Touch of Brett Mandarina by Alesong Brewing and Blending is a Brettanomyces-fermented farmhouse-style beer and is being judged as a Brett Beer (category 28A from the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Brett beers are noted for their distinctive wild yeast characters from a Brettanomyces... Read More
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Michael Heniff
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.
My reviews
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Pouring a beautiful, crystal-clear golden, this ale firmly holds a tall white stand of foam. The aroma highlights traditional spicy and herbal noble hops but with a slight hint of a citrus character. Light bready malt complements the hop aroma with an extremely clean fermentation that avoids... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
pFriem Czech Dark Lager by pFriem Family Brewers is a Czech Dark Lager and is being evaluated as a Czech Dark Lager (category 3D in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Czech Dark Lagers are dark copper to black lagers with a rich maltiness. The malt flavors of Czech... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Materfamilias by Mother's Brewing Co. is a barrel-aged Imperial Stout and is being evaluated as a Wood-Aged Beer (category 33A from the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Imperial Stouts are the strongest of the stouts frequently displaying flavors of roasted, chocolate, and coffee from the malt... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
20 / 20
This has everything that you want to see in a double IPA: plenty of hops abound with enough malt character to lend support. This beer starts appropriately hop-forward with aromas of resins, grapefruit and citrus fruits. In the flavor, the hops continue to be upfront: tons of citrus, with... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
20 / 24
Flavor:
35 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
16 / 20
Magisterium Maibock by Church Street Brewing Co. is a Maibock and is being evaluated as a Helles Bock (category 4C in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Helles Bocks are known as pale lagers of moderately high strength with a clean fermentation, rich maltiness and a... Read More