What Beer Are You Drinking Now? #3379

Anchorage Brewing Co. -- May The Wild Prevail
Sour ale
9.0% ABV; pouring temperature: 48 °F; bottling data: unknown

4.06/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4



Tangerine orange body, mostly clear; lots of yeast flocculation tossed around by the carbonation; lively carbonation; thick, white head, dense and frothy. Earthy lemon smell infused with raw, white oak; berries; light phenols. Fine, subdued taste; lemon and cherry-like; pineapple and tangerine; moderate sourness; lightly tart. Medium -heavy body; sharp and acidic; coarse carbonation; puckering.

I give high props to this sour ale for having a lasting, thick and foamy head; rather unusual for a wild ale. Sure, there was a lot of yeast sediment being tossed around, but considering the nature of this beer, I didn't see any need to deduct points for that. I didn't know what to make of one of the tropical fruit flavors I was perceiving until I read the bottle label about the beer being aged on pineapple. What I really like about the beer, especially for being a sour ale, is its light-handedness with the sourness and funk. This beer definitely lets the tropical fruit come through in a delightful manner.

 

Congrats on the milestone, and cheers!!

 

At 0.65€ from the Aldi just around the corner, this has pretty much become my go-to IPA for casual drinking. It's not great, but pretty decent for a discounter-IPA and can't be beaten when it comes to value-for-money and convenience. Sure, I'd rather drink Maisel & Friends IPA for just 0.35€ more, but I can't get that anywhere near me.

Oettinger - Reeper B. India Pale Ale (IPA): It does have some West Coast qualities to it, actually, with a good bitterness and hints of citrus and pine.

 

Cycle Brewing -- 8 Year
Blend of 3, 2, and 1 year barrel aged stout
ABV: unknown; pouring temperature: 44 °F; bottling data: 2021



4.31/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Coal-black body capped with a thin, lasting, khaki hued head. Excellent aroma; cocoa and layers of dried oak; some boozy note to the nose. Incredible flavors; milk chocolate infused with subliminal bourbon tones; earthy sweetness countered with a low-key charred grain and hop bitterness. Heavy body; thick, silky, velvety; dense residual sugars coat the palate; dull sweetness to the mouthfeel with a faint trace of alcohol dryness poking through near the finish.

What a fantastic anniversary beer! Cycle is known for their huge dark beers, and this one is phenomenal. Rich and smooth, chock-full of heady yet restrained sweetness and well-hidden booziness.
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...I have contacted Cycle to see what the ABV is for this beer...I have a gut feeling it's double-digit strength, yet it is oh, so refined if it is...

 

...I don't recall seeing this in Heady, and I almost always pour it into a glass despite the admonition to drink it straight from the can...

...anyway, I figure I'm getting an extra daily dose of B vitamins whenever I see things like this in my beer...