Beer Review - Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

B-Daddy here. Yesterday we had a little barbecue and Dean brought by one of my favorite beers, Bear Republic's Red Rocket Ale. Someday I'll get around to a top 10 beer list, like Max, but this ale would certainly be on it. (Off the top of my head, I would also include Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Avery Salvation Golden Ale, Delirium Tremens, Alpine Ale, Shiner Bock and Highway 78 Scotch Ale.) Bear Republic also makes an excellent IPA, Racer 5.

As you can see from the picture, Red Rocket pours a dark amber-brown, with a head that is full but disappears quickly. But don't let that fool you, it's full of flavor. It has just a hint of sweetness to balance much more hoppiness than expected from an amber ale. Red Rocket is fairly complex, and always takes me a few sips to absorb all of the different flavors embedded. At 6.8% ABV, its not too boozy so its a nice companion to a bbq meal especially steak. Although not a San Diego beer, it is from California, Healdsburg to be specific. Craft beer is one of the few growing industries in our state, and also the least regulated, figure that.

Beer Review - Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock

B-Daddy here, with a beer review to go with yesterday's restaurant review of Gordon Biersch. Since I have been drinking pale ales of late (Alpine Ale and Mirror Pond), I thought I would go with a lager with my steak at Gordon Biersch restaurant. I am not the biggest fan of GB, but since they brew on premise, I thought the freshness would help.

This beer poured a little darker than the blonde it is advertised to be. (An aside about "blondes" the beers, not the women. I have noticed that they seem too be used to confuse. For instance, Shiner Blonde is actually a Pilsner.) The beer poured a nice medium golden color, with a decent head. It was both maltier and hoppier than anticipated, since my main bock is Shiner Bock. It had a bit of "biscuit" flavor, which was fine under the circumstance, although I am normally not a fan. It was very drinkable, and I didn't really notice its slightly above average 7% ABV. I ended up having two pints and having a great evening out with the family.

Beer Review - Palmetto Amber Ale

B-Daddy here. I was on travel this week to Charleston, SC. We had an after work social at California Dreaming and I asked about the local beer. The barkeep only had one suggestion, the amber ale pictured at right. I was surprised, and he added he add one more, a Pale Ale from Palmetto Brewing, but the delivery hadn't come in. To be honest, I thought a restaurant with pretensions to be Californian out to have more than Miller, Bud Light, Blue Moon, and Widmer Hefeweizen on draft. In fact, other than the one local beer, even the bottled line up was rather ordinary, as Mrs. Daddy's Aussie cousins would say (translation, pretty poor.) The only thing the restaurant really had going for it was a great view of Charleston harbor.

Regardless, I always try to sample the local beer, and this was going to be my one shot. Palmetto Amber Ale pour a dark copper with not much head. The barley is roasted a little darker than a standard amber. took my frist sip and was a little surprised. Fred one of our local hosts had warned me the beer would be bitter; but while it was definitely more hoppy than your average amber, it was not near as hoppy as expected. The beer also had a nice rich malty taste to it, that went down well. Alcohol content seemed about average. This beer was tasty enough to order a second one to go with the overcooked wings and soggy nachos. (The croissants, however, were delicious.)

My final gripe was that they kept the ale ice cold and served it in ice cold pint glasses. I had to let the beer set a while so I could taste it.

Overall, considering that I sampled Palmetto Amber Ale from the bottle, I was very pleased with this local beer. I give it a solid B. Given the richness, they could have easily balanced with more hops.


FTC Disclaimer: I may or may not have received valuable consideration in the form of swag, jack and/or coin to endorse these products. I am not saying and have the right not to do so.

Beer Review - Alesmith Anvil ESB

B-Daddy here. Today's beer review is one of my favorite beers, that I continue to savor with a variety of meaty dishes. As you can see from the picture, I am talking about Alesmith's Anvil ESB. For the uninitiated, ESB means extra special bitter, from the days in England when most beers tended to be sweeter stouts and porters. An ESB was a lighter beer with light carbonation, and certainly more bitter than a stout. By today's California standards for IBUs, an ESB is not especially bitter.

