Lagunitas Brewing Co: Wilco Tango Foxtrot

I like drinking beer. It tastes good. In addition to the fine flavors produced from this sweet nectar, one of my favorite aspects of this beer drinking 'hobby' is learning about new and interesting facts of the brewing process. Sometimes this knowledge supplements my tasting and I'm better able to drink and enjoy a fine brew.

Recently, I learned some interesting facts about beer coloring. Something that never really crossed my mind before. Specifically, I read that beer color is usually measured via SRM (Standard Reference Method) or the EBC (European Brewing Convention). Both of these color rating techniques take into account that each grain type used in a recipe has a lovibond color rating ultimately contributing to a particular weight to a beer's hue. When I read this, I found it interesting but thought really nothing of it. However, just the other day I snagged a handful of beer from the liquor store and noticed Lagunitas' seasonal release.

In Lagunitas fashion it had a fun name, a crazy description, and an interesting label. "Wilco, Tango, Foxtrot" is described by the brewers as "not quite in the red or in the black...does that mean we're in the brown?" This and other financial references seem to encourage the purchaser to drink away their financial problems associated with the down economy by sucking on a fine Lagunitas brew. However, this label reminded me not of sagging funds but of the lovibond color ratings assigned to each grain used in a beer recipe. Somewhere in the brown. The label describes this as in between red and black and somewhere brown. Hmmm. What does that mean color-wise? Funny how the brain works. All I could think about after reading the beer lit is how the liquid would look liked when poured. As you can see in the photo, it is packaged in a brown glass bomber. Thus I had to purchase and see for myself. Well, when poured, this beer does have a cool hue. At first glance it has a maroonish brown color but changes to an organy-red when held to the light.

I think the beer is described as an imperial brown ale and tops out at 7.8% abv. Spending so much time looking at the beer color and label I just assumed this would be a heavy and boozy brown ale. But 'WTF' is anything but that. It's super light, well carbonated, and has little hint of alcohol. Despite the 'double' rating of over 7% ,it's a very drinkable beer and I easily went through the first 16 oz of the beer. As you sip this otherwise thin beer you get hints of sweet fruit and brown sugar and definitely hits with more malt flavors than hops. Overall very drinkable and pretty tasty.

So WTF for the win. Color me pleased. Cheers.

Laguinitas Brewing Co.: Cappuccino Stout

As all my good friends know, coffee and stouts are basically my two favorite beverages. The coffee stout is becoming a pretty common sub-genre at this point, which is just fine with me.

Lagunitas's take on this variety is pretty solid. It's pretty heavy on the malts and actually kind of light on the hops as stouts go, which means that this is actually a lot less bitter than you might expect for a coffee stout. The predominant flavor is a sort of sugar/vanilla malt, but the hop kicks in nicely at the end to give it a crisp finish. It rates remarkably high on the drinkability scale for a stout--I put away an entire bomber without really noticing, and I was even still craving a little bit more when the bottle ran dry.

This one doesn't quite manage to crack into my top 5 stouts, but it is certainly a cut above average and a stout that I'll be keeping an eye open for in the future.

21st Amendment: Bitter American

I really shouldn't be writing this review. I don't feel that I am incapable of sharing my opinion on this or any beer and I do want to tell you about this brew; but this review should be done by someone else. That would be fellow blogger Hofer. Back in August 2008 I wrote up 21st Amendment's IPA. Since that time, I had my share of 21st beers. However, Hof has moved a couple blocks away from the brewery in San Francisco, California. At this point I feel like he has drank for more Amendment brews than me. While Hof has had many of the regulars, I figured I'd snag a seasonal ale: Bitter American.

