Sunday, November 27, 2011

Nøgne Ø Porter

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3.9/5

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

500 ml bottle, no bottle date. Pours very dark brown color with a small 1 finger dense tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lasts. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, roasted malt, bread, molasses, chocolate, and some dark fruits. Nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, toasted bread, light coffee, molasses, and a bit of dark fruits. Light amount of spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, toast, and molasses on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice and creamy mouthfeel that drinks very easily. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming on the finish. Overall this is a very nice and well rounded porter with robust flavor and good balance.

Not a mind blowing porter, but it is a very robust and drinkable one that anyone should try. I have really enjoyed the offerings from this brewery pretty much across the board so far.

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow

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4.3/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours hazy golden amber color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with amazing retention that reduces to a lacing cap. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pine resin, orange, bread, caramel, spices, light tropical fruit, and some malty sweetness. Some very nice and balanced aromas, and a bit different than most DIPAs I have had in the past. Taste of big lemon, orange, pine, bread, caramel, spices, and some tropical fruit. Big fruity sweetness on the front with a decent amount of bitterness on the finish that lingers for a bit. Some great balance, but the sweetness is definitely more prominent thanks to the lactose. Lingering notes of pine, citrus, and spices on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very nice and creamy mouthfeel. For a beer of ~10%, the alcohol is hardly noticible other than a slight warming on the finish. Dangerously smooth and drinkable stuff. Overall this is an outstanding and interesting take on the style with the milk sugar. I would say they do a nice job with experimentation.

This is definitely an outstanding and unique Double IPA. The lactose adds more sweetness, but this still turns out very balanced and dangerously drinkable.

Bells Christmas Ale

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3.8/5

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

12 ounce bottle, bottled 10/13/11. Pours hazy and cloudy orange color with a nice 2 finger khaki head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big orange zest, pineapple, mango, lemon, caramel, bread and some toasted malts. Some surprisingly fruity aromas that are quite nice and interesting. Very much on the sweet side as well. Taste of caramel, toasted malts, orange, lemon, spices, and breadiness. Light spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of toasted malt, caramel, orange, and spices for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy mouthfeel and smooth drinking. Good balance of flavors but they seem to be on the weaker side that what I was looking for. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall a very nice scotch ale. Easy drinking and a lot of hop flavor character.

A very nice and drinkable beer. Not what I was expecting from a scotch ale, but nice anyways.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter World

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Here is a Target exclusive flavor that came out earlier this year. It is milk chocolate ice cream with peanut buttery swirls and chocolate cookie swirls. The ice cream texture is very good and also feels very rich and dense with the peanut butter and cookie swirls present. The ice cream flavor is a very rich milk chocolate, and is one of the richest ice cream flavors I have had from Ben & Jerry's so far. The peanut butter swirl tastes very authentic and adds a ton of rich peanut butter flavor to the pint. It also pairs well with the super rich ice cream base as I would have expected. There is plenty of the peanut butter in the pint as well; any more of it and it would likely be impossible to dig into the pint. The cookie swirl is also very rich and has a dark chocolate flavor. I pretty much got a full wafer in the first spoonful. It has a chewy texture to it and it balances out nicely with every other flavor. There is an equal balance in the amount of cookie and peanut butter swirl. This is a very rich and decadent flavor that is definitely worth a try. Not a mind blowing flavor, but it is pretty excellent overall.

9/10

Southern Tier Cherry Saison

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3.4/5

AROMA
8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20

22 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottling date. This could be pretty old since it is retired now. Pours extremely hazy orange amber color with a fairly dense 2 finger off white head with good retention; that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. Fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big tart cherries, apple, lemon zest, grass, candi sugar, spices, bread, and a bit of funkiness as well. Surprisingly nice aromas with good strength and balance. I like my saisons funky. Taste of big bread, pepper, spices, banana, wood, candi sugar, cherry, and some tart graininess in the back. No bitterness; with lingering notes of tart cherry, pepper, bread, and spices on the finish for a bit. The wheat malt is definitely more noticeable on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slightly syrupy mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a warming on the finish noticed. Fairly smooth drinking, but this is still quite a sipper. This is not cloying surprisingly, but i would have liked a better flavor balance. A little difficult to drink at times because of the flavor balance. Overall a fairly enjoyable saison, but it needed better flavor balance with a bit more cherry in the taste. Overall I say it was worth a try.

