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.
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.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American Pale Ale
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.
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.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale
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.
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.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, Winter Warmer
David came up to Boston the weekend of October 18th. As usual, we had a weekend of drinking scheduled. David arrived at around 10 PM on Friday night, had a bite to eat at our place, and then we went to the oddly named pub, "Joe Sent Me", for a few beers.
David had found a small Beer/Mead/Wine fest in Salem on Saturday, called the Salem Harvest Fest. We had a particularly nauseating ferry ride to Salem, but managed to walk most of it off before having lunch at Upper Crust.
The Fest itself was small. Initially it was very crowded and a bit hard to move around, but people ended up leaving relatively early and it got much better. There was pizza from Upper Crust, and some cheese and crackers for snacking. There were beer booths from Magic Hat, Harpoon, Mercury Brewing, and Fisherman's. I managed to try all of the beers that I hadn't had yet (only 9). I was particularly impressed with what Fisherman's was offering, and I'll have to try them again.
There were also several booths serving wine and a booth serving mead. There were three very nice Danish meads , one made with ginger, one made with hibiscus, and one made with caraway. We also had a bit of wine towards the end of the fest.
We also witnessed an heroic effort to get sloshed by an overweight, middle-aged, white guy. We would stand next to a booth, get a sample and quickly sip it, all the while manufacturing his best attempt at a contemplative face. After he finished the sample he would simply hold his glass out waiting for a refill. He would repeat this until he was denied service at the booth, and would move on to the next.
Rather than taking the ferry back to Boston in our inebriated states, we opted to take the much smoother commuter rail back into Boston.
899. Roxy Rolles
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear amber-copper. Topped by a sudsy film. The aroma is resiny hops. There's a nice toasty malt backbone and a strong hop bitterness.
900. Stone Cat Octoberfest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazed copper color. The aroma is toasty with light, sweet, caramel notes. The flavors are much the same with a bit of bitterness in the finish.
901. Ipswich Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown with a sudsy, beige ring for a head. The aroma is toasty and bready with a bit of hops and caramel. Hoppy, with a lightly sweet backbone that's best described as bready.
902. Ipswich Oatmeal Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black. The head is a brown ring. The aroma is very roast: notes of coffee, chocolate, and a boozy quality. The backbone is nice and roasty. Sweet chocolate upfront moves into a nice coffee bitterness.
903. Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.75%
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black, with a sudsy beige head. There's pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in the aroma, over a background of roasted malts. Sweet pumpkin flesh upfront that melds well with the spices. Roastiness appears in the center along with a sharp note. The finish is lightly bitter. Very smooth. This is the first pumpkin ale that I've had that doesn't stick to the standard pale/ale, amber ale format, tasty and interesting.
904. Fisherman's Dunkelweizen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy amber. The head is a sudsy ring. Strong notes of banana and clove in the aroma with undertones of malt and other nondescript fruit. Sweet banana with clove and peppery spice.
905. Stone Cat Pumpkin
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a reddish-brown with no head. The aroma is malty, notes of caramel, pumpkin, and a light spice. A bready character moves into sweet pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. The finish has a light hint of roasted malts.
906. Magic Hat Odd Notion (Winter 08)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Braggot
Pours a clear golden with a fluffy, white head. The aroma is initially grassy, followed by notes of honey, and a bit of grape fruitiness. Grassy upfront moving into a honey sweetness in the center, followed by a peppery finish.
907. Glacier Harvest '08 Wet Hop Beer (100 Barrel Series #24)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, light copper with a sudsy head. Light caramel maltiness in the aroma with lots of floral and resiny hops. Light sweetness upfront moves through to a neutral breadiness with a surprisingly mild hop bitterness in the finish.
David had found a small Beer/Mead/Wine fest in Salem on Saturday, called the Salem Harvest Fest. We had a particularly nauseating ferry ride to Salem, but managed to walk most of it off before having lunch at Upper Crust.
