Weekly Beer Reviews

Bell's Oberon American Pale Wheat Ale

This one is a Summer favorite, and we decided to throw it on before we exhaust all of those warm weather days. The nose is still pleasant with hints of Golden Grahams, honey, and peas. The taste has a little more oomph. This brew is slightly bitter up front with flavors of clove, grapefruit, and limes sticking out. The finish is creamy with hints of honey and cornflakes. This beer isn't going to wow you with its complexity, but it manages to provide a nice flavor for so smooth of a beer.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Bell's Best Brown Ale

This week is clashing two of the Bell's Seasonals. The Oberon is the Summer, and the Best Brown is the Fall Seasonal. Putting in a name like Best Brown creates a sense of expectation, and I believe they delivered (even if Tyler does not). The nose is slightly astringent with hints of cocoa, cookies & cream, coffee grounds, and guava. The malt is on full display, and that transfers over to the flavor. Hints of bran, coffee grounds, ashes, and biscuits makes for a great flavor up front. The finish smooths out even more with flavors of oatmeal, cream, lemon, and vanilla. This Brown Ale has enough hop to keep it interesting and enough malt to satisfy Brown Ale lovers.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8/10


Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA

This is an everyday favorite from Sierra Nevada that has graced our wall more than a few times. At $6.99 a growler, you just can't beat the amount of hop they throw in this single IPA. The nose is well-balanced with hints of spiciness, lemon, rubber, watermelon, and tobacco. The flavor itself is pleasantly bitter throughout with flavors of grapefruit, english tea, earth notes, and elderberries. The finish take a turn and hits you with tons of pine, dirt, and blue cheese. Smooth and hoppy, this is perfect for the hot to cold to hot days of early Fall.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #94 AKA Sleight of Hand

This is definitely a tricky style to do. A Belgian-Style Black IPA...Heck, a Black IPA is a style that is hard to do. However, Sierra Nevada hits it big with this one. The nose is incredibly diverse with hints of clove, coriander, oatmeal, charcoal, roasted coffee, raisins, and ash. This nose lingers long after the head has dissipated and provides some insight into this fantastic brew. The taste immediately has flavors of burnt toast followed by grapefruit, coriander, coffee, and 80% dark chocolate. The finish displays those hoppy notes with hints of cherries, grilled onions, plums, charcoal, and cracked pepper. This beer is incredibly diverse and changes as it warms up.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10


Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Ale

Ah, yes. The enigmatic Bigfoot. You never know whether to expect a transcendent experience in hops or a transcendent experience in malts. This version is a mix of both. The nose displays sweet aromas of fig, brown sugar, bubblegum, citrus, and "moistened towelette". The flavor is intense with flavors of jolly ranchers, earth, tangerines, and bubblegum. The finish is full of flavors of marshmellows, fruit loops, grass, and green onions. Despite this smattering of very different flavors, this beer is well-balanced and spicy and makes for a great beer for malt and hop lovers alike.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10


Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA

Tyler and I were worried about this one due to the age on this beer. With Narwhal already preparing to come out, the hops in this one would normally have died some. Not so in this fantastic beer. The nose is intense with aromas of pine, paint, seaweed, kiwi, and mango. The taste is bitter from the beginning, with hints of kiwi, orange, lemon, lime, and pears. The finish ramps up the bitterness and gives off flavors of soap, cologne, resin, and floral notes. All of these flavors mix well to make for an impressive Imperial IPA.

Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9.25/10