St. John Brewers revisited

A year ago I visited St. Thomas with family. During that trip we ventured to St. John for the day to experience the beautiful white sand beaches and clear blue waters. We ended up at the Tap Room in Mongoose Junction. It was here that I got a real taste for St. John Brewers beers.

















This year hubby and I decided to take a vacation to St. Thomas. For a day trip, we took the ferry to St. John. We drove the wicked windy roads, saw the sights, swam in the sea. All the typical touristy things.

Of course we stopped into the Tap Room for some cold brews and a meal. There were some beers on tap that I hadn't had before; that's always a good thing!

I started out with a Liquid Sunshine, a Belgian Blonde (5% ABV) which I'd seen listed on beer menus everywhere on St. Thomas but everyone seemed to be out of. It was light and delightful and I wish I could have had more of it.

Hubby got a Roundabout Coffee Stout; which he was sweet enough to share. Especially, since we both appreciate a good coffee stout. It was a good, smooth brew with just the right amount of coffee flavor.

This was followed up with a Hard Cider which was tasty and refreshing.








But, hands down, the best beer we had was Mongose. As the name might implies, it is a gose (5.1% ABV). I'm a fan of sours and more recently goses. My local brewery, Two Roads, makes a wicked good Gose that is a collaboration with Evil Twin. So, I was very interested in comparing and contrasting the two.

The Mongose is a richer, golden color. The taste is fuller and has a fruity character, mango perhaps, that is absent from  Geyser Gose. Similarly, it's mildly salty, as a gose should be. I asked the source of the salt; salt ponds was the reply; ew. Nonetheless, Mongose is a refreshing, delicious beer. Though quite different in flavor, Mongose and Geyser Gose are comparatively delicious. We had more than one. Yum!

Meet the Brewer - Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso

Two Roads hosted the second of their "Meet the Brewers" events. The first one featured the beer guys at Two Roads. You know, those adorable and hardworking fellows who make all that beerific magic happen.

This time they featured the well known and much respected gypsy brewer from Evil Twin, Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso. Evil Twin is known for excellent creative beers and Two Roads contract brews several of Jeppe's recipes.

Jeppe is low key and reserved and he quietly participated in the event. Graciously speaking to people who wanted to chat with him and generously allowing photos to be taken but declined to hop up on the bar and speak to the crowd.

I was delighted to find three of his brews on tap for tasting. A grabbed my sampler of three without hesitation.

Hipster Ale (5.5% ABV) is an American Pale Ale.  It pours a clear rich honey gold with a clingy froth of foam the left behind lovely lacing. The aroma was tart and fruity with floral and spicy hop notes. The taste was immediately brisk and mildly hoppy. Flavors of juicy citrus, biscuit, and caramelized sugars compliment and add character. The finish is dry and gently bitter. The mouthfeel is light, crisp, and effervescent. Lovely! Overall: very good

Yang (10% ABV) is an Imperial / Double IPA. It pours a clear cherry read with a thin layer of foam. The aroma is malty, boozy, and incredibly mouth watering. The taste is big and boozy. Biting citrus hops, earthy pine, juicy fruits, sweet malt, and cracker offset the burst of, well, big booziness. This is a complex beer with intense flavor. The mouthfeel is medium with tight lively carbonation. Overall: very good.





Ryan and the Beaster Bunny (7% ABV) is a Farmhouse Ale that has, dare I say, the most awesome name ever. Also, I dare say, this was more like a hefeweizen to me than a saison. That's not a bad thing, just an observation. It is sunny gold in color with a fluffy head that laces up quite nicely. The aromas is sweet and yeasty and gently funky. The taste is soft and wheaty. Mildly spicy and malty. There are also flavors of banana, bubble gum, and clove which gives me the impression of a hefe. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. This is an exceptionally drinkable beer. I'm a hop head but I favor this brew over the others. It simply rocks! Overall: excellent

If getting the chance to sample those yummy brews on tap wasn't awesome enough, a bottle of Bozo Beer magically appeared. Like magic, I say! I was thrilled to be invited to have a taste.

Bozo Beer (17.2% ABV) American Imperial / Double Stout. Holy Moly this is an amazing stout. Think of everything you like about a stout and this is pretty much it. WOWZERS. It pours as dark as thick black oil with a dense mocha head. The aroma is malty, coffee, cocoa, and sweet spices. The taste is complex and wonderful. Coffee, sweet & dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, nuts, chili peppers, cinnamon, light and dark sugars. So many flavors combined so well; it's hard to grasp them all. What's most impressive is that the alcohol is so remarkably well concealed. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Wow, what a great beer. Get some! Overall: Excellent

Molotov Cocktail

Evil Twin is a gypsy brewer who has no roots in any particular brewery. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø goes from brewery to brewery creating master works of beer. He's got an excellent reputation for good quality, imaginative brews. I have yet to be disappointed by any Evil Twin beer.

