990. Switchback Pale Ale

Jadyn and I drove up to Jay Peak to go skiing the weekend of February 27th. Rain Friday afternoon followed by a cold front melted all of Jay's fresh snow and froze it into ice. Saturday was cold and icy, despite a couple fresh inches Friday night. Sunday way much nicer with warmer weather and trails in better condition.

We stayed at Jay Village Inn, and had dinner there Saturday night. We ordered chips and guacamole for an appetizer, and were surprised by the vast mountain of chips and what seemed like at least two avocados worth of guacamole. I had one of their specials, salmon topped with a dill hollandaise sauce. The salmon came with a salad with a nice horseradish peppercorn dressing, and several slices of warm bread with a generous amount of garlic and butter. Jadyn had a grilled cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries. The food and service were both great. I had a couple of pints of Switchback Ale before dinner and a couple of pints of The Shed's Mountain Ale with dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Switchback Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Poured a cloudy, copper hued amber. Topped by a thin, wispy head. The aroma is toasty with a notes of citrus, fruit, and resiny hops. A light bready sweetness upfront faded into a toasty backbone with less evident sweetness. The finish has a leafy hop bitterness. A pretty good session beer.

Labels: American Pale Ale, Switchback Brewing Company

This is the final set of beers that I tasted at the 2009 Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest.

Overall I thought the fest was fun. Going with friends from lab was a different experience, more focused on drunkeness than times I've been with David and Win.

981. Cuvee de Castleton

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a cloudy, straw golden. The aroma is acidic and sour with a light graininess and citric hints. There's a nice sour backbone running throughout the beer with notes of citrus and grape fruitiness. The finish has a nice dry character.

982. Tröegs Mad Elf

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a cloudy, dark amber. Topped by fizzy, soda-like carbonation. Sweet malts in the aroma: toffee and candi sugar. The taste is much like the aroma with a spicy alcohol in the finish.

983. Magic Hat Wild Ginger

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Ginger was added to this beer once during primary fermentation and once after fermentation was complete. It poured a dark copper. The aroma was dominated by ginger. There were mild caramel malts before the spiciness of the ginger took over.

984. Rosso e Marrone

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a cloudy, reddish amber. The aroma is acidic and hints at the sourness to come. There's a nice tart acidity throughout over a backbone of fruity characters.

985. Plead the 5th

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 12.00%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an opaque, dark black. The aroma is roast with notes of coffee. Dark roasted malts give a chocolate and fruity sweetness upfront, and a coffee bitterness in the finish.

986. Behemoth Blonde Barleywine

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 12.50%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper. There are notes of citrus and fruit as well as caramel malts in the aroma. Caramel and raw sugar malt notes upfront, followed by a leafy and citric hop flavors in the finish. Overall the malts come through as only lightly sweet.

987. Samuel Adams Imperial White

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy golden. Standard witbier aroma: coriander, orange peel, Belgian yeast. The flavor profile is much the same with a nice spiciness in the finish.

988. Scotty Karate Scottish Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.75%
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy, dark amber-brown. The aroma is malty: caramel, molasses. Malty throughout the palate. Notes of caramel, toffee, hints of chocolate, and a lightly bitter finish.

989. Dry-Hopped 2008 Double Bastard Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: American Strong Ale

Double Bastard dry-hopped with Columbus and Amarillo hops. Pours a hazed copper. Sweet malts are evident in the aroma, as well as strong resiny hops. The flavors were similar. My notes were minimal because I was pretty drunk at that point.

Labels: American Barleywine, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Flanders Oud Bruin, Herbed/Spiced Beer, Russian Imperial Stout, Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, Witbier

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. Ward sent me a link to a story on the Austin American-Statesman about the history of the Spoetzl Brewery. It talks about the two major figures in the history of Shiner beer, Kosmos Spotezl and Carlos Alvarez of Gambrinus:

This year, the business that eventually came to be known as the K. Spoetzl Brewery is 100, having survived Prohibition, two wars against the homeland of the founders, fickle changes in taste and the demise of the vast majority of small local breweries — once there were as many as 7,000, compared with about 1,500 today — that had sprung up in most every community. Over the century, Spoetzl has had at least two saviors, one from Bavaria and another, almost eight decades later, from Mexico.

