Category Archives: Beer Reviews

Beer Reviews

Intergalactic Brewing Double Hopped Andromeda IPA and Rebel Alliance Imperial Stout

Leave a comment

Yesterday I stopped by Intergalactic Brewing because I had to try their latest collaboration brew with 2Kids Brewing, an Imperial Stout brewed with cacao nibs, coconut, and vanilla beans. Little did I know that this stout was 10% and absolutely delicious. I did have high expectations because both breweries have made some delicious stouts in the past. 2Kids makes one of the best chocolate stouts in San Diego. I decided to get this particular beer from Intergalactic because I already have a growler there and they tend to have IPAs in the style I crave.

I ordered a taster of the Rebel Alliance Imperial Stout along with a pint of a specialty Double Hopped Andromeda IPA. When I tried the Rebel Alliance first I was blown away. This is one of the most delicious Imperial Stouts I have ever had. It is much sweeter than the delicious Sea Monster stout and doesn’t have the coffee flavors of Speedway Stout from Alesmith or Zumbar from New English. The flavors blend together nicely and give it a delicious sweet flavor that goes down smooth. Though I only had a taster at the brewery, I left with a 32oz growler, despite the $18 price tag, so that my husband can have some tomorrow at home (where there is air conditioning, unlike the brewery).

Rebel Alliance Imperial Stout.
Rebel Alliance Imperial Stout.

The Double Hopped Andromeda was also quite delicious. I have been quite happy with the direction the Andromeda has gone since it started. Originally it was a bit too malty for my tastes but this last batch really stepped up the hops. If you had any of the Andromeda from the last batch, this one is even better. The mosaic hops really help it knock you out with the fresh citrus flavor that I love so much. If I didn’t already have too many growlers at home and plenty of beers that need to be enjoyed fresh I would have left with a 32oz growler of this one as well.

Double Hopped Andromeda IPA.
Double Hopped Andromeda IPA.

Intergalactic is turning out to be one of my favorite small breweries in San Diego. 2Kids still has one of the best stouts in the middle of the alcohol range but just doesn’t have the hoppy beers I crave. I hope this collaboration will help get 2Kids some extra exposure because they have some interesting ideas to share.

Update: After tweeting to Intergalactic how much I love this double hopped IPA, they responded to let me know that it will be replacing the regular recipe for the next batch.

Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a craft beer enthusiast. He likes to travel with his husband and enjoy the great outdoors. In his day job, Paul is a divorce attorney serving clients in San Diego California.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterPinterestGoogle Plus

Beer Reviews

Green Flash Road Warrior Rye Double IPA

Leave a comment
I had the pleasure of enjoying the Road Warrior last year when it appeared briefly at the tasting room. I really enjoyed it then and was a bit disappointed when it went away. Though a brief rye IPA release came back later in the year it just wasn’t the same. Thankfully, Green Flash decided to release many of their special beers in bigger batches, now with bottles as well. While available on tap at the brewery, the Road Warrior is also available in 4-packs of 12 ounce bottles and 22 ounce bottles. This review is based on drinking the beer on tap at the brewery. 

Green Flash Road Warrior
Green Flash Road Warrior
The beer pours a dark amber color and has some nice pine and citrus aromas to start. I really liked the combination of flavors from the Columbus, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. They blend nicely with the flavors of the rye to create a balanced beer. As I got further into my beer, I noticed that the hops were a bit overpowered by the rye. The rye flavors give the beer a thicker mouthfeel and a slight syrupy flavor as well, similar to heavy malt beers. Overall, this was an enjoyable beer that could have been a little stronger on the hops for my tastes. However, if you like more malt in your IPAs, this one is perfect for you.

Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a craft beer enthusiast. He likes to travel with his husband and enjoy the great outdoors. In his day job, Paul is a divorce attorney serving clients in San Diego California.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterPinterestGoogle Plus

