Maui Brewing - Mana Wheat

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Mana Wheat

Maui Brewing Co.
Lahainatown
910 Honoapiilani Highway #55
Lahina, HI USA
Est. 2005

www.mauibrewingco.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review

Somewhere between a straw and hazy golden color.
Scant hops, fruit sweetness wafts through.
Bright white fluffy head that disappears slowly but leaves no cover.
Very little lacing down the side of the glass.
Pineapple sweetness in just the right amount to balance the hops bitters.
Carbonation is zippy.
Light and refreshing mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Part of my clan was visiting in Hawaii and they thought enough of me to bring home a few cans of Maui Brewing suds. This one was particularly refreshing in both taste and the off-beat humor from the label. "Where's my Ukulele?!?!" is printed there...why it's right in your hands. I can picture myself in the Big 5-0H with a sixer of these, parked somewhere under a tropical palm tree. Yes, that would do quite well.

The pineapple juice in the brew is sourced fresh from their own Maui Gold pineapples. And it is done very well without a whole load of sweetness intruding on the palate. I found this to be a very well balanced hefeweizen done in a uniquely American style. And truly some good mana.

Mahalo.

Narragansett Cream Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Narragansett Cream Ale
Narragansett Brewing Company
60 Ship Street
Providence, RI USA
Est. 1890
www.narragansettbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 16.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Golden in color, not unlike a pale ale.
Bready, malted scent. The smallest amount of noticeable hops.
Tight and creamy one inch head.
Head retains for a some time leaving strings of lace.
Finishes a bit more malty than hoppy as a cream ale should.
Light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Medium, soft carbonation with light and creamy mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Hi-Neighbor!

Miss me? No?  I didn't think so. I've been so busy with a dearth of things these past few months. But enough about that. There will be time for rest when I'm dead...er, uh umm, that is....well, you know what I mean.

It's been awhile since my last musings and I've had much time to ponder. Ponder the state of beer, ponder my place in beer, ponder all that makes me tick when it comes to beer. This should be a catharsis, but I wonder if it will only scratch the surface. Time will tell as only time can do. In the end only one thing remains constant; while many things have changed in the beer world, so many have remained the same.

Take Narragansett's Cream Ale for instance. Cream Ales are one of the three original styles of American crafted brews. And as far as theirs goes, it is a great standard bearer for the style. I particularly enjoy the fact that it is in sixteen ounce cans. Yes sir, this is a thirst quencher in a tallboy. Leave it to a simple, easy to drink brew to wake me from the dead, so to speak. (Seriously. You didn't think the endless puns would cease, did you? Fool!)

Now that I'm "back from the dead", I will be resuming my writing by exhuming those dead soldiers that have been collecting in the recycle bin. I still took notes while on hiatus, so I shall just dig them up and make a few selections from time to time. This Cream Ale was a recent taste, and a great starter for waking up the old taste buds again.

Looking forward to amusing you again, my minions.

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale
Rogue Ales
2320 OSU Drive
Newport, OR USA
Est.1988
www.rogue.com
www.rogue.com/beers/voodoo-bacon-maple

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear amber color with a honey colored tinge.
Distinct smokiness, bacon and maple aromas that become pronounced, then intermingle. Leans toward smoked meat on nose.
Traces of smoked malt and woody undertones.
Near white head color head that fades to a skim coat and rings the glass.
Maple flavor takes more of the lead at first and the finish has smoky malt sweetness.
Modest carbonation tingles the tongue.
Medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It was the Voodoo Man that caught my attention, not the shockingly pink painted bottle. There he was, standing with a mug of suds in hand, holding (dare I say), squeezing the life out of that piglet in his ham-fisted paw. Pink maple leafs checkered the spaces in-between each little piggy. With his sullen black eyes, pork bone necklace and replete in top hat and coat, the Voodoo Man was egging The Reaper to buy the bottle. Then it struck me that I was at Whole Foods Market. Ah hah! Well, surely this little piggy went to market, so now we would both go wheee-wheee-wheee, all the way home!

Rogue gives a tip of the voodoo top hat to Tres & Cat Daddy over at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, OR. The ale is loosely translated from the Bacon Maple Bar that can be found in the doughnut shop.  I had the good fortune to visit this past summer and can tell you that their doughnut selection is mind boggling and nothing short of awesome. Visit them at one of their three locations, but expect a line. It's worth the wait! As Voodoo Doughnuts slogan says, "The magic is in the hole!!!" The same can be said of this bottle.

