Santa's Private Reserve

One thing we all know about Santa. He loves beer. Why do you think he's so jolly all the time? And that belly, yep: beer gut. So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone then that Santa has his own private stock that he busts out around the holidays. One of these beers, of course, is Santa's Private Reserve from Rogue. Santa's Private Reserve is a variation of Rogue's Saint Rogue Red. It has double the hops including a mystery hop called Rudolph.

One of the things I like most about holiday beers is that they do a very good job of balancing hops and malt. This beer is no exception. There is a nice hoppy aroma but what you really notice is the roasted malt. This makes this beer very well balanced for me but for some may still be a bit too hoppy for a holiday beer. While it definitely has an overtly hoppy flavor, the malt makes it more drinkable for people who may not be big IPA fans. This is the type of beer I really enjoy drinking around the holidays.

I rate this beer on the following scale: 8/10 Taste, 8/10 Balance, 7/10 Complexity, 7/10 Aroma. Overall 7.5

A new brewery in town!

Sleepy Dog Brewing celebrates their grand opening Saturday November 21st.

Check out their website at

http://www.sleepydogbrewing.com/. They have also been written up in the New Times. Check out the article by clicking here

San Tan's Winter Warmer

Having been to San Tan brewing company many times I have never been too impressed with their beers. The food is good (not great) and I always leave thinking they are on the cusp of greatness. This isn't to say they produce poor quality beer and food. On the contrary, their beer and food are above average in the local brew pub market. On my most recent visit I was there to try the Winter Warmer. Hoping once again that I wouldn't be disappointed.

The Winter Warmer at San Tan is an English Strong Ale brewed with honey and fresh ginger with a strong caramel and roasted malt character. It has a very high alcohol content at almost 10%. This immediately brings to mind an unbalanced strong flavored beer that just kicks your ass. I'm here to tell you to get this out of your head! San Tan has produced an excellent Winter beer that doesn't over power you or make you think your dinking something with 10% alcohol. Even the nose is not very overpowering. You can get a hint of chocolate and caramel and a bit of citrus, which is the orange honey zest, but no hint of the fresh ginger that they have in the beer. It is surprisingly balanced and smooth. Although it is sweet, it isn't overly sweet. The ginger snaps they serve you with the beer bring out the sweetness and take your palate on a ride that they would otherwise not get. They bring out the subtle sweetness beautifully. In other words it's not too bitter and not too sweet, it has an almost perfect combination. This beer makes you want to go back to San Tan for more! Kudos to San Tan for spicing up the Holidays!

I will also be doing my full local brew pub reviews soon and you're sure to see San Tan at the top of this list when it comes to quality local beer with good food.

I rate this beer accordingly 6/10 Aroma, 8/10 taste, 8/10 complexity, 10/10 balance. Overall 8.0

Winter beers

The local winter beers are coming! San Tan tapped their winter brew today, 10% alcohol. I'll be making the rounds at all the local breweries and reviewing their winter beers over the next month. Stay tuned!

THE BIG POUR

The Big Pour is back! Last years event was a bit disappointing with a lackluster beer selection and a very poor VIP section. However, looking at the event this year, they have made some changes. Most significantly, it is moving from Mesa to Scottsdale.

DRAFT magazine announces the return of The Big Pour international beer tasting experience to Arizona, Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 12-14, at the Scottsdale Waterfront and SouthBridge.

The Big Pour is the ultimate beer lover’s adventure with hundreds of craft beers from breweries across the globe, seminars, food pairing tips and some of the world’s most celebrated brewers and beer experts. After a rousing premier in 2008, The Big Pour also returns with live music headlined by Everclear.

Hope to see you there!!

Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Ale

Port Brewing, Ahh.... there is a special place in my heart for this brewery in San Marcos California. Talk about having to fill big shoes! In 2006 Pizza Port formed Port Brewing Co. LLC and took over the old Stone Brewing facility. Having been to this facility many times I have fond memories of attending past Stone brewery functions. Stone's arrogance and swagger set a standard for craft brewers all over California and the US. Yellow fizzy beer is for wussies! Thank god Port doesn't make yellow fuzzy beer for wussies!

I could go into great detail about this excellent brewery but I'll leave that for another time. Today I am reviewing their 3rd Anniversary Ale.

Hmmmm..... a southern California brewery that had the cojones to take over the Stone Brewing facility. What type of beer do you think they'd make? A DIPA of course!

At first pour you notice the nice carmel color. The aroma is very hoppy and citrusy. The bouquet brings out hints of grapefruit and pine. Obviously this is an aggressive beer but the sweet malt provides a nice flavor before the hops come back on the aftertaste for an aggressive finish.

At some point however, the west coast breweries have to do something different. Although this is an excellent beer it's extremely tough to stand out when so many other breweries are doing something similar.

I rate this beer 7/10 Aroma, 8/10 taste, 7.5/10 complexity and 7.5/10 balance. Overall 7.5

One note on this beer. I will have to do another review next year. This beer will mellow out and become more balanced. I always recommend holding on to these anniversary beers for a year and drinking them on the next anniversary. Try this and I guarantee you'll thank me.

The Rating System

I have 2 types of ratings. One for beer and one for restaurants and drinking establishments.

For beer I rate on a 10 point scale taking the average of 4 categories, TASTE, BALANCE, COMPLEXITY, and AROMA. For example Taste=8, Balance 7, Complexity 7, and Aroma 7 would give the beer an overall score of 7.25



For restaurants and drinking estabishments I have a simple 5 bottle cap scale similar to a star system.

Taste of Tops

For my first entry I'm starting with the new kid on the block, Taste of Tops. Tops Liquor has always been known as a great place to get some of the best craft beers in the valley. So naturally when they opened up a beer and wine bar next door the expectations were high.

The first thing you notice when walking inside is the modern decor. It has a bit of an upscale feel. There are several nice flat screen TV's which make it a great place to watch a game while sitting at the bar. They have a modest wine selection and 12 beers on tap that they rotate frequently. There is a beer cooler located in the back with a diverse selection of excellent beers.

Although the beer selection is great most nights, the prices can be a bit high. The average beer price is around $6 with some speciality beers priced even higher. It makes you want to walk next door and grab a beer out of the cooler from Tops for half the price. However, they do sometimes lower the prices to make sure and keep the beer rotating, so don't give up on it after just one visit.

The service was good and the bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly. Taste of Tops also has tasting events, art shows and guest brewer's showing up all the time. For a list of upcoming events you can check out their website at http://www.topsliquors.com/.

Taste of Tops will be popular among beer afficianado's but I for one can't afford to be there too often. They only have appetizers so make sure and stop by Oregano's or Thai Basil next door. You don't want to be drinking an IPA with 8% alcohol on an empty stomach.

I rate Taste of Tops 3 out of 5

All things food, travel and beer

Three of my favorite things in life are food, travel and beer. With my blog I intend to rate food and beer all over the world. I have also had the good fortune to travel extensively and I want to share my stories with everyone. Whether it's being held up at gunpoint in Venezuela, getting hit by a car in Ireland, or almost being thrown in a prison in Morocco, I've got a few good stories to tell. Also, as a foodie and a beersnob I'll never point you in the wrong direction.