Pensacola Bay Li'l Napoleon IPA

Brewery: Pensacola Bay Brewery
Location: Pensacola, FL
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.3%
Price: $6.99

Continuing my exploration of Florida's finest, today's review comes from Pensacola Bay Brewery. This brewery is located in the heart of Pensacola's historic district. In fact, it's the city's first full-scale brewery since prohibition, and for a while, they were not actually allowed to sell beer on their premises. So, to get around the laws, patrons could buy the glass (empty) and receive free beer. Not a bad deal!

I picked up Li'l Napoleon from Total Wine in Jacksonville. This is actually my first taste of anything from Pensacola; so I was quite eager to give it a go!

The aroma is pretty mild. There are hints of hops on the nose, but there's nothing overwhelming. I was pretty surprised at how absent the aroma is given that it's an IPA--a style that usually has a strong aroma.

For everything the nose is lacking, the flavors make up. Li'l Napoleon is a citrus punch in the face. Lots of hop-bitterness, citrus freshness, and not a whole lot anything else (and that's not a bad thing). Very little sweetness or malt to speak of beyond the fructose-like-flavors that come from the citrus profile. The finish is crisp, clean, and slightly dry. Overall satisfying and exactly what I'm looking for in an IPA.

As I mentioned above, this is my first beer from Pensacola Bay and it definitely doesn't disappoint. Li'l Napoleon is just an old fashioned American IPA and that's all it tries to be. I appreciate the fact that Pensacola Bay Brewery didn't try to be too experimental with this. It's exactly what a solid IPA is supposed to taste like. It's hoppy. It's floral. It's refreshing. What more do you need from an IPA?

Westvleteren XII US Release: Gone before it was ever Released?

Westvleteren XII is regarded by many as being the best beer on this planet. It has a perfect 100 rating on both beeradvocate.com and ratebeer.com. It has been voted as the #1 beer by several beer and consumer polls. This Belgian Abbey is brewed by monks (literally) and has been making the world's highest rated beer since 1940.
Westvleteren XII has never reached American soil (legally) until now. Less than 8000 six packs, or gift packs (each six pack will include two souvenir glasses), have been distributed to the US and many of these gift packs will be sold at the chain, Total Wine and More for a whopping $85--many believe this is actually a good deal.
As the news spread, many people jumped with joy in anticipating. I imagine beernerds around the country were shouting, "The Westies are coming! The Westies are coming!" No longer do little boys and girls need to hope for a beer trade with Santa. On December 12, anyone who stands in line at their local TWM at least has a shot at purchasing their own six pack of the Holy (again, literally) juice. At least that's what everyone was told.
After announcing TWM would be selling the beer in 9 states on 12.12.12, some stores actually sold some of the gift packs early. Beerstreetjournal.com reported that several Total Wine stores sold the gift packs on December 1st--nearly two weeks early! This has upset many and left others wondering whether the stores will even have any to sell on the 12th.
Like I have seen so many times, this looks like a classic case of store employees taking cases home for themselves and selling the rest to their friends. It's another example of a highly anticipated beer release going out to the people on the inside, leaving the average folk like you and me left with our hearts broken and mouths watering.