Beer: Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale
Brewed by: The Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA, USA
Style: American Double/Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.74%
IBUs: 72.51
Bottle: 1 pint 6 fluid oz.
Served in: Tulip glass
Place of purchase: Red Carpet Wine & Spirits, Glendale, CA
Price: $4.49
Mid-February means many things to many people. It could mean a few -- or several more -- weeks of Winter (depending on how much you believe in Puxatony Phil's weather forecasting skills); it could mean time to take advantage of President's Day sales; or it could mean, as is the case for Mugsy and Jugsy, time to celebrate the accuracy of Cupid's arrow! By that I mean, of course, Saint Valentine's Day! Given that Valentine's Day is a day for sweethearts, Jugsy and I thought it appropriate to review a beer known for its sweet taste. From Mugsy and Jugsy to all of you: Happy St. Valentine's Day!
In every proper review, your trusted husband & wife team of Beeraucrats will examine the Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouthfeel, Drinkability and Overall Rating of the Beer and arrive at a Total Score from 1 to 10.
Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale
APPEARANCE:
Mugsy: Golden yellow. Slightly murky, much like a wheat beer. Some carbonation visible. Thick, frothy head that dissipates to thin, yet still sudsy head. A bit of lacing left on glass.
Jugsy: Golden amber in color with a thinnish head. Clear enough to see carbonation when held to light. Some lacing left on glass.
AROMA:
Mugsy: Very fruity. First is sweet pineapple followed by citrus. Strong smell of hops, as well. Very slight scent of yeast.
Jugsy: Fruity yeast and a touch of hops at first sniff. Apricots, citrus and pineapple scents abound. In fact, the pineapple sweetness overpowers the other scents when beer is cold. Mild scent of sourdough. As the ale warms, hop aromas come to the foreground - flowery is a given, but I think some piny hops are present, too.
TASTE:
Mugsy: Wow. This is very sweet. Hops are in the forefront but fighting to share the spotlight is the pineapple and citrus. It's so sweet that it makes me entertain the idea that they added a simple syrup or maybe just a big spoonful of brown sugar! Aftertaste is of malt. As the beer warms, the hops and malt become even more present. This is quite unusual, as most ales release additional flavors as the temperature slightly rises.
Jugsy: Hops - beautiful, aromatic HOPS! Flowery hops and sweet orange flavors explode in the first sip. Bitter, yet extremely inviting. Fruity yeast comes together with soapy hops in a sinfully good combination.
MOUTHFEEL:
Mugsy: Creamy. Also, I get that coating on the tongue that one gets after eating something really sugary, like super sweet cake icing or, well, a big spoonful of sugar. Goes down very easily.
Jugsy: Creamy and slightly chewy - very smooth to drink. Carbonation mixes with the hops flavor for a tingly and bitter/flowery coating on the tongue.
DRINKABILITY:
Mugsy: I'd have no problem throwing back many of these back, let me tell you. The 8.74% ABV might come knocking at some point, but not too soon, I would hope. The extreme sweetness might become an issue at some point, however.
Jugsy: Extremely pleasant to drink. Although the ABV is high, the beer feels light and drinks light.
OVERALL:
Mugsy: Fine beer. Would absolutely drink again any time. Fairly well balanced, if you understand that they were going for a sweet beer, which I believe they were. If that's not the case, well, then balance my be an issue. The strong pineapple scent makes it quite original in character. The folks at Lagunitas care about what they do and it's obvious in presentations like this one. Because of the sweetness, I think this would pair nicely with foods that are both sweet and sour or sweet and savory, like Thai, Chinese or glazed entrees. Have a sweet Valentine's Day!
Jugsy: Everything an Imperial IPA should be! This ale is far more complex than I can describe. All the Lagunitas brews I've ever tried have been excellent, and the Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale was just what I needed to usher in Valentine's Day! This beer makes me feel loved! Uh oh... maybe that's the 8.74% ABV talking. Then again, I am sitting a little too close to Mugsy! Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart!
