New Belguim's Ranger IPA

For this sampling we tried another IPA. Two Guys wrote an excellent history of the IPA for the Red Hook review. Two Guys will pause for a brief moment for our 4 readers to refresh their memory--------. You're back. We don't know about you but George Hodgson is our hero. We will not go into more IPA details for this sampling. Instead, we will take another tack. In our journey of beer exploration, Two Guys have discovered that we truly enjoy the flavor of beer. As mentioned in previous blogs Two Guys are past the drink beer out of a funnel stage---mostly. There is the occasional wedding and beer garden, after all. But what makes up flavor? It's the taste of the beer that comes from the taste buds and the odor of beer that comes from the nose. We have come to realize that the simple act of drinking a beer out of a glass greatly enhances the flavor of the beer. You can't smell the beer when you drink it directly out of a bottle or can. It seems obvious because we all know what it is like to eat food when we have a cold. It is just not the same. It's like this with food. It's like this with beer. A quality beer needs to be consumed from the glass to truly have the full effect. Try drinking your next craft beer from a glass and thank us later. Now onto the beer!

Joe: The beer we sampled was Ranger IPA from the New Belgium Brewery located in the state where the mountains are high and the breathing is hard, Colorado. It is has a light copper color with a 6.5 ABV and moderate carbonation. The odor is of floral hops with a touch of piney spice. The taste sort of mirrors the odor. It starts with a fruity malty caramel flavor on the front end and finishes off with a moderately bitter piney hop flavor. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the Red Hook we previously tried. I felt it had a much more complex taste. You may have noticed this from all the adjectives I used in the description. I give this beer a 4.

Never Ever!

Justin: Through our journey of beer exploration I’ve come to learn that I tend to favor IPAs. They are full of flavor and have a nice bite of bitterness. Ranger IPA, our second beer to review from New Belgium does not disappoint. This medium body beer uses a blend of cascade, chinook and simcoe hops to add citrusy, floral and fruity flavors that help to give a firm but not overpowering bitterness. A hint of caramel sweetness blends nicely with the piney finish. Four stars!

Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout

Two Guys next review is an Oatmeal Stout. This is our third stout to review so I won’t rehash the history of stout but I often find quick reviews helpful so here’s what you need to know. Stouts are typically a dark beer that is strong in flavor and alcohol content. Now that everyone is up to speed lets delve into the sub-style of the Oatmeal Stout. In the 1800s it was discovered that adding oats to beer made it healthier. This strengthening drink was enjoyed by athletes, nursing mothers(no joke), horses(joke) and was recommended by doctors as a remedy for sickness in general. Oatmeal stouts are sweeter than other stouts and do not usually taste specifically of oats. The oats add to the silky smoothness and cause the body to be fuller than normal. Sadly, the oatmeal stout disappeared for a few decades until the 1980s when it was revived by a curious chap named Charles Finkel who commissioned Samuel Smith to produce a version. This version became the benchmark of the style we enjoy today. Now onto the beer!

Joe: For this sampling we tried a Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout.  Breckenridge Brewery is located in Colorado where I, fittingly enough, once ate oatmeal—peaches and cream if you must know.  The stout  was a very dark beer with a 4.95% ABV and had moderate carbonation.  The front end taste was of roasted coffee with hint of caramel.  The back end taste had moderately bitter, slightly spicy hop taste.  I did not taste peaches and cream oatmeal or any oatmeal for that matter.  I enjoyed this beer but it is not one my favorites.  I give it a 3.

Getting healthier with each bottle!

Justin: When Joe showed up with another stout I was relieved to discover that this one did not contain any mollusks. It was an Oatmeal Stout by Breckenridge.(Check out their website for a Beer-B-Q Sauce recipe that uses this beer.) The beer did not have the strong taste that you would expect from a stout. The mild coffee and chocolate flavors start off sweet and finish slightly bitter. The beer was good but I found it a little forgettable. Two and a half stars.

Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale

For this sampling Two Guys dipped their toes back into the seasonal variety of beer; not literally of course as real toe dipping would change the flavor of the beer. We sampled an Octoberfest style of beer. Two Guys always thought that it was called Octoberfest because the Germans loved them some October. It turns out we were right. Oktoberfest was originally a party to celebrate the October wedding of King Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxe-Heldburghausen or Saxe-Lady to her friends. We will pause for you to sing Gangman Style and do the dance.  It was a wedding, you know.  The germans were so happy with the wedding that the party lasted for 5 days. The reception was so successful that the Germans decided to do it again the next year and so on and so on….200 years later, it’s now held in September to avoid bad weather and lasts 16 days because---well, why not? What do you need to help celebrate a fall party that commemorates a wedding? Yep, it's beer. The only substance that would actually allow Two Guys to dance Gangman Stye when consumed. The beer used to be a dark lager but is now a pale lager that is called Oktoberfest bier in Germany. It is normally brewed in March and allowed to ferment during the summer months to be ready for the fall. Only beer brewed in Munich can be called Oktoberfest bier. American breweries will brew their own version called Octoberfest or, if they want to be more Germany looking, Oktofest. The American beer is normally an ale instead of a lager since they are not allowed to brew a true Octoberfest beer. Lagers are cold fermented in the middle of the barrel while ales are warm fermented at the top. Now onto the beer.

No spiffy lederhosen but some very impressive t-shirts. 

Joe: For this sampling we tried a Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale. Widmer Brothers is located in the land of the beavers: Oregon. The ale is amber colored with a 5.3 ABV. It is low in carbonation. The flavor starts with hoppy bitterness with a slight fruity tinge and has a malty caramel sweetness on the back-end. There is also a mild spicy taste that intermingles throughout. This is a very smooth beer without overpowering flavors. It hit me just right on a late fall night. I give this beer a 4.

Justin: I really enjoy the Octoberfest style beers and Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale is no exception. It had a very crisp and smooth flavor. The spices were not overpowering and the caramel and toffee notes left a pleasant aftertaste. I look forward to drinking this beer again in the fall. Widmer Brothers delivered another winner and I rate it 4 solid stars.

Designated driver(DD) versions also available.
(Redhead not included!)