WOBTOBERFEST late post....... :O

If you missed wobtoberfest you missed out.

 Great time, great glasses, great beer. Post is late but better late than never.

Jon, Candice, Ben

Piraat

Why I tried this: I think a co-worker of mine, David, recommended this to me, but my memory is a bit hazy. Shit happens when you drink lots of beer. It was a tripel belgian, a style I haven't touched much of recently, so why not?

Smell: Has a slight hoppy bitterness to the scent, but otherwise is overwhelmingly sweet, mostly from malts and various fruits, such as citrus and berries. Quite pleasant.


Taste: Slight hints of caramel, but heavy on the berries and sweet malts. I could also detect some pear and apple in the taste, but that may be the beer playing tricks on me. Or the alcohol. Had a bit of a yeasty taste to it as well, but this was very mute and a welcome addition.

Overall, I'd probably award this beer a strong quarter full glass. It's a very good example of the belgian tripel style, incorporating heavy amounts of fruits and malts, but quality enough that you can taste almost everything that went into it. The carbonation is a bit high on this one, but I rather enjoyed that. I really can't say anything particularly negative about it, other than it didn't completely floor me. All in all, I would definitely recommend.

--Jeff

Shipyard Pumpkinhead

Why I tried this: Pumpkinhead is one of those beers that you just know, if you drink beer. It comes around every season, it's cheap, and everyone seems to get it. Well, it's fall time now, and Pumpkinhead has returned. It's been a long time since I've been to WoB, but I was there the other day and saw it on tap. I don't think I've ever had it on tap so I went for it.

Smell: Has a slight spice note to it, coupled with a lightly sweet pumpkin scent and little malts. Overall, pretty weak on the smell.

Taste: The initial taste is that of sweet pumpkin, followed by some fall spices and sweet malts. It's pretty good, but honestly it feels a bit thin, and doesn't really vary from the smell that much, or attempt to do anything different.

Overall, I'm kind of on the fence with Pumpkinhead. On the one hand, I don't mind a lighter, easy to drink beer. On the other, I do love flavor, and this unfortunately lacks a bit. It has the pumpkin taste you expected, but doesn't really deliver enough of it. However, I could drink this beer all day and do enjoy it. For the sake of this review, I'm going to award this beer a half full glass, but don't be scared by that. Definitely give it a try. It's a decent tasting, easy to drink fall beer.

--Jeff

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

Why I tried this: First off, wow. What a mouthful to say the full title of this beer. Secondly, I decided to try this beer because it had just come in stock at my UCF WoB. I was talking to Kyle and asking for recommendations, and he asked if I was feeling adventurous. I said I was, and this was what returned with him. Was glad to see a stout!

Smell: Very strong roasted malts, some coffee, and sweet chocolates. Strong, like a good imperial stout should be.

Taste: This beer starts off with a plethora of roasted malts, and doesn't stop from there. A hint of coffee kicks in, joined with a bit of aged oak, and lots of sweet chocolates. This beer is thick, and the taste is very powerful. You get a fair amount of carbonation, and the strong taste never lets up, all the way down.

Overall, I'd probably give this beer a quarter glass. It was very good, maybe even good enough for an empty glass, but I think what held it back for me was the extreme taste and thickness of the beer. Don't get me wrong, I love a strong, thick stout, but I don't think I could drink more than one of these in a sitting, which is why I can't quite give it the empty glass award. If you are one of those people that are taste above all else , then this would probably be one of your favorite beers. For the rest of us, we'll just have to be happy knowing that this is a very good beer that you'll want to try at least once.

--Jeff

Modelo Especial

Why I tried this: Ok, don't laugh. I was pretty drunk and was out with Jon at WOB UCF, and thought it would be a good idea to get the rest of my Mexican beers out of the way on my way to 500. Modelo Especial was the next on the list. I originally wasn't planning on writing a review of it, but while I was drinking and commenting on how it was less bad than the other Mexican beers I had that night, he demanded I post a review.

