The Two Minute Beer Review

Episode Notes Episode 81: Dustbowl Brewing’s Supine Mega IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. Sorry I’ve been gone for a couple of weeks. Since the beginning of the global COVID-19 Pandemic I’ve had to adjust a lot of things about how I produce this and all of the podcasts on the Phoenix Podcast Network. Among other things, that included a two week unannounced hiatus for the show! Sorry—but I’m back and hopefully better than ever to bring the latest beer reviews safely to your home. In the weeks ahead I’ll be playing with the format of the show a bit—bringing in guests and experts to talk about their favorite beers or new discoveries, doing some live tastings and maybe even hosting some social-distancing friendly happy hours where we can all hang out and enjoy whatever we can get safely delivered to our home! For this week, though, we’ll stick to a traditional review of Supine, a “Mega” IPA from Dust Bowl Brewing in Turlock, CA. Will this one leave us flat on our backs in a good way? Let’s find out! Supine pours a coppery gold that trends more toward the orange than the yellow. The aroma is of grapefruit and pine with just a little bit of a butterscotch background. But what about the taste? Supine bombards the mouth with flavor. It’s got a powerful citrusy sweetness that wraps around the tongue and lingers for a long time after the swallow. At the same time, this isn’t like a typical trendy juicy IPA. It’s much more rounded out by an all-over-the tongue bitterness. It’s that signature Dust Bowl balance that keeps me coming back to their IPAs over anyone else’s on the market for a daily drink. If I had to sum up the taste of Supine in a single word I would say “concentrated.” You can taste the alcohol in the beer—and in most beers that would be unpleasant, but here it really works as a flavor component. It’s almost more of a spirit than a beer—it has that strength and power of the alcohol underneath all of the other wonderful things it does with its flavors. And I guess that’s no surprise, since it has a mighty 14.4% Alcohol by Volume! If you want to get a lot of alcohol into your system in a very pleasant way, this beer is the pick for you! And what better time to try it out? It’s not like you have anywhere to go at the moment, right? If you want to try this or any of Dust Bowl’s other incredible brews, their taproom is open for to-go orders only right now at 3000 Fulkerth Road in Turlock, CA. You can order ahead on their website or give them a call at 209-250-2043. They offer beer in growlers, crowlers, prepackaged cans and bottles as well as great food to go! If you’re in the area this would be a great time to support a local business! Have you had a chance to try Supine Mega IPA? What did you think? You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! Oh and while you’re at it, for my rating on this and countless other beers—some of which we haven’t even featured on the show yet, be sure to follow me on Untappd, just search for me by name, that’s Andrew Burkum spelled BURKUM and send me a friend request! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as I take a look at Baltic Porter from East Brother Beer Company. Will this one take us to new depths of darkness? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 81: Blaker Brewing’s Evergreen Spaces Hazy IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Evergreen Spaces Hazy IPA by Blaker Brewing in Ceres, CA. Is this one worthy of the great outdoors? Let’s find out! Evergreen Spaces is a milky straw yellow with a nice, creamy head. The scent is a lot of pine up front as you would expect based on the name with a little bit of fruit in the background. But what about the taste? Evergreen spaces actually hits up front with a round citrus punch. But this resolves into a fabulous pine favor that sits back in the back of the mouth and under the bottom of the tongue. It’s got a nice all-over bitterness that really rounds out the fruitier aspects of the beer and keeps that evergreen in perspective. It’s full and creamy in the mouth and has a very smooth character on the tongue, which helps it go down nice and easy. This beer is a very interesting marriage of a traditional “old school” pine-heavy IPA and one of the more modern hazy style IPAs. It succeeds in hitting both ends of the flavor palate and I think that whether you are more attracted to one end of that spectrum or the other you will still find something to love here. It’s got a 6.8% in the ABV category, which keeps it nice and drinkable in quantity as well. If you’re looking for something fun and just a little different from all the other IPAs that line those shelves, this is definitely one to try out! Have you had a chance to try Evergreen Spaces? What did you think? You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! Oh and while you’re at it, for my rating on this and countless other beers—some of which we haven’t even featured on the show yet, be sure to follow me on Untappd, just search for me by name, that’s Andrew Burkum spelled BURKUM and send me a friend request! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as I take a look at Baltic Porter from East Brother Beer Company. Will this one take us to new depths of darkness? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 80: Incinerati Brewing’s Caught in the Rain Milkshake IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Caught in the Rain Milkshake IPA by Incinerati Brewing Company in Fresno, CA. Will we end this review with soggy shoes? Let’s find out! Caught in the Rain is golden and slightly cloudy in the glass. It has the distinct scent of malted milk powder, sweet vanilla, pineapple and banana Laffy Taffy. It’s really quite a noseful! But what about the taste? Sweet. Very, very sweet. There’s a lot of tropical fruit all over the palate with this one. A distinct flavor of powdered milk around the sides—no doubt that’s from the added lactose that gives it that milkshake quality that’s in the title. There’s no pine or hoppiness in the beer, which for me really calls into question its labeling as an IPA. In fact there are more flavors that you might find in a Belgian ale, for example, those really banana-y, bubble gum flavors are incredibly prominent here. Then at the very end, there’s a distinct cotton candy aftertaste. The mouthfeel of this beer fits the milkshake title perfectly. It’s very creamy and very full. The Tasting Team decided that this is kind of the Italian Cream Soda of beers. As far as my opinion? It’s. . .interesting. If you want sweetness and fruit, this is definitely your beer. For me, it’s a bit heavy on both of those things—again, especially so for something that’s called an IPA. I’d just like to see a little more bitterness in there somewhere to balance out all that candy. But this just goes to show that there’s a beer out there for everyone—and this one might just be for you! It certainly generated a lot of conversation in the tasting room! This beer was donated by our Superfan and sponsor, Sandra Hay. Thanks so much, Sandy! What do you guys out there think? Have you tried a Milkshake IPA yet? Are they your thing? I want to know what you think! You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! Oh and while you’re at it, for my rating on this and countless other beers—some of which we haven’t even featured on the show yet, be sure to follow me on Untappd, just search for me by name, that’s Andrew Burkum spelled BURKUM and send me a friend request! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as I take a look at Evergreen Spaces IPA by Blaker Brewing in Ceres, CA. Will this one conjure up a walk in the woods for us? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes IN this very special episode, we join Colton Dennis, director of the MAC, for a discussion of local brewer, Jaymz Harkey's West Coast Session, which was brewed especially for the MAC and their Mardi Gras celebration! Regular shows resume next week--enjoy this live tasting in the meantime! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 78: VIP Vanilla Imperial Porter by Great North Aleworks in Manchester, NH It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at VIP Vanilla Imperial Porter by Great North Aleworks in Manchester, NH. Will this one take us on a limo ride to beer stardom? Let’s find out! VIP pours nice and solid black with a pretty, creamy head capping it off. The scent is strong with this one. It’s full of malt, molasses with just a touch of freshly roasted coffee. Oddly enough, the team and I couldn’t detect any of the signature vanilla in the scent of the beer. But what about the taste? This one hits nice and hard up front with coffee and cocoa really warming up and wrapping their way around the tongue. These flavors develop as the beer goes down into this really nice, smooth bitterness by the end of the swallow that resolves to balance the beer without punching you in the flavor face. And then, there it is! That vanilla that was promised. It’s sitting right there on top of the whole experience in the vapors that sink into your palate. It permeates the flavor in an extremely satisfying way and tie all of those flavors into a really nicely made package. The beer feels smooth and light but not so much so that it ever seems watery. It’s just a great example of a really clean drinking porter, not chewy but robust and full of flavor. The beer’s sweet, but not overly so at all. This beer is an immaculate porter, and it’s really nice to see so many of these coming out when so much of the industry has shifted into heavy IPA production. It’s my first from the folks at Great North Aleworks, but it certainly won’t be my last. Thanks to Mike Hogan from Great North for the sample—we’re lucky Court from the tasting team ran into you! What about you folks out there? Have you tried this one? I want to know what you think! You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! Oh and while you’re at it, for my rating on this and countless other beers—some of which we haven’t even featured on the show yet, be sure to follow me on Untappd, just search for me by name, that’s Andrew Burkum spelled BURKUM and send me a friend request! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as I bring you a very special episode live from the Multicultural Arts Center in Merced where I’ll be covering their Mardi Gras celebration and some special beer surprises that they’ll have on tap there! Will we earn our beads this year? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. He also just launched a Kickstarter for his upcoming Lo-Fi Neo-Digital Jazz Compilation, entitled Repetition Legitimizes. Check the show notes for details on how you can contribute and get a copy! That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 77: Russian Imperial Stout by East Brother Beer Company in Richmond, CA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Russian Imperial Stout by East Brother Beer Company in Richmond, CA. Is this one good enough to keep us warm during those long Siberian nights? Let’s find out! By way of full disclosure up front, East Brother provided me with a sample of this beer as well as a few others that will be showing up on the show in the coming months. That won’t affect my reviews in any way, but a huge thanks to them for the samples! If you have a beer you’d like to see featured on the show be sure to drop me an email at 2minutebeer@gmail.com and I’ll let you know how you can submit it for tasting! Now on to the beer! East Brother’s Russian Imperial is a no-nonsense beer in the glass. Just like it doesn’t need a fancy name to tell you what kind of beer it is, there’s no question about this one when you look at it. It’s as opaque as a starless night. Giving it a sniff I get all kinds of really awesome stuff. There’s baked bread in there, along with caramel, a little coffee and a touch of molasses. It smells deep and dark and warm and after the sensory overload I got here I couldn’t wait to get right into the tasting! So what about the taste? This beer comes on strong and stays that way all the way to the end. There’s a powerful bitterness up front that is offset brilliantly by a molasses sweetness right around the back edges of my tongue. It’s thick and rich in the mouth and just drinks like an absolute dream. The balance of the flavors in East Brother’s Russian Imperial is top-notch. Because of the high ABV on this one I was expecting a strong flavor of alcohol but there’s absolutely none of that. It’s just a perfect balancing act of bitter and sweet from the beginning to the very end. Final analysis? Give me some eggs, bacon and a glass of this beer to start my day and I’ll be ready for anything. This would also be an ideal beer to have out around the campfire with a nice cigar. It’s another Two Minute Beer Review recommendation from the folks at East Brother Beer Company. Have you tried it yet? I want to know what you think! You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at VIP Vanilla Imperial Porter by Great North Aleworks in Manchester, NH. Will this one get us past the velvet ropes? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. He also just launched a Kickstarter for his upcoming Lo-Fi Neo-Digital Jazz Compilation, entitled Repetition Legitimizes. Check the show notes for details on how you can contribute and get a copy! That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 76: Pliny the Elder Double IPA by Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Pliny the Elder Double IPA by Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA. Is this exclusive and elusive beer really all it’s cracked up to be? Let’s find out! Pliny looks like, well, an IPA in the glass. It’s a pretty gold color but it’s pretty unremarkable in this aspect. Looks like this one’s going to have to prove itself elsewhere. The scent is nice and strong from the get-go. It’s juicy up front but there’s also a ton of evergreen in the background. Well-balanced and inviting. Ok, now we’re doing better! But what about the taste? This is a good old fashioned IPA. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a great thing! That incredible pine forest taste really shines in the crisp and clear flavor that hits you up front when you take a drink. Then, toward the end of the sip, just a little tiny bit of tropical fruit sneaks in around the edges. All of this ends with a strong punch of good old fashioned bitterness that lasts long after you swallow that sip. There’s nothing watered down or boring in this beer, and everything is in perfect balance. If you love a good IPA, you are going to adore this beer. Now, here’s the thing. This is, as I hope you can tell from my description, a great IPA. But this beer literally has had people line up around the block just to get their hands on it. So the question really is, does it live up to that legendary status in a modern market that is simply flooded with top-notch IPAs? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. If you can get your hands on a bottle, let me know what you think either by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you’ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you think, and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look East Brother Brewing’s Russian Imperial Stout. East Brother was kind enough to send this new addition to their catalog directly to me so I could give it a try. And what’s the verdict? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes and don’t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode! The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 75: Bottle Logic Brewing’s Hanamachi Rice Lager It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Hanamachi Rice Lager by Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA. Will this one be naughty or rice? Let’s find out! Hanamachi pours pale and lagery—just as advertised—into my glass. It’s such a pale gold color there’s almost no color at all. Giving it a sniff, the rice is very apparent in the scent If you’ve ever had a whiff of a bottle of sake, you know exactly what I’m talking about here. It’s just a little cidery with some crisp green apple notes. Fresh and clean. But what about the taste? It’s almost completely like a traditional light lager in this department. There’s no bitterness to speak of and everything is clean and crisp. But there’s also that little bit of rice wine flavor as it appeared in the scent with its trademark just slightly sour notes. It’s just enough to color this beer as something different from your average pale lager and it definitely makes it a standout in the pale lager category as far as I’m concerned. It feels good and crisp in the mouth, without anything at all to weigh it down. This sentiment is furthered by its nice prickly carbonation that helps keep the whole thing lifted into a very light direction. This is a neat little spin on the pale lager. It’s got plenty of flavor and character from that rice and there’s a lot of cereal goodness in there from the other grains as well. Interestingly, I believe this beer would pair as well with a good hamburger as it does with sushi—and make no mistake I think this would be an amazing sushi beer! Hanamachi Rice Lager is 5% alcohol by volume and is available in cans as well as on tap at their Anaheim location. Get out and grab some and let me know what you think! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Pliny the Elder Double IPA by Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA. Is this legendary brew really worth lining up around the block? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 74: Ordnance Brewing’s White Crow White Stout It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at White Crow White Stout by Ordnance Brewing in Boardman, OR. What exactly is a White Stout, anyway? Let’s find out! First thing’s first. Although Ordnance Brewing’s operation is based in Boardman, they also have a taproom in Wilsonville, Oregon. I got to visit this taproom over the holidays and spent some time enjoying several of their beers. It was my intent to do a quickfire review as I usually do on my brewery visits, hitting all the beers that I tasted that day—and don’t get me wrong, I still intend to devote an episode to that. But when I tried their White Crow I knew that I was going to have to do a whole show featuring this beer. Pouring this beer into the glass I had no idea what was going on. It was listed on the wall as a stout but the color is a pale straw yellow. If you poured this and set it in front of me I’d swear I was looking at a pilsner. But then I smelled it. Absolutely amazing. Out of this pale yellow brew I got a ton of coffee and a little chocolate as well as just a hint of vanilla. There’s also a little bit of a cereal scent in the very back that rounds it out and reminds you that this is a brewing operation owned and operated by an Oregon farming dynasty. But what about the taste? White Crow is sweet around the edges with a good strong coffee bitterness. It’s full of roasted, toasted flavors that again I did not expect based on what I was looking at in my glass. You get both that little bit of chocolate and that little bit of vanilla that shows up in the scent. It also has a little touch of that unique stout sourness in the very back of the swallow which rounds the whole thing out and bring it home stout style. The feel of the beer in the mouth is very clean and pillowy soft but not at all chunky like you might expect from some stouts. It’s almost refreshing because of how clean it drinks. I went into this tasting expecting a gimmick beer—a stout that was pale instead of dark. But that’s selling White Crow extremely short. This is a lovingly-crafted stout with all the flavors I love and expect out of the style, but with a unique spin that adds to the fun of drinking it. White Crow is 5.8% alcohol by volume. Based on their website it appears that Ordnance currently distributes to Oregon, Washington and Northern Idaho. I’ve reached out to them for more information and I’m waiting to hear back—I hope to have more details on how you can get your hands on this and the rest of their beers soon. But for those of you living within the distribution area—or who know people who can ship or smuggle you a bottle across state lines—this is an absolute must-try beer. We’re making it a Two Minute Beer Review Recommendation. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Hanamachi Rice Lager by Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA. Is this one a hit or should we save the rice for sushi ? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 73: Federation Brewing’s Utopia Planitia Dry Hopped Red Ale It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Utopia Planitia Dry Hopped Red Ale from Federation Brewing in Oakland, CA. Will this one send us on a voyage to the final frontier or should it be left in drydock? Let’s find out! All right, let’s just get this out of the way up front. I’ve been a Star Trek fan all my life and the very name of this beer is clearly pandering to geeks like myself. In Star Trek lore, the Utopia Planitia shipyards are where all the great Federation starships such as the good old Enterprise are designed and built. The facility is in orbit around the planet Mars, so a Red Ale makes perfect sense! So I came for the nerdy name—but did I stay for the beer? In the glass, this beer is a beautiful red-amber color. It smells of baked bread and raw grain with just a tiny bit of rye spice in the background to make things really interesting and exotic. But what about the taste? This one is definitely interesting. It’s a little more bitter than I had anticipated for a red ale. But that bitterness up front mellows out to a very nice sweetness. Then, right at the end of the sip comes that rye—its spicy grainy flavor hanging out after the swallow. This is an excellent use of rye—one of the best that I’ve seen and if you listen regularly you know I’m a sucker for a good rye beer. Sometimes as a component it can get lost in the mix but in this beer that pungency is really the star in a very big way. The bitterness on this one is full-tongue engaging and hangs out as well. And although the overall mix doesn’t have a ton that really screams “red ale” at me, I absolutely love what it does have to say. This is a great example of a solo-drinking beer. It doesn’t require any food or anything else to enhance its incredible flavor profile. It is easily my favorite rye-including beer of 2019 and one of the best brews that I tasted in the year. It comes in at 7.4% alcohol by volume, is available in cans and on tap at their tasting room in Oakland and is a Two Minute Beer Review Recommendation! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at White Crow White Chocolate Stout by Ordnance Brewing in Boardman, Oregon. Is this one as rare as an albino raven? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 71: Drake’s Brewing’s Seasonal Tree Beer IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Seasonal Tree Beer IPA by Drake’s Brewing Company in San Leandro, CA. Christmas may be over for this year, but did this one deck the halls? Let’s find out! Looking at this beer in the glass, there’s nothing particularly special going on just yet. It’s a pretty standard IPA gold. It smells a lot more like pine than a lot of beers that we would usually refer to as “piney.” It’s a very condensed and intense fragrance of fresh evergreen. I would compare it to the scent that is produced when you rub freshly-cut pine needles between your fingers. There’s a little lemon in the background there as well, but the overall impression is definitely not citrus. But what about the taste? To put it simply, this beer is, as advertised, a mouth full of Christmas tree. There’s a strong juniper presence (likely because they use juniper in the brewing process) that gives the beer an almost gin-like edge, which is nothing short of fascinating. An earthy undertone adds to the woodsy impression just like you can taste the forest floor and the rich soil that the trees are growing in. I love this beer because I love pine flavor in IPAs, but I will note that it was not for every member of my tasting team. Some felt that it pushed the edge too far and ended up tasting like a cleaning product. But personally this takes me back to a time when that pine tree bitterness was a distinction in the world of IPAs, rather than the citrus and juice that marks most modern popular IPAs and I couldn’t possibly love it more. As such, I’m making this one a Two Minute Beer Review Recommendation if you can still get your hands on it! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Utopia Planitia Dry Hopped Red Ale by Federation Brewing. Will this one have construct a successful Enterprise, or am I the only one geeky enough to get that reference? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 71: Geartooth Aleworks’ Burned and Blackened Smoked Porter It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Burned and Blackened Smoked Porter by Geartooth Alewerks in San Jose, CA. Is this one on fire or will it crash and burn? Let’s find out! Burned and Blackened is a dark brown to deep red in my glass. Pretty. It smells of smoke and molasses but not a whole bunch else. It’s a little malty, after sniffing for long enough to get through that powerful smoke. But it’s not a lasting impression of wood smoke, here, like a fire that’s just died out. It’s a smoke that’s had a chance to settle into the pores of the beer, like the char on a good whiskey barrel. But what about the taste? I get all that nice smoke right in the back of my palate. There’s coffee bitterness here, and a whole lot of it –which is what keeps that smokey sensation from being overwhelming in the flavor. Right up the center of my tongue there’s a very nice dark chocolate flavor, which kind of makes up the blackened part of the burned and blackened name. There’s nothing sweet here to break up the powerful taste sensations of smoke and bitterness, and I think that’s a perfect way for this beer to be built. This is an interesting and very good porter. The bitterness comes primarily from coffee flavors, but hops are not altogether absent and the bitter sensation hangs out for a very long time after the swallow. It’s not a beer perhaps to drink in very high quantities but it absolutely delivers a desirable full flavored experience. It also has a great consistency—porters can often be too thick or too thin, but this one hits a very sweet spot. Burned and Blackened is a 7% alcohol by volume beer and is a Two Minute Beer Review recommendation! That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Seasonal Tree Beer IPA by Drake’s Brewing Co. Will this one have us singing a rousing chorus of O Tannenbaum? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 68: Tioga Sequoia’s Firefall Red California Red Ale It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Firefall Red California Red Ale from Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company in Fresno, California. Will this one make us fall all over ourselves to get more? Let’s find out! Here’s what Tioga Sequoia has to say about Firefall Red: “or a few weeks in February in the heart of Yosemite National Park, if conditions are just right, the setting sun sets the Horsetail Fall ablaze with reds and oranges; like a fire falling down the cliffs of El Capitan. Photographers and park visitors gather from all over just to grab a glimpse of this natural phenomenon.” Firefall pours a nice ruby red as advertised. The aroma is surprisingly subtle. There’s not much there to really go by. I’ll admit that upon smelling the beer I was preparing myself for something that didn’t have a ton of flavor. But what about the taste? All I can say is, “WHOA!” Contrary to my fears upon sniffing the beer, this is a hugely flavorful brew. There’s this really cool smokiness in the background and it’s overlaid with tons of rich flavor. There’s a beautiful nutty taste that hits right in the middle of the tongue and some coffee bitterness that spreads around the sides. There’s also some hoppy pine deep inside there and some lovely caramel to even everything out. This is an incredibly solid red ale and one that I would definitely pick up again if I saw it on the store shelf. Do yourself a favor, find it and try it out. It continues a wonderful tradition of trusty and tasty beers that Tioga Sequoia has built for itself. Firefall Red is currently sitting at a 3.62 out of 5 on Untappd with 2603 ratings and an 83 out of 100 on Beer Advocate. It’s a 5.5% alcohol by volume drinker and I suggest you go add your own ratings to this one today. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Burned and Blackened Smoked Porter from Geartooth Aleworks in San Jose, CA. Will this one fit the bill or will it leave us burned out ? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 68: Dust Bowl Brewing Co’s Lateral 6 Juicy IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Lateral 6 Juicy IPA from Dust Bowl Brewing Company in Turlock, CA. Have our friends at Dust Bowl enumerated another winner? Let’s find out! Lateral number six is exceptionally cloudy when poured into a glass. It’s got that great orange core ringed with a golden highlight. The scent isn’t overpowering, but fruit is very prominent here. Despite the fact that you often think of citrus when it comes to juicy IPAs, what I’m getting most here is stone fruit. There’s no spice and not much in the way of piney hops, either. But what about the taste? The juicy side of the beer pays of exactly as advertised. As I have found with many other Dust Bowl brews, they are fully capable of bringing fruit flavors without adding too much sweetness to the beer and that’s exactly what they have done here. The bitterness of this one sits in my mouth way differently than I expected. It’s an all-over sensation, not just hanging out in one part of my mouth the way a lot of IPAs do. Lateral 6 is a really light IPA, and that’s not to say that it’s lacking in flavor. But there is such an excellent balance of the fruity juiciness and the strong bitterness of the hops that it’s extremely easy to drink in quantity. Lateral 6 is currently sitting at a 3.89 out of 5 on Untappd, so you don’t have to take my word alone when I say get out and give it a try. It’s a 6.7% alcohol by volume, so it will treat you right if you decide to have more than one, which I think you will find a very easy prospect. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Firefall Red California Red Ale by Tioga Sequoia Craft Brewery in Fresno, CA. Will we be calling the fire department to help us put this one out? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Our theme music is by Rialthos! Find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 68: Santa Maria Brewing Company’s Mo-Tra Blood Orange IPA It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Mo-Tra Blood Orange IPA from Santa Maria Brewing Company in Atascadero, CA. Will this one turn us into orange-sucking vampires? Let’s find out! Mo-Tra is a dark cloudy golden, trending toward brown in the glass. You can smell the orange on this one from a mile away. It’s full of the promise of lush juice and bright fruit. From the scent, I couldn’t wait to try it out. But what about the taste? Mo-Tra hits right up front with a big wall of orange juice, just like the scent promises. There’s not a whole lot of bitterness here, but if you swing more toward the juicy end of modern IPAs in your taste, you’re going to find a whole lot to like here. Sadly, there’s not a ton of bitterness to offset all that juice, so for my taste it does get a bit sweeter than I would like. It’s not candy-sweet, but just enough over the edge on that side that I’d like to have a more powerful bitter side to balance things out just a bit. Santa Maria adds oranges to their mix during secondary fermentation and then highlights this juice with a couple of varieties of hops that are also known to produce bright, citrusy notes. As such, if you’re looking for plenty of orange flavor, this beer will be a perfect selection for you. Mo-Tra tracks at 7.2% Alcohol by Volume, so it’s got the good strength of a standard IPA to back up that flavorful orange punch. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Lateral 6 Juicy IPA by Dust Bowl Brewing in Turlock, CA. With hops imported from New Zealand and Australia, will this be an adventure down under? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 67: Foreign Objects Beer Company’s Dream of Perfect Beauty New American Hoppy Ale It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Dream of Perfect Beauty New American Hoppy Ale from Foreign Objects Beer Company in New Paltz, NY. Is this one a dream come true? Let’s find out! The scent is strong with this one. According to the Foreign Objects website they focus on creating intensely aromatic New-American Hoppy Ales and this one proves that they’re not kidding. I had the beer sitting on the table in front of me and I could smell it clearly before I even lifted the glass. The scent is lemon/orange forward with just a tiny bit of fresh pine in the background. It’s intense and beautiful and exciting. In color it most resembles a hazy glass of orange juice. It’s also worth noting that Foreign Objects’ labels are easily some of the most beautiful in the business. This one resembles an abstract watercolor painting with striking purples, blues and reds. But what about the taste? It’s not as bitter as I anticipated based on the scent but it does have a very solid side-of-the-tongue bitterness that balances out its extremely juicy but never sweet flavor. It’s tremendously mild, but at the same time very satisfying. It doesn’t suffer from the lack of flavor because all of the flavors that are here are so well blended. Dream of Perfect Beauty doesn’t reinvent any wheels, but for that it is still an extremely tasty and drinkable beer. It’s definitely one that I would go back to if I were to find it on the shelf again. Its 6.8% alcohol by volume puts it in the category of strong but not too strong. If you can find it, I recommend you give it a try. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Mo-Tra Blood Orange IPA by Santa Maria Brewing Company in Atascadero, CA. Is this the IPA we’ve always dreamed of? We’ll find out next week. Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes, and don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 66: Barrel Brothers Brewing Co’s Por Que No Mexican Lager It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. This week we’re taking a look at Por Que No Mexican Style Amber Lager from Barrel Brothers Brewing Company in Windsor, CA. Why shouldn’t we give this one a shot? Let’s find out! Por Que No is a pale amber in the glass. The scent is very, very light. Overall it’s malty with some sweet spice and a little bit of breadiness. But what about the taste? There’s way more flavor to this one than I anticipated. It’s very subtle, though. That bready, fruity stuff from the scent comes through loud and clear here and there’s a really lovely bitterness that makes a showing right at the end. But none of these flavors are overpowering and the whole is light enough to remain refreshing but interesting from beginning to end. I also have to make a special note of the consistency of the beer. It feels good in the mouth without ever becoming thin or watery—a place where many other Mexican style lagers tend to fall apart in my opinion. This is a very nice, clean drinking beer. It’s the kind of beer that you’ll want food with, so pick some up and make a stop at your local taqueria for a pairing. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. It’s also a nice, tame 5.3% ABV, so you can enjoy a couple while you’re munching on those delicious tacos. That’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Dream of Perfect Beauty New American Hoppy Ale from Foreign Objects Beer Company. Why? Will this beer whisk us away to the ultimate experience of bliss? We’ll find out next week. Don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you’d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. That’s all for now but we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 65: Freethought Brewing’s Levitate Sour Ale It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there. Before we get started this week I want to let you know what’s been going on with the show. As you know, a few weeks ago my car was broken into and all of our recording equipment was stolen. For a while I thought this might mean the end of the show. But we had two listeners come to our rescue! Thanks to the generosity of Debbie Bennett of Central Valley Youth Legal Services, the incomparable Zane of Zane-It in Merced and our very own superfan Sandy Hay, we were able to replace all of the lost equipment and get this show and all of the others from the Phoenix Podcast Network back on the air! Going forward, we will be considering these businesses and individuals official sponsors of the show. But I wanted to take a moment this week to say a personal and very heartfelt thank you to them on behalf of myself and all of