Two Beers Brewing Company – Persnickety Pale Ale – Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Two Beers Brewing Company (Seattle, WA)
Beer Name: Persnickety Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
ABV%: 5.7%
Price: $4.99 for 22 oz.

Pour gives two fingers of foam made of medium and small bubbles. Amber in color (picture is darker than true color) and extremely clear throughout. Light aroma of citrus and floral hops. Mildly hoppy in flavor and minute bitter in the middle which was very nice and balance with the flavors. Good, bitter finish. Very light mouth feel, with a medium body but a solid finish. A wonderful Pale Ale!

NW Bearded Brewer's Grade:

CW's Grade:

NW Bearded Brewer - Paul’s Pale Ale – Beer Review

Well it’s about time, right? I know that’s what you all are thinking. I started this blog to explore more about beer and even delve into some home brewing. So far, I’ve taken you through the brew day and adventures in racking to the secondary. Well, fortunately for you (the readers….. few though you may be) I did write a quick review about this beer.

Too much Rock for one hand!  Miss you, Paul!

It’s named, posthumously, for a friend and fellow veteran who passed just this last March. Another buddy and myself put back a sixer of this home brew. This one’s for you, Paul!

Found: Home Brew
Brewery: My house
Beer Name: Paul’s Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
ABV%: Around 5% – 5.5%
Price: haven’t calculated price per bottle

Pour gives around ½ finger of foam comprised mainly of super-fine bubbles. Color is a light amber, darkened only by the cloudiness, as this beer is unfiltered. Aroma is very much beer, no major hop notes to speak of. Flavors of light malt, small amount of floral. A neighbor and another friend said they got a little citrus specifically orange. Very light mouth feel, and light in body as well. Good for my first beer. My buddies sure liked it…

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:

 (+1 for being home brewed)



Brew Bud Dan: The Real Deal
Jeremy: Grizzly Adams
Mitch: Flavor Saver
Adam: Grizzly Adams

Buddy Average:

(Thanks for screwing up the curve, Mitch!)

Ninkasi Brewing Company - Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt Ale (Winter Seasonal) - Beer Review

Found: Albertsons
Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company
Beer Name: Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt Ale
ABV%: 7.2%
Price: $3.75 for 22 oz.

Pour gives 1 finger of Dark Brown and Tan head which has staying power and left some lacing down the side of the glass.  Aroma is full of caramel, maltiness, spicy and sweet.  Flavor is full of spiciness you would expect from a winter beer, and a little sweetness too.  It's a big beer, from start to finish.  A little syrupy, like real maple syrup in the mouth feel and a mild bitterness in the end.  A great beer, perfect for in front of the fire after a day of skiing or snowboarding.

NW Bearded Brewer's Grade:

Beer Review Guide - Repost

So my co-workers have been asking me what the different grades mean.... so I thought I would repost the NW Bearded Brewer Grading Scale.   Thanks for reading....

NWBB

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As a fan of tasty beers, I thought I should learn to enjoy them a little better. Now I'm no Michael Jackson (famous beer author and enthusiast), but I have devised my own word styles to describe various beverages and I think I've come up with quality rating system.


I present to you The NW Bearded Brewer's Beer Grading system!

The Real Deal – This beer meets all your needs, and makes you want to ask for more.

The Grizzly Adams – This beer is a little wild and a little out there. You gotta respect that.

The Flavor Saver – This beer wants to be part of the “cool” group, talking about being a craft beer and full of flavor. Unfortunately, it is still a little douchey.

The Pierre – This beer tries to convince you that it is superior in every way, but in the end it’s just a dirty frenchman.

The Pencil Stache – This beer wants to chat with your kids on the internet. KEEP IT AWAY!

Stay tuned.... This could get interesting.

Images retrieved from: http://thewhalerclassic.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/beards.jpg

Oskar Blues Brewing Company - Old Chub - Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Beer Name: Old Chub
Beer Style: Scotch Ale
ABV%: 8%
Price: $1.69 per 12 oz

Pour gives just a little bit of tan head, and the brew is dark.... like Darth Vader dark.  Heavy aroma of sweetness, and bread.  Sweet in flavor too, but very delicious.  Definitely tasting that 8% alcohol too.  A little fizzy, with a big body that is almost syrupy.  Sweetness sits on the tongue like hard candy.  My first Scotch Ale, and I'm already a big fan, especially if the rest are similar to this.

