Hard Root Beer (Mission Brewing)

I was quite excited when this little jewel landed in my in box last Friday. The category of hard root beer has been flooding my social media but remained out of the Richmond market thus far. I thought it had been out of our market, but it seems Sprecher has been in market for some time. This company has been making non alcoholic soda and released a hard root beer some time in 2014 I am guessing by the BA notes. This beer has been in market and is riding the coat tales of the Not Your Fathers Root beer for the past few weeks in Richmond. If you look at the history, packaging and price point you have something to be suspicious about. This offering maybe 5% ABV, but what sort of balance has been stuck between flavor and sweetness. The thing I have heard about the not your fathers is how uncanny it is to just regular old barq's or A&W beer of root. If this thing snow balls it is going to make for a very interesting next year in the business. I have already heard that the big boys like Sam Adams are working on their own recipe. 

So Mission Brewery exists in the heart of San Diego. In my opinion this is the biggest dick swinging town in the US. The brewery success in this part of California doesn't come cheap. Mission claims to have started in 1913, and has gone though some changes. Being close to the Padre baseball park, Mission answered the call to provide something different to patrons. This hard root beer smells dead on, it pours flat, and the flavor is really good. I could not taste the 7.5% ABV at all. The spice assaults the tongue and hides the alcohol great. It really is not beer. It is more like a wine cooler, and will possibly be the more manly answer for the sissies that don't like beer. I can see big mixology coming out of these dranks.  

Indra kunindra (Ballast point brewing)

Like I mentioned previously, Ballast Point is very on point and have several world class brews. Indra Kunindra is one that I passed on buying the first time around. The original bottles to hit distribution disappeared so quickly, I had to snag one second go round.

I went searching for the origin date of this beer, and came up empty handed. I am guessing by the ancient ballast point label on beer advocate that this beer is not new to market. That being said, was ballast point ahead of it's time with regards to this trend of beer transcending stylistic guidelines? Stouts have been done over and again, with coffee, chocolate, mint, and all sorts of additives. The pepper beers have been coming on more and more recently. We have even had two different breweries release Sriracha beers in the past year. The most recent beer that I think is going after a flavor so out of the box is Or Xata from Bruery. These beers are so easy to drink, they feel more like a malt that beer. The curry spice was not just hot, it added a nice flavor to leave you wanting more.

The reviews on this beer are not very good, and I think that is unfair. People this beer is what brewers are capable of if you give them a chance. You have to open your palette up and forget style guidelines. This is a clean beer with no horrible off flavors, that hides ABV like an old pro. Do not sit down and drink this with huge coffee stouts, or big IPAs and expect to fully appreciate the subtle flavors here. I promise I will step off my ballast point soap box now. 

Fin

Grunion (Ballast point brewing)

I will attempt to get back on the blogging train. The motivation to post these is due to the pictures sitting in my phone. I clean them out once I right the post, but more often than not more time passes and I can't think of anything to say about featured beer. Ballast Point Grunion is one amazing beers from a very strong and hot portfolio at my disposal. Why have you not seen this pale ale from ballast point? The words pale ale, have been over shadowed by the mighty IPA. Grunion is a beer that will make people a believer, make you question all you've been told about "good" beers.

For those that don't know, Ballast Point was born out of a dorm room at UCLA. College friends home brewing, became a supply shop, and eventually a brewery that opened in 1992. This brewery has grown out of San Diego to be one of the biggest west coast breweries around. They have lots of highly held beers in their portfolio, Victory at Sea, Sea Monster, Indra Kinundra, Wahoo Wheat, Grunion, and Sculpin with all it's variants. Beer aficionados in Richmond have been shelling out $16 - $18 for six packs for the past six months and there is little sign of slowing. 

So Grunion is a pale ale, which has become the smaller less interesting brother of IPAs, double IPAs and triple IPAs. The trend of session IPAs have also taken the steam out of pale ale's sails. This beer is a perfect blend of flavor and bitterness. Two new hop varieties blend to create a flavor that has great herbal flavor, with a back bone of caramel sweetness. This is listed as a limited release, so grab your if you see them.