Jackson Free Press

The beer tasting has become an annual tradition we look forward to here at the Jackson Free Press. 
This year, we partnered with Raise Your Pints and LD's BeerRun to do the tasting. Here are our findings.

Biloxi Brewing Company Biloxi Beach Blonde

Type: Koelsch

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Buttery.

Taste: Little to no hops. Some light pear and muted light fruits. It's crisp and sweet.

It reminds me of: Hot college days and light beer.

I would pair this with: Sandwiches and hamburgers.

Rating: 4

Taster: Dylan Broome

Aroma: Light notes of straw and citrus.

Taste: Mild malt with a clean finish.

It reminds me of: Spring water.

I would pair this with: Burgers; pizza; heat.

Rating: 3.5

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Mild.

Taste: Crisp.

It reminds me of: Summertime; beach.

I would pair this with: Sal & Mookie's pizza.

Rating: 5

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Light aroma; bread-y.

Taste: Light, refreshing, bread-y, slightly fruity.

It reminds me of: Beach, sand in my toes, sunshine.

I would pair this with: Fruit; any light foods.

Rating: 4

Imani Khayyam

Aroma: Smells light with a hint of orange

Taste: Tastes light; like milk.

It reminds me of: It reminds me of a cool night at the pool in California.

I would pair this with: Spicy ribs.

Rating: 4

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Orange, wheat-ish.

Taste: Straw—not a bad thing.

It reminds me of: Summer; the beach.

I would pair this with: Fruit tart.

Rating: 5

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Clean, light.

Taste: Just the slightest bitterness, light sweetness.

Body: Smooth with effervescence.

It reminds me of: The beach; Sprite.

I would pair this with: Fruit; perhaps a salad.

Rating: 4

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Bright, citrus-y.

Taste: Fresh, very drinkable.

It reminds me of: The beach.

I would pair this with: Bun thit nuong at Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant.

Rating: 4

Crooked Letter Brewing Co. Crooked Heffy

Type: American hefeweizen

Taster: Imani Khayyam

Aroma: Fruity.

Taste: Very light.

It reminds me of: Going to lunch with friends having a social drink before getting back to the madness at work.

I would pair this with: Turkey burger with pesto mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, and potato skin crisps with banana pudding.

Rating: 5

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Very faint banana and esters.

Taste: There is a very light banana taste as it warms. At the very end, there's a lager taste.

It reminds me of: Summer on a boat.

I would pair this with: Fish or chicken dinner.

Rating: 4

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Fruity.

Taste: Slightly sour, fruity.

It reminds me of: The woods after rain.

I would pair this with: Macaroni and cheese.

Rating: 3

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Low malt aroma.

Taste: Fruity; slight ester; slight diactyl.

It reminds me of: Summer.

I would pair this with: Bratwurst.

Rating: 4.5

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Banana; fruity esters.

Taste: Sweet, sweet malt.

It reminds me of: Home-brewing; summertime.

I would pair this with: The Pig & Pint sausage and cheese plate.

Rating: 5

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Heavier scent; lightly fruity.

Taste: light flavor, fruit tasting, lots of banana.

It reminds me of: Banana; porch-sitting.

I would pair this with: Light pasta; Cobb salad.

Rating: 4

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Banana; fruit; pie.

Taste: Plastic; fruit notes; banana; fish.

It reminds me of: Going to an old but hip bar.

I would pair this with: Fish and chips.

Rating: 4

Taster: Dylan Broome

Aroma: Big banana notes with a nice, light clove finish.

Taste: Fruity with rich banana esters.

It reminds me of: Adult banana sandwich.

I would pair this with: Creme brulee; bananas Foster.

Rating: 4

Yalobusha Brewing Company Testify

Type: Sweet stout

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Very sweet, slightly sour.

Taste: Dark chocolate; coffee.

It reminds me of: Southern Prohibition Brewing Hipster Breakfast oatmeal stout.

I would pair this with: Barbecue ribs at The Pig & Pint.

Rating: 4.3

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Sweet black licorice and dark fruit.

Taste: Over-steeped coffee and dark fruit plus dark chocolate.

It reminds me of: Fireplaces and campfires.

I would pair this with: Rich, sweet dessert.

Rating: 4.25

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Malty and sweet.

Taste: Roasted coffee; slight chocolate.

It reminds me of: Winter; cold; warming.

I would pair this with: S'mores.

Rating: 3

Dylan Broome

Aroma: Boozy notes of bourbon, dark Chocolate and caramel.

Taste: Light bourbon finish with nice coffee and woody finish

It reminds me of: A late-night-shift drink.

I would pair this with: Deep-smoked barbecue.

Rating: 4

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Sweet and sour smell.

Taste: Sweet; coffee; bitter aftertaste.

It reminds me of: Old houses; late night; hanging with friends.

I would pair this with: Steak; pizza; ribs.

Rating: 4

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Cold coffee; anise.

Taste: Roasty, coffee.

It reminds me of: Winter; fireplace; office coffee pot.

I would pair this with: Chocolate cherry pie (pie>cake).

Rating: 5

Taster: Imani Khayyam

Aroma: Black licorice.

Taste: Chocolate; mocha; coffee.

It reminds me of: A winter night in log cabin in the woods with my lady cuddled up near the fireplace.

I would pair this with: Smoked barbecue; sweet potato pie.

Rating: 3

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Sour milk; melted chocolate ice cream; licorice.

Taste: Wine with a lot of wheat; dark chocolate; sour.

It reminds me of: 90 percent-cocoa dark chocolate.

