Tag Archives: mendocino brewing

Mendocino White Ale

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Mendocino White AleBeer-a-Day #217

Our Summer Seasonal is an unfiltered and naturally cloudy ale. It features a thirst quenching blend of sweet orange peel and the subtle spiciness of coriander, topped off with a delicate twist of lemon. Summer is a time when we soak up the sun, and enjoy the goodness of life and friends. A time for parties and pools, barbecues and beer ~ A time for our crisp, refreshing White Ale.

Very pale with just a little cloudiness. Definitely get the orange peel and the coriander in the aroma. Pleasantly sharp from the carbonation. You certainly get the lemon in the flavor. Pretty good.

Mendocino White Ale

Mendocino Bock Beer

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Mendocino Bock Beer labelBeer-a-Day #99

This is Mendocino’s Spring Seasonal offering, which they introduced last year. This particular bottle was brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Beautiful clear golden color. Head dissipates quickly. Aroma is so light it’s nearly undetectable. Big, malty, lip-smacking goodness.

Mendocino Bock Beer – Spring Seasonal


Mendocino Red Tail Ale

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Mendocino Red Tail AleBeer-a-Day #57

This is the last (for now) of several from Mendocino Brewing Company.

This, actually, is one of the first craft brews I had with any sort of regularity. Back when my wife and I were first married, we’d go to Alfonso’s in Somerville, New Jersey on Monday nights for half-priced pasta. This was the only craft beer they had on offer.

Light amber with some orange highlights; very clear. Nice peppery hop aroma. Nice medium body and a pleasant aftertaste. My kind of beer, although honestly I think I liked the Blue Heron better.

Red Tail Ale


Mendocino Blue Heron Pale Ale

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Mendocino Blue Heron Pale AleBeer-a-Day #55

This is the first of several I picked up from Mendocino Brewing Company.

Pours a clear yellow. The head laces nicely on the glass. I get grapefruit and grass in the aroma, but mostly just a good “hoppy” smell. Lots of hops in the taste, medium body. This is quite refreshing. I like it quite a bit.

Blue Heron Pale Ale


Session #12 – Talon Barley Wine

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This edition of The Session is sponsored by The Brew Site.
The Session - Beer Blogging Friday

Session #12 is titled Barleywine- Whether you spell it “barley wine” (conventional) or “barleywine” (my preference), this is definitely the season for it. It’s a style with a wide range of interpretations and possibilities, so I want to leave this Session open for the same: whether it’s a tasting review, or a food pairing, or an experience, or a (homebrew) recipe—it’s wide open, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with.

talon.jpgBarley Wine is a strong drink, to be sipped and enjoyed. I picked Mendicino‘s Talon True Style Barley Wine Ale for this Session because it is brewed locally in Saratoga Springs, New York.

I picked up my bottle directly from the brewer because I have had quality control issues with this brewery before and I wanted to get the best possible sample. Each time I try something from Mendicino, it is hit or miss, even within the same product line.

A barley wine is only called a “wine” because the alcoholic strength is at comparables levels that of a wine. But, a barley wine is all beer because it is made from barley, a grain, not a fruit. Barley wines are also often aged due to the high amounts of hops and malt to blend the flavors over time usually , much like a wine, but they don’t have to be.

The Mendicino Talon pours a nice deep amber color with a taupe head. The hop bitterness and malt sweetness were both present and strong. There was little alcohol warming which surprised me. I tasted a wood like flavor along with some, but not much, cloying fruity (raisin?) notes.

talon.gifOut of curiosity, I headed over to Beer Advocate to see what others were saying about this barley wine. Wow, they are all over the place. Reviews said everything from too much hops, to no hop flavor at all. Some said alcoholic burn, to no alcohol heat whatsoever. Other saw it cloudy while others saw it clear. Many said it was syrupy, over-sweet and too strong, which I did not find at all, certainly nothing like Stone’s Double Arrogant Bastard Ale.

Overall I really liked this barley wine, a style that is not typical for me. But, I should note that I was more impressed by the surprise that it wasn’t terrible, which doesn’t speak well for my overall experience with Mendicino. I’m wondering now if no one over there ever wrote down the recipe and procedure…