Weyerbacher Merry Monks: 22

Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Visual: 4 Aroma: 3
Total: 22

A nice golden and cloudy color. The aroma is lacking. The ale is really bright on the tongue. Lots of carbonation. In fact, too much. In the middle is some are some cloves and spice. That leads to orange and honey. The finish leaves of bit of hop bitterness and some tartness. Under it all is warming alcohol. Overall it's very close to a real belgian ale. It could use a bit more citrus and a little less carbonation. But it's very close to a Duvel.

Weyerbacher Insanity: 28

Taste: 10 Finish: 10 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 28

For my first barley wine, I check out Weyerbacher Insanity. In fact, I had no idea it was a barley wine when I bought it. What a great surprise. It's a deep and cloudy mahogany color. It has a very sweet aroma. The flavor up front is very sweet. Lots of honey and brown sugar. Next is raisins and dates. Mid tongue through the finish the oak finishing comes through. Then a lot of warming alcohol (11.1%). A bit of butterscotch is left in the aftertaste. Even with its strength, I wanted to gulp it. A truly fantastic and complex flavor.

Pabst Blue Ribbon: 7

Taste: 2 Finish: 2 Visual: 1 Aroma: 1
Total: 7

Oddly, PBR is "hip" right now with the college crowd. It's cool to be so blue collar and drink PBR. But how does it taste? Not horrible. That's about the best I can say. It's very pale in color. The aroma is typical of American macro-brewed beer. The upfront taste is very sweet. Definitely a lot of corn. From there the boiled down hops are evident. If drunk very cold it is acceptable and it certainly quenches a thirst. But other than that, PBR is not worth the effort. If you want an American lager, I say go for Coors which I actually enjoy.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly: 27

Taste: 8 Finish: 9 Visual: 5 Aroma: 5
Total: 27

It pours with a great big fizzy head. The color is a yellowish-white and cloudy from the yeast. The aroma is great with citrus and bread. It's very light up front. A bit of malt sweetness. A nice undertone of honey. Around the edges is the citrus which keeps it crisp. There is also a nice breadiness, like a good white bread out of the oven. And it finishes cleanly with just a hint of honey and lemon. In the back is a bit of coriander.

The interesting thing is that this brew floats over the tongue. It feels as light as air. It makes it insanely drinkable. Everything in it is subtle yet complex. A good beer for a hot day.

Blue Moon Rising Moon: 19

Taste: 6 Finish: 6 Visual: 4 Aroma: 3
Total: 19

Blue Moon creates an amber ale infused with lime. It has a nice amber color with a full head. There is little aroma. Upfront there is plenty of malt sweetness. Sugary almost. Very close to a sweet red ale. Then the lime kicks in. It's not big but enough to cut the sweetness through the finish. It ends cleanly with very little aftertaste. I never would have pegged this as a wheat beer. I don't get wheat at all. Really, this tastes like a red brew with a bit of lime.

Not bad, but rather safe. Certainly not like the other lime beers out there today. So if you have to have lime, this is your best bet. But I'd like to see something better.

Sam Adams Honey Porter: 23

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

The aroma has a good milk chocolate scent along with a slight undertone of coffee. The flavor is sweet upfront. A bit of honey. But also more milk chocolate and coffee. The finish is a bit dry and yet sweet and still behind that is some hops. Overall it's a very clean brew. It's got just enough flavor to satisfy but light enough not to bloat.

Founders Centennial IPA: 24

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

Centennial IPA has a cloudy and amber color. The aroma is full of grapefruit, hay, and hops. Upfront it has a nice honey and hay flavor. That is quickly overtaken by bitter hops. Under it is a bit of earthy hay and grains and a bit of spice. Under that is some alcohol. The hops and alcohol stays on the tongue for a bit, but it's not too heavy. Overall, this is a medium IPA leaning towards extreme. Good balance of flavors and good complexity. A very solid brew.

Rebel Yell Bourbon Whiskey: 21

Taste: 8 Finish: 5 Visual: 4 Aroma: 4
Total: 21

Rebel Yell delivers what you expect and yet surprises. The aroma has a bit of butterscotch and grains. And also a big whiff of alcohol. Up front it has a very nice buttery flavor and mouthfeel. It just rolls over the tongue. It also has some spice and hay. But mostly butter. In the back the Yell kicks in. It's a very bold whiskey with lots of alcohol and burn. Even cutting it with a splash of water or ice can't stop the Yell. I can take it, but it's a bit much. So definitely check it out if you want flavor and kick. A good choice.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale: 23

Taste: 7 Finish: 8 Visual: 3 Aroma: 5
Total: 23

Hop Stoopid clocks in at 102 IBU. This should put it in contention with Arrogant Bastard and a few other excessively hopped brews.

The color is kind of bland. A very plain amber color. But it does have a large head. The aroma is great. Tons of grapefruit and orange. It's perfect.

Wow it's smooth. Yes there is a good hit of bitterness upfront. It's lightly carbonated which helps take some of the bite off of it. The hops make way for some nice grapefruit underneath. And unlike Arrogant Bastard, the finish is very clean.

Overall a nice brew but it's not as complex as I'd like. And I don't taste the 102 IBU. It's much mellower than that.

Victory Wild Devil: 26

Taste: 8 Finish: 9 Visual: 5 Aroma: 4
Total: 26

Victory takes their Hop Devil brew and changes the type of yeast to Brettanomyces.

It pours with a large head. The color is a perfect amber. The aroma is full of sweet toasted malt. There's a lot of toasted malt and smokey flavor. Some earthy spice and pine. Nutmeg. In the end is a good balance of hops. As it warms a bit the finish has some dark cherry to it. The bottle says citrus but I don't get any.

This is an excellent brew with complex flavor and layers. Another worthy addition to the Victory line.