Hangar 24 has made some of the finest beers out there. You honestly can’t go wrong when trying these beers. They are delicious. While strictly speaking in terms of pumpkin beers, I have to set aside the porters and stouts aside from classifying “Best Pumpkin beer” This is so that the beers that are strictly pumpkin can shine. Although, the best Pumpkin porter/stout I have had has been T.R.E.A.T but that is debatable. The reason being as I have tried T.R.E.A.T last year and it was delicious. And this is very phenomenal. Starting with chocolate, cinnamon, molasses, nutmeg, all spice, vanilla, and champurrado (Mexican Maize Chocolate Atole drink). I think what gives it the spicy flavor in this case is not the chile spices as those of a champurrado. No, rather, the pumpkin, boiled in sugar cone like my mom used to make is what makes up for the spiciness that is similar to champurrado, lol except it is champurrado with sweetened, caramel glazed pumpkin rather than pumpkin and milk. It is one of the best pumpkin beers simply because it is chocolate porter hybrid, lol not because it is strictly pumpkin like some of the other pumpkin beers I have had. Please do not confuse, yet, if you love chocolate and pumpkin then go find this one. You won’t regret it’s sweet and rich emphasis on the Autumn season. I would honestly say it is on par with T.R.E.A.T.

Rating: 4.25/5

Levitation Ale by Stone is a 4.4% ABV Amber Ale. The first time I tried this beer was at Carino’s in Santa Fe Springs last year. Didn’t quite know exactly what this was at first. It seemed lighter than Arrogant Bastard….way lighter…in fact…it was as close to the 4.2% of a budlight. LOL imagine that, a beer full of 100% more flavors than a Budlight and still close to its alcoh

Rating: 3.25/5

Indio by Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma is a 4.5% ABV Märzen / Oktoberfest style beer. This is made by the same group that makes Tecate, Dos Equis, Sol, Noche Buena and Bohemia, which is one awesome lager.

Label: 

Rating: 5/5 *2012 score, Although many will not like this if they are not fans of the Arrogant Bastard. >:)

2012 Version:
Lukcy Basartd by Stone Brewing is an 8.5% ABV Cuvee de Bastard. It was made in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Arrogant Bastard Beer Release. It is made by fusing all the Arrogant Bastards into one bottle (Arrogant, Double and Oaked). The last time Stone released this beer was in 2010. It is in high demand right now so if you miss out on this bottle, its done….be the Lucky Bastard that find this one.

This is quite the elusive beer. Since last year when I stumbled upon the artwork and the reviews, I decided I had to eventually try this beer. So here it is, my first review of this beer. I must say, now I understand why it is so elusive. This beer reminds me a lot of the split shot espresso milk stout. Except this one is more rich in vanilla, mocha and the overall coffee flavor. The other one is more caramel and crème frappucino. Although this one has some nice elements of it. You can almost think of this as an Irish crème coffee and that one an Irish crème cappuccino. I don’t connoisseur coffees so my intelligence and expertise is lacking in that area. All I know is that this beer is rich with dark chocolate, roasted coffee, caramel and vanilla crème, rich mocha. I almost want to say it is like southern Tier chocklat except add coffee to it. Some oak and bourbon or brandy notes are in there as well. However, the overall alcohol level is muted. LOL but it will hit you afterward. People that enjoy porters and sweet stouts that are nice, rich in flavor, creamy and overall taste like what they are supposed to taste like, should give this a try. After a couple of sips, all the flavors will come together in this Victory..at the coffee vanilla sea…AHOY!!

Too many strive towards complacency as a goal. We grow up thinking that the ability to become complacent is the equivalence of success in life. True Arrogant Bastards know that this could not be further from the truth. The real beauty, richness and depth in life can only be found if the journey through life itself is looked upon as a constant chance to learn, live and find life’s passion. Passion threatens the complacent, and fills them with fear. Fear of the new, the deep and the different. We, on the other hand, seek it out. Endlessly, joyously…and aggressively. To this end we bring you the “OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale.” Another reward for those seeking new sources of passion, and another point of dissension for those who are not.

