Thom's Beer Blog

1292. Hedgerow Bitter

2010-12-10T09:30:00.001-05:00

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: English Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.2

Hedgerow Bitter pours a cloudy, dark golden. It's topped by an off-white, stiff, meringue-like head that fades leaving good lace. The aroma is mildly malty with sweet fruity esters, and grassy hops.

This beer has mildly bready and toasty malts. The finish has nice grassy, and leafy hop flavors that leave a lingering bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, and has prickly carbonation and a nice dryness.

A very nice rendition of an English Bitter.

1286-1291. Beer in Ireland

2010-12-08T09:30:00.204-05:00

Jadyn and I went to Ireland to visit her sister the week of Thanksgiving 2010. Since Ireland's not a "Beer Country" like Belgium/Germany/England/Czech Republic, I didn't spend a lot of time seeking out Irish beer. Though I probably drank more Guinness in one week than I did in the last three to four years, and we did take a tour of the Guinness Brewery

1286. Sparta Pils

On Saturday evening Jadyn and I went to a show at Whelan's with her sister. We stopped for a beer at The Dice Bar. I went with Sparta Pils, which I mistakenly thought might be Irish.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden, and is topped by a white head that's fed by lots of bubbles. The aroma has notes of cooked grain, and a bit of malty sweetness.

The taste is clean and crisp with a mild sweetness, and a grassy bitterness in the finish. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good deal of carbonation.

Overall this was a pretty good pils, not the best, but solid.

1287. Wrasslers 4X Stout

Jadyn and I spent Monday the 22nd taking her nephews around Dublin. After dropping them off with Jadyn's sister we had dinner and beer at The Porterhouse in Temple Bar after walking around a bit.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.1

This stout pours an opaque black, and is topped by a thick, creamy, brown head that retains well. The aroma is chocolatey with roasted malt notes. The chocolate gives the aroma an almost fruity aspect.

This stout has a roasted backbone, which moves into a milder center with a bit of bite and roasted bitterness in the finish that's cut by a mild sweetness. Light-bodied and smooth with mild carbonation.

I thought this was a very nice stout.

1288.Temple Bräu

After dinner I had a three beer sampler, and Jadyn had another beer

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager

Pours a clear, light golden with a creamy head. The aroma is clean with grassy notes. It's grainy with a mildly sweet finish. Pretty ho-hum.

1289. Plain Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide

This beer pours a dark brown that's clear up to the light. It's topped by a dense, creamy head. The aroma is chocolatey and sweet with roasted notes and not a lot of fruit. There are mild roasted malts throughout with only a very mild sweetness. The finish is lightly bitter.

1290. Oyster Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Porterhouse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide

This beer pours a clear brow with a creamy brown head. The aroma is roasted malts with a bit of a sharp edge. This stout is very mild with only a mild roasty character. The finish has a mild sweetness and light spiciness.

On Tuesday Jadyn and I took a tour of the Guinness Brewery. The tour was pretty slick and marketing heavy. The brewing process was discussed, but not in depth. The most interesting part of the tour was the video that discussed cooperage. The highlight by far was having beers in the Gravity Bar, which had great views of the city.

A slick waterfall.

1291. Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer

I picked this beer up at a grocery store, either Tesco or SuperValu, and had it at Jadyn's sister's house on Thanksgiving.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Carlow Brewing Comany
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.3

This beer pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that fades to a thin layer, but leaves clinging lace. The aroma is wheaty and grainy with notes of fruit and spicy hops.

This beer is grainy upfront with a grassy backbone. There are enough spicy, leafy hops in the finish, just enough to prevent it from being bland. This beer is crisp, light-bodied and slightly dry.

Not super flavorful, but refreshing enough.

1249-1285. The Belgian Beer Fest

2010-12-06T09:30:00.089-05:00

I was planning on splitting this post up and providing notes for each beer, but that seems to cause procrastination. I'll just provide a list of the beers that I had, and make note of the highlights instead.

The Belgian Beer Fest is my favorite Beer Advocate fest because Belgian beers remain some of my favorites, especially the sour ones, and the BBF provides the opportunity to taste sours that are otherwise hard or impossible to try.

1249. Allagash Avance - Allagash Brewing Company
1250. Allagash Big Little - Allagash Brewing Compay

1251. Allagash Little Big - Allagash Brewing Compay
This hazed copper beer has a malty aroma with a bit of acidity on the nose. Sweet malts and fruity esters are met with a balancing bite of sourness. The finish has a mild bit of bitterness.

1252. Old Mother Hubbard - Cambridge Brewing Company
1253. Kosmic Mother Funk - Boston Beer Company

1254. Old Lambic - Boston Beer Company
The person working the booth said that this beer was seven years old. It pours a clear copper color. The aroma is funky and acidic. This beer has a nice acidic sourness, medicinal phenols, and a surprisingly smooth finish.

1255. Belgian Pale Ale - Brewery Ommegang
1256. Brooklyn Cuvee Noir - Brooklyn Brewery
1257. Madame Rose - Goose Island Beer Co.
1258. Fleur - Goose Island Beer Co.
1259. Ename Tripel - Brouwerij Roman

1260. Kriek Pale Ale - Harpoon Brewery
I believe that this was Harpoon's IPA Kriek-ified. It poured a hazy copper with an acidic, cherry aroma. It had great sourness, and cherry flavor along with a bit of bitterness in the finish.

1261. Monstre Rouge - De Proefbrouwerij

1262. Super Friends IPA - Ithaca Beer Company
This was a great IPA conditioned with Brett. It had a nice explosion of hops, but had an Orval-like finish.

1263. Belgo IPA - New Belgium Brewing
1264. Belgian Style Blonde Ale - New Belgium Brewing
1265. Framboise de Amorosa - The Lost Abbey
1266. Sinner's Blend 2010 - The Lost Abbey
1267. Cellar Door - Stillwater Artisanal Ales
1268. Autumnal - Stillwater Artisanal Ales
1269. Grisette - Zero Gravity
1270. Emelisse Double IPA - Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse
1271. Troubador Magma - Brouwerij De Musketiers
1272. The One - Zero Gravty
1273. Fennel Saison - Sixpoint
1274. Chinookered! - Harpoon Brewery

1275. Ruby Bruin - The Tap
This was pretty late in the fest, but I thought that this was a tasty Oud Bruin

1276. Smuttynose Gravitation - Smuttynose Brewing Company
1277. Smuttynose Winter Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company
1278. Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Company

1279. Bellegems Bruin - Brouwerij Bockor
Another solid Oud Bruin.

1280. Van Twee - De Proefbrouwerij
1281. Lozen Boer - De Proefbrouwerij
1282. Hopus - Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
1283. Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Comany
1284. Malheur 10° - Brouwerij De Landtsheer
1285. Allagash Black - Allagash Brewing Company

1248. Bumper Crop IPA

2010-11-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

1248. Bumper Crop IPA

Jadyn and I had dinner and beers at the CBC on October 28th. They had a new IPA that decided to give a try.

An overabundance of hops here at CBC has permitted your local brewers to go a bit hop-wild! Hops are at their best when fresh, so all their myriad flavors and aromas come through in your beer. But, our Brewmaster over-bought for the year, and now we’re forced to brew IPA after IPA. Terrible news, right? Expect to see a rotating IPA on tap almost full-time until Will has finished his penance. Bumper Crop IPA was brewed with Pilsner malts and a variety of hops including: Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo, and new-hop-on-the-block Citra. An outstanding citrusy aroma and flavor dominate this beer, while clean malt character provides a modicum of balance through the finish. Cheers!

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

Bumper Crop IPA pours a lightly hazed, bright, copper color. It's topped by an off-white head that fades to a film. The aroma is bright and hoppy with notes of resin and citrus. There's also an undercurrent of grainy malts.

Toasty malts upfront provide just enough balance to the hops without detracting from them. Resiny, grassy, and citric hops appear in the center and move into a strongly bitter finish. The beer is light and crisp on the palate with carbonation that provides a good bite.

This is a nice hoppy IPA.

1247. Pere Jacques

2010-11-08T09:30:00.024-05:00

1247. Pere Jacques

Bennett had given me several bottles of beer at my defense celebration. This one had been in my fridge sine then, and Jadyn and I split it with dinner on October 24th.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Year: 2009

Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.65

Pere Jacques pours a cloudy brown, and is topped by a creamy, light-brown head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is clean with notes of dates, figs, and a mild hint of alcohol.

Mildly sweet malts upfront have notes of bread and chocolate, which move into a sweet center with notes of dark fruit. The finish has powdery yeast notes, spicy alcohol, and a moderate bitterness. This beer is crisp, and surprisingly light-bodied for a dubbel.

Overall I thought this was a decent Dubbel, but seemed somewhat subdued compared to many others.

1246. February 27th, 1832 Mild Ale

2010-11-05T13:51:00.024-04:00

1246. February 27th, 1832 Mild Ale

I've had this beer in the fridge for awhile, and I decided it was finally time to try it.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: English Strong Ale

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

Overall: 3.75

This beer is the first in Pretty Things' "Once Upon a Time..." series, in which they brew beers according to very old recipes. Despite the fact hat this beer was labeled as a Mild Ale, the alcohol content certainly indicates that it's not a mild in the sense that we think of today.

This beer pours a lightly hazed, amber-copper color. It's topped by a fluffy and creamy, beige head that leaves sticky lace. The aroma has malty notes of bread, caramel, and toast. There's a bit of fruitiness in the center, almost a banana flavor. The fish has a peppery spiciness from the alcohol, and a good dose of bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated, but has a light, crisp finish.

This beer is definitely not mild, but it's a decent strong ale that's pretty malty, but not overly so.

1245. Flower Power IPA

2010-11-03T09:30:00.002-04:00

1245. Flower Power IPA

Jadyn and I had dinner at Cambridge Common on October 20th. I had a couple pints of Ithaca's awesome Flower Power IPA.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.55

Sometimes you have an IPA that reminds you how wonderful hops are, and how a lot of IPAs have hop bitterness, but sacrifice hop flavors. Ithaca's Flower Power IPA captures the essence of hops.

It pours a very nice, hazed, orange-copper color, and is topped by a thick, creamy, off-white head that fades, leaving the side of the glass coated with lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy. There are floral and citric notes, as well as a pungent, resiny bite. This really smells like sticking your nose in a bag of hops. Swirling the beer brings out the malts, which are predominantly bready and biscuity.

There's a mild malty sweetness upfront that's bready and sugary. The hops begin to assert themselves in the center, first with favors of citrus and grass, and then a strong resiny bitterness appears in the finish. The hops oils are evident on the palate, but are balanced by the crisp carbonation.

Overall I thought that this was a fantastic IPA. It really showcased both the hops bitterness and flavors.

1244. Penumbral IPA

2010-11-01T09:30:00.009-04:00

1244. Penumbral IPA

Jadyn and I had dinner at the CBC on October 13th. I passed up pumpkin beers to try this one. From the website:

CBC inaugurates it’s new Tabula Rasa specialty beer series with Penumbral I.P.A., an almost black Belgian India Pale Ale. The Tabula Rasa (blank slate) series will celebrate outside-the-box creative brewing as informed by ancient history, poetry, philosophy, conceptual art, and rock ‘n’ roll music. Releases will be irregular but inspired.

A penumbra is a partial shadow, as in an eclipse, between regions of complete shadow and complete illumination. Penumbral I.P.A.’s depth of color sends you into the shadows only to be illuminated by bright floral hop notes in the nose and on the palate, balanced by spice and earth notes from our house Belgian yeast. Some of you may find yourselves confused by the apparent contradictions of this beer. Belgian brewers had made nearly black beers for centuries, but they’re not known for super hoppy brews and only recently have “Belgian stouts” appeared. Leave it to American craft brewing ingenuity to combine Belgian character with an I.P.A., and then paint it black.

Amarillo and Glacier hops provide fruit and floral notes while a backbone of Belgian pale and aromatic malted barley is augmented by German CaraFa, a specialty malt which provides color without excessive roastiness. Blend in a little Belgian funkiness and your palate will plunge into the shadows of this dark-but-brilliant beer.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company

Alcohol: 6.8%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian IPA

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

Overall: 3.9

Penumbral IPA pours a cloudy, dark brown that almost looks black. It's topped by a creamy, light-brown head that fades quickly, but leaves good lace. The aroma is surprisingly malty. There are strong notes of caramel and chocolate, notes of roasted grains, and grassy hops.

A caramel malty sweetness upfront is undercut by the roasted malt flavors in the backbone. The sweetness mellows towards the center with a roasted dryness appearing. The finish is roasted malts and a mild, hoppy bitterness. This beer is crisp with a mild dryness in the finish.

Having not seen the description of the beer, this is not what I was expecting. I thought it was a pretty interesting take on a Belgian IPA.

1243. November 15th, 1901 KK

2010-10-29T09:30:00.002-04:00

1243. November 15th, 1901 KK

Jadyn and I had the day off on Indigenous People's Day so we went to Bukowski's for lunch and some beers. They had the newest beer in Pretty Thing's Once Upon a Time... series so we split a bottle.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project

Year: 2010
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

This beer pours clear, but looks like an opaque black when viewed to the light. It's topped by a creamy and sudsy, brown head, which fades to a sudsy film leaving good lace. The aroma is roasty with notes of diacetyl, chocolate, mild toffee, a bit of fruit and a good dose of hops.

The beer has a roasty backbone throughout, a mild chocolate sweetness, bready sweetness, and toffee. The finish has a nice roasty and resiny hop bitterness. The beer is medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated.

This beer is malty but the sweetness is attenuated and balanced by nice roasted flavors and a good dose of hops.

1242. Fluxus 2010

2010-10-27T09:30:00.001-04:00

1242. Fluxus 2010

Jadyn and I had dinner at some friends' place on October 6th. They had a bottle of Fluxus 2010 that they shared.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Year: 2010
Alcohol: 10.30%
Serving: American Double Stout

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

Overall: 4.05

Fluxus pours an opaque black, and is topped by a thin, quick fading brown head. The aroma is very nice aroma with lots of chocolate, roasted malts, and a mild woodiness.

Sweet notes upfront combine with the dark chocolate bitterness in the backbone to give impressions of rich chocolate. There's a mild bite at the end, and a woody aftertaste. This beer is full-bodied, and moderately carbonated.

A little sweet overall, but it has a very nice chocolate flavor.

1237-1241. Six-Pack Swap and The Muddy

2010-10-25T09:30:00.015-04:00

I didn't take notes on these beers as they were all consumed at social occasions. The first three were at a third floor six-pack swap on September 24th, and the second two were at the Muddy on September 29th.

1237. Dream Weaver Wheat

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This seemed like a pretty solid wheat beer. There were the nice fruity esters that are missing from too many American Wheat Ales.

1238. Wachusett Nut Brown Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Wachusett Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

A pretty standard brown ale: roasty and malty.

1239. Black Toad Dark Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Black Toad Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.30%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This was a pretty robust brown ale with a good bit f roasted bitterness.

1240. Green Flash West Coast IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

This was a nice, hoppy IPA.

1241. Opa Opa Belgian White

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Opa Opa Steakhouse and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

I thought this was a pretty average witbier.

1235-1236. Two Beers on Shelter Island

2010-10-22T09:30:00.070-04:00

1235. Echt Veldensteiner Landbier

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kaiser Bräu GmbH & Co KG
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Landbier pours a clear brown-tinted amber, and is topped by a sudsy beige head. It has a rich, malty aroma. There are notes of chocolate, fruit, caramel, and bread. There's also a slight metallic note.

Upfront there are sweet bready notes as well as notes of toffee and chocolate. It mellows towards the finish, which is mild and and not bitter with a bit of a twang. It's medium-bodied and moderately carbonated.

Overall this beer is a bit too sweet.

1236. 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.55

This DIPA pours a crystal clear amber color, and is topped by a creamy off-white head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is woody with a a dose of citric hops, and a bready backbone.

There's a sweet, sugary, caramel backbone. That moves into a moderately bitter finish with grassy, citric, and woody notes. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and dry.

Overall this beer is too sweet and could use a bit more bitterness.

1234. Common Man Ale

2010-10-20T09:30:00.019-04:00

1234. Common Man Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Common Man Ale is an American Pale Ale brewed by Smuttynose for the Common Man restaurants in New Hampshire. It pours a hazed copper color, and has notes of caramel, and herbal and citric hops.

There are toasty malts with a mild sweetness upfront, and a nice strong citric and leafy hop bitterness in the finish. High carbonation gives this beer an effervescent feeling. Overall it's a nice hoppy APA.

1233. Shoals Pale Ale

2010-10-18T09:30:00.001-04:00

1233. Shoals Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This beer was part of a Smuttynose mixed twelve-pack that we picked up during our lab camping trip. It was a nice, hoppy APA.

1232. Jack's Cream Ale

2010-10-15T09:30:00.011-04:00

1232. Jack's Cream Ale

Jadyn and I had dinner at the CBC at some point in August.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Cream Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.7

This Cream Ale pours a cloudy straw-golden color. It's topped by a half-inch, bright white head. The aroma is sweet with notes of grainy malts, slight citrus, and that sweet maltiness that I can't place, but is characteristic of cream ales.

There's a grainy start to this beer that moves into a mildly citric center with accompanying banana sweetness. There's a creamy sweetness in the finish. I've never had a cream ale with such obvious fruity esters before. This beer is clean, crisp, and well carbonated.

Overall this beer was a bit sweet, but was tasty overall.

