Abita Pecan Harvest Ale (159): Very weak. Water would be better than drinking this. Victoria hated it. No one liked it really. I bet even the brewers just released it out of spite.
Alaskan Smoked Porter (108): Good head, deep caramel color for the head, amber black for the body. Smells smoky. Daniel: not too bad, a little dry: 6 out of 10. Victoria: Hoppy and bittery, but a nice aftertaste: 6 ½ out of 10. Wouldn’t refuse if it were free. And it was. Thanks Bex.
AleSmith Anvil Ale (119): Fruity hop smell. Daniel says it’s a great refreshing beer and Victoria says, “This won awards?” before changing her mind as the taste grew on her.
AleSmith Decadence 2008 Anniversary Ale (145): Sour English Barleywine Style Ale. Victoria hates it. It took a bit to grow on Daniel and eventually he liked it. Victoria says it’s brewed out of shit. It’s like being shit on by the pony at your birthday party. High ABV is evident. Daniel puts it at a 3 out of 6.
AleSmith Decadence 2009 Anniversary Ale (172): Much better than their 2008 ale. Belgian flavors and a pretty decent flavor but still just a 3.2 out of a 6 pack.
Avery Salvation (172): Fairly decent Belgian ale. Spence enjoyed it.
AleSmith Horny Devil (136): Never got back to it in the episode but we did love this beer. Easy 4.5 out of 6.
AleSmith Nautical Nut Brown (125): One of Victoria’s favorite browns. Daniel’s not a brown ale guy so he’s staying out of it.
Alexander Keith’s Amber (190): Malts and good coloring, hoppier than most mild reds but not quite to the Imperial status. Another tasty treat from Keet’s!
Alexander Keith’s IPA (190): A decent Canadian offering for IPA. It’s not as hoppy as we’ve had on the Pacific Coast but it’s easy going down, hoppy enough to be an IPA and very tasty.
Alexander Keith’s White (190): Victoria’s favorite of the three main Alexander Keith’s offerings. Daniel, who’s not a fan of white ales normally enjoys this quite a lot. For it’s style, a good 4 out of 6.
Allagash Dubbel (198): Daniel likes it but it’s a bit light for a Belgian. Victoria loves it. Good easy to gulp Belgian with lots of carbonation. Both of us give it a 4 out of 6
Allagash Victoria (176): This is the true champagne of beers. It’s $17 for 750mL and really does have a nice balanced mix of beer with the effervescence of champagne. Not only that but it tastes delicious! Easily a 5 out of 6 for us but a little pricey to have on a regular basis.
Allagash White Ale (110): 9th Place for Uncast Beers of 2008. A great white ale and easily Daniel’s favorite for this style.
Alpine Brewing Captain Stout (167): Alpine is quickly becoming one of our favorite breweries. Captain Stout does not disappoint. Rick loves the chocolate/coffee overtones. Daniel doesn’t like stouts quite this mild but it’s pretty easy to drink. Victoria loves it and requests it every time we go out to get Alpine beer.
Alpine Brewing Nelson IPA (168): Victoria’s 2nd panty dropper beer after Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Ale. Favorite Alpine beer of our friends, The DaHonays, and easily the best IPA I think I’ve ever had to this point. Easy 5 out of 6 and that might be very conservative.
Anchor Steam Small Beer (175): Daniel says he would drink a Budweiser before drinking this again. It’s like water that has a hint of beer in it. In fact Daniel was quite cruel about the beer. Might be one of the worst beers we’ve reviewed on Uncast. 1 out of 6 if there’s a point in even ranking it.
Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Double IPA (140, 172): Winner of the 2nd Annual Uncast Beer Tasting. Easy 5.5 out of 6 by all involved. Quite hoppy and malty, full of flavor, complex but extremely well balanced.
Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale (147, 157): Very weak. Looks like beer. Smells bad. Tastes like water. Daniel says he’d drink Miller Lite before drinking this and yet we review it again in episode 157 and Victoria wants a dirty relationship with it. Daniel still doesn’t love it but he liked it better the second time. Perhaps the first bottle was bad?
Anderson Valley Brother David’s Dubbel Abbey-Style Ale (139): Made in very limited quality. 9% ABV. Daniel loves it as 4.5 out of 6 for a Belgian beer.
Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ IPA (141): Great India Pale Ale. Wonder if this is what Anderson Valley specializes in because their hoppy beers are very good and their milder beers are not so hot. This one is really good for a low price.
Avery Dugana Double IPA (158): Victoria loved the label. Never really reviewed it on the show but if I remember right, it was decent but didn’t really stand up to the other double IPAs we’ve had. 3.5 out of 6 on this one but we’ll try it again at some point and give it a more proper review.
Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale (124): Daniel’s favorite barleywine style ale. Great mix of malt and keeps a balance with the high ABV. Very tasty indeed.