I would pair this with: Korean barbecue

Rating: 4

New Belgium Brewing Lips of Faith series Transatlantique Kriek, 2015

Type: Lambic-fruit

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Very sweet; cherry.

Taste: Sweet; fruity; nice sourness.

It reminds me of: Spring; picnics.

I would pair this with: Pastries; ice cream.

Rating: 5

Taster: Imani Khayyam

Aroma: Red apple/cinnamon smell.

Taste: Sour Warhead.

It reminds me of: Sipping this at a poetry night.

I would pair this with: Steak and pasta.

Rating: 4

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Tarty.

Taste: Sweet and sour.

It reminds me of: Cherry pie; sour gummy worms.

I would pair this with: Boudin balls at The Pig & Pint.

Rating: 4

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Dark cherry with just a hint of funk.

Taste: Heavy dark-cherry-pie filling with trailing tart and sourness.

It reminds me of: Rebellion at a wine tasting.

I would pair this with: Meat and cheese plate.

Rating: 4.25

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Fruity but slight bite.

Taste: Slightly fruity but transition into sour.

It reminds me of: Dessert.

I would pair this with: Warm brownie a la mode.

Taster: Dylan Broome

Aroma: Cherry nose with a slight chardonnay and woody finish.

Taste: Light cherry cask and slight barrel taste.

It reminds me of: A funky cherry-wood soda.

I would pair this with: Fruit salad; dark chocolate; tarts.

Rating: 4

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Apples; cinnamon; berries; oatmeal.

Taste: Red Kool-Aid; light, slightly sweet red wine.

It reminds me of: Warhead candy right between sour and sweet.

I would pair this with: Steak.

Rating: 5

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Maraschino cherries; candy.

Taste: Not as sweet as it smells; sour; tart; almost like a green-apple sweet tart; cranberries.

It reminds me of: Fall afternoons.

I would pair this with: S'mores cake at Saltine Oyster Bar.

Rating: 4

Green Flash Brewing Company Palate Wrecker

Type: Imperial IPA

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Strong, clean smell; kind of pine-like.

Taste: Bitter; lots of hops; malt.

It reminds me of: Being out on the river.

I would pair this with: Pumpkin pie; ribs; shrimp.

Rating: 3

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Pine-Sol.

Taste: Bitter; grapefruit-ish; cleaning products.

It reminds me of: Disgusting grapefruit.

I would pair this with: Chocolate cheesecake.

Rating: 2

Taster: Kristin Brenemen

Aroma: Pine tree.

Taste: Green pineapple leaves.

It reminds me of: Green cuttings.

I would pair this with: Etouffee

Rating: 3

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Pine trees.

Taste: Hop forward!

It reminds me of: Pine needles; bag of hops.

I would pair this with: Crawfish; Taco Bell.

Rating: 3

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Pine and citrus hops.

Taste: Pine and pineapple juice; a little papaya and mango hiding; finished with heavy bitterness.

It reminds me of: Why people don't like craft beer.

I would pair this with: A really sweet dessert.

Rating: 2.5

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Cedar and pine with fruit.

Taste: Slight pine with fruit finish.

It remind me of: I.P.A.

I would pair this with: Everything spicy.

Rating: 4.5

Taster: Dylan Broome

Aroma: Cat pee and Mr. Clean; overall lovely.

Taste: Big bold and bitter nice piney bouquet with a nice citrus note.

It reminds me of: If Mr. Clean was a cat-box.

I would pair this with: Thai food; carrot cake; spicy food.

Rating: 4

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Pine; herbs.

Taste: Bitter; herby; almost minty.

It reminds me of: My childhood backyard (wild mint grew there).

I would pair this with: Gumbo at Que Sera Sera.

Rating: 2.5

Rogue Ales Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

Type: Chile beer

Taster: Micah Smith

Aroma: Spicy smell; stout.

Taste: Spicy; sweet taste; little bit of sour from the stout.

It reminds me of: Beef jerky; peppers; Mexican food

I would pair this with: Bread; soup.

Rating: 2

Taster: Amber Helsel

Aroma: Hotdogs with ketchup; chocolate; burning pork.

Taste: Sriracha; jalapenos; hot dogs; slow burn; vinegar.

It reminds me of: Anything with Sriracha; really gross soup.

I would pair this with: Buffalo wings.

Rating: 2

Taster: Kristin Brenemen

Aroma: Hot dogs and chocolate.

Body: Carbonated; low burn.

It reminds me of: Loaded Polish sausage dog.

I would pair this with: Backyard grilling.

Rating: 4

Taster: Craig Hendry

Aroma: Red Hots candies

Taste: Liquid smoke.

It reminds me of: Hot-ass peppers.

I would pair this with: Oysters at Saltine Oyster Bar.

Rating: 2

Taster: Doss Dingli

Aroma: Vienna sausages.

Taste: Liquid smoke; cheap black coffee; pepper.

It reminds me of: Marketing and gullibility.

I would pair this with: White cream pasta.

Rating: 3

Taster: Flyboy Mike

Aroma: Stout; spicy

Taste: Starts plain and then gets spicy.

It reminds me of: Stout with pain.

I would pair this with: Nothing.

Rating: 2.5

Taster: Zilpha Young

Aroma: Oh, no. ... Also hot dogs, what? Vienna sausages!

Taste: Bitter; spicy at the back of the throat.

It reminds me of: July.

I would pair this with: Dark chocolate.

Rating: 2.5

Taster: Dylan Broome

Type: Stout

Aroma: Charred red hotdogs.

Taste: Mild coffee with a light pepper finish.

It reminds me of: Spicy hot dog water.

I would pair this with: Asian; barbecue; dark chocolate.

Rating: 2.5