Not what I was hoping it to be, but it was worth trying since it is not produced any more.

Shorts Bellaire Brown

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle, bottled 10/04/11. Pours crystal clear reddish brown color with a nice fairly dense 2 finger light khaki head with good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some bits of lacing cling to the side of the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, toasted malts, bread, brown sugar, nuttiness, and a good amount of spicy hops. Fairly nice aromas with good strength. Taste of caramel, toasted malt, light chocolate, bread, nuttiness, light coffee, and spices. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, and spicy hops on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel that drinks smoothly. No alcohol noticed at all. Nice balance of flavors and bitterness. Overall a very nice and tasty brown ale that is a good representation of the style.

One of the better brown ales I have had. Nice flavor balance and it doesn't feel watered down.

Stillwater Stateside Saison

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4.1/5

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

750 ml bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours hazy golden straw color with a huge 3 finger fairly dense white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a lacing cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big lemon zest, pepper, orange, bread, grass, and spices. Very nice and fairly standard saison aromas. Taste of big pepper, spices, lemon, bread, grass, floral hops, and tart graininess. No bitterness on the finish as expected; with lingering notes of lemon, bread, pepper, and big spices. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very crisp and lightly prickly mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed at all except a slight warming after the finish. Great flavor balance with spiciness. Overall this is an excellent saison. Great balance and good drinkability.

A very enjoyable saison offering. I have a couple other offerings from Stillwater, so I should be trying them soon enough.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Mitchell's Homemade Christmas Ale Gingersnap Ice Cream

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This was a surprise quart of ice cream my uncle picked up for me from a local ice cream chain in Cleveland. They collaborated with Great Lakes by using the run off Christmas Ale from the bottling line in this ice cream to reduce waste. According to the Great Lakes blog:

"A small amount of residual Christmas Ale (previously expelled after the bottle filling process) is now captured from the filler and supplied to Mitchell’s. This process helps both companies achieve their philosophies of zero waste. Mitchell’s then adds fresh organic ginger, a dash of Vietnamese cinnamon, local honey and homemade ginger snaps"
Since this is a beer and ice cream blog, I thought it was only fair that this should make it into the reviews(even though it is an extremely local offering). Now onto the ice cream itself. I actually took a whiff of this and there is definitely a malt presence from the beer in there, along with the usual spices. Personally, I have not had a Christmas Ale since last season, but as soon as I took a taste of this ice cream, it all came back to me. This tastes pretty much identical to the beer. The texture of this ice cream is pretty much perfect. Super creamy and not icy at all. There is also a slight bitterness from the beer detectable but not much; and the sugar from the base ice cream balances it out nicely. The ginger snap cookies mixed in to this ice cream are fantastic. Super chewy and fresh tasting, with a great flavor and balance with the base ice cream. There are plenty of the cookies spread throughout the carton. They are sized nicely as well, I got quite a few whole cookies in my bowl. Overall this is a fantastic ice cream that is obviously made to have great quality. Great Lakes' website said that Mitchell's has collaborated with them once before to make an Edmund Fitzgerald Chocolate Chunk ice cream. I would definitely like to make a trip up to a scoop shop in the future to try some of their other ice creams.

9.5/10

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ska Steel Toe Stout

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle, no bottle date notched. Pours crystal clear dark brown color with a fairly dense 1-2 finger light tan head with nice retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that sticks around. A small bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and spicy hops. Nice and standard stout aromas with nice strength. Taste of milk chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, coffee, and light spiciness. Fair amount coffee-like bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, molasses, creaminess, and spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel and smooth drinking. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall a very nice and drinkable sweet stout; though it wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting. Nice balance overall though.

A very nice sweet stout, though it was more of a balanced stout than a sweet one for me. I don't know when I will be able to try some other offerings from this brewery however. Would definitely like to give their IPA a shot.

