Eye of the Hawk - Mendocino Brewing Company

MadeInOregon

California

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

#3 of my 6-pack. The first one I had at fridge temp (bad), the second one I had at somewhere between 55 degrees and room temp (much better), this one I'm trying at about 50-55 (perfect).

Poured out, Eye of The Hawk is clear with a honey-bronze color and a red undertone. It has a huge, slightly off-white airy seafoamy head--definitely malty! Looks nice.

THE SMELL is very minimal. There are faint sweet malt aromas and an even fainter hop smell. There is some floral aromas and the high alcohol content is easily detectable. There is a sour lager-like smell, which is weird for an ale. Overall smell is pleasant, but seems off.

THE TASTE is good, but only if drank at the right temperature. Lower than 50 and the alcohol overpowers everything and this beer tastes like sour malt liquor. At around 60 the alcohol is well masked by the hops but there is still a noticeable astringent sting in the finish. As with most "American strong ales" this one is hard to classify. My thought for Eye of The Hawk is: 25% Imperial IPA, 25% barleywine, 50% West Coast pale ale. This beer is complex, malty, sweet, and alcoholic. It is also quite heavily hopped. All these usually separate qualities make this taste like a sour, hoppy version of a maibock.

THE FEEL is very nice and full thanks to the heavy malt.

CONCLUSION: A good beer but not mind-blowing in any way. The fact that this tastes bad when cold is a pretty negative characteristic to me. I like to drink my beer at around 50, but I think a good beer should be able to be enjoyed straight from the fridge or from the cupboard. Because of that I won't be buying this again and would not recommend it. But if you like interesting, heavily-hopped American brews then you should try this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 23:55:53 | More by MadeInOregon

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Alright, here we go strong ale. Appearance is a solid amber color. It smells of apricots and some hops. Tastes alcoholic, but sweet and nutty. For the ABV, I think it's worth is. I think it's a little unbalanced seeing as it lacks a stronger hop flavor and aroma, but overall it's a good buy. Maybe this is why the stock hasn't skyrocketed in the past couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 07:49:46 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

JakeDebus

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

05-20-2013 12:44:24 | More by JakeDebus

nick_asian

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +24%

05-19-2013 07:06:34 | More by nick_asian

bconsidine

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

05-10-2013 18:49:19 | More by bconsidine

leftoverburrito

Oregon

1.5/5  rDev -58.7%

05-08-2013 03:11:39 | More by leftoverburrito

2beerdogs

California

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-29-2013 05:41:45 | More by 2beerdogs

BrewMaven

New York

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-28-2013 23:12:30 | More by BrewMaven

jxb345

California

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-28-2013 00:47:26 | More by jxb345

trocketsauced

New York

2.75/5  rDev -24.2%

04-26-2013 14:45:18 | More by trocketsauced

poopsmitherson

Georgia

2.5/5  rDev -31.1%

04-26-2013 03:08:35 | More by poopsmitherson

Tjvan2

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-25-2013 23:16:00 | More by Tjvan2

golfchance

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

04-25-2013 20:47:29 | More by golfchance

beerbart

California

4.5/5  rDev +24%

04-22-2013 00:41:42 | More by beerbart

NoetheMatt

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +10.2%

04-21-2013 20:15:13 | More by NoetheMatt

UltimateLivewire

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-20-2013 12:59:57 | More by UltimateLivewire

chasmandocharles

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

04-20-2013 00:41:37 | More by chasmandocharles

Bromine

Florida

4/5  rDev +10.2%

04-12-2013 10:48:41 | More by Bromine

mitch3114

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

04-12-2013 03:43:57 | More by mitch3114

artoolemomo

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -31.1%

04-01-2013 02:47:31 | More by artoolemomo

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

03-31-2013 03:50:57 | More by Stevie_Janowski

bwolmarans

California

3.1/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.75

wonderful taste on the third bottle. I can't bring myself to write that the smell is particularly great, and yes the first bottle is metallic. but who cares, this is a sublime beer, and in the department all of us care about (I don't care how many fingers of head a beer has) this one tastes great on the last bottle, which for me, is three at 8% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 05:12:51 | More by bwolmarans

BGsWo22

New York

2/5  rDev -44.9%

03-20-2013 20:47:35 | More by BGsWo22

wendymerissa

Florida

5/5  rDev +37.7%

03-18-2013 04:37:11 | More by wendymerissa

crytion

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

03-12-2013 11:38:17 | More by crytion