The Malted Barley Recreation/Homage Party!

If you've read this blog in the past 6 months you should be quite familiar with my review of the best beer bar in the world, The Malted Barley in Westerly, RI. I was ecstatic when I did my review of this spot for many, many great reasons. I am still yearning to treck across the state of Connecticut just to have a sip of the fine brews they carry, and to also allow the delicious cornocopia of pretzels they serve to slide down my gullet, and into my belly. That being said, I couldn't contain my enthusiasm for this spot, and even while I sat at the bar I was texting photos to my friends Mark and Laura knowing full well that they too would be coming out to the Eastern Connecticut/Rhode Island area in a few weeks as well. I believe I said to them, "You need to try this spot, it's simply that incredible".

Well, sure enough on their visit to Foxwoods Casino Mark and Laura made it a point to stop at The Malted Barley. It was no surprise to me when I started receiving texts from them at the bar, such as "Holy shit this place is so awesome" and "I can't believe this spot". I was living vicariously through them that weekend, and I knew exactly the overwhelming feeling of joy, excitement, and raw pleasure they were feeling while sitting in that dimly lit bar in southern Rhode Island.

 

Around mid March Laura, Mark, my girlfriend Alissa and I decided to have a "Malted Barley Recreation Party". It turned out that Mark and Laura had been perfecting a pretzel recipe for a few weeks, and they were eager to share in the enjoyment with us. We were so very excited. Since we all live nearly three hours away from The Malted Barley, it was our idea to try to recreate the amazing atmosphere that we all experienced in that amazing bar in Westerly, RI.

The night was a huge success, and it was chock full of pretzels and delicious beers. We made a batch of salted pretzels, as well as a batch of pepperoni and mozarella stuffed pretzels dusted with parmesan and served with pesto butter, and a batch of jalapeno and cheddar stuffed pretzels. All of them came out fantastic! Nice and crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside with huge bursts of runny cheeses, pepperoni and spicey jalapenos! The pesto butter was the perfect pairing for the pepperoni and mozarella stuffed pretzel, and so was the Tilted Smile Imperial Pilsner by Uinta brewing.

Speaking of beers, we wanted to make sure we captured the variety of brews you can get at The Malted Barley as well. We had a vast array of malt treasures to choose from that night. The pictures below capture a good fraction of what we had that night, and how varied our selections were. It was interesting to see how different beers paired differently with each pretzel we baked. By the way, Detour IPA by Uinta paired with the jalapeno and cheddar pretzel was killer. The hops complimented the hell out of the spicey jalapenos, and so did the strong alcohol taste on the finish.


As you can see, we had one hell of a night recreating one of the best bar experiences any of us have ever had. Until we all can find time to treck back out to Westerly, Rhode Island I am sure we'll be doing this again, and coming up with new and varied pretzels, as well as beer pairings to have with them. Thanks a lot for the good time Mark, Laura, Alissa and everyone at The Malted Barley, and thanks for the inspiration!



And The Utimate Party Animal...RORI!

                   





 



 

My Bloody Valentine by Alesmith

I have recently become a very enthusiastic fan of Alesmith, and many of the beers they make (see my previous review of their Nut Brown Ale). They do an excellent job of making classic styles, and they also do an exceptional job of putting a west coast spin on traditional styles of beer. Well, this beer is no exception at all. My Bloody Valentine is a red ale, but not a red ale in the traditional sense of the word. It's a red ale that you would expect from southern California hop enthusiasts, as I am sure you'll agree after reading my review below.

Beer Name: My Bloody Valentine
Brewery: Alesmith
Style: Red Ale/Amber Ale
Location: San Diego, CA
Packaging: 22oz bomber
Price: $6.50/22 oz bomber
ABV: 6.66% (so awesome)

Appearance: Very dark amber/mahogany in color, with dark crimson highlights when held up to the light. The beer pours with a thick, creamy white head that is 3 fingers thick and takes forever to dissipate, leaving behind widespread lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malt on the nose, followed by a resinous pine aroma with some citrus (grapefruit) on the back end.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Slightly more than a medium body, but just shy of a full bodied beer. A generous amount of carbonation on this one as well. There's a ton of sweet caramel up front, quickly followed by biscuit and dough flavors. The finish has a beautiful resinous pine flavor that really creates a dry finish to an otherwise malty, sweet beer.

Overall: 9.5/10 This a very interesting, and satisfying take on the classic red/amber ale. It stays true to the style with it's sweet  caramel malt backbone, but the California style of hopping really balances this brew out nicely and surprises you with the strong hop finish. The dry finish of the brew is very refreshing, and allows the mouth coating from the malts to dissipate just in time for the next sip. Once again, Alesmith has done an excellent job of putting a California spin on a classic style! Cheers!

PS-Probably the BEST packaging I have ever seen for a beer. The back of the bottle reads "best paired with dinner for one, or your favorite emo album". Classic.

Stone Enjoy by 04.01.13

I had been waiting a while for my local beer distributor to get this brew in stock. I heard a lot of hype about Stone's new "Enjoy By" series of beers, and how incredibly fresh they were supposed to be. They are supposedly "so fresh" that they're purposely made "not to last", so that the drinker MUST enjoy the beer before the "enjoy by" date.  I was looking all over the store for it for roughly 30 minutes. Defeated and exhausted by my search, I slowly dragged my feet up to the register, eventually accepting that I would never get to try this brew. As I stood at the register (with the other 6 bomber I picked for my stock) I looked at the shelves behind the register, and low and behold there stood multiple bottles of Stone's "Enjoy By 4.01.13". Excited, and with a new found motivation I happily place my beers onto the counter, and pointed my finger behind the cashier and exclaimed, "and one of the 'Enjoy By's' as well please". Finally, I finally got my hands on one! Well, here's the review. I hope you enjoy it.

Beer name: Enjoy By 4.01.13
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Location: San Diego, CA
Style: DIPA
ABV: 9%
Price: $11.99/bomber
Packaging: bomber (1 pt. 6 oz)

Appearance: The beer pours a pale golden hue with a 2 finger thick, creamy white head. There's a generous amount of lacing that slowly falls down the glass. The head is very rich, and very thick.

Aroma: A lot of pineapple up front, which mingles with citrus fruit (grapefruit, orange peel, and some lemon peel). A lot of freshly cut grass on the nose, which gives the beer a really earthy aroma. There is some slight pine and resin on the finish, with some sweet caramel malt coming through at the end as well.

Taste/Mouth Feel: A medium body, with moderate amounts of carbonation. Pineapple and pine notes on the front end, followed by a very sweet (caramel) malt center. The finish has a nice, bitter hopiness and slightly alcoholic taste. There are a lot of crisp, clean tastes on this one. The hops definitely give the beer an earthy taste, and the fresh cut grass profile is present throughout the tasting.

