Beer #270 – Ridge Runner by Rock Art Brewery

Ridge Runner by Rock Art Brewery

As Hurricane Irene approaches, I sit here drinking a beer instead of getting the things I may need…water, batteries for the flashlight, etc.  What the heck is wrong with my priorities?

Anyways…on to beer #270.  Ridge Runner by Rock Art Brewery is an English Barleywine brewed in Morrisville, Vermont.  The ABV comes in at 7.5% .  Rock Art uses my favorite “icon”, Kokopelli.  I don’t know why I like that little horn playing deity of Native American cultures from the Southwestern United States…I just do.

Now to the beer, it poured a dark slightly reddish brown with no head whatsoever.  The nose was earthy and smelled like raisins with caramel and brown sugar thrown in for good measure.  It was a quite light nose wise for a Barleywine.  Lets taste it shall we?  I know you can’t taste it…unless you have it on hand that is.  The dark fruitiness of the raisins mixes well with the caramel and brown sugar.  There is a nice hop kick in there also providing a nice bitter bite.  It was not nearly as sweet as some Barleywines I have had and I liked that.  It had a slight alcohol kick near the end of it that intensified slightly as it warmed up.  It had a medium body and fairly higher amount of stinging carbonation.

Not to shabby…I would get this again.  And now I’m at a loss for words…

Rating: B

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Beer #256 – Old Foghorn by Anchor Brewing Company

Old Foghorn by Anchor Brewing Company

Another wonderful summer day…even better than yesterday.  Out on the deck relaxing after a long day of work has me trying another beer, beer #256, Old Foghorn by Anchor Brewing Company from San Francisco, California.  This is a new style for me, an English Barleywine.  English Barleywines differ from the American style in that they are not as hop heavy and typically lower in alcohol.  The ABV of this beer is 8.2%.

I liked the appearance here…the color was gorgeous.  A deep dark reddish amber showed itself off in my pint glass with a tan head.  The nose was mild and consisted of mostly a sweet malty aroma.  There was a bit of bread also in the nose.  I took a sip and sure enough, the sweet caramel tastes of the malts pretty much dominated the flavors.  Towards the back end of the sip the alcohol made itself known.  There was a bit of a warming sensation as I swallowed it.  There was quite a bit of carbonation in this medium-heavy bodied brew.  It was a sipper for me.

Pretty solid brew…I think I prefer the American style more for the heavier hop presence they tend to have.  Give it a try if you are a bareywine lover.

Rating:  B

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