Sunday, January 30, 2011

Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle. Pours hazy dark brown color with a 2 finger frothy off white head with average retention. Aromas of caramel, roasted malts, and freshly ground coffee. Taste of sweet caramel, roasted malt, and fresh ground coffee. Fairly dry finish, but there is some lingering roasted coffee notes after the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Overall a fairly tasty beer, and well balanced in flavor and aroma. No detected alcohol at all. Very good stuff!

This is another tasty one from Dark Horse. It is very similar to Bells Java Stout in my opinion, though the Java Stout is a bit stronger on flavor. As I was making my way through the glass the carbonation basically disappeared and it could not be agitated to form a head, but was still felt in the beer itself during drinking.

North Coast Red Seal Ale

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4/5

AROMA
7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours clear red orange color with a 2 finger off white head with decent retention. Aromas of citrus, floral, pine, caramel, and some spices. Taste matches the nose very well, with a nice crisp clean bitterness that lingers for a bit on the finish. This goes down very well, and is very drinkable. Very nicely balanced flavors. Medium body and fairly high carbonation. Overall this is highly enjoyable, and full of flavor. Before I knew it my glass was empty. Excellent stuff.

Definitely a tasty beer, with a lot of flavor for its alcohol content. Delicious.

Bush Ambrée (Scaldis)

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3.4/5

AROMA
6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20

250 ml bottle into snifter. Pours hazy orange-amber color with a 1 finger off white head with good retention, and decent lacing. Aromas of dark fruits, spices, molasses, caramel, and a little bit of alcohol. Taste of spices, dark fruits, molasses, and some alcohol making the flavor seem a bit off. There is a giant alcohol warming after the finish that sticks around for a while. Medium carbonation and full body. Overall, it’s not bad, actually has a lot of flavor. The only bad thing is that the alcohol can over power the flavors a bit at times, but the flavors do shine through at some points. It is definitely a sipper, and would be impossible to have more than one at a given time in my opinion. Pretty good.

Overall, not very impressed with this. It does have a lot of mixed reviews, and the alcohol can get overpowering with the flavors.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Founders Breakfast Stout

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4.8/5

AROMA
9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20

12 ounce bottle into tulip, bottled 08/05/11. Pours opaque black, with a 2 finger fairly dense tan head with very good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Decent lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of huge espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, oatmeal, spiciness, and a bit of molasses. Outstanding rich aromas here with great balance. Taste is incredibly rich and amazing with nice balance of dark chocolate and bitter coffee, with caramel, oat, burnt malts, molasses, and a bit of vanilla. Small amount of bitterness present on the finish with lingering notes of dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, molasses, and caramel. Alcohol is completely hidden, with only a slight bit of warming on the finish. Medium-full velvety, creamy, and lush body, with medium carbonation. Overall a mind blowing coffee stout that has always been a favorite of mine.

This years batch seems to be better than last years surprisingly. Super creamy and fantastic stuff with tons of dark chocolate and espresso.

Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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4.3/5

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

12 ounce bottle, Batch 3, 2007 vintage(I got lucky I guess I bought this in November last year). Pours thick opaque black color with a 1.5 finger dense dark tan head that reduces to a lacing cap. Aromas of strong chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, molasses, caramel, and some dark fruits with some light alcohol. Taste of strong chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts with some caramel. An excellent balance of flavors in this. Some slight alcohol noticed on the drink, and some warming on the finish, but overall very well hidden for 16%. Medium carbonation and full body. Also some good drinkability for the alcohol percentage, I am taking some decent sized sips. Overall this is a great Imperial stout, and the highest ABV stout I have had.

It is not the best Imperial Stout in the world, but still a good contender and full of flavor. I am really surprised that I got a 2007 vintage as well.

Tröegs The Mad Elf Holiday Ale

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3.8/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours crystal clear ruby color with a fairly dense 1 finger off white head with decent retention. Aromas of dark fruits, cherries, honey, molasses, and spices. Taste of cherries, spices, honey, and some other dark fruits. Alcohol is really well hidden here, nothing noticed until the finish, which has some alcohol warming afterward. Really malty with no real bitterness noticed. Medium carbonation and body. Overall this is an extremely drinkable ale, not too complex however, but the flavors are pretty well put together. Definitely has a lot of flavor in it as was expected at 11%. A very good Christmas seasonal beer.

