Month: February 2016

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. Dream Crusher Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV (US$2.83 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no bottle date or best before, reviewed 2-Feb-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, juicy citrus, tropical fruit, pale malt. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, strong bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)

Makes a bold announcement on opening, with strong resiny hop aromas filling the room. And for the first half of the beer, it continues to deliver a powerful hop assault, with a one-two punch of piney resin and so much juicy citrus one might believe there’s actually tangerines in there. As the head dissipates, however, the hop aromas seem to fade with it, and the sweet malty backbone starts to show through. It never gets unpleasant, or even malt-forward, but it does lose a little steam. The finish remains strongly bitter, though, and the relatively high ABV is well-managed, manifesting as a mild warming. This is a whole bunch of fun, but I think you might need to drink ‘em fast for maximum enjoyment. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Saint Arnold Brewing Company Fancy Lawnmower Kölsch at 4.9% ABV (US$2.09 at Specs Main Branch, 355 ml, bottle date 30-Nov-2015, reviewed 1-Feb-2016)

Appearance: clear straw with one finger of nearly pure white head, good retention and minimal lacing. (3/5) Aroma: crackery malt, grassy, honey. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (6/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, crisp finish. (3/5)

Yep, that’s definitely a lawnmower beer, though I’m not sure it’s all that fancy: in terms of colour, weight, body, presence… by whatever metric you want to use, this is an extremely light beer. Not badly done, though, by any means. The decent crisp grassy hop finish makes it an effective thirst quencher – in other words, a lawnmower beer. (12/20)

My 214th from the 2010 Edition (203rd from the 2013 edition), and 225th combining both editions.

6/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com