Avery Maharaja (140): Great Imperial IPA. Avery is one of our favorite breweries and this is one of the reasons why. Great golden IPA color with a kick of extra hops and all the full flavor to balance it out.
Avery Mephistopheles (137): WOW Thick, alcohol is extremely evident (15.2% ABV) and strong coffee grounds flavor. This will kick you in the face and then sweet talk ya. Aftertaste and backend are very pleasant if you can survive the initial kick. Way too much work for not quite enough payoff. Won’t be drinking this again.
Avery White Rascal Ale (148): Orange, coriander wheat ale. Lemonade in appearance. Victoria gives it a 5 out of 6. Daniel likes it too and he’s not a huge fan of wheat beers in general. 3 out of 6 for him.
Avery-Russian River Collaboration Not Litigation Ale (124): Mild Belgian. We both love this beer! Victoria deems it a “perfect perfect beer” and Daniel easily puts it in our top five of all time.
Baird Rising Sun IPA (142): A favorite of the ladies (DaHonay, Rachel and Victoria) from the 2009 International Beer Fest. MrDaHonay says it tastes like Japan.
Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA (140): Spencer loved this beer and it scored well at Uncast Beer Tasting II. Daniel scored it a bit lower 3.2 out of 6 but still quite decent.
Ballast Point Tongue Buckler Imperial Red Ale (133): Hoppy red version of Ruination? This is a strong 5 out of 6. We both love it!
Bear Republic Ricardo’s Red Rocket Ale (150): This is one of our favorite drinking beers. A great hoppy Imperial Red Ale. Strong 4.5 out of 6. A truly beautiful beer, Victoria says. Due to the price ($4 a bomber) and the fact that these come in six-packs, we drink this on a pretty regular basis.
Bellhaven Scottish Ale (117): Daniel likes this beer for a scottish ale. Quite tasty.
Blue Frog Grog & Grill Red Frog Ale (144): 31 IBUs means it’s mild and 6.1% ABV means it’s easy drinking. It’s a nice red ale that’s quite tasty. As red ales go, this is a “making love” beer.
Blue Point Brewing Toasted Lager (194): This might be one of the best lagers we’ve ever tasted. The toasty flavor comes through right off front end followed by a smooth easy lager feel. It’s got plenty of malt to hold together, enough hops to keep it interesting and all the smoothness of a great lager. Best served ice cold like we had it and as lagers go, definitely a 5 out of 6.
Blue Point Brewing Toxic Sludge IPA (195): Definitely an East Coast IPA. Mild feel and smooth but still hoppy IPA. Solid 3 out of 6.
Boulevard Brew Irish Red (130): Very weak colored water. Basically blech. We both hated it.
Brew Dog Hardcore Imperial IPA (155): Victoria calls it “cumtastic” and Daniel still found a way to love it. This is almost an Imperial Scottish Ale and is highly recommended by both of us. Strong 5.2 out of 6. Try it!
Brewdog Punk IPA (172): Brewdog does hoppy well, especially with it’s Hardcore Imperial IPA and this Punk IPA didn’t disappoint but didn’t quite make the mark when paired against the Blind Pig and Stone IPA. 3.5 out of 6 and definitely a good beer.
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout (194): Thick and bubbly. I’m sure that’s a euphemism for something but this stout is awesome. 10% ABV makes it truly potent and this is definitely one of our favorite stouts out there. An easy 4.5 and what a great way to introduce us to Brooklyn Brewery.
Cerveza Cucapa Chupacabras Pale Ale (159): Victoria says it’s awesome. Good for a pale Ale, Daniel thinks, but not really all that impressive for a gimmick beer. 3 out of 6 maybe? It doesn’t suck goats…so I guess that makes it a liar.
Chimay Blue (110): Daniel’s favorite belgian beer of all time. His choice drink at Currant outside of the Absinthe.
Coronado Idiot Imperial IPA (176): This is pretty yummy. Coronado is starting to come together for us as a brewery. This IIPA is not necessarily going to challenge for a top spot amongst others in this category but this is definitely a delicious beer and it would definitely rank in the upper third. 4 out of 6 on this.
Coronado Red Devil Imperial Red Ale (162): Pretty dark even for an imperial red ale. Lots of roasted flavor and all the awesome of a good imperial red. One of Victoria’s favorite beers and a great heavy hoppy malty mess of awesome.
Delirium Nocturum (115): Bad smelling beer, very fruity. Victoria describes it as a fruit salad plus Coke or grown-up Kool-Aid. Neither of us cared for it and give it a 2.2 out of 6.
Delirium Tremens (197): It’s ok. Nothing special. Better than the Nocturnum but not as good as the Noel. It’s tasty but it’s not great. Maybe 2.5 out of a six-pack?