I'm kind of proud to say that my hometown brewery, Two Roads, is contracted to brew beer for Evil Twin. Not only does Two Roads brew some fantastic beer of their own but they're doing a great job making beer for Evil Twin.

Wow, good stuff!







Molotov Cocktail (13.00% ABV) Pours a clear reddish amber. Even with an aggressive pour, it produced little head and left almost no lacing. Not surprising considering the alcohol content.

The aroma is sweet malt, citrus hops, and somewhat dank.

The taste is hoppy, tart candied fruit; juicy and mouth watering. Contrasting quite nicely with the sweetness is resinous, earthy hops.Toasted malt also has solid footing in the brew although the hops dominate.  The alcohol is remarkably well concealed; for such a high ABV thereis almost no booziness. The finish is pleasantly bitter.

The mouth feel is medium but crisp. The alcohol makes its presence known here with a nice tingly warmth. Very nice.

Molotov Cocktail is one of the best double IPA's I've had the pleasure of tasting. It's beautiful to look at, it smells wonderful, and it tastes fabulous. I love it!

Overall: excellent.

Femme Fatale Blanc

The other day I kicked back to enjoy a frosty cold brew by Evil Twin.

I was like, "Mmmm, this smells wonderful." Then I tasted it and was like, "Wow, this is a good beer!"

Hubby was like, "I thought you hated contract brewers."

**sigh**

No, I don't hate contract brewers.  What I don't like is brewer who promote the illusion of having an established brewery and producing their own beer. Making no mention of contracting out their brewing nor of the brewery who is doing the work.  Meanwhile, another brewery is making their beer and slapping the other brewers label on the bottle.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't have respect for that.

Yes, I know that the contractor uses the other brewers recipe.  And, if they are reputable, will respect the recipe and follow it to the letter.  I also know that not all breweries who produce contract beers are so dutiful. And, for that, I have even more disdain.

It's even worse for when I don't even like the beer the contractor makes under their own name.

What I don't have problem with is a brewer - notice I didn't say brewery - like Evil Twin.  Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø is a globe trotting brewer who goes from brewery to brewery creating master works of beer.  There is no pretense or bait-and-switch.  He clearly states on his website that his beer is manufactured in many different breweries around the world. And it states on the label where the beer is produced and bottled. That is something I can appreciate.

So, no.  I do not hate contract brewers.  What I don't like is being misled and deceived.





Femme Fatale Blanc (6.00% ABV) is an IPA by Evil Twin is brewed at Westbrook Brewing.

It pours a dense honey color with a big floofy white head that leaves behind loose but lingering lacing on the glass.

The aroma is simply marvelous.  Sweet citrus and juicy fruits contrasting with sharp resin, bread and spices.

The taste is just as good. Bright but not overly bitter citrus complimented nicely with other fruits, sweet grains, clove and yeast.  There's a lovely chardonnay like quality that is wonderful.  There's also an underlayer of dank hops that I don't typically enjoy but, because it doesn't dominated the flavor profile, it works well in this beer.  The finish is clean and leaves behind a lingering bite of hops.

The mouth feel is medium with lively carbonation.

Femme Fatale Blanc is easy drinking, delicious.  There's a lot going on in this beer and  it's fantastic!

Overall: excellent!

Prime 16 - Beer and Burgers

Last night was the opening of the Orange location of Prime 16 - tap house and burger bar. Opening nights are often pretty rough; as much for the staff  as for the patrons.   I'll admit there were a few hiccups in our service but, overall, it was good.  We were promptly greeted and seated.  Due to some technical difficulties our server was delayed.  However, from the moment Wolfgang arrived at our table he was eager, courteous and timely.  

Prime 16 has a great menu with some creative burger choices. As much as I love a good burger I was really there for the beer.  

Prime 16 has 30 craft beers on tap.  That's pretty extraordinary. But its the quality and diversity of the draft brews that really impressive. Obviously, I couldn't try them all. Thankfully, I had already had the pleasure of several of those on the list so I was able to narrow down my choices somewhat. There were still many interesting beers to choose from.

I shared a few with my husband and got samples of a couple others.  I wish I could have tried more but we all have our limits.  But I happily put a nice little dent in the beer menu.





