Welcome to Booze Reviews

This website is intended for an audience over 21 years old, and contains some profanity and lots of stories about all sorts of things that happen while imbibing alcohol. If you are not of legal drinking age, or you are easily offended by profanity, then please, for our sake and yours, go away. Otherwise... enjoy the site, and hopefully we'll make you laugh in the process. And make sure you check out our ratings system on your first visit, so you know how we're judging this stuff.

Also, when we give a bad review of something here, before you get offended, please consider the source! And we've recently opened the blog up to comments, so feel free to register and post your thoughts on our reviews.

OK, so you're over 21? You can handle crudeness, juvenile humor and profanity? Then read on...

Recent Reviews:

Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale

Lagunitas has been producing some quality brew lately. Hop Stoopid, Old correction-224x204Gnarleywine, and now 2009 Correction Ale, although it might be better named “erection ale” as this is one pants-raising beer. Although this beer marks the end of the Zappa line of beers it was brewed in the spirit of celebrating the financial turmoil that Americans are currently experiencing. “Live to party” is the motto inscribed on the side of the bottle, and I wholeheartedly agree with this philosophy.

2009 bottle from Windmill Farms in Del Cerro. Well deservedly consumed after a mountain bike ride at Mission Trails with JDavid. My balls and inner thighs paid the price for this one.  Clocking in at 6.3%, this beer rests squarely in the category of a lighter West Coast IPA, or APA.
Poured a light orange with a f3462389653_e2c97035bfluffy IPA head that one would expect. There is some good lacing around the glass as the beer is consumed.
Smell is tropical, floral, and hoppy. Reminiscent of Kill Ugly Radio and Hop Stoopid on a smaller scale. Some mango, pineapple, fresh flowers, and hops round out the aroma.
The taste imbibes all of the tropical notes that one would want out of a fruity IPA. The hop bitterness is present in the finish, but not overwhelming. Although this isn’t the typical “balanced” IPA, it does conform to the West Coast style of being overly hopped, and lacking a malt backbone. The dryness of the finish is pleasant and cleanses the palate before the next quaff, making this a perfect summertime beer.  Clean, refreshing, fruity, hoppy, and dry.  These are the qualities that a good APA should have!

Official BoozeReviews Score: 90/100

L’Chaim!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Mainstream Beer Ads – A Rant

miller2OK, look: unlike the San Diego contingent, I am not a beer snob. If the weather’s warm, the beer’s piss-colored or darker and cold, and I’m thirsty, I’ll drink it and probably like it. It’s cold, it’s somewhat refreshing and it tastes great when you’ve been out angling for Halibut all day with nothing else to do but talk about strippers with the other guy on the boat. Look, I’m a guy who once split a flask of Jack Daniels’, 3 homebrews, a 12-er or Bud, a joint and another 30-pack of Bud with 2 other people while at-sea on my canoe, then stopped at the gas dock (in a canoe with no motor, go figure) so I could get another 12-er for the long half-mile trek through the harbor.

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Alpine Beer Company Exponential Hoppiness

expo2This west coast style triple IPA is big and unapologetic. With an abv over 11% disguised like a stripper in a nun’s suit, Exponential Hoppiness will leave you exponentially inebriated and absolved satisfied. Drunken hyperbole aside, it is with good reason that this beer has been dubbed “the most dangerous beer in America.” Having split my last growler with Tunk last night, I’m still fighting back a headache today (the 09 Stone IRS and the Cuvee Rene I had first probably didn’t help). Drinking your own growler is not advised!
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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Imperial Oatmeal Stout

weasel-1

I have had some shitty beer in my time, but this is the first one with shit in it. The folks at Mikeller thought it would be a great idea to not just brew a coffee stout, but a civet cat coffee stout.  Some weasel-2supplemental reading for those of you not keen on Kopi Luwak.  Call me a skeptic (or an asshole), but I really can’t see how Mikeller could afford to brew a beer out of coffee that costs over $100/lb.

