Update on status of site

Deke is currently unavailable for this sites usual brew tasting night so there will be a hiatus for a while, possibly unil 2011.

I will try and update the site with some of my personal tastings from time to time in order to keep our reader(s) happy, but I'm not promising much.

Carry on.

Bells Two Hearted Ale

Bells Two Hearted, the mecca of IPAs. Lets get started.

This little treasure pours light orange brown with a thin white head, kind of bubbly and with very good lacing. The aroma is of citrus, spice, cloves, honey, and some light malts. The taste is of pure hops with a slight citrus backbone and a mellow finish. Oh man is this a smooth beer, and probably the most texture filled IPA I've ever had. Too bad they don't distribute to the East Coast.

Appearance - 3.6
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 4.1
Overall - 3.9/5

Hair of the Dog Fred

We are definitely on a run of barley wines tonight, and this is the last one up - from Hair of the Dog. Hair of the Dog holds a special place in my drinking heart seeing as they make one of my favorite beers, Hair of the Dog Adam (take a look at my review).

This beer pours orange/brown with a thin white head. An aroma of grapefruit and hops emanates from the glass, hopefully the taste is a little more distinct than the smell since there is not much going on.

This brew is different when compared to the other barley wines on one key aspect - hops. It is not nearly as hoppy as the other two or three I've had recently and is dominated by fruit instead of bitterness. If you aren't a fan of hops I would give this a try if you want to have any kind of barley wine.

Appearance - 3.7

Smell - 3.8

Taste - 4.2

Texture - 4.1

Overall - 3.95/5

Bells Third Coast Old Ale

Another brew from bells, I really wish this one was more readily available on the East coast, hopefully in time it will be. It pours brown with a thick off-white head and pretty decent lacing through the entire tasting. Aroma is of brandy, light fruits, and hops. Overall it smells very well balanced. The taste is a lot heavier on the hops than the aroma would give off but very good none the less.

Damn you Bells, distribute to me!

Appearance - 3.8
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 3.85/5

Great Divide Old Ruffian

This one pours light brown with a slight red tint and a decent sized cream colored head. Nice lacing once the head dissipates and a pretty nice all-around look. The aroma is of light fruits, citrus, and a slight amount of bitter hops. The taste is not as potent as the smell and starts off with a little bit of fruit followed by strong hops and bitter finish. Not a bad beer, and a pretty good representation of a barley wine. Give it a try if you can find it.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 3.7

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.83/5

Ken Schmidt Maui Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter

Yeah, try saying the full name of this beer five times fast... though so. The story behind this beer is that Stone Brewing Co. had a competition in which home brewers would send in their creations and Stone would buy the recipe for the best one and mass produce it. Ken Schmidt won.

This porter pours brown/black with a thin off-white head that fades very quickly. The aroma is of nuts, chocolate, barley, and coffee. The taste is very unique and actually tastes much like the name of the beer - initial flavor of coconuts and macadamia nuts, and then it transitions into a coffee and barley finish. Overall the beer is kinda watery, the best way to describe it would be that it tastes like Guinness mixed with coffee, macadamia nuts, and coconuts. Strange, but good.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 4.0

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.9/5

Green Flash Stout

We have found yet another great brewing company based in California (who would have guessed), but this one actually ships out to the East coast so we decided to try one of their better rated beers first. And its a stout, of course.

This brew pours black with a thin off-white head and pretty decent lacing. The aroma is of sweet roasted barley with hints of oatmeal, toffee, and bitter sweetness. The taste is pretty normal for a stout and is of dry chocolate with a bitter sweet oatmeal finish. Overall its a very good beer and a good example of what an oatmeal styled stout should be, but nothing amazing or new. Hopefully we'll be able to find another brew from Green Flash with a little more zing, maybe a Belgian Ale or ESB. Stay tuned.

Appearance - 4.0

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.93/5

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Now back to the real stuff. This is a brew that is available in north Jersey but we just haven't been able to find it until now. And another one from Founders which is one of my favorite breweries.

This alcohol infused imperial stout pours black with little to no head and almost no lacing. The smell is very heavy on the bourbon but includes hints of chocolate, dark malts, and a little bit of coffee. The taste is highly alcoholic but transitions smoothly into a subtle coffee and dark chocolate finish. If you are a fan of bourbon then you MUST try this beer. Imagine if you will someone taking bourbon, mixing it with chocolate and coffee and then adding yeast and hops - thats what this is. Delicious and different.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 4.1

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 3.93/5

Black Forest

Ok... so looking back on this, this was probably a huge mistake. There is this drink known as a "Black Forest" which usually entails mixing a dark chocolate stout (most of the time Young's or Brooklyn) with a sweet lambic. Let me repeat that, a sweet lambic. We had the genius idea that since we were tasting one of the best stouts and one of the best lambics ever we might as well mix them to see what happens. Oh boy.

The appearance of this monstrosity is just like hunaphu - dark with a decent sized head. The aroma is pretty much what I expected seeing as we are mixing a coffee imperial stout with a sour lambic - sour coffee and sour chocolate, not too bad but not very appetizing. The taste is very sour at first and then leads into a strange sour vanilla and chocolate finish. I didn't die, but I probably wouldn't recommend trying this (even if you can find these two brews).

Appearance - 4.0

Smell - 3.8

Taste - 3.5

Texture - 3.6

Overall - 3.73/5

Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise

This is our first true sour lambic, and the second of two beers that DJ's parents picked up in Florida, thanks again!

This brew pours burgundy with a thin pinkish white head and looks very similar to almost all of the other lambic's we've reviewed on the site. The aroma is moderately strong and has characteristics of sour raspberries, vinegar, apples, and hard cider. The taste is extremely sour - pretty much all I can get from it is the sour raspberries. Right at the end there is a slight vinegar flavor that transitions into an aftertaste (doesn't go away for a while!). Oh man is this sour, if you ever had one of those warhead candies as a kid, this is that in beer form, sheesh. Obviously if you are not a fan of anything sour avoid this like the plague, otherwise, if you want to try something a little different, at least compared to US lambics, give this a whirl.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 4.2

Texture - 3.7

Overall - 3.88/5

Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Thank you to DJ's parents for picking this one up while they were vacationing in Florida, there is no way that this could be found otherwise.

This monster of a brew pours like the gulf of mexico (too soon?) with a milk chocolate colored head, very small carbonation bubbles and very nice lacing once the head fades. Aroma is very strong and includes notes of chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, and sweet malts. This is a very heavy brew! The smell is like someone mixed Starbucks with a liquor store. The taste is not nearly as strong as the aroma but includes most of the same stuff: Coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and alcohol (right at the end). This is a great beer, but like some other imperial stouts we've reviewed, if you don't like coffee then I suggest you steer clear.

Appearance - 4.2

Smell - 4.1

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.7

Overall - 4.33/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-seventh

Fonnie is going away for the summer, so this is the last of the teamed reviews we will have until fall semester rolls around. This is gonna be a big one and we will most definitely be feeling it after this. Stay tuned for some interesting reviews.