SCORE:
Mugsy: 8.70
Jugsy: 8.95
Beer: Harvest Wet Hop Ale, 13th Release
Brewed by: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA, USA
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%
IBUs: 60-65
Bottle: 24 fluid oz.
Served in: Pint glass
Place of purchase: Red Carpet Wine & Spirits, Glendale, CA
Price: $5.99
We're into the second month of 2010 and our review beers are piling up (seriously, we've got five that we haven't even touched.) Due to a yet another bout with this Winter's cold/flu season, we are now quite behind on the reviews.
That being said, Jugsy and I now feel GREAT (knock on wood) and are ready to officially, DRINK BEER - on your behalf, of course. After all, we're really doing this for you.
As we browsed our beer-laden shelves looking for the right beer to review, something intriguing caught our eye.... Wet Hop Ale! Being the hop-lovers we are, we had to know more! According to Sierra Nevada's website, their 2009 Harvest Wet Hop Ale uses "Cascade and Centennial hops ... [which] are harvested and shipped as “wet” un-dried hops — the same day they are picked — to our brewery in Chico where our brewers eagerly wait to get them into the brew kettle while their oils and resins are still at their peak." Hops, oils and resins -- Oh, my!!!
In every proper review, your trusted husband & wife team of Beeraucrats will examine the Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouth-Feel, Drinkability and Overall Rating of the Beer and arrive at a Total Score from 1 to 10.
Harvest Wet Hop Ale
APPEARANCE:
Mugsy: Deep amber color. Turns deep golden color when held to light. Thick, creamy looking head that dissipates very quickly. Still, what's left is fairly creamy looking, for what's there - which isn't much. Some carbonation visible. Leaves some lacing on
glass.
Jugsy: Golden and murky in color with a somewhat reddish hue. Initial thick head dissipates very quickly, leaving no lacing behind. Almost no visible carbonation.
AROMA:
Mugsy: Strong smell of flowery hops is first to hit the nose. Underneath it all, sweet malt can be detected. Also, the faintest smell of slightly funky yeast. The hops take the prize on this one, though.
Jugsy: Yeast and malt aromas seem to dominate when the ale is very cold. Hop scent is faint and more of a subtle background note. Swirling the beer releases the piny hop bouquet and makes me eager to taste this ale. There's a sweet, honey aroma to the yeast that is very inviting.
TASTE:
Mugsy: Hops, hops, hops. Very slight bit of sweetness comes through also. Hints of citrus become noticeable, especially as it begins to warm. Aftertaste is slightly of pine and certainly of hops.
Jugsy: Mmmm... The instant hoppy bitterness delivers just what a name like "wet hop ale" promises. Piny hops come through first, but as the ale warms, the floral hops taste emerges, as well. I can also taste a pineapple-y yeast flavor tying it all together.
MOUTH-FEEL:
Mugsy: Extremely smooth and creamy. The bitterness stings the tongue a fair bit. Overall feel is quite enjoyable, due mostly to the creaminess.
Jugsy: This ale is a tiny bit on the watery side, but very refreshing, nevertheless. What it lacks in carbonation, it more than makes up for in bitter hop bite and flavor. Leaves a bitter hops coating on the tongue.
DRINKABILITY:
Mugsy: Goes down very easily. This could fall into the realm of the session beers for me. The 6.7% ABV might creep up on me, of course, but luckily, not too quickly.
Jugsy: The Harvest is a very drinkable ale for any "hophead." While the bitterness may be off-putting for some, to others this ale will feel like a homecoming. At 6.7% ABV and a 24 fl. oz. bottle, you might want to limit yourself to just one... or two!
OVERALL:
Mugsy: Very nice beer. Not completely balanced, however, I don't believe that's what they were going for here. The brewers are certainly presenting this as a hop-lover's beer. To quote from the bottle, this is an ale that "hop fanatics like us dream of all
year." And on that note, I've tasted several other beers also catering to lovers of the hop that were nearly one-dimensional, with almost all the focus on making sure that hops dominated everything. Not here, however. While the hops are in the extreme forefront, there are several other notes that come through - citrus, pine, etc. And that super creamy feel as it goes down is fantastic. Would certainly drink again.
