Climax India Pale Ale

Katie bought me this one awhile back. Before I go on, I have to point out…who the hell names a brewery Climax? Seriously? How do you not laugh constantly like a 12-year-old boy. “What are you having?” “Give me a Climax please.” “Excuse me?!?” And I’m giggling now because apparently I am akin to a 12-year-old boy. Now, onto the beer.

ABV: 6%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This American-style, hop-driven beer starts with a citrus flavor, followed by two layers of caramel, and finishes on a hoppy note.”

Random: I used to work a town over from this brewery…never had a huge desire to visit. I’m not a huge fan of their labels either. They’re a bit on the dated side.

This one poured with almost no head. What was there was pure white and dissipated instantly, leaving no lacing behind. The body was a very cloudy dark orange color. Due to the cloudiness, there was no carbonation visible. The nose was grapefruit, lemon and the off putting astringency. The beer tasted like old grapefruit with a hint of biscuit. Does that sound pleasant? Well…it wasn’t for me. The beer was under carbonated. Perhaps it was a bit past it’s prime? The thickness was medium. The finish was quick with some bready malt. Overall, this brew does nothing for me. It’s got some flavor and it’s wet. Kate bought me a six-pack of this and it took awhile for me to get through it. I wouldn’t have this again, unless you’re from Jersey and want to drink a Jersey beer.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0

Climax Hoffmann Helles

This is a beer from a brewery that I’ve never tried before. I’ve usually only seen their beers in growlers, which honestly is a lot to commit to. So, when I saw this one in a twelve ounce, I picked it up. This also was the first lager from the six-pack that I picked up. Hopefully I enjoy this one, especially because it is crazy local.

ABV: 4.8%

Style: Munich Helles Lager

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “The Hoffmann Helles (pronounced Hell-es), which is German for ‘bright’ is a pleasant and easy to drink summer beer with a bready/grainy taste.”

Random: I literally work 5 minutes down the road from this brewery and have never visited there, nor ever had a brew from them. I have no idea why it’s taken me so long.

This brew poured with a huge and fluffy three finger white head (think whipped egg whites) that dissipated really slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, straw yellow with feverish carbonation visible through the body. The nose was really unpleasant to me. I got some grass mixed with pungent skunkiness. This was not going to be fun. The taste was citrus, floral, earthy grass with bread. Honestly, the taste was much better than what I got on the nose. It was way more complex than I initially thought. The body was also lighter than expected with a decent amount of carbonation. The finish was long with floral notes. I thought that I was going to hate this brew based on the nose, but it was actually pretty decent. I would have this again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0