Deschutes Hop In The Dark (186): Victoria says it smelled strongly of cannabis and had a distinct hoppy coffee flavor. We both really enjoyed this one. Easy 4-5 out of 6.
Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA (140): This is one of our favorite beers to drink but the cost ($12 for a 4 pack) prevents us from doing so on a regular basis. 5 out of 6 easy and one of the best beers of Uncast Beer Tasting II.
Dogfish Head Burton Baton Bourbon Oak Aged Imperial IPA (172): Easily the winner of Uncast Beer Tasting III. This may be one of the top three beers we’ve ever tasted and easily the best imperial IPA we’ve ever had. As if we need to say but six out of six and hell I’d make a 12-pack out of this but alas it only comes in a 4-pack and costs over $15.
Dogfish Head Midas Touch (142): Victoria and Rachel creamed over this beer. Daniel will need to try it again but apparently it’s yet another great beer from Dogfish Head.
Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale (153): Mix pumpkin flavor with just a truly great beer and you get this awesome autumn seasonal. You don’t get as bitch-smacked with flavor like you do with Shipyard’s version. Great balance, full-bodied and just good hints of pumpkin and spice. Great balance. Could drink this year round.
Drake’s Denoginizer (205): Standard Double IPA. We both liked it.There are few Double IPAs that stand out and this is not one of them. Even Rhian liked it! Said it was kinda light with a lot of flavor.
Firestone-Walker DBA (176): After all these reviews, though they aren’t getting any better about telling you about the hops and tastes or textures or any of that scientific bullshit, we realized that while there are some beers that are clearly better or worse than the rest, there’s definitely a long list of beers that are extremely tasty and satisfy without necessarily blowing your mind with awesome. THIS is one of those beers. GREAT session beer and one of the best beers out there to come home and just chill out with or enjoy with a burger or steak or something.
Flying Dog IPA (136): Butch says 3.5 out of 6, Daniel and Victoria don’t care for it much. 2.5 out of 6 MAYBE. Too weak to call itself an India Pale Ale.
Founder’s Brewing Breakfast Stout (194): Victoria’s favorite stout ever. Daniel very much enjoyed it. Thick and creamy double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout and at 8.6% ABV a very worthy stout. Victoria gives it a 6 out of 6 and Daniel a strong 5.
Full Sail 21st Anniversary Doppelbock (110): 4th Place for Uncast beers of 2008. We’re sorta mixed on most beers from this brewery but this beer came across as easy drinking, full of great malt flavor and just enough hops to keep it interesting.
Great Lakes Brewing Pumpkin Ale (190): Amy and Victoria loved this but the rest just felt like there was too many spices than pumpkin and not even the right KIND of spices proving that as pumpkin ales go, this is a chick beer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but Victoria takes offense.
Green Flash Le Freak (111): Hoppy but tasty, not that bad. Easily the best beer we’ve had from this brewer who loves to add the hops but seems to forget the overall taste. Fruity-ish. A good three and a half out of six.
Green Flash Barleywine Style Ale (125): Not enough definition. Very hoppy but very thin. Daniel gives it a 2.8 and Victoria a 3.0 out of a six pack.
Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale (176): This was the first beer we tried at the brewery. After really disliking most of the Green Flash beers we’d had to this point, this beer really opened us up to having hope for the rest of their offerings. It’s one of their rare well balanced beers and just great to drink. We really liked this one but it still didn’t truly overwhelm us past just having hope that this brewery can brew a decent beer. 3.5 out of 6.
Green Flash Double Stout (176): Victoria’s favorite Green Flash offering. Daniel really likes this beer as well. It’s a good 4 out of 6 and nice easy but heavy dark stout color and texture and really tasty coffee flavors.
Green Flash Extra Pale Ale (176): We’re not lager folks normally and don’t tend to go for the really light beers. So this review COULD be a bit skewed and slightly unfair. This was like drinking a glass of water with some yellow food coloring in it. There was very little flavor at all to tell our tongues it might be a beer. 2 out of 6
Green Flash Grand Cru (176): I love Grand Crus. This wasn’t too bad. I tend to rank everything off of Rodenbach and this didn’t stack up at all but was still nice to drink. Victoria can’t stand any sour ales so she wouldn’t even try it. 4 out of 6.
Green Flash Hop Head Red (176): Victoria and I both really dislike this beer. It’s way out of balance and we can’t quite place it but perhaps it’s just far too malty or something. The texture is off and the taste is strange. We’ve had this on draught and bottle and even poured bottle to glass and we’ve never liked this beer at all.
Green Flash Imperial IPA (176): Ahhh Green Flash does Imperials well. If they added stuff to correct the balance issues in the West Coast IPA, this is what it would taste like. This is what happens when you take a bad beer recipe and fix it. Nicely done, Green Flash. 4 out of 6.
