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: Boulder Honey of a Saison

Serving Type: Draft/Growler

ABV: 11.5 percent

Appearance: Honey of a Saison pours a dark shade of amber. It also has hues of both orange and red throughout the body. There wasn't any carbonation bubbles present, but the head of this beer was thick and towering. There was an above-average head even on the latter pours from the growler. I expected it to be an ivory or cream color given the dark amber of the body. Surprisingly, it was almost as white as snow. It faded away after a few minutes, but leaves plenty of thick lacing.

Smell: This beer was very estery after my initial smell. There was also plenty of yeast in the aroma. What lacked was the honey. It was there, but only slightly.

Taste: The yeast and the honey mixed quite well on the tongue. There was a strong alcohol presence from that 11.5 ABV on the finish./ This beer's taste packed some heat. It had a familiar burning sensation to bourbon or rum when it goes down your throat. I tend to prefer the alcohol a little more masked in brews with a higher ABV.

Overall Rating: 

I'm still trying to learn the eccentricities of the saison/farmhouse style of beers. I mostly enjoy them. This one was a little too strong for me. Especially the boozy presence. Not only did I feel the burn in my mouth, a hefty buzz followed soon after. If you're into brews that pack a punch like this one you might like this a bit more than I did.

Beer Review: Boulder Kinda Blue

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.5 percent

Appearance: Kinda Blue pours a dark shade of copper that appears deeply stained with smashed blueberries, thus its dark blue highlights. The body of the beer looks very textured and appetizing with a good bit of fizzy carbonation. The head is off-white, slightly stained blue and starts off at the width of half of a finger.

Smell: I got plenty of grain in the aroma of this beer. There's also a sugary sweetness, which surprised me. There is a sense of the blueberries, but not as tart as I prefer them to be.

Taste: The grain smell I initially got in the aroma tasted a lot darker than I expected it to be, but it srongly got across that dessert/crust effect I love to have in fruit beers. As for the blueberries, the tartness that I could discern in the taste mixed quite well with the wheat grain that it was brewed with. Overall, a very pie-esque taste.

Overall Rating: 

I was fairly pleased with this beer. I was surprised to be drinking such a dark blueberry ale, as I'm used to them being more on the blonde side. The dark grain was an interesting take. I just wish for more blueberry presence.

Monday Rant: Craft Tidal Wave at PNC Park

I've ranted and raved about the post-game happy hour special at PNC Park's Hall of Fame Club over the past few summers. It was this past Saturday night after the Pirates 5-1 victory over the Miami (will always be Florida to me) Marlins that I noticed the plethora of craft beers available to happy hour participants.

I remember when I first started joining in on the $2.50 per-brew fun in the Hall of Fame Club a few summers back. That was when there was just Yuengling and Miller Lite on tap and a small variety of bottle such as Magic Hat No. 9 and Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA making up the selection.

I felt like I was in a town's only local pub, but it wasn't the best selection in the world. Besides, when it's $2.50 for each beer in the house and you can snag yourself a few good crafts, you do so.

From then up until this past weekend I've noticed a tidal wave of craft brews being sold, not only throughout the park, but in the Hall of Fame Club as well.

Earlier this year, the Hall of Fame Club boasted the addition of a few local crafts which included Penn Brewery's Pilsner, Kaiser Pils and Penn Dark. As of Saturday night, you can find many of Penn Brewery's beers and more.

East End Fat Gary was on tap as well as Church Brew Works Pious Monk Dunkel, which is one of my favorite beers. The Hall of Fame Club has even ventured as far as Colorado to bring in Boulder's Sweaty Betty Blonde. Not far from that was Lagunitas IPA.

I've also noticed numerous advertisements for local brewing establishments and restaurants such as Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh and Rivertowne throughout the stadium's concourse. It looks like PNC Park is starting to embrace the craft movement around Pittsburgh and it can only be a positive thing.

Some of you might have come across this piece via Examiner.com about other craft offerings around the park, including the new Budweiser Bowtie Bar.

Beer Review: Boulder Mojo IPA

Serving Type: Draft (nitro)

ABV: 7.2 percent

Appearance: Mojo IPA has an orange-like glow to it. Almost as if it was sent down from the heavens for us craft beer drinkers to savor. Other reports say this beer provides a foamy white head for its drinker to gaze at, but it was even more beautiful since nitro was involved.

Smell: Citrus dominates your nostrils once you take a waft of this IPA. Grapefruit, lemon and orange come to mind first. I also picked up a slight scent of strong hops.

Taste: This beer tasted delightful. It's a bit reversed from the beer's scent. The hops are the dominant taste, with the citrus fruits lagging behind. The infused head seems to add a bit of cream flavor to the beer as well.

Overall Rating:    

Loved this beer. Hoping to find it somewhere without the nitro infusion to see what this beer is really like. I've heard great things, not only about this beer, but about Boulder Beer Company as a whole. I've come across quite a few rough IPA's in my fairly short drinking career up until this point, but I was very impressed with this.