Maui Brewing Co.'s CoConut Porter

Good evening ladies and gents. BeerGuy here with another installment of the beer blog that never ends.  This week I am reviewing, as promised, Maui Brewing Co.‘s very interesting and ingenious CoCoNut Porter.

Never have I tasted such a brew!  Smooth, easy to drink, and yummy like a porter should be.  This porter has everything that comforts you on a cold winter night, yet is refreshing and easy to drink for a hot tropical day. At first pour you get a nice foamy chocolate colored head.  It dissipates rather quickly but leaves a nice ring of lacing on the edges.  Maybe the fact that it’s served from a can preserves it freshness better than the common bottle?  This is yet to be fully debated.  The cans of today don’t impart the weird flavors of the old days and it is cheaper for breweries to use cans (and gives the recycler more moola in his pocket to buy more beer!  Read more on the debate on bottles vs. cans here).

Dark Chocolately Porter

The smell… “smells fishy to me” says the wife…  Uh yeah….  no.  NOT AT ALL.  Odors of malt and chocolate and coffee dominate with a huge heaping of coconut to top it off.  Don’t let the big coconut smell turn you away though…

“I don’t taste the coconut…” says the wife.  WRONG.  Okay, well I will give her this: the coconut is subtle.  Once again, the flavors of dark chocolate and barley are the main tastes here with the slight hint of coconut in the finish.  The hops barely come through.  Take caution!  Don’t pound this one. You’ll miss the coconut if you do.  And if that happens, it will just be another drinkable porter – which isn’t a bad thing, but then what would be the point in spending the little extra for this 4-pack?

North Coast Brewing Co.'s Taproom & Grill

I also wanted to share with you my visit to one of my meccas of brewing, the North Coast Brewing Co. If you guys remember, last week I shared with you my review on their 2009 Old Stock Ale.  North Coast is located in the heart of Mendocino County on the northern coast of California. Their robust selection of ales have made them a favorite in the micro brew community.

The taproom had a very nice, old pub feeling to it. The all-wood accents along with the friendly staff lends to the “homey” feel.  This pub really struck me as the type of place you wanted to pull up a chair after a hard day’s work and grab a pint to watch the game.  Of course their selection of beers was fantastic.  As for the food – it was great.  Expect to pay a bit more than the average brewpub for the eats, but that’s okay.  This grill was rated Mendocino County Restaurant of the Year by Great Chefs of Mendocino.  Their selection isn’t as grand as some I’ve seen, but I would say that the overall quality of the dish is higher.  The mushroom-swiss burger was very good.  The criss-cut garlic fries were some of my favorites as well.

One damn good burger

Neon sign goodness...

I got to the taproom a little later than I had planned so I did not get to tour the actual brewery like I had wanted to, but I plan on returning in March during the Fort Bragg Whale Festival to take it all in.  Pictures to come!  Until next time folks, enjoy your brews, enjoy your company… good night and good drinking.

P.S. My home brewing adventures start this coming Sunday. Pictures of my quest to follow!

Things you can look forward to from BeerGuy this weekend:

I just got my home brewing gear delivered this morning! I’m so excited! Photos to come.  Also, I stumbled upon a great coconut porter from Maui Brewing Co. that I am going to review.  Plus, I’ll be visiting the North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg to sample some of their fine ales – I’ll share my visit with you guys.

North Coast Brewing Co.'s 2009 Old Stock Ale

Greetings!  Excitement is in the air, or should I say was in the air.  What an exciting game today!  Payton played like shit and the Saints have completed their crusade to the holy grail of footballdom.  It’s getting late and I’ve already consumed large amounts of light beers, but what better way to wind down the evening than to pour yourself a glass of some strong limited release ale.  This week I am reviewing North Coast Brewing Co.‘s Old Stock Ale.

North Coast’s Old Stock Ale is a strong beer in the English old ale style. Generally very malty and full bodied.  A high ABV is not uncommon.  Old ales usually pour a  dark rich amber color and have fruity aromas generally of raisin and/or currants.

