Green Flash West Coast IPA | ZE Beer Review

The first beer sent to me by Lidney, Youtube user/beer reviewer monkeycaveman.

The last IPA I'll be doing for awhile, as I'm getting a bit bored with the style.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: A

Short's Huma-Lupa-Licious and Hangin' Frank -- A "Parallel Tasting" | ZE Beer Review

I decided to try something different and do a quick compare-and-contrast on two beers of the same style produced by the same brewery. I haven't done a review of the Short's Huma-Lupa-Licious, but you can view my original review of Hangin' Frank here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utbBO2hKPSQ

(I'll also note I didn't re-watch that video before shooting this one.)



Let me know how you like this experiment!

Frankenmuth Batch 69 American-style IPA | ZE Beer Review

Another beer from a small Michigan brewery. Since shooting this video I learned that Frankenmuth makes both an American-style and an English-style IPA. This is the American one.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B-

Propeller IPA | ZE Beer Review

This is the first beer I've reviewed that was sent to me by fellow Youtube beer reviewer elharlock. Quite a nice session IPA -- I'd definitely drink it if it was local to me.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B

BrewDog Punk IPA | ZE Beer Review

Definitely clear evidence that it's best to drink an IPA as fresh as possible. I've had an old bottle of this before, and it doesn't even taste like an IPA.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B

Paw Paw Brewing Two Paws IPA | ZE Beer Review

In this video, Shana and I review a growler fill from a brand-new brewery a couple of towns over from us: the Paw Paw Brewing Company.

http://twitter.com/pawpawbrewery



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B+

Three Floyds Broo Doo | ZE Beer Review

So. "Broo Doo" might just be the silliest name for a beer EVER.

Nonetheless, we soldier on. This is Three Floyds' harvest ale brewed with fresh wet hops, so I was a bit reluctant to review it at such a late date. I ended up drinking it on January 3 and it was still deliciously hoppy.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: A-

Mikkeller Amarillo Single Hop IPA | ZE Beer Review

This is the first of my month of imports, a beer that Shana just picked up for me in Indianapolis, Mikkeller's Amarillo Single Hop IPA. I've never had an Amarillo single-hop, so this was a very cool bottle for me to try.



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B+

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale | ZE Beer Review

I wasn't necessarily planning on reviewing this one, but I've enjoyed this year's batch so much that I decided to give it a quick review.

I also show off the wonderful beery gifts that my girlfriend gave me for the holiday. Have I mentioned that she's awesome?

Towards the end I also comment a bit about the quality of this year's fresh hop ales.

(Sorry about the flickering towards the start of the vid. The lights above me flickered a bit but I didn't realize how prominent it'd be on camera. Damn CFLs!)



Zymurgical Explorations grade: A-

Ithaca Flower Power | ZE Beer Review

This was a bottle sent to me by Youtube beer reviewer Chad9976 when he sent me the Westy. I just don't have much to say about this beer other than: watch the review!



Zymurgical Explorations grade: B+

Stone India Pale Ale | ZE Beer Review

This is a classic IPA, and yet I've never really thought it was a top-notch beer. As move as I love Stone, especially their Ruination DIPA, this one leaves me somewhat cold. Nonetheless, it's a solid IPA and almost the definition of a West-Coast-style IPA.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: B

Bell's Two Hearted Ale (Bell's Week Day 8 of 8)

Bell's Two-Hearted India Pale Ale
Kalamazoo, MI
7.0% ABV

This was Bell's Batch 9990 and was bottled on September 15, 2010. I shot the review on October 11.

Two Hearted is my favorite of the regular-release Bell's beers, so I saved it for last. An amazing IPA, with a great hop profile and a lot of complex malts.

I had some technical issues with the video quality in this vid, but by the time I noticed it in editing I didn't have the ability to re-shoot. Sorry.

At the end of this review I have a bit of summary on Bell's week, which may be interesting to those who have watched all of these videos.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 9.5/10

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA (bottle)
Marshall, MI
6.0% ABV

A quick and dirty beer review after work. A very nice IPA, though.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 8.5/10

Lagunitas IPA

Lagunitas IPA (bottle)
Petaluma, CA
5.7% ABV

Pretty much the definition of a grapefruity American IPA. Lots of pine, a whole lot of grapefruit.

This is a pretty short review. I shot it late at night and talk a bit about my plans for the day after the review -- a homebrew session, which I shot and will be uploading soon.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 7.5/10

Video: Abita Jockamo IPA

Abita Jockamo IPA
Abita Springs, LA
6.5% ABV


Another beer review from Kentucky. A nice crisp but balanced IPA works quite well in the Kentucky heat. I don't buy a lot of Abita, but I'd buy this again.