1) Cigar City Hunaphu Imperial Stout

2) Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise

3) Black Forest

4) Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

5) Green Flash Stout

6) Ken Schmidt Maui Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter

7) Great Divide Old Ruffian

8) Bells Third Coast Old Ale

9) Hair of the Dog Fred

10) Bells Two Hearted Ale

This is gonna be a long night.

Hair of the Dog Adam

Hair of the Dog is a brewery from Oregon that likes to name its beers after people, which, although interesting, makes it difficult to determine what is what. All I know is that this is an Old Ale, and it should be good.

This beer pours dark brown with a slight purple tint with decent lacing and a small head that quickly fades into nothingness. Nothing really stands out in the aroma but all in all its very well balanced and includes some sweetness mixed with hops and roasted barley. The taste is very much of the same, starting with a bitter hoppy front and some malty roasted barley mixed it. It then transitions into dark fruits and a slight alcohol finish. This beer is velvetly smooth, a very well balanced ale.

Appearance - 4.1

Smell - 4.2

Taste - 4.1

Texture - 4.3

Overall - 4.18/5

Hair of the Dog Adam

Hair...of the Dog? What a peculiar name for a company. I hope it's reflected in their beer (in a good way). Here's the Adam, the top Traditional Ale on ratebeer.com and, reportedly, one very solid beer.

Pours a dark, dark brown. It has a strange purple tinge up to the light. It also has a gradient of light brown when held up to the light. It has minimal head with good lacing. Nose is of dark and light fruits. It has hints of coffee and chocolate. There's also a handful of dark hops and a balanced mix of barleys - a very balanced and inclusive smell. The taste starts a little bitter from the hops and the spice from the barley. The middle has a touch of chocolate and coffee. It finishes off with fruits and alcohol. The resultant texture is an extremely balanced mouth, well placed feel, and not too much of one, single thing.

Simply put, one of the weirdest, but best beers, I've ever had. It had a little bit of everything, but not in the way that it has no identity. It does everything very well as opposed to one thing extremely well. And that's alright by me. Impressive stuff - can't wait to try Fred.

App - 4.1
Smell - 4.4
Taste - 4.6
Text - 4.7
Overall - 4.45/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-sixth

Start of the summer semesters - what better way to celebrate than a beer? Here's a gem from a very strange company called Hair of the Dog. This is considered a traditional ale which is up there with one of the most vague descriptions ever. Let's hope its good. List after the break.

1) Hair of the Dog Adam

Blue Moon Grand Cru

Blue Moon is surprisingly one of the higher rated, cheap beers out there. It's very high market and it has very solid reviews. Also, it's made by the Coors Brewing Co. which makes it #2 on it's non-retired listing on ratebeer.com. So, the enhanced version, the Grand Cru, should be better. And it is - #1. Let's see how it is.

Pours with a nice golden color. It's translucent with a nice solid head that falls quickly. The nose is of oranges and light hops and touches of citrus. There are also touches of coriander and other winter spices. The taste is of bitter hops and light barley. There is also a slight citrus touch. It's very reminiscent of a Blue Moon/Chimay White hybrid. Kind of strange, but kind of cool. The texture is quite smooth with a slight touch of carbonation. It's pretty velvety with a combination of heavy and smooth textures. There are nice transitions in the whole beer between all of the aspects.

Overall, this is a very solid beer. Far and away the most solid beer out of the Coors Brewing Company and easily trumps the standard Blue Moon. And the original Blue Moon is great. So, this is better - great job.

App - 3.9
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.8
Text - 4.1
Overall - 3.93/5

Tröegs Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale

Here's a nice brown ale out of Pennsylvania by the Tröegs Brewing Company. I had high hopes for this beer. I enjoy a nice brown ale from time to time. Let's see how it fared.

Pours a dark brown with a slight amber hue when held up to light. It has no head but it's strangely carbonated. The smell is very stouty with hearty dark barley and hops. The taste is pretty bitter and surprisingly hoppy for a dark brew. Kind of flat and not enough barley taste. The texture is very very strange. It's bubbly, to match the carbonation. But, it's pretty bitter and doesn't match the rest of the characteristics of the beer.

Overall, not a very special beer. I guess it would be a nice alternative to other cheap, dark ales. But, I don't find it to have any special characteristics that would keep me from buying a Samuel Adams or Dogfish Head variant. Ok, but could use some work.

Appearance - 3.6
Smell - 3.2
Taste - 2.9
Texture - 3
Overall - 3.18/5

Blue Point Blueberry Ale

I got this brew out of a trade, so I figured it be worth a shot. It's made by the lovely Blue Point Brewing Company out of Long Island, NY. They have a pretty broad selection and I figured this fruit beer would be a nice start.

Pours with a nice, white head. It's kinda cloudy and translucent with a golden hue to the body. The nose is of blueberries, hops and assorted other light fruits. The taste is distinctly of blueberries, but not nearly as much as the smell lets on. It's also hoppy, but not bitter. Also has an airy quality to it; probably because of the carbonation. The texture has a slight bite and moves from smooth to bubbly. But, the taste flow is kind of flat.

Overall, not a terrible beer. Also, not something REALLY special. But it is worth noting from this company. Also, how many companies out there make blueberry beers? Worth a shot if you like blueberries.

Appearance - 3.3
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 2.9
Overall - 3.45/5

What's Next?

If you look through the most acclaimed beer websites on the net, the Westvleteren 12 is the top beer received by most critics. We acquired this beer a little under a year ago and have been letting it self-brew in the fridge for all that time, intending on having it on the 1-year anniversary of the blog. But, what some may think, is next?

Well, our initial goal was to top off the ratebeer.com Top 50 list. After further review, we noticed that the Top 50 is populated by mostly 2 beer types (Quadruples and Imperial Stouts). We then revised this goal to hit the top 5 (or so) of each beer style; broaden our views and have the best of each category. This will still happen, but we need to establish a new Mount Olympus.

We were thinking about setting our sights on the Tactical Nuclear Penguin or the Samuel Adams Utopias. Both of which are very expensive, but extremely alcoholic and rare beers. Also, BrewDog just released the Sink The Bismarck!, which is 41% ABV - we're also looking into this on the scale of extreme beers. If our readers (pending there are any) have any other suggestions on top beers we should investigate, please let us know in the comments. The community is the strongest part of the craft beer business and we like to hear feedback from that community - it may help us find something new!

Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus 12

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, the king of them all, the top of the mountain, the apex of beer, the Westvleteren 12. This particular beers journey has been vast. It started out at the brewery in Belgium and made its way to a second-hand beer store in Amsterdam. While my father was there on a trip he bought it and brought it back home, which then made its way back up to my school. So this beer has been on two trains, in two cars, on at least one airplane, and moved back and forth between three different rooms. Hopefully it has survived.

The Westy 12 pours deep brown with a lot of sediment and a thin frothy white head. The brew has a slight amount of carbonation and leaves very good lacing when the head disappears. The aroma is extremely complex and quite sweet. Included in it is notes of plums, raisins, white wine, and a little bit of hops/spice. The taste is magical - dark fruits, light fruits, sweet malts, and a slight hoppy backbone. No trace of alcohol at all. Let me remind our reader (readers maybe) that this brew is over 11% alcohol even though I could drink this all day long.

