Bear Republic - Racer 5 India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Racer 5 India Pale Ale
Bear Republic Brewing Company
345 Healdsburg Avenue
Healdsburg , CA USA
Est. 1995
www.bearrepublic.com 


Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Golden to amber in color with a slight haze.
Smell of grapefruit and sweet orange citrus hops on the nose.
Off-white head, about one finger high, covers to cap.
Fair amount of lacing down the side of the glass.
Citrus tastes more like grapefruit and lemon zest. It belies the aromas.
Active carbonation.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel. 


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Here's a pretty darn good IPA. I had heard a lot oh hoopla about this one. So when a recent trip took me out west, I found a bottle to bring home to try. It is good, borderline great for an American IPA. It sure fits the qualifications for a west coast IPA. Citrusy hops smell and taste.

Once again, wish I had bought a whole six pack of this stuff. But being that I can only bring back so much in luggage, it was a one off. I liked it.

What's your take?

Laughing Dog - Dogzilla Black IPA

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Dogzilla Black IPA
Laughing Dog Brewing Company
55 Industrial Park Road
Ponderay, ID USA
Est. 2005
www.laughingdogbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep mahogany red on the pour. (Pour slowly/carefully)
Citrus and piney with hints of roasted malt and even less of coffee.
Billowy tan head, easily three fingers high.
Great amount of draped lacing.
Hops that last throughout the session balanced nicely with a rich malty presence.
Medium to full bodied.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Sixty nine IBU's go into the makeup of this Black IPA, (a.k.a. Cascadian Black Ale). A malty backbone bridges the firmament to all those hops and imparts the rich inky blackness of color. This style has come from out of the northwest and is in fast company with The Reaper. I really do enjoy a well done Black IPA.

On the whimsical side, Laughing Dog has taken some poetic license to tweak the words of "Godzilla" from Blue Oyster Cult.

With a purposeful growl and a terrible sound
He pulls the rack of kegs all down

He picks up a bottle and he throws it back down
As he walks through the kegs toward the center of town

Oh no, they say he's got to go

Go, go Dogzilla!

Humorous and true to the name Laughing Dog. If you find some, get some.

Ska - Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale
Ska Brewing Co.
225 Girard Street
Durango, CO USA
Est. 1995
www.skabrewing.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 6.8 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Golden amber color.
Sweet malts, then a copious amount of pine hops aromas.
One and a half finger of off-white head.
Rings of sticky lacing down the glass with each sip.
Malt sweetness with citric zinging hops element.
Medium amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied, medium mouth feel with a slight oily hops finish. 


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Modus Hoperandi IPA is a bang-on pine/citrus sticky hops ale. It is very flavorful and well balanced with sweet malt that rounds it out, but rest assured the hops are there from start to everlasting sticky finish.


This is probably one of the best dozen or so west coast American IPA's that I've come across. Fun too, cause' The Reaper likes the skull dude - this time leading the pack in a snazzy suit and tie combo. As he takes the pony-tailed bobby-soxer into a dip, the words "Lip Up Fatty" are emblazoned above the dancing couple. It pays homage to the ska band "Bad Manners" which managed to bust a record into the UK charts back in 1980.


I also found many other "Easter Eggs" on the can.  The word 'recycle' is listed not once, not twice but three times around the can neck. Subtle word choice such as 'walk', 'kite', 'hide', 'seek' even 'shower' are reminders to do good and have fun along the way in life. Something that this beer and brewer, seem to be all about. After all, even the name Modus Hoperandi is a play on Modus Operandi. Hops is how they roll, down in Durango. And having fun seems to be in their nature.


The best hidden word gem was found on the ingredients list. It seems the folks at Ska have found a way to get around the German Purity Law of 1516 by adding a fifth ingredient and still keeping it Reinheitsgebot. What's that fifth ingredient? Love.


No German Brewer would fault them for that brewing addition. Thanks Ska!

