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.

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.

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy is a Bit Namby Pamby

Jeff

Leinenkugel's summer offering is a shandy beer with honey and lemonade flavors. I had high hopes for this beer. Lemon and shandy seemed like a natural pairing and it really sounded like it could be summertime in a bottle. However, hoping for something doesn't always make it come true.

First off, the lemon flavor is more like a bland Country Time flavor than anything resembling a real lemonade. There's nothing even slightly tart or sour about it- not even a hint of the complex flavors found in actual lemon. This beer was incredibly sweet as well. Even H agreed that it was a bad sweet- not fruity or honeyed, but a bland sweet almost like something made with corn syrup. If it was any sweeter it'd be a Smirnoff. 

Besides the fumble with the flavorings, it's also just not a very good beer. It doesn't have a BEER flavor and it went flat almost instantly, even when very poured while very cold. It tasted almost watery in it weakness of flavors.

Honestly, I hated this beer. I've liked other things from Leinenkugel but nothing about  this beer worked. The flavors are weak and boring, the sweetness is bland and simple, and it just isn't satisfying in any way.

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Haley

First off: boo to the Leinenkugel logo. Just boo. It's 2017, I'm over it. Beyond that, I think this label is a pretty good representation of what's in the bottle in that it is also pretty weak and overly sweet. It's not really a designed label so much as pictures arranged together. I like the colors and it does read summer but it does it in the most basic way possible, with no artistic touches or flair. 

Maybe I'm being too harsh but this just seems like a very safe design more suitable for the cover of a summer camp pamphlet than a beer bottle.

We Climbed The Crazy Mountain Brewing Company in Denver, CO

Last week, H and I found ourselves in beautiful Denver for a live MST3k event. While there, we decided to make a pilgrimage to Crazy Mountain Brewery, located at 471 Kalamath St in Denver. Crazy Mountain's beers have always been a standout to me when perusing my local liquor stores due to their cool design, fun names, and interesting flavor blends. I was very excited to try a selection straight from the source.

H and I did a sampling of six different beers from their menu. These aren't going to be complete reviews with grades but basic impressions of what we tried and liked (or didn't).

The first beer on the board (#16) was a Sauvignon Blanc Sour. This turned out to be the least favorite for both us out of all we tasted. I found it unenjoyably sour but what H and I agreed upon most of all was that it just didn't taste like beer at all, but like white wine (and, in H's opinion, cheap wine).

Moving on to ##14, Black Barleywine, I found this pitch-black concoction to be very flavorful with hints of coffee. H even liked this one as well, because while it is bitter it's not super bitter in a way that overpowers it or is unpleasant.

#19 is Rum Barrel Aged Dark Ale with Ginger and Lime. Though not as dark looking as the Black Barleywine, this beer was very deep and complex tasting. It's a very unique beer- it almost tastes and smells more like a very boozy mixed drink than a beer. H didn't love the booziness and she thought the lime, ginger, and rum combined to give this an almost coconut flavor. I feel like because of all the flavors in it it's one of the most summery tasting dark beers I've ever had. This quirky brew was my favorite of the tasting and if you like dark beers I would definitely give it a try.

                               

Next we had some lighter fare. #17 is a Gin and Juice pale ale. It's light and finishes very dry. I liked it ok but only could detect the faintest hint of juniper at the end. H couldn't get any juniper flavor at all during her sips. We both wished the gin flavor was more pronounced.

Our next taster is the lightest and sweetest of all the beers we tasted- it's also H's pick for favorite (Hey, I like what I like. -H) Mama Bear Wheat Ale had a very light and fruity taste. It's floral and sweet, with a great smell. However, I found it too sweet and, in my opinion, almost syrupy. Yet this was our most divisive sampling. If you like sweeter beers, or wheat beers, this is a good example- light, flavorful. If you prefer darker flavors and bitter/sour then maybe give this one a pass.

The last beer we sampled if Lawyers, Guns, and Money barleywine. This was a fine beer with a nice color and a good caramel flavor. It's not too boozy tasting considering it's 10.5% abv but ultimately it just wasn't that memorable. Whereas the Mama Bear and the Black Barleywine spurred strong reactions in us, this one just didn't stand up against the other, bolder flavors we tried.

                 

Overall, I had a great time sampling the beers at Crazy Mountain. Though some were hit and miss it was great to see the creativity and variation they are putting out- I can't wait to head back and try the rest! 

-Jeff

Note: Click here to view larger menus!

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Jeff laid out our tasting odyssey so now I'm going to talk design and overall consumer experience (whee!). The outside is a pretty nondescript brick building, but I do like the taps they have along the wall as you walk up.

The most interesting room you walk by on the way to the entrance is what appeared to be one of their art/design offices. It showcased some label art that I really, really love. A quick peek in the window showed other layouts of their other labels as well. It was a fun glimpse into the process of one of the most artistically interesting beer companies around.

The vibe in the brewery (can we just call it a bar?) is very Colorado-relaxed. Think high ceilings, wood, dark colors, comfy chairs. However, I have to point out in the below picture how sucky their tasting board was. The big shotglass sized vessels wobbled in the board due to their shape and spilled everywhere when the board was laid down. I hate this design- it may help prevent broken glasses, but it's sure as anything is not helping with keeping everything from becoming a sticky mess.

Otherwise though, it's a fine place to stop and have a beer. Parking was easy and it was far away enough from downtown that traffic wasn't a problem. Beer nerds would do well to stop in when we did- middle of the day on a weekday. Of course that's not a reasonable target for most people but it did lead to a nice relaxed atmosphere, plenty of privacy, and no waiting. They also have a cooler with a nice selection of ready to purchase twelve packs and specialty brews (all at reasonable prices). Even their merch for the most part was well designed and cool (no, I didn't get a pic- oops!).

J and I really enjoyed our little excursion and we hope to visit another brewery soon.

Look out in the next couple of weeks for a full review of a Crazy Mountain brew we brought home from this trip, and here's hoping you and yours are enjoying the same lovely summer that we are here in Colorado.

-Haley