Hot Pug on Pug Action: We Try Pug Ryan's Dunkel (Special Saturday Edition!)

No pugs were harmed in the taking of this picture. Also, he's not allowed to drink beer.

Jeff

The problem with some dark beers is that, even if you enjoy dark and bitter flavors, finding pairings that won't overwhelm your food can be difficult. Luckily, Pug Ryan's German style Dunkel is a dark beer that not only pairs well with food, but is also a complex and delicious experience all on its own.

Cracking open this beer I noticed it had an attractive reddish-brown hue which complimented its faintly bitter smell. My first drink was surprising- nicely bitter but with definitely noticeable hits of sour and sweet as well. The flavor also had a nice rounded malt flavor to it, almost caramel like, with a nicely balanced note of hops.

H was surprised at the lack of bitterness and, unusually, found this to be a darker beer that she actually enjoyed. I would definitely buy this again and wouldn't hesitate to pair this with food. It's complexity is what keeps it from being overpowering and eminently drinkable.

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Haley

I had to know when we chose this beer to review where the name "Pug Ryan" had come from. The name is as good as the real person behind it was bad. This beer is named after an outlaw: bank robber, train robber, deputy killer. A real bad hombre. Sadly, the can design is a little more tame.

For a beer that is billed as "brewed for the outlaw in you," I wish more of that was reflected in the design. Where's the intrigue? Show me a train, give me an action pose. Guns, danger, pew pew! If you're going to choose something for its edginess, let it be edgy!

That plus even more mountains equals, to me, a pretty boring can design.

Forget the Hot Cocoa: We Audition Tempter IPA For Our New After-Ski Drink

Jeff

Can this really be the first IPA we have done so far? Perhaps I have shied away from testing too many because I know that H hate hate hates them. I admit, the super bitter hoppiness of most IPAs is not for everyone. But I just can't resist the strong and bold flavors. IPAs are to regular beers what straight whiskey is compared to a daiquiri- all are tasty, but you can feel an IPA or a good whiskey as much as taste it.

This IPA from the Telluride Brewing Company is a nicely balanced IPA with a good level of bitterness. As anyone who regularly drinks India pale ales will tell you, once you become familiar with them you can see there's actually a lot of variety in the bitter hoppiness that they offer. This beer is bitter without being unpleasant, and the aftertaste doesn't linger like some others do.

However, for as solid as it is that is also its problem. It just doesn't stand out to me. No real flavor profile pops out, beyond a slight fruity sweetness underneath the bitter. It's a low key IPA, good enough to be in the category but not memorable enough that I would reach for it again. 

Also, and I realize that this is just silly marketing stuff, but H and I both did a mega eye roll at their can which lists "snow melt" as an ingredient. Maybe we are just both so jaded by modern advertising that we can't appreciate a little tongue in cheek humor anymore, but that seems like the exact kind of thing someone would use as an actual selling point if they were trying to be a weasel. I think this brewer is just trying to be cute but we both still found it dumb.

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Haley

I hate IPAs. Whew! Feels good to get that off my chest! Now that my dirty little secret is out of the way, let me discuss something else I'm starting to hate.

Hey Colorado brewers, chill out with the mountains already.

OK, I have been up, around, and in the mountains all around this lovely state now and let me say this: I get it. But there is so, so much more to offer here if one is looking for artistic inspiration. In an hour I can go from snow capped peaks to literal cacti. That is amazing! But everyone around here seems bound and determined to cling to this one pool of imagery. Which brings me back to the topic at hand.

I looked at the logo at this can for a long time. I asked myself "am I sure we hadn't already done something from the Telluride Brewing Company before?". Then I checked our archives and figured out what seemed so familiar.

Denver Brewing Company has a mountain logo as well. Oskar Blues has a mountain logo with an identically styled rising sun behind it!

When is enough, enough? These logos could be clones!

Originally, I was going to give this label three stars. I do like the blue and the sort of green-leaning yellow together. I also think the orientation of the mountains and skiers on the can are organized uniquely enough to give the layout some visual interest with the criss-crossing lines of sight. I did think the awkward 80s video-game style font at the top was out of place and I disliked the lack of basic information found on the can, like ABV%. So three stars would have been fair, I think.

But tracing back now why the logo feels so familiar, I'm going to have to knock off another star based on unoriginality. This logo is so similar to Oskar Blues that as a consumer, I confess I had actual honest-to-God brand confusion for a minute. That can't be good for anyone.

Please Telluride Brewers, get yourself a new artist/designer and make yourself a logo that sets you apart better!

We had to take a slight (very) unplanned hiatus but we are now back. We will have a brand new review this Thursday AND a bonus review on Saturday before resuming our regularly scheduled programming.


Thanks for reading! Drink up!

Princess Yum Yum is a Bit of a Dumb Dumb.

Jeff

I brought a six pack of Denver Brewing Company's Princess Yum Yum to a family dinner recently and let's just say that the results were divisive. They were divisive in that everyone seemed to hate this beer except for me.

Fruit beers can be very hit or miss. I also believe that many people fall firmly on one side or the other: either they love them or think they are vile. I personally do enjoy a fruity beer now and again and I think this is a good example of a fruit beer done right.

Princess Yum Yum is a raspberry flavored ale. The flavoring is natural and light, not heavy or, IMO, kool-aide like. Yet it is fruit flavored, so much so that I feel like the those flavor overwhelms the quality beer underneath it. It's kind of a mish-mash of sweet, sour, and bitter, no one flavor really dominating. All of the those flavors have a way of canceling each other out and muting what should be a much more bright and vibrant beer.

If raspberry is going to turn off some people from the onset anyway, might as well fully go for it.

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Haley

First off I have a note on the beer itself: it is pink and murky when poured. I know J says that floating bits and things don't matter but this one seemed excessive and grossed me out. Yet, what grossed me out most of all is how a beer called PRINCESS YUM YUM could so thoroughly squander all of its potential.

With a name like that I want so much more- crowns, jewels, cartoon princesses, unicorns, castles. Anything! Why choose such an evocative name and then do NOTHING with it. It really is a shame. My Dad agreed- he thought it needed a twist of anime to compliment the name.

Instead we get a plain red design and the logo of the brewer. What a waste. This is by far the most disappointing design I've come across so far for this blog. 

We Reel In a Ballast Point Longfin Lager

Jeff

When H and I took the above picture, five seconds in the fierce Colorado sun managed to deflate the nice foamy head this beer had on it when poured. This is a good example of why I so appreciate a nice refreshing beer- with sun this intense, sometimes a dry finish on a beer just isn't appealing.

Ballast Point Brewing Company's Longfin Lager is, luckily, a very refreshing beer. It's a very light lager, both in color and flavor. It has, much like the can itself proclaims, a "hint of hops", and maybe just the faintest touch of citrus brightness. 

My only criticisms are that because of how light it is it doesn't have the robustness I usually want and associate with a lager. Because of this it almost reminded me more of a German beer than anything else.

Regardless, this is a solid, if fairly basic, choice. I'd pack this up for a fishin' trip, no doubt.

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Haley

To fairly judge this can I had to photograph the back and the front, because most of the fun stuff is on the back.

One thing I like right off the bat is how the front design manages to be nautical without being cutesy or overly cliche. The light blue backing on the bottom has a zig-zag in it reminiscent of waves and the use of rope on the logo is subtle. The gold and red stand out with the lighter blue as well, avoiding too much Americana. Also, THERE IS A SWEET FISH ON THE BACK.

But that sweet, sweet fish is also part of the problem. The most interesting design element is relegated to the back of the can. Yes, the colors are all integrated and it is positioned nicely with the text. But overall, this design would be a lot more interesting if the fish and the front of the can were more interestingly put together. As is, it's a bit business in front, (fish) party in the back.