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Michael Heniff

Michael Heniff's picture
Beer Judge

Mike brewed his first few homebrew batches in college in 1994 and began regularly brewing in 1997.  Since then, he has brewed over 150 batches of beer, mead, and cider.  He has won over 200 medals and numerous major awards in competitions across the country.  His highest accomplishments include winning the Templeton Award (most points) of the Dixie Cup (one of the largest single-site homebrew competitions in the world) a record four times, Gulf Coast Homebrewer of the Year, and Lone Star Circuit Homebrewer of the Year.  He has had his recipes brewed at commercial breweries seven times.

Mike particularly enjoys traveling to find new beers.  He has made numerous travels abroad to find great beer, most frequently to Belgium and Germany.  He has logged over 6800 beers in his tasting journal, including over 620 beers from Belgium alone.  Mike has had brewing and beer travel articles published by Brew Your Own and Zymurgy magazines.

Mike is a current member of the Houston Foam Rangers Homebrew Club where he has held numerous officer positions.  He was also the founding President of the Lone Star Circuit and a former long time officer. He currently ranks as a Grand Master III BJCP judge.  He has judged in over 70 competitions across the United States, frequently serving on Best of Show panels.

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My reviews

Blueberry Spaceship Box

Blueberry Spaceship Box

Arizona
United States
Blueberry Spaceship Box, Superstition Meadery
Description 

Blueberry Spaceship Box, the top rated hard cider in the world, has been poured on tap from Thailand to Copenhagen and at festivals from California to Florida. Blueberry Spaceship Box is a spectacular blend of sweet and tart, of apple and blueberry, and it is at home when served as a bubbly apéritif or paired with anything from the grill.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
5.5%
Served at: 
40 - 55º F

 

 


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Judges Rating:
93
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
21 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Blueberry Spaceship Box by Superstition Meadery is a Blueberry Cider and is being evaluated as a Cider with Other Fruit (category C2B from the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines). For this style, the cider and fruit should have harmony without either being too dominant. For this cider, Superstition... Read More

Dead Guy Ale

Dead Guy Ale

Oregon
United States
Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Ales & Spirits
Description 

An ale inspired by the style of a German Maibock, brewed using our proprietary Pacman yeast, Dead Guy Ale is deep honey in color with a malty aroma, rich hearty flavor and a well balanced finish.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
6.2%
IBUs: 
40
Malts: 
Two-Row, C15, Munich, Rogue Farms Dare™ and Risk™
Hops: 
Rogue Farms Revolution™ and Independent™

 

 


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Judges Rating:
86
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
21 / 24
Flavor:
35 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20

Self-described as a Maibock brewed with Rogue’s proprietary ale yeast, Rogue Dead Guy is an appropriately malt-focused beer with an ale twist. The aroma is primarily melanoidin-based malts with bready and toasty characters; no discernable hops distract from the appropriate malt focus. The body... Read More

High Pines

High Pines

North Carolina
United States
High Pines, Highland Brewing Co.
Description 

This imperial IPA features citrus and blueberry hop flavors with a touch of fresh mountain pine.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
9.0%
IBUs: 
35

 

 


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Judges Rating:
94
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
21 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

High Pines by Highland Brewing Co. is a Double IPA and is being evaluated as a Double IPA (category 22A in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). The focus of the Double IPA style is hops, hops and more hops. Additionally, despite being a high-alcohol content style,... Read More

COEDO Shiro

COEDO Shiro, COEDO Brewery
Judges Rating:
92
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20

Shiro by COEDO Brewery is a Hefeweizen and is being evaluated as a Weissbier (category 10A in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines).  Weissbier is noted for its golden color, frequent haze, wheaty flavor and prominent esters (typically banana) and clove-like phenolics. “Shiro” means ‘white’ in... Read More

Future Tripping

Barley Forge Beer Future Tripping Double IPA
Judges Rating:
93
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20

Measuring in at 9.25% abv and “100+ IBU”, this clear, golden-colored (6 SRM) hop bomb begins with an abundance of resin, pine, mango, and citrus aroma from copious amounts of Simcoe and Amarillo hops.  The flavor showcases a similar hop character with a slightly aggressive, yet still quite... Read More

Upslope Japanese Style Lager

Upslope Japanese Style Lager

Colorado
United States
Japanese Style Lager, Upslope Brewing Co.
Description 

Flaked rice adds a pleasant toasty note and lightens the body to yield an extremely crisp and refreshing lager. Its delicate effervescence paired with a snappy hop character and a bone dry finish makes it the perfect complement to a wide variety of food. The ultimate crispy boi for those hot summer days.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
4.9%
IBUs: 
13
Served at: 
40 - 45º F
Malts: 
Flaked Rice, Malted Two-Row
Hops: 
Contessa

 

 


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Judges Rating:
94
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Japanese Style Lager by Upslope Brewing Co. is a Japanese-style Lager and is being evaluated as an International Pale Lager (category 2A in the 2021 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). International Pale Lagers are golden-colored lagers with less adjuncts than typical... Read More

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