Beer Blogging
In celebration of a long week of lab-related failure, I bring you a sure success: another beer blogging post. This one is a review of Full Sail Brewing's Sunspot IPA.
The Sunspot IPA pours into the glass with a big, frothy head that disappears slowly. It's a deep, golden-red color - a good sign for an IPA. What's unusual for an IPA is that it's cloudy; that can only mean lots of flavor. The smell is citrus-y, with a little hint of bitterness, but not much.
The first taste is, in a word, delicious. There's a little hint of hops on the front end, and as you go to swallow you get a big wallop of grapefruit in the back of your mouth. The grapefruit taste sticks around for a little while after swallowing. I can also taste a little bit of flowery perfume, but mostly the citrus dominates. The Sunspot IPA definitely isn't as bitter as some IPAs I've had, but there is some bitterness there. Overall this is a very well crafted beer, highly recommended for people who like beers with citrus (but not really fruity) flavor and some bitterness as well.
Rating: 8/10
UPDATE: I like beer, so I'm still drinking it. Specifically, I'm drinking this:
That is Trader Joe's Winterfest beer. Yes, Trader Joe's has their own line of beers (actually brewed by microbrewer Gordon Biersch), and they're often pretty decent. This one is described as a "Dark, Double Bock Lager", and it is in fact dark when poured into the glass; very little head is present.
The aroma is strong, but fairly simple. It's basically just malty. Despite the dark color, this beer is actually pretty sweet when you first taste it. There's a very slight hint of chocolate; it's not dark chocolate like you usually get in a stout, but almost more like semisweet chocolate. Most of the sweetness is more like molasses and maybe caramel, and it's that flavor that sticks around into the aftertaste. You barely even taste the large amount of alcohol (7.5% abv).
If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I'd recommend picking up some of this while you can, since it's seasonal and it won't be around for long. Recommended for people who like sweet beers that sneak up on you with their high alcohol content.
Rating: 7/10
The Sunspot IPA pours into the glass with a big, frothy head that disappears slowly. It's a deep, golden-red color - a good sign for an IPA. What's unusual for an IPA is that it's cloudy; that can only mean lots of flavor. The smell is citrus-y, with a little hint of bitterness, but not much.
The first taste is, in a word, delicious. There's a little hint of hops on the front end, and as you go to swallow you get a big wallop of grapefruit in the back of your mouth. The grapefruit taste sticks around for a little while after swallowing. I can also taste a little bit of flowery perfume, but mostly the citrus dominates. The Sunspot IPA definitely isn't as bitter as some IPAs I've had, but there is some bitterness there. Overall this is a very well crafted beer, highly recommended for people who like beers with citrus (but not really fruity) flavor and some bitterness as well.
Rating: 8/10
UPDATE: I like beer, so I'm still drinking it. Specifically, I'm drinking this:
That is Trader Joe's Winterfest beer. Yes, Trader Joe's has their own line of beers (actually brewed by microbrewer Gordon Biersch), and they're often pretty decent. This one is described as a "Dark, Double Bock Lager", and it is in fact dark when poured into the glass; very little head is present.
The aroma is strong, but fairly simple. It's basically just malty. Despite the dark color, this beer is actually pretty sweet when you first taste it. There's a very slight hint of chocolate; it's not dark chocolate like you usually get in a stout, but almost more like semisweet chocolate. Most of the sweetness is more like molasses and maybe caramel, and it's that flavor that sticks around into the aftertaste. You barely even taste the large amount of alcohol (7.5% abv).
If you have a Trader Joe's near you, I'd recommend picking up some of this while you can, since it's seasonal and it won't be around for long. Recommended for people who like sweet beers that sneak up on you with their high alcohol content.
Rating: 7/10
Labels: beer
posted by The Disgruntled Chemist at
6:46 PM
