evil twin hipster ale

Originally Evil Twin used the 'Hipster' beers to showcase the spirit of hipster neighborhoods across different cities and countries spanning both Europe and the US. Beers brewed in the series included: Williamsburg, Mission, Södermalm, Istedgade and Shoreditch to name a few. Each beer was unique, some pale ales, IPA's and even one white wine barrel aged pale ale, Sønderho Hipster, that was dry hopped with citra, cascade and summit. It was a spectacular beer that I forgot to write up on here, but will track down again for sure.
As far as this incarnation goes, it has ditched the specific neighborhood and become just 'Hipster Ale'. There isn't really too much to say about this beer, but that isn't a bad thing. It's a very solid pale ale, good citrus aroma and not too malty. It finishes with a nice bitterness, too. I'm glad to see the price dropping on some of the Evil Twin beers as they are always a pleasure to try.

half acre beer hates astronauts

Lucky for me I happened to be in town the weekend that Half Acre was releasing this awesome beer. This single hopped citra IPA is the official beer of the comic God Hates Astronauts by Ryan L. Browne. Browne also provided the excellent label artwork. I was unfamiliar with the comic until I picked up this beer and checked it out. It's funny, weird and definitely worth checking out. The beer is great. I love citra and as mentioned earlier, it's a single hop IPA that also uses only vienna malts. It is pure unadulterated citra goodness. The citrus flavors and bitterness are well complimented by a light malt profile, coming in at a very easy drinking 7% ABV. Half Acre's hoppy offerings are some of the best around and this is no exception.

half acre over ale

This is a brown ale/ESB hybrid. It's got some nice caramel malt flavors and slightly grassy hops. It's a well done beer and another great offering from Half Acre.

half acre daisy cutter pale ale

This past weekend we took a trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding and took the opportunity to sample some of the cities beers. Our first stop was the Half Acre Tap Room. I won't talk about the space or atmosphere, because I didn't take any photo's. Trust me when I say that it is really nicely designed and has a very good vibe. I did sample some of their special release beers while there, including the Mikkeller collaboration 'Guest Lager' and the 3 Floyds collaboration IPA 'Anicca'. They were both awesome, but the photo's were terrible. I did pick up some beer to bring home, this one, Daisy Cutter Pale Ale and a special release IPA called 'Beer Hates Astronauts'.
Daisy Cutter has a lot of citrus and a grassy hop aroma. Some malt is present in the aroma and taste, but it's a much more hop forward beer that has a really nice dryness and touch of bitterness in the finish. This is a perfect everyday beer and I wish I could get regularly. It's without a doubt one of the best pale ale's I've had the pleasure of trying.

stillwater classique

I love this beer. It's a tribute to the adjunct lagers like Natural Bohemian from Stillwater's founder Brian Strumke's native Baltimore. On the can it's described as a 'post-modern beer' and I think that is the most accurate description. The 4.5% beer is made with the malt bill of an adjunct lager (pilsner malts, corn and rice), Cascade hops and a farmhouse yeast. The resultant beer is a not overly sweet, fruity 'farmhouse ale'. It's not quite a saison by the traditional measure, but then again it's not really meant to be. It is an awesome 'everyday' beer and one that has already become a mainstay in my fridge.

new glarus berliner weiss

This is an excellent berliner weiss. Tart, refreshing and at 3.5%, it checks all the right boxes. New Glarus always creates excellent versions of traditional styles and this continues that legacy.

hill farmstead phenomenology of spirit

This is the first barrel aged saison I've had from Hill Farmstead and hopefully not the last. It is a dark, spontaneously fermented and wine barrel aged saison named after philosopher G.W.F. Hegel's book. I am unfamiliar with Hegel's work, but if this beer is any indication, I'm sure it's pretty interesting. Funky and sour, with some sweetness from the dark malts. The wine barrel aging shines through and melds well with the flavors from the wild yeast. It is a very dry beer and I really enjoyed it. Very glad that I still have another bottle. Shaun Hill knows how to make phenomenal beers.

