Rosabi by Dogfish Head brewing

December 18, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged Amber Ale, American Imperial Pale Ale, Dogfish Head, Flandre Scarlet, Hops, Imperial American Pale Ale, Imperial Pale Ale, Japanese Beers, Julianna Barwick, Pale Ale, peanut brittle, Rosabi, Touhou, Touhou Project, Wasabi, Wasabi beer | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.5/5

Rosabi by Dogfish Head brewing is an 8% ABV Imperial American Pale Ale brewed with Wasabi.

Label:
The vivid rose hue of this imperial Pale Ale comes from a combination of Munich and Caramel malts and a touch of red rice from Louisiana, birthplace of musician and collaborator Julianna Barwick. Citrusy Simcoe and Centennial feed Julianna’s love of hops, and the star of the show is her go-to ingredient: wasabi. What’s hoppy? … Wasabi. The Japanese root adds bittering and herbal notes similar to hops, with its subtle heat creeping in after the kick of carbonation. It’s expansive from start to finish. So go ahead, take a sip, toss your head back, and howl at the red Rosabi moon.

==Introduction==

Now this is a Dogfish Head beer that really intrigued me. After seeing this one at Luekensliquor.com, and the fact that I am a Sushi and Wasabi fanatic, It didn’t take me long to just go on ahead and get this beer. The only unfortunate part is, they only allow you to purchase 1 bottle from the site. This was devastating since I know some good friends who would probably enjoy this beer. I really hope they release this one to all states that sell Dogfish Head. Not sure if this is a gimmick or not but I have never tried a Wasabi beer and this is definitely a great way to explore the vast world of the Lost treasure of beer experience. Cheers!

Aromas:
Rich caramel malt forward, wasabi notes, citrus and grapefruit hops, mango, grapes, hazelnut, rye bread, butterscotch, toffee, dragon fruit, brown sugar, cherries, chocolate hints, coriander spice, toffee, peanut brittle, hibiscus flowers, pineapple and rice cakes.

Flavors:
Subtle but not burning green Wasabi, citrus and grapefruit hops, caramel, grapes, hazelnut, rye bread, peanut brittle, toffee, oranges, mango, peaches, pineapple, chocolate notes, dragon fruit, coriander spice, mild wasabi spice as the beer warms up, apples, brown sugar, rice, cherries, hibiscus flowers, biscuit bread, toasted coconut and vanilla.

Aftertaste:
Lots of Caramel, citrus and grapefruit hops, wasabi notes in the backbone, sweet toffee rye, peanut brittle, hazelnut and mainly malty finish. No alcohol in the taste, crimson ruby rose medium body, moderate drinkability with a silky mouthfeel.

Overall:
Drinking more like an Amber Ale, this beer is really very good. There is no heat but if you know the subtle taste of wasabi, it is there but mild enough to be very enjoyable. It starts with the Wasabi flavor and then moves into a world of sweetness and hoppy goodness. There seems to be more sweetness than hoppy though which could be attributed to the malty sweetness cutting the Wasabi extreme heat. I can only hope that this beer and Sushi would be the ultimate combination which makes me want to have another bottle. I can only recommend this one if you would like a more maltier Pale Ale. There isn’t nothing wrong with that and I generally enjoy sweeter beers more, but I love me some super bitter hops too. So there you have it, Wasabi with some hop bitterness and drinks more like an Amber. Maybe not quite what you’d expect but still a very good beer.

Anime Corner:
Flandre Scarlet from Touhou Project was used in this pairing since I wanted to pair the label of the ruby red moon as well as the green colors of wasabi which you can see by the diamonds. Since this beer is more on the sweeter side than what I had expected, the apple Scarlet is chewing on represent this as well as the fact that this beer is more of an Amber ale than a Pale Ale. However, despite the fact that Wasabi is extreme, maybe how it worked with this beer, it cut all the other bitter hops and cancelled its own spiciness to get to this. This is why Scarlet looks innocent but her burning eyes state another story.

