Sunday, March 27, 2016

Summit 30th Anniversary Double IPA

This 8.5% ABV double India Pale Ale is  from the Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota. It is brewed to celebrate their 30th year.


The beer pours a deep golden yellow in color. There is a tall, foamy head of white. The aroma is citrus, a touch of dank, a touch of pine, and passion fruit. The taste takes the same notes as the aroma and blends them together into a really nice, harmonious, and full-flavored whole. The finish is dry and quite, quite, bittter. The beer drinks smooth, with a soft tingling of carbonation. I like this, and am anxious to try it again.


Saturday, March 26, 2016

Great Divide Barrel-Aged Old Ruffian Barleywine

This 10.2% ABV barleywine ale aged in whiskey barrels is from the Great Divide Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado. 

The beer pours a hazy dark brown. There is a short, sopay head of light tan. The aroma is brown sugar, caramel, toffee, oak, vanilla, light whiskey. The taste follows the aromas, adding in a nutty note, and a light touch of dark cherry. While there is much sweetness, the finish is mostly dry, with the astringency of the oak barrel. The beer drinks smooth. There is a gentle warming as you drink the beer. This is a nice sipper!


Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Brunch Big Blend

Mikkeller is a brewery based in Denmark. It beers its brews in breweries all over the world. This beer was brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri in Norway. This is an 8.0% ABV oatmeal stout brewed with coffee. It is blended after aging in bourbon, brandy, tequila, whiskey, cognac, and cherry wine barrels. WARNING: this beer is a gusher, open it over a sink.


The beer pours black in appearance, foaming over with a massive dark brown head. I hope the foam over doesn't mean infected. The aroma is sweet, and tangy, dark roasted malt and coffee, with a touch of mingled booze. The taste follows the aromas and loses the tangy note, very dark roasted, coffee, dark chocolate, a bit of char, bitter, a bit of cherry and oak. The various liquor barrels don't leave a strong impression, or what they do leave is so well blended together as to become indiscernible. This does not taste at all infected, but I can't then figure out why it foamed over so wildly.  


Nebraska Brewing Franc Blanc

This is a 8.6% ABV French-style saison that is then aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels. It is from the Nebraska Brewing Company of La Vista, Nebraska. 

The beer pours a hazy apricot and amber in color. There is a short head of white foam. The aroma is fruity, vinous, citrus, melon and kiwi sauvignon blanc, along with oak. The taste follows the aromas, very fruity, very vinous, big and lush and round sauvignon blanc, along with a mild and effervescent saison, and a dry, oaky finish. The beer drinks smooth, round, with a nice tingling carbonation. This is excellent.


Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale

This is a 5.4% ABV pale ale from the Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois (now owned by AB-InBev). 

The beer pours a dark golden in color. There is a short head of white foam. The aroma is citrus, light passion fruit, toasted golden grain. The taste follows the aromas, very mild, light note of bubble gum. The beer drinks medium bodied with some softness to the body, but also a fairly strong carbonation. There is a moderate bitterness and a dry finish. This is overall fairly boring.  


New Belgium Glutiny Pale Ale

This 6.0% ABV pale ale is from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado. It is part of their new Glutiny line of low gluten beers. Gluten free beers used to use substitutes for the gluten containing grain. The new trend appears to be gluten "reduced" beers that use gluten containing grain and then use a method to remove as much of the gluten as possible. There is also a golden ale in the line. 

The beer pours an orange-tinted honey golden in color. There is a short head of white foam the leaves torn curtains of lace down the glass. The aroma is citrus and passion fruit. The taste is the same citrus and passion fruit atop toasted malt with light caramel. The beer drinks very easy, with a soft, yet crisp, carbonation.  


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Nebraska Brewing Runnin' With the Devil

This is a 11.9% ABV barleywine aged in Venezuelan rum barrels.  It is from the Nebraska Brewing Company of La Vista, Nebraska. 

The beer pours a dark chestnut brown. There is a short, thin head of light tan. The aroma is caramel, toffee, light butterscotch, rum, with light brown sugar and molasses. The taste follows the aromas, caramelly, dark rum, sweet, with just enough oaky wood from the barrels to keep it from being cloying. Good flavors, drinking very smooth and round, with light heat from the alcohol, and a light tingle of carbonation.  


Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

This is a 5.7% ABV stout from Rogue Ales of Newport, Oregon. It is brewed using Huy Fong Sriracha hot sauce, and the bottle is made to look like a bottle of the sauce. I like that the bottle refers to it as Rogue Rooster Sauce.

