Wilco Tango Foxtrot

"A malty, robust, jobless recovery ale"
Lagunitas Brewing, Petaluma, CA
22oz. Bottle, 7.8%abv

I'm drinking this "WTF" ale in honor of the beautiful summer day that today started as, and the wet crappy day it turned into that I got to ride my bike home in.

The beer pours moderately dark, with a thick white head that lingers forever.

Aroma is malt with balanced hops. Nothing crazy, just good.

Flavor is malt with some nice fruitiness and medium hops.

Mouthfeel is fairly big without being too sweet.

Finish is balanced a bit toward sweet, bit not overly so.

Another yummeh beer from those crazy Californians.

Lucky 13 Anniversary Release

22oz bottle, 8.9%abv
Lagunitas Brewing
Petaluma, CA

This year's Lucky 13 has a bit different label and, if I'm remembering correctly, a bit bolder flavor.

Pours quite clear with a nice white head. Color is dark gold to light amber -- it's quite pretty.

Aroma is nicely hoppy, but with a big malt undertone with nice caramel too.

Flavor is similar with robust hops and matching malt. Very tasty but also noticeably big with a good bit of alcohol warmth.

Finish is a bit on the sweet side, but not overly so. This is strong enough that it would probably age nicely and dry out a bit.

Pretty darn tasty.

(Posted from my new phone -- hopefully the pictures will be better than my old Blackberry)

For Chris

Look what was parked next to my building at work today!

Great Weekend

What did you do this weekend?

I got to pretend to be a rock star for a couple of days.

It was awesome!

Happy hops

After a cold, wet start to the season, a week of dry weather has really perked up the hops. The tops of the posts where the cable attaches is 14 feet. Wish it was a little taller, but WTF.

Hugo Bock

Heater Allen Brewing, McMinnville, Oregon
22oz bottle, 6.2oz bottle

I'm normally not a Bock fan. This one is pretty good. Being from the Northwest land of hops, it's weird to have a beer with essentially no hop character though.

Color is dark reddish brown, with a light head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is nonexistent. Really, it's like smelling distilled water.

Flavor is all about the malt. It's quite nice -- a great nutty and roast flavor, with light sweetness.

Finish is clean and crisp, with just enough bitterness to perfectly balance the light sweetness in the flavor.

A really nice beer. If all bocks I had were like this, I'd drink more bocks.