Smell: I honestly couldn't detect anything. There may have been a very slight hop aroma, but it was probably my imagination. The rest was a weak, garbled mess.

Taste: Ugh. Not much better than the smell. There was a trace of sweet malts, and again a trace of lightly bitter hops. Other than that, it was very watery and light, with no real other flavor to speak of. This beer was meant to be slammed, not enjoyed. The only positive part, I suppose, is the lack of the taste. It could have tasted awful, but instead tasted like next to nothing. I guess that's a positive?

I'm just going to go ahead and give this beer a quarter empty glass. There's just no two ways around it: this beer sucks. It's a Mexican beer, and by default that already makes it suck pretty hard. It doesn't do much to improve from that base status. The only time I'd ever drink this again was if I was at a college party playing a drinking game, and it was offered to me as the beer we were going to drink. I would never order this or willingly buy it on my own. But, I guess it could be worse. It could be a Corona.

--Jeff

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Why I tried this: As per Paul's recommendations at the UCF World of Beer I have continued to try Sierra Nevada beers and they continue to be great. When I saw that they had an IPA I knew that I had to try it.

Smell: subtle scent of citrus and piney hops.

Taste: Well Sierra Nevada pretty much impressed me again with their IPA, the Torpedo Extra IPA. This beer was pretty hoppy tasting but it was balanced very well with the citrus and sweet flavors. The hop flavor is definitely at the forefront of the flavor but it's nothing that makes the beer too bitter or un-enjoyable. The sweet malt flavor is present yet barely noticeable, pretty much exactly as I prefer it to be in an IPA. The hops and beer as a whole are very crisp and enjoyable.

This is a very good beer and between this and the others I have pretty much decided I love the Sierra Nevada Brewery. This is probably one of the breweries that I really look forward to hopefully one day having a brewery night at World of Beer. This beer receives an empty glass since it is an IPA I will drink again and again. I played pool with my little brother on Monday at Surfers Pub in Cocoa Beach while drinking this beer.



--Jon

Terrapin Hopsecutioner

Why I tried this: DID YOU SEE THE NAME OF THIS BEER?!??!!?!? By now you should know I love IPAs!  That being said how could I pass on a beer called Hopsecutioner.  Especially a "Hopsecutioner" that has some hops laid out on the guillotine.  Pretty much enough said, no point going into any more detail.

Smell: citrus scent with some floral in the scent.  Slight malt in the scent that seems to round it out and make the hops less pungent.

Taste: Well not quite as hoppy in flavor as I would expect a beer called "hopsecutioner" to be.  The hops are there and noticeable but not nearly as strong as I had been hoping for or planning.   A bit more of syrupy malty flavor then I would of expected.  I didnt detect much of the citrus scent at all in the flavor.  The caramel malt flavor blending with the hops rounded this beer out a bit more then I would of wanted.  Dont get me wrong I liked this beer, in fact I have a 6 pack of it in my fridge right now, but I would definitely consider it a much more mild IPA.

Overall I would give this beer a rating of a quarter glass left.  It is a beer I will enjoy time to time when I go out.  This beer had a very good flavor and is enjoyable however I wish the hops were a bit stronger in the flavor and make themselves more pronounced.  I would suggest this beer to someone that is interested in trying IPAs before I brought out the big guns of delicious hop tea IPAs.



--Jon

Cigar City Big Sound

Why I tried this: Lately I've been finding myself drinking quite a few beers from Cigar City, and minus the Jai Alai (IPA), I've really enjoyed the brews from this company. I had no idea what to get and asked Kyle to surprise me. Happily, he brought back a new Cigar City brew I hadn't tried yet, a scotch ale at that.

Smell: A big whiff of roasted and sweet malts pretty much overwhelm the nostrils. There is also a hint of cherry, which was quite pleasant.

Taste: The roasted malts come through here in full force, but fade to allow a complex sweetness to arise. This sweetness seems to be a mix of malts, toffee, and cherry. On top of this, I also got a bit of yeasty breadiness, which affirmed its ale status. Pretty complex, thick, and damn tasty.

