Beer review 6: Maredsous Tripel

This beer is one of those that you will either like or not want to bother with again. The Maredsous Tripel is a Belgian abby beer that has been fermented 3 times. This beer is brewed to what in Belgium is known as the Benedictine tradition. Furthermore, this beer is re fermented in the bottle during a two month aging period before it sold to the public. I bought this beer about a month ago at my bevmo and finally drank it tonight. I bought the 11.2 oz bottle but you can also pick it up in the 750 ml bottle. The alcohol is 10%, typical for a Belgian tripel. so drink it slowly or you'll be down for the count quickly.

Color: pours a cooper orange with hints of gold.

Nose. Very smooth citrus and vanilla. Ripe orange and Mandarin hit your nose with intent. Some cream is also evident on the nose. More complex flavors hit the nose but are hard to break down.

Palate: Drinks heavy and crisp. Definitely a full bodied beer meant to sipped slow and enjoyed. all the complex flavors hit at once with a definite presence of orange on the tongue.

Finish: A bit dry but definetley long. it does linger with some alcohol but that is subdued by the citrus once again.

Rating: 89 out 100

Recommended for those who big Belgian style beer, not for those who like light beer that are light in body or alcohol.

Scotch Review 3: Lagavulin 16

I'm pleased to be reviewing this Scotch. Lagavulin 16 clearly is a masterpiece and a treasure in the single malt world. I received this Scotch on my birthday this year, so major props to the special person who went out of their way to make me happy this August. Lagavulin 16 is an Isla region whiskey,which if you remember from the scotch 101 posting, these whiskies tend to be on the peaty and smokey side. Lagavulin is all that and more: it packs peat and smoke with a complexity of other great flavors. This Scotch should definitely be enjoyed in the winter time because it truly leaves behind a warmth that is wonderful and cozy. Lagavulin 16 is a must buy for any Scotch enthusiast; it tends to sell anywhere from $79.99 to $ 129.99 depending on where you purchase it. Either way If you want to take a step forward into the upper class of Scotch, this whiskey needs to find its way into your home. A little bit more about Lagavulin 16: It's one of the 6 classic malts(I'll cover those in later post),its also one of the oldest whiskies as it dates back to the early 1800's, and it's also known as the "prince of isla" scotch's.

Color: A very light copper with a tint of honey. really glows under the light.

Nose: Yummy peat with tantalizing smoke. Hints of sea and grass in the background. Also the smell of burnt wood penetrates the body of the whiskey.

Palate: Heavy but yet soft. Comes on big and robust,but transitions into a smooth and clean drink. definitely a medium body Scotch with plenty of complexity.

Finish: Long and not long enough. You just wish it lasted a lot longer. Everything comes together: All the scents from the nose come to the forefront, the construction of this Scotch is amazing so it all finishes with a flurry of amazingness.

Rating: 97 out of 100

Brain Food 7

Word of the day: Bewildered

Quote of the day: "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

--Heather Cortez

Beer review 5: Orchard White by The Bruery

I love this Brewery! I was just there this Saturday and I had a blast. Most of there beers are hard to find depending where you live in California. The Bruery brews beer that can be drank now or you can have the choice to age them a few months or year's for a better tasting beer down the road. Today I'm reviewing Their Orchard White which is a Belgian Style White Ale. This beer is brewed to some high standards, but I think It falls short compared to their other beers, but White Orchard is still a very solid offering. Orchard is brewed with spices,oats, and its fair share of wheat. Its priced well, so even if you don't like it you don't feel like you spent your money poorly. The ticket price on this is $7.99 for a 750 ml bottle. This beer drinks best out of a tulip glass so don't even bother trying a pint because it totally looses flavor and body.

Color: cloudy white. Very pale with pale white head.

Nose: plenty of citrus here. orange,tangerine and maybe some light grape fruit. Hints of lavender patrol the background of this beer. Somewhere on the nose you get some bread like flavors.

Palate. Even though you get lots of citrus on the nose on the beer does not have a tart or sour flavor. Its a light bodied beer with plenty of character.

Finish: The lavender is very evident on the finish and the citrus is in the back end. the finish is short but quite crisp.

Rating: 89 out 100

Notes: great summer beer and awesome to pair with sea food.

Beer review 4: Yeast Hoist by St. Sebastian

I picked up this beer 4 weeks ago at the Studio City Bevmo. When first looking at it and its price tag I was skeptical. I love everything I have tried from St. Sebastian, so when I saw this I figured I should bite the bullet and pay the hefty price tag on this beer(12.99) and see if it is as good as the price says it should be. I finally got around to Drinking it last Saturday and I was in awe....it poured  beautifully and it had a great smell, and nice coloring.  I must say it was totally worth the price. Yest Hoist is a top fermented Belgian Golden Ale with tons of flavor and complexity. Its drinks better out of tulip than a pint so take that in mind when serving this beer.

Color: this beer is a gorgeous straw/golden color. This beer really glows,it will definitely capture your eyes.

Nose: Lots going on here. Faint citrus lingers in the background. Plenty of malty flavors in the forefront and some fig and pear as well.

Palate: Clean and smooth. Definitely a medium body beer with tons of presence in your mouth. The amount of alcohol and carbonation really give this beer the perfect palate for any beer drinker.

Finish: Amazing, refreshing, and crisp. what else does one need in a beer.

