Uinta Baba Black Lager

The Dirt
Lagers often have a lot of flavor and then finish clean, which often works well for the lighter lagers. Black lagers are interesting because they're dark and, well, a lager. I don't think this always works well, but Uinta's Baba Black Lager is certainly one of the best I've had.

The beer is very dark, though a hint of light can be seen through it. It has medium body with a great and powerful roasted front end. This initial flavor lasts longer than most black lager, but disappears about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through, finishing crisp but without much character. The flavor seems to last longer when drinking with food and letting it get a tad warmer, although I felt that the roastiness gets a bit overpowering as it gets warmer.

Overall this is one of the best black lagers I've had, and is a good fall beer or a dark beer you can drink in warmer months. It was especially good with salty food. It's not a beer style I gravitate towards frequently, but this was a good representation.

Worth it?
One of the better black lagers, though a bit pricy. As I stated, I'm not one to buy black lagers frequently. But if you like the style or you're put off by the big sweet stouts, perhaps give this a try.

The Final Word

 

Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

The Dirt
Fresh Hop beers are an interesting bread, something I haven't experienced much of but look forward to becoming more versed in. It's a beer that's made with fresh hops right off the vine rather than freeze-dried hops or hop pellets, giving the beer the freshest hop flavor possible. I'm told they're often less bitter and have more of the flavoring notes. They usually are best consumed ASAP so not to lose the freshness. I tried this Port Brewing version during the past fall peak.

My first impression was that this wet hop IPA tasted like a hopped up pale ale, as it was a bit light for an IPA, though that's probably due to the process. The fresh hop profile lingers throughout, but mainly is piney for the last 2/3 of the beer. Unlike my expectations, this led to a bit more bitterness than I expected at the end of its taste. I'm guessing there's also less malt in the beer, allowing the full impact of the hops to come out.

All in all this wasn't too bad, but didn't stand out as much as I hoped. Perhaps it was the hop selection used, as I was hoping for a more floral/herbal explosion rather than the piney notes. I usually like a bit more malt involved when hops with a piney character are used, creating a nice balance between bitter and sweet.

Worth it?
The bomber was only like $5 or $6, so yes. However, I look forward to trying other fresh hop beers to compare. This was certainly one of the cheaper ones I saw on the shelf.

The Final Word