The Fest itself was small. Initially it was very crowded and a bit hard to move around, but people ended up leaving relatively early and it got much better. There was pizza from Upper Crust, and some cheese and crackers for snacking. There were beer booths from Magic Hat, Harpoon, Mercury Brewing, and Fisherman's. I managed to try all of the beers that I hadn't had yet (only 9). I was particularly impressed with what Fisherman's was offering, and I'll have to try them again.
There were also several booths serving wine and a booth serving mead. There were three very nice Danish meads , one made with ginger, one made with hibiscus, and one made with caraway. We also had a bit of wine towards the end of the fest.
We also witnessed an heroic effort to get sloshed by an overweight, middle-aged, white guy. We would stand next to a booth, get a sample and quickly sip it, all the while manufacturing his best attempt at a contemplative face. After he finished the sample he would simply hold his glass out waiting for a refill. He would repeat this until he was denied service at the booth, and would move on to the next.
Rather than taking the ferry back to Boston in our inebriated states, we opted to take the much smoother commuter rail back into Boston.
899. Roxy Rolles
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear amber-copper. Topped by a sudsy film. The aroma is resiny hops. There's a nice toasty malt backbone and a strong hop bitterness.
900. Stone Cat Octoberfest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazed copper color. The aroma is toasty with light, sweet, caramel notes. The flavors are much the same with a bit of bitterness in the finish.
901. Ipswich Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown with a sudsy, beige ring for a head. The aroma is toasty and bready with a bit of hops and caramel. Hoppy, with a lightly sweet backbone that's best described as bready.
902. Ipswich Oatmeal Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black. The head is a brown ring. The aroma is very roast: notes of coffee, chocolate, and a boozy quality. The backbone is nice and roasty. Sweet chocolate upfront moves into a nice coffee bitterness.
903. Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.75%
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black, with a sudsy beige head. There's pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in the aroma, over a background of roasted malts. Sweet pumpkin flesh upfront that melds well with the spices. Roastiness appears in the center along with a sharp note. The finish is lightly bitter. Very smooth. This is the first pumpkin ale that I've had that doesn't stick to the standard pale/ale, amber ale format, tasty and interesting.
904. Fisherman's Dunkelweizen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy amber. The head is a sudsy ring. Strong notes of banana and clove in the aroma with undertones of malt and other nondescript fruit. Sweet banana with clove and peppery spice.
905. Stone Cat Pumpkin
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mercury Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a reddish-brown with no head. The aroma is malty, notes of caramel, pumpkin, and a light spice. A bready character moves into sweet pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. The finish has a light hint of roasted malts.
906. Magic Hat Odd Notion (Winter 08)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Braggot
Pours a clear golden with a fluffy, white head. The aroma is initially grassy, followed by notes of honey, and a bit of grape fruitiness. Grassy upfront moving into a honey sweetness in the center, followed by a peppery finish.
907. Glacier Harvest '08 Wet Hop Beer (100 Barrel Series #24)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, light copper with a sudsy head. Light caramel maltiness in the aroma with lots of floral and resiny hops. Light sweetness upfront moves through to a neutral breadiness with a surprisingly mild hop bitterness in the finish.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, Beer Fests, Märzen / Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout, Pumpkin Ale
863. Jumping Cow Amber Ale
Jadyn took a bottle of this from the Whitehead beer hour for me. We had it a couple of weeks later. I served it in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Steinhaus Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a quarter-inch film. The aroma is toasty with a bit of caramel and citric hops. The flavor is toasty with a nice caramel and fruity sweetness. The finish has a very light bitterness. Light-verging-on-medium-bodied, highly carbonated.
Jadyn took a bottle of this from the Whitehead beer hour for me. We had it a couple of weeks later. I served it in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Steinhaus Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a quarter-inch film. The aroma is toasty with a bit of caramel and citric hops. The flavor is toasty with a nice caramel and fruity sweetness. The finish has a very light bitterness. Light-verging-on-medium-bodied, highly carbonated.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale
My Uncle gave me two six-packs from Wasatch for Christmas (along with a few other things), because he'd recently gone to Park City, Utah for skiing. I had a beer from each sixer at his house.
748. Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that thins to a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Malty. Toasty and bready with maybe a hint of caramel
Taste (3.0): Toasty malts, a hint of caramel sweetness, with a grassy quality and light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, high-carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (3.35): Solidly drinkable.
749. Wasatch Polygamy Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a dark black-brown with hints of ruby at the edges. A thick brown head fades to a layer with a speckling of lace.
Smell (3.0): Fairly light overall. Roasty with a hint of fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): A vague roasty character predominates. There are hints of chocolate and lightly sweet fruit. The finish has a light roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied, and overly carbonated. Thin for a porter.
Drinkability (3.5): Seemed a bit thin, but it was decently balanced.
Overall (3.4)
748. Wasatch Evolution Amber Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that thins to a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Malty. Toasty and bready with maybe a hint of caramel
Taste (3.0): Toasty malts, a hint of caramel sweetness, with a grassy quality and light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, high-carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (3.35): Solidly drinkable.
749. Wasatch Polygamy Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a dark black-brown with hints of ruby at the edges. A thick brown head fades to a layer with a speckling of lace.
Smell (3.0): Fairly light overall. Roasty with a hint of fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): A vague roasty character predominates. There are hints of chocolate and lightly sweet fruit. The finish has a light roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied, and overly carbonated. Thin for a porter.
Drinkability (3.5): Seemed a bit thin, but it was decently balanced.
Overall (3.4)
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American Porter
I went to Texas in early July for Brent's wedding. I had some new, mostly Texas, beers in Waco and Houston.
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American IPA, Euro Dark Lager, German Pilsener, Rahr and Sons Brewing Company, Saint Arnold, San Miguel
We left for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown on Friday. Bennett and I left from Boston and Dave and David left from New York City. The plan was to meet at our motel in Herkimer, NY.
Bennett caught a train from New Haven to Boston Friday morning, and arrived at Kendall Square at 11:45 or so. We briefly stopped off in lab and then took the T to Davis. After lunch at Anna's we picked up the rental car, stopped at Downtown Wine & Spirits for a Magic Hat mixed 12-pack, packed up the car, and were on the road at about 1:15.
406. Albany Pump House Grand Cru
We had originally planned to stop for dinner at The Albany Pump House, but since we left two hours earlier than originally anticipated we arrived in Albany at 5:00, too early for dinner. Still, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a new beer so we stopped for a quick bite.
I decided to go with the Grand Cru because it was relatively low in alcohol, and because it was on the beer list for BCTC (one less new beer to worry about at the fest. I had a picture, but I accidentally erased some of the early photos from Friday. This is what the menu says:
Brewery: C.H. Evans Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.5%
Serving: Draft, 16oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden-orange with a thin bubbly white head that fades quickly.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, notes of banana as well as sweet malts.
Taste (4.0): Fruity, bananas and toasty malts. The finish is lightly spicy with a hint of bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very easy to drink, refreshing and flavorful.
Overall (3.85): Nice and drinkable, not overwhelmingly complex, a good session beer.
We left Albany Pump House at 6 and called David and Dave for an update, they were still in the rental car office in Manhattan. From Albany it was an hour to our motel in Herkimer, NY. The motel was run down, but wasn't as bad as I feared.
407. Magic Hat Batch 374
After arriving at the motel Bennett and I ran into town for snacks, then had a couple beers from the Magic Hat mixed pack and watched TV until the Daves arrived. We both had Magic Hat Batch 374, the "Mystery Beer" in the 12-pack. I brought pint glasses to the hotel for the homebrew tasting so we served the beer in that.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance:
Thom (4.0): Pours a crystal clear amber with a fluffy beige head that recedes to a thin layer leaving patchy lace.
Bennett (4.0): Relatively clear, with a pleasant copper color. Head was a medium, beige froth, with a relatively long half life.
Smell:
Thom (3.5): Piney hops with sweet toffee and caramel malts.
Bennett (3.0): Herbal, strong.
Taste:
Thom (3.5): Light sweet malts in the center are dominated by a resiny hop bitterness in the finsish.
Bennett (3.0): Bitter. Aftertaste is the aroma, hops-dominated. Not a complex taste - straight and simple.
Mouthfeel:
Thom (3.5): Oily, medium-light-bodied.
Bennett (2.5): A little slimy. No texture. Inside Joke [Ward: "Add a little coconut?"]
Drinkability:
Thom (3.5): Drinkablitiy is okay, but could use some more balancing malts.
Bennett (3.5): Only flavor strength would stop you.
Overall:
Thom (3.6): A decent session beer.
Bennett (3.2)
David and Dave arrived at around 11:30. In addition to the homebrew stout that we'd brewed, David had also brewed a Witbier. We had the homebrews and then played poker.
Homebrew Stout
David, Bennett and I brewed this stout when I went to NYC for his birthday. He bottled it about a week later, and brought up 3 bottles for us to try.
Appearance:
Thom: Opaque black, hazy edges, thin beige head.
Dave (3.0): Quite dark, almost no light gets through.
David (4.0): Hoppy and Guiness-like - brown too, not all black.
Bennett (4.0):Opaque. Light, lacy head that lingers (khaki-coloured). Near-black.
Smell:
Thom: Roasty, with notes of coffee and chocolate.
Dave (2.7): Smells slightly acidic.
David (2.0): Must and a bit acidic.
Bennett (3.5): Caramel overtones to beer.
Taste:
Thom: Roasted malts, coffee, burnt sugar, with a little residual sweetness. Hoppy bitterness in the finish.
Dave (3.5): Rich, thick taste - resembles a chocolate stout, I want to say... Has a nice slightly bitter aftertaste with a nice bit of carbonation.
David (4.0): Porter - very pronounced hops and bark burntness. Lovely.
Bennett (4.0): Rich, full-bodied. Dominated by carbonation. Hints of caramel, but against a dark burnt background.
Mouthfeel:
Thom: Light-medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation.
Dave (4): Bold - enjoy the carbonation.
David (4.0): Feels like coffee - harsh, but good aftertaste.
Bennett (4.5): Light-bubbliness. Smooth. I like it.
Drinkability:
Thom: Pretty easy to drink.
Dave (4.5): Bold and smooth - could drink quite a few of these.
David (3.5): I've had some better, a lot worse.
Bennett (3): With food: yes. Without food: no.
Overall:
Thom: Pretty good, the residual sweetness worked well to balance the roasted and hoppy bitterness.
Dave (3.39)
David (3.55)
Bennett (3.85)
Stout Summary
We all liked the stout pretty well. We all liked the carbonation, and most of us thought it was very drinkable, with a pretty good taste. The smell was a little lacking.
Homebrew Witbier
David and Megan's brother brewed this a few weeks ago.
Appearance:
Thom: It looks like saturated YPD. An incredibly cloudy golden.
Dave (2.7): Milky, egg-yolk haziness.
David (?): Cloudy and orange.
Bennett (2.0): YPD + E. coli (12 hours) = this beer.
Smell:
Thom: Incredibly fruity, a bit much actually. There's also a hint of graininess.
Dave (3):Thick, fruity smell.
David (4.0): Very nice - fruity, but also wheaty.
Bennett (3.0): Fruity.
Taste:
Thom: Fruitiness is present, but not nearly as overpowering as the smell. The finish is grainy, with powdery yeast and a light bitterenss.
Dave (2.9): Hearty, milky taste.
