Anderson Valley Brewing: Hop Ottin' IPA

Hop lovers, your dreams have come true!

The folks at Anderson Valley sure do know how to brew fantastic beers, and this no exception. The nose is full of floral notes making this a great beer for a spring day on the porch. The abundance of fine carmel malts give this IPA a brilliant golden brown color that is sure to please the eye. Like the Boont Amber Ale this beer is crisp and clean. However, hops, hops, and more hops prevail in this beer. Yet, it is not too bitter so that even those fair-weather IPA drinkers out there will enjoy this liquid hop-juice. At first, one might not even think this is an IPA given the initial rich malt overtones . . . but quickly, the malt succumbs to the hops.

What is more to like about this beer, well, this brewery, is that they are 100% solar powered. A few years ago the folks at Anderson Valley decided to broaden the focus of their brewery to not only emphasize high quality beers, but also to demonstrate how important it is to put the environment in the forefront by installing solar panels on the roof of the brewery. And, we are reminded of this every time we pot the cap on one of there beers since the cap says it all . . . solar powered brewery. I believe that this is not only a fantastic investment for Anderson Valley but also a stepping stone toward creating additional solar powered breweries across the country. Some other breweries have in fact begun following suit, however using different means to generate energy, like the wind! We can only hope that this trend continues and eventually works its way up to the big boys in the business.

The bottom line: Hop Ottin' bites like an angry rattlesnake looking for a fight

Anderson Valley Brewing: Boont Amber Ale

A sweet aroma fills the glass. A smidgen of hopa and a mouthful of malt pleases the taste buds. This amber ale, coming in at 5.8% abv is very nice . . . and after a few sips I can see why the bottle says "Consistently judged one of the World's Finest Breweries". This ale alone stands out as one of the best ambers on the market, comparing very well to the well known favorite, Fat Tire from New Belgium.

Its color is a rich copper tone and the taste is very clean. It boads will with spicy dishes, e.g. Mexican and Thai fare, just to name a few. And, as the bottle also says, "its good drinkin'" . . . I do confirm this. In fact, I like to keep a 6-pack on hand since it is a very drinkable beer, especially for those out there that are not hopheads.

The bottom line: Malty goodness, bursting with flavors, this beer is sure to please just about everybody.