Sam Adams Longshot Honey B's Lavender Ale.

For some reason I got really excited when I saw this 6-pack of Longshot at the store, took a glance at it, and thought it was all Blackened Hops. I put one in the fridge that night, pulled it out tonight to try and saw that it was actually Honey B's Lavender Ale. Maybe it's sexist, but I'm not surprised a female would decide to brew with lavender. (As a man, I prefer to brew with flavors like SHOCKolate and GUN.) In any case, lavender is a very aromatic ingredient that takes some work to leverage in any food or beverage.

Right on the pour, I got a strong floral, lavender aroma, slightly hoppy and sweet. There is a bit of honey on the palate as it is also brewed with honey, and I get a very mild sweetness. The base flavor seems to be more of that nondescript pale ale sans hops that tends to be common amongst beer utilizing honey. I suppose great restraint must be shown towards hopping when using honey as well. The lavender is a little more subtle on the palate than the nose and contributes mostly in a generic flower petal taste and texture. The carbonation is not unusual, but the mouthfeel is somewhat creamier than I would have liked. While it describes itself as a kick-back beer, it's a little too voluminous, not exceptionally crisp and doesn't seem to come off as very cold.

Not a loser, but certainly not a kickass beer that I must recommend to everyone. That being said, I will probably remember this enough to tell a story about this one lavender beer I had way back when. And that's my beef with these kinds of herbed/spiced/honey beers. More often than not, they just don't bring enough to the table to stand on their own or against any food or occasion. What would I do with beer? I would drink it when I happen to have one around and I just want "a beer". Maybe that's a bit of a backhanded compliment, so I want to reiterate this is not a bad beer. It's just not what I'm looking for in a beer right now. Ok, ok, I let that one slip out a bit but now let me suppose this was brewed by a dude. "Yeah, it's ok, dude. I tend to like more hops...but I get what you're trying to accomplish with the lavender. Brewing is about self-expression, right?" (ZING). Anyway. How would I like to see this revised into an even better beer? More assertive. More lavender, more unconverted honey, complementary flavors and aromas like jasmine, chamomile, milk,, etc. Really, I am now just thinking about body washes, and you should probably just make a heather ale.

• Appearance: Clear gold. Kicked up a little finger of a head which fell down to a ring.
• Smell: Fragrant lavender but not perfume-y.
• Taste: Very mild, slight sweet honey. Lavender generalizes into more of a generic flower petal sensation.
• Mouthfeel: A bit too creamy for me. It seems like it just doesn't stay cold enough, but it's also been rather warm lately.
• Drinkability and Overall: Too voluminous to be a refreshing beer for my taste. Rather generic, unfortunately. Not sorry I had it though, but not in my top 5.

Sam Adams Bonfire Rauchbier.

I love Boston Beer Company because, despite being huge (they are the largest craft brewery and had to get "craft brewery" redefined to accommodate their volume), they still find time to branch out and not do it in a shitty fashion. So props. I've had only a few rauchbiers, and they've all been pretty crazy. Obviously, the first thing that people mention is bacon. Beer and bacon are both wonderful things, but bacon-flavored beer? There's bacon-flavored vodkas, which really doesn't sound that appetizing. You wouldn't make a bacon milkshake. (Or would you?)

I like that while this beer does a have a bit of bacon nuance, it's in check and lets the smokiness come out more. Woody, chestnut-y, but mostly smoky. Hickory? Really, it drowns out everything else for me. It's low and an easy drinker, but I don't really think I'd want to drink too many of these in one go. Only the bare minimum of notes; this style is still too much of a novelty for my palate.

• Appearance: Slightly ruddy brown, but very clear.
• Smell: Not too bacon-y but more like ham.
• Taste: Not as bacon-y as other rauchbiers I've had, which lets the smokiness come out a bit more.
• Mouthfeel: Boston Ale-y.
• Drinkability and Overall: More easy-going and palatable than any other rauchbier I've had and probably the most accessible. Still, I wouldn't want to sit down and drink more than one.

New Belgium Mothership Wit.

My first complaint is that this pale straw colored "organic wheat beer brewed with spices" is too damn clear. The irony of it is that the side of the labels has little pictures to teach you "how to fly the mothership", when there is, in fact, no sediment to swirl. I guess this is just a simulator. I must say this is a curious kind of wheat beer though. It's fairly tart. I suppose that is common to the style, which I am getting confused with other wheat beers. Witbier is a a Belgian/French wheat beer while hefeweizen/weissbier is of German origin. But now that I think about it, Blue Moon and Hoegaarden are witbiers. This does not look like them. It looks more like a filtered hefeweizen. In any case, it is even paler than filtered hefeweizen. It's quite strange.

Maybe the "organic" makes things taste crazy, but this has a crazy taste too. As i said, it's rather tart and sour, relatively speaking. There is some spice bundled up front but it gets shoved around a lot by this vinous character. How turbulent. I am mostly confused about this beer, but I've already drank the other five bottles last week, so I guess it can't be that bad. I will say that I did pass it over a few times, if I had some other option in the refrigerator though. Do what you will with that information.

I just can't find a lot to say about this one, nor can I do it in a cogent fashion, apparently. I want to say there's something kind of mild, unripe and slightly bitter fruit in there or something. It's all very confusing. The carbonation is probably about right for the style, but it doesn't carry well because the rest of it is so light that it might float away. Is that the joke here?

• Appearance: The palest, clearest beer I've ever seen. Weird tint too. It almost looks watered down.
• Smell: Can't get much aroma.
• Taste: Sour and tart. The spice is sort of there but is not very assertive.
• Mouthfeel: Extremely light and fairly high carb makes for a strange balance.
• Drinkability and Overall: I don't know if this was from a bad batch or what. When I typed that it looked watered down, I think that really sums it up. Everything about this beer seems really watered down. Combined with the fact that I didn't get any sediment in my bottles, maybe this was a bad batch.

New Belgium Hoptober.

I love New Belgium. Fat Tire is such a classic amber ale, and I don't go for ambers very often, but that's just a full, assertive example of the style. I remember drinking Fat Tires back in college, and it was just a great change of pace from all the Killian's on Taco Tuesdays or, much more commonly, the numerous PBRs I ironically ironically liked. Is that double 'ironically' an ironic typo or intentional. I don't even know anymore.

A few years later (or maybe a only a year), I stopped by a nice chain bottle shop that had opened back in my parents' town and picked up several examples from New Belgium's lineup. (Checking the archives, it was 1554, Abbey, and Tripel. Also, OMG SO SNOOTY.) While I wasn't as head-over-heels for those by that point, as my palate had significantly diversified, they were still pretty satisfying beers, despite what my former self was apparently thinking at the time. New Belgium is also canning these days, and I did pick up a 12-pack of Fat Tire cans to haul back east. I may have to pick up some of this to bring back too. Pale and wheat malt with rye and oats, Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops, this is a pretty solid beer.

Now that I'm almost down to the bottom of this pour, I should probably write something about it. It is a super crystal clear gold that even looks refreshing. The aroma is rather pilsener-like with some hard, sharp, clean hop aromas. It reminds me of Sam Adams Noble Pils but maltier and softer. I had to look this up on BA, and it's an American Blonde Ale which not a style with which I'm familiar but it is fairly new and distinctly American, obviously. It's a bit of a take on a kolsch, a style I do enjoy but does not cross my mind nearly enough to make it to my lips. The malts are slightly sweet, maybe a bit like honey with a little bit of fruitiness, but very subdued and well-controlled. The hop blend is really nice, certainly present but not over-the-top, just a little laid back. Perhaps it's just my imagination, but there's the slightest hint of a toastiness, a nod to the changing of the leaves, as they turn in crunchy things to crush ("sounds like fortune cookies!").