21st Amendment release this extra pale ale in late January. Once you crack th

e can (remember 21st doesn't bottle - yes they can) this beer has a powerful hop aroma oozing out from the aluminum. Despite the strong smell as soon as I sipped this brew, I immediately tasted nothing but caramel malts. During that first sip, I initially was disappointed as Amendment labels this beer as "bitter". However, hop heads don't worry, after the malt flavors dissipate a nice earth hop aftertaste hits the tongue. And that hop smell from the start never goes away; so while the flavor of this beer is more malty than hoppy, the scent almost tricks your brain into thinking your getting more hops. Looking at the beer 'stats' we see that this is a 4.4% pale with 42 ibus so it's no real surprise it's not as hoppy as other extra pale ales. But this low alcohol content does make this beer really smooth and a nice treat any time of day or night.

Lastly, there is no metallic flavors which is a pleasant surprise as that can happen after canning. But if want to know how the EPA tastes from the tap, again, you're going to have to beg for a review from Hof, as he goes to the brew house far more often than me. Hopefully he starts writing some more. Cheers.

Port Brewing Co: Hot Rocks Lager

As mentioned in my last post, I snagged a bunch of Port Brewing beer on my latest trip to the liquor store. To intrigue my pallate and to augment the blog, I went with some Port labels I never tried before. One such selection is Port's spring seasonal: Hot Rocks Lager. Found in a brown bomber, I had no idea at the time of purchase that this was a Euro dark lager. While the printing on the side explains the name: heated rocks are used to boil the wort, there is no indication anywhere on the bottle that this isn't a light colored crisp hoppy beverage that we Americans associate with the term 'lager'.

Instead this lager pours a dark brown with an almost black center which prohibits light from penetrating through. The smell hits you hard off the bat and is overwhelming sweet. Strong brown sugar aromas tingle your nostrils through every sip and never dissipates. The taste has some sweet malt elements but quickly fads into a burnt dark malt flavor. Mixing the two flavors the brew almost tastes like a muted coke or chocolate. The aftertaste has some faint hop bitterness which actually sits nicely on your tongue and cleanses your pallate. The only other point of note, is despite the strong smells and flavors the texture is quite thin and watery. For an American brewed lager this beer is quite unique. However, it reminds me of many European Schwarzbiers. So if you like Schwarzbiers you'd probably enjoy this Port offering. For me, it's not my favorite, but a nice change of pace. While nothing stellar, the aftertaste keeps me reaching for another sip. I think to a certain degree my average review is somehow related to the fact that I also feel deceived; as there was no indication that this was a dark Euro lager as opposed to other more common American style premium lagers that I was expecting such as an amber lager or pilsner. So even though I was somewhat disappointed instead of pleasantly surprised, I still ended up with a decent beer. To that I say: Cheers.

Port Brewing Co: Wipe Out IPA

Ever since my friends have moved out of the Haight, I find myself going to Toronado less and less. This is a tragic development as it's one of the best beer bars in the world. One of the many great features of Toronado is the ability to order the latest offerings of many California breweries. To give substance to my claim, I can specifically recall that a number of breweries including Port Brewing Company out of San Marcos California always seem to ship up a different keg to San Francisco just for Toronado. I even remember seeing a new Port Brewing Beer called 547 Haight - created and named after Toronado's address.

Well, just because I'm not frequenting Toronado as often doesn't mean I can't find a wide variety of California offerings in select liquor stores. Recently I snagged a few beers from Port Brewing that I never found time to try at Toronado. This time around I sampled the WipeOut IPA.

WipeOut is brewed with five hop varieties and has a strong hop aroma. Despite the strong hoppy flavors this ale has a large amount of malt flavors. It's almost surprising how much the malt tastes emerge and it gives the brew a very smooth mouthfeel. The aftertaste brings back the bitter hop bite and the beer ends with a very dry finish. Despite hitting the 7.0% threshold there is no alcohol flavors furthering the smooth sensation on the tongue. While drinking Port Brew in the comforts of one home isn't the same as enjoying it the lower Haight while listening to classic rock and observing at the classic clientle at Toronado, it's still an enjoyable experience. Cheers.

