Heavy Seas Brewery - Prosit! Review

Type: Imperial Octoberfest Lager

ABV: 9%

Sight: Very nice deep amber color with hints of red that is able to be seen thru. The head pours off-white, thick and of a whipped consistency. Nice carbonation bubbles rising to the surface of the brew.

Aroma: Malt, Malt, and more Malt...I get some very distant hop earthiness also, along with a a twinge of alcohol.

Taste: A nice caramel maltiness that is front a foremost but not abrasive at all. Creaminess is light but noticable and there is a tad bit of that earthen-hop I spoke about with the nose. Those hops bring a nice balance to the beer that ends with a very light alcohol tingle.

Overall: I think this is a great effort. Creamy, malty, some hop and a pop of alcohol, mix them together with the right balance and bingo. Mouthfeel is medium and creamy, with a tingle and bite of sour on the back of the tongue and corners of the cheek. More creaminess and a tad less hop and it would rival the originators of the style from Germany.

Score: 8.7/10


Heavy Seas Beer - Prosit!

North Coast Brewing/Acme - California IPA Review

Type: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

Sight: Light copper-orange with a hefty white fluffy head that laces nicely down the sides of the glass. The head diminishes to a thick film on the surface.

Aroma: An earthy hop front of pine and a little grass give way to a light orange middle. There is a mild caramely malt that comes up on a deep inhale.

Taste: First, i get a yeasty bisquit blandness combining with a citrus tingle. Not the usual citrus tingle, but a lemon and orange combo that is unique and refreshing. The malt is, as with the nose a bit on the caramel side. It melds well with the creaminess that takes this beer to its end, where a light alcohol twinge hits the back of the throat.

Overall: I am a big IPA guy, like you might already know, and I bought this bottle because of the artwork. I found the girl to be fittingly California and retro at the same time...Kinda thought what it would have been like to be "cruisin" in a woody with surfboard on top, down PCH on my way to hit some waves. Those would have been nice memories if I was born in the 60's, but I wasn't. So instead I enjoy the medium mouthfeel of the brew and think about what could have been.

Acme - California IPA

Score: 8.4/10