A few weeks back, Mike and I were invited to Pyramid to sample some of their seasonal beers, specifically the much discussed Imperial Hefe. This is the second time I’ve been out to Pyramid and the second time I’ve walked away impressed. You see, I don’t drink a lot of Pyramid products and, at one time, I’d convinced myself they were less-than-good. My first trip there, when I sampled every beer on their menu, I realized that these guys make a solid lineup, miles ahead of what I think of the beers of Wydmer. Anyway, the Broken Rake.
This beer was once a regular seasonal, as we were told, but a few years back was taken out of the lineup, for reasons we weren’t told. This year the big-wigs of Pyramid evidently have rededicated themselves to seasonal and reserve beers (the Imp Hefe is considered a reserve), a move we should all applaud. Broken Rake, I gathered, was their late Summer offering and is described on the 12oz bottle as a beer that is “full bodied with a malty sweet finish” and that pretty much sums it up. I just have nothing bad to say about this beer. Starts sweet, with a slight burnt sugar note, is nicely balanced with a mild hop bittering and with a sweet finish that lingers into the aftertaste. It seems to be a shade lighter in color than the Fat Tire, not that I have them side by side at this time, but the flavor and finish seems designed for those who like New Belgium’s flagship beer.
I am reminded of point seven of the post below. Often we talk about those who have complaints about Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium, but rarely do we discuss Pyramid – clearly a major player in the national beer scene. I have met several of their brewers and can tell you straight that they know their stuff. Not only that, Pyramid is one of the few breweries in the country who assists their brewers further their brewing education. Their beers are highly drinkable, often without flaw, but are too often overlooked by beer enthusiasts seeking something different. I fall into this trap myself, mind you. I just don’t rush out to buy a Pyramid and seldom seem happy if this is all a restaurant has on tap. I realize, when drinking a beer like the Broken Rake, that I’ve been wrong every time I roll my eyes at the Pyramid taps in bars saturated in Bud and Coors handles. Even on that recent trip we took, trying the Hefeweizen they make drove home the point these guys simply make good beer. Is it the best out there? No, not in my mind. However, I just can’t find a complaint with beers like this one next to me.
Score: 3.2/5
Post Script
- Keep an eye out for that Imperial Hefe I mentioned, you won’t be sorry. I simply couldn’t believe that beer was more than 8% ABV.
- Also look for their Double IPA that is due out very soon. Mike, the GM in Sacramento, is too excited about this beer for it to be bad.
- About Mike, Sacto’s GM: This guy is one of the most passionate, friendly, engaging beer people I know. I met him at a good beer bar locally, he was there off shift and happened to take a seat next to mine. My passion for beer along with his made for loud and enthusiastic conversation and a good time. I’ve seen him several times since and am always delighted when he sits with us. Pyramid, I don’t know where you found this guy, but he is a great face for your company – I hope you know that already.
- About Sacto’s location: They are nearly complete with their new brewery installation. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have a few reservations about this – I just don’t know what they’re doing. However, whatever reservation I have is nothing much compared to the excitement I have with the prospects of enjoying hand crafted beers you won’t find in stores.
- Did you know: Pyramid has label approval for something like 100 beers in California? Yeah, I was blown away.
Written by Mark Zahn, Jeff Barber and Rick Sellers
This week was pretty busy for the PBN crew, with a couple of great beer tastings locally. I started my Tuesday night with Mark and Jeff over at Vino’s, along with Jose and Jim (all have been on our show). We were there for Adam Avery, who was in town for a couple of days to push his lineup upon us willing to try it, and this night saw 15 of his beers being poured for our enjoyment. I didn’t stay long, sadly, I had to head to BJ’s for their first Brewers Dinner, but Jeff and Mark were there for the long run and did a good job summing things up.
Mark, being known in our parts as the Beer Geek, brought along his pen and paper to aid his ever-failing memory for future reference, purchases. He shared his notes with me, and I thought they were good enough to pass on, thinking they make a pretty decent Avery Buying Guide. Sorry we didn’t get all the Avery names here, by the way, but we got the styles listed.