Green Flash Imperial IPA (140, 176): Big loser on Uncast Beer Tasting II. No one liked it much and few scored it over a 2 out of 6. Green Flash loves their hops but there’s never enough behind them to back up the beer with any flavor or substance. How do they win the awards they do with beers like this? Then we tried it on it’s own two years later and it’s either improved or our palates have gotten worse. We both weren’t impressed to much with it but still enjoyed it.
Green Flash Trippel (176): Not a great Belgian. Again it seems Green Flash gets an idea of what a style of beer should taste like and they overdo it. IPA is way too hoppy, Red is way too malty and this is way too sour. The balance just isn’t there at all.
Green Flash West Coast IPA (176): Victoria likes this and Daniel does not. Consider it an even 3 out of 6 since Daniel would give it a 1 and she gives it a 4 out of 6. Like the Hop Head Red, it’s out of balance, hoppy for the sake of being hoppy and yet Victoria found something to love about it. Unfortunately for her, she’s not writing this review.
Humboldt Nectar IPA (176): We both truly enjoyed this beer. It’s a good mild IPA that’s easy to drink while still bringing enough hops to give it that IPA feel. Easy 4 out of 6.
Irondale Brewery Johnny Mo’s Tres Vieux IPA (204): An unfiltered IPA, Victoria and Daniel love this beer! Great IPA. Rhian says it’s strong but tastes good and this is coming from a wine whore. Victoria says it smells like pot (hops anyone?) and Daniel keeps praising it. As IPAs go, one of our favorites and a solid 5 out of 6 if not higher.
Joseph’s Brau Hopfest Pilsner (137): Trader Joe’s attempt at a hoppy pilsner fails to hit the mark. Daniel thought it was alright but Victoria’s saying a low 2 out of 6.
Karl Strauss 21st Anniversary Ale (174): Belgian Strong Ale brewed with juices from old vine zinfandel grapes. Very strong vinous flavor with big Belgian attitude. Spice in the nose of a wine, burn of a good strong ale and the sour maltiness of a Belgian. Daniel likes it but Victoria does not care for it.
Karl Strauss – Big Barrel Double IPA (161): 9.0% ABV tastes great. 90 IBUs. Apparently it seems that extra .9% ABV and 9 IBUs make a difference (vs their “To The 9′s”) cause this beer is really truly excellent. 5.5 out of 6 from Daniel and 5 out of 6 from Victoria. Will have to try this again when sober.
Karl Strauss Oktoberfest (154): Malty ale, low ABV and a bit of a belgian flavor. Full bodied, toasted flavor. Really easy to drink. This works great in a chili and is one of our favorite Oktoberfest style ales.
Karl Strauss – To The 9′s (161): Pours a dark golden, almost amber color. Head disappears quickly. 9.9% ABV is really evident as the alcohol flavor is strong as are the flavors of pine and citrus. Seems a bit out of balance. More sour than bitter and more sharp alcohol than smooth tasting. Daniel likes it because he love Imperial IPAs but it doesn’t stand up with even the top 10 IIPAs he’s had. 3.5 out of six-pack. Victoria, an ardent lover of Karl Strauss beers, gives it a 5 out of 6, especially when eating chocolate.
Karl Strauss Tower 10 IPA (125): We both like this light hoppy IPA. Used to be called Stargazer IPA. Very tasty. Piny and citrusy and just light and tasty. One of Spencer’s favorites from the 2009 International Beer Festival.
Kona Brewing Pipeline Porter (171): This is one awesome porter. Top three porters we may have ever put in our faces. It doesn’t quite beat out Stone or Deschutes but still a very stront 4.5 out of 6 pack. Just a really good beer.
Kona Brewing Wailua Wheat Ale (174): Daniel enjoys this and he’s not usually a fan of wheat beers. Slight taste of passion fruit and this is a great choice of fruit to use with a wheat beer. Victoria thought it’d make a great beer bread with some dried pineapple and papaya. Might go well with grilled shrimp.
Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale (135): Hoppy but little backend which is a bit uncharacteristic for a Lagunitas ale. 3 out of 6. 74 IBUs and 6.33% ABV
Lagunitas Censored Copper Ale (132): It’s alright. Not one of Lagunitas’ best by a long shot. They call it a copper ale and they weren’t kidding. It tastes like pennies. Weak 3 out of 6.
Lagunitas GnarleyWine (172): This is Daniel’s favorite Barleywine-style ale, barely beating out the Reuben and the Jets also from Lagunitas. Easy 5 out of 6 from Daniel, and even Victoria likes it.
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (123, 172): Very hoppy. Really great Double IPA. Victoria loves it as well.
Lagunitas Imperial Red (130): One of our favorite regular drinking beers. So glad this comes in six-packs cause it’s easily worth a full case or more. Hoppy red ale and just very well balanced. Strong 5 out of 6.
Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale (145): Good hoppy red ale. Lagunitas is great at that. Victoria wants to pour it all over Daniel’s body and lick it off. I’m guessing that means she liked it. Daniel likes it as well but not quite THAT much. Both give it a strong 4 out of 6. Not quite as good as their regular Imperial Red but still very high.
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale (131): Wow what a name for such a great great beer. Victoria’s favorite beer and for Daniel it’s easily a five out of a six-pack.
Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot (172): 3rd place at the Uncast Beer Tasting III. This beer is so good, we forgive the fact that it’s Whisky not Wilco for the NATO phonetic alphabet. Maybe they just like the band. Either way, it’s a great American Strong Ale or perhaps we just happen to love this style. Lagunitas continues in it’s line of great beers. Easy 5 out of 6-pack
Left Coast Asylum Belgian Triple Ale (140): Daniel gives 3.3 out of . Bit more of a bite than most triples. 11% ABV is evident. Tastes pretty good but has a strong alcoholic bite to it. Victoria doesn’t care for it much.
Lightning Black Lightning Porter (120): Bitter coffee flavor. Neither of us like it much. We love this brewery but this beer is just not good. We’ll try it later just in case we got a bad batch.
Lightning Elemental Pilsner (141): We love this beer on tap. Enjoyed most often at Poway’s Hamburger Factory, we love enjoying this beer with burgers or sandwiches. One of DaHonay’s favorites from the 2009 San Diego International Beer Festival.
Lightning Old Tempest Ale (142): One of our favorite beers from Lightning. Brewed like an old English strong Ale, it’s got lots of malt, some hops and a respectable ABV. A Full 4 out of a 6-pack.
Lost Abbey Carnevale (125): We both LOVE this beer. Great beer!
Lost Abbey Inferno Ale (172): In the losing third of the Uncast Beer Tasting III. Light and mild red ale. Perhaps after all the IPAs, Imperial IPAs and strong ales we’d had, we were a bit unkind to this ale. We’ll have to try this again soon for a proper review.
Maredsous Dubbel (110): 5th Place for Uncast Beers of 2008. Was once our collective favorite belgian beer but is still highly ranked.
Marin Brewing Company India Pale Ale (161): Piny, grapefruit backend. Kind of a mild Pliny the Elder and very reminiscent of Northern California Ales. We both liked this ale a lot. Not the best IPA out there but they sure do think so by all the awards they’ve put on the label.
Maui Brewing CoCoNuT Porter (110): Easily our favorite alternative porter out there. Great coffee, chocolate and coconut flavors and it comes in a can which is awesome. 2nd Place for Uncast Beers of 2008.
Mendocino Black Eye Ale (172): This is the horrible thing that happens when you mix a stout and an IPA. Two good beers (or so we’ve heard) do not a great beer make. Add some Four Loco to this, however, and you get a great black forest cola flavored concoction. That’s the only way someone can really enjoy this beer.
Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Pale Ale (176): Victoria hates this beer. She says it’s not the worst beer ever but wouldn’t voluntarily drink it again. 2 out of 6. It’s very evocative of a Belgian without all the sour bitterness of a Belgian. Daniel likes it just fine. It’s a good 3.5 out of 6 for him. Nice hoppy Pale Ale.
Mendocino Winter Ale 2009-2010 (163): Really enjoyed this one. Not the best IPA I’ve had but still pretty decent. Strong 3.5 or 4 out of a 6-pack. We’re excited to try some more of their brews when we travel out there later in the year.
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Stout (160): We didn’t get it at first but after getting about halfway through the glass, we’d both give it a good 7 noms. It’s milder than I was expecting, given how dark and thick it was. Nice mocha head as I would expect with a good stout but the coffee flavor wasn’t too harsh and there was almost no chocolate flavor that you get with most stouts. Truly complex, this does fit the claim: Beer Geek Breakfast. This would go great with some eggs and bacon.
Misison Brewing IPA (157): Slightly sour backend. Pretty tasty but a little meh for it’s style. 3 out of 6 because it’s decent but not all that impressive.
Mission Street India Pale Ale (137): This isn’t too bad. Pretty decent actually. Strong 3.2 out of 6 and very drinkable. Not quite a full IPA perhaps but a good beer.
Molson Rickard’s White (190): Victoria loves this. Daniel was not quite as much a fan. Let’s leave it there, smile and walk away slowly.
Mountain Meadows Semi-Sweet Mead with Agave (142): DaHonay loved this beer at the 2008 International Beer Fest. Daniel loved it as well. Sweet and thick yet light and full bodied but easy to drink. Well balanced and a truly great mead.
Moylan’s Kiltlifter Scottish Style Ale (122): It’s light but has a great taste and smell. Victoria loves it and Daniel likes it a lot as well. Victoria started not digging the alcohol carbonation after a while but Daniel says it’s an easy drinking beer.