Definitely check this one out next season it is released. Tasty stuff.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ben & Jerry's Turtle Soup

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Once again, caramel has made me a fan of this flavor. Vanilla ice cream with fudge and caramel cashews and a caramel swirl is what is in the pint. They definitely added enough caramel for once, there is a definite noticeable swirl in the whole pint from the first spoonful. My first scoop was overloaded with the caramel almost falling off as well. There is also tons of flavor coming from the cashews which also have a rich chocolate and caramel coating on them. They give a nice texture to the overall experience. There are more than enough cashews throughout the pint as well. The vanilla ice cream itself is just OK in my opinion, the vanilla ice cream in the cookie dough flavor is probably the best I have had from Ben & Jerry's. The texture of the ice cream is pretty darn good, even though it had some serious melting in transit to my freezer(I had found the flavor on a drive back from Zanesville Ohio in an insulated bag too). So overall, I would recommend this flavor to anyone, especially if you are a fan of nuts and caramel.

9/10

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours cloudy dark orange brown color with a dense golden 2 finger head with very good retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Aromas of raisins, licorice, honey, citrus, caramel, and alcohol. Taste of caramel, molasses, honey, and citrus. Very sweet taste, and for 120 IBU I detect barely any bitterness. Despite being a really sweet beer I am fully enjoying this, and cannot get enough of it. Medium carbonation and full body. Overall this is fantastic. Full of flavor and very enjoyable, the alcohol is hardly noticeable for being 18%(except for alcohol warming on the finish). Delicious.

Was hoping that this would have more bitterness, but it was tasty anyways.

Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged Frosted Frog Christmas Ale

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4.1/5

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

22 ounce bottle. Pours deep dark red color with a 2 finger off white head with decent retention. Aromas of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and some bourbon. Taste of matches the aromas, with a fairly strong taste of the whiskey near the finish. As it was with the original Frosted Frog, it tastes like gingersnap cookies. Medium body and carbonation. I definitely prefer this version of the Frosted Frog, the original version is a tad harsh on the palate with the spices, and the barrel aging mellows it out a ton. Incredibly drinkable, and an excellent beer.

Too bad this one was limited, it is delicious.

Bush de Noël (Scaldis Noel)

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3.7/5

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

25 cl bottle into snifter. Pours clear dark red color with a dense 1 finger off white head with good retention. Aromas of cherries, spices, licorice, and molasses. Taste of cherries, spices, molasses, and licorice. Has quite a bit of alcohol punch to it in taste and effect, as was expected. Medium carbonation and full body. Overall it is good stuff. At first sip, it was very weird and as it warmed up it improved substantially. The alcohol amount detracts from the flavor a bit though.

I still have the normal Scaldis ale, wonder how that one will stack up. This one is solid.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

North Coast Old No. 38 Stout

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4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle. Pours dark brown with a nice 2 finger tan head with very good retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Some very nice lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of a ton of molasses, coffee, chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Taste of molasses, caramel, chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. The finish was pretty dry as expected, but there is some slight chocolate, caramel, and coffee notes the linger very slightly after the finish. Also a slight amount of bitterness on the finish as well. Medium body and carbonation, with a creamy mouthfeel. A very tasty and impressive Dry Stout, and I would definitely pick up a pack of this in the future. Delicious.

Fantastic offering from North Coast, can't wait to try more of their lineup.

Bells Pale Ale

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3.4/5

AROMA
6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20

12 ounce bottle, batch 9979. Pours a very cloudy amber color with a foamy 2 finger white head with very good retention that reduces to a lacing cap. A lot of sediment floats around the glass. Aromas of spicy hops and yeast, with some light citrus and floral with bread. The aroma is quite weak, and I had to really agitate it to get some scent out of it. Taste of spicy hops and light citrus, with a mild finish with a fair amount of bitterness that lingers for a bit. Medium body and carbonation. Overall, a pretty decent pale ale, but I don’t know if I would buy a six pack of it. I would probably get it if I was at a bar or restaurant to have again.

Pretty decent offering, but there are better pale ales out there.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ben & Jerry's Peanut Brittle

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This one is an instant favorite(even though I have already had it before). Peanut brittle ice cream with peanut brittle pieces and a caramel swirl. I love caramel and peanuts so it automatically makes me enjoy this quite a lot. Unfortunately for this pint, the freezer this was sitting in for weeks died, so it underwent some melting and back to freezing. Even though this happened, the texture is actually still pretty good. This pint is filled with plenty of caramel and peanut brittle pieces, so almost every bite has some. Overall a great flavor, and very easy to find as well.