The beer pours black in appearance with an inch of thick, foamy, light tan head. The aroma is dark chocolate, sweet, dark roast in the first wave. Just when you wonder where the Sriracha is, bang, there is a wave of it. The two sides of chocolate and Sriracha then go round and round. The taste is predominantly chocolate and dark roast, with the Sriracha making a slow burning heat. The beer drinks with a tingling of carbonation that ups the sting of the pepper heat. This works well as a pleasant pepper stout. 


Millstream 30th Anniversary Doppelbock

This 30th anniversary doppelbock is from the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa, celebrating that they have been brewing since 1985. 

The beer pours a very deep and dark amber, medium brown in color, with tints of dark ruby. There is a relatively short head of light khaki foam. The aroma is roasted and toasted malt, sweet potato, nutty. The taste follows the aromas, hitting all the same notes, and adding in a dark fruitiness on top of the malt and nut. The fruit tastes most like fresh raspberries and cherries. The beer drinks smooth and round with a light carbonation. This is absolutely delicious!  


Saturday, March 19, 2016

Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale

The Coney Island Brewing Company is from Brooklyn, New York. This 5.6% ABV hard ginger ale  is brewed in collaboration with the Boston Beer Company. They also make a hard root beer


The beer pours a light golden champagne in color. There is no head and it pours fizzy. The aroma is like regular ginger ale, but a bit limey and tangy. The taste follows the aromas, tangy, very light ginger, limey, cheap cocktail flavor. The finish is sweet, syrupy and dry all at the same time. This is not very good and tastes cheap.  

I found the Henry's Hard Soda Hard Ginger Ale to be the one I liked the best, followed by Not Your Father's (which wasn't very good), and finally this last (which was pretty darn bad).


Small Town Brewery Not Your Father's Ginger Ale

This is a 5.9% ABV ale brewed with ginger. It is from the Small Town Brewery of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. They also make a hard root beer.

The drink pours fizzy like pop, with no head, dark to honey golden in color. The aroma is a touch sweet, a touch gingery, the alcohol melding into a cocktail like aroma. The taste follows the aromas, the ginger is fairly light, the sweetness high, and the sweet cocktail like note high,, with a hint of vanilla. This does not drink as fizzy as you would think from the appearance, definite carbonation, but also a touch of syrupy. This one is not my jam. 



Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter

This 6.0% ABV porter is from the Ballast Point Brewing Company of San Diego, California. The bottle describes it as a hop forward porter, and a hoppy twist on the classic English porter.

The beer pours a very dark brown to black in appearance. There is a tall, thick, foamy head of light tan. The aroma is mild, creamy, light char, dark chocolate, with a bit of dark, dried fruits. The taste follows the aromas, some char, some chocolate, some dark fruits, a bit tangy, with a dry and moderately bitter finish. The hops really come through on the finish. The beer drinks smooth, with a tingle of carbonation in the background. This is a solid American porter.


Sunday, March 13, 2016

Backpocket Old Bufflehead Barley Wine

This is an 8.5% ABV barleywine aged for a year in Cedar Ridge Bourbon barrels. It comes from the Backpocket Brewing Company of Coralville, Iowa.  This "Corridor Collaboration" is part of their Lab Series, where they get a little more adventurous and try out some new styles. 

The beer pours a dark brown with ruby tints. There is a short and thin head of tan foam. The aroma is caramel, toffee, with notes of brown sugar and whiskey. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, but also roasted, very rich, with a dry finish. There is an astringency from barrel wood in the finish. There are also notes of cherry and light vanilla, along with oak. The beer drinks very smooth and round. The beer warms the throat more than would be expected from 8.5%. This is a nice tasting sipper!


Smithwick's Irish Ale

This 4.5% ABV Irish ale is from the Guinness Brewing Company of Dublin, Ireland. 

The beer pours a dark amber and chestnut brown, hints of ruby. There is nearly an inch of light tan foam that leaves a layer of sticky lacing. The aroma is roasted malt, caramel, with a bit of dark fruits. The taste follows the aromas, lots of caramel and dark fruits, with a light touch of tea or tobacco. There is some sweetness, but the finish is dry, with a very light bitterness. The beer drinks smooth and easy, with a bit of refreshing carbonation. This is a very nice, quaffable ale, actually better than I remembered it.



   

Harp Premium Lager

Harp lager is 4.5% ABV, and brewed by the Guinness Brewing Company of Dublin, Ireland. Many of their U.S. sold products are brewed in Canada. 

The beer pours a pale yellow and golden in color. There is a half-inch of pure white head that leaves light lacing on the glass. The aroma is toasted golden grain, a touch sweet, a touch of fruit, a bit of straw and grass. The taste follows the aromas, grain and straw, with a grassy finish that is lightly bitter. The beer drinks crisp and refreshing with a touch of smoothness. This is a solid Euro lager, I was surprised I hadn't reviewed it before, it's been longer than I thought since I drank it.




