Heading to the States over Christmas.

[Yob]

All I can say is..

You *******..

 

[argon]

Such an awesome beer... Big and bold but extremely drinkable. Aromas of pine and tropical fruits, resins and grassiness all balance together with big bitterness and malt sweetness with a just a touch of bread through the malt.

Fantastic beer.... Lagunitas beers have been a stand out thus far.

 

[argon]

Had this before at home and do love me a good rye beer. Thick and sweet with good bitterness. Great mouthfeel. Lovely example of a good RyePA.

 

[Yob]

I've got me one of these waiting for me at home!!

Bet yours is fresher though!

 

[argon]

Shared this one. Great finisher. Full and complex, sweet and chocalatey, roasty coffee flavours with undertones of dark fruit. Another great complex beer with so many flavours coming out as it warmed.

Paired especially well with this;

 

[argon]

Those beers were last night. Went to dinner at a random burger joint in Sedona... Which about 2 hours out of Phoenix.

Had a nano-brewery on site, so got sampler.

Beers weren't much to write home about, but just awesome to come across a brewery in pretty much the middle of nowhere.




1. Micro lite lager... Meh, tasted a little watery and had some DMS problems.
2. Lager... DMS fest
3. Heff that had a lemon in it. Tasted like lemon juice with a tiny amount of wheat yeast esters.
4. Pale Ale... Too bitter light body not remarkable.
5. Amber... Decent beer. Not a west coast amber, more along the lines of an English Bitter. Would have again.
6. Nut Brown Ale... Whilst there was no nuttiness to speak of was an enjoyable malty brown ale
7. Porter... Best beer of the lot, a little chocolate and plenty of coffee roastiness and toasted malt. Standout.

 

[argon]

Went skiing up near Flagstaff. On the way back stopped in at a little dodgy servo on the outskirts of town. Went in to grab soft drink for the drive back. Saw this in the fridge.



Just like back home.

 

[argon]

Had this once we got home after the skiing.



Not a great deal of oak flavour, a little in aroma. Gave a more complex dimension to the already great ABA.

 

[argon]

First night at Disneyland. In the hotel by the fire. Had one of these followed by a couple of glasses of Glenlivet 12.



Not a very remarkable beer. Interesting enough compared to the limited choice on offer. Also had a fully imported Stella, which was surprisingly refreshing, without the DMS I get from the Oz BUL version usually in offer.

 

[argon]

Standout beer. Not sure it was the pairing with a rack of Southern BBQ ribs or the sitting outside under the warmth of the burners watching the crowd go past at Downtown Disney after a long day, but this beer was fantastic.



Firstly the beer menu at the House of the Blues was outstanding. Saw the first IPA on the 22oz bomber menu and selected this one without reading what it was.

Another Belgian IPA. Superb. I thought the Green flash one was good... This one was great. More subtle, but somehow more tasty. Subtle Belgian yeast esters paired with American fruit salad hoppiness. So good.

Had a couple of other beers on tap after this one. Anchor Steam beer and a Belgian Pale I can't remember by who. The anchor was not for me and unremarkable but the Belgian was solid.

 

[argon]

Now sitting down to one of these.



Very solid Dark Amber Ale. Not the aggressive hoppiness of the west coast style. To me leaning toward more malt driven flavours with strong bitterness and a subtle hoppiness. Well put together. Would be a staple if I was along time resident in the US.

 

[argon]

Had a couple of beers last night.

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale.

Lovely little amber ale. A little reserved in relation to what I had been sampling. Easy beer to drink, excellent amber ale




Then I had this

Stone Ruination IPA.



My reaction…

 

[lukiferj]

That means it's good right?

 

[argon]

Exceptional

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Good to see you posting your thoughts argon.

I know what it's like with kids in tow - did Hong Kong with 4 in tow (and their tiny but nice Disneyland too). Didn't get to any (overpriced) bars on HK Island to try American beers.

But your picture of the convenience store fridge brought back memories - except mine was mainly Euro-labels and no real crafties. Oh well.

You gave me an idea for using T-58 (which I got bubblegum from last time I used it in my Hot Water System cupboard), combined with some delicate American hopping.

 

[argon]

Talking of cheap beer availability … this is a photo I took at Costco.

 

[Hodgo71]

Heading over to LA, Vegas, San Fran and Hawaii for a month starting next week. Keen to give these beers a crack. From the sounds of it and not just from beer point of view we should made out trip longer in San Fran and spent less time (9 days) in LA!