David (4.0): Crisp, rounded taste of fruit and wheat. Personally can't taste much yeast/sediment in this beer.
Bennett (3.0): Disappointingly burnt aftertaste. Complex flavors, wheat dominates though.
Mouthfeel:
Thom: Light-bodied, tingly carbonation.
Dave (3.4): Enjoy the light fruity aftertaste and slight tingle.
David (3.0): Inveterate tingly nature on tongue - especially when cold.
Bennett (3.5): Eh. No good on the taste, so this is hard to judge.
Drinkability:
Thom: A little off.
Dave (2.4): Aftertaste is kind of funky.
David (3.0): Could drink very cold on hot day. Maybe a six-pack or so.
Bennett (2.0): Not good.
Overall:
Thom: Not as good as the stout, not a great witbier.
Dave (2.86)
Bennett (2.75)
We played poker for a couple hours at a $10 buy in, and then went to bed.
Bennett caught a train from New Haven to Boston Friday morning, and arrived at Kendall Square at 11:45 or so. We briefly stopped off in lab and then took the T to Davis. After lunch at Anna's we picked up the rental car, stopped at Downtown Wine & Spirits for a Magic Hat mixed 12-pack, packed up the car, and were on the road at about 1:15.
406. Albany Pump House Grand Cru
We had originally planned to stop for dinner at The Albany Pump House, but since we left two hours earlier than originally anticipated we arrived in Albany at 5:00, too early for dinner. Still, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a new beer so we stopped for a quick bite.
I decided to go with the Grand Cru because it was relatively low in alcohol, and because it was on the beer list for BCTC (one less new beer to worry about at the fest. I had a picture, but I accidentally erased some of the early photos from Friday. This is what the menu says:
A unique beer made from a 3/2 blend of wheat and Munich malts and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. The nose is complex, with notes of fruit, vanilla and malt. The flavor is much the same, with little hop character.Beer Stats:
Brewery: C.H. Evans Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.5%
Serving: Draft, 16oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden-orange with a thin bubbly white head that fades quickly.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, notes of banana as well as sweet malts.
Taste (4.0): Fruity, bananas and toasty malts. The finish is lightly spicy with a hint of bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very easy to drink, refreshing and flavorful.
Overall (3.85): Nice and drinkable, not overwhelmingly complex, a good session beer.
We left Albany Pump House at 6 and called David and Dave for an update, they were still in the rental car office in Manhattan. From Albany it was an hour to our motel in Herkimer, NY. The motel was run down, but wasn't as bad as I feared.
407. Magic Hat Batch 374
After arriving at the motel Bennett and I ran into town for snacks, then had a couple beers from the Magic Hat mixed pack and watched TV until the Daves arrived. We both had Magic Hat Batch 374, the "Mystery Beer" in the 12-pack. I brought pint glasses to the hotel for the homebrew tasting so we served the beer in that.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance:
Thom (4.0): Pours a crystal clear amber with a fluffy beige head that recedes to a thin layer leaving patchy lace.
Bennett (4.0): Relatively clear, with a pleasant copper color. Head was a medium, beige froth, with a relatively long half life.
Smell:
Thom (3.5): Piney hops with sweet toffee and caramel malts.
Bennett (3.0): Herbal, strong.
Taste:
Thom (3.5): Light sweet malts in the center are dominated by a resiny hop bitterness in the finsish.
Bennett (3.0): Bitter. Aftertaste is the aroma, hops-dominated. Not a complex taste - straight and simple.
Mouthfeel:
Thom (3.5): Oily, medium-light-bodied.
Bennett (2.5): A little slimy. No texture. Inside Joke [Ward: "Add a little coconut?"]
Drinkability:
Thom (3.5): Drinkablitiy is okay, but could use some more balancing malts.
Bennett (3.5): Only flavor strength would stop you.
Overall:
Thom (3.6): A decent session beer.
Bennett (3.2)
David and Dave arrived at around 11:30. In addition to the homebrew stout that we'd brewed, David had also brewed a Witbier. We had the homebrews and then played poker.
Homebrew Stout
David, Bennett and I brewed this stout when I went to NYC for his birthday. He bottled it about a week later, and brought up 3 bottles for us to try.
Appearance:
Thom: Opaque black, hazy edges, thin beige head.
Dave (3.0): Quite dark, almost no light gets through.
David (4.0): Hoppy and Guiness-like - brown too, not all black.
Bennett (4.0):Opaque. Light, lacy head that lingers (khaki-coloured). Near-black.
Smell:
Thom: Roasty, with notes of coffee and chocolate.
Dave (2.7): Smells slightly acidic.
David (2.0): Must and a bit acidic.
Bennett (3.5): Caramel overtones to beer.
Taste:
Thom: Roasted malts, coffee, burnt sugar, with a little residual sweetness. Hoppy bitterness in the finish.
Dave (3.5): Rich, thick taste - resembles a chocolate stout, I want to say... Has a nice slightly bitter aftertaste with a nice bit of carbonation.
David (4.0): Porter - very pronounced hops and bark burntness. Lovely.
Bennett (4.0): Rich, full-bodied. Dominated by carbonation. Hints of caramel, but against a dark burnt background.
Mouthfeel:
Thom: Light-medium-bodied, vigorous carbonation.
Dave (4): Bold - enjoy the carbonation.
David (4.0): Feels like coffee - harsh, but good aftertaste.
Bennett (4.5): Light-bubbliness. Smooth. I like it.
Drinkability:
Thom: Pretty easy to drink.
Dave (4.5): Bold and smooth - could drink quite a few of these.
David (3.5): I've had some better, a lot worse.
Bennett (3): With food: yes. Without food: no.
Overall:
Thom: Pretty good, the residual sweetness worked well to balance the roasted and hoppy bitterness.
Dave (3.39)
David (3.55)
Bennett (3.85)
Stout Summary
We all liked the stout pretty well. We all liked the carbonation, and most of us thought it was very drinkable, with a pretty good taste. The smell was a little lacking.
Homebrew Witbier
David and Megan's brother brewed this a few weeks ago.
Appearance:
Thom: It looks like saturated YPD. An incredibly cloudy golden.
Dave (2.7): Milky, egg-yolk haziness.
David (?): Cloudy and orange.
Bennett (2.0): YPD + E. coli (12 hours) = this beer.
Smell:
Thom: Incredibly fruity, a bit much actually. There's also a hint of graininess.
Dave (3):Thick, fruity smell.
David (4.0): Very nice - fruity, but also wheaty.
Bennett (3.0): Fruity.
Taste:
Thom: Fruitiness is present, but not nearly as overpowering as the smell. The finish is grainy, with powdery yeast and a light bitterenss.
Dave (2.9): Hearty, milky taste.
David (4.0): Crisp, rounded taste of fruit and wheat. Personally can't taste much yeast/sediment in this beer.
Bennett (3.0): Disappointingly burnt aftertaste. Complex flavors, wheat dominates though.
Mouthfeel:
Thom: Light-bodied, tingly carbonation.
Dave (3.4): Enjoy the light fruity aftertaste and slight tingle.
David (3.0): Inveterate tingly nature on tongue - especially when cold.
Bennett (3.5): Eh. No good on the taste, so this is hard to judge.
Drinkability:
Thom: A little off.
Dave (2.4): Aftertaste is kind of funky.
David (3.0): Could drink very cold on hot day. Maybe a six-pack or so.
Bennett (2.0): Not good.
Overall:
Thom: Not as good as the stout, not a great witbier.
Dave (2.86)
Bennett (2.75)
We played poker for a couple hours at a $10 buy in, and then went to bed.
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American Stout, Beer Fests, Belgian Pale Ale, Brewery Ommegang, Homebrew, Travel, Witbier