North Coast Brewing Co.: Old # 38 Stout

I really liked Rasputin, so I figured I'd give another one of North Coast's stout's a try. Old number 38 is a little bit milder than its Russian-inspired cousin. The predominant taste is dry smoky malt flavors, giving it a sweet-yet-dry flavor. The hops don't come through very strong at first, but as the malt flavors begin to fade, they become quite pronounced, leaving an almost leafy aftertaste. The beer is medium bodied and lightly carbonated, but despite the bold malt flavors, it's not at all overpowering.

I rarely go for Irish-style dry stouts, but I founds this one quite enjoyable. It wasn't so great that it's going to displace my preference for oatmeal and Russian stouts, but it's good enough that I might be tempted to pick it up again sometime. North Coast once again proves its mettle as a first-rate brewery.

Mendocino Brewing Co.: White Hawk IPA

I'm coming right out the gate with an apology. It's been far too long since my last review. Over two months actually. While I have a whole host of excuses I won't go into any. But no worries, despite my MIA status I haven't abandoned hops and barley. Even though I haven't been posting, I have been drinking beer. A lot of beer. Not only drinking but learning a thing or two as well. In fact during my absence I read Maureen Ogle's: Ambition Brew. While a little disjointed, it was a very informative read. But this isn't a book review, it's a beer review. So onto thew brew:

In tribute to my recently absorbed beer knowledge, I went with Mendocino Brewing Company's White Hawk IPA. Why Mendocino? Well I learned that Mendocino Brewing Co. opened the first brew pub in California. For all the time I've spent in alehouses I figured I can reward Mendocino Brew Co. for their brilliance by buying another sixer of their beer. It had been a while since I imbibed their IPA, so I went with the White Hawk.

This india pale ale is not my favorite in the hoppy genre. The beer does have a great aroma and a nice woody hop burst. However, the woody and soft pine flavors are overwhelmed by a boozy aftertaste. This IPA hits exactly 7.0% alcohol by volume but the aftertaste makes it seem higher. I wish Mendocino Brew Co. could somehow create another version with the smooth hop flavors without the hard alcohol punch. I actually find this brewery's imperial ipa to rest easier on the tongue than this traditional ipa. While occasionally I don't mind a strong alcohol flavor in my beer, this booze taste almost felt like an accident and made the beer feel home-brewish. But still drinkable and overall still enjoyable.

While definitely not my favorite offering from Mendocino Brewing Company I problem shouldn't criticize. I mean I haven't reviewed a beer in two months. We're not all perfect. Right? And I mean this company invited the brewpub. Ingenious! Cheers.

The Lost Abbey: Judgment Day

I really couldn't have found a more appropriate beer for this auspicious day.

Lost Abbey is a California brewery specializing in Belgian-style brews. As

with so many breweries, I've been meaning to try one of their brews for a while. Judgment Day is definitely one of the most taste-overloaded beers I've ever had. It's got a lot of dark fruit flavors as well as a lot of spiciness

to it too. It's a dark beer--so there's a certain amount of that smoky-sweetness you expect from dark beers, but it's got a pretty light body and a lot of carbonation, so it's not really a very heavy beer.

In sum, this is the kind of beer that is really interesting for a couple sips, but which is so overpowering that you kind of get sick of it by the end of your first glass. It's nothing to sneer at, but since I'm already pretty picky when it comes to belgian-style brews, I don't know that I'll be seeking it out in the future.

North Coast Brewing Co.: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

It's been dropping into the 40s at night. While that's not really all that cold for Philadelphia, for a thin-blooded Californian, it's definitely chillier than I'd like. So for me, it's officially open season on porters and stouts.

North Coast has put together a pretty solid brew here. It definitely tends toward the sweeter end of the taste-scale, but there's enough hops in there to keep the sweetness from becoming unpleasant and which come through strong in the finish. A smoky malt taste persists throughout the whole drinking experience as well. Between the intense flavors and the thick mouthfeel, this is a beer that really does a number on your tastebuds. But if you're a fan of stouts, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This is definitely a quality brew. I don't think I like it quite as much as Stone's or Lagunitas's versions, but that's not to say that North Coast didn't do a fine job on this one. And Rasputin has the distinct advantage of being available in six-pack form. So if you're looking for a quality imperial stout but don't feel like plowing through a 22 oz bomber, Rasputin is your man.