Overall: 9/10 This brew definitely presents itself as a fresh tasting one! The hops give the beer a clean, crisp and dry profile. The malts give the beer a rich caramel sweetness that isn't overwhelming and well balanced with the hop additions. What I really like is that the earthiness of the hops really allow the malt to shine as well in this brew, and leave you with a deliciously clean aftertaste in your mouth. Not a whole lot of a residual mouth coating on this brew. The alcohol linger a bit in the back of your throat, but it doesn't overpower any of the other profiles of the beer. Overall, a very good beer. Cheers!

Flying Dog Double Dog

While perusing the selection at the local beer distributor, I came upon a six pack of the Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale. I have been very much into high ABV beers recently (always), especially high ABV beers that work magic with their malt and hop profiles to create a well balanced beer. Also, it's nice to have one beer, feel a little "nice", and then just call it a night. Sometimes, calling it a night isn't the case at all, and it's nice to go slightly overboard without feeling like a bloated slob. I digress.

The point here is that high ABV beers are very interesting on many levels. What a lot of beer drinkers rarely realize is that the alcohol that is a result of the fermentation process adds just as much to the flavor profile of the beer as the malt, hops, and yeast. I always tell my friends who are just starting to get into craft beer to make sure they sample high ABV beers, along with session beers to see how complex, and differentiated the flavor profiles become. You see? High ABV beers are about more than getting you wrecked. In fact, if that's the only reason you drink these beers, well, then you might be missing some interesting magic that happens during the brewing and fermentation processes.

So, here is my review of the Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale. Honestly, what really caught my attention in the store was the ABV of this brew. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the 11.5% listed on the six pack container. I thought to myself, "That is far more than a Double Pale Ale." I was overwhelmed with excitement to try this one. Well, here's the review...

Brewery: Flying Dog
Beer name: Double Dog
Style: Double Pale Ale
Location: Frederick, MD
ABV: 11.5%
Packaging: 12 oz bottle
Price: $16/6 pack of 12 oz bottles

Appearance: Beautiful, bright amber color indicative of a true Pale Ale. The head on this one is a creamy white, one finger thick head. There is minimal, spotty lacing on the glass. The lacing and the head tend to fall quickly on this one, with very little residual lacing remaining on the glass.

Aroma: A surprising amount of spice on the nose, as well as a malt forward presence. The hop presence is mostly pine and resin. There is also a slight pineapple presence on the nose, as well as a slight amount of citrus,

Taste/Mouth Feel: On the heavier side of medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a generous mouth coating from this brew that lingers for quite a while after the initial sip. A surprising amount of spice up front. I got a bit of pine and resin on the front of the tasting (but not a strong presence, and not for long), followed by a very distinct and strong sweet malt center with hints of toffee and caramel. The finish of the beer has a very distinct alcohol profile, creating a burning alcohol taste in the throat and the back of the mouth.

Overall: 7.5/10 Although this beer is a Pale Ale in appearance, I seriously have an issue with it being referred to as a Pale Ale, being that this is far more along the lines of an American Strong Ale. The hop profiles are present, but not enough to give you the tastes that are associated with Pale Ales. There isn't much going on hop wise on the nose, except for a sight pine and resin presence. I would've expected a hop forward presence on the nose and taste, but they simply weren't there. The sweet malt characters and blatantly present alcohol characters are the stars of this show. Enjoyable, but definitely more of an American Strong Ale than a Pale. Cheers!

Long Trail's Double White (with guest reviewer Alissa DeLucia)

Every great man (yes, I am a great man) has an amazing woman to share his life with. My girlfriend Alissa and I have been together for almost 4 years now. She is the woman I plan on growing old with, there is no question about that. Well, after being with someone for four years there are a few things you discover about them. One of the things I quickly discovered about this wonderful woman was her complete disdain for the taste of beer. I've also discovered how far she is willing to go to show me she loves me. Despite her distaste for malt beverages, she has still accompanied me to many beer events, and countless beer bars just so I can sample and enjoy the brews I hold dear to my heart. There is only one person in this world I love more than beer, family, and friends...and that person is Alissa. So you can imagine the enthusiasm that engulfed me when she said she would review one of the only beers she can tolerate on this blog.

Alissa accompanied me (and a group of 20 friends and acquaintances) this past summer to Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY for the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event. This is where Alissa's taste buds were finally tantalized by a beer she enjoyed. In fact, Alissa visited the Long Trail booth at least seven times to get a refill of their Double White Ale. Quickly she realized that in the diverse world of beer there is something that even she, with the most scrutinizing of taste buds, could find and enjoy. Alas, I give to you the guest review of the one, and only love of my life, the beautiful Alissa DeLucia! I have not doctored this review at all. It's all in her words, and her descriptions.

Beer name: Double White
Brewery: Long Trail Brewery
Location: Vermont
Style: Belgian Double White Ale
ABV: 8%
Packaging: Bomber bottle
Price: $6/bomber

Appearance: Hazy golden orange, with a one finger thick white head.

Aroma: Citrus (lemon zest and orange peel), coriander.

Taste/Mouth feel: Yummy! Not super carbonated, and not gross like other beer. This is lighter than most beer I've had, not as heavy in your mouth. Not a lingering aftertaste with this beer, and a very low carbonation.

Overall: I love this shit! I hate highly carbonated drinks, which is why I enjoy this so much. Is doesn't make you bloated when you drink it, and it's very easy to drink.  I love the citrusy taste and the lighter body. I highly recommend this beer for people that normally hate the taste of beer. I used to really like Blue Moon when I would drink beer, but this beer kills that beer! So if you're into Blue Moon, you've got to try this!

Struise Brewery's Elliot Brew

 

 

Anyone that is into beer knows full well that Belgian Ales are some of the best in the world. Even the though the United States is catching up very quickly, and U.S. breweries are making some great mock Belgian Ales, the truth is there is no substitution for the history and skill that exists in Belgium. That being said, I had never (before now) sampled a beer from Struise. My brother had gotten me two of these 11.2 oz bottles as a Christmas gift. I drank one two days after the holiday, and saved this one to sample further down the road for a review. I was amazed with how much the nose on the beer changed in just three months, and the overall taste of the beer. So, here' my review of Struise's Elliot Brew. Enjoy!

