Happy Birthday, West Coast!

In honor of Mr. West Coast, whose birthday it is today, I'm reviewing a recent favorite. Avery Brewing, from Boulder, Colorado, has been doing pretty much everything right for just under two decades. Avery's very delicious Hog Heaven is a perfect specimen of what they do well. And I happen to know that contrary to his name, Mr. West Coast is in fact from the heartland state of Iowa, a land of pigs and porcine deliciousness. And I know Mr. West Coast is a pork fan, so here's to him, and to this marvelous beer.

Hog Heaven - one of their Holy Trinity of Ales

The first thing one notices is how fantastic the labels are. Avery puts a lot of work into its label design, and it shows. Nicely done, folks.

Nice pour. Yes, we're eating sushi behind this.

It pours a really nice and almost viscous orange, with a very weak head that faded fast. As a dry-hopped beer, Hog Heaven has a lot of aroma. I got a burst of citrus on the nose - grapefruit and orange, mainly, with some nice floral resins too. As it warmed, I also started to smell a very welcoming undertone of caramel.

The description, while correct, borders on hyperbolic ridiculousness.

Avery describes Hog Heaven as a "dangerously drinkable garnet beauty" with "intense bitterness and the dankest of dry-hopped aromas." I'm not sure I got dank aromas - they were lively and fresh, but I can attest to both its bitterness and its dangerous drinkability. That drinkability is dangerous primarily due to Hog Heaven's 9.2% ABV.

Nice color.

One thing I didn't taste in this beer was the alcohol. 9.2% ought to burn a little on its way down, as a warning - this didn't at all. I got punchy hop bitterness, a lot of the aforementioned citrus, and wonderfully full malt flavors, and the beer itself was pleasantly thick. I could drink a lot of this beer far more quickly than might be prudent. The malt really comes into its own about halfway down the glass, so although there's plenty of hoppy bite, the whole thing ends up really well balanced.

Happy Birthday, Buddy.

So there you have it - Happy Birthday, West Coast, and cheers to you!