(draft) Cloudy dark yellow. Large white head that faded quickly. A very nice aroma of bananas and cloves and yeast. The flavor was good, there was a dryness to it that surprised me. After the first sip, that dryness carried through to the aroma. Strange, but pretty darn good.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) Dark ruby, almost black. Good head and good lacing. Aroma of dark fruits and malt. Flavor mostly of dark fruits. Pretty good. I wish I'd had a second bottle on-hand.
Ounces Consumed: 24(bottle) Cloudy amber, with good head and lacing. Nice aroma of musty apples. Fizzy mouthfeel. Subdued flavor of Belgian yeast and apple peels. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) Clear brown with a nice tan head. Aroma of molasses and spices and malts. Creamy mouthfeel. Very nice spicy and malty flavor. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Pours a dark gold, with a huge white head. Looks like a lager. Smoky aroma and flavor, pretty good. Reminds me of Spezial. The oak smoke definitely gives this a different flavor than most smoked beers.
Ounces Consumed: 1190(draft) Clear amber. Nice whitish head. Smells like malt and peat to me. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor sharper than I was expecting. Smoky and malty. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 132(bottle) The first thing I noticed was the fantastic aroma. The second thing I noticed was the color. Very dark - almost like a porter. Not what I was expecting from a weizen. The entire beer, in fact, was not what I was expecting. Instead of toning down the smoke to keep a fair balance with the light-flavored wheat, they left the smoke intact. The result was a smoke beer, with no hint at all of its wheat heritage. This is not to say that I didn't like it, because I did. I just didn't like it as much as I expected to.
Ounces Consumed: 522(draft) Brown on top, golden on bottom. Small white head. Aroma of malts and molasses. Medium mouthfeel. Tangy flavor with a bit of a bite at the end. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Stupidest name I've heard in a long time. Clear copper in color, with a nice whitish head. Balanced aroma of hops and malts and smoke. Flavor of malts and smoke. A little cloying. Quite good, a tad sweet.
(draft) Clear dark brown. Minimal head. Aroma of water and roasted malts. Thinnish mouthfeel. Mild flavor of a watery porter. This grew on me and eventually was good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Looks like Budweiser with a minimal white head. Aroma of old grass with a touch of smoke. Coating mouthfeel. Sweet flavor with a touch of smoke. Sweet coating finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Hazy light orange. Decent head that faded to a thin film. Light aroma and flavor of assorted spices. Nothing notable, but still a good combination.
Ounces Consumed: 44(draft) Clear brownish-amber. No head worth noting. A nice clean aroma of apple peels and, of all things, bananas. Flavor was mild and smooth. Finish had a mild but lingering alcohol bite. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Clear dark copper in color. Good head. A delicious aroma of malt and oak and molasses. Syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor is mostly malt, with the slightest hints of dark fruits. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) Black with a decent head that faded quickly. Aroma of roasted malts, burnt coffee, chocolate, and hops. The mouthfeel was a little thin, and the flavor was much more tame than the aroma had led me to believe. A very bright-tasting stout, but still pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Hazy orange. Decent head that faded quickly. Aroma of malts and oak. Flavor was very strong with oak and bourbon - much more of each than I was expecting from the aroma. A substantial alcohol burn at the finish belied the 11% ABV of this beer. A good beer, but a little gimicky for my tastes. I'd like to try this on tap someday - maybe it would go down a little more smoothly.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Hazy brown. Minimal head. Aroma is complex and very strong, with malts and hops and nothing else. Flavor is mostly weird malts. Most quads feature dark fruit flavors, this is all malts. The two inches of sediment in the bottom of the bottle grossed me out. Overall, not bad, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Black in color, with a thin tan lacy head that faded quickly. Aroma of malts and light chocolate and dark fruits. Medium mouthfeel - not quite syrupy. The flavor is fairly tame, mostly malts and chocolate. I like this. Dangerous though, because the high ABV is hidden very well.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Clear reddish bronze. Nice white head. Aroma of spices and maybe pumpkin. Medium mouthfeel. Tame flavor of assorted unidentifiable spices. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 16I spent the entire pint trying to decide (a) if I liked it or not, and (b) what the heck I was drinking. Apparently Anchor changes the recipe for their Christmas Ale each year, and they keep that recipe pretty secret. If I had to guess I'd say the best way to describe this year's version would be "smoky nutmeg" but I could be way off base about the nutmeg part. There was definitely some smoky something in there. At the end I decided I did like it, but more than one in a given session would probably be too much.
Ounces Consumed: 80(draft) Much more malty than last year's version. Also a little bit of a chocolately feel to it. Not my favorite but still quite drinkable.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Pretty damn good. Higly malty, with a touch of coffee. No chocolate or licorice at all, but still a good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Dark ruby in color, almost black. Nice head and very nice lacing. Fruity and spicy aroma. Fairly thin and highly-carbonated mouthfeel. Flavor of tingly dark cherries, a little sour even. Finish is tingly. Better than decent, barely good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Very dark brown. Decent tan head. Aroma of malts and spices. Duh. Flavor more of the same. A little subdued. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Didn't get much of a head with this one. Strong roasted malt aroma. Flavor was biased a little more towards coffee than chocolate, but malty sweetness was the primary flavor. Pretty good, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Cloudy brown. No head, as in zero head. Weird. Aroma of malts and dark fruits. Mostly malts. Flavor more of the same. A little subdued overall. Good though. I'd love to try this in draft form.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Clear very dark brown. Minimal tan head. Aroma of a spent campfire. Creamy mouthfeel. Subtle flavor of smoke and roasted malts. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle) Pours a cloudy brown, with a hint of green. Weird. No appreciable head. The aroma is malty and fruity, with a hint of tartness. Medium mouthfeel. The flavor is sharp and fruity, and the finish is sweet and smooth. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Cloudy light brown. No head. Aroma of roasted malt. Mild flavor that was perfectly balanced between malts and hops. Fucking good. Another winner from Avery.
Ounces Consumed: 64(draft) Clear copperish amber. Average head that dissipated quickly. Aroma almost undetectable, but of apple peels and spices. Flavor started out very weak, but as my tongue became accustomed to it, I ended up like this beer a lot. A 5.2% Belgian session beer. Pretty damn cool.
Ounces Consumed: 50(draft) I was sure I was enjoying a nice spiced ale but I see in the commercial description that the flavor is all malts. Very good, though a little sneaky as the alcohol doesn't really register. Anyone attempting to sample a wide range of beers cannot pass this up.
Ounces Consumed: 84(bottle) Dark bronze. Nice firm head. I got a lot of dark fruity sweetness. I mean a lot. The very high (14.9%) ABV wasn't apparent except that I just knew that all that sweetness was covering up something dangerous. This is pretty much the opposite of a session beer. I liked it though.
Ounces Consumed: 22At 10% alcohol I knew this would be the only one of these I'd have. I liked the taste of this a lot. I detected a definite bourbon odor, and I asked if it was aged in an old bourbon barrel but the bartenders didn't think so. There wasn't really any bourbon to the taste so I may be insane.
Ounces Consumed: 30(draft) Very dark brown with a stupidly huge amount of foam. Aroma is malt and molasses. Flavor is more of the same. The alcohol is very well-hidden. A good beer, but not a great one. Needs more sizzle or something.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Hazy yellow, with a decent head that lasted long enough. A nice aroma and flavor, both fairly standard for a German wheat beer. Good, a little dry. Tasted stronger than it was.
Ounces Consumed: 35(draft) The color of clear weak tea. Light aroma of floral hops. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor decent but mild. The slightly bitter finish went away after a few sips. A good session beer.
Ounces Consumed: 996(bottle) Black with thin tan head. Mild aroma of bourbon. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor more intense and bourbony that the aroma had hinted. As an oatmeal stout, there isn't much flavor except for the bourbon. Pretty good, though gimmicky.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Hazy gold with a decent white head. Very fresh and grassy aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor typical for the style except a pretty dry finish. Good, but a little tame overall.
Ounces Consumed: 2(bottle) Fizzy, with a nice aroma and a pretty good taste. Very light. More like a Belgian wheat than an American or German wheat. Pretty good. I'll look for this, but I won't go out of my way.
Ounces Consumed: 2(draft) Color of hazy grapefruit juice. Light citrus aroma. Very light citrus flavor, with a bit of sourness, like grapefruit juice. Good, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 4(bottle) Black with thin fizzy foam that faded quickly. Aroma of yeast and dark fruits. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of, I want to say plums, but that's not quite right. Some dark fruit, certainly. Nice and smooth, definitely a little subdued for a 10% ABV beer. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 7(can) Nice and creamy, though that could have been because of the widget. Compared to Guinness, a little sweeter, with a a subtle chocolate flavor instead of coffee. I liked it, and would probably like it more if I can ever find it on tap.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) A nice malty brown ale. Very pretty lacing. There was a bit of a coffee overtone that I could have done without. Quite good though.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Pretty good. A slight coffee taste. A slightly bitter finish. More roasted malt flavor than I'm used to in this style, and I think that's what saved it for me.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Black with a nice creamy white head. Subdued aroma of malts and dark chocolate. Creamy mouthfeel. Very nice flavor, balanced between chocolate and licorice. A bit of a sharp tang at first, but a very smooth finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 42(draft) Black with a nice tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and dark, maybe even burnt, chocolates. Flavor was fairly intense of malts, with some chocolate and a touch of coffee. The high alcohol content was hidden very well. Really good, possibly yummy. I'll have to have some more when I can.
Ounces Consumed: 24(draft) Black, with a decent brown head. A sugary sweet aroma. Flavor was fairly intense, with spices and a slight hint of coffee. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) I found this to be a basic stout with a slight chocolate flavor and a touch of rye bitterness at the finish. I liked it a lot, and I will probably go try to find it in bottles.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Just a decent fairly generic brown ale. More sweet than most I suppose, and not malty-sweet but sugar-sweet. If that makes any sense. Sometimes, when I'm drinking this, I get an aroma that reminds me of root beer. Weird, but quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 170(draft) No aroma whatsoever. The first couple of sips reminded me more of cranberries than cherries. About halfway thourgh the glass I decided that it wasn't too bad and ordered another pint. A little sour, a little sweet. Really quite drinkable though.
