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. 

Renegade Plays by the Rules with 5:00 O'Clock Afternoon Ale

Jeff

I've been a fan of Renegade for a long time: an empty bottle of their iconic Voodoo Maple Bacon Doughnut Ale has been standing on one of my bookshelves for many years now. Their willingness to experiment is something I appreciate. However, in their 5:00 Afternoon Ale I find that creativity sorely lacking.

This ale has a mild citrusy flavor with a pleasant bitterness that doesn't linger. It has some complexity (though I couldn't identify anything specific) and overall I would say this is an OK representitive of an ale. Unfortunately, it's just not very interesting. For this to merit higher than average with this flavor profile this beer would just have had to be a whole lot bolder in flavor. As it is it's just sort of exists- it neither excites me or is a complete failure.

I think Renegade can do better.

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Haley

Since this very summer, I have had the oppourtunity to try an actual Voodoo Doughtnut Maple Bacon bar. It is perfectly delicious. Sweet, salty, umami, everything perfectly rationed out so nothing overpowers, bacon cooked to perfection. It is a unique and rare treat. Having tried an imitation at a lesser doughnut shop years earlier I can tell you- it's either the real deal, or it's not. Accept no substitutions.

But that what I kind of feel like when I look at this can. Like this design is the substitute placeholder used until the REAL design is finished. How completely boring is this? The yellow is a nice shade but this might as well be a white can with "BEER" stamped on it in black.

I guess I was under the impression that Renegade put a bit more thought into their design work (because that bottle in our living room that Jeff mentions isn't just there for the memories). I guess I thought wrong.

Note: the name of this beer also reminds of this classic riff from MST3K:

"They just didn't care!"

Mountain Man Jeff Takes on Mountain Livin' Pale Ale

Jeff

Our trip to the Crazy Mountain Brewery has been a highlight of my summer so far this year, so I was excited to review the beer we picked up their while doing our little taste test. 

Mountain Livin' is a pale ale with a tropical, citrusy smell when freshly opened. Unfortunately, those bright smells don't really translate taste-wise. I couldn't detect any tropical flavor in the beer itself- in fact, the dominate flavor of this beer seemed to just be "bitter".

For a pale ale I found this beer surprisingly bitter. The bitterness lingered after each sip as well. I really felt like I was drinking something closer to an IPA.

Of course, it's not a total disaster. The color is lovely and it does have a nicely balanced hops flavor. Ultimately I just found it to be underwhelming. The bitterness was too strong and the flavor profile was otherwise too simple and not strong enough. I was blown away by some other beers they offered but this one just didn't do it for me. Because of the strength they've shown in other beers I have enjoyed from them I will still be going back to Crazy Mountain again- one mistake does not a failure make.

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Haley

OoooOOoOOOOoo, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Marvel at the beauty and intricacy of the artwork used by the Crazy Mountain Brewery. Every color is in harmony, every font works together and strengthens the overall design, and the subject matter itself all ties back into the names of both the beer and the brewer who made it. It's creepy and whimsical all at the same time, with a strong dash of practicality as well. 

I like how the information about this beer is printed in almost a little chart on the side of the bottle (on the left in the above picture). No hunting for the name, style, or ABV. It's all neatly and legibly in one easy to find place.

When J and I started this blog, this is what I was looking for- companies that go the extra mile in their design work. This label isn't just striving to tell you what's inside, it's also trying to tell you about who is behind this company. This label has personality and taste, a point of view. I see this art and I think: this product is made by people who really, really care about their jobs.

I love this bottle and I can't wait to see what other artwork they put on their brews that me might test in the future.

Dale's Pale Ale: Crafties vs. The Big Boys

Jeff

Oskar Blues: the good ol' boy of craft beers. As one of the first options to exist for a canned local craft beer, Oskar Blues' brews are everywhere here in Colorado. They are the beer made to fish with or to pack up to go camping with. But just because for a long time they were the only option for canned craft beer, that doesn't make them the best option.

I found the pale ale to be very bitter for something that isn't a true IPA. Otherwise, it's nicely balanced, and the hoppy flavor doesn't linger, which I like. Ultimately though, it's just doesn't really transcend it's status as a workhorse beer- it's not something I would really want to savor and it lacks the complexity of other craft beers.

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Haley

Since being made aware of Oskar Blues and their history I have definitely seen how ingrained they are in the culture around here. So I will probably get flayed alive for giving my true opinion, which is that this can bores me to tears.

I dislike the fonts (which are all over the place), Americana is overdone in the beer world, and it manages to be busy without being very interesting.

That being said, I recognize the intelligence behind the design. This is a craft beer marketed to compete against the likes of a Budweiser or a Coors. It makes sense that the design brings to mind those other brands. I will also say that since every different Oskar Blue's can I've seen so far is a variation of this same design, they at least are remarkably consistent in their branding.

Too bad what they are so consistent at is so uninspiring to look at.

Dry Dock Apricot Blonde Leaves Us Wet

Jeff

If Dry Dock Apricot Blonde is a siren, then the glass I poured it into must be the rock she sits on because I was immediately drawn to this beer. When first poured, the fruity smell of apricot is what greeted me immediately. What followed is a fruity beer that is smooth and delicious without ever veering into Kool-Aid territory.

Though I might describe the color of the beer as peachy, the flavor it has is decidedly apricot. However, it's not super sweet or overwhelming in that flavor. It blends nicely with the beer itself, remaining light and finishing with a very mellow aftertaste and just a bit of dryness. 

I didn't list the IBU's of this beer because they didn't seem that noteworthy but it does have an IBU of 17. That being said, there is almost no bitterness to the taste, and this has been one of Haley's favorite that we have tasted so far as well.

This is a skillfully made beer and, for a larger craft brewer, I'm not sure you will find a better fruit ale out there.

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Haley

I love this design. There, that was easy. Review over! Well, let me expound on that a little more maybe.

Apricot Blonde is everything I want in a design. First off, it tells me exactly what's in the can. It has apricots, it has a blonde, it says in plain language on the front what the flavors are, and the color of the can itself evokes images of a nice ripe apricot.

It also succeeds in its second goal: it makes me want to buy the product. The sort of siren/mermaid thing fits their brand name, the design is attractive and sensual without being crass- heck, even the fonts blend nicely and make sense.

Overall, this is a just a perfect marriage of concept and design, with every element working in harmony to create something attractive and memorable. In fact, it stuck in my mind so much that I ended up cooking something with apricots for the very first time about a week after I tried it. That, my friends, is the power of good design.