Alesmith's entry into this category is its flagship beer. It has a nice dark copper tone, with a bit of head and not too much carbonation. It has a very nice nutty taste that always tempts me to drink it too quickly. I like to drink this ale out of a pint dimple mug, the traditional English drinking glass for bitters. Even tough it is a bitter, my palette has become so used to west coast IPAs that I find this to be a little sweet, mainly due to its maltiness. (Kids, that's probably not a word.) However, I would also say that this entry has more hops than its English cousins. For me, that makes the almost perfect beer, sweet, malty but with just enough bite from the hops.

Available, at Keil's and your fine local liquor stores.

Beer Review - Highway 78 Scotch Ale - MAX Update

This is an update to a previous beer review. I am adding a brief take on one of my favorite beers from Max, Official Beer Reviewer at Beers With Demo.

Oh, almost forgot...Last week Big Brother Brian asked my opinion of Stone’s collaboration with Green Flash and Pizza Port Carlsbad, Highway 78, a big boozy Scotch Ale. I think it’s one of the best collaborations that Stone has had in awhile. Big, boozy, sweet, but very well balanced and not too over the top… ok maybe a little over the top, but it is a Stone beer. Would you expect anything less?

B-Daddy here. I was at the High Dive today with Dean, letting San Diego State give me a heart attack by allowing a second overtime against Temple, in March Madness action. Looking for a second ale to fortify me, and help me resist the temptation to order more food, I noticed Highway 78 Scotch Ale on the board, indicating it was on tap. (We previously discussed why we always go for the beer on tap.) The wait staff helpfully explained that this beer was the result of collaboration between local brewers Green Flash, Pizza Port and Stone. I have always been a big fan of Belhaven Scottish Ale, so I was curious to see what our local award winners had cooked up.

They didn't disappoint. The beer had a nice dark amber pour, with an average amount of head. (I am not a big fan of a lot of head.) As one would expect for a scotch ale, it had plenty of malty sweetness and I had to struggle to slow down and enjoy it. As one would expect from our local brewers, it also had more hoppiness than a traditional scotch ale. However, the hops were balanced well with the malt, making for a very nice beer. I was a little surprised that they chose to pour the beer into a tulip glass, maybe Max can explain, as I normally would enjoy this ale in a standard pint glass. Maybe it was the alcohol content, which pushes 9%, and the tulip glass delivered less volume. Regardless, this was a highly enjoyable beer, a longtime import favorite improved by our local brewers. Overall grade: A-.

Beer Review - Highway 78 Scotch Ale

B-Daddy here. I was at the High Dive today with Dean, letting San Diego State give me a heart attack by allowing a second overtime against Temple, in March Madness action. Looking for a second ale to fortify me, and help me resist the temptation to order more food, I noticed Highway 78 Scotch Ale on the board, indicating it was on tap. (We previously discussed why we always go for the beer on tap.) The wait staff helpfully explained that this beer was the result of collaboration between local brewers Green Flash, Pizza Port and Stone. I have always been a big fan of Belhaven Scottish Ale, so I was curious to see what our local award winners had cooked up.

They didn't disappoint. The beer had a nice dark amber pour, with an average amount of head. (I am not a big fan of a lot of head.) As one would expect for a scotch ale, it had plenty of malty sweetness and I had to struggle to slow down and enjoy it. As one would expect from our local brewers, it also had more hoppiness than a traditional scotch ale. However, the hops were balanced well with the malt, making for a very nice beer. I was a little surprised that they chose to pour the beer into a tulip glass, maybe Max can explain, as I normally would enjoy this ale in a standard pint glass. Maybe it was the alcohol content, which pushes 9%, and the tulip glass delivered less volume. Regardless, this was a highly enjoyable beer, a longtime import favorite improved by our local brewers. Overall grade: A-.

Beer Review - Peroni

He who drinks beer sleeps well; he who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to heaven. Amen.

Unknown monk

Beer, beer, beer those monks really loved their beer. Monks would fast a lot but still drink their beer. No wonder they could fast and still walk around happy. They had their own breweries and made darn good beer. They got really good at brewing the stuff. But this is not about the monks, I am reviewing Peroni Nastro Azzurro, an Italian beer my husband brought home. It has a crisp light taste and has many of the good qualities that Sapporo beer has. I recommend picking up a Filippi’s pizza and grabbing a six-pack of Peroni Nastro Azzurro. You will thoroughly enjoy both.