I think this ale deserves an empty glass award. Cigar City has made a scotch ale with all the right ale ingredients, providing a powerfully complex but ultimately delicious blend. The malt and toffee sweetness mix very well with the cherry hints, and the whole brew just screams quality at me. It was a pleasure to drink the entire glass. I can only imagine how much better this must be on tap. Highly recommended if you like ales or just malty beers in general.

--Jeff

Cookie issues

Sorry guys, Jeff here. I've been having some major issues with Blogger over the past week, mostly preventing me from being able to log in entirely, so I haven't had a chance to add anything to the site. I know Jon will be back to his regular posting schedule starting today, and now that I've got my issues sorted out (damn broken cookies) I can get back to getting some beer posted up as well.

In other news, I've had some exciting prospects happening in the background over the past couple weeks, which should free up some of my time as well as letting me go out more again, so I should be pumping reviews in the next coming weeks! Stay tuned!

--Jeff

no posts for a week :(

Its been pretty hectic for Jeff and I lately and we slacked pretty badly as far as Beeruken goes.  Daily posts are coming back with one going up later today and so on as usual.

Lately we have been watching the Orlando City Soccer Club games, the team is on a streak of 9 games with no losses after last nights win.  You can check them out at http://orlandocitysoccer.com/

I am also very involved in one of the supporters groups of Orlando City called Iron Lion Firm you can check them out here http://ironlionfirm.com/




--Jon

Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA

Why I tried this: Well, if you look at my last 6 or so reviews they are pretty much all IPAs. I really don't know what else to explain here as for why I got another IPA. In this specific instance I thought I hadn't had this one yet, but I had, so maybe that will make the review twice as amazing.

Smell: Hops and a nice outside pine scent. A nice walk in a forest.

Taste: A very smooth IPA, not amazing but it's pretty good. I usually look for a more crisp, strong flavor in an IPA and that's pretty much what this beer was lacking. It still tasted very good and went down really easy. The hop flavor of this beer, like the scent, is more of a floral flavor. There is a slight sweet malt flavor in the background but not anything that sticks out too strongly.

Overall I'd give this beer about a quarter of a glass left. I would probably get this beer again, not just on accident, lol. Though there were some characteristics missing that I look for in an IPA, the Anderson Valley IPA was still very enjoyable. I would probably suggest this beer to someone that was looking for another IPA to try.





--Jon

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale

Why I tried this: I honestly don't remember. I can tell you that the name of this beer is quite the mouthful. I probably saw it in the bottles book and picked it out because of the name. However, I generally have enjoyed Lagunitas beers before, so that probably played a pretty big part as well.

Smell: Has a very slight spice scent to it, but mostly has a malty and floral hop smell.

Taste: Not quite what I was expecting. There are some very light spice and citrus flavors, but mostly it's an epic battle of sweet malts versus mildly bitter hops. Normally, I'm not a fan of hoppy beer, but the malts are able to keep things balanced to the point that I actually really enjoyed this mix. The slight bitterness at the end was fairly nice, giving it a modest crispness.

This was a pretty good ale. It was very strong at nearly 10%, but you couldn't taste any of the alcohol. Instead, you got a nice balance of sweet malts, light citrus, some spice, and floral hops that added a bitterness to the end of the beer. It smelled nice, and went down pretty easily. Overall, I'd give this beer a quarter full glass. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good ale and wouldn't mind trying it again.

--Jeff

St. Peters India Pale Ale

Why I tried this: Continuing along my IPA run I saw an interestingly shaped bottle by St. Peters on the shelf. I noticed they had an IPA so I figured I could use another good IPA. I decided to give the St. Peters IPA a shot to see if I could keep what has been a great run going.

Smell: Not the hoppy scent I had hoped for, but malty.

Taste: Well this is officially the worst IPA I think that I have had to date, and I really really like IPAs. I probably will never drink or recommend this beer in my lifetime, wait...... not probably, definitely will not. It had a distinct flavor I can't describe that took over the whole flavor for me and I can't even really define it. It was a mostly stale cidery flavor or something. I really dont know how else to describe the flavor of this beer other then I did not like it at all.