Ounces Consumed: 100(draft) Not a thing wrong with this beer. That's the first thing I thought of. No aroma to speak of, a mild chocolate flavor that was quite yummy. No bitterness at all. An excellent session porter.
Ounces Consumed: 64(draft) Fizzy clear light amber in color. Nice white head. Aroma of floral hops and rye. Tastes like it smells. Creamy mouthfeel. Aromatic hops and a hint of rye. Could use more rye. Still good, though, and the balance got better as the glass got emptier.
Aside: This is my 750th beer review here. I should have a beer to celebrate!
Ounces Consumed: 11 posted by dave in category good
(draft) A nice roasty chocolate flavor. The extra alcohol, as compared to similar stouts, seemed unnecessary to me, and annoyed me a little. A beer this good doesn't need the alcohol gimmick.
Ounces Consumed: 80(draft) Black with a decent brown head. Malty and spicy aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Very nice malty flavor. Alcohol is evident, but not prevalent.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Served in a glass that was way too cold. There were ice crystals in the beer. Once it had thawed out a little, this was a pretty good beer. Very much a German-style wheat, but with the tiniest little bite of hops in the finish. I liked it.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Very nice. Chocolately and roasty and malty. If this was available near my home it would be one of my favorite beers.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Clear dark amber, with a decent tan head. Aroma of roasted coffee and malts. Flavor mostly of roasted malts. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 50(draft) Hazy brown. Huge white head and good lacing. Light aroma of spices and hops and malts. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor hard to describe. Sweet with a slightly bitter finish. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Hazy light brown. Small white head. No detectable aroma. Mouthfeel surprisingly fizzy. Flavor of spices and wheat. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Black with nice brown head and incredible lacing. Fantastic aroma of malts and coffee and chocolate. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor very good, mostly with a sharp malt bite. Wow.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Clear dark yellow. Nice head and lacing. Sharp aroma of rye and malts. Flavor fairly tame, without the rye weirdness that I was expecting. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Hazy yellow. Strong aroma of cloves, yeast, and bananas. Maybe some vanilla in there. Flavor was like the aroma, except there seemed to be roasted malt in the thing too. Weird for a hefeweizen, but pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Clear copper color. The aroma and flavor were mild, but malty and fruity. Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Black in color. Roasted malts dominate the aroma and flavor. A mild alcohol burn finishes. For an alleged imperial stout, this is pretty lame. For a regular stout, it's pretty good. Reminds me of Bell's Kalamazoo Stout. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 21A commonly-available beer that I put off drinking simply because of its availability - reasoning that something so widely accepted must be bland and boring. I was quite wrong (see Newcastle for another example of my flawed logic). This is a very nice beer that went down very easily. I think I could drink it all night, and that's not something I could say about most Belgians.
Ounces Consumed: 1137(bottle) Clear bronze. Good head and lacing. I got hints of several spices and unusual flavors, most notably of vanilla. Very easy to drink. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 144(draft) That nice copper color was a welcome sight to an old altbier drinker. This beer has a pretty good balance - maybe a little on the bitter side. I also think it's changed a little for the worse since the brewery split apart several months ago.
update 080605: I've had this several times in both bottled and draft form. The bottled form tastes better to me. Go figure.
Ounces Consumed: 564(draft) Black with tan head. Decent lacing. Aroma of roasted malts and bourbon. Flavor pretty good, like an imperial stout. The bourbon shows up in the finish.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Dark amber in color. Good head and lacing. Smells like malts and dark fruits. Tastes like malts and overripe charries. Good though.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Their Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout, but aged for three years. The results are a much more intense borboun aroma and flavor. Still pretty good, but maybe a touch too intense for me. I like the regular version better.
Ounces Consumed: 12
(draft) Clear dark bronze. Decent head. No detectable aroma. Flavor of dried cherries. The finish was quite drying as well. A good beer, but weird.
(draft) Black with nice tan head. Subdued aroma and flavor, of roasted malts and dark chocolate. Very smooth, and the alcohol is detectable only in the finish. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Pours black, with a minimal tan head that faded quickly. Light aroma of roasted malts and chocolate. Flavor was pretty much the same - roasted malt and chocolate. The finish was a little drying, but otherwise the 11% ABV is hidden very well. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) The first time I saw this, they were calling it "Smokey the Beer." What a stupid name. This beer tasted terrible for the first few ounces, then once my palate had been numbed enough, it tasted pretty damn good. A lot like their regular, nonsmoked porter. It's probably the same beer. Just a touch
of smoked malt, a little chocolate. I liked it.
(draft) Black with a minimal brown head. Aroma of roasted malts. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice and malty flavor, with a slight alcohol burn at the finish. A good beer, but dangerous because the 12.5% ABV is almost undetectable.
Ounces Consumed: 11
(draft) Hazy yellow, with tons of foam. This beer is advertised as a spiced Belgian wheat. I didn't get any spices though. I got yeast and bananas and wheat, all more apparent in the aroma than in the flavor. It's a good and neutral example of the style to me. I liked it.
(draft) Clear brown. Nice white head. Sour smell and flavor. Not too strong. Very dry finish. Good
Ounces Consumed: 2(draft) Clear brownish amber. Little head, nice lacing. Aroma of malts and fruity spices. Flavor more fruity than expected, and a little sharp. Not as good as I was hoping, but still good.
Ounces Consumed: 44(draft) Hazy light gold in color. Decent white head. Nice aroma of malts and apples. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor appley with a touch of tang and some mustiness. Pretty good except for the mustiness.
(draft) Cloudy brown, small head. Malty aroma. Flavor of a mild brown ale, but with a lingering hoppy finish that I could have done without. Good, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Very dark amber/brown with a lasting white head. Nice aroma and flavor of malts and spices. Maybe some vanilla. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 7(draft) Black with a lasting creamy head. Aroma of burnt malts. Flavor of burnt malts and a touch of coffee. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Black with a thin tan head that faded quickly. Fairly neutral aroma. Thick mouthfeel, with a nice strong roasted malt flavor that coated my mouth. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Hazy gold. No detectable head. Interestingly floral aroma. Nice flavor. Whatever hops are in this, they're the kind that I like. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Hazy brown. White head that pulled a quick disappearing act. Mild aroma of roasted malts. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor surprisingly strong of roasted malts. A bit of a bitter hoppy finish. I disagree with this beer's classification, but not with its taste. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 37(bottle) Hazy and fizzy brown, with a smallish head that fizzes away fairly quickly. Aroma of woods and roasted malts. Mustier than usual for this style, I think. Medium mouthfeel. Nice malty flavor. A bit of molasses in there, too, but not enough to make it gross. A good beer, maybe a yummy one.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) The color of hazy wheat, with a few visible chunks of sediment. No head whatsoever. Light aroma of wheat and I guess agave. Flavor pretty damn good, albeit indescribable. A nice beer.
Ounces Consumed: 216Color of dark hazy cola. No appreciable foam. A nice light vanilla aroma, and a very nice and smooth vanilla flavor. No undertones that I could detect. Finish was a little drying. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 320(bottle) The color of dark cola. No head whatsoever. Aroma was weird. Dark fruits reminded me of a strong Belgian. Surprising to find this aroma in an imperial stout. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor was surprisingly good. Fruity and malty. Definitely different. I have another bottle in my fridge, and I'm looking forward to opening it soon.
Ounces Consumed: 35(draft) Black with a large tan head. Fantastic chocolate and malt aroma. The flavor is chocolately and roasty. Very roasty. I'm not even sure that's a word, but I'm using it anyway. Pretty damn good. The 10.6% ABV is very well hidden.
Ounces Consumed: 58(draft) Almost black with a decent tan head. Aroma of malts, and not much else. Same for the flavor. No bitterness. I liked it.
Ounces Consumed: 80(bottle) Clear dark amber. Minimal head. Aroma of hops and malts. Flavor pretty good. Mostly malty sweetness with a touch of grass or something like that. A touch of hoppiness at the end that didn't gross me out.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Hazy golden in color, with a large head that shrank quickly. Fairly standard aroma and flavor for a Belgian of this style - so pretty good. There was a tiny bit of unexpected creaminess as it swirled in my mouth. The finish was a little drying, but not so much as to be obnoxious. A pretty good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Funky and Musty. Very dry finish. Hard to pin down exactly what this tasted like. I liked it.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle) Dark amber. Decent head with lots of fizz. The cork nearly took my eye out when it popped. A nice sharp and fruity aroma. Maybe some floral scent in there too. Flavor more of the same, with maybe an added touch of cola. The sediment at the bottom of the bottle grossed me out.
