awesome as usual paul!!!

Thanks!
I'm waiting to hear for sure, but I'm supposed to copy that sign I did for Green Flash and bring it out to their new brewery right before the Craft Brewers Conference. We'll see.

Well, if you do, look me up. I live about four miles from GF, and Hess/Alesmith/BP, etc...and I have a lot of bottles just waiting to be opened. Like you mentioned before make sure you hit Alpine. Oh and if you come out west....bring that Devil Dick Dude!

That area is Beera Mesa. Many new breweries coming including one (Societe) started by former employees/brewers at The Bruery and Russian River. a place called Rough Draft just opened last week in that vicinity and New English just moved there too.

Nice work as usual.

You should get a local brewery to commission you to do a create a label for one of their beers. Like Odell....their labels seem like they could be a match with your style.

Drinking a Berliner-Weiss from Crabtree, a Colorado brewery. Wheats are one style of beer I just cant enjoy but I found this to be as much of a wheat as, say, La Folie is a brown. Got the wheat base I guess but only there as a compliment to the sour aspect of it, some nice tart apple and grape mixed with some some lemon and pepper. This beer is really quite good, was not expecting this from Crabtree at all. I was planning on following this up with an Odell Red but might just have to finish this bomber off instead.

A.C.E., I'll definitely hit you up if we're heading out for sure. Waiting for the go-ahead from GF.

Adam,
That Crabtree won the Gold medal for German-Style Sour. Berlinner Weisse is a tart/sour style, so if you ever see another one expect it to be similar.

Yeah, I knew the style was sour but kept reading it was also a wheat, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. Glad I tried it 'cause I really dug it. I had no clue it won a gold at GABF but not surprised after trying this. Went ahead and immediately finished that bomber.

Now onto a DBA from Firestone Walker. I noticed when I opened the first bottle of this sixer last week that I had burnt myself out on this beer, I drank a ton of it last year, but its hitting the spot right now.

That's awesome man! Love it!

Here's some of the last few week's tastings from me, and some possibly exciting news. For me anyway.




I don't go much on the Lambic beers. This one was very sweet with a sour aftertaste. I didn't mind it, but Mrs. NCR thought it was the most disgusting thing she'd ever tasted. Gave me an excuse to use the Gueze glasses from some long defunct Belgian brewery my brother gave me.



Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe.

This is supposed to be a cross between a Hefeweizen and an American Wheat Wine. What it tatses like is an American Pale Ale with bulk dry hop additions. It's ridiculously hoppy, to the point that the bitterness does not match the aroma hops. It's like drinking a normal beer while eating a packet of Motueka pellets instead of peanuts. Despite that, I actually like it, and it's good to see a mainstream brewer doing some very strange beers.



Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye.

I like this alot. Very similar to the Green Flash Hop Head Red ale, but with an extra dimension from the rye. I can see a clone of this in my homebrewing future. The very first All Graing brew I did had a malt bill very close to this and the Hop Head. Very keen to do something similar with a New Zealand hop bill.



Here's a picture of the Green Flash Hop Head Red with a burrito. Same notes apply from a few pages ago!



Lagunitas Lucky 13 Anniversary Ale.

A nice US IPA. Very clear comared to the previous offerings. Does not seem as bitter as the claimed 76 IBU's The hop bill tastes very similar to the Green Flash red ale and Hop Rod Rye, Dumb and annoying hipsterish Suicide Grrl label.



Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine

This is not like the last barley wine I had, which was an English one. It's more like a Double (or Tripple) IPA. I wouldn't be surprised if the hop bill matched exactly the bills for the Hop Head Red and Hop Rod Rye. It hides the 10.2abv well though. Getting a bit bored of the same Cascade, Columbus, Nugget, Simcoe, Target etc. hop bills now Thank crom for New Zealand Hops!

In other news, a new brew pub have been looking for submssions from homebrewers to go alongside their existing taps. I think I'm going to submit my Motueka/Pacifica IPA to them and see how it goes. At the worst I'll get some subjective feedback about my homebrew, and at best, I'll have one of my brews made on a commercial scale and served in a trendy bar!

Good luck with that competition.

Never had a barleywine myself but that Old Ruffian does get a lot of love around here.I am starting to get curious about that Hop Rod Rye, next time I am up in Boulder I'll maybe grab one of those along with that Rayon Vert.

Good luck on the homebrew submission. Hopefully, they'll keep it up and you'll get more than one chance to get a beer on tap there.

The Old Ruffian is very hoppy for a barleywine. It's one of the few hoppy barleywines that I actually like.

INTENS, DELICIOUS, SKULL CRUSHING

Thanks guys, I'll post up whatever feedback I get. From the interest on the local brew forum, I'll be going up against some very experienced brewers, so I dunno if I've got much chance!

