Needing to get out of the black hole of entertainment that is my grandparents' house, I headed to Cricket's for some beer on Monday the 18th. When I arrived I called Win and Jordan. Jordan arrived first and we played darts for an hour or so. Win arrived later, after we had moved to a table on the balcony.
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
Labels: American IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu, Hefe Weizen, Live Oak Brewery, Märzen / Oktoberfest, New Belgium Brewing, Saison, Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