Ounces Consumed: 71(bottle) Cloudy dark amber. Smallish head. Faint aroma of dark fruits and malt. Flavor fairly mild, consisting mostly of apples and plums. A little drying. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 35 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Poured a lot darker than I expected. A pretty good beer. No spices or adjuncts that I could detect, so I'm not sure that I agree with the "Winter Beer" classification. Good though.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Black with a decent tan head. Weak aroma of burnt malts. Flavor burnt, but weak enough to make it barely good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Wow! Unexpectedly good. Extremely well-balanced and very refreshing. It also tasted like it had a higher ABV than it really does.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Slightly hazy orange. Nice aroma of pumpkin and spices. Flavor much more tame than the aroma led me to believe, but still very good. The expected pumpkin and spices, leaning a but more toward the former. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear light golden. Nice white head. Subdued aroma and flavor of fried apples. Mouthfeel more creamy that I'd expected. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Black with minimal tan head. Subtle malt and chocolate aroma. Mild malt and chocolate flavor, a little bitter but with a sweet finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear amber with a nice tan head. Malty and spicy aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor of spices and pumpkin. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Black with a smallish brown head. Aroma of dark roasted and regular malts. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malts and alcohol. Fairly evident alcohol burn in the mouthfeel and the finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(bottle) Black with a nice beige head. Aroma of malts and bourbon, mostly bourbon. Thickish mouthfeel, creamy, coating. Flavor of chocolate and vanilla, with a very nice smooth bourbony finish. Quite good, albeit very sneaky with the 11% ABV.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Very dark ruby with a nice lasting white head. Aroma of roasted malts and bark. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice smooth flavor, Malty and oaky and bourbony. Smooth finish. Good, though a little gimmicky because of the oak and/or bourbon.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Hazy orange. No head. Strong pumpkin aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor pumpkiny and maybe a little peaty. Weird. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 3(draft) Black, with a dark tan head. Aroma of mostly chocolate and roasted malts. Flavor chocolately and something else, something unusual. OMG, it's coconut! I'm allergic to coconut! So I didn't drink but the one sip. That one sip was actually pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 1(draft) Another winner from this small brewpub. Quite malty and nutty, but enough hops to keep it nicely balanced.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Absolutely nothing special about this beer except that it's an Abbey Tripel, so it's special by default. Very good, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 10A stout, not just an ale, which was news to me. I didn't get much of an aroma from this, and the blueberry flavor was more subtle that I was expecting. The blueberries showed up mostly in the finish, which had absolutely no trace of bitterness. The undertones were mostly roasted malt, and the flavor slanted a tad more towards coffee than chocolate. A very good beer, worth the wait.
Ounces Consumed: 271(mixture) I mixed Bell's Cherry Ale and Young's Double Chocolate Stout in a 1-to-1 ratio. Just a fantastic combination. A nice deep red color. Chocolate flavor that's followed by a slightly sour finish. I'd definitely buy this if it was available commercially. Yummy.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle/draft) Poured an orange/red color, with the massive head I usually find in De Dolle beers. Aroma much more massive and much more complex than their other offerings. Along with the standard Belgian apple tones, I also got what I'll call cherries and apricots. Did not taste like it had 12% alcohol in it. A little sour in the finish.
Ounces Consumed: 144(bottle) Hazy light brown, with a fizzy white head that faded quickly. Light and clean aroma of apples and grass. Thinnish mouthfeel. Flavor light and typical for the style. Uninspiring finish, despite the 9% ABV. Good, but there are lots of better tripels out there.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) The color of cola with a small beige head. Aroma of malts and alcohol and smoke. Creamy mouthfeel. Balanced malty flavor. Just a touch of smoke. Slightly bitter alcohol finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) Black with a huge tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and alcohol. A little burnt. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of perfume and alcohol. Burning lingering finish. Gets better as the glass empties; starts out decent, ends up good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Hazy Brown. Smallish head that lasts for a while. Aroma of malts and faint overripe apples. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of cola and apples. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 19(bottle) Cola color. Roaster malt and caramel aroma. Fairly thin mouthfeel. The flavor was of cola and caramel. Slightly dry finish.
Ounces Consumed: 217(bottle) Black with a firm brown head. Strong aroma of licorice and chocolate. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of about a million things, chocolate and licorice and bourbon and oak among them. Just a bit overwhelming. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 6(bottle) Clear golden. Good white head. Mild hop aroma. Fairly mild floral hop flavor. Good and quite drinkable.
Ounces Consumed: 76 posted by dave in category barleywine, good
(bottle) Hazy brown. Minimal head. Strong alcohol aroma, with some malts and dark fruits as well. Flavor fairly well balanced. A bit of an alcohol burn, but not too bad. No barley wine weirdness, so that's cool.
Ounces Consumed: 10 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Golden with a large white head. Looked like a damn lager, so I wasn't expecting to like it. I was surprised. It was pretty good. Fruit and honey aroma and flavor. Nice and creamy. I liked it.
Ounces Consumed: 46Black with a decent brown head. Aroma of roasted malts and I'm gonna say coffee. Flavor like the aroma, but with a fairly strong alcohol finish. Decent at first then, as with most high high ABV beers, my taste buds were beaten into submission and this beer became good.
Ounces Consumed: 60(draft) Clear bronze. A thin tan head that faded quickly and left nice lacing behind. Besides the unusual (for me) pumpkin flavor, there was a strange bitterness that came and went before the finish. Once my tastebuds had become numb to the bitterness this was a pretty good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle, 1999 vintage) Less sour than other lambics, but much more of a dry finish. A subtle hint of funkiness in both the aroma and flavor. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Hazy light amber. Nice white head with good lacing. Smells like alcohol. Mouthfeel is coating. Flavor surprisingly mild, with dark and light fruits. Good, but scary because it's 12%.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle) Slightly hazy orange. Quite fizzy in both aroma and flavor. Hints of apples, expected for the style, but the fizz was the predominate characteristic. Reminiscent of champagne. Good, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Cloudy gold, with a decent white head. Flavor fizzy and appley. Smooth with a slight alcoholic finish. A very nice Saison.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Hazy yellow with a huge whitish head. Strong aroma of malts and apples. Flavor more of the same. Typical for the style, but that doesn't mean it isn't really good.
Ounces Consumed: 64(draft) Looks like a very pale lager. Nine white head. Aroma is mild and musty. Flavor is very mild of apples. Not too bad. Not much point, though. at 6.8%, it's way too strong for the flavor it presents.
Ounces Consumed: 2(bottle) Clear dark orange. Nice head that lasted forever. Balanced aroma of pumpkin and spices. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor starts with pumpkin and finishes with spices. Just a hint of bitterness. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) Black with thin tan head. Aroma of cola and roasted malts. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor same as the aroma, with a bit of a tingle to it. Good. I'd like to try this on tap.
Ounces Consumed: 22 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Not what I was expecting, but a pleasant surprise instead. The main flavor I got was caramel, but there was really an awful lot of complexity behind that. Everything was subdued, but noticeable. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 90(draft) Cloudy dark yellow. Nice white head. Smells like grass. Tastes better than it smells. Medium mouthfeel. Citrusy and wheaty flavor. Actually good.
Ounces Consumed: 8(bottle) Black with a huge brown head. Malty and oily aroma. Sharp flavor, typical of imperial stouts. A hint of smoke, mostly in the finish. Tastes stronger than its 8.9% ABV would suggest. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 323(bottle) Pours very dark red with a small brown head. Balanced aroma of roasted malkts and alcohol. Maybe a touch of blueberries and smoke. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice mild and smooth flavor typical of imperial stouts. The blueberries at the finish cancel out the usual alcohol bite. Very smooth and very good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(draft) Dark brown, duh. Smallish tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and molasses. Weird for what's ostensibly a brown ale. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor of burnt molasses, but in a good way. A very good way, actually.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Black with a small brown head. Light aroma of malts and coffee and chocolate. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild flavor much like the aroma. Fairly evident alcohol burn. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 12 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Cloudy brown. Ridiculous heaping head. Tame aroma, just like all saisons. Flavor was tame as well, with just a hint of some unidentified spices. Pretty good, though. I'd like to try this in draft form.
Ounces Consumed: 25The beer that got me to finally appreciate Belgian brews. Apples were strong but not overpowering.
Ounces Consumed: 60(draft) Dark reddish brown. Decent white head. Strong pumpkin aroma. Creamy mouthfeel and flavor of pumpkin and spices. More pumpkiny than spicy. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) A pretty good and mild beer that always seems to go off like a bomb a few hours after I drink it. I do like it though, so I still have one every now and then.
Ounces Consumed: 50(cask) Dark brown. Whitish head that lasts decently. Light aroma of malts and smoke. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor fairly light, a little sweet, but smoked malts predominate. Reminds me of Spezial.
Ounces Consumed: 18(draft) Clear black with a dissipating white head. Aroma of smoke and malts and rye. Thickish mouthfeel. Mostly malty flavor, with just a touch of rye and even less of smoke. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 11 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Looks like Budweiser with a minimal white head. Aroma of old grass with a touch of smoke. Coating mouthfeel. Sweet flavor with a touch of smoke. Sweet coating finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear dark brown. Nice lumpy tan head. Aroma of dark fruits and maple. Mouthfeel a little gritty, but still smooth. Flavor like the aroma. Sweet and sharp and dry. A damn good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Very dark brown. Nice tan head. Aroma of malts. Fairly creamy mouthfeel. Malty and chocolatey flavor. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 72 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Dark reddish brown with a lasting tan head. Not a lot of aroma, but what there is smells like Kool-Aid. Raspberry flavor much more intense than the aroma. Suprisingly good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) (draft) Very dark ruby with a minimal head that quickly vanished. Malty and woody aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice woody alcohol flavor. Finish quite smooth. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 2 posted by dave in category good
(draft) This beer knocked me on my ass. Very dark red, nearly black, with a decent head and more lacing than I expected. The flavor was a little intense. I kept wanting to call this a Winter warmer without the Winter part. A beer to celebrate happiness or drown sorrows, not a beer to simply enjoy.
Ounces Consumed: 30(draft) The first sip of this was just disgusting, but I vowed to drink a couple of inches to give it a fair test. At about halfway through the pint I decide I sorta liked it. By the end of the pint I wanted another one. An odd-tasting beer that just grew on me. Not sure I can describe the taste.
Ounces Consumed: 124(draft) Hazy yellow. Aroma standard for the style, bananas along with cloves and other subtle spices. The flavor was subdued and fleeting. A little more yeasty than I was expecting. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 58(bottle) Hazy orange in color. No head whatsoever. Light aroma of wheat and hops and smoke. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor a slightly tart wheat beer but with a very light touch of smoke. Much more tame and less weird than I was expecting. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Black with thin beige head. Strong aroma of malts, dark chocolate, and licorice. Thick and chewy mouthfeel. Flavor intense and lasting, mostly of roasted malts. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) Hazy dark brown, with no head to speak of. According to JauntyGirl, this smells like hairspray. I myself would say that it smells of roasted malt and alcohol. Fairly thin mouthfeel, with the flavor of roasted malts and overriip cherries. No alcohol burn at all. Pretty darn good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Yellow with a slight haze. Very good head and lacing. At first, it seemed a little watery, but then subtle flavors of apple peels and sour apples became evident. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 24(draft) Had this a year ago and didn't see anything special about it. Had it again last night and really liked it a lot. I thought I detected roasted nutmeg but don't see that mentioned anywhere. Very much a Winter ale, and very much a good one.
