Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Select Ale

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Hopland, California USA

Had this beer at Mad Mex in Oakland. This is a really great beer on tap. Big sweet malt entry, then finishes with a well balanced hop, not to floral and not too bitter. Nice head, copper color with slight haze.

Quite possibly the worst beer I have ever tasted. When they say unique taste, its not a good unique. Would recommend people to stay away from this.

Pours deep caramel with a finger thick, cream colored head. The nose is bready and sweet. Kind of sugar cookie like. The flavor is a bit malty and a touch of dried fruit. It’s a bit hot, but the mouthfeel is pretty smooth.

Bottle from Costco in Woodland, CA. I had this one before, but apparently didn’t rate it. It’s a hell of a good lager and very drinkable.

Color is golden/amber, had a little taste of cidre coriander/apple with orange peel.

Amber color, fruity, malty, caramel, a little bready, and a nice bit of hop with a crisp finish.

Hard to drink a beer when a raptor is giving you the stink eye. Body is colored like a robin’s chest; a textured mix of red and beige, with a deep haziness and a head flat as an anvil. The aroma begins with a creeping corny lager smell, very sptizy and clean, with a shallow but still sweet hint of caramel. Despite this small offering, the aroma is underwhelming. The flavor is much better constructed, beginning with a moderately malty and bitter taste, then shifting into a sweeter cider and fried onion ring flavor. The palate is spritzy and bubbly, which makes for a bit of a weird drink paired with the onion ring taste. In fact, the texture just seems too criss-crossed and driven. Zealous, even. Not a memorable drink, but certainly a rare instance of the flavor being vastly superior to the aroma.

Bottle- Trader Joe’s. Ruby red / iced tea / caramel in color. Sweet fruity aroma- picking up some cherries and malts. No head. Big and malty right away, almost earthy. Some burned toffee, even slightly sour. Belgian-like- reminds me of a St. Bernardus 6 maybe? Didn’t taste the alcohol at all, although now seeing it’s 8%, very well hidden. There’s also a touch of that Bass Ale/Fullers smokiness right at the end. I liked this, very unique.