Left Coast Asylum

Style: Abbey Tripel

What a joy it is to stroll into the beverage store only to see some new brews that I have not tried as of yet! But oh the struggles of choosing only a few to take home!! Any time I see an Abbey Triple I just have to grab it as this is truly my most favored style of beer!

From a moderate pour rate this brew lays out a large (2-finger thick) bubbly head this is egg-shell white in color. The body clarity is quite hazy and the body color is a lovely golden color with a mix of yellow and orange hues mixed in when help up to the light. The lacing effects from this brew are just insane!

Amazingly aromatic and flavorful this brew is! Aromas of warm bread, light alcohol, bananas, pears, honey, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. The brew starts off sweet and fruity and matches the flavors with the aromas just listed. It finished off still sweet and fruity but with a long-lasting aftertaste of vanilla, light alcohol, brown sugar, and bananas.

Surprisingly light-bodied with a smooth texture and �lively� carbonation. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], this brew would be classed as a �moderate� drinker.

Go slow with this brew �cause it is packed with ABV!!! It gets better and better as it slowly warms and I would love to pair this up with a rum-soaked fruitcake sometime soon! This is my second brew from Left Coast and both have been amazing! I can�t wait to try more from LCB soon!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Brewery - Left Coast Brewing Company | San Clemente, California USA
Bier Shop � Lone Star Beverages | Carrollton, TX
ABV � 11.8%
IBU � not listed
Serving type � 22oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature 45�-50�F.

Rating: 4 out of 5 mugs

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Bridgeport Hop Czar Imperial IPA

Style: Imperial/Double IPA

I love reading beer labels that really strive to grab my attention and this brew was loaded with attention getters! �A robust ruler of IPA is here. All hail the King!� �Brewed with over 2 pounds of whole leaf hop cones in each barrel.� �� brewed with an irresponsible amount of hops �� Who couldn�t resist grabbing some brews with these sort of statements?! I hope that the brew holds up to their hype!

Poured using a moderate pour rate, the head foamed up to a large (2-finger thick) bubbly off-white colored mass that slowly dissipated. The body was hazy with an orange/apricot color; quite a good-lookin� brew. The lacing effects on this glass were just phenomenal!

The aromas from this brew were wonderful: bread, caramel, floral hops and spices. The flavors held up just as well with the brew starting off hoppy and spicy with a light hint of alcohol. It finished up much the same with a long-lasting piney/resin aftertaste.

Medium bodied with a very smooth texture and lively carbonation. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], this brew would definitely be a �moderate� brew; go slow and enjoy those flavors.

Well it certainly does appear that the beer matched up to the hype from the label! It certainly become more and more enjoyable as the brew slowly warmed though. Definitely a good brew to pair up with some rib-eye steaks or perhaps some mussels covered with tiger chili sauce and pico de gallo!!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Brewery - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub | Portland, Oregon USA
Bier Shop � Beer & Wine World | Mansfield, TX
ABV � 7.5%
IBU � 87
Serving type � 12oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature 50�-55�F.

Rating: 4 out of 5 mugs

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These and many more beer reviews are available on my blog; the link there is provided on my profile page.

ABOUT AW's BIERKELLER: My beer review blog contains beer reviews from an 'average joe' beer enthusiast for 'average joe' beer enthusiasts. It ain't purty, heck it ain't even grammatically correct. It's just me tellin ya what I think about the brews that I have savored. It ain't much but it's sure to put a grin on your chin and a chuckle in your gullet! If'n you're into wild game (the kind ya go out into the great outdoors to get [i.e. hunting or fishing]; not that prepackaged stuff!!) then I got some tasty brews that will go right good with your meal! So thank ye kindly for stoppin by! Now get on in thar and find some brews that you'd like to try & maybe some ya'd better stay away from!

DISCLAIMER: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the �bier vorgeschmack� and him only. The intent of these here beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice one to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure!

Bridgeport Kingpin Double Red Ale

Style: American Strong Ale

Hailing from Oregon�s oldest craft brewery and new addition to my �hall of fame�, this is one fantastic brew!! Little did I know the joys that awaited my taste buds when I purchased this brew!

From a moderate pour this brew hefted out a large (2-finger thick) bubbly off-white colored head that slowly diminished. The body clarity was clear and the body color was a lovely reddish-brown. This brew also put out some of the most decorative lacing I�ve yet to see from a brew!

Immediately upon opening I knew that this was going to be a very special brew because the aromas were just magnificent. Scents of caramel, grapefruit, lemons, floral hops and even bananas. Starting off this brew was hoppy and sweet showcasing those amazing flavors of caramel, grapefruit, lemons and bananas. It finishes off just the same with a long-lasting aftertaste of sweet caramel and bananas. It�s a superb balance between hops and malts all the way through.

Medium-bodied with a slick texture and lively carbonation. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], this brew is truly a moderate brew; go slow and savor the flavors.

I�m definitely going to enjoy more of this beer and I can�t wait to try more beers from Bridgeport!! Some smoked venison would pair very well with this brew!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Brewery - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub | Portland, Oregon USA
Bier Shop � Beer & Wine World | Mansfield, TX
ABV � 7.5%
IBU � 65
Serving type � 12 oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature 45�-50�F.

Rating: 5 out of 5 mugs

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Avery dugenA

Style: Imperial/Double IPA

Avery Brewing puts on some brews that you just can�t go wrong with and this brew is not exception to the rule!! I�ve been wanting to try this brew for a very long time; just haven�t had the opportunity to find it in my area. One of the most insanely aromatic and flavorful IPAs that have crossed my taste buds yet! Truly a brew that I recommend very highly.

Starting with a moderate pour this brew lops out a hefty (2-finger thick) head that is bubbly, off-white in color, and very slow diminishing; very, very, veeeeery slow! And som e of the most lovely lacing effects left on the glass all the way through!



Again I say that this brew is insanely aromatic with scents of bread, oranges, pine/resin, and peaches. This brew starts off hoppy and malty with delicious notes of bread, oranges and peaches. Finishing off it is slightly bitter with a nice long-lasting effect from the warmth of the alcohol. On the bottle it says �brutally bitter�, I�d agree but now that my taste buds are acclimating themselves to these hoppy brews, it�s not so bad and coming from a malt-head like myself that�s a good thing!

Medium-bodied with a ultra smooth texture and very lively carbonation. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], I�d score this brew as a definite �moderate� brew. Go slow and enjoy all the flavors that this brew provides.

Yet again Avery doesn�t cease to amaze! So much so that I have found another brew to add to my �hall-of-fame�!! Seriously going to pair this one up with some smoked salmon, fried fish, or perhaps some cheesy pasta next time!! Oh� this brew gets much more delicious as it slowly warms up!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Brewery - Avery Brewing Company | Boulder, Colorado USA
Bier Shop � Lone Star Beverages | Carrollton, TX
ABV � 8.5%
IBU � 93
Serving type � 22 oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature 50�-55�F.

Rating: 5 out of 5 mugs

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These and many more beer reviews are available on my blog; the link there is provided on my profile page.

ABOUT AW's BIERKELLER: My beer review blog contains beer reviews from an 'average joe' beer enthusiast for 'average joe' beer enthusiasts. It ain't purty, heck it ain't even grammatically correct. It's just me tellin ya what I think about the brews that I have savored. It ain't much but it's sure to put a grin on your chin and a chuckle in your gullet! If'n you're into wild game (the kind ya go out into the great outdoors to get [i.e. hunting or fishing]; not that prepackaged stuff!!) then I got some tasty brews that will go right good with your meal! So thank ye kindly for stoppin by! Now get on in thar and find some brews that you'd like to try & maybe some ya'd better stay away from!

DISCLAIMER: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the �bier vorgeschmack� and him only. The intent of these here beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice one to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure!

Dos Equis XX Ambar

Every now and then I like to kick back a few good Mexican brews and this is one of my more preferred brews from Mexico. In fact most beers coming out of Mexico are essentially your more lighter beers with two goals in mind: quench thirst, cheaply. This brew does both but also adds in the element of more refined taste and enjoyment in my opinion.

With a moderate pour this brew put out a large (2-finger thick) bubbly off-white colored head that quickly diminished down to a thin foamy ring. With a clear body clarity and dark amber color, this brew left some good lacing effects on the glass while I enjoyed it.

