Sunday, November 27, 2011

Three Floyds Zombie Dust: 25

Taste: 9  Finish: 8  Visual: 4  Aroma: 4
Total: 25

Good amber color with good head and lacing. Aroma is filled with pine and grapefruit. For a pale ale, it's got plenty of flavor and bitterness without going over into IPA territory. Probably as strong as you want to get for the category. Great flavor filled with undertones of grapefruit/citrus, pine, earthy elements. Although it's strong, the finish tales off relatively quickly allowing another gulp. Extremely good stuff.

Stone Levitation Ale: 24

Taste: 7  Finish: 9  Visual: 4  Aroma: 4
Total: 24
 Stone's "light" beer (~4.5%) comes in a deep mahogany color with a decent head and traces of lacing. The aroma is filled with hops. grapefruit, pine, and woody elements. The taste is very well balanced. Good caramel roasting flavors. A hint of bitter grapefruit. Pine. Wood. Clove. The bitterness is just where you want it for a pale ale. It lingers on tongue for a bit but is ultimately very clean making it easy to go back for more. Very good.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Three Floyd's Alpha King: 23

Taste: 7  Finish: 7 Visual: 5 Aroma: 4
Total: 23

Thick and creamy head. Lots of lacing. Slightly cloudy deep amber color. Aroma of citrus, hops, and pine. It is a very smooth draw. Some creaminess down the middle. The back and finish definitely have some grapefruit and pine. Very well balanced in flavors. But overall everything is a bit muted. That does make it insanely drinkable. It could use maybe a bit more bitterness to cut through. But otherwise very good.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Russian River Pliny the Elder: 28

Taste: 9  Finish: 10  Visual: 4  Aroma: 5
Total: 28
Rated as one of the best beers in the world, it is a pleasure to try.

It has a huge creamy head with a lot of lacing. The hops jump out in the aroma as well as grapefruit, honey, and pine. I was expecting a bigger punch from the hops. Instead it's quite balanced. Good hop bitterness throughout but not overpowering at all. Nice tones of grapefruit, a honey warmness from the alcohol (8%). For an IPA it's creamy as well. Honestly, for such a big IPA, it's extremely drinkable. It finishes very cleanly with just a bit of bitterness on the tongue. And an earthy exhale of pine and clove.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Sam Adams New World: 23

Taste: 7  Finish: 8  Visual: 4  Aroma: 4
Total: 23
Big head. Lots of carbonation. Nice amber color. Spiced aroma with hops. Nutmeg. It has a round mouthfeel. The alcohol (10%) kicks in and warms a bit. Not overpowering but it's very present. Some good citrus and red fruit. A bit of dry walnut. Clove. Straw. Earthy flavors. Very well balanced and complex. A good brew.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Ommegang BPA: 25

Taste: 8  Finish: 8  Visual: 5  Aroma: 4
Total: 25
A huge creamy head. A cloudy golden color. It has a faint hint of grapefruit. Good earthy and hoppy aromas as well. The brew is very bright at first. The bitter hops come in a bit along with the grapefruit. It has a good earthy/straw flavor. The yeast lays on the tongue. It finishes dry with a bit of bitterness. Very good.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Terrapin Peaotch: 19

Taste: 7  Finish: 5  Visual: 3  Aroma: 4
Total: 19
The aroma is very clean with a good peach scent. The color is an orange/amber. It's got a good bit of crisp carbonation on the tongue. There is a little bitterness down the middle but the peach comes in nicely. The peach isn't overpowering but certainly is front and center. The finish is a little astringent. Kind of like a tart peach. It's a little off putting. But if you're looking for a peach beer, this is it.