Sam Adams Griffin's Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine.

Hooray for beers with unnecessarily long names. Another unique Sam Adams drop to try while I wait for a fresh pint of Dead Ringer to settle down. I haven't had hardly any barley wines this season and the weather has been unseasonably warm recently with today finally cooling by about 20F. It's almost fitting that this barley wine be so much lighter in color that its typical kin, a light, crystal clear caramel. While the head is quite thin, it manages to leave a lot of lacing. The aroma is spot on: sweet, malty, slightly woody without being bourbon-y, slightly boozy. The taste follows the aroma pretty closely, with the heat being a little over the top. There are plenty of good b-wines out there that pack 10%ABV without letting on. I suppose that's the advantage of getting to use darker malts.

This is a pretty interesting beer. I can tell that it's a barley wine, but it's distinctive as well. I'm still on the fence on whether I really like it or not though. It's good for the moment but the heat is starts to get a bit big.

• Appearance: Clear, light caramel. Thin head with lacing.
• Smell: Sweet, almost cider-y, wood, noticeable heat.
• Taste: A bit vinous, sweet, a little bit of apple tart. Wood and heat.
• Mouthfeel: Smooth, perhap a bit more effervescent than a normal barley wine. Lighter in weight and viscosity.
• Drinkability and Overall: It's no lightweight, but a refreshing take on a traditionally rich beer.

Sam Adams Dark Depths Baltic IPA.

A new Sam Adams I found the other day. I don't much much experience with Baltic porters so I didn't know what to expect. If I had to compare this to a black IPA, it fits the bill better than most. There is a sweetness and creaminess like a milk stout. It's not strongly bitter from the dark malts, and there is a nice, mild grassy hop taste on the back end. The mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth. Overall

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Sam Adams Third Voyage Double IPA.

I've been seeing these special brews from Sam Adams lately. They look pretty adventurous. I've been sitting on this one and another one lately and since I found a couple new ones the other day, I figured I should start working on one. Third Voyage is brewed with Cascades from UK, NZ and US so that's kind of cool. It's not as hooppy as I'd like for a double but maybe that's because it's mostly malty up front with the bitter showing up late. Not going to lie, there's some serious booziness going on.

Maybe it's because I'm sick, but I'm not really feeling this one. All somewhat unbalanced

• Appearance: Clear, typical dark amber. Fairly creamy, frothy head. Curtains.
• Smell: Rather fruity, tropical aroma, somewhat sugar-y.
• Taste: Very malty up front with only a hop bitter arriving towards the finish which accents the alcohol heat unpleasantly.
• Mouthfeel: Leaves more residue than I'd like, but otherwise typical.
• Drinkability and Overall: It was a nice experience but not one I'd want to repeat again and again.

Harpoon Black IPA.

I met a douche-y kind of guy at a local brewery some time ago, and we had a short exchange about black IPA/Cascadian dark ales. He insisted that all the black IPAs he had tried were plenty hoppy. It has always been a concern of mine that perhaps my taste simply wasn't sensitive enough to discern the hops from the dark malts, which would be really sad because black IPA is a pretty popular style. Of course, people must be able to discern the tastes, or otherwise it wouldn't be so popular (buh huh huh).

This is the first black IPA I've had that had actually has some hop presence. You know what? It's pretty good. Hoppy, malty, dark, and bitter of all kinds. The body is lighter than a porter even. Still not much to say though. It's all pretty powerful flavors. I hope I can find more Cascadians like this one. (I originally typed "black IPA". I guess the name is going to stick.

• Appearance: Very dark, but clear pour. Thin tan head.
• Smell: Slight hop aroma like a pale rather than an IPA with a hint of roastiness.
• Taste: Hoppy and dark and layers of varying bitterness. Still strongly dark malt, but the hoppiness doesn't get drowned out.
• Mouthfeel: Lighter than its color might indicate. Lighter than a porter, though finishes with a bit of residue.
• Drinkability and Overall: This is probably the first black IPA I've really liked and cared to drink.

Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat.

Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA.

