip on, not too light to call it girly, but not too heavy to make me walk away. Well…not that I could walk very well after drinking the Red and Black back to back! 

Shadow’s Wild Red Premium Raspberry Lager

Shadow’s Wild Red Premium Raspberry Lager: Since I had tried the Wild Blue a few years back (blueberry lager) and was completely unimpressed (I found it gross actually), I was hesitant to try this. However, the raspberry flavor had a lovely tartness to it, and mild sweetness that balanced out this brew. And, at 8% ABV, watch out…they go down a little too quickly and you start bumping into things!

Elysian Original Red – The Men’s Room

Elysian Original Red – The Men’s Room: Another beer I admittedly purchased because the name cracked me up, though it did promise light hop aroma and toasty malt finish so that is what really sold me. It was a little more intense on the hop flavor than I was hoping for, and a little weak on the toasty finish. Not sure I can finish the entire huge bottle, but the flavor would be good in a dinner roll or pizza crust, so at least it’s not getting dumped down the drain like so many others…

Double Take Belgian White

Double Take Belgian White: I enjoy these types of beers, but my enjoyment seems to fizzle a little more each time the market becomes more saturated with this flavor. It’s not much different, at least not enough to my palate to tell a great difference between this and the many others like it. Maybe one of these days I will need to line them all up and sip from each to see if indeed there is much difference in the Belgian White Ales brewed with spices.

Metolius River Ales – Green Drake India Pale Ale

Metolius River Ales – Green Drake India Pale Ale:  For those that are familiar with my blog, you know I am not an IPA fan. HOWEVER…I did appreciate this one for its mild hop flavor and the hint of toastiness at the finish. Usually IPA’s tend to come on stronger, but even with a relatively low ABV of 6.3%, I was able to finish the single bottle I purchased without batting an eyelash.