Clown Shoes Porcine Unidragon

This 12.5% ABV beer is an American Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels.  It is from Clown Shoes Beer of the Mercury Brewing Company of Ipswich, Massachusetts. I was a bit perplexed by its smokiness until I read the bottle and found it is made with Beechwood smoked malt. I guess that is where the "porcine" comes in, because the bottle suggests that the smokiness gives it a meaty note (not to me it doesn't).

Have you noticed how the majority of barrel aged beers don't say what brand of spirt they were aged in? There are notable exceptions, but most don't say. I find that surprising, it seems that more often than not it would generate cross interest in the spirit, to see what it tastes like on its own and better understand how it influenced the beer.

The beer pours black like crude oil. There is a short head of dark tan foam. The aroma is the bourbon of smelling the rock glass that you drank bourbon out of last night, char, lightly smokey. The taste is dark roasted malt, char, peat smoke, along with the same bourbon note from the aroma. While there is sweetness, the beer drinks dry overall, moderately bitter, a bit spicy, with some definite heat from the alcohol. The overall effect is like drinking a Highland Scotch Whisky. 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout - 2014

This is the 2014 vintage of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. It is a 13.8% ABV stout aged in bourbon barrels. I am going to try one now relatively new and then try it again in a couple years. So make sure to keep coming back to the blog for the next few years and see how it develops.

The beer pours black as liquefied coal. There is a relatively short head of dark brown foam. The aroma is very pleasant upfront bourbon, sweet, black molasses, dark fruits, with lighter, blended notes of char and chocolate smoothing out the edges. The taste follows the aromas, mixing bourbon with darkened sugars upfront. The dark fruits are present, but less than in the aroma, and the lighter notes of char and dark chocolate again round out the edges. The beer drinks smooth, thick, rich, but also with a tingle of carbonation. It is sweet, but ends as dry as sweet, with a moderate bitterness, and some moderate alcohol heat. There is a lingering aftertaste of bourbon and a pleasant warming effect. I like the upfront bourbon, we'll see what happens to this over time.

Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon

Clown Shoes Beer comes from the Mercury Brewing Company of Ipswich, Massachusetts. This is a 12.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout. According to the bottle it uses a monstrous amount of dark malt and aggressive hops and is designed to improve with age. Good thing this has been in my basement waiting for its turn for about a year.  They couldn't decide whether to call it Black Unicorn or Soul Dragon, so they settled on the mish-mash Blaecorn Unidragon.

The beer pours opaquely black, just a hint of brown at the top if held to the light. There is about a half inch of dark beige head. The aroma is rich and chocolatey, with some dark fruits and dark roasted malts. The taste is dark roasted malts, dark chocolate and cocoa, a bit of char, a bit of very dark fruits, a touch of molasses, sweet, yet tangy, yet dry, yet spicy. The finish is moderately bitter and more dry than sweet, although there is also a lingering sweetness. The beer drinks very smooth and rich. As it really warms, a touch of anise comes in. This is a really nice stout, I can’t wait to try the barrel aged version soon.

Modelo Chelada

Modelo Especial has been brewed since 1925 by the Cerveceria Modelo in Mexico City, Mexico. This is their canned version of a Mexican tomato beer, or chelada, mixing beer, tomato juice, lime, and salt. It comes only in a 24 oz. can and is 3.5% ABV.

The beer pours a reddish brown, kind of like the color of a vampire’s glass of blood in a cheap, bad vampire movie. There is essentially no head, what little there is fizzles quickly away. The aroma is tangy, tangy tomato and tangy lime, you can even smell the mineral tang of the salt. The taste follows the aromas exactly, pretty darn tangy, but in fairly nice proportion. It drinks carbonated and refreshing. This is probably about as good of a version of this type of drink as you will get canned, but nothing compares to making your own by mixing your own tomato juice, salt and fresh lime. This would be great with a wide variety of foods.

Kona Castaway IPA

This 6.0% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Kona Brewing Company of Kona, Hawaii (although now brewed on the mainland as they are part of the Craft Brew Alliance). I like the bottle design, and the glass on top is embossed with the shape of the Hawaiian Islands and the words "Liquid Aloha." This beer is part of their Aloha Series of beers.

The beer pours a deep orange golden, veering to copper-orange-amber. There is a relatively short head of white to off-white foam that leaves a sheen of lacing down the glass. The aroma is bright and fruity (wonder if it uses some of the same hops as Big Wave?), citrus, tropical fruit, mango and passion fruit. The taste follows the aromas, just enough malt to hold up all the hops, with a quite bitter finish, think quinine and grapefruit rind. The beer drink medium bodied, a bit smooth, but with ample carbonation. 

