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David Laginess
Mosaic Promise is a simple beer. But that's not to say that it is simple in flavor. From just one hop and one malt (golden promise), this beer delivers some great flavors. Light-medium body. Super easy drinking IPA. Mosaic hops are a hybrid style that blends the citrus hop with the simcoe hop. It's one of my favorite styles and flavors and the fact this beer isn't over slammed with different malts, it really does show off the hops profile. Everything keeps simple with a 5.5%abv and bitterness right down the middle at 50 IBU. This is a one off brew, which is pretty common for Founders and other micro breweries, so cram it down your face hole as much as possible. This beer though, should have come out two months ago. Would have made a great mowing the lawn beer. Cheers!
My Score: 95
Rate Beer: 97
Beer Advocate: 90
So I've probably written on more beers from Lagunitas than anyone, but, it's sort of hard not to talk about all of their work when it's some of the best around and certainly one of my top favorite breweries. For so many reasons beyond beer, too. So they have this seasonal release called Brown Shugga' and at one point in time they were setting out to make another yearly batch, but something didn't turn out quite right and what they had was an entirely different beast. They decided to call it Sucks, mostly as a joke that Lagunitas can't get anything right. Bunch of damn stoners. But, alas, as an accident they just so happened to create one of my favorite beers. But even it too, was to be released seasonally, Not anymore. Ladies and Gents, I give you the year-round, 32oz (that's 1 quart) of liquid gold. Sucks can now be found everywhere, forever. Thanks to the new Chicago brewery Lagunitas can keep up with their ever increasing demands. If you ever find yourself in Chicago with a spare several hours, do yourself a favor and go to the brewery. I promise you'll be blown away. Sucks is a cereal medley of grains; barley, rye, wheat and oats. Liberally dry hopped for dankness. I can't tell you what hops they use because, well, they don't tell anyone. Jerks. Just trust me, go drink a lot of this beer. Cheers!
My Score: 99
Rate Beer: 100
Beer Advocate: 97
Originally a Bavarian style beer in a time when you were only allowed to brew between September and April. The beer was often stored through summer until the next Oktoberfest so it was liberally hopped and the alcohol content was higher. Ayinger seems to have the style down pat. Malty, bready beer. Great medium body makes it very easy to drink. You may get a hint of caramel on the back end of your sip and that's okay too. Really, for the cooler month ahead, this will be my go to beer for many nights to come. Pair with a campfire. Cheers!
My score: 90
Based on Gustav Holst's orchestral interpretation of the Planets, named The Planets, Bell's has decided that if someone can make music to represent them, they can make beer that does just the same.
The first in the series, Mars, is a very bold but easy drinking double IPA. Big on the hops but also big on the malt, this beer finds the perfect balance of the two which imparts a huge mouth feel but also somehow manages to mask the 10.1% alcohol content. Notes of lime and pineapple and citrus, some pine maybe. This beer is, to me, like a bigger version of Two Hearted. Only brewed and released once so hopefully you found some. Get in with your local beer guy now as the rest of the series will be showing up from now until July of next year. Cheers!
Beer Advocate: 93
My score: 97
It's coming whether we like it or not. That old-ass bitch, winter. I often like to stave off the brutal Michigan chill with beverages of the higher alcohol content variety. Including barley wines, quads and every once in a while, a cider. Hard ciders are gaining popularity at an insane speed here in the US and people are going nuts for them. Whether you think you have a gluten intolerance(you don't) or you just simply don't like beer, ciders are becoming the choice for a lot of people now. One cider I had tried last year simply blew me away as I had never heard of ciders being made this way. Aged in whiskey barrels. And why not? Beer is. Mead is. Virtue cider out of Fennville, MI makes tons of great ciders, but The Mitten just does a mouth good. A blend of seasons past ciders and fresh pressed cider brings not only tartness, but the unique qualities a whiskey barrel can impart. Vanilla, caramel and hints of oak mix with sweet and sour aged and fresh apples. It's one of life's perfect marriage of flavors. Pair with friends and fires. Oh, and donuts. Cheers!
My Score: 90
