IPA Battle at Bruery Provisions

The wife is gone and I'm feeling a little lonely. I decided to perk myself up with a trip to the Bruery. This is most definitely my new favorite hangout. They have 30 beers on tap to taste and they are always rotating and bringing in new interesting stuff. I'll be doing a full review in the near future as this place deserves MANY accolades.

After perusing the menu I decided on an IPA battle Royale. It was going to be west coast Vs Midwest. Pacific Ocean Vs. Rocky Mountains. Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA Vs. Avery's DuganA.

First off I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce DuganA. is it Duggen..Ay,  DuggenAy or is it, as the server prounced it, DooGahnAh? I think I prefer Duggen..Ay especially since the semi snooty server guy tried to correct me. So, Duggen..Ay it is, and it doesn't really matter HOW you pronounce it because you could call it dirt and it would still taste really really good.

Big Eye IPA on the Left DuganA on the right

DuganA poured a copper orange with loose lacing and not much of a head.

On the nose there was a LOT of barnyard, feet, armpit, Brett smelling. There was more barnyard in this one than other IPA's I've had, like Wild  Devil, that were purposefully inoculated with Brettanomyces. It gave it a depth that I really liked. Musky with some pine of course.

Taste was more barnyard, followed by barnyard dirt, musky, pine. I really enjoyed this beer as there were many layers to peel back. My only complaint was there was a little too much carbonation

The Big Eye also poured a bit darker of a copper color though the lacing was much tighter.

Light and sweet on the nose with some lemon and obligatory pine.

Taste was lemony pine which followed the nose to the T. Not much bubble. All in all a solid IPA.

The win definitely goes to Avery though.

The Bruery Provisions - So Many Beers So Little Time

The Bruery recently opened up a tasting room in The Circle in Orange, which, coupled with The Haven, is very dangerous. Case in point, tonight. 7 different beers. Good thing they only serve them in 2 ounce portions.

The great thing about The Bruery Provisions is that not only do they serve their own beer but they bring in friends'(competitors) and they also stock bottles. Lots of bottles. From places and breweries I have only heard about.




The lineup from left to right minus the Ballast Point

1. The Bruery Seven Grain Saison
2. The Bruery Humulus Session
3. The Bruery Loakal Red
4. The Bruery Autumn Maple
5. The Bruery Three French Hens
6. Ballast Point 3 Sheets Barley Wine
7. Ballast Point Dorado DIPA

I started things off with the Saison which poured a very hazy light yellow. It looked thin but that didn't prove out in the taste.
Sniffing brought forth locker room, feet, armpit, pretty much dank, earthy stink.
On the palate was definite grain. I don't know if there was seven different kinds but it had a grittiness too it that wasn't very pleasant. I know and love most locker room type beers but for some reason I felt like I was drinking a sweaty gym sock. D loves her some Saison Dupont and I have been pushing her to branch out. Bad idea with this one, she was not a fan.

Next up was the Humulus Session which was a low alcohol beer designed for the after work man. This was a bit clearer and a bit darker in color than the saison and brought with it a completely different smell profile. Grapefruit through and through with a definite mixed citrus backing. Humulus was hoppy without being overly bitter. I enjoyed it until the back-end took over. There was a highly tannic, drying, grapefruit rind/pith taste that ruined the earlier part of the beer. What was refreshing became off-putting. I couldn't make this a session like its designed.

Stepping out of the lighter colored beers into the newly brewed Loakal Red I was excited because I was hoping to unseat my favorite red Lagunitas' The Kronik. It poured a nice deep red color and smelled of ripe red fruit, apples, and strawberries. There wasn't much bubble in this slightly hopped(for a red) brew. I was a bit disappointed after the nose belied a sweetness that didn't show up on my tongue. I thought it was a beautiful run of the mill red.

Ahhh, Autumn Maple. Now we're talking big aroma, big flavors, pure enjoyment. Wafting up from the taster was maple syrup, orange zest, clove, and spices to be named later. The glass was highly carbed and all of those wonderful aromas expressed themselves on the tongue. This was by far D's favorite as she ordered another one and wouldn't let me touch it.

Three French Hens, aged in French oak and a nice dark mahogany color. Very complex on the nose, dark red roasted fruit, cherries, fig, raisin. Not much of a head on it and first taste was woah bourbon. I'm not sure why because as far as I know it wasn't bourbon barrel aged. This is definitely a sipper at 10%. I liked it quite a bit as it was thick, caramely, figgy. This screamed Christmas beer to me. It was not Oktoberfest like most beers of the "fest" genre but rather stayed true to its name. This one went down slow but I enjoyed it a lot.