heady topper

Not sure what I can say about this beer that hasn't already been said thousands of times. I love this beer and have been lucky enough to have had it very fresh and on many occasions. It is probably my favorite IPA that I've had and if I could crawl into the can and live in there, I would. The aroma is incredible, so many tropical fruits. The malt is there, but it takes a back seat to the hop flavors. Perfection in a can. Having had it from glass and can, I prefer the can, I just poured a little in for the photo. It isn't the prettiest beer, but it is basically perfect in every other way. Does anyone actually give a shit how a beer looks?

stone 17th anniversary götterdämmerung ipa

This is an interesting beer. It uses pilsner malts and German hops, eschewing Stone's usual affinity for American hop varieties. I appreciate what they were trying to do, but I wasn't a fan of this one. There was a weird peachy taste to it. I didn't enjoy this as much as the R&R Coconut IPA. I am glad that Stone keeps pushing styles and making beers that are out of the usual, without getting too weird.

crooked stave vieille saison artisanal

A bit sour, funky and refreshing. Some oak flavors from the barrel, but these aren't overpowering. Excellent wild saison. Not a whole lot else to say, otherwise. I've enjoyed every beer I've had from Crooked Stave. Looking forward to tracking down some of their special releases.

hill farmstead nelson sauvin pale ale

This beer is awesome. Pair Hill Farmstead's skill with brewing pale ales and IPA's with an interesting hop varietal like Nelson Sauvin and you get a fantastic beer. 'Earthy' is one of the best descriptors I've heard for Nelson hops. There is certainly citrus and tropical flavors present as well as a spiciness at the end. This is a very refreshing and incredibly drinkable beer. Once again, Hill Farmstead doesn't disappoint.

almanac farmer's reserve No. 3 & 4

I hadn't had anything from this brewery until I came out here this time. The first one i had was the Dogpatch Sour on draft at Toronado. It was very impressive. Aged on local cherries in wine barrels, it was definitely one of the better sours I've had in recent times. Sour and funky, but the cherry is definitely there. Not too oaky, either.
These two, No. 3 & 4 in the Farmer's Reserve series were both aged on local fruit and again in wine barrels. No. 3 was made with strawberries and nectarines from local farms and aged in wine barrels with various wild belgian yeasts. The result is an awesome sour ale that is dominated by the strawberry. There is a bit of oak in there, too at the end, but the strawberry and nectarine win the day. It's a very chunky beer, as can be seen in the photo, but that doesn't detract from it at all. I don't need my beers to look pretty, especially if they taste like this.
No. 4 is aged on local lemons, citrons and oranges and has a very herbal quality along with the strong citrus flavors. It's sour, with some oak, but the citrus flavor really make this. I can't recommend the beers from the Farm to Barrel series stuff highly enough, excellent.

pliny the elder

A standby that I will get most of the time it's available. There are a few other IPA's that I prefer, but this strikes a very good balance of grapefruit hop flavors and malt backbone. It's not too sweet and isn't a full on hop assault, it's just a really well balanced, incredibly drinkable IPA.

2nd shift brewing el gato grande

This is one of my favorite local beers and one I will definitely miss from the area. Amazing aroma, nice tropical/citrus flavors and a bit piney at the end. It's not that bitter and has a slight sweetness, but not too much. Alcohol taste is non-existent. Between this and Katy, a barrel aged brett lambicus fermented saison 2nd Shift are doing some of the best beer in the St Louis area.

4 hands prunus saison

Prunus is a sour cherry saison by 4 Hands. This year's version of Prunus by 4 Hands uses a different recipe to last year. Most notably, the addition on Brettanomyces C yeast. Before, this was a nice saison with flavors from the cherries coming through. With the addition of brett, this has rounded the beer out nicely. The cherry is still very present, but not overwhelming and the brett seems to have dried it out a bit in the finish. It's definitely worth seeking out and I'll be getting more of this in the future.