I would give this beer a rating of a full glass. I never want a sip of this beer ever again. If it wasnt for the Old Speckled Hen and the Eerie Smokebender I would say this is the worse beer I have had at World of Beer since going.





--Jon

Damn Blogger

With blogger having been down for the better part of last week, it's really thrown us off here at Beeruken! We are now busy preparing new reviews and heading out to try some new things this week, so expect a regular daily flow of entries again as per usual. We'll be back into the swing of things in no time.

Also as of note, we've updated our weekly beer page, so feel free to check out Jeff and Jon's weekly recommendations for beer. The blogger outage incidentally ate part of that page, so we're missing a bit of our weekly recommendation history, but it's being updated now as we speak!

--Jeff

Manchester United win the Premier League!!!

After an uninspiring and sometimes frustrating 90 minutes, a draw away at Blackburn was all it took for Manchester United to clinch the English Premier League. It has been a tough season, with various teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, and even Manchester City at one point occupying the top spot, but in typical fashion, we kept fighting, clinched the top, and held on. With Sir Alex Ferguson staying aboard for at least one more year, there will be more exciting things to come. Soon, the picture to the left will become a reality once again, the 19th title won by United. Up next, Barcelona and the Champions League trophy!!! United!!!

--Jeff

Paulaner Premium Pils

Why I tried this: First off, before I want to get to why I grabbed this beer, I want to say welcome back to our viewers. Blogger was down for a couple days and we sadly could not post any updates. With that said, I was naturally sitting at the bar at World of Beer, and I wanted something light. However, not just any light style beer would do. I wanted a solid pilsner. I came across Paulaner's Premium Pils in the menu, and having had enjoyed other beers from them such as the Hefeweizen, this was a pretty easy choice.

Smell: Had a yeasty, bready aroma to it, combined with a mild floral hoppiness. It's how I would expect a good pilsner to smell.

Taste: First you get a pretty strong taste of yeasty bread and malts. The initial sip is moderately carbonated, and has a spice bite to it. As the malts fade, a mildly bitter hoppiness breaks out, which lingers on the back of the tongue as you finish your sip. It's crisp, that's for sure. For a pilsner, this is pretty top notch.

Overall, I'd give Paulaner Premium Pils an empty glass award. While a pilsner is not my favorite beer style, and admittedly its capacity for flavor is limited compared to, say, a belgian or stout, I found this particular pils to be excellent. Now that it's starting to get pretty warm out, these kind of beers really start to shine, because they are easy to drink, refreshing, and if brewed properly, can be fairly tasty. This Paulaner falls into that category, and thus deserves my recommendation.

--Jeff

World of Beer UCF outing number 10 million

I had a lot of fun on this particular outing .....I think.  I dont really recall anyones name.  Off to a great start...  The girl in the white dress had just graduated...  The guy to her left is her boyfriend.  The guy all the way to her right is her dad.  I remember stealing their pizza(hahaha) and suggesting good beers to her dad.  He enjoyed them as I recall so that makes him pretty awesome in my book.

All in all it was fun and they did a great job of putting up with me and enjoying my beer recommendations so what more could one ask for.  Her mom came in for a later picture but those came out really really blurry, since Im in the picture I know its not my fault...

The girl all the way on the left is supposedly the graduated girls sister but they might of been messing with me Im not too sure.  If they were props are due for such an excellent troll.  If not, I am a genius.



--Jon

Victory St. Boisterous

Why I tried this: It was Victory brewery night, so of course I had to have a Victory beer. I had recently had their Whirlwind Witbier as well as a few others, so the St. Boisterous was just a natural progression to the night. It was described to me as a bock style beer, and at 7.4% alcohol. Right on.

Smell: Has a scent of bready yeast and malts. There was a slight sweetness to the smell, as all good bocks should have. Didn't smell the alcohol at all.