Ounces Consumed: 140(draft) A great beer for starting out an evening, yet interesting enough to make an entire session out of it. Smooth and malty. Tastes like it should have a higher ABV.
Ounces Consumed: 261(draft) Dark yellow. No head. Minimal lacing. No aroma. Flavor of dark fruits and malts. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 14(bottle) Pours black with a minimal brown head. Smells faintly of licorice. Medium mouthfeel. Nice flavor of roasted malts, licorice, and a touch of chocolate. Substantial alcohol finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) Clear copper in color, with a huge white head. Aroma is mildly sharp, if that makes any sense. Creamy mouthfeel. Oh wow, this is really good. Spices mostly, but with rye undertones.
Ounces Consumed: 14(bottle) Cloudy dark brown. Aroma of musty fruit. Flavor fairly typical for the style. Extremely good, in other words.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) I had a little of this. I remember liking it, but I was quite frankly too drunk to remember much more than that. I will provide a read review next change I get.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Highly recommended by all who'd had it at Rich O's. Definitely a Christmas Ale - all sorts of complex flavors. I thought the fruitiness was a little bit too much but I suppose it was needed to mask all of that alcohol.
Ounces Consumed: 66(bottle) Fizzy clear orange. Huge heaping head. Very faint citrus aroma. Flavor also quite faint, consisting of apples and oranges. Medium mouthfeel. No bitterness. Good but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) Not at all what I was expecting, as it was listed as "chestnut amber" on the beer board at Rich O's. Clear reddish amber in color. A pretty decent head that lasted throughout the glass. A faint fruity aroma - maybe cherries. Mouthfeel was medium-thick and clean. Flavor was very well-balanced. Malts and dark fruits and a tinge of hoppy bitterness. The finish was surprisingly fruity. A damn good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Very dark ruby-colored, with a nice tan head. Aroma mostly of malts, with some sweet chocolate and caramel in there. Mouthfeel thicker than I was expecting. Flavor pretty good, but tastes more like a malty porter than a Scotch ale to me. Very good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) I've never been a big fan of oak aged brews, but the oak undertones of this are subtle enough that they're hardly noticeable. Just enough chocolate and coffee flavor to almost mask the alcohol burn, but not quite. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 43(bottle) Hazy dark brown with a minimal beige head. Aroma of malts and dark fruits and alcohol. Mouthfeel creamy and sharp, if that makes any sense. Flavor quite malty and fruity. The alcohol burns a little at the finish, but it's quite well-hidden otherwise. Good.
Ounces Consumed:(bottle) Black with a decent tan head. Incredible aroma of chocolate and smoke and grapes. Thin mouthfeel, a little watery. Flavor is good and chocolatey, but thin. No apparent smoke. A little disappointing, but still good.
Ounces Consumed: 252(draft) Smells and tastes more like a German than a Belgian wheat. As a German, it's quite good. As a Belgian, it's a little musty.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Usually I know to steer clear of any beer calling itself a blonde, but this was listed as a Belgian Triple in the flyer, so I tried it. I liked it. There was nothing outstanding about it, but neither was there anything wrong with it. Maybe a watered-down Delirium tremens. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(bottle) Dark brown with a nice head. Aroma of dark fruits and maybe some chocolate. The flavor was surprisingly good to me. I will definitely look for this again. Probably today.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Creamy and malty. Very good, and I ended up having a second one. The best lacing I've seen in a long time.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Very dark red - almost black. A malty aroma that almost suggested burnt malts. A little thin, but with a nice flavor. Much more malty than regular guinness, and much more drinkable. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 35(draft) There's nothing new that I can say about Guinness. It's one of my favorites. Beautiful head, gorgeous lacing, nice malty aroma. A touch of coffee taste that I could actually do without.
Ounces Consumed: 1981(bottle) Deep black with huge tan head. Weird aroma of dark roasted malts. Sharp flavor of roasted malts and licorice and maybe molasses. Very good.
a href="http://www.labatt.com/" target="beer">Website
Ounces Consumed: 238(draft) Cloudy dark brown. Nice tan head that lasts forever. Aroma of mostly spices. Medium mouthfeel. Malty and spicy flavor and finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Cloudy dark brown with a ridiculous tan head. Strong peat aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor peaty and malty and a little smoky. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 32(bottle) Black with a ridiculous tan head. Aroma of very roasted malts and nuts. Medium mouthfeel, with an immediate alcohol burn. Flavor a little subdued except for the burn. Malty and roasty. A touch of coffee and a touch of chocolate. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(bottle) Cloudy brown, with a smallish off-white head. Aroma of juniper and other woods, with a very faint smoke taint. Flavor is almost overwhelmingly of juniper and other evergreen flavors. Finish is a little dry. The first few sips weren't very good, but the this beer began to taste pretty good to me.
Ounces Consumed: 50(bottle) Clear dark amber, with a decent beige head. Enticing aroma of malts and caramel. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor mild, with malts and dark fruits. A fairly strong alcohol burn is present all the way to the finish. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Black with a smallish tan head. Aroma of creamy chocolate, like chocolate milk. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of slightly burnt malts and dark chocolate. Good, though.
(bottle) Despite the name Hefeweizen, this is an American wheat beer. Despite that, I liked it anyway. There was none of the hop bitterness that I usually associate with this style. The thing tasted like a Belgian wheat, and it tasted good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Almost black with a nice tan head. Fruity aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Tastes like a Belgian quad to me, so, it's good. Especially once the weird finish went away.
Ounces Consumed: 18(draft) Black in color. Decent white head. Roasty cola aroma. Very well-balanced between coffee and chocolate. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) The first few sips, understandably, brought to mind a beer with ginger ale poured into it. By the end of the glass I'd decided that I did like this beer, and that I wished that it was even a little stranger than it was. Very unusual, and very drinkable.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Tastes like a pilsner until you swallow, that's when the funkiness takes over. I guess the funkiness was due to the sake yeasts used on the rice. My enjoyment of this beer grew with each sip, and I missed it when it was gone.
Ounces Consumed: 100(draft) There aren't many hefeweizens that I can say I actually liked. This one I liked. Sweet and fruity, with none of the citrus that usually ruins this style for me. Yummy.
Ounces Consumed: 40(bottle) Hazy brown. Decent tan head. Aroma of hops and light smoke. Smooth mouthfeel. Smoky and bitey flavor. Reminds me of Spezial but with more bockiness. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 69(bottle) Hazy yellow. Fading white head. Aroma of grass and wheat and must. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor a little wheaty and a little sour and a little weird. Smooth finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 2Hazy gold in color, with a small white head. Malty and pumpkiny aroma. Medium moutnfeel. Flavor more sharp than I was expecting, spicy and pumpkiny. A good beer,
(bottle) Smelled fantastic. The first sip was actually a little bit disgusting. I wasn't expecting fizzy citrus. Having said that, however, I did finish the glass, and then another one, and then the rest of the bottle, so I couldn't have hated it that much. Probably not worth having again though.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) Smelled like snot, but that might have been because I was developing a cold. Served too warm for my tastes, and I almost never say that. A very creamy and smooth chocolatey porter. It contains more alcohol than I'd have guessed. I'd like to try this again once they get the cooler fixed.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Very dark red, with a light pink head that shrank but lasted. There was some discussion as to what the aroma was, and it was decided that this smells like Luden's cough drops. Flavor is cherries and cranberries. No alcohol burn at all. Quite good, but also quite strange.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Hazy dark ruby-colored. Minimal head. Mild fruity aroma. A smooth and creamy mouthfel and flavor, with a hint of an alcohol bite at the end. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 10 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Zero carbonation. Zero fizz. This lack of head reminded me of every NABC beer ever made. It was a very nice copper color, and it had a very nice and sweet flavor. I'd love to try this in draft form someday, but I don't really expect that to happen. This would get a yummy rating except for its flatness.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Very dark brown with a minimal head. Light malty aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor maltier than I was expecting. A little sharp at the finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Hazy dark brown. Minimal head. Fantastic fruity aroma. Flavor is sharp, with dark fruits domating. Quite good, but not as refined or as well balanced as the quad.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Cloudy bronze in color. Nice white lasting head. Sweet and malty aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Malty and a little sour. Finish is coating and a little sour. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 18Hazy yellow. Minimal white head. Very light Apple peel aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Tastes like weak apples and wheat. Just like I was expecting. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle) Hazy dark gold, smallish head, some lacing. A nice clean aroma. The flavor is not too bad. A little musty for some reason. Given a choice between this and the quad, you should always take the quad. Always.
Ounces Consumed: 31(draft) Cloudy brown. No detectable head. Spicy aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Spicy and malty flavor. Pretty good. Maybe too many spices.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Very dark brown with a huge beige head. Aroma of cola and roasted malts. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malts and alcohol. Strong, but good.
Ounces Consumed: 14(bottle) Hazy dark brown, with a sizable beige head. Aroma of alcohol and molasses and honey. Chewy mouthfeel. Fairly intense flavor but no burn at the finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(draft) The color of dark cola. Nice tan head. Very noticeable aroma of chocolate and roasted malts. Flavor mostly subdued chocolate. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 21(draft) Black with a nice tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and smoke. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor same as aroma. Smooth finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 23(bottle) Hazy copper, with a decent head that faded quickly. The aroma is malts and dobblebock weirdness. No smoke in the aroma, which did not bode well for me. The smoke did, however, show up in the flavor, and it showed up nicely. The flavor was very well balanced, with hops and malts and smoke, plus the expected dopplebock weirdness. I liked this a lot, and I wasn't expecting to like it at all.
Ounces Consumed: 115(bottle) Black with no head. Aroma of dark roasted malts, typical for the style. Flavor very nice, roasty and chocolatey. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Pours black, with a thin whitish head. Aroma and flavor of roasted malts and coffee. The coffee was very understated, so it didn't bother me at all. This is a very good malty stout. Extremely drinkable.
