Saturday, October 29, 2011

Kamai Brewing Company Golden Rye Ale

The Kamai Brewing Company is in Mt. Maunganui, New Zealand.

www.kaimaibrewing.com

This 5.5% ABV beer pours copper in color with a massive, billowing head of off-white foam.  The aroma is a little fruity, mostly sour.  It is described as fruity, with a nose of citrus and rye.  It is bottle conditioned and this bottle may be off, indicated by the sour aroma and massive head.  The taste is tart, somewhat fruity, spicy rye, almost smokey, sour. 

Friday, October 28, 2011

Duvel Tripel Hop Special Edition Ale

From the Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium.  This beer is triple hopped with Amarillo, Saaz-Saaz, and Styrian Golding hops.  It is also dry-hopped with the Styrian Golding.  It is 9.5% ABV.

The beer pours golden to honey golden, and hazy, very carbonated.  It has a very large head of bubbling, boiling, white foam, but not quite as large as the massive head that regular Duvel makes.  The aroma is bright and clean, grassy, floral, a touch of citrus.  The taste follows the aroma, on top of a nice bed of malty grain.  It drinks fairly "light" for its large taste and high alcohol.  The finish is aromatically bitter and the original flavors linger in the aftertaste.  This is delicious!

Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

This certified organic beer is brewed and bottled by the Otter Creek Brewing Company of Middlebury, Vermont.  It is brewed with vanilla beans, and coffe from the Alta Gracia farm country of the Dominican Republic, thus the name. 

This beer pours an extremely dark brown to black, opaque, with a short head of brown foam.  The aroma is very strong with coffee, smelling like a fresh brewed iced coffee.  The taste follows the aroma.  These coffee stouts and porters are only as good as the coffee used.  The coffee in this one is good, but I find them all a bit hard to take after several drinks.

Williamsburg Alewerks Tavern Ale

The Williamsburg Alewerks is in Williamsburg, Virginia.

http://www.alewerks.com/

This beer pours an extremely dark brown, nearing black, opaque.  There is a quarter inch of light brown creamy, foamy head.  The aroma is dark roasted malts, a bit of coffee and a tart note on the end.  The taste is sweet, dark roasted malt, with a tangy note on the finish.  The aftertaste is rich coffee.  The finish is dry and nutty, slightly bitter.  They list this as a brown ale, but it is very close to a stout or porter.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Maredsous - 6 Blonde; 8 Brune; 10 Triple

The Abbaye de Maredsous is a Benedictine abbey in Denee, Belgium.  These beers are brewed and bottled by Duvel Moortgat.

6 Blonde - This 6.0% ABV beer pours a dark golden-orange.  There is a tall half-inch of thick, foamy, creamy head that is just off-white in color, which leaves sticky lacing of inconsistent densities down the glass.  The aroma is fruity and malty, almost whiskey-like, without the alcohol burn.  The taste is malty, rich barley grain, along with an apple-pear-plum fruitiness.  Tasty, rich, yet drinkable, very enjoyable.

8 Brune - This 8.0% ABV beer pours a medium to dark brown in color, translucent and ruby if held to the light.  There is a short half-inch of thick, foamy and creamy head that is very light brown in color.  The aroma is sweet yet tart, like fruit, dark caramel, roasted malt with a fruity yeastiness.  The taste is dark roasted and toasted malt, sweet, burnt caramel, fruit.  Very flavorful and rich, yet very drinkable.

10 Triple - 10% ABV beer pours a burnt dark orange-amber-copper in color, and slightly hazy.  There is a tall quarter-inch of just off whtie foam that is creamy and thick.  The aroma is fruity, sweet yet tart.  There is a bit of the whiskey/whiskey-sour like quality, without any alcohol burn.  The taste is burnt caramel malt, floury scone, some fruitiness.  This is amazingly drinkable for a 10% alcohol beer.


