First of all, I’ve been meaning to do some quick beer reviews for years. I mean, why drink all that beer if’n you’re not gonna write about it?

Well, some of the stuff tastes pretty good, plus, I’ve taken a bunch of notes so I figured I’d be a nice guy and share some findings here.

Warning: If you’re not into beer you’re not going to be interested in the old blog for the next few posts. This is gonna take a while…

Sorry (not really)…don’t you know that good beer is delicious?

Second, get your ass out to Hangar 24 in Redlands before some multinational corporation realizes how cool Hangar 24 is and how quintessentially California their main taproom is and buys the place and moves it to Colorado or Missouri or some other God-foresaken place. The main taproom is in Redland just a few miles off the 210. It is directly across the street from the Hangars of the airport (get the connection; hangars…hangar 24…airport?). Nearly all off the taproom’s seating is outdoors which can lead to an amusing experience when the temperature hits 106 as it during my first visit.

Ummm…toasty!

During that first visit I had what has become my measure of the very best all-around beer I’ve ever had; Hangar 24 Orange Wheat. Sure, lots of breweries make something similar but no one manages to match the balance of citrus aroma and flavor as well as Hangar 24. It’s great anytime but on a hot day it simply has no equal.

But wait, this is supposed to be a study in contrast, right? Oh, baby…I have me some contrast right here under the name of Pugachev’s Cobra. This is a very big beer. How big? 15% ABV, but that’s not the full story. This beer exudes the aromas of chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, licorice and dark fruits, while flavors of chocolate-covered plum, sweet malt, bourbon, and roasted coffee dance on your tongue. In a word, it’s amazing, but it’s also BIG! Big, like kick you ass, Big. Big, like go easy on this stuff, big.

In the end, it’s the best big beer I’ve ever tasted and the Orange Wheat is the best beer over all. The fact that both beers come from Hangar 24 is, well, I’m not sure what it is but it’s true.

Both of these beers earn my highest four-beer rating.

Well done, Hangar 24!