Maximus - best name never: Lagunitas Maximus IPA

I was in need of some crisp and cool hoppiness this evening, so I decided to turn to one of the IPAs I was holding off on (since, admittedly so, the blog is very IPA heavy). Tonight, we look into the self proclaimed "greatest" IPA in Lagunitas' Maximus IPA.





Lagunitas is a California based brewing company (is it me, or do most IPAs come from the west coast?) that currently only ships beer to 29 states and 2 Canadian provinces. They constantly brew 7 different types of beers, including 2 different IPAs, along with a nice variety of seasonal beers.

I tried to pour this beer a little harder than I typically do to judge the true head of the beer which, not to my surprise, was minimal and quickly dissipated, but was much more visible than when I typically pour my beers. The beer is a clear, golden color typical of many classic IPAs and has a subtle, hoppy aroma. The flavor is smooth and refreshing, with a nice undertone of hops that does not over power the flavor of the beer. Underneath the hops is a soft citrus and spice that balances out the hops.

I can honestly say that this is one of the better IPAs I have tried lately. As much as I enjoy a skull-crushing hoppiness, sometimes it is nice to be able to see clearly after drinking a beer! This is an IPA that could easily be tolerated by those who are new to stronger flavored beers, but tasty enough for the professionals to enjoy. I like to think about having several beers of one type over the course of a night as a gauge to the quality of beer...this is a beer that I could enjoy several of without tiring and wanting to switch to something else!

Do yourself a favor and pick up some Lagunitas Maximus IPA to try for yourself!


Flavor: Hoppy and citrus with nice spicy notes
Color: Golden with a nice clean finish
Alcohol Content: 7.5% (by volume)
Average Price: $10.98 (6 pack)

Calories: 233
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 21.5 g
Protein: 1 g

Since my girlfriend loves the gonzo - Gonzo Imperial Stout

Well, it certainly has been awhile...No excuses on my part, although I could push out several very valid 'reasons'.

Let's jump right into it: Gonzo Imperial Stout





I am not certain why the Flying Dog brand of beers has such a love for Hunter S. Thompson (or, at least the artist that does all the drawing for his works), but it seems to me like this company uses this art all the time for their beers. I know a ton of people who really enjoy Flying Dog, but have never had the pleasure of getting to try one myself...

The beer is very dark and flows lightly into the glass...very little head for a stout, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this has a lot to do with the way I have learned to pour my beers for optimal beer consumption! The flavor is strong and has heavy undertones of dark chocolate. The strength of the beer is surprising, given how smooth it is to drink. The aroma is chocolately with slight hints of maple (although the beer has no maple taste to it).

This is a very tasty stout, but not one that I think I could handle for an entire evening of drinking. I would certainly recommend having this beer over dinner or with a chocolate dessert (Jess will be making a cake using stout from a future blog post: kamikaze gourmet...look it up!). Definitely have this beer whenever you are looking for a nice, strong stout!


Flavor: Dark stout with a nice, heavy undertone of dark chocolate
Color: Dark brown (almost purplish on the adhesion to the glass)
Alcohol Content: 7.8% (by volume)
Average Price: $5.99 (bottle)

Calories: 269
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 18.6 g
Protein: 0 g





P.S. I'll end with a promise...much more frequent posts in the future!

All mine comes from growing up on the streets: Sol Cerveza

This post was originally planned for Cinco de Mayo, but it seems that Once de Mayo...From what I hear, this is like the Corona of Canada, so we shall see if Sol Cerveza tastes like maple syrup and ham.





Jess told me that, like Corona, this beer should be served with a lime, but to truly test the flavor of the beer, I decided to do this review with just the beer only. The color is a light golden amber and has little head of which to speak. Sol Cerveza has a very similar aroma to Corona, but a unique sweetness after tasting. In fact, I would say that this beer tastes as if someone mixed Corona with Heineken, which might sound a little strange, but is actually a nice little twist on your traditional Mexican cerveza. I would think that this beer would be inhanced with a fresh lime.

I know that most people like to eat Mexican food when enjoying a Mexican beer, but I really enjoy have a good burger and fries, since typically these beers are lighter in consumption, and thus better suited to consumption while eating food.

A very tasty beer with a nice hint of sweetness...I would definitely recommend picking some up for your next Once de Mayo party!


Flavor: Sweet with a subtle hint of Heinekenish flavor
Color: Light amber
Alcohol Content: 4.1% (by volume)
Average Price: $14.99 (12 pack)

Calories: 143
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 11 g
Protein: 1.1 g

Wait, im NOT reviewing an IPA? - Sierra Nevada Stout

I have been a fan of Sierra Nevada since my first sip of it in a few years ago...however, I can say that my experiences have typically been with their different varieties of hoppier beers (IPAs, seasonal beers, etc.) The company itself has a very unique and inspirational history (the president began brewing in his garage and now has one of the largest microbreweries in the country...all with no paid advertising). Today, to experience more of their brand, I will be sampling the Sierra Nevada Stout.







Right off the bat, this is probably one of the darkest beers I have ever seen; imagine a Guinness without the defined head and unique bubbling. The aroma is nice and chocolaty, but not quite as potent as the aforementioned beer...The flavor is rich with a surprising (and pleasant) hoppy finish. I suppose that this is to be expected with a Sierra Nevada, as it seems that they pride themselves on the ability to infuse any beer the brew with a good amount of hops. The flavor is forward, but doesn't linger on the pallet much longer than it should.