Mikkeller 黑 / Black

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3.9/5

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

375 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle date. Pours thick opaque black color with a thin lacing of a head that lasts. Almost no carbonation to speak of, the cork did not pop when I removed it. Some very small bubbles do show up eventually, hinting that there is some carbonation present. Aromas of huge roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, dark fruits, molasses, caramel, tobacco, biscuit, and toast. Some very complex aromas going on here, not much alcohol noticed surprisingly. Taste is intense: big burnt malt, dark chocolate, bitter coffee, molasses, caramel, tobacco, vanilla, and some spicy hops. Light amount of bitterness noticed on the finish; with lasting notes of dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, and coffee on the finish. Very light carbonation and huge full body; with a big creamy and slick mouthfeel that coats the mouth with each sip. The low carbonation actually fits well because of the huge body and creaminess of this beer. Alcohol is well hidden surprisingly; only a warming on the finish noticed. Definitely a big sipper to be enjoyed slowly. This has no cloying sweetness surprisingly. Overall, this is a very solid stout that was definitely not offensive at all. I probably won’t be getting this again due to the price tag; but it was quite the experience with huge roasted flavors and surprisingly great balance.

This is quite the slow sipper, but a good experience to have once. The only specialty grain in this is roasted barley, along with dark cassonade sugar to obviously boost gravity. I would like to try the barrel aged versions, but unfortunately I haven't seen them around.

Rust Belt Coke Oven Stout

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3.6/5

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

22 ounce bottle, no bottle date. Pours almost opaque dark brown color with a small 1 finger light tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some light lacing clings to the side of the glass as well. Aromas of roasted malt, caramel, light chocolate, light espresso, light spiciness, cola, and some sort of metallic off flavor or something. Ok aromas, but they got much more subdued after the initial pour. Taste turns out better: caramel, chocolate, roasted malts, light coffee, molasses, and spicy hops. Some decent bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, and spicy hops for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel that drinks quite easily. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall: even though the aromas were off, the taste turned out better; and this is quite an enjoyable stout for being 5%.

Other than the aromas being pretty off, this was a nice tasting stout. I will have a few of their other offerings in the future.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Brew Kettle Production Works Red Eye PA

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4.2/5

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

22 ounce bottle, no freshness date. Pours crystal clear red-orange color with a nice 2 fingers of dense khaki head with amazing retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Some nice lacing clings to the sides of the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, toasted malt, orange, grapefruit, light pine, and biscuit. Some nice aromas, but they are a bit weak at first. They improve as the beer warms up. Taste of big caramel, toasted malt, biscuit, pine, orange, and spiciness. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toasted malt, biscuit, citrus, and pine on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very nice creamy mouthfeel with smooth drinking. No alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Great balance of flavor and bitterness; with the malts being a bit more prominent. Overall this is an excellent IPA/Amber ale. Delicious flavor and great balance.

A delicious, drinkable, and balanced Amber IPA. I would definitely drink this again.

Boulevard Double Wide IPA

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle into tulip, best by 02/24/2012. Pours hazy and cloudy reddish orange color with a huge 3-4 fingers of dense khaki head with incredible retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big orange, pine, spiciness, caramel, grapefruit, and some light tropical fruits. Some nice and fairly standard aromas. Taste of big pine, orange, grapefruit, spiciness, bread, and light tropical fruitiness. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of pine resin, citrus, caramel, and spiciness for a good bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel that is pretty nice. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming on the finish. Some nice balance of flavor and bitterness. Overall a very nice and enjoyable DIPA from boulevard.

This was definitely enjoyable, but for some reason I was expecting to be blown away by it. I didn't think to watch for the yeast, so I accidentally poured it all in there. I don't think it effected the review much other than it looked murky.

Unibroue Seigneuriale

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4.1/5

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

750 ml bottle into tulip, best by 07/31/2009. Pours hazy reddish orange color with a fairly dense 2 finger khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap. Some small bits of lacing cling to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, molasses, raisins, apple, grape, and spicy yeast. Some nice aromas with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toffee, molasses, biscuit, citrus, grass, and spiciness. Initial taste in the front tastes just like dulce de leche, very unique stuff. No bitterness noticed; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, and spices on the finish for a bit. Medium body and fairly high carbonation; with a creamy mouthfeel with big prickly carbonation as expected for a bottle conditioned brew. No alcohol noticed except for a slight warming after the finish. Very nice drinkability with great balance of flavors. Overall, a very interesting and excellent Belgian ale. Glad I got to experience this because it is now retired.

I randomly found this in a beer store near my apartment. Very unique and interesting; and definitely great stuff.