I would love to have this around for an outdoor field day on one of those autumn days that run the whole spectrum of temperatures: a warm sun during the day with an occasionally gusty breeze and a cooling evening that can give you the occasional chill, if you let it. The label has a bunch of silhouettes dancing and hoolahooping around a bonfire. And that sounds awesome.

• Appearance: Crystal clear gold. The head looks a little scummy and gives the impression of it being somewhat viscous but that's misleading; it clears out on its own.
• Smell: Noble hops, clean, sharp, and hard.
• Taste: Slightly sweet malt with impressions of fruit and honey. It is primarily a well-packaged hop courier though, balanced and not overloaded. An ale-y version of Sam Adams Noble Pils.
• Mouthfeel: Slightly creamy but finishes crisply with the right amount of carbonation. Certainly heavier than a pilsener but pretty lightweight for many craft ales. Very kolsch-y.
• Drinkability and Overall: Only 40 IBU and 6%ABV combined with the relatively light body make this is a superbly easy drinker. I would say this could take through the night at the bar, but it demands to be drank outside on crisp fall day into the night.

Lagunitas Bavarian-styled Doppel Weizen.

A new-to-me limited release. Labels reads "This Special Brew Was Designed By Our Freistaat Bayern Brothers Who Also Built The Brewhouse Upon Which We Brewed It", which makes for a really long name. The edge of the label tells a cute story of making a drunken brewhouse purchase from a "Freistat Bayern Brewer" for a mere 80bbl capacity back in 2006. Today, Lagunitas is moving to a 250bbl facility. Cheers.

Interesting little brew. The aroma is strongly banana, but the first taste is rather spicy, like a Belgian wit but sours out like a German hefeweizen. And the body is creamy and smooth like a Vienna lager. There's a lot going on here, both in depth and breadth. The banana which so strongly dominates the nose bows out and allows a refreshing wheat character to take stage, though well protected by a haze of spice buffeted by a nicely effervescent body. The banana makes a brief appearance towards the end, and I think I caught a taste of something akin to a plum.

OG 1.084, 9%ABV, 34.2 IBU. This is such an interesting beer. It's like it has a little something for everyone. It doesn't excel at any one thing, but it doesn't do anything injustice either. The body makes it just filling enough that it could stand on its own on a hot day, but it's not so filling that you couldn't also have some cook-out food with it too. I like it. I'd like to keep it around during the summer months. It's a nice beer that's a little richer, a little more complex than your standard hefeweizen or witbier.

• Appearance: Hazy straw-amber; head is only a ring.
• Smell: Suddenly, bananas. A swirl to stir up some head yields more of the spice character.
• Taste: Spicy like a Hoegaarden rather than a Blue Moon. The wheat is surrounded by the spice, which really has all the exits covered. The banana is far more subdued in the palate than in the nose. I found a little bit of plum on the back end.
• Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth, it gains some volume in the mouth, giving it a rather white-bread-y sensation. Fairly filling.
• Drinkability and Overall: OG 1.084, 9%ABV, 34.2 IBU. Pretty interesting across the gamut of sensations. I like it, and I think it could fit in a lot of situations. Too high for an all-nighter, but it'd be a nice way to kick it off.

Primator Doppelbock.

I haven't had a good doppelbock in a while. I remember my first: Ayinger Celebrator. It had a sweet billy goat charm around the neck of each bottle, which a pun. 'ein bock' (which is apparently what it sounds like when Bavarians say 'Einbeck', the origin town for the style) means 'billy goat'; hence, the association of goats with the style. I've also heard that it's a reference to the changing of the season. The onset of spring calls for a kick in the pants (or a headbutt) to shake off the cobwebs of the dark winter months, so bocks are slightly higher in alcohol (kind of like barleywines, of which I really like ST's description).

This is an incredibly sweet beer, extremely sugary. I have never tasted a beer so sugary. I am completely beside myself. That rich, toasty, malty character, the dark and bitter notion of an extra stout slightly tempered by sweetness, has been replaced with Kool-aid. This beer is just so extraordinarily sweet. It doesn't have the body of a milk stout to back it up properly so it just spills itself all over your palate, blowing out everything, smashing through another wall when it leaves, and the roast bitter shrugs sheepishly and shuffles away with its hands in its pockets.

It's fairly carbed so I'm pouring the other half to top off my glass and try it with something spicy as its neck label suggests. The violent pour stirred up the head which foamed up and fizzed out, maybe apropos for its cola soda-like sweetness. All I've really got are some tortilla chips and some serrano salsa fresca that I just bought. Turns out that this salsa is pretty mild, only rating half of a full chile. The mild heat cuts down the sweetness a bit and lets the toastiness peek through. But it's still pretty imbalanced. Ok, time to break out the Uncle Chen Extra Hot - Chili Garlic Sauce. It's, and I quote, "chiliciously hot". It's not a sauce I find myself using very often because it just doesn't go well with anything other than pho, unfortunately. That spiciness and this sweetness just don't mesh. And this big gulp I just took tasted like Kopiko cappuccino candy so that's bizarre. The salsa is good, by the way.

At this point, a few gulps away from the bottom, I'm finding more and more of a coffee character, a heavily sugared and creamed coffee, almost like canned coffee, but even sweeter. That's the thing about canned coffee; it's fatty and sugary, but there's still a clear coffee character. Primator is more like adding coffee to your sugary milk.

Here's the thing. There are no goats on the label. They claim a combination of "five different Moravian and Bavarian malts with a hint of bittering hops", (as opposed to five of the same malts?) yielding a 24 degrees Plato, 10.5%ABV wonky Doppelbock. You screwed me at "no goats".

• Appearance: Very clear, dark brown, deep garnet against the light. No head without some vigor, then it fizzes out like soda.
• Smell: When I can get the head swirled up, there's actually a nice nutty (they say chestnut) aroma. I would agree with roasted chestnut.
• Taste: Absurdly sweet. The sweetness is more reminiscent of cola soda than malt. The toasty bitterness is completely lost here. Eventually, it just starts to tastes like canned coffee but still so ridiculously sweet that it makes Starbucks drinks taste like actual coffee.
• Mouthfeel: A fairly silky lager at this point. Initially, the carbing was fairly high but not so high to foam, just enough to coat the tongue. I'm reminded of a very, very thin syrup, which is syrup nevertheless.
• Drinkability and Overall: The 500mL bottle is an awkward format because it's 1 pint, 0.9 fl oz. For my palate, it's just too sweet to enjoy on it's own, but I can't see it meshing well with anything else either. Maybe buffalo wings or something. The 10.5%ABV means you're really going to enjoy whatever you drink next, as long as it's not this.

Belzebuth Blonde Ale.

I forget where I saw this, but it's an interesting looking beer so I picked it up. 13%ABV is proudly displayed on the neck label. For a blonde ale, this is pretty potent. Also, interestingly, this is a French product, not Belgian. It is also a slightly smaller format. I had assumed it was an 11.2oz/330ml bottle but it is actually 8.4oz. Two small numbers are also printed: "28.09.12" and "L12.2.08". I suspect the first is a drink-by date. The second could be a bottling date, but the convention isn't consistent with the first, so it may not be a date at all.

As I was passing the glass to my other side, I got a whiff of wine but not much else. Frenchies. I was concerned that the taste may also reflect it's aroma but was pleasantly surprised. It's a creamy, malty base, rather sweet and esther-y with lots of bananas not cut with a lot of spices, hiding its ABV fairly well until the end. I can taste a fair amount of alcohol there, and it lingers somewhat.

I'm not sure what do do with beer, really. At 13%ABV and its level of sweetness, it's not going to go before or during a meal. The only other thing I would think of is as a dessert beer, which might be ok, but I'm not digging the alcohol aftertaste. To me, this is going to be more of a novelty beer. There are other beers and liquors better suited to fill the dessert or dessert accompaniment role. It's not terribly complex either, so I can't imagine myself wanting to sit down with just this. Eh, a bit of a miss for me.