2011 Review:
The oaked aged arrogant bastard is one I was able to find in a 6 pack. The awesomeness that is AB, I could not pass this one up. The beer itself compromises of the awesome taste of the arrogant bastard but less bitterness and more focus on the woody, malty flavor. The nice hops and caramel are there as complimentary. Definitely a beer worthy of the name and thus one who is still not worthy of this greatness I still salute you in all its glory 😛

So why is this so good anyway? In terms of IPAs, especially double IPAs, the blood of the hop juices flows strongly in this one giving off stronger piney, grasst and tropical flavors while the bitterness takes a back seat. Meaning it lets the fruity and grassy tropical flavors drive. Alcohol strength is masked to make way for flavors of sweet pink grapefruit, mango, citrus, mandarins, tangerines, pinnaple, pine, prickly pear (yes, the cactus Tunas of Mexico), alittle bit of biscuit bread. I think this is pretty close to Heady Topper. Double IPA and IPA lovers will love this one. Get it now before it becomes as elusive as Speed Racer 5’s brother from the series. A definite winner 😛

So while I feel that St Bernardus 12 is the best, this would probably the best Christmas beer. It is definitely filled with so many notes. Not as strong as the best beers in the world but the caliber of this beer is enough to make my top 20 atleast. This beer is a result of taking whats good about some Belgians like St. Bernardus or Unibroue and spicing it up Christmas style. We have flavors of cinnamon, Ginger man bread, Mexican De La Rosa Mazapan, raisins, minor caramel (not like dulce de leche abt 12), figs, chocolate, allspice, pears, peach, banana, brown sugar, cherry and almost some port wine flavor like Trois Pistoles. If you love Belgian beer, this would be the best Belgian Christmas beer for ya 😛

2011 Review:
It’s that time of year again. The time where every one spends a lot of money on gifts and decorations all in for the “Holiday Spirit”. But really, some people forget that it is mainly about enjoying the end of the year and being with the family. The whole thought that counts is what truly matters in these times. Especially with family and friends. So to ring in the beginning of the last month of 2011 I am trying the St. Bernardus Chrismas Ale. This brew is full of a lot of….well…..spirit…and by that I mean 10% ABV of alcohol. It is the type of brew one would have to stay warm during these cold seasons. Filled with malty caramel, bread (from yeast), dark fruit flavors like raisins and figs, spices, and really really creamy :P. The flavors linger around for a while. Similar to the abt 12 except not as sweet but sure feels like a Christmas beer. LOL you are probably looking at the screenshot and wonder why is it that I paired a Holy beer with 2 devil chicks. Well…I wanted to show in its artistic form that even though appearances can be deceiving, even little devils like these know what it is like to love their families. Basically even though someone can look evil, we should not judge people by their covers until we can know who they are. This is an example that you don’t have to be holy like to be good or be a devil to still have a caring heart… Anyways. This is also to show that this year has taught me a lot about this hobby. When you learn to experience and get to know things like beer tasting and art, you get to realized that even if something looks odd, not artistic, or looks like it would taste bad, you do not get to know until you try it. It has been quite the year and I know I will be writing more as time goes. So tune in next year…well or next week. as I will still have some brews to try before the year is over. Cheers, Merry Christmas, love your families and be thankful so that next year can be better than the last 😀

Rating: 2.5/5

Longfin by Ballast Point is a 4.6% Munich Helles Lager. It has alittle bit more pilsner malts than some adjunct lagers. A lighter lager competing in a world of artificial metallic tasting beers like Bud, Miller, Coors, Corona, etc.

Label:

14 Plato 
33 IBU 
73.6 AA 
36 L 
—–

I have had this beer a number of times even since my first review. I still think it is one of the best Brown Ales out there, I guess simply because it is like pecan and hazel nut pie. It even smells like one too. The flavors are of sweet and biscuit bread, vanilla, caramel, toffee, pecans, almonds, hazelnut, peanut butter, cashews, minor chocolate notes, coffee cake, minor apricot with some earthy hop bitterness. While yes, the flavors are noticeable, it is not overly sweet. That is why many people may like it. 

2011:
For those that truly love nutty things, this is the best ale out there. As recommended by my friend Daniel S, this is the Rogue brewing company’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale with all natural hazel nut flavor. This brew is made with a lot of wholesome delicious ingredients :3. Harrington, Klages, Munich, Hugh Baird Brown, Carastan 13-17, Crystal 70-80, Crystal 135-165 & Beeston Chocolate malts, Perle and Sterling hops, Hazelnut Nectar, Rogue’s Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water. This beer smells and tastes of nutty flavors. It taste like a range of things like caramel, coffee, java, pecan pie, vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, hazel nuts, cashews, burnt sugar, toffee, bread, and apricot. I think this one is for the masses, it truly meets expectations as world class beer. A true champion in my book for sure. If I was a squirrel, this would be the beer of prime choice. I found this one locally and was glad I decided on it. Surely I will buy it again, I would definitely be nuts if I did not buy this one 2,3,4 or 50 times…. It is just that damn good….If you like nutty coffee things, then this is your answer in beer form.

