Long Awaited Reviews

I swear, I am going to get better about getting these reviews out while the beers in them are still in season. Thankfully, you can still find every single one of these at select stores. So I won't beat around the bush...here goes!


Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

This is the first Gose I have ever sampled and rated for a blog, whether it be my old LBSM blog or this new one. That alone makes this intriguing. For those of you who don't know, a Gose is a salt beer. It is a style that originated in Leipzig, Germany and is made from over 50% wheat. It is known for the fact that they add salt to give the beer a little sharpness that melds well with the flavors of the style. Just like the Berliner Weiss, many of these beers have flavors added afterwards. Enter Anderson Valley's take. The nose is champagne-like with hint of cherries, applesauce, and citrus soda. The initial taste is immediately sour and tart. However, strong flavors of cherry, lemon, orange, and Sweet Tart candy conquer your palate afterwards. Just like that, however, the beer is gone. The finish is practically non-existent with only small hints of white bread and effervescent water.

Mike's Rating - 8/10


Schlafly AIPA

This beer has always had a special place in my heart. It is one of my all time favorite single IPA's. Almost every year Schlafly hits it out of the park with this one, and this year has been no exception. The nose is just a fresh burst of tea, grapefruit, and citrus. Those pungent aromas make my mouth water every time. A blast of bitterness hits you at the front with flavors of black tea and lemon zest appearing in the aftermath. The finish is nicely toasty with hints of perfume and pine. The bitterness lingers on, but it doesn't overpower the delicious flavors that this beer provides. This is a well-balanced IPA, and one that any hop lover would enjoy.

Mike's Rating - 9.25/10


Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger IPA

We continue with the IPA trend with this relatively new iteration from Great Lakes. This is its third year in production, and it still remains a solid Spring offering for the hop lovers out there. The nose is intense with hints of soap, coriander, pine, and lemon pith. The first sip pulls no punches and gives a blast of bitterness with hints of pine, snow peas, and earth notes. The finish finds the bitterness weakening pleasantly in time for strong flavors of pine and grass. So many Rye beers I find to either have too much Rye or not enough. This one has hit the nail nearly square on the head.

Mike's Rating - 8.5/10


Uinta Detour Double IPA

Uinta has been a pleasant surprise since bursting onto the scene over 2 years ago from Utah. All I had to go on before that was stories from the Salt Lake City olympics about the nightmarish legislation on alcohol in the state of Utah. So it was a huge surprise to see such a quality brewery coming from Utah. This new offering, a hoppy DIPA, didn't disappoint much. The nose had strong hints of pine, citrus, and soap. The taste starts off intensely bitter. More so than any of the previous beers I reviewed today. Strong hints of pine resin mix with softer hints of carmelized onions and cough syrup to form a weird opening. The finish ended up being quite creamy and thick with strong hints of pine. All in all, this beer wasn't bad. Yet it seemed to just be missing that final push.

Mike's Rating - 8.5/10