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.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Dogfish Head Hellhound: 14
Taste: 4 Finish: 4 Visual: 3 Aroma: 3
Total: 14
The aroma is clean with a hint of lemon. The color is a cloudy amber bordering on orange. The head is thin. The flavor is really unique. I'm not sure in a good way. The beer is brewed with lemons. It has a very strong lemon rind flavor to it along with some tartness of the lemon. The bitter hops also kick in at the end but it's overshadowed by the rind. Well, they sought out to make a lemon beer and they succeeded. I'm just not happy with the results.
Total: 14
The aroma is clean with a hint of lemon. The color is a cloudy amber bordering on orange. The head is thin. The flavor is really unique. I'm not sure in a good way. The beer is brewed with lemons. It has a very strong lemon rind flavor to it along with some tartness of the lemon. The bitter hops also kick in at the end but it's overshadowed by the rind. Well, they sought out to make a lemon beer and they succeeded. I'm just not happy with the results.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Burnt Hickory Brewing The Fighting Bishop: 22
Taste: 8 Finish: 7 Visual: 3 Aroma: 4
Total: 22
It pours cleanly with a dark golden color and cloudy from yeast. The aroma is fresh with an undertone of lemon and straw. It has a big lemon and orange flavor. The carbonation helps punch it up a bit too. The alcohol creeps in towards the back (7.5%) but then the yeast and citrus mellow it out. The finish is sharp from the citrus but ultimately clean leaving just a bit on the tongue for a little while.
Total: 22
It pours cleanly with a dark golden color and cloudy from yeast. The aroma is fresh with an undertone of lemon and straw. It has a big lemon and orange flavor. The carbonation helps punch it up a bit too. The alcohol creeps in towards the back (7.5%) but then the yeast and citrus mellow it out. The finish is sharp from the citrus but ultimately clean leaving just a bit on the tongue for a little while.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Abita Restoration Pale Ale: 22
Taste: 7 Finish: 7 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 22
Abita donates proceeds from this brew to aid in restoration projects in Louisiana after the hurricanes from the past few years.
Aroma is crisp with some citrus and hops. Color is a pale amber. Full head and a bit of lacing. Taste is a bit sweet up front followed by some citrus in the middle. The hops poke up a bit in the back just enough for flavor and then quickly fade in the exhale. Very well balanced for a pale ale. Just enough refreshment and just enough flavor to make you come back for more. Think Sierra Nevada and you're pretty close. Well worth it.
Total: 22
Abita donates proceeds from this brew to aid in restoration projects in Louisiana after the hurricanes from the past few years.
Aroma is crisp with some citrus and hops. Color is a pale amber. Full head and a bit of lacing. Taste is a bit sweet up front followed by some citrus in the middle. The hops poke up a bit in the back just enough for flavor and then quickly fade in the exhale. Very well balanced for a pale ale. Just enough refreshment and just enough flavor to make you come back for more. Think Sierra Nevada and you're pretty close. Well worth it.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Stone Imperial Black IPA: 27
Taste: 9 Finish: 9 Visual: 4 Aroma: 5
Total: 27
The color is completely black. No light goes through. The head dissipates quickly and is a little thin. The aroma has chocolate, malt, and citrus. The flavor is filled with roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. There's a bit of sweetness upfront. But then the IPA side kicks in with a moderate amount of hops and bitter citrus flavors. A hint of dark ripe fruits hits the back of the tongue. The overall mixture of flavors lingers for a bit but not too long. The flavors hit big but without being overpowering, and then mellow quickly. Very well balanced. I'd say Stone has done it again.
Total: 27
The color is completely black. No light goes through. The head dissipates quickly and is a little thin. The aroma has chocolate, malt, and citrus. The flavor is filled with roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. There's a bit of sweetness upfront. But then the IPA side kicks in with a moderate amount of hops and bitter citrus flavors. A hint of dark ripe fruits hits the back of the tongue. The overall mixture of flavors lingers for a bit but not too long. The flavors hit big but without being overpowering, and then mellow quickly. Very well balanced. I'd say Stone has done it again.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Ithaca White Gold: 26
Taste: 10 Finish: 10 Visual: 2 Aroma: 4
Total: 26
What "ruins" this perfect beer is it's duality of visuals. The first glass out of the bottle is perfect. A radiant golden hue with great chunks of yeast floating in it. A full fizzy head. And the a nice clean aroma. But the 2nd pour. Woah. Maybe I got a bad batch somehow. But the sediment in the bottom half of the bottle was horrendous. It came out muddy brown like sewage. Fortunately, it tasted the same in both. And oh the taste. A fantastic Belgian-style wheat beer. Very clean. A light mouth feel at first filled with round yeast flavors. Then the lemon citrus kicks in. And it kicks pretty hard. Lots of lemon cut through but right before your mouth puckers, it drops off. It finishes clean with a light citrus aftertaste. Fantastic.
I'll try another bottle to see if somehow I got a bad one. If the next bottle doesn't go brown, then this will rocket up to 29.
Total: 26
What "ruins" this perfect beer is it's duality of visuals. The first glass out of the bottle is perfect. A radiant golden hue with great chunks of yeast floating in it. A full fizzy head. And the a nice clean aroma. But the 2nd pour. Woah. Maybe I got a bad batch somehow. But the sediment in the bottom half of the bottle was horrendous. It came out muddy brown like sewage. Fortunately, it tasted the same in both. And oh the taste. A fantastic Belgian-style wheat beer. Very clean. A light mouth feel at first filled with round yeast flavors. Then the lemon citrus kicks in. And it kicks pretty hard. Lots of lemon cut through but right before your mouth puckers, it drops off. It finishes clean with a light citrus aftertaste. Fantastic.
I'll try another bottle to see if somehow I got a bad one. If the next bottle doesn't go brown, then this will rocket up to 29.
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