Beer: Robert Johnson’s Hellhound On My Ale
Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Milton, DE
Type: American Double/Imperial IPA
In Three Words: hoppy, lemony, bold

Once again, Dogfish Head manages to take a beer trend I think I am tired of and make it delicious. We all know hops are a thing right now and the hoppier the beer, the more you are supposed to enjoy it, right? Not always. Some beers severely overdo it and make it difficult to enjoy the drink at all. But this beer, the Hellhound Ale, is absolutely delicious. Besides the hops, there is a huge amount of citrus flavor that comes through upon the very first drink. Till the last drop in the bottle, the taste is bold and delicious. On the bottle they have inscribed at the bottom “Ale brewed with lemons”, which is what first intrigued me; that lemon taste is definitely my favorite aspect of the beer. Absolutely delicious.

To balance out the hops there is a tad bit of sweetness that comes through and a heavy carbonation. I honestly felt like I was drinking a citrus fruit drink at times were it not for the perfect amount of alcohol taste that surfaces at the end of each sip. Surprisingly, despite the amount of hops and citrus fruit involved in the making of this beer, it is not that bitter. Maybe this is what places this beer over the other ones in the hop fad that is going on. Dogfish Head certainly knows how to brew ‘em. Thank god this only comes in large bottles; you’re not going to want any less.

In addition to this, fun tidbit about the name of the beer, straight from the Dogfish Head website: “2011 would have marked the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, who according to legend, sold his soul down at the crossroads in a midnight bargain and changed music forever. Working again with our friends at Sony Legacy (yup, the same folks we did our Miles Davis-inspired Bitches Brew with), Dogfish Head paid tribute to this blues legend by gettin’ the hellhounds off his trail and into this finely-crafted ale.”

Beer: Bock Beer
Brewery: Anchor Brewing Co.
Location: San Francisco, CA
Type: Bock
In Three Words: dark, sweet, malty

I usually enjoy essentially every beer Anchor makes, but this one perhaps just wasn’t my taste. Overall it hasn’t received the most positive reviews online, but I try not to read anyone else’s opinions before I write down my own and come to my own judgement. That being said, I don’t generally go crazy for very dark beers, so I clearly started out with a bias already. This is why I have decided to review this beer purely on taste; to describe it as vividly as I can down to the tiniest twinge of taste.

It definitely is a very dark beer, heavy and intense from the first sip to the last. This dark quality though seems to make the taste not quite as enjoyable as most dark beers usually do; behind that there is a sweetness that emerges, maybe a caramel or chocolate fragrance. Whatever sweet flavors have been blended in are a bit overcome by a certain woody flavor that might be the thing that put me off.

I do enjoy certain dark beers, which is why I am still trying to figure out what it is about this one that made it not quite as good. It could be that woodiness that gives way to an almost metallic taste near the end.

Overall the sweet qualities blended in definitely make this beer. I would give it a try, if only because Bocks are so different and interesting, and Anchor might be one of the only American breweries (along with Rahr and Sprecher) trying out the style with originality of flavor in mind.

Beer: Hop Stoopid Ale
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Location: Petaluma, CA
Type: Ale
In Three Words: intense, hoppy, bold

America’s premier “brewpaper” The Celebrator calls this beer “big and stinky”. They mean it in the best way, and so do I. This beer is so incredibly hoppy, it’s stupid (or stoopid, I guess). I have to admit I have been growing increasingly jaded about the hop trend that has been going on for beers these days; some times the beers just come out simply way too bitter and it is difficult to enjoy them without feeling like your cheeks are being constantly pinched. But Lagunitas does it right. They blend that hoppiness with an array of other flavors that just makes it balanced and great tasting. 

The citrus under-taste (if I may invent a term) mixed with a really nice malt flavor is what keeps this beer from being overly bitter. The first thing I noticed upon tasting it is actually a sweet flavor mixed with the malt, and then the bitterness after. Despite this, the beer itself is very light. Not dark or intense in the heavy way; the intensity of the flavor comes from the very bubbly quality (could rival a champagne) mixed with that intense hop that they are doing so well.

All around, light but intense, bold without being overwhelming. Stoopid good.

Beers that were birthday gifts. Expect reviews soon!

• Hellhound On My Ale by Dogfish Head
• Boatswain Chocolate Stout by Minhas Craft Brewery
• Three Philosophers by Brewery Ommegang
• Moerlein OTR by Christian Moerlein Brewing

Beer: Pranqster
Brewery: North Coast Brewing
Location: Fort Bragg, CA
Type: Belgian Style Golden Ale
In Three Words: light, simple, classic

I have never tried a beer from this brewery before, and the Pranqster ale caught my eyes because of it’s classic approach to beer: the cork in the top and the illustration of a bunch of merry men merry-making with great casks and pints of ale seemed to embody everything that beer has come from.

