Häagen-Dazs Wilberry Frozen Yogurt

I have been waiting to try the new froyo Haagen Dazs flavors since I hear about them. Luckily when I moved, it turns out my local Meijer keeps them stocked. Glad I chose this one first. It is frozen yogurt blended with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberry puree. As I would have expected there is 100% all natural ingredients used in this pint, no odd chemicals to thicken the texture or anything. First off, the base froyo is absolutely fantastic. It gives a pretty creamy and smooth flavor, which hides behind a rich mixture of big berry flavor. Everything from the sweetness of strawberry to the tartness of raspberry and blackberry is present here. My first scoop revealed a big chunk of frozen strawberry which was a very nice surprise. There is actually plenty of all of the berries nicely packed into this pint without being overwhelming at all. The berries add a bit of a crunchy texture to the pint as well, as is normal with fresh raspberries and blackberries. The balance of each berry flavor in the pint is perfect. They blend together as one pretty much. Overall, this is one of the best froyo's you will ever have. I really am wondering what chocolate almond will be like.

10/10

Odell Cutthroat Porter

4.2/5

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

12 ounce bottle, best by 6/10/11. Pours crystal clear dark brown color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense tan head with very nice retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A nice amount of lacing clings to the side of the glass as well. Aromas of toasted malt, caramel, chocolate, nuttiness, molasses, and a bit of spice. Very nice aromas here with excellent strength as well. Taste of big toasted malt, chocolate, caramel, molasses, spices, and nuttiness. A fair amount of bitterness on the finish, with a bit of lingering notes of chocolate, toasted malt, caramel, and spices. Very nice balance of flavors as well. Medium carbonation and body, with a nice creamy and smooth mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed on the taste or finish as expected for 4.8%. Overall, definitely an excellent and well made porter that I wish I could get on a regular basis.

A delicious and full flavored porter for being in the session ale category. I need to get my hands on some more offerings from Odell.

Kasteel Rouge

4.1/5

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

11.2 ounce bottle into tulip, bottle date: 071016. Pours hazy and cloudy reddish brown color with a small foamy off white head with fair retention that recuces to a thin lacing cap. Aromas of big fresh cherries, and cherry juice; with a bit of tartness and spices in there as well. Aromas are nice and strong, and what I was expecting from the bottle description. Taste of tons of cherries, cherry juice, tartness, cherry skin, and a bit of spices as well. No bitterness noticed; but there is a ton of cherry skin, tartness, and sweet notes lingering on the finish with a bit of spices as well. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel. This drinks very smooth for the alcohol level, but is still quite a sipper due to big flavor and sweetness. No alcohol noticed other than a warming after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Belgian cherry ale in my opinion, tons of flavor.

An excellent Belgian cherry ale. The cherry tastes very authentic, with no real cloying sweetness present as well. Glad I picked it up randomly.

Michigan Brewing Screamin Pumpkin Spiced Ale

4.1/5

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

12 ounce bottle, no bottle date, but I am pretty sure it is this years batch. Pours slightly hazy and cloudy golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly dense white head with very good retention; that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Not much lacing on the glass. Tons of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. Aromas of huge amounts of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, caramel, and pumpkin. Huge on the spices, but this smells fantastic. Taste of cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin, caramel, and other spices. Not much bitterness noticed, but there are lingering notes of cinnamon, clove, bread, caramel, and other spices. Medium carbonation and body, with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel as well. No alcohol noticed other than a small warming after the finish, and this is very drinkable and smooth. Overall an excellent and drinkable pumpkin ale for the fall season!

An excellent spiced ale from Michigan Brewing. I will definitely be trying out some other offerings since I live in the area now.

Oskar Blues Ten FIDY

4.3/5

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

12 ounce can into snifter, canned 11/25/09, so approaching 2 years old. "Cellar Door" also printed on the bottom, damn right! Pours thick and black as old motor oil as I would have expected; with a nice 1-2 fingers of fairly dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. A bit of nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of huge roasted malt, dark chocolate, molasses, and caramel; with a bit of smoke, vanilla, dark fruits, and booze. Some pretty nice aromas here that are strong and huge on the roastiness. Taste of big dark chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, smoke, coffee, and oats. A small amount of bitterness is present on the finish, with huge lingering notes of dark chocolate, caramel, molasses, vanilla, coffee, and roasted malt. Light-medium carbonation and a huge full body; with a very creamy, thick, and slick mouthfeel that is fantastic. Very smooth drinking for the level of alcohol, but is still a sipper. Alcohol is very well hidden with nothing other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall and oustanding imperial stout with incredible mouthfeel and balance of flavor.

