Mendocino Brewing Red Tail Ale

Mendocino Brewing Red Tail Ale, a regular offering Mendocino Brewing Company, poured a gemlike orange-red into the glass, with strong carbonation leading to a pale cream head.  The nose opened with slightly sweet caramel malt, with muted, floral hops making a weak show. 

Red Tail Ale opened watery and mild, with bitterness from the hops and a slight sweetness from the malt coming through without definition.  There were vaguely fruity notes and a slight astringency to the ale as it settled, but nothing strong enough or distracting enough to merit more than a quick acknowledgement.  The ale ended on a slightly sugary finish.

Mendocino Brewing Red Tail Ale is just a bit too generic an offering to pick up when there are so many great beers being made in the Northern California coastal area.

Mendocino Brewing White Hawk IPA

Mendocino Brewing White Hawk IPA, a regular offering Mendocino Brewing Company, poured a golden orange into the glass, with medium carbonation feeding a light tan head.  The nose was surprisingly weak for an IPA, with grapefruit and vanilla being the only easily detectable notes.

White Hawk IPA opened thin and sweet, with an orange-like citrus quality and a funky, off-flavored vanilla.  The fade did it no favors, ending bitter and medicinal.

Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale

Despite having visited the Mendocino coast many times, I’m always pressed to try all the great breweries in the area.  Unfortunately, a full flight at North Coast brewing is enough to take a curious drinker out of the running for the day (only unfortunate in that it limits one’s ability to carry onward), so I haven’t had the opportunity to swing by the Anderson Valley Brewing Company.  That said, my parents brought up a bottle of Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale for me to taste while I plan my next trip south.

Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale settled into the glass with barely visible carbonation trails streaming through the hazy, tawny ale and feeding its big, clumpy white head.  Floral notes took center-stage in the nose, backed by dry barley.

Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale opened with a gripping hop front that quickly (and gracefully) mellowed into a dry, grainy malt center.  The malt body was supported by enough flowery hops to never imply anything but a Northwest Pale, and the ale ended on a lingering, bitter note. 

Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale is a strong beer, with its slightly off-beat hop additions and light and dry taste making it a strong contender for a session beer.  

Mendocino Brewing Co. Eye of the Hawk Strong Ale

One of my regular “must have” brews on Northern California coastal trips, Mendocino Brewing Company always compliments lazy coastal evenings with their Legend Collection (particularly Red Tail Ale) and one of my favorites of their line for kicking it up a notch, Mendocino Brewing Co. Eye of the Hawk Strong Ale.

Mendocino Brewing Co. Eye of the Hawk Strong Ale poured into the glass a clear, golden color with a single carb trail and a bright, sticky white head. Notes of herby hops and a dry, cracker like malt were the prominent features of the nose.

Mendocino Brewing Co. Eye of the Hawk Strong Ale hit my palette bright and aggressive, with a medium-strength herb and spice hop front that faded into a very mellow, dry malt core and a longer dry fade.

Eye of the Hawk is a solid entry that doesn’t commit to a single ale style, straddling the line somewhere between a strong amber, a dopplebock, and even hints of their own Red Tail.  The most startling thing about this ale is the ease of drinking… it drinks like a really light lager and only has moments of hoppiness, and one would probably never guess this ale breaks 8% ABV.

MataVeza Organic Black Lager

And now for something completely different... a black lager brewed with yerba mate!  MateVeza (mate+cerveza) is a Ukiah-based brand out of Northern California and is brewed by the Mendocino Brewing Company.  The concept is simple (brewing beer using yerba mate for a natural caffeine kick), and apparently falls on the legal side of the recent banning of caffeine-infused malt liquors).  At the end of the day though, taste is why we drink, so let's crack open a bottle of MateVeza Organic Black Lager and see how it measures up.

MateVeza Organic Black Lager poured a thick black in the glass with a thin tan head.  The nose was soft and comprised of coffee, chocolate, musty mate, and black-strap molasses.

MateVeza Organic Black Lager hit my mouth with a medium carbonated swell but no outstanding opening flavors and faded to a big, earthy body of smoke and tobacco... aggressive flavors that came off as very tones and porter-like.  The rest of the drinking experience was highlighted by toasty malt flavors, and it ended on a surprisingly dry finish... great flavor but a very short life and a little bit of dusty mate.

MateVeza Organic Black Lager stands on it's own as a good beer without the mate-infused novelty.  It has all the right aspects of a good dark lager, leaning heavily into porter territory, and manages to incorporate the mate in a way that is complimentary of the core of the lager.  The caffeine content (about a cup of coffee per 22oz. bottle) excludes this from being a beverage to be consumed en masse, but it is certainly worthy of picking up to try out.