North Coast Brewing Co.: Red Seal Ale

After a hiatus, I'm back to the blog. First up in the "one more year in Philly" edition is a beer I haven't had in forever and that I've bee meaning to try again. Here it is: Red Seal Ale.

I've been gravitating back towards Amber Ales recently, so I figured I'd have at least one more go before cold weather really sets in. North Coast's take on this classic American genre falls somewhere between Rogue's American Amber and Mendocino's Red Tail. In other words, it's got a a very earthy-bitter taste to it, but it's also got a light body and citrusy tang to it. There's a brief rush of smooth malt flavors early, but the bitterness comes in to wipe that out pretty quick. Despite it's oceanic name, Red Seal winds up with a very dry finish.

I didn't really recall liking this brew very much, but on this second try, I actually find that I'm pretty fond of it. It manages to pull off a big earthy-bitter flavor but somehow remains very drinkable. Now that I think of it, this is really more of a springtime brew, so I think it'll probably be awhile until I grab another one. But I'll be looking forward to it all winter long.

Russian River Brewing Co: Redemption

I'll first start off by offering an apology to Russian River Brewing Co. I most recently purchased their Redemption Blonde Ale, one of the Belgian style brews that this Santa Rosa company creates. Printed on the back of the bottle is a nice picture of a classic conic pint glass with a big fatty 'X' over the image. As I mentioned in my last Russian River post, this brewery is located up in California wine country and has a viticulture tradition. Thus, Russian River Brew Co wants their customers to enjoy their European ales and their barrel aged craft the way they are meant to be sipped: from a goblet. As you can see from the photo, instead of going with the chalice I poured into a tradition pint glass.

Even though I apologized, I don't think RRBC will be that upset with me. Redemption is a little different than most Russian River brews. It's a lighter ale with a off-yellow coloring and only weighs in at 5.65% alcohol by volume. Most beer created by Russian River hovers around 7% and has a darker hue from aging in wine casks and barrels. Thus I felt didn't need to search for the appropriate glassware to open up hidden flavors and went straight to drinking. The initial smell and taste reminds me of a classic Belgian style beer with strong yeast aromas. The brew is quite tart with an citrus flavor that is more orangey than lemony. The finish is a little bitter and very dry. So dry that it raises the tastes buds on the tongue and drys out the mouth a little. The opposite of an American 'thirst quencher'. The mouth feel is pretty light and there is plenty of carbonation. Combined with the average avb is quite drinkable and I easily plowed through this 750ml bottle.

If you are looking for a Belgian style beer that lacks the punch of some traditional abbey based brews this is a good foray into the genre. Redemption has many of the same flavors but is light enough to provide the opportunity to easily try a whole bottle. Overall its a tasty American version of a Belgium beer that would be great in any drinking session. Even if you don't have proper glassware. Cheers.

Mendocino Brewing Co.: Red Tail Ale

This post has been a long time coming. Red Tail has been a consistent favorite of mine for several years now. For a long time I claimed it was my favorite beer period, and while I'm not sure what my "all time favorite" is at the moment, Red Tail is certainly still in the running.

Red Tail is an amber ale, but one that definitely tends toward the lighter and hoppier side of the genre. It has a citrusy flavor that is strongly suggestive of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, and in fact, when I first had this brew way back in the day, I mistook it for a pale. You could almost describe this beer as an amber-pale hybrid, given how strongly hopped the brew is and how mild the malt flavors are. But while Red Tail is substantially lighter than your typical amber, it has a distinctive toasted barley flavor that places it firmly within the limits of the amber genre. The beer also boasts a light body, plenty of carbonation, and a dry finish, which add up to make it quite refreshing and very drinkable.

