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Midnight Oil Stout

American Stout

JPBCrown

Had this on-tap in the tasting room (which, by the way, is very nice and worth a visit!). Appearance was great. I like my beer dark. A bit disappointed by the thin head...but hey, it's not crucial. Smells like dark coffee, chocolate, and oatmeal...and the same for the taste! I was extremely impressed by the coffee flavor in this brew. Not too overpowering, but not too little either. Still tasted like a nice, dark stout with an addition of coffee and chocolate. The mouthfeel was thinner than expected, but not enough to disappoint. Overall, great brew. My first impression of Swamp Head was the Wild Night Honey Cream Ale...and I wasn't very impressed. But this makes up for that and more. I'll be visiting Swamp Head again!

Trappist Westvleteren 12

Quadrupel (Quad)

JPBCrown

Picked a few bottles up at De Bierkoning in Amsterdam. Initially, I was going to wait until I got back to the States to indulge...but the excitement got the better of me. I poured the beer in a Chimay chalice. Dark and beautiful...but still transparent. The smell was complex and earthy. Dried fruit and dark sugar. Huge build-up to my first taste, and it was not disappointing. Fruity, floral, boozy, earthy. Thick and very complex...it's difficult to point out each individual flavor, because they interact with each other. It was more carbonated than I thought, but the mouthfeel was still great. Hard to tell if this is the best beer that I have ever had, but I will always remember the day in Nice, France when I first tried this beer. This beer wins for my favorite "beer moment".

Girardin Gueuze 1882 (Black Label)

Gueuze

JasonStrauss

11/26/2004, Bottle, Eulogy Bar, Philadelphia Poured into a Lindemans flute glass I've only had one other gueuze, which was Lindemans, and this bottle of Girardin 1882 Black Label was more complex, and damn good, in a funky kind of way. Not much of a head, hazy golden color, and I could just sniff this stuff all day. It was difficult for me to characterize the flavors and aromas, but I eventually picked up on some grassy/hay qualities. Definitely tart and sour at the same time. I can't quite pick up on the "barnyardy" stuff... unless that is the grassy/hay characteristics? This is a refreshing, smooth-drinking beer that cleanses the palate. Off to try other gueuze beers. :)

Black Hole

Old Ale

JasonStrauss

Brown bottle with no freshness date. The label looks like something from Hitchhiker's Guide. :) Appearance: Thin, light brown head that dissipates to a ring aorund the pint glass. The beer itself is pitch black like a good imperial stout. Smell: Roasted malt, some dark coffee, perhaps some toffee as well. Taste: Big roasted malt flavor, with coffee mixed in. Nice smooth bitterness at the end, with an espresso-like aftertaste. Overall a smooth beer, and at 6.5%, the alcohol is not apparent. I didn't get any hint of the fruit flavor some folks mentioned. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer. I feel the carbonation in the middle, and then it's pretty smooth thereafter Drinkability & Notes: Very drinkable, especially now that it's getting cooler outside. Despite the "Old Ale" classification above, I'd say this tastes more like some roasty porters that I've had. The only "Old World Ale" that I have had so far is Hair of the Dog - Adam, which is very different from Black Hole.

Xingu Black Beer

Schwarzbier

TikkiGodxxx

12 oz brown bottle with a pretty catchy black label. Lot code but no freshness date. Screw top; $2.29 for the single. Dark dark red beer when held up to the light; otherwise it looks black. Typical-sized brown head off the pour receeds to a sheet after a few minutes. Lacing is decent. Pretty calm nose: grass, a little bit of chocolate, but otherwise pretty neutral. I have to keep reminding myself this is a lager, and not a stout. I mean, it sure looks like one. At any rate, starts off with a bit of a sour taste, which continues throughout albeit in a subdued manner. Pretty sweet, with very little hops to balance it. Aftertaste is quite sweet, with just a hint of coffee. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, maybe just a touch rough around the edges. Good carbonation. Drinkability is above average, slightly. Kinda sweet to suck down real fast. Intersting combination with the sweet and sour. I'd have preferred some more aggressive hopping to round it out, but oh well. Not a bad beer, but at over $2 a bottle I probably won't return to it. But then again, how often do you get a chance to try a beer from Brazil?

Founders Breakfast Stout

American Double / Imperial Stout

TikkiGodxxx

12oz stubby screw-top brown bottle, cryptic notch indicating an October bottling date. Pitch black body - even when held up directly to a light. Not quite 1/2" thick head, almost black, certainly one of the darkest heads I've ever seen. I'd dare say there's even some purple highlights to it. Retention is poor - after a couple minutes there's nothing left but a paper-thin sheet of bubbles. But surprisingly, this leaves gorgeous solid sheets of lacing all over the place. One of the strongest-smelling beers I can remember - easily noticable across the room. Assloads of chocolate, make that dark chocolate, none of that wussy milk chocolate here. Dark roasted malt, and a bit of coffee in there as well but it's not as prominent as I remember. Starts innocently enough, with a light sweetness and soft chocolate notes. But soon enough, it gets big and bad. Intense coffee bitterness in the finish. Moderately-high hoppiness, of the earthy/herbal type shows up in the finish as well, and meshes with the coffee quite nicely. Malts are super thick - only a few sips and already my lips are sticky sweet. It's really an amazing beer - starts with all that malt and chocolate sweetness, and then seamlessly transitions to a big coffee/hop bitterness. A bit of that oatmeal smoothness as well, which really brings everything together and keeps this from going "too far" into the extreme beer world. But make no mistake, this is a big beer that is certainly extreme. Alcohol imperceptable. Mouthfeel is superb. Finely carbonated but overall light in that department. Velvety smooth. Dangerously drinkable. I've probably had close to a 2 four-packs of this before finally writing this review (not to mention countless pints at the pub - it's been around for much much longer than it's been available in bottles). It's become one of my fallbacks when I want a big beer but don't want to write a review at the moment. Thankfully, I still have a couple 4 packs in my posession (including a couple bottles in the cellar to see how 6-12 months treats this baby). Hands-down an amazing beer, worthy of the high marks and popularity is has been enjoying of late. Certainly worth trading for - very highly recommended.

60 Minute IPA

American IPA

chargerfanjess

Golden, clear, with a frothy white head. Light grapefruit and pine aroma. A decent hop bite, more pine needles than citric grapefruit or lemon, but all are there. Mildly carbonated with a dry finish. Id like to see a little more malt in the mix, it would make for a really good IPA.

Pacífico

American Adjunct Lager

chargerfanjess

Cant put a finger on this beer...is it a corona without skunk? It is not a terrible brew. Its way better that huge domestics like the AB or Coors. Light malty aroma. Vienna type malts in flavor and subdued bitterness. On the beach you could drink cold ones for a long time. decent mouthfeel and not til you hit the 10th one do you start to get that bad aftertaste.

Pliny The Elder

American Double / Imperial IPA

constahoogan

After having this beer multiple times, it's finally time for me to sit and review this. The body is a seductive mandarin orange color that is slightly murky from hop resin. The appearance of the head reminds me of a still photograph of seafoam but with a creamy light tan color. The aroma is wonderfully juicy and cirtrusy. The taste is reflective of its scent but better. Big juicy orange citrus hops with a sweet malt undertone. It's a medium bodied beer that finishes a little dry at the end. although, the dryness at the end makes you beg for another sip. This beer never gets old to me.

De Ranke Père Noël

Belgian Strong Pale Ale

constahoogan

golden honey and amber slightly cloudy body with a fat 2 inch ivory head that dissipates slowly with blotchy lacing. Smells of honey, yeast spice, coriander/peppercorn. Faint tart apple start w/ a peppery spice yeasty, hop end. It's very crisp and refreshing with a little bit of hop dryness towards the end.

Great Lakes Winter Ale

Winter Warmer

Foddz

A: Pours a slightly earthier tone than reddish-copper, with two fingers worth of mixed-size beige bubbles capping it nicely. Head persists for a little while before forming a soapy film on top, leaving some lacing around the glass. More carbonation can be seen rising to the top from within. S: Sweet ginger, honey, caramel. Maybe a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg as well. There's some bready malt present as well. I want to say there's a faint hint of orange peel in the mix as well. It comes across as a bit of a jumble. T: The taste is a bit more on target. Biscuity malts are a little more forward, with the ginger and cinnamon spice taking a back seat as compared to the nose. Caramel rounds out the middle. A little more balanced with the citrus/orange zest a bit more at play towards the back end. Overall quite sweet and not much hops to balance things out. Aftertaste is a lingering ginger/nutmeg/orange peel combination. Still a bit of a jumble but better than the nose. M: A little thin with a sharp prickling of carbonation. A little bit of stickiness from the sweetness. Not terrible but doesn't seem well suited to the rest of the beer. O: I want to like this beer. It has a lot of interesting elements that just don't come together in a really cohesive fashion. Some entropy is at play as the whole doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts, at least in my mind.

Muskoka Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout

American Double / Imperial Stout

Foddz

A: Pours a rich, opaque black with about a finger of cola-brown head. Minimal light penetration when set on an angle, the light that does filter thru is a rich cola/caramel. Head dies back quickly but maintains a ring around the glass. S: Rich chocolate and coffee notes with a distinctive tart note. A little bit of burnt wood is in the offering as well. While the tartness in the nose gives away the cranberries, the fruitness I'd expect to smell is understated - otherwise a very nicely balanced nose. T: The taste is also well balanced. Dark chocolate mingles nicely with the coffee and roasted flavours. Subtly tart cranberry presents towards the middle and plays well with the other flavours. Not too sweet, not too bitter, and the roasted coffee and chocolate linger for a very pleasant mocha aftertaste. M: Smooth on the initial presentation, but the carbonation and alcohol lend a slight bite. Leaves a pleasant dryness, with a slightly chalky sensation, presumably from the cocoa. O/D: What an excellent seasonal brew. Very glad I picked up two bottles of this! Looks and smells good, tastes great. Well balanced and a pleasure to drink. The slight harshness in the mouthfeel keeps one from drinking this too quickly - which is fine when one can simply enjoy the aftertaste.

Squall IPA

American Double / Imperial IPA

MetsFanVI

Aroma I smell hops and then some hops, followed up by some hops. This is not a bad thing as far as Im concerned. But, in full disclosure, I store my beer in the same fridge as we store our soda. So, when I first open them, my beers are generally very cold and aroma is not as strong as when they start to warm up a bit. Additionally, I dont have a great nose. Appearance The beer is a lovely copper color with a touch of orange. The first glass had a very thing head with no lacing. The second glass I poured a little more aggressively and was able to get about a half inch of head that receded pretty quickly. There is a slight haze to the beer, which is to be expected since its unfiltered. Flavor This beer has a really nice balance of hops and malt. Hops clearly are the star but there is enough malt to give the beer a little backbone. You get a little heat but its within range of what youd expect from an Imperial IPA. As the beer warms, you get a little more malt sweetness but the hops are still on the finish. Overall, its a fantastic taste. Dogfish did a great job balancing a variety of hops to give a nice rounded profile. Mouthfeel It has a classic imperial IPA feel, oily and resinous. It just coats your mouth. But its still every easy to drink and not at all astringent. Overall Of the 5-6 different beers Ive had from Dogfish Head, this is easily my favorite. (Although the My Antonia is pretty damned good too). The bottle says the Squall is a variation of the 90 Minute IPA. I find Squall to be a much easier beer to drink though. I dont know why that is but the Squall just goes down easier, almost too easy. I would have liked a little more carbonation in the beer but thats really splitting hairs and more of a personal preference than anything. If you are a hop head and come across Squall somewhere, buy it. It is a fantastic beer. Sadly, it does not come around very often.