Existent Black Saison (7.4% ABV) by Stillwater Artisanal Ales served in an 8-ounce wine goblet.  The appearance was black and dense as pitch with the remnants of a bright creamy head that left behind nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was interesting for a saison, roasty coffee with a whiff of wheat.  The flavor was equally intriguing.  A combination of coffee, tart citrus and wheat. It finishes dark roasty coffee.  Medium mouthfeel with nice carbonation. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but it does.  Think black IPA and farmhouse saison and you'll get a general idea.  Overall: very good!

Even More Jesus Russian Imperial Stout (12.00% ABV) by Evil Twin Brewing served in a scant 6-ounce snifter glass at a whopping $11 pricetag.  The manager explained that there were only 3 kegs of this brew in the state, so it's a rarity but still . . .  The appearance was black as black with the remains of a dense mocha colored head.  The booze is immediately detectable in the nose followed by espresso.  The taste is roasty coffee and dark chocolate with a brandy-like quality.  The finish is pleasantly bitter.  The mouthfeel is full and creamy with nice carbonation. The alcohol add a pleasant warming sensation. It's interesting to note that the beer gets sweeter as it rises to room temperature.  Take your time to experience the nuances this brew has to offer.  Overall: excellent.

Le Freak Belgian IPA (9.20% ABV) by Green Flash Brewing served in an 8-ounce wine goblet.  The appearance was a bright hazy gold with a skim of foam. The aroma is citrus and floral hops with a tease of wheat.  The taste is immediately bitter.  The hops are tempered by the sweetness of the malt and grains.  Very nicely balanced.  The finish is crisp and bitter.  The alcohol is very well disguised.  A tasty brew!  Overall: very good!




La Fin Du Monde Belgian Trippel (9.00% ABV) by Unibroue served as a sample.  The appearance was a cloudy lemon color with a trace of a head.  The aroma is a combination of fruit, wheat and spice with a definite booziness.  The taste is very much the same with a clear alcohol presence.  The finish is clean and warming. This is a bold but very drinkable brew.  Overall: excellent

Nuova Mattina Italian Saison (5.00% ABV) by Birrificio Del Ducato served in an 8-ounce wine goblet.  The appearance was a hazy honey gold with a fluffy white head.  The aroma is wheaty with a tease of citrus.  The taste is lemon and other citrus flavors with a solid wheat backbone.  There is also a hint of clove.  The finish is crisp and clean.  Overall: very good.


Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (9.50% ABV) by Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing served as a sample.  The appearance was a deep rich cherry with a fringe of foam around the edge of the glass.  The aroma as dark fruits, brown sugar, roasty grains and a hint of smoke.  The flavor is sweet malts, dark fruit and something off I couldn't quite put my finger on.  The is a clear alcohol presence that is both tasted and felt.  The finish is boozy.  Very brandy-like. Overall: very good.

Humboldt Brown Hemp Ale (5.70% ABV) by Firestone Walker Brewing served in an 16-ounce shaker pint glass.  The appearance was dark brown with cherry highlights with a bright white head.  The aroma is very mellow with hints of malt and must. The flavor was very light.  A little malty, a little bitter and something indecipherable (hemp?).  Really not all that interesting and lacking.  Overall:  meh



Black Cherry Hard Cider (5% ABV) by Mckenzie's Hard Cider served on the rocks in a tall pilsner glass. The aroma is very very black cherry.  The taste is the perfect combination of black cherry and hard apple cider.  This is a seriously tasty beverage!  The mouthfeel is light, cool and refreshing.  Exceptional drinkability.  This is a winner!! Overall: excellent.

I was duly impressed by the fact that each of the beers were served the perfect temperature for the style.  The stout was served on the warmer side while the IPA was chilled to perfection.  

Many of the pours were much smaller than I expected.  So, I questioned the manager about how they decided which glassware to select for each beer.  The size and style of the glass is determined by four factors: alcohol volume, style, availability and cost.

Understandable, however, I still think the pours were short in many cases.  And, I thought some of the prices were out of line for what was delivered.  That being said, the brews were varied and interesting.

I also enjoyed a burger.  I ordered the Stuffed Mushroom Burger with a side of Black and Tan Onion Rings.  The burger was cooked just right and was really yummy (could've been a might bit bigger).  The onion rings were crisp and tasty.

Prime 16 has a fantastic selection of beer, good food, pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff.  

I think given time and a little tweaking they'll be a great place for burgers and beer.

Give them a shot!

Update (6/1/13):  I received an e-mail from Bob Potter (owner of Prime 16) regarding my review of Even More Jesus Russian Imperial Stout.  He says that this is a 9.25 ounce brandy snifter with a 7-8 ounce pour.