Definitely a fantastic imperial stout. I would like to see how a fresh one is though, because i do like hoppy stouts as well. A but more roasty than I was hoping for though.

Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale

3.6/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, over 3 years old now, lets see how this goes. Pours cloudy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 fingers of dense white head with nice retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A bit of nice lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big spicy yeast, with some stale hops, orange, pine, bread, and light fruits; maybe a bit of funk in there as well. Some interesting aromas here, but they have good strength. Taste of huge spices, pepper, bread, light fruits, pine, and citrus. Decent amount of bitterness present on the finish, with lingering notes of spice, pepper, pine, bread, and citrus. Medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is noticed on the finish with a decent amount of warming. Overall a pretty decent Belgian IPA for being 3 years old. I have another bottle of this, so I will see how it is when 12.12.12 rolls around just for kicks.

This was definitely past it's prime. I would have loved to have this fresh, but I wasn't much into craft beer at the time it was released(though I had just turned 21 that year). I could brew up a small homebrew batch of it though since all of the VE recipes are readily available on Stone's website!

New Belgium Fat Tire

3.6/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce bottle, best by 09/18/11, so a bit past its prime I guess. Pours slightly hazy and cloudy golden orange amber color with a small off white head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass as you drink. Aromas of citrus, pine, caramel, bread, honey, and toasted malt. Pretty muted aromas with not much going on; the toasted malt seems to be most dominant. Taste of big toasted malt, bread, caramel, pine, and a bit of citrus. Once again the toasted malts are dominant. Not much bitterness noticed on the finish, with a pretty dry finish. A bit of lingering notes of caramel, toasted malt, and bread. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming after the finish. Overall this is pretty good stuff. It has a good flavor profile and is highly drinkable.

Very solid and sessionable stuff here, even though it was a bit aged for an amber ale.

Allagash White

4.4/5

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

12 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottle date or batch number. Pours hazy golden amber color with a fairly dense 1 finger whilte head with nice retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well, with a steady stream of carbonation coming from the bottom. Aromas of big banana, clove, bubblegum, spices, citrus peel, and a bit of wheat tang. Very nice aromas here and are very true to style as well. Taste of big spices, banana, clove, citrus peel, wheat, and breadiness. Not much bitterness on the finish, but there are plenty of lingering notes of spice, citrus, bread, and clove. Medium-high carbonation with medium body; with a great and slightly creamy mouthfeel, that leads to very smooth and enjoyable drink. Alcohol is well hidden as expected, nothing other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall an outstanding witbier that is extremely refreshing, and has a great balance of flavors.

A fantastic witbier from Allagash. This is definitely one of the best out there.

Southern Tier Pumking

4.1/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, bottled 09/09/11. Pours crystal clear orangish golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly foamy head with decent retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Not much lacing clinging to the glass. Aromas of huge pumpkin, pie crust, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of butter going on as well. Outstanding and strong aromas here with great balance. Taste of big pie crust, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, spices, brown sugar and clove. Fairly dry finish, but there is some lingering notes of crust, spice, pumpkin, and brown sugar. A tiny bit of spicy bitterness noticed on the finish as well, and the sweetness is not cloying at all. Medium carbonation and body, with a smooth mouthfeel for the alcohol level. Alcohol is very well hidden, with only a slight warming on the finish noticed. Overall this is definitely an excellent pumpkin ale with great balance and smooth drinkability.

Another re-review with this years batch. A little less alcohol this year(8.8% vs 9% last year). Fantastic aromas with overall nice flavor and smoothness.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout

4.4/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 7/22/11. Pours opaque black color with a small fairly dense light tan head with nice retention. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of HUGE caramel, toffee, roasted malt, vanilla, butterscotch, and more caramel! Excellent strong and sweet aromas here; very dessert-like. Taste of big caramel, vanilla, toffee, butterscotch, custard, and cream. Decent amount of bitterness noticed initially on the finish; overshadowed by big sweetness of vanilla, custard, caramel, and toffee flavors that linger on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. Very creamy, slick, and smooth mouthfeel on the finish. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with nothing noticed except for a slight warming on the finish. Sweetness in this stout is not cloying at all and is extremely well balanced. Overall, this is an outstanding dessert stout. If you are in the mood for sweets this will not disappoint.

Re-reviewed this one finally. Definitely a love it or hate it beer, but I was in the mood for a sweet stout so it was a big winner in my book.

Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pils

3.6/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce can, canned 4/27/11; "Czech Out Our Can" also printed on the bottom. Pours hazy and cloudy golden straw color with 1-2 fingers of a foamy white head with decent retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Not much lacing clinging to the glass. Aromas of spices, lemon, bread, and a bit of grass. Decent aromas that are pretty weak. Taste of bread, spices, lemon, grass, and some citrus notes. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish with lingering notes of spice, grass, citrus, and bready notes. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Nice mouthfeel and drinkability with no alcohol noticed in the taste or finish as expected. Overall a nice pilsener with plenty of flavor and nice balance.

A solid and enjoyable pilsner from Oskar Blues. It may be a tad better if it was fresher.

Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

4.1/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled August 2011. Pours clear dark brown color with 1-2 fingers of a dense tan head with great retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big grapefruit, pine, orange, caramel, roasted malt, and orange. Very nice and hoppy aromas as I would have expected. Taste of big grapefruit, orange, pine, caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, and some spices. Big amounts of bitterness present on the finish; with lingering notes of orange, pine, spices, roasted malt, and caramel. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is extremely well hidden, with only a slight warming after the finish noticed. Overall this is an excellent Black IPA that is quite smooth and nicely balanced.

Another excellent Stone offering. Super hoppy and smooth stuff for the level of alcohol.

Great Lakes / Cellar Rat Berlot

3.6/5

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

12 ounce bottle into snifter, about a year old now. Pours extremely hazy and cloudy golden orange color with 1-2 fingers of a dense off white head with excellent retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some very nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of vinegar, grapes, tart fruits, and some spices. Extremely interesting aromas, but i guess thats what the wine barrels will do. Taste of light vinegar, tart fruits, spices, and grapes. No bitterness, but there is lingering notes of spice and light fruits on the finish. Alcohol is surprisingly well hidden with only a small warming on the finish noticed. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Nice balance of all flavors is present as well. Overall an interesting and unique beer, but it was quite nice and enjoyable for what it offers.

I finally got around to having the last beer in the Ohio collab 12 pack. It is quite unique and interesting stuff.

Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

3.7/5

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

12 ounce bottle, best by 9/12/11, so just after the best by date. Pours cloudy golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly dense white head with good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Small bits of lacing cling to the glass as well. Aromas of sweet caramel malt, orange, citrus, and grapefruit; with a bit of pine and spices. Decent aromas, but they are fairly weak. Taste of caramel, spices, citrus, pine, and a bit of grapefruit and other light fruitiness. Small amount of bitterness on the finish with lingering notes of spice, pine, and citrus. The initial flavors seem a bit subdued, but they are well balanced. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Nice and smooth mouthfeel, with great drinkability. No alcohol in the taste or finish noticed. Overall a nice pale ale that is very sessionable and quite tasty.

A nice and refreshing pale ale, even though it was well past prime freshness. I will have to get my hands on the IPA soon.

Hoppin Frog Wild Frog Wheat Ale

3.7/5

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

22 ounce bottle into weizen glass, no bottle date but I picked up a fairly fresh batch at the brewery a couple weeks ago. Pours hazy golden straw color with 1-2 fingers of a very foamy white head with decent retention, that reduces to a ring of lace. Tons of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. Aromas of big lemon, clove, spices, banana, bread, and a bit of bubblegum. Fairly nice aromas with nice strength. Taste of huge banana, clove, spices, lemon, and bubblegum. No bitterness on the finish as expected, with some lingering notes of banana, clove, bubblegum, and spices. Medium-high carbonation with a medium body; and a somewhat of a creamy mouthfeel surprisingly. No alcohol in the taste or finish noticed as expected. Overall a nice Hefeweizen that I had no trouble finishing. Quite refreshing and easy to drink.