It may be part hype, it may be part mystery, but there's no escaping the fact that this is by far the best Belgian Quadruple I've ever had... and that is saying a LOT.

Appearance - 4.1

Smell - 4.7

Taste - 4.5

Texture - 4.6

Overall - 4.48/5

Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus 12

This is it. The brew we have been (literally) waiting for. This beer has been in our possession, brewing, for about a year. And we finally had it. Let's see how the best beer in the world (as rated by most beer sites) fared.

Poured out a solid brown/amber color. It was pretty translucent but a lot of sediment was also visible. The beer laced very nicely and reproduced a head on swirl very readily. The Westy had a nose of dark and light fruits (grapes) and a touch of barley and sweet hops. The taste had no trace of bitterness and it was mostly sweet from the fruits present in the brew. It felt very hearty and the combination of the barley and sediment gave it a very velvety taste and texture. It was, overall, extremely smooth. The alcohol was extremely well covered but it still had a warming sensation to it - evidence of the ~10.5% ABV.

Overall, it was everything we thought it would be and then some. It was probably one of the most solid brews Fonnie or myself have ever enjoyed. It didn't have any tricks up its sleeve (like coffee or chocolate or any weird [but tasty] bits in it). It was just a beer that was brewed with the most attention it could have been given and it resulted in a beer that was, literally, touched by God. Keep on going monks, this shit rocks.

Appearance - 4.3
Smell - 4.8
Taste - 4.5
Texture - 4.6
Overall - 4.55/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-Fifth

This is it ladies and gentlemen, the one year anniversary of the blog. We've been saving this for almost a year. The best beer in the world as rated by sites all over the internet. It is time.

1. Westvleteren 12.

Stay tuned.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

And this is it. Beer Geek Breakfast paired with some chocolate chip pancakes for the perfect way to start a new day.

This brew pours black with a nice caramel colored head that quickly fades, although it leaves behind some pretty nice lacing. The smell is of coffee. I know I say that for a lot of the stouts and imperial stouts but this really smells just like coffee. Almost no malt or hop aroma whatsoever. The taste is also very strong on the coffee but includes hints of chocolate, roasted barley, and a little tinge of alcohol. This is far and above better than any other normal stout that I've had but its complexity does not come anywhere close to that of a good imperial stout. Still, its good, and even better when paired with a nice breakfast.

Appearance - 4.2

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 4.0/5

Mikkeller Geek Breakfast Beer

It was in my hand, and then it was taken away from me. And then, I got it back. The Mikkeller was a beer that evaded me for months on end. But, we finally got it and now it is going to go into my belly. Omnomnom.

This beer pours very black with a very full, dark tan head and it produced a nice lacing swirled around in my snifter. The smell was of chocolate and a lot of coffee - expected of this Breakfast Brew. The taste followed in the same suit being mostly coffee. This beer also didn't taste that alcoholic and had slight chocolate notes. The Mikkeller was also quite frothy - very smooth and satisfying. The texture had no bite from the alcohol content and it was very smooth and had a nice bit of carbonation as well.

This beer goes great with chocolate dishes - probably best as a dessert beer but we had it in the morning with chocolate-based dishes. I had chocolate chip French toast and Fonnie had chocolate chip pancakes. A great way to start the day off - we suggest you try it.

Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 4.2
Texture - 4.0
Overall - 4.13/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-Fourth

Today we are having a very special morning review, you'll know why soon enough, stand by.

Stone Brewing Co. Double Bastard Ale

This is just a souped-up version of the regular ol' arrogant bastard ale from Stone. Hopefully this will make it better, but you never know.

This bastard pours brown with slight red tint and a small tan head, very good lacing and overall it looks very similar to the normal arrogant bastard ale. The aroma is very well balanced and includes hints of raisins, plums, yeast, hops, and flowers. Almost smells as if someone mixed in sugar with a bed of flowers. The taste isn't nearly as sweet as the smell would have hinted to and overall its just a well balanced ale. There is a slight sweet maleness in the beginning which leads into a bitter hop finish. Good beer, and pretty much right on par with its weaker (ABV wise) cousin.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.9/5

Stone Brewing Co. Double Bastard Ale

How can you be a Double Bastard? Wouldn't that be an orphan? I'm not feeling very PC today, so deal with it. Stone Brewing Co. would get along with me quite nicely.

The beer pours out a dark, amber color with minimal, tan head. The lacing was very nice and the body was a little cloudy. The smell was very sweet with bits of light fruits and floral hints. Overall, it was a very "balanced smell", as Fonnie put it. Basically, it didn't lean to any side on the spectrum but it had an identity - very refreshing. The taste was hoppy and bitter and not nearly as sweet as it smelled. It warmed the cockle of my heart...maybe the subcockles. It was also very woody and had the feeling of whiskey. The texture was rather smooth and warm the whole way down. It had a bit of notable carbonation, although it was kind of rough in the middle of the test.

Overall, this followed in the footsteps of the Bastard Ale in being a beastly brew that you shouldn't try unless you're looking to be surprised and tested as to the ability of yourself to take a rough beer. But, it's a good rough...pending you have a palate a little more mature than one that's only seen Coors Light.

Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.0/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-Third

We've already had the Bastard, why not try the Double Bastard? Two must be better than one, I would hope.

1. Stone Brewing Co. Double Bastard Ale

Southampton Abbot 12

This is a personal review of mine. I found it sitting all alone in a fridge at BuyRite and I figured it'd be a nice taste to have for $10. Plus, how many quadruples have I disliked? That's right - none.

Pours a dark, amber color with a supple, creamy head. This is a very carbonated beer. It smelled very sweet with a mix of dark fruits (like dates and plums) and a nice mix of dark and light hops. There was also a dash of very smooth malts thrown into the batch. The taste started off very sweet, became mellow, and finished slightly bitter. Bits of dark fruits all over the place and a touch of sour notes at the very end. The texture was very bubbly, but smooth. The alcohol didn't burn but it definitely warmed the cockles of my heart.

Not a bad brew at all from this lowly Long Island company. It's not that far away, so I feel like I may have to try out a couple brews on tap at this place. I saw some other promising reviews of their other offerings on ratebeer, and this has interested me in the company. I may have to look into more.

Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 4
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 4.2
Overall - 4.05/5

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Next up is the basic Oak Aged Yeti, which is currently at #30 on the top 50 list at ratebeer.com.

This brew looks very similar to its espresso cousin, only small difference is the color of the head is much more towards the brown side instead of caramel. The smell also very similar except not nearly as sweet - it includes notes of licorice, chocolate and oak. The taste is very heavy on the chocolate with slight notes of oak and vanilla. Even though this brew is aged in oak barrels it does not have as much of an oak flavor as I was expecting but it does add a lot more complexity when comparing it to the normal Yeti.

