Unity Vibration is a different type of brewery, gathering most of its notoriety from producing premium Living Kombucha Tea. Unity Vibration’s owners Rachel and Terek Kanaan stepped out of the box and created Unity Vibration Kombucha beer. We had the pleasure of tasting their Peach Bourbon Wild American Ale. This beer was a unique experience, first you can’t just “crack” open the bottle, this stuff is very carbonated. You have…
Pale ales have been largely passed over with the popularity of India pale ales, but Oskar Blues’ Dale’s Pale Ale looks to establish a renaissance for the style. Whether in cans or on tap, the Dale’s Pale Ale has more of a backbone than competing efforts. I feel that it is the vigor and spirit that makes for an inimitable beer. The initial pour provides individuals with a fairly thick,…
The Scotch Ale style blends the bitterness of hops with the fullness of malt. The MacBubba hits all of the high notes of the style while providing enough unique flavor to make it a go-to beer. The amber / brown pour provides a nice cream colored head, while the initial sip yields hints of caramel, raisin, molasses and just enough burn to keep things lively. The inclusion of peated…
Odyssey is an oak-aged (to the tune of 6 months conditioning) ale, which tops the scales at 10.4% ABV. The beer pours incredibly dark and brown, yielding a lighter tan shade for the head. There is a strong flavor that yields hints of vanilla, bourbon, oak and bits of hop towards the end of each quaff. Subsequent sips will provide imbibers with fruit (berry) and chocolate notes. As the beer…
Vampire Slayer is a dark elixir, one that blends equal parts chocolate and cream
There is a decidedly more complex flavor to the Sherry Oak Finish than to the original Captain Morgan. I feel it is this an amazing take on a classic spirit, with the classic Captain Morgan’s acquiring an evolved flavor by virtue of its time in sherry oak. The initial aroma of the Sherry Oak Finish Spiced Rum is very sweet, with hints of vanilla and raisin coming forth immediately.…
For those that have access to the Alaskan Stout, they should immediately search out a bottle. This is due to the smooth mouthfeel, absolutely dark color ,and full head that pours from each beer. The slightly heavier ABV (5.7%) allows for a hint of burn to moderate the coffee and caramel flavors that are present. With subsequent sips, bits of smoke and toasted malt become evident. Makes the beer…
While there seems to be a desire for individuals to want the lighter and more fruit-flavored beers during the summer months, I feel that porters provide a perfect counter-point to a big meal or long day of work. Summit’s Great Northern Porter is a rich brew that pours with an intimidatingly dark head and body. The lacing that remains stands in stark opposition to the dark coloration…
There have not been any bottled margaritas that been wowed me. Every time that I have purchased one, there just seems to be something off about the effort. This means that some efforts go overboard on the lime flavoring, while others just miss the mark entirely. We were lucky enough to receive a sample of the Cayman Jack Hand Crafted Margarita (which is available at places like Spirit Smuggler), and…
Brownstone is an amazing brown ale, blending sweetness with a bite. Sixpoint is pegged at 6.0%, a shade higher than most brown ales. I feel that the additional alcohol works nicely with hints of fruit and bitterness provided by the hops. There is a decidedly more creamy feel to Brownstone that makes the beer eminently drinkable, a hint to the complexity that is present. As one begins on the second…
This imperial stout is one of the most memorable that we have experienced; Bear Republic has created a delectable array of styles and flavors with the Big Bear Black Stout. Served cold in a 22 ounce bottle, the beer pours incredibly dark, with a small, tan head sitting on the top. As one continues to drink the Big Bear Black Stout, a light amount of lacing will occur. When individuals…
Goose Island is celebrating their 25th Anniversary, and has brewed a special beer to commemorate the occasion. This beer – their 25th Anniversary Ale – is Goose Island’s take on the ESB style. What results in this Anniversary Ale is something that is a complex and intricate experience. The bottle pours nicely, with a large head that sticks around; the beer has an orange / copper hue that makes the…
This clear rum does for rum what Cabo Wabo did for tequila. There is a crispness that goes nicely with a sugary, toasted flavor. Fruit notes, linking together banana, coconut, and even guava, provide greater nuance to each mixed drink and shot. Where rank and file rum simply works better in mixed drinks, Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum is a perfect sipping spirit for the days by the pool. When…
ParadoX is an interesting beer – a Session IPA, the sharpest sides of the IPA style have been rounded off by a bit of cream and floral flavors. The 5.30% ABV of ParadoX is perfect to maintain the fruit (grapefruit, lemon) flavors while providing an imbiber with a filling and refreshing body. The immediate IPA bite that is encountered rapidly dissolves, allowing the sweet side of ParadoX to shine…
This hefeweizen is one of the smoothest that we have ever experienced. While there is a mild effervescence to the opening sips of the beer, I feel that the banana / clove combination that is dominant during Wisteria Wheat is utterly unique. Fans of the sweetness of a cream soda will absolutely dig Wisteria Wheat – a sixer will go by incredibly quickly owing to the allure of this…
We had received a bottle of Adult Limeade for review in NeuFutur, and to be utterly honest, I was a little scared of the stuff. However, I feel that what the Adult Beverage Company has done with Adult Limeade is actually craft a liqueur that can succeed as a sipping spirit just as much as it will in ice or as a shot. While there is an easy comparison that…
I have had some major time spent with the heavy-ABV 24 ounce cans. Whether it was Steel Reserve or Camo Black Ice, there was much value to be had with one of these big boys. Four Loko has provided individuals with a heavy amount of alcohol and an ample amount of flavor to hide the alcohol bite. Phusion Projects, the company behind Four Loko, has created “Loko Margarita”. This means…
Highlander Honey is a new addition to the Dewar’s line, and it provides imbibers with a considerably different flavor than has been present in Dewar’s bottles up to this point. There is a greater sweetness to Highlander Honey that matches well the inimitable Dewar’s bite; the Dewar’s White Label is mixed with honey created from honeybees in the Scottish heather. By keeping the proof high, what Dewar’s has done with…
80-Acre is a beer that will be at home in countless bars across the United States, but has a decidedly more complex mouth feel than anything that would be on tap. The intersection of biting hops and more smooth wheat notes create a complex flavor that will showcase distinct elements with each subsequent sip. A pour yields a fairly thick head along with a slight bit of carbonation; the…
The world of flavored vodka ensures that there will be a considerable amount of new efforts that are added to store shelves every year. Svedka is a company that has been able to add to the dialogue considerably, and their Colada Vodka (coconut / pineapple) is something special. The flavor is natural without being too faint, while having an assertive enough profile to hide the vodka burn. Svedka Colada…