 

Beer Name: Elliot Brew-Vintage 2011

Brewery: Struise Brewery

Location: Woesten-Vleteren, Belgium

Style: Double IPA

Packaging: 11.2 oz bottle

Price: $8+/11.2 oz bottle

ABV: 9%

IBU's: 216 (holy crap)

 

 

Appearance: A dark, coppery amber hue (reminiscent of a red ale), with a large, pronounced creamy white head that is 2-3 fingers thick. A ton of lacing on this brew, and the head takes forever to dissipate. The lacing sticks firmly to the tulip glass, with a generous coat all the way around the glass.

 

Aroma: A lot of candied sugar on the nose, as well as caramel, and spice notes from the Belgian yeast (clove, pepper, and nutmeg). Not getting much as far as hops on the nose at all.

 

Taste/Mouthfeel: A medium body, with a moderate amount of carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Up front there's a lot of the candied sugar, followed by sweet biscuit flavor profiles. However, the dominant sweetness quickly recedes to a very bitter, dry, and hoppy finish. There is an excellent candied sugar coating on the roof of my mouth, coupled with a dry finish over the tongue to the back of my mouth. A nice combination of sweetness and dryness on this brew. The hops are only present for  me on the back end of the tasting, and they're more of a bittering agent in the brew than a floral/aroma hop presence.

 

Overall: 8.5/10 This is a solid Belgian style brew, but it's not a DIPA as far as "American" IPA's go. I didn't get a lot of aroma hops, but the hops are surely present on the finish of the beer (bitter as all holy hell). I would've thought that with 216 IBU's the bitterness would have been present throughout the brew, but the candied sweetness really quells the hop bite, and holds it off to the very end. The beer is very spicey, due to the Belgian style of yeast.  It makes for a very interesting brew, and a very complex flavor profile (spicey, sweet, and bitter). I would more classify this brew as a Belgian dubbel, but definitely not an DIPA. Overall, a very good brew. Cheers!

 



The Malted Barley, Westerly, Rhode Island

 

 



 

This past week, my gilfriend and I took a trip out to eastern Connecticut for a short 2 night vacation. We stayed near Foxwoods, and decided to really "play it by ear" for the entire trip. Tuesday morning, after eating breakfast at an amazing spot called Kitchen Little in Mystic, CT we decided to explore some towns near where we were staying in the North Stonington, CT area. We turned right instead of left off the I 95 exit for Foxwoods, and drove until we came to the village of Westerly, Rhode Island. This quaint little coastal town is just a 15-20 minute ride from the hotels and casino areas. 

 

After a short 15 minute ride, we ended up in the village of Westerly. I was really looking for a bar that served good craft beers, and had a really "chill" atmosphere. While driving, my girlfriend shouted out, "Hey, that looks like it might be a beer bar." I looked over to my left, and like a beacon in the night I saw a sign that read, "The Malted Barley". I was sure that this had to be a craft beer bar, and once my girlfriend and I got back to the hotel room, and I did a little research I saw that I was exactly right. Not only was this a craft beer bar, but it was a craft beer bar that had 36 beers on tap! I was completely consumed by my enthusiasm, and my girlfriend quickly grew tired of me talking about all of the beers I was looking forward to trying later that night.

 

We arrive at The Malted Barley at around 6:30 pm. Upon entering, the frst thing that struck me was the very casual, warm feeling you got as soon as you walked in. There was already a decent crowd there, and the locals and staff all welcomed us with smiles as we entered. The front area of the establishment was lined with tall round tables, that had 4 bar stools around each table. The fairly long bar was also lined with bar stools, as well as locals that were chatting away and sipping their malt beverages. The decor was very warm and simple, with different types of brewery signs, and beer nostalgia hanging sporadically around the walls. It was as though the bar was saying to me "hey man, we're all friends here, so take a seat and order a beer." I am not one to argue when a bar talks to me, so I quickly heeded its advice.

 

As we approached the bar, we were greeted by an incredibly outgoing and warm bartender with excellent tattoos. Being tattooed myself, I love going to a drinking establishment that proudly hires men and women that are clearly inked. Yeah, I am slightly biased here, but it does make me feel more welcome. What was also great was how much the bartender knew about beers. I listened attentively as he made suggestions to a couple sitting next to us at the bar. "Well, if you like hoppy, bitter beers, you should try this. It's a Sixpoint Resin Ale, and it's one of the best IPA's I have ever had." What a great suggestion, and the guy knew his beers. He shot the shit with me on many occassions about New Paltz, NY (the town I went to college in), and different beers we've tried. He was incredibly personable. And yes, I know it's his job to be personable, but he was personable in a way that made you feel like the guy really wanted to talk to you about beer. You could tell he enjoyed working there, and you could tell he took pride in his beer knowledge.

 

When the bartender handed us the beer/cocktail/food menu, I was quickly flabbergasted by what I saw. First, my girlfriend was completely satisfied with the selection of house cocktails, and the selection even made ME want one (I'm not a liqour drinker). Secondly, the beer list was a colossal representation of everything delicious in beer. There are 36 beers on tap, and even more selections in bottles and cans. I had never, ever seen Lagunitas Sucks on tap until I came into this bar. The menu was laid out by style of beer. This struck me as an excellent idea, and it makes it really easy for people looking to try specific styles. What also struck me was how well rounded the beer menu was, which offered a generous selection of every style you could imagine. I sampled two beers from the local brewery (and by local I mean a half mile from the bar). The brewery is known by the name Grey Sail Brewing. I had a pint of their smoked porter, as well as their Anniversary Imperial Pilsner. The smoked porter was excellent, with a rich dark roasted character and a significant amount of smoked notes. The brew also had a sweet maly backbone, with hint of chocolate and coffee. Overall, and excellent smoked porter. The imperial pilsner was also a fantastic offering. There was definitely a strong malt presence, which was balanced well with the aroma hops. A nice biscuit finish, with a slight bite from the hops made this a damn near perfect brew. I also had the Rogue Chocolate Stout, as well as the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. The Rogue Chocolate stout didn't offer any surprises for me. It was full bodied, and had strong notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and caramel. The Cali-Belgique IPA by Stone really threw me for a loop. It had a nice amount of lemon zest up front, followed by a sweet malt backbone, and a beautiful clove and pepper finish. The beer reminded me of the offspring of a belgian witte and a west coast IPA. After having the beers I enjoyed, I wished I had the time and tolerance to try everything they offered here. Any style of beer you like, The Malted Barley has got you covered with multiple options!

