Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Ace Perry Hard Cider

Another interesting selection out of Bay State

Ace Perry Hard Cider, from the California Cider Company in the plush Sonoma County, California, where hops and fruits are grown in abundance.

It has a fresh clear green-yellow color and strong almost candy-like aromas of sweet apple.

It feels like apple juice in the mouth but with pleasing tart-sour flavors from the carbonation and the fermented fruit juice, finishing crisp and sweet.

Hard cider is not beer. It is not made with any cereal grains or hops. Instead, it can be something delicious on its own right, and Ace Perry Hard Cider proves that point.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

BrewDog Hardcore IPA

This guy is out of Scotland. They may take our lives, but they'll never take our strongly alcoholic IPAs.

A rich auburn color with a thin white head.

A mellow aroma, featuring  the floral-citrusy notes characteristic of Cascade, Simcoe, and Centennial, classic IPA hop strains.

The taste is a wild ride. The generous helpings of Maris Otter malt dominate the sip, offering loads of sweet toffee-like flavor. Yet an aggressive bitterness battles with this rich sweetness, thanks to the considerable amount of bittering hops they must have thrown in to balance a grain-bill sizable enough to yield the 9.2% ABV this brew boasts.

A dry yet surprisingly crisp finish, with a lingering sweet deliciousness.

                                                                A solid IPA that is indeed hardcore.


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Moa Pale Ale

New-Zealand hops meet American Cascade to make a nice hearty pale ale.

A unique aroma and flavor of fresh fruit, reminiscent of an orchard after a light summer rain, suggesting an extremely fresh Cascade harvest. An additional overlaying soft spicy and berry-like sweetness characteristic of the Nelson-Sauvin hop grown in the land of the Kiwis.The sip finishes with a nice mealy bitterness.

Overall a delicious New-Zealand interpretation of the classic North American pale ale.