Miller 64

Miller 64 is an ultra light 64 calorie beer from Miller Brewing. It is 2.8% ABV. Something I bought at the store caused a coupon for two dollars off a six pack of this to churn out, which  made it cheap enough to justify trying for this blog.

The beer pours a pale golden yellow in color. There is about an inch of white foamy head. The aroma is light, some grain, some apple, like the beer smell of a beer cooler. The taste is light grain, light beer, like a watered down beer, or like drinking club soda while inhaling the smell of a beer cooler. Inoffensive, if you're on a diet and want to pretend you're drinking a macro lager, then why not?

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale

This 4.4% ABV golden ale is from the Kona Brewing Company of Kona, Hawaii (although now brewed on the mainland as they are part of the Craft Brew Alliance). I like the bottle design, and the glass on top is embossed with the shape of the Hawaiian Islands and the words "Liquid Aloha."

The beer pours a dark golden in color. It has a relatively short head of white foam that leaves patches of sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is bright, fruity, tropical fruits, mango, passion fruit, over toasted malt. The taste follows the aromas, fruity, toasted, with a bit of muskiness. The beer drink easy, crisply carbonated, very refreshing. This is really good, I wish they sold it by the quart.

Kona Longboard Island Lager

This 4.6% ABV lager is from the Kona Brewing Company of Kona, Hawaii (although now brewed on the mainland as they are part of the Craft Brew Alliance). I like the bottle design, and the glass on top is embossed with the shape of the Hawaiian Islands and the words "Liquid Aloha."

The beer pours a clear, pale golden yellow in color. There is an inch of pure white foam. The aroma is slightly sweet, golden grain, floral and grassy. The taste follows the aromas, adding in toasted grain, along with aromatic floral/fruit, and finishing with a grassy bitterness. It is moderately bitter and drinks very crisp and refreshing. This is one very enjoyable lager!

Millstream Schild Brau Amber

Not long ago, I reviewed the barrel-aged version of this beer. I was surprised when I did that I did not have any notes on here for the regular version, and I wanted to quickly remedy that. This Vienna-style lager is from the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa, brewing since 1985. I remember trying this beer in the early 1990's right as I was turning drinking age. While 20 years later this is considered a "mild" craft beer, at the time it was an explosion of flavor compared to what was out there then.

The beer pours an orange toned amber in color. There is a relatively short head of off-white foam. The aroma is caramel, brown sugar, oakiness (although not an oak aged beer), and light vanilla. The taste is caramel, sweet potato, light fruits, and toasted maltiness. It drinks smooth, yet nicely carbonated. The finish is dry with a very light bitterness. This is one nice, easy drinking, and tasty beer.  

The 2010 bottle (I do like this label better than the current one):

Shock Top Belgian White

This 5.2% ABV wheat beer brewed with citrus peels and coriander is from the Shock Top Brewing Company of St. Louis, Missouri (think Anheuser-Busch InBev). It is modeled after the Belgian wit beer style.

The beer pours a hazy golden and orange in color. There is a half-inch or so of whipped egg whites foamy head. the aroma has a touch of coriander and orange over a lightly toasted typical A-B lager. The taste is much better than the aroma. It drinks smooth and creamy with toasted wheat, light orange, and lighter coriander in a balanced blend of flavors. There is an aftertaste of grain, light spice and orange. It drinks crisp and very refreshing, but also velvety smooth. This is pretty good and exceeded my expectations for a mass produced version of this style.

Bazant Radler Grapefruit

This grapefruit radler made with 47% beer and 53% lemonade is a low 2.0% ABV. It is from the Zlaty Bazant of Slovakia. 

The beer pours salmon pink and hazy. There is an inch of frothy white head that bubbles down quickly. The aroma is pulpy grapefruit juice with light toasted wheat. The taste follows the aromas. The beer has grapefruit bitterness on the finish. It drinks crisp and extremely refreshing. There might be a better grapefruit radler out there, but it’s not likely.

Bazant Radler Citron

This lemon radler made with 47% beer and 53% lemonade is a low 2.0% ABV. It is from the Zlaty Bazant of Slovakia. 

The beer pours a very pale golden champagne color. There is a tall, fluffy head of white foam. The aroma is lemony, toasted wheat, like lemon curd on toast. The taste follows the aromas precisely. The beer drinks crisply carbonated, smooth and refreshing. This is a really nice example of a radler.

Natural Ice

Natural Ice is the budget Ice beer from Anheuser-Busch. It is 5.9% ABV.