Very smooth and hides the alcohol just as well as the espresso version - I recommend this brew over it to anyone who is not a fan of coffee or wants to try something not quite as sweet. Otherwise I'd go with the espresso if you had to pick one, but why not have both?

Appearance - 4.2

Smell - 4.2

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.7

Overall - 4.35/5

Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Time for a double header of epic proportions. We're starting with the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti and then heading straight into the normal Oak Aged Yeti to compare.

This brew pours black with a coffee colored head that quickly fades into nothing like most other imperial stouts. There is very nice lacing and carbonation present as well. The smell is mostly of coffee, which is be expected, with slight hints of chocolate, vanilla, and barley. The first sip blew me away - the complexity of this beer is out of this world and includes notes of oak, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. This version of the Yeti is a champ at hiding the alcohol flavor and warmth even though it comes in at 9.5%. One of the best tasting and best mouth feel I've ever had from a beer.

Appearance - 4.2

Smell - 4.1

Taste - 4.6

Texture - 4.6

Overall - 4.38/5

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

This, along with the Espresso Yeti, come from the same company and the same philosophy. It's basically the same basic recipe used in the baseline Yeti but brewed in Oak casks during the aging process.

Just like the Espresso, this beer pours out with the same characteristics. Black body, tan head, great lacing - standard fare. Nose of chocolate, coffee and sweetness and an woody, oak scent. Very familiar scent to those who have made friends with Jack Daniels. The taste was similar to the nose with a nice, hearty barley scent with a touch of hops and heavy malts. The taste was very smooth with no alcohol to speak of. But, this one had a weird aftertaste, even for coffee-lovers, compared to the Espresso. I wasn't able to put my finger on it so I'll keep it at "weird" but not "bad".

Overall, not a terrible brewski at all. But, I had the Espresso about an hour before this one, and that is one brew that is VERY hard to beat. Basically, if you have to choose between the two, get the Espresso. If this is the only one available, hit it like there's no tomorrow - you won't be disappointed.

App - 4.2
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 4.2
Text. - 4.5
Overall - 4.3/5

Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

What the fuck is going on brew lovers? This beer, that's what's going on. Let me just get straight to it.

Pours black like any normal Imperial stout with a full, tan head that is very supple and it had wonderful lacing. The nose was full of espresso and coffee with a heap of chocolate and caramel thrown in for good measure. The taste was full of the same stuff - chocolate and coffee. Essentially, it's fucking fantastic. It had a wonderful sweet/bitter combination. The texture was smooth as silk with no speedbumps anywhere. This beer is 9.5%, but you would never know it. It also had no bad aftertaste - as long as you don't consider coffee bad.

Easily one of the best beers I've had in a while. I want to just drink this in the morning instead of my coffee. If you like Imperials, get this - you won't be disappointed.

App - 4.2
Smell - 4.4
Taste - 4.6
Text. - 4.5
Overall - 4.43/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-Second

Tonight is going to be special. We have obtained a couple of beers that are very similar that we have been trying to find for months but were unsuccessful. Until now.

One of these are on the top fifty list, and the other is just outside of it. Pumped is a good representation of how we're feeling. Stay tuned.

1. Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

2. Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Bells Hopslam

My first beer from Bells Brewery, and another one that I picked up while on a trip to Indianapolis. I really hope this place starts to distribute on the East Coast soon otherwise it may be time for another trip.

Bells Hopslam pours orange/yellow in color with a normal-sized white colored frothy head. The carbonation is very apparent from the pour and the lacing is adequate. Aroma is very hoppy(obviously from a name like hopslam you would expect this) and consists of flowers, spice, honey, citrus, and caramel sweetness. It's like someone dipped a nice smelling flower in honey.

The taste is where this beer shines: it is nice and bitter at first but then it leads into a sweet honey and light fruits ending. Almost no taste of alcohol even though this brew sits at 10%. A great well balanced IPA.

Appearance - 4.1

Smell - 3.8

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 3.8

Overall - 3.9/5

Bells Hopslam

This is a standard fare from a company in middle-America that is very hard for us to acquire here on the East Coast - Bells. We hear only good things from this company so Fonnie picked this up when he went out to Indiana.

The beer pours out with an orange, but red-tint, color - unlike most IPAs. It also had a minimal head - something very normal for IPAs. It smelled of sweetness and honey with a slight spice and floral notes. The texture was bitter at the beginning from the hops and then this characteristic carried through all the way through. But, it wasn't like cleaning product (like I normally compare mediocre IPAs to). The honey was hard to detect but that's because we had the beer at a lower temperature than it was supposed to be enjoyed at - should be warmer. The texture was quite sharp and it leaves a bitter aftertaste. This beer has a very linear progression of themes though and doesn't leave room for variation.

I'm not a huge IPA fan so if one get's my attention, it's worth noting. I suggest you try this beer out pending you can ever find it - it'll be well worth your time and money.

App - 4.3
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 3.7
Text. - 3.6
Overall - 3.98/5

Brew Tasting the Thirty-First

Next up is the other beer that I picked up in Indiana, this time it come straight from Bells Brewing Company - another great microbrewery that does not distribute on the East Coast (there are a lot of them).

1. Bells Hopslam

De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

Last but not least comes a different kind of Tripel, if I had to classify it as anything I would say it would be most like if a Tripel and a Dubbel were combined into some amazing concoction. Anyway... lets get to the beer.

It pours light brown with a decent sized white head that quickly fades into a small half finger sized ring. Very good carbonation with tight knit bubbles. Not much lacing. The aroma is of hops, light fruits, brown sugar, maple. Its very sweet with a subtle hops backbone. The taste is very sweet at first and then leads into a nice bitter hoppy ending with a slight warming sensation from the alcohol at the end.

It may be because I'm partial to Belgian Dubbels, but this was by far my favorite out of the four we tried for "Tripel" night. If you can find it, try it, you won't be disappointed.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 4.3

Taste -4.4

Texture - 4.2

Overall - 4.2/5

Allagash Tripel Reserve

Time to step away from Belgium and see how a microbrewery in Maine can do. The third one we tried out for Tripel night comes from Maine, courtesy of Allagash Brewing Company.

This brew was by far the lightest colored of the four, with no sediment, good carbonation, and a large foamy white head. The actual beer was also a lot more cloudy in appearance than the others. The smell is of pine, herbs, trees, bitterness, and flowers. Not as strong as an aroma but more complex than the others so far. Taste is of bitter hops that leads straight into a pine tree aftertaste, with little to no hint of alcohol at all. A bit watery, but not too bad. Kind of weak. Probably my least favorite out of the ones for Tripel night, but still good if anyone out there wants to give it a try.