Bashah

American Black Ale

MetsFanVI

It poured a very dark, almost black color but with very little to no head. I usually expect Belgian-style beers to be quite carbonated (due to the bottle conditioning) so I started pouring carefully. But when there were no bubbles I tilted glass back upright and just went right down the middle. Even then I still got a very small head, about 1/8. There is almost no lacing. After it was poured, I tried like hell to get some aroma out of it. I dont know if Im stuffed up or what but I got almost no aroma, other than beer, and even then it is faint. Not a good sign for something that claims to be a double IPA, let alone something from Stone. I would expect a face full of hops here. The initial taste is actually quite good. You get a some bright hop flavor at the front, which gives way to a more roasted taste in the middle. As the beer finishes, you swear youre drinking a porter, with a pronounced coffee aftertaste. There is little to no Belgian in the flavor. I like a beer that has different flavors like this. As the beer warms up though, it really starts to shine. The hops become a little more pronounced and what I assume to be a Belgian yeast strain starts to come out more. The flavors become more intense but also more blended. (Does that make sense? It does to me.) At this point the 8.6% abv starts to make its presence known as well. The aroma becomes a bit stronger too. But then, as it continues to warm, nearing room temperature, the flavors start to soften and become even more muted than at the beginning. Or maybe my taste buds are starting to become desensitized. Either way the middle third was the sweet spot on this one. The mouthfeel of the bashah is not that of your typical double IPA. Its not nearly as viscous or resiny. Thats not to say the beer is bad, just not typical. Again, there is little to no carbonation present. According to the label, the beer was bottled on 12/25/10. But that doesnt sound quite right as all the web research I could find had this being brewed in August 2009. Moreover, nothing I could find online says anything it being aged at the brewery or being brewed on more than one occasion. Additionally, it was made with 7500 kg of hops, as you can see in the recipe BrewDog posted. But the hops just arent there. This all leads me to think the date on the label is wrong. Assuming Im right, the age on the bottle would explain how hops have mellowed. Another interesting tidbit is the bottle is 11.2 fluid oz. I was cheated out of .8 oz of beer! Must be a Euro thing. Overall, this is a good beer, but not a great beer. It just seems to be trying to be too many things. Is it a Belgo-IPA? Is it a DIPA? Is it a Black IPA? Either way, it doesnt do any of it all that well. The Black IPA or Cascadian Dark American Ale or American Black Ale or whatever the hell you want to call it style is very trendy right now. But its a style that doesnt seem to deliver very often in my opinion. They dont generally have any balance. Its either all toasted malt or just it just takes like an IPA. The idea of Black IPA really intrigues me. But the execution is often lacking. This would be an example of such a beer coming up short. Again, thats not to say its a bad beer. It just misses what I think is its intended mark.

Whirlwind Witbier

Witbier

Dalem

Victory's Whirlwind is a witbeer in the style of Belgium greats like Hoegaarden. Unlike a Hoegaarden though, which can be a bit too grainy and murky at times for the superheat the season is giving us right now, this may be unfiltered but delivers a much cleaner presentation from start to finish. Scents of citrus and bananas, a nice fizziness on the tongue with a nice balance of lemon peel and light bitter hops to keep it from being too sweet (the downfall of many an American made wheat style for me) and general earthiness. The aftertaste reminds me of something a little spicy and is that blueberries I'm thinking as well too? This is a damn good twist on the summer wheat styles. Completely thirst quenching and refreshing especially on a doing yard work in a scorcher of a day like today. If this is any indication of Victory's does with they're other brews I will be sure to try some of the other things they make soon and (hopefully) on a regular basis.

Founders Curmudgeon (Old Ale)

Old Ale

Dalem

A very radiant dark amber color shines through an unfiltered cloudiness. A very, very minimal head that goes away almost as soon it's pour and lacing that slips down off the glass back to the edges of the beer with each sip. A scent's something akin to oak barrel aged bourbon is right up front then followed up a bit of vanilla, caramel, sweet malts and a general earthiness. First taste already says this is a winner! The thick and creamy (but not too heavy) of a fullness fills the mouth, a bourbon sweetness tickles every corner but not to the extent of a whiskey sting because the malts subdue into an almost caramelized and soothing throat coat. The back of the throat gets a painted with a molasses, hazelnut and honey coat that makes some clear their throat between sips but each sip til the glass is done is a seductive and warm flirt of a 9.5 percent and 50 IBU's

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Russian Imperial Stout

Neorebel

This beer is as dark as night with a thick, fluffy tan head- perfect! the head does not recede for a while... The aroma is fruitier than one might expect - plum and raisin can be detected, and in the background, a touch of coffee and roasted malt. Seems sharp and crisp. After a sip the actual taste is revealed to be just as interesting and complex as the nose. The initial splash of flavor is the fruit/raisin followed by, a roasted, smoked touch and a dry finish. Very crisp on the tongue. As I drink the head sticks tightly to the glass - this is a nice frothy brew. This has a relatively light mouth feel and I can hardly put the glass down even for a second. There's just enough of a warming sensation from the alcohol. A very classy staple in the Imperial Stout world.

Founders Centennial IPA

American IPA

Neorebel

Toasted orange in color - decent head and lacing. Light floral and citrus notes, some breadiness. While I expected a more 'adventurous' taste for some reason, I have concluded that where this beer really shines is its drinkability for an IPA. It's very balanced, not too dry or boozy, and it's not over the top. Big hit at the party the other night!

Lips Of Faith - Clutch Collabeeration

American Wild Ale

ClaremontBrew

A - Opaque, dark brown with a fluffy tan head. S - Mostly roasty. Not a lot of sourness coming through in the aroma. T - Chocolately, with a subtle sourness. Very pleasant. Nice complexity. M - Fairly silky, comparable to a typical stout. O - A surprisingly good beer. Roasty and full-flavored like a stout, but with a subdued sourness. If you're not a big fan of sour beers, don't be afraid of this one. It's a nice complex stout with a manageable sourness. Served into a New Belgium tulip glass at Eureka Burger, Claremont, California.

Pliny The Younger

American Double / Imperial IPA

ClaremontBrew

Made the pilgrimage to Russian River pub in Santa Rosa this past February specifically for this beer. When we first arrived (on the day of release), there was a 4 hour wait to get in. We aborted and went up the road to Bear Republic for lunch instead. When we returned to Russian River that night at about 8pm, the line was only 45 minutes long. Once inside, the atmosphere was awesome because everyone was there to try the same beer, and they had all put a lot of effort into being there. It was a great party. The beer was served in 10oz nonic glasses (half imperial pint), but there was no limit to the number of pours you could buy (but no growlers). This beer can be summed up as "Pliny the Elder times two". The characteristics are all the same as Elder, just more intense. More sugar, more alcohol, more hops. If you've had the Elder, just imagine the same wonderful hop aroma and flavor twice as intense. Because of the extra sugar and alcohol, the body is quite more substantial than the Elder. On initial sip, the beer seems quite syrupy and heavy. But after a few more sips, this perception fades and the beer is pure enjoyment. Overall, a great beer. I'm glad I made the trek (for the experience alone), but I doubt I would do it again. It's a great one time beer, but for repeated drinking, I prefer the Elder.

Faxe Amber

Euro Dark Lager

BBP

Note: had the imported version which had a slightly different design and 5.0%ABV. A- Golden copper, minimal head which dissolves quickly, and medium low carbonation. S- Mostly malts. Sweet and bready. Hard to make out as it's very light. T- Light notes of caramel, apple, grains, very minute amounts of spices. Apple was the most noticable of these. Pretty smooth for the most part, but tastes somewhat artificial. M- Feels a little thin and syrupy. Smooth though, but a little wierd going down. D- Fairly easy to go down and pretty cheap. I just didn't like how it sat in my stomach.

The Czar

Russian Imperial Stout

BBP

A- Pours a dark brown nearing black. Good carbonation although somewhat slim head. Fairly good lacing. Fair retention of the head that it had. S- Carmel boozy sweetness stood above most other aromas. Hints of molasses and a smidge of cocoa or perhaps roasted malt bitterness. T- This is getting towards the heavier side of imperial stouts. I don't dare say that it's more flavorful, but it seemed to have some definite boozy sweetness to it. There's some hop bitterness to this and some definite cocoa notes but it seems to be in vain as the sweetness is coming out on top. It's not overly sweet, but leaning towards the sweet side. There's a ton of rich toffee flavor to this which works considerably well with the cocoa which is literally just behind it. It's like a chocolate bar with toffee in it, but the other way around. The hops have some bitterness, but it's largely noticeable in the finish only. M- Creamy, smooth, but it seemed slightly over-carbonated. It leaves a fairly dry and sticky finish. It's got a medium body, that could be thicker, but feels pretty nice as it is. D- It's considerably drinkable, and scarily drinkable as it warms up. There's an ever present warming sensation, but it didn't interfere once with the drinkability. My only real complaint is that the focus of this is on the sweeter toffee notes and everything bitter seems to fall behind in it. For an ~11% beer, it's hard to expect it to be balanced superbly, but I would have loved to see the hops upped ever so slightly. I expect others would love this more than me as I don't like sweetness much, but I still found this a pretty solid beer. I wasn't disappointed at all, but wasn't blown away either.

Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel)

Quadrupel (Quad)

Thunderball

Poured into my Chimay goblet this beautiful red,amber liquid produced a one finger head. The smell was of the promise of just what this beer is, a rich Belgian ale mixed with a cherry Lambic. The mouth feel is creamy, with just the right amount of carbonation to keep it interesting. The taste is heavenly. I love the sweet malts,caramel, and the cherry-vanilla finish. Just enough of the Lambic coming through to end on a sweet note. Where the 9.8% abv is hiding, I can't tell. This is by far one of the best drinking experiences I have encountered. The "breast milk" of beer!

Lumpy Gravy

American Brown Ale

Thunderball

Poured a amber brown with a nice size head that disappeared quite quickly. The smell of hops, and fruity malts. taste of caramel, brown sugar,spice, with a dry somewhat bitter hop finish. Good deal of carbonation keeps this from being too bitter on the finish. Good offering from this brewer.

Dragonmead Under The Kilt Wee Heavy

Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy

blackthistle

12 oz. brown bottle; no freshness date; $2.79 for single bottle Pours clear brown with ruby tints around the edges and a thick creamy tan head that forms lacing to the bottom of the glass. Aroma consists of some sweet maltiness and a bit of smokiness followed by a hint of noble hops. Flavor is fairly malty with a bit of a husky/grainy note, just a hint of smoke and fruitiness, and enough noble hops to balance the malt. Overall, a very good scottish ale, but I don't really think it's "big" enough (in both aroma and flavor) for a wee heavy and it falls a bit short of my expectations. I prefer mine with more body, mouthfeel and a thicker, maltier presence.

Cadillac Country Lager

Bière de Garde

blackthistle

This beer is a clear, dark golden color with some amber tints and a thin creamy white head. The aroma is of sweet malt with a slight grainy/husky smell along with some spice/citrus notes. This medium bodied beer has a malty sweetness with some caramel notes as well as some complex spice and citrus character. The hops bitterness balances out the maltiness, but there is no hop flavor. Overall, a very refreshing beer that I hope they bring back again next summer.

Duchesse De Bourgogne

Flanders Red Ale

SetarconeX

Appearance: A wonderful dark red color, with an agressive brown head on it. Careful pouring this one, this head doesn't go away as quickly as you might think. Smell: There's malt, and wine, and citrus, and the alcohol's definately there too. Don't think I've ever had anything that smelled quite like this before. Taste: Sweet up front, and sour in the back. Very heavy apple flavor all around, with wine-like undertones. Don't think I've ever tasted a beer quite like this before. Mouthfeel: Very smooth and thick. Very good considering the unique tang the beer has. What a unique little brew! Much too sweet for everyday use, but with completely unmatched complexities to the taste. I'd sell my soul for an exact ingredients list. I've never tasted anything like it.

Tiger Beer

American Adjunct Lager

SetarconeX

Standard golden lager color, with perhaps a fairly decent foam retention, though nothing special. Smell is...sweetness and malt with a something else I can't put my finger on. Some sort of weird chemical scent, not unlike sulfur, but not exactly like it either. I'm actually now sure I want to drink this... Tastes a bit better than it smells. A bit of grain on the flavor, but still a dose of whatever weird sulfurous chemical was throwing off the nose. Something just isn't right about this beer. There's using some sort of weird adjunct I'd rather not have anything to do with. I don't think I'm coming back to this one.

Pemi Pale Ale

English Pale Ale

Longstaff

Copper - maroonish clear body with a decent airy head. Nice fruity hop aroma with some malty undertones. Grapefruit like hop flavors with a good amount of bitterness to match the strong and slightly sweet caramel malt backbone. Alcohol is prickly but goes nicely with the bitter hops. A refreshing IPA that is balanced enough and interesting enough to drink all day.

Supa Hero

American Double / Imperial IPA

Longstaff

Interesting hoppy flavor that is not all in your face and melds well with malt character. Alcohol stayed well away from detracting from hoppiness, but it needed more to me to jones over it. A decent try for $7/btl. but a little pricey for me to drink this like it is meant to be.

Tipo Pils

German Pilsener

MilanoItaly

Some Michelin 3 star chef should taste the foam of this beer : it can be a recipe itself, never saw and tasted something similar, it resembles to a mousse , no really IT IS a mousse, soft like whipped cream and very sweet. Maybe some other Birrificio Italiano beers show something similar, and my Tipopils wasn't perfectly clear in colour to give perfect 5/5, but the effect was so scenographic and you say, "exceptional" . On-tap at Birrificio Italiano. TipoPils is a good exemple of Pils brewed in Italy . Not particularly crisp or bitter, medium-low carbonated but as they will explain it mainly depends on the German serving style they adopt here. Above the average.

Tennent's Super Strong Lager

Euro Strong Lager

MilanoItaly

The liquid appears of a poor, pale gold, no resistive foam. It gives you a hard beat followed by a slightly bitter farewell, lasting really too less. Better image I can offer is "hard-discount can beer been kept under the sun and quite a time been opened before" . Poor drinkability, it has nothing "super" even if the 9% alcohol is for real, you taste it all. In my opinion even the water used was not sufficient. High carbonation even if it feels like some chemical reaction is taking place on your mouth. Avoid,I'll try again, could be a defective bottle.

