Caldera IPA

Style: American IPA
Brewery: Caldera
Package: Can into Pint
ABV: 6.1
IBU: 94
Location: Citywide Downtown S.B.

Aroma: Not much to this one with very faint hints of floral hops and citrus, maybe a little grassy.

Appearance: A medium amber color with a thick creamy white head that leaves a thick top that follows the beer all the way down the glass.

Taste: Muted grassy hops, orange, balanced well with sweet malt and finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light feel to it with mild carbonation.

Overall: Not a bad brew overall, but not great either. Checking Caldera's site on this, it claims to have an assertive hop profile and 94 IBUs. I'm thinking this can traveled a long way and sat for quite some time before being sold to me, because I am not picking up much bitterness or hops. Someone could have told me this was a pale ale with IBUs around 50-60, and I would have believed it. Still, it was an enjoyable beer, and I'll be keeping an eye out for others from this brewery.

Notes:  My first experience with Caldera, and first ever craft beer from a can. Now I know what some of you are thinking, "Craft Beer in a can, how can it be?" From what I've read, not only is there a special liner that protects the beer from a metallic flavor, but it also does a better job at preserving it than bottles do. They are also easy to travel with, are accepted in more locations, chill quicker and are fully recyclable. Bell's is also about to start canning some of their beer, and I can't wait to compare.

Back to the beer... This IPA is brewed with Premium 2-Row, Munich and Crystal Malts, along with Simcoe, Centennial and Amarillo hops.

Grade: B

The Livery Brew Pub

It's Oscar Sunday, and what does that mean?  Nothing at all, so I may as well cap off a great weekend by making yet another Brew Pub trip!  This time, I headed up to Benton Harbor in Michigan with two good friends of mine, Ed and Flo, to The Livery (www.liverybrew.com).  I had been hearing about this place for a while now, but after hooking up with them via Facebook and finding out they give tours of their brewing operation on certain Sundays, I decided it was time to give them a try.

The Livery is situated downtown on 5th street, right off of Main street, in what I've been told is the art district.  In an otherwise struggling town, this area displays what Benton Harbor once was, and again could be.  Contained within a fairly unassuming big brick building lies an upstairs and downstairs bar area.  From what I could tell, the upstairs portion had a handful of their beer on tap, while downstairs had far more of their "hand-forged microbrews."

We were a few minutes early for the brewery tour at 3, so we decided to pass the time by drinking some beer; we collectively chose the Karhu IPA.  I don't recall what the IBU was, however I'm guessing it is somewhere around 70, with an ABV of 6.5%.  Karhu has a very nice golden orange color with a thick white head and an unfiltered yeast cloudiness.  The aroma was of grapefuit, citrus and floral hops, which according to their website comes from the use of Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial and Mt. Hood hops.  I could tell how well my friends enjoyed their choice, as the glasses seemed to empty quickly.

While we were enjoying our first beer, we also had the opportunity to walk outside, across the patio and into the brewery.  Although small, they seemed to make use of every space possible, even converting a storage room into a space for aging beer in casks.  They had several varieties of beer in the fermenting tanks where they'll stay until the desired characteristics have been met.  Much to my surprise, there is no bottling operation at this time, but I was assured that they have plans for this in the future, and I'm certainly looking forward to buying their IPA at my local shop.  Tours are given the 2nd and 4th Sunday between 3-5, so if you are a beer enthusiast like me, make sure you check it out.

Back into the Pub for another beer, this time selecting a German Dunkel (of which I don't have the stats on), with the guys trying the brown ale and stout.  This is turning out to be a really great find, and not too far of a drive from South Bend.  For the remainder of our stay, we took in the atmosphere, told jokes and remarked at how good the beer was.  Getting out of town and trying something new in our area seemed to pay off.

My thoughts - this place is great.  The service and selection was outstanding, the surroundings were comfortable and the place invites you to have a good time.  Without a doubt, the beer is good, and I recommend you give it a try too.

-Andy
andy@thebeerisgood.com

What I've been drinking lately...

Hardly a week goes by before I get asked, "Andy, what are you on?"  Ok, I'm mostly joking, however I do frequently get asked what I've been drinking lately, and regardless of the occasional blank stare, I enjoy answering.  No beer review here, just solid consumption and relaxation...