Guy at the shop had been recommending I try the Outburst since I've been downing the Empire IPA lately. It turns out it's the same price so I went for a fill this time. Typical pour, had a nice whiff of resiny hop aroma on opening. Outburst is a good name for this brew. Right up front is a punchy, hoppy, sweet resiny flavor, bright and bitter. It finishes a little bit dirty and harsh though. A few more sips to wreck your palate takes off most of the edge though. Initial impression: I like it. For the price, it's a great deal for an imperial IPA. It's not as assertive as some other imperials, but not everyone can be Unearthly or Ruination.

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Harpoon Vermont Spruce Tip.

Ok, finally a non-borked one, I think. The color is a clear reddish amber and not some ruddy brown so that's a good sign. With a name like 'spruce tip', I had expected a rich, hoppy beast, but I should have read the label more carefully as it's only rated at 38 IBU. Brewed with spruce tips, I can pick them up a bit, but overall it's pretty mild and nondescript. Slightly sweet.

Harpoon Docesna Czech Hop Harvest.

A little dark, but noticeably fresher than the last two. The malty is still coming off as overpowering but there's still some semblance of hop character here. Lesson learned.

Harpoon Wet Hop Glacier.

Well, I think it's official that I've borked these beers.

Harpoon Single Hop ESB.

From the 100 Barrel Series, session 31. I have a several of the recent 100 Barrel releases that I had been sitting on, but I decided there wasn't much point to it, especially for the hoppy ones. I'll keep the bottles, and I suppose that's the only collectible value here. I'm starting with the oldest first which is at least a year old at this point. Doh.

It's pouring pretty dark for what I know about ESBs and is coming off pretty malty too. I wonder if this is an oxidation effect, much like what happened to my homebrew tripel and DIPA. There's a reddish tinge and a low, creamy cap. It doesn't taste skunky or anything though, a bit biscuity, watery caramel. maybe a hint of hop bitter and astringency on the back end but not much to say anywhere else. The carb is low and smooth, as expected for an ESB, which is part of what makes them such great session beers. I wish I had cracked a bottle when it first came out so I would know if this is totally wacky or not now. I'll be working through the other 100 Barrels as quickly as I can.

• Appearance: Transparent, light brown, red tinge. Thin, creamy head.
• Smell: Biscuity.
• Taste: Somewhat malty, maybe almost chocolate-y, slight grassy notes that are not quite hoppy.
• Mouthfeel: Low, smooth carb. A very quaffable mouthfeel.
• Drinkability and Overall: In this state, I like everything about it except the taste. Could have been a great session-like beer.

Stone 15th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA.

I brought back a couple bottles from CA (though not from Stone), finally getting around to one.

• Appearance: Opaque, brownish-black. Tan head, creamy and lace-y.
• Smell: Mildly hoppy, toasted malt aromas.
• Taste: Strangely salty, more than anything else, a bit like soy sauce. Slightly roasted, slightly sweet, still not very hoppy.
• Mouthfeel: Very fine, creamy and smooth
• Drinkability and Overall: Worth a try but not a repeater for me. Might be nice to keep some around for aging/collecting/trading.

Allagash Dubbel.

• Appearance: Reddish clay mud but clear. Fine, fluffy head.
• Smell: Fruity, apricot, slightly yeasty.
• Taste: Slightly spicy, not particularly sweet, a little too mild.
• Mouthfeel: Malty solution, moderate carb.
• Drinkability and Overall: Not particularly impressed, unfortunately.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye.

• Appearance: Clear, dark copper. Mossy head.
• Smell: Can't get much here, only a bit of mild rye bread.
• Taste: Spicy rye and hop bitter play nicely together, breadier and no noticeable sweetness, maybe a slight characteristic metallic tint.
• Mouthfeel: Well carbed with mild bite, evenly distributed. Very much an IPA-like body. Finished clean with no residue.
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Sam Adams Alpine Lager.

It's been a while since I've have anything from Boston Beer Company but I saw this seasonal out the other day. An unfilitered lager, it pours exactly the way it sounds. It's just a little hazy, with no obvious particulates. I did notice that appears to be much less carbed than the typical macro: only a few trails of bubbles leading up to the headless surface. Nonetheless, the carbing is most evident all around the edges, leaving a pretty pleasant liquid gold center. The taste is reminiscent of those countless cans of macro but much more mature and refined. It's full-bodied, slightly sweet honey notes, sunshine and amber waves of grain. It's like the college beer that has finally graduated, settled down, put on about 20 pounds, and learned to stop and smell the roses.

I like this beer because it's an easy drinker, still flavorful, and not so thin as to be dismissed without a thought. It should be a nice change of pace in the typical springtime lineup of hefes and wits and the like while bringing a bit more heft to the table than a kolsch or some other craft pilsener. A little lemon might help boost the citrus and cut through some of the body.

• Appearance: Pale gold, slightly hazy, no head retention.
• Smell: A rich, grainy aroma. Characteristic lager smell but much heavier and thicker.
• Taste: Almost hefeweizen-like, slightly sweet. Almost nondescript except for the small points of hop flavor, no bitter, no floral.
• Mouthfeel: Cohesive and surprisingly heavy but still refreshing. Carb is fairly low and slow, tingling only around the edges.
• Drinkability and Overall: I like it. It's a nice change of pace from hefes and wits for warm weather beers.

Six Point Righteous Rye Ale.

I liked the Bengali and I like rye ales so this was a natural option. Right off the bat, it is significantly more rye-biased than say GI Mild Winter. I wonder if rye ales are going to be the next trend as I also picked up a rye offering from Sierra Nevada and a imperial rye from Harpoon was on tap at the local shop. In any case, I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. I like rye. But something doesn't jive well with me here. It starts off a little punchy but then there's some weird caramel, soda-ish sweetness. It finishes awkwardly with a bit of a film. I think what bothers me the most is that it doesn't have the weight of cold-weather beer, instead opting for a fairly light and fizzy body.

• Appearance: Maple syrup brown.
• Smell: Spicy, slightly fruity.
• Taste: Obviously rye, but there is some off-putting caramel sweetness.
• Mouthfeel: A bit over-carbed and light-bodied.
• Drinkability and Overall: It drinks fine and smoothly, if a bit too much carb bite. Could be construed as refreshing. Not sure if it's just me, but it didn't seem like everything came together properly with this one.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

The 11-12 gave a much bigger hiss on popping the cap. The 10-11 is much breadier is both smell and taste. I had initially thought that the 10-11 had taken on a hotter, harsher edge, but comparing against the 11-12, it's actually lighter, smoother, mellower than the 11-12. The 11-12 is pretty up-front with bitter malts, coffee, and even a little boozy heat. The 10-11, I've decided, is bitter in more of a dark chocolate way than anything else. It's just very smooth and dangerously drinkable, leaving not much residue, and the linger is just long enough to be pleasant and short enough to bring you in for more.

Port Brewing Oak-Aged Santa's Little Helper.

As I was pouring, I was surprised by how light this was. Instead of the thick, oily, opaque black pour one normally receives from an imperial stout, this was noticeably tinted brown. An assertive bourbon character is evident in both the nose and initial taste. The barrel aging leaves it boozy but not hot, and there's a slightly dirty, woody taste towards the back end. The more that I think about it though, the bourbon is masking a lot of the expected complexity of an imperial stout. I'm finding it difficult to pick up the typical coffee and chocolate notes, even the dark malts. Even the mouthfeel is somewhat bourbon-y: lighter, cooler, and a bit astringent.

Weyerbacher Fifteen Smoked Imperial Stout.

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Mild smokiness that doesn't bring an overpowering sense of bacon. Predominantly roasted malts with hints of coffee.

Atwater Block VJ Black Imperial Stout.

Yet another bottle that's been taking yup room since before the summer, bottled March 2011. There's lot of fruity sweetness in this one. Fruity coffee nose, fruity sweetness as it lingers on the tongue. Strong, bittersweet chocolate notes with almost burnt malts. The mild carbonation makes it a dangerously easy drinker and the 11%ABV brings no heat.

