Drake's Brewing 'Drakonic' Imperial Stout. 8.75% abv. 40 IBU. Black in color. Two+ fingers of thick creamy mocha head. Superb retention, outstanding lace. Nose of dark chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla notes.

Front taste of bittersweet chocolate, sweet bread, dark fruit, raisins. Aftertaste is black coffee, plum, black licorice, bitter fruity hops, resin sustain. Full body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, thick, creamy, boozy, astringent on the back end.

This is an outstanding beer, perfect within its category, and taller than most. The roasty malty backbone is awash with chocolate and coffee flavors, with bites of dank dark fruits and licorice. A wonderful beer, one that I've been meaning to taste for a long time. Another great beer from a reliably solid brewery. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Our malty beast. Two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and dark Crystal malts to make up the grist. One hop addition, added for bittering, allows the abundance of malt in this beer to shine through. Drakonic is smooth and dense with flavors of licorice, coffee, and chocolates. Sip, savor, and give in to its seductive malt embrace. Available Year Round... Despite the West Coast’s undeniable hop addiction and our general lack of truly cold weather, we here in Northern California still cannot resist the allure of an immense Imperial Stout with the strength and viscosity to tackle a Siberian mid-winter drinking session. With the hardcore beer aficionados of Northern California in mind, we crafted our first Imperial Stout in 2003. After many years of consideration while sipping and savoring this luscious, dense imperial stout, its name came to us in 2009. Drakonic Imperial Stout: seriously intense, seriously delicious."

[source: drinkdrakes.com]

Drake's Brewing 'Hopocalypse' Double IPA. 9.3% abv. 100 IBU. Golden color with two fingers of thick white head. Excellent retention and lacing. Nose is sweet floral hop bouquet, light malt, white bread. Front taste of bright fruity hops, grapefruit rind, flowers. Aftertaste is floral bitter hop, mild sweet malt, citrus peel. Medium-full body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, medicinal, slightly carbed.

This is an outstanding DIPA. With a bold hop profile that stands tall without overpowering and a malty backbone that is slightly sweet but lighter than you might expect, this brew strikes an impressive balance of flavors. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Our seasonal Double IPA threatens all notions of what is “hoppy” with a clean malt base and imposing quantities of American hops. Maddening hop aromas of grapefruit, guava, and dank pine saturate the palate as a touch of balancing malt and spicy Rye keeps the sharp clean bitterness in line. Drink fresh and remember, #TheEndIsBeer."

[source: drinkdrakes.com]

"Green tinted clouds of hop dust engulf the brewery, and the brewers eyes gleam with manic intent upon their creation, The Hopocalypse. This Double IPA of unhinged proportions threatens to annihilate all notions of what is 'hoppy' with a clean malt base and imposing quantities of American hops. Maddening hop aromas of grapefruit, guava, and dank pine saturate the palate as a touch of balancing malt and spicy Rye keeps the sharp clean bitterness in line. Drink fresh and remember, The End is Beer."

[source: bottle]

Drake's Brewing Black Robusto Porter. 6.3% abv. 40 IBU. Black color with two fingers of beige head. Excellent retention and superb lacing. Nose of faint roasted grain, coffee notes. Front taste of dark chocolate, plum, bitter hops on the back. Aftertaste of bitter dark fruit, cocoa powder, sweet malt. Big body. Mouthfeel is alcoholic, thick, sticky.

This is an excellent porter with a bold flavor profile that offers more complexity than most beers in this category. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"A deep, dark 'Robust Porter,' a beer style known for being darker, fuller-bodied, and higher in alcohol by volume than a standard Brown Porter. Our Black Robusto goes down smoothly with flavors of bittersweet chocolate and slight roast from Crystal and Chocolate malt. A touch of spicy, herbal hop character from Willamette hops balances out the finish. Enjoy a pint with dark, lingering satisfaction. Available Year Round... Drake’s Black Robusto Porter is a Robust Porter kicked up to Drake’s standards. Dark and brooding with a little heft in the body and the alcohol content, this is the type of beer necessary to tackle the chill of the fog when it rolls into the East Bay. As is our style at Drake’s, the Black Robusto still finishes relatively dry with hints of bittersweet chocolate and coffee lasting into the finish."
[source: drinkdrakes.com]

Outstanding lace on this 'robust' porter.

Drake's Brewing 'Denogginizer' Imperial IPA. 9.5% abv. 90 IBU. Amber-red color. Two+ fingers of head off the pour. Creamy white head. Great retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel with small notes of pine and citrus. First taste is malt, hops, citrus peel. Big body. Mouthfeel is hot, somewhat astringent. Sticky, creamy, bubbly. Aftertaste is hoppy, slightly fruity. As the temp dropped, the fruit profile tasted a touch tropical, and the hops were more pronounced. 

This is one of Drake's go-to brews, a popular big beer with big flavor. Malty, hoppy, notes of light fruit. I loved it and will definitely have it again. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"An Imperial India Pale Ale. Denogginizer is a big, bold beer hopped with an abundant amount of dank, citrusy American hops. Crystal and Munich malts add color and a subtle caramel malt flavor that helps balance out the immense hop dosings in this monster Imperial IPA. Enjoy the boldness of the citrus and resinous hops, but please remember: Hold on to your head… In January of 2004, Drake’s brewers sought to create a beer to turn some heads. They crafted a massive Imperial IPA with a full body, smooth malt backbone, and an utterly irresponsible amount of pungent, dank, American hops. After three weeks in the tanks and one minor incident involving a pressure relief valve jettisoning across the cellar and nearly decapitating a brewer, a beer an its name were born. Citizens be warned, even without a tank valve careening at high speeds, Denogginizer has been know to blow a few minds."

Excellent retention and lacing.

Photos by my 6-year-old daughter.

I should have my daughter take all my blog pics.

Drake's Brewing 1500 Pale Ale. 5.5 % abv. 48 IBU. Copper color. Opaque. Pours an ivory head with decent retention and excellent lacing. Sweet nose of herbs with bitter orange peel. Front flavors of toffee and bitter hops. The hop bite is abundant, more so than many beers with double the IBU. Aftertaste leaves fresh hops along the sides of my tongue ro hang around a while. This is a great brew that I would definitely have again.

From the brewery:

"A hop-forward American Pale Ale. Loads of Simcoe and Amarillo hops are blended in the fermenter just after fermentation has finished to impart a huge aroma of pine and juicy citrus. Available Year Round. As we approached our 1500th batch in San Leandro, the brewers decided to attempt something different. They set out to make a pale ale with a clean, stripped down malt bill and plenty of late addition hops that would give the beer huge flavors and aromas of bright citrusy American hops without overwhelming the balance with bitterness. The resulting beer packed the aromatic and flavorful hop punch of a West Coast-style IPA at a very easy drinking 5.5% ABV. The brewer and the people loved it. Now 1500 is a Drake’s flagship beer."