Never Summer Ale - Boulder Beer Company

    Never Summer Ale is a Winter Warmer created by Boulder Beer Company. Boulder Beer Company is unsurprisingly located in Boulder, Colorado. I received this beer in the first shipment of my craft brew club.

    As a style, Winter Warmers tend to be heavy on the malts and sweetness. The style likely takes after the German Doppelbock; full-bodied, heavily malted beers preferred in the wintertime for their almost full-meal value. In the past, such beers have been called "liquid bread" due to their nutritive value when fresh grains might not be available. It's fairly common for a bit of alcohol warmth to come through when drinking a Winter Warmer, for that extra cozy, warming effect.

    Never Summer Ale pours a dark copper color with barely any head to speak of, though that might have been my fault in pouring it too cautiously.

The rare Winter Warmer in its natural habitat.

    The Winter Warmer smells very sweet, toffee and caramel malts dominate the aroma. Very little hop scent is perceptible. There is also no hint of alcohol in the scent.

    Never Summer Ale tastes very sweet. Roasted malts and a taste similar to toast are the main flavors in the ale. There is very little bitterness to the ale, though a bit of hops flavor does come through. What bitterness there is becomes sharper in the beer's aftertaste. There is no alcohol warmth to the ale which is disappointing for a Winter Warmer. At 5.94% ABV, the lack of alcohol warmth is not surprising.

    The Winter Warmer is actually somewhat thin-bodied, though a medium level of  carbonation works to enhance the mouthfeel of the ale.

    Overall I was somewhat disappointed in Boulder Beer Company's Never Summer Ale. I was really looking forward to enjoying the qualities of a Winter Warmer. After all, at the time of this writing, it is winter, and I could use some warming. I was definitely expecting more of an alcohol warmth to the beer as well as a bit thicker body. Never Summer Ale doesn't taste unpleasant at all, but it just doesn't have the characteristics that a good Winter Warmer should.

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Mojo IPA - Boulder Beer Company

    Mojo IPA (India Pale Ale) is made by the people at Boulder Beer Company which is located in Boulder, Colorado. This beer was a part of my first shipment from a craft brew club that I was given a membership to as a Christmas gift.

    Mojo IPA pours a bright golden color with just the slightest bit of a foamy layer of head on top.

    The IPA smells somewhat of yeasty bread as well as citrus and piney smelling hops. The scent of the beer is more on the malt/earthy side than the hoppy/fruity side. The beer still smells pleasantly floral.

    Mojo is a somewhat thin-bodied beer with a medium carbonation level that keeps the beer feeling refreshing and creamy on the palette.

mmm IPA goodness

    The beer's flavor includes the expected presence of a lot of hops. A sweet malt backbone really does its job well in balancing out the bitterness of the hops, keeping their flavor enjoyable and not too overpowering. Mojo IPA has a sneaky alcohol content of 7.2% ABV that is not at all perceptible behind the great hops flavor. Some notes of citrus fruit can be tasted as well as a slight piney, resinous flavor which sounds unpleasant, but isn't.

    As usual, I find myself wondering as to the naming of the beer. When thinking of the word mojo, images of someone with a huge personality, or a lot of charisma come to mind. IPAs, as a style of beer, definitely fit the huge personality category when it comes to other styles of beer. I suppose that this is where the name comes from, though I prefer my own explanation, that this is the favorite beer of the cartoon character Mojojojo, even though it kind of dates me as well as hints at the cartoons I used to watch...

    Overall Mojo IPA is a well-balanced India Pale Ale. The lighter body and medium carbonation make for a very easy drinking ale that still offers a large amount of flavor. Mojo doesn't really do anything wrong, but then again, doesn't really stand out from the myriad of other IPA brands. While Mojo falls short of being a great IPA, it is still quite a good, refreshing beer.

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