The Bruery beers definitely went Autumn Maple, Three French Hens 1,2 for me. The others save for Loakal Red were disappointing.

The Ballast beers were both heavy duty in their own way.

The Three Sheets Barley was deep, dark, and viscous. This was not a balanced hoppy, malty barley. This was a roasted coffee, dark chocolate, raisiny, pruney, soy sauce bomb of flavor. Dark and murky the only down side was it had a slight cocoa powdery taste to it. It wasn't as smooth as dark chocolate which took points off in my mind.

The Double IPA was a sleeper. Not much aroma but was it ever bitter. More grapefruit than pine but definitely a bitter nuclear waste site on my tongue. I'm glad I left this one for last because I don't think there was anything left to taste with after this one went down. This was a one and done.

Port Brewing Wing Wednesday

I never seem to get into any of the shots of our friends because I'm the tourist of the group but here's us minus me at Port Brewing's Pizza Port in San Clemente for their Wing(and cheese stick)Wednesday. 35 cent wings! You can't beat that, and with friends, good beer, and cute babies. It was a great night.

I had Russian River's Blind Pig which, I know this is blasphemy, I liked better than their Pliny the Elder. It had a LOT of pine on it, with a little citrus zest mixed in, but the body was solid and the bubbles were low. It must have been good because I finished it before anyone else had and that's not normal for me. Oh, and I put the picture of the cute baby in because now you HAVE to like this post. I promise, the beer was mine and she had her own bottle....... of milk that is.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

No pic of this one because I was in a VERY crowded bar called The Waterfront in San Diego. It was so crowded it conjured up old college days when the loud music, crushing crowds, and swill beer was a prelude to a good night. Now, I just want to run away. It was even so bad that I committed a cardinal sin. I left half of a good beer still in the glass. I know, I know! I just couldn't take it. D and the Hale's were of the same mind and we ended up going back to the British pub in Little Italy we had frequented earlier.

Sculpin is a cult favorite down in SoCal. It's not brewed all the time and it gets some fanfare when it does. I was excited to see that I would get to try it and I sucked up the noise, jostling, and body odor for a few minutes and sips.

The verdict? Ehh. It was good for sure, but typical IPA fare. It had a decent body for a non DIPA but there was nothing really interesting about it. Pine, some floral aromas. Higher on the IBU's than a typical IPA but nothing groundbreaking. All in all a solid beer but not one I would go back to.

Victory Wild Devil RE-Review

I've gotten back into Belgians of late after a detour to the land of IPA's. Yes, I know this is an IPA, but it's very different from your classic IPA. I've reviewed it before here, but this one has been cellaring for 6 months or so and I figured that the time might have mellowed some of the bitterness and brought out some of that sour fruit, funkiness of "Brett."

Yes and yes. Time had definitely brought out the funk. I like this beer a lot more now. Similar to a Belgian IPA which is a little sweeter Wild Devil brings a tinge of sweetness on the backend that makes this one enjoyable.

Green Flash Le Freak Belgian IPA

D and I met our friends at The Haven the other night. We seem to spend a lot of time there. Maybe because the beer is so good? They took away our chicken wings so it can't be because of the wings. D had her usual Saison Dupont, although I did get her to try a different Saison called Solstice although the brewer's name escapes me right now. I however got to have a beer on tap that I've been looking forward to trying for a long time

Green Flash is a brewer out of San Diego that at first I didn't like. Their West Coast IPA just annihilated my taste buds. SOO bitter. Now though, I've either acclimated to IBU's, they've toned it down, or I had some monstrous mistake of a beer the first time because West Coast is one of my more favorite IPA's when I'm looking for a nuclear hop warhead. Their Imperial IPA is amazingly balanced and don't get me started on their red which is one of my favorites.

Le Freak is a Belgian IPA so I knew i was in for a little bit of a sweeter iteration of the style. The candi sugar they are known for lends to this taste and it is one that I actually enjoy with the bitterness. It tends to tone it down, add a level of complexity, and complements it quite well.

This one didn't let me down, light to medium body, floral, orange, and citrus on the nose. Maybe a little pine for good measure.

This one was definitely not overly bitter and had that sweetness on the backend. Slightly biscuity like a good French champagne as well. I picked up some floral notes as well.

Very enjoyable.

San Diego Session IPA

San Diego Session IPA. This beer is something I have been looking for. A low alcohol HIGH taste IPA. These two do not go hand in hand, or at least, I have yet to find one that is decent.