The beer pours a clear golden in color. There is over an inch of white head, a bit less fizzy than anticipated. The aroma is grain, metal, apples and light celery. The taste is mild and follows the aromas. It is highly carbonated and drinks very crisp, almost stinging in a refreshing way. Pretty inoffensive, which makes it better than Milwaukee’sBest Ice. There just wasn't much to say about this beer, imagine that.

Founders Big Lushious

This is a 7.8% ABV stout brewed with chocolate and raspberries from Founders Brewing of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is part of their Backstage Series of limited release versions of what had been experimental taproom recipes.

The beer pours dense black in color. There is about an inch of thick, somewhat creamy light brown head. The aroma is as advertised, chocolate and raspberries. It smells like the dark chocolate raspberry caramel by Russell Stover’s. The taste follows the aromas, but adds in more raspberry in the taste. The taste is somewhat out of balance compared to the aroma, too much raspberry for my taste, it overwhelms a bit. The beer drinks smooth with a light tingle of carbonation. It finishes with raspberry tartness and light bitterness. 

Milwaukee's Best Ice

While now long brewed by Miller, this beer was once its own independent brand.  The A. Gettleman Brewery was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1887.  In 1895 it began producing Gettelman's Milwaukee Best Beer.  This became Milwaukee's Best in 1956.  As early as 1961 the brand was acquired by Miller.  However, the 1975 introduction of Miller Lite took off and the brewing capacity was switched to Lite and "the Beast" was discontinued.  It came back to store shelves in 1984 and is Miller's value priced beer line. 

You can see the Premium and Light here, I was surprised to see the Ice had not yet made it on here. (If you've looked around the blog much, you'll see that I might jump from Bourbon County Brand Stout to Milwaukee's Best Ice, just like I might jump from Simon and Garfunkel to Suicidal Tendencies, or Uncle Tupelo to Blood for Blood, with nothing in between. Not that any of those bands are the musical equivalent of Milwaukee's Best Ice, they're all much better.)

The beer pours a clear golden in color, not as pale as I expected. There is nearly an inch of white head that fizzes down. The aroma is cereal grains, malt-o-meal, fruits, very light grass or celery. The taste follows the aromas, but tamps down the fruit (when I say "fruit", I mean a green apple that’s been on the ground too long  by the tree). It is the slightest bit metallic, that passes for hops. It is extremely crisp and biting in its carbonation. So...this isn’t very good.

Big Sky Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout

This 9.5% ABV imperial stout is from the Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana. 

The beer pours straight black. There is a short head of dark tan to brown foam that is not long lasting. The aroma is dark chocolate, raisins, and black licorice, along with a bit of char. The taste follows the aromas, but ups the pleasant char. The beer drinks smooth with a light to moderate carbonation. It is not strongly carbonated, but it has about as much as you will generally find in a RIS. The finish is moderately bitter, and has a star anise sting that lingers lightly in the aftertaste. This makes for a nice, solid stout, not great, but trending upward.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout - 2013

This is the 2013 vintage of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. It is a 14.9% ABV stout aged in bourbon barrels. 

The beer pours densely black and viscous. There is a short, thin head of brown foam. The aroma is dark fruits, raisins, bourbon, darkened sugars, lighter char and chocolate. The taste follows the aromas, the bourbon mixes nicely with the chocolate and light coffee notes, but there is a bit of a tangy clash with some of the dark fruits and the finish of the darkened sugars. The beer drinks smooth and round with a light tingle of carbonation. The 2012 drank great in 2014. This is really nice, don’t get me wrong, but it will be interesting to see if one more year makes it more mellow and blended.

Fulton Worthy Adversary

This 9.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout is from the Fulton Brewing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ten percent of the profits of this beer go into the Ful10 fund that provides micro loans to entrepreneurs. 

The beer pours black in appearance, with just a bit of dark brown on the edge if held to the light. It has a short head of tan foam that does not last long. The aroma is dark roasted malt, chocolate, and quite nutty, light hazelnut with almonds and cashews, and some dark fruit. The taste is dark fruits, nutty, char, and light chocolate. The beer drinks silky smooth. The finish is easy with moderate bitterness. This is rich, tasty and elegant, very nice, and worth a try if you find yourself in the Twin Cities or in front of a bottle of this.

Goose Island Class of '88 Belgian Style Ale

This 11.2% ABV ale is made with grapes and aged in muscat wine barrels. It is from the Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois. It was bottled on January 14, 2013 and the bottle says it develops in the bottle for up to five years. The "Class of '88" series of beers came out in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of several grand-daddies of craft beer, such as Deschutes, Great Lakes, Rogue, and Goose Island, who all got their start in 1988.

