Maui Big Swell IPA and Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard

2 Hopped up beers to talk about tonight. First, another selection from Maui Brewing Co. Their Big Swell IPA is pretty good, it is a hoppy, medium bodied IPA, I'd say not very unique, but good all the same. B+ overall (Maui Brewing is quickly gaining ground in my top breweries). The second beer of this evening is the Stone Brewing Oaked Bastard Ale. At first I thought this was a barrel aged edition of the Arrogant Bastard, but it turns out it is brewed with oak chips. Not having a regular old Arrogant Bastard to compare it with, it is hard to say how much of a difference it makes, but I'd say it's pretty damn good, hoppy with a smooth finish, and I think you can taste the oak....A- overall, I'd recommend it.

Happy drinking.

IPAs at the Tap Room

Just got back from dinner at the Tap Room in San Diego (www.sdtaproom.com). I had two different IPAs, the first was moor traditional, and on the milder side for an IPA, it was the Fathom IPA by Ballast Point Brewing, a local joint. It was relatively tasty, but in my mind closer to a Pale Ale than an IPA, I enjoyed it however, and would give it a B overall. The second was some kind of Black IPA, can't remember the name now, it was good, fairly hoppy, with a full body. Overall a B+. Check out the beer list on the taproom homepage...it's mostly SD local beers.

Bell's Brewery Hopslam

Bell's Brewery, out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, normally offers up the typical amber or stout, but they have really created a beast in this one! Weighing in at 10% abv, this is quite the IIPA. Upon opening the bottle, the smell of fresh hops is quickly apparent. In fact, we had just opened a pack of hops for our own homebrewed IPA, and the hop smell of the beer was just as strong as the hops themselves! The taste is something you would not expect from a big beer like this...it was extremely drinkable, that is if you like hops, meaning that the 6 pack this comes in could become dangerous. To prevent from drinking the whole sixer, we only threw 2 bottles in the fridge! True to its name, each drink you have is another slam of hops to the palette. One of the better beers I've ever had, and I might have to run out and get another six pack before it sells out. The only downside to the beer is its slightly steep price. I'll give it an A.

Dogfish Head Raison D'etre

This beer is one for the experimental category! Dubbed by Dogfish Head as a beer as "complex as a red wine brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian-style yeast," this is something that I would not normally order up. The raisin flavor is apparent at the outset, and the beer is spread across a strange spectrum of rather dull flavors. Definately adventurous, but not in a good way. The complexity of the beer is achieved in the amount of flavors contributed by the odd ingredients, but I'm not sure that is necessarily a good thing. There is just too much going on, and the raisin flavor dominated the beer throughout. Overall, a C, with a bonus point for attempting to be creative!

Victory Brewing Storm King Imperial Stout

Whole Foods, 6pk Bottles, $11.99

Yet another Imperial Stout (seems like they're coming out of the woodwork these days).  This offering from Victory Brewing Co. of Downingtown, PA is similar to many others out there, giving it a somewhat mass produced taste.  It does have a bit hoppier flavor than many other I. Stouts I've tasted, and has strong traces of chocolate as well as a full body.  Overall, I'd say it was worth tasting, but I don't think it makes it up there for a repeat buy (if there's something else available).

I'll give it a B-, good...but unmemorable.

Shiner Blonde

While many offerings from the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas are good, this is one that falls far short. Watery and bland, this beer is supposed to represent a true American lager and carry "a distinctive flavor and smooth, satisfying finish." Maybe following a hot summer day after working on your Texas cattle ranch an ice cold Shiner Blonde may be satisfying, but that's about the only circumstance I can come up with when I would specifically order up one of these again. This is comparable to any of the cheap mass produced lagers, and frankly, I would prefer the standby of Olympia to this, at about half of the price point. Overall, a D-.

Stone Brewing IPA

Well, for someone living on the east coast/panhandle of Florida, it sure is nice to have a West coast IPA available on tap to drink versus the lighter east coast varietals. This is not necessarily one of my favorites, but it definately satisfies the void of a solid, hoptastic IPA forgotten by most East coast breweries. Almost bitter at the first taste, with a great hoppy finish that covers the high alcohol content of nearly 7%. The pungeant smell of hops dominates the smell of the beer in the glass. One looks forward to taking a drink after the smell hits the nose! Not quite a favorite, as Racer 5 is a bit more refined in its hop balance, but a definate go to beer when there are no other adequate IPAs on the menu. I'd give it a B+.

My Top Five

My top 5 beers as of now...

1) Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
2) North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
3) Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown Ale (seasonally available)
4) Anchor Steam Liberty Ale
5) Lagunitas Brown Shugga

Top 5

Top 5 Beers as of now...
1) North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (Even better: Anniversary Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels)
2) Alaskan Summer Ale
3) Anchor Steam
4) North Coast Scrimshaw
5) Maui Brewing Coconut Porter

Maui Brewing Co. Bikini Blond Lager

Whole Foods, 6pk Cans, $10.99

A subscriber to the "microcanning revolution", Maui Brewing makes some pretty good beers, I have previously had their Coconut Porter (delicious). The Blonde doesn't disappoint, for a lager it was plenty of flavor, with more body than average. It is light without slipping into the massed-produced lager taste.

I'll give it an A-, I look forward to trying more beers from Maui Brewing.