I was not disappointed. This is indeed a very classic beer, light with a bold taste that is easy to sip. There are hints of fruit that come through but overall, I really can’t think of a better word to describe it other than “golden”. It just tastes like a ray of sunshine. A slight bitterness comes through to balance it all out so it becomes far from boring. The different aromas overcome you as you drink it but the taste remains airy and satisfying. No overpowering stench or hoppy bitterness; just a refined light taste that I feel like could go well with everything.

This is also a very bubbly beer, making fora tingly taste when combined with the fruity lightness of the brew itself. Absolutely delicious all around.

Instantly a favorite.

Beer: 7.2%
Brewery: Kronenbourg Brewery
Location: Strasbourg, France
Type: Lager
In Three Words: light beyond belief

A very special Beer Broad edition, reporting with a beer straight from France! Unfortunately I am sure this is not the best France has to offer (I hope; I can’t say I am well versed in their beers, only their wine) but nonetheless this beer was brought with care across the ocean and continent so I sipped it with great love.

Regardless of whether this beer is good or not, it certainly beats any other beer I have had reviewed on here in age of brewery. Kronenbourg Brewery in Strasbourg, France was opened in 1664. Take that…anything in America.

Besides the age to boast of, this beer doesn’t have a whole lot going for it other than it is pretty alcoholic for a cheap lager. It is watery, light, goes down really easily. It’s actually hard to believe it packs a 7.2% punch at all. Think of it as the Narragansett beer of France. The only difference seems to be that this beer has a lot more fizz to it and, like before, it is more alcoholic. Most American cheap lagers like PBR circle around the mid 4%’s in alcohol content.

Overall, it was pretty fun to try considering it is from France and I don’t usually get to review foreign beers. Just knowing I had little slice of what might be going on over there beer wise was exciting and fun.

Beer: Hop Henge IPA
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Location: Bend, OR
Type: IPA
In Three Words: hoppy, bitter, strong

The opening page for the Deschutes Brewery website says “The meek shall inherit, well, some pretty dull beers.” Boy, they aren’t kidding when they live by that as their motto. This beer, their “Hop Henge IPA” as they call it (very witty, indeed) is an intense IPA if I have ever tasted one. Definitely hopped up on on, well, hops, you can taste the bitterness from the moment you hold the glass up to your nose. The aroma hits you and you know you’re in for a big one. But man, does that flavor go far. It’s like a pinch to your cheeks and a wake me up call all in one.

Besides all the intensity in flavor, this is actually quite a light beer and very delicious and easy to drink. There is a fruitiness to it and a light almost floral aroma that swirls around your head as you drink it. Absolutely delicious. It’s very natural and organic tasting, encompassing many different citrus flavors to bring out the hops and also complicate the pallet to allow for an experience.

Not too bubbly, and certainly not boring, this beer opens up an awesome world of what an IPA can be. As someone who doesn’t always fall head over heels in love with the bitterness of  IPAs, this is one beer I can get behind. Because of the additional flavors created by the fruits and sweetness, everything seems to even out into one strong flavorful twist of a beer.

Beer: Brekle’s Brown
Brewery: Anchor Brewing Company
Location: San Francisco, CA
Type: Brown ale
In Three Words: malty, nutty, bold

Once again, Anchor has produced a beer that I really love and can’t get enough of. After touring Anchor Brewery a couple weeks ago (still be to be posted about), I had to grab a bottle of this signature beer they just came out with in honor of one of their original master brewers (who was named Gottlieb Brekle). He started the brewery way back in 1871. This beer is in honor of the 140 years of brewing tradition the brewery has undergone (phew, that’s a lot).

The beer is dark when you pour it with a soft brown color; pretty much exactly how it tastes if I was one of those people who can taste colors (I forget, is that a thing?) It’s strong without being overpowering and has a smooth malty, almost creamy, flavor that rolls over your tongue perfectly. The darkness of the beer comes through in the little twinge you get in the corners of your mouth from the hops that have been balanced out to a tee with the malts. They exist in a yin-yang relationship in this glass of beer that comes straight out of the bottle.

Definitely hoppier than your average brown ale, I think that is precisely what gives this beer it’s original and snappy taste. The bitterness that comes through is accentuated by a sweetness that I can’t quite place (maybe a chocolate?) but only allows for the brown ale malt to act as the counter to that. Together they make for a really authentic yet all around distinctive take on the traditional brown ale.