Quite the different beer here. While there is not a crazy amount of sea salt or fish tast to it, one can tell that there are some Oysters here. If you have ever had Oysters whether raw or cooked, you know they have a distinct flavor. The fragrance is like coffee and a little bit of soy sause. The flavors of chocolate, coffee and earthy hops combine well with the oyster and sea mineral flavor to give this beer a unique blend of smokiness, bitterness and minor sweet and somewhat salty taste. It also finishes dry so the flavors dissipate making you want to drink more. Like the tide of the sea rolling in and gently rolling back in. I like Oysters and I enjoy good beer, so if you are willing to give a try, I am sure it would pair with some actual oysters well :P.

2011 Review:
Wow….I love oysters with tapatio and lemon…so I figure I tried this out. I found it at this one place in west covina while visiting my friend Adrian. This beer must of been aged well. Aside from the usual stout with coffee/chocolate flavors provided from the roasted malts, you also get something special. That’s the oysters and golding hops. However, you can tell they give off a somewhat of sea salt taste but very little. It is very interesting and very delicious to say the least :P. Not sure if eating oysters with corona and eating a chocolate coffee cake would be stronger, but regardless, its enough to give it great character. I cannot even smell the fishyness of the beer either. Definitely a great pickup and very different type of stout. I highly recommend it if you like stouts and want something other than chocolate/coffee to play with your palette 😛

The flavor of this is more like a English Brown Ale or Munich lager but sweeter. Some caramel, minor roasted coffee, and bitter chocolate fragrance is what I smell in this one. Kind of nice. The flavors are I can sense are of grainy pilsner, a good amount of caramel sweetness, minor roasted coffee, minor hints hazelnut and chocolate notes. Finishes dry so the flavor does not linger. Makes you want to try more. This is nice if you are looking for a nice dark beer with not as many overpowering flavors but definitely enough to keep you interested. Budweiser is also 5%ABV. I would take this over Bud any day. People who love Newcastle or Victoria will find this one more appealing in terms of flavor

Upon trying this beer, I was like WOAH!!…IT was like really damn good. Like if you elevated an Amber ale to the status of a Belgian or German bock. While some amber ales focus on a balance of hops and malts, bocks are usually primarily malts. I have no idea why I get some of those amber qualities here. I think it is mainly because of the malts uses in ambers. This particular beverage is something special. There is a lot of bready biscuits, caramel, some dulce de leche, raisins, figs, pecans, hazelnut, cereal grains, chocolate, brown sugar, maple syrup, minor apple, sweet orange citrus, raspberry and cream. I honestly want to say it is like Rogue Dead Guy if he took a trip to the holy land to see the abbeys. Seriously, wow, this is was amazing….wow

Rating: 4.5/5

Punk IPA Post Modern Classic Pale by BrewDog is a 5.6%ABV India Pale Ale. This is the signature brew from Brewdog and the easiest of their beers to find in the craft shelve section. 

Label:

Rating: 4.6/5

This is a series from Elysian, The 12 Beers of the Apocalypse. “The End is Beer”
Beer#9 (September) Blight is a 7.4% ABV Pumpkin Ale.

Rating: 3.8/5

Vanilla Doubledog by Abita is their 25th Anniversary Strong ale at 7% ABV. Leaning towards a strong brown ale.

Label:

Rating: 4/5

Peach Porch Lounger by New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Series is a 9.4%ABV Saison brewed with Molasses, Hominy Grits, Lemon Peel, biscuit malts, Brettanomyces and Peach juice.

fluxus
[fluk-suh s] – noun, Latin.
1. a flowing or flow.
2. Continuous change, passage or movement. 
—

This beer drinks a lot like a Saison or Farm House Ale. The fact that it is a BPA makes it not just sweet and bready but also hoppy as well. Flavors of biscuit bread, honey, peppercorns, grass, mango, orange, green apples, grapes, vanilla and oak. Reminds me of some of the delicious Stillwater Artisanal beers like the Stateside Saison. Overall it is a pretty good beer and worth trying for sure. Saison and Belgian Pale ale lovers should try this one. It definite does not disappoint.

