Sunday, December 27, 2015

Toppling Goliath Smoove Opferator

The Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is in Decorah, Iowa. This is their 5.5% ABV and 50 IBU brown ale. It takes its name from the original brewer, TG's Beerman Chad Opfer.

The beer pours a very dark brown, all but black. There is a short, tight, somewhat creamy head of tan foam. The aroma is sweet, yet nutty, dark roasted malt, nearing hazelnut, nicely roasted. The taste is dark roasted malts, chocolate, nuts, sweet, yet dry. The finish has a light bitterness, along with the astringent bitterness of coffee. The beer drinks easy, smooth, and lightly carbonated. This is one really good brown ale.  


North Coast Steller IPA

This 6.0% ABV India Pale Ale from the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California. It's brewed in support of marine mammal research.

 The beer pours a bright orange and very light amber. There is a very tall, thick head of white to off-white foam. The aroma is bright, citrus, with a light touch of pineapple. The taste follows the aromas, lots of bright and tangy citrus, light touch of pineapple or mango, all over toasted malt. The finish is moderately bitter. The beer drinks very easy, with a tingling sparkle of carbonation. This isn't a mind blowing IPA, but it is a solidly enjoyable easy drinker.  


Alpine Hoppy Birthday Session IPA

This 5.25% ABV session India Pale Ale is brewed in Alpine, California by the Alpine Beer Company. "Drink Alpine Ale or Go To Bed!" The label is a cake made out of hop flowers, and it looks straight off the cover of a 1975 cookbook.  I love it!

The beer pours bright, light copper in color. There is over an inch of off-white, thick foam. The aroma is bright, tropical, lots of mango, and citrus. The taste is loads of tropical, along with an earthy muskiness, mango, mango skin, dank, along with bright citrus notes. The finish is fairly bitter. The beer drinks easy, with tingling carbonation. This is one of my favorite session IPA's for sure; full of great flavor.  



Friday, December 25, 2015

Wiseacre Ananda IPA

This 6.1% ABV and 61 IBU India Pale Ale is from Wiseacre Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee. It uses Bravo bittering hops, Centennial aroma hops, and Cascade dry hopping. 

The beer pours honey golden and dried apricot in color. There is some cloudiness. There is a tall, thick, head of white to off-white foam that leaves rings of sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is citrusy, orange, and light tropical fruit, including mango and mango skin. The taste follows the aromas, hitting the fruit notes, enough toasted malt to hold up the hops, with a dry and fairly bitter finish. The beer drinks with a biting carbonation that is refreshing, with some smoothness underneath.  


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Wiseacre Tiny Bomb

This 4.5% ABV American Pilsner, with the great name, is from Wiseacre Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee.  They add in local wildflower honey during brewing.

The beer pours a clear, pure golden in color. There is over an inch of thick, white foam, relatively long-lasting. The aroma is grassy, a touch of honey, a touch floral, and sweet bread. The taste follows the aromas, grassy, floral, and honey sweet bread. There is that note of sweetness, but the finish is dry, crisp, and moderately bitter. The beer drinks easy, with refreshing, stinging carbonation. This is one very, very nice American pils.


Bosco's Bombay IPA

This India Pale Ale is from Bosco's Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee.  They are a brewpub. A friend with a plane had to fly to Memphis and he brought me back some brews.

The beer pours a reddish copper in color. There is little to no head. The aroma is mild, malty with a spicy rye bread note, very light fruit. The taste is the reverse of the aroma, very fruity, in a cherry/strawberry type of way, then spicy rye bread, with a very bitter finish. The beer drinks soft and easy, with a mild carbonation.  


Bosco's Ed's Porter

This porter is from Bosco's Brewing of Memphis, Tennessee.  They are a brewpub. A friend with a plane had to fly to Memphis and he brought me back some brews.

The beer pours extremely dark brown to true black. There is some dark ruby around the very edge. There is little to no head, and it pours quite still, this could be due to a couple days in the growler. The aroma is dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark fruits, with very light char. The taste follows the aromas, reversing them, more char, along with the other dark roasted notes. The finish is dry with a light bitterness. This is a very nice, tasty, easy drinking porter.  


Stone Delicious IPA

The Stone Brewing Company is in Escondido, San Diego County, California. This 7.7% ABV India Pale Ale is made with Lemondrop and El Dorado hops. 

The beer pours a light apricot and honey in color. There is a short head of white foam. The aroma is citrusy, lemon, with a touch of sweet, boy lemondrop is right on. The taste follows the aromas directly, citrus, lemony, lemon drop candy, with a light herbal note. The finish is quite bitter, typical for a Stone beer. The beer drinks easy, refreshing, a bit smooth, but with a strong, quenching, carbonation.  


Breckenridge Breck IPA

 This 6.3% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado. It has 66 IBU's.

