Beer Review: Anchor Humming Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.9 percent

Appearance: This came off to me as slightly foggy, but an interesting color similar to clover honey. The color itself seemed to be textured. it was very vivid and flashy to the eye. There were only just a few bubbles that I could notice with the haze, but there was a thin white head that got even thinner after a minute or two. What remained of the head had some great retention and even left some average lacing. I was intrigued by the interesting appeal of this beer.

Smell: The aroma of this brew could easily be classified as somewhere in between fruity and citrusy in my mind. I got hop notes that were quite pungent. In case you aren't really familiar with my tastes, this usually worries me. My first inclination was that this was a very bitter beer.

Taste: There was a ton of floral taste from the hops hat I noticed at first. Oddly, this struck me on the front of the tongue. I didn't pick up much of the citrus that I noticed in the brew's smell. What I did get was a big bite from the hops in this. I expected just a touch of paleness knowing that this was a form of a pale ale. I got plenty of hops instead. I've tried some IPA's that were loaded with hops. They never gave me hiccups. This pale ale did!

Overall Rating: 

I really loved the way this beer looked. The aroma was just as intriguing  as it was worrisome (mostly because I'm not Mr. Hoppy Beer). As for the hiccups? I'm assuming it's from the hops. Yikes! A good while back I wrote a Monday Rant post about the diversity I've found in the American Pale Ale style. That's if it is even an actual style or something American brewers here in the states just developed over time. I think this definitely fits in with what I explained in that post.

Beer Review: Boulder Hazed and Infused

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: This beer had a body that was in the territory of a light copper. The head was over two inches in thickness and was a pretty, but complimentary (to the copper body) cream color. The beer in general looks thick and hazy. The head looked thick and fluffy and ended pup leaving some ample lacing inside the glass. I honestly could see the lacing marks for each sip I took once I finished the beer. I know that's one of those intricate things that beer geeks love.

Smell: I was surprised by the strong scent of tart fruit that emanated from this. I bought this as part of a mixed six pack on a recommendation that it was brewed with fresh raspberry pulp. That might have been it. It was complimented with an intense floral hop aroma.

Taste: I picked out the sweetness of the fruit right on the front of my tongue ion the very first sip of this beer. The floral hop notes I noticed in the smell once again jumped back into the picture as I got closer to the finish. The hops were pretty intense. This was most likely due to the dry-hopping that was used in the brewing process. The hop flavor and the tartness of the fruit in the beer combined amazingly on the finish. Add the tangy citrus of from the hops used in this beer and everything ties together even tighter.

Overall Rating: 

This one was definitely a winner with me. It's classified as an American Pale Ale, but we all know how that style has a lot of varieties in it. Still, I didn't notice much of a pale after taste as I usually enjoy. The smell wasn't as complex as I would have hoped due to the intensity of the two scents I discovered. The hops were intense once I started drinking this as well, but the other aspects of the taste were very present, too. I'm currently awaiting my next date with this brew!

Beer Review: Rogue Juniper Pale Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.3 percent

Appearance: Rogue's Juniper Pale Ale has a body that resembled the color of golden honey and had a slight haze that hid any presence of carbonation bubbles. It was topped off with a puffy white head that rose to a peak of about three inches. If was soft to the touch and faded away fast as you drink it. Most of it stuck to the inside of the glass. Enough was left that I wasn't sure whether I should have still called it head or lacing. In my book that's a good thing.

Smell: I was kind of reminded of a spruce ale when I initially smelled this brew. I was kind of confused. It was full of spruce and pine. By pine, I don't exactly mean in a hop sense. It actually smelled like the woods. Basically, intense grassiness. I didn't pick up much of anything else such as hop notes or malt.

Taste: To put it simply, the pine essence in this beer was stingy on my tongue. A lot of people expect this beer to have tartness of berries when in fact juniper berries are more like pine cones. I got some of the malt character this time around. There was a ton of malt in this, as Rogue had a big malt bill. It was almost as if the flavor of this beer was undecided on what it actually wanted ti be. This had a very dry finish as well. Nothing in this beer said pale ale to me.

Overall Rating: 

A week or two ago I posted a Monday Rant on the increasing variety of American Pale Ales. This just might fall into that category. This beer was just weird for my tastes. I understand that Rogue is very creative and I appreciate that, but this just wasn't up my alley. When I get spruce or pine, I want something darker, sweeter and a with some molasses or brown sugar.