Sources:
http://anime-pictures.net/pictures/get_image/361397-2560×1440-touhou-flandre+scarlet-ankh+%28ankh+05%29-single-short+hair-wide+image.jpg

La Jornada del Escorpion en Fuego Hacia la casa del Chupacabra muerto (99 Scorpions) (The Path of the Fiery Scorpion through the House of the Dead Chupacabra) by The Unknown Brewing

December 5, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged 99 Scorpions, Agave Nectar, Chupacabra, Chupacabras, Dia de los Muertos, Evelynn, goat sucker, Imperial Mexican Lager, Imperial Pale Ale, La Jornada del Escorpion en Fuego Hacia la casa del Chupacabra muerto, league of legends, Mexican Agave, Mezcal, Mezcal Tequila, Ninety Nine Scorpions, Oak, Serrano Peppers, Tequila, Tequila Barrel Aged, Tequila Barrels, The Path of the Fiery Scorpion through the House of the Dead Chupacabra, The Unknown Brewing | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

La Jornada del Escorpion en Fuego Hacia la casa del Chupacabra muerto (99 Scorpions) (The Path of the Fiery Scorpion through the House of the Dead Chupacabra) by The Unknown Brewing is a 10.1% ABV Imperial Mexican Lager aged on Tequila Oak Staves, Brewed with Agave Nectar, Serrano Peppers & (99) Ninety Nine Scorpions.

Label:
UBC Bottle No. 2
Warning: Contains Crustaceans

Online Descriptions and Blurbs:
(http://beerstreetjournal.com/unknown-brewing-escorpion-en-fuego/)
When asked if these scorpions would affect the flavor, head brewer and owner Brad Shell responded “I’m not sure, that’s not the point. The point is this beer needs scorpions. Some things just have to happen”.

==Introduction==

Released for El Dia De Los Muertos in November, this beer is pretty damn ridiculous. Even for the name and the ingredients this was made from. This is my first beer from The Unknown brewing and is one that . All hope was lost last month when there was no way I could get this beer due to it being extremely limited. I pondered about how nice it would have been to have it here on the site. Long behold, I wake up on Black Friday at 4am to a message from my good friend Aaron Mendiola at www.beermetaldude.com only to find that he found a website called www.bruisin-ales.com which had exactly what we were looking for. He sent me that Mexican wrestler pic where the dude is asking for a tag in as he needed some assistance to get these and I was like…oh shit!! I jumped out of bed, placed the order and the rest is history. A sort of victory for the Beer Pairing Duo and a review you will soon see on my friends page. I didn’t really care at that time when I saw the beer on the site, I really wanted to get this beer despite the ingredients. Despite what anyone thinks about gimmicks or nasty and gross ingredients for beer, this was something I was super open minded to have. I have had crickets before and those have like a grassy and earthy taste. Some people say Scorpions are tasty like eating shrimp. That and the fact that scorpions are high in protein and good for you. So let’s take a sip at this one and hope you are able to get your own scorpion beer. Saludito!

Aromas:
Honey, Toffee, Agave, caramel, coriander spice, peppercorns, chile pepper spices, tequila hints, pineapple, stone fruit peaches, Serrano pepper spices, mild oak, tequila hints, caramel, toffee, butterscotch, biscuit bread and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Rich Agave Nectar, Tequila, Mezcal, sangria, grapes, oak, citrus, honey, lemon, caramel, vanilla, oak, graham cracker, herbs, coriander, oranges, grassy earthy taste (scorpions?), toffee, salt, mild seafood hints, Serrano chile spice hints, peppercorns, pineapple, grapefruit, basil, lime peel, lemon zest, mild coffee, green tea, dragon fruit, stone fruit peaches, mild jerky notes, biscuit bread, rye bread, butterscotch and piloncillo.

Aftertaste:
Leaving with a honey and agave aftertaste that lingers and finishing with like a musty, herbal, grassy, earthy and bitter aftertaste. Must be the scorpions. No alcohol in the taste yet feels stronger than what it is. Syrupy and creamy mouthfeel, Clear Golden Body, moderate to sipping drinkabaility.

Overall:
I got 99 Scorpions while other beers have none! Way too unique for words really. I think the previous blurbs have done this one justice. I do recall my experience with the crickets back then so there is a minor hints of that grassy, musty and earthy like flavor that I remember from long ago. Not bad at all. The Serrano heat is there for the flavor but masked by the sweetness so it’s not a ‘Stone Punishment’. I really love it but don’t worry since the other ingredients do mask that extremely well providing it’s own array of complexity. This one was made in Tequila barrels so there’s yet another reason why it is extremely unique as well. As a lager, possibly the best and possible the most unique I have ever had. It is a great beer despite the fact that it could be off putting to others and if you really want to find it, get it before it truly disappears for good!