I think the component I enjoy the most is the cogency of the entire flavor profile. There is an mild bittersweetness that weaves through the chocolate, coffee, and malt notes, but it is far from being cloying. It is clean and smooth, no residue, not on the lips or even the glass. I think I like this one quite a bit. It's a good story.

• Appearance: Black core, brown around the edges, opaque. Lack of a head is replaced with an oil slick.
• Smell: Fruity coffee beans.
• Taste: Overall, a bittersweetness permeates all components: Coffee, chocolate, dark malts.
• Mouthfeel: Fairly light for an imperial stout. Slick and clean. Ok, if a bit initially biting, carb.
• Drinkability and Overall: Moves easily but at 11%ABV, exercise caution. A nice change of pace in the imperial stout category with good balance and cohesion.

Scalloped Potatoes and Chestnut Stuffing.

Lucky Buddha.

A piece of swag from CA. Chinese beers are not that great, except for Tsingtao which is the less skunky twin of Heineken, but with a sweet bottle like this, picking up a loose one wasn't going to hurt. Actually, I can't even imagine what these would look like in a 4- or 6-pack. I suppose they must ship in non-display cases. Anyway, there's nothing surprising here, just a "fizzy, yellow beer". Absurdly light, to the point of looking watered down and washed out, and clear, it tastes like a adjunct macro. But look, check out this sweet bottle.

• Appearance: Ultra clear, light, pale.
• Smell: Almost nothing, barely a hint of "light beer"-ness
• Taste: Very light, lager-y, no skunk. Probably more tasteless than Mich Ultra.
• Mouthfeel: Fizzy.
• Drinkability and Overall: Drinkability is irrelevant as long as you get the bottle.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Grand Cru.

Finally got around to this one, which should hopefully inspire me to finish up all the posts I have drafting. Of course, the tense on this won't make sense because this one won't fly until the backlog gets dispatched. I've just been really lazy and uninspired to hit all those keys. Anyhow, I've had this for a while, since before the summer, but only put it in the fridge a couple months ago and then forgot about it/was never in the mood. But here we are, Xmas Eve: a blend of Oak-aged Bigfoot (22%) and Celebration and Pale (78%)and then dry-hopped. It is an expectedly beasty 9.2%.

My face on the first sip: :O It is a confusing mish-mash of flavors. The Bigfoot, a pretty hoppy b-wine, immediately makes itself known. The mellower, by comparison, Celebration and Pale show up and take over, though still surrounded with a persistent Bigfoot stomping around the edges. The resin-y character of Celebration and the slightly sweeter Pale do ok until Bigfoot's time spent in bourbon barrels demands a retelling. The bourbon flavors are present but well-tempered, with caramel and hot notes.

I'm not going to lie. This tastes a lot like the DIPA I've been trying to churn through. That homebrew batch is about 5 months past its prime, and I've been working very strategically to utilize that 5 gallons. I'll post a picture, if I remember, but my time away did not treat it well. Basically, the hops died and rotted and turned the brew brown, and it became super malty. I suspected the Tap-a-draft bottles are not hard and those allowed oxidation damage, but the bottles were also as awkward. Anyway, this reminds me of those. But I like this one better, probably because it's from SN, and I actually had to pay decent money for it. But I probably wouldn't buy this again, even though I enjoy all of its constituents separately.

• Appearance: Muddy orange and red hues but otherwise fairly clear. Fine, creamy, persistent cap.
• Smell: Rich, malty, a bit pungent.
• Taste: Naturally, diverse. All components are evident and reasonably balance with one another. Taste progresses fairly linearly and distinctly rather than introducing anything surprising.
• Mouthfeel: Expected weight and carb from the style and blend. The Celebration and Pale significantly lower the viscosity of Bigfoot to make it quick.
• Drinkability and Overall: 9.2%ABV. A decent sipper worth a try but probably not a repeat buy.