Day 330: Somersault

Name: Somersault

Brewer: New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)

Classification: American Blonde Ale

Alcohol: 5.2%

Thoughts: I have said this before and I am going to say it again, beware of the perfect score. Nothing is perfect in mind, everything can be made better. Especially beer, because unless the look, smell, taste and feel of your beer puts you into a state of euphoria that would last forever, it ain't perfect! This beer, Somersault, got a perfect score from BeerAdvocate.com. I'd like to go ahead and call "Bullshit" on this one. While this is a great beer, and it is, there is no way that a Blonde Ale could be perfect. They aren't complex enough and they aren't interesting enough. And I feel bad for this beer because that is such a burden to carry. For the rest of its existence this beer will have to live with the notion that someone claimed it to be perfect. This is like a "Jesus Beer". And while the radiant copper-gold color and the sharp sweet smell and the fantastic floral and citrus taste are all great, it's just not perfect. And neither is my punctuation. Far from it. 

Rating: 86/100

Day 329: Woody Creek White

Name: Woody Creek White

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Classification: Witbier

Alcohol: 4.8%

Thoughts: Finally a really good beer from Flying Dog! Woody Creek White is a Summer Seasonal that Flying Dog offers and it is really tasty. This witbier pours a muted gold that is somewhere between yellow and orange in color. The light, billowy white head looks like a floating cloud on top of this beer. It smells of banana, wheat and clove, but all in a very fresh way. It doesn't seem like its been sitting in a bottle for months. The taste is very citrusy with a touch of banana, and a hefty dose of pepper and coriander to give it a spicy kick. Not to big of kick, but a good sized one. Wheat and Belgian yeast round out the rest of the flavors. This beer turns out to by an "Anytime, Anywhere" beer. Meaning I'd drink it anytime, anywhere. 

Rating: 85/100

Day 328: Hell or High Watermelon

Name: Hell or High Watermelon

Brewer: 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco, CA)

Classification: Witbier

Alcohol: 4.9%

Thoughts: I've been trying to get my mitts on this mother-humper for a long time now. I could never find in a store and never get to a bar that had it on tap. But I finally found and it it could not have happened on better day. It's June 1st, which means summer is officially underway! I decided to drink this beer straight from the can since that is what I do with all my canned beers. I mean, if the brewers cared what the beer looked like then they would have bottled it. The smell and taste are practically identical. The wheat malts are bready and a bit short of being fresh. The hops are tart and really dry. The carbonation tickles the nose on the smell and the throat on the taste. It is a very bubbly beer. Then comes the watermelon, and it comes in way late. All these other things happen and you are waiting for the watermelon to kick in, and right before you give up it shows up for the last dance. It twirls sweetness and fruit together on your palate like a cement mixer creating a very unique sensation. I don't think this is a great beer, but it is a successful one. I would whole-heartedly recommend it, but with a warning: it's not perfect.

Rating: 80/100