Archive for the ‘Beer’ Category
Beer of the week – Shipyard XXXX IPA
You’d think something that says “Imperial IPA” would be overly malty and packed with hops galore. Well, Shipyard, you ol’ bastards pulled one over on us.
I’ll give the beer a resounding ‘meh’. The overwhelming flavor of alcohol let’s you know they TRIED making this an imperial IPA. It has a nice color and decent hop characteristics, but the malt doesn’t do it’s job of masking the alcohol. I’d compare it to a lower-end IPA, sans the ‘old’ funky/skunky flavor common in a lot of those.
At $2.50/bottle and 9.25% ABV you should get a lot more. Unfortunately you’re stuck with an expensive moderately hopped PBR with a flavor similar to a day-old vodka martini.
Overall rating: C-
Beer of the Week – Pranqster
Pranqster, by North Coast Brewing Company
The bottle says this is a Belgian style golden ale, so it might not be what you are expecting. There’s no “golden ale bite” generally associated with Duvel, Orval, etc. The sharpness of flavoring and lack of malt isn’t visible in this one. This has a much fruitier aroma than tradition golden ales as well as a nice amount of coriander flavoring. I could detect very few hops in this beer as well. I’d almost call it a skunky wheat if it didn’t still have a slightly bitter tinge to it.
So let’s get this straight – you take out the bitterness of a Belgian golden and add in some coriander and hints of fruity goodness and you have yourself a nice drinking beer! This beer hits a lot of different palates and is probably a hit with most beer drinkers.
At $2.00/bottle and 7.6% ABV it’s well worth the trip to the liquor store.
Overall rating: A-
Women’s rating: She didn’t get any
Beer of the Week – Gulden Draak
OH MAMA THIS IS GOOD!!! 2 parts sunshine mixed with 3 parts happiness and a pinch of goodness equals this thing. Holy crap this is a good beer. Not too dark, not overly sweet, just a nice mix. It’s called a Belgian Dark Ale but it really does taste like a Triple or Quad. At 10.5% it’s kinda naughty too.
Singles run about $5.00, a 4-pack will set you back about $17. Well worth it IMO.
Overall rating: A+
Women’s rating: She didn’t get any
Beer of the week – Whole Hog Six Hop IPA
Since Iowa’s alcohol laws (still) suck, we’re stuck with whatever breweries tickle the fancy of our distributors. This severely limits us from the greats like Stone Brewery, 3 Floyd’s and Russian River. However, a few good anomalies pop up every now and then.
Whole Hog has come up with a very good IPA. It’s very similar to a DIPA due to its malty finish and very apparent hoppy presence. I wish it had more sweetness to offset the bitterness but that’s why Dogfish Head owns this market IMO.
A 4-pack runs less than $10 and is a nice substitute for anyone looking for a rememberable double IPA.
Overall ranting: B
Women’s rating: A-
NEW FEATURE: Beer of the Week
Since my new office is located right across from Mecca itself, Beer Crazy, I thought it would be a good idea for the DDI guys to impart some of our accumulated knowledge (brain cell destruction) onto the other 4 viewers of this website (thanks for the support mom!)
Each week we’ll be posting a link to a beer we’ve recently tried or have a fondness (or hatred) for. Feel free to use the email link if you have contributions.
This week’s entry – Stiegl Gaudi Radler Shandy
Unbelievably smooth, no face-punching lemon flavor and NOT SEASONAL! This sucker is available year round. Beer Advocate reviewers give it a C+ based on the beer’s lightness and drinkability. Keep in mind, these are the guys who put hops on their Fruity Pebbles and like their beers darker than soy sauce mixed with asphalt.
At $2.55/16 oz it’s also priced right.
Overall rating: B+
Women’s rating (Jodi): A