As for the beer, it is a nice tribute to the creative essence that oozes from the Portland scene. Both brewmaster and baker are trend setters and at the forefront of their respective industries. I consider both the beer and the doughnuts to be fun stuff and worth a try.

Go ahead...pig out!

Sapporo Reserve Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Sapporo Reserve Beer
Sapporo Brewing Company
20-1, Ebisu 4-chrome, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo-to Tokyo-shi, Japan
Est.1876
www.sapporobeer.jp

Brewed by:
Sapporo Brewing Company
(Formerly Sleeman Breweries)
551 Clair Road West
Guelph, Ontario Canada
www.sapporobeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Fairly clear and yellow/golden color.
Grain sweetness and hops.
Tall, tightly bubbled, foaming white head with good lace.
Malt taste and hops finish.
Copious carbonation.
Light body. Clean finish. Refreshing and drinkable.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 
Premium or Reserve? They are pretty close to me, except for a .2% higher ABV and a golden colored can, I am unable to see or taste much of a difference between this Reserve and the previously reviewed Premium. Both are tasty as far as lagers go. Both have a nice malt taste with a dash of bittering hops for finish. And both come in gleaming sculpted vessels.

Be sure to take a look at the Sapporo commercial, it is like a movie trailer for the next most awesome CGI style fantasy film. Mere words cannot describe it, except to say that it will take you on a 100+ year history of the science, art and magic that has become the Sapporo brewing dynasty. It is breathtaking, beautiful, engaging and weaves a tale of the exacting standards that German-trained brewer, Seibei Nakagawa used to create this beer at Sapporo; the oldest of breweries in Japan.

詳細してください (Shōsai shite kudasai)

Mad River - Steelhead Extra Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Extra Pale Ale
Mad River Brewing Company

195 Taylor Way
Blue Lake, CA USA
Est. 1989
http://www.madriverbrewing.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Unfiltered golden yellow color. Yeast suspension at finish of pour.
Spicy, floral hops are present in the nose. Soft grain malts with slight grass aromas.
Two finger, near-white head on pour. Two fingers tall, then rapidly covers to a cap.

Spotted lacing (not much) on the glass.
Hops and malt are well balanced. Balanced up front with mild hops grip at the end.
Light bodied. Easy to drink.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Pale Ales just don't get any love. Most are cast aside as erstwhile brews, in favor of their bigger brother the India Pale Ale.


This is an American Pale ale, not an English. The malts are a bit sweeter and the hops give it just the right amount of dryness to the finish. I could easily sit here and drink several of these in a session.  Going back to my opening statement, you see the thing about us Americans is that bigger is better. More, more, more. Well, sometimes less is more. And when it comes to less than an IPA, I'd put money down for this Pale Ale any day of the week. I could be happy with this Pale Ale in any surrounding. And that's coming from someone that quite enjoys a face-melting hoppy beer.

As American Pale ales are only one of three original American beer styles, this one will do just fine, thank you.

Santa Fe - Nut Brown Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Nut Brown Ale

Santa Fe Brewing Company

35 Fire Place

Santa Fe, NM USA

Est.1988

www.santafebrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Deep brown color that lets just the slightest amount of light through.

Pleasant caramel sweet malts up front on the nose.

One finger, caramel/tan head that hangs around, leaving some spotted lacing.

Malty sweetness without being over the top. Nice caramel flavor that only slightly overtakes the hops.
Moderate amount of carbonation.

Medium bodied. Nice clean pop at the finish.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Brown Ales are one of those tricky little brews that on the surface might seem easy to brew, but some fail to impress. That is NOT the situation here. Santa Fe's Nut Brown Ale was a pleasant little surprise waiting for me in the back recesses of the fridge.

Reading the label I noticed the words "Whole Flower Hops" and "Malted Barley" after the introduction that stated they only use the finest ingredients. That would explain the attention to detail the brewers at Santa Fe take in crafting this Brown Ale. And all done in the English style for a Brown. Very enjoyable and quite easy to session.