I might do a Hop Head Red malt bill clone next weekend and chuck in some NZ hops that I have in the freezer, maybe some Super Alpha for bittering and Motueka & Nelson Sauvin for aroma and enter that too. If I get it into a fermenter next weeend, it should be ok to drink by the closing date on the 29th of April.

I'll post up the labels Mrs NCR comes up with.

I had these on the way to the rugby yesterday



and



Before some piss poor stadium IPAs.

Recently discovered the Nelson Sauvin hops via New Beliums DIG Pale Ale and really really liked them. Would love to find more beers that utilize them.

Shoot down to the bar, we have Elysian's Idiot Sauvin IPA on tap. Yummy.

On my way to AZ for some Spring Training today but will definitely consider when I get back if its still on tap.

ACE and Paul. Please put me on the list of persons who would love to join you for a few beers here in San Diego. Get in touch. ACE, we need to meet for a couple in your hood. I used to work over there in Sorrento Valley before the beer boom and GF. I'm still over there often. Love Hess and I'm very curious about the new ones you mentioned. Let's get some coldies soon!

Ryno/ACE,
I got the go-ahead on the GFlash sign, but I'm not sure of my schedule. I'll be in touch as we approach and see what might work. My boss has plans and he's driving, so I'm a bit tied to what he wants to do.
Looking forward to it!

Ryno/SL,
Yeah, let's do it. Like I mentioned I am close to GF/Alesmith/Hess, etc...
SL, make sure your boss goes to Alpine and if he can't get you there I will. It's about 18 miles from Sorrento Valley.
Go early because the pub gets full and you definitely want to hang out. Also keep in mind the brewery is closed Sundays.
So if you, or for that matter anybody reading this, wants to come over, I have plenty of room. A fairly large bar area and lots of bottles like I mentioned that need to get opened and consumed. If there's some SoCal area available beer that you want speak up and I will track it down. Currently have a Bad Boy growler in the fridge.
We have blow up mattresses, couch space. Ample musical selection and dogs.
if this doesn't work with anybody we could just meet at any of the Beera Mesa Breweries. Plenty to choose from.

-----Hess is close to GF and generally has music on weekends and food trucks and Skubi is cool with Bottle Shares! especially when you share with him. Hess is close to Alesmith and from time to time Alesmith breaks out some good stuff. Friday night they were pouring BBA Speedway!
oh and....I have a couple "Special" Bottles that you might be interested in....one that starts with Black, and ends with Tuesday!------

So this weekend we hit North County breweries and made our first visit to; Aztec, and Latitude 33, as well as visits to Lost Abbey for Track 3 and Red Poppy release, and Iron Fist and then back down to Beera Mesa for first visit to Newcomer Rough Draft Brewing Co. which is right by GF.

I'm down in Vista about once a month, if schedule permits I'll come out to hoist a few, too.

Million Man, that would be cool. Seriously I would welcome the opportunity to open some beers and listen to some music with any of you.
I have way too many bottles and need to clear some space.
We could meet up at the North County Breweries or SD/Beera Mesa.
Or my house is always available. I'm real close to O'Briens, where the brewers drink.
Also close to Societe, the new upcoming brewery opening up by former brewers from The Bruery and Russian River.
As a member of Bruery Reserve Society I generally have some good Bruery Sours laying around, and currently have a few Knuckle Sandwiches too.

Out in AZ and looking for some Bell's Two Hearted and Lagunitas Imperial Red and found neither. Bummed.

Ended up picking up a single of Bell's Amber Ale which I am currently enjoying, definitely one of the better ambers I have tried, but not quite what I had in mind. I enjoy the standard amber but can't say its a style I can love. I would definitely be enjoying this far more if it was just another night back at home, but being on vacation I was hoping for something with a little more oomph to it I guess.

Got an Ipwich Oatmeal Stout bomber waiting on deck. Looking more forward to that.

Go check Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe. Good variety of their own brews on tap. Great food. Cool place. Was just there a couple weeks ago but didn't get to really " explore" as I was working. Definitely put a few back but would have loved to stay for more!

last night i tried some Purity of Essence Ale "High and Mighty" out of Holyoke MA

...excellent !!

That Ipswich Oatmeal Stout was really good, it had such a big flavor for an oatmeal stout.

I've been to 4 Peaks a couple years ago but unfortunately dont remember much about it or their beers. They had a beer called Kilt Lifter or something, right?

Correct, Adam. Kilt Lifter is their widely distributed local brew. I found it at most bars/restaurants we went to. Not sure when they expanded the bar and restaurant side of it but it's pretty good size now. I know it used to be much smaller as the brewery took up most of the space. The place was packed with local talent and the vibe was pretty fun.