My numerical rating: 7.5/10

Video: Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale (bottle)
Chico, CA
6.7% ABV

Another new vid. This is a fun way to work through some of my backlog of bottles, but it does take a while to get finished.



This one's a lot more choppy and edited than the others. Mostly because I rambled on for a long time and went way off-topic for the review, and wanted to keep the whole thing under ten minutes. One day maybe I'll include a blooper reel of all the stuff that I couldn't use in the real videos.

My numerical score: 7.0/10

New Belgium Ranger India Pale Ale

New Belgium Ranger India Pale Ale (bottle)
Fort Collins, CO
6.5% ABV

We don't get New Belgium in Michigan, which means that nearly every day at work I have to explain the three-tier system to some customer or the other. Gah. I'm one of those who likes New Belgium just fine, but hasn't been overwhelmed by their beers. Will Ranger IPA be any different?

Pours clear orange, transparent, slight effervescence, with a thick foamy white head that sticks around significantly. Smells strongly of high alpha-acid hops, very piney and with some earthiness down deep. Intriguing aroma.

Taste is very hoppy, almost soapy, with a sharp dryness on the backend. Very slight grapefruit character down deep. As the beer warms, the dryness becomes smoother and the hop bite becomes less pronounced, giving a soft soapy quality on the finish. Mouthfeel is smooth, thin, with moderate carbonation and heavy hops.

So how do I feel about this beer? It gives a very nice presentation and smells quite good, but it does feel a little one-note. Hopheads will enjoy this a lot, but to me it's a little too much like drinking liquid hop juice. Good, probably exactly the beer they intended to make, but far from great.

My overall BA rating: 3.7/5

Big Sky IPA

Big Sky IPA
Missoula, MN
6.2% ABV

Big Sky has only recently become available in this part of Michigan. Moose Drool is the one that gets all the attention, but I'm not really a fan. Their IPA is pretty nice, though, from the couple of bottles I had last night hanging out.

Very clear body, dark amber, thick off-white foamy head. Smells sweet, with strong earthy high-alpha acid hops which will form the soul of this beer. I can't quite identify the hop variety, but I'd love to, as I want to make a beer with the same kind of hop quality. Aroma also has hints of grapefruit.

Flavor is sugary, grainy, with an interesting malt profile that then gives way to an intense earthy hoppiness afterward. Lots of citrus, especially grapefruit. Slight dryness on the finish. Mouthfeel is thin-to-moderate, with a heavy hoppiness (of course) and a moderate carbonation.

Overall, I really like this IPA. The earthiness and grapefruit this this one a complexity that I didn't anticipate, which definitely differentiates it from the whole run of American IPAs that, while great, can definitely feel repetitive.

My overall BA rating: 4.1/5

Saugatuck Singapore IPA

Saugatuck Singapore IPA
Douglas, MI
7.0% ABV

Not much commentary here. I've heard good things about the brewery, and I'm in the mood for a nice IPA. How's this beer?

Pours a nice copper color into my glass, very clear with only a slight haze, with a thick slightly off-white head that sticks around on the top of the glass. Head is foamy and somewhat bubbly. Appetizing. Has a strong crisp hop aroma, Chinook maybe? Very West-Coast, but definitely not a C-hop. Underneath there's a nice orangey citrus component, sweet and malty. Again, very inviting.

Flavor is similar. Strong bitter hops, not overpowering but with that almost soapy quality, with a sweet orangey malt backbone. Hints of yeast underneath. Finishes dry. Mouthfeel is moderately thick, with heavy hops (obviously) and a moderate carbonation.

Overall, I like this beer, but it does get a little monotonous over time. Again, I've heard good things about the brewery, and I'd recommend this beer, but probably not one of my all-time favorites.

My overall BA rating: 4.1/5

Beer Review, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (bottle)
Milton, DE
6.0% ABV

How is it I've never reviewed 60 minute? Time to rectify that.

Appearance: Yellow body, quite a bit of effervescence, with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Somewhat hazy. 4.0/5

Smell: Sweet oranges up front, nice citrus aroma, with a clean hoppiness underneath. Quite inviting. 4.0/5

Taste: Hops are more prevalent in the flavor than the nose. Strong crisp hop bite on the tip of the tongue, with a slight citrus fruitiness on the back end. Hops fade in the finish leaving a dry, almost yeasty aftertaste. Quite nice. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated, high hops, otherwise moderate thickness. Coats the palate. A bit thick for a standard IPA, but not unpleasantly so. 3.5/5

Drinkability: A very drinkable IPA. Worthy of its reputation. 4.0/5

Overall: 4.15/5