Taste: Not too much different than the taste. You have your bready yeast type flavor plus some sweet, earthy malts. It all finishes with a crisp and slightly bitter hop, which was unexpected but not unwelcome at all. Pretty smooth and good flavor through and through.

Overall, I'd give Victory's St. Boisterous bock a quarter full glass. It was a pretty solid effort for a bock, but ultimately it falls short by not doing enough. Its medium body flavor is solid, but not outstanding. The smell pretty much mimics the taste and leaves little up to the imagination. I'm not typically a bock person, so I probably wouldn't get this beer again, but it was definitely a decent beer. I think bock fans out there would definitely be happy adding this beer to their weekly repertoire.

--Jeff

Hitachino Lacto Sweet Stout

Why I tried this: Interesting story. I was at World of Beer UCF (no kidding right?) and talking with Kyle for a bit. He informed me that their machines were down, so we couldn't access my account or print out my list. I told him we'll figure it out, and asked for a recommendation. He came back with a 22oz highly alcoholic scotch ale, to which I told him that I needed to make it home. So, he came back with choice #2, the Hitachino Lacto Sweet Stout. I know Jon is a big fan of Hitachino, and I've tried their Classic Ale and Espresso Stout, so I took it.

Smell: Not a lot there, actually. There's a faint smokiness, on top of a malty sweetness. It didn't smell particularly roasty, and I didn't detect the usual coffee. It was weird.

Taste: The first thing I got when taking my initial sip was sweet malts. I detected some caramel in there, as well as a smoky flavor. As the sip fades, it turned from sweet to slightly sour, with a definite smoked flavor to it. Not bad.

I have to admit, that this was not what I was expecting from a stout. To be fair, the beer came from Japan, and I tend to notice beers from there are pretty unique. The smoky flavor was an interesting twist, and the milk sugar and caramel malts made a nice sweet mixture that faded out into a mild sourness that wasn't unpleasing at all. If anything, this beer will stick out in my mind as more being unique than it was delicious, but overall it was still pretty decent. With that said, I'd give it a quarter full glass award.

--Jeff

Boulder Mojo IPA

Why I tried this: Continuing on my IPA journey since it has been the beer style I have been in the mood for lately, I stumbled across the Boulder Beer Company Mojo IPA. The beer sounded and looked great so I decided to give it a try, plus my waitress also recommended it to me. My waitress's name was Marielle (sp?) and she also loved IPAs, so in addition to this IPA she made a few other suggestions that also turned out good.

Smell: Smelt like a more floral, citrusy, IPA. Hops present in the scent but this beer's scent was more notably citrus

Taste: This is probably one of the best IPAs that I have ever had. The blend of the floral tasting hops with the citrus flavors was fantastic. It made for a very smooth tasting IPA. I know smooth and crisp somewhat contradict each other but this beer had characteristics that made the flavor stand out in all the right areas. After the initial strong flavor of hops and citrus is in your mouth and you swallow the sip, it isn't an overly bitter hop flavor that remains. The remaining flavor is a pleasant blend of slight citrus hops that makes you want to sit for a second before you take your next sip.

This beer receives a rating of an empty glass. If I am in the mood for an IPA and I see this beer out somewhere I would most definitely order this beer. The flavors complimented each other very well and it made for a great tasting beer. I would absolutely recommend this beer to any friend that enjoys IPAs. This beer makes me excited to see what else Boulder Beer Company offers in beer selection.



--Jon

Great Divide Hades Ale

Why I tried this: This beer was recommended to me by one of the bartenders. I don't really remember which, as I was under the influence of Great Divide and several other breweries. I have had a few beers by these guys and the only winner for me so far was their IPA, the Titan IPA.(clicky click for review) Lets hope this will be a repeat of the mighty Titan.

Smell: Earthy, grassy scent, sweet smelling. It becomes apparent this is going to be belgianish, tasty..

Taste: The first flavor on your tongue with this beer will be the strong malts and sweetness. Not too overpowering but very pleasant. The earthy and citrusy flavors that follow are much more mild then the up front strong malt flavor. This beer is a bit more sweet then most other Belgian beers but not unpleasant. You would absolutely not think this beer was 8%.


