Westbrook It's Tiki Time Review

Name: Westbrook It's Tiki Time
Style: Sour Ale
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 5

Time to take a look at a brewery that I’ve seen quite a bit about online but have never had the chance to check out until just very recently, and that brewery is Westbrook Brewing Company. The beer we’re looking at is named “It’s Tiki Time!” As you might’ve guessed, it’s a tropical-themed sour beer made with a laundry list of ingredients, which are: allspice, cinnamon, guava, key lime, lactose, passionfruit, pineapple & vanilla.

This is a brand new beer from them and they certainly sound excited about it because on their website, they proudly proclaim that “IT IS TIME TO TIKI.”

But is it though?

Appearance - Dark orange with lots of visible carbonation. The head has a thin foamy look to it with some spotty lacing.

Aroma – I'm picking up on some pineapple and guava notes with some light allspice and cinnamon notes.

Taste – Right away I'm getting some vibrant pineapple and guava notes in the front of the palate with passionfruit and lactose notes on the back. In the aftertaste, those Cinnamon & Allspice notes are prevalent without being too overpowering along with a mild lime tartness.

With all the flavors going down in this beer, it’s honestly very easy to see why Westbrook just can’t contain themselves because this beer is astounding. This might rank up there with Church Giggles as being one of my favorite sours that I’ve had thus far.

Westbrook It’s Tiki Time – 9.5/10

Iron Horse Quilter's Irish Death Review

Name: Iron Horse Quilter’s Irish Death
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 7.8%
IBUs: 12

Up next in my monthly Tavour package is a beer from Iron Horse Brewery, based out of Ellensburg, WA and it’s called Quilter’s Irish Death. Now doing some research about this beer, I found out two things. First is that they really don’t have a classification for what kind of beer this is, though Beer Advocate and Untappd both classify this as an American Strong Ale. Secondly, this beer is named after Jim Quilter, who was one of the founders of Iron Horse who passed in 2009. If my research is correct, this beer is also one of the flagship offerings.

That being said, I’m excited to try this out, so let’s take a look!

Appearance – A clear dark brown/crimson color with a mild amount of visible carbonation when held up to a light. The head itself has a thin, tan-colored look to it and the lacing left behind is on the spotty side.

Aroma – Strong chocolate and toffee malts permeate throughout the nose with some potent rum raisin and floral hops.

Taste – Right off the bat, I’m getting some strong chocolate malt and rum raisin notes while the back of the palate opens up to that toffee maltiness and mild floral hoppiness. As for the aftertaste, it’s a mix of floral hops and dark chocolate, both of which linger for a couple of moments.

It’s not too often you see a Strong Ale as part of a flagship offering but I have to say that I can see why Iron Horse does that with this beer, plus it’s a nice break from all the IPAs and juice bombs I’ve been having as of late. If I were you, I’d pick this up or put this on your list at the very least!

Iron Horse Quilter’s Irish Death – 9/10

Jester King Unfiltered Pilsner Review

Name: Jester King Unfiltered Pilsner
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 5.1%
IBUs: N/A

As much as I love supporting the local craft beer scene here in Minnesota, I yearn for beers from other parts of the country. Were this 2015/2016, I'd opt for using r/beertrade on Reddit. However Reddit decided to shut that down back in 2018 which doesn't surprise me since Reddit had been, in my opinion, declining steadily into lameness for a few years at that point

In any case, I discovered Tavour one evening while using Untappd a month back and well....I haven't looked back since. I got a good variety of beers that I personally selected from them and I'll be taking a look at all of them.

One of these beers is from none other than Jester King Brewing, based out of Austin, TX. Today, I have their Unfiltered Pilsner, which is described as Jester King's first Pale Lager. This might not seem like such a big deal but when you consider that pretty much all of their beers are wild ales & sours, it's kind of a big deal.

Alright, enough talk, let's take a look at this beer.

Appearance - Cloudy golden color with lots of visible carbonation. The head itself is thin but with good retention and the lacing left behind is on the lighter side.

Aroma - Pilsner malts and floral hops mixed with some bready biscuit notes that comes off almost like fresh bread!

Taste - Upfront, you've got some potent Pilsner malts and floral hops while the back opens up to some vibrant lemon grass and biscuity notes. The aftertaste is a mixture floral and light bitter hoppiness.

Maybe it's because of how fresh it is or the ingredients used in this beer but I'm seriously digging this Pilsner! Everything is balanced perfectly but that biscuit flavor, for me, seals the deal. I already knew Jester King was a phenomenal brewery but this beer proves that they can make an excellent Pale Lager-style beer!