The beer pours copper, amber and apricot, shiny and gem-like. There is a short head of off-white foam that immediately fizzes away to nothing at all. The aroma is deep, fruity, both sweet and tangy, vinous in a muscatel way. The taste is powerfully tart, dry, a bit woody, lightly fruity, but mostly tart. If muscatel wine rules the aroma, then Portugese vinho verde rules the taste. I can’t believe the difference between the aroma (loads of sweetness) and the taste (loads of tart). I much preferred the Deschutes version of this beer.

Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

This is a 9.1% ABV ale from the Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, California. It says it is a perihelial release (the point in a solar orbit where an orbiting body is closest to the sun). If you read the label story, it seems to imply this beer will give you the mother of all hangovers.  I'm not sure why that would be a selling point.

The beer pours ruby and brown in color. There is a short head of light tan foam. The aroma is tangy fruit, cherries, brown sugar, caramel, woody. The taste follows the aromas, lots of sugars, roasted, but also tangy and fruity. The beer drinks smooth and round, but with a tingle of carbonation. The finish is dry and lightly to moderately bitter. This is one of those beers where I feel a bit bad that I have so little to say about it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't inspire me to say much about it.

Bent Brewstillery El Guerrero Chilean Double Stout

This is a 8.3% ABV stout made with honey, coffee and merken Chilean smoked peppers. It is from the Bent Brewstillery of Roseville, Minnesota. 

The beer pours jet black. There is about an inch of thick, creamy, foamy, dark brown head. The aroma is creamy dark chocolate and cocoa, rich coffee, dark roasted malt and char, and lightly spicy. The taste follows the aromas, rich, roasted, chocolatey, charred, coffee, delicious. The beer drinks smooth and round with a soft tingle of carbonation, followed by a soft tingle of hot pepper. The heat is very subtle, but present. This makes a nice stout. I think the label art is great on this one too.

Free State Old Backus Barleywine

This 10.0% ABV barleywine is from the Free State Brewing Company of Lawrence, Kansas, brewing since 1989. 

The beer pours deep, dark, gleaming copper, orange gem stone turning towards ruby. There is a very short head of off-white to light tan. The aroma is dried fruits (think more apricots and white raisins than say figs and raisins), candied orange, tangy, brown sugar, a bit of caramel. The taste follows the aromas, fruity, sweet, yet tangy, a bit of pine, with a dry, woody finish. Bitterness is moderate. The beer is smooth and sips easy, with just a tingle of carbonation. I found this a really enjoyable, easy sipping, American barleywine.

Odell Jaunt

This 7.6% ABV bottle-conditioned beer is from the Odell Brewing Company of Fort Collins, Colorado. It is brewed with riesling grape juice and aged on oak staves. 

The beer pours dark golden with a very fizzy, champagne-like carbonation. There is a tall head of white foam that fizzes down to half its size and lingers, thick and compact, like whipped egg white foam. The aroma is a cornucopia, flowers, grapes, grain, honey, wine, bright and tangy, yet sweet and rich. The taste follows the aromas, hitting all the same notes, somewhere between a saison and a buttery chardonnay, the oak combining with the grapes to give it that wine-like quality. It is highly carbonated, but drinks simultaneously smooth through the thick head. This is an interesting and very well crafted beer.

Kalona Start-Up Stout

This is a 8.0% ABV coffee stout. It is from the Kalona Brewing Company of Kalona, Iowa. Their motto: "Heavenly Beers Brewed by Mere Mortals." In addition to its pale, caramel and chocolate malts, it uses oats and "roasted grains." Perhaps wheat or rye? They don't say whose coffee they used, but as you'll see below, it was good.

The beer pours black through and through. There is a tall, foamy, thick head that is the dark tan to light brown in color. The aroma is a wave of cold-pressed coffee, with underlying dark roasted malts, in particular some chocolate and dark cocoa notes. The taste follows the aromas directly, waves of coffee, with lesser, but complementary, notes of dark roasted malts, chocolate and char. It has a full enough body for all that flavor, but not heavy in any way, with tingling carbonation. This is a very well done coffee stout.

Blacklist Wit Noir

This is a 9.0% ABV Belgian-style dark wheat ale from the Blacklist Brewery of Duluth, Minnesota. It uses toasted coriander.

The beer pours black with a relatively short head of light brown foamy head. The aroma is dark roasted malt, toasted, somewhat sweet with light fruit. The spices are very soft. The taste is a nice meld of dark roasted malt, light and tangy fruit, with very soft spices that mostly get lost in the dark malt. The flavors in this beer blend so harmoniously that it is hard to pick out a lot of individual notes. The beer drinks smooth with a tingling of carbonation. The finish is again a meld, a smooth tangle of bitter, sweet, and dry. This is well done.