New Holland Dragons Milk

3.8/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20

22 ounce bottle, vintage 2010. Pours deep dark brown color with a 1 finger tan head with great retention that reduces to a lacing cap that leaves great glass lacing. Aromas of caramel malts, oak, bourbon, and a bit of coffee and chocolate. Taste of a bit of chocolate with oak and then a smooth creamy finish with a bourbon flavor. Alcohol warming on the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Smooth and tasty. Kind of weird how the bourbon flavor changes intensity.

This had a surprisingly strong bourbon flavor to it, so if you do not like bourbon, you probably won't enjoy it in my opinion.

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

Nitro can. Pours nice dark brown color with a nice thick tan head that remains for the duration of the drink, with great glass lacing. Aromas of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. Taste matches the nose with nice smooth chocolate taste with some bitterness on the finish. Very smooth drink with medium carbonation and body. Great stuff, but not my favorite chocolate stout.

As you will notice, this is not a nitro can. This was probably the first beer I drank after getting into the microbrews this year. I had a can at the bar three times in a row and decided to rate it finally haha.

Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours cloudy orange copper color with a 1 finger off white head with very good retention with a bit of lacing on the glass. Aromas of heavy floral, pine, and citrus hops with a bit of alcohol. Taste is of the floral, pine, and citrus hops with some caramel notes. Sweet malt flavor on the front with a lingering hop bitterness on the finish. The high ABV is absolutely unnoticeable, hardly any warming on the finish. Medium carbonation and body with great overall balance. Fantastic offering from Flying Dog. I could drink this all day but I would probably die from alcohol poisoning.

Yep, this is probably the best offering from the Flying Dog. Definitely a favorite for me. This was probably the first bitter beer I ever had this year, and it went down really difficultly, and now it drinks smoothly.

Brooklyn Monster Ale

3.7/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce bottle, 2008 version. Pours clear copper-red color with a small foamy off white head with fair retention, no glass lacing. Aromas of caramel, molasses, dark fruits, and alcohol. Taste is quite malty with caramel, molasses, and some dark fruits. A bit of bitterness on the finish, but not much. The alcohol in this beer is well hidden, with only a bit of alcohol warming on the finish. Very smooth drink for its ABV level. Medium carbonation and full body. Nothing spectacular, but a solid barley wine.

Only my second Brooklyn beer, I have heard some mixed thoughts on their normal offerings.

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

4.5/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours opaque black color with a 2 finger tan head with great retention. Insane glass lacing. Aromas of tons of chocolate with some coffee, roasted malts, molasses, and licorice. Taste of chocolate and some bitter coffee, with a bit of alcohol present on the finish. The chocolate finish lasts for a good amount of time as well. Full creamy body with medium carbonation. Wow, this is an amazing stout.

So yea, if you have not tried this yet, you are missing out on A LOT. Seriously this is one of the best out there.

Left Hand Milk Stout

3.8/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours opaque black with a small tan head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap with good glass lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Taste of chocolate and some bitter coffee. Fairly creamy and smooth, but light body. Medium carbonation. Good stout. I enjoyed it more as I made my way through the glass.

Overall this was good stuff. I still have a lot of Left Hand beers to try yet.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours orange red color with a 1.5 finger off white head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap, with nice glass lacing as you drink. Aromas of caramel malts, citrus, pine and floral hops. Taste of caramel malts with citrus, floral, and pine hops. Well balanced, alcohol very well hidden, with only a slight warming on the finish. Some lingering bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Delicious.

Lagunitas is in my top 10 breweries haha, so many good beers.

Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout

4.4/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours thick pitch black color with a small tan head with average retention with some slight lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, and alcohol. Taste of sweet chocolate and some bitter coffee, with roasted flavor and some slight caramel in the background. Alcohol expertly hidden with only some slight warming a while after the finish. Super smooth drinking at it’s ABV level. Medium carbonation with a full body. This is phenomenal.

Probably the best thing that Thirsty Dog makes, but I have yet to have any others. Might get the porter sometime or something. All the beers are an easy find around me.