• Appearance: On the darker end for a strong pale. Coppery gold; thin, mossy head, soapy down the sides.
• Smell: Alcohol-y as opposed to boozy. Reminds me of wine
• Taste: Very sweet, bananas, maybe a bit of peach, mostly unspiced. The alcohol is hidden until the end where it is fairly evident.
• Mouthfeel: Creamy and bit low carbed.
• Drinkability and Overall: It's not going to win any awards for being a dangerously drinkable beer. The taste experience is ok but it's fairly clear that this is a pretty alcoholic beer. I can't find a good pairing for it either, food- or occasion-wise. Worth a try but probably not much else. Also, one person on BA managed to track this down in a can, which is kind of cool.

Also, still abusing that abbey tag.

Anchor Old Foghorn Old Barleywine.

I'm not sure, but I can probably get this back east. Anchor is fairly ubiquitous, but I wanted to give a nod to the local-to-me-for-the-time-being brewery. Plus, I don't see b-wines in the 12 ounce format very often. The neck label indicates that it is dry-hopped, but I'm not sure how common that is for the style.

The head looked pretty creamy on the pour, and right now, it's sitting as a nice cap, a few millimeters thick. It's a nice garnet against the light. There's also a constant stream of bubbles, but it's not overcarbed. The most interested feature is probably the aroma, which smells exactly like bubblegum. This is the second beer I've had in the last week that has reminded me of Big Red soda. It's an interesting combination with the taste which is obviously malty but fairly subdued, when I think about other b-wines. Less prune and more raisin and banana; less bitter and more sugary. For being 9.4%, it's a super easy drinker, maybe a tinge of alcohol on the tip of the tongue at the finish, and the body is quite light. I would expect more viscosity and weight from the style, so I'm on the fence about mouthfeel. If I chalk it up to it being Anchor and Anchor doing silly things like inventing steam beer, maybe this is some traditional side effect. I would also like to know the bottling date and/or how long they sat in secondary. It's quite smooth.

I happen to have a lot of cheese at this point in time and so that sounds like it would be a tasty pair, something soft and light colored, like havarti or brie, of which I have neither. This meunster is ok though.

I like the fact that it comes in a 12 ounce bottle because sometimes a entire bomber to yourself cam be a bit heavy. That being said, I'm not sure I'd want more than a bottle of this. As I said, it's quite sweet. Without some nuts and cheeses to temper it, I'm just about over it and ready for something else. Still, it's worth a purchase for the season. You don't have to drink the entire 6-pack (not a 4-pack!) in one sitting.

Addendum: Oh wow, I was tagging this as an American b-wine, but BA says it's an English. I wouldn't have guess that given my experience with English b-wines. Maybe the only consistent distinction in the amount of hops.

• Appearance: Clear, garnet against the light. Creamy head that manages to cap, if a bit thinly.
• Smell: Bubblegum through and through. Unusual and unexpected but rather pleasant. Might be too cloying for some.
• Taste: Subdued malt and fairly sugary. Raisins, bananas, not much bitter and very mellow.
• Mouthfeel: Carbing is a bit low given the weight, which is the surprising part. I would expect more viscosity and weight from a b-wine. The lower carb with the lightness leaves it feeling a bit flat towards the end. Otherwise, the finish is clean.
• Drinkability and Overall: A very drinkable 9.5%ABV. A curious change of pace, if you like barleywines but want something lighter-bodied. I don't think I'd want to drink more than a bottle though.

Eel River Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.

Yet another Eel River offering. It's been a while since I've had an imperial stout, it seems, so it sounded good when I saw it. Plus, it was kind of a cool name and label, a little different from the typical something-something-black-or-dragon-whatnot. Besides, I really like those big black birds. They're always yelling at people or standing around talking to each other. Pretty funny.

A heavy black, noticeably viscous pour, but with not much head. Weaseling an aroma out of this is kind of difficult but it's mostly caramel. I'm not going to lie, I didn't type anything about the first half of this bomber because I was watching Lego videos on YouTube. Upon pouring the other half though, I get a visual confirmation of the mouthfeel. This is a pretty fizzy beer for being an imperial stout. The head on this actually fizzed out like a soda, which is pretty bizarre. The second glass is also a little warmer, and I find the viscosity somewhat less pleasing in this case. It's a decent tasting imperial stout. Rich and malty, bittering slightly on the back on the finish. I really have to say the amount of carbonation in this slightly distracting. I feel like I'm drinking a slightly warm soda, the kind that's a little too each to foam up when it hits your mouth. Because of the association, I get a little cola flavor. And some licorice. Maybe a little brownie.

On one hand, I'm happy to be drinking an unadulterated imperial stout. On the other hand, this is slightly generic and the carb is off to the point of being distracting. It is a punchy 9.5%ABV though. So it's not a bad take. But there are certainly others that I'd opt for first. If I could get a deal on these, yeah, I'd pick up a case or two. But if I had a choice, Rasputin is solid.

• Appearance: Thick-looking black pour, not head. Second pour had a soda-like head that fizzed out.
• Smell: Hard to get an impression without a head to capture it. I get mostly caramel.
• Taste: A fairly standard, if a bit mild, dark, slightly sweet malt with some finishing bitter. A bit too nondescript. On the second glass, I found some licorice and something akin to brownies.
• Mouthfeel: Overcarbed. It's pretty distracting. Otherwise, viscous, slightly sticky.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9.5%ABV so if you can get a deal, well, then you got a deal. But otherwise, there are other imperial stouts more worth your time.

Deschutes Obsidian Stout.

Picked this up a while ago but just now getting around to it. This will probably be my last tasting from Deschutes regular lineup. I remember being denied this beer earlier this summer because the coffee shop had run out, so here it is, the volunteer from the 6-pack.

The pour was delightful. Rich black with a fluffy mocha head. Against the light, you make out a clear dark brown around the edges. The smell is slightly nondescript, cool and just shy of metallic, and I like that. Here is a stout that intends to be just that. Not a stout brewed with local, organic fair trade coffee harvested by children rescued from Martha Stewart sweatshops or a stout infused with Amazonian cacao or some bullshit like that. Here is a stout with a deep black heart that knows exactly what kind of beer it wants to be and doesn't need any extraneous decoration or over-the-top antics. The dark, well-roasted malts make a nice blend with a hint of naturally arising chocolate syrup taste. Assertively bitter but not ostentatious. It is a stout and not an RIS. Silky and smooth, there's just enough carbonation to make it roll off the tongue without blowing up; the finish is clean with very minor residue. Very well played, Deschutes.

This reminds me a bit of the classic first encounters a budding beer aficionado has with Guinness Draught and Extra Stout. After drinking so much American adjunct lager, Draught is like chocolate milk made with 2% (or more) milk and Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of Nestle Quik. They were so smooth, you think you could be so content drinking them all night. And then the intensity of an Extra Stout. Harshly bitter, at first, it's noted as a pretty chewy beer, dense in both flavor and body. Deschutes Obsidian Stout is like reliving both of those experiences at the same time. Everything is in balance, and this is what it'd be like if Draught and Extra had a baby. I like this beer.

• Appearance: Opaque black with a fluffly mocha head that leaves decent lacing. No haze against the light.
• Smell: Slight roasted malts but mostly a clean and fresh bouquet, untainted by accessories.
• Taste: Chocolate-y arising from natural complexity. Slight cola taste with a mild roasted bitter.
• Mouthfeel: Clean with an excellent level of carbonation. Certainly lighter than an RIS and just heavy enough compared to most other stouts.
• Drinkability and Overall: This is a fantastic stout. It is a stout, nothing more, nothing less. I could easily drink a couple of these while sitting around.