 

 

The last, but certainly one of the most important aspects of this bar I would like to address is the food. I can some up the food these guys offer with just one word...pretzels. YES PRETZELS! The Malted Barley's food menus consists soley of pretzel options. Don't get me wrong, these aren't your run of the mill frozen, salted, dried out desperate imitations of a bavarian treat. Quite the contrary indeed. These pretzels are made with fresh, homemade dough, and stuffed or covered with fresh ingredients. Some of the pretzel options are; Asiago and Parmesan, Mozarella and Tomato stuffed with a side of pesto, and the Cheddar and Jalapeno stuffed pretzel. Not to mention, they also offer an array of "pretzel sandwiches" which are served on pretzel buns! Seeing this food menu made everything else in the bar seem that much MORE perfect. I mean, come on...an menu comprised of nothing but pretzel options in a beer bar? Well, hell, that is damn near perfection as far as I am concerned. I had the Jalapeno and Cheddar stuffed pretzel with a side of apricot butter paired with the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA.  If this wasn't complete perfection, it was at least the closest I had every come to it as far as taste is concerned.

 

So, I am going to end this review here. Please, go check out the menus at The Malted Barley, and also check out Grey Sail Brewing's website as well. Rhode Island has a lot of creative, and inspirational things going on. You can tell they pride themselves on community, and really try to help each other out. So, I am going to show how much their warm hospitalty effected me by doing the same! Cheers!

 

Troeg's Nugget Nectar

 

 

So this is the second Troeg's beer that I've reviewed on this blog, the first being Mad Elf a few month's ago. Troeg's is yet another testament to how booming the craft industry in Pennsylvania has become!This wasn't my first encounter with Nugget Nectar, despite its elusive release schedule and distribution. I managed to get my hand on a couple of six packs of this brew last year as well, and I had very fond memories of the hop characters of the brew. When I saw it available at my local distributor again I had to pick it up (and I am lucky to have 3 amazing distributors within a 10 minute drive that can get really rare stuff). It's a very satisfying, hybridish brew that holds back no punches at all with their hop characterization. A lot of people call it an "IPA", but the truth is it's a hopped up red ale (think Lagunita's Imperial Red). So, before I give away anymore about this gem, read the full review below:

 

Name: Nugget Nectar

Brewery: Troeg Brother's

Location: Hershey, PA

Style: IPA? Imperial Red Ale
ABV: 7.5%
Price: $15/6 pack
Packaging: 12 oz bottle

Appearance: Pours a beatifully clear reddish/dark amber hue, with a copper piping brightness when held up to the light. The beer pours a solid 2-3 finger thick cream colored head. The head provides spotty lacing on the glass that sticks around for quite some time.

Aroma: A lot of pine/skunky cannabis notes on the first scent. A lot of piney resin on the nose, with muffled citrus notes.

Taste/Mouthfeel: A moderate amount of carbonation on this one, and a medium body that leaves a generous, lingering mouth coating. This is total resin galore! A ton of pine and resin on the front of the tasting, followed by more pronounced citrus notes (orange peel mainly) in the middle, followed by a sweet malt finish. A nice bitterness up front, but not at all overpowering due to the welcomed balance of the sweet malt characters. A beautiful breadiness in the finish, reminiscent of biscuit/biscuit dough.

Overall: 9/10 Definitely a bitter beer, but not nearly as bitter as one would think drinking a beer that touts "93ish" IBU's. What really quells the bitterness is the focus of the malt in this brew, and it's also what impressed me the most. You still get the pine and resin of the nugget, warrior and tomahawk hops up front, but the malt characters quell it enough for you to fully appreciate the complexity of these hop varieties. I would suggest this one for hop heads, as well as those that enjoy a delicious sweet malt character in their beer. Although the beer is bitter, the malt balance will leave those of you that are into a more balanced beer scratching your heads with this one. Personally, I remember this being far more bitter last year, and I was expecting a slightly more bitter offering. However, Troeg's has once again offered us all another balanced, beautifully crafted ale! Cheers!

Full Sail's Pale Doppelbock

 

I am apparently a late bloomer when it comes to west coast breweries outside of the borders of California. Once I discovered Rogue over a decade ago, it took me about four years before I allowed myself to explore more deeply into other non-Californian west coast craft brews . Well, recently I found a brewery that also hails from Oregon, and can seriously give Rogue a run for their money (or market share). That brewery is Full Sail from Hood River, Oregon. Yes, they've been around for 25 years (slightly longer than Rogue), and I am completely aware of how late I am in discovering them, but I am just grateful I finally got into their brews. Oregon is a bastion of amazing breweries, and I completely fell in love with Full Sail over the winter after purchasing a six pack of their Wassail winter warmer ale.  A fantastically spicy, peppery winter warmer that deserves far more than the 86 beer advocate gave it. Well, I'm not here to review that beer, however, I am here to review their Pale Doppelbock. So, here it goes...

 

Beer Name: Full Sail 25th Anniversary Pale Doppelbock

Brewery: Full Sail

Location: Hood River, OR

ABV: 9%

Price: around $8/1pt 8oz. bottle.

Packaging: bottle (1pt 8oz)

Poured into a tulip glass

 

 

Appearance: A bright amber color, indicative of a lager. A finger thick cream colored head, with a slight caramel tint. The head leaves spotty lacing behind on the glass.

 

Aroma: Bread and peppery hop notes on the nose, as well as some caramel and slight brown sugar. Also, some mild spiced fruit notes.

 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Moderate amounts of carbonation, and a medium body. Sweet bread notes up front, with mild pepper in the middle. There is a slight alcohol bite on the finish (hardly even noticeable) followed by a nice, lingering hop bitterness. Think of a more spicy, peppery lager with a larger bittering hop finish. The malts shine in this brew, and the bread/biscuit sweetness is really this star.

 

Overall: 8/10 I really enjoyed this brew, but I was expecting more of a full body There was an unexpected hopiness to this on the finish, which I found a bit misplaced but intriguing and enjoyable. This beer reminded me of a traditional British IPA crossed with a lager. Sweet, spicy, with a medium body. It was very drinkable, and very dangerous with a 9% abv. If it wasn't for the slight bite at the end, I would swear to heaven I was drinking a session lager. Overall, a successful brew that has you scratching your head afterwards wondering just what style of beer you just drank. Worth trying, and I would definitely try again. Cheers!

Keegan Ales, Keeping it local!

When I first got into craft beer, it was due to my initial love affair with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That was almost 15 years ago, well before breweries began popping up in the Mid Hudson Valley of upstate New York. I became quickly hooked on many west coast brewers, mainly Anchor and Sierra Nevada. There was no locally brewed option back then, and there weren't many regionally produced beers either.

10 years ago Keegan Ales was born in Kingston, NY. They quickly became a "go to" spot for local, fresh, handcrafted ales and lagers. Besides Hyde Park Brewing Company, Keegan was one of the first breweries in the Dutchess/Ulster county area to offer good food, great atmosphere, and a solid line of beers for the populace to indulge in. I recently stopped in there (it had been about a year since my last visit) to see what's new with Tommy Keegan and his crew. Let me just say, I was impressed yet again with how timeless this place really is. The atmosphere always stays the same, their mainstay beers stay the same as well, but they always offer you something new and different on the tap lines and in the kitchen. Here's a review of how our visit went.