The beer pours an orange-amber tinted honey golden in color. There is a half-inch of white foamy head that leaves thick curtains of sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is grassy and floral with light citrus fruit. The taste follows the aromas, putting grassy and floral bitterness and a touch of citrus, over a solid caramel malt base. The finish is dry with moderately intense bitterness. The beer drinks easy and refreshing.


Warsteiner Winter

This 5.6% ABV beer is a winter seasonal special release from the Warsteiner brewery in Warstein, Germany. 

The beer pours a clear and gem-like deep amber and copper. There is a relatively short head of light tan foam. The aroma is malty, nutty, caramel and toffee, with some dark fruit. The taste follows the aromas, a very roasted and toasted malty beer, with caramel, toffee, nuts, and dark fruits. The taste amps the fruit up more than in the aroma. Despite all the malt, there is enough hops for a very dry and lightly bitter finish. The beer drinks with a lightly stinging carbonation. This drinks much like an Oktoberfest, but has a bit more fruit than you would find in that style, and is a bit more roasted.  


Summit Unchained Series 19: Make It So

The Summit Brewing Company is in St. Paul, Minnesota and has been making craft beer since 1986.  This is part of their Unchained Series of limited release special batch beers. Number 19 is an Extra Special Bitter style brewed with Earl Grey tea. It is 5.3% ABV.

The beer pours a deep amber and burnt orange, the color of a dark tea. There is a relatively short head of light tan foam. The aroma is malty, sweet, fruity, with an inflection of tea. The taste reverses the aromas, putting the tea at the front, with the malt just a base to hold up the tea. The finish is dry and moderately bitter. The beer drinks easy with tingling carbonation. I always say that Summit never brews a bad beer, even if they don't brew flashy beers or whales. That being said, this one doesn't work for me at all. I am very glad I found a single. The tea and the beer don't complement each other, rather, they clash, and the tea spoils the beer.   


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Evil Twin Freudian Slip

Evil Twin Brewing has its origins in Denmark, but its beers are actually brewed at ten different breweries around the world. This beer was produced and bottled at Westbrook Brewing Co.,Mount PleasantSouth Carolina. It is a 10.3% ABV barleywine. 

The beer pours a deep and dark amber and copper, with gem-like garnet tones. There is a short head of light tan foam, not long-lasting. The aroma is deep, sweet, tangy, fruity, candied orange slices, grapefruit, caramel, sweet cherries. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, yet tangy, very fruity, with dark roasted malts in the background, It has a very dry, almost oaky-astringent, finish despite all the caramel and fruit sweetness. The beer drinks very smooth and round. This is exquisitely nice.  



Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont

This is a 9.5% ABV special holiday release saison by the Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes, Belgium. The name means with the "best wishes" of the brewery.

The beer pours a hazy apricot and dark honey in color. There is a tall, fizzing, foaming, head of white. The aroma is grains, honey, flowers, and straw. The taste follows the aromas, hitting all the same notes, and adding in tangy, fruity, yeast esters. There is sweetness, but the finish is dry. The beer drinks with the intense, fine carbonation of bottle conditioning.  


Weston L'il Lucy's Hot Pepper Ale

This is a 5.0% ABV golden ale brewed with serrano and jalapeno peppers. It is from the Weston Brewing Company of Weston, Missiouri. 

The beer pours the color of honey, tinted burnt orange. There is a quarter-inch of white head that fizzes away quickly. The aroma is fresh and spicy peppers, like poking your head in a burlap bag of fresh ones. The peppers are somewhat roasted and tangy. The taste follows the aromas, but with a decent heat dulling the taste a touch. There is an incongrous bitterness in the aftertaste that I don't like.




Saturday, December 12, 2015

Kinkaider Devil's Gap Jalapeno Ale

The Kinkaider Brewing Company is from Broken Bow, Nebraska. This is their 5.0% ABV jalapeno ale. 

The beer pours a burnt orange and amber in color. There is a short, thin head of white foam. The aroma is peppery, fresh and roasted, spicy. The taste follows the aromas, a lightly malty lager just strong enough to carry a wave of spicy, fresh, and lightly roasted jalapeno peppers. The heat is moderate, strong, but not at all overpowering. The heat combines with the carbonation to give a pleasant sting down the upper throat. This is a decent pepper beer. The bottle is correct when it says it balances the pepper heat and flavor.


Zipline Chocolate Double Stout

This 8.5% ABV stout brewed with cacao nibs is from the Zipline Brewing Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, home of "Brave New Brew."

The beer pours very dark brown, appearing black, except at the very edges when held to the light. There is nearly an inch of light tan head. The aroma is sweet, and a bit tangy, dark roasted malt and loads of chocolate. The taste has lots of chocolate, on dark roasted malt, but not quite as strong as the aroma. The body is a bit thin for all the flavors, not holding them up well. There is a light tingle of carbonation, some sweetness, but a mostly dry finish, and the tang of dark fruits on the finish.  