Ounces Consumed: 38(draft) Pours cloudy brown with a minimal tan head. Nice light aroma of chocolate and hay. Watery mouthfeel. Flavor of water with some wheat and chocolate, more fizzy than I expected. Pretty good, actually.
Ounces Consumed: 2(bottle) Hazy light amber. Huge creamy head that was a bit of a hassle. Flavor was fairly mild for such a strong beer. Mostly apple peels and light yeast. The high alcohol is barely detecable, so this is a pretty dangerous beer.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Ridiculous huge head. Clear dark ruby in color. Very strong aroma of malts and dark fruits, especially while the foam was still present. Flavor not quite as strong as the aroma led me to expect. Darks fruits predominated. A fairly harsh alcohol finish for the first few sips, but after that, this beer was surpringly smooth. The alcohol is hidden very well.
Ounces Consumed: 37(draft) Hazy bronze. Huge heaping head. Aroma and flavor a little faint for a tripel. I was astonished to discover that this beer has 10% ABV - it's almost undetectable. I like this, but there are a lot of better tripels out there.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Clear very dark amber, with a medium-sized cream head. Aroma of chocolates and coffee. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor was surprisingly good, with hints of chocolates and roasted malts. The finish was quite dry - not because of alcohol, but because of the roasted malts. This beer is damn good, almost yummy, and I don't care who makes it.
Ounces Consumed: 186 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Black with a nice tan head. Sharp aroma of malts and rich coffee. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malt and a touch of coffee. Pretty damn good. I want more.
Ounces Consumed: 38(bottle) Clear brown. Nice white head that vanished in a few seconds. Light aroma of malts and tea. Medium mouthfeel. Clean malty flavor. Nice smooth finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Clear amber, with a whitish head that faded quickly. Surprising aroma of chocolate and molasses. Fizzy mouthfeel. Flavor of malts and spices. Clean finish. Not too bad.
Ounces Consumed: 72(draft) Cloudy dark brown, with a large tan head. Aroma of dark fruits and something else - maybe caramel? The flavor was much more subdued than my earlier sips had led me to expect. The beer tasted a little flat and/or one dimensional. Not really anything wrong with it, but not worth having again.
Ounces Consumed: 15(draft) Clear ruby-brown in color. A nice fluffy head. Sour charries and apples in both the aroma and the flavor. Very comparable to Metreechs. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Color of clear light bronze. Light agave aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Very light flavor, slightly spicy at first, then nothing. Good, but could use more of everything.
Ounces Consumed: 81This is what I've been waiting for! A Belgian that won't kill me if I have more than one in a night! Very good, it reminded me of NABC's Tunnel Vision except not quite as sweet. Could use a little more carbonation, and it lacks the appley taste I've become accustomed to from Belgians. I liked it a lot, and I'm looking forward to the next batch to see if they up the carbonation a little.
Ounces Consumed: 110(draft) I didn't like this beer when it was first introduced, but they seem to have tweaked the recipe, and now I like it a lot. Malty and chocolatey. I will have much more of this, at least until they change the recipe again.
Ounces Consumed: 779(draft) Stupid name, I think they've given up there. The beer was black. More than black. It was anti-light. Very little foam, as is typical for NABC beers. Not much of an aroma, just a touch of smoky malt. Fairly thick and creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is a bit sharp and smoky, surprising after the tame aroma. Finish is creamy smoke. I liked it, so odds are good that they'll never make it again.
Ounces Consumed: 2834The Bourbondaddy is a stout aged in a used bourbon barrel. I had this last year at about this time, and I remember liking it, but I don't remember much else about it. This time around I actually paid attention to what I was drinking. It's a little bitter at first, but after that it's very good. Nothing extremely special, it tastes the way it should - a medium stout with a little bourbon flavor added.
Ounces Consumed: 30(draft) Black with a smallish tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and apples. So far so good. Mouthfeel a little thin. Flavor very malty, but with a touch of Belgian yeast. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Black with a good tan head. Nice lacing. Aroma of roasted malts. Medium mouthfeel. Very good flavor, mostly roasted malts and chocolate. An excellent beer.
Ounces Consumed: 13(draft) Black with minimal brown head. Very nice aroma of smoke and chocolate. Thick mouthfeel. Flavor malty and chocolatey, with a touch of smoke. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 2510(draft) Clear reddish-brown. No appreciable head. No appreciable aroma. Flavor of roasted malts plus weirdness. Nice smooth finish. Good. Better than I remembered from before. The ridiculous hoppy bitterness is gone. Definitely a change for the better.
Ounces Consumed: 169(draft) Clear dark copper in color. Decent head that faded quickly. Aroma of molasses and hops, and flavor more of the same. The finish was much more smooth than the flavor indicated. I liked this beer a lot. Easily one of my favorites from NABC.
(Update 03/20-08: I've downgraded this beer from yummy to good. Apparently they didn't like that I enjoyed it so much, so they fucked with the recipe.)
Ounces Consumed: 1069(draft) Black with a decent beige head. Flavor a little burnt, but good. Chocolate only showed up in the finish, which was quite smooth. Good. I hope to have more before they run out.
Ounces Consumed: 111(draft) Fizzy light orange in color. Decent white head that faded quickly. Aroma of oak and smoke and oranges - all very light. Fizzy mouthfeel. Just a touch of smoke and oak and some weirdness that may be the oak. A stupid hoppy finish that I could have done without. Not bad at all. Could use more of everything, though. Except the hops.
Ounces Consumed: 56(draft) First time drinking the non-bourbonized version of this stout. I got an almost overpowering sense of chocolate - both in the aroma and the flavor. Pretty good, but would probably be too much for me to wrap an evening around. I was pleased to detect no coffee or licorice at all.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Hazy amber with a nice white head and good lacing. Aroma of apples and spices, smoked caramel. Medium mouthfeel. Very nice flavor, like the aroma, and very nicely balanced. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 31(draft) Dirty gold. Zero fizz. Has a sweet aroma, if that makes any sense. Flavor is quite sweet with some odd undescribable undertones. Pretty good, but dangerous because the alcohol is very well hidden.
Ounces Consumed: 102(draft) Cloudy amber in color. No head to speak of. Very light aroma of smoke and malts. Medium mouthfeel. Fizzy and biting flavor. Smoke and peppery hops. A fantastic beer.
Ounces Consumed: 442(draft) Hazy dark amber. Flavor and aroma were both fairly light. Cinnamon and vanilla and nutmeg, if I had to make a guess. There was absolutely no bitterness and no citrus, so I liked this. Could have used more of whatever it had.
Ounces Consumed: 103(draft) Clear light reddish brown. Minimal beige head. Aroma of spices and pumpkin. Creamy mouthfeel flavor quite spicy, flavorful not hot, with a very smooth finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Hazy brown with a light beige head. Aroma of malts and something weird. Flavor more of the same, with some smoke thrown in. I have no idea what the weird ingredient is, but I like it. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 2908(draft) Cloudy dark brown with a ridiculous tan head. Strong peat aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor peaty and malty and a little smoky. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 739(draft) Hazy light brown. Good head that faded quickly. The aroma is of malts and apples and, of course for this brewery, hops. The mouthfeel is a little thin, as is the flavor. It's got a good flavor, though, it just needs a bit more of it.
Ounces Consumed: 12They're calling it a "Belgian Brown Ale" but I don't really know what that means so I'll call it "Newcastle with Apples in it." It was okay, and the apple undertones weren't that strong. I liked it.
Update 080605: Yes, I know what a Belgian is now. I'd like to see this beer return.
Ounces Consumed: 20What a scary beer! It tastes very good, with no bitternes at all, and just the right amount of carbonation. The scary part is that it's over 8% alcohol, and that'll sneak up on you real quick if you're not careful.
UPDATE 02/27/2009: Back after four years, the new version of Solidarity has 10% ABV instead of 8.5%. So, not quite as sneaky as it used to be. I still like it, just not as much.
Ounces Consumed: 357(bottle) Clear brown with a nice beige head. Marty molasses aroma. Flavor malty, with a bit of a bite. Good, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) As with all Imperial Stouts, this one took a few sips before my palate was numbed enough to appreciate it. A little more subdued than I was expeciting, absolutely drinkable. The alcohol was masked very well.
Ounces Consumed: 48 posted by dave in category good
(draft) I first had this at the 2008 Fringe Fest. Apparently this version does not contain honey, and so I figured I wouldn't like it as much. Well, I figured wrong. Hazy light brown. A definite rye aroma and flavor. Something else, too. Nutmeg is my guess, though it could be way off. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 90(draft) I've gone ahead and updated this rating as this beer has become one of my favorites. Very little head, and the beer is a little flat. But the rye and honey play together quite nicely. One of the few semi-strong beers that I can get my swill-drinking friends to drink.
Ounces Consumed: 407 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Very dark, almost black. Aroma of roasted malts with some burnt notes. Flavor more smooth than the aroma indicated. Mostly malts and some hints of chocolate and coffee. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 4Very well-balanced ale, probably meant to be a copy of Newcastle Brown Ale, and it is a very good copy indeed. A little more malty than the Newcastle, and a bit more of a bite at the end. A very good session beer.
Ounces Consumed: 5611(bottle) Hazy light golden. No appreciable head. Musty and spicy aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor malty and creamy, and a little spicy. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) Cloudy brown. Thin head that disappeared right away. Strongly sour aroma. Wow. Extremely sour flavor. Thinnish mouthfeel. Weird, but good.
Ounces Consumed: 6(bottle) The color of clear cola. Nice white head that faded quickly. Aroma of spices and wheat. Flavor more of the same. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 36(bottle) Clear fuzzy light bronze in color. No head to speak of. Aroma of ripe apples. Flavor typical for the style, with a little extra maltiness. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 69(draft) Pale amber, fizzy, good head. All standard for Belgians of this type. Aroma seemed a tad stale to me. Flavor was average but subdued. The finish was very reminiscent of rubbing alcohol. Bitter and drying. I was disappointed with this beer, and I didn't drink very much of it.