New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale (146): Victoria says it tastes like a tootsie pop with beer. Daniel agrees. Quite tasty. Victoria says 4 out of 6 and Daniel says 3.7 out of 6. We both liked it a lot.
New Belgium Fat Tire Ale (110): The beer that introduced Victoria to real craft ales and for a short time was our beer of choice. Official Beer of Uncast for their sophomore year.
New Belgium Mighty Arrow (127): Decent beer. Good but not great. Maybe a 3.5 out of six?
New English ESB (141): We both loved this beer but outside of Ritual Tavern, we haven’t been able to find it or the brewery listed anywhere. Nice sour strong ale with loads of flavor.
Nimbus India Pale Ale (122): We both really love this beer. Daniel says it’s easily in his top 3 IPAs.
Nimbus Red Ale (138): Mild red ale but good fruity bend to it. Decent for a red. 3 out of 6.
Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale (172): They called this a double red and we expected all the hops and malts and high ABV that comes with such a beer but alas it was nearly a semi-Japanese Irish red ale. Probably the 2nd worst actual beer from Uncast Beer Tasting III.
Ninkasi Seasonal Spring Reign (205): Vivi thought it tasted like pot but Rhian and I both felt it did not. I don’t know if the bottle we got was skunky but we’ll try it again for a better review.
Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA (181): Really good beer. Much better than than the Double Red they put out. It’s a great $4 Double IPA. Both Victoria and I would not put this up against higher acclaimed double IPAs but it’s quite tasty and well worth the low price.
North Coast Brother Thelonious (118, 193): Nice Belgian smell. Victoria says it’s one of her favorite Belgians. Would go great with sushi. Daniel thinks it’s very tasty but not quite as good as Maredsous Dubbel. Really great American-made Belgian-Style ale. Victoria, Butch and Daniel tried this together and we all loved the beer. 9.4% ABV is high but after a bottle of this you won’t care. Victoria rates it above every other Belgian she’s had. Butch gives it a solid 4.5, Victoria gives it a 7 and Daniel gives it a 4.5 out of 6.
North Coast Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale (178): Good strong Belgian scent on the nose, little to no head, a light golden flavor but plenty there. Very easy to drink. Victoria is usually not a big fan of Belgians but she likes this one quite a bit. Lots of sweetness and sour on the nose but not overwhelming in the taste.
Oskar Blues Gubna Double IPA (174): As we popped the can, we claimed this wasn’t a shitty beer. We may have been a bit hasty. The smell of the hops and malt comes out strong on the nose and the taste is that of extremely sticky sweet piny ale. Imagine a double IPA with the character of Pliny the Elder but filled with gallons of sugar. Daniel says it’s the worst double IPA he’s ever had.
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (172): Poors like motor oil but tastes like an awesome Russian imperial stout. Might have to list this as our 4th or 5th favorite stout overall. Victoria may list this third on her personal list. Quick and easy 4.9 out of 6 pack.
Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Double IPA (140): One of Victoria’s favorite beers of all time. Daniel gives it a good 3.4 out of 6 but it just didn’t quite stand up with the rest of the double IPAs at the Uncast Beer Tasting II.
Port Brewing Hot Rocks Lager (144): Rick dark lager. Flavors of a porter, colors of an amber and lightness of a lager. We liked it a lot in the summer heat. Good “fucking” beer.
Port Brewing Jetty IPA (176): Really nice hoppy IPA. Victoria particularly loved this. Daniel felt it was just a bit too much grapefruit flavor but that could just be the breed of hops used in the beer. Daniel will give it a 3 out of 6 and Victoria a 4.5 out of 6.
Port Brewing Revelations (176): Nice Belgian beer. I wouldn’t put it up against Chimay, Maredsous, Duvel or even Russian River’s selections but still quality. It’s a good 3.3 out of 6.
Port Brewing Reed’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (176): Victoria and I both loved this beer. It’s a great balance between malt and bitter and sour. Nice dark brown colored ale with a great character. This could be our favorite scotch ale out there so far.
Reaper Ale Sleighbor Double IPA (146): Shit beer. Tastes like ass, according to Victoria. Hoppiness of a Double IPA but very light and unbalanced. Bitter water doesn’t make a good beer. They have to stop making beers from the Green Flash school of beer making and try again.
Red Hook Limited Release 8-4-1 Expedition Ale (178): 8 brewers working in 4 teams to make one beer. It’s listed as an imperial brown ale that was oak aged and brewed with cherry-wood smoked maltes, brown sugar and honey. This definitely looks like a brown ale and the 9.5% ABV is pretty obvious in the taste and feel. Prominently acidic in taste and feel, smoky and nutty like a brown and just a bit sweet. It’s alright but not all that great. Backend almost reminds me of bile. Won’t be able to buy this again and won’t miss it.