Anime Corner:
Evelynn from League of Legends and Dia De Los Muertos by SanctusDesign of Deviant art were pretty much the best pairings I could find for this beer. Almost everything about the beer including Dia De Los Muertos and Even the very name of the beer pairs way too well that it even surprised me. Using Evelynn as she chases the reptile beast, we look at the name of the beer, La Jornada del Escorpion en Fuego hacia la casa del Chupacabra muerto. In English this means ‘The Path of the Fiery Scorpion through the House of the Dead Chupacabra’. As you can clearly see, Evelynn is the fiery scorpion and is chasing the dead Chupacabra(which back then people thought it was a lizard creature). Even the cloak the lizard beast wears along with the skeleton hands signifies it is death, so a Chupacabra of death or dead Chupacabra. The journey is basically Evelynn’s journey to catch that beast as fire spews from her finger tips. Think of this as a Scorpion trying to catch its prey and sting it to death. She also looks like the dead chick in the dia de los muertos. That’s where the next pairing comes in. Visually, the dia de los muertos chick looks very damn close to the label. What is surrounding her face is curvy plants that with the colors and shapes, kind of represents the 99 scorpions found in this great beer.

Sources:
http://stuffpoint.com/league-of-legends/image/190512-league-of-legends-eve-dia-de-los-muertos-halloween.jpg
http://sanctusdesign.deviantart.com/art/Dia-De-Los-Muertos-Da-368996612

Proprietor’s Reserve Double Jack (New Label) by Firestone Walker

August 27, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged Asuka Langley, Asuka Langley Shikinami, Asuka Langley Soryu, Asuka Shikinami Soryu, Double India Pale Ale, Double IPA, double jack, Evangelion, Firestone Walker, Imperial Pale Ale, IPA, Neon Genesis Evangelion, proprietor's reserve, Rei Ayanami, Triple IPA | Leave a comment

Rating: 5 to 5.2/5* Better Fresher

Proprietor’s Reserve Double Jack (New Label) by Firestone Walker is a 9.5% ABV World Class Triple Dry Hopped Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A dangerously drinkable Double IPA. Double Jack opens up with bright grapefruit and tangerine American hop aromas. Beautifully crafted undertones of stone fruit are revealed upon first sip, followed by the essence of blue basil and pine. A sturdy pale and crystal malt backbone brings balance to high hop intensity. Complex and aggressively hopped, and flawlessly balanced.

REMEMBER: Watch for bottled on dates located on the necks or bottom left corner of the label for each of our beers. Our beer is not pasteurized, so it is best when stored at 44F or below, out of light and within 120 days of the bottled on date…this ensures freshness and ultimately a great Firestone Walker beer!
___

A revisit to my beginnings where my first time with a double IPA was when I first had this beer. Back then when it was on tap, I could only compare it to the double IPA gold standard which became ruination. However, unlike ruination, this beer was more tropical so in essence, this would become one of my first Tropical double IPA before I started buying actual bottles. This beer is such a great IPA that I honestly think it belongs with in the Triple or maybe borderline Triple IPA style as it seems to get there similar to El Segundo Power Plant. While it may not be as epic, it is still a gold standard in my book for tropical IPAs. I brought this one back since I wanted to show case the new label but also to just re-review this one. This beer is widely distributed wherever they sell Firestone Walker beers. Cheers!

Aromas:
Citrus, Piney, Grapefruit, grassy and floral hops, blue basil herbs, biscuit bread, tropical fruits like dragon fruit, passion fruit, papaya, mango, tangerine, pineapple, lemon peel, caramel, toffee, vanilla, peach, apricot hints, guava hints and apple.

Flavors:
Grapefruit, Citrus and tangerine forward followed the the complex piney, grassy floral and mildly earthy hops, lemon peel, tropical fruits like dragon fruit, passion fruit, honey dew melon hints, papaya, mango, papaya, caramel, biscuit bread, vanilla hints, toffee hints, peach, plum hints, guava, apricot hints, blue basil herbs, dank lychee fruit.

Aftertaste:
Citrus, grapefruit, tangerine, blue basil, some tropics and dry piney bitterness linger. No alcohol in the taste. A sipping beer despite the light body, medium mouthfeel, crisp and refreshing wins everywhere.