Allagash Tripel.

Despite Allagash being from Portland, ME, I am pretty sure I haven't seen it anywhere around me. The bottles I've seen here are pretty interesting, and many are well-rated. It's not often you see high-gravity styles in 12-ounce bottles, so when I saw a 4-pack of Tripel, I picked it up. Also, why is it that oft-elite beers tend to come in 4-packs instead of 6-packs? The only reason I can think of, assuming the shop doesn't break up packs, is that the price point would be too high otherwise. After all, 4-packs of GI BCB Stout and DFH World Wide Stout are both over $20.

Anyway, the fluffy head is leaving some nice lacing and seems to have changed aroma. My first whiff was more ester-y and fruity but now it's bit more spicy. I have to say this first, regarding the carbonation: SON I AM DISAPPOINT. For a tripel, is far too low, maybe low for a dubbel as well. It's pretty malty and creamy though with a strong phenolic character towards the finish. The alcohol is slightly apparent there as it seems to linger a bit, but it's fairly dull. There is a mild undercurrent of fruit, not melons but something similar.

I have to say, Belgian beers challenge my palate the most. Often, I can only say things that are typical of Belgian beers. To say such an appraisal to a person who has never has a Belgian beer is fairly worthless. I took a look at BA and saw that no one is really able to make fine distinctions either. Not that that makes me feel any better but it only validation that I need more work on my palate. Someone else called out mango which I think is the flavor I was trying to identify. Dropping all the key words into twisted sentences does not make a review.

• Appearance: Alternately pale gold or amber, depending on the backing light. Fluffy head dies down significantly, but leaves some nice lacing.
• Smell: Fruity at first but picks up some spice as it warms. Towards the bottom, I also got a hint of a tropical fruit.
• Taste: Bananas, ether-y, phenolic, blah blah blah. Strong malt up front but softens in a creamy sweetness. Mild alcohol on the finish but some kind of fruit that is not a melon but similar. Someone on BA mentioned mango, which seems right.
• Mouthfeel: Carb is too low. More creamy than effervescent, letting the malts weigh it down a bit.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9%ABV. The neck label suggests "as an apertif or compliment to a fine cuisine." Should be 'complement'. I would disagree with the apertif as it is not bold enough or effervescent enough to carry its weight. It is a decent, easy-drinking beer however. This is an A-/A- on BA. I would go more like a B+. You can kick at the dirt and say it's an American take on the style, so for that I'll give it a little leeway.

Grand Teton Lost Continent Double IPA.

After a disastrous Grand Teton experience last night, I felt compelled to go after the other one right away. After all, if it was going to be bad, I might as well find out now, and if it's good, well, that would a timely redemption. So anchors aweigh.

Right off the bat, I could tell this was malty, possibly resiny, from the way it poured into the glass. The head didn't stick around but exposes a glassy surface with visible tension. I was a little nervous about the first taste but the smell was inviting enough. With so much apprehension, actually tasting it left me a little confused. It's sweet and fruity with a tight ball of hop in the center towards the back. And then it just sort of disappears. Very confusing.

Not going to lie, I have kind of mixed feelings about this one. Slightly resiny with a double IPA like body. The carbonation is a little low, leaving the viscosity pretty high. However, the double hops component is not really there. As it warms up, the lack of a strong hop backbone leaves the malt unbalanced. There isn't a strong amber malt component either so for something so mild to be unbalanced says a lot. It's strange for it to be so fruity while still lacking so much hop character. At the end of the day, I think that lack is glaring and unforgivable in an double IPA. So I have to give it an F on the style. As a beer, it's slightly surprising and unique, whether it meant to be or not. Very meandering. Maybe Grand Teton was on the pursuit of hoppiness and got lost and wound up here. Herp derp.

• Appearance: Darker gold-orange. No head retention. Visibly thick.
• Smell: Fruity and a bit citrus-y, oranges then apricots.
• Taste: Strange sweetness, fruitiness, not a dominant hop character but not a very malty taste either. A miss here.
• Mouthfeel: Thick and viscous, surprisingly so. The body is too heavy for the marginal potency it has.
• Drinkability and Overall: Fairly unsatisfying due to the low flavor density. 8%ABV in a bomber format. I'm not sure I would ever really want more than a glass of this.

New Belgium Belgo.

I was told WF got the New Belgium Belgo in so I decided to pick up sixer. I was told it's like what it would be if Ranger and Mothership has a baby. I'm a fan of Ranger, so I thought I ought to check it out as long as I'm in range of NB's distro. Plus, NB always has very clean, aesthetically pleasing labels. It looks like Belgo is being represented by a giant disco ball so that's cool.

A quick taste yields and exceptionally spicy taste, very reminiscent of Hoegaarden. Holding it against the light, I would say it's quite clear but there is something suspended in the liquid. No idea what it is, and it doesn't seem to be circulating at all. Classic Belgian aroma but is somewhat milder on that palate. The spice gradually gives way to the hops which brings a slightly out of place bittering. What's interesting is that the spice seems to share the stage with the hops but eventually upstage it.

I'm a big fan of the Belgo IPA style, and so I want to love this beer. However, I can only say that I like it this time around. The Belgo-IPA balance is rather off. That's not to say it's a bad beer; it's certainly not. But it does favor the Belgo character much more than the IPA influence that is typical for this style. Perhaps that's what sets this one apart though. The Belgo IPA is typically cast as an IPA with a Belgo influence whereas this is more of a Belgian witbier with an IPA influence, though it does have the appearance and body of an IPA. At the end of the day, I think this is an interesting beer and a refreshing addition to the Belgo IPA style. As for pairings, I'm going to go with something mildly spicy with Thai basil and an aromatic rice, probably some kind of chicken curry instead of red meat.

• Appearance: Quite clear and standard color for IPA. There appears to be something in suspension. Head dissipates to partial covering moss.
• Smell: Strong spice, very reminiscent of witbier, lots of cardamom and anise.
• Taste: Again, strongly on the witbier/Belgo side. There is a short cameo of the hops but it is dominated by the Belgo style.
• Mouthfeel: Higher carb than an IPA and even a bit higher than a witbier. Expands quite a bit in the mouth but not overly filling.
• Drinkability and Overall: A good balance of body and flavor. If you're expecting an IPA, this is not it. An interesting spin on witbier is more like it even though it doesn't look at all like a witbier. Very confusing. Overall, a rather tasty beer for the category and could handle itself well against an appropriate meal or some crackers to soak up some of the spiciness.

Grand Teton Pursuit of Hoppiness Imperial Red Ale.

Since I seem to be on a roll with Grand Teton thus far, I thought I'd try out some of the bombers, which had decent reviews on BA. I picked up Lost Continent along with Pursuit of Hoppiness. The first thing by which I'm struck (typed struct initially -> too much kernel time; also debated on whether to use '=' or '=='. Thought about it and decided to go with the less ambiguous implication arrow. In the time I've taken to type the last sentence, I've reevaluated my position and decided that '=' would be semantically more appropriate than '=='. But I'm sticking with the implication arrow.) is the name: Pursuit of Hoppiness. This is, in fact, an imperial red ale, not an imperial IPA. I thought that was a strange name for a red ale. After pulling off the silly color-coordinated foil cap, I was greeted with a blank gold cap. Bummer.

First, let me say this beer is not very good. This basically is a Killians at imperial strength. My initial sniff was a pretty off-putting coppery (as in metallic) smell, the kind you get on your hands after handling a lot of loose change, plus an intermittent fishy smell. So we're off to a terrible start. Fantastic. The taste is flat malty and metallic. Very rarely do I say this about a beer (Denogginizer), but fuck this shit. Maybe a bad bottle, but seriously, this thing is really terrible. This is should probably be renamed something like Pursuit of Sadness. Or Boner-killer. It is that terrible.