North Coast’s version of this style poured a deep amber color, very bubbly and slightly syrupy in appearance.  Not much of a foamy head – I might attribute that, this time around, to a faulty pour (remember, I had a few beers already).   Aromas of dark fig, caramel, and spices. At first sip, I am amazed at how well the flavors come through the high ABV (11.5%).  Old Stock tastes sweet with the typical raisin coming out – finishing with the light flavor of hops that linger in the mouth.  Old Stock leaves you with a nice cozy warm mouth feel.  It’s actually kind of scary how drinkable this ale is.  I foresee many a hungover mornings…

Not much of a foamy head

Overall, a solid strong ale.  I’d give it an A-.  You might want to grab a few of these bad boys and hold onto them for a  couple of years.  Aging these vintage and old ales are becoming more and more common these days … if you can hold onto them long enough.  Until next time folks, good night and good drinking!

This week I decided to review an original Belgian ale – Hoegaarden.  Hoegaarden is a white wheat beer flavored with coriander and other spices much like most other whites on the market. What’s remarkable about this beer is the truely near white color it exudes.

Hoegaarden White Wheat Beer

Although the beer had a thick head at first, it wasn’t long lasting. The beer leaves little lacing on the glass (I wonder if it’s due to being an import – does that effect freshness?).  At first taste, hints of coriander and sweet light nutmeg are present. It is medium bodied and very easy to drink. Overall, this beer is just “okay”. I would have to rate this beer at a B-. Not quite a favorite of mine. Something to compare it to: New Belgium‘s Mothership Wit…. mmm a favorite.

Until next time folks, good night and good drinking.

One of my favorite local pubs is Third Street Aleworks. They have a variety of beer styles but one of my favs that comes around every once in a while is their Goat Rock Doppelbock. Here’s an excerpt from their site:

Goat Rock Doppelbock
This strong barley ale represents the flavor of Germany’s famous Doppelbock style. “Doppel” meaning double, this dark, rich, intensely malty beer uses twice the amount of malt for extra alcoholic strength. It is brewed only in August, and lagered for the annual Oktoberfest. 7.5% Volume

Strong Dark Ale

This strong bock style ale has an initial sweet taste of dark malts. It’s is full bodied but still refreshing. Although it has a high ABV, it’s still very drinkable. It’s a shame that it’s only available in the 10 oz. pour! The goat rock has a thin head, that dissipates quickly. It may be a bit rich for some drinkers, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Be sure to try this one the next time you’re there.

Harvest Moon Label

Some notable characteristics about this beer was the thick head when poured. Very impressive! I used a variation of a pilsner glass. The head lasted for a good ten minutes or so and left good lacing after consuming. Why is a good lacing so important in a beer you ask? Well usually, good lacing is an indicator of a full bodied and fresh beer or ale. Usually when you have a thick long lasting head (no, no, you pervs…) a good lacing trail will follow.

Thick, foamy, long-lasting head.

This seasonal has aromas of spices; nutmeg and clove, along with a light pumpkin-esk aroma. It reminds me of an unsweet pumpkin pie! The color is orange to amber depending on the lighting. “But BeerGuy, what about the flavor?” I’m getting to that… this was a very full bodied ale which was surprising to me. Other pumpkin seasonals I’ve had in the past have been very light and almost watery. This beer gave a very full mouthed feeling.  Harvest Moon was a little more hoppy than I would have expected from a pumpkin seasonal, but by all means, at an ABV of 5.6%, it was still very drinkable. All in all, I would have to give this pumpkin beer a solid B for it’s big ale characteristics and it drinkability amongst all types of beer drinkers out there. And guess what folks? Some of you may or may not know this little fact: Blue Moon Brewing Co. is actually a smaller shoot off of Coors Brewing! Yes, I know. That may have ruined the small microbrew feel it had. But hey, as long as it tastes good, then that’s all that really matters.

Speaking of big mass producing brewing companies making smaller type microbrews, I hope to be testing Budweiser’s American Ale soon. I’ve been reading some good previews of this attempt of a craft brew and I am really excited to try it out. Until next time, good night and good drinking!

