Friday, November 30, 2007

Bass Pale Ale: 18

Taste: 6 Finish: 6 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 18

Bass is often the best beer on tap at many bars. It's easily one of my favorite bar beers.

It has a very faint hop aroma. The color is a very nice amber. The head is medium and dissipates quickly.

It has a sweet malt taste at the tip of the tongue. A bit of acidity hits in the middle. It has a very mild finish with a bit of bitterness. Throughout it all is a sweet undertone from the malt. It finishes very cleanly. It is a beer you could drink all night.

It is a very nice, mild, and slightly sweet beer. It certainly isn't anything special. But for a big name beer it's very good.

Seagram's VO Gold: 9

Taste: 2 Finish: 4 Visual: 2 Aroma: 1
Total: 9

Seagram makes a wide variety of whiskeys at various price points. From what I've seen, they are all Canadian blended whiskeys. VO Gold is one of their top shelf variants. It has a price point just below Jack Daniels.

Given it's price, I expected something much, much, much better. First, the color is a glowing yellow bordering on orange. Very strange. There is no subtle aroma. Really, it smells like mild rubbing alcohol.

It has absolutely no taste up front. In the mid to back the raw alcohol taste kicks in. The aftertaste again is of alcohol and then just a smidge of caramel and oak. It was the only way I could tell I was drinking whiskey instead of vodka. Also, the finish is extremely mild and smooth. This shouldn't be surprising since it is so flavorless. At least it isn't horrible or brash. That's about the best I can say for it.

If it were half the cost, I'd say it was fantastic cheap whiskey. Given the price, stay very far way from Seagram's VO Gold.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Brooklyn IPA: 19

Taste: 6 Finish: 7 Visual: 3 Aroma: 3
Total: 19

It pours well with a medium creamy head and a medium amber color. It has a nice aroma of hops and a bit of floral undertones. It could be a bit stronger.

There is no sweetness upfront. The hops pretty much hit you from start to finish. Overall it is very dry. The bitterness is moderate and doesn't overpower. It lingers for a bit but overall finishes cleanly. There is a very minor hint of citrus, lemon peel and grapefruit.

This is a mild version of an IPA. Certainly more geared towards drinking several instead of savoring just a couple.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Brooklyn Lager: 21

Taste: 7 Finish: 7 Visual: 4 Aroma: 3
Total: 21

Brooklyn Lager pours very nice with a medium amber color and a full head. The aroma is faint but of sweet malt.

It has a bit of sweetness at the tip of the tongue. The middle is smooth. The back is of medium dry hops. Then in the finish kicks in a brief but sharp bitterness. Almost metallic. I kind of like it.

The end result is a very drinkable lager that has just enough flavor and character to keep drinking it.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Unibroue Trois Pistoles: 24

Taste: 8 Finish:8 Visual: 5 Aroma: 3
Total: 24

Unibroue is quickly becoming my favorite brewery. Everything I've tried has been best in class. Let's see how Trois Pistoles measures up.

The aroma is of sweet, toasted malt and maybe a bit of black cherries. It's a nice aroma but mild. The color is a very dark brown with a large head.

Up front it is has a mild sweetness of roasted malt. A bit of chocolate. A bit of acid bites the back of the tongue. Then a nice moderate bitterness of the hops swells up. A good exhale completes it. The flavor lingers a bit on the tongue. Throughout it all is a mild sweetness. The label claims it's ripe fruit. After reading that and tasting it, yes, you could get a hint of fruit, possibly cherries and raisins. I wouldn't have guess that without reading it so it is a mild undertone.

Typical with Unibroue, this beer is high in alcohol (9%). It is completely masked by the flavors.

Not best in class but certainly a high quality beer. I recommend it completely.

Woodford Reserve: 26

Taste: 8 Finish: 10 Color: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 26


I've read two reviews that have stated Woodford Reserve is the best bourbon on the market. I was very eager to give it a taste.

It is a nice medium copper color. The aroma definitely has a strong wallop of alcohol but underneath it is a mild sweetness.

It has a very nice spiced upfront. And the first sip definitely hits hard. But at the end there is a smooth coating on the tongue. The next sip gives way to more sweetness. A touch of vanilla. But it's still too strong for me. For my tastes it needs a splash of water. Much better. I really dig the creamy coating it leaves behind. I've never had that feeling before with a bourbon. It rounds out the flavor and drastically enhances the mouth feel.

It is definitely one of the best bourbons I've had. Give it a try.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Stoudts Double IPA: 27

Taste: 9 Finish: 9 Visual: 4 Aroma: 5
Total: 27

I don't know why they call it a Double IPA. Perhaps because it's part of their Big Beer line. Perhaps because it has 10% alcohol. Perhaps because it's twice as good as a regular IPA.

The color is a very nice copper. Head is good. The aroma is fantastic. It has a very potent hop aroma but also some floral notes and a bit of baking bread.

It hits you pretty good up front with grapefruit and hops.The mid has a bit of yeast. And then it finishes with very bitter and bold hops. But it doesn't overpower. It's exactly what you want from a big IPA. The taste lingers a bit but not too long.

A great IPA. Just drink it slow. You'd never know it was 10% alcohol. You could easily drink 2 of these in a half hour and then wonder why the room was spinning.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Michelob Amber Bock: 11

Taste: 3 Finish: 3 Visual: 3 Aroma: 2
Total: 11

Calling this a bock is, well a stretch. A better description would be "generic dark American lager". But, I can say it's better than I expected. That should be to hard since I expected it to be horrible.

The color was a medium amber. Good head. Basically no aroma to speak of.

It's a bit sweet up front. Definitely some from the roasted malt but I get a bit more than just that. I can't put my finger on it. It's non-descript in the middle. The finish gives a hint of bitterness and finishes dryly. Certainly not chocolate or coffee or creaminess. Again, not even a distant cousin of a bock. They really should just call this Michelob Dark.

It's a pretty easy drinking beer that has a bit of flavor. It's a minor step up from Michelob High Life and the such. If you have to drink beer from a big American conglomerate, this is well above average. Otherwise there is a universe of real beer out there to try.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Aventinus: 22

Taste: 8 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 22

Aventinus is a bottle fermented, wheat doppelbock from Germany. It has a very faint aroma, bordering on none. The color is a dark and cloudy brown. It has a thin head.

The initial taste is of toasted malt and some chocolate. It tingles on the tongue from carbonation and some spice. It finishes with a mild bitterness and leaves an oily coating on the tongue. A mild "wheat" exhale follows. This is not a creamy beer at all. I'm really surprised that it is relatively mild in flavor. It has a very nice balance between sweetness, chocolate, and bitterness. It's also 8.2% alcohol but you would never know it.

I almost want to say this beer isn't very good because there isn't any boldness to it. For a dark beer, it is very subtle. So, I switch my thoughts and think it is near perfection in execution. I wish it had more aroma to it. You could easily drink 2 of these in an hour and then fall off your chair. Great!