Tröegs Sunshine Pils

German Pilsener

NolanGTI

A true stunner. Agreat summer brew and a real surpirse. Pours an extremely pale yellow with a nice creamy head and lacing that sticks around. Smell give some slight citrus notes, nothing overpowering. The taste is what knocks you out. easily drinkable by the six-pack, this beer has a nice Saaz finish with hints of grassy-ness and lemon. Have yet to serve this to a BMC drinker who doesn't love it.

Southampton Imperial Baltic Porter

Baltic Porter

NolanGTI

A bit disappointed in this one. Pored a deep garnet with almost no head and little discernible carbonation. Nose was rich with roasted malts and a hint of sweetness. Taste was a bit flat with a noticeable astringent taste. I feel many baltic porters effectively play right up to that edge, but this one crossed it and didn't have the surrounding flavor profile to compensate. Richly roasted taste with strong bittersweet chocolate throughout getting even more pronounced on finish. Carbonation was lacking for the style. Drinkable but not memorable.

Pompier

English Barleywine

Wespatrick

poured from a 1L swingtop into a chalice wrapper indicates 2008 vintage Pours burnt sienna with very little carbonation. A small ring of bubbles lines the outside edge of the glass after a few minutes of sitting. Nose is mainly malty sweetness, some dark fruits and a faint offering of alcohol. There is a very odd flavor in the finish of this beer; maybe from the French hops, maybe some funk from the wood? Bottle says whiskey barrel aged, but I am getting nothing. I would believe oak aged, but there is zero whiskey present. I am barely 6 oz in and I am already regretting my decision to go this alone. I was excited when I found a barrel aged barleywine for $10, but I guess it was too good to be true. Major disappointment!

DuganA IPA

American Double / Imperial IPA

Wespatrick

I think this is the best new DIPA to come out this year. Now that I got that out of the way, I will tell you why I think so. Pour was a nice light orange color and the head was substantial enough to hang around for a while. Aroma is intriguing mix of resinous pine and more pineapple that grapefruit citrus. There is some alchohol in the nose as well. Taste is well balanced, but not too sweet like many DIPA's that try to overcompensate for the high hop flavor with too much malt sweetness. Finish is quite dry and enjoyable, not at all cloying or muddled. There is some alchohol in the aftertaste, but it is not overwhelming or off-putting. Drinkability is great. I polished off a growler without a wing man and I am feeling no ill effects. Avery says they will brew this beer whenever they feel the need and I hope that is more fequently than once or twice a year because I think it is a great DIPA at a very fair price. Highly reccomended!

Shackamaximum

American Double / Imperial Stout

VoiceOfTheSoul

Served very cold into tulip, 12oz. A It pours black with a very dark brown one finger head that shrinks to ring slowly. It leaves nice lacing only for a little, but keeps a shallow frothy top. S It was hard to smell because it was so cold, but roastyness came through easily. Then, sweeter, more syrupy smells with the slightest hint of cherries and citrus start to come through. As it warms, more syrup/coffee notes are apparent. T The initial taste is mostly roasted, but its not at all harsh or overpowering on the palate. There's some bitterness in the finish and after taste. As it warms a lot more comes through, like floral notes and more coffee. A lot more sweetness and some dark chocolate notes, espresso feel gets stronger the warmer it gets. M Creamy all around with pretty good carbonation. Pretty thick feeling over all. D Went down easy, a little too easy for how roasty and full flavored it was. Overall it was really nice. Pretty balanced with assertive finishing bitterness and the strong roast flavor. Bitterness subsides as it warms with more espresso/choc flavor setting in the aftertaste. Much fuller and thicker feel later. Full flavored, but easy drinking, just the way I like my stouts.

Beer Geek Bacon

American Double / Imperial Stout

VoiceOfTheSoul

12oz poured into a tulip. A Pitch black withtwo finger thick billowy brown head, foamy lacing all the way down. S Very smoky almost meaty, malty, raisins, apples. T So smokey and meaty, like im in the mountains cooking bacon from a freshly slaughtered boar over a fire, some bitter chocolate in the middle meeting with some hoppiness in the finish, espresso lingers on afterwards. M Smooth and creamy, thick and untamed, like a big cloud of smoke. O Great after dinner or for beakfast as the name implies. Despite how smokey it is, it's never overpowering or cloying. This was really great.

Merry Monks' Ale

Tripel

Bowdoinbeerboy

Apperance- Pours with a bright yellow color, small head that lingers for a little while before dissipating. Lots of carbonation. Smell- Powerful spices, orange peel, and alcohol, very strong alcohol. Taste- Sweet candied fruits, lots of sugar in here, alcohol is fairly well hidden. I detect peaches and plums. Mouthfeel- A little weird actually, really covers the mouth, not sure if I like that or not. Drinkability- Pretty good, this is a solid tripel.

Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen

Bowdoinbeerboy

Appearance- Pours a very cloudy yellow-brownish color. Not too much foam and what there is quickly subsides, quite a lot of carbonation, lots of bubbles on the side of the glass. Smell- Pungent, fruity smell. Like an overripe fruit basket smells like bananas. Taste- Fruity initial flavor that lasts on the tongue for a second (kinda tangy) and then morphs into a slightly wheaty aftertaste that lasts on the tongue for a long time, also definite tones of banana. Mouthfeel- Flavor fills the entire mouth and lasts on the tongue for a long time, feels kind of thick. Drinkability- I would not want to have more than one of these, kind of filling but also not a beer I would consider delicious.

Keystone Ice

American Adjunct Lager

BigBen61

There aren't many beers that I've had in my life that I can't at least drink, whether or not I enjoy them. This dear readers is one fatal exception. To follow the community guidelines for reviews, I will hold off on bashing this beer until I get into the review. Let me assure you however, before we begin, that there is only one redeeming quality to this awful stuff. As far as appearance, I had this stuff at poker night in college so it's hard to tell the appearance of a beer in a red plastic cup. However on the pour there was almost no head except for some oily looking foam clinging in sparse areas of the surface of my beer and the color of the pour was very similar to say...well lets just say this beer must have been dehydrated and taking its B vitamins cause it looked and smelled like it. The mouthfeel is initially no different than any other macro brew, which is to say there isn't much of anything going on here. On the finish it seems to mutate into something altogether different, leaving a funky coating on the palate and a bit of a sharp bite in the back of the throat (that could be the vodka they're pouring in this stuff to up the alcohol content...not seriously by the way...but it feels like it). The taste is only what can be described as unbearable, although I did bear it that night and succeeded in getting pretty hammered off the stuff (is its one redeeming quality) which leads me to the point I am today. One of my college buddies bought a case of it and after opening the can I knew I wouldn't be able to pull another night off with this one. I literally swallowed a chug of the beer and it immediately reversed directions and...well you can imagine. I'm just glad I was close to the trash can.

Stone Ruination IPA

American Double / Imperial IPA

BigBen61

This is the beer that will make any self proclaimed "hophead" think twice before opening his trap again! During the earlier parts of my experience with beer I found out quickly that IPA's and Imperial IPA's were some of my favorite beers. That being said, this beer hits a strange spot for me in my beer journey. Almost anyone who has tried this beer will tell you the name is no joke, and after a few sips almost any other beer will taste like carbonated water (well maybe not but you get the idea). It will in fact "ruin" your palate (at least for a short amount of time). Onto the review... The appearance was magnificent holding a good two fingers of pearly white head and with a much deeper golden color than I would have expected. The nose was by far my favorite part of this beer. There was no end to the hop aromas, which ranged from sweet and citrus like to darker wood and pine tar aromas. The nose was also an accurate indicator of the bitterness of this beer and after sip one...OMG! If you don't like your beers much more bitter than than an average pale ale, then stay the hell away. If however you enjoy having an alpha acid onslaught murder your palate look no further. The beer started off with a wonderful complex maltiness, followed by mouth puckering bitterness and citrus hoppiness in the midpalate, and a nearly choking slam of pine tar hoppiness on the finish that could literally last for minute after minute following every sip. My only qualm with this beer is the drinkability. While I love the bitterness of hops, this one is so over the top that I found my 22 oz. bomber to be broken down into three segments. The first 10 to 12 ounces were as wonderful and exciting as any beer I've ever had. The next few ounces began to wear my palate down, and by the end of the bottle I had to choke down the dregs. That being said it's one of the most intense beer experiences you can find anywhere!

Budweiser American Ale

American Amber / Red Ale

cyberquog

Purchased a 6 pack to give this beer a shot after hearing about Bud's new craft like beer. First thing noticeable is the pry off cap, no standard bud twist off for this beer. Smell is of caramel malts with a touch of piney hop in the background. Malts dominate the first taste of the beer, too much of a sweet caramel flavor, followed by some hoppy citrus and bitterness to (not quite) balance. Mouthfeel was on par with the style and not watery like bud or bud light. I didn't like the aftertaste the beer left in my mouth, almost bitter or sour tasting. This beer is just not smooth enough for me to really enjoy. Drinkability would be good except for the astringent aftertaste which knocked off some of the enjoyability. Budweiser American Ale is better than the standard Bud products. Its initial tastes are fine, except for maybe being overly sweet, but the aftertaste ruins it for me.

Rock Art IPA (II)

American Double / Imperial IPA

cyberquog

served out of a bomber purchased in Stowe VT. Appearance: Hazy amber. moderate head when poured, pretty good lacing and head retention. Smell: hops, flowers, and more hops. Taste: Sweet at first with a very hoppy follow through and a warming alcohol finish. Hops are very pronounced and play well but still overwhelm the sweet malts. Mouthfeel: Pretty mild carbonation with a nice texture, medium bodied. Drinkability: Bitter hops take away from drinkability, but a bomber goes down easy enough. Recommended for hop heads, maybe not so much for those looking for more balance. But what do you expect from a double IPA?

Schlitz

American Adjunct Lager

VirtualAsylum

I bought this beer because I saw it in the store for a ridiculously cheap price, checked the reviews here, and decided to give it a try. While this beer isn't anything fantastic, the quality is quite good for the price you pay. (I paid $3.50 for a six-pack) I sat down with this beer half expecting to drink one and dump the rest down the sink...and then one beer turned into two, turned into 3, turned into 4. I thought "Shit, I'm buzzed!" before I knew it and couldn't believe I had 4 cans down in such a short time. The taste on this beer is actually quite good, considering what kind of beer this is. "Just a kiss of the hops" as they say, is really true in this case. I was actually quite surprised at the taste. Next thing I noticed was drinkability. As I said, this one goes down too easy, it's almost scary! Make sure you don't have to go anywhere when you crack open the first can. If you're looking for some cheap suds because you're in a financial pickle, this is a CLEAR winner. A great value beer to fall back on when you want to change things up and/or need to buy cheap for a little while. Definitely keeping this one on my "winners" list.

Newcastle Brown Ale

English Brown Ale

VirtualAsylum

Simply put this is, to date anyway, my favorite beer of all time! First off, the drinkability on this one is through the roof. The dark rich color of this brew really drew me in the first time I tried it. As far as taste is concerned--my all time #1. I like how SMOOTH and balanced this beer is, although it comes off slightly sweet in a way. Also the carbonation level is subtle, and perfect. Just typing this is making my mouth water :) This beer is fantastic, and unique. Give it a try, you won't regret it!

AleSmith IPA

American IPA

DrunkenPanther

The appearance of this brew was a nice dark amber with a great tan head. Had me excited to drink it. Then I took a smell. 150% grapefruit smell. Now I love hops, but this aroma was a bit too powerful. Well, after the smell, I was expecting a grapefruit taste. I did get a grapefruit taste somewhat, but it was overshadowed by an extreme bitterness. Im talking really bitter. This took away the ability to really taste a whole lot. In all, this beer isnt bad to have 1, and I did rate it higher than I was originally thinking, but that is because I am thinking that bottle must have been a bit off. I would like to try this again and adjust my review. Said that, as of now, it was way too bitter and grapefruit tasting to want to drink many.

Immort Ale

American Strong Ale

DrunkenPanther

This brew poured it's dark golden body with no head at all. The aroma was a strong alcohol and fruit smell. At first the alcohol is a bit overpowering, but as the drink goes, it becomes a bit more comfortable and the fruitiness comes out. This beer had a sweet mouthfeel. Had hints of maple throught and actually finished with what seemed to be a strong vanilaa flavor that lingered on.

Hakim Stout

Foreign / Export Stout

JayTheFinn

Dark yes, but not very dark for a RIS. Small white head. Liquorice scent, plus a distinct smell that I couldn't put a finger on. Decent sweet, toasted flavor, but nothing really stands out. Rather fizzy in the mouth. Not as smooth as I like them. It's drinkable. Definitely good as an after dinner dessert alternative. I was having Ethiopian food, which I assume the Hakim was made to accompany. It does a decent job of it. Overall though, this is not one of my favorites of the style.

