The Pour Man

The guy next door's take of the beer on tap.

[thepourman-blog]

Alameda Imperial IPA, "Yellow Wolf"

Alameda's Imperial IPA, the "Yellow Wolf," poured a nice hazy honey color, very similar to the Stumptown Tart, only a little darker, and with better head and lacing. The smell I got from this was beautiful. An incredible amount of the "West Coast" hop varieties. An array of grapefruit and citrus notes in this guy. Yellow Wolf is a medium bodied IPA, and I found it to be very drinkable. Overall one of the best IPA's I've tried to date. This brew is a definite two thumbs up.

[thepourman-blog]

Stumptown Tart Strawberry Ale

Bridgeport Stumptown's Strawberry pours a hazy honey color, and there's not much head or lacing on this brew. But it does have a very nice smell of faint strawberries and berries at the nose. Tastewise, you get a very faint strawberry note at the back end, and some alcohol. It's very well balanced with the malt, and a very minimal hop presence. This is the first beer I have had that was strawberry infused, and I enjoyed it very much, even though it may have been lacking in some areas (like the head, lacing, etc). Overall, I give this brew one thumb up! A great beer for warm weather months, or just summer in general.

[thepourman-blog]

Laurelwood Free Range Red Ale

Laurelwood's Free Range Red Ale was my first organic brew; with that said, I'm not sure if I can tell a major difference between organic and non organic beers. This ale pours a nice dark amber color, capped by a nice head, and also had decent lacing. The nose is of floral hops, and as soon as I smelled it IPA came to my mind. The taste is of floral hops as well, backed by an array of caramel malt, which is pretty well balanced. Free Range also has a nice bitterness towards the end with a medium mouth feel and just enough carbonation. Although I couldn't taste a huge difference between organic and non organic, I do admit it feels pretty good to grab an organic beer off the shelf. I give Free Range Red Ale by Laurelwood one thumb up. Great brew, but not outstanding- I might not go out of my way to find it if it isn't readily available.

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Pelican Brewery's Winema Wit

The first brew of a series of beers brought back from a trip to Portland! Winema Wit by The Pelican Brewery starts the series off with a bang! Orange, coriander, and cardamom, blah blah blah you've heard it before, these are all popular themes in the wheat beer genre. But the Pelican brewers take these themes to the next level. Winema Wit pours an almost opaque golden color, capped by a bright white head. The mouth feel is medium with good carbonation. The orange flavor is very fresh, and the spiciness from the coriander and cardamom compliment the sweetness very well. I also tasted a slight tartness, which I had never tasted before in a wit. Overall this is an awesome wit beer, perfect in balance, I give it two thumbs up. Definitely recommend this brew if you can find it!

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Portland brew series

will be reviewing 7 brews from a trip to portland! 

Oregon has some of the best brews i have had to date!

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Baltika 9

Today I picked up Baltika 9- This is the first beer I've tried from the Baltic brewers. Baltika 9 advertises itself as an extra lager or strong lager, which is like a whole other class of European style lagers. Kind of like a European version of a malt liquor. Baltika 9 contains 8% ABV, and taste wise, doesn't try to hide it either. This beer, to me, tastes like how I would think Russia... is. It is extremely strong, and finishes very bitter. In the nose, there is a lot of malt and very few hops. The taste follows the nose to the tee. I would also like to mention that I've seen this in a 51 oz plastic bottle version, which I thought was hilarious, because I could not see anyone drinking 51 ounces of this by themselves. I give Baltika 9 a neutral rating. Definitely not my style, but if you're trying to get shitfaced, Baltika 9 will definitely do the job.

[thepourman-blog]

Red Hook Long Hammer

My sister picked this IPA up at Publix Supermarket- I just told her to pick any random IPA that caught her eye, and she came back with Red Hook's Long Hammer IPA. Poured into a pint glass, it reveals a golden color, a lot lighter than most IPA's I've tried. There is some head to this, it lasts for a little while. The nose is of grapefruit/citrus hops, and it is more faint than most IPA's I've tried. All in all, not an amazing IPA, but not a bad one either. It's a perfect choice for someone new to IPA's. It's kind of like a muted IPA, a little more mainstream in flavor. I don't know why a lot of people bash this beer, maybe it isn't the greatest IPA out on the shelves, but it could be considered as something of a gateway to, in my opinion, the best style of beer. I would give this a neutral score lol 

6.5% ABV

[notyouraveragebeersnob]

[thepourman-blog]

check their website! Some of the best brews out of Cali .... Their Pale Ale is Off The chain, will be reviewing soon!