At 8.5%ABV and $8 for the bomber, it's only on par for QPR. The upshot is that the beer after this is probably going to taste great.

• Appearance: Standard red ale; frothy head with some awkward off-on curtains.
• Smell: Metallic and fishy. Yuck.
• Taste: Very 1-D malty but not really on the level of an imperial. Tinny taste, like a skunky can.
• Mouthfeel: Viscosity on par for an imperial, standard weight. Carbing is not unusually low, but I'm annoyed enough with this beer to hold it against it.
• Drinkability and Overall: DO NOT WANT. There are much better tasting red ales and at this price point. Trying this only makes me want to make sure I pick up some Rogue Santa's Little Helper this year.

Even more beers.

Preface: I just want to push this post out since it's been sitting for so long. The original start date on this was 100925, so very nearly a year old, but I'm going to make current the posting date and start a new list.

1. Brooklyn Detonation Imperial IPA - New sight from Brooklyn. Heavy viscous body, low carb, but relatively light in the mouth. Less emphasis on bittering hops, really strong fruity flavor, clean finish. I think this is a really great example of the other end of the imperial IPA spectrum.
2. Custom Brewcrafters Unfiltered Dry-hopped Rye, cask - Got kinda of a mild ale feel from this, not a really strong rye presence nor hop presence, in both bittering and floral. A bit floppy.
3. Stone Vertical Epic 10-10-10 - A little too wine-y for my taste, like a filtered wheat wine. Figures, it used gewurtz, sauv blanc, and something else that I don't remember now. Tasty in a cider-y way, but I'd be more interested in a few years.
4. Stone Bashah - A black Belgian double IPA. First, I'm excited to have this as my first Brewdog. But. Goddamnit. Stop fucking with black IPA. Make up your mind.
5. Sam Adams Chocolate Bock - A pretty typical bock, maybe a little more body. The cocoa is pretty mild. I would say it sits between bock and doppelbock.
6. Troegs Mad Elf 2010 - Rather vinous. Couldn't get much out of it as it was complex but very faint. Would do well with some time.
7. Dogfish Head Fort - 18%ABV, it's going for a port-like feel. Very sweet and fruity, something like figs and dates and olives. Port, fort, more like fart. Apparently, the fruit is supposed to be raspberries. It's good, but I wouldn't ever want to pour a whole bottle for myself.
8. McNeill's Imperial Stout - A rich, mean RIS. Strong roastiness, coffee, reminded me of a more potent Middle Ages Dragonslayer.
9. Sierra Nevada Pro-Am - Dark, mega-malty ale. Reminds me of a cola. Tasty.
10. Bear Republic Racer 5 on cask - Tastes like apple juice, lost a lot of hop.

North Coast Pranqster.

North Coast, in my opinion, is a bit of sleeper brewery. They don't seem to get much spotlight time, don't immediately come to mind, or seem to put out very many beer. But everyone knows (or should know) Old Rasputin, one of the best examples of RIS. I'm also a big fan of Brother Thelonious which I had way back when I was first really getting into craft beer. I also had their Old Stock Ale a couple years ago as a random bottle pick during a random drinking night at the OT. Even then, I still hadn't put it all together as I remember not knowing who North Coast was at the time. Now that I think about it, North Coast doesn't advertise heavily on their labels, just a small round seal out of the way of some eye-catching, detailed graphic.

I will admit the cork gave me more trouble than usual, taking a good solid minute of working the cork around the bottle several times but then I got to the beautifully clear, bright golden pour with a full head. I don't have much to say about this, to be honest, and maybe that's a virtue. Pranqster is a Belgian-style golden ale, and that's exactly what it tastes like. Classic Belgian yeasty+spicy aroma but subdued. Rich yet light on the tongue, slightly sweet and fruity, dry with a mellow bitter finish. The head retention is rather low which affects the overall mouthfeel a bit, but that's forgivable.

Overall, this is a great beer, especially considering the $6 price tag on the bomber. The 7.5%ABV is certainly manageable over a night. It's flavorful so it stands well on its own. BA marks it as an aperitif/digestif or with game or salmon. Given the dryness, I'm on board with the fish, but I don't agree with the salmon.

• Appearance: Clear golden; head retention is quite low as is lacing.
• Smell: Mildly yeasty and spicy, some light-skinned fruits like pear.
• Taste: Only slightly sweet, dry, with a bitter finish.
• Mouthfeel: Very good carbonation, light and refreshing.
• Drinkability and Overall: At 7.5%ABV, it is immensely enjoyable on its own.

Gageleer Sweet Gale Ale.

A curious, stout bottle, reminiscent of Maredsous, which I picked from the WF loose Belgian bottle section. It's brewed with sweet gale (bog myrtle), an herb used in Medieval gruit ales, apparently. The foamy head is indicative of its Belgian origin, as is its yeasty, slightly spicy nose. It's rather sweet tasting, not merely a sweet malty taste, but legitimately sweet like a sugary candy. It is, however, in moderation and balanced, and I would expect no less from a Belgian beer. There is a slight flower petal taste and finish that is refreshing, and a hop character is not very noticeable. It finishes clean and slightly dry with bit of dried grass.

I'm always up for trying interesting beers and that usually means beers brewed with random plants. This is an interesting, albeit somewhat tame, beer. I'm not terribly familiar with gruits and this may actually be the first I've seen related to the style. I can only give this a decent rating, in all honesty. There is nothing truly memorable about the taste itself, unfortunately, and for the bottle price, it's not really worth it.

• Appearance: Dark straw color; foamy head subsides to moss with a slight residue.
• Smell: Typically Belgian yeasty, spicy aroma.
• Taste: A bit like a tripel but with less assertiveness and dominated by a flower petal sensation. Overall, though, it is quite mild.
• Mouthfeel: Dubbel to Tripel-like carbonation, very full and light in the mouth due to the carbonation with a slightly dry finish.
• Drinkability and Overall: This is a decent beer. At 7.5%ABV, it's not out of the question to try this for a round, but it's not something I would want around. An interesting concept with a rather ordinary taste.

Also, I'm further abusing my "abbey" tag to be somewhat analogous to "Belgian". I should fix that some day.

Eel River Triple Exultation.

I had been reasonably pleased with the Eel River IPA I had so I decided to go for another one. I thought Triple Exultation sounded promising. As soon as I poured, however, I was repulsed. What is this brown shit filling my glass? I thought that it might be another Drake's Denogginizer experience. As I took my first sip, I got a whiff of raisins and cinnamon pinwheels which was really awkward. Taste was equally raisin-y. What a fucking terrible IPA. It is not possible to screw up this bad. I took another look at the bottle for some kind of explanation for this madness. MY BAD. This is not some imperial IPA. It is, in fact, an old ale. Whew. Ok, doesn't seem to wacky then. Ultra-malty, a bit like a young American barley wine without much spice, with a touch of prunes. Because it's an old ale. Get it? Right before the finish, there is a touch of chocolate, but it's quite fleeting.

A decent sipper, this one. At 9.7%ABV, it covers its heat quite well. If you focus on the end of the palate very hard, you might pick up a little bit of alcohol residue, but if you paired this with some candied fruits (and maybe some FUCK YEAH PINWHEELS), it'd cover that up. This one is a keeper, I'd say, in my limited experience with old ales. I'd love to stack this against some American barley wines and obviously some other old ales I can rustle together.

