Beer - #442 - Liberty - Yakima Monster

On a theme of big beers, or at the very least the APA style,  the Liberty Yakima Monster. A beer I've been acused of avoiding. Which isn't true of course, but only because I thought I'd drunk it. We all know what thought did?

Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the style of the American Pale Ale and they are in Auckland, New Zealand

Served as a 500ml bottle that is 6% ABV, either 45 or 50 IBU things  (Iike an IPA) and 180 calories a serve of 355 ml so this would be 220 ish for the bottle. 2.3 standard drink units too.

Get those images of Godzilla and Mothra out of your head! I know you were thing it, but this beer has nothing to do with Japan whatsoever. Yakima is actually a region in the state of Washington USA where some of Joseph Wood’s favorite hops are grown. This monster of a Pale Ale showcases several of those hops.

"It’s a easy drinking beer, flavorsome enough for your father ’n law to exclaim "wow - that’s fruity!" yet complex enough for any green blooded hop-head to appreciate." - Joseph Wood, Liberty Brewer. Gold medal 2012 Brew NZ Awards

Like I said I've been avoiding this for a while, but let's go...

But before that, the artwork reminded me of "Tales from the Crypt" cover artwork, or any other of those 70's  mags, which used to feature various monsters, ghouls and such like and so forth.

Beer - #324 - Liberty - Halo Pilsner

Moving the dial again, this next beer the Liberty Halo Pilsner offering.

Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co and this then is styled as a Pilsener and you know they are located in Auckland, New Zealand.

[caption id="attachment_7142" align="alignright" width="300"] Selfie[/caption]

"Nelson hopped Pilsner"

Halo Pilsner is quite positively a monument of New Zealand Pilsner. Proudly brewed with glorious Gladfield malts and a free rein of Nelson Hops. You can expect a good lashing of zesty lime citrus peel accented with tropical passion fruit, all shining proudly

A 330ml bottle 5.4% ABV, 1.62 calories a serving, this would be about 1.41 standard drink units in NZ.

Watching the F1 and Seb Vettel dipping out in the qualifying. That must taste a bit bitter in the mouth. Rain separates the talent and the ability.

Amyway....

Lightly hopped aroma, nice hiss of carbonation on opening,

Incredibly pale pour, but with a decent and persistent head, more happiness in the aroma.

There is a palate smashing amount of grassy happiness in the palate for this, much more than I thought would be there.

The pdubyah-0-meter springs to an 8 on the scale of all things arbitrary, making this a very good beer.

Of its kind.

The over-hoppiness is appealing in its way, but it's also the thing that this is. Ideally you'd have this with something that would counterbalance the profile and compliment the food.  But that would give you a bunch of peaks and not a whole curve in a profile of taste.

The #PhilsBeerFest14, one Saturday only, is going ok, but I don't know I can keep it ip .

Final thing. Enjoying it? Yes, Have another? This is slower drinking not quite ready

PILSENER

While the definition of "pilsner" is open to much debate in the beer community, it generally refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up.

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Beer- #323 - Liberty / Brothers - Oh Brother Pale Ale

This then brewed by Liberty Brewing Co and styled as  American Pale Ale and they do this up the road a ways, but in general - Auckland, New Zealand

A 330ml bottle, 5.1%ABV - 1.3 standard drinks, 153 calories - it's all numbers right.

I've been here before, more than once, I had this out on my travels at a pub, I wrote about this earlier in the list when I had it in a bomber, and thought it was so-so, and now I'm trying the bottle version.  Loves a tryer.

#PhilsBeerFest14 - one Saturday only.

Hoppy on opening, reasonable carbonation.

Nice golden pour that looks really really great, decent head that looks like it could hang around. I might be onto something.

This is a session beer, lets not beat around the bush. it has a great appearance and there is a really nice crack of hop bitterness that lingers over the palate, making this really accessible and enjoyable as a drink.

The pdubyah-o-meter re-rates this as a decent 7.5 on the scale that is known only to itself.

Is the at the pub, the bomber, and the bottle experience different with this?  I still don't recall the pub experience, but the pub does have some well decent beers, the bomber re-inforced that this was a beer that was happy in its thing. The bottle is a bit better, but not significantly.

I am enjoying it, it is a good beer. It is pleasingly and pleasantly hoppy, and the aroma is great. Have another? easily yes. I should have gone the 6-pack

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads

Beer - #279 - Liberty / Brothers - Oh Brother Pale Ale

I picked a litre of this today (yesterday, the day before this post), on my shopping trip - a Liberty / Brothers Oh Brother Pale Ale, from a tap, Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the style of an American Pale Ale and they so that in Auckland, New Zealand not far away actually up the road.

[caption id="attachment_6089" align="alignleft" width="168"] In special fuzzy-o-vision......[/caption]

This is a 5.1% ABV , 153 calories a serve beer, making this about 4.18 standard drink units.

I was watching the cricket, and had to wait until 13 overs, thats about an hour, had passed before I could have my self-imposed no drink until the first wicket falls. This could have been 3 minutes though, cricket is like that.

