Bird Street Brewing 'Grizzly Paw' Brown Ale. 5.5% abv. Dark ruby-brown color. Hazy, unfiltered. Two fingers of ivory foamy head. Outstanding retention and excellent lace. Nose is roasty, nutty, bready, some chocolate. Aromas of wheaty grain and caramel emerge as the temp rises.

Front taste is roasted medium-dark malt, cookie, walnut, warm brown sugar, earthy throughout. Aftertaste is wheat bread, treacle, faint fruit notes on the back end. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, creamy, carby.

This is an excellent beer, a brown that exemplifies its category. The flavors of biscuit, nuts, and roasty malt are supported by distant fruit, chocolate, and slightly sweet notes. Despite its thin body, it comes across as rich and deep. Brown ales are among my favorite basic beers, and this one is a well-crafted, quite enjoyable addition. Hard to find, but worth seeking out, especially if you love brown ales. Well recommended.

I recently had the pleasure of joining the folks from Bird Street, sharing beer and conversation at Spokeasy Pub (photo below). Brewmaster Phil shared his thoughts in this beer and his vision for the near future of Bird Street. They're a nano brewery at the moment, but based on the quality of his beer and the scope of his plans, they won't be nano much longer.

From the brewery:

"Brewed with a heavy amount of Biscuit malt, our Brown ale is a smooth-drinking ale with a slight nutty flavor."

[source: brewstreetbrewing.com]

I hung out with the folks from Bird Street Brewing at Spokeasy Pub. Great folks, great beer!

Highwater Brewing 'Whiskey Thief.' Tributary Series. 9.2% abv. Copper color. Thin white head that falls to a sustaining ring. Low retention. Good lacing. Nose of grain, faint spice, slightly sweet malt. Whiskey aroma appears once the temp drops. Front taste of smoke, malt, whiskey background. Aftertaste of whiskey, smoked grain, herbal. Medium-full body. Mouthfeel is hot, astringent.

This is an excellent beer. The whiskey flavor profile is clear and present, especially once the temp drops. The smoke flavor is not overpowering but rather an accent on the beer. Highly recommended.

This is a collaboration brew, crafted by Highwater Brewing, Pine Street Brewery, Uncommon Beers, and Bison Brewing.

EDIT: One of our readers, Andrew S., requested the name of the pub where I enjoyed Whiskey Thief. He had spoken with brewers at Highwater, who were also curious. I can tell you that this lovely beer was on tap at Peeve's Public House in Downtown Fresno, one of my regularly haunts.

From the brewery:

"This year’s collaboration included Bison Brewing, High Water Brewing, Pine Street Brewery and Uncommon Brewers (the host brewery).... Inspired by their second favorite beverage–whiskey–the motley crew of (oddly enough) beardless brewers decided to brew a super boozy and viscously smokey Strong Scotch Ale. Aptly named the Whiskey Thief, the beer was brewed with a blend of specialty malts, beechwood and peat-smoked malts, housemade candy sugar and “dry-hopped” with heather. Whiskey Thief fills the nose with soft hints of smoke, toffee, roasted nuts and dried flowers. Once you get a sip, KAPOW!!! Rich flavors of caramel and toffee bombard the tongue––slowly breaking away to reveal a deep layer of smokey, peaty goodness. If whiskey and beer had a baby, this would be it."
[source: craftbeer.com]