Mad River Brewing
Blue Lake, California
Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale
Mad River Brewing Company first released “Serious Madness” black ale on February 13th, 2009 in their seasonal program. John Barleycorn is also a part of this seasonal series.
Commercial Description:
This beer is inky black with amber edges, light bodied, silky smooth, complex and delicious…
Style: American Black Ale (aka Black IPA)
Hops: Magnum, Hallertau, Tettnanger, Willamette (hop back).
Malts: Two-Row Pale Malt , North American Specialty Malts, German Carafa
Taste Expectations: Lots of roasty malt flavors. Coffee & caramel. Hoppy black ale with a porter/stout feel.
Availability: 12oz/6pks. Some draft. Not in all markets.
8.6% ABV
Mad River John Barleycorn 2009
This barleywine release from Mad River Brewing ( Blue Lake, CA) is easily one of my favorite barleywines I have ever had. The flavor profile is more like an English style barleywine, sweet malts, nutty, muted hop profile. Following precedent, the current release is from the previous harvest year. This year’s release is 2009.
Commercial Description:
Our Seasonal Offering. We honor the Harvest &Holidays each year by brewing a traditional Barleywine style ale, using a variety of ingredients. The Label, created by local artist Janis Taylor, is a folksy woodcut based on the tale of John Barleycorn in verse.
Brewed in small 10-barrel batches with Certified Organic barley malt, this crimson hued ale has a sweet caramel nose with a zesty spicy, citrus taste. It has a slight hop finish and leaves a warm, tingling sensation on the tongue. A great winter warmer!
Taste Expectations: Malty. Caramel. Sweetness like brown sugar/molasses/maple syrup. Dark fruit notes (figs, dates, raisins.) Slight touch of booze in finish. Not big on hops. Much like English b-wine.
Availability: 12oz/4pks. No draft specified.
9.5% ABV
96 IBUS
Mad River Launch Line Up
Mad River Brewing from Blue Lake California has hit stores. A little bit leaked into the stores on Friday, with full shipments this week. Here is the official launch lineup. Be sure to read up on the brewery if you haven’t done so already. Link below!!
Read More about Mad River…
Steelhead Extra Pale — Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV. Spicy & floral. Light bitter.
Steelhead Double IPA — DIPA, 8.6% ABV. Citrus hop flavor. Dry hopped with Amarillo.
Steelhead Extra Stout — 6.5% ABV. Lots of roasted malts. light American hop character.
John Barleycorn Barleywine — 9.5% ABV. Nutty caramel malts. Hints of plum, black currant, and maple.
Double Dread Imperial Red — Red Ale, 8.6% ABV. Big malt foundation on the clear red ale. Alcohol subtle for an imperial.
Jamaica Red Ale — 6.5% ABV. Malty red bitter ale. Spicy, and aromatic with a full-bodied caramel richness.
Check out Tower, Greens, Hop City, and Decatur Wine & Spirits this week for these beers…
Do you carry these and other craft beers??? Let me know – Beer (AT) AtlantaBeerMaster (Dot) com
NEW LAUNCH: Mad River Brewing!
It seems like California brewers are taking Georgia by storm. 21st Amendment just arrived from San Francisco, and now Mad River Brewing from Blue Lake, California.
Mad River Brewing started the same way that a lot of craft breweries begin – with a dream. Granted you hear that a good bit these days but it takes someone actually making that dream a reality that brings us new beers. Brew master Bob Smith took that dream and ran with it. It was 1977 when Bob joined the “Humbrewers Guild” a home brewing group in California. Trips to a home brew shop in Chico, California found Bob Smith crossing paths with owner Ken Grossman who later founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. After seeing Ken’s success, Bob was determined to follow suit.
Knowing Ken Grossman proved to be most important in founding Mad River. By 1989, Sierra Nevada had outgrown it’s current facility and equipment. Construction had already commenced on Sierra’s new location, so Ken Grossman sold equipment to Bob Smith. Mad River was born. By December 1990 the first kegs of Steelhead Pale ale were shipping.
A quick rundown of the offerings by Mad River:
Steelhead Extra Pale – Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV. Spicy & floral. Light bitter.
Steelhead Double IPA – DIPA, 8.6% ABV. Citrus hop flavor. Dry hopped with Amarillo.
Steelhead Porter – 6.5% ABV. Complex malt flavor with smoky malt in finish. Light dryness.
Steelhead Extra Stout – 6.5% ABV. Lots of roasted malts. light American hop character.
John Barleycorn Barleywine – 9.5% ABV. Nutty caramel malts. Hints of plum, black currant, and maple.
Double Dread Imperial Red – Red Ale, 8.6% ABV. Big malt foundation on the clear red ale. Alcohol subtle for an imperial.
Serious Madness Black Ale – 8.6% ABV. Black brew with silky smooth body & mouthfeel. Complex malt character.
Mad Belgian Golden Ale – Belgian Pale, 6.5% ABV. Crisp, dry & effervescent. Belgian yeast blends well with honey favor.
Estimated Arrival Date: July 8, 2010. Launch titles to be finalized during launch week. Mad River is distributed by Savannah Distribution.
WELCOME TO GEORGIA MAD RIVER BREWING!