Overall:
A perfect Double IPA! If it wasn’t anymore tropical, it would surely be at that triple IPA level. Even with the perfect rating, I can definitely see the rating go even higher to a 5.2 at it’s freshest. This beer was pretty fresh bottled about 3 weeks ago. So I am pretty stuck deciding on the rating. This beer is one of the best IPAs out there bar none. It can definitely go toe to toe with some of the best the world has to offer, hell even against pliny the elder, this is pretty much Pliny the 3rd. Go get this bottle now!!

Anime Corner:
Asuka Langley Sohryu/Shikinami and Rei Ayanami were the original characters I chose for this beer in my original review. Now that there is a new label, so be it as in Eva 3.0 they got the new plugsuits. Bad Ass. Now the reason I chose them has to do with the fact that Asuka and Rei have been a team forever. They are some of my favorite Anime characters. The Citrus and tangerine aspect as well as tropical comes from Asuka as well as the bitterness as that is her attitude. The Blue Basil, herbs, floral and piney hop aspect of the beer fits great with Rei as she has the blue hair going on. So the combination makes up the Double Jack you see here. That and the label pairs well with them as well.

Sources:
http://konachan.com/post/show?md5=70397813128c0b70a5c2c131a0e4b6b1
http://i.imgur.com/xT8Mndi.jpg

American Beauty collaboration by Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead

November 27, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Akali, American Beauty, collaboration, Dogfish Head, Frostfire Annie, Granola, Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead beer, Imperial Pale Ale, league of legends, LSD Beer, the Grateful Dead | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.35/5

American Beauty collaboration by Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead band is a 9% ABV Imperial Pale Ale brewed with granola & all-American hops.

Label:
Inside this bottle, your miracle ticket awaits. It’s called American Beauty, an Imperial Pale Ale inspired by the Grateful Dead. The best way to capture 30 years, more than 100 live albums, 2300 shows? Let the loyal fans drive the recipe. Among thousands of suggestions, granola was tops. It was the main course in millions of parking lot meals and is a sweet and toasty complement to the all-American hops and barley. There was something different about a Dead show. Whether you saw one or 100 you felt it. If only you could have bottled it…
___

Another sweet awesome Musical collaboration brought by Dogfish Head. As requested by the, a tribute to the band, they let the fans come up with the ingredients for the beer. They came up with granola, which is very interesting as I have never tried a beer with granola. I love granola for in between meals, although this beer would probably be a meal within itself. Picked this up at Ramirez Liquor in Boyle Heights California.

Aromas:
Lots of biscuit bread, lots flowers, grassy notes, citrus honey, caramel, grapes, strawberries, dessert wine, lavender, grapefruit notes, herbs, rose notes, granola oats, mild coconut and tropical fragrances.

Flavors:
Grapefruit, grapes, strawberry, honey, lavender, flowers, cranberries, biscuit bread, citrus, granola oats, raspberry, mild tropics, mango, pineapple, coconut, pomegranate, rich red velvet cheese cake, apricot, pear, and almonds

Aftertaste:
After taste is like biting into a bitter flower with honey and grapes with some of the citrus to back it up. Hidden alcohol but a sipper for sure.

Overall:
Very good beer but more sweeter than IPA hoppy bitterness. Some people may like it as it does seem to work (at least for me) as it is pretty sweet, fruit and some tropics but yet it does not deliver lots of hop forward tropics as some of the other best IPAs. I will give it that, with the granola, it makes for a very interesting experience of a beer. Almost like it was granola and berries added. Maybe the whole point of this was to make your palette go through a weird trip of colorful and LSD flavor experiences lol. It sure did that for me. Ofcourse, it is only strictly with flavor experiences, there is NO LSD in this beer.

Anime Corner:
Frostfire Annie and Akali from League of Legends are used in this mainly to relate to the beer’s label and Grateful Dead. I don’t know much about the series but I did like the artwork. It can be seen by Annie’s bear Tibbers used but also the colors of their different albums. So obtaining artwork that fits was a challenge. Until I found something that may sort of fit. The conflict between Annie and Akali can be seen as the hops trying to take over the sweetness of the granola and fruit (Represented by Annie and her bear) Ofcourse, who wins in this beer? Well that should be obvious