Jugsy: This is one of the lightest tasting beers of its caliber that I've had. I'm not positive that I can tell the difference between wet and dry hops, but my impression is that the wet hops deliver a deeper and smoother flavor. The 13th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale is another fantastic brew from Sierra Nevada that I would happily drink anytime. I can picture this ale going well with a variety of foods; anything from a gourmet poultry dish to a guacamole and chips Super Bowl party! Hey... there's a thought!
SCORE:
Mugsy 7.90
Jugsy 7.25
Beer: Jubelale
Brewer: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR, USA
Type: Winter aleBottle: 12 fl. oz. bottle
ABV: 6.7%IBUs: 60
Served in: Pint glass
Place of Purchase: Unknown - gift from our friend Louis!Price: Also unknown! Thanks, Louis!!!
Happy 2010! It's our first beer review of the new year! It's definitely a late start for us (thanks to lingering illness - seriously, sick from December 25th to just a few days ago.) Your two Beeraucrats, (that's us - Mugsy and Jugsy), are finally able to actually SMELL and TASTE beer! We are now more than ready to bring you another year of loving beer!
It's mid-January and certainly still mid-Winter, so we will continue with our seasonal brew reviews!
On January 1st, our friends Louis and his wife Lindsey were kind enough to drive all the way from Idaho to Los Angeles just to bring us a couple of bottles of beer! OK, so maybe their trip was really to show off their new baby boy, Soren, to friends and family in Southern CA. Any way you slice it, the proud parents were kind enough to bring us a couple of bottles of Deschutes Jubelale to review!
Each year, Deschutes Brewery's Winter offering features a unique label with artwork by different local artists - this time by central Oregon artist, Tracy Leagjeld. We're thinking about starting our collection now.
Thank you, again, to Louis, Lindsey and Soren! And thank you to our Beeraucracy readers! We wish you a happy, healthy and beer-filled 2010!
In every proper review, your trusted husband & wife team of Beeraucrats will examine the Appearance, Aroma, Taste, Mouth-Feel, Drinkability and Overall Rating of the Beer and arrive at a Total Score from 1 to 10.
Deschutes Jubelale
APPEARANCE:
Mugsy: Dark brown yet not opaque. Becomes deep bronze when held to light. Average sized, lightly tan colored head that dissipates very quickly. Not much noticeable carbonation. No lacing is left on the glass as glass is emptied.
Jugsy: Reddish brown in color with strong copper hues. Carbonation is barely visible. Medium head dissipates very quickly. Particulate matter in bottom of glass. Leaves little to no lacing on the glass.
AROMA:
Mugsy: Strong, sweet malt aroma - almost a "chocolate milk" type of smell. Very slight hints of toffee. Hops are almost imperceptible but do come through in the end, especially after swirling glass.
Jugsy: Chocolate covered cherries and vanilla rum comprise the initial sweet scent. Strong aroma of chocolate malt along with a wheat and berry bread smell. The faintest hint of piny hops can also be detected.
TASTE:
Mugsy: Bitter roasted malt comes on first. Then a sweeter malt immediately follows. Hops are definitely there, however, more as an aftertaste. Very slight bitter dark chocolate aftertaste and slight coffee aftertaste.
Jugsy: Heavy roasted malt flavor dominates. Predominantly chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee. The fresh and bitter taste of piny hops reveals itself more in the aftertaste than the initial sip. If I really concentrate, I can sense a hint of fruity yeast, as well. The flavors are not as complex as the aroma would have you believe.
MOUTH-FEEL:
Mugsy: Creamy; almost like drinking a glass of watered-down chocolate milk. Slight sting from the bitterness of the malt and/or hops. Not even close to being watery, this one is on the heavy side. In fact, almost chewy - but not quite. Very slight coating left on the tongue. Goes down quite nicely.
Jugsy: Initial impression was creamy, but the more I drank, the more watery it seemed to become. The Jubelale is very mild on carbonation, perhaps too much so, as it gives the beer a thin feel. However, it does leave a malty/hoppy coating on the tongue.
DRINKABILITY:
Mugsy: At 6.7% ABV, this might not necessarily be everyone's best candidate for a session beer. However, I could easily throw back several and enjoy every drop. The heaviness may become a problem for me though when considering drinking more than one or two.
Jugsy: While the Jubelale might feel like a lighter Winter ale, its 6.7% ABV certainly packs a punch. Going on flavor alone, one could certainly drink a fair number of these, but the higher alcohol content would limit me to only one or two.
OVERALL:
Mugsy: Nice, complex beer. Quite a bit going on here as far as taste. Also, the creamy mouthfeel is quite nice. Just a little on the heavy side for me and maybe the tiniest bit too sugary, but hey, that's never stopped me before. Would pair very well with rich Winter foods or with desserts. Even with the heavy-handedness I would absolutely drink again, but only one or two. Or three.... Maybe four.
Jugsy: I wish I could have actually tasted all the complex aromas I smelled in this brew! I was looking forward to tasting this beer, not only because Louis went through so much trouble to get it into our hands, but also because its smell promised to deliver so much flavor! Overall, this is a fine seasonal ale - maybe not my favorite - but I will definitely seek out next year's batch!
SCORE:
Mugsy 7.0
Jugsy 6.6
Brew Free! Or Die
Provocative name! We'll take the "Brew Free!" please!
Mugsy and Jugsy typically search for the best airfare when choosing airlines, but we may just need to forgo that tradition the next time we fly and go with Virgin Airlines instead.
"Why?" you ask? We love to support our fellow Beer-lovers and Virgin America is doing something pretty special. For the first time ever, craft beer is making its way to the blue skies! Hooray!!!
According to RealBeer.com:
21st Amendment Brewery is set to launch their Brew Free! Or Die IPA in cans aboard Virgin America Airlines. Starting now Virgin America will serve complimentary Brew Free! or Die IPA in First Class and Main Cabin Select and the beer will be available for purchase in the Main Cabin for $7.
21st Amendment Brewery says their "Brew Free! or Die IPA is brewed with some serious west coast attitude. This aromatic golden IPA starts with a sucker punch of six different hops to the nose, quickly balanced by a solid malt back bone. The Brewery’s top selling beer, this IPA starts big and finishes clean leaving you wanting more."
Mmmmmmm... we haven't even tried it yet and we want more already!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2010 promises to be another great year for beer!
Here at Beeraucracy, your two Beeraucrats, Mugsy and Jugsy, promise to bring you many more fun and insightful reviews throughout the year, all from the husband and wife perspective!
At the moment, Jugsy and I are still under the weather (can you believe it?!), and still unable to do a proper review.
That being said, this seems like the perfect time to bring you Beeraucracy's Best of 2009!
We have gone back through all the reviews of 2009; studied and scrutinized - read and re-read, and come up with...
(drum roll, please!)
MUGSY & JUGSY'S BEERS OF THE YEAR -- 2009!!
Ladies first! Let's start with Jugsy's 2009 favorite....
Jugsy: At a mind-boggling 100+ IBUs, my pick for 2009 beer of the year (you might call it my own personal pursuit of "hoppiness") is the Stone Ruination IPA!
Click HERE for the full review 
And now Mugsy's favorite for 2009....
Mugsy: January 1st just happens to be the day that I proposed to Jugsy. So, what better way to celebrate an anniversary than with the Sierra Nevada 2009 Anniversary Ale?!
Click HERE for the full review 
Sometimes it can be difficult to get a husband & wife to agree on anything! However, Mugsy & Jugsy sure do agree that the Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron was one of their mutual favorites of 2009!
Click HERE for the full review
Happy 2010! We wish you happiness, health and lots of beer throughout the year!
Mugsy and Jugsy are under the weather (and therefore cannot properly smell or taste beer!) Reviews will resume as soon as we feel better!
Beer: Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale
