The other day my wife and I were invited by some friends to their home for dinner.  These friends are fun to visit, have a delightful pug that has adopted me and always have great food and drink, including a wide and delicious range of beers (and Scotch!).  That evening we tried three different beers – Green Flash Hop Head Red, North Coast Pranqster Belgian-style Golden Ale, and Ommegang Abbey Ale.  Here are my tasting notes:

Green Flash Hop Head Red India Pale Ale (7% ABV / 70 IBUs) – Founded in 2002, Green Flash is one of my favorite west coast breweries and has won nine awards at the Great American Beer Festival so far.  This includes three wins in 2012 in  three highly competitive categories: Le Freak took GOLD in the American Belgo category, Trippel won GOLD in the Belgian Style Abbey Ale category and Silva Stout took SILVER in the Wood-and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category.  All three of these beers are delicious and I’m looking forward to writing about them in the future (I still have some now unobtainable first release Silva Stout in my cellar).  Hop Head Red has won its share of awards also, including Great American Beer Festival 2009 Bronze and 2007 Silver (American Red Ale category) and World Beer Cup 2008 Gold (American Red Ale category).  Hop Head Red pours a clear red copper color and has a tan foam head with tiny bubbles.  This beer is made with Columbus, Nugget and Amarillo hops and has an enticing grapefruit aroma with floral and pine resin undertones (from Amarillo dry hopping).  Hop Head Red is medium-bodied with balanced carbonation.  Flavors of strong hops bitterness are integrated well with malt, grapefruit, orange, and pine resin.  The beer has a dry finish with a pleasant lingering bitterness.  This is a delicious and well-made beer that makes me want to yell “HOP HEAD FREAKS UNITE: Who are you? Where are you? How are you?” or maybe I’m just having a “green flashback” to my Grateful Dead concert days.

North Coast Pranqster Belgian-style Golden Ale (7.6% ABV / 20 IBUs) – North Coast Brewing Company opened in 1988 as a local brewpub in Fort Bragg, California and has won more than 70 awards in national and international competitions.  Pranqster has won numerous awards including GOLD at the 2003, 2002, 1998, and 1996 World Beer Championships held in Chicago. According to North Coast, Pranqster is brewed using a culture of antique yeast strains.  This beer pours a deep golden straw color with white foam head of tiny bubbles.  Pranqster has a floral aroma coupled with barnyard hay and malt.  This beer is medium-bodied with prickly carbonation.  Flavors of citrus fruit, earthy spice, and grain abound.  Pranqster has a sweet caramel and grain finish.  This is a well-crafted beer that is very drinkable.

Ommegang Abbey Ale (8.5% ABV / 20 IBUs)  – Most people know Cooperstown, NY as the home of America’s favorite sports pastime, but it is also the home of Ommegang Brewery.  Founded in 1997, Ommegang is a member of the Duvel Moortgat family of breweries and is a renowned brewing powerhouse of Belgian style beers (as well as beers themed from Game of Thrones).  Abbey Ale was Ommegang’s first beer and was styled after Dubbels produced by Belgian Trappist monks.  This beer won the 2010 World Beer Cup Gold Medal for Belgian Dubbel Ale beer style.  Abbey Ale uses several Belgian specialty malts (Pils, amber, Munich, and aroma) and spices (coriander, sweet orange peel, star anise, licorice root, and cumin) resulting in a very aromatic, flavorful beer. This beer pours a very dark red-brown color with thick tan foam head consisting of tiny bubbles.  Abbey Ale has a rich aroma of candied dark fruits and caramel malt.  This beer is full-bodied with rich peppery carbonation.  Flavors of dark fruits (figs and prunes) coat your tongue to start, followed by caramel malt and bread. Hints of clove, anise, and citrus peel are intricately interwoven into the complex flavor layers.  Abbey Ale has a wonderfully delicate, dry finish but also with a tantalizing sweetness and subtle hops bitterness.  This is a world-class Belgian monastery style Dubbel beer that delivers an out of the park home run!  

A very heartfelt thanks to our friends for a delightful evening that included some exceptional beers!