Saturday, October 22, 2011

Renaissance Brewing Company - M.P.A. Imperial India Pale Ale; Elemental Porter; Stonecutter Scotch Ale

The Renaissance Brewing Company is in Marlborough, New Zealand.

http://www.renaissancebrewing.co.nz/

M.P.A. - Short for Marlborough Pale Ale, this was built to showcase the Rakau hop variety developed in New Zealand.  This 8.5% ABV beer pours a hazy and very dark, burnt copper and orange.  There is a slight off-white head.  The aroma is light molasses, sherry, old fruit and a pronounced funk.  The taste follows the aroma, but is more mellow, with a well-ripened tropical fruit note.  There are flavors like the smell of a fruit market in a warm tropical country.  I am curious what this would taste like in New Zealand, to know just how much the long trip affects the flavors.

Elemental Porter - This 6.0% ABV beer pours dark black, with ruby if held to the light.  There is a tall, billowing foamy head that is brown in color.  The aroma is sweet yet tart, dark roasted malt, burnt caramel, raisins.  The taste is bitter and dark roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate.  The finish is very dry.  A very flavorful porter.
Stonecutter Scotch Ale - This 7.0% ABV beer pours dark brown and ruby red, translucent but not transparent.  There is a tall quarter-inch of light brown creamy head that leaves a medium density of lacing down the glass.  The aroma is malty, dark, almost burnt caramel, with a touch of molasses.  The taste is rich, roasted malt, caramel, with a moderately bitter finish.   There is almost a light peak smokiness.  The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.  This is a malt head's dream.

Tuatara Brewery India Pale Ale

The Tuatara Brewery is in Reikorangi, New Zealand.

http://www.tuatarabrewing.co.nz/

This 5.0% ABV beer pours a dark copper-amber-orange in color.  There is a whirlwind of carbonation in the glasss and a very large, foamy, thick head that is off-white in color.  The aroma is fruity, apricots, lemon, almost vinous, and some yeast.  The taste follows the aromas, but also has a rich caramel malt.  The finish is more tart and tangy than bitter, slightly dry, but with the underlying sweet malt apparent.  An interesting beer.

Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell

The Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project is in Westport, Massachusetts. 

http://www.prettythingsbeertoday.com/

This is a 7.0% ABV golden ale brewed with barley, oats, wheat and rye.  It pours an amalgam of orange, amber and golden in color.  There is a short head of tight white foam.  The aroma is very yeasty, banana, sweet, in the forefront and grain in the back.  The taste is very yeasty banana bread, floury grain, some sweetness, but a bitter finish.  Avoid unless you like banana yeast bombs, in which case you will love it.

DAB - Dortmunder Actien Braueri

This German lager is brewed in Dortmund Germany.

This beer pours honey golden with a short white head.  The aroma is heavy with grain, straw, dusty barn, and lots of lager “funk”.  The taste is very malty grain, straw, lager funk, a touch of earthy sweetness, with a slightly dry and moderately bitter finish.  Very flavorful, but the finish is a bit flat.  A crisper finish would make this excellent.


Saturday, October 15, 2011

Shock Top - Pumpkin Wheat; Wheat IPA

The Shock Top Brewing Company is an Anheuser-Busch brand, from St. Louis, Missouri.

http://www.shocktopbeer.com/

Pumpkin Wheat - This 5.2% Belgian-style wheat beer is brewed with pumpkins, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.  The beer pours cloudy, burnt orange, dark amber in color, with a very slight off-white to light brown head.  The aroma is spicy, the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are apparent.  The pumpkin is light in the aroma.  The taste is very spicy, all the spices apparent on top of light pumpkin and wheat.  Flavorful, but drinks light.  This is way better than the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale and I would also say, actually better than the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale which I recently tried.  It is not as good as some of the other craft pumpkin beers that get a taste of flavorful pumpkin bread.


