Yuri broos!!

[Dude]

I got a very nice surprise package in the mail this morning, I'm already sampling!

Lake Walk Pale Ale:

WOW. This is friggin' awesome.

Packaging: Very unique, reused aluminum Bud Light bottles. Neck label indicating the name of the beer.

Pour: Nice puffy head, like a giant pillow. It stays around too. Color is a beautiful coppery gold, slightly cloudy (Could be due to my pouring skills). The Bud bottles seem to hold more than 12 ounces. I couldn't get a full beer into a regular pint glass. That's what I call getting my money's worth!!!!!

Aroma: Holy fright. Freaking killer. Tropical, fruity, spicy, sweet. It really hits you hard, immediately.

Taste: Very, very nice. First, carbonation is perfect. This one is certainly all about the hops, but even through the dryness of the beer (I like a fairly dry pale ale ) you get a residual sweetness. It lays on the tongue and lips nicely. Slightly bitter finish (just like it should be).

Additional comments:
When Yuri brewed this, I was pretty excited. I had no idea it would be this good. This is just a totally awesome beer. He brewed it better than I ever could. The aroma is the best I've ever gotten in a beer, that includes commercial beers. He nailed this recipe, IMHO. If you get a chance to try this, you are VERY lucky.



DISCLAIMER: If I do a review, I make sure to be honest. I think it is a dis-service to not give an honest review. If a beer has a fault, I'm gonna tell you--whether it is in an aroma, the taste, or something simple like no carbonation or too much carbonation.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Didn't expect such a glowing review, but I'll take it! Thank you!
(EDIT: SWMBO says she needs a cold shower after your review...)

BTW, those bottles hold 16 oz, so you'll definitely get a full glass.

I first had Lake Walk at Dude's house - we got a little druck on the stuff, and it really made an impression. He posted the recipe, so I had to snag it and give it a try. It's definitely going to become a bit of a staple brew around here.

Side note: I took 5 gallons of this with me to put in the break room at work (we only drink AFTER the day's done). Most folks really enjoyed it, a few didn't like it, one thought it was spiced with holiday spices (all hops...just hops!), and one young kid asked, "Where did you get that awful beer?!" When I told him I made it he backpedaled and told me he usually only drinks "hoppy" beers like Newcastle and stuff, so this wasn't his style. Umm, sure...

 

[Dude]

Thunderstruck Pumpkin Ale

Pour: No carbonation whatsoever. No foam, no head. VERY clear, very appealing color to it. Coppery, amber, and did I mention clear?

Nose: Holy pumpkin batman! Great, immediate, hit you in the face pumpkin and clove.

Taste: Good blast of pumpkiny sweetness right off the bat. The spices come into play more towards the middle and sweetness lingers to the end. The sweet is a nice, brown sugarish, almost caramel (hint of raisin) deluge that is all over the tongue.

Comments: Too sweet. If this wasn't so sweet, it would be the perfect pumpkin beer. The spices and pumpkin flavor are perfectly balanced in it--not too much of one or the other. I wish this would have been carbonated more--I think it would have counter-acted the sweetness.

Overall: Yuri, this would be a kickass beer if you cut down on residual sweetness. Send me some next year, please.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

As usual, I love the honesty! I agree 100% with the overly, cloyingly, sickeningly sweet comment. I mashed too low, and it fermented really dry, so I backsweetened with Splenda, and I used about 3 times more than I needed (miscalculation is a *****!). Next year's batch will be much improved over this one.

Sucks about the carbonation. I just poured one last night that was bottled at the same time, and it was carbonated nicely. It's hard to drink more than a pint, though, as the carbonation doesn't cut the sweetness as much as I wish it would. I think I sent more than one bottle...hopefully the other couple held their carbonation!