1231. Aces High

2010-10-13T09:30:00.017-04:00

1231. Aces High

Jadyn and I stopped at the CBC for beers one Friday evening in July.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian IPA

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

Overall: 4.15

Aces high pours a hazed amber color, and is topped by an off-white head that fades to a film, leaving sheets of lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, banana, peppery hops, and a bit of grassiness

It's initially sweet with caramel flavors, bready notes, and a mildly fruity center. The finish has a spicy, herbal, and grassy hop bitterness Aces High is medium-to-light-bodied, and has prickly carbonation.

I thought that this beer was briskly bitter with nice hop flavors.

1220-1230. A Weekend in New York

2010-10-11T09:30:00.218-04:00

Win bought tickets for a Mets game in early July, so I went down to NY to go to the game and see Win, Dave, and David. I got into town Friday afternoon, and we took the subway to Park Slope, and had dinner at a German restaurant whose name escapes me. I had two new beers there with dinner.

1220. Stiegl Pils

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.65

This beer pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a white head that fads to a ring, but is fed by streams of bubbles. The aroma is a bit richer than a lot of other Pilseners. It's grassy and has a bit more of a pronounced malt character that other examples of the style.

A mild, malty sweetness upfront moves into a dry, crisp finish with grassy hops, which leave a nice lingering bittereness. This beer is crisp, and clean with good carbonation.

I thought that this was a pretty tasty Pils.

1221. Hurricane Kitty

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Keegan Ales
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.9

This IPA pours a very lightly hazed amber. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that leaves good lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, slight roast, and chocolate, which is very odd for an IPA. The hops are mild and resiny with hints of citrus.

Caramel malts upfront move into a dry grassy, and citric hop finish. This beer is medium-modied with moderate carbonation.

Despite the interesting combination of aromas this was a nice, bitter IPA with good malts to back up the hops.

1222. Chimera

After dinner we went across the street to a great beer bar and small plates establishment called Beer Table, which had a phenomenal beer list, great snack plates, and a knowledgeable server.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

Chimera pours a cloudy red color, and it topped by a creamy, off-white head. It looks very nice. The aroma is mild with notes of cherry, and a mild acidity, which made it seem like it might be a milder Flanders Red.

It starts off malty and moves into a light, cherry fruitiness in the center. The finish has a pulpy fruit character, notes of chocolate, and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and dry.

This beer reminded my of a mild Flanders Red that was more balanced and less tart.

1223. Noblesse

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.45

This beer pours a hazy golden color. It's topped by a white head that quickly fades to a ring, and eventually disappears altogether. The aroma has typical esters thrown off by Belgian yeast: bananas and citrus. There's also a bit of graininess, and an odd, hard to place aroma.

Grassy malts move into a fruity, banana sweetness in the center. The finish has a grassy bitterness. This beer feels a bit watery.

The flavors here were good, but it lacked pep.

1224. Storm & Averij

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.0

This is Double IPA from a Dutch brewery... interesting. It pours a hazy caramel color, and is topped by a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with overripe banana, buttery notes, and some nuttiness. There's a strong peppery alcoholic whiff, and notes of resiny hops.

Sweet caramel and bready malts upfront move into a center that's sweetened by flavors of overripe fruit. The finish has peppery alcoholic heat, and a resiny, citric hop character, that imparts a moderate bitterness. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated with a smooth finish.

Though not quite an American DIPA this was definitely an enjoyable beer.

1225. Netebuk

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij 't Brouwkot
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.25

Netebuk pours a hazy golden color, and is topped by a half-inch, bright white head that fades to a film. This is a very attractive beer. The aromas are subdued, but there are notes of lemon, citrus, and grass.

Grassy notes upfront quickly give way to sweet fruity flavors of bright citrus. The finish is crisp with a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied with refreshing and vigorous carbonation.

I though this was a crisp and refreshing saison.

1226. Hof Ten Dormaal Blond

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 4.15

Hof Ten Dormaal's Blond pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a tall, white head that fades away very slowly. The aroma has a sourdough breadiness, notes of banana, and hay.

Upfront there's a clean but quite sweet maltiness that yields to a banana and citric fruitiness in the center, and moves into a yeasty finish with only hints of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.

Pretty aggressive for a saison, but quite tasty.

1227. Dolii Raptor

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Montegioco
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.35

My notes started to get shorter here. This beer pours a hazed red color. The head is thin, and is made up of large, thin bubbles. The aroma is acidic with notes of sour cherries, and woody notes.

There are flavors of cherries, dark fruit, and woody notes. The sourness is there, but as an undertone. The finish has a mild bitterness. This beer is dry and crisp with low carbonation.

Despite not being as sour as I normally like I thought that this beer was a good balance between a puckering Flanders Red and a milder beer.

1228. Wilco Tango Foxtrot

After leaving Beer Table we went to a bar called The Gate, where we had a couple more drinks.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.83%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Strong Ale

WTF pours a clear brown color, and is topped by an off-white head that is thick and fluffy. The aroma is a nice mix of citric hops and caramel and molasses malts.

This beer starts malty with a mix of roasted and caramel notes. It mellows towards the center before moving into a resiny, grassy hop bitterness. It's medum-bodied and moderately carbonated.

It's a bit strong, but makes a good sipper.

1229. Molls Mild

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This beer pours a clear, copper color, and is topped by a quickly fading beige head. The aroma has notes of grapefruit hops and mild malts.

It's sweet upfront, moving into a citric hop finish. It's sort of one-note. There are citric hops, but not a lot of malt baking, which for me makes the mild.

1230. Krušovice Cerne

We had this, among other beers at the Beer Garden in Queens after the game.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide

I thought that I'd had this one before, so I didn't take notes. I remember enjoying it, and that's about all I remember about it.

1219. Pemi Pale Ale

2010-10-08T09:30:00.015-04:00

1219. Pemi Pale Ale

Back in June Jadyn and I went car camping and hiking in New Hampshire. We stopped at the store in Lincoln, NH and picked up a six-pack of Pemi Pale Ale to drink at the campsite.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Woodstock Inn Brewery
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Since we didn't have glassware at the campsite I drank this one from the bottle. It was a pretty solid APA, with a nice bready malt backbone, and a good dose of resiny hops.

2010-09-27T09:30:00.042-04:00

1218. Sun King

I had this beer at the CBC shortly after the American Craft Beer Fest. It seems closest in style and spicing to a witbier. From the CBC website:

Continuing the recent run of Beatles-inspired CBC beers (Golden Slumbers Pils, Sgt. Pepper), we welcome you to enjoy our latest creation, released in time to celebrate the summer solstice. This beer aspires to capture the dreamlike sense of summertime warmth evoked by this magical track from the Side Two Medley of the Beatles masterpiece, Abbey Road, where it is perfectly sandwiched between “You Never Give Me Your Money” and “Mean Mr. Mustard.”

Sun King was brewed with pale malted barley, wheat, oats, and rye, all grains lending a crisp, clean, complex body and palate. Much like its musical namesake it enjoys a three part harmony of Belgian yeast character, a touch of coriander, and dried citrus peel. Our chosen combination of lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit peel offers complexity in the finish of this delicate beer without any one aspect dominating the overall composition. Light, dry, very effervescent, and moderate in alcohol content, this is one of our most favorite summer session beers yet.

Here comes the sun king
Everybody’s laughing
Everybody’s happy

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company

Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.3

Sun King pours a very nice, moderately cloudy, straw golden. It's topped by a thin white head that fades to a film leaving patches of lace. The aroma is grainy with notes of peppery spice, citrus, and powdery yeast.

This beer is very tasty. It is clean upfront with banana and citrus flavors in the center. The sweetness mellows in the finish and is met by notes of peppery spice and citrus. A mild grassy bitterness makes a brief appearance just after the swallow. This beer is light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a crisp, mildly dry finish.

I thought that this was a mild but flavorful beer. There's a bright citric character that makes this a very refreshing summer beer.

1188-1217. The American Craft Beer Fest

2010-09-01T09:30:00.006-04:00

This is a long-overdue post from the American Craft Beer Fest back in June. Given the delays in posting that Beer Fest posts cause, I've abridged this post. In the future I'll probably talk a bit more about the fests, but for now I've just listed the beers I had, and highlighted the ones that I really liked. Hopefully in the future this will prevent the backlog of blogging that occurs after beer fests.

The American Craft Beer Fest is Beer Advocate's large format beer fest centered around American Craft beer of all types. Jason and Todd do a great job of bringing in a large variety of brewers (with a local bias) and a great variety of beers, I much prefer their smaller beer fests at the Cyclorama.

I hate to sound judgmental - one of the reasons that beer fests are fun is drinking too much with friends - but I like the crowd that the ACBF attracts much less than BA's other fests. Ostensibly the purpose of all of BA's fests is to introduce people to craft beer, and you could make the argument that the ACBF, because of the crowd that it attracts, does that better than their other fests, but it's less fun as someone likes beer. I'd rather not have to deal with meat-head douchebags laughing and trying to read my beer notebook over my shoulder while I'm taking notes.

1188. Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - Brooklyn Brewery
A very tasty, crisp, and refreshing saison.

1189. Brooklyn Dark Matter - Brooklyn Brewery
1190. Field Mouse's Farewell - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

1191. Ommegang Zuur - Brewery Ommegang
A well done Flanders Oud Bruin. It had the right mix of tartness, woodiness, and earthiness. I had a few samples of this over the course of the evening.

1192. Rabid Duck - The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
1193. Karnival Kolsch- Stoudts Brewing Co.
1194. Sofie - Goose Island
1195. Farmer's Tan - Southern Tier Brewing Company
1196. GestAlt - The Tap / Haverhill Brewery
1197. Samuel Adams Belgian Style IPA - Boston Beer Company
1198. Atwater Vanilla Java Porter - Atwater Block Brewery
1199. S.O.S - Cody Brewing Company
1200. Midland's XX - Earth Bread + Brewery
1201. Apathy's Reward - Martha's Exchange
1202. Worcester's Bravest - Wormtown Brewing Co.
1203. Clementine - Clown Shoes
1204. Brooklyn Buzz Bomb Ale - Brooklyn Brewery
1205. 400 Pound Monkey - Left Hand Brewing Company

1206. The End of Reason- Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
This beer was a barrel aged, sour cherry concoction. It had a nice interplay of acidic sourness, woody earthiness, and chocolate maltiness. It was a delicious sour beer that had a bit more of a malt backbone than normal. I really enjoyed it.

1207. Cherry Woods - Cisco Brewers
Cisco is a another regional brewery that produces a solid lineup of beers that I don't pay enough attention to. Their Indie Pale Ale is a fantastic IPA that's become a must drink before I take any flight originating in Logan Terminal B. Since I try to have every sour beer available at any given beer fest I had to give this one a try. It was a very nice stab at a kriek, with a good mix of acidity and funkiness.

1208. Bailey's Blonde Ale - Cisco Brewers
1209. Penny Weiz Ale - Olde Burnside Brewing Co.
1210. Abbot 12 - Southampton Publick House
1211. M350 - Rapscallion
1212. Peak Organic IPA - Peak Organic Brewing Co.
1213. India Pale Ale - Kennebec River Brewery
1214. 668 The Neighbor Of The Beast - New England Brewing Co.
1215. Ragged Mountain Red Ale - Flying Goose Brewpub and Grill
1216. Rhode Island IPA - Trinity Brewhouse
1217. Improper Hopper - Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

1187. Cabin Fever Ale

2010-06-25T09:30:00.001-04:00

1187. Cabin Fever Ale

In late May, Jadyn and I went to a friend's birthday party at Barleycorn's in Natick. Barleycorn's is a Brew on Premises establishment, meaning that they supply the ingredients, equipment, and expertise, and you do the brewing. I only wish Matt and I had steam jacketed kettles to brew in. This beer was a Winter Warmer that was up for grabs in the common beer fridge at Barleycorn's.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.30%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

Cabin Fever pours a hazy copper color, and is topped by a fluffy, orange-tinted head. The aroma is malty and sweet with notes of caramel, fruit and spice.

Toasty and caramel malts upfront move into a slight spiciness in the finish, and and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, and mildly carbonated,

1186. Fluffy White Rabbits

2010-06-23T09:30:00.002-04:00

1186. Fluffy White Rabbits

Fluffy White Rabbits is a "Hoppy Triple" from Pretty Things. Jadyn and I split a bottle with friends over dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.9

This Tripel pours a cloudy, golden-tinged, straw color. It's topped by a sudsy, white, short-lived head that fades to a sudsy, patchy film. The aroma is that of a classic tripel. There are fruity notes of banana and citrus, subtler notes of yeast, and grassy hops. The hop aromas are well within the range of a standard tripel.

There's a mildly sweet grainy maltiness upfront. Banana and citrus appear in the center. The finish has a bit of pepper, and a strong, grassy bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated, but it feels a bit thin, which is my only complaint.

Fluffy White Rabbits is a very refreshing beer, and it has a nice interplay between fruity yeast flavors and hops. My only complaint is that it feels a bit thin.

1185. Babayaga

2010-06-21T09:30:00.001-04:00

1185. Babayaga

Jadyn had picked this beer up for me awhile ago, but we finally got around to drinking it in May.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

Babayaga pours a deep black, and is topped by a thick, fluffy, creamy brown head that slowly fades to an eighth-inch thick layer. The aroma is reserved, but pleasant. Roasted malts come out on swirling, but on sitting the sweet notes of chocolate and fruit are most evident.

Sweet chocolate flavors upfront serve as a the backbone of this beer, lasting throughout, but are elaborated upon from start to finish. A mild fruitiness appears in the center, and the chocolate morphs into a roasted, dark chocolate flavor in the finish. This beer is full-bodied, smooth, creamy, and nicely carbonated.

I though that this was a very good stout, though perhaps slightly on the sweet side.

1184. Bad Knees

2010-06-18T09:30:00.001-04:00

1184. Bad Knees

At some point during early May Jadyn and I went to the CBC for some beers. They had a new Old Ale on tap so I gave it a try:

Boasting near barleywine strength, Bad Knees has been crafted of English Maris Otter and Golden Promise malts and Challenger and Fuggles hops. After fermentation it subsequently has spent several months in the CBC Barrel Cellar, biding its time in Buffalo Trace-cum-Utopias barrels. Very rich and malty with big caramel, toffee, and brown sugar notes. Considerable oak and spirit, underscored by raisins, fruity esters, grassy hops and a hint of coconut.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

Bad knees pour a cloudy brown, and is topped by a thick, brown head that fades to continuous film coating the side of the glass with lace. The aroma is very boozy with woody, and vanilla notes. There are sharp notes of fruit, and swirling brings out the malts: caramel, dark fruit, and molasses. Smells very nice.

There's a sweet malt backbone throughout that's reminiscent of a Belgian dubbel. Dark fruit predominates, with some caramel, and molasses. The finish has a bit of booziness, sharp fruit and a bit of warming alcohol. A little sweet overall. Bad Knees is medium to full-bodied, smooth, and moderately carbonated.

I though that this beer was decent. Overall it a little too sweet, though the alcohol was well hidden.

1182-1183. Six-Pack Swap

2010-06-16T09:30:00.001-04:00

Matt had been pushing the idea of a six=pack swap for awhile, so not long after Jadyn and I returned from Spain we gave it a go. Of the six beers I had, the two that Jadyn and I brought were new to me.

1182. Honker's Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Bottle 12 oz.
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall:3.75

Honker's Ale pours a hazy copper color, and is topped by an off-white head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is toasty and bready with notes of caramel, and mild, piney hops.

This beer is toasty and bready upfront with a lightly sweet caramel that builds towards the center. The malts continue on to the finish where they're met by mildly bitter, piney hops. This bitter is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, and a mild husky quality.

True to what an English Bitter should be, this beer is balanced and would make a great session beer.

1183. Goose Island India Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.9

Goose Island IPA pours a clear, golden-copper color, and is topped by a light, fluffy, off-white head that fades slowly, leaving good lace. The aroma is nice and hoppy. There are notes of pine, resiny hops, and a light, sugary maltiness.

Toasty malts upfront build into a raw sugary sweetness towards the finish. The finish itself has a piney, resiny hop bitterness. This IPA is light-bodied, and moderatley carbonated, though it could be a bit bulkier.

As and English IPA it does the trick, though I tend to prefer the hoppier American varieties, but I can't criticize them for doing what they set out to do.

1181. Brawler Pugilist Style Ale

2010-06-14T09:30:00.001-04:00

1181. Brawler Pugilist Style Ale

After flying back from Spain, Jadyn and I had a scheduled layover in Philadelphia of over five hours, that was made longer by a two hour delay. We occupied ourselves by having a few beers at a couple different places in the airport. At the first bar I stuck to Hop Devil, but decided to try something new at the second. After a week of beer in Spain, American beer in the Philadelphia airport was a breath of fresh air. Actual hops, and actual flavor!

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Yard's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Dark Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.0

Brawler pours a clear, reddish brown, and is topped by an off-white head that fades to a film. The aroma was nice and malty. There were notes of toffee, caramel, and dark fruit. The aroma is very inviting.

There's a moderately sweet malt backbone throughout this beer. Caramel upfront quickly moves into notes of toffee and dark fruit in the center. The finish is mildly hoppy. Despite the mildly bitter finish, this beer sees very balanced. This mild is medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated with a mild dryness in the finish.

I really liked this beer. It's sweet, but seems to magically pull balance from somewhere.

1179-1180. Dos Cervezas en Madrid

2010-05-28T09:30:00.003-04:00

1179. Mahou Clasica

Back in Madrid, Jadyn and I had dinner and beer at Antigua Hueveria.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mahou SA
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager

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

Overall: 2.65

Mahou Clasica pours a clear, darkish golden, and is topped by a creamy, bright white head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is light, with grassy, slight peppery hops, and sweet notes.

Upfront this beer is mildly sweet, with a neutral graininess throughout. The finish only has a mild, mild hint of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, mildly carbonated and thin.

Mahou Clasica is pretty bland, there's not much flavor at all, and it feels watery.

1180. Cruzcampo Lager

Later, after wandering around Madrid, Jadyn and I ended up on Calle de Las Huertas, and had tapas at a place called Milano, which seemed to be staffed by a single, slow waitress.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Grupo Cruzcampo SA
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager

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

Overall: 2.95

Cruzcampo pours a clear golden color, and is topped by a white head that eventually fades to a film leaving good lace. The aroma is pretty plain: lager sweetness, graininess, and grassy and peppery hops.

This beer starts out with the standard grainy/sweet lager taste, and then moves into a mildy bitter finish that has a small dose of grassy hops. This beer is light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and crisp.

Overall this was better than some of the other lagers we had, but it was still pretty generic.

1177-1178. Two Beers in Barcelona

2010-05-26T09:30:00.006-04:00

We took the AVE train to Barcelona on April 20th. We had some tapas and Estrellas that day, and we had two new beers for me on April 21st.

1177. San Miguel Especial

Jadyn and I stopped for tapas and beer at La Taberna del Cobre in the La Ribera section of Barcelona. We had a couple of San Miguels on tap.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Fabricas De Cervaza Y Maltas
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager

San Miguel poured a clear golden, and was topped by a white head that faded to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma was mild with some grainy and grassy notes, and a mild sweetness in the aroma.

A neutral graininess upfront moves into a mildly sweet center. The finish is grassy with only a slight bitterness. San Miguel is light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and feels a bit thin.

This was a pretty standard Euro Pale Lager.

1178. Verboden Vrucht

After Tapas at La Taberna del Cobre Jadyn and I set out to find Churros con Chocolate, which resulted in quite a bit of wandering about. We ended up having them at Opera Suprema de Barcelona on Las Ramblas. They had a variety of beers available, so I decided to have a Belgian beer that's widely available, but that I've somehow never had.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.65

This beer pours a cloudy, reddish brown, and is topped by a fluffy, beige head that had small flecks in it, and left decent lace. The aroma is quite varied. There are notes of cherry, dark fruit, caramel, and slight notes of medicinal phenols.

This beer is well attenuated upfront, but quickly moves into a sweet center with notes of cherry and dark fruit. The finish was slightly medicinal. This beer is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and slightly dry in the finish.

Overall this beer was decent, a bit sweet overall.

1175-1176. Two Beers in Madrid

2010-05-24T09:30:00.005-04:00

Despite the best efforts of Eyjafjallajokul Jadyn and I managed to fly from Philly to Madrid on April 18th. We arrived in Madrid early on the 19th, and spent the day seeing the city, and fighting off sleep to try to lessen the effects of jetlag. Our first day we quickly discovered that, as anticipated, Spain is not a beer country.

1175. Estrella Damm

We had dinner at La Gloria de Montera, which was pretty good, although my Fideua (paella with noodles rather than rice) was only so-so. The only beer that they had was Estrella Damm, which would be the first of many mediocre lagers that I had over the course of the trip. Unfortunately we forgot to bring the camera out after dropping off our bags at the hotel.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Damm S.A.
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Pale Lager

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

Overall: 3.1

Estrella Damm pours a straw golden color, and is topped by a decent, fluffy, bright white head that fades slowly. The aroma is clean and mild though there are notes of adjunct "maltiness", and faint, grassy hop notes.

There's a clean, neutral maltiness upfront that moves into a slight sweetness in the center. Thankfully there's a bit of hop presence in the finish which really do wonders to make this palatable. The hops are slightly spicy with mild bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, with prickly carbonation, and a crispness that keep it from being watery.

This beer was crisp and had some hop presence, and it was probably the best Spanish beer that we had on the trip, though Jadyn liked Mahou best.

1176. Legado de Yuste

After dinner we decided to walk around the area of Madrid where we were staying for a bit. We ended up walking past a bar called Beer Station, which advertised a large beer selection, and seemed to be geared towards tourists to me. We dropped in hoping to get to try some less common Spanish beer. The selection here was pretty bad, while being much better than any other bar we went to in Spain. Most of the beer available was mass-market European beer that was also available in the US. We each ended up getting a Legado de Yuste (Legacy of Yuste), which was an alleged Belgian-style abbey ale.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Grupo Cruzcampo SA
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 2.5 | Smell: 1.5 | Taste: 2.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.0

Overall: 2.45

Legado de Yuste pours a clear, golden copper in color, and is topped by an off-white head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is very, very mild. I had to really try to pick anything out. There was only a very mild fruitiness present in the aroma, which was joined by a hint of sweet maltiness when the beer was swirled. I really don't know how a beer can have such a mild aroma.

The taste was clean overall with nothing objectionable, but the lack of flavor. A neutral graininess upfront moved into a mild banana fruitiness in the center. The finish had a bit of chalky yeast, pepper, and dry hops. This beer was medium-bodied, and highly carbonated.

Overall this beer was pretty bland, but fortunately that was really its most objectionable quality.

1174. Black Ryder

2010-05-21T09:30:00.001-04:00

1174. Black Ryder

The weekend after I got back from by trip to Colorado and Las Vegas Jadyn and I went to the CBC for drinks. They had a new beer on tap that I had to try. Black Ryder is a "rye malt, double India Black Ale".

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.15

Black Ryder pours a dark black with ruby tints, and is topped by a creamy, brown head, which fades leaving nice lace. The aroma has notes of strong resiny, herbal hops, noted of dark fruit, and a slight spice. The fruity notes really make the aroma.

Toasty malts upfront move into a caramel sweetness, and grape-like fruitiness in the center where spicy rye malts appear. This sweetness is balanced by a strong, resiny hop bitterness in the finish. This beer is medium-bodied with prickly carbonation.

The hops, and roasty malts make this a pretty bitter beer, but the other flavors make this a far more interesting beer than just another DIPA.

1171-1173. Three From Dillon Dam Brewery

2010-05-19T09:30:00.007-04:00

Matt Jeremy and I skiied at Keystone on Thursday, at Vail on Friday, and at Copper on Saturday. We spent most of our time at Vail and Copper skiing trees and bumps, and by the end of the day at Copper Jeremy and I had gotten the hang of bumps, and were skiing them pretty well. It's going to be hard to go back to skiing in the Northeast. After our day at Copper we went to Dillon Dam Brewery for our après-ski.

1771. Extra Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dillon Dam Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.7

Extra Pale Ale pours a clear copper, and is topped by a sudsy, beige head that fades to film, leaving good lace. The aroma is dominated by piney, and citric hops, but has a base of mild, toasty malts.

This is a pretty standard APA flavor-wise. Toasty malts upfront move through to a slightly sweeter, bready finish, where leafy and grassy hops provide a firm bitterness for balance. This beer was light-bodied, crisp, and had a nice, prickly carbonation to it.

I thought that this beer was very refreshing, and was a great after ski beer.

1172. Pallavacini Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dillon Dam Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.75

This Porter pours a ruby-tinted, dark brown, and is topped by a thin, brown head that retains well. The aroma had a nice dose of roasty malts. There were nice chocolate notes, as well a dark roasted malts.

A rich, chocolate sweetness upfront, moves through to a slightly fruity, astringent center, with a mellow finish that has a bit of roasted bitterness, but not as much as I'd like to see. Pallavicini Porter is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a rough roasty character.

Overall this beer is a bit sweet, but was overall pretty good.

1173. Sweet George's Brown

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dillon Dam Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5

Overall: 3.95

Sweet George's Brown pours a lightly hazy, reddish brown, and is topped by a light beige film of a head. The aroma is bready, and has a light fruitiness, and hints of roast. This smells like a very nice English Brown Ale.

There's a bready sweetness upfront that moves into a fruitiness in the center, that's balanced by a roasty, hoppy bitterness in the finish. This English Brown Ale is medium-bodied, highly carbonated, and has a bit of a coarseness that I associate with roasted malts.

I really liked this beer, it had a nice malt profile that was the focus of the beer, but it was nicely balanced by judicious use of roasted malts and hops.

1169-1170. Two in Colorado

2010-05-17T09:30:00.001-04:00

Jeremy, Matt and I bought a few six-packs to drink while we were at Matt's family's place in Colorado. The two that were new to me were Levity from Odell and Flying Dog's Doggie Style Pale Ale. I only drank them out of the bottle, so no reviews here.

1169. Odell Levity Amber Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This beer was considerably maltier than Odell's 90 Shilling, which was also an Amber Ale. It was tasty and had some nice sweet malt flavors, but wasn't as balanced as 90 Shilling. Overall it was decent.

1170. Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Flying Dog
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This was a decent, straight-ahead pale ale. The malts were bready and toasty and were balanced by a bit of hops.

1168. Odell 90 Shilling Ale

2010-05-14T09:30:00.002-04:00

1168. Odell 90 Shilling Ale

Jeremy, Matt, and I spent our first day in Colorado skiing at Keystone. We skiied a mix of groomed runs, bump runs, and tree runs. Matt was much better than either of us, but Jeremy and I were pretty evenly matched.

We stopped for an après-ski of chili and a couple beers in River Run Village. They had Odell 90 Shilling on tap, and since it's brewed in Colorado I gave it a try.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.1

90 Shilling pours a clear red, and is topped by a foamy, beige head that retains well, and is fed by a steady stream of bubbles. It looks very appealing. The aroma has rich, caramel and malty notes. Along with hints of mild fruitiness, and grassy, hay-like hops.

This beer is on the malty side, but comes out very balance. The malts upfront are toasty and bready. Sweeter notes of caramel appear in the center, and there's a moderate, grassy bitterness in the finish. This beer is medium -bodied with high carbonation, and a slight roughness.

I thought that this beer was very tasty. It had nice malty flavors and enough hops to back them up without overpowering them. It tasted great after a day of skiing.

1167. Back Bay IPA

2010-05-07T09:30:00.004-04:00

1167. Back Bay IPA

Jeremy, Matt, and I went to Colorado and Las Vegas in early April. We had beers and some nachos at the Beer Works in Logan Airport while we were waiting for our flight.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Beer Works
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.55

This IPA pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a white head that fades to film leaving good lace. The aroma has notes of raw sugar, and toasty malts. There's also a good amount of herbal, resiny hops.

Sweet, toasty, and bready malts upfront move into a citric center with notes of raw sugar and then into an herbal, piney, hop bitterness. This beer is smooth and medium-bodied with moderate carbonation

I though this beer was pretty well balanced, and overall was a decent IPA.

1166. Orchard White

2010-05-05T09:30:00.004-04:00

1166. Orchard White

Jadyn bought this beer while I was away and we had it on my first night back in Boston (March 31st).

Beer Stats:
Brewery:The Bruery
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Bottle, 750, mL
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

I didn't take notes on this beer, but I remember it being a pleasant Witbier. It certainly looked nice.

1165. Saison - Brett

2010-05-03T09:30:00.002-04:00

1165. Saison - Brett

This was another beer that I picked up at Spec's. Win and I split it on Tuesday night.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.9

This Saison pours a cloudy straw-golden, and is topped by an enormous, vigorous, fluffy, off-white head, which fades leaving copious lace. The aroma has notes of bananas, pepper, and Brettanomyces.

A clean, neutral graininess upfront moves into a sweet center with notes of banana and citrus. The finish is pretty sweet, but is cut by a mild bitterness, and earthy Brett flavors. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.

I like Saisons with a touch of wild character, but this one was a tad too sweet.

1164. Lips Of Faith Biere De Mars

2010-04-30T09:30:00.003-04:00

1164. Lips Of Faith Biere De Mars

This was another beer that I picked up at Spec's, but I didn't have a chance to drink it until Tuesday at my parent's house.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American Wild Ale

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

Overall: 4.35

New Belgium's Biere de Mars pours a cloudy, peach color, and is topped by a thick, off-white head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is dominated by Brettanomyces. There's the characteristic "hopsack" aroma along with banana, citrus, and toasty malts. Swirling brings out spicy alcoholic aromas.

The first sip suggests that this is a well attenuated beer. There are toasty and bready malts, but they're only mildly sweet. However, towards the center the sweetness comes out a bit with notes of banana and orange peel. The malts are balanced in the finish by a moderate bitterness, and an earthy Brett contribution. This beer is light-to-medium-bodied, and has a moderate amount of carbonation.

I really liked this beer a lot. It's balanced, and has a nice Brett flavor.

1163. Shiner 100 Commemorator

2010-04-28T09:30:00.002-04:00

1163. Shiner 100 Commemorator

My mom and grandmother picked me up from the DFW airport on March 24th. We stopped for dinner at Taco Real, an excellent hole in the wall Mexican restaurant, in Ennis and then stopped at a gas station before getting back on the highway. I noticed bottles of Duvel, La Fin du Monde, and Chimay Blue in the cooler so I investigated further. There was a "Texas Beers" shelf, and they still had at least three six-packs of Shiner 100, so I picked one up.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 6.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.65

Shiner 100 pours a slightly hazed, amber color, and is topped by a thick, orange-brown head that rapidly fades with a soda-like sound to a thin ring. The aroma is rich and malty. There are notes of caramel, toffee, and sharp fruitiness.

Mildly sweet, bready malts upfront move into a richer center with notes of fruit, caramel, and toffee. The finish is mildly bitter with a slight astringency. This beer is medium-bodied, and has prickly carbonation.

I thought that this beer was pretty drinkable for the style. The malts could have been a bit stronger and the finish could have been beefed-up a bit, but pretty decent overall.

1157-1162. Beers in Houston

2010-04-26T09:30:00.010-04:00

I flew to Texas in late March, and Win and I visited Ward in Houston on the weekend of the 26th. I had several new beers while there

1157. Phoenixx Double ESB

After we arrived at Ward's we went to Anvil, a bar that focuses on cocktails, but with a respectable beer list. I started off with a cask beer, but then switched to cocktails.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.20%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.25

This ESB pours a lightly hazed, copper-amber color, and is topped by a thick, creamy, beige head. The aroma is citric and malty, which gives an impression of orange cream. There are caramel and bready notes, grassy hops, and an almost cinnamon-like spice.

Mildly sweet, bready and toasty malts upfront move into a lightly-citric center. The finish has a rough, hoppy bitterness and a slight spiciness. This beer is smooth and creamy upfront, but moves into a rough, coarse finish.

I thought that this was an amazingly balanced beer.

1158. Hop Czar

I split a bottle of this beer with Ward at his apartment after we got back on Friday night.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: BridgePort Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Hop Czar pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a wispy, white head. The aroma is disappointingly mild for a Double IPA. It's toasty with mild, citric, and resiny hop notes.

Toasty malts upfront move into citric and resiny hop flavors and bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied, and moderately-carbonated.

This beer is decently hoppy, but it pretty mild for a DIPA.

1159. Modus Hoperandi

Ward had a birthday party for a friend at his apartment on Saturday. I'd picked up a six-pack of Modus Hoperandi at Spec's earlier in the day, and had this while I was grilling.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ska Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Can., 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

I didn't take notes on this beer, but it was a pleasing, straightforward IPA. I'd definitely try it again.

1160. Shiner Kosmos Reserve

I had a few ounces of Ward's bottle of this beer later in the evening on Saturday.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Kosmos Reserve pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a thin, white head. The aroma is pils-like: mildly sweet malts, grainy, and grassy hops.

Sweet bready and grainy malts upfront move through to a subtle, earthy hop flavor in the finish with a mild bitterness. It's crisp and medium-bodied.

I thought this beer was pretty good, but as with most lagers, I thought it could use a touch more hops.

1161. Transatlantique Kriek

At Spec's they had several of New Belgium's Lips of Faith series so I bought a bottle of each. We split this bottle at the end of the Party on Saturday night.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.30%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.75

Transatlantique Kriek pours a clear, ruby-red color with copper tints. It's topped by a thick, pink head that fades to a fluffy, sudsy film, leaving patchy lace. The aroma is mild with notes of cherries, buttery diacetyl, and mild funkiness.

Sweet cherry flavors greet the palate, but are quickly tempered by an acidic sourness that's strong enough to cut the sweetness, but isn't mouth puckering. The finish has a mildly earthy, funkiness. This beer is medium-to-light-bodied, has low carbonation, and a dry finish.

A decent sour. It's blended, so the sourness is attenuated, but it could be stronger.

1162. Le Fleur Misseur

This was purchased at Spec's. We split this beer on Sunday afternoon.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.3

Le Fleur Misseur pours a cloudy, straw-golden color, and is topped by a very nice, bright white head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is mildly malty with notes of grainy and sweet malts. There's a fruity citrus kick that mingles with banana notes. To top it off there's a mild note of Brettanomyces. Overall this smells like an inviting beer.

A neytral graininess upfront gives way to fruity notes of banana and citrus in the center. The finish is dry, mildly bitter, and Brett-tinged. This beer is light-bodied, dry and has a good dose of carbonation.

I thought that this was an excellent beer. The wild yeasts really add to the style.

1156. Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock

2010-04-23T09:30:00.000-04:00

1156. Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock

On Saturday March 20th David, Win, Bennett, Jadyn and I spent the evening at our place. We picked up a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Glissade.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.40%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.55

Glissade pours a mildly hazy golden, and is topped by a thick, fluffy, egg-shell colored head. The aroma is mild with hints of malt and grassy hops.

Clean, grainy and bready malts upfront give way to a sweetness through the center, and a mild grassy bitterness in the finish. This beer is light-bodied and moderately carbonated.

Pretty straightforward overall. It didn't blow me away

1152-1155. Bukowski's and Cambridge Common

2010-04-21T09:30:00.007-04:00

After dinner at Lord Hobo we went to Bukowski's and then to Cambridge Common for more drinks.

1152. McNeill's Pullman's Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: McNeill's Brewery
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.55

This porter pours a cloudy brown, and is topped by a fluffy, brown head. The aroma is mild overall. There are roasty notes of coffee and chocolate, as well as notes of herbal hops. What's there is nice, but it could be stronger.

A mild chocolate sweetness first greets the palate, followed by notes of dark fruit. The beer then moves into an herbal, hoppy finish with a good amount of bitterness. This porter is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.

1153. Narragansett Lager

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Narragansett Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Can
Style: American Adjunct Lager, BJCP Style Guide

I've seen Narragansett around in cans for awhile, but I've never actually given it a try. It pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a fluffy, white head that clings to the glass. It has a clean, malty aroma with some grassy and caramel hints to it.

This beer is mild, grassy, and slightly sweet upfront, and has a grassy finish with only a slight bitterenss. This beer is clean and crisp.

IT was a decent beer, but it could use a little bit more bitterness.

1154. Gordon Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery
Alcohol: 8.70%
Serving: Can
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Gordon pours a clear, amber color, and is topped by an off-white head that leaves very nice lace. The aroma is has strong notes of resiny hops, as well as bready and toasty malt aromas.

Bready and caramel malts upfront move into a center with a slight fruitiness. The finish has a strong citric and resiny hop bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a hint of oiliness from the hops.

This is really an intensely hoppy beer, but I felt like something was missing.

1155. Quinn's Amber Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Wachusett Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Quinn's Amber pours a clear amber color, and is topped by a shinny, off-white head. The aroma is malty with toasty, bready, and caramel notes.

A bready sweetness upfront continues through to the center, and is only cut my a mild leafy bitterness in the finish.

1149-1151. Lord Hobo

2010-04-19T09:30:00.005-04:00

I defended my thesis on Monday March 15th. Both Win and David flew into Boston for a surprise celebration on the following Friday. Win, David, Jadyn and I went to Lord Hobo for dinner and drinks, and were joined by Bennett and Hana.

1149. Hesjeøl

Beer Stats:
Brewery: HaandBryggeriet
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

This beer pours a hazy, amber color, and is topped by a beige ring of a head. The aroma is fruity and malty with notes of banana, caramel, and toffee. There are also notes of grassy hops and smoke.

This beer opens up with sweet, malty notes of molasses and toffee over grassy undertones. Some spiciness appears in the center along with a dry smokiness that builds towards the finish. This beer is full-bodied, moderately carbonated, and had a grassy dryness in the finish.

I liked this beer quite a bit. Normally smoked beers are heavy handed with the smokiness, but the smoke in this one wasn't overpowering at all.

1150. Spezial Rauchbier Lager

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Spezial
Alcohol: 4.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.8

This Rauchbier pours a clear, amber-tinged, copper color. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that fades to a film, leaving a good amount of lace. The aroma is clean and crisp. There are notes of caramel and light fruit, as well as a hint of smoke.

The beer is clean and mild upfront. A mild, bready sweetness mellows into a grassy textured finish with a mild smokiness. This beer is light-bodied, crisp, and has moderate carbonation.

This was another nice smoked beer. The smoke was very subtle and really served to enhance the beer's flavors without overpowering them.

1151. Route Des Épices

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Rye Beer, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.75

This beer pours a hazed, red color, and is topped by a beige head that fades to a ring. The aroma is malty with notes of chocolate and caramel. There's a mild spiciness: pepper and an almost cinnamon character, and some herbal hops.

A chocolate, malty sweetness is first evident, which mellows and thins to a grassy and herbal hop finish with a strong peppery bite. This beer is full-bodied, and strongly carbonated with a hot finish.

This was a very tasty beer, but it's a bit spicy.

1148. UFO White

2010-04-16T09:30:00.002-04:00

1148. UFO White

I went to a labmate's birthday party on March 13th. I had a couple of these at the party.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

I didn't pay a lot of attention to this beer. It seems to be Harpoon's attempt to make a successful witbier like Blue Moon, and to cash in in that vein. It was a decent wit. It had nice spices, but was overall pretty average.

1147. Red Barn Espresso Stout

2010-04-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

1147. Red Barn Espresso Stout

Jadyn and I went to dinner at the CBC on February 27th. This was a new offering so I gladly ordered a glass.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

This stout pours an opaque black color. The head is thin, but sticks around as a beige ring. The aroma has strong notes of coffee, roasty malts, chocolate, and mild acidic hints.

A smooth and mild malt sweetness appears upfront hinting at chocolate, and persists throughout. The roasty flavors build towards the center and finish in a coffee bitterness that's slightly cut by sweetness. The oatmeal gives this stout a smooth mouthfeel that's medium-bodied and creamy.

There's a pretty strong, acidic coffee component to this beer, which knocks down the drinkability a hair.

1136-1146. The Extreme Beer Fest: Part III

2010-04-12T09:30:00.005-04:00

1136. Sinner's Blend 2009

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an almost opaque brown color. The head is a sudsy ring. The aroma is reminiscent of a stout: notes of chocolate and roasted malts. There are also acidic notes in the aroma. The palate is much the same acidic and roasted notes.

1137. Mephistopheles' Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 16.80%
Style: American Double Stout

Pours a dark black color, and is topped by a brown head. The aroma is predominantly roasty malts. Sweet chocolate notes upfront give way to a roasty finish.

1138. Solid Gold Extra Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.60%
Style: English Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden color. The aroma is hoppy and resiny. There's a mild fruitiness upfront, and a strong resiny and citric hop finish.

1139. Schlafly Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine: Blended

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Louis Brewery
Year: 2008
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

This was perhaps my favorite experience of the EBF, though I unfortunately arrive later on in the fest, and was pretty drunk by this time. Schlafly brought their 2008 Oak Aged Barleywine, but they also brought samples of the beers that went into blending of this beer. There were samples of the barleywine from heavily toasted , medium+ toasted, medium toasted, and untoasted barrels. I started with the blended and went from heavily toasted to untoasted afterwards.

The blended barleywine pours a hazy amber color, and is topped by a beige head. The aroma is boozy and malty. There are notes of caramel, molasses, and booze on the palate. A very solid barleywine.

1140. Schlafly Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine: Heavy Toast

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Louis Brewery
Year: 2008
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

The heavy toast version was considerably darker. It has more attenuated malts, and increaded boozy aromas and flavors.

1141. Schlafly Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine: Medium+ Toast

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Louis Brewery
Year: 2008
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

The medium+ toast barley wine is somewhat lighter, but surprisingly has a very mild aroma. There are light notes of alcohol, and a bit of a bozziness that's reminiscent of dill somehow. The malts are more of s standout in this version, and the boozy notes are somewhat fainter.

1142. Schlafly Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine: Medium Toast

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Louis Brewery
Year: 2008
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

This was by far my favorite of the five. The malts are at the forefront and really pop. There are slightly boozy notes with hints of caramel and molasses. There are also fruity, almost cherry-like flavors.

1143. Schlafly Reserve Oak Aged Barleywine: Untoasted

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Louis Brewery
Year: 2008
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

The untoasted barleywine had a mild aroma with slightly boozy notes and very little malt. The predominant flavors were malts and a mild fruitiness.

1144. DuganA IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

This IPA pours a hazy copper color, and is topped by a sudsy head. The aroma is citric and hoppy, and the palate is more of the same.

1145. Wisp of Smoke

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 5.20%
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide

This is a Czech pilsner brewed with German smoked malt. Pours a clear golden color. The aroma is slightly smokey, and it tastes like what it is, a smoked pilsener.

1146. Sierra Nevada Hellraiser

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.80%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide

This RIS is brewed with cocoa and chili peppers. This beer pours a deep black with a brown head. The aroma is predominantly chocolate and coffee. Over this roasty background are notes of spice, and an intense hoppy bitterness.

1125-1135. The Extreme Beer Fest: Part II

2010-04-09T09:30:00.008-04:00

1125. Peter Piper

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Wormtown Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a hazy, beige color. It's topped by a fluffy, white head. There's a strong peppery spice in the aroma. A grainy malt backbone is offset by a light sourness, and a moderate peppery spice in the finish.

1126. Idiot's Drool

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Wild Ale

This is Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot aged on American Oak for three years, and refermented with Brett. Pours a hazy brown with no head. The aroma is woody and boozy. Sweet malts upfront give way to woody, nutty flavors in the center, and an acidic finish.

1127. Wrath of Pecan!

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

"A collaboration between the Alström brothers, Sam Calagione and Bryan Selders, brewed for EBF and named by the BeerAdvocate community. It's a brownish ale brewed w/ malt smoked over pecan wood and fermented w/ plantains and carob." Pours a clear amber color. The aroma is smoky and nutty with clear indications of pecan. Sweet malts upfront give way to notes of sugar, pecans, and smoke.

1128. Re Ale Extra

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birra Del Borgo
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a cloudy beige color, and is topped by a sudsy head. The aroma is hoppy with a grainy whiff. Sweet and sugary malts upfront move into a medicinal center, and a strong hoppy finish.

1129. Lambdick Framboozin

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, reddish-orange color, and is topped by a sudsy head. The aroma has notes of raspberry, and slight funk. There's an intense lambic-like sourness that greets the palate, followed by a mellow raspberry sweetness in the finish. I really liked this one.

1130. LeBleu

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Style: American Wild Ale

This is Ithaca's blueberry sour ale. Pours a light pink, and is topped by a sudsy head. The aroma is earthy and funky with hints of peppery blueberries. An acidic sourness greets the palate followed by a a blueberry fruitiness in the center, and a funky and woody finish.

1131. Cherry Bomb

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Beer Works
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a hazy pink, and is topped by a sudsy pink head. The aroma is funky and earthy with acidic cherry notes. The flavors are mild overall with notes of cherry, medicinal phenols, and a light sourness.

1132. Corkubita's Gourdgeous Troika Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Watch City Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.20%
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide

"Brewed with three types of gourds: blue hubbard, buttercup and butternut." This beer is brown with a foamy head. The aroma is spicy: pepper, and capsicum. Sweet notes from the squash upfront give way to black pepper, and capsicum.

1133. Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a very light golden color, and is topped by a white head. The aroma has notes of citric and resiny hops. The palate has notes of raw sugar, mild spice, and resiny hops.

1134. Melange No. Sechs

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: American Strong Ale

This beer is brewed with beets, cocoa nibs, and rose petals. Pours a hazy, reddish-amber color, and is topped by a beige head. The aroma has notes of rose, chocolate and Belgian yeast. A chocolate sweetness upfront moves into a banana fruitiness with other Belgian yeast characteristics.

1135. Coney Island Human Blockhead

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Amber/Red Lager

Pours a dark, amber color with no head. There are mild caramel notes in the aroma. Caramel and other dark malts move into a slightly bitter finish.

1114-1124. The Extreme Beer Fest: Part I

2010-04-07T09:30:00.006-04:00

Another February, another Extreme Beer Fest. Jadyn and I went to the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest with some friends. All in all it was a good fest. The format hadn't changed much since last year, and as usual there were excellent breweries from around the country.

1114. Pliny the Younger

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pliny the Younger pours a hazed copper color with a frothy head. The aroma is intensely hoppy. There are piney, citric., and apricot aromas. A mild malty sweetness upfront moves into a strong hop bitterness with nice citric and grassy hop flavors. There's a strong lingering bitterness.

1115. Allagash Bourbon Black

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

This is Allagash's Black aged in bourbon barrels, I'm assuming the Beer Advocate entry is the one I had. It pours an opaque black with a brown head. The aroma has notes of roasted grains, chocolate, and bourbon. The flavors are much the same. Notes of sweet chocolate move into a bourbon infused center, and then into a roasty finish.

1116. Rum Barrel Aged Black Tot

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double Stout

This is Avery's Black Tot aged in Gossling's "old rum" barrels. It pours a dark black, and has a sudsy brown ring for a head. The aroma is mild with hints of oatmeal and booze. Sweet notes upfront give way to a roasty, rum-infused finish.

1117. Baladin Nora Sour Edition 2005

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Le Baladin
Year: 2005
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide

This beer pours a cloudy, wheat color. It's topped by a fluffy head. The aroma is acidic with slightly earthy hints. There's a graininess upfront that's cut by an emerging sweetness in the center. A mild sourness comes through towards the finish.

1118. Baladin Xyauyù Fume 2006

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Le Baladin
Year: 2006
Alcohol: 14.50%
Style: English Barley Wine, BJCP Style Guide

This beer is brewed with lapsang souchong tea leaves and is oxidized through the use of a membrane and oxygen hat. It pours a reddish-amber color, and is completely devoid of a head. The aroma is earthy and slightly boozy as in a sherry or port. The beer tastes very sweet with a smoky finish. There's a lot going on in this beer, which isn't done justice by a two ounce pour.

1119. Rubus Lamboni

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birra Del Borgo
Alcohol: 5.10%
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a reddish amber with a ring of bubbles. There's an earthy, raspberry aroma. A pleasing carbonation greets the tongue, followed by a mildly grassy maltiness. The raspberries appear in the center where they contribute both sweet and tart flavors.

1120. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1994)

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Year: 1994
Alcohol: 9.60%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

I was excited to give this beer a try, as it's not often that one gets to try a 16 year old beer. It pours an amber color with a sudsy head. The aroma is malty with mild notes of resiny hops. Malty flavors of caramel, and raw sugar are noticeable upfront, but give way to a mild resiny hop bitterness. Surprisingly, I haven't had Bigfoot before, but I can only imagine the hops are much milder than when fresh. I think the hops have mellowed out a little too much leaving the malts to really come through in an unbalanced way.

1121. Berkshire Stuck Mash Wheat Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This beer was brewed with 100% wheat malts. Pours a cloudy golden color, and is topped by a foamy white head. There are light hops in the aroma with notes of citrus, and grainy malts. There's a grainy, slightly sweet, wheat flavor upfront that moves into a citric center, and a mild hop bitterness.

1122. Xtreme Blend 2010

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Year: 2010
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a dark brown with a sudsy ring for a head. The aroma is woody and acidic with an earthy funkiness on swirling. There's an earthy woody character throughout the beer an acidic sourness that's good, but not too puckering.

1123. Supplication

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American Wild Ale

Pours a clear amber color, and is topped by a thin, white film. The aroma is earthy and funky with acidic notes and tannic fruit skins. A brief glimmer of sweet fruitiness upfront moves into an acidic center with a dry, tannic finish.

1124. Triskelion Barleywine

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Year: 2007
Alcohol: 10.30%
Style: English Barley Wine, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy, amber-copper color, and has no head. The aroma is intensely malty with notes of caramel and toffee. Sweet caramel malts upfront move through to a mildly hoppy finish. I thought that this beer felt too thin.

1113. Rapscallion Premier

2010-03-03T09:30:00.003-05:00

1113. Rapscallion Premier

I went to the Muddy with some labmates on February 4th. They've expanded to six taps, so now there's a better chance of having new beers.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rapscallion
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

Rapscllion Premier pours a clear copper-amber. It's topped by a fluffy, off-white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity. There are notes of caramel, citrus, juicy fruit, a mild resinous hop character, and hints of graininess.

This beer is sweet overall. Toasty malts upfront move into bready and caramel malts with hints of citrus and fruit. The finish is mildly bitter with a grassy hop flavor. This beer is light bodied with prickly carbonation.

This is a nice easy drinking beer.

1112. John Harvard's Twelfth Night Wassail

2010-03-01T09:30:00.003-05:00

1112. John Harvard's Twelfth Night Wassail

A friend and I went to John Harvard's for a few beers on January 17th. We split a pitcher of their wassail.

On another note, this post auto-publishes on March 1st. If you're reading this it means I'm turning in my dissertation today.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.4

This winter warmer pours a cloudy, copper-amber color. It's topped by a thick, dense, off-white head that fades to a film. The aroma has two layers, the spices, and the underlying malts. The spices are strongest, with notes of cinnamon and clove, along with a bit of orange peel. The underlying malts are at the border of caramel and chocolate, all over a faint graininess that seems characteristic of the house Belgian yeast strain, which fails to give off a lot of fruit.

The spice bites upfront, a little bit of heat. It moves into a sweet maltiness: candies flavored with a bit of cinnamon. The underlying coarse graininess hinted at in the aroma comes out next, and remains constant with a moderate sweetness, and a building spice, both from the alcohol and spices. The beer ends sweet with a slight kick of bitterness that seems more spice derived than hop derived. Not overly spiced for the style, but it doesn't pop either. This beer starts off smooth and moderately thick, but ends disappointingly thin.

This is a spiced beer, so not surprisingly it's not one to drink a lot of. The spicing isn't overdone, but the backbone seems a bit thin. So overall it averages out.

1111. John Harvard's Russian Imperial Stout

2010-02-26T09:30:00.003-05:00

1111. John Harvard's Russian Imperial Stout

Jadyn and I had dinner at John Harvard's at some point in early to mid January. I had their Russian Imperial Stout with dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide

John Harvard's Russian Imperial Stout pours a deep, opaque black with slight ruby tints. It's topped by a sudsy, brown head that fades down to a persistent, sudsy ring. There's a deep, malty aroma with notes of chocolate, molasses, toffee, roast, a bit of dark fruit and alcohol.

There are sweet notes of chocolate upfront that move into a molasses character in the center, which carries into a spicy, sharp alcoholic finish that's sweet, and is cut by a roasted bitterness. This RIS is a full-bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation.

This beer is a tad sweet and spicy. It's a sipper.

1109-1110. Two at the CBC

2010-02-24T09:30:00.006-05:00

Jadyn and I stopped in at the CBC for beers in early January. I had a couple new ones that I hadn't seen before.

1109. Darkest Night

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

Darkest night pours a dark brown with reddish tints. It's almost opaque. It's topped by a fluffy brown head that fades. There are cinnamon spice aromas, woody notes, and slightly roasty. My nose is stuffed, so it's hard to say.

There are mild sweet malts upfront that tread between caramel and fruitiness. It moves into a slightly spicy center with cinnamon, and slight roasty chocolate. The finish is dry and woody with a mild lingering bitterness. This winter warmer is surprisingly light feeling with mild carbonation, and pleasing dryness in the finish.

I don't tend to enjoy winter warmers as they tend to be overly spiced. This one however was well balanced and has a nice interplay of sweetness and woodiness

1110. Sledgehammer Imperial Red Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.75%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Sledgehammer pours a cloudy red, and is topped by a beige head that fades to a ring. The nose is dominated by caramel malts and a citric hop aroma.

There's a strong caramel sweetness initially, and then quickly moves into a fruitiness tempered by hops. Towards the finish strong resiny and citric hop flavors appear along with a bit of peppery spice and strong bitterness. This amber ale is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, and a slighltly rough finish.

I thought the balance was surprisingly high for such a hoppy beer.

1108. John Harvard's Brewhouse Saison

2010-02-22T09:30:00.004-05:00

1108. John Harvard's Brewhouse Saison

Jadyn and I went to John Harvard's sometime in early January. They had a saison brewed without hops.

Beer Stats:
Brewery:
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.75

Brewhouse Saison pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a fluffy white head that fades to film, leaving some patched lace. The aroma has fruity notes of banana, a grainy/grassy character, and an earthy yeast character.

There are dry, grainy malts upfront, and fruity esters hit in the center. These are predominantly banana with a hint of citrus and bubble gum. There's a bit of peppery spice in the finish. The finish is moderately sweet, with lingering citrus and a grainy character. This saison is light-bodied and husky feeling with prickly carbonation.

This beer was light, quaffable, and had surprising balance for no hops. I enjoyed this one, and had a couple.

1103-1107. Beers in Texas

2010-02-19T09:30:00.006-05:00

I had several new beers on my trip back to Texas during December. As usual I tried to focus on Texas beers, or beers that aren't readily available in Massachusetts.

1103. Bombshell Blonde

Ward always sets aside a couple of beers for my Texas visits. This time he brought a can of Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, and a bottle of Shiner Smokehaus.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.95

Bombshell Blonde pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a shiny, white head that fades to a film and leaves lace that clings to the sides of the glass. The aroma is fruity with lighter notes of toasty malts, and herbal hops.

There's a toasty, bready sweetness upfront that is constant underneath the building flavors. A mild banana fruitiness appears in the center, and moves into a a mild, grassy bitterness in the flavor. I thought this beer had a pleasing sweetness that was offset by a good depth of flavor. This blonde ale is medium to light-bodied, and has a nice crispness that's accentuated by the carbonation.

I was very pleased with this beer. It had a nice amount of flavor, and would make a great session beer.

1104. Shiner Smokehaus

This was another beer that Ward brought to Waco for me to try.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.89%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.45

Smokehaus pours a crystal clear golden, and is topped by a short-lived, bright white head. The aroma has a mild, malt sweetness, a slight grassiness, and a mild, mild smokiness.

There's an initial, crisp maltiness that moves into a slight, fruity sweetness in the center. The finish has a mild smokiness and an herbal grassiness. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good dose of carbonation.

The smokiness is fairly mild, making this surprisingly drinkable for a smoked beer.

1105. Buried Hatchet Stout

Win, Ward and I spent a bit of time at The Dancing Bear, which is still Waco's best beer bar.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.15

This beer pours a cloudy brown up to the light, but sitting in the glass it's an opaque black. It's topped by a fluffy, brown head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is roasty with mild, coffee notes, sweet chocolate, and dark fruit.

There's a strong, roasted bitter undercurrent just underneath the surface. The sweetness is very mild, really only making an appearance in the center with notes of dark fruit. The finish has a mix of chocolate and coffee that's intensely bitter. This stout is full-bodied and moderately carbonated.

This is an excellent stout. It has an intense bitterness, so it's not as much of a sessioner as many others.

1106. Hopsickle

This was another beer at The Dancing Bear.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moylan's Brewery
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0

Overall: 4.2

Hopsickle pours a cloudy copper color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well, and leaves good lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy with notes of citrus, juicy fruit, apricots, a bit of pine, and slight, bready malts.

Sweet notes of caramel and raw sugar upfront are quickly met by a strong, hop bitterness in the center, which moves into a resiny finish that leaves a lingering bitterness. This Double IPA is medium-bodied, oily, and has a nice, prickly carbonation.

The hop aromas, bitterness, and flavors in this beer are insane.

1107. Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9

The Divine Reserve series is Saint Arnold's limited release line of beers. Their #9 is an Imperial Pumpkin stout. These disappeared quickly in Houston, but the HEB in Woodway had several cases. I bought a six-pack. Ward bought two cases.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.0%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Double Stout

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

Overall: 4.05

Divine Reserve #9 pours an opaque black. The carbonation sounds oda-like upon pouring. The head is light brown, retains well, and is fed by a nice stream of bubbles. Pumpkin pie spice aromas are immediately noticeable with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The effect of the malts and spices give an impression of ginger bread. There are mild, roasty undertones.

A mild roastiness opens up into a spicy center with notes of cinnamon and ginger. The roasty flavors come back in the finish, along with a warming, alcoholic spice. The sweetness is strong, so there's only a hint of lingering bitterness. This stout is full-bodied, with moderate carbonation

This beer is a sipper. It's alcoholic and spicy.

1102. Chicory Stout

2010-02-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

1102. Chicory Stout

On December 9th I went to the Muddy with some lab mates. I had a couple of glasses of Dogfish Head Chicory Stout, which was their rotating tap choice. I only took minimal notes, so here they are.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a dark brown with a beige head. There's an intense roasty aroma with a bit of a green character. Chocolate notes are present upfront. It moves through to mild fruity character in the center, and is finished with a nice roasty wallop. I really enjoyed this one.

1101. Mönchshof Kellerbräu

2010-02-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

1101. Mönchshof Kellerbräu

In early December Jadyn and I went to Lord Hobo for dinner. Lord Hobo opened in late November in what was, until recently, the B side Lounge, after what seemed like an endless licensing process. The new spot is a (perhaps unfortunately named) project of Daniel Lanigan, who was behind The Moan and Dove, a beer bar in Amherst.

Having been lukewarm on the B Side (great blue cheese fries and cocktails, but overpriced food) I have to say that I'm happy with the change. Lord Hobo has an upscale Gastropub feel, with a menu that has an upscale pub fare feel, and a stellar beer list. The B Side's booths have been replaced with tables, giving the space a more open feel, and the maroon walls lined with art give it a more polished feel. My only complaint was the two flat screen televisions, that really just serve to distract.

We started with the artisanal cheeseplate with bread, coarse salt, truffle honey, a fruit preserve, and three rather pungent cheeses.

For our entrees Jadyn had the wild mushroom polenta with grilled vegetables, and I had the oxtail gnocchi in a parmesan cream sauce. The gnocchi were surprisingly soft and yielding, and the oxtail was prepared in a slightly sweet sauce that complemented it well.

I had two half-liter steins of Mönchshof Kellerbräu, one ordered while we waited, and the second with dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kulmbacher Brauerei
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Keller Bier

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

Overall: 4.15

Mönchshof Kellerbräu poured a cloudy copper, and was topped by a nice, white head that faded to a film, leaving patchy lace. The aroma was moderately malty with a light bit of hops. The malts were toasty, bready, and had a hint of caramel, while the hops were grassy with a light, bright, citric note

Toasty malts upfront let through a mild bready sweetness. The breadiness comes to the fore in the center, and meets the mild grassy and citric flavors from the hops. The hop bitterness appears in the finish and lingers, but isn't strong. Its presence is enough to cut the malts, and give a nice finish. This Keller Bier is crisp, and light with a seltzer like carbonation in finish and mild dryness.

I thought that this beer was very nice. It was crisp and light, but balanced.

1100. Allagash Fluxus 2009

2010-01-27T09:30:00.003-05:00

1100. Allagash Fluxus 2009

Some friends brought this beer over to have while we were cooking for Thanksgiving (yes I'm behind, what's new?). This is a Saison brewed with sweet potatoes and black pepper.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 8.30%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

Fluxus pours a cloudy, brilliant, golden color. It's topped by a bright white, fluffy head that reatains well, but leaves a patchy lace as it fades. The color of this beer is amazingly bright and lively. A Belgian yeast fruitiness is the first aroma evident. There are notes of banana, citrus, grainy malts, and black pepper. There may be a hint of sweet potato, but I'm not sure that I would have picked it up without prompting.

Sweetness first greets the palate. It's a mix between malts, a mild sweet potato flavor, and fruity flavors like banana and citrus contributed by the yeast. The finish has only a hint of spice from the black pepper, and a mild bitterness. This Saison is medium bodied, and smooth, but could have used a bit more carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a pretty tasty Saison. The sweet potato and black pepper were used sparingly, so they added subtlety, not kick. The bitterness in the finish was mild, but lingered for a surprising amount of time.

1099. Howdy Pilgrim

2009-12-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

1099. Howdy Pilgrim

Jadyn and I had dinner at the CBC shortly before Thanksgiving. I had a pint of Howdy Pilgrim, a Bitter dry-hopped with Pilgrim hops, and served on Cask.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Cask
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.9

Pours a deeply cloudy, amber tinted, copper color. It's topped by a sudsy, off-white head that fades to a film. The aroma is somewhat mild. There are light caramel and toasty malt notes, as well as herbal hops.

Initially, toasty malts and a lightly sweet breadiness greets the palate. The maltiness opens up in the center with a bit more sweetness and some fruity hints. A strong, hoppy bitterness quickly takes over towards the finish. Herbal and floral hop flavors complement the lingering bitterness in the aftertatse, which, oddly, has aslight, lingering sweet undertone. This Bitter is light-bodied and briskly carbonated.

I thought this was an excellent session beer, which fits the style.

Faux Craft

2009-12-10T18:11:00.002-05:00

My friend Matthew sent me a link to a post at Brookston Beer Bulletin. It's a fairly detailed list of beers or breweries owned by AB/InBev and MillerCoors. I didn't know that some of the imported brands I occasionally drink were owned by either brewery, but given their ubiquity it's not surprising. It's a handy reference if you'd rather support smaller breweries. It won't prevent me from having the occasional import, though most of my beer spending already goes to smaller breweries.

1098. Southampton Porter

2009-11-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

1098. Southampton Porter

This was on The Muddy's rotating tap. I had it on Thursday November 19th.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Opa Opa Steakhouse and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

Southampton Porter pours a dark, opaque black. It's topped by a beige head that fades to ring. The aroma is quite nice. There are notes of roasted malts, coffee, a mild chocolate sweetness, and slight dark fruit.

Initially this porter is sweet. Chocolate notes greet the palate, and move into a roasted, coffee bitterness in the finish. The chocolate notes are good, but the roasted bitterness could be upped.
This Porter is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a roasty roughness.

I though this was a fairly tasty porter.

1096-1097. The Publick House

2009-11-18T09:30:00.007-05:00

On November 8th Jadyn and I had dinner and drinks at the Publick House with some of her labmates. I had two new beers while there, one before dinner, and one after dinner. In between were Cuvee de Trolls, and Orval. We started with a mix of appetizers: Monk's Frites, Moules Frites, and the Publick Plate. My entree was the Waterzooi aux Poissons.

1096. Cane & Ebel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Two Brothers Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Rye Beer, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.3

Cane & Ebel is a Rye Beer from Two Brothers Brewing Company, a brewery in Illinois that I hadn't heard of. It pours a clear, reddish color, and is topped by a dense, foamy, one-finger, beige head that retains well. Initial notes of spicy, rye grains meld well with an herbal, slightly resiny hop character. Swirling brings out a sweet, bready malt undertone, which opens up into notes of molasses upon warming.

There are moderately sweet malty characters upfront. There are notes of bready malts, caramel, light toffee, and chocolate. This moves into a slight spiciness that's part rye, part hops, and part carbonation. The spiciness quickly gives way to a strident, leafy, hop bitterness. Overall very tasty. This Rye Beer is medium-bodied, yet still crisp, and has a nice dose of prickly carbonation.

This beer had great balance. A good, flavorful malt backbone stood up well to a strong hop bitterness.

1097. Triple Exultation

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Eel River Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.05

Triple Exultation pours a cloudy, brownish-red. It's topped by a thin, sudsy, off-white head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is rich and fruity. Notes of dark fruit are dominant: rasins and dates. A slight acidity and woodiness make up the second layer of aromas that give this a nice complexity.

Initial malt flavors are fruity (dates and raisins) with a mild chocolate character. This moves through to a mild citric acidity in the center, which moves into a hoppy, and woody(?) finish. This beer is full-bodied, but has a dry astringency, and mild carbonation.

I thought this was a very tasty Old Ale, not quite to style, but very tasty.

1095. Frye's Leap India Pale Ale

2009-11-16T09:30:00.003-05:00

1095. Frye's Leap India Pale Ale

This is one of the bottle that David brought down from New Hampshire when he visited in October. I let this warm a bit and served it in my CBC Great Pumpkin Festival glass.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 2.5 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 3.5

Frye's Leap pours a hazy, copper color. It's topped by a meringue-like, off-white, two-finger head that retains well, leaving plentiful lace. The aroma is predominantly hoppy with floral notes, and mild hints of resin. There's also a mild undertone of toasty malts.

The initial toastiness gives way to a mild, bready sweetness with mild hints of caramel. This mild maltiness persists through the center. A prickly spiciness precedes the finish, which has herbal and resiny hop flavors, and a strong hop bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste. I thought the malt backing was a bit weak, and could be increased just a bit. Despite a good dose of carbonation, I thought this beer felt a bit watery on the palate.

Overall I thought this was an average IPA. There were things to like (strong dose of hops), and things to dislike (weak malts, and thinness).

1094. Balto MärzHon

2009-11-13T09:30:00.003-05:00

1094. Balto MärzHon

Jadyn and I had dinner at Christopher's on the evening of November 2nd. I had a pint of Clipper City's Oktoberfest with my dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Clipper City Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.6

Balto MärzHon pours a crystal-clear copper. It's topped by an off-white head that fades to a film, leaving speckles of lace. The aroma is fairly mild overall. Initially toasty notes are predominant, but swirling brings out aromas of caramel and toffee.

Toasty, and bready malts move into a moderately sweet, caramel character in the center, which then fades into a mild, but firm hop bitterness. This beer is moderately carbonated, and light-bodied.

I thought that this was a decent Märzen. It wasn't as malty as mast other examples of the style, which could be good or bad, depending on your preference.

1086-1093. The CBC's Great Pumpkin Festival

2009-11-11T09:30:00.019-05:00

Jadyn and I went to Cambridge Brewing Company's 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Festival on Halloween. After dinner at home, we took the T back to Kendall Square and arrived at around 10 PM. There was a fairly sizable line, but turnover was brisk, and we got in about 15 or 20 minutes later.

Entry to the event was $10, but this included a GPF pint glass. They were out of them when we arrived, so we got two CBC pint glasses instead. Luckily Jadyn has good eyes, and on our way back to the T, spotted an abandoned GPF glass on a table in the courtyard of the Kendall Marriott.

Beers were purchased with tickets, which were sold at two locations at the event. Tickets were available in increments of four, and we ended up buying two sets of twelve tickets totaling $30. For most beers one ticket equaled a four ounce pour, but for stronger beers or rarer beers two tickets equaled a four ounce pour. For us it worked out to about $5.50 per pint, about standard for a pint of quality beer in the area.

The CBC had six of their pumpkin beers on tap, Great Pumpkin Ale, Olde Pumpkin Porter, Biere de Gourde, Spinal Pumpkin, Black Magic, and Ich Bin Ein Kürbisweisse. They also had their standard house beers on tap, as well as another non-pumpkin beer. There were also fifteen pumpkin beers available from other breweries such as Allagash, The Bruery, Dogfish Head, and Elysian to name a few. I was pleased with the variety of different styles of "pumpkin beer." In general I tried to taste the beers that weren't the standard spiced, pumpkin ale.

Jadyn and I were lame, and didn't wear costumes. However, all of the staff and the majority of the patrons were dressed up, and the bar was heavily decorated for Halloween. I thought this was a great beer event. The variety of different interpretations of pumpkin ale kept things interesting, and the food menu looked great. I'll definitely want to go next year.

I've included the description on the beer list before my tasting notes for each beer.

1086. Mr. Yuck

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale

"Brewed with pale, Munich, Cara-Hell and 150º Crystal malts and both malted and unmalted wheat, as well as wheat flour. Very lightly hopped with UK Fuggles and aged in fermentation for ten months wwith second-generation sour Belgian yeast blend (a culture we've kept alive for seven years), then in kegs for an additional four months. Pumpkin in the mash and kettle."

Mr. Yuck pours a hazy, copper golden. The aroma is pleasingly acidic with notes of funk, wet blanket, and characteristic Brett hopsack. The acidity is moderate, and the finish has Brett flavors. Nicely crisp and dry. I liked this beer, but thought it could have been a bit more sour.

1087. Heavy Seas - The Great Pumpkin

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Clipper City Brewery
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide

"From our Heavy Seas line of extreme beers, our best experiment ever. The secret is in the 3 ounces of spice per barrel for this fall brew. We add the pumpkin during the mash at precisely the right time to create just the perfect balance of malt, hops, pumkin and spice. The crew at the brewery voted on their favorite recipe to bring you the best & biggest pumpkin beer you'll ever have!"

Pours a clear copper color with an off-white head. There are mild pumpkin notes and strong notes of nutmeg and cinnamon in the aroma. Sweet, sugary pumpkin up front move into a cinnamon and clove spiciness in the center and finish. There's a moderate hop bitterness in the finish.

1088. Olde Pumpkin Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

"Olde Pumpkin Porter is our attempt at recreating the pumpkin-infused beers of colonial days. Brewed with pale and roasted malts and fresh organic sugar pumpkins, it has whiled away the past year in old bourbon barrels, where it was inoculated by Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus naturally occuring in the CBC dungeon, er, Barrel Cellar. It was then blended with cinnamon sticks and candied ginger, and finished with new oak. It's tart and roasty palate may just transport you back to 17th Century Boston"

Pours a dark black, and is topped by a brown head. The aroma has notes of bourbon, roast and a light acidity. Initially this porter is mildly sweet with roasted undertones, but moves into a boozy center, and a roasted bitterness in the finish. There are also hints of tartness and Brett earthiness in the finish. I thought this was an interesting beer, I'm always interested in attempts to make beers in a somewhat historic context.

1089. Black Magic

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 3.75%
Serving: Cask
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide

"Our Irish Dry Stout, Blackout, has been infused with fresh pumpkin, ancho and chipotle peppers, cacao nibs, and whole cinnamon sticks. No beer is safe from the pumpkin! Going one step further, this little beauty is served on cask for this event!"

BLack Magic pours an opaque black, and is topped by a thin, brown head. The aroma is a peculiar mixture of maltiness and cinnamon that gives the distinct impression of Graham Crackers. There are more subtle aromas of peppery spice and roast, but the Graham Cracker aroma was what really stuck out at me. There's a bit of chocolatey, and pumpkin sweetness upfront, but this is quickly eclipsed by the spiciness of the cinnamon, ancho, and chipotles. This spiciness finishes out the beer, leaving a strong, lingering heat. I thought this was a great beer. I really liked the heat, and thought that the slightly sweetened (pumpkin infusion) Irish Dry Stout backbone provided the perfect base for the spiciness. I wonder if this was inspired by Mayan and Aztec chocolate drinks. This was probably my favorite beer of the evening.

1090. Ich Bin Ein Kürbisweisse

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: Berliner Weissbier, BJCP Style Guide

"Possibly the world's first pumpkin Berliner Weisse! Infused with autumn spices and fresh sugar pumpkin and, well, a secret ingredient to turn this beer a bright orange. Sweet upfront, tart in the finish, pumpkin-spicy in the middle."

Pours a cloudy, golden, orange color, and is topped by a light, white head. The aroma is grassy and grainy with mild spice aromatics, and a sour apple undertone. The initial maltiness leans towards sweet with hints of grassiness. The finish is pleasingly tart with a dry, and earthy character. The pumpkin pie spice is mild, but present throughout. This was another favorite of the evening.

1091. Jack O' Bite

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide

"Brewed with pale, 77º Crystal, Munich and Cara-Hell malts, and bittered lightly with Glacier hops. Pumpkin in the mash, kettle and fermenter; aged in Jack Daniel's and wine barrels for 6 weeks, inoculated with yeast from Rodenbach."

Pours a hazed, amber-red. It's topped by an off-white head with good lace. The aroma is boozy with woody, acidic and funky notes. A pumpkin and malty sweetness upfront moves into a tart bite. The finish is dry. I thought this was an interesting blend of pumpkin, Scotch Ale, and sour.

1092. St. Alphonso

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This was the one non-pumpkin beer I had all night. It's sort of a cross between a Belgian Pale Ale and a hoppy APA. Their description:

Brewers have long held a tradition of naming beers after patron saints. We wanted to do the same, but which saint to choose?
All of the good ones being taken – St. Arnold, St. Bridgette, St. Augustine, etc., etc. – we were left with old Saint Alphonso, patron saint of church pancake breakfasts.
What’s he got to do with our newest beer? Nothing, really. Like I said, all of the good saints were taken.

Inspired once again to abuse our position and mess up the mainstream, we’ve created an “American” take on the Belgian single, or table beer. Created for consumption on a daily basis while at the meal table, as opposed to the richer and stronger doubles and triples reserved for festival times, bière de table in Belgium is a lower alcohol beer with plenty of spicy, yeasty, malty flavors.

Our spin involves our house Belgian yeast strain and bucketloads of American hops. Brewed with pale and aromatic malts, its primary flavors and aromas are big, floral, grassy and citrusy thanks to Glacier, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. Glacier hops were added at first wort, and combined with Amarillo and Centennial at the end of the boil and in the whirlpool. Additionally nearly 1.5 pounds per barrel of dryhops were added for that bit of something we call “extra.” No bittering hops were used, but the flavors and residual dryness from the hops, combined with a very well-attenuated, super-dry, light-bodied beer, create a perfect balance on the palate.
Call it a hoppy Belgian session beer if you like.
We call it St. Alphonso.

St. Alphonso pours a pale, straw color, and is topped by a white head. The aroma is primarily hoppy: lots of resin and grassy hops, and a bit of citrus. A distinct citric flavor accompanies a light, grainy maltiness upfront. This moves into resiny and leafy hop flavors in the finish, which contribute more to flavor than to bitterness. This one seems insanely drinkable.

1093. Hansel and Gretel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

"Brewed with organic pale, Weyermann Munich and Cara-Hell malts, with pumpkin added in the mash, kettle and fermenter. Spiced with peeled and pureed gresh ginger in the boil and bright tank and hopped with lots of Czech Saaz hops (otherwise it wouldn't be traditional)."

Pours a clear, golden color. Ginger and pumpkin notes beat out the Saaz in the aroma. The pumpkin contributes a distinct sweetness to the style. This sweetness moves into a ginger-spice center, and through to a nice, hoppy bitterness in the finish.

1085. Founders Breakfast Stout

2009-11-09T09:30:00.005-05:00

1085. Founders Breakfast Stout

Jadyn and I had dinner at The Publick House on October 24th. I started with a Delirium Tremens while we waited for a table, and had an Atomium Grand Cru with my meal, Waterzooi aux Poissons, a stew of mussels, cod, scallops, shrimp and potatoes. I'm not normally a seafood fan, but as part of my ongoing efforts to expand my pallate I decided to give a seafood heavy dish a go. I was very pleased with my decision. The broth was creamy and delicious, and the seafood was fresh and tasty, though I'm still not a huge fan of the texture of scallops. My final beer of the evening was Founders Breakfast Stout, which I had as an after dinner beverage.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: : Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.30%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Double Stout

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

Overall: 4.05

Founders Breakfast Stout pours an opaque black, and is topped by a dark brown head that fades to a bubbly ring, and leaves good lacing. This stout has a wonderful, rich, roasty aroma. Strong notes of coffee beans are dominant, with subordinate notes of chocolate and hints of dark fruit. Swirling the beer enhances the dark fruit aromas.

There's a strong, roasty character present from start to finish in this beer. Upfront it serves as a counterpoint to chocolate sweetness, in the center it mellows allowing the chocolate flavors to blend with notes of dark fruit for a sweet kick, and in the finish the coffee used in this stout emerges and melds with the roasted flavors giving a lingering bitterness. This stout is full-bodied, moderately carbonated, and smooth and creamy.

I thought that this was a good, strong stout. There's a lot going on, and a nice interplay between the chocolate and coffee.

1081-1084. David's Visit

2009-11-06T09:30:00.011-05:00

David and his wife Megan stayed at our place on their way back to New York on the night of Ocotober 9th. We started the evening with the latest batch of home brew, an IPA that Matt and I brewed. We followed up with dinner and wine at Gran Gusto, an excellent Italian restaurant in our neighborhood. After dinner David and I broke into some of the beer that he'd brought from New Hampshire, as well as some of the beer that I had in the fridge.

1081. 6288 Stout

This is one of the beers that David brought down from New Hampshire.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tuckerman Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

6288 Stout, named for the elevation of Mt. Washington, pours an opaque black color. It's topped by a brown, half-inch head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate and coffee, as well as hints of dates.

The flavor profile is similar to the aroma. A chocolate sweetness greets the palate, moves into a center with notes of dark fruit and a mild sharpness, and finishes with a roasty bitterness. 6288 stout is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.

I thought that this was a decent stout. The balance between sweet malts and roasted malts was good.

1082. Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale

We had this in the fridge. Jadyn and I picked it up at Trader Joe's.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Federal Jack's Brewpub
Alcohol: 4.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a very pale orange. It's topped by a thick, off-white head. The aroma is pretty one-dimensional: pumpkin-pie spice overwhelming any hints of pumpkin. The flavor is much the same: heavy spicing, with a mild pumpkin undertone. This Pumpkin Ale is light-bodied. I thought this beer was disappointing. There was way too much spice, completely overwhelming any other characters.

1083. Boathouse Brown

David brought this one down from New Hampshire.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Boathouse Brown pours a clear brown, and is topped by a sudsy, brown head. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, chocolate, and roasty accents.

The palate is malt heavy as well, though surprisingly well attenuated. Dark chocolate notes upfront move into dark fruit in the center, followed by a roasty bitterness in the finish.

I thought this was a very nice brown ale. It's malty, but not too sweet.

1084. De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva 2005

I'd had this beer in my fridge for at least two years, perhaps longer. I originally picked this up at Downtown Wine & Spirits, but I don't remember when.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Year: 2005
Alcohol: 13.00%
Serving: Bottle, 330 mL
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.3

De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva pours a cloudy, brown color with orange tints at the edges. It's topped by a full, light-brown head that fades to a continuous film, leaving moderate lace. The aroma is dominated by two characters, acidity and a boozy, aged maltiness. The acidity is the more dominant of the two caracters, but when combined with the aged out malts give the impression of sour fruit. All overtly sweet, malty aromas have been aged out. There are notes of orange peel, alcohol, and a slight woody aroma.

This beer greets the tongue with a strong, acidic sourness, which mellows, but never disappears. All malt sweetness is attenuated and aged out, leaving the malt flavors, but none of their sweetness. This results in a mildly boozy impression, which melds well with the earthy and woody notes in the finish. This Oud Bruin feels surprisingly light on the palate. The mild carbonation, and relatively light body really accentuate the dryness of this beer.

I was very happy with this beer. I was expecting an aged, malt heavy brew, but instead got a nicely acidic and dry beer. Fantastic. I'll definitely pick up some more of these vintages if I see them.

Caught Up

2009-11-04T22:43:00.002-05:00

It seems like I've been somewhat behind on the blog since late May, but as of tonight I'm caught up on writing posts. I have four posts that are scheduled for this week and next week. Perhaps now I'll get to some of the bottles in the fridge.

1080. Simply Red IPA

2009-11-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

1080. Simply Red IPA

I had this beer on tap at the CBC on September 23rd. Unfortunately I have very little info about it. The only description on the website says it was dry-hopped with amarillo hops. I do remember that this beer was brewed for the 40th birthday of a CBC regular. I apologize for the horrible quality of the photo.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.8

Simply Red pours a very cloudy, amber-copper color. It's topped by a thin, white head that fades to a ring, and leaves a good smattering of lace. The aroma is bursting with hops. Resiny, and earthy hops blend with grainy and caramel malts to create a sweet, yet hoppy aroma. There are grassy and citric notes on the tale end of the nose.

Toasty malts move into a bready sweetness that's mildly sweet, and serves as the backbone. Peppery, herbal, and floral hop flavors come into play, before the finish which is moderately bitter. This IPA is moderately carbonated, medium-bodied, and slightly oily.

I though this beer had good balance, and nice flavors.

1079. Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

2009-11-02T09:30:00.005-05:00

1079. Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

I'm not sure where I got this bottle, but I had this beer on September 13th. I served it in my CBC pint glass.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

This beer pours a slightly hazed, copper color. It's topped by a two-finger, cream colored head that rises quickly, and quickly fades to a quarter-inch layer, leaving sheets and patches of lace. The aroma is malty with toasty and bready notes, along with a caramel sweetness on swirling. The hop aroma is more subtle. There are mild grassy notes, and a bit of peppery spice.

The malty backbone of this beer is the first character to greet the palate. There are toasty notes with an underlying, bready sweetness, which moves into a sweeter caramel character. A peppery bite becomes evident in the center, and moves into a resiny hop flavor with a lingering bitterness. The sweet, malty backbone underlies the finish. This IPA is medium-bodied, has mildly prickly carbonation, and has a bit of roughness in the finish.

I thought this was a balanced IPA. There's a good deal of malty sweetness to off-set a strong bitterness in the finish. A good, but not great IPA.

1073-1078. Moat Mountain Smoke House

2009-10-09T09:30:00.014-04:00

We had our annual, lab camping trip in New Hampshire from the 1st of September to the 3rd. On the 2nd we hiked the Brook-Liberty trail loop to the summit of Mount Chocorua. Rather than cook for ourselves after hiking, we ended up driving into North Conway for dinner. Jenny suggested Moat Mountain, a restaurant/brewery nearby. We split some appetizers, and I had meatloaf for dinner. It came with green beans, squash and mashed potatoes, all very tasty. Rather than choosing one beer I had the six-beer sampler.

1073. Hoffman Weiss

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol:5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide

Hoffman Weiss pours a cloudy, straw color. It has a nice weiss aroma: cloves, banana and bubble gum with a slight sharpness. Initial malts are neutral and grainy, and move into a citric sharpness with a good banana flavor. There's a nice crispness from the wheat. I though this was a good hefeweizen. I placed it at #3 out of 6 beers in the sampler.

1074. Golden Dog Pilsner

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, golden, straw color. The aroma is mild, but there's a bit of peppery spicy, and some grassy notes. Crisp carbonation upfront moves into a mild fruitiness in the center, which when combined with a mild, peppery spice, is reminiscent of blueberries. The finish has a mild, hop bitterness. Decent, there's a bit of flavor, but not a ton. #4 out of 6.

1075. Czech Pilsner

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: Czech Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, straw, golden color. The aroma is exceedingly mild, you really have to try for it: hints of citrus, and grassy hops. The start to this one is mild, there's some pepperiness in the center and a mild bitterness in the finish. This was too light, and didn't have much flavor. It tasted better after I accidentally dropped a chuck of melted jack cheese and onion in it. This was #5 of 6.

1076. Iron Mike Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper color. There's a very nice, hoppy aroma with notes of citrus and apricot. A caramel sweetness greets the palate, followed by a fruity maltiness and a leafy bitterness in the finish with a nice lingering taste. I thought this was a very nice APA, definitely my favorite of the sampler, #1/6.

1077. Opa's Oktoberfest

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.0%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, reddish brown. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel and toffee. There's a strong malty start to the beer. It's predominantly a caramel sweetness, but there are also hints of chocolate. The finish has a mild, but nice, bitterness. There's also a rough chalkiness in the finish. I liked this one. #2/6.

1078. Bear Peak Brown

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear brown color. There's a mild roastiness, and slight fruitiness in the aroma. Unfortunately the taste doesn't match up with the aroma. There's almost no flavor until the finish where there's a mild roasty flavor and slight fruitiness. Watery, bland not good at all. Easily #6/6.

1072. Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

2009-10-07T09:30:00.004-04:00

1072. Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

Jadyn bought a bottle of Sierra Nevada's 2009 release of their Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale. I drank this one on the 30th of August.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 6.70%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.0

This Pale Ale pours a cloudy copper. It's topped by a frothy, off-white head that clings to the side of the glass. There's a nice toasty aroma with a bit of caramel, a slight alcoholic spice, and hops that are leafy and citric with a bit of fruitiness.

There's a mild, caramel sweetness upfront with a good, toasty backbone. The malts quickly give way to an alcoholic spice, and a spicy, leafy, hop bitterness. Medium-bodied, highly carbonated, and coarse in the finish.

I thought this beer had a great malt-hop balance with good flavors from both elements.

1071. Nom de Plum

2009-10-05T09:30:00.004-04:00

1071. Nom de Plum

Jadyn and I went to the CBC for drinks on the 14th of August. We each had a "Nom de Plum", a Belgian-style ale brewed with plum juice.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.75%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.5

Nom de Plum pours a hazed, reddish, copper color. It's topped by a slightly off-white, shiny head that fades to a continuous film and leaves sheets of lace. The nose is dominated by peppery coriander, with a slight underlying fruitiness lent by the plum juice. I thought the aroma was a bit one-note for my taste. This beer would definitely benefit from toning down the coriander aromatics to let the fruitiness from the plums to come through.

This beer is malty upfront, but in a neutral sort of way: grainy rather than bready, textural rather than sweet. After these initial notes the plums come forward lending a slight bit of tartness, sweetness, and fruity, plum flavor. The finish is fairly flat, without a good flavor or spiciness. This beer is light-bodied with low carbonation. The carbonation could have been punched up a bit because the beer came across as fairly thin.

Despite my complaints, I thought this was a decent summer beer. It was light and refreshing.

1068-1070. Beer at the Tahoe Cabin

2009-10-02T09:30:00.007-04:00

We spent most of our time in California at Jadyn's Family's cabin at Tahoe. While there we had the bottled beer that I'd purchased at Russian River, as well as a growler that we'd purchased at The Brewery at Lake Tahoe.

1068. Damnation

Jadyn and I shared this bottle with her sister on August 3rd.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.75%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL, Batch 048
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.85

Damnation pours a mildly cloudy, golden color. It's topped by a thick, white head that retains well, but eventually fades to a thin layer. The aroma is spot on for the style. There are notes of banana, peppery spice, and yeast above a grassy, grainy undercurrent. Swirling brings out more graininess, pepper, and some alcoholic spice.

There's an initial sweetness that's mild, but builds into a fruity esters in the center: bananas, hints of juicy, tropical fruit, and citrus. The finish has a bite from the peppery spiciness and the alcohol. There are lingering hints of yeast, and a mild, hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Damnation is medium-bodied, but the crisp carbonation, along with a dry finish make this beer seem a bit lighter-bodied.

This beer was excellent. It's probably one of the best examples of the style that I've had.

1069. The Brewery at Lake Tahoe's Witbier

We picked up a growler of The Brewery's Witbier on a trip into South Lake Tahoe on August 6th.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Brewery at Lake Tahoe
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Growler
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.1

This witbier pours a cloudy, peachy, golden-orange color. Topped by a thin, white head that fades to nothing. The aroma has notes of powdery yeast, and nice, fruity notes of peach and banana. There are also the classic aromas of orange-peel and peppery coriander.

There's a mild, grainy sweetness upfront, moving into a fruity sweetness in the center: banana, and orangey-citrus. The finish has a peppery, corriander spice. The right flavors are there, but they're very mild overall. This witbier is light-bodied with good carbonation, and a mild dryness.

This beer isn't bad, but it's fairly middle of the road. Again, everything is a bit too subdied.

1070. Pliny the Elder

I opened up this beer on August 7th.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 4.35

Pliny the Elder is mildly hazy and copper in color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well and leaves fluffy lace clinging to the glass. The aroma can be summed up in two words "intensly hoppy". The hops are herbal, piney and strongly resiny. Swirling the beer brings out even more resiny hops. There are fruity notes of apricots and oranges, malty sweetness, and toastiness that comes out on swirling. It's like sticking your nose into a bag of hops.

Overall this beer is pretty balanced. It's not overly sweet like a lot of other DIPAs. The intial malt impressions are toasty and bready with only a mild sweetness. Malts move towards a sweeter, caramel flavor in the center, but still not overly sweet. Hop flavors also make themselves known towards the center. There's a citric bite with a floral, orange blossom quality. Towards the finish there's a mild peppery bite with a good slighty herbal, strongly resiny hop bitterness in the finish that lingers long into the aftertaste. Pliny the Elder is medium-bodied, and has a prickly carbonation that cuts the sweetness somewhat. There's an oiliness towards the swallow that trails off leaving a final impression of thinness.

This DIPA is very balanced. The malts are present, but aren't cloyingly sweet like other examples of the style. The hops are present, but their main contribution is a nice finishing flavor and wonderful lingering bitterness.

1066- 1067. Russian River Brewing Company

2009-09-30T09:30:00.006-04:00

Jadyn and I spent a week in California visiting her family in early August. We made a side trip to Santa Rosa on the way to Lake Tahoe so I could finally try some of Russian River's sour beers. We made the mistake of driving through, rather than around, San Francisco, which tacked on an hour or so to our trip, but we did get to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.

We arrived in Santa Rosa in time for a late lunch at the brewpub. I had a tasty meatball sub for lunch, but the real highlight was the beer. The bottles of Temptation were too expensive, especially since I wasn't planning on taking any beer back on the plane. Instead I got two bottles of Damnation, and one bottle of Pliny the Elder.

1066. Temptation

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.25%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale

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

Overall: 4.8

Temptation pours a slightly hazed, golden color. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a thin layer leaving thick, frothy lace. The aroma has all of the elements of a good sour beer. There's a good amount of acidity, as well as bright citric notes. The characteristic "hop sack" aroma from the Brettanomyces used in fermentation is present, as well as an earthy, woody undertone.

Temptation is very gueuze-like. There's a coarse, grassy quality to the malts upfront, but these characters are quickly overshadowed by an escalating, citric and acidic sourness that's present through the finish. Earthy Brett flavors and a mild bitterness round things up in the finish. Temptation is crisply carbonated and light-bodied with an intense dryness in the finish.

Temptation is a very good beer. The sourness, Brett, and barrel-aging give it a distinclty Gueuze-like quality. It's mouth-puckeringly sour, and awesome.

1067. Sanctification

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.47%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale

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

Overall: 4.45

Sanctification pours a cloudy, straw-golden color. It's topped by a white head that fades to a thin layer leaving good lace. The aroma is intensely and wonderfully fruity. There are notes of banana, tropical fruit, and a hint of Brettanomyces. Swirling brings out an earthy aroma, and a slight funkiness.

Upfront, this beer is fruity with banana and tropical fruit flavors. A moderate tartness appears early on and is present through to the finish, which has earthy and funky Brett flavors, and a leafy bitterness in the finish. Prickly carbonation gives way to a creamy mouthfeel.

I thought this beer had a nice interplay between the fruitiness and earthy Brettanomyces characters.

1065. Jedi Mind Trick

2009-09-28T09:30:00.004-04:00

1065. Jedi Mind Trick

I had my first interview for a post-doc on July 29th. Jadyn took me out for dinner at the CBC to celebrate getting a job offer.

Their description:

Cambridge Brewing Company, at One Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA,
will not be releasing a beer called Jedi Mind Trick on Friday July 24.

The brewers at CBC have not created any such beer.

It is not a hoppy expression of Belgian tripel.
Nor is it a Belgian strong golden with plenty of American hops.

It does not have a balanced, clean malty palate,
floral-spicy hop aroma, subtle fruitiness
from their proprietary yeast strain.
No crisp carbonation or creamy head.

This isn't the beer you're looking for.

There is nothing to see here.

You can go about your business.

Move along.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jedi Mind Trick
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian IPA

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

Overall: 3.9

Jedi Mind Trick pours a very cloudy golden. It's topped by a white head that fades to a ring, and leaves patchy lace. There's a nice fruitiness in the aroma. There are notes of banana, citrus, yeast, and peppery spice. There are also more subtle notes of crisp, grassy hops.

The initial burst of banana fruitiness is quickly met by an intense dryness that moves through to the finish where peppery spice blends with resiny and grassy hops flavors, and a strong bitterness in the finish. The carbonation lends a nice crispness to the beer that complements the dryness nicely.

I thought this was a nice beer, though the hops slightly overpower much of the fruitiness contributed by the yeast.

1064. Haver Ale

2009-09-25T09:30:00.001-04:00

1064. Haver Ale

Jadyn and I went to the Tavern in Central Square for some reason on the 24th of July. I had a couple of these while there.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz
Style: Cream Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.4

Haver Ale pours a slightly-hazed copper color. It's topped by a sudsy, off-white head that fades to a thin film. The aroma is mild, but what's there is malty. There are notes of toffee and caramel. There's also a mild hop aroma.

This beer is pretty light on flavor when it first hits the palate, but a nice mix of toasty, bready, caramel and toffee malts come through in the center. There's a mild hop bitterness in the finish. This beer is smooth and medium-bodied.

Ah, Cream Ale, a style that doesn't excite, doesn't impress, but somehow still satisfies. That's how I felt about this beer, and generally it's how I feel about the style.

1063. John Harvard's Houblon Saison

2009-09-21T09:30:00.004-04:00

1063. John Harvard's Houblon Saison

Sometime in mid-July Jadyn and I were in Harvard Square. We stopped in to John Harvard's for a beer or two.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0

Overall: 3.65

This saison pours a hazy, peach-infused, straw-golden color. It's topped by a fluffy, sudsy head that fades, but leaves lacing as it goes. The aroma is fairly mild. There's a bit of grassy, grainy malts, a hint of yeast, and bananas and citrus that appear on swirling. For a beer called Houblon Saison, you would expect to detect some hops in the aroma, but none are evident.

There's a fruity, banana sweetness upfront, along with some clove spiciness also contributed by the yeast strain used to brew this beer. The finish is slightly grainy, has notes of citric hops, and has a coda of herbal hops. Houblon Saison is medium-bodied, and is highly carbonated.

Aside from the lack of hops in aroma, this was a fine beer. There's a nice balance between Belgian yeasty flavors and the herbal hops.

1062. Trade Winds Tripel

2009-09-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

1062. Trade Winds Tripel

Jadyn and I had dinner at Christopher's on July 8th. I had the Bruery's Trade Winds Tripel with dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 8.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

Trade Winds Tripel pours a cloudy golden color, and is topped by a bright white head that fades to a film. The head leaves sheets of lace as it fades. The aroma is classic Belgian. The spicy notes of pepper are the strongest. Secondary are the fruity aromas of bananas and apples. Swirling the beer brings out grainy and yeasty notes and a bit more spiciness.

The prickliness of the carbonation gives an initial impression of spiciness. As the carbonation mellows a grainy, malt backbone makes a brief appearance. Fruitiness in the center quickly takes hold with notes of banana, apples and citrus. The finish has an intense peppery spice. This Tripel is on the light side of medium-bodied. The spiciness of the initial carbonation provides a nice bookend to the peppery finish.

I thought this was a good Tripel. The spiciness was strong, but I thought it was a net positive.

1051-1061. The American Craft Beer Fest Part III

2009-09-16T09:30:00.007-04:00

This is the third set of write-ups from the American Craft Beer Fest. At this point my reviews are briefer and the handwriting is much worse, so take them with a grain of salt.

1051. Blue Hills IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Hills Brewery
Alcohol: 6.60%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden color, seems pretty light for an IPA. The aroma has notes of leafy hops. There are mildly sweet, bready malts upfront, and a leafy hop bitterness in the finish.

1052. Southbridge Ordinary Bitter (S.O.B.)

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Honest Town Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, golden straw color. The aroma is disappointingly mild. This seems like a session beer: crisp maltiness, and a mild bitterness.

1053. 30th Anniversary Flashback Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boulder Beer
Alcohol: 6.88%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear brown color. There's a bit of roastiness in the aroma that complements hints of hops, and offsets the notes of fruit. There's a fruity, chocolaty sweetness upfront that move into a roasty finish with a good hop character.

1054. The Cambridge House IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Cambridge House
Alcohol: 6.70%
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This is described on the website as a "New England Style IPA brewed with all English Malt and Hopped with a blend of English and American Hops. High in Strength, Bitterness and Aroma." So I've listed it as an "English IPA." Pours a hazed copper color. The aroma is wonderfully hoppy (wish I'd described it more in my notes). Toasty malts upfront with a citric hoppiness in the finish.

1055. Ipswich (Crane's) Castle Hell Summer Barleywine

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide

This was a tip from one of the volunteers. It was in the program, but not listed at the booth. You had to ask. Pours a hazed amber. The aroma is rich with notes of yeast, fruit and toffee. The flavors were similar with a strong, alcoholic spice in the finish.

1056. Mayflower IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mayflower Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, copper color. The aroma has notes of apricot, and a nice hop backing. There's the same apricot fruitiness in the flavors with a nice hop bitterness in the finish.

1057. Prohibition Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: 6.10%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours an amber-copper color. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy: grassy and resiny. There's a nice maltiness to start things, and a pleasant hoppiness in the finish (great description on my part...).

1058. Belgica

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.20%
Style: Belgian IPA

Pours a pale, straw golden. The aroma hints more at Belgian than at IPA. There are notes of yeast, hints of graininess and a slight fruitiness. The flavors are also more Belgian than IPA. There's the typical Belgian yeast fruitiness, consisting of banana and citrus. The finish has peppery spice, alcoholic heat and a mild bitterness.

1059. Duck-Rabbit Barrel Aged Porter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 5.75%
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide

This porter is aged in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle barrels. My notes get really bad on this page of my notebook. I'll quote directly here. "Amber-black. Whiskey aroma. Porter sour with whiskey flavors." Not super descriptive, but accurate.

1060. St. Lupulin

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

The handwriting is worse on this one. "Clear copper. Hoppy, resiny, citric aroma. Malty, caramel, toasty, citric, resiny hop finish."

1061. Odell IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Odell Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

These notes are more of a scrawl. " Intense hoppy aroma. Resin citrus aroma & taste. Clear copper."

1041-1050. The American Craft Beer Fest Part II

2009-09-14T09:30:00.002-04:00

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.

1030-1040. The American Craft Beer Fest Part I

2009-07-31T09:30:00.003-04:00

I missed the first American Craft Beer Fest last year, and was eager to go to this year's ACBF. Like the Extreme Beer Fest this was another multi-person event. Jadyn and I went with people from lab, other grad students and Bennett.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the larger format and venue, but in the end there were both pros and cons. The biggest advantage to the fest was by far the huge selection of beer available. I haven't counted, but the fest claimed to have 75+ brewers and 300+ beers, which was easily the case. There was a good regional representation from big name breweries like Brooklyn, and Allagash, as well as from smaller regional breweries like Honest Town and Cambridge House. The selection of breweries from other parts of the country was more limited, but still good. My guess is that 2/3 were from the northeast, and 1/3 were from other parts of the country.

The venue was much larger than the Cyclorama. This allowed more brewers, but also more people. It seemed about as crowded as the smaller fests, but the lines seemed much longer. Though the line to get on seemed to move much more quickly. The lack of tables at the venue was another inconvenience. I didn't have any food at this fest, but Jadyn said the choices were much more limited and of lower quality than at the Cyclorama. She speculated that the choice of food and vendors was dictated by the venue. The bathrooms were another big negative; there was only a long row of portable toilets outside the venue.

Overall I prefer the smaller fests held at the cyclorama. The beer selection is more limited, but the venue and food are much nicer. I'll go back to the ACBF next year, but I'll appreciate the fests at the Cyclorama more.

As usual, my notes are abbreviated and probably inaccurate, especially towards the end of the fest.

1030. Sour Wench Blackberry Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide

I love sour beers, so I looked through the beer list ahead of time to pick out the sour beers that I wanted to try. This was the only one that looked promising. It poured a clear, reddish purple, and was topped by a pinkish head. The aroma was fruity with notes of blackberry and a mild graininess. The berry fruitiness was the dominant element in this beer with a mild grainy backbone. The sourness was only limited to that contributed by the blackberries. I was disappointed, mainly since I expected a much more sour beer.

1031. Brew Free! or Die IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery
Alcohol: 7.20%
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy copper color. The aroma has a mild resiny hop character. There's a breadyness to the malt backbone upfront that's met by a good, resiny, hop bitterness.

1032. Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

Beer Stats:
Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery
Alcohol: 5.20%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a pale straw color. The smell is grainy with subtle notes of watermelon. There's a little bit of a sour kick initially, followed by strong watermelon fruitiness, and a grainy finish.

1033. Allagash Victoria Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a pale, golden straw color. The aroma was yeasty with a grape fruitiness to it. Mildly sweet malts and a sharp, grape fruitiness in the finish.

1034. Imperial Skibsøl

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.30%
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide

This beer is an "Imperial Smoked Lager" brewed collaboratively by teh CBC and a Danish brewery. It pours a clear brown, with an orange tinted head. An initial malty, caramel sweetness moves quickly into a very strong, smokey finish. The sample was almost too much to finish, I can't imagine being able to finish a pint of this stuff.

1035. Confounded Mr. Sisyphus

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a cloudy, golden, straw color. The aroma is fruity, with predominant notes of banana. There's a mildly sweet, bready maltiness, as well as a good bit of banana fruitiness. The cherries seem to be a minor component of the overall flavor.

1036. JuJu Ginger Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.00%
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, copper-tinted golden. The aroma is a nice mixture of caramel malts and ginger spiciness. A mild malty sweetness upfront moves into a strong, ginger spice.

1037. Sierra Nevada Brown Saison

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.85%
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, brown color. The aroma has strong roasted notes with a hint of fruitiness. There's a nice strong fruitiness with a roasty finish. I thought this was a nice beer.

1038. Northern Lights

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy copper. The aroma is mildly fruity, with hints of graininess and a mild phenolic character. There are initial grainy flavors, which moves into a mildy fruity center with a sharp finish.

1039. Brooklyn Cuvée de Cardoz

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

This beer is spiced with ginger, tamarind, mace, black pepper, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, chilies, toasted coconut. This beer pours a clear, straw color. The aroma is a mix of sweet fruitiness and a strong spiciness. There's a nice coconut sweetness that melds with an intensely spicy finish. Given the list of spices, I was surprised that this was as tasty as it was.

1040. Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Double Stout

Pours a deep black. The aroma of coffee is dominant. A sweet chocolate flavor upfront moves into a roasted, chocolate and coffee finish.

1029. Samuel Adams Boston Brick Red

2009-07-08T09:30:00.006-04:00

1029. Samuel Adams Boston Brick Red

Our lab went out for beers with another lab on our floor in mid-June. After encountering a line at The Muddy Charles we headed to Characters, the bar at the Kendall Square Marriott. I decided to try Brick Red, the new beer from Boston Beer Company that's available only in Boston.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.3

Sam Adams Brick Red pours, as expected, a clear, deep red. It's topped by an off-white head that fades to a film leaving nice lace. The aroma is fairly light overall with notes of caramel, toffee and a hint of fruitiness.

Biscuity and toasty malts upfront quickly move into a strong caramel sweetness in the center. Towards the finish a graininess appears along with a mild bitterness. Boston Brick Red is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation and a mild stickiness.

I know Irish Reds are supposed to be malty, but this one just seems a bit too malty to me. Perhaps it's the one-note dominance of the malt flavors. It's a decent beer, but most likely not one that I'll have again, especially if there are better options on tap.

1027-1028. Two From Long Trail

2009-07-06T09:30:00.004-04:00

Jadyn and I had some friends over to our apartment on Saturday June 13th. I picked up a mixed twelve-pack of Long Trail beers, two of which I hadn't had before. I had both that evening, but have reviewed each subsequently.

1027. Long Trail Belgian White

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.70%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.6

Long Trail's Belgian White pours a cloudy, straw color, and is topped by a bright white head that quickly fades to a film. I like the color a lot, but the head retention leaves something to be desired. The aroma is fairly mild overall, though the traditional notes of spicy coriander and citrus are there, along with notes of pepper, yeast and banana. There's also a bit of graininess present in the aroma, which, when combined with the relative lightness of the other components of the aroma hints at an inviting crispness.

Like a lot of wheat beers the malts here are predominantly grainy with a mild sweetness, but their major contribution is a crisp texture on the palate rather than a huge amount of flavor. Esters contributed by the yeast, and the traditional Wit spicing become evident in the center. There are bright citric notes of lemon and orange, notes of banana, a coriander spiciness, and a peppery finish that melds with the crisp backbone of the beer in the finish. Long Trail's Belgian White is light-bodied with a nice crispness that comes from the grainy malt backbone and the substantial carbonation. There's also a mild dryness in the finish.

Long Trail Belgian White is a decent Witbier. It's a nice refreshing summer beer, but it could use a bit more punch in the flavors from spicing.

1028. Long Trail Traditional IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Long Trail Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: English India Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.8

Long Trail IPA pours a lightly hazed golden color with a hint of copper, making it a shade lighter than most other IPAs. I really like the color on this beer a lot. It's topped by a thin, sudsy white head with good, clinging lace. The aroma is fairly mild overall. There are notes of toasty and biscuity malts as well as leafy, resiny hops.

This IPA is very malt-forward, with a strong malt backbone. Initially there's a bready, caramel sweetness upfront and through the center. The finish has a nice peppery spice that plays well with the resiny hop bittereness. It's not the hoppiest IPA, but if you want a maltier beer that still has a good amount of hop flavor this IPA nails it. Long Trail's IPA is medium-bodied with prickly carbonation and a grassy dryness in the finish.

Long Trail IPA might not be the hoppiest IPA, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This beer is the epitome of balance, with enough malts to offset, but not overpower the hop bitterness and flavors.

1023-1026. New York

2009-06-26T09:30:00.004-04:00

Win came to New York for the June 9th-11th Mets-Phillies series at the new Mets stadium. I took off early on Tuesday the 9th and caught the noon Fung-Wah bus to New York. Win's flight was delayed so I headed to The Blind Tiger to wait for David to get off work.

1023. He'Brew Rejewvenator 2009 (Year of the Date)

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Year: 2009
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Cask
Style: American Strong Ale

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

Overall: 3.85

Perhaps this wasn't the wisest beer to start the evening with, but I didn't realize that it was such a strong beer. This beer was served on cask, barley chilled in a thick, glass mug.

Year of the Date pours a mildly hazy, ruby-tinted brown. Its off-white head quickly fades to nothing, though the low head retention could have been the result of being served on cask. This beer has the dark, malty aroma of a Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, mostly due to the addition of dates, which are the predominant aroma. Additionally, there are notes of brown sugar, toffee, a sharp note, and a mild peppery spice.

Upfront there are sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar, before moving into a dark fruitiness in the center that's dominated by date flavors, which are accented by a sharp character. The finish is peppery and spicy with an underlying, mild, roasty bitterness. The beer was thick, rich and smooth with low carbonation.

I enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure what the style they were going for was, but the use of dates gave it a distinctly Belgian feel.

1024. River Horse Special Ale ESB

Beer Stats:
Brewery: River Horse Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.5

This was another beer served on cask. Again, it was served lightly chilled in a mug. River Horse ESP pours a very cloudy, copper color. The aroma is mild overall, but what's there is pleasant: toasty malts, and citric and fruity hops. The aromas could stand to grab you a little bit more.

Toasty malts first hit the tongue followed by a light, bready sweetness. The flavors quickly move into a citric and herbal hop finish. The flavors are pleasant, but seem a bit muddled, with nothing really standing out. This ESB is light-bodied with low carbonation and a husky texture in the finish.

This is a decent session beer, though I think it could be a bit bolder without sacrificing drinkability. My score seems to be a bit above the Beer Advocate average, perhaps this beer benefits from being served on cask.

1025. St. Boisterous

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.0

This was our final beer at The Blind Tiger before Win called and we headed off to meet him at Penn Station. It was served chilled in a tulip glass. St. Boisterous pours a crystal clear golden. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a film leaving clinging lace. The aroma has a crisp graininess to it, as well as some nice apple esters, and bit of leafy, grassy hops.

This maibock starts off with a crisp, neutral graininess that moves into a mild, apple fruitiness in the center. The finish has a nice citric bite and an herbal hop bitterness. This beer is light-bodied, highly carbonated and very crisp.

This is a nice summer beer. It's flavorful, crisp and refreshing.

We met Win at Penn Station, and then took the 7 to TARP field. We arrived at the end of the 4th inning because Win's flight was delayed. I was pretty impressed with the new field. The open concourses were nice, as were the improved amenities.

We hadn't had dinner yet, so we went to the food section on the right field side. We got BBQ from Blue Smoke, beef ribs, wings, and a pulled pork sandwich, as well as fries from Box Frites. It was definitely the best stadium food I've had, though my experience is pretty limited. The craft beer selection was decent. They had some good options at Big Apple Brews, and both Blue Smoke and Box Frites had Brooklyn on tap. I ended up having a Brooklyn Blue Smoke with dinner, as well as a Blanche de Queens, which I assume is a rebranded Blanche de Brooklyn.

1026. Brooklyn Blue Smoke Blend

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide

Blue Smoke pours a hazed copper, and is topped by a sticky, off-white head. The aroma is light, but there are notes of caramel, toasty malts and fruity hops. It's toasty upfront with and underlying bready sweetness. There are good hop flavors in the finish, but only a mild bitterness. Medium-bodied and highly carbonated. I though this beer was a good sessioner, but it could have been a bit hoppier.

1022. Wacko

2009-06-24T09:30:00.002-04:00

1022. Wacko

Some lab mates had a party in the courtyard outside of lab on June 6th. I was curious about Magic Hat's new summer beer, so I brought along a twelve pack.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Vegetable Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Wacko pours a hazed beet red, with an orange tint. It's topped by a fluffy, pink-hued head. The aroma is predominantly grainy and grassy with light notes of citrus and banana. The flavor is that of a standard summer beer. There's a husky, grainy flavor upfront that moves into a light sweetness in the center. The only hint of beet flavor is a bit of an earthy flavor. The finish is lightly citric with a grassy bitterness. Overall this beer is a bit of a disappointment, pretty bland.

Follow me on Twitter

2009-06-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

I've recently created a Twitter account as a companion to the blog. Since I tend to get behind with blog updates when I'm busy, I'll use Twitter to hopefully create a bit of continuity. I've also added Twitter to my blog's sidebar. So if you're interested follow me.

1017-1021: Memorial Day

2009-06-12T09:30:00.019-04:00

Jadyn and I went to Shelter Island, NY for memorial day weekend. We stayed at David's wife's family's house there. David (enabler) brought up several new beers for me to try.

1017. St-Ambroise Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: McAuslan Brewing
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.2

St-Ambroise Pale Ale pours a cloudy, amber-copper color. It's topped by a light, off-white head that quickly fades to a film. Lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is an interesting mix. There's a bright interplay of fruit, caramel, citric hops, and a mild, phenolic twang.

The beer itself is well-attenuated with only a mild residual sweetness upfront. The malts are predominantly toasty before moving into a very mild malty sweetness that's a mix of caramel and fruity esters. The finish has a moderately bitter, herbal hop quality. This pale ale is light-bodied and moderately carbonated with a pleasing dryness in the finish.

I liked this beer a lot. It's balanced, but only mildly sweet. The dryness is pleasing and helps make this a good session beer.

1018. Southampton Altbier

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.7

This Alt pours a clear brown with copper tints. It's topped by a fizzy, three-quarter inch, eggshell colored head that rises quickly on the pour, and just as quickly fades to a film. Pinprick dots of lace adorn the glass. The aroma is quite nice. There are notes of caramel malts, hints of roastiness and a mineral twang.

Caramel malts upfront move into a mild estery fruitiness in the center. The finish has a mineral twang and a mild bitterness. Overall this beer is very clean on the palate. Its flavors are there, but don't pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it works well here to showcase a nice mineral character that would have otherwise been overpowered. This Alt is moderately carbonated and medium-bodied, and has a very nice crispness.

This beer is a decent Alt. I think a bit more hoppiness would have been nice, provided the beer stayed crisp.

1019. Brooklyn Local 2

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.25

I'd been looking forward to trying this beer, since Brooklyn Local 1 was so good. Local 2 pours a cloudy brown with reddish tints. It's topped by a sudsy beige head that fades to a continuous film. The aroma is incredibly bright for the style. There's a bright layer of citrus and honey, below which lie the rich malty aromas of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale: dark fruit and candi sugar. I think the addition of some more aromatic ingredients really did a lot for the aroma of this beer, making it seem more light and inviting than a typical Belgian Dark.

This beer's flavors tell the same story as the aroma: the honey and citrus upfront give a lighter, brighter impression before diving deeper into the darker, maltier depths. The dark malt flavors in the center are a nice mix of candi sugar, caramel, rasins, dates and other dark fruit. The finish has a nice mix of peppery and alcoholic spice, a brief reprise of citrus, and a mild bitterness. Local 2 has very prickly carbonation, is medium-bodied and is surprisingly smooth once some of the carbonation dissipates.

This is another winner for Brooklyn's Local series. It's strong, fizzy and has an interesting addition of honey and citrus that I think adds a lot to the mix.

1020. Batemans XXXB

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Batemans Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.85

Based on the handwriting in my notebook, I dictated this review to Jadyn (you're the best, thanks for humoring me).

This ESB pours a crystal clear copper, and is topped by a sudsy, frothy, off-white head that fades to a film. Sustained bubbling seems to keep the film intact. The aromas are nicely malty: biscuity malts, toffee, and a little bit of an apricot aroma.

Upfront this beer is mildly sweet with a lot of maltiness. The sweetness is contributed by toffee flavors, but the bulk of the maltiness is buiscuity and toasty, which lasts through to the finish. The finish is moderately bitter with grassy and herbal hop flavors. This ESB is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and has a mild dryness in the finish.

I thought that Batemans XXXB was a nice malt-forward beer that managed to keep the sweetness in check and that had a nice bitterness in the finish.

1021. Blue Point Summer Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.40%
Serving: Bottle 12 oz.
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 2.85

Blue Point's Summer Ale pours a clear golden and is topped by a thick, bright white head, which fades fairly quickly to a film. The aroma is fairly light. There's a hint of citrus and a mild graininess.

There's a mild sweetness as he beer first hits the palate with some neutral graininess as well. Fruity esters make a brief appearance in the center, and are met by a mild peppery character and mild bitterness in the finish. This beer is light-bodied and moderately carbonated, but feels a tad watery.

I was pretty disappointed with this beer. I know summer beers tend to be lighter, but this one was bland and lacked the crispness that makes a beer like this refreshing.

1016. Fisherman's Bavarian Wheat

2009-06-03T09:30:00.004-04:00

1016. Fisherman's Bavarian Wheat

I'm again a bit behind on blogging. I initially bout a six-pack of this beer for American Craft Beer week, but didn't have time for a proper review until the 19th of May. I dropped my Harpoon Weizen glass getting it down from the shelf, another casualty, so I ended up serving the beer in one of my NERAX pint glasses.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 3.7

This hefeweizen pours a surprisingly clear, golden color. There's a touch of cloudiness, but nothing approaching what you would expect for the style. Clarity aside, it's topped by a thick, bright white head that retains fairly well.

While the appearance may be off, the aroma is that of a classic German hefeweizen. There are nice fruity notes of bananas and citrus, as well as a bit of clove spiciness and yeastiness.

Bavarian Wheat is initially sweet with hints of citrus. The initial sweetness continues through the center where banana flavors come to the fore. As the banana fruitiness fades a bit of spiciness emerges, particularly notes of pepper and clove. The finish has a light citric twang and a mild, grassy bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and crisp with a nice dose of carbonation.

A solid hefeweizen, I'd definitely have it again.

1015. Mayflower Porter

2009-05-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

1015. Mayflower Porter

I went to a friend's thesis defense celebration at the Tavern in Central Square last Thursday. I had several Mayflower Porters while I was there.

I have to say this beer grew on me through the course of the night. I think of my improved perception of this beer has to do with the initial wateriness caused by the frosted glass that it was served in. I'm pretty convinced of my modified ratings.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mayflower Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: English Porter, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 5.0

Overall: 3.95

Pours a clear, ruby-tinted brown. Topped by a frothy, light-brown head that fades to a film. The aroma is rich and malty. There are notes of chocolate, toffee, coffee, and a mild booziness.

Mildly sweet malts are well balanced against a roasty backbone: notes of toffee, chocolate and a nice booziness. There's a sharp bite in the finish with a nice, lingering, roasted bitterness. Moderately carbonated and light-bodied.

This is a fine session beer. It's very flavorful and not overpowering, yet it's not a beer that grows bland after you've had a couple.

1014. Baby Tree

2009-05-20T09:30:00.001-04:00

1014. Baby Tree

As part of American Craft Beer Week, which was last week, I made an effort to drink only Massachusetts craft beer. Last Wednesday (May 13th) I opened a bottle of Baby Tree, the newest release from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. I served this in two chalices and split it with Jadyn. This beer is a Quadrupel brewed with "dried plums" (which, I have to admit, sounds a lot classier than prunes).

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project
Alcohol: 8.60%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.0

Pours a cloudy, chocolate brown, and is topped by a transient, half-inch, brown head that fades to a wispy ring. The aroma is sweet and malty, there are notes of candi sugar and an intense aroma of dark fruit. There are notes of raisins, dates and dried plums. There's also a light, husky graininess on the swirl.

The beer is initially sweet on the palate. A nice, cindi sugar, sweetness unfolds into a plum fruitiness in the center. The dark fruit characters in this quad are much milder than other exapmles of the style. There's a brief, peppery flash towards the finish, which quickly moves into a husky graininess that's punctuated by a mild bitterness and light sweetness. Medium-bodied, smooth and moderately carbonated. The grainy quality gives the beer a bit of dryness.

I liked Baby Tree. It's not as intense as other Quads, but it has a pleasing fruity maltiness and a nice dryness in the finish.

1013. Leatherlips IPA

2009-05-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

1013. Leatherlips IPA

For American Craft Beer Week I'm trying new beers brewed by local (Massachusetts) craft brewers, especially those that I tend to overlook when picking out a six-pack of beer to have in the fridge. I've seen Leatherlips around various liquor stores in the area, but for some reason I've never picked any up. Last night I picked up a six-pack at Downtown Wine & Spirits, and had a bottle with dinner.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

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

Overall: 4.1

This IPA pours a slightly hazed, copper color, and is topped by a off-white, sudsy head that fades to a persistent film leaving patches of lace. Upon pouring, the aroma is dominated by strong resiny and citric hop aromas. Letting the beer air out for a bit allows malts to come to the fore. There are notes of caramel and apricot, with the hops adding a bright, citric aroma.

Malty and moderately sweet upfront, and into the center: notes of caramel and apricots. The sweetness is short lived, however, with a strong hop bitterness appearing in the center and lasting through the finish. There are nice citric hop flavors as well as a light resiny kick. The beer is moderately carbonated, medium-bodied and slightly oily.

This is a nice hop-forward IPA that manages to have a decent amount of maltiness that doesn't steal focus from he hops.

American Craft Beer Week

2009-05-11T20:45:00.002-04:00

This week (May 11th - 17th) is American Craft Beer Week, sponsored by the Brewers Association. As its name implies, its goal is to promote an celebrate the wonderful diversity of beers brewed by American craft brewers.

From the Brewers Association Website:

America's small and independent craft brewers (see Craft Brewing Statistics) are making special plans for the annual American Craft Beer Week (May 11-17), a national celebration highlighting the culture and contributions of craft beer. These brewers want the week to inspire beer enthusiasts to declare their independence by supporting breweries that produce fewer than 2 million barrels of beer a year and are independently owned. In the works are special brewery tours, beer and food pairing events, special release craft beers and festivals all across the U.S. The Declaration of Beer Independence is available on the program web site and the American Craft Beer Week fan page on Facebook, which has more than 2,000 fans thus far.

Changed to a weeklong event in 2006, the inaugural American Craft Beer Week was recognized by the U.S. Congress with House Resolution 753 (PDF file). The week has continued to grow with interest and support from beer enthusiasts and the media. In 2007, more than 150 brewers registered their community celebrations.

The Declaration of Beer Independence is a worthwhile statement, but as others have mentioned, its definition of a craft brewery as one that produces fewer than 2 million barrels a year seems flawed. If a 2 million+ barrel a year brewery still focuses on quality beer, then I would still call it a craft brewery.

I'll be celebrating ACBW by seeking out beers from Massachusetts breweries, which I too often overlook when I purchase beer. This week I encourage you to seek out and enjoy local craft beer.

1012. Efes Pilsener

2009-05-08T09:30:00.004-04:00

1012. Efes Pilsener

A friend was grilling at his place the last weekend in April. Elçin, a post-doc in my lab, brought a six-pack of Efes, a Pilsener brewed in Turkey.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anadolu Efes Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide

I drank this beer directly from the bottle, and the notes are from memory. The beer wasn't the best Pils I've had, but it was decent. The beer was pleasingly malty with a nice leafy hoppiness, and pleasing crispness in the finish.