I think this is left over from a recent beer fest in San Diego. I had it on tap at The Haven in Orange. I'll be reviewing the place soon so look for that. Anyway, back to the beer.
4.2% alcohol and ALL the taste of a high class IPA. This isn't a pale ale in IPA clothing either. Pine, citrus, and a good bitter back bite. This isn't a knock you off your rocker IPA. It is what it purports to be. SESSIONABLE. Meaning, I can drink more than a few and be pleasantly warm. Not blitzed.

Russian River Pliny the Elder

We had a really great time at a 30th Bday party tamale bash.  I have to thank our friends for picking this up for me. They also brought a couple other ones I'll review later. The Bruery Saison de Rue, North Coast Pranqster which I've reviewed before, and a cider that I didn't get to try but it looked good.

Ok so obviously BIG expectations going into this one right? It's ranked pretty high on a lot of lists in general but it's definitely way up there on IPA's to try. Aside from Pliny the Younger I can't think of too many IPA's that get this much hype.


Starting off, BIG fluffy head, very sticky, but I was surprised at the minimal aroma coming off my glass. There was pine of course but it wasn't the nuclear pinecone I was expecting. A little tropical fruit maybe, a little freshcut grass a possibility but the aroma was underwhelming. This was totally opposite from what others have said about PTE.

All in all the flavors were pretty typical of a DIPA. The last few DIPA's I've had have had muted bitterness(I'm starting to think I have developed a tolerance). I love DIPA's for being smooth and PTE was definitely that. Nice thick body, a little oily stickiness, the lacing hung around forever. I really enjoyed this beer I just think that the lead up to it was overblown. Beer Advocate seems to have acolytes devoted to it and don't get them started on Pliny the YOUNGER.

All in all I definitely would not pass up the chance to drink this if it was given to me but I'm not going to go out of my way to find it either. Fantastic beer but it didn't change my life or the way I view beer. The best thing about the entire day though was the company.

Big Sky IPA

Sorry about the cruddy picture. I have had this beer several times and I can't seem to do two things. One, take a picture of me actually drinking it, and two, actually drink it from a glass.

I am a little self conscious when it comes to my beer snobbery. When everyone is drinking out of the bottle I feel a little pretentious if I ask for a glass, let alone, bring my own! Anyone else? I mean, my first wine tasting at a friend's house I brought my own glass, was castigated for it, and ever since I'm a little gun shy.

The most recent Big Sky I pulled out was at a birthday party for Rog. He's turning 30, what an old man. I know from experience that this beer pours a slightly coppery hazy color. Pretty typical for an IPA. Not too orangey, not too pale. The bubbles are perfect. Since this is only a single IPA they can tend to be a little too carbonated for me but this is not the case with Big Sky.

If you have read this blog before I do have a little nostalgia with Big Sky Brewery going back to a trip to Yellowstone in the winter. It involved snowmobiling and -39 degree weather(windchill). The first brew I had after coming back was actually Big Sky's Moose Drool, (reviewed here) a brown ale. The love affair begins.

This one has a little pine on the nose but mostly it smells a little sweet. This carries over to the taste as it has some bitterness but ends on a sugary, citrusy note. Very good refreshing IPA. Leaves you wanting another one. One of the reasons I bought a case.

Deschutes Hop in the Dark

Deschutes always impresses me I've had so many of their beers and so much of their food. They are constantly pushing the envelope while keeping their quality consistent. Case in point this beer.

Deschutes is calling it a Cascadian Dark Ale and it is that. Using cascade hops along with traditional porter malts and even some oats to provide body Deschutes has created something of a hybrid. A dark IPA.

Essentially that's what this is. A mishmash of a roasty toasty stout or porter mixed with low grade IPA bitterness. The aroma is roast and a hint of pine while the taste is the opposite.

I appreciated this for what it was. A distinct departure from style and an experimental beer, but I wasn't really that enamored with it. The roast just didn't fit well with the pine and a hint of citrus. I think that's what ruined it for me, that hint of citrus. Most stouts have that back-end bitterness and it works, but this one just doesn't seem to meld well. 

Lagunitas IPA and Kiteboarding

Good solid IPA made even better by the scenery around me and the fact that I got to be with my parents. My dad is learning how to kite board so we went out to Eagle Lake to catch some wind.

I went up a week ahead of D so that I could help my parents set up for our reception in Susanville. It was really relaxing and I love the labor. I don't get to do as much of that stuff in SoCal and it just feels good to be wielding a shovel and getting blisters. Weird the things I miss.

Redhook Long Hammer IPA

I don't have much to say about this one other than it was in the fridge at a 4th of July party where everything else came in a silver can and said "Light." It was ok. Better than the silver can but not great. Though I was a bit biased since I had been drinking a much better IPA earlier in New Belgium's Ranger. Oh well, my taste buds were saved from the silver can so, thank you Redhook!

New Belgium Ranger IPA

I kept getting told how great the Ranger was from New Belgium and I kept putting off until just recently 4th of July weekend. I haven't been impressed with a lot of New Belgium stuff since they started mass producing Fat Tire. The only slam dunk is their 1554 that I reviewed. Love it.

That being said this is a decent IPA. A very boilerplate IPA. A very serviceable IPA. Nothing over the top but definitely enjoyable.

This one isn't floral. Mostly pine with a decent bitterness. A little lemon citrus in the backend and it sticks with you. Good finish. Definitely worth a sixer since it is cheaper than most "craft" IPA's. Can't really call New Belgium craft anymore in my opinion except for their experimental stuff.

Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale

The labels for Flying Dog are always interesting, but this one as little bro put it was a little disturbing.

What looks to be a baby in a diaper with a rabid chihuahua head eating two beers graces the front of what I would call an imperial IPA rather than a double pale.

This is definitely one of those ones that could be very dangerous if you don't read the label.

This is an imperial because it's 11.5 ABV. Little bro had no idea beer could be that high. I told him about BrewDog. Crazy Scottish people. I love their IPA's Punk, Harcore, not so crazy about Bashah.

This poured a nice burnt orange certified IPA color.
Nuclear Pinecone aroma with a tinge of citrus, and some caramel surprisingly.

First sip, BITTER. The label says that balance was their goal since they threw a bunch of malt at this one. Hence, the 11.5 ABV but this was not balanced on first sip. It says it's only 85 IBU but woo boy bitter. Good, bitter.

After bitter? Alcohol, the 11.5 definitely says hello to your palate with that little tingle of heat.

Like any good imperial though there was big body and low bubbles and as it warmed up the balance came into play with the malt opening up and a sweetness on the back end of a LONG finish completing a satisfying beer.

Yeah, I know the price is 2.99$ Expensive because it came from a mom and pop shop literally a block from my house. I go there when I am too lazy to drive over to BevMo or Total Wine. This was one of those times.

Green Flash RE-Review West Coast IPA

No picture on this one but I wanted to reclassify this one. I tried this a LONG time ago at The Haven and I hated it. Total hop bomb, nuclear pinecone, tastebud destroyer. Well, either my tastebuds are still recovering, my palate has changed, or Green Flash changed their formula(doubtful) because this second try was really good.

Yes, it's STILL a nuclear pinecone but this one just seemed a bit more balanced then the last time. It's still one of the more beautiful pours I've had, hazy copper, nice head, second only to Hop Henge(I'm obsessed).

I'm glad I gave this one another shot. I am officially a Green Flash convert with their Hop Head Red, and Imperial IPA giving me enough pause to brave the flashburn my tongue received the first time. Next up, Green Flash Le Freak a Belgian IPA.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra Pale

This was actually a present surprise. I mean, I know that Sierra Nevada was one of the very first craft breweries to start the revolution and coming from Chico, CA near my hometown I've naturally had a few of their ubiquitus pale ales but I really wasn't expecting much out of this EXTRA IPA. I was wrong. Did it blow my mind? No. But it was good.

This was another PREbachelor party brews that was picked up by my buddy from NorCal who's pretty obsessed with Sierra.

On the nose there was some pine, grapefruit, all the normal smells out of a classic IPA, which is pretty much what this is. A very classic, non-over-the-top West Coast IPA. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Nice head and retention. Crystal clear coppery orange.

It was good. I'd get a six.

Meantime India Pale Ale

Quick history lesson. Though we Americans(West Coast especially) have really taken the IPA to a new fullblown overblown level, it was those dastardly Brits that originally brewed the India Pale Ale. The beer is named for the trip to the Indies that was, though quite profitable, VERY long. Long enough that the ale that was taken on the trip would never make it there unspoiled. Enter HOPS! Hops has an antibacterial property inherent to it and the Brits discovered if they hopped the beJesus out of their ale it would make it without any nasty buggies growing in there. Not to mention it tasted pretty damn good too.

Go figure, those boring Brits, famous for their bland food actually created a beer style that is now famous in the Americas for being agressive, over the top, punch you in the mouth and make YOU say sorry flavorful(read, bitter).

That being said this IPA is from London and claims to be made from the original recipe for the Ale that made those long voyages. Knowing what we know now we can expect this beer to not be as agressively bitter as a typical American style. The only thing I can associate with agressive and British now are those soccer hooligans. Who, I think, in a fight I would want on my side more than a rabid band of Raiders fans.

This beer poured out a hazy orangey copper color. Not much in the way of head and it didn't stick around in any meaningful amount. This is the MOST floral beer I have ever had. The aroma was really nice. A little lime but mostly just fresh picked flowery hops. No pine cones here.

The taste was sweet, not bitter. A tiny bt of citrus but there was a raspberry, cranberry quality to it on the first few sips. This beer, interestingly enough might be the most evolutionary beer I have ever had. What I mean by that is that its flavor profile completely changed as it warmed. It went from a sweet, floral, english pale, to a spicy, gingery, slightly choclatey deep, bitter American IPA. It actually had some stout notes to it. It was really interesting.

It had a nice body to it. Not too thick not too thin. Perfect carbonation. I REALLY enjoyed this one. Thanks to the vegan for this one. I might have a new resident in my favorites file! I think I'm going to have to pick up some of Meantimes others.

Victory Brewing Wild Devil

OK so I actually drank this one a LOOONG time ago, but She Who Shall Remain Nameless who was supposed to be guest reviewing for me is seriously slacking! lol! You know who you are!

I do have to give her HUGE props for bringing this one because I had really been wanting to try it since I had recently had Wild Devil's more tame NON-Bretanomyces brother Hop Devil which I was very happy with.

Wild Devil is an IPA that is entirely fermented with Bret yeast which gives it a sour, wet blanket, gamey, leathery smell. This sounds offputting I know but the affectation is very slight. This is nowhere near the sourness of a true sour. In actuality if I was given this blind I would have to really work at picking out the use of Bret because there wasn't a whole lot there.

Compared to Hop Devil the Wild had a lot less IPA character to it. There was some pineyness in there as well as some grapefruit but overall it was definitely a tame IPA. It tasted more like a good Belgian than an American IPA.

I enjoyed this bottle a lot. More so for the comparison in fermentation since everything was supposed to be the same but the yeast. It's always nice to stretch the boundaries and give myself a reference point for certain flavors and aromas.

Again, I have not been let down by Victory. Though it wasn't over the top, Wow!  It was a good sipper.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

I'm not sure why the label on "Hop Stoopid" looks nothing like any of Lagunitas' other labels. Especially when all of their other labels seem to be very cohesive. This was part of the reason I hadn't picked this one up earlier. I love Lagunitas and anything I haven't tried from them I make an effort to find.                                                                   As it so happens I asked little bro to pick up this one for Man's Night and he came through.                                                              At 102 IBU's I was waiting for a hop nuclear warhead but once again Lagunitas comes through. Perfectly balanced.                                                                               This was probably one of the LEAST fragrant IPA's that profess to be over the top hopped I have ever had. There was a tinge of pine and spice but nothing near what I expected for 102 IBU's. It also was a more golden yellow than the last few IPA's I have had. None of that orangey, coppery color.         There wasn't anything spectacular about this beer except for that at 8% ABV it was still very drinkable. I enjoyed it but I won't be buying more when there are so many other IPA's out there

Shipyard XXXX IPA (Pugsley's Signature Series)

Once again, Girl formerly known as The Jew came through with an IPA, this time a DIPA at 9.25% ABV.

Though it's becoming a compulsion for her to bring an IPA it's hard to complain, but they do have a name for this type of thing, I think Freud might call it an oral fixation. ;) I think her goal for next time is to bring the craziest weirdest beer she can find.

That being said, the bottle she brought is absolutely beautiful. I don't know what it is about it but I really like it. Classy, sophisticated, almost like a good bottle of Scotch. You can't tell from the crappy Iphone pic but the gold lettering was all foiled.

This one poured a very hazy creamy looking copper orange color with a decent amount of head that stuck around for a LONG time.

It smelled of banana, and nuts, grapefruit and pine.

I loved the body on this one. It looked creamy pouring and it tasted creamy too. This was a Double IPA in alcohol only as the hops were not over the top at all. Quite refreshing actually but aside from the banana breadiness of this one it was not anything earth shattering. Good, but not a buy again.

Thanks GFKATJ(Girl Formerly Known As The Jew) for the beer and the always great company.

Line of the night?

"If the animal was treated with respect in life and death I would have no problem eating it." 

"So if the pig died of happiness you would eat it"? What if it loved it's owners SOO much that it layed down it's life for them? Would that be an acceptable death?"

I think I am going to kill a pig with kindness and serve it to GFKATJ on a platter with an apple in it's mouth.