Lagunitas Brewery, Lucky 13 Brunette

Its that time of year for Lagunitas Lucky 13 which is a seasonal brew for them. This is brewed in the style of, as they put it "An ultra-mega-mondo red ale first made in 2006 to celebrate 13 years of brewing ultra-hoppy-mega-malty-mondo ales. Now it’s 2013 and we’re 20 years in," Whoa! 

There are actually two different versions of this beer. They make a "blonde" version in which the girl on the label is blonde and it is a super hoppy double IPA with is labeled "alt". This one is the original "brunette" version which as you can see from the picture on the right is a rich amber ale that is aggressively hopped with  mostly Amarillo hops. Both versions are fantastic, but I usually prefer the "blonde" version myself. 

This one is amazingly aromatic when poured into the glass. A big resiny hop punch greets you on the first whif. Filled with sticky, piney west coast hops and a caramel malt base to back them up, this combo does a one two punch on your taste buds. At first you get a classic orange peel, grapefruit, pineapple flavor washed over by a resin filled pine/juniper hoppiness. The sweet caramel malts balance some of the aggressive hop flavor, but it still leaves a nice lingering bitter bite. Definitely right up our IPA loving alley! 

Lucky 13 taps in at 8.9% ABV so it pack a little punch to it. It fits in our sneaky beer category because although the malt is rich it is surprisingly easy to drink. The high ABV can easily sneak up on you if your not careful. Overall though, another great one from Lagunitas Brewery. I look forward seeing their "blonde" version next year!

Personal Rating: 9.8 /10
Style Rating: 9.8 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=723830000032

Breckenridge Brewery, Agave Wheat

"Nectar of the Beer Gods" is how Breckenridge bills this on there website and I completely agree! This is one of our favorite Summer beers here due to its light but very complex style. Unfortunately for many of us, this year the distributor did not stock any of this beer. Luckily, with our continued calls for them to bring it back, they relented and brought in 10 cases just for our store in Absecon, NJ.

I personally fell in love with this beer a few years back as it was the first Agave Wheat beer out on the market. Since then, even mainstream breweries like Blue Moon have jumped on the bandwagon (but not duplicated Breckenridge's subtle complexity). The idea behind this beer is that it is made primarily wheat (with a few other malts such as Caramel and Carapils to add more depth) so that it is light and refreshing. They don't filter this beer so it is hazy but the unfiltered style definately adds more flavor. The agave nectar that they add gives it a Mexican twist complete with hints of fresh lime zest. It is very refreshing and at only 4.2% it is something you can start drinking early for those all day Summer parties!

When you first pour this beer into a glass you will notice a bright yellow/golden color that is hazy due to the unfiltered style. The aromas that leap out are lime zest, lemon and light coriander spice. This beer is incredibly refreshing and thirst quenching with out being vapid and one dimensional. If you want a cold refreshing beer on a hot Summer day but don't want a macro brewed flavorless imitation of beer then reach for this one. Bottoms Up!

Personal Rating: 9.9 /10
Style Rating: 8.5 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=745432310005

Terrapin Brewing Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale

A new addition to Terrapins' Seasonal lineup arrived at our door yesterday and was calling our name with the warm weather that hit us this week! As Terrapin says "This refreshing summer offering  has all the flavor and aroma of a freshly picked peaches (to the tune of 1,000 pounds per 100 barrel batch!) combined with the complexity of a well executed farmhouse ale.  Some of you may remember Maggie’s older sister, Side Project Volume 7, one of Spike’s first first foray into  farmhouse ales. This newest version is just as lovely, should age just as well and has the uniquely GA flavor of fresh summer peaches!"

When you open this brew, the first thing that hits your nose is the aroma of fresh peaches and light sweet spice. It also has hints of citrus, mild hops and a touch of malt. This beer smells like a fresh peach, but can the taste live up to the aroma. I poured it into a glass and it has a nice light golden color. It looks incredibly refreshing but looks can be deceiving. The taste is a nice farmhouse style ale. It has a nice light citrus base with just enough sweet peach flavor to be refreshing without making it one of those "sweet" fruit beers. This is a great Summer beer, light, refreshing and eminently drinkable. A must try on one of the upcoming hot Summer days we will be having. At 5.3% ABV, it is not to heavy nor to light. Enjoy! 


