Impromptu Beer Tasting

A friend stopped by on Friday evening and we had a few beers he had picked up at Escondido's Holiday Wine Cellar, and made a brief trip to Ballast Point. The first beer we tried was a Japanese beer, Hitachino's Nest Beer, Classic Japanese Ale. BeerAdvocate lists this as an English India Pale Ale, and there were enough hops that I will not quibble on the classification. This beer tasted unique, but good. It was spicy on the front, with a solid hop finish. I could not determine the spice, but the bottle said it had been aged in cedar barrels. Maybe it was cedar (duh). It had a pleasant, hoppy smell. It was an interesting, drinkable beer. I had never heard of Hitachino before, nor did I know that this type of beer was brewed in Japan. I just assumed that Kirin and Sapparo were the primary choices - Japan's version of fizzy yellow beer.

Next, we took a quick trip to Ballast Point to get bombers of Tongue Buckler and Scuplin (not to be consumed until a later date). I mention this sidebar excursion only to talk about Ballast Point's Pescadaro Pilsner. I don't normally reach for pilsners as my ale prejudices are hard to break. But Pescadaro tasted great, and it was good to get my pilsner perception tweaked. Apparently when Ballast Point brewed this version of Pescadaro it made a slight mistake and the alcohol level is about a percent higher than normal (6.4% v. 5.4%). Maybe this is why it was so good. Serendipity.

The final beer we tried was Bear Republic's Red Rocktet Ale. It is hard to believe I have never tried this beer. My friend raves about this beer, and bought it specifically so I could try it. I am glad he brought it, as I really liked this beer. It is rich and malty, but had a strong dose of hops. I tend to be cautions on red ales because I have had some bad ones. I wish all red ales were as good as Red Rocket Ale.