Overall a good Wheat Ale. Pretty full bodied for a Wheat beer as well.

Graeter's Coconut Chocolate Chip

Here is a brand I have always been wondering about. I have always seen them in many different supermarkets around me including Walmart. I just moved up to Michigan last week, and I saw them in Meijer and Krogers all over, so I finally picked a pint up to try out. This is basically just coconut ice cream with chocolate chips. First off the ice cream texture is very nice stuff, there is an insane amount of real coconut flakes throughout the pint which gives it a distinct texture, and of course huge coconut flavor. The flavor is also insanely creamy as well, which balances out great with the coconut pieces. The chocolate "chips" are made out of semi sweet chocolate and are incredibly well sized, while also being quite moist and slightly chewy. Not the rocks I was expecting to get like most ice cream pints. So that texture is definitely something new to me for being chocolate chips. The chocolate chips have a unique flavor as expected from semi-sweet chocolate, but is also very creamy and balances out great with the other flavors. There are also an incredible amount of the chips spread through the pint. Overall this is definitely a phenomenal ice cream flavor, and I can only hope to expect from some other flavors in the future. They are available at Kroger, Meijer, and Walmart from what I have seen so far. A little more expensive then your typical BnJ or HD, but the quality certainly shows itself.

10/10

Hoppin Frog Barrel Aged Naked Evil

4.5/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, unknown bottle date, but picked it up on release day Sept 1st. Pours slightly hazy brick red color with a dense 2 finger khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a thick lacing cap. A bit of thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big whiskey, caramel, molasses, vanilla, dark fruit, spices, banana, and clove. Tons of balance and complexity here, amazing. Taste of big caramel, molasses, vanilla, whiskey, banana, light fruits, and spices. No bitterness noticed, with lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, molasses, light fruits, and a bit of whiskey. Alcohol is hidden incredibly well, nothing noticed other than a small warming after the finish. Light-medium carbonation with a fairly full body. Fantastic slick, creamy, and full mouthfeel. Overall this is absolutely incredible and the best brew I have had from Hoppin’ Frog!

A truly incredible offering from Hoppin Frog, and a perfect beer to celebrate the 5th anniversary. I have another bottle, can't wait to see how it is doing in a year or so!

Oskar Blues Old Chub

4.1/5

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

12 ounce can into snifter, canned 6/1/11, "Feel Da Chub!" written on the bottom. Pours clear dark brown color with a small, foamy, light tan head with decent retention that reduces to a ring of lace. Not much lacing clinging to the glass. Aromas of big caramel, chocolate, toasted malt, molasses spices, and a bit of whiskey and smoke. Very strong aromas with good complexity here. Taste of big caramel, chocolate, toasted malts, molasses, whiskey, spices, dark fruits, and a bit of smoke and booze. Not much if any bitterness noticed, with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, whiskey, spices, and molasses. Light-medium carbonation with a medium-full body. Very creamy and slightly thick mouthfeel, with very nice drinkability for the level of alcohol. Alcohol is fairly well hidden, only a decent sized warming on the finish. Overeall an excellent scotch ale from Oskar Blues. Nice balance of flavor and smooth drinking.

Another excellent and enjoyable offering from Oskar Blues.

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

4.3/5

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

500 ml bottle into snifter. Pours very dark brown color with 1-2 fingers of a very dense dark tan head with incredible retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, and caramel; with pine, tropical fruits, orange, and grapefruit. Damn this smells awesome, very similar to some of the other "breakfasts" I have had. Taste of huge coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and roasted malt; with big grapefruit, pine, orange, and spices. Big bitterness present on the finish, with lingering notes of pine, citrus, chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. Very velvety, creamy, and slightly thick mouthfeel. Some very nice balance of flavors here, with the hops being slightly more dominant. Alcohol is completely hidden in this as well. Overall an outstanding hoppy imperial stout, with tons of flavor and smooth drinkability.

Mikkeller has really been impressing me with the "Breakfast" series of stouts, and this is no exception. This is more of a Black IPA, but has a ton of imperial stout aspects to it. Great stuff.

