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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

Velvet Uppercut

Velvet Uppercut

Washington
United States
Velvet Uppercut, Flying Lion Brewing
Description 

There I was, enjoying the complex blend of fruity esters and subtle spice, ready to have another of this extraordinarily smooth beer when, POW! I got that Velvet Uppercut. To be continued...

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
9.0%
IBUs: 
37
Served at: 
40 - 45º F
Malts: 
Pale, Aromatic, Munich
Hops: 
Perle, Saaz, Styrian Goldings

 

 


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Judges Rating:
94
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
19 / 20

Velvet Uppercut by Flying Lion Brewing is a Belgian Golden Strong and is being evaluated as a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (category 25C from the 2021 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Belgian Golden Strong Ales are noted for their deceptive strength, light color and simple... 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

Evergreen Terrace

Evergreen Terrace

Georgia
United States
Evergreen Terrace, Pontoon Brewing
Description 

This West Coast Double IPA is all that you want in a west coast IPA: punchy, hoppy, piney, citrusy and powerful! We took the Standy By recipe and boosted it to give the Vienna and caramel malt more of a presence that would otherwise be masked by the absurd amount of hops in this beer. With bittering, whirlpool and dry hop additions of Citra, Simcoe and Chinook, you get bold notes of pithy tangerine, noble pine and dank resin. Warning, this beer packs a punch!

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
8.0%
IBUs: 
100
Served at: 
45 - 50ºF
Hops: 
Citra, Simcoe, Chinook

 

 


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Judges Rating:
89
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
20 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
10 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20

Evergreen Terrace by Pontoon Brewing 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, Double IPAs are fairly... 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

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