Bridgeport - Cafe' Negro Coffee Infused Porter

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer 
Cafe' Negro Coffee Infused Porter
Bridgeport Brewing Company
1318 N.W. Northrup 
Portland, OR USA
Est. 1984
www.bridgeportbrew.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Rich root beer brown body color.
Roasted malt, roast coffee, hints of chocolate on the nose.
Luxurious frothy khaki colored head. Leaves trace lacing and covers to a cap.
Sweet malt flavor with nicely delayed coffee, then hints of chocolate in the finish.
Medium bodied. Great flavor complexity.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Sunday morning. House to myself and flipping through the news articles online. Oh, the digital age - no crossword puzzles for me. Read the news online instead of killing a rain forest for the paper. So instead it's just some quiet time now. Time to catch up on some blogging and some beer.


As the first days of low humidity have arrived here in Hell's Kitchen, I know the snowbirds will be arriving soon, coming to roost for the winter. It's about 68 degrees this morning and so nice outside. I couldn't resist sitting outdoors, curled up with the laptop and this beauty of a porter. Better yet, I am having the Cafe' Negro just at the peak of its nominal shelf life. All those coffee and roasted malt flavors have had a chance to get to know each other real well the past few months. And if I do say so, I am digging it! Get it? That's a Reaper pun. Oh, okay. Whatever. I'm easy, like Sunday morning....


This is something I would enjoy again and again as a Sunday morning eyeopener. After all, the folks at Bridgeport went the extra mile to infuse coffee in the porter, so why not indulge in a little weekend AM luxury? Ahh, relaxation...hmmmm, what's this? Why it's a crossword puzzle app for my smartphone!


Quick...what's a nine letter word for an outstanding porter?


Cafe' Negro.

Thornbridge - Jaipur India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Jaipur India Pale Ale
Thornbridge Brewery
Riverside Brewery
Buxton Road

Bakewell, Derbyshire England
Est. 2005
www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.9 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 16.9


Postmortem Brew Review
Unfiltered golden yellow color.
Some citrus hops and honey aromas. Malts are subdued, but sustained in strength.
Two finger, off white head on pour.

Good amount of stringy lacing down the side of the glass.
Hops and malts are well balanced. Honey flavor is mild and enticing. Hops surge in bitterness moments after the sip.
Medium bodied. Well balanced with plenty of flavor. Easy to drink.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It was a great day when I discovered this bottle of Thornbridge's Jaipur IPA. I'm a big fan of the BBC hit show Top Gear. One of the show's principle hosts, James May, has gone on to appear in a few other interesting shows including a mini-series called, "Oz and James Drink to Britain". The show came about after they had done a couple of wine tasting mini-series, where Oz tries his best to educate James on the finer points of wine and wine making.


During the beer series, James tries to turn the tables on Oz. One episode in particular was based upon a Yorkshire pub crawl, via train through the central British countryside. In a comical respite during the pub crawl, James and Oz sample this very IPA by Thornbridge. During the crawl, James counters the droning of Oz Clarke, a noted wine connoisseur, about the differences between wine and beer. As they begin their crawl at the first railway station pub, James puts Oz in his place by declaring: 

"Beer is a simple drink for people who want to get on with something useful. I'ts not a philospher's drink - - - it's not like wine. French people drink wine and sit there, then comtemplate the meaning of a teacup. British people drink beer to slake the thirst they've built up from building things. It's ridiculous, right?" --- James May

Not ridiculous at all. James is dead right, if you'll forgive the morbid pun. Muahaahaahaa! Oz eventually goes on to guess correctly that it's Jaipur, but the point sticks with him through the trip. Oz admits that James might be on to something.


Do enjoy this fine British IPA. Might I suggest watching all of the episodes whilst doing so? You will see that Oz will make a believer out of James in noting the finer qualities of well built ales. Of course, James will keep his 'wine-ponce' friend Oz in check with cheeky remarks on their journey to appreciation of well crafted ales.


PS - The train pub crawl is now on The Reaper's official "bucket list".

Rheingold Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Rheingold Lager
The Rheingold Brewing Company
372 Danbury Road - Suite 163

Wilton, CT USA
Bottled at:
The Rheingold Brewing Company
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Est. 1883
www.rheingoldbrewingcompany.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Pale straw yellow color.
Sweet grainy malt and just a dash of hops in aroma.
Two finger, bubbly white head on pour, and then it's gone in 30 seconds.

No lace on the glass.
Hops are pretty indistinguishable and the copious presence of grainy malt abounds.
Very active carbonation
Light bodied.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Ballantine. Shaefer. Piel's. Shmidt. Yadda, yadda, yadda and the list goes on. This beer would have made a great addition to the run of Beers of Yesteryear that I ran a couple of years ago. It fits right in. I am old enough to recall Rheingold being around at the family picnics and gatherings back in the tri-state area of NY, NJ & CT.