Friday, November 18, 2011

New Belgium Somersault

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4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle, best by 08/28/2011. I think this will be my first blonde ale. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice 2-3 fingers of fairly dense white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a decent sized lacing cap that lasts. A nice amount of lacing clings around the glass as well. Aromas of big lemon, pepper, biscuit, grass, spiciness, and other light fruitiness. Some very nice aromas here with good strength as well. Taste of lemon, pepper, spices, bread, citrus, grass, and a bit of tart graininess. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, bread, and spices that last for a bit on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a moutfeel that is a bit on the watery side, but not in a bad way. Drinks really easily as I would have expected for a beer brewed for the summer months. No alcohol presence at all as expected. Overall, some seriously great stuff here. Nice amount of well balanced flavors and super smooth drinking.

Surprisingly great offering from New Belgium, and my first Blonde Ale. Brewed with Centennial hops, with a bit of apricot and ginger. Very well rounded in flavor and good balance.

Voodoo Wynonas Big Brown Ale

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3.2/5

AROMA
5/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 13/20


22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle date. I got a gusher. Pours crystal clear dark brown color with a nice dense 2-3 fingers of light tan head with great retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts forever. Some nice lacing clings around the glass as well. Aromas of roasted malt, caramel, bread, apple skin, light dark fruit, chocolate, and some molasses. I think it is safe to say my bottle might be a bit infected. The apple skin aroma just throws everything off. Taste quite a bit better: big caramel, toasted malt, biscuit, chocolate, bitter coffee, molasses, nuttiness, and spiciness. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, molasses, bread, nuttiness, and spices. Nice balance of flavor and bitterness. A bit of a metallic flavor is present as well. Medium bodied with big full carbonation; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel with big prickly carbonation. Overall for probably being infected, this is an ok brown ale. I will definitely give it another shot sometime, the bomber is only 6 bucks.

I was debating whether I should actually review it or not after it gushed and the aromas were big on apples. When I tasted, it was quite good with minimal infected qualities. They are priced pretty well at $5.99. I think it would probably be B/B+ range if it wasn't infected.

Great Lakes Glockenspiel Weizenbock

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4.1/5

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

12 ounce bottle into weizen glass, best by 11/28/09. Pours very hazy and cloudy reddish orange color with a small foamy 1 finger off white head with decent retention that reduces to a ring of lace pretty quickly. No glass lacing. Aromas of big caramel covered bananas, biscuit, molasses, light orange zest, spices, and a bit of alcohol to round it out. Some excellent aromas here, very inviting. Taste of big banana, caramel, pepper, biscuit, clove, and molasses. No bitterness on the finish; but there is some lingering notes of caramel, banana, bread, molasses, and spices on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very nice creamy and smooth mouthfeel that drinks easily. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is an excellent and delicious Weizenbock at almost 2 years past freshness date. I wonder if they will ever bottle it again.

This held up very well in the beer store I found it. Still using my 312 weizen glass, I ought to get another one from Weihenstephaner or something. Excellent stuff though, I hope they bottle it again.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Dark Horse Boffo Brown Ale

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4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle, no bottle date. Pours slightly hazy dark reddish brown color with a nice and dense 2 finger light tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the side of the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, molasses, toasted malt, light chocolate, spiciness, and nuttiness. Some nice aromas with good strength. Taste of toasted malt, bread, light chocolate, caramel, nuttiness, brown sugar, and light spiciness. Low amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toasted malt, light chocolate, and brown sugar on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel that drinks very easily. Very nice balance of flavors. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is one of the best brown ales I have had for sure.

Another excellent brew from dark horse. Quite a robust brown ale with a ton of great flavor.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

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4.1/5

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

12 ounce bottle, bottled 8/5/2011. Pours very hazy orange amber color with a nice and dense 2 finger off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a nice lacing cap that lasts forever. Nice amount of lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of pine, orange zest, lemon zest, herbal spiciness, and some caramel. Some nice aromas here with decent strength. Taste of pine, grapefruit, lemon zest, caramel, bread, and herbal spiciness. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with some lingering notes of pine, citrus, caramel, and spiciness on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice smooth mouthfeel with easy drinkability. Great balance of flavor to bitterness as well. Alcohol is well hidden with none noticed in the taste or finish. Overall this is a great IPA. It won’t blow you away, but it is a well rounded and balanced brew from SN.

An excellent and highly balanced IPA from Sierra Nevada. I would have no trouble picking up a 6 of this again in the future.

