Beer War...December 2018
So I enjoyed the November beer war so much I decided to do it again in December.
I have always liked beer since I was about 16 so that's a long freaking time. I suspect I've drunk enough beer to float a battleship.
At 16 I was more interested in what it did for me (and all my pals) and the gals we were chasing. I think the poster below, which I first saw about 10 years ago on a wall in Italy, explains a lot. Although "ugly" could be replaced with shy or bashful or timid or a variety of other adjectives.
Beer # 1
Anyway....first in the lineup is Dawn of the Red (which is clearly a play on the old horror film Dawn of the Dead) from Ninkasi Brewing. They're an American brewer from Eugene, Oregon. I'm not real fussy about American beer but we'll give it a try.
This is a Red IPA (and I love my IPA's) so I'm sure I'm gonna like it. It's a 7% Alcohol beer so it should be tasty.
So the description sure sounds good...tropical notes...a subtle caramel backbone..yummy.
It does look nice in the glass. Slightly murky. I can see why they call it a RED IPA.
VERDICT: this is a pretty good beer. I'm not sure I'd buy it again as it's kind of a namby-pamby IPA. It might appeal to those who aren't IPA fans but would like to have a "tamed down" IPA. I didn't get one tropical note nor any caramel though.
Beer # 2
The next beer is Plunder IPA which is another American brewed beer - brewed in San Diego. It's a high alcohol beer just like beer # 1 - 7% so it should have some flavour.
There's no rear label on the bottle - only a side panel.
In times of battle, few rules apply. Plunder is no exception...who dreams up this shit anyway?
It's a fine looking beer in the glass. A slight bit murky. Not as dark as beer # 1.
VERDICT: This is a very good beer. It's not as hoppy as many of the IPAs I normally drink but it is very good. I recommend buying a 6 pack.
Beer # 3
The next one is Absolution Cardinal Sin Red Ale.
This is a funny beer - we I first opened it it was very "fizzy" - almost like ginger ale. It was quite tasty but I never got to finish it.
Just after I opened it and poured it into a glass and had a couple sips our doorbell rang. It was our neighbour from across the street and she was having a small emergency and asked if I'd help her.
Of course I did and by the time I got back to drinking the remainder of the beer it warmed up quite a bit and was really not fit for drinking. I did finish it but it wasn't very good by then.
More sweet notes of caramel and toffee...nope..
A very nice dark red colour - just like it says on the bottle.
VERDICT: This seemed to be a good beer from the first few sips but I can not offer much of an opinion beyond that. I'll have to try another.
Beer # 4
The next beer is Dr. Jekyll's Beer Attack.
It's another Irish-Style Red Ale. I scooped the following info from the interweeb..
The rear of the bottle contains a lot of info.
It is truly a dark beer.
To see just how dark and murky it is I put a small flashlight behind the glass and then took another picture. It's very dark - and murky - lots of stuff floating around.
VERDICT: The very first few sips of this beer were quite a surprise - I could actually taste all the things they they said were in the beer. Very soon though it just went flat and didn't taste of much of anything. Very strange! I probably wouldn't buy another of these.
Beer # 5
Kilt Lifter Scottish Style Ale. Certainly a great name...Kilt Lifter.
It's brewed in USA..and I have to say again I'm not really fussy about USA beers. The Europeans have such better beers.
Not sure what "Scottish Style Ale" is. I'll google it later.
The rear label has more gobbledygook...not a good sign IMO. A good beer should speak for itself...I needn't be told what I'm drinking.
A much clearer beer than the last few I've tested. No need to shine a light through it.
VERDICT: I'm pretty sure I won't buy any more of this beer. This beer was similar to the previous beer in that there was a great taste when the bottle was just opened but it went away quickly.
Below is what beeradvocate.com says about Scottish-Style Ale.
One of my very favourite beers is the first one circled in red below - Innis and Gunn. It is a very tasty and unusual beer.
Kilt Lifter, is also listed, but has a much lower rating...although it is higher than some in the list. I will have to look for the first two in the list to see how they compare to Innis and Gunn.
Beer # 6
Founders Brewing Centennial IPA.
Founders Brewing is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As previously noted I'm not that fussy about USA brewed beer but I have had some good American made IPAs.
A good looking label.
7.2% alcohol content and 65 IBUs - I'm hoping this is going to be a very tasty beer.
And a very dark and cloudy glass of beer. Lots of stuff floating around.
VERDICT: this is a real good beer and a real good IPA. Lots of taste and it doesn't disappear after a couple minutes like the two previous beers.
I'd recommend that you should at least try one of these and then see if a six pack would be in order.
So I think the Plunder IPA came in first and the most recent beer, the Centennial IPA was second. The rest were mostly unremarkable - not quite weasel piss but none I'd buy again. As far as Scottish Ale is concerned I'll stick to ale made in Scotland.