Appearance - 4.0

Smell - 3.6

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.6

Overall - 3.75/5

Tripel Karmeliet

Next up is the Tripel Karmeliet brewed by a very small place in Belgium known as Bosteels. This brew pours a light brown to golden yellow in color with extremely heavy carbonation. A large white head forms quickly (although not as large as the one from Chouffe) and then fades into a small one finger wide ring. The aroma is of heavy pine, light fruits (grapes, orange, bananas), and hops. The initial taste is found to be a bit weak and includes notes of lighter hops, earth, and sweet fruits. Hides the alcohol very well, but besides that not much else is going on. Taste is lacking a little, but the texture and complexity is right there.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 4.2

Overall - 3.95/5

Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

First out of the four beers for Tripel night tonight is the Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen, made by a very well known brewery in Belgium. This beer pours light brown with a huge billowing white head, large carbonation bubbles, and very nice lacing on the glass. It took quite a while for the head to subside enough for me to even be able to drink it. The aroma is of pure pine trees, with some slight floral notes in the background. The taste is not nearly as strong as the smell, and is nice and mellow at first but leads into a giant Belgian hops finish.

Quite good, although a bit weird since its supposed to be a mix of an IPA and a Tripel, lets see how the other three fair in this little match up.

Appearance - 4.2

Smell -3.8

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.9

Overall -3.93/5

De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

This was one Mad Bitch - my favorite out of the 4 tripels we reviewed. Let's get down to it.

This Bitch poured out the darkest of the 4 with a lot of sediment. The color was a very dark gold and it had the most minimal head of the tripels. The smell was of light fruits and hops and the sweetness that goes along with that. The taste was very velvety and smooth. It had a lot of fruit and sediment in the mouth with a cool alcoholic kick at the end. The texture was full of body and it was lightly carbonated - not too much and not too little. From start to finish the feelings go from sharp, to mellow, to the bite of the alcohol. Very nice.

This was my favorite because this beer stood out the most of the 4 beers. It had an identity that stood out from the others and, even though it was #4, it was #1 in my books.

Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.03/5

Allagash Tripel Reserve

#3 on ratebeer - the Allagash offering. This is a beer maker that we've noticed charges quite a bit for their wares and we were hoping this reflected in their beer. Let's see how it fared.

This beer poured out with no sediment and a medium brightness and color compared to the other tripels. It had a nice bubbly head but it was still kind of opaque. The smell was very tree-y with an herbish scent and a much more bitter nose. The taste had a slight bite at the beginning that faded and disappeared at the end with almost no fruit notes to speak of. The texture was not nearly as full-bodied as the other offerings and the taste couldn't hold up through the entire experience, resulting in a kind of flat beer.

This was a tad of a disappointment. For top 4 on the list, I don't think it held up very nicely. The beer had very little character and couldn't hold up what it had throughout the entire test.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.63/5

Tripel Karmeliet

#2 on ratebeer - the Karmeliet. Let's get down to it.

Pours mostly transparent with a huge, white head. It had substantial carbonation and a nice golden hue - like ginger ale. It smelled like a mix between the #3/4 tripels with fruit and evergreen notes and a dash of light hops. The taste didn't present itself at the beginning but kicks in at the middle with a slight IPA vibe along with the bitterness that normally goes along with IPAs - very good though. The texture had an interesting flow that was, admittedly, boring at the beginning but flows through to a great finish and an alcoholic kick to top it off.

Overall, not a bad beer at all. Out of the 4, this had some of the best identity to call its own. It was a unique beer and I like that in a beer that is a top in its category.

Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 3.98/5

Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Here's my first entry for the Tripel night. This was #1 on ratebeer.com and it did not disappoint.

This brew poured with a huge, white head and cloudy, but bright gold, body. It was also very bubbly and teeming with carbonation. It had a smell that was very close to gin (in terms of a pinetree-esque nose) but that's about it. The taste was truly unique. It started off pretty nice with touches of fruit notes and proceeded to get bitter. It also had a pine-y aftertaste that was very prominent. The texture was rather bitter, almost in an unpleasant sense, but mostly interesting. It was also very warming.

Overall, not a bad tripel at all. It was very intriguing and, for as big a fan of gin and tonics as myself, very satisfying. I can definitely see why this beer is #1 on ratebeer for tripels.

Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.00/5

Brew Tasting the Thirtieth

To celebrate our thirtieth review night on this blog we have decided to do something very special and never done before on this site. We will be having the top 4 Belgian Tripel's that are currently listed on ratebeer.com and having them back to back to back to back. Hopefully we will be able to compare them appropriately and find out if our ideals actually match those of the public.

Stay tuned, because this is going to get interesting.

1. De Dolle Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch)

2. Allagash Tripel Reserve

3. Tripel Karmeliet

4. Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Three Floyds. There's really nothing more to say than that. Unfortunately for those of us on the East coast it is almost impossible to find within a reasonable distance. Recently I was in in the Indianapolis area and decided to pick something of theirs up to try when I got back home, and this was it.

This brew pours clear golden yellow with a thin white head, very close knit carbonation bubbles and little to no lacing. The aroma is of pure hops - flowers, citrus, peaches, pine tree. Very sweet and bitter front. The taste is not much different from the aroma and starts off with a nice bitterness that quickly fades into an orange citrus and floral finish. Quite good, and a decent amount better than the Stone Ruination IPA in the taste and texture departments.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.3

Overall - 4.1/5

Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Ahhh...another IPA from the infamous Three Floyds company. Fonnie picked this one up when he went out to Indiana and I was grateful he could find it. Anyone who's read my reviews before knows I'm not the biggest IPA fan, but this was one of my favorites.

Poured out with a very orange color (like the soda). It was kinda cloudy though with no head to speak of. Nose of orange and other citrus fruits. It was bitter and sweet at the same time and very hoppy. The taste was in the same line. Orange, flowers, and hops dominate the mouth. It was a very warming beer too - had the feeling of whiskey. The texture was extremely bitter but not like orange cleaning product (like I normally compare IPAs to).

Overall, if you like IPAs, this would be a wonderful choice to go with. If you don't, this will be the best experience you'll have with them. If you're undecided, give this baby a go - it's probably the best to have.

Appearance - 3.8
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.9/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-Ninth

Up for tonight we have a very special brew straight from Indiana, and also our first one from Three Floyds. It's going to be a good night.

1. Three Floyds Dreadnaught imperial IPA

Ølfabrikken Porter

This is a category we have not ventured into yet - porters. Luckily, we did - because this brew was fantastic.

It poured out with a black color, very opaque, with no head and tan lacing (Imperial Stout?). It had a nice malty smell, but not roasted. It also had hints of chocolate and caramel sweetness - like an Imperial Stout. The taste was phenomenal. It was like an Imperial Stout without the inherent bitterness. Wonderful chocolate and coffee notes and overall sweetness. It even had a coffee aftertaste which, because I like coffee, I enjoyed. The texture, although, was rather thin. The flavor flow was good though and it goes down smooth.

Overall, if I had to give this a distinction, I'd say it was a beer that would come out of Dublin if Guinness started making Imperial Stouts. I loved it and if you like heavy, dark beers, you will too.

Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.7
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 4.25/5

Ølfabrikken Porter

A porter is pretty much the same thing as a stout except it doesn't have the inclusion of roasted barley - and this is the best one according to ratebeer so lets see how this works out.