Avery New World Porter

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle, bottled 11/6/2010. Pours crystal clear dark brown color with a nice dense 2-3 fingers of tan head with amazing retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Some nice lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, roasted malt, light chocolate, bread, citrus, and spicy hops. Some decent aromas with good strength. Taste of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, bitter coffee, molasses, light citrus, and spicy hops. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, citrus, and spicy hops. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice and fairly creamy mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Great balance of roasted flavors and hop character. Overall this is a very nice robust porter. I am pretty impressed on how well this has held a nice hop character after an entire year.

A very nice and tasty porter from Avery as I would have expected from them.

Victory Baltic Thunder

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3.9/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, best by 04/20/2010. Pours crystal clear very dark brown color with a fairly dense 1 finger tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big roasted malts, toasted bread, caramel, nuttiness, and some light chocolate. Some good aromas with nice strength and balance. Taste of caramel, toasted malt, bread, nuttiness, light chocolate, light smokiness, and some spicy hops. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of nuttiness, caramel, and light chocolate on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is a really enjoyable Baltic Porter with nice flavor complexity and balance.

A very nice baltic porter. Oddly, I rarely see this anywhere around me even though Victory is readily available.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bells Winter White

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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 into tulip, bottled 10/12/11. Pours extremely hazy golden amber color with a fairly dense 1 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin ring of lace. Small amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big banana, clove, bubblegum, lemon zest, spices, bread, and tangy wheat. Very nice aromas here with good balance; definitely surprised me. Taste of banana, clove, lemon zest, spices, bread, and a bit of tangy wheat. No bitterness; with lingering notes of clove, spice, lemon zest, and light banana on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel as well. Very smooth and drinkable with no alcohol noticed in the taste or finish as expected. Overall this is a really enjoyable Witbier. Nice flavor complexity and balance.

A nice and complex Witbier from bells. No real complaints here.

Liefmans Kriekbier

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3.9/5

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

375 ml wrapped bottle into tulip, best by 08/2017(2007 vintage). Sediment is caked to the side of the bottle. Pours slightly hazy dark red color with a small off white head with poor retention that reduces to a ring of lace. No real amount of lacing clinging to the glass. Aromas of big tart cherries, vinegar, light spices, and some woodiness. Some fairly nice aromas with good strength. Taste of big cherry juice, cherry skin, light spices, light vinegar, and light tartness. Lingering notes of cherry juice and cherry skin on the finish. Light carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel as expected. No alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Quite sweet but is not cloying at all. Fairly dry finish. Overall this is a very nice Kriek; too bad it is not produced anymore.

Apparently they stopped making this to produce the Cuvee Brut beer. Pretty impressive stuff, though the carbonation was a bit low and the cork was a bit rotten looking. I still have to try some more Liefmans brews, like their true sour lambics.

Firestone Walker's Reserve Robust Porter

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4.2/5

AROMA
7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

22 ounce bottle, no bottle date. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with excellent retention. Some nice lacing clinging all around the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, toasted malt, chocolate, biscuit, and some spicy hops. Fairly nice and standard porter aromas. Taste of big toasted malt, caramel, chocolate, coffee, nuttiness, biscuit, and spicy hops. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, coffee, toasted malt, biscuit, and spices on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and nice mouthfeel that goes down smoothly. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is definitely one of the better robust porters I have ever had. Tons of flavor and great balance.

Another delicious Firestone Walker brew here. I really need to get my hands on some more of their stuff.

Monday, November 14, 2011

The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

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4.1/5

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

750 ml bottle into tulip, 2011 bottle. Pours slightly hazy bright golden straw color with a nice 1 finger fairly dense bright white head with decent retention that reduces to a thin ring of lace. Good amount of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big tart apple, grape, lemon zest, grass, wheat, and some funk. Excellent aromas here with good strength as well. Taste of spices, bread, grainy wheat, lemon zest, tart apple, and a bit of funkiness. Has a dry finish; but there are some light lingering notes of bread, spiciness, wheat, and lemon zest for a bit. Medium-high carbonation and fairly light bodied. A bit of a prickly feel from carbonation, but it does not retract from the flavor and this is still very drinkable. No alcohol noticed at all as expected for 3.1%. Overall this is an excellent Berliner Weisse with great flavor and balance. Best on in the style I have had.

