Review: Moab Desert Select Ale

Moab Desert Select Ale
8.59% ABV

Moab Brewery, Moab, UT

32.8 oz ceramic swing top bottle
Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 3/28/13

This black imperial IPA pours a fairly dark color with a thick and frothy light beige head that has quite good retention.

Smell consists of hops, malt, some citrus, spice, floral, herbal, pepper, some chocolate, rye, some bread.

Taste consists of hops, malt, coffee, chocolate, rye, bread, pepper, floral and herbal notes, slight soy sauce.

Mouthfeel as some good dryness and bitterness right at the front.  Fairly smooth and even on the palate.

Overall, this is a nice tasting black imperial IPA that has a nice flavorful profile that has shades of Heavy Seas Black Cannon and even Firestone Walker Wookey Jack. Fairly hoppy, malty with chocolate and coffee flavors, and distinctive rye and floral/herbal notes.  A nice find at Shab Row Bistro in Frederick, Maryland.  A huge bottle and somewhat pricey, but from a brewery that I haven't seen available elsewhere (so I couldn't pass it up).  The reviews online are so-so (what review there are--it's pretty much unreviewed), but I found it to be quite nice.

My score: 90

Review: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
9.0% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
12 oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Bottled on 2/20/13
Reviewed on 3/13/13

This IPA pours a solid amber color with a mild golden tint.  Nice bubbly white head that has good retention.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of hops, malt, citrus, some oak/wood notes, notes of sugar and grapefruit, hints of dark fruit and spice.

Taste has dry, somewhat bitter hops, malt, citrus, grapefruit, sugar, some prune/raisin type notes.  A nice, crisp, fresh taste.

Mouthfeel is smooth and dry, with a serious mix of hops and malt hitting the palate.  Nice balance of flavors.

Overall, great tasting IPA that is fresh enough to have some serious hoppiness and also have a strong malt backbone. Quite dry, somewhat bitter, with citrus notes like grapefruit, and good hints of prunes and raisins.  This is my second review of this beer (first posted here), and this time it's quite fresh and much more hoppy than I recall (going by the bottle date, it's only 3 weeks old).  Still one of my all-time favorites--number two on "My Current Top Ten."

My score: 98

American Craft Beer Week: May 13-19

American Craft Beer Week starts tomorrow.  So, have a craft beer or two this week!  Here at A Specific Gravity, we'll be posting a new review each day to celebrate the occasion.

Summer Beers: Do We Have To?

The approaching summer season should be viewed as a great opportunity to enjoy the warm weather and abundant sun, perhaps having a beer or two on a patio with friends and family as sunlight remains past the 8:00 hour.  But summer also means lighter tasting seasonal beers—pilsners, lagers, wheat beers, and fruit beers.  With a few exceptions, I’m mostly disappointed by such offerings.  For most pilsners, lagers, and wheat beers—even those produced by craft breweries—I have trouble finding what makes them more distinct than similar products produced by the macro breweries, which I don’t care for anyway.  Fruitier beers often sound interesting, and who doesn’t like some good fruit flavor, but what passes for fruit flavor in beer—and not accents to hops and malts—often to me tastes artificial and weak. I think, simply put, I just don’t care for the styles of summer beer.

So, even though it’s summer and my palate should be looking for crisp, light, refreshing beers, I still find myself wanting my usual favorites.  IPAs, stouts, Belgian ales.  Other than some seasonals, IPAs and the Belgians are pretty much made year round.  Generally speaking, there are probably more fall/winter seasonal stouts out there, and a dark beer such as a stout can be firmly associated with the cold winter months, but many fine stouts are made year round as well.  Basically, while I’m open to trying something new, I want the dry bitter hops that I find in IPAs and the chocolate and coffee malt flavors that I find in stouts.  I don’t care about what the calendar says.  For me, these are rich, exquisite flavors that should be enjoyed year round.  Don’t look at me funny when it’s 95 degrees, the sun is frying eggs on the asphalt, and I’m pouring a can of oil black Ten FIDY that I’ve been saving since the previous fall.

If you made me drink a beer that had to meet summer beer criteria, I’d probably go with Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, though it’s not a summer seasonal but a world class, year-round offering.  Sam Adams Double Agent IPL wouldn’t be a bad choice either, as it’s a good mix of a maltier lager and hoppier IPA.  The classics--Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sam Adams Boston Lager, and Anchor Steam Beer--hold up well also, as they are relatively light on the palate yet still tasty and reasonably sessionable.

Review: Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot
11.1% ABV

Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA

12 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
No date on bottle
Reviewed on 3/18/13

This barleywine pours a somewhat cloudy reddish amber color with a thin off-white head that dissipates quickly.  Moderate lacing.

Smell consists of malt, cherry, some alcohol, some hops, honey, syrupy sugar, a touch of maple.

Taste consists of quite sweet maltiness, cherry, honey, mild hops, hint of citrus, some maple, a bit like cough syrup, some alcohol.

Mouthfeel is smooth, syrupy, a touch harsh on the palate but not overly so. Flavors are fairly well balanced.

Overall, this is a sweet, syrupy barleywine that has a decent flavor profile and comes across as fairly interesting.  A bit like DFH Olde School, a bit like Troegs Mad Elf.  The sweetness can be a touch cloying, perhaps riding the line but not going over.  Something different, for sure.


My score: 88

Review: Flying Fish Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA

Flying Fish Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA
8.2% ABV

Flying Fish Brewing Co., Somerdale, NJ

12 oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle:Best by 7/6/13
Reviewed on 4/7/13
 

This IPA pours a pale, slightly hazy golden color with a thin bubbly white head.  Mild lacing.  Nice carbonation evident.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, slight orange, slight lemon, pine, mild malt, some mango.  Quite fruity.

Taste consists of dry, slightly bitter hops, abundant citrus with notes of grapefruit, mango, orange, lemon, perhaps, a hint of grape, hint of pine, touch of malt, wheat.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth and dry with good fruity crispness on the palate.


Overall, this is a good, fruity IPA that is a decent mixture of sorts of a hoppy IPA and a fruity summer beer such as a DFH Festina Peche.   Not sure if I'd like this on a regular basis, but it presents a nice crisp alternative to a standard IPA (if you need one--do you?  I usually don't.) on bright, sunny spring and summer days.  A wide range of citrus flavors, with some nice wine/champagne like dryness.


My score: 91

Review: Heavy Seas Siren Noire (2013)

Heavy Seas Siren Noire
Uncharted Waters - 2013
9.5% ABV
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
22 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 4/26/13
 



This stout pours a dark brown color with a good bubbly toasty beige head that has decent retention.  Nice lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolate, coffee, caramel, some hops, alcohol, some wood some spice, hint of dark fruit.  The aroma comes across as fairly bold.

Taste has strong flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, and malt right off the bat.  Good accent notes of wood, hops, and spice and perhaps a touch or two of bourbon and red wine.

Mouthfeel is smooth on the palate with some good bitterness.  Good bite at the back of the mouth.

Overall, this is a superior tasting stout, part of the Heavy Seas Uncharted Waters series for 2013. Bold flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, and malt are strong right at the front and are complemented well with the right amount of alcohol flavor, wood, and hops.  The bourbon barrel aging is evident and comes through well.  A surprising stout from Heavy Seas that hits the right notes and stacks up well with similar offerings.


My score: 94