Tasting Notes

As we Brewpublicans prepare for the weekend’s festivities, we are honing our palates and conditioning our livers to endure the delicious mind-blowing bounty ahead.

Last night I sat down with tastemaker Geoff Phillips of Bailey’s Taproom to sample a bunch of brews I had around the house. Here’s the notes I took and our ratings on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest. Sorry if I botched any of yours, Geoff) :

Sierra Nevada Estate Harvest Ale

Geoff: Good. Pretty chewy. Points out how shitty some other IPAs are.As balanced as you’re gonna get for an IPA. This is an IPA, right? Sweet malt backbone; well balanced.  7.5

Angelo: Tasted heavier than its alcohol percentage. Bitter, gritty. Pricey, but delicious. A very hardy brew.  7.5

New Castle Brown from a can

Geoff: Takes me back 10 years when I went to a dive bar. I don’t know why this is the breakout beer for some people. It’s friggin’ New Castle, man. Nutty fruity sweetness.  6

Angelo: Familiar, fruity, yeasty, and obviously nutty. This beer owns the style. 6.25

Boulevard Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest

Geoff: What an Oktoberfest should taste like. Not a lager? This is not surprising for an American brewer. Sweet. I like it. Better than other (Oktoberfests) this year.  6.75

Angelo: Spicy, full/fall flavored. An Okto-steam beer? Creamy yet clean and a little bit of hops bitterness for an Oktoberfest. Nice beer.  7

Marin Tripel Dipsea

Geoff: Any banana? Spice is super. Pretty dark for a tripel. Goes down way too easy for 9+% ABV. A little cidery, too.  6

Angelo: Odd hybridization of Trappist style. Surprisingly smooth at first but gets harder to gut as it warms up. Notes of chewing tobacco in there. Wacked out beer.  6.25

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest

Geoff: Malt-forward with a lingering off flavor. Coats my mouth with a sweetness that won’t go away.  5

Angelo: Carbonic, Englishy. Session worthy. Nice head. Mild metallic bite. I think this one is off.  6

Pyramid Juggernaut

Geoff: Good hoppy aroma. I like the nose more than than the finish. A little too light but its pretty clean. Definitely an NW beer. 5.5

Angelo: Hoppy, tangy, biscuity.Thin bodied. Mild, easy to drink.  6

Oskar Blues Mama’s Lil Yeller Pils

Geoff: Finally something light. There’s something in the backend. Not a lot of nose. It’s my water source for the evening.  7

Angelo: Light, bright. Great color. Grainy; full bodied considering color. Uber clean and floral.  7

Here’s where our palates erroded and other beers were tried.  For a better, easier manner in which to review beers, try It’s Pub Night’s beer review generator. Prost!