Beer Gnomes

Beer Reviews and Commentaries Talkin bout beer

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Morning beers at San Tan Brewery

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Duvel Tripel Hop

Duvel-Moortgat, Puurs, BE

9.5% Alc/Vol

A pale gold color with a bubbly head and a flowery aroma. A light pale maltiness makes for a very light body followed by a fruity Belgian yeast flavor that complements the light malt flavor. A nice burst of citrus hoppiness fills the palate with a light bitterness to finish a bit dry.

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Citracado IPA

Stone Brewing Escondido, CA.

Dark golden with an amber hue a frothy crown and a whiff of citrus. Big toasty, biscuity malt melds softly into a citrusy sweet deliciousness. A nice hoppy pop lifts you up and slaps you in the mouth. Leaving you with a dry finish and a citrusy fruity air. This is an astonishingly delicious IPA.

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Fat Tire and Friends

Fat Wild Ale New Belgium Brewing Co. / Avery Brewing Co. 6.2% Alc/Vol Copper colored with a nice bubbly head and a big fruity aroma. A nice almost caramel malt hits the palate but is quickly overrun by a fruity, kinda cherry sourness that leaves you with just a bit of a pucker and a very bitter finish. A bit like a Flemish Red but not quite there.

Fat Funk Ale New Belgium Brewing / Allagash Brewing Co. 5.6% Alc/Vol Brilliant Gold with a foamy crown and a fruity aroma you can detect at the first crack hiss of opening the bottle. Oh my…Sweet smooth bready malts drizzle over the palate while a nice funky yeast flavor begins to fill the air with banana and clove flavors. Creamy and sweet this begs for another and another. Seriously this needs to be a regular thing. Oh so good!

Fat Sour Apple Ale New Belgium Brewing / Hopworks Urban Brewery 5.9% Alc/Vol Golden colored with a light bubbly crown and a powerful whiff of green apples. Smooth with a nice sweet toasted malt base, with a sour apple tartness that springs out at you grabbing your taste buds and giving them a squeeze until your mouth waters. A nice hoppy pop gives you a hint of the bitter before that sweet bready malt flavor fills the air to finish. A very nicely balanced brew that will hit you in the sweet and sour spot.

Fat Hoppy Ale New Belgium Brewing / Firestone Walker Brewing 6% Alc/Vol Bright Golden with a nice foamy crown and a deep citrusy aroma. Oh so smooth with a nice toasty malt flavor that delights with a sweet creaminess. A big fruity hoppy air rises from the sweet bread delight giving it a nice juicy twist. Absolutely delightful.

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 Abbot Ale

Greene King / Moreland Brewery Bury St Edmunds Suffolk, UK

5% Alc/Vol

Picked up a four pack on clearance. $3.99. Marked down from $12.99. Well how could I refuse that offer. I am skeptical for I have begun to believe the price of beer has become artificially inflated due to beer fanatics such as my self who are at times willing to shell out more for a bottle of the good stuff. Here I think is the classic “If it’s expensive it MUST be good.” concept. Overpriced yet still good. This really doesn’t need to cost $13 bucks, as it is not something groundbreaking but it does because someone is distributing this at an inflated cost to you. At times I have found myself sipping on a $20 dollar bottle of beer thinking “My word! This is wonderful just wonderful.” other times I have lamented “My God! What have they done?!” Is that $13 four pack really worth it? 13 bucks for a four pack is a bit much so it better be real fucking good. For $4 bucks I can afford to lose. Copper colored with a fine crown and a slight caramelly aroma. Extra smooth and creamy with a sweet yet light caramel malt flavor that glides its way across the palate ending with just the mildest of hoppy pop that is just enough to give you a happy ending. Is this 4 pack worth $13 bucks ? Hell no! but I still think at $3.99 I got a fantastic deal on some really good English brew.

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Seven Kingdoms

Ommegang Brewery Cooperstown, NY

6.9% Alc/Vol

Yeah, I’m a little behind the times, but I finally caught up on some GOT action. Light and golden With a big frothy crown and a wheaty aroma. Smooth wheat flows across the palate with a creamy feel, but is interrupted suddenly by a burst of citrusy hops that leads to a big bitter slap in the mouth leaving an almost bitter grapefruit flavor behind in the dry finish. Just like the show. Just when you get to like something it gets bitter, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Festina Peche

Dogfish Head Brewing Co.

4.5% Alc/Vol

Pale straw colored with a tint of peach color an ephemeral bubbly crown and a wonderful peach aroma. Light and crisp with a hint of wheat that is vanquished by the tartness of Berliner Weiss. A light peach flavor then hangs in the air making for a refreshing easy drinking summer quenching brew.

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Just soaking it in.

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Beer Camp Memoirs.

Deliciousness in every bottle.

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Frankenlager

Smuttynose Brewing Co. Hampton, NH

Light golden with a big foamy crown and a malt aroma. Smooth and toasty malty with a citrus hoppy twist that is very different in a traditional lager. A bit creamy with a mild lager yeast flavor that presents itself before a dry hoppy pop clears that out leaving a nice dry finish. Definitely a different lager.

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      “Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

     In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

     And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.” 

Cliff Clavin

Enjoying a local brew. Bready malt backbone with a citrusy twist and a big hoppy bite.

Documentary and beer day...Discovery Science - Life's Rocky Start - PBS NOVA Documentary 2016

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Old Vat

Iron John’s Brewing Co. Tucson, Az.

6% Alc/Vol.

A clear brown colored ale with amber highlights a lacy head and a sweet wine aroma that makes the mouth begin to water. Bubbly and smooth with big, sweet malty flavor. A tartness pops causing a fruity air to fill the space in your head. The sour tartness of this brew causes a bit of a pucker but is not overbearing and as you drink on it begins to taste more like a wine. Delightfully sweet, a bit tart and finishing a little dry. I’ve never heard of this brewery before but I am very impressed with this little bottle of delicious.<(:~>

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Samuel Adams Heaven or Helles

Boston Beer Co. Boston, MA.

5% Alc/Vol

Light and golden with a bit of a dainty lacy crown and a soft malty aroma. Light and effervescent with a honey toasted malt flavor that is extra smooth and delightful.  For real, are they injecting honey into this? A small hop bitterness cleans up the palate and leaves a dry yet sweet honey air in the finish. That’s Good!<(:~>

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Magic Hat Electric Peel

Magic Hat Brewing Co S. Burlington VT.

Ever since I tried the Grapefruit Sculpin I’ve compared all grapefruit IPA’s to that standard. So how does this match up? Not even close. Don’t get me wrong this is a solid IPA with a grapefruit enhanced citrus burst and a sweet malty backbone. This is not a bad brew to spend a hot sunny day on the patio with. But it ain’t no Sculpin.

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An afternoon at Ska Brewing

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An afternoon at ska brewing

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Delicious Kolsche at Animas Brewing Co