This week I am reviewing Butte Creek’s Organic Porter. “Why did you chose this particular brew Beerguy?” you say? Well the wife was making some of her AWESOME homemade chili and she need a darker brew for the recipe. I swung by the local Whole Foods Market and picked up the most moderate (in ABV, which is ‘alcohol by volume’ for you novices out there). With an ABV of 5.9% I figured this would do.

Butte Creek’s Porter pours a dark brown. When held up to the light, you can almost see a tint of red to it. There was a moderate head (the foam on top after the pour) which dissipated soon after the pour. Something I have noticed with many organic brews is that they seem to lack the typical characteristics that beer lovers look for in a beer. Mainly the cosmetic ones, which in my opinion, doesn’t really matter as much as the quality of the taste, but are still qualities to look for so to gain an overall package of what’s to come.

Aromas of chocolate dominate the overall smell of this brew. This porter is not very hoppy and is easy on the bitter flavor if that’s not your thing. It seems to not be able to hold the carbonation very well. It doesn’t get flat, but almost reminds me of an ale of the cask style.

All and all, I would have to give this porter a B. It’s very drinkable, has a nice flavor, and is organic, so healthier overall. It could use a bit more body and and maybe a little bit more bubbles.

Well that’s it for this installment of the BeerGuy’s blog. Next time, we’ll be reviewing Harvest Moon by Coors Brewing Company… I know I know, but I am a big fan of Blue Moon, the deceptively good, micro-brew-esk white ale. I’m gonna see what their seasonal is all about.

Now I know what all of you are thinking – “Beerguy, what makes your beer blog any different from all the other web blogs out there?” Well, I’m not professing to break any new and exciting ground here, but what I am aiming to do is to share with you my experiences in beer – home brewing (hopefully soon), likes, dislikes, and just putting together a place where people with similar interests can get together to share their ideas.

Another feature of my blogs will be reviews of brews. I will try to feature a couple of different brews every week. I would like to review in terms that everyone can relate to and not just in lingo that only the ultimate beer nerd can understand. When use of certain terms is necessary, I will always take the time to explain concepts or define vocab.

A little about me – I am a native of Northern California. I have lived here most of my life and love it. Northern California has a unique culture and setting that, with a thriving agricultural community and a strong openness to many cultures and ideas, has become the ideal place for the beer connoisseur. We have many top notch micro breweries around here (many of which I will use their concoctions for the basis of my reviews) as well as one of the worlds strongest wine economies which, in many cases, has influenced some very interesting custom brew types and techniques. Some of my favorite watering holes are Third Street Aleworks, Russian River Brewery, Moylans, Mendocino Brewing Co. to name a few…

I am a fan of all types. I tend to migrate towards wheats, stouts, brown ales and reds. I don’t drink IPAs very often, but will try them out just to be fair. I also tend to drink stronger ales but, I can appreciate a beer with a lower alcohol level as long as it has the good flavor that I am looking for. Who knows, maybe throughout this beer journey, I will find new styles that I will love even more and maybe even find an IPA that I like :-p

Well folks, I was going to christen my first post with a review of a brown, Belgian-style ale brewed by Unibroue of Canada for Trader Joe’s of San Jose. But it is getting late for me on this work night. I will keep this one short mostly because it is strictly from memory. First of all let me say, I wasn’t impressed. To me, this brew tasted slightly bland and watered down. I’m not sure if it was due to the fact that it wasn’t aged for long (2007) or maybe I got a bunk bottle. Either way, it did not wow me compared to other Unibroue brews. I drank it straight from the bottle that night so I didn’t get a chance to note things such as clarity, lacing, head, etc. (I know I promised explanations – later kids I’m getting tired:-). I might need to try this one again, as it seems a lot of other people that have reviewed this brew on the net seem to think fairly well of it. One thing I will give to it, at 2.49 for a 24 oz. bottle, it definitely had value.

Well that’s it for this edition of beerguy707′s beer blog. As always, I invite my fellow beer enthusiasts to leave their comments or thoughts. Oh, and I’m working on a better more ‘beer” looking theme. Coming soon folks!  Good night and good drinking!