Cigar City - Jai Alai White Oak Aged India Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Jai Alai White Oak Aged India Pale Ale
Cigar City Brewing Company
3924 West Spruce Street
Tampa, FL USA
Est.2008
www.cigarcitybeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Cloudy, orange/amber color.
Citrus hops on the nose. White Oak adds a different nose complexity of dryness.
Off-white, two finger head that hangs around a long time.
Sticky, stringy lacing inside of the glass.
Citrus (orange) hops flavored. Woody oak tones shine through.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied mouth feel. Complex flavors of drying oak and citrusy hops on the tongue.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I've had the Humidor Series IPA aged on cedar and the standard base JaiAlai IPA's before. Here's a very interesting take on the standard JaiAlai from Cigar City Brewing. It is aged on White Oak and that imparts a new and interesting taste to the beer.


The White Oak adds a rich, pungent and dry quality to the flavor. It truly speaks to you and asks, "Why don't you sit back and just sip me?" I was quite unprepared for this version and was ready to quaff away, but after the first bold flavored sip, I knew that we were going to take some time to get acquainted. It's not that the IPA is overwhelming or strong, it is that the beer has such a complex flavor profile coming off the oak.


And, boys & girls, that is not a bad thing. Settle in and get to know this oak aged treat! Not your ordinary India Pale Ale.

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.

21st Amendment - Brew Free! or Die IPA

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Brew Free! or Die IPA
21st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA USA
Brewed at:
Cold Spring, MN USA
Est. 1995
www.21st-amendment.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Beautiful deep amber color.
Piney and citrusy hops and caramel malts in aroma.
Near-white, two finger head. Nice draped lacing, good head retention.
Hops are off the charts. Malts play in the background with resiny hops taste.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied. Enveloping hops-play on tongue.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
No less than six kinds of hops (70 IBU's) and two malts make up the structure of this tongue tantilizing IPA. Found in a supermarket on my trip to Portland, OR, a six-pack of the stuff was snatched up, without question. It was the only representation of 21st Amendment's offerings at this store, but a nice find indeed. And the light weight cans made it a no-brainer for packing in my travelling cooler to bring home and share. The Reaper loves the sentiment "Brew Free! or Die" on this whimsical and free spirited container. Honest Abe is bustin' out of Mt. Rushmore much to the delight of Teddy Roosevelt and concern of George Washington. Thomas Jefferson, a brewer in his own right, appears unfazed by all this calamity. Presumably, Mr. Lincoln is going to go get a sixer of these IPA's for the boys.

Everyone that's tried some has remarked how tasty it is. I still have a few tucked away, but fear they won't last long in the mortuary fridge. And when they are gone, well, we'll continue to search out more. Very nicely done west coast style American IPA.


Get some if you can.

Muahhaahaahaa!

Oxfordshire - Pride of Oxford English Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Pride of Oxford English Ale
Oxfordshire Ales
Unit 12
Pear Tree Industrial Estate
Marsh Gibbon, Bicester
Oxfordshire England
Est. 1995
www.oxfordshireales.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 4.2% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 16.9


Postmortem Brew Review
Slightly cloudy gold/orange color.
Mostly smells of malts with some hop aromas.
Near-white, two finger head. Fair amount of streaked lacing and head retention.
Malt and hops are balanced and not overpowering. Slight watery finish.
Active amount of carbonation.
Light and crisp bodied. Easily approachable and flavorful session ale.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A new find in the area, Oxfordshire Ales did impress. It was not the most outstanding beer ever reaped by yours truly, but it reminded me how 'small beers', (those low in ABV), can have depth of flavor. This one held my interest from start to finish. Nothing about it was over-the-top. Simply stated, it was a fine everyday ale that is approachable by even those that prefer yellow lagers. Luckily for me there is another in the bottom of the chiller.

See what you've been missing, whether you're a seasoned beer drinker or if you are in search of something bolder than your current brand of macro.