Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Countdown to SuperBowl Beer Review!

Right to it...go Big Blue!

1) Magic Hat - Howl - 4.6% - Thought I had reviewed this...I guess not - Pretty nice winter offering. Too bad not available year round.

2) Full Pint Brewing Co - Festivus - 6% - Brown Ale - Spices are Cinnamon and Vanilla and there are all sorts of other stats on the label. The Seinfeld gang should drink this.

3) Odell Brewing - Cutthroat Porter - 5.0% - Pleasant porter. According to the bottle, not quite a stout yet not a lightweight....the Mitt Romney of beers!

4) BFM Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes - Spike and Jeromes Cuvee Delirante - Collaboration with Terrapin...supposed to be a barleywine....very good flemish red!

5) Flying Dog - Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout - 8.90% - Leave it to Flying Dog to make a Starbucks Imperial Stout!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Weekend Beer Review!

Actually starting on the weekend no less!

1) Spider Bite Brewing - First Bite Pale Ale 5.5% - Might be the first commercially available nanobrewery beer that I have had. Very tasty very fresh. I believe this has been hopped with Citra. The fruit notes are really there. Looking forward to more of their offerings.

2) Lagunitas - Fusion 7 6.8% - Supposedly a DIPA...wow too malty. Suprised at Lagunitas.

3) Sam Adams - Alpine Spring - 5.5% - Pretty tasty but this should be released when it is closer to 80 degrees and humid. This would be a great summer beer.

4) Element - Extra Special Oak - 7.75% - English Strong Ale - Boozy, a little vanilla, not much else.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Might as well continue...and make it a weekend!

The post previously was supposed to be Mass related only....however going to make this a muddled mess!

1) The Bruery - Saison Rue - 8.5% - Brewed with Rye and Brett - Light yellow colour, frothy head. Champagned yeast and funk about. Just a little over carbonated for my tastes, but certainly well done.

2) Bells - Porter - 5.6% - Nice easy drinking beer. A little smoke and a little creamy. I like it....may do another porter.

Snow today on Saturday....what to do, what to do!

3)Barrington Brewery - Pale Ale - From last weeks haul. This is tasty and for $3.25 a bomber a great value.

4)Barrington Brewery - Black Bear Stout - This is actually very good. One of the better stouts I have had.

5) North Coast Brewing - 11.5% Poured into a brandy snifter. Nice black body, creamy black head minimal lacing. Smell) Bourbon and chocolate dominate. Taste) Chocolate, coffee hint of oak with a nice bourbon finish. This is sweet but not overly so which can be an issue with the style.
Very tasty offering. I think I may get another bottle for the cellar.

6) Magic Hat - Demo - My first Magic Hat review - Interesting! 6.0% Black IPA - Pretty nice, sweet and light hops!

7) Barrington Brewery - Brown Ale - Not bad get a hint of maple sugar here.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Peoples Republic of Mass Trip!




1) Boulevard Brewing - Bourbon Barrel Quad - 11.5% Had been looking for this one for a bit and finally found it this weekend. Bottle number 4375 poured into a Boulevard Tulip Glass. Nice Amber color frothy head. The smell brings this beer down. It is a bit medicinal for me. The taste is better than the nose, the cherries abound with a bit of vanilla. The bourbon does really finish this off. I can see the high marks for this. Wish it was a bit less hot!

2) Barrington Brewery - Yule Fuel - 11.0% - Kind of a fruit cake barleywine...Alchohol is very well hidden!

3) Barrington Brewery - IPA - Mild IPA

4) Element Brewing - Red Giant - 8.0% - Nice...they are not going for the Nugget Nectar audience as this is a bit malty. Glad to have tried!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Starting Early Beer Review!

Have a brewery trip planned for the weekend so I figure away we go!

1) Uinta - Dubhe Imperial Black IPA - 9.2% - Gotta like the Oxymoronic look and taste. It looks like a stout and tastes like an IPA. What seals this is the sweet maltiness. Great beer!


2) Element Brewing - A new Brewer to CT from the Peoples Republic of Mass!
Dark Element American Balck Ale - 8.0% - This is pretty fantastic the sweetness of the malts is really balanced by the hop bitterness. I get some mild chocolate and coffee with the resinous hops. Would wonder what this would be like is the hops were featured more.

3) Harpoon Black IPA Was lucky enough to get this before it went on the shelves, thanks Dan!

Poured into a brandy snifter.

The appearance is a nice opaque black, the nose is a dominant pine and the taste follows up on that with some slight cocoa and coffe. Very easy drinking!

4) Widmer Bros - Rotator IPA (O'Ryely) - 6.4% - Freshness date 10.5.11 - My fault I did not know that they were doing this in different recipes. This is still a solid beer. Would have liked to have had fresh!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Weekend Beer Review!

Growlering today.....

1) Brooklyn Brewery - The Companion - 10.0% Wheat Wine - Really banana yeasty taste. I like these wheat wines wish more places would brew them. They are sneaky!

2) Captain Lawrence - Family meal Spicy Kolsch

Well that was an intelligent review....good beer though..

Continuing on as I am too lazy to start a new thread....

3) 21st Ammendment - Allies win the War English Strong Ale - 8.5% Kind of a light quad.

4) Sierra Nevada - Ruthless Rye IPA - 6.2% or thereabouts...kind of tasty the rye is a bit bitter...I need to get back on my game with these reviews!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Dark Apparition



Jackie O's Dark Apparition 10.5%.....have a great picture for this will clean this up this weekend!

Poured into a tulip glass

A) Jet black, head really fades away, a swirl leaves a little lacing.

S) Burnt coffee dominates followed by molasses.

T) The coffee and molasses again slight caramel and and a nice bitter chocolate. Alcohohol at 10.5% is there but not overly so.

M) Nice grainy texture.

O) I really liked this as it was not overly sweet. I thought this was fairly easy to drink given the ABV. I have a brandy barrel version still lying around that may not make it through the weekend!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Back to work Beer Review!

Figured I treat myself to some brews now that my cold is subsiding a bit (and I can see how the caucuses turn out).

1) Bells - Special Double Cream Stout - 6.1% - Not a milk stout (no lactose) but my guess (and what I read on BA) is that how they blend this smooths it out. I'll buy that! Very tasty!

2) Bells - Best Brown Ale - 5.8% - Mnn is this a nice session beer. I am reasonably certain Bells is distributed in NJ. If they are, I know where to get it!