My father and I pulled into the parking lot at around 12:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon in early February. As we pulled into our parking space, I gazed across the parking lot at an adjacent building and saw a sign that read "Keegan Home Brew and Mercantile Exchange". Holy sh#t! Keegan Ales now has a home brew and merchandise store right next door to the brewery. The staff in the shop are very knowledgeable (the guy I spoke to for 45 minutes brews during the week at the brewery). The shop is also staffed by home brewers who know what they're talking about. They have malt extract as well as grain malt for you to choose from. This makes the transition from extract, to partial grain, to all grain brewing possible. The people staffing the store will walk you through what you need, and can answer any questions you might have about home brewing. The store offers any kind of grain malt you could think of, including roasted, pale , and rye malts to name a few. Whatever you are looking to brew, theses guys have you covered! The store also offers Keegan Ale merchandise such as beer, t shirts, hats and other nick-nacks. They are also offering home brew classes for just $20, and home brew starter kits for just $85! A conveniently located shop for those of us that get inspired having a pint in the tap room next door! I plan on taking some classes there, and buying my home brew kit from them soon.

After out 45 minute nerd out session at the home brew shop, my Dad and I sauntered back across the parking lot to get some lunch and brews at the brewery tap room/pub. The first thing that strikes you when you walk in is the glass wall to the right that gives you a full, panoramic view of the actual brewery. You can gaze out, while sipping your beer and see where it was produced. It's really a great idea, and like everything else at Keegan, it's clearly designed to get people interested in the art of brewing.

The second thing you notice walking in is the non-posh, working class feeling you get from the tap room/pub. If there's one thing I hate while enjoying a beer (especially with the elite catching on to the craft beer craze) is pretentious assholes lurking around while I am trying to enjoy my beer. Beer is a working class drink, and I don't want to hear some douchey day trader spouting off about how much he made in the market this past week. I would rather hear people vent about shitty bosses, callused hands, and trying to make ends meet. This place is exactly that. You can tell Tommy Keegan and crew bust their asses to bring you their labor of love, and they clearly want to share it with people that bust their asses as well.

Then, of course, there's the beer on tap! That day I had the barley wine ale called "Super Kitty" (12%abv), "Black Eye" black IPA (6.5%), and the "Swarmin' Hive" honey vanilla porter. The Super Kitty was strong, very strong. I could really taste the alcohol, and it had an almost barrel aged flavor to it (like whiskey). However, it was quite delicious and very dangerous indeed. The Black Eye was my favorite, combining strong floral hop characters with roasted malts. This created some complex flavor profiles, with the aroma hops hitting you up front and fading into a dark chocolate/roasted coffee character, and finishing with a lingering hop bitterness. The Swarmin Hive was also quite delicious, with neither the vanilla nor the honey being too overpowering, and there's a great balance between the roasted malt sweetness and hop characters as well.

The food is also killer! My dad and I ordered the Nachos, Carrot Ginger soup, and soft pretzels. Everything was fantastic, and the Carrot Ginger soup was to die for. It was sweet, with a nice amount of spice from the ginger. An excellent soup for the winter doldrums, and it paired well with the Super Kitty barleywine ale which complimented the bold flavors of the soup well.

If you haven't been to Keegan, I don't know what the hell you are waiting for. Go check out their website at www.keeganales.com to see their menu, and what they currently have on tap! Organize a group of friends, and head on up (or down) to Kingston for an overall amazing time, with a brewery that promotes local business as well as the DIY (do it yourself) ethic of craft brewing! Cheers!

Lagunitas Sucks Ale

 

 

To say that  I love this brewery would be an understatement. Since I first had my first tasting of Hop Stoopid over two years ago, I've been pimping this brewery around as though I owned it myself. They're masters of the manipulation of hop profiles, and manage to get some of the most complex hop aromas and tastes on the planet. They've mastered IPA's in all of their forms, and I tell anyone who asks me for a good IPA to try anything Lagunita's has put out. Hop Stoopid, Maximus IPA, IPA, Lil Sumpin Sumpin, Lil Sumpin Sumpin Wild, and the Imperial Red Ale are all some of my favorites on the planet. When I want hops, I want Lagunitas. It's as simple as that.

 

I've heard about Lagunitas Sucks Ale for the past couple of winters, but before this past winter I had yet to get my paws on a bottle of it. I asked my local distributor if they would be getting it in a week after its release in December, and they couldn't tell me jack shit. So, I waited patiently...very patiently. I went to the distributor every single day for three weeks straight to see if it had come in yet. Then, one glorious Wednesday evening I went on to the beer distributor's website and saw Lagunitas Sucks listed as one of their beers recently added to the roster. Sure enough, I ran down to the store the following day and quickly swiped up a six pack of it. I was like a little kid, boring the hell out of my girlfriend by going into great detail of my excitement about mynew acqusition. Surely, she couldn't have cared less, but I needed someone to share my excitement with. So now, I will share it with you, my trusty readers who will appreciate the love I have for this brew, and this brewery. Alas, let my review begin...

 

Name: Lagunitas Sucks Ale

Brewey: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: Double/Imperial IPA

ABV: 7.85%

Packaging: 12oz bottle

Price: $13/6 pack of 12 oz bottles

 

Appearance: Beautiful bright copper hue, with a thick, creamy white 2-3 finger thick head. Loads of lacing on this one that sticks rather firmly to the glass.

 

Aroma: A graefruit explosion on the nose! Load of citrus esters (grapefruit, orange peel and lemon zest). Also floral hops aromas, reminiscent of orange blossoms. Also some mild sweetness on the nose.

 

Taste/Mouth feel: Medium bodied brew, with plenty of carbonation and a dry mouth feel. The citrus hop characters really add to the dryness of the beer, and give it an almost dry Riesling type of mouth feel. I am also getting a moderately thick mouth coating, especially on the roof of my mouth, which also rolls over my tongue toward my throat on each sip. Beautifully complex citrus notes up front, which fade slightly to allow candied fruit esters to settle in for a bit before a clean, bitter hop finish. The candied fruit esters are reminiscent of fruit esters you'd get from Belgian ales. A very complex flavor profile, as well as mouth feel.

 

Overall: 10/10 This has taken the lead as my new favorite brew from Lagunitas. If you like hops, you'll want to marry this beer on the first sip. The aromas, taste, and mouth feel evolve and tease you with each sip. It's an insanely clean, dry, crisp beer that bombards you with citrus esters, and a medium bodied malt sweetness. If you like Lil Sumpin Sumpin, this beer will surely throw you for a loop. Highly recommended. Cheers!

