Review: Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale

Brewery:  Smuttynose Brewing Co.

Locale:  Portsmouth, NH

Craft Circa:  1994

Style:  American Pale Wheat Ale

ABV:  5.46%

IBUs: 15

Label:  Nostalgic. 

Overall:   What an appropriate beer for today.  A string of hot and humid days here, and what better way to end this run of Gainesville (shout out to Gooner) Swamp like weather than to give this wheat ale a try.  The beer pours almost as hazy as today, a nice golden haze.  It is lightly hopped, and quite refreshing, but lacks tastiness.  Overall, it is an average beer.  For the style of beer, it’s above average.  For a Smuttynose brew, it’s below average.  Probably my least favorite Smuttynose I’ve consumed, and I’ve been impressed with a couple other Smutty’s that I’ve tried.  There are plenty of other summer seasonal beers that are worth acquiring, and with so many options, I feel this one does not stand out in a crowd of summer seasonals like a Seminole fan would at a Gator game (Gooner again).  There is just not enough to it. There are some hints of what you may expect in a beer referring to itself as a Summer Weizen, but that’s the point…  they are only hints.   

There’s one person in mind that may be able to save this beer, with enough hard work and enough prayer.  This Man. 

Acquisition:  6 pack  - $9

Tidbits:  Smuttynose is named after Smuttynose Island, the third largest of the nine islands that comprise the Isles of Shoals, a small, rocky archipelago that lies seven miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. The name appears on nautical charts going back as far as the seventeenth century, so its true origins are lost to time.  Prior to the arrival of Smuttynose Brewing, the island was best known for a brutal double axe murder that occurred there in 1873.  This is per Smuttynose website.

~gY

Review: Two Brothers Hop Juice

Brewery:  Two Brothers Brewing Company

Locale:  Warrenville, IL

Craft Circa:  1997

Style:  Double IPA

ABV:  9.9%

IBUs:  100.1

Notables:  An artisan beer crafted with a limited release in June of each year. 

Label:  Wonderful bottle.  A hop squeezed into a glass.  Sigh…. if it only were that easy.   

Overall:   I hyped this one up in my mind due to the favorable beers and consistency I’ve consumed through Two Brothers.  Across the board they are one of the more unswerving breweries out there.  Hop Juice did not disappoint.  This is an extraordinary brew.  No wonder this brew has its own festival.   That’s right, its own festival.  The Hop Juice Festival takes place the first weekend of June each year, to kick off the release I imagine.   They also have a home brew competition, so start working on yours this year. 

Double IPAs, also referred to as Imperial IPAs are an extra hopped version of an IPA. They typically have alcohol content above 7.5% volume according to Wiki. 

This is an extra hopped version of their Resistance IPA, with full citrus and a balanced blend of caramel that works nicely.  A little heavier than I would have imagined, making it difficult to drink another in the midst of a heat wave, but an excellent beer.  Very smooth, very bold, and it’s a very good choice for just about any occasion.  Just make that occasion a June event to take advantage of the fresh hops.  Hovering around 10% alcohol, a few of these and you’ll be doing stunts like Mrs. Featherbottom in no time! 

Acquisition:  22 oz.  $8 - $9

Tidbits:  The Hop Juice festival takes place outside of Naperville, IL.  If you plan on attending in the near future, play it safe!  Naperville and the surrounding area are continuously in the top tier for DUI arrests in Illinois and are infamous for making busts constantly. 

~gY

Review: Estrella Damm Daura

Brewery:  Damm S.A.

Locale:  Barcelona, Spain

Craft Circa:  1876

Style:  Lager

ABV:  5.4%

Notables: Available year-round; Gluten Free

  

Spain – “La Roja” (The Red) or “La Furia Roja” (The Red Fury)

vs

Italy - “Gli Azzurri” (The Blues) (See our review on Birra del Borgo’s IPA)

Apologies for my tardiness, I’d like to say that I got caught up in the celebrations of Spain’s spanking of the Azzurri with a score of 4 - nil to repeat as European champions in Euro 2012.  However, I was rooting for the Blues.  Thankfully it didn’t end up in PKs (Penalty Kicks), no one wants to see that, but who would’ve guessed we’d be subjected to such a lopsided game.  Either way congrats to La Roja and their fans, the sure favorites to repeat as 2014 World Cup champions in Brazil.   

Now on to the beer review….

Label:  Nothing special though incorporated the color red, a prominent color of Spain. 

Overall:   Pretty good.  Our somewhat randomly selected beer to represent the Spanish side is Estrella Damm Daura from the brewery Damm S.A.  When you think of Spain, beer or cerveza isn’t usually the first thing that pops in your head (at least not my head), more likely you’ll think of wine or vino.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this beer, it’s probably because I went into this with very low expectations.  The beer had a very crisp, refreshing, almost “nutty” flavor from what I could gather.  This was a pretty good lager as lagers go.  And an added bonus for those of you who care, it’s gluten-free too (also see review on Two Brothers Brewing Company’s Prairie Path Golden Ale).  

So enjoy this beer year round while watching a bullfight if that’s your thing or a fútbol match or simply nothing at all.

Acquisition:  4 pack $7.99 11.2 oz. bottles

~Gy

Review: Birra del Borgo ReAle Extra

Brewery:  Birra del Borgo

Locale:  Borgorose, Italy

Craft Circa:  2005

Style:  India Pale Ale

ABV:  6.2%

Label:   Simple. The font looks as if hop vines are growing across the label. 

SPAIN - Estrella Damm Daura   (refer to our review)

&

ITALY - Birra del Borgo ReAle Extra

Overall:   In honor of the Euro 2012 tourney concluding this afternoon, we wanted to provide a review of two beers brewed and crafted in the countries participating in the finals today.  Spain and Italy.  For Italy, we were in search of the original ReAle, which is their rendition of an American Pale Ale, but the ReAle Extra was what was available at our local store.  This is considered an extra hopped version of the ReAle.  Per the Birra del Borgo website, all the hops are added during the last 10 minutes of the boil, using 3 times more than regular ReAle.

Average  to above average IPA.  The more you sip it the more profound it becomes, but it does stick around a little too long.  I was about to write this one off, but the more you drink it, the more drinkable it becomes.  What drags this ale down is the immediate bitterness and the tangy Carolina BBQ Sauce flavor that follows.  Ok, i'm exaggerating, but it sure is sweet and tangy.  Not overwhelming, but enough to avoid calling this brew above average.  If I were to sip on this each time I cheered on Gli Azzurri in the Euro, I’m glad it takes place every four years as that is all my palate can take of this.  Too sweet for my liking… but not as sweet as this Diana Ross penalty kick.

Acquisition:  375 ML - $9

Tidbit:  By the way, if you are ever in the Carolina area on a road trip.  Highly recommend the link above.  Bubba’s BBQ is quite good, and right off I-77, north of Charlotte. 

~gY