Beer Review: Anderson Valley Summer Solstice

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Five percent

Appearance: Summer Solstice doesn't immediately look like a summer beer, but that isn't a bad thing at all. Still, it pours a pretty copper chroma. and features hues that are both orange and red. A very flashy and colorful body. The head is mostly white, but still has a slight presence of beige in it and left some decent lacing clinging to the glass. I looked close and noticed dozens of bubbles within the dark body of the brew. The bubbles that made up the head were pretty defining. Unlike other bubbles I've seen in other beers prior. Pretty unique.

Smell: Lightly toasty, but mainly sweet. The malt smells very sweet and smooth, but there's just an interesting roasty profile to it. Also, I picked up some caramel scents. It was as if it was almost as if it's sugary and spicy, too.

Taste: This was very sweet, malty and full of caramel up front. The head added a tasty touch of cream on the front as well. The finish was very, very smooth and featured a sweet and nutty presence. Kind of like a nut roll. The spiciness of the beer provided a small kiss before everything went down. The sweet malt and nut flavor only intensifies as the beer is able to warm.Once again, very unique. This brew looks a bit on the heavier and thicker side, but plays light and refreshing! The plethora of carbonation in this just added to the crisp and refreshing aspects of this.

Overall Rating: 

I remember my first encounter with this beer. I was in a bar and ordered a pint glass of it. When it got there I was confused. My stomach sank as I didn't expect this to be on the darker side. I've grown to love this beer and how it's dark sweetness miraculously plays light and makes this a great summer selection. I've discovered that some batches of this tend to play differently. I feel like I've tasted it about three different ways, but when I've had a good one I can definitely taste it. This will forever be a beer I seek every year.

Underwear, Socks and Beer

I know that it was the thing that was in a few Christmas holidays ago, but gift cards are still pretty popular as gifts. Hell, it's pretty much the only thing we ask for nowadays. They're pretty much the only thing my father buys for anyone in my family anymore.

I came across an unused gift card for American Eagle while sifting through one of my old computer bags the other morning. From my own recollection the card was from a previous relationship of mine. If you remember my posts about the Civil War Beer Series in Maryland, the same girl that was responsible for getting me some of that beer is the same reason I have this gift card in my possession. I guess I just saved it from Christmas, put it in the front compartment of this bag and forgot it was there with the magnificent plethora of gift cards I received this past year.

Now it's time for a little too much information. I decided to put this gift card to good use last night and bought some boxers on clearance. I try to do an hour of cardio twice each week and have noticed that everything wants to fall down. Hence, why I need medium everything. I also bought a few sets of socks. For the last three or so years I've worn almost nothing but black socks. So, this time I ordered a few pair that are neon green and turquoise blue. Maybe you can say I'm getting a bit more eccentric in terms of my sock selection?

"When the hell is he getting to the beer?"

You're probably also thinking that it's ironic that I used one of the last gifts from a previous relationship to buy underwear and socks. I know that's what it looks like, but given my current predicament I need anything that will cling to my damn waist.

Remember when you hated getting clothes as a Christmas or birthday gift? My uncle and I went at it every year. I hated getting one of those dreaded clothes boxes stuffed with underwear and socks. He went as far as to root for me to get clothes as I opened my gifts. He then proceeded to stand up and cheer when it was one of the infamous clothes boxes. I find it ironic that both of these clothing items are a clothing necessity as we grow older.

While I was hot in the online shopping department, I decided to acquire an interesting piece of drinkware. I settled on this. I've only ever seen a few of these glasses that are shaped like cans. The one I linked from Anderson Valley Brewing and another in the shop of Schlafly Beer in St. Louis. The Schlafly can glass was apparently taken off of the online store. So, I settled on the one from AVBC. Not that I was actually settling, but I really like the bear with the antlers on its beer labels that's pictured on the glass.

Monday Rant: Oh, So Sour

For only the second time in my young experience with craft beer I've had to make a face quite close to that of the old Bitter Beer Face ads when some of us were growing up. Except that it wasn't because of the bitterness of the beer, but for the sourness of it.

I'm sure we've all wandered into a bad batch or bottle of beer at some point. This phenomenon almost kept me away entirely from Oatmeal Stouts. One of the first ones I ever had had a sour taste to it. Still being a newbie to craft brews, I thought this indicative of the style. It only took some time to realize that the particular batch might have been contaminated or spoiled in some form.

The second time was over this past weekend. I bought a case of Anderson Valley's Summer Solstice. My dad opened a bottle for himself as did I. I knew there was something wrong on the very first sip of mine. A strange sourness. Like that taste when vomit just gurgles up near your mouth and you get a small taste of it. Yea, it's not too appetizing.

I cross-tasted the other bottle which seemed to taste as the beer should. I can only hope that the rest of the case tastes fine and the problem is restricted to just that bottle. Still, I've never had this happen in a case of beer prior to this incident. I guess we can all agree that it's a good thing. I think most of our brewers do a good job of keeping things clean and taking care of their product. I'm extremely thankful for bottled-on dates, but unfortunately I haven't located anything as such on this case nor on the bottles.

The only question I have that comes out of this is if anyone else has had this happen when you bought a case of beer. Has it usually been restricted to just a bottle or two or does it tend to be the case with the rest of the bottles?

Beer Review: Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

Serving Type: Draft/Growler

ABV: 6.9 percent

Appearance: Anderson Valley Winter Solstice looks more like a red ale than it does a winter ale. the majority of winter ales are somewhat dark and mainly brown. This beer is on the darker side, but is more of a dark ruby red. There is plenty of carbonation as evident by the bubbles constantly flowing towards the top of the glass. The head is very fluffy and is an ivory color. The head has decent retention. It' loses some of it's activeness as you drink it, but the inside of your glass will be caked with lacing. Thick lacing. Among the thickest I've ever seen.

Smell: Overall, this brew's aroma is dominated by strong touches of caramel and bready malts. I found it quite difficult to pick up any spices. I'm not the world's biggest fan of winter beers with tons of spice, but it doesn't get any better when I don't get any at all.

Taste: This section of the review is also full of the bready malt and the caramel. The caramel had a nice creaminess to it on the front of the tongue. A bonus was a small taste of vanilla. There was also a flavor of some form of dark fruit in the after taste. I didn't pick any of that up in the aroma. This beer had a very good texture as well. The beer's thick head  and the carbonation helped to provide that

Overall Rating: 

This is a well-crafted winter beer. Love the presence of caramel and vanilla. This is a very attractive brew with one hell of a crown. Very good brew, but I'm still more of a Summer Solstice kind of guy. A pinch of cinnamon, anyone?