The alternative to the pumpkins. This beer Adds some Belgium delight to the fall usuals. Some nice Bready yeast and dark fruits that remind me of like a quad if you amp up the spices and and add some more maple than caramel. I almost wanna say it taste like eating pancakes with maple syrup except you are drinking with a nice beer like Troise Pistoles. Must be the molasses. The flavors of the yams are like that of the sweet yam/sweet potato with pilloncillo (Mexican sugar cone), cinnamon, vanilla and milk as well. Damn …this is pretty good seasonal. Hard to play down The Bruery. Most of the beers I have had so far are pretty damn good. LOL especially since they managed to push my rating system past its peak making them some of my favorites. This is the first time I try this beer and all I have to say is that I am very well impressed :P. I am a sucker for sweet beers what can I say. Give it a try, it is not pumpkin, but I sure taste like it belongs in this season 😛

Look…I am going to put it in as simple terms as I can. Bottom line, if you ever wondered what a Min chocolate chip cookies and cream with a Klondike bar graham cracker ice cream would taste like in liquid beer form, Then BEHOLD…you have this amazing master piece of a beer….lol now let me get into the details :P. Smells like graham crackers, coffee, mint, chocolate and vanilla. Flavors of Mint, chocolate chip cookies and cream, graham crackers, cinnamon, Vanilla Ice cream, earthy hops, smokey bitterness from the roasted malts. I am really impressed with this beer. Sweet chocolate mint ice cream in beer form. It just came out so you should be able to find this at Bevmo, Total Wine, Ramirez Liquor or Downey to name a few. Call first though. I go this one at Ramirez Liquor. Highly recommended little sweet mint gem :3. Gotta love chocolate and Ice cream and Mint and Graham crackers 😀

More info about the beer 😛
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geDuUOh6MVs&feature=player_embedded

Rating: 4/5

Scythe & Sickle by Ommegang is a 5.8%ABV Bière de Garde ale. Like other ales I have tried of this style, they are mainly in the level of caramel, bitter and somewhat sweet.

Label:

This beer is actually like the Abbeys yet more like a German Bavarian Heffeweizen. Bread yeast and banana clove upfront. Some sugar, minor lemon, honey, some minor pilsener and grass. Good luck finding the alcohol. They do well to hide it. Smooth, crisp and refreshing. A light Belgian if I may add. This beer is pretty good if you want a gateway into the world of Belgian Beers. LOL even if it does taste more like a Bavarian German beer. Now if you add complexity of dark fruits then we would be in business. Still. A pretty good beer even if it was imported by InBev. I would take this any day over many selections if I had no craft beer available. An entry level beer for those who love Belgian Beers 😛

Karl spent his life making beer. He believed that behind every beer recipe was an inspiration, and behind every pint was a story waiting to be told. Karl Strauss Amber was his story, a story that challenged and inspired a new generation of brewers. Today we brew our own stories, while raising a pint to the man and the beer that started it all. 

Specs: 
Alcohol by Volume: 4.5%
Color: 15 SRM
Bitterness: 18 IBU
Availability: 24/7/365, Kegs, six-packs and twelve-packs. 

Note:Formerly Karl Strauss Amber Lager, 4.2% and 16 IBU. \

After reading the information, it looks like this beer is no longer called Amber Lager. Yet because I remember trying this beer during my birthday at my friend Jorge’s as “Amber Lager” in the past, I guess the ABV does make it fit as a lager rather than an Ale. Take that Bud light!!! a beer more flavorful at only .3 ABV more. My friend Adrian did not like this beer. He says it taste like Formaldehyde….lol you be the judge. As for me, I have never tasted formaldehyde but maybe this beer would probably taste like the smell of that. Although you have to realize when it comes it Ambers, you are tasting an even combination of hops and malts. So much that it creates a hybrid that is similar to tasting caramel, pine, peanuts and in the case of New Belgiums fat tire, chocolate and biscuit bread. The whole point of this beer is to introduce a strong amount of delicious flavors while still trying to keep a low ABV. This causes the beer to seem not as strong, refreshing and drinkable. There is also some honey, light maple, grapefruit and alittle bit of butterscotch. Honestly, for me it is a decent Amber. Although I have tried better ambers, this works for those that may want to explore amber beers :P.