It's an interesting read, and interesting for me as someone who has only known Shiner as The Texas Beer (screw that Lone Star crap). It chronicles Shiner's history from its founding, to Prohibition, to its acquisition of an identity in Austin, to its purchase by Gambrinus in 1989, which led to the brewery's expansion and the transformation of Shiner into what it is today.

Labels: News, Spoetzl Brewery

This is the second set of beers that I tried at the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest 2009.

971. OatGoop

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 10.40%
Style: Wheat Wine (Oat Wine)

Pours a hazed copper. Floral hops and sugary malts are the strongest component of the aroma. Sweet and fruity upfront and through the center. The finish has some floral hop bitterness and a bit of sweetness.

972. Dwarven Hammer

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed golden-copper. The aroma is light, but predominantly malty. Sweet and malty throughout with nice notes of caramel. The finish had a sugary character tat complemented the coffee flavors well.

973. Phunky Duck

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide

This beer is the base lambic for a Gueuze project that Lost Abbey is working on. It's nice to see American brewers trying for authentic lambics. Pours a hazed-straw golden. The aroma is classic lambic: acidic, earthy and funky. Very sour throughout: nice bright and acidic. There are nice grassy and citric notes as well a good, funky earthiness. An excellent rendition of the style. Another fest favorite (yes, they all tend to be sour beers).

974. Brute

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Wild Ale

I couldn't pass up either of Ithaca's sour beers. The Brute pours a cloudy, straw color. The aroma has a nice grainy, wheat component, fruit, mild acidity and hint of Brettanmyces. Well attenuated so there's a good amount of wheat character without a lot of malty sweetness. Sourness builds through the center, followed by a nice earthy finish. I liked this one a lot. I'll have to give it another try if I see any bottles in the area.

975. "Sour" Flower Power Bretted IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Style: American Wild Ale

This is Ithaca's Flower Power IPA fermented for an additional three months with Brettanomyces. Pours a cloudy golden. The aroma is a nice combination of citric hops and mild Brettanomyces. The malts are attenuated to the faintest of sugary hints. The hops remain unscathed, leaving nice hop flavors and bitterness that really relegate the usually dominant Brett to a minor role in the finish.

976. Special Holiday Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

This is a collaborative Winter Warmer brewed by Stone, Jolly Pumpkin and Nøgne-Ø. Pours a cloudy, dark amber color. Spices domiate the aroma: sage and juniper, but there are also malty aromas. Sweet upfront: malty and fruity. The finish is herbal and spicy with a nice bitterness.

977. Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 3.10%
Style: Berliner Weissbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a pale straw color. Notes of sour apples, hay and an earthiness in the aroma. There's a mild graininess in the backbone underneath fruity notes of apple, and a nice lactic sourness.

978. Magic Hat Bergamot Bitter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.50%
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

This is Magic Hat's Ordinary Bitter with bergamot added during conditioning. Pours a pale copper color. The aroma is dominated by the bergamot: peppery notes, reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. Lightly malty with some good breadiness and a finish that's peppery and lightly bitter.

979. Apex

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.10%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed copper with a frothy head. The aroma is hoppy with notes of citrus and resin. The malt backbone is mildly sweet and provides a good counterpoint to the strong resiny and citric hop flavors.

980. Founders Double Trouble

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.40%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden, with a huge, white head. The aroma is resiny and herbal hops over a backbone of caramel and sugary malts. Resiny and leafy hops are evident throughout the beer over a mildly sweet malt backbone.

Labels: Altbier, American Double IPA, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Berliner Weissbier, English Bitter, Unblended Lambic, Wheat Wine, Winter Warmer

I hadn't managed to go to any of the Beer Advocate Fests with any of my lab mates until this years Extreme Beer Fest. Jadyn and I went along with Jeremy, Matt, Elçin and Alfonso. The fest format has remained constant: unlimited two ounce samples and booths lining the sides of the venue as well as a row of booths in the center of the venue. I was pleased with the line up of brewers at this years fest. There was a good regional representation from brewers like Harpoon, Cambridge Brewing Company, Allagash and American Flatbread to name a few. There were also a good number of brewers whose distribution doesn't cover Massachusetts: Bell's, Three Floyds, and The Bruery. I ended up having samples of 29 beers that I hadn't previously tried. I've broken up the notes into three posts, and as usual the notes are fairly minimal and should be trusted less and less the later I am into the fest.

After the first few beers I decided the most efficient way to drink was to try what I wanted to try from one booth and then to move on to the booth next door.

961. Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition/Double Cream Blend

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a deep black with a brown head. The aroma has notes of oak, vanilla and a resiny character. There are nice flavors of chocolate and vanilla with a boozy quality contributed by the bourbon barrels. The finish is roasty.

962. Allagash Gargamel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale

This beer wasn't on the Fest beer list, but the description said it was brewed with Brettanomyces so I had to give it a try. Pours a hazed copper. The aroma hints at the sourness to come and has a nice notes of the wild yeast. Acidic and sour throughout, well attenuated so there isn't a lot of residual sweetness. The finish has a nice earthy Brett characteristic. Easily one of my favorites of the fest.

963. Allagash Confluence

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a pale, hazed golden-copper. The aroma is malty and citric with notes of acidity and Brett. Sweet overall with a sugary undertone. There's a light sourness in the center followed by earthy flavors in the finish. I'm biased towards sourness in my wild ales, so I was a bit disappointed, but that doesn't mean the beer wasn't good.

964. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right BA Select

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

From the fest website: "A collaboration beer brewed by Sam Calagione, Bryan Selders, and the Alström Bros at the original Rehoboth Beach Dogfish Head brewpub for the 2009 Extreme Beer Fest. Brewed with maple syrup, chestnuts, green peppercorns, Korean Corn tea (Oksusu-cha), Fawcett's Maris Otter base malt, MFP kiln coffee malt, Liberty and Vangaurd hops, and DFH's Raison D'Etra yeast strain... The name is an ode to The Konami Code (cheat code) on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s"

Pours a clear amber brown. The aroma is redolent of chestnuts, maple syrup and roasted malts. Sweet upfront with a light roasty character. Maple syrup sweetness appears in the center along with a nutty flavor that contributes a bit of tannic huskiness in the finish. There's also a nice peppery spice in the finish.

965. Bell's HopSlam Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper, topped by a sheet of white foam. Notes of citrus give the malts a candy-like aroma. Sweet upfront, raw sugar malts. Citric hops in the finish with a concealed bitterness.

966. Bell's Expedition Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a dark black. Coffee and roasted malts in the aroma. Chocolate sweetness upfront, which moves into a sharp fruitiness, followed by a roasted bitterness in the finish.

967. Bell's Third Coast Old Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed amber, with a good head, especially for a fest pour. The aroma is nice and malty, with caramel and a bit of toffee, there are also notes of hops. Malty with notes of caramel and dark fruit. The finish has a good bit of hop flavor and bitterness.

968. Samuel Adams Double Bock

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, dark copper. Malty aroma: toffee, butterscotch and boozy notes. Caramel and toffee sweetness upfront, followed by a strong and boozy finish with lots of alcoholic spice.

969. CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.40%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a deep, dark brown. The aroma is predominantly chocolate with some nice hints of roastiness. Roasty notes upfront, but becomes increasingly sweet through the center with notes of chocolate and fruit. The finish has a nice bit of chocolate flavor.

970. The Colonel's Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.30%
Style: Baltic Porter, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear brown with garnet hints. Roasty malts in the aroma with a nice Brettanomyces character. There's a roasty malt backbone with fruity notes, but not a lot of residual sweetness. The finish is sour with a strong Brett finish. Another very good beer. One of my favorites from the fest.

Labels: American Brown Ale, American Double IPA, American Stout, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests

960. McShagger's Double Ewe Scotch Ale

I bought this beer on a whim at Downtown Wine & Spirits, mostly because I was amused by the name. It sat in the fridge for a couple of weeks before I opened it.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The People's Pint
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed brown. Topped by a light brown, sudsy head that fades to a film fringed by a large ring of bubbles. Rich and malty in aroma. Notes of caramel, molasses, toffee and dark fruit.

Sweet malts upfront, notable caramel and molasses. Dark fruit appears in the center, followed by a mildly roasted bitterness, and an alcoholic and peppery spiciness. Full-bodied and thick, but somewhat cut by the vigorous carbonation.

Labels: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, The People's Pint

After Spitzer's Corner we returned to David's apartment and played poker and had beer there. Several 750 mL bottles of beer had been purchased for our arrival: Ommegeddon, Ommegang Witte, Hennepin, Rare Vos, Duvel, and Koningshoeven Dubbel. We played a couple rounds of poker. One in which we just played with chips, and a second where David and I lost $20 each to Win. We managed to make it through all six bottles. The Koningshoeven Dubbel was the only beer of the six that I hadn't had before.

959. Koningshoeven Dubbel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide

My notes are abbreviated due to inebriation and the fact that this beer was served in a red Solo cup.

Pours a hazed-brown. Topped by a thick brown head that fades to a film. The aroma has notes of chocolate malts and raisins with a mild boozy quality. Sweet malts upfront and throughout. There are notes of chocolate, raisins and other dark fruit. There's a good amount of peppery spiciness in the finish as well.

Labels: Dubbel, Travel

On Sunday morning we woke up late, much to David's chagrin, and had brunch at Toast near David's old apartment. Afterwards we looked around in a few bookstores before going to see Frost/Nixon. Win was in the mookd for something ethnic for dinner, so we used the Urban Spoon application on my iPhone to find a small Ethiopian restaurant that turned out to be a winner.

After dinner we stopped at Spitzer's Corner for a round of beers, a bar I'd previously been to with David. We had a round there before returning to David's apartment.

957. Coney Island Sword Swallower

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 3.75

Pours a hazed, light copper color. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer while clinging to the side of the glass, leaving good lace. The aroma is hoppy. There are peppery and leafy notes with a bit of citrus. There's also the undertone of fruity sweetness.

Mild breadiness upfront gives way to a lightly sweet character. The malty backbone continues to be prevalent through to the center, but is overtaken bit the hoppy finish, which has notes of citrus and pepper. The sweetness becomes more prevalent overall as the beer warms. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.

A tad sweet overall, but nicely hoppy.

958. Tröegs Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5

Overall: 3.95

Pours a clear copper. The head thins to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. The aroma is relatively simple: predominantly resiny hops with a bit of caramel maltiness.

Toasty malts upfront, a bit of breadiness, and caramel sweetness with a pleasantly coarse leafy hop flavor in the finish. Medium-bodied, highly carbonated with a rough quality from the hops.

A good session beer.

Labels: American Pale Ale, American Pale Lager, Travel

After dinner we walked to d.b.a. in Willamsburg. We split a large bottle of Bière Darbyste as our only round at the bar.

956. Bière Darbyste

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability:4.0

Overall: 4.15

This is a nice Belgian Saison brewed with figs or fig juice. I didn't get a distinct fig impression, but rather a vague impression of sweet fruit. Any fig characteristics were likely fermented away leaving only a residual hint of fruitiness.

Pours a very cloudy golden. Topped by a white head that thins to a film. The aroma is peasant. Fruity esters are predominant: notes of banana and citrus. There's also a nice bit of sharp acidity evident. Like I said, no overt fig aromas, but plenty of fruit characters to go around.

Upfront there's a light sweetness on top of a husky, grainy character. The beer sweetens up in the center with bananas, citrus and other fruitiness. There's also a good bit of leafy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, highly carbonated, with a nice dry finish.

Tasty with a nice dryness that keeps you drinking.

Labels: Saison, Travel

After leaving Black Rabbit in Greenpoint, we set off in search of food. Being an historically Polish area of Brooklyn it's perhaps not surprising that we ended up eating at a Polish restaurant called Krolewskie Jadlo (King's Feast). Win had the Traditional Stew, David had the Beef Stroganow, which was served in a breadbowl, and I - because I'm a sucker for potato pancakes and perogies - had the sampler.

954. Warka Beer

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Browary Warka
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a crystal clear copper color. The head thins to noting almost immediately. The aroma is light with a hint of caramel sweetness. This beer is predominantly malty. Bready and caramel notes upfront. There's a bit of alcoholic spice in the finish, but not a lot of bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. Overall a decent beer.

955. Lech Premium

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lech Browary Wielkopolski
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Euro Pale Lager

Pours a clear golden. Topped by a thick, light, fluffy, white head that fades to a patchy film. The aroma is sweet and malty, but nothing distinct. Sweet malts upfront give way to a moderate hop bitterness. Light-bodied and crisp.

Labels: Euro Pale Lager, Märzen / Oktoberfest, Travel

We woke up late on Saturday morning. I was in a bad state until I got delicious, delicious brunch at Kitchenette. After brunch we headed up to the Bronx to see the grave of Gouverneur Morris, author of much of the Constitution. We sat in a nearby part for half-an-hour or so, and then headed out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn for some more beer.

Our first stop in Greenpoint was Black Rabbit, a newish looking bar. Black Rabbit has a nice atmosphere. The ceiling is painted bright red, but the rest of the bar is almost monochrome with dark-brown, almost black wood paneling on the lower-half of the walls and off-white paint on the top half. The booths have doors and a button to press for service, and there's a retro television near the front of the bar. David and Win played backgammon and we had Welsh rarebit fondue and a cheese plate.

951. Captain Lawrence Brown Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.7

Captain Lawrence is another New York brewery that I don't see in Boston. I was impressed last time I went to New York. Their Brown Ale pours a clear, garnet brown and is topped by a light brown head that fades to a film leaving spots of lace. The aroma is malty: toasty, bready, and chocolate notes as well a hint of fruit.

Toasty and roasty upfront. Chocolate notes and a bit of sweetness in the center. The finish has a light, roasted bitterness. Light-to-medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation. The roasted malts give a nice husky character.

A nice session beer.

952. Trader IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 3.3

Pours a cloudy copper. Topped by a white head that fades to a film, leaving no lace. The aroma has notes of resiny hops, caramel malts and an apricot fruitiness.

Sweet, bready malts upfront move through more of the same in the center to a mildly bitter hop finish. There's also a bit of residual sweetness in the finish. Could use a good bit more bitterness. Thin feeling with moderate carbonation.

Needs a bit more hop bitterness and flavor.

953. Kelso Chocolate Lager

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Greenpoint Beerworks
Alcohol: 6.75%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.9

Kelso's Chocolate Lager is a clear, garnet brown in color. A thick, light brown head fades to a film. Roasty malts on the nose with a strong chocolate component.

Roasted malts and chocolate sweetness are the predominant characters in the beer. The chocolate starts off sweet, but then melds nicely into the roasted malt flavors in the finish. Medium-bodied and nicely carbonated.

The chocolate is very dominant in the beer, and could perhaps be toned down for the sake of balance, but otherwise delicious.

Labels: American Brown Ale, American IPA, Schwarzbier, Travel

Our last stop of the night was Blind Tiger, a beer bar that I'd previously been to with David. I would have been content finishing off the night with some familiar beers, but David insisted that we have one more round of new beers. We finished the night with several bottles of Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze.

948. Obovoid

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulder Beer
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an opaque black. Topped by a beige head that retains well and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and dark fruit.

Lightly roasty to start, but quickly moves into s strong malty sweetness: raisins, dates and chocolate. There's a roasty, coffee bitterness in the finish along with a few hop characters. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.

949. BiFrost Winter Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades to a film, but that leaves good lacing. The aroma is strong. There are malty aromas of fruit and bread along with a good bit of spice.

Toasty upfront, moving into a sweet center with caramel and some fruitiness. The finish is lightly spicy with a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated.

950. Brooklyn Blunderbuss Old Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide


Pours a crystal clear brown. Topped by a beige head that fades to a thin ring. The aroma is boozy and malty with notes of caramel, molasses and a hint of roast. Very appealing.

Malty throughout: notes of toffee, molasses and dark fruit. The finish is roasty with a boozy kick. Thick and full-bodied with moderate carbonation.

Labels: Old Ale, Russian Imperial Stout, Travel, Winter Warmer

After a round at Against the Grain, David's next Friday night stop was Klimat, a small Polish bar with good selection of Easter European brews. I sampled three new beers and had a bit of the free pub food that was available.

945. Krušovice Imperial

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.6

Pours a lightly hazed golden. Topped by a fluffy, one-inch, white head with good retention and lacing. The aroma is fairly mild: grassy and citric notes.

Lightly sweet malts upfront, predominantly bready with some grainy hints. The finish is lightly grassy with a mild bitterness. Light-bodied, crisp and moderately carbonated.

Pretty straightforward, but tasty enough to be worth a pint.

946. Golden Pheasant

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivovar Zlaty Bazant
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.9

Poured a hazed, copper golden. Topped by a white head that faded to a film. The aroma is malty with nice notes of caramel and fruit on swirling. There's not a lot in the way of hop aroma though.

Sweet bready malts with a milder caramel flavor upfront. Malts are attenuated through the center leading to a grassy hop bitterness with a hint of peppery spice. Light-bodied. highly carbonated, and crisp.

I was pleasantly surprised by a good bit of flavor in this beer. It was definitely the best of the round.

947. Baltika #7 Export

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pivzavod Baltika
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Dortmunder / Export Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 2.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 2.55


Pours a pale golden. What little head there is quickly fades to nothing. The aroma is very light. If you're paying attention you can pick out herbal hops and a bit of citrus.

Sweet, pale malts. Mild grassiness, not much in the way of bitterness. Light-bodied, moderately carbonated. Lacks the crispness that would make the beer seem less watery.

Inoffensive, no outright unpleasant characters, but nothing special.

Labels: Czech Pilsener, Dortmunder/Export Lager, Travel

After leaving Jimmy's No. 43 we headed to Against the Grain, another beer bar in New York that I hadn't been to. The bar is small, it's narrow and not very deep. There are two rows of seating on either side of the bar with a narrow table in the center. There's a pressed tin ceiling and dark brick walls. The bartender was friendly, knowledgeable, and described the beers to us as he was pouring. These reviews are also based on split beers.


Wexford's, Bell's and the Cuvee.

942. Two Hearted Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5

Overall: 4.55

Pours a cloudy copper. Topped by a fluffy, meringue-like, white head with good retention. The aroma is hop-focused: delicious orange-blossom citrus and resiny hops. There's also a bit of a raw sugar undercurrent.

There's a toasty malt backbone with a light, raw sweetness. There's a nice citric hop flavor with a light herbal, resiny kick. Well balanced, there's a focus on the hop flavors rather than the hop bitterness. Light-bodied with a nice kick from the carbonation.

Well balanced. All of the hop flavor is there with just enough of the bitterness.

943. Cuvée Du 8ème

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.9

Pours a very nice, hazed, reddish amber. The head thins to a wispy film. The aroma is sharp with acidic cherry notes. Wonderfully tart smelling.

Much milder on the palate than suggested by the aroma. On the sweet side of sour, but only mildy so. There's a nice tart fruitiness. The finish has a hint of cocoa. Mild overall, but tasty. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.

Nice for a milder sour ale.

944. Wexford Irish Cream Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Greene King / Morland Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: Cream Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 3.4

Pours a slightly hazed copper color. The thick, fluffy head retains as a half-inch layer leaving sheets of lace. Malty aroma caramel, toffee and golden raisins.

There's a sweet, malty backbone: caramel and toffee with a mild bitterness in the finish. There are some decent flavors, but it comes off a bit bland overall. Smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation and a sticky, sugary finish.

Flavorful in certain aspects, but a but bland overall.

Labels: American IPA, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Cream Ale, Travel