Dick's Best Bitter

The Beer: Dick's Best Bitter
The Brewery: Dick's Brewing Company of Centralia, WA
The Style: Extra Special Bitter

ABV: 5.5%

Brewer's Description: Wonderfully balanced "session beer" in the ESB style. A combination of 75 L and 120 L caramel malts give this ale a nice color, maltiness and body. This is then balanced and complimented in the kettle with Magnum hops which contribute its clean but detectable bitterness. Mt. Hood hops are then added for a lingering hop flavor and aroma. We ferment our bitter with Dick's house yeast for that classic English ale flavor.

Color: Poured into whiskey hotel glass, bright copper with steady white head. Bubbles continually rise from the bottom of the glass, as they do in champagne.
Aroma: sweet toffee, caramel, some biscuity malt notes, no hop aroma
Taste/mouthfeel: medium carbonation, medium mouthfeel. Sweet caramel malts up front (although not as intense as in the aroma) followed by a clean bitterness.
Finish: bitter, semi-dry finish, although little hop flavor is present.

Notes: Purchased at Huckleberry's Organic Market in Spokane, WA. This is almost a text-book ESB, although the balance is perhaps a little skewed towards the bitterness. As the ESB is an English-style pale ale, hops are usually utilized earlier in the boil and sparingly at the end (these are called "finishing hops"). This results in a beer with hop bitterness but little hop flavor or aroma. This ale would pair well with sheppard's pie or go great with steak and ale pie.

Cave Creek Chili Beer

The Beer: Chili Beer "Cerveza con Chili"
The Brewery: Black Mountain Brewing Company of Cave Creek, Arizona
The Style: Pale Lager (specifically: a Mexican-style lager with a Serrano pepper steeped in the bottle)

ABV: 4.7%

Brewer's Description: Golden, very low carbonation, pale lager with a whole chili pepper in the bottle.

Color: What looks to be a Serrano pepper is immersed in the bottle, as soon as the bottle was opened the chili rose to the top. Poured into gator pint glass, pale clear gold with aggressive effervescent bubbles. No head. Put chili to the side for later consumption.
Aroma: Hot chili aromas. Smells like Serrano, jalapeno, and perhaps some Anaheim.
Taste/mouthfeel: Medium-low carbonation. Some very faint sweet malt that is quickly dominated by pepper oils. The beer gives a pleasing "warmth" without feeling overpowered, sort of like a spicy bloody Mary.
Finish: Semi-sweet spicy finish, throat warming. No hops detectable.

Notes: Purchased at Wine and More in Tampa, FL. NOTE: If you do not like very spicy things you will HATE this beer. I have an incredibly high tolerance for hot sauces and dishes, I appreciated this beer. It's sort of like drinking a beer infused with pepper juice, if this sounds disgusting to you, I would not recommend this lager. This isn't something I could drink as a session beer, but I certainly enjoyed drinking one. This beer would make a very interesting marinade ingredient.

An update from your humble Beer Geek

Spokane Falls from the Monroe St. bridge downtown

I have recently (days ago) moved to Spokane, Washington(don't worry, I stopped at plenty breweries along the way) in pursuit of better career(and beer) opportunities. I've already seen a wealth of beer I could never get in the Sooner State. There are a couple of local breweries and the solid "Laughing Dog" brewery is relatively close in the Idaho panhandle. I will do my best to cover all the new beers and breweries I encounter. The grocery stores here are also quite stellar, so expect some new beer-infused food recipes.

I will miss my friends and acquaintances back in Oklahoma, you folks are exceptional! To all of you: keep hope alive. Oklahoma is one of the most repressive beer states in the nation, it is your challenge to expand beer culture in the state, one pint at a time.

Avery Karma Ale

The Beer: Karma Ale
The Brewery: Avery Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado
The Style: Belgian (Pale) Ale

ABV: 5.2%

Brewer's Description: We believe in Karma. We suspect most of you do, too. It truly is a global concept. Very simply put, "you get what you give." Inspired by this principle and the wonderful farmhouse and pale ales of Belgium, we've created Karma Ale, a decidedly fruity and estery ale, intricate in body and nose, all driven by a unique Belgian yeast strain. Remember, good things DO happen to good people. Here's to being good!

Color: Poured into whiskey glass, transparent gold with minimal white head
Aroma: sour vinegar, apples.
Taste/mouthfeel: high carbonation, light mouthfeel. Flavors of pilsner malt, some light honey, apple esters, and cedar. Taste is not as sour as aroma would lead one to believe, but there is still a small amount of farmhouse "funk".
Finish: surprisingly bitter and dry finish.