BrewDog Storm

2.7/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 9/20

11.2 ounce bottle into snifter, batch 150, best by 12/12/09. Here we go, I have been afraid of trying this because of the reviews. Pours hazy orange amber color with a small forced white head with ok retention that reduces to a paper thin cap. A bit of lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of strong whiskey, caramel, wood, cardboard, and a bit of smoke. Interesting and decent aromas here with good strength. Taste of tons of woodiness, cardboard, smoke, caramel, and a bit of spices and whiskey. Almost no taste in the front of the tongue, which was odd. Lingering notes of smoke, wood, cardboard, whiskey, and a bit of spicy bitterness on the finish. Pretty much no carbonation with a medium-full body. Very slick and odd mouthfeel thanks to the lack of carbonation. It drinks fairly easily however. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming on the finish noticed. Overall certainly an interesting tasting beer, but this was a tad difficult to finish.

This was a really odd beer that I picked up at random because I had never seen it before. I saw the ratings for it and was hesitating drinking it. It got a little better the more I sipped on it though. It is retired now, so they won't be making it again.

Heavy Seas Red Sky At Night

3.6/5

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

12 ounce bottle into tulip, best by Dec 2011. Pours orangish golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly dense light khaki head with good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A small bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of dark fruits, candi sugar, banana, clove, spices, and a bit of alcohol. Decent and interesting aromas here, with good strength as well. Taste of lots of dark fruits, clove, banana, molasses, bread, and spices; with a bit of caramel and alcohol noticed on the finish. Fairly dry finish, but there are a bit of lingering notes of dark fruits, bread, molasses, and spices. Alcohol is slightly present in the taste, and there is a decent amount of warming on the finish. Medium carbonation and body with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel. Quite drinkable despite the alcohol presence as well. Overall, this is a solid saison that is like a wheat beer in some aspects.

Certainly an interesting saison style from Heavy Seas that is quite nice. I don't think I'd get it again though, to many other great saisons out there.

Häagen-Dazs Blueberry Crumble

Here is a flavor that I have been putting off for far too long. I have had it for quite some time now. It has blueberry ice cream with buttery cobbler pieces. As I opened the pint, I noticed that it had melted a bit, and was all pushed to the side. Good thing the HD ice creams are all covered with plastic after packaging. Unfortunately, there were still ice crystals on top, and the ice creams overall texture had suffered. The blueberry ice cream is solid, and there are quite a few whole blueberries spread throughout the pint. Very creamy flavor while also having a huge amount of blueberry flavor. The cobbler pieces are very much lacking in this pint however. I was hoping for much more, kind of like the BnJs blueberry cheesecake. The chunks aren't sized well either. The texture of the ice cream got better the more it softened up, but the refreezing damage had already been done. Overall it was still quite an enjoyable pint, but I would have liked to have seen more cobbler. Good thing these are still widely available, maybe I will give it another shot with fresh pint that is not freezer burned.

7/10

Firestone Walker Double Jack

4.4/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours crystal clear orangish golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a dense off white head with great retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of huge orange, grapefruit, pine, caramel, and spices. Beautiful aromas here with big strength, this might be a fairly fresh bottle. Taste of huge caramel, pine, orange, grapefruit, spices, and a bit of tropical fruits. Nice amount of bitterness present on the finish with lingering notes of citrus, caramel, pine, and spices. Fantastic balance of bitterness and sweetness in this, nothing is overwhelming. Alcohol is practically invisible, only a very small warming on the finish noticeable. Medium carbonation and body, with a bit of a prickly and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Very drinkable stuff, I am surprised how easy this is going down at this alcohol level(9.5%). Overall, this is an absolutely incredible DIPA with great balance of flavor and smooth drinkability.

An incredible DIPA offering from Firestone Walker. I found this one while I was out in Virginia. I have a feeling this one was quite fresh as well.

Epic Sour Apple Saison

3.9/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, release #6; 7.8%; brewed June 6, 2011. Pours hazy bright golden straw color with a slightly foamy 2 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of tons of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, bread, and a bit of light fruitiness in the background. Interesting aromas to say the least, was expecting a completely different profile from the name. Taste of big clove, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, apple, spices, bread, grapes, and a bit of citrus. A bit tartness noticed on the finish. The finish is very dry, but there is a small amount of lingering spiciness and breadiness. Light-medium body with fairly high carbonation. Drinkability is very high and alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming on the finish. Very nice balance of all flavors. Overall a very interesting take on the style, but this is really nice stuff.