The reception on BA is quite varied but ends up with a B+ anyway. I think another reviewer had an interesting insight, that it lacked finesse, and used an apropos quote:

"[They] would use a bulldozer to find a china cup" - Raiders of the Lost Ark

However, in my bottle, I though the flavors were maybe overblended and the complexity had lost out to entropy. At the end of the day though, this is an appreciable beer. Looking forward to its brethren this winter. On a related note, BA's suggested pairings for old ales:

Cheese (buttery; Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss)

• Appearance: Murky light brown but a vibrant red against the light; off-white, thin, superfine and creamy head. Constant carbonation rising.
• Smell: Lots of raisins, a solid toffee after a swirl of the glass, also reminiscent of Werther's Original candies.
• Taste: Malt bomb, slightly bread-y, prunes and bitter on the finish. Not terribly complex but entertaining enough.
• Mouthfeel: An overflowing, superfine carb, if you stir it up in the mouth. Otherwise, fairly smooth, medium bodied, leaves a bit of residue. Alcohol is slightly noticeable on the finish of the finish.
• Drinkability and Overall: It's an easy drinker for 9.7%ABV but the bitter on the end will keep you from drinking too quickly. I'd prefer this paired with something rather than on its own.

Firehouse Hops on Rye IPA.

I'm a big fan of rye bread. Rye whiskey has grown on me. While my first encounter with a rye beer was awkward, the grain has grown on me quite a bit. This particular bottle had been staring me in the face every time I went to the grocery. I like IPAs and I like rye, but I kept passing it up in favor of some other more interesting beer. Well, no more; I wanted a solid IPA to break the chain of lackluster beers I've had recently, not that I had any idea whether this was a solid beer or not. I should know well enough by now that if a beer catches my eye, I'm going to get a taste eventually.

The pour is slightly darker than a typical grassy IPA and gives a nice fresh whiff of fruit so we're off to a good start. A modest fine head dissipates to moss. What's the deal with head retention these days? Right off the bat, I get a taste of rye; glorious, spicy rye. The hop bittering is actually somewhat mild and allows the malts to take center stage for the most part. A little sweet freshness up front to some well-rounded malt sweetness in the middle, but the real treat is on the back end when the rye kicks in. The interplay between the hop bitter and rye spice is very pleasant and makes for a drawn-out finish.

Magnum, Amarillo, and Citra hops set Hops on Rye at 75IBU with a healthy 7.5%ABV. This is a nice kick-back-and relax-beer, especially in the bomber format. I can't say what I'd pair it with because I've just ruined my palate with some awesomely hot Casa Sanchez salsa.

• Appearance: Slightly darker than typical. Find head into moss.
• Smell: Fruity, bordering on resin-y.
• Taste: Rye up front, into sweet, round malts that upstage the hop bittering. The showcase is the finish where the rye really comes out to play with hops.
• Mouthfeel: Just slightly heavy to be on the edge of filling.The carbing is rather fine and nestled into the body.
• Drinkability and Overall: 7.5%ABV, 75IBU. No sessioning here, but it is a pleasant, easy drinker. Enough flavor and body to go around on its own.

Grand Teton Bitch Creek Extra Special Brown.

Yet another sleeper of a beer I've been putting off buying. I did enjoy that Sweetgrass APA well enough, after all. This second offering from Grand Teton, endearingly name Bitch Creek, is also labeled with an ESB. In passing, I had always assumed this was a standard "ESB", an extra special bitter, but upon closer inspection, it is a brown, not a bitter. I will say I already knocked off a bottle of it before this one. I have to say, this is a pretty luscious brown ale. The nose is warm and inviting, very bready. It reminds me of the iconic, to me, scene of the stack of simple meat and white bread sandwiches (FUCK YEAH SANDWICHES) with the percolator of hot, black coffee. But I digress.

If I had to relate this taste with one other thing in the world, it would be a cafe au lait from Cafe du Monde. The rich, roasted malts essential to the brown ale come on just strong enough to lend a bitterness, with a minor impression of dry (clean) dirt around the edges. As it reminds of cafe au lait, there is a richness that is analogous to adding cream (real, not non-dairy, powdered or otherwise flammable substances), leveling off those sharp peaks.

This is a well-balanced beer. Strong character but without too much bulk. It carries some girth, unlike a Newcastle, but not so low and heavy as strong stout. The carbing reminds me of my homebrew nut brown ale, whatever that may mean to you. Because it's a pretty tasty brown ale, I will forgive it for not being a nut brown ale and failing miserably. I'm going to bet this goes with some smoked cheeses and fresh bread. It would probably also be good with or in some stew-y/roasted beef.

• Appearance: Nearly opaque brown, slight tint of red against a light. Light brown head which fades.
• Smell: Warm, bready aroma with minor coffee notes.
• Taste: A solid coffee based with roasted malts. The darkness is not overdone, and it comes off as slightly 'cafe au lait'. Very pleasant.
• Mouthfeel: Not so light as Newcastle. It has some substance but keeps its distance form stout territory. Carbing is fairly full with a mild bite for a brown ale.
• Drinkability and Overall: 6%ABV, slightly beyond session level, but a few won't hurt you. Decent enough brown ale, of which there are far too few.

Eel River IPA.

I've been knocking off bottles of this this week, and I'm finally getting around to writing this up. Today is 110914, by the way. I remember actually kind of digging this when I first had it. Now that I'm winding down to the end of this 6-pack, my enthusiasm has somewhat tempered. That being said, here I am, nearly at the end of this 6-pack. This is an IPA, albeit, a slightly fizzy, watered-down one. It is nothing spectacular, excels in nothing. It tastes exactly like a watered down IPA. A flimsy hop presence with a whimper of bittering. While this bottle seems a little off compared to the previous ones, the core is still the same. It is a weak IPA, but at least it knows what it's trying to be.

• Appearance: A bit darker than typical, no head retention.
• Smell: Slightly metallic.
• Taste: A rather watered-down IPA. Not in the sense of being mild, but literally tasting watered down. The components are there but just faint.
• Mouthfeel: A bit too fizzy but otherwise easy drinking.
• Drinkability and Overall: It's not a terrible beer, but it's one that you're not going to pay attention to while you drink it.

Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA.

Picked up a 4-pack of this black IPA from Uinta, mostly off a recommendation from a WF beer tasting I happened to encounter tonight. Of note, this is form Uinta. Also, of note, it's a black IPA (that doesn't even make sense). I didn't notice until I went to open one that there's fuzzy spots on the bottles that look suspiciously like mold. And this beer is brewed with hemp seed. And there's lots of Mormons in Utah. I'm tripping balls.

This is an off-hand, first-taste review because I'm already deep one DHF 90, it's 11:20PM and I'm not sleepy. I'm not going to lie, this has a some serious herbal taste to it. Impulsively, I must say that I kind of like this beer. First, this is the first imperial black IPA/dark Cascadian I've seen. I'm going to say the gravity boost (gravitic boosters, obs upgrade, #broodwar) up to imperial really helps fill out the profile on this. I got to talk shop with some folk at the tasting and was enlightened.

Tangent: So what's in a black IPA/dark Cascadian? And why would you ever want to drink something with a self-contradictory name? So the intent was to have a beer, hoppy like an IPA, but full and rich like...a black ale or a bock. So instead of hop bouquet, you get a toastier, maltier, more seasoned beer that still retains a hop core. Sometimes you want the hops but you want the darker malts too. Interesting.

So with that in mind, I will see if I can dissect this and still enjoy it. It is certainly malty, profile is along the lines of a dark toast, grilled in the pan with butter. The hop bitter is certainly there, much more so than any other black IPA I've had. This could actually be an IPA except for the fact that it's black (no racist). The hemp seed brings a very unique finish that is bitter in both a different and complementary way to the hopping. There is a strong herbal character that kind of reminds me of this box of hemp gummy candies I ate once in high school.

I have to say, my initial impressions are rather positive. It's both an adventurous and interesting tasting beer; maybe slightly gimmicky but it pays off. I don't think I would want to sit down and drink too many of these those, especially at 9.2%ABV, but it's certainly worth trying. I do wonder how often I might say that I have a hankering for this one, as it's very much a standalone beer.