Rodenbach Grand Cru (142): This is MrDaH’s favorite beer. Daniel likes it as well but Victoria doesn’t care for sour beers so we won’t count her opinion here. Very quality grand cru style ale. 4 out of a 6 from Daniel.
Rogue Dead Guy Ale (117): We both LOVE this beer. It’s on our list as beers we love to drink when we can. At $11 a six-pack it’s hard to justify very often but when we get it, we’re happy we did.
Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale (134): Didn’t dig it quite as much as the regular Dead Guy Ale. Took about a half a pint to get into it. Very soft and not very bitter. Still good, just not quite worth the price.
Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale (178): Roasted Soba and signed by Morimoto. Very grapefruity flavor. Looks like an IPA with a dark golden color. Goes down like a wheat beer but has the palate feel of an IPA and the attitude of a Belgian kinda peeking in the background.
Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale (159): At 65 IBUs there’s some hop flavor but it’s not overwhelming. Victoria and Butch didn’t care for it but Daniel liked it alright. 2 out of 6 from them and 3.5 from Daniel.
Rubicon Brewing IPA (176): Victoria thinks this is super yummy and gives it a 5.5 out of 6 pack. Drink five bottles and break the last one over the table and drink half the bottle from the broken end. She calls this the perfect session beer. Daniel thinks it’s a decent enough IPA and would be a really great session beer. Good moderate amount of hops mixed with a bready malt flavor. 4 out of 6 from him.
Russian River Bling Pig IPA (138, 172): Not quite as good as Damnation but still damn tasty! Easy 3.8 out of 6 by Daniel. Dry but lots of flavor.
Russian River Damnation (126): Malty with a bit of cider. Daniel says it looks like an IPA but tastes like a Belgian. Even Becky liked this beer.
Russian River Pliny The Elder (125, 130): Piny hoppy balanced delicious double IPA. In Daniel’s top three double IPAs.
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (149): The cherry flavor is very similar to whatever is used to make Cherry sodas. It’s a beer version of Cherry 7-Up. Victoria doesn’t usually like wheats and she hates fruity beers so you can imagine this gets less than a 2 out of 6 for her. Daniel liked it after a few bottles but wouldn’t put it on his regular buy list at all.
SanTan Hopshock IPA (131, 195): Not in our top three overall for IPA but definitely VERY tasty all the same! Strong four out of a six-pack. This is the best IPA offering we’ve had in or from Arizona at all coming from our favorite pub/restaurant in the greater Chandler area.
Schlitz (115): Daniel can see why it would make a loser out of someone. He doesn’t care for it. Victoria thinks it goes down easier than a Miller Lite. Daniel says if you want to quench your thirst, just drink water.
Schmaltz Brewing Coney Island Freaktoberfest (154): Very candy colored red ale with a pink head. Fruity scent, hoppy but light so a lager with hops. Blood Red Lager, as they call it, with 6 types of hops. Easy to drink & tasty. Confusing and blew Daniel’s mind. Enjoyed it but wouldn’t buy again.
Schmaltz Brewing He’Brew Origins Amber Ale with Pomegranate (156): Really tasty. Rachel, Victoria and Daniel all loved it. Even Victoria, who hates fruity beers. 8% ABV is tasted but not overwhelming and the pomegranate comes through on the backend which might explain why Victoria still likes it.
Shipyard Brewing Pugsley’s Signature Series Smashed Pumpkin Ale (153): 9.0% ABV even better than their pumpkin ale. Very rich and full of pumpkin and spice flavor. Really kicks you in the head with pumpkin. Daniel says 4 out of 6 and Victoria says it’s liquified pumpkin butter good. Very effervescent.
Sierra Nevada 2009 Anniversary Ale (148): This IPA is really good. 5.9% ABV is a bit low for an IPA but still has good hoppy flavor like most Sierra Nevada beers. Solid 3.5 out of 6.
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary “Fritz & Ken’s Ale” Stout (175): Dark Chocolate flavored color. Victoria thinks it smells okay. Has a thick consistency and tons of coffee flavor. It’s a heavy stout but very little of a Fritz feel to this one. Not too bad and definitely drinkable. We’ll rate this a MEH out of eh. 2.5 out of 6 maybe?
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Whole Cone Imperial IPA (197): Holy shit! 10.4% ABV and hops don’t smack you in the face. They roll over you like a tank! We love this beer! Solid 5 out of 6 from both of us.
Simpler Times Pilsner (156): Doesn’t cause fog and at $3.99 a six-pack, it’s a great beer. Gotta love it. Definitely an awesome budget beer. Forget the PBR or Natty Light. Get this stuff. It’s far tastier. Not the best beer in the world but for what it is, you can’t beat it.
Stone 13th Anniversary Ale (143): Daniel’s favorite beer of all time! An extremely hoppy red. Stone claims four barrels of hops per batch and we don’t doubt it. Full of flavor and malts to back up the large hops. Easy 6 out of 6 from Daniel. Victoria isn’t quite as much of a fan but she still likes it.
