Review - Newcastle Brown Ale

Newcastle Brown Ale ** Two Stars

Brewery:
The mutual respect and adoration that Newcastle Brown Ale commands can be attributed to its delicate fruit aroma and caramel and nutty malt taste, which makes it pleasurable and easy to drink.

Professional Opinion:
Pours a very dark red / black tea color with a very small white foamy head in which dissipates rather quickly leaving very little or no lace at all.
The nose has a caramel fruity/ malt nose backed by a nutty aroma
The beer is considered to be an English Brown, light / medium bodied beer with a sweet fruity / malt nutty taste that finishes rather smoothly.
This is a very easy drinking smooth Brown Ale in which is no wonder it’s a favorite among many of its followers.

Personal Opinion:
When they moved the brewery in 2006 something was lost in this beer due to the water source changing. Many wouldn’t know, Newcastle didn’t really take off until late 2007 -2009 so not was really lost except the beers integrity.
I find the nose to rather stinking a bit like rotten fruit and not very appealing; the taste has a nice fruit with malt back with very little hop flavor. This beer is smooth but lacks so much I do not even know where to start. Many like it because of its smooth easy drinking ability, but Budweiser is also the King of Beers and Mc Donald rules the food chain world – so now we know what we are dealing with.
Although it lacks as a brown ale, mostly after 2006 it lost the cream like flavor I must say I am very displeased with this beer.
If you want a good Brown, try a Humboldt Hemp Brown, then you will realize what a Brown should taste like.
What a shame for this brand, at one time this was actually a great beer.

Did I mention Kungfu once in a while

An Old demo of Green Dragon fajin and root training -

Even HD can do it right sometimes

I cant stand it...

Speechless, me love long time, mucho buco!

How many of your friends have asked you over the years which is the best bike or which bike would you get if you could choose any bike? well, heres mine...

WTF man - lol

You dont have to waer black - but I will...

Me like K's

Stone IPA - Review

Stone IPA **** (Four Stars)
Brewery:
Deep Golden Color
An "India Pale Ale" by definition is highly hopped and high in alcohol (ours is 6.9% alc./vol.).
Medium Bodied Refreshing Ale, Light-medium malt character with a heavy dose of over the top hops! Two full weeks of "dry hopping" give this beer its abundant hop aroma and crisp hop flavor.
100% Natural Only Barley, Hops, Water & Yeast are used. No Additives No Chemical Preservatives No Pasteurization. No Adjuncts (rice/corn)





Professional Opinion:
Pours well with a classic two-inch head. The head dissipates quickly leaving a nice soft lacing. The nose on the Stone IPA has a beautiful floral citrus and pine hop note.
The beer is considered a medium bodied IPA that nothing is supposed to dominate over another with a dry citrus finish with a malt back bone, in which sometimes can be mistaken for smoky finish.

Personal Opinion:
This used to be my favorite beer. Here in SoCal its hot most of the time and you will find this beer quit refreshing but it will leave you thinking there should be more. Better in the bottle, the tap leaves some to offer when it comes to taste, I believe that when poured from a tap that it opens the nose so much the taste is left with little desire and ends up leaving the drinker wanting a bit more.
After I was told by the president that this is “the best beer in the world” followed by “we are the best brewery in the world” its hard to not take another star out of the mix just because he is an ass.
Anyhow, four stars to be fair, really good beer that I like to enjoy often.

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA ***** (Five Stars)
Most of you have had this beer at most of the Biltwell events and many of you has beens have encountered its wrath - hehe
YOUR WELCOME!

The Brewery:
"Big Eye I.P.A. is our version of this wonderful style. American Centennial hops are used to bitter, flavor, finish, and dry hop the Big Eye. Its full hop flavor is guaranteed to please the palate of the true hop head."

Professional Opinion:
Their being modest, this is one fine extremely balanced beer with 7%abv. with a nice hoppy aroma of floral and citrus notes accompanied perfectly with just the right amount of malt to make it more earthy than floral, literally a drinker not a sipper. The finish doesnt linger too bad as well, a little bit much on the alcohol taste in the beginning but the finish is clean with the aftertaste of hops and malt. When properly poured the head is roughly two - three inches and evaporates fast to my dismay but like all good beers it leaves that crucial lace throughout the pints life.

My Opinion:
This shit is good. Its in my kegerator literally 80% of the time and it is more than a decent session beer compared to most of the other IPA's available. Although not my favorite its an easy drinkin IPA that for some reason I cannot get sick of - I believe its the malt in it that balances the hoppiness in which makes me crave more and more and more and more and more...

Rodenbach Grand Cru - Review

This is a great Sour introduced by my good friend whom works for Latis Imports. You can get it at most Bevmo's here in Socal ***** Five Stars - Cheers...

Brewery:
Award Winning* Rodenbach Grand Cru (Alc. 6% Vol.) is a blend of “young” beer (33%) and an older beer (67%) that has matured in oak vats. It is the high percentage of the older ripened-in-oak beer that gives it the complex and intense bouquet with a very long aftertaste like a Grand Cru wine. This is a complex beer with lots of wood and fruity esters, wine-like and with a balsamic vinegar aroma. A sharp taste, fruity, refreshing and with a balanced Madeira-like sweetness.



Professional Opinion:
This is known as a Belgian Red Ale, a Sour Ale or even sometimes as a Lambic brown.
Pours well and delivers a fine one inch head which dissipates very quickly but evenly with very little lace. It has a beautiful red/brown color which brings off a nose of oak and sour cherry. The malt is apparent but not too much, and the hops is almost non existent, only being used as a preservative not flavoring.
The taste has a medium tart/sour tongue with a vinegary note but finishing dry - following with the flavor of fruit, cherry, grape and malt that refreshes your palette.

Personal Opinion: I often wondered over the years, through making my beer, drunk conversations between other beer geeks and such of what would beer be if it were wine - well I found it. Although this is a medium bodied red beer among its brethren it has some intense and not unreasonable flavors for this sour style beer. The cherry flavor takes me over the top and I can tell you this, after tasting this beer for the first time my pallet has never been the same. An outstanding beer with great lineage.
Try the Rodenbach (young) Rodenbach Grand Cru and if you can find it Rodenbach Vintage (old).