Update 09 June 2011...
(bottle) Hazy Orange. A lot of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. No head. Citrusy Belgian aroma. Very nice light flavor, typical for the style. Maybe a touch more citrus than apple. Quite good.
So, two totally different experiences. Such is beer...
Ounces Consumed: 24(draft) Cloudy almost black. Decent tan head. Light aroma of roasted malts and spices. Chewy mouthfeel. Very nicely balanced flavor of various spices and roasted malts. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Very smooth for so much alcohol. I really liked this, but I'd probably like it even more without the oaky undertones. Almost black with good head and lacing. There were subtle hints of vanilla and bourbon that were a very pleasant surprise. Very good, almost great.
Ounces Consumed: 199(draft) Clear brown with a fading white head. Nice aroma of pumpkin and cloves. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice pumpkin flavor, with a touch of spice at the finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Dark brown with a frothy white head. Mostly malty aroma with some roasted malts. Flavor much like the aroma. A lot like Newcastle Brown but with some of the malts roasted. Good. Not as good as the Brown.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Cloudy brown. Nice tan head. Aroma of woods and malts - very unusual. Watery mouthfeel. Very weird flavor. Musty/tangy. Quite good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 9 posted by dave in category good
(draft) A very pretty beer, hazy orange with a nice creamy head. The taste was a little sour, but in a good way. It reminded me of a good lambic more than anything else.
Ounces Consumed: 30(bottle) Very dark brown with a decent tan head. Aroma of hops and smoke and a little chocolate. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor much more malty than I was expecting. A little smoky, a little chocolatey, and a lot malty. Good, but also surprisingly drying. Needs more sweetness and smoke, I think.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Pours the color of cola with a small beige head. Aroma of smoke and malts and rye. Creamy and full mouthfeel. Surprising. Smoky and malty flavor with rye and alcohol bitterness at the finish. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 17(draft) Got kind of an odd aroma along with the expected apple. Maybe cherries. Flavor did seem to have the same bit of oddness. It was good though.
Ounces Consumed: 15(bottle) I know I'd had this before, but I'd never reviewed it. As a Baltic Porter, it of course reminds me of my beloved Baltika 6. Dark and roasty and malty. Just a touch of alcohol burn at the finish makes me want more right away. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 38(bottle) Hazy brown. Light beige head. Aroma of apples and dark fruits. Fairly mild flavor. Slightly bitter alcohol finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Black with a nice light brown head, and good lacing. Aroma of roasted malts and floral hops. Fruity and malty flavor. A very noticeable alcohol burn at the finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) Black with nice firm beige head. A light chocolate aroma, and a light chocolate flavor - reminded me of chocolate milk. Mouthfeel was a little thinner than I'd been expecting. There was a very slight alcohol burn at the finish. A pretty good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 60(bottle) Hazy yellow. No appreciable head. Aroma of light citrus and malts. Flavor a little acidic and biting, but pretty good. Citrus and light hops predominate. Pretty good, but not quite great.
Dark copper-colored, firm head. A neutral flavor, with perhaps a touch of apple and more hops than I usually prefer. A very fizzy mouthfeel. A good beer. The aroma was a little perfumy.
Ounces Consumed: 50(draft) Clear dark reddish brown. Huge head that lasted forever. Aroma and flavor both surpringly understated, with malts and a hint of cherries. Very smooth. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 81(bottle) Cloudy yellow, with a nice white head. Aroma of apple and orange peels. Mouthfeel a little gritty. Flavor of a nice tripel but with some citusy undertones that I could do without. A little bit like a blend of a tripel and a saison. Pretty good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Clear light amber. Decent head. Aroma of orange and almost bourbony spices. Mouthfeel is creamy. Flavor is light and typical for the style. Finish a little citrusy, but not too bad. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Dark ruby-colored, firm head. Nice but shot-lived head. Strong aroma of various dark fruits. Flavor milder than the aroma indicates. A little drying and fizzy. Not bad at all.
Ounces Consumed: 25 posted by dave in category good
It was quite disgusting at first, but after an inch or so it started to taste pretty good. I suspect that my initial disgust was caused by the ESB still coating my mouth. At 8.5% it was too strong for me to risk getting a second opinion.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) Huge head, bordering on the ridiculous. Taste, as I expected, was that of a fairly mild Belgian. A little less sweet and a little more hoppy than I'd generally prefer, but a very good beer anyway.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Clear dark orange. Decent whitish head. Aroma of malts and orange peels. Wow. Very malty and spicy flavor. Not at all what I was expecting from the aroma, must be the honey showing up. Nice, though. A fairly mild alcohol burn at the finish. A good beer, but one would be plenty.
Ounces Consumed: 22Clear. The color of cola. Reasonable head. Aroma and flavor of lightly roasted malts. Pretty good, but I'm biased, because this is the beer that opened the door for me.
Ounces Consumed: 1086(draft) I see all these descriptions about sharp and hoppy and peppery - I got none of that. What I got was a pale beer with a huge head that didn't have much of anything in the way of aroma or flavor. What there was, however, was quite good. At 7.5%, this beer is a lot stronger than it tastes or smells.
Ounces Consumed: 30(bottle) Slightly hazy amber. Smallish head. Aroma of pumpkin and spices. Thin mouthfeel, but the flavor is very good. There's a bit of a bite - not bitter - that is a pleasant surprise. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Cloudy yellow, with a dissipating white head. Light aroma of cloves and bananas. Medium mouthfeel. Very light flavor, hard to pin down. Good, but nothing to write home about.
(draft) Very hazy yellow. Small white head that faded quickly. Aroma of hay and roasted malts. Biting mouthfeel. Flavor citrusy and sour - nothing at all like the aroma. Drying finish. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 17(draft) Dark cola in color. decent head and lacing. Nice and smooth. More complex than the first few sips indicate. Spices and hops and nutmeg and molasses are what I think I detected. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 90(draft) Clear bronze. The head faded away before I could look at it. Light aroma of caramel and hops. Thin mouthfeel. Flavor better than I was expecting. Light, but good.
Ounces Consumed: 5(draft) Clear dark copper-colored. Decent head and lacing. A dry fruit aroma and flavor. The alcohol is hidden very well. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Slightly hazy amber. Smallish white head with good lacing. Aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg and other spices. Smooth mouthfeel. Spicy flavor and finish. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) The color of hazy dark tea. No head. Aroma of alcohol and spices, notably cinnamon. Flavor like the aroma, but more intense. Good, a little over the top.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Fizzy cola-colored. Decent head. Same aroma as the "6" but much more pronounced. Flavor of dried apples and plums and cola. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Color of clear dark tea. Nice whitish head. Aroma and flavor of light roasted malts. Finish a little dry. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 14(draft) More malty than sweet, so a little unbalanced. Good head and lacing. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) Stupid name. Very dark brown - almost black, with a nice tan head. Very roasty and malty. Not sure that this should be called a brown ale, but whatever you want to call it, it's still good.
Ounces Consumed: 16)(draft) No detectable aroma, and not much flavor. I can't tell if this is an American or a German wheat. It's very bland, but still good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) I'm convinced that this is the same beer that Hofbrauhaus is selling. Quite a good beer in a style that I don't normally care for.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Very dark ruby in color. Large head that faded fairly quickly. Aroma is very sour. The flavor is sour but not as much as the aroma indicated. Fairly light in alcohol, and so no strong finish at all. A pretty good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 61(bottle) Clear dark ruby. Minimal foam that faded quickly. A very sour aroma, with a faint mustiness that might have just been my imagination. A nice and crisp flavor, with lingering sourness showing up at the finish. Tastes like it has more alcohol that it really has. Pretty good, but there are countless better beers out there.
Ounces Consumed: 25(draft) Very dark brown, with a nice brownish head. Aroma of malts and dark fruits. Fairly thick mouthfeel. Flavor of mostly malts. A touch of dark fruits. Fairly good.
Ounces Consumed: 11Cloudy brown. This was a mild tasting ale that went down quite good and didn't seem too high in alcohol. A German Maibock, which I never would have guessed. Tastes like a Scotch Ale to me. Good. Gives me a wicked hangover though.
Ounces Consumed: 20644(draft) Poured dirty orange. Aroma was musty - reminded me of a lambic. Taste also reminded me of a lambic, except this wasn't particularly sour. There was quite a bit of complication behind the obvious mustiness of the aroma and the flavor. I liked this beer.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Pretty good. This reminded me of Bell's Kalamazoo Stout more than anything else. A slight slant toward the coffee side of the flavor spectrum as opposed to the chocolate side. The fairly high ABV is very well hidden.
Ounces Consumed: 70(draft) Dark amber. Decent head. Malty and hoppy aroma. Malty and hoppy flavor. Pretty fucking good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Very dark cherry revealed when held up to the light. A lot of complexity, but most of I think wasted as nothing stood out at all. I did think I got a little cherry at first but even that subsided by the second or third sip. Good, but not very memorable.
Ounces Consumed: 20Pretty good. Quite roasty. Maybe a little bit too roasty - it was hard to find anything else.
Ounces Consumed: 237 posted by dave in category good
(draft) Hazy dark copper. Generous heaping head. Aroma of stale toffee. Flavor pretty decent, with a touch of oddness that I couldn't quite define. Finish was almost bitter, but not quite. This beer deserves a second chance.
UPDATE 071208: Okay I gave this beer its second chance at the Atlanta airport. I've upgraded it to good, because it was good.
Ounces Consumed: 30(bottle) Came highly recommended. I was looking for something chocolately, and I guess this fit that bill. I have to say that it didn't live up to its aroma though. A sublt mix of chocolate and coffee flavor. A slight bitter finish. Quite good, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Black with nice tan head. Stouty aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Crisp, malty, and balanced flavor. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 2199(bottle) Clear light brown. Minimal white head. Aromatic hops and maybe caramel in the aroma. Mouthfeel a little cloying. Flavor sweeter than I was expecting. Good, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 18(bottle) Clear dark brass color. White head that lasted well. Musty aroma and a flash of spices. Mouthfeel fuzzy and dry. Flavor of apples and some spices. Smooth finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Cloudy brown. No appreciable head. Intruiging aroma of dark fruits and apple peels. Surprisingly pungent flavor, a little sour, but really good.
Ounces Consumed: 25 posted by dave in category good
Clear gold. Nice white head that fades quickly. Decent lacing. Musty apple aroma. Very nice Belgian triple flavor. The flavor is a little sharp , especially the finish, because of the 10% ABV. Good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 37(draft) Dark bronze. Very light foam. A strong aroma of whatzit and orange. The flavor was mostly whatzit, with some light orange peel thrown in. Despite the citrus, I did like this beer. I just wish I knew what the whatzit really was.
Ounces Consumed: 40(draft) Black with a small tan head. Light aroma of roasted malts and milk. Medium mouthfeel. Nice flavor just like the aroma. A bit of a burning finish quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(Draft) black with absilolitely zero head or fizz. Aroma of roasted malts and alcohol and vanilla. Thick mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malts with a touch of vanilla. Smooth finish hinting at the 10.5% ABV. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Hazy Amber, with a nice lasting white head. Aroma of malts and molasses. Very good musty and spicy flavor. A bit of an alcohol burn at the finish. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Clear copper in color. Small head that disippated almost immediately. A very nice aroma of cinnamon and other spices. Medium mouthfeel. Very good flavor of all sorts of spices and, of course, pumpkin. The 8% ABV is hidden very well. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 81More malty than other Scotch Ales I've tried, and that extra maltiness was needed to help mask the alcohol. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) Cloudy gold. A good fizzy head. Strong German wheat aroma, and flavor, with just a hint of tangy sourness. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(bottle) Hazy copper in color. No head to speak of, but some lacing. Fairly strong aroma of pumpkin and vanilla. There was a lagerish fizziness that I didn't care for, but the flavor was good and the finish was sweet and smooth. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 6Clear brown with a nice white head. Aroma of sweetarts candies. Medium mouthfeel. Very nice sweet and malty flavor. Tart finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 2(draft) Very pale golden with a smallish white head. Aroma of metal. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor intriguing. Both malty and musty. Very good, actually. Surprising.
Ounces Consumed: 2(bottle) Hazy copper in color. Huge white head. Medium mouthfeel. Not a lot of aroma or initial flavor - it kinda seemed like a brown ale. After a few sips, the dryness of the rye started to show in the finish. A fairly mild rye beer, but a good one.
Ounces Consumed: 36Highly recommended to me by a coffee lover, so I was expecting coffee flavor to the beer. This instead has a good chocolate base to the flavor. A little extra bite at the end, because of the 7.2 ABV, that I could have done without. Good though. A little bitter
Ounces Consumed: 44(bottle) Hazy dark yellow. Decent head that faded rather quickly. Much more yeasty aroma than others of this style, quite intriguing, though. Mouthfeel a little thin, but standard for the style. Flavor pretty much what the aroma had led me to believe. Apples and yeasts, and some spices in there as well. Pretty goddamn good. I will definitely have more of this.
Ounces Consumed: 20A sampling of this beer was intriguing enough for me to order a full glass. There was a slight watery taste that at first turned me off, but after a few sips I started to imagine, believe it or not, a slight peaty characteristic to the water. This has since become one of my favorite session beers. Nice and mild, and low enough in alcohol that I could drink it all night.
Ounces Consumed: 2099(draft) With a name like Smuttynose, it has to be good, right? Right. A very strong chocolate aroma and flavor. Like the NABC Haggisdaddy Stout it reminded me of, this would probably be good poured over ice cream
Ounces Consumed: 21(draft) Slightly hazy gold. Smallish head that seems to last. Aroma of wheat and bananas and maybe a little alcohol. Flavor surprisingly complex and good. A slight alcohol burn at the finish. I like it. It's quite gimmicky, though, with all the alcohol.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Pours black with a minimal light tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and asphalt. Medium mouthfeel. Slightly burnt malty flavor. Nice clean finish. Good, actually.
Ounces Consumed: 17(bottle) Fizzy gold with a smallish whitish head. A pretty nice pumpkin aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. A definite pumpkin flavor, with notes of malts and dark fruits. A very slight alcohol burn upon swallowing. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Clear black with a smallish beige head. Definitely smells like a pumpkin ale. Pumpkin and spices. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor mostly of the pumpkin with a little of the imperial stout heritage at the finish.
Ounces Consumed: 23(draft) Amber in color, with a slightly sweet smoke aroma. Much lighter in smoke than other rauchbiers, but sometimes that's a good thing. A very good session beer. Usually when this available on tap I drink it exclusively.
Ounces Consumed: 2174(draft) If you've ever wondered what a mixture of Delirium Tremens and New Belgium Fat Tire would be like, then this is the beer for you. I liked it.
Ounces Consumed: 16The aroma is fantastic, as is the flavor. Maybe a bit more mellow than other German-style wheats. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 26Pretty good. Malty with a hint of cola to balance it out. A lot like Goose Island Hex Nut Brown Ale.
Ounces Consumed: 6A typical dry stout. Nothing wrong with it at all but nothing great either. Quite roasty, and better than average I suppose.
Ounces Consumed: 6(draft) One of those beers that takes a long time to pour. Once in a glass, the head faded fairly quickly. I detected a strong oak smell until the head had gone, then lots of malt and alcohol with some fruit. The alcohol-bitter aftertaste reminded me strongly of bourbon. I liked this, but I'd recommend it to close out a session instead of beginning one.
Ounces Consumed: 30(draft) Extremely dark red, with a large beige head that lasted until the glass was empty. An aroma and flavor of malts and dark fruits. Flavor like the aroma, though not as strong as I was expecting. The only thing hinting at the high ABV% was the overall drying quality of the beer. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 165(bottle) Hazy dark brown. Huge beige head. Aroma of cola and malts and plums, I think. Fairly sharp flavor at first. Plums and dark malts. Good, not great.
Ounces Consumed: 11(bottle) Hazy gold. Large white head that was kind of a pain in the ass. A very nice aroma of citrus and spices and flowers. Mouthfeel was very fizzy. Flavor of apples and Belgian hops, but very well-balanced. The large yeast flakes at the bottom of the bottle really grossed me out. Still a damn fine beer.
Ounces Consumed: 123(bottle) Looks like fizzy grapefruit juice with a medium white head. Aroma of grasses and apples. Medium mouthfeel. Tame flavor typical for the style. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 11 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Black, revealing dark red when held up to a strong light. Good head and lacing. Strong aroma or malts and dark fruits. Medium mouthfeel, and a strong fruity flavor tempered by roasted malts. A very sweet finish. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 17(draft) Fizzy Amber. Small white head. Mild aroma of apple peels. Medium mouthfeel. Mild flavor typical of the style. A decent beer. Nothing wrong with it at all.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear copper with a firm white head. Aroma of flowers and bubble gum - very intriguing. Flavor was very complex and hard to describe. There was definitely some lingering hop bitterness at the finish but it was accompanied by the complex flavors so it wasn't overpowering at all. An IPA that I actually like. Wonders never cease.
posted by dave in category good
(draft) Roasty, malty, hoppy, weirdness. I'd like this more without the bitter finish.
Ounces Consumed: 162Black with a thin brown head that faded quickly. Aroma was milder than I was expecting - chocolate and malts. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor was malts and chocolate, but it seemed tame. The finish was very strong chocolate, almost too strong. It was only after my taste buds had been beaten into submission that I was able to really appreciate the finish. Lingering and coating dark chocoloate. A very damn good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 37(draft) Clear pale amber large white head. Light floral and malty aroma. Thick mouthfeel. Very nice flavor of light malts. Much more dry than I was expecting. Dry finish as well. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 15(draft) First off, looks fantastic. Black with a firm brown head, I was almost reluctant to drink it for fear of messing up the head. Flavor is a nice chocolate, with just a hint of bitterness about halfway through. I was a little surprised, and a little disappointed, that the ABV is so high on this one. I'd love to be able to have more than one.
Ounces Consumed: 94(draft) I blew the keg. Oops. Black with a huge brown head. Enticing chocolatey aroma. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of roasted malts and nuts and chocolate. Finishes with a smooth alcohol burn. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 10It was pretty good beer actually, not as strong of a smoke flavor as some of the other smoked porters I've had, but enough to be recognizable, and enough to be pretty good. I'll call it "smoked porter light."
Ounces Consumed: 1035(bottle) Dark brown with a nice tan head. Musty aroma of stale malts. Creamy mouthfeel. Decent flavor. No smoke but a bit of peppery finish. More peppery than I was expecting. Not to bad at all.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) Clean dark brown with a nice beige head. Mild aroma of roasted malts, smoke, and vanilla. Enticing. Watery mouthfeel. Flavor much like the aroma. Mostly roasted malts and vanilla. The smoke is evident at first, but disappears before swallowing. Quite good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 44(bottle) The color of dark tea. No head to speak of. Subdued aroma of apple peels and caramel. Medium mouthfeel, a little coating. Flavor a bit stronger than I was expecting. Nicely balanced apples and caramel, with a touch of oak perhaps. A very nice beer.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) The color of flat cola. No head. Aroma of malts and molasses. Medium mouthfeel. Fairly biting flavor of molasses and dark-roasted malts. Tastes like a barleywine to me. A good beer, but not a great one.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) I'm calling this a Belgian because I don't have any better ideas. Cloudy orange when backlit. No foam. An aroma of citrus that was a little bit intoxicating all on its own. Flavor of malts and oranges and light hops. This was a surprisingly good beer, as I usually don't care for citrus. Almost yummy.
Ounces Consumed: 82(bottle) Indigo with a nice tan head. Enticing aroma of peaches and plums. Mouthfeel a little thin but coating. Flavor more tame than the aroma led me to expect. Good though.
Ounces Consumed: 46 posted by dave in category good
(bottle) Fizzy orange. No head whatsoever. light citrusy aroma. Flavor more of apple peels than citrus. Not bad at all.