Saturday, March 12, 2016

Fulton Barrel-Aged Expat

This saison style beer made with rye is from the Fulton Brewing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The beer has 5.7% ABV and 30 IBU's. They have taken their regular Expat Rye Saison and aged it in red wine barrels. This is bottle 1522 of 3000. Ten percent of the profits of this beer go into the Ful10 fund that provides micro loans to entrepreneurs.

The beer pours a deep amber and copper in color. There is a short head of tan foam. The aroma is oak, red wine, light toasted rye bread, a touch of flowers. The taste follows the aromas, hitting oak, red wine, rye bread, dark fruits, mildly spicy, all in a very balanced harmony. The beer drinks smooth, with a vibrant tingling of carbonation reminiscent of a sparkling wine. This is very well-done.  


To Ol Mine Is Bigger Than Yours (Muscatel BA) Barleywine

This is a 12.5% ABV barelywine from To Ol, with the beer brewed and bottled at De Proef Brouwerij at Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium. An original partner with the two guys behind Tool was Mikkel (think Mikkeller). It takes their regular Mine Is Bigger Than Yours, and ages it in muscatel wine barrels.


The beer pours a deep and dark amber in color, hazed. There is a short head of light tan foam. The aroma is caramel, toffee, sherry, a bit of muscatel, grapes, and wood, with some oxidation. The taste follows the aromas exactly, hitting all of the same notes. The beer drinks smooth, the alcohol is well hidden. The finish has a moderate woody bitterness.  


Friday, March 11, 2016

Goose Island Four Star Pils

This is a 5.1% ABV pils from the Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois (now owned by AB-InBev). 

The beer pours a dark golden in color. There is an inch of thick, foamy, white head. The aroma is floral, hay, grassy, grain. The taste follows the aromas, adding in a touch of sweetness, before ending with a grassy and floral bitterness that is fairly intense. The beer drinks smooth and easy with a good amount of crisp carbonation.




New Belgium Glutiny Golden Ale

This 5.2% ABV golden ale is from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado. It is part of their new Glutiny line of low gluten beers. Gluten free beers used to use substitutes for the gluten containing grain. The new trend appears to be gluten "reduced" beers that use gluten containing grain and then use a method to remove as much of the gluten as possible. There is also a pale ale in the line. 


The beer pours clear and golden in color. There is a half-inch of white, foamy head. The aroma is grain, citrus, fruit. The taste follows the aromas, with a mild, pleasant citrus fruitiness. The beer drinks smooth and easy with almost no bitterness. This is very pleasant, nothing wrong with it, but just not a lot to say about it either. I would drink it again.  



Hoppin' Frog D.O.R.I.S. the Destroyer

This is a 10.5% ABV oatmeal imperial stout from the Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company of Akron, Ohio. The name stands for Double Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout. 

The beer pours deep black and viscous, like used motor oil. There is a relatively short head of dark brown foam. The aroma is dark fruits, deep red wine, like a very big zinfandel, dark roasted malts, char, light anise, and chocolate. The taste hits the same notes as the aromas, big dark fruits, dark cherry, chocolate, char, all well-balanced with each other. There is sweetness, but the finish is quite dry, with a moderately strong bitterness. The beer drinks very, very smooth and round. This is outstanding.  


Saturday, March 5, 2016

Finnegans Dead Irish Poet

Finnegans beers are a chartiable venture, contract brewed by Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota.  100% of the profits of Finnegans beer goes to area charities to feed the hungry.  The cap has a shamrock with a halo. This 7.0% ABV stout is a seasonal release in their lineup.

The beer pours black in color, with a relatively short head of tan foam; short but thick and creamy. The aroma is clean, dark roasted malts, yet tangy, char, along with chocolate. The taste follows the aromas, big cocoa and chocolate, char, dark fruit and mineral tang, sweet, yet dry. The finish is moderately bitter. The beer drinks very smooth and easy. This is a very nice, big, smooth, Irish style stout, with more chocolate than the style would usually have. These Finnegans' beers are damn tasty.  




Point Onyx

This 4.1% ABV black ale  is from the Stevens Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. 

 The beer pours a very dark brown, appearing mostly black, very dark ruby tints on the edges when held to the light. There is a very short and short-lived head of tan foam. The aroma is dark roasted malt, char, anise, coffee, chicory. The taste follows the aromas, lots of dark roast, hitting many of the same notes, not quite as intense as in the aroma, but blending together well and tasting smooth. There is some sweetness, but the finish is mostly dry, with a light bitterness. The beer drinks smooth and easy. This is a good combo of low alcohol to high flavor.