Häagen-Dazs Pistachio

Not much to say about this, except that it is amazing. Perfectly textured ice cream that has crunchy pistachios scattered throughout the entire pint. Buttery flavor of the pistachio ice cream, then the finish has the sweetened cream with the crunch of pistachios. I'd say it is not as perfect as butter pecan, but this is damn good.

9.5/10

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Before I initially had this(which was over a month ago) it was probably sitting in my freezer for over a month or two. I really thought it was going to be a bland flavor because it was so simplistic. So I went for other flavors with more mix ins and different ice cream flavors. I was really wrong to think that this flavor would be boring. Despite it's simplicity this is a fantastic flavor. The ice cream is very rich and creamy with amazing texture(I have gotten some bad pints in the past). The texture and taste of the cookie dough far exceeded the dough I received in my half baked pint a while back. And the tiny chocolate chips were also very rich. Overall I would say this is definitely a flavor you should try, not only because it is so easy to find, but it is also highly enjoyable.

9/10

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours opaque dark brown color with a two finger light tan head with good retention and good lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Taste is a bit sweet on the front with roasted malts and bitter chocolate and coffee on the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Very smooth and creamy drink. Amazing porter!

This is definitely one of the top 3 best porters you can buy today, and it is year round brewed.

Avery Ale to the Chief

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours very hazy orange-amber color with a thick 2 finger off white head with great retention and amazing lacing on the glass. Aromas of caramel, floral hops, and bread. Taste of orange, caramel, and floral hops. Starts out sweeter with a very nice bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body, nice balance. Awesome. Avery has not disappointed me yet so far.

This is great, but I don't know if it is going to be an easy find anymore. I was lucky to find it.

Bear Republic Racer 5

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours cloudy deep amber color with a 1.5 finger thick white head with great retention and great lacing on the glass. Aromas of floral, citrus, and pine hops. Taste of caramel malts with floral, citrus, and pine hops. Very smooth drinking, with a nice balance. Starts out slightly bitter and works into a bit of maltiness and finishes with a nice bitterness that I always look forward to in any IPA. Medium body and carbonation. Fantastic!

California has a good track record for IPA's. A new favorite I will definitely pick up again.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours dark brown color with a small tan head with average retention. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and molasses. Taste of dark chocolate, coffee, alcohol, and roasted malts. Nice bit of hoppiness in the background with a good bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and full body, alcohol well hidden. Not much else to say really, nicely balanced, great porter.

From what I have heard, Flying Dog's normal lineup is a bit mixed. They have some good beers, and some mediocre ones as well. But everything in the Canis Major line is pretty spot on from what I have heard(and tried). Still cannot find a few, but I will eventually.

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale

3.9/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

2010 12 ounce bottle. Pours clear red brown color with a 2 finger fairly thick head with good retention and lacing. Aromas of dark malts, dark fruits, chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts. Taste is of cocoa, caramel, and roasted nuts with a very slight bitterness on the finish. Malt dominated beer, but it is balanced very well with the nice bit of bitterness. Very smooth with medium carbonation and medium body. Nice beer!

Sierra Nevada replaced anniversary ale this year with this. It is a good brown ale, but I haven't had anniversary ale yet, so it made me a little sad.

Häagen-Dazs Butter Pecan

This may be one of the few perfect ice creams I have ever experienced. The balance of the flavors between the roasted pecans and the sweetened cream in the ice cream is phenomenal. There are also plenty of pecans in the pint, as I would have expected. Obviously the ice cream's texture was spot on as well. I don't think I have actually had butter pecan ice cream before this pint, but I could tell from the first spoon that it was a perfect flavor overall.

10/10

Hoppin Frog Mean Manalishi

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours hazy red orange color with a small off white head with a little retention. Aromas of sweet malts, molasses, pine and citrus hops. Taste of pine and citrus hops well balanced with caramel malts. Huge bitterness on the tasting and it lasts well after the finish. It actually surprised me a bit as I was tasting it at first. Medium carbonation and medium body. Very big beer that is awesome. Must have for hop lovers.

One of my favorite beers that I can get at a moments notice, because I can buy it down the street!

Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours deep brick red color with a two finger thick light tan head with good retention. Aromas of malts, chocolate, and scotch. Taste of scotch and caramel. A decent amount of bitterness. Lots of scotch taste lingers after the finish. A good amount of alcohol feel and warming, but the beer goes down smoothly. Good sized body with medium carbonation. Never had a Scotch Ale before but this is delicious.

Once again, Founders is amazing.

Southern Tier Hoppe

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours clear amber color with a thick 2 finger white head with good retention, good lacing. Aromas of caramel, citrus, and floral. Taste is almost identical to the nose with a very nice bitterness on a crisp finish. Medium body and carbonation. Decent balance, and nice alcohol warming on the finish. Very tasty beer, despite the fact I am not a huge fan of wheat in beer.

This would be one of the very good Southern Tier beers. I have heard that most of their hoppy bitter beers are very good. I found this at Giant Eagle.

Avery The Reverend

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours clear copper color with a one finger frothy white head that recedes quickly. Aromas of molasses, caramel, dried fruits, and malts. Taste of dried fruits, molasses, and some spices. Very sweet on the front, with a very small amount of bitterness. Long sweet finish with a good amount of alcohol warming. Medium body, fairly high amount of carbonation. Surprisingly easy to drink for its alcohol content as well. This is delicious.

A surprisingly easy to find beer, and it is quite good. Avery is well distributed around me.

Häagen-Dazs Mango

I would say that I am not the biggest fan of mango. I tried the Edy's mango flavored ice cream and it was decent in my opinion but not mind blowing. But this mango ice cream from Haagen Dazs is just phenomenal. There are several chunks of mango that are bigger than my thumbnail in it, and the creamy texture of the ice cream itself is unmatched by any other ice cream maker. It is a fantastic experience. Overall I would say if you are a fan of fruit ice cream this would be a fantastic idea.

9/10

Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin

I wasn't sure how good this could possibly be when I bought it, but I was impressed. This tastes just like pumpkin pie. The texture of the ice cream is also pretty good, it almost feels like you really are eating a slice of pie. I have no idea how the normal version would fare, but I am sure it would probably be a step up from this.(a bit thicker texture, more fat etc). But overall I was quite impressed with this, I will probably see if I can find a 1.5 qt container of the regular pumpkin flavor before the season is over. This is really good for being 100 cals a serving.

9/10

Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours hazy amber color with a small white head that recedes quickly. Aromas of spices, floral, and citrus. Taste of nice herbal spices and citrus. Light to medium carbonation with medium body. Citrus and herbal flavors linger on the finish. This is a very good Witbier!

Everyone else rated this one pretty average from what I saw. I don't even like Wit's that much, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Great Lakes makes a lot of good stuff.

Stone Dogfish Head Victory Saison Du BUFF

3.8/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours slightly hazy bright amber color with a 1.5 finger white head with great retention and good lacing. Aromas of malts, rosemary, and sage dominating with floral hops. Taste is strong of rosemary and parsley, with a good amount of bitterness on the finish. Spices sit on the palate for quite a while after the finish. Very interesting beer, never had anything like this before. Solid, I enjoyed it.

Pretty good stuff here, and still available as far as I know. Worth a shot. Also my first collaboration brew.

Rogue Captain Sigs Northwestern Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours hazy red color with a 2 finger off white head with great retention. Amazing glass lacing. Aromas of caramel, citrus, and pine. Taste of caramel and citrus. Lots of bitter hops with a good balance. Nice long bitter finish. Nice sized body that goes down easy. Good amount of carbonation. Reminds me a bit of Arrogant bastard. Definitely like this one. Delicious.

This was one of my random pickups. I saw the bottle at Giant Eagle, then read the label. It said the malts and hops, and 80 IBU. Just by that info, it was enough for me to buy it lol.

Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout

4/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

550 ml bottle. Pours very dark brown color with a nice 2 finger frothy tan head with good retention. Aromas of oatmeal, chocolate, coffee, molasses, some dark fruits. Taste of oats, chocolate, coffee, caramel, and a little bit of fruit. Fairly creamy body with a decent amount of carbonation. Nice lingering slightly bitter chocolate finish. Smooth drinking, good stuff!

