2-4-T: Lake Placid Hefeweizen & Uinta Wyld Ale

1. Lake Placid Hefeweizen

The last month's shipment of my beer of the month club recently came and this beer was in it, along with the second beer I'm reviewing this week. What I liked about the club selection for the year was that in each month's shipment, which had two styles each from two different breweries, I think there were maybe two or three breweries that I actually had beer from before. Lake Placid Craft Brewing was one that I had not tried before and their two offerings were pretty decent. This hefeweizen was nothing unusual, just a true-t0-style brew. Hefeweizens are light beers but they can definitely range from ultra light to cloudy and full of flavor. This beer was on the latter half of the spectrum. There's not much else to say other than that this was just a very good representation of the hefeweizen style - citrus, floral, fresh, banana-ie (don't use that word in Scrabble). Great summer beer.

Overall Rating: B+

2. Uinta Brewing Co. Wyld Ale

As I mentioned, this beer also came in my beer of the month shipment. Uinta Brewing, out of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a brewery that I've tried but I hadn't tried their series of beers called Four+ Beers. This series is named Four+ because all of them follow the German purity law, or Reinheitsgebot, which states that beer must be made only with water, barley and hops (yeast was added later on to the law). Wyld is an American Pale Ale, using organic ingredients. It has a malt-forward taste with a decent hop finish. At 4% ABV, this beer has some pretty good flavor and would make for a good session beer. It also seems pretty versatile for pairing with food, etc. I also have to say that I dig their label designs for the series of Four+ beers.

Overall Rating: B

2-4-T: Nøgne Ø Two Captains & Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary

1. Nøgne Ø Two Captains

Nøgne Ø, a Norwegian brewery, allowed the winner of the Norwegian homebrewing championship of 2010 to brew his champion double IPA at their brewery. This double IPA seems like it came from the West coast though because it is a hop bomb. This is an incredibly balanced beer considering it's 100 IBU. Other beers that I've had at 100 IBU are way too harsh for my taste, but this beer is actually pretty smooth and drinkable. The fact that it's not 11 or 12% but rather 8.5% ABV probably helps. I'm not sure what hops were used in this DIPA but it's definitely a winning selection along with the malts used that provide a solid backbone for this beer. If this beer is any indication of what Norwegians are homebrewing, I might need to visit.

Overall Rating: A-

2. Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary Ale

I suppose I should have warmed up to Firestone Walker Brewing Co. before diving right into their 14th anniversary ale, which is one of the most complex ales I've ever had. Having tried it, I most definitely will be looking out for their staple beers and some of the other reserve beers that were blended to make this anniversary ale. Here is the makeup of this beer: 31% Double Double Barrel Ale, 29% Sticky Monkey, 27% Parabola, 7% Velvet Merkin, 3% Good Foot and 3% Black Xantus. I think I need to backtrack and try all of these beers to better understand how they came up with the percentages. On the other hand, trying this beer blindly as a newcomer to this brewery might be an advantage. Based on the detailed sheet that was included with this bottle, their goal was to create a complex beer based around oak by blending all of these beers together. I can tell you that they definitely achieved that. However, I've had bourbon/oak beers that are not nearly as complex as the recipe for this one. I guess that the complexity of the recipe and the presentation in a box with a detailed sheet heightened my expectations of the beer. That said, I would actually love to try this beer again, preferably after trying more of what Firestone Walker makes.

Overall Rating: B+

2-4-T: Fegley's Blueberry Belch & 8 Wired Hopwired

1. Fegley's Brew Works Blueberry Belch

The respect that I have for the beer that comes out of this local chain of brewpubs has only gone up in the past year. The Brew Works' Hopsolutely Triple IPA is one of the best beers that I've ever had and it definitely doesn't hurt to be extremely close to the source of its labor. Normally, a beer called "Blueberry Belch" wouldn't be at the top of my list of beers to try, but my curiosity won the battle and I gave it a shot. Prior to trying it, I was worried that it would have an over-the-top artificial blueberry taste, especially considering the name. I was wrong. They used 100% real fruit making this beer, so it smells lovely and the taste is definitely not over the top. What I didn't like about this beer was its acidity. I can take acidity in small doses in certain beers, most of which are fruit-based beers, but I much prefer a smooth, malty beer. I had a Hopsolutely after this and that'll definitely continue to be my go-to beer at this chain.

Overall Rating: C+

2. 8 Wired Brewing Hopwired IPA

They make beer in New Zealand? Apparently so...and I guess 8 Wired Brewing Co. doesn't mess around either. Not only is this my first beer from the Kiwis, but it's also my first taste of New Zealand hops, which were the stars of this beer. The label provides a brief description of these hops which are unlike the citrus/pine punch that many of us are used to from West Coast hops. Although these New Zealand hops can definitely pack a punch, they have a fruitier taste. Really, really interesting. Having tried this beer, I'm very curious and eager to try the other beers from this NZ brewery, especially if they use these hops in any other brews. The fruit mix in this beer apparently led a NZ winemaker to detect hints of gooseberry in it. Well, I don't know if I detected that, or if I even know what a gooseberry is, but this is quite an IPA.

Overall Rating: A