It was the official beer of the Mets, (the Yankees had Ballantine). Rhiengold, like so many of the others mentioned above, had its heyday during the 1940's through the early 1970's. Then like most of the others, they were bought up for branding and recipe by Pabst, or swallowed whole by Anheuser Busch or put asunder by Miller and Coors. The redundancy of yellow fizzy lager beers caused the collapse and only the biggest and strongest survived. Well, this one couldn't be killed off that easily.


An investment group recently bought and reinvigorated the brand. Interestingly, they kept the same branding, logos, formulation, etc. in a hope that nostalgic lagers would become hip. After all, Pabst and Narragansett have been able to cash in on this type of success with good marketing campaigns. So now we have a beer that once hailed from New York, is now headquartered in Wilton, CT and is brewed (presumably contract) in WIlkes-Bare, PA. Is this a flag looking for a country or the other way around?

Any way you slice it, another tried and true name has been lifted off the scrap heap and is getting some air under it's wings for lift. For nostalgia's and their sake, let's hope it rises like the Phoenix out of the ashes.

This ends your history lesson for the day.

Nimbus - Red Ale

Dead Monkey

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Red Ale

Nimbus Brewing Company LLC

3850 E. 44th

Tucson, AZ USA

Est. 1996

www.nimbusbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Clear, copper color.

Great malts aromas and splashes of floral hops are present in the nose.

Two finger firm crisp white head that leaves great spiderweb lacing.
Tastes lightly sweet from the addition of four kinds of malts.

Just the right amount of carbonation.

Balanced malt and hops flavor, light bodied. Slightly watery.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
There's that monkey again. This time e's running around with a pitcher and mug of frothy beer in his hand. He's dressed in what appears to be Roman gladiator garb, right down to the calf laced sandals. Hmmm...not sure I get the connection, but there's probably a good inside joke going on over at Nimbus.

As for the ale, it's plenty fine. There is a dry aromatic hops finish that is pleasant, not bitter in the least. My only slight is that for all the flavors and aromas in this beer, it was just a touch on the watery side. It could have used a bit more mouth feel. But is did not diminish the wonderful flavors that were present from the complex bill of malt and hops.

Hope that monkey doesn't run with scissors in his hand.

Mendocino - Black Hawk Stout

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Black Hawk Stout

Mendocino Brewing Company

1601 Airport Road

Ukiah, CA USA

Est. 1983

www.mendobrew.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Deep, near black color with ruby highlights when held up to light.

Roasted malts and chocolate notes shine through.

Caramel colored, creamy, two finger head that covers nearly to the end of the glass.

Moderate carbonation.

Nice amount of stringy lacing on glass.

Clean taste has chocolate and roast malt with hints of roasted nuttines.

Medium bodied with a clean and dry finish. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy 

Let's get the pun out of the way. Black Hawk Down! Yeah, it went down alright from creamy head start to clean dry finish. The light complexity of roasted malt and chocolate notes, along with the nuttiness made for a very pleasant brew. This is an unusually crisp Stout.

An easy quaff at 5.2%ABV, so if you're a Stout lover, this is certainly for you. Once this bird is on your arm, you'll want to remember to remove the hood before drinking.

Alaskan - Amber

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Alaskan Amber
Alaskan Brewing Company

Juneau, AK USA

Est.1985

www.alaskanbeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.3 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Copper/brown in color.

Bready, earthy and slight spice nose. Subdued malts and brown sugar come through along with some noble hop aromas.

One finger, biege/tan colored head that leaves spotty lacing.

Taste biscuit and caramel malt with bitter nuttiness and spiced component. A bit of brown sugary sweetness in the malt evens it all out..
Medium carbonation.

Light to medium bodied. Drinks smooth; finishes clean, dry and bitter.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Altbier by definition falls into two categories. Dusseldorf and Northern German. Alaskan Amber is the latter, and as a Northern German Altbier goes, it matches the criteria very well. This is NOT an amber ale/red ale, so do not confuse it for that while drinking. Altbier has a very unique set of qualities all its own.


I found this to be as interesting as their White Ale. They both stick to their styles more closely than others. This certainly sets Alaskan apart from many other brewers, as it seems there is a strong adherence to the style code. As a beer drinker, I appreciate that, because it wakes up my taste buds and I do take notice.


