Definitely a beer in the lemon-pine strata-sphere. But very good example of that. If I have any complaints it's that it's overwhelmingly in the juicy-fruity arena with not much counterbalance
Draft
It's deifnitely spice-heavy, so if that's not what you like about pumpkin beers you might want to avoid. But it does seem balanced by the overall strength of this beer for me. This might appeal more if you're in the mood for a spiced liquor rather than a beer though.
Draft
A much better experience than the Evasion. Bright, only a hint of orange, lots of banana, finishes spicy. Kind of wish there was a stronger orange quality but at least this tastes like a beer.
Draft
Only learned after the fact that this is a gluten-free brewery. Maybe that's why it's missing any trace at all of cereal? Starts with a perfumey orange-flavor, a little candy-like, and then proceeds straight into bitter oils. Did not like.
Draft
A nice, earthy coffee flavor up-front followed by caramel. I don't really like how this finishes though, very tacky and a bit metallic-tart.
Bottle
Starts with Apple-hop dryness, finishes with pithy bitterness. I liked this, but a little less than the Lumberbeard.
Draft
Early pith bitterness, with a lemon-pine flavor that carries straight on through. Finished clean. Brian thinks the opposite though.
Bottle
Fremont Melange Barrel Aged Cuvee (unknown release)
Light, chocolate, caramel. Really excellent. Enough barrel to show itself but not in your face.
Draft
Light and fragrant. There's the typical rice sweetness, but also a little more of a bitter edge than I was expecting for the style.
Draft
Lumberbeard Disco Weapon (2024)
Bright up front, citron, pine, without that sweet lemon cleaner sheen. Finishes closer to the Kolsch than I was expecting: cereal, yeast. Very clean though.
Draft
Zoiglhaus Fresh Hop Kölsch (2024)
Yeasty, lightly estery Kolsch, finishes with cereal funk. Just one step removed from an American hefe. There's not a traditional fresh hop sheen on this, but it does seem to give a clean, bright crest to the flavor wave.
Draft
Lager with a drying, apple/cereal opening. Very light, clean and tasty, but the opening salvo of flavor is welcome. It does get increasingly tacky in the finish as it goes on.
Draft
Unlike last time I very clearly tasted the taro in this, which was super interesting. That said, there was also a very strong, musty smell about it which wasn't at all carried through to the flavor but was somewhat off-putting.
Can
It has nice, Thai character, star anise, clove, coriander? But I've been making a lot of homemade phở lately, and I can't help but think of phở broth when I drink this, which isn't a great association. There's also a quality of Orange Crush too.
Can
Bitter pine and hints of lemon. This is oilier than the beer from earlier.
Draft
It's fragrant all right. High-alpha, juicy citrus oil and a uric finish. Just a hint of acridity.
Can
Zoiglhaus Oktoberfresh (2024)
My palate may be muted today, but this seems exceedingly pleasant. Grassy, cereal, bit of toast on the backend. Finishes dry and clean. Not sure I’m getting fresh hop, but it is tasty.
Draft
Nice Asian-style lager. Goes well with modern Korean.
Bottle at Brewda, Christchurch, NZ
A little bit more sour than expected. Goes well with mussels done every way. Will have to try with Snackachangi Chips next.
Draft at The Mussel Pot, Havelock, NZ
Really nice. Lightly tart, clean (if a bit candy-like) strawberry flavor. Just a touch of funk on the finish tempers the drinkability a bit, but if you're in a fruity mood this is a good one.
Draft at Flatstick Pub, Redmond
A robust milk stout, lots of bitter roast and lots of lactic tackiness on the finish, but this isn't exactly sweet. Pretty good.
Draft at Flatstick Pub, Redmond
A robust pilsner, but also the kind that if you don't log it for eight hours you won't remember anything specific about it.
Draft at Serious Pie, Kirkland
There is so much going on here. It's like a racecar in my mouth. Not everything in a racecar tastes good. The cherry cough syrup is out of control. Man. The non barrel aged is so much more on point.
But at least it's not used coffee grounds in bad beer.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Complex. lots of corny corniness and cornish cornundrums cornucopiating
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Stolen from Jet. It's like someone took burnt motel coffee, watered it down, and added it to a mediocre Marzen.
Smells like you took some used coffee grounds and put them in a lot of water.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Ummmm it’s like used grounds of a burnt coffee were poured into my lager.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
I started to like this but as the lemon hits there is this kinda unpleasant waft of almost medicinal scent that disagrees with me. that and the mango was undetectable which is unforgivable in a product with the word mango in the name haha
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
This is pretty close to canonical.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
I cannot believe i’m saying this but this might actually be too stouty too bourbony too barrelly
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Wonderful sweet cherry dark chocolate smell. Syrupy stouty chocolate cherry taste. My only hesitation is that I suspect this will give me a headache if I drank too much. (Otherwise I'd rank it higher. )
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Really complex and well balanced. nutty but also sweet. toast. a little char even forest floor. it expanded my perception of what a dark lager is.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Sweet and caramel, actually a lot like a Marzen.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
really balanced light lager. good flavor, a little herbal. goes down easy
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
Sour yet a bit sweet. Puckering but effervescent. It's good.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
This is good. It's like sweet version of a Czech Pile.
Draft at Miskatonic Craft Kitchen, Naperville
It’s like having a chocolate covered frozen banana. Only it’s liquid. And fizzy.
Dark wheat and some sweet. They say banana and chocolate, and that's not too far off. It doesn't quite get all the way to banana, but it is close. After a few sips, it does start to feel a little watery like a European dark, but still pretty decent. High end of decent, close to solid.
A little too bitter on the first impression. And there are hints that it could get complex and maybe even a bit malty but then it kinda dies out and is just meh.
It's a little like a combination of a Marzen and a red ale. Some of the Marzen flavor with a bit of the harsh bitterness of a red. I'm torn between Hmmm and Decent.
Clean, unsweet lager. A little bit of a metallic tang. Not sure I was able to identify any taro.
Can at Odin Lounge
Fruity, fragrant, mellow Light citrus and apricot.
Bottle at Kamonegi, Seattle
Smells way more tart than it actually is; nice, tart, vinous. Very tasty.
Bottle at Odin Lounge
Probably influenced by the wide swath of flavors in today's tasting, but I definitely tasted the gochujang this time. It's still good, although it's definitely more eyebrow-raising.
Can at Odin Lounge
Much less sweet than the AleSmith (anything would be), and nicely spicy. Some fruit body from the habaneros, though I would say there's not a ton of vanilla here. Really quite tasty.
Bottle at Odin Lounge
Very, very, very, very sweet. Vanilla and chocolate, mostly. It's not unpleasant but I cannot imagine drinking an entire glass of this.
Can at Odin Lounge
Quite tasty and clean, although it didn't scream "margarita" to me. No real hints of tequila and there's very little salt contribution (unlike what I remember from Savage last week). It is a tasty lime-forward citrus sour though.
Can at Odin Lounge