All in all, I would say that this beer is a very tasty addition to my already beloved Sierra Nevada brand. If you are looking for a traditional (i.e. Guinness) flavored stout, I would probably steer away from this one, but if you are looking for something a bit more unique than your typical stout, then I would definitely recommend this beer!


Flavor: Chocolaty with a warm hoppy finish
Color: Dark brown (practically black)
Alcohol Content: 5.8% (by volume)
Average Price: $8.99 (6 pack)

Calories: 175
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 14.1 g
Protein: 1.5 g

Dave update: Eel River Brewing Organic Porter

This is my first foray into the organic beer area. Generally speaking, I am a firm believer that organic products do not taste any different from regular products, and when they do, it is largely due to self-persuasion. This beer pours dark, but clear, so the light causes a reddish brown hue top be seen. Head is chocolatey, but disappears quickly.

On the one hand, I commend this beer for using an organic approach AND producing a very good tasting porter for LESS than 6 packs of other porters or stouts can be had (50 cents less than Guinness for instance). It is tasty, and reminds me of one of James and I's newest favorites-the Harpoon Limited Barrel Series Oyster Stout, and is the closest I've found as a replacement. Do the organic ingredients matter? Probably not, but it is a tasty brew.


Color: deep reddish brown, but clear.
Scent:Malt, plain and simple.
First taste: chocolate front, leading to malt. Great malt flavor here.
Feel: Pretty heavy, but doesn't "slog" the way Guinness does, making it easier to drink.
Finish: Slight bitter touch at the finish, balancing the malt.
Alcohol Content: 6.3% ABV
Average Price: $8.50 per 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles.

Decisions, decisions...Microbrewing post

Well, a few weeks have passed since I last posted about my intentions to starting trying to brew my own beer with Dave...the last post was basicaly just an overview into the things he and I need to start thinking about before we begin this process. Since then, I have begun brewing my first beer (with the help of the Mr. Beer brewing kit, but brewing none the less).




Having done some research, I think that at this point in our lives, the best thing for Dave and I to focus on is getting a brewpub up and started before we could even imagine having the financial stability to focus solely on brewing. For those that are unaware of the differences, a brewpub is is basically a smaller brewery that also sells food. Everything that I have been reading tends to point out the fact that it is much easier to make money selling food than it is trying to convince people that your brand new type of beer is better than the normal beers they are used to buying (i.e. those huge brewing companies that make up about 90% of the market). I am not upset about this fact, especially since I think that Dave and I have the combined knowledge and business saavy to make something like this work to our advantage.

The stumbling block in my mind is mostly financial...Like I have said, I think that Dave and I are smart enough to run a business, and determined enough to make a unique varieties of beers. I am really unsure of how to even begin to figure out how much capital we will need to amass before we can start. The guy who created Tijuana Flats started with a $20,000...this seems a good spot to start thinking. In my mind, the yet unnamed brewpub would be half bar, half restaurant...I like the idea of a large bar with maybe 10 small tables filling in the rest of the area:

-Rent
-Equipment
-Insurance
-Ingredents (both food and beer)
-Salaries (employees and, ideally, Dave and I could manage to make some money too).


This isn't something I plan on jumping into tomorrow, so I have plenty of time to figure out all my expenses and save up some money (hopefully getting a loan for a brewpub would be easier than it seems getting one for brewery).

The other thing I have been tossing around in my head is location...Dave and I spoke about setting up shop in a college town, but I wonder if there is a demand for a higher priced mircobrew in a land where Natural Light is King? Perhaps we would fair better establishing ourselves in a downtown automosphere or a wealthier part of town? All things to think about while I am experimenting with brews and saving money to get everything started...

Couldn't let Dave go there on his own...La Fin du Monde

Well, it has certainly been a rough few weeks...ever since starting my P90X diet, I haven't been able to properly review as many beers as I would like to (thanks go out to Dave for picking up a lot of the slack), so I decided that today would be a nice day to treat myself to a good review. Dave previously reviewed La Fin du Monde (French for "The End of the World"), but since this is one of the beers that Jess purchased me for bachelor weekend, I wanted to do it justice and double review this one.





Unibroue Brewing is based out of Chambly, Québec...Canadian beers have always been interesting to me, as they mainly have 3 areas of influence (English, French, and American) and many tend to fold easily to American interests (lighter flavored lagers, etc). La Fin du Monde is a golden style Belgian ale, so it seems that the European side of this influence should hold firm in the beer.

First glance shows an especially clouded beer with little visibility and lack of any noteworthy head. The aroma is soft and citrusy and the color is a dark gold... The first taste is very complex: hints of a sharp hoppiness on the tip of the tongue that follows closely with a flowery sweetness. There is thicker mouth-feel which isn't overpowering and could possibly be explained away by the cloudiness of the beer. After his visit to Canada, Dave said that this is one of the area's most famous microbrews and, after tasting, I can clearly see why. This beer is complex in it's flavor and unique in taste. Strict Beeritarian approved!


Flavor: Hoppy beginnings with a sweet, flowery finish
Color: Cloudy dark gold
Alcohol Content: 9.0% (by volume)
Average Price: $3.00 (11 oz bottle)

Calories: 225
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Carbs: 30g
Protein: 0g