Ounces Consumed: 67(bottle) Color of clear burgundy. Light tan head. Aroma a little musty and slightly spicy. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor a little weird, and not in a good way. Finish spicy-bitter. Gets better after a few sips. A good beer, but not a great one.
Ounces Consumed: 44(bottle) Almost black, with a thin brown head. Aroma of apples and I think caramel. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor like the aroma, with a bit of gasoline weirdness at the finish. Weird, but good.
Ounces Consumed: 21(draft) had a decent flavor, but there wasn't much flavor to it. I kept getting hints of spices and such, but the hints faded as soon as I started to detect them. Good, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 20(bottle) Clear light amber with a large beige head. Aroma of apples and roasted malts. Flavor like the aroma with maybe some grapes thrown in. Very smooth finish. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 23(draft) Clear dark ruby. Minimal pink head. Light aroma of malts and cherry peels. Thick and creamy mouthfeel. Very smooth flavor, well blended malts and dark fruits and maybe caramel. Coating finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 24(draft) Hazy ruby-colored. Minimal white head. Aroma of cherry peels and apple peels. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild flavor of various dark fruits. Zero alcohol bite, which was surprising. A good beer, but not great.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear amber with a nice white head. Malty and fruity aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild fruity flavor with a distinct alcohol burn. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Clear amber in color, with a large white head. The aroma and the flavor were both of yeasts and malts, with a hint of blueberries. No bitterness. Could have had more flavor, but still pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(draft) Clear coppery-brown in color. Large white head that lasted forever. The aroma was of light coffee and roasted malts. Mouthfeel very creamy and smooth. The flavor was mostly malty, with just a touch of coffee that I could have done without. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 16(bottle) Reminded me of a winter seasonal. Lots of fruit that I cannot quite define. Thick and strong, yet refreshing at the same time. I really wish I could drink more than one.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Cloudy dark brown. Decent tan head. Aroma of malts and a touch of coffee. Flavor mostly of sweet malts. A good beer that got better the more I drank.
Ounces Consumed: 162Clear copper. Whitish head that faded quickly. Aroma of, duh, pumpkin and spices. Medium mouthfeel. Spicy pumpkin flavor that fades and leaves a creamy finish. More spicy than pumpkiny. Damn good, though, at least on draft. I've had a bottle as well, and it kinda sucked.
Ounces Consumed: 67(bottle) a completely unknown beer - I'm actually guessing that it's their brown ale. Pours the color of cola, with a minimal tan head that vanished instantly. Light aroma of malts and grasses. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor of a mild brown ale, so that's what I'm going to call it. A good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Fizzy black with a nice tan head. Nice aroma of chocolate and roasted malts. Thickish mouthfeel. Very malty and smooth flavor. Creamy like chocolate, but only a bit of sweetness. Very very good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Black with a thin brown head. Sweet and chocolatey aroma. Very creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is sweet, with malts and a bit of dark chocolate. Alcohol very well-hidden. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(draft) Cloudy dirty yellow. Decent head that faded within a few minutes. A light aroma of citrus and Belgian yeast. Fairly thick mouthfeel, and a grapefruit tartness that surprised me. The finish was a little dry. I'd classify this as a dubbel instead of a saison, but whatever it it, it's pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) A nice dark brown color that revealed red when help up to light. I thought the taste was very good, though there seemed to be a slight gritty feel until the head had dissipated. The slightly bitter finish made me want to drink again to get back to the nice flavor. Not recommended on an empty stomach, as I wanted another pint but had to decline.
Ounces Consumed: 200(draft) Hazy orange with a nice white head. Strong aroma of floral and piney hops. Medium mouthfeel. Nice flavor, kind of like a strong Gumballhead. Lasting hoppy finish. A good beer, which surprises me.
Ounces Consumed: 58(bottle) Slightly hazy light brown. Looks watery. No head to speak of. Light pumpkin pie aroma. Creamy mouthfeel. Spicy and pumpkiny flavor. Pretty good.
Ounces Consumed: 165(draft) Cloudy brown. Nice tan head. Aroma of malts and caramel and hops. Fairly thick mouthfeel. Complex flavor of barley and rye with a nice hoppy finish. Damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(draft) Dark brown with just a hint of red. Has just a slight bit of that unmistakeable rye finish. Mostly malt behind it, without much bitterness at all. I really liked this. Its 7% ABV surprised me.
Ounces Consumed: 10(draft) Clear dark brown. Minimal tan head. Aroma of whiskey and oaky vanilla. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild flavor of malts and whiskey. No hint of rye whatsoever, and that was disappointing to me. Still good, though.
Ounces Consumed: 4(draft) Black with nice tan head. Smells like chocolate. Tame chocolate flavor, a little bitter. Smooth finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 4(bottle) Clear dark copper with a beige head that lasts. A very clean and balanced aroma. Medium mouthfeel - malty but clean - just the right amount of hops. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 22(bottle) Ridiculous heaping head. Hazy dark copper in color - almost brown. Aroma of hops and roasted malts. Medium-thin mouthfeel. The flavor was quite surprisingly bitter at first, but th efinish was smooth. Good, but not even close to great.
Ounces Consumed: 17(bottle) Cloudy brown, huge heaping head. A constant stream of bubbles kept emerging form the dark depths of the glass. Smells like foam. A fairly mild flavor of dried apples and raisins. A little musty. Good.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Although supposedly a Belgian wheat, this had much of the aroma and flavor of a German wheat. If I had to put a label on it, I'd say that is was a blend of those two excellent styles. A very good beer from what is becoming one of my favorite breweries.
Ounces Consumed: 24(bottle) Hazy cola-colored. Massive head, mild fruity aroma. Mild fruity and fizzy flavor, with some hoppy dryness that didn't exactly thrill me. It got better as the bottle got emptier.
Ounces Consumed: 25(bottle) Very dark, almost black. A smallish head that faded almost instantly. It had a very dry aroma and flavor. More like wood than the fruit I'd been expecting. A very good beer though. It certainly didn't taste like it was 10.5% ABV.
Ounces Consumed: 24Had a very strong roasted malt aroma. The flavor was quite nice with roasted malt and a mild chocolate. A dry finish that made me want to take another drink right away. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 156(draft) Very fizzy but sweet. A mild banana aroma and flavor. Mouthfeel was fizzy wheat. There was a slight tartness to the finish. I liked this, but I've had better.
Ounces Consumed: 71(draft) This was my first scotch ale, and I guess it was a little blander than I expected. I did really like it though.
Ounces Consumed: 20(draft) Clear copper color. Light tan head that fades quickly. Light aroma of maybe raspberries. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor a little sour. Smooth finish. Not too bad.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Dark hazy reddish brown. Minimal head. Nice fruity and malty aroma. Very nice flavor of dark fruits. A very good beer.
Ounces Consumed: 49(bottle) Hazy gold. Minimal head. Citrusy mild aroma. Flavor a little sour, more orange than apple. Not bad at all, though.
Ounces Consumed: 23(draft) Pours clear and golden with a large long-lasting head. Nice aroma of apple peels and malts. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Flavor more malty than most tripels, maybe some caramel in there that coats the mouth. Quite damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 91(draft) Black with a nice tan head and good lacing. Aroma of malts and roasted malts. Medium mouthfeel. Nice roasted malt flavor with an alcohol bite at the finish. Very good.
Ounces Consumed: 10(bottle) Hazy light brown. No head to speak of. Aroma of malts and alcohol. Medium mouthfeel. Fruity and malty with a noticeable alcohol burn at the finish. Pretty good, but also quite strong at 12% ABV.
Ounces Consumed: 44(bottle) Hazy beige with a large white head. Aroma of apple peels. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild flavor of green apples. A bit of an alcohol burn at the finish. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Took a long time to drink - it's pretty filling. Very nice aroma and a good flavor. This beer has convinced me that I now like hefeweissbiers - though I like the non-dunkel version a lot more. Seemed to affect me more than its 5.3% alcohol would suggest.
UPDATE 08/13/07: Accidentally had a bit of this. There was a sourness that I didn't remember from before, a sourness that I didn't care for very much. I gave most of the glass back.
Ounces Consumed: 100(bottle) Cloudy dark brown. Minimal head. Aroma of malt and cola. Flavor more of the same. A bit of a musty taste at first that grew on me. Not a lot of fruit in the flavor, just malt and cola. Pretty damn good.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Hazy light orange. Good long-lasting head. Aroma of apples and citrus and wheat. Flavor is light and fruity - a bit like a Belgian wheat. Just the slightest hint of alcohol burn at the finish.
Ounces Consumed: 50(bottle) Almost black, with a ridiculous head that lasted forever. Fruity and malty aroma. Flavor fruity and a little more dry than I had been expecting, because of the high ABV I suppose. Finish a little dry as well, which made me want another sip right away. A very good beer. Best in the world? Probably not.
Ounces Consumed: 67(draft) Clear bronze. A very interesting vanilla and smoke aroma. Despite the name, there wasn't even the tiniest hint of bourbon. A nice medium mouthfeel, with vanilla and light smoke in the flavor as well. Pretty fucking good. I don't care who makes it.
Ounces Consumed: 136(bottle) Hazy gold. Nice white head. Aroma of musty apples. Nice smooth flavor, typical for the style. The high ABV is hidden very well. Quite good.
Ounces Consumed: 12(bottle) Black with a smallish but lasting tan head. Strong aroma of roasted malts with a touch of smoke. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor fairly intense with alcohol burn all the way through the finish. Malty and maybe a little smoke evident but hidden behind the alcohol. Good, I suppose.
Ounces Consumed: 62(bottle) Pours black with a minimal tan head. Aroma of oak and bourbon. Creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is malty and a little smoky and the bourbon shows up in the finish. Actually good. Much better than the aroma led me to expect.
Ounces Consumed: 11(draft) Good head, good lacing. Subtle chocolate aroma and more subtle chocolate flavor. Nothing else to distinguish it at all. It did kind of grow on me though.
Ounces Consumed: 553
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David S. Siltz
David S. Siltz
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