The aromas really caught me off guard, but the more I drank this the more I liked it. Very nice stuff. I will try to get a few more offerings from Epic in the future.

Great Divide Rumble

3.7/5

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

12 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottle date(oddly). Pours crystal clear reddish orange color with 2 fingers of a fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel sweetness, pine, orange, pineapple, mango, oak, and some spices. Decent aromas with decent strength. Taste of pine, caramel, oak, spices, and a bit of citrus. Decent amount of bitterness present on the finish that linger with pine, oak, and spices. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming on the finish. Nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. Medium carbonation and body, with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel. Nice and smooth drinkability. Overall, a nice oak aged IPA.

Not sure what hops were used in this one, but they weren't hitting any chords with me. Still pretty solid and drinkable stuff.

Goose Island Night Stalker

4.3/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 3/6/10(about 1.5 years old now!). Pours black as night with a very dense 1 finger tan head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of huge roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, vanilla, and caramel; with a bit of dark fruits and booze. Some pretty nice and strong aromas here. Taste of HUGE dark chocolate, caramel, coffee, molasses, vanilla, and charred malt; with a bit of pine, citrus, and spicy bitterness. Bitterness doesn’t last so long, but there are huge lingering notes of dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, and vanilla that last. Huge full body with medium carbonation; very creamy and slick mouthfeel that goes down fairly smooth. A bit of alcohol noticed in the back of the tongue, with a decent sized warming on the finish. This is definitely a sipper, this needs to be enjoyed over an hour or more. Overall, an outstanding Imperial Stout with some age on it. The hops definitely mellowed out and it is smoother than the last time I had it.

Re-reviewing this one. It is very possible that this bottle was the same age as the last one I tried. It definitely smoothed out, and is thick as hell. Delicious.

Nøgne Ø Saison

3.7/5

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

500 ml bottle into tulip, no dating. Pours hazy golden amber color with 1-2 fingers of a dense white head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pepper, spices, clove, grape, apple, grass, and a bit of funk. Very nice and standard saison aromas. Taste of big spices, pepper, bread, funk, apple, and grass. A lot of spice in the taste with lingering notes of spice, pepper, and a bit of funk on the finish with some bitterness. Decent balance of flavors, but I was hoping for more fruit in the taste. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied. A bit of a creamy mouthfeel that drinks very smoothly as well. Overall, a solid saison offering.

Solid saison, but a bit too much on the spicy side for my liking. I also have no idea how old this was, could have been a factor.

Southern Tier Back Burner

4.2/5

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2011 bottle(I think). Pours crystal clear dark reddish-brown color with a dense 1 finger khaki colored head with nice retention, that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A small amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, molasses, bread, citrus, spice, light fruits, and a bit of honey and booze. Very nice aromas here, with good strength and complexity. Taste of huge caramel sweetness, molasses, toffee, citrus, apple skins, toast, light spices, and a bit of pine. Small amount of bitterness present on the finish with lingering notes of caramel, molasses, and citrus flavors. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. Very creamy and slick mouthfeel that drinks smoothly, though it is a sipper. Nice balance as well, being slightly more malt forward because of the age. Surprisingly the alcohol is almost invisible, only a bit of warming present after the finish. Overall, I really have no complaints. They have done a fine job with this barley wine. Excellent stuff.

It seems like I am a big fan of the entire Imperial series beers thus far. I don't think I have even tried any of the regular lineup yet.

New Belgium Ranger IPA

4.1/5

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

12 ounce bottle, date of 07/31/11 printed on the side. Past it’s prime, but lets hope this goes well. Pours crystal clear orangish golden amber color with 2 fingers of a fairly dense off white head with awesome retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A small amount of nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pine, caramel, grapefruit, spices, and a bit of orange. Delicious aromas with nice strength as well. Taste of big pine, caramel, spices, grapefruit, and a bit of orange. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish with lingering notes of pine, spices, and a bit of citrus that last for a good amount of time. Medium-high carbonation, with a medium body. Slightly creamy mouthfeel with a bit of prickly carbonation as well, but still very smooth and easy to drink. Overall, for this supposedly being past its date, this definitely surprised me and is an excellent IPA. Very Chinook forward it seems.