Stone Brewing 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA (179): Smells like a lot of marijuana, we LOVE this IPA like mad! Easily a 6 out of 6, this one will be a favorite for years to come. All the ingredients of Britain made in the standard San Diego IPA style. Piny and hoppy and smoky and hoppy and malty and hoppy. LOVE IT!
Stone 15th Anniversary Esondidan Imperial Black IPA (216): 10.8% ABV and you can taste it. Hops abound! Pours a deep black with a dark thick head (that’s what she said). There’s definitely a coffee attitude to this for sure. Victoria thinks this is far too hoppy and we call her out on it. Like the 13th Anniversary Ale, Daniel loves this as much as almost any beer he’s had. Combined 3 out of a six-pack but Daniel gives it a strong 4.8. The bottle says to enjoy fresh but I might just let a bottle age 6-12 months and see how age treats the blast of pine hops and the high ABV.
Stone/Firestone Walker/21st Amendment El Camino (Un)Real Black Ale (174): Victoria says the head sneaks up on ya. Nice beige head and smells delicious. Sean, Matt, Steve, Mitch took fennel, chia, pink peppercorns and figs (all California ingredients) to celebrate our great state of California. This came together to give us a truly awesome American Strong Ale. Victoria and I absolutely love this beer. 9.5% ABV but you really can’t taste it. Easily 6 out of 6.
Stone/Mikkeller/AleSmith Belgian Style Triple Ale (115): Daniel likes it. Good 4 out of 6 and even Victoria likes it. She doesn’t normally like Trippels.
Stone/Victory/Dogfish Head Saison du Buff (176): Victoria really loved this beer and Daniel did not. Victoria loved the hops and complex flavors while Daniel felt the Rosemary or Thyme just overwhelmed the entire beer. We’ll say 3 out of 6 combined since Daniel gives it a 2 and Victoria gives it a 5.
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (110): Take a Stone IPA and mix it with belgian yeast and you’ve got this winner. Easily a 5 out of 6 and one of our all-time favorites. 1st Place for Uncast Beers of 2008.
Stone IPA (117, 172): Easily 4 out of 6-pack and one of the better IPAs out on the market today. Strong hop attitude but still light enough to drink as a session beer. Listed just under 7% ABV would perhaps keep it qualified as such.
Stone Old Guardian Barleywine Style Ale (131): Great barleywine and easily a four out of six. Highly recommended and second only to Avery Hog Heaven at this point for Barleywine-style ales.
Stone Russian Imperial Stout (110, 115, 130, 174): Daniel loves this stout and it’s easily one of his favorite stouts. 4.1 out of 6. 10th Place for Uncast Beers of 2008. We list this as our 3rd favorite stout behind Lagunitas Imperial Stout and AleSmith Speedway Stout. Victoria disagrees about the AleSmith.
Stone Smoked Porter (141): Rachel’s favorite beer of all time or at least close to it. Certainly one of our top 3 porters. Great with BBQ sauce or chili. Enjoy with your favorite grilled red meat.
Stone Smoked Vanilla Porter (110): Victoria’s favorite porter of all time. Daniel likes it but not quite like the standard and chipotle versions.
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (125): Victoria doesn’t care for it but Daniel liked it. 3.5 out of a six-pack.
Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 (110): 7th Place for Uncast Beers of 2008. Just a great hoppy belgian made by Stone and meant to be stored til 2012.
Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09 (151): Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Chocolaty, tasty and Daniel approves. Going to rate it below last year’s version but you can’t really compare the two. Victoria liked it better than she expected. Strong 4.5 out of 6.
The Tied House Cafe & Brewery Menage a Singe (186): Beer that’s good for whatever it was supposed to be I guess. It wasn’t mind-blowing but wasn’t bad. We’d drink it again for sure but won’t go out of our way to buy it. Tasty but not memorable. You get the point. 3 out of 6.
Unibrau Terrible (117): Victoria hates the smell but likes the taste. Kinda like a Belgian champagne. Daniel says it’s like a Fruity Belgian Porter. Perhaps a little overcarbonated. Easily 4 out of 6.
Victoria Pils (142): Daniel didn’t care for this one at first but after a second bottle, it’s a pretty good pilsner. This is another of MrDaH’s favorite beers. Light and malty yet still flavors that dance. Easy drinking and great with seafood.
Weihestephaner Hefeweissbier (130): Really don’t like it. Far too light and weak for our taste. VERY weak beer.
Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale (110): 8th Place for Uncast Beers of 2008. A fine amber ale. Hoppier than your average red but not quite an Imperial.
Witchwood Scarecrow Golden Pale Ale (123): Daniel feels it’s weak. Butch thought it was “feh”. Victoria didn’t care for it. We all disliked it strongly. Beer colored water.
