Brew Free or Die IPA

This is a brew from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, California. They are one of the craft breweries that I know of (alongside Oskar Blues) that distributes their beer in cans.



The beer offers an amber color; shadow fingers on the other side of the glass, so, it's close to opaque, but not quite.

The bittering units are incredible. Their presence was one of the first things I noticed, so I decided to look on the can for the possibility that their quantity would be mentioned. The can lists 70 IBU's! From what I've heard, that's about 7 times the amount found in a light beer.

The lacing and head retention is quite impressive. I'm 3/4's of the way into this brew and I've still got a half inch of head hanging around. It's happy, and is showing no signing of giving in.

The smell is profound. I closed my eyes and racked my brain trying to pin point the ingredients. The smell reminds me of the hybrid juices my grandmother used to keep in the fridge. Pineapple & grapefruit is coming out to the delight of anyone around.

The taste is extremely bitter, with a malty character following the initial notes. This IPA definitely has a uniqueness about it. The brewer certainly made a point of bringing out hops & malts to create a more complex set of abrasive contents. Cheers!

Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale

12 oz bottle poured into nonic pint glass.


This beer first let me down once I poured what looked like a golden lager, instead of the amber-orange hue I was expecting. But, that aside, I thought that if it tasted good, I could get over my expectation and appreciate the brew still.

The smell isn't bad, but it's a little over the top, personally, and a slightly on the artificial side, regardless of whether artificial flavors were used or not.

The head retention and lacing is probably the most honorable mention in respect to this brew.

As a result of the taste, which I can only describe as two beverages that have been thrown together without offering a thought into the direction of balance, with one of the beverages being a skunky frat beer & the other being a cheap orange soft drink, this beer doesn't hold a lot of weight in the area of drinkability. Still, I respect the attempt from Buffalo Bill's.

FURTHERMORE:
If my suggestions were to matter, here are a few that I think could improve on this brew:
I got too much of an 'Orange Slice' taste and smell from this brew. I think a little more body, a little less carbonation, would not only improve on the taste and feel, but also might cut back on the overwhelming smell of oranges.

Guinness Extra Stout for St. Patrick's Day

I'm normally not one for tradition, but I picked up a 24 oz bottle of Guinness Extra Stout today in honor of St. Patrick's Day.



Guinness Extra Stout is not the Guinness usually seen at bars all over the U.S.  The stuff myself and everyone else is used to seeing is Guinness Draught, and from what I've read, the Extra Stout is a lighter brew.

I've also read that the Extra Stout is what used to be Guinness' porter up until the end of the 18th century.  According to Todd Alstrom of BeerAdvocate.com, "This is the real Guinness, in my opinion. Known and labeled as their "Original," and actually, originally, their Porter product during the 1700's (becoming their Stout in 1799). An exceptional Stout! The 60/40 nitro-injected stuff you get at the pub today is fairly new to this world (1961) -- it hardly stands up to this brew."

I haven't had a Guinness Draft in a few years, but I can definitely remember enough about its quality to recognize the body difference between the Draught & the Extra Stout.  This brew really does look and taste more like a porter.  There's an unmistakable bitterness that reminds me of Yuengling Porter, but I think Guinness' Extra Stout has a remarkably cleaner finish.

Happy St Patrick's Day!