A nice, stoic little drinker, just like the hard working fishing boat on the label.

Cisco Brewers - Whale's Tale Pale Ale

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Whale's Tale Pale Ale
Cisco Brewers 
5 Bartlett Farm Road
Nantucket, MA USA
Est. 1992
www.ciscobrewers.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy amber to copper color.
Smells biscuit malt, slight sweetness and a scosh of hops.
White two fingered head, covers quickly to wisp.
Fair amount of lacing down the side of the glass.
Malt forward body with a nice grippy finish of hops.
Medium carbonation.
Light to medium bodied. Super enjoyable to drink.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
American brewed, but and English Pale Ale. And a classy one to boot. The fresh tasting English malts combine nicely with the domestic American malts. A good dash of Kent Golding hops and viola'! Nice working pale ale.

I've had their Blonde Ale, which was brought back from a trip up north, closer to where it is brewed. The best part for me is that Cisco now makes it's way into my state. Now I don't have to search for it any longer. The name makes a double pronged statement. On the one hand, Nantucket was once the whaling capital of the world. On the other hand, "Whale's Tales The Prince of Wales" is an age old drinking game. Yours truly just happens to know all the sorted rules, having played it fairly extensively during ditch digging school. Back in the day. Check it out on their website and you'll see.

Whale's Tales The Prince of Wales, in a stationary court of two, calls on YOU!

Shiner Oktoberfest

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Shiner Oktoberfest
Spoetzl Brewery
603 East Brewery Street
Shiner, TX USA
Est. 1909
www.shiner.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear amber color.
Biscuit and bready malts, not much in the way of hops presence.
Light fluffly near-white head with very little lacing.
Abundant amount of carbonation.
Medium malt taste and slippery/slick mouth feel on the finish.
Light to medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I do love a good Marzen style Oktoberfest beer. They are the beers that were a gateway into craft for me, so very long ago. I have tasted lots of them by now and it is interesting to see the American take on them versus the German take. There are usually a few variances.

For one thing, American style usually denote the word Octoberfest with the letter "c" as opposed to the letter "k" for the Germans. That's not always true, as in Shiner's case, but it is a generality that I have noticed. Another generality is the American styles are typically a bit more malt forward; that is to say they are also a bit sweeter as a result of the amount and style of malts used. German Oktoberfests are nearly perfectly balanced with hops and malts on the front end and just a touch of hop bitterness at the end. I would also say the German Marzens tend to be lighter tasting and bring you back for more. They finish cleaner, too.

As for this beer, sadly it does not impress me much. I know that Spoetzl is German in origin, but in the end it was a bit lackluster for me when it comes to an Oktoberfest beer.

Deschutes - Black Butte Porter

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com 


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Dark black with reddish hues on the edges.
Roasted malts and roasted coffee in aroma.
Deep tan, two finger head. Draped lacing with good head retention.
Coffee and malt taste, though just a bit restrained.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium to full bodied. Rich, creamy, smooth and refreshing.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Black Butte has been hanging out in the mortuary fridge for a while. Lucky me, I recently had some of this on Tap out in Portland and took some tasting notes. While the draught version is a bit tastier and fresher, my notes were fairly similar. The only thing lacking in my bottle version was a bit more punch of malt and coffee flavors that were found in the tap pint I tried. Other than that, no complaints.

I noted the bottle neck label mention that this porter uses the Kraeusening process in which the brewer adds freshly fermenting wort to beer that is ready to bottle. This aids the fermentation process, right in the bottle up until the point it is opened to be consumed.

This is a solid porter and is so smooth and creamy. It finishes with a nice clean pop and makes you come back for another sip, over and over.

SanTan Brewing - Epicenter Amber Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Epicenter Amber Ale

SanTan Brewing Company

8 South San Marcos Place

Chandler, AZ USA

Est. 2007

www.santanbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Dark amber color with deep orange tones.

Malted sweetness and gentle hops on nose. Caramel, some honey (?) and wet grain aromas.

Two finger bone colored head that leaves rings of lacing.
Tastes candy caramel sweet at first but mellows as the hops kick in. Stronger in malt taste than hops.

Not overly carbonated.

Medium flavor, medium bodied.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Within the past 24 hours, two earthquakes have struck in the US. Colorado had a 5.7 magnitude around midnight Mountain Time. And just within the last couple of hours, it was reported that Washington D.C. was rocked by a 5.9 magnitude quake. Ladders shook, chandeliers swayed and even beer bottles were heard to topple in fridges throughout the region. (Okay, I made that last part up.)