Another excellent brew from The Bruery in a style that is rarely brewed. Great flavor and balance for a 3.1% beer.

Three Floyds BrooDoo

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4.5/5

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

22 ounce bottle, no bottling date but it was purchased a couple weeks ago. Pours hazy golden amber color with a nice 2-3 fingers of a dense off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a lacing cap that lasts. Some nice lacing clings around the glass as well. Aromas of big pine, orange, grapefruit, lemon zest, pineapple, grass, and some spiciness. Some excellent and balanced aromas. Taste of big lemon zest, pine, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel, bread, and spiciness. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of pine, citrus, lemon zest, and spices on the finish. Medium carbonation and body with a nice creamy and smooth mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed at all in the taste or finish. Insane balance of flavor and bitterness. Fantastic drinkability. Overall this is an incredible harvest ale with perfect balance of flavors and is insanely drinkable.

Three Floyds seems to know it's way with hopping beers. Another fantastic IPA offering.

New Holland Hopivore

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3.3/5

AROMA
7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20

12 ounce bottle, no bottling date but it is from this years batch. Pours slightly hazy golden orange color with a nice 2 finger dense light khaki head with fantastic retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings around the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, spiciness, pine, orange, tropical fruit, toasted malt, bread, and nuttiness. Some interesting aromas here with good strength. Not as hoppy as I was hoping though. Taste of caramel, toasted malt, nuttiness, pine, citrus, and spiciness. Taste seems pretty watered down, I had to take a few drinks to decipher the flavor profile. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with some light lingering notes of toasted malt, nuttiness, pine, spices, and caramel on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and quite nice mouthfeel that drinks smoothly. No alcohol noticed at all. Overall for being a bit watered down this is actually fairly enjoyable. It is drinkable and not really offensive in flavor profile, just a bit weak.

Not exactly what I was hoping for taste-wise in a wet hop ale.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Brooklyn Local 1

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4.4/5

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

750 ml bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours hazy golden straw color with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. Some nice lacing clings around the glass as well. Aromas of lemon, pepper, spices, banana, light tropical fruits, and some bread. Some nice and balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big lemon, tropical fruit, banana, pepper, spices, grass, clove, bread, and other light fruitiness. Finish is fairly dry, but not too dry. No bitterness on the finish; but there are lingering notes of lemon, bread, spices, and clove on the finish with a bit of a yeasty tang as well. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly prickly mouthfeel that drinks very smoothly and is slightly creamy. Alcohol is very well hidden with a warming on the finish that is hardly noticeable. Overall a fantastic Belgian strong pale, fantastic balance and complexity.

Brooklyn really has a lot of good things going on with their 750 releases that I have had thus far. Looking forward to trying the Local 2 in the future.

Flying Dog Raging Bitch

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4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle into tulip, best by the 50th day of 2012. Pours slightly hazy golden orange color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a nice lacing cap. Some decent thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pine, lemon zest, grapefruit, orange, caramel, bread, banana, and spicy yeast. Very nice aromas here with great balance. Taste of big spiciness, pepper, banana, orange, pine, bread, caramel, and other light fruity notes. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of pine, citrus, bread, caramel, and spices on the finish. Fantastic balance of flavor and bitterness. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with the warming on the finish hardly noticeable. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and drinkable mouthfeel. Overall, an excellent and very enjoyable Belgian IPA. Extremely balanced.

I have heard a lot of good thing about this brew and I finally decided to pick it up to try. One of the best Belgian IPAs I have ever had.

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

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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 into snifter, bottled 6/2/2011. Pours slightly hazy brick red color with a small 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some decent lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big mango, orange, grapefruit, pine resin, floral, caramel, and some toasted malts. Some excellent aromas here with good strength and balance. Taste of big orange, mango, pine, lemon zest, caramel, toasted malt, and spiciness. Big sweetness in the front that leads to a strong brutal bitterness on the finish that lasts. Lingering notes of caramel, citrus, pine, and spiciness on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that goes down smoothly, but is still a sipper. Alcohol is extremely well hidden for 12%, the warming on the finish is barely noticeable. Great balance of flavor and bitterness. Overall, an excellent and tasty Imperial IPA from Founders.

Another re-review with a fresher batch than last time I reviewed. Excellent stuff.