The brew pours black with a small caramel colored head that quickly fades into little to nothing, but the good lacing and small/tight carbonation makes up for it. The smell is of chocolate, brown sugar, coffee - much sweeter than a stout or even an imperial stout. Very malty. The taste is strong and powerful - alcohol, brown sugar, caramel, chocolate, and very slight bitterness at the end. The taste is almost exactly how I would imagine an imperial stout but without the presence of roasted bitterness in the aftertaste. I have to say, I'm a big fan of porters after having this.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.2

Overall - 4.08/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-eighth

Tonight, we will be trying out the highest-rated porter from ratebeer. From the fine company Ølfabrikken in Denmark, comes one of their most well-crafted brews. Listing after the break.

1) Ølfabrikken Porter

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

My name's Johnny Knoxville and this is my Big Red Rocket Ale.

Pours out into the glass with a nice, dark brown color and a full off-white head. There was noticeable sediment in the beer with the bubbles from the carbonation. It smelled quite fruity and light - almost like a Belgian Strong Ale. The taste was rather bitter though. It had a roasted/smoked characteristic - probably from the barrels or wood it was aged in - a far cry from the smell. It was a smooth beer in terms of texture but it had a very strange complexion due to the sharpness of the tastes and the smoked nature of the beer.

Overall, this was a beer that kinda went downhill as the experience went on. I was intrigued first off by the smell but then it drew very far away from this first impression. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't it that stellar. I feel like it needs to find an identity first.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.1
Overall - 3.6/5

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Time to venture out to a new brewing company yet again, and this time its Bear Republic. Yet another place located in California, but thankful (like our good friends at Stone) they distribute to the East coast. This strong ale pours golden brown with a slight red tint and a small one finger wide off white head. The smell is a lot more fruity than I was expecting and also has nice hop and floral hints. Light and soft front, almost Abbey Dubbel like. The taste is almost nothing like the aroma and has hints of roasted malts, hops, citrus and booze with a very subtle caramel/sweet flavoring throughout.

Hopefully we'll be trying some more from Bear Republic soon - first impressions are always nice.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.4

Texture - 3.4

Overall - 3.65/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-seventh

Tonight, we'll be testing out a brew all the way from California and the fine Bear Republic Brewing Company. This is a fine American Strong Ale that has garnered some high praise. Lising after the break, as per the usual.

1) Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Our Blog - In Music Form

Enjoy!

Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

Now a black and tan is usually made outside of the brewery by combining a stout and an IPA, but it seems like Hoppin' Frog decided to do away with our fun and just make it that way. The mixture of these two types of brews makes the resulting one an American Strong Ale since that is pretty much the broadest application of a "stronger beer" that there could be.

Anyway, this brew pours black with a small off-white head - the stout side really shines though on the appearance side. The aroma is also a lot like a stout and includes notes of chocolate, darker malts, hops, and oats. Its both sweet and bitter at the same time. The taste is nothing like I've had before, it has an initial chocolate/oats/caramel taste and then finishes with the bitter/hops/carbonated kick. Its a smooth transition between the stout and the IPA: very drinkable. And also very hard to notice the almost 8% alcohol in the brew. Interesting and good at the same time, if you wanna try something weird I recommend that you pick it up.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 3.95/5

Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

I remember Hoppin' Frog from earlier in our reviews as having a sensational Imperial Stout. This is another gem from the company that uses the IS and a house IPA in combination for a distinct Black & Tan.

Pours out with classic, stout characteristics - it looks a lot like Guinness. It had a thin head and the body was black with a slight hint of brown. It also smelled like a normal stout (Guinness) with a touch of the hops and sweetness from the mixed IPA. The taste started off a lot like Guinness with that hearty, stout taste. It had the IPA bite at the end - interesting/strange flow from sweet to bitter. This brew was pretty carbonated and had that nice flow of flavors due to the mixed beers. The texture was a little hollow though - feels like it had no body.

Overall, not a bad brewski. If you're a fan of Guinness and a hearty IPA, this would probably be a nice drink for you. I'm a little biased towards Guinness and I'm not the biggest fan of IPAs, so I found this a little weird - but that doesn't mean you will.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.78/5

Founders Reds Rye P.A.

Time to take a detour from the usual stouts and IPAs that litter this blog and go with something a little stranger. Here we have a specialty grain from Founders, made with malted rye and Belgian malts, hopefully it won't disappoint.

The appearance is pretty much what I expected from a rye beer and pours a golden brown with a very slight red hue and a nice little white head. The aroma is of bread, lighter fruits, light malts, hops, and a nice floral background - a lot like an IPA but sans the citrus scent. The taste is a lot sharper on the alcohol then the smell hinted to, ending with an earth/bread and bitter hops aftertaste. Overall its a little weak texture wise and there is not much going on but it is still a good beer for its style and it has to be appreciated.

Appearance - 3.5

Smell - 4.1

Taste - 3.7

Texture - 3.4

Overall - 3.68/5

Founders Reds Rye P.A.

This seemed like an interesting brew from Founders. A very untouched category of beer made by a company with a good reputation - sounds like it's worth a shot, eh?

Poured out a nice dark, golden ale color with a healthy white head. It smelled of light fruits and had floral hints. It was kind of bread-y too; like fresh rye bread - very pleasant. This beer had a very sharp taste and the alcohol was very present for only 6.6%. It was quite a bitter brew due to the choice of hops and it had a strange aftertaste. This was all in a decent air though - it wasn't horrible, just not great. Sadly, this beer had no body but it made up with it with a nice flow of tastes and textures with a curious rye aftertaste.

Overall, not a terrible beer. Definitely something special due to how outward it is. Not something I think I'd buy again, but it was cool to try once.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.58/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-sixth

Here's an interesting combination for today. We'll be trying out yet another Hoppin' Frog specialty brew and another sampling from Founders that ventures into a beer style not yet explored by us. Full listing after the break.

1) Founders Reds Rye P.A.
2) Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

Periodic Table of Beer Styles

This is a VERY good reference for anyone wanting to learn a little more about different styles of brew.

Periodic Table of Beer Styles

Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

We started off with a nice barley wine and ale from Victory, so its about time that we head back over to the stout direction and try out their top rated Storm King Imperial Stout. We'll see if it lives up to its name of being... the king. It pours black with a nice big caramel-colored head that lasts for quite a bit longer than expected. Normally with imperial stouts if there is any head at all its a good day, but this one is beyond substantial and leaves me filled with hope and curiosity.

The aroma doesn't exactly hold a candle to the appearance and is pretty mundane: chocolate, roasted malts, hops, and barley. All pretty standard. The first taste is very surprising with a bitter hop kick in the beginning that fades into a nice chocolate and barely finish. All and all not as complex and texture filled as I expected, but still very good.

Appearance - 4.3

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 4.0/5

Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

This was one roller coaster of a beer. This is my first sampling from the Victory company and it was interesting enough to make me go back to try them again.

This brew pours a very deep black with a ton of head - very strange for an Imperial Stout. Otherwise, the characteristics where all of an Imperial Stout. It smelled very chocolaty with very rich malts and sweet notes. The taste was much bitter than I expected - I'd go as far to say it was just all bitter. There wasn't much else to taste aside from the bitter malts and ever so small hints of sweetness. The texture, as well, was bitter. It was also pretty carbonated and smooth - an interesting combination.