Personal Rating: 9.7 /10
Style Rating: 9.7 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=899539000717

Terrapin Hopzilla Double IPA

Here's a Double IPA from Terrapin that is doing a stint on the "Monster Beer Tour" circuit.  This is a new addition to their lineup. This previously was Side Project #12 by Terrapin and was so popular it made a comeback to this seasonal spot in the lineup. We just got our hands the new batch and were very excited to crack a few open and see how they compare to the other DIPAs (double ipa) out there.
First off, I would love to say that my beer purchases are not affected by packaging, but alas I can not do that. Terrapin has some of the best beer labels on the market today and I always find my self gravitating towards their beers because of that. This label is no exception with a huge Godzilla-esque Terrapin crushing buildings on the front of the beer. An apt picture for such a "monster" of a beer!
This DIPA pours an haze free amber color with a nice small head of foam. The aroma is blowing up with huge amounts of Centennial, Chinook and Bravo hops (a nice West Coast style blend). So far this beer holds up to its name. The first sip is supremely satisfying with a rich balance of hoppy and malty flavor that finishes with a good lingering hop bitterness. Definitely not a session beer due to its high alcohol content and rich Marris Otter malt backbone but it is very smooth. This one is dry hopped with Citra and it adds a nice dimension of citrus bitters on the finish.  Overall, a great double IPA that I will be buying on the regular despite its $13.49 price point.  


Personal Rating: 9.5 /10
Style Rating: 9.5 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=899539000441

Abita Spring IPA

Most of us have seen the ads like the one to the left and had been salivating at the idea of a new seasonal from Abita Brewing. Well it is finally here and it is good! This is a West Coast style IPA that clocks in at 6.25%. This is a light crisp IPA that is a great session beer. Just high enough in alcohol to satisfy, but not enough to knock you out for the count on a hot summers day. 
According to the brewery: Abita Spring IPA is a West Coast-style IPA with an up-front intense hop flavor and aroma. Amarillo and Centennial hops give the brew a rich and resinous flavor of citrus and spice. This bright pale ale has a malt sweetness that will give way to a pleasant bitter. It pairs well with Mexican or spicy Szechwan Chinese food. It is also a nice accompaniment for cheeses with strong flavors, like sharp cheddar or goat cheese. 
Try this one now before it is all gone! I would definitely recommend this one to our hop head following!

Personal Rating: 9/10
Style Rating: 9/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=080020353331

Great Lakes Alchemy Hour Double IPA

Here's a new brew from Great Lakes Brewing Company. This one is a seasonal that is taking the place of DoppleRock (a dopple bock beer that was good but didn't sell very well). This beer follows in the current up trend in IPAs, which we are all big fans of here. This particular seasonal is a big, rich malty double IPA. As Great Lakes says "Our Alchemy Hour Double India Pale Ale pays tribute to the North Coast's unlikely surf bums and the ancient quest for liquid gold, wherever it may live: in the ocean, in the lake, in a bottle.". This sounds like a good switch to me, Dopple Bock for Double IPA!

What exactly is the Alchemy Hour? On the West Coast, surfers have a term for that perfect time of day, when the waves are breaking just right and they feel like they can ride forever. They call it Alchemy Hour. I bet a few of these and you will be riding the couch for hours. This brew clocks in at 9.4% which is pretty normal for the style. Upon cracking this beer, I am immediately hit by a nice blend of west coast style hops. Good citrus, grapefruit, kiwi and pineapple aromas with just a hint of herbs. The beer is very amber in color which suggests a pretty rich malt blend. On the palate, this beer has a nice hoppy balance with the malt blend that they used. It comes off with a blend on bitter hops on the front of the palate with a sweetness that washes away the bitter notes. Personally, I'm a huge fan of that lingering bitter hop flavor so I was a little disappointed by the semi-sweet finish. Overall a great double IPA that is a solid buy for Hop Heads! Enjoy this one while its here.

Personal Rating: 8/10
Style Rating: 9.5/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=704361440245

Victory Swing Session Saison

A new Spring seasonal from Victory Brewing Company. This is a "Session" Saison which means it is lower in alcohol then most beers so you can drink alot of it in one "session". This sounds like a very promising beer.
Saisons are light citrus driven beers that are very refreshing and perfect for warm weather drinking. Hopped with German and American Hops and then spiced with peppercorns, orange peel and fresh lemon zest, this beer has potential to beer a great Summer sipper. Full disclosure, Victory's Summer Love is one of my favorite Summer beers as it is easy drinking but hoppy enough to satisfy so I have high hopes for this brew.
When I first cracked this beer, I was expecting to be hit with the classic citrus aromas of a typical Saison or at least a little citrus hop aroma. Neither are present even when poured into a nice Sam Adams glass (engineered to bring out more of the subtle aromas found in beer). The aromatics are more woody, with light pepper spice and a slight almond smell. The first sip is interesting. It is not light and crisp, which would be great for a Spring beer. It is also not hoppy enough to satisfy a hop head as a lighter pale ale. I find this beer neither refreshing nor enjoyable. I have to say that I like a lot of Victory's beers, but this one falls way short of my expectations and severely disappoints. I really thought this would be another home run from one of our local breweries. Great idea but poor execution.


Personal Rating: 2/10
Style Rating: 4/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com