There's no special subtle flavor that makes Red Tail such a hit in my book. Rather, Red Tail's success comes from its ability to balance bold citrusy hops against a lightly toasted malt flavor in a way that brings out both flavors. It is the kind of simple but classic combination that is immediately enjoyable but never gets old. If I haven't imposed this one on you before, do yourself a favor, and grab a six pack for yourself.

Black Diamond Brewing Co.: Steep Trail Amber Ale

I've been meaning for quite some time now to write a review of a beer from my hometown's local brewery. Black Diamond actually hails from neighboring Concord, CA, but their first stab at a brewpub was located in Walnut Creek, so that's close enough. I'm quite sure that none of you have ever heard of it, but Black Diamond has actually put out a couple of quality brews. This time around, I've gone with their amber.

Steep Trail is a very hoppy amber. The hops hit you up front and linger on for quite a while. There is a faint but persistent carmelly malt flavor that compliments the hops quite nicely, though in the end this is still a hop-dominated brew. A light body and substantial carbonation make this a very refreshing amber, and helps prevent the bitterness from becoming overpowering.

At the moment, I haven't seen this beer outside of Walnut Creek and Concord, so a recommendation isn't going to accomplish much. But I am still happy to put in a plug for the home team. And if they ever grow beyond their humber Contra Costa County roots, remember, you heard it here first.

Anchor Brewing Co.: Porter

I hadn't really anticipated writing a beer review during the Bar Exam, but I was so excited to have finally put the six-hour, two-hundred question multistate portion of the exam behind me that I went out and bought myself a beer to have with dinner. While the bomber of Stone's Imperial Russian was tempting me, I'm not feeling that confident. So I went with a new pick from a favorite brewery: Anchor's porter.

Anchor really went big with the flavors on this one. An initial rush of sweet toasted malts gives way to a substantial dose of hops as the beer rolls over your overwhelmed tastebuds. The intial burst of sweetness has an almost fruity character to it, but the hops come in so quickly and so powerfully that you don't have much time to figure out exactly which fruit it is. The finishing flavor is a distinctive smokiness that persists along with the bold hop flavors for quite a while. For coffee-lovers like myself, the aftertaste is nothing to complain about, but those who are not quite as enamored with bitter flavors might want to stay away.

The mouthfeel tends toward the thicker side of the spectrum, which along with the bold, smoky flavors probably makes this the sort of beer that isn't really best enjoyed on a hot summer afternoon. Of course, that concern doesn't apply if you happen to be hanging out in Anchor's hometown of San Francisco, where the word "hot" is used to refer to any day that gets above 75 degrees. And even those are few and far between.

Another solid showing for a California mainstay. Hopheads and fans of darker brews should check this one out for sure.

Trader Joe's (JosephsBrau) Brewing Co.: Dunkelweizen

Trader Joe's seems to enjoy thrusting itself into just about every line of food product imagineable. Generally, this is a good thing: I have developed an affinity for many of their Trader Joe's brand name foods, especially their salsas and frozen pizzas. When it comes to beer, they are a little more hit-or-miss. They put out a spectacular limited-edition tripel this past year, but some of their general releases are rather boring. Their dunkelweizen fits this model--it's nothing to sneer at, but it's a far cry from the delicious brews that come out of the old world.

TJ's dunkelweizen is a very malty beer, principally sporting flavors of banana and cloves, though the banana flavors are not quite as bold as you'll find in some beers. These sweeter flavors are tempered by a crisp carbonated fizz and a light hoppiness, but the banana-maltiness persists from first sip long into the aftertaste. The sweetness isn't at all cloying or syrupy, but hopheads will certainly be disappointed by the limited tastebud-life of this beer's bitter side. Finally, it's worth mentioning that this beer is neither dark nor thick. It has a medium amber flavor and sports a pretty light body, making it more refreshing than your traditional Dunkels, but it also lacks the bold full-bodied flavor of your traditional German dark beers.

But, taking advantage of the virtues of a vertically integrated business, Trader Joe's manages to sell this stuff a couple bucks cheaper than your typical craft brew sixpack. Combine that with a bowl of tortilla chips and their delicious Salsa Autentica, and you've got the makings of a thoroughly enjoyable and affordable summer evening.

Lagunitas Brewing Co: a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale

It seems these days like people's tastes shift as often as do the winds...

If you've been reading my posts for awhile you may have guessed that I didn't create that last sentence. Laguintas Brewing Company spawned that proverb. While, I didn't write it, I generally agree with the sentiment. People's preferences these days seem to change on a whim. Beer preferences included. And I'm not immune to this global phenomem. I find myself obsessed with pale ales and then a week later won't drink anything but an amber lager.

And then shortly after, I'll drive 'cross town just to get my hands on a good American blond ale. Why? I'm not really sure. But breweries understand the concept.

Lagunitas Brewing Co, is one of the best California breweries at producing a wide variety of 'seasonal' and 'limited relase' beers. To match the tastes of the season and simply to mix up the traditional tastes they provide for the consumers, Laguintas always, and I mean always, has a seasonal beer on the shelves. On my latest beer run I noticed, "a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale", "Hop Stoopid", and "Undercover Investigation Shutdown ale" all in the beer aisle complimenting the traditional Laguinitas offerings. And I gotta say, I'm a fan of this trend. While it can be annoying to grow attached to a seasonal beer that is only available for 4 months outta the year, the anticipation of waiting for that brew and the ability to sample new creations far outweighs the cons.

As for "a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale", I picked up this brew because I had simply never tried it before. Not surprising, I enjoy sampling and reviewing new beers. I'll pretty much try any offering from Lagunitas as I love most of their beer. Sumpin' Sumpin' is a pale wheat with a ton of bite. While the wheat flavors are present, Lagunitas manages to work in incredible amounts of pine flavors and alcohol tastes. To be quite honest, it wasn't what I was expecting from this wheat based brew. Most American wheats are thin, mellow, and weak and this is anything but. On a blind taste test you could easily convince the drinker that it was a double IPA. Even with all the pine resin and booze bite there are some candied sugar flavors and a prominent wheat aroma to cut the strong kick.

While I'm not sure I agree with Lagunitas' decision to make this 7.3% ale a summer seasonal, it's a nice change of pace. And seeing how my beer tastes change frequently I might grab another sometime in future. Cheers.

Mendocino Brewing Co.: Eye of the Hawk Special Ale

I've been familiar with Mendocino Brewing Company for a while now. Their Red Tail Ale has long been one of my favorites (a post will be forthcoming, I promise), and they make a decent pale as well. But today I went with a six pack of one of their other brews--The Eye of the Hawk. Here's the scoop.

Mendocino bills this one as a "Special Ale." I have no clue what that is supposed to mean. And, as I'll get to later, it's not all that special. Beer Advocate labels it as a Strong Ale. I'm not sure that really fits either. Arrogant Bastard would--quite credibly I think--excoriate this beer mercilessly for claiming to stand in the same genre as itself. This beer is malty enough that I am tempted to label it a Scotch Ale, but I'm not nearly familiar enough with that particular genre to be so bold. So I'll stick with Strong Ale, arrogant bastards notwithstanding.

As I mentioned, Eye of the Hawk is malty. Really malty. And a sweet malt at that. From start to finish, this beer is malt malt malt. There is a little hint of bitter earthy hoppiness, and a good amount of carbonation, which in combination manage to take the edge off of the malts ever so slightly. And if there's more flavoring than that going on in here, it's way too subtle for my tastebuds.

Mattie posted earlier on a combination of Eye of the Hawk with another of Mendocino's brews. He gave it a lukewarm review. Lukewarm is about as good as I can do too. It's certainly not a bad beer. And with the big bold flavor and increased alcohol content, it's not boring either. But in the end, it left me looking for a little bit more.