• Appearance:
• Smell:
• Taste:
• Mouthfeel:
• Drinkability and Overall:

Uinta Punk'n.

Yes, it is already pumpkin beer season. Southern Tier releases their Pumking in August, which will not elude me this year. Pumpkin beers crack me up because they are generally reviled but breweries still put them out every season. It's very much a early holiday season staple like fruit cake and Cosby sweaters that are too ugly even to be ironically hip. I happened to come across this one last week. This is my first beer from Uinta, a renewable-y-powered brewery in Salt Lake City, UT, though not the first time I've seen a beer from Uinta. I haven't made up my mind whether or not to pick up some of their anniversary barley wine. Anyway, as per my expectations of and experience from my semi-epic, semi-fail (accidentally typed 'semi-fail, semi-fail' originally; maybe how I really feel about that...) pumpkin beer tasting from last year, I'm both a little excited and setting low expectations for this one. After all, this is a pumpkin beer from a new brewery and not an East coast brewery. Then again, most pumpkin beers are pretty bad.

It poured fairly typically, amber-y, orange-brown, and had a little head, which is leaving a little lacing. Carbing is bit sharp but maybe it goes with season. Initially, I thought the taste was a little bland, maybe a slightly squash-y amber. A few sips in, it is still a squashy amber, but all the complexity is on the back end. The unseasoned pumpkin flavor (read: not sweet) intensifies enough to be known and lends a little bit of creaminess. The spice profile is fairly mild and front-loaded, though I get a strong nutmeg impression at the very end.

I do like the mouthfeel on this one. It's just full enough to keep you satisfied in the colder weather but not so much so that you couldn't drink more than one or with dessert. Not being too sweet, I'd think it'd go pretty damn well with a slice of pumpkin or pecan pie. Given its flavor, it's definitely a limited seasonal drinker though. I don't think I'd be interested once December is in swing and the stronger red ales, Scotch ales, and wee heavies come out. I also have to wonder how this would stack up against the other, more versatile autumn seasonals (Goose Island's Harvest Ale comes to mind). Unlike the wee heavies and their ilk, this is a lightweight beer at only 4%ABV, for better or worse. Overall, it's not a bad drinker. Not foul, not offensive. It's average. I'd call that a win for this style.

• Appearance: Orange-brown amber, small head with a little lacing.
• Smell: Mild canned pumpkin aroma. Not cloying.
• Taste: Fairly mild until the finish. Not as sweet as the smell belies, it's more on the squash-side than dessert-side of pumpkin.
• Mouthfeel: Slightly heavier than an amber, a good fit for the intended season. Carb seems high, but it lends an appreciable crispness.
• Drinkability and Overall: 4%ABV. A mild, balanced pumpkin ale. Not a bad choice for the season, but very much a seasonal beer.

Moyaln's Hopsickle Imperial Triple Hoppy Ale.

The hoppier cousin to that ambiguously double IPA, brewed with Tomahawk, Chinook, and Anthanum hops. Immediately after breaking the seal, I was greeted with a delicious hoppy aroma, fragrant, fruity, and not stale or pellet-y. That's a really good sign. A slightly dark amber with a persistent head. Even better. First taste was rich, hoppy, complex, long-lasting. There is just a slight sweetness up front to prepare your palate for the hop roll out. Dark, grassy, weedy, but still crisp and distinct. What's remarkable is the balance in this hop bomb. Nothing is blown out; nothing is stale. It's downright refreshing. The finish is exceptionally clean, no residue. I wish I knew what the IBU rating is because I'm only going to be more impressed if they pulled this off at 80-90+.

Hands down, this beer is superior in all ways to its little brother. Everything is right about this beer. I would love to pair it against a Southern Tier Unearthly (which reminds me: I should compile a list of my top IPAs). I'm not sure how I would pair it, but I think it goes pretty damn well on its own. I'm eating it with some sweet potato chips from Food Should Taste Good, and I like the combination. The chips themselves are mild but superbly crunchy; I find the combination of a strong-willed beer and a texture of a silently strong chip to be enlightening. At 9.2%ABV, it is no session beer, certainly, but I wouldn't mind treating it like one.

• Appearance: Dark, slightly hazy amber, thin but persistent head with heavy curtains.
• Smell: Sweet, floral and fruit fragrance, hoppy and grassy. Fresh.
• Taste: Strong hop backbone with plenty of complexity, just a touch of sweetness. Crisp and refreshing, fresh. Very well balanced both between malts and hops and in the hop profile. Lingering hop bitter but does not overstay its welcome.
• Mouthfeel: Slightly low on the carb, but perfect for the flavor. Clean finish and without heavy resin.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9.2%ABV but it covers itself well.

Bison Honey Basil.

I suppose this is a seasonal from Bison that I saw in the store the other day. Brewed with honey and basil, it sounded like an interesting combination. I decided to use a goblet because I thought it would help capture the basil a bit better, but I was surprised by how dark this poured. I wasn't expecting that, but I guess I didn't know what ale they were using here. The color is a really nice, clear, vibrant red-orange that catches the light very well. The taste is interesting, to say the least. A mild malty punch up front but it evaporates really quickly and dries out. Maybe that's the effect of brewing with honey. In tasting my experimental batches of mead, I found that champagne yeast can ferment a lot of that sugar and end up with a pretty dry product. The finish has a slightly spicy, herbal tone, and that must be the basil. Overall, it's a very subtle, mild beer that requires some big draws and a swish to pull out some of the flavors.

It takes some amount of effort to enjoy this beer, and for that reason, I wouldn't say it's a very good session beer. Plus, the honey gives it a boost up to 6%ABV. For solo drinking beers, there's certainly more satisfying brews.

• Appearance: Clear, red-orange, no head.
• Smell: Slightly malty, mild spicy (like chiles) honey
• Taste: Short-lived malt, mild honey, cool basil on the finish
• Mouthfeel: Very low carb, dry, round and hollow.
• Drinkability and Overall: Very easy drinker but too mild to go with anything. Falls into the class of beers worth trying once but not much more than that.

Angels Creek Syrah 2008.

I accidentally picked up a syrah instead of a PS a while ago. So here it is. From Lodi 2008, I think it should be pretty good. Extra jammy, strawberry, blueberry. Very tender and luscious. Tannins are relaxed but still around. Not as bold as a big BBQ zin.

Bison Chocolate Stout.

I had been sitting on this bottle for a while as I had bought a 6-pack a while ago, drank one, liked it, and then pulled 4 for swag. So I'm finally getting around to it. Bison is already a great brewery in my book. In my experience, the organic gimmick is usually applied at the expense of quality, but Bison pulls it off. This bottle is not as rich and stunning as I remember, but the core quality is still there. It's chocolate-y and as smooth as Guinness without being nitro'd. Aroma is slightly coffee-based. Actually, I'm a little disappointed this time around. I remember it being like a chocolate brownie but this one falls a little flat. Bummer.

• Appearance: Opaque, typical stout/porter appearance. Light tan head, mostly ring with a little moss.
• Smell: Mild cold coffee.
• Taste: Slightly chocolate-y and slightly bready. Not as intense as I remember.
• Mouthfeel: Very smooth, low carb, Guinness Draught-like. Clean finish and relatively light-bodied.
• Drinkability and Overall: A pleasant drinking, pleasant tasting stout. It's light enough that it's not going to weigh you down but still flavorful enough that it can pair with a meal. A reasonable 5%ABV.

Moylan's Moylander Double IPA.