9/10

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

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4/5

AROMA
7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours dark brown with a 2 finger light tan head with very good retention that reduces to a lacing cap that leaves nice lacing. Aromas of roasted malts, light chocolate, coffee, and wood. Taste is of chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, and wood. There is actually a lot more flavor here than I expected from the nose. A fairly creamy mouthfeel. Medium carbonation and body. Very impressive taste-wise for a regular stout. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Definitely surprised me with the amount of flavor in such a "light" beer (seeing as I am so used to the higher gravity beers). Too bad it is only available in the winter.

Lagunitas Censored (Kronik)

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3.5/5

AROMA
6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours clear copper color with a foamy 2 finger off white head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap that leaves some nice glass lacing. Aromas of sweet malt, fruits, and caramel. Taste of sweet malt, fruits, and a lot of caramel, with a very slight amount of bitterness, and a slight alcohol warming on the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Overall pretty easy going down, and at first it was a bit strange tasting, but smoothed out near the end. Solid stuff.

There is some better stuff out there from Lagunitas, but still they are one of the best bargain breweries I have seen. Most bombers are 5 bucks or less and the 6 packs are priced well also.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale

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3.8/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours clear amber color with a 2 finger white head with good retention. Aromas of spicy Belgian yeast, grape, honey, and flowers. Taste of Belgian yeast, grapes, flowers, honey, and candy sugar. Very sweet with no bitterness, tastes like a typical Belgian style. Medium body and carbonation. Absolutely no alcohol presence here. This definitely surprised me, after reading the contents of this beer, I was expecting something weird, but this was actually very enjoyable, and it got better as it warmed up. Good stuff!

This one had been sitting in the fridge for a while now, I bought it about 2 weeks after release and did not have it yet. Surprisingly good Belgian style.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hair of the Dog Adam

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4.3/5

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

12 ounce bottle, batch 77 into snifter. Pours dark brown with a small light tan head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Aromas of figs, raisins, chocolate, and molasses. Taste of raisins, a lot of chocolate, molasses, and smokiness. Absolutely no alcohol noticed, except for warming, and there is a slight tart/sour feel to it with some bitterness. Finishes very smooth with lingering tastes. Medium body and carbonation. A very interesting beer, which is like nothing that I have had before. Kind of a cross between a Belgian dark ale and a stout I guess. Fantastic.

A beer, that you will likely never find in Ohio or any of the midwest, unless you are lucky like I was finding it in Indiana at Belmont Beverage. If you are in Indiana, and have a Belmont near you, they may have some left. A interesting and great beer, really smooth.

Bells Expedition Stout

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4.5/5

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

12 ounce bottle into snifter. Bottled on September 13th 2010. Pours opaque black with a nice dense 2 finger dark tan head with amazing retention, and it leaves some very thick lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, dark fruits, licorice, wood, and some alcohol. Taste of chocolate, coffee, licorice, and wood. The drink is super smooth for being 10.5%, and there is no alcohol burn on the finish, except for some warming. Full body and medium carbonation. A real treat! but not for the weak to be honest, I did not enjoy this as much as I am now the first time I had this about 7 months ago when I had just started drinking quality brews. Would like to age a few of these in the future.

One of the most sought after beers from Bells, and for good reason.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Häagen-Dazs Peppermint Bark

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What we have here is white chocolate ice cream with chocolate and peppermint bark pieces that have peppermint candy chunks in them. The white chocolate ice cream is pretty good stuff, with the great texture I have come to expect from Häagen Dazs. The bark pieces are fairly rich, and blend into the ice cream pretty well. As you bite into the bark pieces you chew down on the peppermint candy, and this releases a good amount of peppermint flavor into your mouth as you eat. Not too much, though, so it does not overpower the other flavors. After finishing, the peppermint flavors linger in your mouth for a good amount of time. Overall I would say this is a very enjoyable ice cream, that anyone who is a fan of mint should try. It did not overly impress me like some of the other Häagen Dazs flavors, but still a solid flavor for being limited edition.

8/10

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

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4.5/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours almost black as night with a very dense 2 finger dark tan head with amazing retention and very nice lacing on the glass. Aromas of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, caramel, and licorice. Taste is INSANE with the balance of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, caramel, and toffee. Very sweet tasting on the front with a very smooth chocolate/coffee bitterness on the finish with lingering roasted chocolate and coffee notes. Full creamy body and medium carbonation. A phenomenal Imperial Stout, and this makes me extremely interested in some more offerings from Great Divide.

A widely available beer, and so amazing. Well done Great Divide, well done. I must find the oak aged version, plus the other versions that are available.