The first, something I've thoroughly enjoyed this year from one of my favorite breweries: Dogfish Head (Based in Delaware) Indian Brown Ale.  As some of you may be aware, the Indian Brown Ale style is a fairly recent addition to the craft beer industry with its well balanced mixture of rich roasted malts and floral hops.  Inside you'll find some coffee flavor, slight brown sugar notes, and unmistakable floral hops.  At around 7.5%, it's no session beer, but a damn good 2-3 pint beverage.  Some area liquor stores carry this, and you can find it (while it lasts) on tap at Bar Louie in Mishawaka.

The other is from another favorite brewer of mine, Stone Brewing Company in California.  Their IPA should please hopheads and beer enthusiast alike with its Columbus, Chinook and Centennial hop varieties hitting 77 IBU's.  Sitting at 6.7% ABV, you'll have just the right amount of boozy warmth to drink a handful of these.  This can also be found at local liquor stores in the South Bend area, as well as being on tap at Bar Louie. 


-Andy
TheBeerIsGood.com Owner, Editor-In-Chief and Senior Researcher

Founders Double Trouble

Style: Imperial IPA
Brewery: Founders (foundersbrewing.com)
Package: Bottle into Pint Glass
ABV: 9.4%
Gravity: Unknown
IBU: 86
Location: Citywide Liquors (Downtown South Bend)

Aroma:  There is a big grapefruit, citrus and pine aroma that is almost overwhelming. 

Appearance: Golden like a pilsner, fairly clear with a light white head that dissipates quickly.

Taste:  Hide your kids, hide your wife, this is VERY bitter (86 IBU's compared with 5-10 for beers like Budweiser, Miller, etc).  The smell of citrus and pine is amplified when you taste this, with some malty sweetness lost somewhere among the hops.  There is a smooth alcohol burn towards the end, but definitely not too much.  This is considered an Imperial IPA, which fits the category perfectly. 

Mouthfeel: Light and smooth with a VERY dry finish.  Mild carbonation.

Drinkability: This drink is for the hophead and adventurous alike.  Getting toward the bottom of this pint, my taste buds actually started to hurt.  I certainly enjoy a hoppy beer and while this one was quite good, it's not something I would drink regularly.  It comes in a 4-pack for good reason.  

Notes: Founders is based out of Grand Rapids, and I've tried many of their other styles, all of which are pretty solid.  It would be nice to know what varieties of hops they used for this.  If you happen to know, leave a comment.

Food Pairing:  Spicy and/or fried food goes great with this, and many other IPA's.  Other ideas include chinese, pizza, burgers, etc.

Grade: A

Bell's Hopslam

Style: Double IPA (winter seasonal)
Brewery: Bell's (www.bellsbeer.com)
Package: Bottle into Pint Glass
ABV: 10%
Gravity: 1.087
IBU: Unkown (But crazy high)
Location: Citywide Liquors (Downtown South Bend)

Aroma:  Plenty of hops, very floral with hints of sweet honey.  Very slight citrus aroma from the hops.

Appearance:  Dark honey colored, slightly reddish. A thick and bubbly white head.

Mouthfeel:  Crisp, clean finish with just the right amount of carbonation.

Drinkability:  Great tasting beer, definitely one for fellow hopheads.  Although it hits 10% ABV, there is only a slight alcohol warmth towards the end of a sip.  This is certainly not a session beer, but something to be enjoyed on occasion.

Notes:  Another great beer from this Kalamazoo area brewery.  Although this is an extremely hoppy beer (Didn't you notice the name?), it's balanced out with the sweetness of honey to the point that non-hop lovers might even enjoy this.  If you are someone who is accustomed to drinking pilsner, or any beer with the word "lite" in it and rarely stray into the world of craft beer, this is probably not for you.  In fact, please don't buy it, save it for me!  However if you insist on diminishing the local supply, you can find it currently at the downtown South Bend Citywide Liquors.  Feel free to post a comment with other locations you have seen this!

Food Pairing:  Spicy and/or fried food goes great with this, and many other IPA's.  Other ideas include chinese, pizza, burgers, etc.

Grade: A+