The bottle reads, from top to bottom, "Moylan's | Moylander | Double | IPA | Ale". Is it a double IPA ale? Or Moylander Ale: Double IPA? Double India Pale Ale Ale? In any case, I was excited to see what Moylan's could do in the double/imperial IPA range. Their Nor Cal was a great IPA, so when I saw that they had a double and even a triple, I grabbed one of each. A big whiff is rewarded with a strong, grassy hop aroma with lots of fruit and citrus. Taste is strongly malty actually with an undercurrent of resin-y, bitter hops. There's not as much complexity there as I would have thought. The flat hop character doesn't go well with the long finish as it ends up being a little stale and musty.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this one. I really wanted to like it, but it's just a little flat, little unbalanced. For all its accolades, I'm afraid that I've had much better. It's not a necessarily bad, but I'd take a Southern Tier Unearthly over this one. For 8.5%ABV, it's not a bad buy, but I'm not sure what I'd put with this. For some reason, fried chicken sounds really good. Or some jambalaya, something Creole and spicy.

• Appearance: Clear, dark gold. Fluffy head with plenty of curtains.
• Smell: Grassy, fruity, a little hot.
• Taste: Fairly malty, strong hop intensity but fairly flat. Ends up coming off as a bit stale and musty.
• Mouthfeel: Resin-y but the carb and weight are all typical.
• Drinkability and Overall: 8.5%ABV so no session but the lack of balance in the finish makes it an odd sipper. Maybe an appetizer beer, whatever that means.

Greylock Gin.

And since I still have a bit of tonic left, I feel obligated to break out the other bottle of interesting gin I found the other day. Greylock is an award-winning gin out of Massachusetts. First nose: thank you, it smells like a bonafide gin. Flowery juniper, lavender, and some sort of dark, homey spices. It actually tastes like gin too. A strong juniper component with cinnamon, grass and citrus on the back end.

Mixed with the remainder of the Fevertree: It stands out in the tonic, but the lavender component mixes strangely with the quinine. Not sure if G&T is the way I'd want to go with this. Wired Gin recommends more complementary drinks like a Mississippi Mule, Lavender Martini or an Aviation, none of which I've had before but will certainly get around to trying.

Bottomline: I like this gin. It's assertive, refreshing, and new without being obnoxious. Tonic is not its domain, but it will probably lend itself well to more subtle, simple drinks.

No. 209 Gin.

I have a few bottles of gin sitting, none of which I really intended to open before I returned back east, but cutting that Domaine de Canton left me with an open bottle of Fevertree, and I shouldn't let that go to waste. So here we have gin No. 209, an SF-based distillery. I am always on the lookout for local/regional product so this was recommended to me by the staff at Beltramo's. Of note, there is also a kosher version of this gin which is $10 more. I suppose the blessing only worth $10, but I'm also not really sure why gin needs to be kosher.

Straight: Fairly tight in the nose, juniper and citrus, orange maybe. Taste is very neutral. With a 2:1 of tonic, the gin gets pretty lost in there. It's five-times distilled "to extract the most subtle flavors in crafting a truly modern gin". Not sure if that's the way I want to go with this. If this is modern gin, following the trend of spirits like New Amsterdam, well, that's not gin. (New Amsterdam, by the way, while not a bad gin, is a gin for vodka drinkers.) The gin I know grew out of Dutch courage. Courageous, this is not.

Addendum: As I get to the bottom of this G&T, I've started to think that maybe I was initially too harsh. While it still doesn't stand up nearly as well against tonic as other gins, No. 209 is decidedly clean and crisp, so that is worth mentioning.

Domaine de Canton.

An interesting mini I picked up the other day. The label reads "French ginger liqueur with VSOP cognac". I am a sucker for all things ginger (the spice, not Ron Weasley kind). 28%ABV and a interesting ridged bottle. Seems a bit high for a liqueur. I also decided to break out one of my Glencairn glasses that I had bought back at the beginning of the summer. I thought to use a beer tasting glass, but I didn't want a bunch of text in the way.

The ginger is prominent in the nose but on the taste, it quickly becomes medicinal. It is a liqueur so it's fairly viscous, syrupy, and sweet. I cut it with some Fevertree tonic water. The quinine bitter interacts well with the sweet bite of the ginger. It reminds of St. Germaine but not as sweet. It may be one of those difficult-to-use liqueurs. Still, it's unique to me, and I wouldn't mind having a bottle of this around the bar. Being as it smacks of St. Germaine, it might work well in the same manner of drinks.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron.

A "Malt Beverage aged on Palo Santo Wood". In true DFH style, Palo Santo Marron is a whopper of an unfiltered brown ale, aged in 10,000 gallon tanks made from Paraguayan Palo Santo wood, which sounds pretty fancy. But I don't actually know anything about this wood. A peek at wiki, which even has a reference to DFH, doesn't say much about why this wood is special, but apparently, it is pretty hard and dense (that's what she said) and the locals use it for winemaking.

DFH was not joking when they said "malt beverage". This thing is super malty. It's like drinking a Whopper. A very rich, alcoholic, liquid Whopper without any milk dilution. Up front, it is chocolately but any sweetness there quickly gives was to a malt monster which is throwing a lot of mud and darkly stained, polished, wooden banisters in your face. It's extremely toasty but definitely not burnt. Expectedly, it is a little sticky. The finish is long-lasting and not unpleasant. It is a little woody, but I get more of a sawdust and balsa wood notion as it lingers.

I have a history of belittling pretty much any brown ale that is not Blackstone Nut Brown, but this is pretty tasty. It's a standard brown ale that looks and feels like it's been simmered on the stove until it turns into a rich, thick gravy of a beer. It's intense. Hailing from DFH, it is, of course, high ABV: 12%. Though I must say it is well-masked. Likewise, the 4-pack also carries a $15 price tag. Here's the thing though: you're going to pay just as much, if not more, at a typical bar for four other beers which are probably not as cool as this one. So I don't feel bad about that. Except that I do because I know I can get a 6-pack of Stone IPA for $8 or $9 dollars. But hey, a 4-pack of 12%ABV beers, that's like a 12-pack, in terms of ABV, right. Well, you know, I can get a case and a half of PBR for that much, get more absolute alcohol volume, and get cool cred (as long as you drink it post-ironically). Sigh, and that's the quandary of DFH. Often overrated and almost always overpriced, but you have to hand it to them for being one of the most creative, daring craft breweries out there even whose disasters are elegant. But Palo Santo Marron is no disaster. This is a monster beer, a definite sipper, most probably out of a snifter. Assertive chocolates and cheeses would be appropriate here.

• Appearance: Completely opaque black. No head save for a toffee-colored ring.
• Smell: Very imperial stout-like, coffee, chocolate.
• Taste: Malt and malt. Very earthy with your standard chocolate, dirt, and wood tones. The wood complexity is evolving throughout. As toasty as you can get without being burnt so the finish isn't overly bitter. Despite all of the stout characteristics, it is definitely a brown ale. Also, major props: it is smooth without any noticeable heat.
• Mouthfeel: Just enough carb to assert itself on your palate. About on par with or maybe a touch higher than an imperial stout. Probably a touch higher. It reminds you that you're still drinking a brown ale and not a stout. A bit sticky on the finish but that's to be expected.
• Drinkability and Overall: A definite sipper at 12%ABV. It is something of a cross between a brown ale and an imperial stout. I'd love to try another one of these after some conditioning.

By the way, I wrote the first half of this post in present tense, in contrast to the previous few posts. I think I like that better because it feels more natural as I'm typing that as I drink. I guess I need to think of it as akin to live-tweeting watching a movie, marathoning a TV series, or a poop.

Angels Creek Petite Sirah 2008.

I was uber-stoked to try this PS because it was from Lodi. Off the P&P: Nose is strong and a bit hot. Initial taste is super jammy and rich with black and blue berries, before cooling off into a grape jelly, and then more blueberry and strawberry. Tannins seemed weak on the first sip, and I felt I had to squeeze them out of there. Once I did, the astringency stuck around. Strong leather more than anything woody. Finish is a little stale. We'll see how it is after some exposure.