Quite impressive for my first New Belgium beer. An excellent and delicious IPA offering, even if it was past prime.

Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls

A surprise new flavor I found at WalMart when I was in Richmond Virginia over the weekend. It is not a WalMart exclusive however, I just happened to find it there haha. It is Vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum & loaded with fudge covered rum and malt balls. The ice cream base is outstanding, this is probably the best BnJ's vanilla base I have ever had. The hint of rum is not so apparent, because the huge vanilla flavor is there. The fudge covered rum is loaded with flavor. They are balls of fudge with a strong rum flavor in the center. The rum flavor in these is huge, and it almost tastes like you are taking a shot of rum, but without the burn of alcohol. They have a similar texture to that of Milk Duds. The malt balls are your standard Whoppers with the crunchy texture, and normal flavor. A pretty good compliment to the rum flavor as well. The amount of mix ins is fair, but I would have liked to see a bit more. Overall, a very nice flavor that I would pick up again. No idea when it will show up around here, because it took months for the Blueberry Cheesecake to show up after it was originally released.

8/10

The Bruery Rugbrød

4.2/5

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

750 ml bottle into tulip, no date. Pours slightly cloudy dark reddish-brown color with 2-3 fingers of a fairly dense light tan head with good retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Tons of carbonation streaming up from the bottom, as expected for a bottle refermented beer. A bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, dark fruits, molasses, bread, pepper, spices and a bit of licorice. Some very strong, complex, and interesting aromas here. Taste of toasted malt, chocolate, bread, spicy rye, dark fruits, caramel, molasses, and a bit of coffee. Not much if any bitterness noticed on the finish; but notes of spice, caramel, toasted malt, and bread linger on the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied. Fairly prickly feel from the carbonation, but this is still incredibly smooth drinking. Very silky and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden, with only a slight warming noticed on the finish. Overall this is just an excellent and delicious rye beer, that has a ton of complex flavor with smooth drinkability for the alcohol level.

Once again the Bruery puts out another delicious offering. I really have not been disappointed yet.

BrewDog/Mikkeller I Hardcore You

3.6/5

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

11.2 ounce bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours hazy dark red-orange color with 1-2 fingers of a fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big caramel, orange, pine, spices, and alcohol. Strong malty aromas, but they are quite average and a bit boozy. Taste of big pine, grapefruit, orange, caramel, and some tropical fruits. Nice strong bitterness on the finish, that lingers for a bit with caramel, orange, pine, and a bit of tropical fruits. Big malt load with a fairly nice balance to the bitterness. Alcohol is fairly well hidden, but there is still a fairly strong warming on the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied, with a creamy and slick mouthfeel. Good drinkability for the level of alcohol, but still a sipper. Overall, a pretty nice DIPA, but I have a feeling this was past it’s prime due to the lackluster aromas.

Decent DIPA, but it was probably fairly old. I would like to try a fresher one in the future. It is a blend of Mikkeller's and Brewdog's DIPAs, then dry hopped twice. I was definitely a huge fan of the Mikkeller version, not so much the Brewdog.

Tröegs Perpetual IPA

4.2/5

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

22 ounce bottle into tulip, bottle 8/11/11. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with 2 fingers of dense off white head with amazing retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap. A bit of nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pine, caramel, orange, tropical fruits, and spices. Very nice aromas here with good strength as well. Taste of big pine, grapefruit, orange, caramel, and big spiciness. Nice amount of bitterness present on the finish that lingers for a decent period of time with caramel, citrus, pine, and spice notes. Very nice balance of bitterness to sweetness. Medium carbonation and body, with a decently creamy mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed other than a very small warming after the finish. Extremely smooth and easy to drink as well. Overall an excellent and delicious IPA. Very hoppy and nicely balanced, with smooth drinkability.

An excellent imperial Pale Ale for sure. Glad I was able to try this one pretty fresh. It is quite spicy, and they use a large variety of different hops in this one.