 



Alesmith's Nut Brown Ale

I am always elated, and filled with nothing more than complete enthusiasm when I discover a brewery that is new to me. It's like a new avenue of delicious possibilities opens up, and another craft genius collides with me and allows me to sample and enjoy her/his elixirs. They've been around since 1995 (making them a fairly young brewery). What I really love about this brewery is that they really focus on classic styles of ales and lagers, and really focus on balance in the brews that they make. The Nut Brown Ale was no exception to their focus and attention. You should really check them out online at www.alesmith.com and get down to your local distributor and DEMAND their brews! Well, here is my review of their Nut Brown Ale:

Name: Nut Brown Ale
Brewery: Alesmith Brewing Company www.alesmith.com
Location: San Diego, CA
ABV: 5%
Price: $6.49/1pt, 6oz bottle
Packaging: 1pt, 6 oz bottle

Appearance: Dark, rich mahogany in color with a mocha-caramel cream colored head that is 2-3 fingers thick. There's loads of heavy, thick lacing on the glass, adding to the overall visual appeal of this beer.

Aroma: At first you definitely get roasted coffee and cocoa notes on the nose, followed by bread and biscuit scents. Overall a lot of sweetness on the nose.

Taste/Mouthfeel: A moderate amount of carbonation, creating a very dry flavor despite the sweetness of this brew. Up front, there is a lot of sweet roasted malt flavors (coffee, cocoa), also molasses notes quickly followed by bread and biscuit notes. Toward the end, an earthy hop bitterness bites you just before fading off into the horizon. The full body on this beer leaves a lingering mouth coating of molasses and biscuit.

Overall: 10 out of 10. This is an excellent representation of a tradtional English Nut Brown Ale. This is a near perfect, sessionable beer that I could easily see myself drinking over a plate of bangers and mash at a British pub. It would pair perfectly with any red meat dish, from burgers to beef stew. I would also drink this paired with venison, as well as any sausage or fatty pork dish. Try it as soon as you get the chance! Cheers!

21st Amendment's Fireside Chat

I heard a lot about this beer from my instagram/facebook beer buddies, so I naturally had to pick up a six pack of it. I picked up the six pack as an X Mas day brew, to have with X Mas dinner. I saved one beer to review, and it was near impossible to impose enough self control to make that possible. Anyway, here's my write up of the brew:

Name: Fireside Chat
Brewery: 21st Amendment
Location: San Francisco, CA
Style: Winter Warmer/Winter Spiced Ale
ABV: 7.9%
Packaging: Can
Price: $9.99/six pack of 12 oz cans.

Appearance: Very, very dark mahogany in color, with a 2-3 finger thick caramel cream colored head. Light lacing around the glass that falls rather quickly.

Aroma: Clove and nutmeg, as well as cinnamon. Warm apple cider notes as well, coupled with banana bread, as well was dried fruit. Spicey and fruity.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The carbonation is on the light side, and the beer itself has a very "dry" mouthfeel. This is definitely a full bodied, complex brew. There are a lot of spice notes up front, such as clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, followed by roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes (with accompanying bitterness). I am also getting some sweet cider notes before the finish, followed by banana bread, and a long lingering bitterness on the finish. At times, this is very reminiscent to a spiced dunkelweizen with it's rich chocolate/roasted malt taste coupled with the added spice. Moderately drinkable, but it definitely fills you up.

Overall: 10/10 I have had a few other 21st Amendment beers, but this has been the best offering I have had from them. If you're into dunkels, as well as belgian ales, well then this is the perfect almagamation for you. It's a very unique mix of two very different styles of beers, but both styles (belgian ale and dunkel) have their roots deep in winter time sippings. If you are a fan of either styles of beer, I strongly suggest you try this one. It definitely lives up to the name of "winter warmer". I am finishing up my glass as I type this, the snow outside is falling pretty hard, and this beer just makes the pearl white blanket falling outside feel "just right". An excellent winter brew. Cheers!

Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale

This brew came as part of a mix 12 pack that I bought on a whim. I had never had any Widmer Brother's beers previously, and I thought this would be a good chance to get a sampling of a few beers this brewery has to offer. The first brew I am reviewing here is the Widmer Brother's Drifter Pale Ale. The west coast (thanks to Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Stone, and others) has done a very good job redefining what pale ales and IPAs have been commonly known to be. They've all created new, distinct, and diverse hop profiles that keep hop enthusiasts coming back for more and more. I will be the first to admit, I am a hop junkie. I love hoppy, bitter beers more than anything in the beer world. However, I often times can find the overuse or misuse of hops incredily offensive. I wants my hops, but I still want my malt as well. So, when hops are overdone, especially in a pale ale, I get very offended. With IPA's I expect an overuse of hops, but when I am drinking a pale ale I expect more of a balance. So, I was curious to see Widmer Brother's take on a traditional American Pale Ale. I was pleasantly surprised.

Brewery: Widmer Brother's
Location: Portland, OR
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Price: $16 for mix 12 pack (also included a grapefruit IPA, a hefeweizen, and an oktofest beer as well)

Appearance: Not a very pale ale at all. In fact, the beer pours a rather dark amber color. Not at all reminiscent of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or any of the other West Coast vairieties of Pales. There is a nice, finger thick head and generous amounts of loose lacing around the rim of the glass. There is also generous amounts of carbonation.

Aroma: Some grapefruit and lemon zest on the nose, followed by faint piney notes. Also, a lot of bread on the nose as well, remiscent of pizza dough.

Taste/Mouhfeel: Medium body, a lot more body than other pale ales I am used to. Generous amounts of carbonation  help ease out the medium body of the brew. Beautiful hop characters up front such as grapefruit bitterness, but not overpowering at all. Very subtle hop characteristics, that quickly take a step back and allow the pale malts to take over the show. The finish of the beer has the sweetness of thepale malts dominating, resmiscent of a sweet citrusy dessert bread on the back end. Think of lemon bread, with a slight bite of bitterness of the lingering aftertaste.

Overall: 8/10 I enjoyed this a lot. However, it was a bit more body than I am used to in a pale ale. This was definitely a darker brew, and far more complex in flavor profiles than most pales that I have had. The balance between malt sweetness and hop characters, however, was excellent and really allowed the pale malts and sweetness to shine through without being overpowered with aroma or bittering hops. A well balanced, delicious pale-ish ale (he he he), that serves as a great salute to pale malt and hops. Cheers!