Bruegel Amber Ale

Belgian Pale Ale

JayTheFinn

Deep brown look with a thick off-white head. Smelled a cidery, vinegar. Could taste a little caramel, apple, oak and a whole lot of cidery vinegar! I just may have gotten a bad bottle. But honestly I dug the taste! Overall it was good and I'd have another.

Brewmaster's Premium Reserve Dopple Bock Aged In Oak Bourbon Barrels

Doppelbock

MASPuros

1 Liter swing top bottle A: rich dark mahogany brown with cream colored head. Light shines through pretty clear. Minimal lacing S: mmmm smells like a See's Candy store ... caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Some bourbon. T: Sweet malts, toffee, caramel ... with bourbon backbone, with little aftertaste. Slight heat form alcohol but not unpleasant at all M: Very smooth yet sticky and slick. D: This is a sipper but oh what a sipper. Highly recommended this has to be the best beer I've ever tasted so far.

Bucking Bock

Maibock / Helles Bock

MASPuros

Got this in a PIF from GregSVT. Thanks brother! Appearance - poured into a Rahr Ugly Pug Pint Glass a clear gold color with a thin creamy half inch of white foam. A closer look shows lots of tiny stuff in suspension. Aroma - nice grain bread smell. Not overwhelming but pleasant Taste - Very water and a bit sour ... very acidic. Was not expecting the sourness from this style and did not leave a great taste in the mouth. After taste was a bit unpleasant. Mouthfeel - crisp with a bit of smoothness. Drinkability - Is this a bock? It was way watered down and the flavors that were present did compliment very well.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

American IPA

Homebrew35

Pours with a small half finger head that fades away fast to a slight ring. Clear amber in color. Smells of American C hops and some sweet alcohol. Tastes of hops and a slight bit of sweetness. The finish is bitter and piney that lingers. A bit out of balance for me. Low carbing and thin body. I could take only a few of these in a night.

Racer 5 India Pale Ale

American IPA

Homebrew35

Nice creamy one finger head. Pale golden in color. Smells heavily of American hops, some sweetness. Tastes of creamy sweetness, piney citrus bitterness and finishes balanced and clean. No lingering bitterness. Medium carbing, medium body. Quite drinkable with the creamy hop malt balance. Nice job Bear.

Thomas Jefferson Ale

American Strong Ale

Srsly

On tap at Mohawk Bend A - dark brown or amber with a very thin, short-lived off-white head S - not a particularly strong smell to this beer, practically had to stick my nose in it to get much. When i finally caught a good whiff i got primarily fruits of the darker variety. T - considerably bigger than it smells. primarily tastes of dark fruits, maybe raisins. also a lot of sweetness, perhaps a little too much. There's definitely some bite from the high abv, which makes it a little harsh for my taste. M - totally fine, not light but not too heavy. O - I liked it, but it didn't thrill me. The flavor profile actually reminded me a little bit of a quad in an interesting way, but the sweetness and the alcohol made it tougher to enjoy. glad i tried it, though.

Firestone 14 - Anniversary Ale

American Strong Ale

Srsly

A - nearly black, some brown around the edges with very small brownish head that dissipates quickly S - spectacularly complex, I get lots of barrel/oak/whisky type notes, with malt and some vanilla underneath. maybe some tobacco or coffee in there too. T - Again, ridiculously good with so much going on. Definitely the barrel flavors come forward, with more coffee to go with it too. Just enough chocolate sweetness to keep it easy to sip, but no flavor really overpowers the others. A great blend. M - On the thicker side but definitely not in any way too heavy. I'd like to say rich and smooth. For the 12.5% i got almost no harsh alcohol bite. O - I really really love this beer. Had it on tap a few days in a row and each time I like it more. It's so complex that I find it very difficult to describe, and I worry that this review isn't quite doing it justice. Wish I had more in the cellar, you know, to really figure out each flavor. ha.

Highland Gaelic Ale

American Amber / Red Ale

dataskatt

This is my favorite American Amber/Red Ale so far. It pours a rich reddish brown with a generous head. This beer is wonderfully malty and creamy, with enough hops to balance it nicely. It is full flavored and rich, but not overly heavy. The smell is very malty with hints of caramel and nut. A very balanced red ale.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

American Pale Ale (APA)

dataskatt

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet! Pours a beautiful golden amber with just a bit of sediment that sinks to the bottom of the glass. Generous 3 finger head with lots of sticky white lacing. The smell consists of malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness. Very balanced! Some biscuit and grassy floral notes. The taste is very smooth with the hops flavor topping the malt (as it should). Grassy and floral taste without having too much bitterness. This brew is the perfect example of a balanced pale ale. Medium mouthfeel with just a touch of chewiness. Very drinkable, good session beer.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

American IPA

KSac4115

Pours an unfiltered copper color with a 1/2 inch slightly off-white foam head. Smell is floral and hoppy. Smell isn't too apparent, but is light and sweet. Taste is sweet. Slightly hoppy. Pretty good blend of flavors. Pretty good bitterness. Aftertaste is somewhat pleasant but the flavors tend to fade quickly leaving a mild bitter feeling on the taste buds. Mouthfeel is very nice. Smooth in the mouth with just the right amount of carbonation. The bitterness is very apparent. Drinkability is very good. Could definitely have quite a few of these. The higher alcohol percentage is not very obvious. Overall a pretty good and drinkable beer.

Estate Homegrown Wet Hop Ale

American IPA

KSac4115

Pours a dark golden color with a one inch white foam head. Doesn't let much light through. Smells very hoppy. Floral aromas are very apparent. Have a minor sold right now and my sense of smell is a little off. Hopefully my taste isn't. Taste is great. Perfect blend of flavors and bitterness. Very smooth after taste that make it not a very overpowering drink. As far as beers of its style of alcohol contents go, i feel this is a very drinkable beer and only wish I bout more than just one large bottle.

Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel)

Quadrupel (Quad)

TenSpoons

A A dark brown with ruby. Nice thick head. S Cherry, Malty, slight alcohol. T much like the aroma, but more alcohol. M Moderate mouthfeel, with fairly high carbonation, but not biting. D A nice sipping beer. I really enjoyed this beer, but drinking it wont be a regular thing.

Ommegang Witte

Witbier

TenSpoons

Appearance - Cloudy straw colored, white head that disappated quickly Smell - Citrus, Lemon, slighly spicy, yeasty Taste - Slight Lemon flavor, nice malt background, dry, clean Mouthfeel - highly carbinated with medium body. Drinkability - A great witbier. I would drink another.

Founders Porter

American Porter

brydeen

Poured into a pint glass A: Dark Brown, almost black with a tiny tan head that gives way instantly S: Big roast aroma, similar to an iced coffee. Hints of chocolate as well, but the roastiness domintaes. T: Big dark chocolate characteristics in the taste. Slight bitterness from the chocolate, with a perfectly balanced roasted malty backbone M: Very smooth, and thinner than the appearance. No hint of alcohol to be found. O: Excellent interpretation of style. Extremely well balanced flavor, with just the right amount of roast and bitterness from the chocloate.

Token Bourbon Barrel Aged

American Porter

brydeen

Poured into a snifter A: Pours a reddish brown with a tan, thin head. Little retention or lacing. S: Huge buttery nose, with hints of caramel and vanilla. No real bourbon presence at all. T: Tangy sweetness with a metallic tinge as well. Unfortunately, this bottle has also fell victim to the alleged infection issues. Total drain pour. M: Very thin bodied for a porter. Not a lot of carbonation, but somewhat smooth and creamy. O: I was hoping I would dodge the infection concerns, but I did not. Hard to recommend this one to anyone.

Bell's Oberon Ale

American Pale Wheat Ale

Jinholic

Poured into my wheat beer glass. Appearance - 1 finger of pure cloudy head body isn't all that hazy(lots of yeast chunks in there but no haze), golden in color got some okay lacing on this though. Smell - Get that yeast up front with fruits in the back very pleasant to smell. Taste - Good blend of the yeast and fruit get lots of lemon in all the way through. The lemon is very over powering in the taste I don't get much else on the back end either. Mouthfeel - A bit rough up front with the carbonation though it does smooth out I couldn't call this a clean finish. A bit dry for a summer beer and for a wheat beer at that. Overall - I was hoping for more on this one as I love a good wheat beer but this didn't seem to be 100% unfiltered and as with most American pale wheats the lemon was way overboard here the more I drank the less bready it got while just slamming the lemon down. That said if your a fan of pale wheat go grab it and see for yourself.

Ranger

American IPA

Jinholic

Appearance - Clear golden orange body with 2 fingers of off white rocky head, got some fine lacing here too boot. Smell - Hops and lots of them citrus with some sappy pine in the back and the slightest sweet malt scent is picked up. Taste - Rush of hops right off the bat followed by that good old hop bite while still not being too bitter. Doesn't seem that complex its a bit over on the hop side I wish there was a little more malt in the mix. Mouthfeel - Smooth crisp but not that refreshing it has a bit of an overall dryness that wants me not to have more than 2 of these. Overall - Not the worst IPA not the best IPA but I think they could do much more with this, it seems they just wanted something that was super hoppy which it is but it comes out lacking the flavor that it could have. That said go grab one and see for yourself.

Black Licorice Lager

Euro Dark Lager

Gorgoroth

From tasting notes taken on 10/20/10 Presentation: Typical Short's label layout, rather neat but, as always, lacking important information such as ABV, bottling date, etc. The artwork on this particular label is on the less-inspiring end of Short's offerings but it's not an eyesore. Appearance: Pours into oversize snifter a deep brown with almost no visible carbonation except near the head which is half-a-fingerwidth, smooth and the color of mocha. Smell: The base of the aroma is dark chocolate with hints of fresh mint and vanilla and possibly notes of star anise. The aroma is not very potent. Taste: The palate experiences dark chocolate and burnt coffee with a lingering burnt taste in the throat. There is a slight cooling , herbal spiciness (i.e. minty, star anise) on the back of the palate with gentle hop spice undertones throughout. It is fairly sweet but also notably spicy in the herbal sense. Mouthfeel: This beer has a medium body with coolness from the spices and light carbonation. There is a slight oily cloy in the throat. Drinkability & Final Thoughts: This beer isn't hard to drink and it's not a terrible beer, but some things about it were a little off-putting to me. When I see such a dark pour with light carbonation and a small, tan head, and smell dark chocolate and burnt coffee, I except a rather full, chewy mouthfeel and lots of bready, roasted malt character. However, this beer's body is medium at strongest and there isn't nearly the strength of roasted malt flavor one might expect. I also think the cooling spice flavors would work better if they were held up against a thicker body and breadier flavors; as it stands, they come like an afterthought in an otherwise fairly straightforward and not particularly exemplary Euro-style dark lager. Short's doesn't entirely miss the mark but they've brewed much better.

Pliny The Elder

American Double / Imperial IPA

Gorgoroth

Special thanks to mattc7301 on eBay for this excellent acquisition. Bottle date: 04/23/10 Reviewed: 05/16/10 Presentation: Lovely brown glass bomber with the minimalistic, post-modernist-looking label using primarily bold red and green contrasting colors. Contains some humorous messages about drinking Pliny while fresh around the perimeter of the label. Appearance: Steady pour into an oversize snifter yields a deep gold body with orange hues, creamy off-white head which dissipates quickly to small, foamy islands, leaves creamy, spotted lacing; active carbonation. Smell: An assault of floral hops on the front of the nose with elements of spicy black pepper, honey, and pine. Taste: Sweet floral hops up front with a bitter and dry hop finish; notable malt character with honey notes on the palate. Mouthfeel: A rather thin body with a creamy texture from the head, lively carbonation, and a smooth but very dry finish. Drinkability/Final Thoughts: A very potent but also very drinkable brew. I figure at a few weeks after bottle-date, I'm drinking it about as fresh as I ever will in Michigan. And as such, I was a little surprised to find that it is not the most outrageously hoppy or powerful Imperial IPA I've had. But that doesn't detract from the beer itself. I do think it lives up to its infamy and am very glad I was able to come by a bottle, especially such a fresh one. If they were available in my area, I'd probably buy them often, but as it ends up costing me nearly $30 to get a bottle of this in my hands, I'll probably stick with just the one for now.

St. Bernardus Abt 12 (60th Anniversary "Special Edition")

Quadrupel (Quad)

Jaynuze

Pours a beautiful deep amber/brown with a super thick/creamy head that follows the beer down the glass leaving behind one of the nicest laces I've seen. The head retention, as many have noted, is amazing and I don't believe I have ever tasted a creamier one ... it's thick as whipped cream ... DELICIOUS! This beer does not have much of a nose at the beginning, guess this is because they don't use aroma hops in the brewing process, but its nose begins to appear with a smoky peat / chocolate aroma as you get further down the glass. You might even be able to sense a few fruity notes as well ... very odd for such a dark beer IMO. It tastes as creamy and full as it looks. Though very dark, the anniversary tastes smooth with a nice alcohol finish. As you get further down the glass, the dry malty sweetness dulls and provides a very smooth finish. The mouthfeel is very light .. again, I expected a much more full MF, but still tastes great! I would highly recommend this beer to Quad fans and to others who've not had the opportunity to taste this style. One of the best Quads I've ever tasted!

Clipper City McHenry Lager

American Pale Lager

Jaynuze

My initial review for this beer came out around a D minus. After revisiting this beer per an aquaintance's request I've changed my tune. Though this lager is not my prefered beer, the subtle changes due to the new mill at the brewery has really made some nice adjustments to the brew. The beer pours light golden with a very thin head. The nose is still a bit rough, but much milder. Much like this beer's relative, it tastes like San Miguel ... only better. As I mentioned, this is not typically the beer style I like to drink, but if offered a bottle I would drink it. I'd even go as far to buy a sixer or two for those really warm DC days. Though not one of the strongest styles in the CC portfolio (only in my opinion), it is an ever improving beer and I would be interested to see if CC has anymore changes in mind. I will try this one again.

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic

Fruit / Vegetable Beer

blimey

This came in a holiday mix 12 pack which I just can't pass up at 9.99. Not quite a lambic, not quite a fruit beer. Strawberry blond color with a definite aroma of cranberries. Some hint of the lactoacidity of a lambic, but not the real deal. Well placed fruit flavor with a low to medium beer support. I would get this again in the mix pack and only on its own if on sale.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

Rauchbier

blimey

I have had this many times before, but each time it is such an intense experience. Poured a nice deep brown with a slight head which dissipated fairly quickly. But of course the aroma and taste are the headliners here. I always associate this with the smoked gouda I love, only more intense. I think the smoked flavor overwhelms the other elements slightly in this one- there's probably a better balance in the urbock version- but I guess that's the point. The carbonation acts well with the high-medium texture to make it an enjoyable treat in moderation. I would probably only drink one, ideally paired with a big tray of sausages and cheese.

Palo Santo Marron

American Brown Ale

Manoftyr

Appearance-Pours a slick, very, very, very dark almost black brown into the glass, about of finger of mocha colored head rises and lingers longer than I would expect for the ABV and leaves a sizable ring of lacing along the edges as it recedes. The consistency of the pour has that sick motor-oil consistency one typically associates with Imperial Stouts, though this is billed as a brown ale by DFH. Aroma-Darkly roasted malts reminiscent of a brown ale only much, much more intense. A caramely-woodsy aroma, which I assume comes from the Palo Santo wood, mingles with milk chocolate and dark fruits to concoct one of the most intriguing and intoxicating aromas I've yet to come across. No alcohol detected on the nose. Taste-Robustly bittersweet flavors of oaken caramel, vanilla, plums, raisins, dark chocolate and just the slightest tinge of a burn of alcoholic heat to remind you of the ABV of this bad boy. The woodiness *really* comes through on the finish and smooths everything out nicely, it's a very unique kind of woodiness too, definitely not piny but not exactly oaken either, which I imagine is the result of the unique wood they used for this brew. Mouthfeel-Thick, but not quite as viscous and chewy as an RIS; I can see why they billed this as a Brown ale, maybe a new style category is in order for this brew; Imperial Brown ale perhaps? Drinkability-Not sure how to rate it on this scale, it's not really a beer to knock back and pound, it's intended to be savored and drank slowly. For what they were going for, I think the drinkability is pretty solid.

The Czar

Russian Imperial Stout

Manoftyr

Poured from 08 bottle into pint glass Appearance-Pours a rich charcoal black with maybe the slightest tinges of red around the edges, a nice mocha head raises and slowly dissipates. Aroma-Cherries and dark fruit, maybe plums, followed by rich caramelized and somewhat chocolaty malt. Ends with a note of alcohol. It may just be me but the fruity cherry smell, smells a little bready to me almost like a piece of cherry cake. Taste-Follows the nose but with the cherry and dark fruit flavors taking a backseat to the malt character which dominates the finish with toasty and chocolaty flavors that mingle with a slight hop bitterness. Mouthfeel-Lush, but somewhat thin for an Imperial Stout, however, it still possesses that nice silky smoothness. Drinkability-For such a big beer, this is pretty drinkable and goes down rather easy.

BluCreek Blueberry Ale

Fruit / Vegetable Beer

Soybomb

appearance: Pours a dark somewhat cloudy amber with little to no head. I tried to get one on there but even with a tall pour it just wasn't happening. smell: Smells kinda sugary, bready, and blue berry like. Close to a blueberry muffin. taste and mouthfeel: Weak. Something on the order of watery blue berry juice. Thin, not many flavors coming out, and very little carbonation even. notes: I'll just eat a blueberry muffin next time. Not near enough flavor and mouthfeel to make me want another glass or ever buy it again.

Samuel Smith's, The Famous Taddy Porter

English Porter

Soybomb

Appearance: very dark, a little violet or deep red when held to the light, almost black away from it, forms a nice creamy tan head of about an inch that quickly drops to a ring and very thing top layer smell: roasted malt and coffee taste and mouthfee: the roasted malt and chocolate flavors come out first, and drops off to a light coffee after taste, hop flavor is balanced well with the malt, but the malt is the star, medium bodied, smooth and very drinkable notes: my first porter even though I love stouts, I liked it quite a bit

Clear Creek Ice

American Malt Liquor

EsoxLucius

my can is dubbed 'tundra ice' and has football graphics on it for the Grey Cup, it's also 'Rider Green'... all unlicensed. anyway, it's a 710ml can that was $2.60 for 6.2%, i bought 3 as novelties to give away to friends that were already hammed at the Grey Cup party. i ended up with one, onto the review. i poured half of it into a glass to check it out. A: golden with a thick fluffy, soon to be gone head. S: metalic corn, some grain smell. overall sweet smell. T: faint malt, more corn than anything, quite sweet. didn't like it. M: thickens up and doesn't feel too bad, this was the highlight for me. D: if you're gunned, this would be great. if price was a factor, this would score extra points as it truly is budget. it passes, but definately not something to drink if you're into flavor and presentation.

Gulden Draak (Dark Triple)

Belgian Strong Dark Ale

EsoxLucius

found this in vancouver and remembered someone from michigan telling me to try it out if i ever found it! not disapointed at all. A: Hazzy dark brown with a light tan head, good retention and lacing. S: dark berries are a definate. prunes and blackberry, there's a tartness there that is just appealing. T: Caramel and berries, not boozy at all, a tad sweet, but suits. M: a right proper body, not overly carbonated, just right. D: i liked it a bit more for sessions than Trois Pistole's from Unibroue. definately not an everyday for me, but two and three go down as easy as one... 4 is on the way, but i won't be right minded after all that 10.5 kicks in.

Burton Baton

American Double / Imperial IPA

chefnash51

I really really really wanted to like this beer... Huge fan of IIPA and Dogfish head... I haven't had to pour a beer down the sink in years.. Way too sugary, way too sweet. Hops don't even really make it through. This beer killed my taste buds. I had to stop drinking after I had it and it gave me a headache, probably from all the sugar. As I let the beer swirl over my tongue, I could taste the bourbon. Maybe I had the wrong impression of what this was going to taste like. I tried, even let it sit out for a bit hoping that as it warms, it would become more pallet able. I will put the other 3 bottles down.... for a LONG time... maybe that will calm the sweetness.

Red Poppy Ale

Flanders Red Ale

chefnash51

tasted (a few times) at the NotB. If I ever acquire a whole bottle I will go back and try and write a more detailed review. The first thing that jumped out was the nose on this beer. My eyes must have doubled in size and my lips formed a whoah expression. The guy from Lost Abbey pouring just kind of looked at my reaction and gave a smile that said.. yes it is a glorious smell.. What a way to break up all those Barrel Aged Imp Stouts. This was a gem that stood out. First sniff was sweet love of sour cherries. Followed by vinegar notes pushing it's way through.. asking my senses to WAKE UP and get ready for what was about to be delivered. The taste did not fail. No sir. Not being that familiar with Sours, yet.. I can see how some might be put off at first and then warm up to this.. but It was love at first smell/taste for me. Can't wait until I can obtain a bottle and sit at my house and really pick this beer apart.

Heavy Seas - Loose Cannon (Hop3 Ale)

American IPA

LaChaBennDotcom

Oh My. That was my first reaction when i tasted this beer the bi annual Beer Bourbon and Bar B Que festival in Baltimore. Being new to Maryland I was very curious about this hometown brew. Previously i jealously watched on as my roommates enjoyed their six pack "please" i thought to myself, "let me try just one bottle." I was buzzed when i finally made my way to the Heavy Seas table at the BBBBQ festival but a good beer is a good beer and as soon as the head hit my nose i knew i'd found a new favourite. There is not malt taste..i lie maybe in the after taste but the initial taste and the mouthfeel are On point. Hops, some fruit, and drinkablity are perfected in this beer. I'm not a fan of I.P.A.s but this one -- its not to heavy, its not to hoppy-it is what every Good I.P.A. should be. I am drinking one right now-first time out of the bottle. I will feel sad when it is empty. The taste is.. im speechless. And in all honestly i am a few of the lucky ones because i get to enjoy this beer when it is first brewed i'm not sure how it stands up to shelf life but a beer this good-i don't think shelf life matters. If you see it BUY IT. You won't regret it.

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

American IPA

LaChaBennDotcom

I'm not a big fan of the Sam but when i saw that a new IPA was included in the mix I was sold. I was blown away by this beer from Samuel Adams. A smooth hoppy beer is always good for the summer but they really did it with this one. Low in IBUs this beer is great for a hop lover who seeks a smooth brew. Its appearance and colour is light but its head is ever present when poured into a mug. With the smell you expect something a lot hoppier. Upon taste your mouth fills with heavy carbonation (a plus a minus) but at the end of the day the drink-ability is solid. I'll try and drink this all summer. not a bad brew from sam

Stella Artois

Euro Pale Lager

dakeynr

Something about the aroma of this beer puts me in mind of wine. That's the first thing that I love about Stella Artois...when that aroma hits your nose. Light, refreshing taste...a bit more complex than American Macro light lagers. Stella has a pleasant crisp finish with a slight hint of astringency. Pours from the bottle with a nice head that fades very slowly, with nice lacing. The more I drink this beer, the more I enjoy it. I find it to be a great session beer. It goes great with anything from a steak to a simple salad. Some darker beers are great for having one or two and then, they get to be too much...they're too rich. (Not that that's a bad thing, but it's like eating cheesecake - a little goes a long way). With Stella, you can keep on drinking, and your palate never tires of the crisp refreshing taste. Note, though, that it is a full 5% ABV. When I say it's a good session beer, still you will find yourself inebriated if you don't pace yourself accordingly. On the other hand, if you have a DD or you're at home...drink on!

Natural Ice

American Adjunct Lager

dakeynr

OK, my ratings are perfect 3.0 - perfectly average. It's not great. And it's not awful. The price is right. About the only thing about this one is the abv at 5.9, so it fills a market niche that A-B wants a part of. It's a pale lager. The mouth feel is thin to me, and poured into a wine glass, the head quickly dissipated. I can't find a lot of fault with these mass-market domestics...someone must be drinking them, or they wouldn't be on the shelf at my 6-pack shop. I'm drinking it now and I'm finishing up a 16-ounce...and it's getting a little warm...so it's not finishing as good as it started: this one should be ice cold! But after a few of these, at 6% abv, you probably won't care too much. An average beer, but probably not what you'd wanna pick for a session beer, unless you're in a fraternity! Finally, I just cracked open a fresh can, and I just think this one tastes better that way: straight outta the can.

Ramble On Red

American Amber / Red Ale

HoosBrews

I've drank all of NoDa's beers and this one is the silent session, beer that may ID Charlotte on the map. A red it may be in color, it is a creamy amber which is ridiculously drinkable. The nose is sweet with a hint of the grains, but the body is what you would expect of a solid amber. Mouthfeel is incredible! I get a creamy sensation coupled with a vibrant subtle bitter bite (like and ESB). carbonation! This beer is drinkable and flavorful. If you appreciate a good, mild session beer, this may be one of the best i've had.

Bashah

American Black Ale

HoosBrews

Appearance was very dark without a whole lot of carbonation. Nose reminds me of a Belgian Dubbel with a hint of hops, but the malts seem to dominate. The taste is complex: Slightly hoppy, but less than I would have expected from a "Double IPA". The malts balance the hops extremely well and as the beer warmed a bit, I continued to pick up new flavors (cloves, biscuits, citrus, maybe even some brown sugar). The mouthfeel was big. Surprisingly more carbonated in the mouth than it appears. Despite the complexity, Bashah is highly drinkable, almost a session beer if it weren't 8.6%abv.

Delirium Noël

Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Dankuel

Poured the beer into a nice Balloon goblet flask to bring out the complex aromas. Has a very fruity smell, cranberry, slight apple, some citrus tones. The beer looks terrific in this glass, like something out of an advertisement, the head and color and perfect for Belgian style, it is a perfect maroon/red color with a frothy cream colored head, though not the dark color I expected. The beer taste is very complex, a fruity addition to the holiday season, there is alot going on. I taste lots of cranberry zest, some other citrus, lemon maybe? And the effect of an overall lambic taste, yeast and grains included. Has a very bubbly mouthfeel and gives a nice warm feeling going down. This beer is easy to drink and the 10% ABV isn't anything to shake your finger at! A decent brew.

Miller High Life Light

Light Lager

Dankuel

Poured the beer in a stange glass. Has a weak gold color that is typical, a bit lighter than a pilsner style beer. Has a decent white frothy head. The smell of the beer is extremely hoppy. The beer tastes almost exactly how it smells, a strong batch of bitter hops, tastes a bit more full than your American pale lager. Has an average mouthfeel. With a bubbly finish. Tastes better than some other domestic brands on the market, especially for a light beer.

Ølfabrikken Porter

Baltic Porter

AltBock

Tall 1 pint 0.9 fl oz. bottle with a black wrap around label. This label contains a small oval with the word "Porter" in the middle with an exploding star behind it and a few wavy lines below it. Around the exploding star is the ABV%, ingredients, and a few select words in Danish. To the far right of the label is the mandatory US information and the Shelton Brothers stamp. To the far left are 3 separate tables. The first table tells you how light to robust, mild to bitter, and dry to sweet this beer is. The second table tells you the proper serving temp, a picture of the correct glassware, and sentence that tells you to avoid the yeast deposits. The last table gives the brewery's country of origin, web address, it's bottled conditioned, and a best before date. It reads 200709. I guess that could be July 20th 2009. Appearance: I looked at the picture on the label and decided to go with the suggestion and pour this beer into a Snifter, a Maudite Snifter. This Porter is another one of those beers that makes you look like you're pouring a thick black oily sludge into a pint glass. On top of this oily sludge (I mean that in a good way) was a great 1 to 1 1/2 inch dark mocha colored head of foam. This head of foam didn't have the best retention. It receded a bit too fast and it only left behind a scattering of foamy mocha rings along the edge. Very little lace if any at all. That was it, but at least it had the dark oily appearance going for it. Smell: When I first popped the cap, I got a huge whiff of dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, and dark roasted nuts. When the beer settled in the glass, those aromas were still there and still very potent, but that was only the beginning. Besides the malts, chocolate, and nuts, it was still dark and roasted with a splash of sweet caramel, a few black cherries, roasted barley, figs, rum raisins, and a drop of piney hops. When I thought the aroma was over, in comes a huge helping of alcohol to send off this aroma. It was a great powerful dark aroma! There was no shortage of dark roasted aromas in this beer. Taste: The taste was just as dark and roasted as the smell was. That's saying a lot too. The back label said it was going to be more sweet than dry, but mine was was the other way around. This Porter was dark, roasted, and more dry than sweet with a ton of dark roasted malts, a dab of dark roasted nuts, a wealth of bitter dark chocolate, sweet caramel, a hint of roasted barley, black cherries, dry roasted piney hops, and a surprisingly subtle touch of alcohol. I was expecting a big wallop of alcohol at the end, but it didn't happen that way and I was happy about that. It didn't need the big bite of alcohol because it had a ton of dark roasted flavors to keep anyone entertained for hours on end. If you like your Porters with a ton of dark roasted flavors with a small touch of alcohol, then you should like the taste of this one. Mouthfeel: This was definitely a full bodied robust dry Porter that was low on the carbonation and featured a full flavored dry roasted aftertaste of dry roasted malts, bitter dark chocolate, a hint of roasted nuts, a few black cherries, and a subtle touch of roasted piney hops and alcohol. The dry roasted aspect of the aftertaste will linger on for a few minutes. Not the flavors, just the dry roasted aspect of the flavors. Drinkability: Wow! What a Porter! There was no shortage of dark roasted aroma or taste in this beer. If you like your Porters, then this should be a must try or have in your book. The only thing that hurts this beer is the hefty price tag this beer carries. It is expensive, but you get you money's worth.

Brooklyn Winter Ale

Scottish Ale

AltBock

12 oz. bottle with a shiny blue and silver label. The label has the big bold white Brooklyn "B" surrounded by small silver stars on a dark blue background. No back label because all of the beer's information can be found on the shiny neck label. There should be a best before date stamped on the neck, but mine was smeared. When poured into a Flying Fish pint glass, this Brooklyn brew was a dark reddish amber with a 1/2 an inch fizzy off white colored head of foam. This fizzy head of foam actually had good retention. It didn't fizzle away like some. it managed to leave behind an ever lasting off white skim of foam and about 2 to 3 spots of lace. The aroma of this beer was funky! The aroma was mostly roasted and burnt with malts. It smelled like they roasted the malts first and when they were done roasting, they stuck them back in the kiln to burn them. Swirling around doesn't make the beer any better, but it does lower the roasted/burnt malts. Hiding behind the malts was a hint of sweet yeast and a speck of dark fruits. I didn't care for this aroma one bit. The taste was a tad bit better than the aroma. The taste was able to lower the roasted/burnt malts, but while doing that, it increased the taste of sweet yeast. Along with the sweet yeast, Brooklyn also threw in a pinch of raisins and a dash of cinnamon. The taste was sweet, but not sweet like candy. This beer's taste would have been better if the taste just chose to go with the roasted or burnt malts. Both of them together don't make for a good taste. This was a medium bodied sweet Winter Ale with an aftertaste of roasted malts, a hint of raisins, sweet yeast, and a small dash of cinnamon. Finally, the malts chose on which kind of malt it was going with. None of that bad roasted/burnt malt taste. It's just too bad it didn't make up its mind earlier on in the beer. In the end, I thought this Winter Ale was too sweet with sweet yeast, it couldn't make up its mind whenever to go with roasted or burnt malts, and the aroma was not good. One of these was good enough for me.

Benevolence

American Wild Ale

Patrickbrusil

This is it. On cask at the CBC 22nd birthday party. Its hard to come to grips with how good this is. It drinks like a creamy quad but with tremendous sour qualities. The dark fruit quad hits first and then flows like a dream to the back of your mouth where the sour taste refreshes and finishes the job. The small wine glass was the perfect size as this is surely to be savored. This is unlike any pour I've ever experienced and to me it is a pinnacle of what well made beer can be.

La Trappe Quadrupel Barrique (Oak Aged)

Quadrupel (Quad)

Patrickbrusil

Batch 3 This was a unique find. Hell of a smell. Lots of toasted oak, Carmel, candied sugar, licorice, bready notes in the nose. Gorgeous dark brown pour with a small egg white head. Little to no lacing. The taste is wonderful with be oaky barrel characteristics truly breathing life into this quad. That is followed by lucious candy coated plum and dark fruit bread taste that lingers around the palate. Pretty awesome.

Tröegs Pale Ale

American Pale Ale (APA)

SBALDWIN

A Pours a nice amber orange color S Hoppy up front with some malts in the background T A nice hoppy american pale ale from troegs that hits the hoppy part but not too much like double ipa's do. D Can sit on your backporch and drink plenty of these in the summer time with friends and family.

Dark Starr Stout

Irish Dry Stout

SBALDWIN

appearance- very dark like the name says it is smell- dark stout aroma taste- a little soury compared to other stouts, not so much stout like mouthfeel- a little fuzzy in the mouth drinkability- couldnt put down many if i tried. good for one maybe two in a sitting overall- would like to try on draft

River Horse Hop Hazard Pale Ale

American Pale Ale (APA)

board45

Hazy dark golden color w/ a medium fluffy head. Smells only of citrus. Flavors consisting of pine, citus, and loads of malt. I taste lots of grapefruit, and initally almost a taste of kiwi. As the brew sits the malts get stronger and stronger with intermintant blasts of hops. Nothing to hoppy at all though, balanced well. More malt than hops. At first I thought this was going to be a hop-heads delight, though it is not. But, definiatly a good beer.

Golden Monkey

Tripel

board45

750ml corked bottle Nov. 30. 2004 bottled Cloudy golden brew w/ a huge white head. To the nose I didnt get to much except some sweetness and malt. As I tiped the glass back to take a sip the white head took a minute to get though. With my nose covered in this beautiful head i finally got to the good stuff. WOW! Loads of malt. Tons of sweetness, with a apricot middle. The finish is warming with a fade of apricot then it returns quickly to the nose. A great brew despite the week smell and appearance. This was my first tripel and was deeply impressed.

Éphémère (Apple)

Fruit / Vegetable Beer

RnRManifesto

Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet. Appearance is similar to a witbier, maybe a little bit darker. 1/2" head that settles quickly, leaving some film on top of the ale and some lacing around the glass. Smells wonderful! Apple and pear, white grapes. A bit like a cider or a white wine. The smell sets you up for something a bit sweeter than it actually is. Although there is some fruity sweetness up front, it dries out in the middle and leaves a bit of a lingering aftertaste that isn't quite what I was expecting. I don't believe I've ever had anything in this style before, so I'm not sure what to compare it to. The flavor isn't as good as the smell. It doesn't really taste like an ale, either. More like a dry cider, or something. Different for sure. Mouthfeel is pleasant enough, definitely a bit on the dry side. Carbonation is minimal. I got this in a Unibroue sampler case. This is my least favorite of the 6 styles in the case, and the only one I wouldn't buy on it's own. All the other 5 styles are amazing.

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

American Stout

RnRManifesto

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. The beer is dark, black, with a very small tan head that goes away quickly. Not much lacing to speak of. Smells is roasted malts, faint licorice, some fruitiness. I don't really taste the licorice, which is a plus for me, as I never did like black licorice flavor. I'm tasting roasted malts, some coffee, chocolate and some malt sweetness. A small aftertaste similar to black coffee, but not unpleasant. All in all this is a pretty good tasting stout. Much better than I expected. Pleasant mouth feel, not thick or syrupy like some stouts can be. Just enough carbonation. I'm glad I tried this, though it would not be my first choice for a stout, it is interesting and good.

§ucaba (Abacus)

English Barleywine

cbeer88

Appearance: Dark ruby, light brown creamy head, hard pour in SA perfect pint glass leaves little lasting head. No lacing to speak of. Smell: Strong bourbon, oak, alcohol. Faint bit of vanilla and toffee/caramel. Very nice. Taste: Bourbon, malty, and generally sweet. There's a lot going on here, but it's very well mingled together - kind of a situation where picking out the individual flavors doesn't do justice to the sum of the parts. Mouthfeel: Full bodied, kind of high on the carb. Drinkability: It is what it is - a boozy alcohol bomb of a thick syrupy style of beer. Split your bomber with a friend - one glass is plenty. Overall: This is an excellent beer. But, following up a Pelican MoaS, it really fell short of that bar. That speaks more to the MoaS than it does to the Abacus though. A touch on the boozy side for my liking, and we're about 7 months old at this point. I also had a bottle fresh and don't notice a discernible difference to my memory.

Mother Of All Storms

English Barleywine

cbeer88

Reviewed from 2010 bottle with about a year on it. Thank you OakedCanuck for this beauty. Appearace: Gentle pour into SA perfect pint. Dark ruby brown. Minimal head, some wispy swirls from nucleation point float on top of the liquid. Smell: Bourbon, toffee, caramel. The nose is potent, and I like it. Taste: Bourbon, malt, sweet fruit, brown sugar, caramel, alcohol. There is so much going on here, and the taste is sublime. Heavenly. Mouthfeel: Full bodied, moderately carbed, and very nice. You can't really hide 13.5%, but while the alcohol was there, it wasn't offensively so. Drinkability: Split with a friend! But, it's good enough that I wouldn't blame you for drinking it all yourself. Overall: There is really not much fault to be found with this guy. Not only an awesome beer, but easily the best barrel aged barleywine I've ever had. I can't wait to try the 2011 fresh.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

American Pale Wheat Ale

custardcb

I've had this brew the past couple years and always enjoyed it. It showed up in a pint glass with a small head that faded into a bit of lacing pretty quick. The beer is a hazy light gold that is semitransparent. The aroma is a little spicey with hints of citrus Great wheat taste punctionated with lemon zest and earthy tones. This does and excellent session on those hot summer nights where you want something to quench your thirst.

La Folie

Flanders Red Ale

custardcb

Brought back to me from the brewery over the holidays. Been hanging onto the bottle for a few months and finally decided to crack it open. It was hand bottle number 06-2338 Appearance: Poured into a goblet it has a murky amber color that is pretty hazy. A think lacy head settled onto the top leaving a nice trail down the sides of the glass. Smell: I popped open this and the aroma came flooding out at me. Nice sour smell kind of like cider. Other hints I'm getting are citrus, musky wood, and sweet cherry. A very floral aroma overall Taste: It has a light sweetness to it before the sour hits you, however once it does it is like a train. Sour skittles don't have a thing on this. Dark cherries are prevalent again along with cranberry and lemon. Mouthfeel: It makes you pucker up that is for sure. It has a real long finish that refuses to go away. The hops are kicking in big time. Drinkability: You really have to be craving something fruiting and sour if you are going to open a bottle of this up. A long sipper that I'm going to be working on for awhile before this bottle is empty. Overall it was a real treat and I'm glad I got it.

Kalnapilis 7.30

Euro Strong Lager

atuite

Bought this from a local small time wine/beer distributor. 16.9 oz brown bottle ($1.99) poured a deeper gold color into glass mug but rest of appearance similar to other US macrobrews - large white bubbles make up a one inch head that quickly dissipates. Smell is nonspecific malty smell with a harsh undertone. Taste follows smell in this one and flavor is malty with a background bitterness that hangs around too long on the palate and alcohol seems to come through too much due to lack of competing flavors. With the amount of medium-low amount of carbonation and the flavor, i agree with past reviews that this should be served cold. Overall, this beer drinks easily cold and gives you more ounce per ounce alcohol, but the bland malty flavor and bitter aftertaste will not have me returning.

Skinny Dip

American Blonde Ale

atuite

Bought a six pack for 7.99 at a local grocer. Liked fat tire so thought I'd give it a try. Appearance is similar to fat tire wit the dark amber and medium buble carbonation that stays for a long time on the edge of the glass. Hints of citrus with hops make a bouquet not unlike the Fat Tire cousin but the taste is not as impressive as Fat Tire. Easily drinkable and smooth with appropriate carbonation. Guess this is for people who want Fat Tire light- had I known this, I'd have purchased the original Fat Tire since it is all around a better beer for the value.

ACME California IPA

American IPA

Geauxnads

appearance - golden, about a finger of head smell - hops and citrus come through taste - A combination of hops and bitterness that remind me of grapefruit but obviously not as sweet. mouthfeel - medium body drinkability - Goes down easy. I have trouble keeping it in my frige.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA

English India Pale Ale (IPA)

Geauxnads

appearance - poured a copper color, one to two fingers of head smell - weak, I did,t find the hops to be very pronounced at all. Fairly citrusy. Taste - This beer had been recommended to me by a few people. I know it doesn't have to be exploding with hops but I was pretty dissapointed. The hops were weak and there was little else happening for me with this beer. The beer was drinkable and wasn't a chore to put down but it was bland and boring in my opinion.

Allagash Black

Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ajhod

This was an unusual and EXCELLENT beer. Consumed from wine glasses, poured out of a 750ml corked bottle. Pours, thick and creamy, nice caramel coloured head-which lingers nicely. Colour is black...as the label suggests...when held to the light, very dark garnet shows around the edges. Aroma is good, a bit Belgian in characteristic, roasty notes pronounced. The taste is exceptional. Everything I love about Belgian yeast strains, fruity and wild, with everything i crave in a dark beer-roasted coffee and chocolate notes. Mouthfeel is heavy, but appropriate considering the high ABV. Exceptionally drinkable, but high ABV makes it a special occasion beer for me. Excellent with dark chocolate and white chocolate with dried cherries. Drink this beer after dinner on a cold night with a friend. I can't wait to get back to the US to get more of this!

Old Horizontal

American Barleywine

ajhod

Drinking a bottle of Old Horizontal from my favorite tasting cup, hand made thrown pottery tankard. The beer is a good barleywine, but not one of the best I've ever had. It has almost no aroma to discuss, a good thick foamy head of light caramel and pours nice an clear-when one carefully pours off the remaining bottle conditioning yeast at the bottom. Most of the time, I'm not bothered by the yeast, but I wanted to taste it without any yeast influence. I'll drink that later. The Barleywine has very little of the nuances some others I've had recently had, but its still a good solid representation of the style. Its a little bit sweeter than I personally like Barleywine, perhaps due to the fact there isnt much of a hop presence to balance it out. It has a bit too much residual sweetness which coats your mouth pretty quickly. I wanted to make it a higher rated beer, because so many others have, but I just can't. Not when compared to other barleywines i've had recently. Still worth the investment of a few extra dollars per six to taste this once a year treat. Good on a long slow cold evening. As I've been writing this, its warmed up a bit, and that has brought out the bitter a bit more, and opened up the nose some. It has a bold alcohol content which is unavoidable in the nose and on the pallet. Warmed for 10 min in the tankard, I increased my scores a bit. Hope its not the ABV causing me to do that.

G'Knight Imperial Red Ale

American Double / Imperial IPA

McFarlandJ

Oskar Blues describes their Gordon as a cross between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. The deep amber color along with the off-white head and lacing back that claim up after being poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass. The aroma is sweet and malty up front with some citrus in the background. I am surprised that the Gordon tastes as dry as it does considering how sweet the aroma is, but the website does claim that it is 85 IBU, making it a well balanced beer. The flavor starts off with resiny grapefruit but transitions to roasted grains with a bit of caramel. The finish is surprisingly, but still enjoyable, astringent. This is a decently flavorful beer combined with a medium body to make a drinkable beer, but watch out because it is 8.7% abv and it can sneak up on you quickly.

Arcadia HopMouth Double IPA

American Double / Imperial IPA

McFarlandJ

Hopmouth is Arcadia Ales's Double IPA member of their Big Beer Series and weighs in at 8.1% ABV. This beer was poured from an 22 ounce bottle into a snifter style glass and was dark amber in color with some orange highlights. The pour provided almost two fingers of long laster head that left large amounts of lacing on the glass. Grapefruit dominated the aroma but there was some pine and malt as well. There was a citrusy, grapefruit sweetness with some lingering bitterness but it was well balanced with a full, rich body. At 76 IBU Hopmouth is not as bitter as many other Double or Imperial IPA, especially most west coast examples, but it was nice to have such a well balanced big IPA for a change. The bitterness mixed and grapefruit from the hops mixed extremely well with the sweetness from the malt. It was very rich and was great to drink, but the richness also meant it was not a beer you would want many of in one setting. Overall, this is an excellent beer to try if you want a break from the west coast style hop-bombs that seem to be flooding the market these days, and it is one I will have again.

Brian Boru Old Irish Red

Irish Red Ale

cwcolby74

22 oz. bomber consumed out of a New Glarus weizen glass. Bottle purchased March 18 at Payless Liquors on 96th Street in Fishers. A - A beautiful, crisp light brown/gold/amber-hued treat. It pours a full inch or head with great lacing. Not a lot of carbonation. S - It has that trademark FFF hoppy, delicious nose to it. I don't smell a malty flavor like I'd expect with an Irish red or amber. T - Very smoot, a tad bit overly hopped for the style, in that it hides the taste of the malt underneath it. It's easy to detect the toffee and citrus aroma. I don't get the pineapple flavor other people do. M - Smooth, overly bitter, with a lingering aftertaste I kind of like. O - It's uncharacteristic of an Irish red and actually tastes a bit of an overhopped, spiced pale ale. I like it but don't love it. I do like what I detect in the background but all the hops drown it out just a bit. That said, it's Three Floyds. That distinctive hoppy flavor is part of what makes them great.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Vienna Lager

cwcolby74

I had this in a 12-oz. bottle, purchaed in a winter sampler 12-pack. Appearance - Golden dark, good head, moderate lacing, not overly carbonated. Smell - It has a distinctive, hoppy note that I like. It has that crispness that I enjoy in a lager. It the smell kind of boring though? Taste - Nice, good, with a somewhat bitter aftertaste. I tend to like Boston Lager better on tap than in bottle, which gives me some doubt about its freshness, especially in these sampler packs. Mouthfeel - It's like a Bud Heavy, only good. Overall - What can you say about a beer that's sold thousands upon thousands of barrels? Is Boston Lager real, true, pure craft beer? Maybe, maybe not. I initially didn't like it at all when I first had it 10 or so years ago. But it's grown on me a lot over the years. It's a great starter beer that gets people wanting to discover what else is out there. So almost every craft beer enthusiast owes Boston Lager a debt of gratitude.

Budweiser Select

Light Lager

CrazyHorsePete

This is a surprisingly refreshing beer from Anheuser Busch. While it is classified as a light beer, it actually does have a taste (not a bad one either). Bud Select is much better tasting than Bud Light. It also has no aftertaste at all. This is a great beer to order at a sports bar. It has a good, crisp taste and won't fill you up. Very drinkable and inexpensive!

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

American Pale Wheat Ale

CrazyHorsePete

Another one on-tap at Old Chicago. I was excited to try this beer when the server brought it to me, but was very unimpressed with it when I did. Despite a good appearance, the taste was nothing to rave about. In fact, it didn't have much of a taste at all. It was weak and tasteless for a wheat beer. I think I will be sticking with Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat.

Strawberry Wheat

American Pale Wheat Ale

bismarksays

A- Pale golden, slightly hazy but mostly clear, thin head that quickly disappears S- Slight hints of strawberry T- Slight hints of strawberry again...without much of a wheat backing. In fact, there was not much of any backing. It was just pleasantly subtle strawberry. M- A bit thin, almost watery I felt strange as I was drinking this beer. As I did not really enjoy it, it seemed like it should be rated lowly (not enough flavor, thin and watery body), but I could see someone really liking this on a really hot day, sipping a 6 pack on a porch or at a pool party. As a single beer, there isn't enough going on, as 6 bottles on a hot day, I am sure it would be fine.

Whole Hog Raspberry Saison

Saison / Farmhouse Ale

bismarksays

A- Poured an orangish-yellow with a fingerling of head, not strong lacing, decent carbonation S-Smells sweet and malty, touch of rasperries, lemongrass, and pepper T/M Clean crisp raspberry with citrus notes and then a touch of pepper in the finish, Balanced and smooth. A touch sticky, perhaps, but a good fruit beer Overall- I had this beer before and was perplexed by the negative reviews. I had to try it again to see if my initial impressions were wrong. Nope. I feel some people judged it too harshly because it is not a "true" saison, but many of those people missed the point of this beer. It is a great FRUIT beer, sessionable, and exceptionally crafted.

Long Trail Ale

Altbier

UncleAl

About the only thing good to come out of Vermont these days... Opened with a strong "pffft," and poured to a thick, off-white head that slowly dissolved to a constant, carpet top. Lots of foam tracing that holds well the whole way down. Deep, amber color with good clarity and light carbonation. Sweet, hoppy aroma. Taste not as sweet as the aroma, but with god hop bitterness and excellent bite and aftertaste. An excellent amber ale, would buy and drink again.

Michelob Light

Light Lager

UncleAl

Pours to a thin head which quickly dissolves to a thin topping. Light tracing is evident down the glass. Urine yellow in color, with good clarity and lots of carbonation. Slight hop aroma, but weak at that. Watery afterbite and mouthfeel, with a slight hint of sweetness. This beer is what it is -- a macrobrew devoid of any distinct flavor or character, but good when it's had ice cold on a hot summer day. I'll drink it if the Sam Adam's Light is all gone.

Plead The 5th Imperial Stout

Russian Imperial Stout

Dreadnaught33

Hope to try the barrel aged version soon... A: Beautiful black oily pour, with a nice fluffy tan head and great lacing. Very nice start I'd say.... S: Amazing smell of burnt dark fruit and malt, vanilla, fudge, molasses, charred malt. Just an amazingly complex packed aroma without any alcohol burn, great RIS smell in the top 5% I've smell for the style so it gets a 5. T: Also very good, but lacks the roundness and balance I got in the smell. Beautiful roasted malt and bakers chocolate with some bitters in there as well. Dark fruit and leather tinged or just 'old' tinged molasses. An earthiness prevails too which seems to break up the flavors instead of combining them in some ways, almost like a 'dirt' type flavor. Maybe a touch of tartness from the fruit tastes in it. M: A little astringent and thin though it had a nice roast and was semi juicy for an RIS. Overall a nice beer I'd buy again.

Masala Mama India Pale Ale

American IPA

Dreadnaught33

Growler thanks to skipanoka2. Thanks for the trade Nate. Had this last night, on the label it has best before date of August 10th, it was filled on monday night so it should be ok, though it made a plane flight as well. Still tasted good to me. A: Looks amazing, such a deep color that I would call blood orange with outstanding head retention and killer lacing. Thats a 5 for look for sure. S: Very interesting and unique nose for an IPA, almost like a Belgian IPA or hoppy red, something with extra malt and yeast to it. Huge vegetable mixture of hops with some citrus rind, and then lots of spicy grainy malts as well, quite malty but not in the scary oxidized way. Good. T: Very nice taste, and the first thing that jumps out is a earthy maple like taste with caramel forward. Some piney hops and grassy hops as well in the taste, quite nice. Crisp and clean finish with a mix of toast and vegetable flavors lingering slightly. Sugary citrus is certainly present in the mid palate as well as something I can only describe as a foresty taste. A malt forward and very unique and tasty beer here. M: Malty and semi bitter with a clean finish, little bit of lingering bitters. Overall a great beer that I would love constant access to, though for me just a bit more hops is what I usually like in IPAs. Great to have though and I'll order it if I ever go to Minneapolis.

Ybor Gold Gaspars Porter

English Porter

Xadoor

Poured a very dark ruby red into the glass. Foamy, tan head which dissipated quickly, leaving just a thin line around the edge of the glass. Light coffee aromas, but got stronger as it warmed in the glass. Coffee and dark chocolate flavours. Slightly dry finish. A bit thin for a porter, but drinkable.

Punkin Ale

Pumpkin Ale

Xadoor

A clear amber colour in the glass. Big foamy head that settled down quickly. Some lacing in the glass. Nice aroma with nutmeg, cinamon, pumkin and brown sugar noticeable. Flavour is sweet but spicy. Soft malt and pumpkin with a bitter pepper and spicy finish. The pumpkin flavour is subtle and doesn't overpower. Probably the best pumpkin ale I've tried. Makes me think of thanksgiving and cool autumn evenings.

Gonzo Imperial Porter

Baltic Porter

clemsonbrewer

Pours thick with a half inch dark brown head. Thick waves of laces dance down the glass. Jet black liquid. Smells of coffee and heavy roasted malts with some sweet milk chocolate mixed in. Very malty black coffee taste that turns sweet and chocolately and a slight hoppy balance but very little. Chewy/bubbly mouthfeel that leaves a heavenly dry coffee feel on the palate and not too much hops. A little thinner than I expected. Pretty easy to drink but I probably should have had a little more on my stomach first.

Brooklyn Pilsner

German Pilsener

clemsonbrewer

Dark hazy golden color. Thin head with thin fading lacing. Smells of light grains and some fruitiness. Tastes lightly of banana and almost a little wheaty with some nice hop bitterness. Light feel with a thin dry palate. Pretty easy to drink but not something I want to drink all day on Saturday.

Rauchbier

Rauchbier

MsRif

Had on-tap at Capone's in Norristown, PA. I had been feeling like a rauchbier for awhile, so I had to grab this one while I could. Poured a clear orange-yellow color with pretty much no head to speak of. No lacing. Had an aroma of smoke and sweet malts. Very underwhelming nose. Tasted of caramel and sweet malts with smoke throughout. Not very complex and actually just generally weirdly balanced. It was almost like the rauchbier characteristics were an afterthought and this one was really intended to be a pale ale. Light-bodied with good carbonation. This one was a miss for me...a good attempt but not well executed.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

American Pale Ale (APA)

MsRif

Had on-tap at Deschutes in Portland, OR. Poured a nice clear orange/yellow color with a moderate white head that receded slowly leaving some spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma was hoppy (earthy, citrusy, grassy), malty and I smelled a touch of wheat. Taste followed the nose...I really liked the light hop profile of this one. I was surprised at how smooth it was given the amount of hops I tasted, but I think it was just an excellent balance of malts and hops, making it very drinkable/sessionable. Light-medium in body with moderate carbonation. Overall, well-balanced and a good representation of the style. Would have again.

Witches' Brew

Tripel

WhatsNewinBooze

The Witches Brew is a pretty descent beer if you don't mind spending over $10 for 750ml bottle of beer. Pours a nice golden color with creamy white head. Aromas of hops and those belgium malts are quite pungent. Flavors of malts, malts and more malts with a hint of hops are consitent with other tripels, however this one is a bit better balanced than most becasue of the high alcohol. Definelty worth a try!

DeuS (Brut Des Flandres)

Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut

WhatsNewinBooze

This was amazing! It kind of reminded me of a farmhouse style ale, however with much drier finish. Both the nose and the palate was loaded with spicy, malty flavors with a touch of banana and creme brolee. In the finish you notice a dry patch in the back of your throat which I have only come across a few times in my adventers in beer. It is a bit pricey but I don't mind paying for it if the occasion suits.

Moe

American Double / Imperial Stout

IceAce

Pours hazy golden body with a wispy ring of foam around the perimeter of the glass. A sweet, Piraat-like nose loaded with corriander, bubble gum, and banana phenols. CO tickles the tongue upon entry with candi sugar and Belgian yeast dominating the mid-taste. The finish is bananas and yeast with a nice warming effect on the back of the throat.

Stone 8th Anniversary Ale

American Brown Ale

IceAce

Ruby red body capped with a full finger of dirty brown foam which quickly dissipated to a crescent moon wisp around the perimeter of the glass. The nose is heavy with a mixture of toasted malt and chocolate. Zippy CO ushers in a mouth-full of earthy chocolate malt which is closely followed by a sharp hop bite. The finish is a chocolate / coffee combo slow fade with a touch of warming on the back of the throat. (Brings forth beautiful chocolate burps following consumption)

Pliny The Elder

American Double / Imperial IPA

Munkaboo

HUGE HUGE thank you to G311 who surprised me with two of these bad boys, thanks man! Bottle dated Feb. 7th '11 Aroma: Big fruits... almost candy-like... pineapple, grapefruit, yum... Appearance: White foamy head, light orange Taste: Maltier than expected, hops obviously hit right after the malt then the bitterness comes through at the end. Smoother than Hopslam in my opinion, not much alcohol presence... definitely more sessionable than a Hopslam, which is scary. Pine hits around the end as well, glad it doesn't take center stage as I think that's why I'm not a huge fan of Two Hearted. Surprised at the balance considering it's a DIPA. Body: Medium body, drinks like an IPA almost... Drink: Could easily drink multiple, great drinkability. Overall: I wasn't completely blown away to be honest. It was awesome, but I think the hype is a bit much. Definitely would seek this out on tap though, I'm sure nothing compares to week old Pliny. Still, a very awesome beer indeed.

Dark Lord Imperial Stout

Russian Imperial Stout

Munkaboo

2010 Dark Lord (Green Wax): Appearance: Black hole, with some chocolatey brown head. Aroma: Like most imp stouts, but it smells a bit more candied. I dont get any soy sauce notes like others do. Mouthfeel: Motor oil slides around my mouth and coats it with goodness. I cannot fucking belive this is 15%. Wow is it smooth. Taste: ~15 minutes out of the fridge: Damn. Sweetness hits up front candied raisens, chocolate, coffee afterthought. Lots of residual sweetness that I was surprised by. 30 minutes: Roughly the same coffee is coming in a bit stronger now though.

Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier

Märzen / Oktoberfest

MrMalt27

According to the Hofbrau reps, this is the same beer served in the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, so it's going to be a little lighter in body, & alcohol because it's almost like a session beer. Not as malty as I would like in the nose or flavor. Lighter color than most Oktoberfest beers, not much in aroma, but drinkable.

Ovila Abbey Saison

Saison / Farmhouse Ale

MrMalt27

Enjoyed on tap at The Shepherd & Knucklehead in Haledon NJ. Great aroma & color. The first sip reminds me of a hefe weizen but then that quickly dissipates and a lively spiciness arrives. Extremely drinkable- you would never know it's 7%. Fantastic.

La Terrible

Belgian Strong Dark Ale

andyj

This beer was basically opague brown to black. I was drinking it in my dank & dark finished basement, so it looked more black to me. I couldn't get any red as other reviewers did. The head was a dark brown, which to me denotes the presence of roasted barley of some variety. This is all the more interesting as it is not a common malt used in Belgian-style ales of any style. The aroma was complex, fruity and mildly spicey. Had me wondering, "just what in the heck did they put in here to make so terrible". But the taste, my oh my, it totally rocked. To me it was a myriad of flavors, fruity yet bitter (probably from the blackened malts used). Very carbonated, so it was quite "fizzy" dancing on the tongue with a dry finish and a surprising maltiness. As one can see the variety of flavors and interactions they caused are nearly non-verbal. My wife -- who doesn't really drink at all -- even found it enjoyable. So there, la terrible is just don't right nasty with goodness.

Indian Brown Ale

American Brown Ale

andyj

If you have the opportunity to try this on draught at their brew pub in Rehobeth, DE go for it. I found it to be exceptionally different than the bottled variety. Most noted difference was the appearance, in my opinion it was significantly darker. In fact when I saw it I initially thought it was a stout or porter. It has a quite smoothy malty feel on tap than it does in the bottle, and the scotch ale origins of this beer are more evident from the draught variety.

Pliny The Elder

American Double / Imperial IPA

bhalter8

Thanks to mhewes for sending this in trade this week. Have been very excited to get my hands on this. Pours a light golden color with with a solid 1" frothy white head. Leaves nice lacing on the pint as the head recedes. Maybe it is the DIPAs I have had, but this one looks lighter than most. A far more earthy/pine aroma to the hops, versus the citrusy hops that many IPAs have. The taste is exceptional, a strong hops punch, but surprisingly balanced. There is an interesting sweet taste, faintly, in the background that adds to aids in that balance. The ABV is well hidden, as this goes down smooth and easy. Definitely deserving of the hype, I only wish I could stock my fridge with them, as a self proclaimed hop head. A second tasting on 4/13/09 (bottled 1/23/09) has caused me to better appreciate the aroma and taste in this beer. The look is still very pale, but that doesn't come through in the taste. The crisp pine in both smell and taste is incredible, and yet balanced. Very light considering what it takes to get to this ABV and IBU. A third tasting of a three week old bottle has only further enhanced my appreciation of this beer. Amazing, I wish I lived in CA.

Sweetwater Double IPA, French Oaked (Bordeaux)

American Double / Imperial IPA

bhalter8

The Brick Store 12 Anniversary continues, with a twist on an all time favorite beer for me. The original SW DIPA was incredible citrus candy, with powerful bitterness, so I was excited to see what French oak aging would do to it. Served in a 10 oz. stemmed glass, the color is slightly more pale than the original, a light orange to yellow color, with a slightly cloudy haze to it. A very thin white head rested on top. The nose is somewhat subdued, compared to the original, likely a function of the aging. There is, however, still a nice strong character of citrus fruitiness there, with a pine hint in the background. The taste is unmistakably still the strong pineapple character the original had, and even a bit sweeter, with slightly less hop bitterness. The fruit tartness hits the roof of your mouth, but does not offend, bitterness is still there, but not as upfront as the original. The oak aging seems to have smoothed out some of the hop bitterness, and brought out more of the fruit characteristics, along with adding nice wood tannins, as opposed to pure hop bitterness. This beer is very light for 9%, deceptively light. Highly drinkable, but it ran out after my first glass, unfortunately. While I am still a bigger fan of the original DIPA, because I love my hops, this was a very special treat, and highly enjoyable. Thanks BSP!

Jack D'or

Saison / Farmhouse Ale

bierschmecktgut

first pour into pint glass from 22oz bottle- brilliantly clear straw color. Head was bright and high but fell to an inch for the remainder. Definite hops presence but not offensive, spicy pop with hints of citrus hoppy bitterness is the first hit, totally masking the sweetness of malt, sharp after taste on back of tongue Dry beer with that astringent lingering after each sip, not super pleasant but not disgusting either, typical for belgian high temp fermenting ales. Not sure I'd grab this next time with huge enthusiasm.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

Rauchbier

bierschmecktgut

Poured a heavy dark cherry brown and left a tall beige head. The lacing was good while it lasted, thinning to a strip. Absolutely clear against artificial light, minimal rising carbonation So my first smoked beer and evaluating on the style its aroma absolutely lives up to the name. A strong yet pleasant burnt wood/bread crust odor is immediate, much like a fire just put out with water. After a short wait i can now smell the malt still mixed behind the smokiness. Absolutely nothing on hop side for me. Much subtler on taste than smell. The smoky flavor is soft and sweet malty character is evident on the swallow, same sweetness I see in dopplebocks. A fair balance. A super slight astringency on the back of tongue, not sure if its hop oil or tannins. The smoke wins in the aftertaste in the back of nose and throat. Much like a Dopplebock to me its medium body and not carbonated too heavily. A very light palette coating remains half way through the bottle but is not taking away from enjoyment. Very impressed with my first smoked beer and did not allow personal tastes to shy me away. Not very thirst quenching nor crisp in the least bit but agree that this should be paired with fatty foods, maybe meats but i enjoyed half of it before some crispy chicken artichoke pizza made it all the better. I will buy this again as a treat or to break someone else into smoke beers.

Tennent's Sweetheart Stout

Milk / Sweet Stout

Ackman

At 2 ABV it makes for easy drinking. Its a good beer, but its almost too sweet for me. it smelled good, that was one of its saving graces, ONE of them. the other was the drinkability; because at 2% you can have quite a few and not get tired of the same thing, that was the other saving grace of this brew. Is it a have again? yes it sure is.

Samuel Adams Triple Bock

American Strong Ale

Ackman

Shared two bottles with my dad. It was the 1997 vintage. The smell hit me like a ton of bricks when I opened the bottle. I smelled a sugar-soy mixture of smells. No carbonation, or head or anything for that matter. Extremely rich and thick. Dad didn't like it, neither did I. The appearance was the only saving grace for this beer.