Another good beer from Samuel Smith that is well distributed and easy to find.

Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter

I had to search hard for this one. I found it down in central ohio. Can't seem to find it up here. Anyways, it is brownie batter ice cream with a rich brownie batter swirl. The ice cream itself is really rich, and has a fantastic texture to it. If you love chocolate, this would definitely be a good pick. And the brownie batter swirl is nice and chewy and has a rich flavor. This is a fantastic flavor, but the only change I would make would be to put more brownie swirl in it.

9/10

Hoppin Frog Silk Porter

3.8/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours dark brown with a thin tan head that recedes quickly. Aromas of cocoa, coffee, caramel, licorice, and whiskey? Kind of weird at the nose with some of the aromas. Flavor is very sweet with chocolate and caramel with roasted malts. Very smooth finish. Light to medium carbonation, very creamy body. Finishes with chocolate lingering. A very well done porter. Tasty.

Once again, most stuff from Hoppin' Frog is worth a shot if you see it.

Magic Hat #9

3.1/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours bright amber with a one finger white head with good retention that recedes to a fine lacing. Aromas of peaches and apricots. The aroma of this made me start laughing because it was such a new aroma for me, I don’t think I have had a fruit beer before. Tastes of mainly apricot with maybe some apple in there. Finishes with a malty sweetness. The palate was kind of odd because at first it didnt taste like anything, then the fruit flavors came in. The first sip made me feel a bit weird but it got better as I drank through it. Medium carbonation and a lighter body. Some slight hop bitterness on the finish. Interesting beer, decent.

This was a really weird beer for me, but still better than macro beer by a long shot!

Tröegs JavaHead Stout

3.6/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours deep brown with a once finger tan head with good retention that recedes to a thick cap. Great glass lacing. Aromas of coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, and some vanilla. Taste of some chocolate and coffee, lots of malts. A slightly bitter finish, but not that strong. Creamy body, but it comes out a bit thin feeling. Solid stout, pretty good.

My first Tröegs beer, I look forward to trying some more from them.

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours brick red with a 1.5 finger off white head with good retention and decent lacing. Aromas of caramel, oak, pine. Taste of pine, citrus, and caramel, with some oak in the background at the finish. Strong bitter finish just like the normal AB. Medium mouthfeel, and carbonation. This brew is very close to the original AB, but the oaking gives it a bit sweeter palate, while still awesomely bitter, it makes it a bit smoother going. I’d say love both beers equally haha.

Basically the AB ale with oak background flavors. Just as good as the original in my opinion.

St. Bernardus Abt 12

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

11.2 ounce bottle. Pours deep red brown color with a lot of suspension in the glass with a nice sized tan head with good retention that reduces to a cap. The head practically shot out of the bottle when I opened it and kept coming. Aromas of dark fruits and spices with some alcohol. Taste of strong dark fruits and a bit of chocolate and caramel, with alcohol warming on the finish. The taste of this beer has a very strong lingering presence on the finish. Moderate carbonation. A lot of complex flavors going on in this beer. Very big Belgian and very interesting. Amazing beer! Will definitely pick this up again.

One of the best Belgian style beers in the market right now, and fairly easy to find.

Bells Third Coast Old Ale

4.4/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle, bottled 09/09. Pours cloudy dark brown/red color with a small tan cap for a head that has a fair amount of retention, with great glass lacing. Aromas of molasses, caramel, and dried fruits. Sweet taste on the front of dark fruits and caramel with moderate bitterness on the finish. Creamy full body with some lingering bitterness on the finish. Moderate carbonation that fits perfectly. Some alcohol warmth on the finish. Great barley wine, and yet another fantastic beer from Bells. Will definitely pick this up again next season.

Bells usually never fails at amazing me(there are a few mediocre beers I am sure). But they are one of my favorite breweries.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

3.7/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

Bottle. Pours dark copper color with a small frothy off white head that receded almost instantly. Aromas of dried fruit, caramel malts. Taste of strong dried fruit. Medium body, medium carbonation that fit the body well. Solid brew, quite enjoyable. Definitely reminds me of a few of the Belgians I have had in the past.

