750 mL capped bottle, thanks go out to lackenhauser for the chance to try this. Pour is a cloudy, orange color with a nice head. Some decent retention and some sticky lace. Very good, and solid for the style. Nose offers a typical, west coast, hop-resin astringency. Not something that I care for necessarily, but definitely true to the style. The beer does not stray much from the style with massive, astringent hops, slightly dry in the finish and plenty of grapefruit and oily, resin notes. In...
Notes on beers brewed by
Flying Fish Brewing Company
Exit 1
Cracked this one at The Brick Store on a Friday lunchtime. Simple pour with standard black body and nice, mocha head. A very light drinking stout. Influence from the oysters? Maybe, but if there is an character at all it manifest in the light nature of the beer. Mouthfeel is approaching thin, but it doesn't seem to detract from the experience at all. Perhaps a mild salty, brine element amongst the water, but to be honest this may be just a function of the mind playing tricks on the palate...
Exit 11
750 mL bottle, the second in the NJ turnpike series. Thanks go out to Steve for the chance to try this one. Pour is a very nice, hazed orange with great carbonation and some pretty decent head. Light and wispy on top. Nose is very interesting since it sums up the whole beer rather well. The smell gets into this strange no-man's-land between "greater than standard/subtle", but "not quite imperial/double". The tastes are the same. It threatens...
Imperial Espresso Porter
12 oz bottle from nerofiddled. Light brown, cold coffee color with small head and ring of collar left on and around the surface of the beer. Vapors that gather in the nose are quite surprisingly alcoholic with a touch of malt. Tastes are quite sweet with some lovely, light coffee notes and general understatement all around. Light warmth is left on the tongue as the alcohol spreads and leaves its mark. Some touches of light, roasted beans in the finish too. Sugary aftertaste. VERY thin in the...
HopFish
12 oz single thanks to nerofiddled for the chance to try this one. Great clarity on the copper colored body and some bone-white lace with better than average retention and lace. A nice combo on the nose of some fruit and well balanced sweet malts and hops. Malty and biscuity, the hops are subtle in this beer and for intents and purposes this is an English IPA. It lacks the harsh, upfront aggression that the American version of the style often has, and in that respect some will probably be...
Farmhouse Summer Ale
Thanks go out to Jim for the chance to crack this one. 12 oz bottle. Mmmmm, strange. An alarming, crystal clear pour with a macro like color and a carbonation to match. Looks "ultra" filtered! Nose and tastes reveal soft malts and some grainy sweetness. This is categorized as a Saison?? It looks like (and has the mouthfeel) of a macro lager. It does have a nose and taste that gives more than that, but not a huge amount more and the experience is subtle to say the least. Some light, estery...
Exit 4
Red plastic covers the capped, 750 mL bottle. On opening there is a touch of gunsmoke but not much other signs of life. The words "American Trippel" on the label. I'm not keen on the spelling, nor on the word American coupled with the word Trippel - it has me worried, and as it turns out with very good reason. Pour is a promising, orange hazed affair with better head and lace than I initially thought I was going to see. Nose gives gentle citrus in the form of grapefruit and not much else....
ESB Amber Ale
Decent. ESB this isn't, but it's a nice drink. Dark orange pour with good head and good lacing provides a nice appearance in the glass. Aroma and tastes are not huge, but the main characteristic is the very mild grapefruit hop finish. Despite the lack of large flavors and distinct tastes, there is a balance and a satisfying mouthfeel that belies the simple nature of this beer. Very drinkable, definitely a session candidate.