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!

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.

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!"

We Pucker Up For New Belgium's Tartastic Sour Ale

Jeff

I've been very pleased in the last few years to see ginger become a more popular flavoring for beers. Ginger is such a complex blend of sweet and spicy that it makes everything more interesting. So when I saw that New Belgium had combined ginger with lemon to make this sour ale I was pretty excited.

First, the good. This is a very light beer that reminds me almost of a weizen. The lemon flavor is natural tasting and adds some sourness without being super fruity or sweet.

The problems are that even the flavor that is present, like the lemon, is very light. And, sadly, the ginger is just non-existent. I was hoping for a real ginger kick. Ginger should be able to be detected by a little nasal hit or simply by the strong flavor it imparts to things. None of that is present here. The lemon, while it does add some sourness, doesn't add a lot of sourness and could be stronger tasting as well.

That being said, this is a very refreshing beer. I know there are some sour beers out there that take their category as a challenge to see how unpleasantly sour they can be. This is not one of those beers. So if you want a more mild sour in a lighter beer, this would be a good choice. But if you are really looking for that ginger tang, this isn't the beer for you.

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Haley

So this beer label at least has a bit of style, even if it does resemble something out of a botanical notebook from the 1890s. At least there's a picture! It is just a very, very literal picture. Lemons and ginger! Wow!

I do like the fonts and I like the red and yellow combination. Please note the colors in the first picture appear more vibrant but this individual pic is a little more accurate. They are slightly muted but they do go together nicely, with the dark green of the leaves being a nice way to make the red pop and connect it all together. The fonts and colors also work nicely with their logo.

Overall this is a solid yet stodgy design, literal in it's execution and straightforward in the choices made to create it. It totally resembles the corporate product within it, so while I can't fault that I can't really celebrate it either.

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.

Breck Lager: Will it Turn Haley into A Breck Girl?

Jeff

Breck lager: an unfortunate example of doing everything competently, but nothing above and beyond. This golden beer with the nicely foaming head has a clean taste, with minimal bitterness for a lager. I also detected no iron taste, which I find some lagers to have.

The simple nature of this beer makes it a good substitute for your average canned beer. It's light flavor would pair well with food. The problem is though, its strengths are also its weaknesses. I found the flavor to be fairly boring and basic. It also lost its carbonation quickly when poured. 

Breck Lager reminds me of my work truck. It isn't flashy or showy. It doesn't have any bells or whistles, but it's not a hunk of junk either. It's reliable- it gets me where I need to go every day without fail, but it isn't my dream vehicle either. Breck Lager is the same way: reliable, good, but not great.

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Haley

So, I very much dislike this can. To start with the good though, I do think the periwinkle/gold/red orange color scheme is interesting. Not pleasant to look at, but interesting. 

Unfortunately this same color scheme, from a practical standpoint, just doesn't work. The words are hard to read on the front with the blue and gold fonts on gold background. What stands out to me is the word "beer", which seems amusingly generic.

I wish it had more design elements or a bit more personality. As it is, I find this can to be muted and mostly dull. Even with a sort of mid-century feel to it I just can't work up any enthusiasm for this design.