Lightly hoppy when I popped the top on the growler, gorgeous orange golden colour, nice carbonation, and a smallish head, the days of the big head appear behind me and I didn't bring the lucky timber home from the beach

This is a lovely mildly hoppy beer, with some nice floor notes, and the soft carbonation makes it a really easy drinking beer which I could probably have a lot of.

I really wouldn't describe this as a high bitter beer, and if you'd been a bit gun-shy about APA this could change your mind.

[caption id="attachment_6096" align="alignright" width="168"] I still have it.[/caption]

The pdubyah-o-meter has this at 7.5 which makes it somewhat better than good. It's downfall is that this, although easy drinking is that it doesn't have enough of a profile to keep you engaged, and a session whilst possible might end up with a bit of indifference.

It's alright.

Updated:

An hour later (he tried to convince you) as this warmed up the bitterness became a bit sharper, which isn't a bad thing, but it means that for me the mellow sweetness moves backwards. This doesn't change the way I think about this beer, but it was fair to mention it.

I drink this of course at whatever it comes out of the fridge at temperature, I might invest in a thermometer and that would mean more investigation about the temperature the brewer wants to serve this at, which means the right glass, and so it goes on. I think I'll stick to the addendum method.

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads

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Beer - #275 - Liberty - Darkest Days Oatmeal Stout

Home again home again.... to a Liberty Darkest Days Oatmeal Stout. One has to finish what's in the beer fridge and this is the last of the last year beers.

Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the Style of a  Stout and that all a happening in Kumeu, in Auckland, New Zealand.

This is 500ml bottle, of a 6% ABV beer, making it 2.4 standard drinks. Something like 180 calories a serve, which I think, and I'm still researching, is 350ml. at 45 IBU things this is nearer the top end of the range for this type of beer.

It doesn't have to always be about hops. With the surging popularity of overtly hoppy beer, there's an extreme demand for the aromatic little flowers. The history of beer has never seen such overwhelming pressure on the international hop supply. With entire crops unavailable to the smaller brewery, these are the Darkest Days for the hard-core hop heads. But this isn't about hops. This is about a delicious oatmeal stout, darker and more ominous that your hopped up fears. Challenge your palate with this, decidedly, devilish drop.

Enjoy full bodied bitter chocolate and espresso notes, with a rich texture, at cellar temperature with your friends and family.

Quite hoppy aroma, grassy, I wasn't expecting that, but it gives over to a more chocolate note.

A big heady pour, and I was expecting less than a pint, I got a bit more, with the mocha coloured head overflowing the glass, meaning a quick dive in. No harm except to the coaster that is not going to make it to the end of the glass.

I'm finding this a little bitter, and lacking in strong chocolate notes. This also didn't pout "thick". The head has subsided a bit to a smaller more manageable height but there is no lacing to speak of.

So what do I get? I am getting chocolate notes, yes. But this is carried on an underlying and quite resonant bitterness.  Yes I know this is more indicative of stout that I'm letting on.

I was looking forward to this, and it really is my lead up to finally getting to the Epic Coffee and Fig stout that is weeping gently in the fridge. However I find myself a little miffed that this isn't cracking on and being better.

So the coffee and the bitterness should be more balanced.  For my money, and it was, this is also a bit thin and short on length, there isn't much to chew over in each mouthful, the mouthfeel is a little lacking.

I feel that I've been a bit harsh on this, but I've come to the conclusion that it is only my opinion and it was my money.  The pdubyah-o-meter is 7 though, making this the top end of average on my arbitrary scale of things that makes often no sense.

I like a goodly amount of the Liberty beers, it's not like they have a record of swing-and-a-miss brewing, I really like their C!tra for instance. I look forward to my next one, beer from Liberty that is. Or beer, in general.

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Beer - #267 - Liberty - C!tra Jnr

For the first evening at the beach then a Liberty C!tra Jnr - Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co and styled as an American Pale Ale and they brew that in Auckland, New Zealand.

This is only a 4.5% ABV beer, and I have a 1 litre growler bottle c/-Liquorland in Newmarket.  This then would be 3.55 standard drink units, and at only 135 calories - although that is unspecific as to the amount that is equal to. I need to sharpen up on that.

It's a limited brew, apparently, and similar in many ways to it's big brother. Lower ABV means of course less sizzled when it comes time to cook the meats on the barbecue tonight.

This is as full an intense with aroma as you'd expect, and pours a fantastic golden orange with a great head. Did I mention a great head, it gets better the second pour, I'd buy this again to improve my self-esteem in beer pouring.

Being a beach house the available glassware is a tumbler, but it'll do.

Oh that's nice, a cracking amount of the Hoppiness and a lovely caramel.

But, and for me, this needs a little more in the body as it's a little skinny, or thin. There isn't a lot of carry or length in this, but that doesn't make it a bad thing.

The pdubyah-o-meter says though that this is a good beer, and 7 is where it sits.

Compare this, at this ABV though to many, or any, other beer and this would win the gold medal every time. I don't think it's worth more than a 7, because it isn't a big hitter, and needs some more body, and if it had that it would be a total win.

