Coronado Brewing Company: Orange Avenue Wit

There are different times where you discover something great on accident. Well, this is one of the times that I have that exact thing. I happened to be at the local Bevmo and decided to go to the section where the wheat beers are. While I was browsing I noticed a beer called Orange Avenue Wit which is brewed by Coronado Brewing Company.

So what is this Orange Avenue Wit? To start off with  this beer is classified as a California Wit or a beer that contains a pretty large portion of wheats and malts when it is brewed. So now to what this beer is brewed with.  There are a few different types of malts that this beer is brewed with. Like I said before this beer does contain wheat and it also contains 2-row malts and cara malts.  Those malts will act as the base of this beer but what gives this beer the distinct flavors that it does is the other ingrediants that are added through out the brewing process.  The other ingrediants are orange zest, orange blossom honey and corriander.  The orange zest and corriander are pretty standard for a wit but the orange blossom honey is one of those unique ingrediants to this beer. There are hops in this beer but they are not very noticable at all. I would rate this beer about and 15-18 on the IBU scale. The hops that are in this beer are the Northern Brewer hops.

Now that we know what the beer is brewed with lets pop the top and talk about what you should expect as far as taste, texture and aromas. When you first open the beer up and pour it into your favorite beer glass you will notice that the beer pours to a deep orange/gold color.  It will have a slight white fluffy head that will gradually dissipate.  Finally as you raise the glass and are about to take that first delightful sip you will notice the aroma of the wheat and the malts that this beer is brewed with. Even though those are really noticeable, you will also get a good amount of the orange and corriander aromas. After you get your fair share of the aromas, you will definitely want to just go ahead and take that first sip, which in no way will be a let down. As you take that first sip you immediately get the taste of orange peel on your palette along with other hints of citrus that come from the hops in the beer.  By the end of the beer you are left with all of the spice from the corriander and the honey. This beer goes down really smooth, is quite refreshing  and enjoyable with any meal that you may have. 

This is on my must try list. Highly recommended.

Anchor Steam Beer

Beer has been one of America’s favorite beverages for a very long time, and the beer that is made in this country is some of the best in the world.  So it is only fitting that I talk about one that hails from here in California and is a beer that has great history to it.

The next beer that I’m going to review is Anchor Steam Beer that is brewed in San Francisco, California. I say this beer has history because this beer has been around since 1896. This beer became a favorite during the time of the gold rush. People came to the west coast looking to become wealthy by finding gold, however, not everyone did. For those who did not find any gold at all, there was Anchor Steam Beer.

Not only does it have history because it was around during the time of the gold rush, but it has history because of the way it was brewed during this time. It is thought to be that this beer got its name from the way it us brewed.
This beer is brewed in shallow open fermentation tubs or tanks. When it got it’s start this process took place on the rooftops of San Francisco. The beer would ferment on the rooftops and during the cool nights, the steam could be seen rising from those tanks, which is where the steam portion if the name is thought to come from.

When it comes to this beer it is brewed with a couple different types of malts and hops. The malts that are is this beer are two row and caramel malts. The malts in this beer give this beer its dark amber color. They also give this beer the sweetness that it has. The malts are very noticeable in taste and in smell.When combined with the hops you will get a bit of bitterness but nothing that is unbearable. The hops will also give the beer a bit of a floral aroma and floral taste that goes really well with the sweetness of the malts. This is a one of a kind beer that pairs well with BBQ and cheeses. I hope that you all try this beer.

Samuel Adams: Stony Brook Red

A few weeks ago my family left to the east coast for vacation. I was supposed to go but do to unforeseen circumstances I had to stay home. I couldn’t have wanted to go more but sometimes life just throws curveballs your way and you have to roll with them. I found this a good time to try a few different beers and become even better friends with Samuel Adams. There have been a couple of different Samuel Adams beers that I have reviewed on my blog in the past. As I try more of the beer from them, the more I enjoy the beers produced by them. This time around I tried their, “Stony Brook Red”, and it was fantastic. It is a beer that everyone can enjoy.

What lead me to try this beer was the bottle. I have came across many different bottles since I have started my blog but nothing like this one. So congrats on the great marketing team.

So when you first pop the cork on this beer you know what you are getting yourself into. You immediately smell the aromas of the fruit and the sweetness of the malts in this beer. But lets dive deeper into this beer.

Starting off, lets talk about what this beer is brewed with. The malts that are in this beer are two row pale malts, Munich dingemans special B and dingemans aromatic malts. The hops in this beer are of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh variety.  This beer is also brewed with a Belgian style top fermenting yeast. So that is just was is producing some of the great flavors that you are tasting when you are drinking this beer. But those ingrediants are only the beginning of the beer as well, what is the final product of those ingrediants will be sure to amaze you with every sip.

So after you pop the cork, the next step is to pour this beer into you favorite glass. This beer will pour to a dark reddish brown and like I said before this beer has a very sweet aroma to it. You will be able to smell the sweetness of the malts and a lot of the sweetness is also coming from the aroma of fruits. When I tried this beer the fruit that came to the top of my head was pear along with some dark fruits such as berries as well. It really depends on your nose to what you will smell exactly.  Then when you take your first sip you will get what you expect after smelling this beer. The beer has a sweet taste to it that has a lot of fruit accents in it. However, that is only part of the taste. You will of course get the sweetness of the malts, and the best park is the slight hint of the oak that comes from this beer aged in oak barrels and that hint of oak is what makes this beer fantastic.

So like I said this beer is surely going to be enjoyed by everyone. I say that because this beer has sweetness, tartness and a little bit of sour. This beer is not bitter at all and goes down really smooth. If you are having this beer with a meal I recommend that you try this beer with mussels you will be amazed at the way they pair together.

I recommend you try this beer in the very near future.

Cheers!!