Notes: Purchased at Publix grocery in Tampa, FL. I am not sure if the funky/sour/vinegar notes were intended in this beer or not. Regardless, I was not a fan of this beer. The beer tastes awkward and has little personality beyond a slightly off-putting aroma. It feels like it doesn't know if it wants to be a quenching, light belgian ale or a dry Flemish-style sour ale.

Stoudt's American Pale Ale

The Beer: American Pale Ale
The Brewery: Stoudt's Brewing Company of Adamstown, Pennsylvania
The Style: APA

ABV: 5.0%

Brewer's Description: This uniquely American beer offers a crisp, medium-body with a light amber color. It is assertively hopped with Pacific Northwest Cascades for a firm bitterness and delightfully floral aroma.

Color: Poured into whiskey glass, slightly hazy orange with minimal white lacing
Aroma: grapefruit peel and some lemon zest
Taste/mouthfeel: medium carbonation, assertive grapefruit bitternesss up front, very faint malt balance
Finish: bitter, ample hop resins, finish is medium-dry

Notes: Purchased at "Wine and Boos" in Tampa, FL. This was a very solid, if not incredibly outstanding, example of an American pale ale. Typical cascade hop aromas and bitterness (Cascade is the most commonly used hop in amongst craft brewers, although this is beginning to change due to the recent hop shortages) abound. Very drinkable beer, would go great with burgers and a summer cookout.

Lagunitas Lucky #13

The Beer: Lucky #13
The Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, California
The Style: Imperial Amber Ale

ABV: 8.3%

Brewer's Description: From the first day of the first mash of the first recipe in the first space to this oasis 13 years on the road; We have worked hard to walk in the footsteps of our hero brewers. The Esteemed brewer of California's best Pale Ale, the Noble Brewer of the planet's only legal Steam Beer, and Oregon's Rebel Brewer from Newport. Thirteen years down the road, we have found our own voice as brewers but our admiration for the Great Ones has not dimmed one bit. If we walked well down the hero's path ourselves, perhaps we too have been an inspiration for others. Beer is a Bronze Age business and we feel honored to have left our footprints on its path into history, at the same time leaving our flavors on your buds. Thanks for your trust over the years and we hope you enjoy this specially brewed Hi-Gravity Auburn offering. Beer Speaks. People Mumble! O.G. 1.085 76.92 IBU

Color: Poured into whiskey glass (best I could do at the hotel). Bright polished amber with very thin white head that leaves lace.
Aroma: Sweet malt, caramel, tangy hops
Taste/mouthfeel: medium full, caramel malts up front with some very faint toffee. Soft carbonation gives way to pleasant hoppy bitterness in the finish, assertive but not at all harsh.
Finish: malts and hops are in very good balance although the gregarious additions of citrusy hops win out in the end.

Notes: Purchased at ABC Liquor near Anna Maria Island, FL. The American amber ale can usually be thought of as a slightly darker, maltier APA. The APA has always had stronger versions in the form of IPAs and double or "imperial" IPAs. Recently a new style has emerged among craft brewers, the "Imperial Amber Ale". Lucky #13 is one such example. This beer has a great balance of malts and hops, the caramel maltiness plays nicely with the punchy Pacific NW hops. That said, this is not a perfectly balanced beer (nor should it be) such as an ESB. This is a strong beer with assertive maltiness and even more assertive hoppiness. A very well-crafted ale.

Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA

The Beer: Union Jack IPA
The Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Buellton , California
The Style: IPA

ABV: 7.5%

Brewer's Description: 70 IBUs. Simcoe bittering hops; Centennial, Cascade and Tomahawk for flavoring; aroma hops are described as a "blend of C's."
Color: Poured into Urthel stemmed glass. Bright polished amber with very thin white head that leaves lace.
Aroma: juicy mango and peach, fresh-cut flowers.
Taste/mouthfeel: fine bubbles sting the tongue, giving way to citrus oil bitterness that stings the sides of the mouth and lingers in the back of the throat. Touch of sweet caramel malt in the middle, just enough to keep this beer balanced.
Finish: Resiny, tongue-coating hop bitterness. Bitter, oily, hoppy aftertaste.
Notes: Purchased at BevMo! in El Segundo, CA. This beer comes from Great American Beer Festival's "Best Mid-sized Brewery". A classic American pale ale, with a touch more malt than some of the other west coast IPAs. This India pale is clean and bursting with hop flavor yet balanced enough to drink as a session beer or at a BBQ on a hot day. I'd suggest pairing it with spicy Thai/Indian food or a zesty salad.