This is one good malty brew with scents and flavors full of sweet toasted malts. I did not detect any bitter notes in this beer. From start to finish this brew is malty (semi-sweet) and very dry, crisp and refreshing.

Light-bodied, thin texture, and an average carbonation level. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], this brew is an �easy� drinker.

Pair this brew up with some grilled pork for a great pairing!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Bier Style � Vienna Lager
Brewery - Cervecer�a Cuauht�moc Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V. | Monterrey (Nuevo Le�n), Mexico
Bier Shop � Beer & Wine World | Mansfield, TX
ABV � 4.5%
IBU � not listed
Serving type � 12 oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature 40F-45F.


Rating: 3 out of 5 mugs


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These and many more beer reviews are available on my blog; the link there is provided on my profile page.


ABOUT AW's BIERKELLER: My beer review blog contains beer reviews from an 'average joe' beer enthusiast for 'average joe' beer enthusiasts. It ain't purty, heck it ain't even grammatically correct. It's just me tellin ya what I think about the brews that I have savored. It ain't much but it's sure to put a grin on your chin and a chuckle in your gullet! If'n you're into wild game (the kind ya go out into the great outdoors to get [i.e. hunting or fishing]; not that prepackaged stuff!!) then I got some tasty brews that will go right good with your meal! So thank ye kindly for stoppin by! Now get on in thar and find some brews that you'd like to try & maybe some ya'd better stay away from!


DISCLAIMER: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the 'bier vorgeschmack' and him only. The intent of these here beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice one to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure!

Good reviews. I like beer.

I like beer. Beer is good.

Woodchuck Hard Cider (Raspberry)

Thought I would verge off the beaten path and find something light so off to some ciders I went. Ciders are a good change but not something I�m always hitting up as they typically remind me of those fruity tasting wine coolers. But for a quick and light summertime cool-down, these certainly can hit the spot!

From an aggressive pour rate this cider put out only a sparse-sized head (don�t expect much more as these are not noted for putting out massive-sized heads) that was bubbly, off-white in color, and rapidly dissipated soon after pouring. The body clarity was crystal clear and a very light yellow in color. There is hardly any lacing effects on the glass and that much was to be expected.

Raspberry is as raspberry does! There seemed to be some slight notes of apple in both scent and flavor but maybe that was my mind stretching for some other than raspberry. From start to finish this cider is very tart and fruity and a bit overbearingly sweet for my preferences.

Light-bodied, thin texture, and an average carbonation level. On my drinkability scale [easy-moderate-heavy], this cider is definitely an �easy� drinker; chug away and quench that thirst!

A summer-time drink this one definitely is and one that I would pour over ice and maybe spike it up a bit with some tequila or rum!

Beer-Nerd Details:

Bier Style � Cider
Brewery - Green Mountain Cidery (HP Bulmer) | Middlebury, Vermont USA
Bier Shop � Beer & Wine World | Mansfield, TX
ABV � 4%
IBU � not listed
Serving type � 12 oz. bottle
Recommended serving temperature � as cold as you can get it!


Rating: 3 out of 5 mugs


=========================


These and many more beer reviews are available on my blog; the link there is provided on my profile page.


ABOUT AW's BIERKELLER: My beer review blog contains beer reviews from an 'average joe' beer enthusiast for 'average joe' beer enthusiasts. It ain't purty, heck it ain't even grammatically correct. It's just me tellin ya what I think about the brews that I have savored. It ain't much but it's sure to put a grin on your chin and a chuckle in your gullet! If'n you're into wild game (the kind ya go out into the great outdoors to get [i.e. hunting or fishing]; not that prepackaged stuff!!) then I got some tasty brews that will go right good with your meal! So thank ye kindly for stoppin by! Now get on in thar and find some brews that you'd like to try & maybe some ya'd better stay away from!


DISCLAIMER: All beer tasting notes and reviews are subjective. The thoughts and opinions contained herein are those of the 'bier vorgeschmack' and him only. The intent of these here beer review is to spur interest in brands and styles that one may not normally indulge in and to entice one to venture out and try new brews. While some may argue that there are no other beers than Miller, Coors, Bud, and Keystone, this is much akin to arguing which vanilla ice cream tastes the best. There are more brews out there; try some and enjoy the savory adventure!

That looks quite tasty!