It has been said that this beer is enjoyed by beer and wine enthusiasts alike. I can't say I am a huge fan of wine, but it is a solid beer.

Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours dark brown color with a nice thick 2 finger tan head with good retention. Average lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, and some dried fruit. Taste of chocolate and dried fruits. Very malty with a little bit of hoppy bitterness on the finish. Very creamy texture with medium body and carbonation. Highly enjoyable, tastes a lot like a stout though, not what I expected it to be.

More tasty stuff from Stone. I need to go out and find 10.10.10 now lol.

Häagen-Dazs Coffee

Haagen Dazs coffee. This is one of the flavors that the company first released way back in 1976 when the first shop opened(along with chocolate and vanilla obviously). The taste is of nice roasted coffee, and it is not too strong, it is well balanced with the sweetened cream in the pint. The texture is very nice as well(with some microwaving of course lol). I have rarely gotten a Haagen Dazs pint that had bad texture. Overall this is a very good coffee ice cream(if you like coffee of course). I thoroughly enjoyed it. Did not blow me away like the strawberry did, but still very good.

9/10

Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Cookie Dough

Wow, this is definitely amazing. After I got past the weird taste of the coconut milk(because I have never had it before) this just turned out to be a home run. The cookie dough pieces are fantastic for being gluten free(rice flour) and the hard chocolate swirl is very rich and tasty. I microwaved the pint as I usually do with my ice creams, and the texture is amazing. Overall, it is a fantastic flavor, could have used a little bit more cookie dough in my opinion though. Really looking forward to trying more flavors from this company in the future.

9.5/10

Buckeye Hippie I.P.A.

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours deep amber color with a huge thick white head with awesome retention and lacing. Aromas of caramel malts, and citrus and pine hops. Taste of caramel malts on the front with a nice hop bite on the finish that lingers for a bit. Decent carbonation. Light to medium body. A well balanced IPA that was an instant hit with me because I am a big fan of well balanced IPAs with a good amount of bitterness. Very enjoyable.

My first Buckeye brew, and it is good stuff. This is brewed in Lakewood.

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF) Ale

3.7/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours dark copper-brown color with a one finger thick off white head with great retention. Fantastic glass lacing. Aromas of caramel, citrus hops, some fruits. Taste is of sweet caramel malts and citrus, with some hop bite on the finish. Medium body, with some lingering bitterness on the finish, but not too long. A solid and unique beer.

An enjoyable brew. Lagunitas rarely disappoints me.

Hoppin Frog DORIS The Destroyer Double Imperial Stout

4.4/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Motor oil pour with a small tan lacing for a head that recedes quickly. Aromas of rich roasted malt and huge amounts of dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, with a small bit of alcohol. Taste is of dark chocolate with coffee. Sweeter on the front, slightly bitter on the finish. One of the fullest bodied beers I have ever had. Low carbonation but it fits well. A small bit of alcohol burning with the finish, but well hidden overall. Very creamy and delicious. I like this one a lot, if only it was more widely available. I only know of one place to get it.

I found this one at West Point Market. It will only be there when it is in season though, because I went back last week and there was none left.

Avery The Czar Imperial Stout

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

2008 22 ounce bottle. Pours opaque with a thick one finger light tan head with great retention that recedes to a thick lacing. Glass lacing is just insane, it is completely covering the glass interior. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate, oat, some dried fruit, and caramel. Taste is of chocolate, roasted malts, coffee and some caramel. Huge creamy thick body and medium carbonation with some bitterness on the finish. Alcohol is hardly noticeable except for a slight warmth after the finish. This is awesome.

I have been told that the 2008 version is one of the better ones, and the 2009 version isn't as good. If I find this again I will buy it to compare.

Hoppin Frog BORIS The Crusher

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Opaque black pour with a foamy 1 finger tan head with decent retention that reduces to a lacing. Aromas of rich roasted malt and dark chocolate, vanilla with alcohol. Taste is of dark chocolate with coffee. Sweeter on the front, bitter chocolate on the finish. Medium to full body, medium carbonation. A small bit of alcohol burning with the finish, but well hidden overall. Nice creamy stout. Great!