Beer - #216 - Liberty - Sauvignon Bomb

The Liberty Sauvignon Bomb has been in the fridge for a few weeks, and tonight is it's big night out. Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the style of an  India Pale Ale (IPA) , and they brew a kilometres away in Kumeu Auckland, New Zealand. To be accurate the Hallertau Brewery :-)

This has 7% ABV, and 70 IBU, which is an indicator of bitterness in this,  IPA usually being 60-80. It's delivered in a  500ml Bottle, and that makes it about 2.8 standard drink units.

"There is no doubt that this label contains imagery some people will possibly find objectionable. Those people might allude to the fact that it may be somewhat suggestive. To those people, I make no apologies: and I’ll tell you why. The only scantily clad woman in this bottle is the delicately sweet malt aroma, riding that savage Hop Bomb all the way through the long, stormy night sky until it hits your tongue... where you can expect the flavour to explode onto your palate.

Enjoy the taste of Nelson Sauvin responsibly, at refrigeration temperature with your friends or family."

Or on your own as in my case.

Nelson Sauvin hops should deliver a  softer edge to this, we'll see.

Bitter hoppy nose on opening. Pours a lovely pale golden, with a reasonable and lasting head (yay),  retains the lovely bitter aroma.

Very grassy to taste. There isn't much to note outside that, there is no apparent malt or sweet in this. But the grassy gives away to a really nice layer of fruit softness as a counterpoint. It's very good.

Almost too delicate to be honest, but then it's not supposed to be a kick-ass hop bomb.

I think that this is another of those beers that you get to appreciate and wouldn't be shy to buy again, it's easy drinking and sits in the "Session" beers category quite easily, the 7% alcohol aside, which would make it a short session.

The pdubyah-o-meter for it's worth says that this is an 8 -  making it in the arbitrary manner a very good  beer.  Worst thing about it, I only have the one.

Beer - #116 - Liberty - Yakima Scarlet

The Liberty - Yakima Scarlet. Brewed by Liberty Brewing  In the style: American Strong Ale and they do that of course in New Plymouth, New Zealand

Of course. It's been a while since I had a new beer to drink about, and time to get back on the horse.

They say "My original records for this beer date back to a batch of home brew in June 2007. It was a beer called IPA Massacre. It was brewed three times under this moniker with minor tweaks along the way. The most significant tweak I made to the recipe was changing to use hops grown in Washington USA. Accordingly, in January 2011 the name was changed to Yakima Scarlet. There were no less than seven iterations of this beer brewed before releasing what you hold in your hands right now. I still don’t what style of beer it is, but I can tell you that it is hoppy and it is red."

I say... 500ml bottle of 6.9% ABV beer, that's 2.8 Standard Drink units,  here I come... and I'm  expecting a  beer with a history of chop and change but that with American hops should make it a mouthful...

It does have a bitter hops aroma, a fluffy dark head (a head yes!) and decent carbonation, it's all happening. When I say bitter aroma, I mean pungent because the aroma is sweet malty sweet.

The beer is a dark red, not stout dark, but burnt brown dark, it's really a very pretty thing.

And the taste is to amaze at, there is a balance between the hops and the malts that brings a smile to the dial, this at first flush seems to be the goods.  This isn't like any "red ale" that I've ever had, and I don't profess to be any kind of expert or aficionado, but this is nice as is.

As it sits between sips though the hops take a hold and push the malt sweets to the back, but overall this is a bit of alright. The pdubyah-o-meter says 8.25 arbitrary things for this, not because there are things wrong with it but because I'd prefer the malt to hag around for a bit longer.

Very good, I'm off to cook some lamb, and watch some cricket, and smile .

 

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Beer - #111 - Liberty - High Carb Ale

Liberty Brewing Co - High Carb Ale, a New Zealand Strong Ale. Brewed by the Liberty Brewing in the style of a English Strong Ale and they do that in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

This 2011 seasonal release showcases an extremely rare hop variety: whole NZ grown Chinook flowers. The flavour of these hops blend nicely with the ridiculous amount of carbohydrates put to use in this limited release ale.

A Bottle of 750ml, @ 7.3% ABV (about 4.3 standard drinks) and listed as being 70 IBU and it has 45g of carbohydrate!

Intriguing what?  Comes with a completely unnecessary ZORK closure. However once you wrestle that contraption off it  does have a pleasant hissy carbonation.

A fruity aroma, hiding what seems to be an overly yeasty base but it is somewhat sweetly pleasant, more malts than hops.  It's a dark rich english beer colour too, I was expecting pale, this is the opposite. Also has a pleasant head on the pour.

Slightly bitter but really really pleasantly sweet with a lovely balance of malts.  The second mouthful reveals it's bitterness, but also how it carries the fruits.

This is shapes to be a mildly bitter, creamy smooth ale, with bitterness that does not overshadow the delivery of tastes. And I would invite mates around and session on this without any problems at all.

As a showpiece beer this is quite clever, and brings a smile to my face. It's understated and yet also has a presence. I'd easily go this again, and the pdubyah-o-meter gets to a 9.4 arbitrarily on its scale of arbitrary. Top work.

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