Sunday, January 31, 2010

Southern Tier Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale: 16

Taste: 5 Finish: 5 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 16

It pours with a thick and creamy head. Lots of lacing. The color is a very crisp amber. Perhaps a bit too fizzy. The aroma is weak with boiled hops. The brew is a bit too sweet with malt upfront. The hops peek in the middle and are a bit present in the finish. The hops get a bit better when the beer gets slightly warmer. Really, a very plain pale ale. Slightly too sweet for my tastes. But nothing off putting either. A decent session beer and a slight step up from a middling macrobrew.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Andelot Mystique: 24

Taste: 8 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 24

It is a dark mahogany brown with a full creamy head. Good lacing throughout. The aroma is sweet of ripe fruit and malt. Upfront it is very smooth and creamy. Mild hops kick in mid tongue. Towards the back the ripe fruit blooms well. Plums and red grapes. And to finish it is a hint of chocolate. Throughout it all it remains a bit sweet. There is very little taste of alcohol even though it's 8.5%. A very good brew with plenty of flavor without overpowering.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Samuel Smith's India Ale: 20

Taste: 7 Finish: 7 Visual: 4 Aroma: 2
Total: 20

It has a huge foamy head which lasts a long time. The color is a very good amber. The aroma is a bit disappointing smelling of boiled hops. The brew does have a good bite. But it's not over the top. This is more pure to style than the ultra-hopped Americans. The flavor is reminiscent of a copper penny with a bit of grapefruit and butterscotch. The bitterness stays on the tongue for a while without killing your taste buds. A pretty good medium IPA by today's standards. I wouldn't mind trying this next to a Stone IPA to compare.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dogfish & 3 Floyd's Popskull: 27

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

A joint brew by Dogfish Head of Delaware ((thanks Chad!) and 3 Floyd's in Indiana. They've combined for a special "braun" ale that's aged on pala santo wood with botanicals.

The brew is a very dark brown with almost no light through it. On top is a thick, creamy, and chocolate head. It leaves a bit of lacing, but not much. The aroma is fully chocolate and roasted coffee. The carbonation sizzles on the tongue. A good amount of roasted black coffee and chocolate come through. A bit of caramel as well. It tastes "spiced" although I can't pinpoint anything specific. In the back is a moderate amount of alcohol although the label doesn't indicate it's strength. It leaves a good bit of flavor in the finish.

Overall, even with a lot of flavors, it doesn't overpower. An excellent brown ale worthy of the collaboration between the breweries.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale: 19

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

I've seen this for years but never have tried it. I'm not much of a "winter ale" person since I don't like nutmeg.

The head is full and creamy. It has a light amber color and is crystal clear. The aroma is faint with a hint of malt. The flavor is very interesting. It's slightly creamy and malty. A bit of hops in the back. And it has some fall and winter flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon. A bit of butterscotch at the back of the tongue. And at the very end, just a hint of alcohol. It finishes very cleanly and a bit dry.

Not a bad choice for a winter ale. It is subtle and more of a session beer. It doesn't knock you over with nutmeg and other spices which for me is nice.