Overall I would give this beer a rating of a quarter glass left. It was a good beer and I did enjoy it but I don't think I would get it again. There are many other beers of this style I would prefer, there are probably only a few situations that I would be in where I would get this beer. This and the Titan have made me pretty happy with this brewery, though, since the first few I had by Great Divide I did not like at all.




--Jon

Ridin' Dirrrty @ World of Beer UCF

250 we are coming for YOU!  Jeff and I continue to keep ridin dirty up the World of Beer list.  

"When they see us ride by they can see the glean, my shine on the deck and the tv screen.  Ridin' with a new chick, she like hold up.. Next to the playstation controlla is a full clip and my pistola."

--Jon

screen shot taken 5/5/11

Samuel Smith India Ale

Why I tried this: This was the same day that I had the Hitachino Nest Classic Ale, and I was in the mood for an IPA among the others I had that day so I decided to give Samuel Smiths a try. I have had a few Samuel Smith beers before and they were pretty good, nothing amazing but they were pretty enjoyable, notably the stouts. With the arrival of this beer I was looking forward to being in sweet sweet hop heaven.

Smell: subtle earthy caramel scent. Not a strong smell at all.

Taste: The hop flavor does not expand into what I had hoped for at all. It was a surprise that was neither good or bad, just unexpected. The mild hop flavor made room for the sweet malt flavor that had notes of caramel and butterscotch. There was another flavor that came into this beer that was not too pleasant at all and I can't really define it, I just didn't really like it when it made itself apparent. This beer was mediocre and extremely mild for an IPA in my opinion.

I would give this beer a rating of a half full glass. This beer was mediocre and not real enjoyable but it didnt taste bad either. I would of liked to get more hops from the flavor or something else that would have given it a more full flavor. The flavor that lingers in the background that I can't define really dragged this beer down and took away from how smooth it could have been.




--Jon

Hitachino Nest Classic Ale

Why I tried this: After enjoying the Hitachino Stout so much I decided it was time to try another beer from Japan's Hitachino. I was in an Ale kinda mood so when I came across the classic ale on the menu my mind was almost made up. I asked Greg about this beer and he said it was great so what more convincing would I have needed?

Smell: Less hoppy then expected. There was a stong malt scent that covered most of the hop scent. Caramel scented.

Taste: Not what I expected at all but still good. I went into this beer expecting a lighter mostly floral hop flavor and thats not what you get at all. This beer has a deep dark malt flavor that reminds you of a woody flavor and caramel. The flavor is pleasant and enjoyable. There is a slight hop flavor but it absolutely is not the defining characteristic of the beer, it's just a backup support actor to the malts.

I would give this beer a rating of a quarter glass left. This beer was great tasting but it did not taste anything at all like what I expected going into it which is not a bad thing. The malt flavor of this beer is smooth and delicious and this is probably a beer I would order again if I saw it out somewhere.

--Jon

Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen

Why I tried this: Jon and I decided to have a quick after work outing to World of Beer UCF since we hadn't done that in a while. It's usually pretty quiet during the week day right after work, and sometimes I really like how quiet and personable it can be without the huge crowd. I was browsing the draft menu, and the only new item I recognized on the list was a hefeweizen from Tucher that I had not had before. Having had a beer or two from Tucher before, I ordered their Helles Hefe Weizen.

Smell: Wow, there's some spice in there. I got a strong smell of clove and other various spices, plus your usual grains and wheats.

Taste: A lot. Your first sip starts off with grains, wheats, and a strong clove taste. This fades to allow other spices to come through, also allowing in a very faint hint of banana and less so, citrus. It ends in a very mild bitterness. All the way through, this beer is exceptionally smooth, and the unfiltered nature of it makes the texture almost a bit creamy.