It might be a good time to check the status of my chiller out back, to inspect for any damages. Mmmmm, let's see. I'm thirsty. Why yes...that one there! It was a natural - - - Epicenter. Muahahahaa, I always go for the quick pun. Epicenter was fine choice during a crisis such as this. I found the brew to be leaning much stronger on the malt side, but not as "unbalanced" as the name might imply. A great choice for a "Code Red" emergency. Though it's brewed out west, the irony prevails that I should have it on hand for such an auspicious occasion, here in the east.


All things considered, it's going to take an act of God to shake up our nation's capital, figuratively and literally. If that doesn't do it, the other part of the one-two punch is coming. Hurricane Irene is slowly sweeping up the east coast and poised at D.C. One of The Reaper's better projects.

Hang onto you beer my minions...

Oakshire - Overcast Oatmeal Espresso Stout

Dead Soldier 

Matt Van Wyk - Oakshire Brewing

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Overcast Espresso Stout
Oakshire Brewing
1055 Madera Street
Eugene, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.oakbrew.com/


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 (3 oz. sample)


Postmortem Brew Review
Rich, black coffee color.
Smell of espresso coffee and roasted malts.
Firm tan colored head, about one finger high.
Good lacing down the side of the glass.
Coffee and cocoa notes dominate this oatmeal stout.
Medium to large bodied. Full, rich flavored mouth feel.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Round #7
This blog post was done live at the 2nd Annual Beer Blogger's Conference, held in Portland, Oregon. 95 bloggers were in attendance, from over one thousand identified blogs. Luminaries of the craft beer world also attended to serve as presenters and keynote speakers for the event. A "speed round" of blogging was held by brewers, each bringing an exemplary brew to blog. Great craft beers, 12 blogging tables and 60 minutes were allotted in a fun, free-for-all session. 

New Planet - Off Grid Pale Ale

Dead Soldier 

Danielle Quatrochi - New Planet

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Off Grid Pale Ale
New Planet Brewery
3980 Broadway
Ste. 103 – PMB 116
Boulder, CO USA
Est. 2008
www.newplanetbeer.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 (3 oz. sample)


Postmortem Brew Review
Deep amber color.
Smell of citrus and spicy hops on the nose.
Off white head, about one finger high, covers to wisp.
Minimal lacing down the side of the glass.
Gluten free. Light bodied mouth feel.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Round #4
This blog post was done live at the 2nd Annual Beer Blogger's Conference, held in Portland, Oregon. 95 bloggers were in attendance, from over one thousand identified blogs. Luminaries of the craft beer world also attended to serve as presenters and keynote speakers for the event. A "speed round" of blogging was held by brewers, each bringing an exemplary brew to blog. Great craft beers, 12 blogging tables and 60 minutes were allotted in a fun, free-for-all session. 

Samuel Smith's - Organic Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Samuel Smith's Organic Lager
The Old Brewery at Tadcaster
Yorkshire, England
Est. 1758
www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Clear gold color.
Toasted bread, yeast malt and grassy hops aroma.
White fluffy head. Two fingers high and leaves spotty lacing.
Toasted malt sweetness with same grassy hops taste noted in aromas.
Above average carbonation.
Light bodied mouth feel. Very easy to drink.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Another very nice beer from Samuel Smith's stable and listed organic, to boot. The Reaper always says, "good things come from the earth." The way it drinks and tastes, you could almost mistake it for a pale ale.  This beer is decent as far as lager's go and it's worth a try.

Dig some up.

SanTan Brewing - Hefeweizen

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Hefeweizen

SanTan Brewing Company

8 South San Marcos Place

Chandler, AZ USA

Est. 2007

www.santanbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review

Hazy/cloudy near orange color.

Banana, orange and lemon citrus zest and wheaty yeast aromas.

Two finger white head that leaves stringy lacing.
Banana, then clove and wheat with light citrus on the back end.

Modest amount of carbonation.
Light bodied. Easy to drink.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy

The next in my SanTan lineup, their Hefeweizen found it's place on yet another hot and humid Florida day. Sitting by the pool, this one didn't last long. After surveying it's looks, aromas and taste, down the hatch it went. Very refreshing and very nice.


I think this probably works equally well in the hot and dry heat of Arizona. I might trade you humidity for dryness but I will keep my SanTan Hefe. Cheers!