Thursday, December 5, 2013

Sweet Repute

I really enjoy Founders Brewing and here is just another reason to back it up. Sweet Repute is a wheat wine aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. My first sip reminded me of a Sugar Daddy and as it warmed up, it really was like drinking a Sugar Daddy. The bourbon softened up the sugary effect and balanced it out nicely. This is another great cold weather beer. Let it warm up a bit and then warm you up. www.foundersbrewing.com


El Hefe Añejo

I had this beer at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) which is pretty much the United States' Olympics for beer, where you'll find practically every style of beer imaginable.  Normally, Hefeweizen's (Wheat Beer) aren't my first choice when I'm ordering. Then I saw Golden Road El Hefe I thought to myself, a tequila barrel aged hefeweizen?,  I gotta try that! I'm really glad I did, 'cause I loved this beer. Most wheat beers usually have a banana like flavor, but for this one think carmelized or candied banana married with a wooden tequila agave sweetness and a hint of pepper.
www.goldenroad.la/


Cucumber Saison

Saison means Season more or less and also signifies the change of season. In a nutshell, farmers would brew Saison to celebrate the season change and that's why Saisons are described as Farmhouse Ales. Cigar City put a Cucumber twist on this style, its one of the most refreshing beers I've ever drank and I will drink it whenever I can. Smells like Cucumber, tastes like Cucumber and you guessed it, it's light and just as refreshing as Cucumber. An amazing warm weather beer for sure.
www.cigarcitybrewing.com

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Framboise For A Cure

Sour beer, wild beer or whatever you want to call it, people are really passionate about the specifics of this style. Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus are mostly the usual suspects found in these beers, giving them their unique sour qualities. Russian River makes this little number and they have an outstanding track record for beer of this kind. Aged in Chardonnay Barrels and a ton of fresh raspberries (30 LBS per barrel!), its an all around flavor bomb.
Tart, puckery and sweet all at the same time, practically every taste bud is aroused.
This outstanding beer also serves a higher purpose as 100% of the profits go to Breast Cancer Awareness. It comes out once a year, so if ya see it give it a whirl!
www.russianriverbrewing.com