The Avery tasting at Vino’s was quite interesting. Here were my impressions about the beers with a very basic 1-5 point scale:
American Brown: light and mild; easy drinking – 3
Wit: very light; refreshing, but a bit weak – 3
IPA: nice hop flavor, fruity; a bit dry but a solid American IPA – 3
American Porter: smokey flavor; a bit grainy and fizzy (not in the Old Grind class) – 2
Weizen Doppelbock: a bit Belgian Dubbel-like with some cherry notes. Very enjoyable; a solid brew – 4
Belgian Dubbel IPA: nice hops with a Belgian twist; smooth and packed with flavor; well balanced; a solid 4, but I’ll give it a 5 because of Adam’s adventurism in trying this – 5
Belgian Strong Golden Ale: pretty light and refreshing (is this really 9%?); a bit more malty than the Deschutes 19th; tasty – 3
Belgian Quad Dark Strong Ale: a really mellow Quadrupel; nicely balanced; I lean slightly to the Urthel Quad, but this was good – 3
Hog Heaven American Barleywine: 100% Columbus hops – spicy in aroma and flavor (peppery!); nice balance, very good – 4
Maharaja Imperial IPA: unfortunately, this bottle seemed to be off; – no score
Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest Strong Lager: basically a strong Munich Helles (not a Marzen beer); interesting beer – most people liked it, I found it a bit too fruity which overshadowed the biscuit malt – 2
Russian Imperial Stout: not an imperial stout in the Rasputin class; thin body; very nice flavors; a solid stout – 3
Grand Cru Belgian Dark Strong Ale: a very enjoyable strong Belgian ale; sweet, but balanced – 4
English Oak-Aged Barleywine: very sweet! Strong vanilla notes; a bit too sweet for me, but a good desert beer – 3
Belgian Imperial Stout: very fruity; sweet stout with cherry and plumb notes; this is definitely an imperial; another solid 4, but I’ll give Adam a 5 on this one too because of his adventurism – 5Well, that’s what my taste buds discovered during the Avery tour. Very interesting – good beers, I hope he does well in Cal.
Jeff, having checked out Mark’s notes as well, had a few additional thoughts.
I didn’t bring my scores home, but I know I bought the Hog Heaven and the Belgina Dubbel IPA, which I thought we’re excellent. I also remember I scored the IPA high, as well as the Maharaja. The Maharaja wasn’t as good as I remember it. I also thought the Belgian Imperial Stout was quite good, but balked at the price (8.99 for 12oz bottle). I agree with Mark on the Imperial Oktoberfest, I thought it was way too fruity for an Oktoberfest and thought the Belgian Wit had a weird, off-finish for me. Overall a great night though, with some very unique beers.
I’ve heard from several people that the night kicked ass there at Vino’s, and I was a bit sorry I’d left the party. However, I had a great time at BJ’s and hope to get you some notes on that soon.
Reviewed by Mark, the Beer Geek
UPDATE:
We intended to put a link in so you can purchase this – here it is. If you’re travelling to Southern California, it’s well worth the price.
If you’re planning a trip to southern California, or even if you live there, there’s now a resource for beer hunters that is a must have: “The Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California.” This book – which actually looks like a magazine – offers the beer traveler a huge amount of information on the region’s breweries, brewpubs, and craft beer bars, as well as info on beer festivals, homebrew clubs, and even craft beer retailers.
It’s amazing how much info has been collected – and quite frankly, it’s amazing how many breweries and brewpubs are now in southern California. The Beer Guppy’s Guide was put together by Jay Shevak, and he’s collected about 100 pages of useful information together with maps, broken down into four regions (one which is actually the Las Vegas area). His “travel guide” goes for only $9.95 – a real bargain considering how many hidden treasures it exposes.
As you flip through the pages, you’ll find that it will remind you of a AAA guide, with icons for a quick overview of each location, hours of operation, lists of beers available, and other amenities offered. If you’re traveling through a given area, simply look at the regional map, and you’ll most probably find a beer oasis on the way. By reviewing the details of what’s offered at each brewery, pub, restaurant, etc., you’re bound to find something that will interest you.
Of course you could take the time to search the web and review each brewery’s website individually, but this guide will save you a huge amount of time since it gives you useful overview information and consolidates it all into one handy book. If something appeals to you and you want more info than The Beer Guppy already collected, then you can research a location further online. Ultimately, the idea is that you research each location at the source!
Jay Shevak has done a great service for the beer industry in southern Cal with The Beer Guppy’s Guide; we here at Pacific Brew News have already made use of it!
Well, this isn’t officially a Summer beer, but a Spring release instead. That said, this has been a great find this last week, a bit of a diversion from the normal and uber-hopped beers I seem to gravitate to. The guys at Lagunitas call the Sirius a “Hi Gravity Cream Ale”, which is a bit like having an Imperial Pilsner I suppose.