Lagunita's Maximus IPA

 

 

Lagunita's is an excellent brewery from Petaluma, California. They are masters of the hop, and most of their beers have a very distinct hop characteristic to them. Personal favorites of mine are their Hop Stoopid Ale, Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale, and their Daytime Pale Ale. They take their beer very seriously, but their labeling and their message isn't very serious at all. You'll find very funny creative names on their beers (I mean...hop  stoopid? Hysterical!), and there are always funny anecdotes behind the creation of each beer printed on the labels.

 

So I recently decided to do a review of Lagunita's Maximus IPA. I've had this a few times before, and really wanted to write a review of it. So, here it is...

 

Beer: Maximus IPA

Brewery: Lagunita's Brewing

Location: Petaluma, CA

ABV: 8.2%

Style: Double IPA

 

Appearance: Beautiful pale amber in color, with a 2 finger thick cream colored head. Visibly carbonated, with plenty of carbonation sticking to the glass.

 

Aroma: Citrus and pine notes dominate on the nose, specifially grapefruit and juniper. Very crisp, clean aromas remiscent of citrus zests.

 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Definitely a generous amount of carbonation on this one, and it helps to give an airy feel to an otherwise medium body brew. At first, you get the sweetness of the pale malts, followed quickly by citrus and pine, specifically grapefruit notes dominating in the middle. On the finish you get a lot of the bittering hops, which linger for a bit, giving you one last hop bite. Definitely a hop lover's dream.

 

Overall: 10/10 I loved this beer. I was surprised to be hit with the sweet malt characters at first on this one, and then have the hops hitting me as a secondary taste explosion. Not very common with most double IPA's. It was a pleasnt surprise, and it almost played a mind game with me. The finish is a spendid bitterness, and really gets you in your cheeks and under your tongue. It's also amazing how the hops aromas and tastes on this one are near identical, with grapefruit being the real star of the show. A complex, and very drinkable DIPA! I wholheartedly endorse this brew! And as Lagunita's logo states "BEER SPEAKS!" CHEERS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Newburgh Brewing Company's "Sterk Ale Von Hoodie"

Here's the last review in my three part review of Newburgh Brewing Company beers. All 3 beers are part of their "Brewed With Heart" series of beers. The"Brewed With Heart" beers are small, usually single batch beers that are availabl for a limited time. They're not part of their year-round rotation. However, it seems as though the "Brewed With Heart" series sometimes has an influence on what the brewery may put in their year round rotation. Recently, a post from Newburgh Brewing on facebooks stated that their Madura-Menditto Harvest Ale was such a hit that they're brewing a new whole cone hopped Pale Ale that might become part of their seasonal rotation. One can only hope that this is the case, because the harvest ale was off the damn hook good! An excellent american pale! Anyway, so here's the review of their "Sterk Ale Von Hoodie" Belgian Strong Ale. Enjoy!

Brewery: Newburgh Brewing Company
Location: Newburgh, NY
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 10.2%
Packaging: Draft

Appearance: Beautifule godlden hues, with not much of a head. Razor thin creamy white head. Decent amount of lacing on the glass despite the absence of a defined head, and the lacing sticks fairly firmly to the glass.

Aroma: Definitely getting a lot of spice on the nose. Predominantly clove aromas, followed by nutmeg and brown sugary notes.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Spicey notes (mainly clove, pepper) dominant the initial tasting, whoch slowly gives way to a molasses/brown sugar sweetness. The finish consists of the brown sugary sweetness followed by a small, insignificant bite from the alcohol. However, you hardly notice it, making this beer incredible drinkable, and dangerous with it's 10.2% ABV.

Overall: 10 out of 10. I loved this. I am a huge fan of Belgian Strongs, but at times I feel like the spice notes become a bit too much. In this brew the spice notes aren't overpowering, and the sweetness of the malts are allowed to shine through to the finish. A completely enjoyable ale that will keep you warm on those cold winter nights. This is, hands down, my favorite beer from Newburgh at this moment. So remember, it's part of their "Brewed With Heart" series of beers, which means it won't be around long. So, the next time you're looking to warm yourself up on a cold winter's night, get down to the brewery on Colden St. in Newburgh and allow this beer to wrap it's warm arms around your frigid flesh! Cheers!

Unkel Dunkel (Dunkelweizen) from Newburgh Brewing Company

Ok, so here's my second review of a Newburgh Brewing Company beer. Like I've said, I love what Chris comes up with at the Brewery, and you can taste his attention to detail in every batch you taste. This review is of their Unkel Dunkel, which is a Dunkelweizen style of brew. Dunkelweizens are German Wheat beers, however, unlike the hefeweizen the Dunkel is a darker version of the typical German wheat beer. (The word "dunkel" meaning "dark").

Style: Dunkelweizen
ABV: 4%
From: Newburgh Brewing Company, Newburgh, NY
Packaging: Draft at the tap room.

Appearance: Very dark brown, black coffee appearance. A nice 1-2 finger thick creamy taupe colored head. Decent amount of carbonation can be seen sticking to the glass. Also, a decent lacing at the top of the head that sticks to the glass as the head dissapears.

Aroma: A lot of sweet, malty aromas come off on the nose at first, followed by banana notes and chocolate notes. Also getting some chocolate notes and roasted coffee as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Generous amounts of carbonation on this one give it an "airy" feel to your mouth. On the first sip banana bread, carmalized malt and chocolate notes seem to prevail, followed by slightly bitter chocolate notes on the back end. The beer seems to get sweeter with subsequent sips, giving way to banana notes, and banana bread notes. As you continue, the banana bread notes mingle with the chocolate on the back end, and there's always that bitter chocolate bite on the finish.

Overall:  Another outstanding traditional session beer from Newburgh Brewing Company. These guys kill it with their devotion to traditional session beers, and they do it so damn well. This is an excellent example of a dunkel, and houses all of the complexities you would expect from a German brewery. Definitely another one of my favorites from Newburgh! Cheers fellas!

Score: 9/10-Very, very delicious.

Newburgh Brewing Company's Old Tjikko Baltic Spruce Porter

Let me start this off by saying I love Newburgh Brewing Company. Paul and Chris have something very special going on over there, and being that the brewery is only 10 minutes from my house, it's my "go to" tap room when I want fresh craft beer. I went to the brewery with my brother last Sunday (12/09/12), and I had 3 different offerings from the brewery. I will post my reviews of all 3 beers in subsequent posts, however, I will start in this post with Old Tjikko Baltic Spruce Porter which was released on 12/7/12.

Style: Baltic Spruce Porter
ABV: 6.6%
Price: $5 per glass.
Location: Newburgh, NY

Appearance: Pitch black with a caramel head that is roughly 1-2 fingers thick. Genersous amounts of lacing that sticks firmly to the glass.