NWBB Grade:






CW Grade:

Dick's Brewing Company - Dick's IPA - Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Dick's Brewing Company (Centralia, WA)
Beer Name: Dick's IPA
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
ABV%: 5.5%
Price: $1.49 per 12 oz

Pour gives a nice golden, amber color with just a little haziness.  Definite floral hoppiness hits the nose.  Flavor gives more of these hoppy notes from the head and a hint of citrus as well.  Smooth mouth feel, very light and some bitterness sits on the back of the tongue.  Just a very good beer.

NWBB Grade:    

   

 

Wild Dawgs.... I think I love you....

...but I want to know for sure! 

Yes I'm singing, because I've found the best place in town for a really good dog... correction, dawg.

Unbeknownst to many of you out there in internet land, I have been unemployed for several months and recently was hired by the best company around. This means I have money coming in… hooray, more beer.

One night, CW and I were perusing a local magazine called Sizzle and she pointed out that there is a “hotdog” joint just down the road from my work. We’re talking a 5 minute walk that serves local and other northwest brews. Just the name of the restaurant made me want to go there, “Wild Dawgs”.

During my lunch hour a few days later, I meandered my way towards destiny. Sure, I’ve had a hot dog, a bratwurst and even the ever destroying chili dog. Let me tell you right now, I’ve never had a Wild Dawg until now.

The restaurant is a small place with several tables and chairs, with a few places right up at the bar. I met one of the owners and the brainchild of every dawg creation, Esteban. He greeted me right away, and asked if I had ever been in before. "Nope, I'm a newbie..."

My gracious host.... and hot dawg genius!

After explaining where I heard about his establishment, and asking for the best dawg he had, Esteban set me up with a Hot Mama. Chorizo, cilantro based sauce, fresh tomatoes, sriracha for some extra heat, and crumbled potato chips on top, and it was all served in a big fluffy bun. You know when you get a German sausage in a hoagie bun, and there is still too much bun left over, not the case here at all. Esteban gave me a quick tutorial on polishing off this behemoth. You have to cut it in half and it makes it easier to handle. Plus your first bite is from the middle where all the goodness has been piled up.

The Hot Mama

I am literally lost for words on how to describe this dawg, save Epic! Let’s put it another way, it was so good that I took my wife there for dinner later that day. All CW could manage to get out while eating her dawg was, “Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhh!”

Yeah, and did I forget to mention the beer (also another reason I returned in the evening). They had Fremont Univerale Pale Ale and Golden Hill’s Lizzy’s Lager on tap. Fuggetaboutit! I was in freaking heaven!

Hot Mama with a Lizzy's Lager, a delicious combination

There’s been some controversy over the Wild Dawg’s Logo, and some negative reviews on Urbanspoon. Let me just same something about this. The logo is extremely clever, and if you are so bent out of shape about the marketing for this particular place why don’t you take your children to a “restaurant” where their mascot is a creepy clown who seems like he’s getting a little too touchy feely with the kids.

It's a W people... c'mon!

As for complaints about the prices and the dawgs themselves… shut your mouth! You want a regular hot dog, there is a hot dog stand literally 150 feet from the door of Wild Dawgs. Go spend $5.50 on a dog and a soda. Me? I’ll spend an extra dollar or two on something truly unique and delicious with fresh ingredients, and enjoy a tasty cold beverage of my choice while I’m at it.

Now back to the beer.

Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
Name: Universale Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale
Found: Wild Dawgs
Price: By the Pint
ABV: Unk


The pour left about a finger of white foam with medium and large bubbles. The head dissipated pretty quickly all but a thin layer sitting atop the brew which gave off nice floral and some citrusy notes. The taste was dead on for pale ale. This brew was light and refreshing, not a big body, and a nice touch of hoppy bitterness in the end.

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:

Brewery: Golden Hill’s Brewing Company
Name: Lizzy’s Lager
Style: Lager
Found: Wild Dawgs
Price: By the Pint
ABV: Unk

Lizzy's Lager

Pour gave a finger of foam full of small and tiny bubbles. The head did eventually disappear, but what was waiting below is the prize I was after.  Nice dark amber color and completely clear (there was some chill haze in this photo). Malty and caramel flavors, but very light and crisp mouth feel. Nice body and smooth all the way to the end.

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade: