Wolaver's India Pale Ale

Beer: Wolaver's India Pale Ale
Brewed by: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, Vermont
Style: IPA
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 55
Bottle: 12 fl.oz.
Served in: Pint glass
Place of purchase: Wades Wines, Thousand Oaks, CA
Price: $1.50 / per bottle

In celebration of American Craft Beer Week, (May 17-23, 2010) we thought it would be nice to review a craft beer from a small brewery in Vermont. Wolaver's takes beer back to its basics, and by that we mean organic and unadulterated beer!

Not only do they use a minimum of 98% organic ingredients to make their beers, but they also have a laundry list of sustainable "green" practices: everything from feeding their spent grain to local livestock, to treating their wastewater themselves with an in-house management system! 'Don't know about you, but we were impressed!

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.

Wolaver's India Pale Ale

APPEARANCE:

Mugsy: Medium golden color. Creamy head that dissipates quickly, however, leaves lacing on glass.
Jugsy: Amber and copper hues, slightly murky with a medium, frothy head -- no visible carbonation whatsoever.

AROMA:

Mugsy: Lots of sweet malt with a subtle hint of hops. There's a little bit of yeast in there, too. Sweet malt definitely dominates here. As the beer warms, there's a slightly funky smell that becomes noticeable. I can only imagine it's from the yeast.
Jugsy: Incredibly yeasty and rich smells hit the nose first. Something approaching "funk" but more distinctive. Aromas of apricots, licorice, dried cherries and vanilla beans combine for a striking fruitcake aroma. Slight scent of hops, but not as much as I would expect from an IPA.

TASTE:

Mugsy: Bitterness from piney hops hits the tongue first, followed by sweetness from malt. There is an unpleasant aftertaste, however. Almost chemical (ridiculous, of course, as this is organic!) I think it's from the yeast but it's hard to tell.
Jugsy: Initial taste is yeasty, like the aroma. Middle-notes include dried apricot and light citrus-orange(?) taste. Hops come through near the finish. Hint of piney hops appears and disappears, leaving a bitter finish.

MOUTHFEEL:

Mugsy: Sting on tongue from the hops remains in the mouth for a little bit. Very watery finish.
Jugsy: Feels very creamy going down. The lack of carbonation makes for smooth and easy drinking. Bitter coating on tongue is only mild and dissipates quickly.

DRINKABILITY:

Mugsy: 6.5% ABV makes this easy to drink all night, but I wouldn't necessarily want to. The unpleasant aftertaste, smell and watery finish ruined it for me.
Jugsy: From a taste perspective, this brew is bold and flavorful -- maybe too much so for a typical session beer. And at 6.5% ABV, that might be for the best. All in all, a pleasant and drinkable beer.

OVERALL:

Mugsy: The more subtle bitterness level reminds me more of a British style IPA as opposed to American style. That's fine with me, however, I just can't get past the aftertaste and smell. I really do believe that it's coming from the yeast. Maybe this bottle had seen too much light or become too warm in the store. I can't be sure, but I do know that this is not a very enjoyable beer for me. I wouldn't purchase it again. I've had other beers from Wolaver's that I don't remember being at all bad. This one surprised me.
Jugsy: While this isn't at all what I would expect from and IPA, it isn't a bad beer! The funk is kind of growing on me! However, since Mugsy just mentioned that he doesn't even want to finish this beer due to an awful aftertaste (words I seldom hear!) it occurs to me that the bold funk of this brew is not everyone's cup of... well, beer! Proceed with caution.

SCORE:
Mugsy: 2.9
Jugsy: 5.75

(Hey, they can't all be winners, right?)

Happy AMERICAN CRAFT BEER WEEK from Mugsy and Jugsy! Click HERE to sign the Declaration of Beer Independence!

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Beer: Palo Santo Marron
Brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE USA
Type: Strong ale
Bottle: 12 fl. oz. bottle
ABV: 12%
Served in: Pint glass
Place of Purchase: Silver Liquor, Sherman Oaks, CA
Price: $15.99 per 4-pack

Recently, one of our Beeraucracy readers brought it to our attention that Mugsy and Jugsy had been focusing way too much on West Coast breweries, and he reminded us that there are some excellent breweries "East of the Rockies." Of course there are! And we are only too happy to drink (and review) them for you!

Having said that, Mugsy and Jugsy were also beginning to realize that there were a few too many Belgian and IPA reviews and not enough of all the other styles of beer. We're rectifying this immediately! (Although, we still reserve the right to review our favorite styles!)

The Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron calls itself a "Malt Beverage aged on Palo Santo Wood" and according to the bottle, this special Brown Ale is aged in handmade wooden vessels measuring 10,000 gallons - the largest brewing vessels built in America since before the Prohibition. This brew's distinctive caramel and vanilla flavors actually come from the Paraguayan Palo Santo wood used to make the tanks.
As an aside, "Palo Santo" means "Holy Wood" in Spanish (not to be confused with Hollywood, which is just over the hill from Mugsy & Jugsy's place!)

To quote directly from the bottle: "We have wood. Now you do too."

In every proper review, the 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.

Palo Santo Marron

APPEARANCE:

Mugsy: Dark! This beer looks like a cup of black coffee. Absolutely impossible to see through, even when held to light. Have to look very closely to see carbonation. Thin, but malty looking light brown head. One could easily mistake this for a glass of Coca-Cola. Lots of creamy head retention as glass empties.
Jugsy: Super dark black / brown - no light penetrates this brew! If I squint just the right way, I can see ruby tones near the bottom of the glass and a slight pinkish hue in the medium, tan frothy head. Leaves behind thick lacing.

AROMA:

Mugsy: Deep, roasted malt mixed with chocolate. Slight hint of vanilla also, maybe Bourbon vanilla? If sniffing this with the eyes closed, I would think it a glass of chocolate milk.
Jugsy: Sweet! Heavy chocolate, toffee and vanilla candy scents right off the bat. Caramel and coffee aromas are secondary. The faintest touch of roasted malts are present as well. If I were blindfolded and had to go on smell alone, I would think I was smelling a sugary iced-coffee drink!

TASTE:

Mugsy: Incredibly chocolaty, like cacao. Strong flavor of roasted malt. Tastes like those candy chocolate malted balls. Surprisingly, there's a little bit of hop flavor in there, too. Aftertaste is of vanilla. Tastes very much like a porter.
Jugsy: Definitely sweet and chocolaty. The beer equivalent of a coffee ice-cream flavored root beer float! Surprisingly sweet with a complex flavor palate. Toffee, chocolate and coffee flavors linger alongside toasty malts in the aftertaste. The vanilla flavor almost masks the high alcohol content. Very pleasant taste!

MOUTH-FEEL:

Mugsy: Very creamy & rich. Very heavy. Imagine drinking a bowl of melted chocolate ice cream that's been watered down with a porter. This is a meal - or at least a dessert - in a glass. Even though the hops are not incredibly present in the taste, there's a fair bit on the tongue.
Jugsy: Creamy, rich and smooth. Carbonation is mild. This is a heavy beer, but absolutely lovely to drink.

DRINKABILITY:

Mugsy: A bit too heavy to be a session beer, unless you're on the Arctic Tundra & throwing these back to keep warm! Also, the 12% ABV (12%!!!) would become prohibitive at some point. However, I'm only feeling a little bit of it right now. Guess I'll have to drink more!
Jugsy: If my taste-buds alone ruled this category, I'd drink it all night! However, due to the 12% ABV and the hearty nature of this brew, it needs to be relegated to the oft-neglected "dessert beer" category. One can only have so many root beer floats!

OVERALL:

Mugsy: Quite complex and very well-rounded, balanced beer. If not for the "Brown Ale" description on the bottle, I would have thought this a porter or a stout. Would go well with rich desserts, fruitcakes or chocolaty treats. Would love to drink again, especially if the cost were just a little more affordable. (Feeling the 12% ABV now, by the way.) This beer would be great on one of those cold, winter nights in front of the fire with a girl named Jugsy.
Hmmmm... Gonna have to make that a reality... tonight!
Jugsy: I was not excited about reviewing this beer, despite generally being a fan of Dogfish Head, but Mugsy and I were determined to get out of our Belgian / IPA habit. Not excited, I should say, until I smelled it and became captivated by its curiously sweet aroma! This beer was a delight and a dream. For me, it's the first beer I've tasted that can truly be a companion for any dessert. I love it!

SCORE:

Mugsy: 8.05

Jugsy: 8.88

Hollywood Brew Fest

Just a quick mention about something that’s happening right here in Mugsy & Jugsy’s hometown of Hollywood, CA! In fact, some are even calling it the ground zero for beer in Los Angeles!

The Hollywood Brew Fest, an all-day festival celebrating small craft brewers, will be taking place tomorrow at one of our favorite bars in town, the Blue Palms Brewhouse!

The Beer Chick is even personally selecting the beers on tap for the event! That might well be worth the cost of admission alone!

The Brew Fest has all the makings of a great event – we’re going to do our best to swing by – but if any of you out there make it, please leave a comment and let us know about your experience.

Happy Friday the 13^th and Happy Drinking!!!