Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

I'm at Jimmy's, the sports bar around the corner, where I am doing the AM Ale. It's 11:35 and I'm here to watch some World Cup qualifying, U.S.A. vs. Trinidad and Tobago. I've got me a pint of Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball. I love my life.

Eddie Johnson just became my new favorite soccer player by crushing a header into the net. I'm excited.

Especially because the Hairy Eyeball is quite tasty. This is a pretty dark beer, deep red in hue with a sweet nose. The nose has hints of vanilla and banana in it, but don't be confused, this is no desert beer, a la Rogue Hazelnut. This is also rather alcoholic beer, with a bit of a bite in nose and the finish.

The body is very full, perhaps the best way to describe it would be dense. There is a lot of flavor packed in this beer, which goes along with a lot of alcohol (the website gives the abv as 8.8%). This is an intense beer.

The finish has plenty of hops, enough to balance the rest of the beer, but not so much that it really lingers.

Rachel describes this as her substitute for Arrogant Bastard. I would tend to agree, as it may be too alcoholic for extended consumption. IN THE MORNING! Ha!

WDTB? People who really like beer.

WSDTB? People who want everything extraneous removed from their beer, like water.

Rating: 8.2/10

*It turns out that Damarcus Beasley, who weighs less than I do, is one tough motherfucker.

Pyramid Hefewiezen

I'm still at Jimmy's and it is no longer the AM, so I suppose I could have another beer. I'll have a Pyramid Hefewiezen.

Ooh, not impressed. It tastes kinda wet doggy. Or perhaps brown is a better descriptor.

It is really hard to review hefewiezens. The nose can be hard to separate from the lemon. However I would still feel justified in identifying this as one of those hefewiezens that is a little too one dimensional and has a bit of an off flavor.

This looks unfiltered, and the Pyramid website backs me up on that.

*As an aside Kasey Keller is having a great game. I love how after he makes a difficult save look routine he screams at his teammates for requiring him to make a save. I love that.*

For me this beer is overly crisp and is not really that interesting, but is better than most hefs. The body is very thin and there is no finish to speak of, which leaves us with crispness and dog as our identifying characteristics. Which isn't actually as bad as it sounds. Instead this is a pretty tolerable beer, better than most hefewiezens. However you should never, under any circumstances drink it after Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball. Trust me.

WDTB? Seattleites/Northwesterners who want a decent, readily available beer.

WSDTB? This is inoffensive, except for the dog part, and generally fine, so drink accordingly.

Rating: 7.8/10

USA 2, Trinadad and Tobago 1. Time to try to get some work done with the rest of the day.

Mad River Jamaica Brand Red Ale

Mad River Jamaica Brand Red Ale from a bottle and John'€™s both.

Very, very crisp. This is quite a light beer, fairly carbonated as well. You would be forgiven for thinking this is a lager.

The finish is very distinctive, reminiscent of iced tea. The more I look for the flavor the more apparent it is that it runs through the entire flavor profile. The finish is slightly sour, perhaps overly so.

Overall this beer is rather exotic in flavor, which some may enjoy, others not at all.

WDTB? Stoners in Humboldt county.

WSDTB? Anyone tho thinks 2/3 IPA 1/3 iced tea sounds like a good idea.

Rating: 7.6/10

Note that this is a provisional rating, as some people may really like this beer, while others will assuredly despise it. It is crisp and refreshing, and might be quite nice in certain very select situations, mostly involving sun, warm weather, barbeque, and the munchies associated with some Mary Jane.

Stone IPA

I'm trying to get all sexy up in here with some pictures. Neat, I guess. Anyhow I'm drinking some Stone IPA from a bottle that I picked up at Johns Market.

It has a very nice hop tone in the nose and is pretty light in color. Overall this IPA is quite crisp and refreshing. There is not much body at all, making this mostly a one trick pony (hops, that is all), but it is a good trick.

The flavor profile is very back heavy, as that is where the hops really kick in. The website says they do two weeks of dry hopping. These guys are insane, but in a good way.

I'm not sure that this beer is complex enough to keep you interested for a very long time, but several beer it would be just fine.

The hop's bitterness lingers a little too long, but that is the only real negative to this beer.

WDTB? Hop Heads.

WSDTB? People who want their IPA to truly be a pale ale. This is a very good summertime beer.

Rating: 8.5/10

*8.8/10 Bonus points! This is 6.9 ABV, quite a feat for a beer this pale. You really don't taste it. Well done.