Rating: 96 out of 100

brain Food 6

Word of the day: Egregious

Quote of the day: "When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams."

--Dr Seuss

Beer review # 3.... Speakeasy White Lightnning

I've been drinking this beer for about 3 weeks now trying to find something spectacular about it, but I must say that so far this beer has really come up short in about every category. I expect awesome beer to come out of this excellent San Francisco brewery. White Lightning, is a American style wheat beer (which by the way falls under the ale category) that is brewed with coriander seed and curacao orange peel. Its bottled at 5.2 percent alcohol, which is about right for a wheat beer, and it comes in a 6 pack.

Appearance: Almost a true white color,but it is more pale orange color. It has little to no head at all and what does appear fades away quite fast. It also contains very little carbonation.

Nose: Surprise! Surprise! scents of orange and other citrus appear. Also evident are spices: light Cinnamon and possibly some vanilla.

Finish: its in your mouth and like a flash its gone. not much there at all very lackluster.

Notes: Not worth the price you pay for this 6 pack(9.99). For the price you can do a lot better and save a lot more money. This beer is only good if its the only thing avaliable and you want a wheat beer,but still better than shock top or pyrimid and widmer.

Rating: 85 out off 100

beer review # 2.... westmalle trappist tripel

I picked up this beer last week at work(bevmo studio city) and I was really happy I did. The bottle looked interesting and the description on the price tag made the beer sound amazing. The price tag on this beer was also very reasonable($5.49) especially for the quality of beer you get.

This beer is a Belgian style trappist tripel ale. It comes in an 11.2 oz bottle and it contains 9.5% alcohol. It suggest that you serve this beer around 45-50 degrees and in a Belgian style beer goblet. let me tell you that the right glass did make a difference on this beer,I served a third of this beer into a pint glass and the rest into my goblet and I got two different tasting beers, so do use the proper glass wear when recommended.

Appearance: it pours with an orange hue and with a light foamy head. Also very dense in appearance.

Nose: Citrus! wow if you like those smells you'll be in heaven. The smells of fresh orange come alive and with it strong scents of ripe orange peal. other fruit is evident but hard to narrow down and the slightest scents of wood hit the nose at the end.

Finish: tremendous finish. Sweet on the palate without being syrupy or sugary. complex and layered going down.

Notes: The high alcohol is not evident and that is a good sigh=n from a well crafted belgian ale. Great beer to pair with sea food and or chicken. also a very good fall beer to be enjoyed with thanksgiving foods.

Rating: 91 out of 100

Beer review #1... Dogfish Head midas touch

This is the first beer review on this blog and I'm pleased to be reviewing this brew. Dogfish Head Midas Touch: I picked up this beer today at my local Vendome's, and im very happy about it. This Beer comes from Delaware and it fall's into the Ale tree. This beer pour's a wonderful autumn orange and it has an excellent nose. I really loved this beer from the get go. It really has a wonderful presence on the palate and it really finishes with a bang. Furthermore, This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage on the planet. This ancient Turkish recipe uses original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels which were discovered in the tomb of King Midas. So if if you like buttery chardonay this beer would be perfect for you.

Nose: Very evident is the honey which is brewed into this beer. Light grape lingers in the background of this beer, which is a very nice touch.

Palate: Sweet and medium body on the palate. The alcohol level of 9% is perfect for the beer and it helps to balance all the flavor on the palate. Some woody flavors linger from your first swig.

Finish: Outstanding! sweet and full leaves you wanting another because of how amazing this beer is.

Notes: Great with any dinner or a night cap beer. Truly should be in your weekly rotation if you have one. Dogfish has done it again!!!!!

Rating: 90 out 100

brain Food 5

Word of the day: megalomania

Quote of the day: "a heart that loves is always young"

-greek proverb

Scotch Review # 2 Macallan 18

I received this bottle as a christmas gift last year, and i must admit its one of the best gifts any scotch lover can ever receive. So thank you very much Katrina Schindler for such an awesome gift. I took me a few months to get the courage to open such a beautiful bottle of amazing single malt scotch,but when I did boy was I a happy malt lover. The Macallan 18 delivers with class, elegance and masterful craftsmanship. Very few scotches perform like this single malt, many fail to even replicate such precision in their 18 year whiskey's.

The Macallan 18 does carry a hefty price tag,one that may be a bit high,but The name carries power and prestige, so this bottle is a must have for any scotch buff or connoisseur. I highly recommend this single malt and it should be enjoyed on those special day's when you need to treat yourself to something nice.

The Macallan whiskey's are a speyside region scotch, which leads them to be on the softer sweeter side and also they tend to carry soft floral tones.

Nose: very easy to sniff. the alcohol is not potent so you can really stick your nose in it. very present are the scents of vanilla and honey. in the background hints of dried wood and cinnamon hit your nose.

Palate: Again... its gentle on the tounge. it lays soft through the mouth and goes down like sweet honey tea. at the beginning the taste of smoked wood appears followed by soft waves of orange and and dried fruits. underneath all that lies hints of clove and vanilla.

Finish: the finish is like that of the 1812 overture... fantastic and sharp. the lingering flavor of smoked wood and the appearance of ginger give this scotch a finish of epic proportions.

Notes: enjoy this with a fine cigar ( avo no.2 or a montecristo media noche) great after dinner drink and great pairing with dark semi sweet chocolate.

Rating: 97 out of 100