National Fanatic

7/9/2016 by James Fedewa

Abv 6.4%
Ibu 82
Nice clear light bronze color tone with virtually no head at all*. Smells fantastic with a great crisp citrus hoppiness. A little high on the carbonation, which probably mellows out the hoppy bitterness of a true IPA. It has a fantastic malty sweetness to it in the beginning, but the hops do linger in the backend, which make it a good IPA. A very very unique IPA with outstanding smell and layers of flavors the warmer it gets.
Grade: A-

*growler fill
** I would have given this beer a full “A” grade if there was more of a head (as I do like a good beer foam mustache)

***guess what beer Label is on the glass…

11th Hour IPA, Crow Peak Brewery (Spearfish, South Dakota)

7/2/16 by James Fedewa

Nice light bronze color tone that is a little cloudy. Not much of a sudsy head but a nice smokey floral hoppy IPA flavor. A mild malty middle distinguishes the heavy hoppy bitterness, and it is finalized with a tangy short & quick aftertaste. It has a very Euro tangy (or yeasty) smell to it as well,which is not too appealing, but it is an overall very nice IPA.

It’s not overly unique, but it is a little different with the smokiness to it (which is good).
B-

*My folks went to Sturgis and brought this beer to me as a birthday gift, which is outstanding. What is the best beer? Free Beer!

We have some great craft beer bottle shops here in the Seattle area.  No matter where you are around the Sound, you’re never really too far from a craft beer bottle shop that offers a wide se…

Source: Tavour Offers A Unique Craft Beer Delivery Experience

6/17/2016 by James Fedewa

Nice dark bronze tone with a small hop smell. Thick hoppy floral front end, with a good lingering bitterness. A nice malty undertone with a crisp quick aftertaste.

Rich foamy head. A big beer, but nothing too distinguishing, yet not just standard.

Grade: C+

** My 5 year old son picked this beer out for me. I told him to find the coolest looking label, and I will try it. The label didn’t stick out to him, but when I said Dead Frog Brewery, my son stuck with it.  I told that to my wife, she got pissed. I say artwork, she says adult beverages.

6/16/16 by James Fedewa

Very rich and quick, hopy front end, with a long sharp aftertaste. One swill of this IPA you’re blasted with a strong bitter hop flavor (with some lighter roasted malt flavors buried in the layers). It has a crisp and carbonated middle, that makes this a sharp floral hopy flavor linger. The color is a light cloudy bronze and the head is very flat that dissipates quickly. The smell is probably the weakest part of this IPA, as it’s not bad, but just a little sour and tangy, which could be caused by classic English yeast. This is more of a classic double English IPA than a PNW IPA (as claimed).

This is a very good beer and what makes it different is front end nearly pungent floral hop flavor. I’d probably only buy singles of this beer. A six pack may be too many of this IPA to drink in a row. Think of it as an after-dinner smoke.

Grade: C+

Avatar Jasmine IPA, by Elysian Brewing (Seattle)

5/11/2016 Review by James Fedewa 

One of my all-time favorite IPA’s. It’s really two different beers; Serve very cold (nearly freezing), it’s a crisp, refreshing and a light IPA, that can be gulped. But serve just barely cold, around 60 degrees, it’s a unique tangy and sharp IPA with a light light floral (jasmine) undertone. Both cold and not very cold are so good and noticeably different. It better to have one large beer and take your time drinking it (all the way to the tasty last drop), or pour two beers and drink the first one slowly.  This IPA has a fruity smell, golden tone, with a very small head of foam. A traditional Euro IPA yeast is probably used (that offers a very unique and tangy aftertaste). Avatar Jasmine IPA falls into a very good traditional IPA (x2).

Grade: A- (this beer has been around for a while, and probably had an A+ grade 6 years ago. Anything from Elysian Brewing worth buying and I’m glad they are still brewing this one)

Wonderland Trail IPA / Two Beers Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA)

***UPDATED MOCK DRAFT HERE (4/26): https://nationalfanatic.com/

4/16/2016 by James Fedewa

Still shocked by the Rams / Titans trade on Thursday morning?

The trade was quite remarkable and both teams were greatly rewarded. The timing was a little odd, two weeks prior to the draft, as most blockbuster trades like this can happen the day of.  Yet, the newly located Los Angeles Rams are looking for publicity and the league couldn’t be happier.

The Rams head coach, Jeff Fisher, was surprisingly smug in interviews, like a kid who stole a candy bar and got away with it. He did not reveal who the Rams coveted with the trade, but that how we can speculate. Read the rest of this entry →

3/24/2016 – James Fedewa

Assuming and Guessing, here’s my third NFL mock draft this season (third published, but tenth of the season) – 3.1

Read the rest of this entry →