Anchor Bewing Co.: Summer Beer

I was wandering up and down the beer aisle in Safeway earlier this week looking for a new brew to sample and write up. I had forgotten how much of Safeway's selection is devoted to name-brand brews, and how little there is to sample in the way of genuine crafts. With some trepidation, I grabbed a six pack of Anchor's Summer Beer. The trepidation had nothing to do with Anchor. They're pretty well-regarded, and as San Francisco's oldest and best-known craft brewer, I have to confess to a certain hometown bias. My worries had everything to do with the particular genre I had selected. I generally find summer beers disappointing. They tend to have very mild and uninteresting flavors. Refreshing, perhaps, but the same might be said for Corona or even a properly-chilled Coors Light.

Fortunately, Anchor's Summer Beer bucks the trend. This one is really hoppy for a Summer beer, about on par with what you'd expect to get out of a pale. But the taste is a little bit drier than your typical pale--much more earthy than citrusy. As is typical with the summer ale genre, this one is brewed with wheat rather than barley. But while the unmistakable wheaty smoothness is present, it is somewhat obscured by the hops. The beer is also highly carbonated. Not soda-level carbonation, but about as carbonated as you can expect to find in a beer. Combined with the healthy dose of earthy hops, this gives Anchor's summer beer a very crisp taste that lingers a bit on the tongue, which is the perfect recipe for a hot summer day.

I suspect that real devotees of the summer ale genre will be a bit put off by this one. Most summer ales opt for a soft and mellow wheaty flavor accented by fruit and citrus notes. By contrast, Anchor has opted for a starker, bolder take that uses the wheat as a springboard for a pronounced, but simple, crisp hoppiness. But what disappoints the summer ale enthusiasts is a boon for hopheads!

Anderson Valley Brewing Co: Boont Amber Ale

We're big fans of Anderson Valley here at 801. Having already reviewed several of their brews, it's about time we made it to their flagship: Boont Amber.

For better or worse, the benchmark amber ale today in America seems to be New Belgium's Fat Tire. But Fat Tire is a bit of a malt monster, and as a result, it's easy to forget that the amber can also be a vehicle for a more complex array of flavors. Boont is definitely an brew that tends more toward the subtler side of the amber genre, and one that will carry more appeal for hopheads thanks to its pronounced hop flavors. The taste on this one leads with a burst of bright and crisp hops balanced nicely against a lightly toasted sweet malt flavor. As the beer rolls off your tongue, this initial burst of crisp malt/hop hybrid is gradually replaced by an earthier hop aftertaste. Despite the full flavor, Boont is among the lighter bodied ambers I've tried, making it one of the more "summery" ambers out there.

Props to Anderson for putting forward a great amber. With due deference to Rogue, Bell's, and all the other breweries that have forayed into this category, Boont really is a cut above the rest of the increasingly-crowded field of amber ales. Grab one, and enjoy!

Santa Cruz Ale Works: Hefeweizen

It's a little depressing that 801ontap has yet to post on a true hefeweizen. Sure we've reviewed a number of pale wheats, a ton of witbiers, and a few hefeweizen hybrids. But there's nothing like a quality original hef. The problem is it's mighty difficult to find a great hefeweizen.

A great hef has a nice wheat flavor, complimented by unfiltered yeast particles, a hint of banana or apple, and a crisp aftertaste. Many American breweries have attempted the difficult task of recreating this traditional German style beer. Even as a young brewery, Santa Cruz Ale Works has tried to brew this difficult beer. To their credit, their hef has great head retention and a touch yeast and wheat flavors. However, the body is very watery and has that unrefined homebrew feeling on the tongue. There is a slight lemon tang but otherwise is pretty limited in the flavor. Overall not bad, but despite this typed review; nothing to write to Germany about.

Rather than quenching my thirst, drinking this ale makes me yearn for a true German hefeweizen. However that won't stop me from trying every American version I can find in hopes of finding a quality substitute. Wish me luck. Cheers.