Greenbush Anger

This 7.6% ABV black IPA is from the Greenbush Brewing Company of Sawyer, Michigan.

The beer pours an extremely dark brown, nearly total black, with a bit of garnet on the edge where the light just gets through. There is an inch of thick, foamy, creamy, light tan head, sticky. The aroma is fruity, tangy, over dark roasted malt, a hint of smoke. The taste is a nice balance between the fruity tanginess and the dark roasted malt with notes of pleasant char. The beer drinks quite smooth with a soft and light tingle of carbonation. 


Greenbush Distorter Porter

This 7.2% ABV "stout-ish porter with a touch of porter-ish stout" is from the Greenbush Brewing Company of Sawyer, Michigan.

The beer pours black in appearance, completely opaque. There is a half inch of creamy, thick tan head. The aroma is dark roasted malts, rich, lots of chocolate, a bit nutty, light hazelnut, and light mocha. The beer drinks smooth and easy. This is a very enjoyable stout, er porter, uh stouter, um portout.  

It's called Distorter, so why wouldn't my picture come out distorted?

Trappistes Rochefort 8

This is a 9.2% ABV abbey ale from the Trappist Abbaye St. Remy in Rochefort, Belgium.

The beer pours a very deep amber, and a gem-like burnt umber. There is a half inch of thick, foamy, nearly creamy, off-white to very light tan head. The aroma is caramel, dark fruits, plums, dried fruits. The taste follows the aromas, rich caramel malts, along with notes of dark and dried fruits. There is sweetness, but the finish is dry, although lacking in any bitterness. The beer drinks with a very fine and soft, yet very intense, carbonation. This is quietly elegant.


Hoof Hearted Roller Blabe

This 8.0% ABV double India Pale Ale is from Hoof Hearted Brewing of Marengo, Ohio. It was made in collarboration with The Daily Growler

The beer pours a very cloudy yellow and orange. There is an inch of dirty white, ragged foam that leaves a curtain of sticky lacing down the glass. The aroma is loads of citrus, fresh squeezed juice, zest and rinds, followed by a layer of tropical fruits, along with a light muskiness. The taste follows the aromas, fruity, zesty, earthy. The beer drinks refreshing, with a nice carbonation, while also smooth. The bitterness is light to moderate. I like this even more than Konkey Dong


Greenbush Brother Benjamin

This 10.1% ABV imperial India Pale Ale brewed with honey is from the Greenbush Brewing Company of Sawyer, Michigan. It has a massive 114 IBU's.

The beer pours a lightly hazed deep copper and dark amber. There is nearly an inch of thick, foamy off-white to very light tan head. The aroma is a deep and rich orange and caramel, perhaps the sweetness of the honey meeting the malt. The taste follows the aromas, loads of oranges, along with the sweetness of honey. The flavor of the honey also starts to come through. The finish has the citrus zest of peel and rind, along with an intense bitterness (tempered somewhat by the sweetness). The beer drinks smooth with a soft tingle of carbonation, and a bit of warming heat from the alcohol. Hmm, an imperial IPA brewed with honey, sounds familiar, but I do in fact like this better than Hopslam.


Greenbush Star Chicken Shotgun IPA

This 6.8% ABV India Pale Ale is from the Greenbush Brewing Company of Sawyer, Michigan. It has 80 IBU's.

The beer pours a lightly hazed apricot and orange honey in color. There is an inch of thickly fizzy off-white head. The aroma is citrus, oranges, rinds, with a bit of pine. The taste follows the aromas, adding in a bit of passion fruit. The bitterness is moderate with the beer drinking easy.  One of those beers that is fine, but not much to say about it.


Troegs Hop Knife

This 6.2% ABV harvest ale is from the Troegs Brewing Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

The beer pours an orange tinted honey golden in color. There is a half inch of off-white foam. The aroma is citrus, orange, orange rind, with a bit of mango skin and light passion fruit, along with a grassy, brassy note. The taste follows the aromas note for note, although the aroma is a bit more intense than the flavor. The finish is moderately bitter. The beer drinks smooth with an intensely tingling carbonation.  


Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout - 2015

This is the 2015 vintage of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. It is a 13.7% ABV stout aged in bourbon barrels. I really like the embossed bottle they have this year.


The beer pours black in color with some very dark ruby and brown around the edges when held to the light. There is a short head of dark brown foam that is relatively thin and not long-lasting. The aroma is dark brown sugar, molasses, dark fruits, raisins, dark cherries, and figs. Over all the other aromas is a waft of bourbon and vanilla. The taste follows the aromas, darkened sugars, dark fruits, along with very dark roasted malts, char, almost coffee. On the finish is the bourbon. The beer drinks very smooth. At first it feels almost still, and then there is a soft, buzzing, subtle tingle of carbonation. The beer is sweet, but not cloying. This is very, very nice, although not mind-blowing. It will be a good one to see how it develops in the bottle.