NorCal Craft Beers

Russian River and Sierra Nevada’s Brux Collaboration. A 3 of 4. Really nice orange color and lacing to this. Relatively tart and clean, as well as some interesting light fruit notes. Subtlety seems to be key here - some really nice yeast notes and complexity buried in a very dry body. I have another bottle of this stashed away, and am looking forward to seeing how the funk develops over time.

pleasing yet expensive ($8/22 oz)

Tasty stout. Very rich flavor. by ahh_chieu http://instagr.am/p/WOSZzHJMe9/

Ruhstaller’s 1881 Red Ale. A 3 of 4. My first from this brewery, and quite a satisfying one. Beautiful color and lacing - some herbal/earthy hops are noticeable, but not too strong. The body is nuttier than most red ales, but has your typical caramel sweetness to. Quite a thin body, which makes this very, very easy to drink. Solid stuff.

Lagunitas “Imperial Stout” Russian Imperial Stout: Another fine beer by Lagunitas. Pleasant nutty, roasty, chocolate aroma with a bit of coffee. Nice roasted coffee characteristics in the back of the palate with semi-sweet malts front and center. Has a chocolatey profile, which isn’t overpowering. Enough to let you know it’s there, but wont steal the show. Slightly creamy (definitely not thin) with a decent amount of carbonation for a stout. Fair amount of bitterness, clocking in at 72.45 IBUs, and the alcohol is very well hidden for being 9.9%. I prefer this to Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout.