This is the second set of write-ups from the American Craft Beer Fest. I apologize for the huge delay in getting these posted, but applying for jobs takes priority over beer blogging. Hopefully I'll get caught up fairly soon.

1041. Ipswich Pre-Prohibition Lager

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American All-Malt Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden. There's a mildly fruity aroma. This beer is clean and crisp. There's a crisp graininess, with a grassy bitterness in the finish.

1042. Existential: Hopwine

Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Holland Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper. The aroma is sweet and malty with notes of caramel, but not a lot of hops that I detected. There's an intense malty, caramel sweetness upfront that moves into a strong, hop finish.

1043. Duck-Rabbit Paul's Day Off

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: American Strong Ale

This is a "Farmville Black Ale aged in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle barrels." It pours a hazed brown. There are strong notes of whiskey in the aroma along with a good bit of maltiness. There are caramel and toffee malts upfront and a boozy character that ends with an oaky, whiskey tinged finish. I thought this was a good barrel aged beer.

1044. Ommegang Adoration Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an amber-copper color. The aroma has notes of banana, yeast and a mild roasted character. I written "Fruit, strong, sharp." as my description of the taste. So make of that what you will.

1045. Bitter Brewer

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

Pours a clear, copper color. There are herbal and peppery hop notes in the aroma. Toasty with a mild, bready sweetness upfront. The finish has a mild, herbal hop bittterness.

1046. WildDevil

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.70%
Style: Belgian IPA

This is an interesting take on the "Belgian IPA" style. It's an IPA fermented with Brettanomyces. It pours a hazed copper in color. There's a strong Bretty, hop-sack aroma. The funky, Bretty flavors are present from start to finish in this beer. There's a caramel sweetness upfront that moves into a hoppy finish.

1047. Schmutzig Hopfen Weisse

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Style: Hefeweizen, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a cloudy, straw-golden. The aroma has notes of graininess from the wheat, but the hops cover most of the fruity esters. There's a rough, grainy start to the beer, a citric center, and a good, hoppy finish. I thought that this was a good wheat-hop hybrid.

1048. Steelhead Double IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mad River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.60%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed copper color. The aroma has a strong, resiny, hop presence. There's a good bit of caramel, malty sweetness upfront that moves into a strong, hoppy finish.

1049. Obsidian Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Alcohol: 6.40%
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a deep, dark black in color. The aroma is dominated by roasty malts, with a good dose of coffee aromatics. Upfront, sweet malts with notes of dark fruit are dominant. In the finish roasted malts and coffee flavors are dominant.

1050. Purity of Essence

Beer Stats:
Brewery: High and Mighty Beer Co.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a copper color. There are herbal, spicy hop notes in the aroma. There's a nice, mild, malty sweetness upfront, and a crisp, mildly hoppy finish.

Labels: Beer Fests