This was a really interesting brew going from high ratings at the beginning to mediocre at the end. Definitely an interesting brew and definitely something to try if you're looking for a not-so-Imperial-Stout.

Appearance - 4.4
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.0/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-fifth

Here we are again with yet another top-tier Imperial Stout. Made by the wonderful Victory company out in Pennsylvania, this has a taste inspired by brewers in the Pacific Northwest. Let's see how it fares. Listing after the break.

1) Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Beer Snob?

I wear that title with honor.

Graph of Beer

My friend found this on this website. I found it very interesting and useful to help understand where the brews we try fall on a relative scale. Also helps to identify your tastes, if you're ever looking to try any of these beers.

BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin

Penguin Awesomeness

We will get this. Watch the video. Amazing.

Edit: Nope. Not unless someone gives it to us. It costs almost $65 alone for a bottle, which we were going to do, until we were hit with the $70 shipping. Ouch. Gonna pass on this.

Harpoon Celtic Ale

I decided to pick up another Harpoon ale after the word "Celtic" drew me to it. I enjoyed the Summer Ale a decent amount so I figured I'd take a stab at their Irish offering.

The brew pours with a full white head and nice carbonation. It has the look of a classic Irish Red Ale. It had the classic ale scent that was full of hops and barley. The taste was a boatload of barley with a dash of hops. It was really beery with a touch of citrus notes. The texture, however, was quite thin, albeit smooth. There wasn't a whole lot of body and it was a little too carbonated-tasting - almost like a soda.

This was a solid brew - definitely something I'd pick up again if I can find it. It holds its own as a solid session beer and something to have on occasion. Nothing special, but something definitely worth noting.

Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 3.5
Taste - 3.3
Texture - 3.0
Overall - 3.38/5

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

Another step away from the dark stouts over to our good ol' friend the barley wine. This one comes courtesy of Flying Dog and pours reddish brown the absolutely no head, not even a lacing. The smell is very faint but I can pick out some darker fruits, alcohol, and light malts. The taste is very plain, like super-weak wine. The texture is there, but not overly complex and is lacking in a smooth transition that should be present in finer barley wines. Overall it is a very confusing beer, the smell is strong, the taste is weak, and the texture is sub-par.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 3.4

Taste - 3.3

Texture - 3.0

Overall - 3.33/5

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

Here's a new brew from a new company. Well...new to us. We haven't had too much from Flying Dog before. We weren't expecting too much - more like the beers from Magic Hat or a lower-caliber Dogfish Head. But, we were expecting interesting. And we got it.

Pours a nice amber color with a well-reproduced off-white head. It was a little opaque though - kind of strange for the color and type. The smell was a lot of alcohol - a tad off-putting. It smelled a lot like wine with small sweet fruits (apricots, raspberries) but not in a pleasant way. This beer tasted very...confusing. This is the only word we could come up with it. It tasted nothing like it smelled - more like a weak wine with only a fraction of alcohol that we initially smelled. The texture was kind of smooth but, again, it was confusing. It had a strange flow of flavors that went from velvety to alcoholic. Almost too alcoholic. Very off-putting, again.

We weren't expecting excellence when we had this, but we were expecting a little bit more. But, Barley Wine is a seldom-touched beer-type by most companies and you have to hand it to a company for trying. I think if they just work a bit more on body and hiding the overwhelming hit of alcohol, I think they'd have a bit of a gem in this beer.

Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 3.2
Taste - 3.2
Texture - 3.2
Overall - 3.3/5

Struise Pannepot

Mark another one off the top 50! This one comes in at number 23 at the time of this writing.

This Belgian strong ale pours a dark brown with a nice red tinge and has a good amount of sediment floating in it - a good sign that this will referment inside the bottle. We happen to have a bottle from 2007 so it should be at least 2 years old, if not 3. The smell is of roasted malts, sugar, apples, plums, and light malts, very nice indeed. The taste is amazingly complex and encompasses green apples, plums, brown sugar, with the slightest sting of alcohol. Probably one of the smoothest brews I've ever had, no surprise at all that this is so far up on the list.

Appearance - 4.0

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 4.4

Texture - 4.5

Overall - 4.23/5

Struise Pannepot

This beer I was not aware of - at all. It's in the top-50, it's in one of my favorite categories of beer, and apparently Fonnie has spoke of it a lot. I just don't pay attention much, I guess. Good thing though - I was hugely surprised by this heavyweight.

Pours a wonderful, nice dark brown with a full, tan head. It was very opaque with sediment like normal Belgian Strong Ales. The smell was just fantastic - sweet, brown sugar; malts, but not spiced from the roasting; and dark fruit notes (apples, plums, etc). The taste just went up from there. Nice notes from apples and sweetness. Almost no taste of alcohol and it had a very smooth, malty taste. Absolutely brilliant. The texture was smooth, but not watery smooth. It was almost silky with the combination of smoothness and sediment. The flow of the flavors was also top-notch.

This was a huge surprise for me. I think Fonnie mentioned at one point before I drank it that it was a top-50 beer but I seemed to have ignored him. I preferred that - it made this beer that much more enjoyable to have not knowing any history behind it. A wonderful beer if you can find it.

Appearance - 4
Smell - 4.4
Taste - 4.8
Texture - 4.6
Overall - 4.45/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-fourth

24! Ok, enough of my fanaticism. Tonight we're gonna have 2 brews because Fonnie went on a bit of a run. So, we'll treat ourselves tonight. One top-50 brew, and another basic-issue brew. Here comes the break - you know the drill.

1) Struise Pannepot
2) Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

Elysian Dragonstooth Stout

The second I said enough with the dark stouts I go and review another one, I have a problem. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is the first beer that I've had from the Elysian Brewing Co. so hopefully it'll be a good one.

This foreign stout pours extremely dark brown to black with a small caramel head and has a pleasant aroma of dark malts, licorice, barley, oats, and alcohol. The aroma is so strong that I can almost taste it, quite powerful. The taste is very sharp on the alcohol, surprising almost seeing how well it was masked from the aroma, and finishes with bitter barley, oats, and chocolate. Doesn't quite match up to the imperial stouts, but is is good none the less. If you are up for something a little less on the sweet side and a little more on the alcohol and oats side then this is the brew for you.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 3.6

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.6

Overall - 3.65/5

Konings Hoeven Dubbel Trappist Ale

Enough with the imperial stouts already! We're finally breaking back over into the Belgian side with this nice Abbey Dubbel courtesy of Konings Hoeven.

This brew pours dark brown with a slight red tinge and has a large slightly off white head. It is dominated by the smell of dark fruits, hops, and light barley malts with a subtle alcohol undertone. Unfortunately the taste does not stand up to the scent and is not nearly as complex. Similar in that it has flavors of plums, raisins, and alcohol but the transitioning is not nearly as fluid as some other dubbel's reviewed on this site. Not great, but good.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 3.5

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.5

Overall - 3.6/5

Konings Hoeven Dubbel Trappist Ale

And here's the other Konings Hoeven Ale. This should be more comparable to, I believe, the Rochefort 8. Here's to another find Belgian beer.

This beer pours a wonderful auburn color with a nice off-white head and a cloudy, gritty appearance - common for most Belgian ales. It smelled a little fruity - mostly citrus. It was also pretty hoppy and sugary - nice and sweet. The taste was very similar to the smell, but lacked in departments. Moved from sweet to bitter with notes of citrus. But, that's about it. A little lacking and a little disappointing. The texture was very disappointing though. It was far too carbonated for a dubbel, it was kind of bland, and not sweet or bitter enough to be classified as anything. It almost couldn't make up it's mind of what kind of beer it wanted to be.

This beer needs an identity. It's far too similar too all the other dubbels we've had - and that's comparing it to the more baseline dubbels. Not the upper-class ones like Rochefort. It's trying to find it's way - once it does, I'm sure it could be a real contender.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.65/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-third

Tonight, we're gonna try out the other beer in the Konings Hoeven family. We're still a little confused with the whole naming/company situation, but we're gonna go with Konings Hoeven for the purpose of this blog. Listing after the break.

1) Konings Hoeven Dubbel Trappist Ale

Magic Hat Howl

I picked this up a little randomly one night just to have a little dabbling in Magic Hat brew. This is Magic Hat's winter seasonal brew.

This brew pours very black and opaque. It also had a nice, full off-white head. It looked a lot like an Imperial Stout but it's not even close to the same league in terms of classification. It had a nice hoppy scent with a hint of chocolate and roasted barley and a slight touch of caramel. The taste was very underwhelming, though. A very basic intro that flows to bitter but there aren't any specific notes to detect. Very disappointing. The texture was also a little strange. Smooth to start, a tiny bit of carbonation, and this strange bite at the end. Nothing too special.

I enjoy me a nice winter seasonal brew. This was quite good, but the taste and texture left me quite a bit to desire. Maybe if they can support the low end of this brew with some more body and flavor, I think it would be a solid pick on the roster of winter brew.

Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 2.9
Texture - 3.1
Overall - 3.48/5

Founders Breakfast Stout

Nothing says "hello world" like having a stout for breakfast, and founders has one for us appropriately named. This imperial pours black like all the others with a small caramel colored head. The smell of coffee is very prominent has also include subtle tendencies of chocolate, oats, and alcohol. They weren't kidding with the breakfast part because this brew is heavy on the coffee and roasted malts - its like drinking an alcoholic coffee. The finish is very bitter but smooth all the way through, like most other imperial stouts. It has a very nice transition between coffee, chocolate, and roasted oats. If your someone who enjoys a nice coffee in the morning before work, why not pick up one of these instead? (PS. I'm not held responsible for drunken workplace accidents)

Appearance - 3.7

Smell - 4.3

Taste - 4.0

Texture - 4.2

Overall - 4.05/5

Founders Breakfast Stout

Yes! The Founders brew that we've been looking for all this time. I think the only thing that kept drawing us to it was the word "breakfast" so we could have it first thing in the morning. Haha...either way...let's move onto the review.

Pours black as hell with minimal head and a nice film/lacing. Right on par with a classic Imperial Stout. This brew has a nice bouquet of coffee and oatmeal. Strangely though, it's not very reminiscent of classic Imperials. I think I liked it a bit more. The taste was overwhelmingly coffee-like; coffee-lovers will be in heaven here. There's a touch of chocolate at the end but that's about it. The texture was extremely smooth with a nice flow of flavors and not too much of an alcoholic bite - impressive for this 10% brewski.

Overall, just what we were expecting it to be. A very solid Imperial Stout that will probably be up on our roster for Imperials to go back to if we had the choice. We need to get these again to have as a breakfast brew - for real.

Appearance - 4.1
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 4
Texture - 4
Overall - 4.1/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-second

Here it is - one of our pinnacle beers. For some reason, we've been seeking out this brew for a long time and we finally got it. Here's to hoping it's good...haha. Listing after the break.

1) Founders Breakfast Stout

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Rogue brew! Rogue brew! Joke aside this stout pours black with a nice thick brown head that lasts for a little bit before fading into nothing. The smell is of chocolate, dark malts, roasted barley, and oats. The taste is very bitter but with a smooth malty and roasted finish. The taste is strong but the smoothness is outstanding, highly recommend.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 3.9/5

Southern Tier Choklat Stout

Ah, another one from Southern Tier... about damn time. And also its another one from their "Blackwater Series" which is always a plus. It pours pitch black with a very milk chocolate colored head that lasts for quite some time. The smell is overpowering, and I mean freaking-overpowering milk chocolate with a small hint of roasted malts and caramel malts in the background. The taste is very strange but I guess not that unexpected seeing as the name is Choklat: alcoholic chocolate. It reminds me of those chocolate liquors that people like to give out around the holidays, not bad, just weird. The sweet chocolate taste fades at the end into bitter alcohol, smooth but sharp. If you enjoy chocolate, pick this one up.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.3

Taste - 3.8

Texture - 3.7

Overall - 3.9/5

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

Even though I went to the brewery with Deke about a month ago this is the first one from Brooklyn Brewery that I've reviewed formally, so I started with one of their Winter seasonals: Black Chocolate Stout. This brew pours black with a creamy chocolate colored head. The smell is of dark chocolate, dark malts, caramel malts, licorice, and roasted malts, pretty much all normal for an Imperial Stout. The taste is a little stronger on the alcohol front than I expected but fades quickly into a dark chocolate and bitter barley aftertaste. Smooth and strong at the same time but still lacking when compared to some other higher-rated Imperials.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.2

Taste - 4.0

Texture - 3.9

Overall - 3.98/5

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Here comes another beer brewed in good ol' Belgium. This one comes from St. Bernardus and is by far considered to be their best one. This Quadrupel pours extremely dark brown/not quite black, with an large off-white head that has good life and lacing. The smells are of dark fruits (plums, grapes, figs), caramel mats, and a hint of chocolate. Although the aroma of fruits is quite strong the alcohol shines through as well, this brew does not hide the fact that is ABV is so high (10.5%). Even so the taste does not disappoint and has the overwhelming flavor of dark fruits and dark malts with a hint of alcohol at the end. Smoother than Tucker Max at a bar.

Appearance - 4.1

Smell - 3.9

Taste - 4.3

Texture - 4.4

Overall - 4.18/5

Victory Wild Devil Ale

Another Belgian style ale, this time not of the strong variety, courtesy of Victory Brewing Company. This ale pours a nice light brown color with a huge foamy white head, which lasts the entirety of the tasting. The smell is of hops, light malts, and citrus, with a nice flowery smell in the background. The taste is slightly different the aroma although the hops, and citrus shine through and hides the alcohol very well. This is a very drinkable, light tasting, hoppy Belgian ale. I look forward to trying some other styles from Victory after enjoying this one.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 3.5

Taste - 3.6

Texture - 3.6

Overall - 3.63/5