Jester King Unfiltered Pilsner - 9/10

Humble Forager Elevated Perspective Review

Name: Humble Forager Elevated Perspective
Style: Imperial IPA (Hazy/NE Style)
ABV: 8%
IBUs: N/A

So there’s a fairly popular brewpub based in Rochester, MN called Forager Brewing and they have a massive following, with people traveling far and wide just to grab their beers. Well, Forager wanted to distribute their beer but current Minnesota State Laws prohibit brewpubs from distributing (for now.) So the people at Forager decided to contract brew their beer at Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, WI to help circumvent this strange law that we have in place here in Minnesota.

Now at some point, once things like diseases and murder hornets give up their vendetta against the human race, I intend to visit the original Forager brewpub in Rochester because has been on my to-do list since before this whole fiasco started. With all that said, I managed to snag something from Humble Forager at one of my local haunts. I give to you their Elevated Perspective, an Imperial Hazy IPA made with Vic Secret, Sultana & Galaxy hops. I’m eager to see what this beer is like, given the hype surrounding Forager, so let’s take a look at this.

Appearance – Hazy orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation rising from the bottom. The head starts foamy but manages to maintain a thin retention throughout and the lacing left behind is on the spottier side.

Aroma – The nose starts off with a nice orange peel and kiwi sweetness with just a touch of mango that follows afterwards, all of which is encompassed by a solid pale maltiness.

Taste – Upfront, I’m picking up on some vibrant mango and kiwi notes, while the back gives way to a nice pineapple fruitiness and pale malt backbone. In the aftertaste, it’s a mixture of light orange peel and mild bitter hoppiness.

I can definitely see why people are fans of Forager. While I still can’t yet compare the flavor to that of the original Rochester location, if this beer is any indication, then I can’t wait to visit the source once the world stops trying to kill us all. Until then, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more offerings from Humble Forager!

Humble Forager Elevated Perspective – 9/10

Summit Cabin Crusher Review

Name: Summit Cabin Crusher
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 4.8%
IBUs: 30

As the temperatures continue to crawl their ways upwards, I figure I’d do my best to get feature some lighter beers and as luck would have it, I have just the one for this spring weather. I give to you Summit’s Cabin Crusher, a Kolsch-style ale made with lime peel and puree along with Lemon Drop & Loral hops. First released in 2019 as part of their variety packs, it’s since gained a large enough following to where it’s now available for people to purchase in standalone 4-packs, 6-packs and 12-packs

Appearance – Hazy yellow color with a good amount of visible carbonation. The head itself is fairly foamy and there’s a good amount of lacing left behind along the sides of the glass.

Aroma – Right away, I’m hit with a nice pale/pilsner maltiness and lime scent, along with just a touch of those citra-lemon hops and barley.

Taste – On the front of the palate, I’m getting some solid pale maltiness and those lemon-citra hops, while the back end of the palate opens up to that lime sweetness with a touch of biscuits. The aftertaste is, for the most part, fairly dry save for a light hop bitterness.

For a beer that is intended for drinking in “Cabin Country,” there’s quite a bit going on here if you really pay attention. Yet at the same time, you don’t necessarily need to turn your brain on to appreciate what this beer has to offer. Whether you’re sitting around a bonfire, fishing on your favorite lake, or having it in the comfort of your home in Suburbia like yours truly; I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy drinking this.

Summit Cabin Crusher – 8.5/10

Bent Paddle Wilderness Tuxedo P.O.G. Review

Name: Bent Paddle Wilderness Tuxedo P.O.G.
Style: Berliner Weisse
ABV: 4.4%
IBUs: 10

Bent Paddle has certainly come a long way since they first opened their doors in 2013. I recall a time where they had maybe 3-4 canned offerings available for purchase when they first opened and now they've got a much wider variety of options to choose from.

One of these options is their Wilderness Tuxedo series, a rotating series of Berliner Weisse beers which has gained a huge following amongst fans of Bent Paddle. The beer I'll be looking at today is their Wilderness Tuxedo P.O.G., which stands for Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava.

Appearance - Hazy yellow color with a light amount of visible carbonation. The head has a rather soapy look to it with no lacing retention.

Aroma - I'm picking up on some nice mango, melon and orange notes along with a light amount of floral hoppiness.

Tastes - Upfront I get some nice potent orange and passion fruit notes, which the back opens to more of a mango-like fruitness that is equally as potent before finishing with a tart aftertaste.

Wilderness Tuxedo P.O.G. shows to me just how versatile the brewery is at nailing different styles of beer. That goes without saying that this is an excellent beer and one that'll have me looking out for more offerings in the series going forward.

Bent Paddle Wilderness Tuxedo P.O.G. - 9/10