blue heron pale ale

[studentofbeer]

i said i thought this brewery was overrated, and fret said he really liked them, so i started with this blue heron. i'd say the jury is still out on my opinion on this brewery, and i will have to try some more of their beers to really make up my mind. This one had some ups and downs, as you will see--

pours a relatively clear orange blossom honey, on the light side, reminiscent of a pint of best bitter, with a cap of soft ivory foam.

smell is tangerine, orange, lemon peel and baked bread. pretty inviting and different from some pale ales. according to their website it is bittered with cluster and finished with cascade, but the cascade seems different than what you find in SNPA.

good medium mouthfeel, slightly creamy, with a balance of hop bitterness and bready malt. Lemony acidic flavor sharpens the hop bite. not a huge aftertaste at first, but it leaves a lasting bitterness on the back of the tongue that starts out ok but grows in intensity and perhaps lingers too long given the lack of other flavors playing around in there. There is also a noticeable alcohol bite in the middle that integrates in the hop flavor at first but still happens stands out quite a bit on the tail end. The aftertaste and mouthfeel at the end and into the finish remind me a bit of taking a shot of vodka.

Drinkability and mouthfeel drop a bit because of the alcohol notes, and the overall strong 6.1% abv for a pale ale. the overall taste is pleasant but the aftertaste has a coarse, hard liquor-like flavor to it. Im curious as to whether that is the cluster hops at work, or their yeast strain. I decided to take points off for taste because I like the creamy texture of the beer, it's just the burning in the back of the throat that seems a bit off. i guess you just have to keep putting it in your mouth and not spend too much time with no beer going down the hatch!

[fretlessman71]

Hmmm... that burning sensation doesn't ring any bells with me - maybe the beer has changed over the years? The last time I had a BH was nearly 10 years ago, if not more. I'm thrilled you gave it another shot, even if you're not totally convinced! :)

[studentofbeer]

do you have a favorite of theirs? trader joes carries quite a number of their brews. next i think i will try the IPA and the stout, and maybe the strong ale as well.

[fretlessman71]

It's been awhile, so I can't say for sure, but I seem to recall my brother being pretty fond of the IPA. I don't see their brews here in CO, so I'm out of the loop here. We got bottles of beer as Christmas gifts one year from my sis in Beaverton. :) Just go and be brave! Find a good beer store that lets you make a mixer sixer and get 'em all!

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
and the overall strong 6.1% abv for a pale ale

Wow - that is pretty high. I used to drink the Red Tail quite a bit when the micro-boon was at its peak. Had a bottle of the Eye of the Hawk a few weeks ago - I think I mistakenly thought it was the Red Tail (hawks and all) when I bought the single...fortunately. The 8% ABV on that one took me by surprise.

I see Bridgeport has a Blue Heron Ale...that could get confusing I imagine.

S.

[P-Train]

I love all their beers. In fact that's what the majority of my hb bottles are from.

[HogieWan]

I just tasted this beer last night!!!

I thought it wsa quite tasty. I didn't notice the sharp alcohol bite, but there was an alcohol presence. I was quite pleased. I really enjoy the Black Hawk Stout, which I also had last night.:p

[chazwicke]

I also used to drink Mendicino's brews with regularity many years ago. I always liked the Blue Heron the most of thier beers. I have visited the brewpub on a couple of occasions. It began from the ashes of Jack McAuliffe's New Albion brewery. The first micro. The only brews from Mendicino I have had in a long time were specialty seasonals occasionally. I would be disappointed if they have gone down hill. Thanks for the review.

[HogieWan]

I really enjoy reading reviews from beer.com. Here's a link to the Blue Heron (http://beer.com/beerdotcom/beerdotcom.portal?_nfpb=true&portlet_8_1_actionOverride=/portlets/beerfinder/getStoryAction&portlet_8_1sBeername=Blue+Heron+Pale+Ale&portlet_8_1sLabel=%2Fca%2Fimg%2Fbe%2Fbad%2Fbe_blue heron_hp.jpg&portlet_8_1id=1001364776640)

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by steveh
Wow - that is pretty high. I used to drink the Red Tail quite a bit when the micro-boon was at its peak. Had a bottle of the Eye of the Hawk a few weeks ago - I think I mistakenly thought it was the Red Tail (hawks and all) when I bought the single...fortunately. The 8% ABV on that one took me by surprise.

I see Bridgeport has a Blue Heron Ale...that could get confusing I imagine.

S. :o

Now I'm confused - you're not talking about Bridgeport? That's the one I remember so well. Great beer! Now, so is the Red Tail, but I haven't had Mendocino's Blue Heron yet. I'll have to give it a chance and report back to this thread....

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Now I'm confused - you're not talking about Bridgeport? That's the one I remember so well. Great beer! Now, so is the Red Tail, but I haven't had Mendocino's Blue Heron yet. I'll have to give it a chance and report back to this thread....

Uh huh! Thought so... :D

S.

[chazwicke]

Good call Steveh. I can't recall Bridgeport's Blue Heron although I'm certain I've had it.

[steveh]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I can't recall Bridgeport's Blue Heron although I'm certain I've had it.

Me too, probably 10 years ago at the Portland Pub -- rubbing shoulders with Michael Jackson and Charlie Papazian!

Steelhead is another one of those beers that gets confusing - Steelhead Brewing and, Mad River being the major parties in competition.

S.

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by steveh
Me too, probably 10 years ago at the Portland Pub -- rubbing shoulders with Michael Jackson and Charlie Papazian!

Steelhead is another one of those beers that gets confusing - Steelhead Brewing and, Mad River being the major parties in competition.

S. Name Dropper! :D

(Don't mind me; I'm just jealous.)

How does Steelhead and Mad River get confusing? I'm confused (although it's probably this stupid bug more than anything)....

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Name Dropper!

Yeah, but I opted not to flock around either of 'em, plenty o' geeks already doin' that!

How does Steelhead and Mad River get confusing? I'm confused (although it's probably this stupid bug more than anything)....

Mad River has a Steelhead Ale. Not sure just how the ttrademark works on all that. There's a Steelhead ale by a Michigan brewery out there too.

S.

[chazwicke]

I know I have had the Mad River Steelhead. Not certain of the other. I'd have to see the bottle labels.

MJ is coming to our area in March.

[unkle bik]

Originally posted by steveh
Had a bottle of the Eye of the Hawk a few weeks ago - I think I mistakenly thought it was the Red Tail (hawks and all) when I bought the single...fortunately. The 8% ABV on that one took me by surprise.

S.
Just bought a sixer of Eye of the Hawk this weekend.

While the bottle boasted 8% abv, I expected a highly hopped IPA. This it is not. Malt dominates from the first sip. After about the 3rd sip, some of that alcohol taste becomes prominent.
I guess i was expecting something along the line of GLBC's Nosfertu, but got something else. Hops are there, just not as bold as one would seem.

Not disappointed, but somewhat ironic.
BTW, the price was right:$5.99