Shorts Ale La Reverend

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4.5/5

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

12 ounce bottle, bottled 8/22/11. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice 2 finger dense white head with great retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap that lasts. Tons of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. Nice lacing clings around the entire glass as well. Aromas of big pineapple, lemon zest, orange, pine, floral hops, and some spiciness. Some surprisingly fantastic aromas here, quite different from any IPA I have had before as well. Taste of big pine, orange, grapefruit, spiciness, bread, and a bit of caramel. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, spiciness, and light caramel. Medium carbonation and body. Incredible balance of flavors and bitterness. No alcohol noticed at all as expected. Overall, Wow. Considering this is 4%, this beer is one of the most balanced and flavorful IPAs I have had.

This is incredible for a 4% session beer. Tons of great hoppy flavor with amazing balance.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Boulevard Dark Truth Stout

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3.9/5

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

12 ounce bottle into snifter, best by 10/19/11. Pours thick black color with a nice 2-3 fingers of dense dark tan head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap that lasts. Fair amount of thick lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big dark chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malt, caramel, licorice, molasses, coffee, and a bit of alcohol. Some very nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of big roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, burnt malts, and licorice. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, burnt malt, coffee, caramel, smoke and some spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Nice balance of flavor and bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden with only a decent sized warming on the finish. Overall this is a very nice imperial stout. A little over the top on roasted flavors but I enjoyed this.

A very nice Imperial Stout and my first brew from Boulevard. I made sure to pick up pretty much the whole Smokestack series when I was in Indiana recently. Can't wait to try the rest of the series.

Three Floyds Alpha King

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4.4/5

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

12 ounce bottle, no bottle date but I bought a 6 pack last week. Pours hazy red orange color with a nice 2-3 finger off white head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap that lasts. Some decent lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big orange zest, pine, lemon zest, caramel, light grapefruit, bread, and a bit of spiciness. Some fantastic aromas here with great balance and strength. Taste of big orange, pine, spiciness, caramel, bread, and a bit of toasted malt. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, spiciness, caramel, and bread on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Fantastic drinkability with no alcohol noticed at all except for a slight warming on the finish. Fantastic balance of flavor and bitterness. Overall an incredible pale ale with tons of flavor, hoppiness, and balance. I will be picking up more when I am in Indiana again.

I was in Fort Wayne a couple weekends ago so of course I got some more Three Floyds along with some other goodies that will show up later on! This is a re-rating as well.

The Brew Kettle Production Works Copperhead Red Ale

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3.6/5

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

22 ounce bottle, no freshness date. Pours crystal clear golden orange color with a nice 2 finger off white head with very good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, toasted malt, bread, and light citrus notes with some light spiciness. Some pretty faint aromas that have some good balance. They get a bit stronger as the beer warms. Taste of caramel, bread, toasted malt, light citrus, and spiciness. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with linger notes of caramel, bread, citrus, and spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation and a light-medium body; with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Great drinkability as expected for 5%; with no alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Nice balance of flavor and bitterness. Overall this is a pretty nice amber ale that is easy to drink and quite enjoyable.

A fairly nice and sessionable brew from The Brew Kettle. Might have to see how it is on tap when I go back home.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Bells Best Brown Ale

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3.4/5

AROMA
6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20

12 ounce bottle, bottled on 9/13/11. Pours hazy reddish brown color with a fairly dense 1-2 fingers of khaki head with great retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. A fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, roasted malt, bread, cola, and some spicy hops. Some pretty weak aromas here but they have decent balance. Taste of toasted malt, caramel, nuttiness, bread, light chocolate, and spicy hops. Small amount of bitterness on the finish; with some lingering notes of bread, spiciness, caramel, toasted malt, and nuttiness on the finish. Pretty malt forward but has some decent balance. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Easy drinkability with no alcohol noticed except for a slight warming on the finish. Overall a decent brown ale, but I was hoping for it to be a bit more robust with the flavor profile.

A decent brown ale, but I was hoping for some robust flavors. There are definitely better brown ales out there.

Rogue Imperial Stout

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3.2/5

AROMA
7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20

7 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 2009. Pours thick opaque black color with a thin tan head with ok retention that reduces to a very thin cap that lasts. Not much lacing clinging to the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, caramel, coffee, roasted malts, and spicy hops. Some decent and balanced aromas. Taste of big dark chocolate, spicy hops, bitter coffee, caramel, roasted malt, and smoke. Big spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that drinks fairly smoothly. Alcohol is decently well hidden with only a warming on the finish noticed. Overall this was a bit too spicy for my liking.