you. Thanks to them, our quest continues! And now, on to the beer! This week we’re taking a look at Levitate from Freethought Brewing in Brooklyn, NY. Will this one get us off the ground? Let’s find out! This beer pours a perfect golden yellow, trending slightly toward orange that makes me think of pineapple juice. That’s probably appropriate, as the label tells me that it’s brewed with pineapple, turmeric, lemongrass and makrut lime leaf. I’ll admit I had to look the last one up. It’s the same kind of lime leaf you’ll find in many Thai dishes, which is good for me! Smelling the beer, the lemongrass element is very prominent along with some pineapple and a little hint of an almost grapefruity scent. There’s also something spicy and just a little earthy way back in there. The scent of the beer alone is incredibly complex. But what about the taste? As advertised, the beer is powerfully sour, without a hint of sweetness to it. The lemongrass is as powerful here in the sip as it was in the scent. At the end of the swallow there’s a wonderful round curry spice left over. The flavor is every bit as complex and powerful as the smell. I really like this beer. It’s big and bold and full of new ideas. It’s definitely a slow drinker because of the incredible tartness. And at a 5% Alcohol by Volume if you like it it’s going to be easy to down more than one. But fast or slow, one or a six pack, this is as fascinating a brew as you’re going to find out there. It’s a Two Minute Beer Review recommendation—get out there and see if you can find it! That’s all for today, but I hope you’ll join me next week as we take a look at Por Que No Mexican Style Amber Lager from Barrel Brothers Brewing Company in Windsor, California. Why? I mean, why not! Don’t forget to let us know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. You can find us on Facebook or tweet us @2minutebeer, using the number two. The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network. Support the Network and the Phoenix Creative Collective on our Patreon—look for the link in the show notes! Thanks again to our new sponsors and we’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Music: River Meditation by Jason Shaw used under Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ Support The Two Minute Beer Review by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-two-minute-beer-review Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Music: River Meditation by Jason Shaw used under Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Episode 64: East Brother Beer Company’s Oatmeal Stout It’s the Two Minute Beer Review! I’m Andrew Burkum and it’s that time of the week again where we pick a bottle from that massive craft brew aisle hoping to find a hidden treasure. This week we’re going to take a look at Oatmeal Stout by East Brother Beer Company in Richmond, CA. Would this one make the Quaker proud? Let’s find out!! The Oatmeal Stout can says that it is “English inspired with notes of milk chocolate, dark fruit and a soft, comforting finish.” The beer smells strongly of chocolate. There’s some coffee in there as well. It also smells grainy—almost a little bit like animal feed, if you’ve ever spent time on a farm. It’s really very pleasant. There’s nothing really earthy in there, but I’m not missing that at all. But what about the taste? This Oatmeal Stout hits right under the tongue immediately with cocoa bitterness. Then, it coats the top of the tongue with a strong coffee flavor. It feels good and round in the mouth. It’s very tasty. At first drink, it’s easy to conclude that there’s nothing in here that really distinguishes East Brother’s take from a lot of other oatmeal stouts from a flavor standpoint. However, what does stand out is the perfect mixture of flavors and the exact right amount of sweetness and bitterness. If you like a good stout—and I do—this is a beer that you will absolutely love. East Brother’s Oatmeal Stout is 5.4% alcohol by volume. Their website has a handy beer finder so you can hunt it down and enjoy it for yourself. You’ll find a link in the show notes. Well that’s all for this week, but I hope you’ll join me next week as I take a look at Levitate Sour Ale from Freethought Brewing in Brooklyn, NY. Will this one get things off the ground for us? We’ll find out next week! Look for links to this week’s beer and brewery in the show notes. Don’t forget to let me know what you’re drinking and what you’re thinking about the show. Tweet me @2minutebeer with the number two or drop me an email at 2minutebeer@gmail.com. And if you’re listening to the show on your favorite podcast app, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode and leave a review to help other people find the show. You can also support us with a small donation on our Patreon—there’s a link in the show notes. That’s all for now, but I’ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer! Have you supported the Phoenix Creative Collective and the Phoenix Podcast Network through Patreon yet? It's easy, just click here Send questions, comments and recommendations to 2minutebeer@gmail.com Music: River Meditation by Jason Shaw used under Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ Find out more at https://the-two-minute-beer-review.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.