So far, Hoppin Frog has had a good track record with me. I have yet to have a beer that was not enjoyable.

Orval

3.7/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20

2006 Bottle. Pours hazy copper color with a huge off white head with fantastic retention. Lots of bubbles running up the side of the glass. Aromas of dried fruits, molasses, some spices. Taste is pretty dry with fruits and spices. Slight lingering tastes on the finish and alcohol warmth. Medium mouthfeel and body. Solid beer, but not the best trappist ale I have had yet. I will try it again sometime with a fresher one.

This was a bit weird, but I attribute that to how old it was, maybe a fresher one will be better.

Organic So Delicious Dairy Free Soy Ice Cream - Chocolate Peanut Butter

Well, this certainly was interesting. It is an ice cream made from soy milk, and it is organic. When I first tasted it, it was weird at first(I don't think I have ever had soy ice cream). However, as soon as I made my way through the bowl, I was enjoying it more and more. The chocolate part of the ice cream is certainly better than the peanut butter side, but the PB side isn't all that bad, it just has a weird texture, and the flavor is a bit off. Once it started melting a bit, the texture got a ton better. This is definitely a good effort at non dairy ice cream

7.5/10

Häagen-Dazs Rocky Road

Another fantastic Haagen Dazs flavor here. Chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and roasted almonds. The ice cream itself is awesome, as I expected it to be. Nice and creamy and rich. Then there are marshmallow fluff swirls, and more than plenty of almonds, which actually make it quite difficult to dig into. Overall, this is a classic ice cream flavor, and it would be foolish of me to think Haagen Dazs could mess it up haha. Awesome.

9.5/10

Bells Two Hearted Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours slightly hazy amber color with awesome 2 finger white head with great retention and lacing on the glass. Aromas of strong flowery hops, pine, and some spices. Taste is sweet malts and hoppiness on the front that shifts to a bitter finish that lingers afterward. Medium mouth feel, and average carbonation. Delicious, crisp, and I’m glad i finally got a 6 pack of this.

I had this as a single way back in the spring, and so I bought a 6 pack of it after that. A year round Bells brew that is easy to find. Also, the picture setup will be the norm in the future. I had one Two Hearted left a couple weeks ago so I drank it and decided to retake the picture.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours completely opaque with a small tan head with good retention that reduces to a fine lacing. Fair amount of lacing on the glass. Aromas of roasted malts, chocolate, smoke, and alcohol. Taste of bitter chocolate and smokiness. The finish on this is unbelievably creamy with a fantastic chocolate flavor that lingers on the palate. Some alcohol noticed on the finish. Goes down amazingly smooth and easy. Perfect amount of carbonation, just enough. Delicious and quite outstanding.

This is a winter seasonal, but I have seen it recently in Acme so it should be pretty easy to find if you know where to look. This is a huge stout.

Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

4.3/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours completely opaque with a 1 finger tan head with good retention that recedes to a fine lacing. Aromas of coffee, chocolate, licorice. Taste of dark chocolate and coffee, with a hoppy bitterness on the finish that lingers. Full and creamy body, with a slightly less average carbonation, which fits well with the style. Goes down very smoothly and the alcohol is not even remotely noticeable. Very good, and I am glad it is so readily available around me.

This is a great stout, and anyone who likes the style will enjoy it.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours nice deep copper - red color with a 2 finger off white head with awesome retention. Fantastic lacing. Fair amount of suspended yeast in the glass. Aromas of hops, rye, and some citrus. Taste of pine, spiciness, hops. Alcohol is not noticeable at all. Finish is a nice strong bitterness that lingers for a bit. I’m pretty sure I have never had a rye beer before, but it was a new interesting taste, and I enjoyed it.

A very good beer, not sure if it is still available. But it was nice and bitter, how I like them haha.

Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee

Pretty simple stuff, yet again. Sweet custard ice cream with a caramelized sugar swirl. THe texture is good, nice and creamy and well churned. The sugar swirl almost immediately reminded me of the Edy's take the cake ice cream, because of the frosting in that. The custard ice cream is very good. The sugar swirl definitely dominates the flavor, with the custard ice cream in the background supporting it. A very enjoyable flavor.

8/10