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Sweetwater IPA

Fate, destiny, love of beer;  all on the same wondrous collision course into the realm of my alcohol-infused reality.  I keep asking myself, did I find this great IPA from Georgia, or did it find me?  But what’s with the rainbow trout on the label? sweetwater-ipa1 Now think about this, although the label is extremely bad ass, do trout really live in Georgia?  It’s fucking hot there.  I’ll leave this question up to those more knowlegeable than myself on Georgian specifics. Chaos.  Madness. The journey continues.

Pours golden with a nice creamy head into my shaped pint glass. Color is on the darker side of the IPA spectrum.  Smells of tropical fruit. Pineapple, mango, guava. Hops, hops, and hops.
Taste is everything that I hoped it would be and more. Fruity, hoppy, dry, bitter, all of the elements are here that make a great IPA. And still manages to carry less than seven percent alcohol. As I drink this and it warms a bit it keeps getting more and more flavorful. Like eating a pineapple while drinking a Stone IPA. I respect this beer.  Mouthfeel is creamy and the carbonation elevates this beer to another level. I would like a keg of this little sister of Sculpin and Pure Hoppiness.

The whole time I’m drinking this beer I’m thinking “is this really what they’re doing down there a?”  Fantastic.  Wonderful.  Thank God for fate!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Hair of the Dog — Fred from the Wood

adamlogoI’ve been getting into barley wine lately. Had twenty or so samples of the style in the past year, both on tap and bottles. Barrel aged and not. I’d say after the experience of these tastings, that I really love a good barrel aged barley wine. Something about the aging really makes the smell and taste pop while maintaing a good balance of flavor.
I obtained a 2008 bottle of HOTD Fred From the Wood (the wood aged version of their normal Fred) and split it three ways with my cousins, who are fine conisseurs of many things, but don’t know much about good beer.

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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North Coast Brewing 2008 Old Stock Ale

old-stockWas just set on writing up a review tonight. Figures the first bottle (a Baltic porter) I cracked was horribly flawed with some medicinal, metallic shit going on. Reminded me of another highly frustrating ordeal. You know, the one where you’re spankin to the free video clip that cuts off in the middle before a money shot or anything? If at first you do not succeed…

My second choice, North Coast Brewing 2008 Old Stock Ale at 12.5% abv, treated me right nice. From the cardboard four-pack:

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Beer Wars The Movie

beerwarsNo, this is not a Star Wars spoof. But I’m guessing the good vs. evil theme will figure prominently. Beer Wars is a documentary that will only be shown in theaters across the country on April 16. Directly after its screening, a live half-hour discussion with various beer experts and moderator, Ben Stein, will take place. If you like craft beer and have ever wondered how hard it is for the little upstart brewery to carve out a niche in the face of the evil BMC (Bud-Miller-Coors) Galactic Empire, then this may be the documentary for you. For more info, go here.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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FrostShot, The Frozen Liquor Shot

From the provided informative FrostShot literature:frostshot

FrostShot is an innovative alternative to traditional alcohol-based beverages. In the past…freezing alcohol had been deemed impossible; but we’ve achieved perfection. FrostShot is a frozen alcoholic shot conveniently packaged inn aluminum sleeves for portability and ease of use. FrostShot is the first of its kind. So grab a FrostShot and get your party started!!

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (8 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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2007 Macphail Pinot Noir, Toulouse Vineyard

I’ve heard the term “chasing the dragon” used to describe a heroin addiction before, referencing the fact that a junky is forever chasing the unattainable perfect high that comes from the first-ever hit.  Despite the fact that my experience with opiates consists of a couple of recent bouts with a nasty cough and the subsequent codeine-laced prescription syrup (I should probably review that stuff here– wow!), I am more than passingly familiar with the concept of chasing the dragon.  I’ve been doing it ever since I drank my first sip of MacPhail’s 2002 Toulouse Vineyard release.

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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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