Here is the Official info from the label:
3000 miles, that’s what auto makers recommend as the distance your car should travel before changing out that nasty used up oil. Sure. Yeah right you betcha! 3000 miles and not a foot further. I’ll get right on that. Except, that isn’t older viscosity. Nope. This is one seriously sludgy – I just traveled 10,000 miles sort of beer. It’s the way we want it to be. We make no apologies for the viscosity of this thing. Could you run your car on it? Well, we say most likely not. But then again, we’re never tried. Perhaps it could! At Port Brewing, we make Old Viscosity as one of our year round beers. A portion of each batch of Old Viscosity is aged for at least 6 months in use Bourbon barrels. Each year, we also select some of the best barrels from our cellars and blend them together for the release of Older Viscosity Ale. We’ll let you decide which one you like better. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have an experiment we need to conduct with the old ’53 Chevy out behind the brewery. 
===================================

Well what can I say about this beer other than the boozy bourbon flavor that so reminds me of angel share yet not bready but more chocolate, smoked coffee, molasses, (soy sauce maybe) and a massive doze of vanilla and caramel. It is thick as hell like the old viscosity but not as smokey. Leave it to the boozy bourbon to take care of that and replace some of the smoke for alcohol and dark fruit raisin sugar. This is the second time I try this beer and not at all disappointing. It definitely holds its own in black gold as well as it is more valuable. Stout lovers will try this and get tossed like little bitches. Not for the faint of heart or the unworthy. Maybe beer geeks will rejoice … I sure as hell did.

2011 Review:
Now this is something super fancy. An Imperial stout that does not play like a stout at all. Looks like the oil that drained from an old car like the label shows. Very viscous and dark. Tastes of strong bourbon masked by dark chocolate and fruity flavors as well as vanilla aromas to the scent. If you want something very special then pick this one up. Comes out once a year. No bitterness and the strength comes from the 12% alcohol and rich flavors

So where do I begin with how complex this beer is. Well… Here it goes. As best as I can describe it. IT smells like pumpkin, bourbon, coconut and bananas. The flavors are all jacked up. Literally. They are all over the place. I get some sweet potato/yam, piloncillo (Mexican Sugar Block), milk, coconut, matured bananas, bread, bourbon, candy corn, roasted pumpkin seeds, caramel, vanilla, nutmeg, pumpkin pie with bananas in the middle, graham crackers, cinnamon, oak wood, plantain bitterness, citrus, raisins and some plums. Almost like if the made this beer as a Belgian Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin master piece. This beer not only brings about what the sweet side of a pumpkin would be but also its vegetable bitterness to it. Quite the treat 😛 and epic at that. Pick it up at Total Wine while it lasts… XP

Rating: 5/5

Tokyo* by Brew Dog is an 18.2% ABV Intergalactic Fantastic oak aged Imperial Stout made with jasmine, cranberries, hops and French oak chips. 

Label: 

It is a decent beer. I think a step up from normal New Castle Brown. Smells Like Rogue dead guy but lacking a lot of awesome flavors. A Rogue dead guy ultra light maybe? Anyways, the beer has some sweet caramel flavor, nutmeg, a little bit of hazel and peanuts, some pilsner malt, grains, biscuit, minor flavors of apples and peach, hints of earth hops and rye and some roasted pumpkin seed. The flavors do diminish dryly so it makes you want to sips some more. I guess you definitely have to get a couple of these to feel the full effect of what this beer is trying to present to you. Some Beers are better on tap in my option and I am sure, just like regular New Castle Brown, this one is probably way better on tap than in the bottle. Although not bad. I would recommend a try especially for those that like New Castle. Let me know what you think. 😛

Unlike the Fat Tire, (which is awesome), this pushes more hops than malts forward. So the combination is more of a semi bitter with only slight sweetness. Enough to not make it a sweet beer. Flavors remind me of some of the Ambers I have had in the past. Some of the best. Flavors of this beers are of Caramel, earthy hops, grapefruit, grass, pine, minor peanut butter, some sweet biscuit bread, minor apples and cherries, graham cracker, herbs, oregano, spices and smoke. Seems hoppy enough to be close to an IPA but malty enough to say it is of amber ale level. It doesn’t have stronger taste of biscuit, chocolate and coffee but a minute hint of chocolate and coffee that are covered up by the herbal and floral hops. It somewhat captures the end of summer season and goes right into the fall. Amber lovers and some hop heads will like this one.

One of the major components when I started to smell this beer is ….coffee….lots more coffee. The bitterness is not that of a smoked or roasted malts but of actual coffee grounds. Like that of a Rich Colombian beans. Flavors of the Espresso dark coffee adding milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, sweet cream, oatmeal, toffee, Irish cream, Steamed Milk and peanut butter. This is truly a Wake-Me Up Caffeine Coffee Beer. More emphasize on the coffee here but in this awesome sweet and coffee grind bitter way. Unlike other Chocolate / Coffee stouts as they are not just about smokey bitterness but about the coffee or the chocolate. Choklat= Chocolate, Split Stout = Coffee. With that said, Coffee Lovers and Stout lovers will surely like this.