A decent imperial stout, but for being 2 years old I was hoping for something much better. A bit too spicy and not enough chocolate and roasted notes.

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter

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3/5

AROMA
6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20

12 ounce bottle with a bottling date of March 2011. Pours crystal clear reddish brown color with a fairly dense 2 finger tan head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap. Some decent lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of light chocolate, a lot of vanilla, roasted malt, and not much else. Some pretty weak aromas, I was hoping for much more. Taste of roasted malt, light espresso, light vanilla, caramel, and some spiciness. Seems pretty watered down on the taste and is pretty uninteresting. Lingering notes of vanilla, coffee, and chocolate on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice and creamy mouthfeel that drinks very smoothly. No alcohol noticed at all as expected for 5.5%. Overall it is an ok porter but it could use a lot more flavor.

Weak on flavor, but still drinkable stuff. I am going to have to try a few of their other offerings to see if they are better.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca

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4.2/5
AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, batch 835 bottled 7/7/2011. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice 2 finger bright white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts forever. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass, with tons of carbonation streaming from the bottom as well. Aromas of big pepper, coriander, lemon peel, tart apple, funk, wet hay, and spiciness. Some classic JP aromas here, the funk comes out a bit more as it warms up. Taste of big pepper, spices, coriander, lemon, tart apple, and wet grass. Fairly dry finish but there are some light lingering notes of tart apple, lemon, coriander, grass, and spices for a bit. Light-medium bodied with a medium high carbonation. Very smooth drinking with a nice mouthfeel despite the high carbonation. No alcohol noticed at all as expected for being under 5%. Overall this is definitely an excellent witbier, with that JP funk that I always love.

Jolly Pumpkin rarely disappoints me with their offerings. I really need to make a trip out to the brewpub one of these days since I am close.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

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3.9/5

AROMA
9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle date but it is 2011. Pours hazy red orange color with a small dense light khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pumpkin, caramel, molasses, gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and spices. Some very nice and strong aromas. Taste of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, caramel, molasses, spices, bread, and pumpkin. No bitterness noticed; with lingering notes of caramel, molasses, cinnamon, and light pumpkin on the finish. Decent balance of flavors, but not what I was hoping for from the aromas. Alcohol is fairly well hidden with only a decent sized warming on the finish noticed. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice and fairly creamy mouthfeel. Drinks really smoothly for the alcohol level. Overall a very nice imperial pumpkin ale, I am glad I picked up a 4 pack.

Overall a very nice pumpkin ale, glad I picked up a 4 pack.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout

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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 into snifter, no bottle date. Pours pitch black color with a nice finger dense tan head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A bit of lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big dark chocolate, caramel, coffee, roasted malt, smoke, and wood. Some very nice and balanced aromas here. Taste of big dark chocolate, caramel, bitter coffee, roasted malt, molasses, smoke, and some spicy hops. A fair amount of spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, molasses, smoke, and coffee on the finish. Great balance with just enough bitterness to balance it all out. Absolutely no cloying. Medium carbonation and body; with a very creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with nothing noticed other than a small warming after the finish. Great drinkability, but it is still a bit of a sipper. Overall an excellent milk stout that is not too sweet and has great balance.

Yet another excellent brew from Three Floyds. Not as sweet and dessert like as some other sweet stouts, but still very enjoyable and smooth.

Dieu du Ciel Équinoxe du Printemps

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3.9/5

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

11.5 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 2010(I think). Pours hazy reddish brown color with a small fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some nice bits of lacing cling to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, dark fruits, whiskey, spices, molasses, maple syrup, and alcohol. Some nice aromas that are improving a bit as it warms. Taste of big caramel, maple syrup, molasses, whiskey, spices, and a bit of wood. No bitterness noticed on the finish; and lingering notes of maple syrup, caramel, molasses, and some whiskey on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a warming on the finish noticed. Nice smooth drinkability for the level of alcohol, but is still a sipper. Nice balance of flavors. Overall a really nice scotch ale. The maple syrup definitely has a strong presence in this.

A very nice brew from Dieu du Ciel. I will have to try some more of their imperial brews as they usually turn out to be good stuff.