What exactly is a Cream Ale? A dear friend of mine recently asked this very question and I’ll tell you what I told her. Basically, if you take a pre-Prohibition lager and use an ale yeast, you’ve got yourself a Cream Ale. Pre-Prohibition lagers, of course, used a fair amount of corn (20%), American six-row malt and whatever hop variety the brewer could find – American or otherwise. There aren’t a lot of Cream Ales or Pre-Prohibition beers out on the market these days, which is a sad realization for those of use who love the beers. However, if you have a good homebrewing friend you can make a day of it and brew both in one day – same malts, same hops, different yeast. A good friend of mine, David, makes wonderful Cream Ale, and I am always happy to sample it in the Summer months.
Back to Sirius, which apparently is the brightest star in the night sky, sometimes visible in the daylight. The beer is golden in color, has a white foamy head that has decent retention and great clarity. The aroma is light overall, but it isn’t too hard to detect the grassy hop notes – it is a bit harder, however, to nail down the malt character (at least for me). I also can’t rightfully say if the guys at Lagunitas uses any corn in this or not – I would assume so, but I am not getting it in the aroma or flavor. The beer is downright drinkable, highly enjoyable and deceptively powerful – 7.6% ABV, are you kidding me?!
I know the review is late, that most this has flown off the shelves by now, but if you happen to see a random six-pack laying around, do yourself a huge favor and pick it up.
Score: 3.6/5
The beer is new to Northern California, but I first tried this in Oregon back in January. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see this in our local Nugget Market – apparently the only place in the region carrying the product at this time. In short, there isn’t a beer put out by the guys in Alaskan that I haven’t loved, from their light Summer Ale to their near perfect Winter Ale. My hopes are high on this.
Pours a rich, thick, golden color with good clarity. The head is best described as sticky, rocky and well retaining. The aroma has it all going on: caramel, citrus, spice, alcohol. All characteristics coming together beautifully. This general combination is also found in the flavor, enhanced by the smooth and creamy texture and medium body. Next, this beer is ‘juicy’, reminding me of a few good “wet-hopped” beers you’ll see around this Fall. Along with the before-mentioned characteristics, the words “grapefruit”, “flowers” and “Spring” come to mind. Simply beautiful.
This is a great beer. It has the hops you want in a ‘west coast’ IPA, but also has a great malt backbone that you don’t see everyday out here. However, this sweetness isn’t as pronounced as you’ll find back east in their IPAs. This beer is new to the market, but I believe I’ll be pulling this off the shelf more quickly than most of the IPAs out there. No, this is not as agressively hop bittered as many of my staple IPAs, but wow… that flavor is rich!
Score on this… 4.2/5
From their website…
Ingredients:
Alaskan IPA is made from glacier-fed water and a generous blend of the finest quality European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and premium two-row and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Ice Field and from more than 90 inches of rainfall each year.Recommendations:
The pronounced hop flavor makes this style of beer refreshing and a delicious accompaniment to grilled prawns, spicy food and as an aperitif.Specifications:
Original Gravity: 1.057, ABV: 6.2%, Bitterness: 55 IBU, Color: 12 SRM
I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of this beer and can’t pretend to tell you the proper pronounciation. However, I know enough to not-so-boldly say this is a fantastic example of a Bavarian Wheat beer, otherwise known as Hefeweizen. Pouring an orangish gold color, with a cloudy haze and a frothy/rocky loose bubbled head, the beer is simply a thing of beauty to look at. The aroma also seems to carry out orders from the historical style guidelines – clove and and a beautifully light fruity character.
The flavor is slightly tart, as you come to expect from the style, with a sweetness up front that is surprisingly caramel-like. The hops in this beer are clearly not the forefront, only intended to buster the character of the yeast and malts. What hops you can detect come through as a moderately peppery and lightly bittering.
The mouthfeel is another strong area of this beer, as it is nearly chewy in it’s texture. Low alcohol warmth and lending to the beers overall refreshing quality.
I won’t say this is the best Hefe I have had, but it is everything you’d want in a traditional hefeweizen. Refreshing. Flavorful. Clean.
Score: 3.9/5
FYI – I picked this beer up at Nugget Market here in Northern California. I suspect you’ll be able to find this beer and others by the same brewer. Suggest you look for these sooner than later. Judging by the date stamps, these are as fresh a beer you’ll find from Germany.
image from beerlabels.com
I had originally intended on putting this as my Summer Beer #3 review, but have reconsidered because I think this beer is available year-round. My wife and I love shopping at Trader Joe’s, it is just a great all around grocer with quality food at great prices. Several years ago they had, what I considered to be, the best beer selection in town. Now, however, they seem to have lost their interested in beer and it seems like their shelf space for beer is smaller and their variety a bit less interesting that I remember. That said, a about a year and a half ago they started carrying their own brand of beer, contract brewed in large part by Gordon Biersch. These beers are great values – usually 4.99 a six pack (and you can buy singles of any sixer they have) and each beer full of flavor and aroma.
In the heat of Summer my love of all things hoppy subsides a bit and is replaced with a love of all things tart or sour. Now, I can’t afford to drink lambic every night, sad to say, but I have found a well made hefe hits the spot. So, when I was picking up my week’s worth of groceries on Sunday I picked up a six pack of the TJ’s Hefe – my first time trying the beer – and I am happy I did.
Aroma: mild overall, with some clove spice peeking through. No hops, low malt. Clean to be sure and pleasant overall, just subdued when compared to some Bavarian samples.
Appearance: Golden color with a with fluffy head that has great retention. Slightly hazy, but not as much as other examples of the style.
Taste: Very thirst quenching, wonderful really. Slight tartness from the wheat with hints of citrus, clove and mild banana in the aftertaste. Hops are moderate, with a peppery characteristic and just enough bitterness to balance the biscuity sweetness. Finishes slightly dry with a lingering mild bittering that refreshes the palate.
Body: Medium bodied beer with low alcohol warmth and moderate carbonation. Again, a wonderful thirst quenching beer for hot summer days.
Overall: A great American made Hefeweizen, with more going on than some more widely distributed examples, but with less character overall than some of my favorite German versions (Hopf). Great for Summer days and clearly a drink designed to enjoy throughout the day. Yeah, I can have several of these without blinking an eye, meaning it must be good.
Score: 3.8/5
In this second installment of Summer Seasonal reviews for 2007 I have my first (to my knowledge) sample of Anchor’s Summer Beer. According to the Anchor website, this seasonal beer was first brewed in 1984, but has only been bottled for the past five years (since 2002). It is available April through November in six packs and 22oz bottles, with this particular sample picked up at Beverages and More in Citrus Heights.
Apparently this is an American Wheat beer, and judging by the first year brewed, it must be one of the first to be made – no surprise knowing that Anchor has paved the way for several styles we love today.
When poured into a pint glass, this beer displays a dry, somewhat earthy and dried flower aroma. Very clean aroma too, slightly crisp and certainly inviting for hot summer nights. Its color is light golden with great clarity and a frothy white head that retains itself well for about 30 seconds after pouring.
The taste hits you in three distinct waves. Up front, the beer is biscuity sweet, with light caramelization. Next, the mild peppery and floral hop flavor and bitterness – for some reason I am thinking of dried flowers when tasted. Finally, this beer shows off a crisp, moderately dry finish and a wonderful tart character that is from the 50% wheat used in the recipe.
Anchor Summer Beer has a medium body with a chewy texture to it. Their site suggest a consistency of ‘whipped eggs’, but I am not getting that necessarily. The beer is also highly carbonated, lending to a more refreshing bite your cheeks will appreciate. Their is a low alcohol presence, which you’d expect in a beer boasting 4.6% ABV.
Overall, I gotta give some love for the quality of this beer, it is a great representation of the style. If you like Hefeweizens, beware. This is an American wheat through and through and you could be quite disappointed with every aspect of this beer if you’re expecting the clove/banana character that defines Hefes. Additionally, the body and appearance would throw you off if you go into this expecting a cloudy beer. I personally find this to be very close to an American Pale Ale – but with a clear tart character.
The Score: 3.9/5
About my scores…
I am scoring these beers based on their style, not a personal preference. I am not a fan of the American Wheat Beer, it should be noted. However, many people are, and this beer is clearly made to style and is pretty much without flaw. So, it gets a high score – and 3.9 is a very high score.
My Scale (adapted from bjcp standards)
4.5 – 5 = Outstanding
3.8 – 4.4 = Excellent
3 – 3.7 = Very Good
2.1 – 2.9 = Good
1.4 – 2 = Drinkable
< 1.3 = Problems
To begin, it should be noted that Blue Frog is a favorite stop of mine when travelling out to the Bay Area or Wine Country. This isn’t because they produce a lineup of beers to rival Bear Republic, Russian River or Toronado, but because they make wonderful thirst quenching beers that serve to refresh the palate. Their Hefeweizen, in my opinion, is one of the best in the state when compared to the Bavarian tradition. Blue Frog only recently started bottling and distributing off-site and today their beers can be found throughout Northern California, in 22oz bottles, in places like BevMo and good beer shops. It was in Nugget Market where I found this sample.
I don’t know what the Blonde is supposed to be, with regard to style, but I believe it was inspired by the Pilsner, only with American flare.
The Blonde Frog’s appearance is welcoming to say the least, the honey-like golden color with brilliant clarity and white creamy head that laces on the glass, all indicating that this isn’t your average ‘blonde’. In fact, I’m a bit hard pressed to see anything blonde about this beer.
The beer really comes alive with the first wiff, which proudly displays the dry hopping it went through prior to its bottling. The hops displayed are peppery and slightly grapefruity, and I am guessing these have Noble herritage, even though I suspect these were grown in the US. Along with the fruity spice is a subtle sweetness that is a bit toffee like – again, pales in comparison to the hops.
At first taste I am again reminded this beer is more than a typical blonde. Big initial sweetness of toffee – more than was found in the aroma – and quickly balanced by a wonderful hop bite that is not overly bitter, nor is it at all resinous. The blonde finishes a bit clean, sweet and dry, and has a moderate hop bittering that lasts into the aftertaste.
In all, this is a great beer, with a lot of aroma and big flavors and a healthy medium body. The beer seems to have been designed to pair woderfully with a broad variety of meals – from salads to BBQ – and is also great on its own. I think you’ll agree.
Score: 4/5
I went out to our favorite Mexican place tonight (one of our favorites, it should read) and ordered a Chile Verde Buritto that is a wonderful way to celebrate the Summer Solstice. After placing the order I was told I needed to try Miller Chill – “It has lime and salt”. My wife laughed at the notion I’d pay the premium for the beer, which may have made me want to do it. I did it. “Sure, I’ll take one” was my spontaneous reply. I debated getting a glass for the beer, but opted out figuring I was going to go all in on this tasting, drinking it the way the scientists/marketing gurus at Miller would want it sampled. It has been a while since drinking out of a bottle, felt weird.
Now, here’s the deal. The beer isn’t bad. It light in every way and I did pour a bit out to see what color it was (answer: yellow). The taste was what I think they wanted, Corona with lime. The lime was fairly subdued at first and the salt pretty much lost in the liquid. Again, not a bad beer. I don’t have a lot more to say about the beers profile, but it should be noted that by the time my burrito showed up the beer’s lime and salt came through more clearly – not sure if that was the temperature or the food bringing that out.
So, here’s the zinger. This beer sucks. Why? Because it is supposed to. Calling this a good Mexican beer is the equivalent of calling Taco Bell good Mexican food. Sure, they go down easy and you can order both by the case with a good chance you’ll finish, but why? Because they’re cheap? No thank you. And no, I am not impressed that Miller found a way to put lime and salt in a light beer that otherwise has no character – no more than I believe adding lime and salt will make my six-pack of taco supremes taste better. Mexico puts out some fantastic beer, and sadly very few Americans seem to know. Some of the world’s finest “Vienna-styled” lagers are produced there. Hell, one of the best Barley Wines I had this year was Cacupa’s version that made it to the best of show round of Toronado’s barley wine festival this year.
So what to do? If going on the brewers intention (brewer’s intention… funny, more like if you believe what the focus group told the brewer) the beer definitely hit its mark. On top of that, I think this beer is going to be moderately successful for some time because of the way it is being marketed. When you compare it to Corona, it is comparable. I think they’ve misunderstood the appeal people have to actually putting in their own lime though, and eventually I suspect people would rather pick up the Corona sixers and a lime because that is what they’re used to.
I don’t know though, I just can’t buy into the ‘innovation’ train the folks at Miller are on. I’d actually respect them more if they focused more on their flagship beers and didn’t try to wow us with new packages and fun ingredients. So, with all this in mind, here’s the score: 1.7/5
Yes, this is a harsh review. Again though, you can’t convince me that Taco Bell is ‘good’ just because they have ’steak strips’ in their otherwise crappy burritos.
