Brewing All Stars #12: SweetWater 420 Strain G13, Atlanta, Ga.

Date:  July 31 , 2019  —

The Story—  Part 2 of SweetWater:  Their flagship ale is a Dry pale ale called 420.  420 is a no longer secret code involving marijuana.   Thousands of pot heads light up at 4:20 on April 20th every year.  A good many myths surround the the origin of the term, but the truth is that a few pot smoking athletes in San Rafael, California rendezvoused at 4:20 PM — after practice– to hunt a supposed pot field abandoned by a member of the Coast Guard who had been transferred.  They never found the field, but somehow their term for pot hunting got to the Grateful Dead and from there to most of the globe.

The G13 refers to the way this IPA mimics the G13 strain of marijuana.  Frankly we wouldn’t know from personal experience–yet– but pot smoking friends have identified a range of hops for us that mimic the aromas of marijuana pretty closely.

Ellie and I agree more often than not on what makes a good beer.  I’m more tolerant of sours, if they’re really good, and she’s more fond of dark chewy beers than I am, but even in those groups, our ratings are usually close.   no so with the really dank IPAs of late, however.   I love ’em.  Ellie tolerates them.  This beer is one of those — OK by her, great by me.  So there we are — you try it and decide.  It’s not all that hard to find in the SweetWater distribution region.

The Beer–  Chewy, slightly creamy rich malt, but then WHAM– the dank hits early and never lets go.  Herbal and oily and manky in  really nice way.  Some stone fruit and pils malts show before  along bitter with a manky back of the closet dankness that leaves Ellie looking for the door and me looking for the couch.

Value —  Good to very good.   Five and a quarter for a 13 ounce “pint” at the Carolina Ale House in Greenville, North Carolina.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Brewing All Stars #11: SweetWater, the Woodlands, Sinner’s Son Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Coffee; Atlanta, Ga.

Date:  July 30 , 2019  —

The Story— SweetWater is one of the most creative breweries in the east.   That’s usually an indication that a bottle purchase comes with a degree of risk.  and so it is, but with SweetWater the hits outnumber the strikeouts by a pretty wide margin.   A coffee bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout is right in their wheelhouse.   It’s a “Big Hammer” beer — (if the peg doesn’t fit…) that’s pretty hard to mess up, but still, it deserves respect for the time energy and wood they poured into this sipper.

The Beer– Very rich with big bourbon flavors that go beyond the vanilla.   Lots of roast and bakers chocolate with dark chocolate.  Herbal notes join the coffees the coffee and both ride on the sideboards as it rollicks down a woody road as it drinks.

Value —  Good.  The half liter bottle seems to give a share-able pour at a touch less bread than the 22 ounce bottle.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Brewing All Stars #10: Tall Tales Hood – India Pale Ale, Parsonsburg, Maryland

Date:  July 29 , 2019  —  This post is in progress.  Return soon for it.  In the meantime, click “more reviews” below to see our most recent “Beer of the Day” posts.

The Story— Tall Tales is a brewery you want to root for, but fear for.  It’s off of Route 50 on an easy-to-miss small road close, but not close enough, to Salisbury, Maryland.   But Yea! for the underdogs- they’ve done well and now you can find their beers far from home in suburban DC.  It’s still worth the effort to go there, however.  The core bar area is as inviting as ever, but the outside bar has more than expanded and opens up on a wonderland of garden fantasies.   Oh… and the beers are still really good.

The Beer– Lots of hop-induced fruit — ripe and dried fruit with some edible flowers on a full and firm malt foundation.  Ends with a bit of nice peppery spice.  Ellie thought the booze got in the way, but at 7.4% it’s withing specs for an American IPA.

Value — Very good: an honest pint for five bucks.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Brewing All Stars #9: Rock Bottom Bethesda Bourbon Barrel Aged Export Stout Vintage 2017

Date:  July 28 , 2019  —  This post is in progress.  Return soon for it.  In the meantime, click “more reviews” below to see our most recent “Beer of the Day” posts.

The Story— Geoff Lively has been brewing his own beers within a chain brewery for the better part of 20 years.  Rock Bottom has not only had the smarts to let him alone– sort of–but to take some of his creations and make them the nationwide standard.

But the best part of his — sort of– independence is that he has his own barrel and strong beer aging program and pops out some absolute gems with only a bit of notice.   This beauty was an Export (read “strong”) Stout from 2017 that he aged in Jim Beam barrels for ten months.  It’s a strong – 8.9%–softly hopped –IBU 25– rich pleasuring sipping beer.

The Beer– Even, smooth and very very rich.  Lots of chocolate dominates early but the barrel and wood and bourbon emerges in the finish.  Deep fruits with lingering chocolate.  E Boozy, warming, rich, so smooth, dangerous.

Value —

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

All Stars

Date:  July 27, 2019  —  This post is in progress.  Return soon for it.  In the meantime, click “more reviews” below to see our most recent “Beer of the Day” posts.

The Story—

The Beer–

Value —

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   We;ve taken the last two weeks to share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. Good luck in your own hunting

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”