Aroma: Strong, very strong pine notes. The pine notes fade out to chocolate and mint chocolate aromas.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer, with a very thick feel in the mouth. This is what many would call a "chewy" beer. There is a medium amount of carbonation. The pine is overwhelming on the first sip, and it over powers whatever else is going on in the beer. After subsequent sips, the pine subsides a bit and allows the chocolate/roasted coffee notes to creep in a bit on the finish. The finish is also slightly bitter, with dark chocolate notes and hints of mint. However, the spruce notes stick around long after the finish and overpower the beer a lot.

Overall: I can't say this is my favorite offering from Newburgh. They have a ton of great brews, but this one just isn't my thing. I love porters, but the spruce in this beer overpowers the tastes I commonly associate with porters (roasted/chocolate notes).  I suggest everyone tries it, because it's quite the experience, but it's not for the faint of heart. This is definitely for beer connoisseurs looking to broaden their palettes.

Score: 7/10

Stay tuned for my reviews of Newburgh's Unkel Dunkel (Dunkelweizen) and their Sterk Al Von Hoodie (Belgian Strong Ale).

Dogfish Head's Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (2010 batch)

Imagine being faced everyday with the worst temptation imaginable. After a long day of work, you walk into your front door and you are faced with a temptation that you've promised to turn your face from. You've read various reviews, and heard others talk about this temptation and it makes it more and more difficult to resist. Well, this is what I was faced with during the 2 years I cellared my Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. A full 730 days of wanting, so badly, to just have a taste of what was inside the bottle. I had heard from so many people how amazing it was, but I had made a promise to a close friend that we would drink our respective bottles on his 30th birthday together. First, like I have stated in a previous post, I'm not a huge proponent of Dogfish Head beers. Their IPA's are good (the 120 is stellar, but overpriced as all of their beers are), and I also enjoy their Raison D'Etre, and a few other offerings. I got very excited about the Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. It sounded like an interesting beer, and the reviews I read made me even more interested. I had bought my bottle, as well as my friend's on his 28th birthday when we both decided to cellar the beer for 2 full years and enjoy it together when the time came. Well, on December 4th of 2012 the time came. Here is my review:

Style: Stout
ABV: 9%
Price: $15/24oz bottle
Packaging: Bottle

Appearance: The color is a dark as night...pitch black, with a caramel brown head roughly 2 fingers thick. It has a rich lacing on the glass, very this lacing, which sticks firmly to the glass and hardly moves down the glass.

Aroma: Amazing, simply amazing. Chocolate overload on the nose, as well as mocha-coffee notes. A deep, rich roasted smell with hints of smoke.  Incredible.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Very full bodied, with a medium amount of carbonation. Right off the bat I am bombarded with roasted/smoked flavors, coupled with dark chocolatey bitterness. After the initial bitter chocolate and roasted notes, sweeter malty chocolate notes prevail. This train ride ends with a more bitter finish, reminiscent of Angostura Bitters, but the bold chocolate/roasted/smoke flavor profiles prevail throughout the tasting.

Overall: A very interesting, and complex beer. Although this beer is brewed with honey, I don't get any distinctive notes of honey at the front or the back end of the tasting. I'm not a huge fan of stouts either, but this one had me craving a sip after the finish of each sip. If you love rich smoked, roasted malt and chocolate flavors, then this beer is surely for you. I  would definitely drink this as a desert beer, possibly with chocolate mousse, or dark chocolate ganache. Enjoy!

Score: 9/10

Troeg's Mad Elf

I bought this beer on a whim, looking desperately to try a seasonal winter ale that I hadn't had before. I had heard that Mad Elf was a Belgian Strong (one of my favorite styles), and then seeing "ale brewed with cherries and honey" on the side I became a little hesitant, not being a big fan of ales brewed with fruit and various other ingredients. I have actually had an issue lately with the overabundance of "experimental" brews that throw all kinds of ingredients together in beers to create "new and unique" flavors. I call it the "Dogfisheading" of the beer industry, being that Sam Caligione's success has really spearheaded this movement of "experimentation." Don't get me wrong, Sam is a genius, and he makes some amazing beers, but I have the mindset that you should "learn to crawl before you walk", meaning, brew some traditional brews (which Sam has done well) before you start throwing 25 different ingredients into your batches. I also believe this is true for beer "connoisseurs", that if you're going to really get into tasting different beer styles you need to try the classics first. Plus, my own beer palate enjoys tasting the different malts, hops, and yeasts used in making certain traditonal beer varieties. I simply don't want those flavors masked, or hindered by the presence of unecessary ingredients.

That being said, I decided to take a gamble with this brew. I didn't even notice the ABV of the ale until  I reached the counter and saw the price of the six pack ($18 and change). A little steep for a sixer, but when you're buying a six pack of 12oz bottles that are 11% ABV each, it's expected. I picked up the six pack at a local beer distributor called "Half Time" which is, hands down, the largest beer store I have ever been in. You can check them out at www.halftimebeverage.com, and if you're ever in the Poughkeepsie, NY area you will be left completely speechless and overwhelmed by their selection, like a kid in a candy shop.

Appearance: Very dark mahogany in color. Clearly a belgian-style ale with it's very dark, reddish brown tint. Almost no head at all on this one, with slight lacing at the top when you swirl the glass round. It also has very low carbonation, not a vigoursly bubbly brew at all.

Aroma: At first, I get a lot of candied fruit smells, very remniscent of dehydrated fruit. A lot of spice notes as well, and a brown sugar scent.

Taste/Mouthfeel: On my first sip I there is a clear presence of candied fruit/brown sugar tastes, and also molasses notes. This sweet taste dissipates to a slight bitterness on the back end, with a little nip of alcohol at the very end. During my addtional sips I get a lot more of the molasses notes, coupled with more of the candied fruit notes. The lack of carbonation makes this suprisingly drinkable (and dangerous). In additional sips the sweetness of the honey becomes more prevalent, quelling the nip of the alcohol on the back end. This is definitely a full bodied beer, with very deep, rich, and complex flavor profiles. It almost evolves with each sip, and you can discover new tastes each time you put it to your mouth.

Overall: 9 out of 10. Every so often a seasonal beer comes along whose aromas, taste and overall feel force you into the mindset of that season. This beer has done exactly that. After finishing the beer I felt as though I had thrown a warm, wool sweater on (probably the high ABV of the brew). With the full body of the Belgian Strong, Troegs did an excellent job of conveying the feeling associated with the season. Feelings of warmth, spice, sweetness, and joy. Mad Elf is a beer that is a fitting holiday brew, a real "warmer" that throws you into memories of sitting around a burning yule log listening to family members regale you with stories of holidays past. Pick this one up, and enjoy with some friends and family this holiday season.