About
During the dawn of micro-brewing in the Bay Area Roger Lind started Lind Brewing Company, which would later become Drake's Brewing. Lind was a brewer at Triple Rock in Berkeley, one of the first brewpubs in America, and set off on his own to brew draft-only English-style ales. In 1998 Roger Lind sold the brewery to a local coffee company, which continued to brew Drake's beer. A new era started in 2008 John Martin and Roy Kirkorian, purchased the brewery. Over the ensuing 10 years, they've expanded brewing capacity, distribution, and started producing West Coast style ales using an abundance of high quality hops and malt. A new 60-barrel brewhouse and fermentation tanks to match, boosted our brewing capacity, ensuring more people could find and enjoy Drake's beer was opened in 2016.
Part of the group
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Courtesy of Davecooks, another nip for my collection, thank you very much. Pours very dead with no head an no lacing just a few bubbles gather in a crescent around the glass. Color is very dark brown, very muddy looking. Aroma is strong with cigarette like or dirty smelling chocolate and boozy raisons. Some stingy ethanol burning my nostrils. Some decent malty biscuit hidden in all that. A good amount of ammonia. The hugeness of it is cool but it all just seems like this aroma is old and has emphysema, and while its still cool you’re like damn that’s nasty. Taste is thin with malty cardboard, alcohol which seems to come from bourbon. Basically, it taste like it’s about 5 years old. The carbonation is too low, the palate is thin and watery. Basically, seems like a dead and dying fish, nothing like the Brandy Barrel. My question is why dry hop with a whole lot of hops and then age it for 8 months in a barrel? I get no hops, its also not all that sweet, very low bitterness. Everything seems off balanced and mismatched. There is a lot to say but my momma told me if you got nothing nice to say...
Tried
on 09 Mar 2007
at 22:28
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Label-less bottle with a J on the cap from Davecooks, thank you very much for the great hook up (as far as I understand this is done with the blessing of the brewer). This is a nice DIPA, right when the cap pops there is an aroma of yellow bittered grapefruit. There is a lack of hiss in the pop and little smoke in the neck. Pours with no head (I believe some downsides of the bottling, but its all cool). Color is dark copper mixed with orange, very muddy, just a bit of translucence but low clarity. The aroma is what I want from my bitter DIPAs. Its all yellow grapefruit and other citrus flavors. Followed by tea aromas. Its strong and I can smell the bitterness. Taste is similar but the tea flavors take a larger role, with citrus behind that. Also, just a bit of sweet malt presence in the taste. Bitterness is strong and lasts a while with strong citrus aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Mar 2007
at 21:52
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle, 11.1%. Sherry aroma, some soy. Very dark brown colour, no head. No carbonation, is that on purpose? The flavour is a little sour like white wine, and quite sweet. Very interesting beer, but I would have preferred a little carbonation and probably also some years of aging.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Feb 2007
at 14:10
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle, 14.7%. Nice, sweet bonbon hop aroma. Cloudy dark brown colour, no head. The flavour has some yeast, salt, alcohol. Powerful flavour including lots of dried fruit. A bit chewy.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Feb 2007
at 14:06
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Chestnut beer with no head. Bourbon aroma - smoky, vanilla, oak, and malt. Sweet malt flavor with lots of bourbon depth - smoky, vanilla, oak. Slightly oxidized and missing something. Not as rich as expected. Medium body. LIngering bourbon.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Feb 2007
at 21:49
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
This was very good for a session beer. Bitter hops aroma with an herbal quality. Cloudy orange appearance. Flavor has oranges and black pepper. There are lots of hops but also a medium sweet malt base. Very smooth palate.
Tried
on 15 Feb 2007
at 12:06
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft at the Bistro’s 7th DIPA Fest: Nose of ivy hops (very unusual) with a little citrus background (I had never seen this odor from hops until Odeed shared a Green Flash Imp IPA); hazy copper with a small off-white head; flavor was nice healthy amount of citrus and ivy hop bitterness, with a pleasant malt balance! One of the best IIPAs at the fest. I drank ALL of this one!!!
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Feb 2007
at 19:17
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle; great smelling pilsener; some grain mixed with yeast and background citrus hops; clear gold with a small white head; hop bitterness with some lemon, and some tongue-tingling spiciness and a nice bitter hop finish!
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Feb 2007
at 20:50
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draft, Amber beer with no head. Toffee/malt aroma and flavor. Some yeast and fruity/estery flavors as well. Lingering toffee/yeast/fruit. Medium body. Just didn’t stand out enough for me.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Jan 2007
at 11:19
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle (Duesseldorf Gathering): Hazy, small foamy tanned layer; (port-) vinous aroma, dried fruit, liquorice in the nose; sweet flavour, full - surprise ! - bodied; again liquorice, port and dried fruit in the finish. The right stuff for long, hot summer nights....should be enjoyed in large steins !
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jan 2007
at 00:31