No questions asked, this beer gets an empty pint glass award. This is simply one of the best hefeweizens I've had, of any style, ever. I was just simply blown away at how balanced, complex, flavored, and drinkable this beer was. The smell and taste is just outstanding, and the presentation, also great. The beer looks a hazy gold due to the unfiltered nature, which I feel definitely strengthens the experience. Unlike some hefeweizens, this one doesn't rely on fruit nearly so much, instead focusing on what makes a hefeweizen, a hefeweizen. And, it does it amazingly. Get this beer. Now.

--Jeff

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Why I tried this: I had one Sierra Nevada a while ago (I don't remember which) and I was not a big fan so I decided not to try another one. Recently, one of the managers at World of Beer UCF, Paul, told me I need to give them another shot. The first I tried was the Torpedo and I really liked it, review on that to come. When I saw the Kellerweis at WoB UCF I decided to give it a try.

Smell: Scent of grains and slight spice. There is also some yeast in the scent.

Taste: Strong wheat is what I noticed first. Not overpowering though, smooth and delicious. After that this beer faded into a nice fresh hoppy flavor with small amounts of lemon flavor. About this time the spice flavor of the beer begins to make itself noticed. The finish of this beer was slightly bitter but still quite refreshing.

I would give this beer a ranking of an empty glass for sure. This beer was very, very enjoyable. I had a rough start with Sierra Nevada back in the day but Im glad Paul pushed me into getting another beer by them. Their beers are pretty easily working their way into my top favorites and this beer is no exception to that rule.





--Jon

Great Divide Titan IPA

Why I tried this: IPA's are one of my favorite beer types, IPAs are just one of the couple differences Jeff and I have in beer preferences.  While Jeff doesnt enjoy IPAs much I love them, especially when Im not in the mood for a heavier beer.  Great Divide has been a brewery I havent had much of an opinion on.  Ive had a few of their beers before and they were OK not good but not bad either.  While looking at the list I saw Titan IPA by them thought it was a cool name so I decided to give another Great Divide a chance.

Smell: This beer had a great scent to it.  The hops had a floral citrusy scent.  Had a sweeter scent to it as well that Ive found pretty typical of Great Divide.

Taste: This beer overall had a pretty good taste to it.  The hop flavor was not as strong as I would typically expect from an IPA.  The flavors of the sweet malts played a pretty big part in balancing out the hops a bit.  The beer gives you a great hop flavor then you start to sense the sweetness of the malts and as you arrive at the end of your sip you get a finish of some dry hops, but not really overly dry at all.  At 7.8% I really didn't taste much of the alcohol at all which is always a plus.

This beer will receive a rating of 1/4 of a glass left.  I haven't liked much of Great Divide too much but I really did enjoy their Titan IPA.  This beer had a good fresh hop flavor blended nicely with the sweet malt flavor.  If you are into either Great Divide as a brewery or IPAs in general this would probably be a good beer to try.



--Jon

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Victory Whirlwind Witbier

Why I tried this: A few days prior I had received a text message from WOB UCF that they were going to have a brewery night with Victory brewery on Tuesday night. Brewery nights are exciting because you get to try beers that you may otherwise never see in your region, so of course I had to go. I was hanging out near the bar talking to Bobby a bit about football (soccer), and ordered the first Victory beer listed on tap, the Whirlwind Witbier.

Smell: Pretty typical for a wheat beer. This being a white wheat, it was a bit lighter, but still had your familiar wheats and oats scent, plus a little lingering spice.

Taste: I got a lot of very clean wheats, coupled with a bit of citrus. Not too sweet, just right. The nice thing about it was that although it seemed simple, the flavors all blended very well and were of extremely high quality. The cleanness of the beer made it very drinkable, and not in a watery adjunct kind of way. Awesome.

Overall, I'd have to give the Victory Whirlwind Witbier a quarter empty glass. This was probably one of the better white wheats I've had, which is pretty high praise coming from me, as I love any and all wheat beers. It's not a strong beer by any means, but it's quality and is simply a pleasure to drink. I'd definitely recommend this beer if you like a good hefeweizen, or especially white wheats. Wouldn't mind getting it again now and then.

--Jeff