Wheat IPA - This 5.8% ABV beer is brewed with citrus peels and coriander  It is unfiltered and uses Cascade hops.  It pours remarkably clear for being unfiltered.  It is well carbonated with large bubbles.  It is dark golden orange in color with a tall quarter-inch of off-white head that dissipates somewhat quickly.  The aroma is somewhat yeasty, wheat malt, lots of citrus, mostly orange.  It smells of wheat toast with orange marmalade.  The taste is strongly orange, follows the aroma of orange marmalade on wheat toast.  The finish is bitter, yet it is very light in the mouth.  If you want an orange wheat beer, this is it, otherwise fairly boring.


Blue Moon Brewing Company - Pale Moon; Winter Abbey Ale

The Blue Moon Brewing Company is a Molson-Coors brand.

Pale Moon - This is a Belgian-style pale ale brewed with orange peel and hibiscus, according to the bottle.  This 5.4% ABV beer pours a dark amber, with copper and orange, in color.  There is a slight off-white head.  The aroma is very light, almost indiscernible, hint of orange.  The taste is roasted, almost burnt caramel/molasses, heading almost towards maple syrup.  There is more flavor than the light aroma would indicate.  However, it still drinks light.
 
 
Winter Abbey Ale - This 5.6% ABV beer is a seasonal offering.  It pours a medium to dark brown in color with ruby tints, translucent but not really transparent.  There is a small head of off-white foam.  The aroma is caramel, toffee, a bit of nuttiness, yet bright and brassy.  The taste is slightly sweet, dark toffee.  This is the beer equivalent of a Heath bar.  Despite its flavor, it has a very watery mouthfeel.  An interesting beer, but no Belgian-style Abbey ale.


Blue Moon Brewing Company - Pale Moon; Winter Abbey Ale

The Blue Moon Brewing Company is a Molson-Coors brand.

Pale Moon - This is a Belgian-style pale ale brewed with orange peel and hibiscus, according to the bottle.  This 5.4% ABV beer pours a dark amber, with copper and orange, in color.  There is a slight off-white head.  The aroma is very light, almost indiscernible, hint of orange.  The taste is roasted, almost burnt caramel/molasses, heading almost towards maple syrup.  There is more flavor than the light aroma would indicate.  However, it still drinks light.
 
 
Winter Abbey Ale - This 5.6% ABV beer is a seasonal offering.  It pours a medium to dark brown in color with ruby tints, translucent but not really transparent.  There is a small head of off-white foam.  The aroma is caramel, toffee, a bit of nuttiness, yet bright and brassy.  The taste is slightly sweet, dark toffee.  This is the beer equivalent of a Heath bar.  Despite its flavor, it has a very watery mouthfeel.  An interesting beer, but no Belgian-style Abbey ale.


Schlafly - Oktoberfest; Kolsch Style Ale; Hefeweizen; Pale Ale

The Schlafly brand is brewed by the St. Louis Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri.

http://www.schlafly.com/

Oktoberfest - This beer pours burnt orange, dark amber, light brown in color.  There is a small off-white head of foam.  The aroma is lightly roasted, toasted malt, a bit of caramel, and a clean, sweet grassiness.  The taste is a deep, rich, somewhat sweet maltiness, roasted, toasted, nutty, with a touch of tartness to balance.  This is more like a really good light nut brown ale than an Oktoberfest, but really good nonetheless.

Kolsch Style Ale - This beer pours a dark golden yellow with a quarter-inch of white, thick and foamy head.  The aroma is malty grain, straw, grass, light flowers.  The taste is malty, lightly fruity and floral.  It is intensely crisp and carbonated and has a refreshing sting on the throat.  This is a very good American take on the style.

Hefeweizen - This beer pours a slightly cloudy, dark yellow golden with a slight head of white foam.  The aroma is malty grain and an aromatic floral fruitiness.  The taste is rich malt, just a touch of fruit.  Finishes crisp and refreshing with a toasty malt aftertaste.  This isn't much of a "hefeweizen", but it is a very tasty and refreshing wheat beer.  Very good.

Pale Ale - This beer pours medium copper-amber-brown in color with a small head of very light brown foam.  The aroma is malty and lightly fruity.  The taste is roasted, toasted, slightly nutty malt, a touch of plum-like fruit, with a quite bitter and dry finish.

Fox Deluxe Finn MacCool Smooth Celtic Ale

This beer is brewed for Fox Deluxe of Oswego, Illinois by the Sand Creek Brewing Company of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. 

This beer pours a hazy light amber, golden-orange in color.  There is a short head of off-white foam that leaves sticky lacing of medium density down the glass.  The aroma is malty wet grain, with a light fruitiness and yeastiness.  The taste is tangy malt, lightly fruity, some grain.  I like its tangy, malty quality, not great, but decent.

Flossmoor Station Brewing Company India Pale Ale

The Flossmoor Statio Restaurant and Brewery is in Flossmoor, Illinois.

http://www.flossmoorstation.com/

This is part of their Brewer's Whim series.  The beer pours a somewhat cloudy burnt orange, dark copper in color.  There is a very slight off-white head.  The aroma is somewhat fruity, apricot, sun tea with lemon, rye bread and sweaty socks.  The taste is deep, strong iced tea with lemon, some caramel malt, a slightly funky note, and a very bitter and dry finish. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

McNeill's War Lord Imperial IPA

McNeill's Brewery is in Brattleboro, Vermont.

http://www.mcneillsbrewery.com/

This 8.5% ABV beer pours a hazy dark copper, orange and brown, almost a touch of ruby.  there is a half inch of thick, creamy, foamy and fizzy head that is off-white in color.  Sticky lacing of medium density rings the glass.  The aroma is sweet, malty, port-sherry, raisins, sweaty gym socks and a whiff of vomit.  This is the type of imperial IPA whose aroma makes me nervous.  The taste is dark stone fruits over a very malty base, burnt caramel, with a very bitter and dry finish.  There is a bit of strong tea with lemon, and it is somewhat yeasty in the aftertaste.  The taste is much better than the aroma, but this is no Pliny the Elder type of hop forward IPA.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sixpoint Brewery Bengali Tiger

The Sixpoint Brewery is in Brooklyn, New York.

This IPA is 6.4% ABV and pours a hazy yet glowing orange-copper in color.    There is a slight head of off-white foam.  The aroma is spicy and herbal, cloves and orange cream.  The taste follows the aroma, cloves, orange citrus, a touch of pine on a solid malt backbone.  This is a unique IPA, never had one quite like it.  The finish is bitter and dry with a lingering aftertaste of spiced Christmas punch.




Saturday, October 8, 2011

Uinta Brewing Company Crooked Line Detour Double India Pale Ale

The Uinta Brewing Company is in Salt Lake City, Utah and was established in 1993.  Crooked Line is their higher alcohol series of beers.

This 9.5% ABV beer pours a glowing dark orange-copper-amber in color, nearing a hint of ruby, slightly hazy.  There is a small head of off-white foam that leaves sticky lacing of light density down the glass.  The aroma is fruity, zesty, citrusy, strong tea, a bit of funkiness.  The taste follows the aroma, like strong iced tea with plenty of lemon and a bit of sugar.  The finish is dry and bitter, yet light for its bold flavor.  Good, interesting, but not amazing.

Rainier

Rainier is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company.  They began in Seattle, Washington in 1883 as the Bay View Brewery.  "Mountain Fresh Beer."

http://www.rainier-beer.com/

The beer pours golden in color with a short half-inch of foamy white head, almost creamy.  The head does leave a medium density of lacing down the glass.  The aroma is fresh harvested corn in a metal bucket, some zesty hops.  More hop aroma than your typical American adjunct lager.  The taste is light and follows the aroma.  There is the slightest bit of green apple in the finish.  The beer is highly carbonated and refreshingly stings the tongue and back of the throat.  The flavor fades immediately and the aftertaste is slightly bitter, but not entirely pleasant.  Not bad for what it is, but a lot of the Pabst owned brands are better.

Green Flash Brewing Company Hop Head Red

The Green Flash Brewing Company is in San Diego, California.

www.greenflashbrew.com

This red India Pale Ale is dry-hopped with Amarillo hops and is 7.0% ABV.  The beer pours dark ruby, and brown in color.  It is translucent but not transparent due to its level of darkness.  There is half an inch of creamy and foamy light cappuccino brown head.  The aroma is hop forward; fruity, grapefruit, citrus, and a touch of tropical fruit.  There is a zesty spiciness and roasted and caramel malt are apparent.  The taste is fruity and floral hops perched on a solid roasted, caramel malt base, with a spicy and zesty finish.  It drinks smooth, light, bitter, and dry, but full of flavor.  This is a really nice hoppy red ale.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Cigar City Brewing Company Jai Alai IPA

The Cigar City Brewing Company is in Tampa, Florida.

www.cigarcitybrewing.com

This 7.5% ABV beer pours a dark copper-amber-orange in color.  There is a short creamy head of thick, off-white foam.  The aroma is fruity, cherries and dried apricots, floral, and slightly sweet dark caramel.  The taste follows the aromas, has a rich, caramel maltiness and a very bitter and dry finish.  This is on the sweet side for an IPA.

Ninkasi Brewing Company - Total Domination IPA

The Ninkasi Brewing Company is in Eugene, Oregon.  The Sumerians were among the first to ferment beer, and their associated goddess was Ninkasi.

This 6.7% ABV beer pours a dark copper-amber-orange in color.  There is a short head of creamy off-white foam that leave sticky lacing of light density down the glass.  The aroma is fruity, citrusy, apricot and cherry, some fresh brewed iced tea with lemon.  The taste follows the aromas, with the tea and citrus the most noticeable.  The beer is flavorful yet drinks light and smooth.  The finish is intensely, but refreshingly, bitter.


Thursday, October 6, 2011

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Captain's Reserve Imperial India Pale Ale

The Captain Lawrence Brewing Company is in Pleasantville, New York.

http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/

This beer pours a dark golden yellow, light amber-orange in color with a short head of just off-white foam.  The aroma is grassy, fruity, light grapefruity, slightly floral with a note of malty grain.  The taste is fruity, tart, cherries and citrus, a touch of floral, clean and brassy, with a very bitter and dry finish.  An interesting take on an IPA, and while flavorful and enjoyable, the extreme bitterness will limit how much you have in one sitting.  I love the bottle shape.

Bear Republic Brewing Company Apex Strong IPA; Hop Rod Rye

The Bear Republic Brewing Company is in the beautiful town of Healdsburg, California, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley wine country, but also with great beer neighbors such as the Russian River Brewery in nearby Santa Rosa. 
http://www.bearrepublic.com/

Hop Rod Rye - Made with 18% rye, this 8.0% ABV beer pours medium brown and ruby in color.  It is translucent, but not transparent.  It has a short head of off-white to light brown foam that leaves a light to medium density of sticky lacing.  The aroma is fruity, hoppy, pine, malt, strong iced tea with lemon.  The aroma is very inviting and I am salivating to taste this.  The taste is fruity and malty, spicy rye, strong tea with lemon, rye toast with fresh red plum jam.  The finish is quite bitter and dry.  It has a very smooth and round mouthfeel.  Complex, yet accessible.

Apex Strong IPA - This is a draft only beer, and I got this 22 oz. bottle filled and sent to me by Bierkraft of Brooklyn, New York.  This 7.5% ABV beer pours a dark shade of copper, with brown and glowing orange.  There is a half-inch of creamy, thick off-white head that leaves sticky lacing of a medium density down the glass.  The aroma is hop forward, citrus, orange, creamy, some melon and light tropical, almost mango.  The taste follows the aromas, there is also ample malt, some caramel.  The finish is smooth, dry and very bitter.  The fruits reappear in the aftertaste and add a grapefruit note.  This is a very good double-type IPA.



Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Maui Brewing Co. - Hi.P.Hay

The Maui Brewing Company is in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.  This 6.8% ABV IPA is brewed in honor of Glen Hay Falconer, and proceeds are being donated to a foundation in his name to provide scholarships to brewers.

http://www.mauibrewingco.com/

The beer pours a glowing copper in color with a short head of off-white foam.  The aroma is hop-forward, citrusy, floral-herbal, light melon and tropical fruit, over a solid malt base.  The taste is amazing, following the aromas but even brighter and stronger, with an intense but pleasing bitterness, and a strong second wave of fruitiness in the finish.  This is a very tasty, hop-forward IPA with a good, strong malt base.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

This Oktoberfest marzen beer is from the Brauerei Aying, in Aying, Germany.

This beer has one of the best bottle caps in beer history.  I could not get a clear photograph of it due to its small size, but I call it "bucolic beer drinking scene."  The beer pours a light copper-orange-amber in color with a half-inch of thick, creamy, foamy head that is just a tad off-white, and leaves a medium density of sticky lacing down the glass.  The aroma is redolent of clean, stored grain, fresh straw, some lagerish "funk", and a light caramel-like sweetness.  The taste follows the aromas, malty, slightly sweet, but well balanced with bitterness on the finish.  This is an excellent Oktoberfest beer.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Drake's Brewing Company - Denogginizer Imperial IPA

Drake's Brewing Company of San Leandro, California has been brewing since 1989. 

http://www.drinkdrakes.com/

Denogginizer Imperial IPA - This 9.75% ABV beer pours a very dark copper-bronze-amber-brown-orange in color with a quarter inch of creamy off-white head that leaves some sticky lacing down the glass.  The aroma is both fruity-floral and malty.  There is citrus, some tropical fruit and melon and a strong malt backbone.  The taste is intense and elegant, floral, fruity (melon and tropical), malty, with a very bitter finish.  Nice and tasty and intense.

Caldera Brewing Company - Hopportunity Knocks; Lawnmower Lager

The Caldera Brewing Company is in Ashland, Oregon.  Most of their beers are canned, but their Caldera Kettle Series - Small Batch Releases are bottled.

http://www.calderabrewing.com/

Hopportunity Knocks - This 6.8% ABV beer pours a very dark copper-bronze with brown and orange, almost a dark sun tea.  There is a tall quarter inch of thick and creamy off-white head.  The aroma is fruit, spicy, a sharp rye bread-like note, malt, dark caramel but not really sweet.  The taste is malt predominant, nutty, roasted, toasted malt, some cherry fruit and floral notes, with a very bitter and dry finish.  This is an interesting beer, but the name is a bit bequiling when it comes to the flavor.

Lawnmower Lager - This 3.9% ABV beer pours a pure, bright yellow golden in color.  There is a short head of white foam that leaves layers of lacing down the glass.  The aroma is clean, grassy, floral, lightly fruity, over a grainy malt.  The taste is lightly but satisfyingly malty, overlapped by floral and citrus, with a crisp, dry finish that is just bitter enough to finish clean.  A great American lager.

TableRock Hophead IPA

From the TableRock BrewPub in Boise, Idaho. 

http://www.tablerockbrewpub.com/

This beer pours a light copper-amber-orange in color with a small white head.  The aroma is fruity, citrus, floral, some tropical fruity and melon with a spicy rye bread note.  The taste is lighter than the aromas, but follows them, with an extremely bitter finish.

Bitter Root Brewing Pale Ale

Bitter Root Brewing is in Hamilton, Montana, located in the Bitterroot Valley. 

http://www.bitterrootbrewing.com/

This beer pours a very dark copper-amber-orange-brown with almost a hint of ruby.  There is a tall half inch of creamy and thick off-white head that leaves layers of sticky lacing down the glass.  The aroma is lightly fruity, malty, like strong tea with fresh squeezed lemon.  The taste follows the aroma with a pleasingly bitter finish and floral notes on the back end.  This is simple in the best way, subtle, yet very flavorful, an absolutley delicious American take on an English-style pale ale.