[thepourman-blog]

Budweiser and Clamato

I saw this offering from Anheuser-Busch today and couldnt believe my eyes!Take a Budweiser mix it with some tomato juice and if that wont get your taste buds rolling top it off with a cocktail of shellfish and clam broth just to give it the nose that every one is looking for. LMAO  you have got to be out of your mind to even think about trying this!

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Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

Southern Tier's Imperial Choklat Stout is part of the Southern Tier's BlackWater series. It is, as advertised, an imperial stout brewed with chocolate. This stout comes in a large one pint bottle and is a heavy hitter at 11% ABV. Don't ask me why I picked it in the summertime- I missed it during the winter and just had to get it. Choklat pours a very dark brown color, similar to Guinness and as soon as I poured it, I was like "Woah. Damn, that's chocolatey." The head is also brown and thick, and for a quick second, has that cascading effect like a Guinness. Enough of that though, let's get to the flavor. After smelling this, the taste was exactly what I thought it would be. Chocolate. Not a milk chocolate, but a bittersweet kind of dark chocolate, backed by a roasted malt. And amazingly you don't taste any alcohol at all. You know, this stout has a very very very rich flavor, and I think it can only be fully enjoyed in the colder months. And would pair perfectly with desserts (I don't know, brownies or something). I give it two thumbs up. 

[seeii]

Vintage Cans are G as Fuck!

[kitschyliving]

[thepourman-blog]

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

The best wheat beer I have ever tried to date. Nuff said. Two thumbs up. If you are a fan of wheat beers, you have got to try this.

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Reissdorf Kolsch

I had been wanting to try this beer for a long time; actually- I had been wanting to try any Kolsch beer in general, this was my first one. With that said, I am not very impressed with the Kolsch style. It's kind of like a light lager with a hint of sweetness to it. There is little to no carbonation in this brew, and the end result is a very watery mouth feel. My advice is to drink this shit fast and cold. You do get a little hops and some pale malts, but overall the flavor is very light. Reissdorf could very well be the standard in the style of Kolsch, but I am personally just not a fan of the style.  I give Reissdorf a Neutral rating.

[thepourman-blog]

Leffe Blonde

Leffe Blonde, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Blonde. I don't know where to start with this one guys. This was my first crafted brew. I don't know if I'm biased or if this beer is really really good. Leffe Blonde is an Abbey ale, and is part of it's own kind of class in the world of craft beer. These beers are made by European churches, and some of the greatest brews in the world are crafted in this region. The presentation of the bottle is spectacular to say the least, the cap is lined with a gold foil, and it just looks classy. Leffe Blonde pours a clear golden color with a thick bright white head that sticks around. Now describing the taste of this beer may seem odd to people who are not used to drinking beer in the Belgian style, which Belgian yeast strains create. If I were to sum up the taste of Leffe Blonde in three words, I would say banana, clove, and... pineapple? The beer drinks very crisp and refreshing, moderate carbonation with a lagerish mouth feel. The taste is delicate and refreshing on hot days. I give it two thumbs up.

6.6%ABV

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Shock Top

Shock Top is a Belgian style wheat ale, similar to Blue Moon if you've heard of it (which more people have than this particular beer, I believe). Shock Top pours a very light hazy orange color, topped by a decent white head. It is lightly spiced but very smooth and crisp. You get a lot of citrus in this beer, the aroma is extremely pleasant. Not too many hops, just a great lemony citrus flavor that finishes dry. Which brings me to the reason why I prefer Shock Top over Blue Moon. I've had Blue Moon many times, and it always leaves you with a strange aftertaste. I believe it's from the wheat used, but I'm not entirely sure. Shock Top is a perfect beer for right now (summer). If you like Blue Moon, you'll probably love Shock Top. I give it two thumbs up.

5.2%ABV

[thepourman-blog]

Summerfest VS Summer Ale

I tried both of these today and was impressed by both of them. Though this showdown was extremely close, the winner was unanimous, atleast in my opinion. Lets compare them both.

Sierra Nevada's Summerfest is a Czech Pilsner that hails from Chico, California. Summerfest weighs in at a respectable 5.0% ABV, pours a golden yellow with a bright white head. This beer drinks clean and crisp, with a light hop presence, and perfect malt balance. Perfect example of what a summer beer should be in my opinion.

Samuel Adam's Summer Ale is an American wheat beer from Boston, Massachusetts. Weighs in at 5.3% ABV, pours a hazy yellow color, with a fizzy off-white head. Less hops than the Summerfest but makes up for it with a little spice (grains of paradise). Follows up with a pleasant lemon/citrus taste. Also, very refreshing. 

After much debate, Sierra Nevada's Summerfest is the clear winner.