Beer Reviews

Game of Thrones Fire and Blood and Widmer Upheaval Reviews

Leave a comment
Game of Thrones Fire and Blood 
I decided to combine these two reviews together because both are relatively short. First off we have the latest Game of Thrones beer from ommegang brewing. This one is called Fire and Blood in honor of House Targaryen. My friend got a bottle and invited me over to try a taste so I jumped at the opportunity. The beer claims to be rich and malty while sporting some spicy flavor from Ancho chilies and a bit of rye.
Game of Thrones Fire and Blood Beer.
Game of Thrones Fire and Blood Beer.
The beer pours a nice amber color and smells sweet like a Belgian beer. It has a good sweet Belgian flavor with fruity malts coming through nicely. The spicy flavor is relatively mild though it has a decent kick. Compared to other beers, this is closer to Green Flash’s Serrano Double Stout and not anywhere near the Habanero Sculpin. I was generally satisfied by the beer as I continued to drink it. Though it doesn’t burn going down, the spicy flavor does work well to balance out the malts.
Widmer Upheaval IPA
For my second beer of the night, I tried the latest IPA from Widmer Brewing. My friend had told me that this was one of his favorite recent IPAs so I was excited to see what they could do. I like to see some of the bigger craft breweries making IPAs widely available now because many of them only ever really shipped their lighter brews nationwide.
Widmer Upheaval
Widmer Upheaval
Upheaval pours a nice amber color and has a good strong hop flavor. I tasted some prominent cluster hops along with some citrus, pine, and tropical fruit. It has a good amount of bitterness and was overall quite satisfying. The upheaval tasted a lot more fresh than the Rebel I tried recently. The date I saw on the bottle appeared to be a “bottled on” date, which I prefer to see on my beers. If you see this on sale at the grocery store, check the date for freshness and then go for it.

Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a craft beer enthusiast. He likes to travel with his husband and enjoy the great outdoors. In his day job, Paul is a divorce attorney serving clients in San Diego California.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterPinterestGoogle Plus

Beer Reviews

Samuel Adams Rebel IPA, A Solid West Coast IPA

Leave a comment

IPAs have become so popular that everyone wants a piece of the pie. Samuel Adams decided to make a West Coast style IPA so I had to give it a try to see if it was any good. I question the use of the name rebel to describe it because it has almost become an act of conformity to make an IPA in this style. Still, this beer has an alluring packaging and claims to use many of the hops that are popular on the west coast. Is it any good?

Rebel IPA Sam Adams

 

The rebel IPA pours a light amber color and has a strong pine scent on the nose. The first thing I tasted was a strong malt flavor with some pine hops. I checked the bottle and noticed it is one month away from the enjoy by date. This tells me that this beer might have had a bit more citrus flavor if I had tried some sooner after the release. Still, my second beer had a bit more citrus flavor and both had plenty of hop flavor. Considering my general dislike for all things Samuel Adams, the Rebel IPA is surprisingly good. It didn’t blow me away as much as my favorites but the freshness could be a big factor in that. It is as close as I have tasted from Samuel Adams to the West Coast style and for that I applaud them.

Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a craft beer enthusiast. He likes to travel with his husband and enjoy the great outdoors. In his day job, Paul is a divorce attorney serving clients in San Diego California.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterPinterestGoogle Plus

Beer Reviews

New York City Beer Adventures Part 2 – The Stag’s Head

Leave a comment
As a craft beer fan I had to make sure I could walk from our hotel in New York City to a bar with a good selection of craft beer. I thought this wouldn’t be hard to find but then it turned out that a number of the bars were boring Irish pubs without any IPA but Goose Island (a New York brewery that was purchased by one of the big beer companies recently). Once I found The Stag’s Head and looked at the beer list online I knew I had to stay at the nearest hotel. Thankfully, they had a solid tap list and a good selection of local beers in bottles to choose from.
The first night I got to try Greenpoint Gobsmacked IPA. It had a nice mellow citrus flavor with a light amount of bitterness. It didn’t particularly stand out but it was enough to satisfy me for a few hours.
New York Beer 01
The second night I got to try Peak Hop Blanc from a Maine brewery. I had tried their IPA down here in San Diego thanks to Trader Joe’s so I was glad to try some of their other options. They also had a simcoe pale ale but it wasn’t hoppy enough for me at the moment. The Hop Blanc was a nice Belgian style IPA with a strong Belgian yeast flavor at the front and some pine/citrus flavors at the back. I sipped this one for quite a while because before ordering my next beer.
After the Hop Blanc I ordered the Ithaca Flower Power based on a suggestion from the bartender and the name, which suggested a floral flavor. The beer was served in a 12oz bottle and I poured it into a pint glass. It had some nice floral aromas and some malts to balance out the flavor. I was quite satisfied by the strong floral flavors and overall very impressed.
Flower Power IPA
Flower Power IPA
The Stag’s Head is a fairly loud and rowdy bar with a sports bar type atmosphere. The bartenders are knowledgeable about their beers and know how to party as well. I enjoyed my time there on Sunday night because there were a number of rowdy drunk patrons putting on a good show. If you aren’t going to be able to get outside the city to explore what New York has to offer, you will get a good taste of the area with The Stag’s Head.

Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a craft beer enthusiast. He likes to travel with his husband and enjoy the great outdoors. In his day job, Paul is a divorce attorney serving clients in San Diego California.

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterPinterestGoogle Plus