Hey everybody, had a few extra beers this week, and I won't be able to include all of them in the Friday Craft Brew Series.I didn't want you to miss out on them, so....EXTRA BEER REVIEW for all!
All three of these beers are distributed across the U.S. so I hope you'll be able to find at least one near you.
First up today, another great IPA from Stone Brewing, Ghost Hammer IPA, coming in at 6.7%. I knew I would be ordering this beer the moment I saw it was made by Stone. They've figured out how to make an IPA that I will enjoy, and this one did not disappoint.
Upon pouring, the beer had a rich amber color. The beer was slightly cloudy, a little less so than I would normally expect in an IPA from Stone. The smell was fantastic, exactly what you are looking for in an IPA, strong hop smell accented with the slightest citrus. The head on the beer was medium in size, it subsided in size, but persisted throughout drinking the beer.
The first sip you take gives you a light bitterness and citrus flavor. It's a great first taste if it is the first beer you are drinking. That light bitterness grows on you and builds to a strong hop flavor that lasts and lasts. It really ends up being a great IPA flavor at the end, and one of the longer lasting IPAs I have had in a while. Overall, there isn't too much to say about this beer, and that is not a knock on it. It is a just solid, straightforward IPA, there is no messing around or trying to hide what it is.
Next up, Le Merle, a Saison coming at 7.9% from North Coast Brewing. If you have read any of my previous Saison reviews, you know I look for a rich flavor when drinking a Saison, something with a little sophistication. This had it all.
Upon pouring, the beer had very little head. It was a deep amber color and cloudy, letting you know the yeast is definitely present in this beer. Generally, it looks like a Saison should. It smelled like one too, nice yeast smell mixed with some sort of citrus, unable to tell specifically what citrus though.
The first taste of this beer gave a very rich, wheat and citrus flavor. Exactly what I was looking for. Mixed in with the expected flavors was a slight sourness. Going back and smelling the beer again, I actually could pick up on the little bit of sourness. The yeasty Saison flavor and the light sour flavor lasted, overpowering the citrus. The ending was a great combination of this yeast and sour. The flavor lasted about a medium amount of time begging you to come back for more. This was a beer that I would order again, very flavorful and refreshing.
Last up in this review, Blueberry Gose, part of the Wildberry Sour Series by Destihl Brewery. This beer came in at 5.2%. I have been on a bit of a sour kick lately so I had to try this out when I saw it on the menu.
Upon pouring, I was surprised by the color, a vibrant ruby red color with no head whatsoever. I don't know if I was expecting a darker color because of the blueberry in the name or what, but when I saw the red I was really blown away. The smell was very tart. This beer wasn't pulling any tricks, you knew what you were getting the moment you smelled it.
The taste followed that tartness in the smell. It was very tart, I mean very tart. For someone like me that enjoys sours it was a great flavor. For those that aren't as interested in a sour flavor you will probably have the same reaction my buddy did, a scrunched up face and shaking your head. I can't stress this enough, this is a very tart beer with no discernible blueberry flavor. The tartness lasts and lasts on the tongue, longer than almost any beer I can remember actually. To me, it is what a sour should be, it doesn't have any of the vinegar smell or taste that you can sometimes get, but still has the sourness that I want.
One last point about this beer, you will not catch me drinking more than one of these at any given time. Not because I don't enjoy the beer, but the flavor lasts so long that it dries your mouth out slightly. I call that a perfect excuse to get another beer, just not another sour.
I hope you all enjoyed these beers; I know I did, and I hope that a few of you will be able to find these near you. This was by far one of the more successful groups of beers I have reviewed recently, not one was a disappointment. Thanks for reading everyone!
