Thursday, September 27, 2012

Saranac IPA


 I pulled this one from Saranac's 12 pac Sampler. Their India Pale Ale pours golden in color with a white head, which vanished rather quickly. Yes, I had a 'beer clean" glass. It 's aroma was very subdued, with just a hint of fresh hop and grapefruit. The flavor is quite bitter for a mid-level IPA, thus throwing its malt-to-hop balance outta whack. There were some mild grapefruit notes, but the beer lacks  that big bold hop flavor of a notable IPA. I detected a bit of "stickiness" in the mouth-feel, which did create some character. For all the "in your face" bitterness Saranac's IPA provides, I was rather happy that it didn't linger on my pallet too long. With the ongoing battle between the East and West for IPA supremacy, being middle of the road only equates to checking the box. Okay, so Saranac has an IPA. One interesting note is that they only list Cascade as their hop of choice. This only makes it even more disappointing, in that a "single hop"offering could be so nondescript. I did find Saranac's Pale Ale much more interesting, leaving me wondering why I didn't review that one. Cheers!   


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Sixpoint Craft Ales Righteous Ale


  It's always a treat to sample beers from out of your area of availability, but even better when the brewery is on your "Beer Bucket List". Wait, "Beer Bucket List"... what a great term! Okay feel free to use it appropriately without a royalty fee. Sixpoint Brewery has been high on my Beer Bucket List for quite some time, so when my girlfriend ventured to Upstate New York the first thing outta my mouth ( before be safe, have fun etc.) was "Sixpoint, Sixpoint, bring back anything from Sixpoint". That's just what she did, and Cheers to her for that! 

 Sixpoint's "Righteous Ale" was her selection and a fine choice at that. Pouring  deep amber red with an off-white head, its crown boasts some pretty large carbonation bubbles and sticky lacing. Its aroma was very mild with hints of spice and a caramel malt backbone. This is about the time where I should mention that this is actually a Rye Ale. Rye imparts a light, dry, spicy character which is often used in Pale Ale's and I.P.A.'s. I found its flavor to be nothing less than Righteous! Pretty bitter at 57 IBU's, with  spicy malt notes and just a tinge of sweetness. I have to admit there's an incredibly long lingering bitterness...(checking the can again, yep 57). Coming in at 6.3% ABV this still makes my "sessionable list". Add to that, that it's just a damn tasty brew. Cheers to Shane and the crew at Sixpoint for their continued belief that "Beer Is Culture".

For more Righteous info visit: Sixpoint Craft Ales




Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Beerattitude Fan Page "Like Drive"

Like all the great stuff you're seeing on the Beerattitude Blog? Do you want to share you own stories, interact with other Beerattitude Fans and join the Better Beer Revolution? Well the Beerattitude Facebook Fan Page is just the place. We're sharing ton's of great beer information, articles, photos, events and brewery updates each and every day. Over 70% of our Fan Page content comes from you guys. And most of this stuff you won't find  on the Beerattitude blog. So whether you've been to our Beerattitude Fan Page or not, head over now! We're at: www.facebook.com/Beerattitude   And don't  forget to show your support by hitting that "LIKE" button! Keep sending us your great stuff and we'll keep sharing it. Together we can all be a part of the Better Beer Revolution!
 

9/8/2012 ...





Monday, September 3, 2012

Terrapin Beer Co. "Easy Rider"



 
 One of the newest additions to Terrapin's Seasonal Sessions line-up is "Easy Rider". Label branded as a "Hopped Up Session Ale" Easy Rider is a true session beer in every sense of the word (or words). The nature of session beers requires that they come in under 5% ABV. Why you may ask, well session beers were created to be social beers. Beers which everyone could enjoy without fear of instant inebriation. Beers that would not adversely affect ones ability to engage in coherent conversation with others. And don't be fooled, great sessions beers will never sacrifice flavor for higher alcohol content. That's the beauty of a session beer.

 Terrapin's Easy Rider pours a wonderful golden yellow color, with a  white frothy head. It boasts an earthy hop aroma. Galaxy hops from Australia were used for their unique ability to be a dual purpose hop. They have a very distinct aroma which can provide a critrusy or passion fruit character to IPA. They can also be used with great results should you choose to dry hop your beer. In addition to Galaxy; Bravo, Zythos, Centennial and Amarillo are also used. Blending an array of hops has become almost a signature for Terrapin beers. This session ale has a light to medium body and has bitter-spiced flavors, with fruit overtones. The use of  Maris Otter, 2-Row, Crystal 24L malts give this beer a a very light and refreshing mouth-feel. You should have absolutely no problem enjoying a couple of  them over conversation with friends. It may be a bit late in the year to find  "Easy Rider", but hopefully this will "Get ya' Motor Running" for next year. So I say.... "Cheers to Session Beers!" 

For more info visit:  easy rider