Harpoon IPA Review and a Must Have Android Beer App called Brewster

I picked up a six-pack of Harpoon IPA beer tonight and overall, I was pleased. I drank the first one out of frosted glass which always makes a good beer even better. It had a strong hoppy smell as soon as I opened it which I thought was pleasant. As far as flavor, I would say rich hops but with a very smooth flavor. Overall this is not sweet, but it is mellow. Even for those beer drinkers that enjoy a lighter beer, this IPA is a little heavy, but not too heavy, so you can have one or two without feeling overly full. This beer does leave a little aftertaste, but to me makes that is one of the defining characteristics of an IPA.

If I were rating this beer on a scale of 1-5, with a 1 being the lowest and a 5 being the highest, I would give the beer a 3.  It was not exceptional – I would pick Abita Jockamo (I was told I talk too much about Sweetwater which FYI one of the best IPAs out there!) over Harpoon any day, but I’m glad I tried this beer.

Brewster – Android App

For all the beer lovers out there like me who enjoy sharing new beers with friends, this Android App is for your phone is a MUST HAVE!

The all-in-one beer enthusiast application.  Helps you to track, rate, share, and compare your beer experiences with your friends.  Earn points and levels while trying new beers in new places and participate in one of the fastest growing online beer lists ever attempted. The cool thing is when you add a friend that isn’t currently using Brewster, you are asked if you would like to send them an invite.  It’s all automatic!  This feature and a few more are now live in the download area.  So when did it hit the marketplace?  This past Tuesday!  Be sure to try the app by going to the marketplace, downloading,  and you can also add me to your friends list: thecookinghusband@gmail.com

Bogle v2005 Petite Sirah Port

Let me start this post by saying I am not a fan of dessert wines. I used to HATE blue cheese until my cooking mentor introduced me to Port wine and blue cheese. It does help that when he made this ‘introduction’ for me it was with a 25 year old port and Stilton Blue Cheese as the combo, If you haven’t tried it–trust me–DO! Recently I told Jen I wanted to have that experience again so I picked up a bottle of Bogle 2005 Petite Sirah Port which was a limited release of only 59 barrels. I was able to pick this bottle up for $22.50 which was a deal! The better part of this deal was that the person who talked me into buying this Port is an expert in the field and I informed him of what I was looking for but needed something within my budget. Not only did he pick this out for me he even gave me a background story on this port (Total Wine really has experts there).

Bogle gets the grape from Quick Ranch which is close to Bogle Vineyards & Winery. The ranch has 30 acres of Petite Sirah grapes, which they planted in 1995. Selected rows of these vines are not harvested with the rest of the grapes, allowing them to ripen to 26 degrees brix before being selectively hand-picked on October 2005. At 12 degrees brix, fortification occurred and fermentation was halted. The result is a richer and darker Petite Sirah Port with an alcohol of 19.5%. To age the port, it is kept in French and American oak barrels for 18 months. The best way for me to describe this port is a voluptuous finish which is reminiscent of a warm berry crisp, fresh from the oven. I tend to like my port with blue cheese so feel free to mail me some!

Sweetwater – Motor Boat – Beer Review

Ok I know the name sounds funny but this one damn good beer. I will go far as to say it is the best beer Sweetwater makes and it sucks that it is a seasonal beer–I will have to wait until next August to have it again! So tonight, before Monday Night Football starts, I decided to pour from a 12oz bottle into my frosted glass. Once your pour this beer, you will notice the rich caramel color with a thin khaki colored head and lots of lively carbonation bubbles. Then, I put my nose over the glass and inhaled the great aroma in the glass (ladies if you don’t drink beer you won’t understand this). Once I took a sip, I noticed a good deal of hops with some sticky sweetness.

This isn’t my first Sweetwater Motor Boat but it is a first for a beer review. I noticed how I drink this beer slow to enjoy every last drop. The aftertaste is special, I think due to the sticky sweetness and the hops.

This is one beer that I could drink more than my share in one sitting, and I know I will enjoy a few more watching football.

So if you are in the Atlanta metro area and you can get your hands on some, do so. If you come through Atlanta, trust me go by the brewery and try some of the best damn beer in the south!

Bris Andes Cabernet Sauvignon

Jen and I have fallen in love with Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and treat ourselves at least twice a month to a good bottle. To me a Chilean Cabernet offers a unique combination of fruit-driven personalities with nuances of earth and spices. For the grape, Chile is an ideal climate for growing. The South American nation’s fertile soils are host to vineyards that have never been effected by the phylloxera root louse, (a parasite of vines which attack their roots) which allow the farmers not to require the complicated and expensive cultivation which helps keep the prices down.

Bris Andes Cabernet Sauvignon grows on the Colchagua Valley where the hot clear summer days are tempered by the cool Pacific evening breezes and the vines benefit from the mineralized snowmelt from the Andes (makes me want to jump on a plane and take a long vacation!).

This is a great value wine from Chile. This is not as heavy as some cabs but has a great fruit and big enough to go with your steak or even an Italian dish.

Prices per bottle range from $7.99 – $9.99. 

We have bought a few bottles which we will age.

So the next time you are trying to pair a bottle of wine for that perfect steak try this out.

Sweetwater 420 – Beer Review

I have had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Sweetwater, Freddy Bensch a couple of times and I am a firm believer that a company is as only good as the person leading the operation, and Freddy is one hell of a guy who has made Sweetwater a big success. So tonight after a long day in the office and then gym I wanted a pale ale. So I had to run to the store and get a six pack of Sweetwater’s 420 Extra Pale Ale. Their beer is both brewed and bottled here in Atlanta. According to the label, this is “a crisp refreshing pale ale accentuated by a stimulating hop character.”

So I went for my trusty frozen pint glass to pour this into. It poured with a medium head that lasted an average length of time. The head was thick and cushiony, with very minimal lacing. Looking at the beer in the glass, it was a nice copper color, and you could see the carbonation was not overpowering by far.

On the nose, the hops were definitely front and center. Hints of citrus appeared, but flowery hops were the star of this show. The first taste confirmed what the label said: it was a crisp refreshing ale, and the hops did accentuate the flavor. In some beers the brewer takes the hops as far as they can and you’re left with a bitter, hoppy brew that comes across very dry. This is not a bad thing, when that’s what you’re in the mood for.

This brew, however, comes across well hopped but without the lingering bitterness or dryness. The flavor is mild and smooth….nice hoppiness without the bite. There are hints of other flavors as well, such as the citrus I barely noticed in the nose, but it is a subtle brew.

All in all, I would say this is a excellent brew, very smooth and drinkable. This would be great on a summer Saturday standing at the grill as the sun sets, the steak sizzles, and the smell of fresh cut grass lingers in the air from your day spent behind the mower. Ok now I know what I am doing this Saturday!

If you are in the Atlanta area and haven’t visited Sweetwater do so you will enjoy it! If you ever fly into Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and you have a lay-over, you must check out The Sweetwater Draft House.

Check out their site: http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com

Recommended: Yes, a good solid pale ale that goes down smooth
Price: I paid $7.99 for a six-pack (WELL WORTH IT!)
ABV: 5.4%

None of my reviews are paid reviews.