Here are my reviews on two of the three beers that Public Coast Brewing sent to me a little while back; the third, StackStock Candy Cap Stout, is one I’ve reviewed before so didn’t include it here. Let’s jump in to these other two, Uncle Fred’s and Violent Violet.

Uncle Fred’s German Wheat

Though released as a spring seasonal, this German-styled wheat beer would be a great summer brew as well. Brewed as a nod to Fred Bowman, founder of the late Portland Brewing and who consulted with Public Coast, Uncle Fred’s German Wheat is an homage to Portland Brewing’s Uncle Otto’s Weiss Beer.

It’s 5% ABV and brewed with (at least) 50% malted wheat and includes Lemondrop hops.

Appearance: Hazy golden-tan color, classic cloudy hefeweizen look, with creamy off-white head the consistency of soft-whipped egg whites.

Smell: Phenolic wheat notes, more clove than banana, but perhaps there’s some green banana peel. It’s a nice spiciness with a light bread dough character.

Taste: Bready, bread-doughy, with the yeasty phenolics appropriate for a German style wheat—spiciness of some green peppercorn and whole cloves, with a bit of fruity esters giving some grape and light banana at the back. Wheat malt graininess.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, spritzy carbonization, clean finish.

Overall: It’s a nicely drinkable German wheat ale, as advertised!

Violent Violet Blueberry Double Hazy IPA

This was a collaboration beer brewed with Big Dog’s Brewing of Las Vegas, which came about (presumably) because Public Coast owner Ryan Snyder worked for Big Dog’s back in the day (then known as Holy Cow Brewery). It’s a double hazy IPA packed with blueberries (not specified as to whether they were grown on the Public Coast Farm), with 8.2% ABV.

The name and label are clearly a reference to Violet Beauregarde, one of the characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who gets turned into a giant blueberry; but I don’t know why as it doesn’t really fit into any of the branding from either brewery, other than the characters are dogs.

Appearance: Not too “violet,” maybe more of a dirty plum color, with a hazy translucency and a loose pink-white head.

Smell: Big blueberry fruit aroma here—jam or syrup, or basically even just sweetened blueberries which is nice. Touch of bubblegum? Or is that just the big berry note? The berry dominates the nose, I’m not getting much past that in the aroma.

Taste: Combination of blueberry with bitter hops and hop oils for kind of a woodsy-herbal berry character that clashes a bit, and doesn’t work as well as the aroma. Some hop spice of peppery greens, fruit skins, and some hop burn creeping in at the back, a big lupulin spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full-bodied, with a hop burn-y finish.

Overall: It’s fine, but really wanted the flavor to contain the big fruit character that the aroma promised.