Murphy's Irish Stout:
Hello all, let’s talk stouts, that great dark concoction that the English came up way back when (like the 1720 for a porter though stout origins is a bit older, 1677).  Anyway, stouts were the first outside the box beer for myself and probably a lot of you though they also tend to scare a whole bunch of people.  Murphy’s Irish Stout is today’s beer and it’s not the Guinness imitator I thought it was.  The beer pours well with slowly building head that actually thickens with time with the ascending carbonation (it’s similar to Guinness in this regard though not as noticeable).  One thing I did notice that was different about this stout (besides taste) is that the color is more ruby than black, letting light through at the bottom of the tulip glass and giving the beer an odd glow.  The nose is of coffee and roasted malts while the taste is similar with roasted malts and coffee with a hint of chocolate and  some back-end smokiness.  Really the flavor of the beer is a little to much, not having the silky smoothness of Guinness or the overall top to bottom goodness of Buried Hatchet.  Most other reviews I read on the beer make mention that the pasteurization of the beer as a reason for it’s…it’s different taste.  Not a bad beer, just odd and I’ve found to many other good stouts and porters this year to let this one stick in my memory past tonight. 

Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale:
Ah, greetings fellow beer drinkers (and video game lovers) and welcome to a rare review.  What’s so rare about it you ask?  Simple, it’s a gimmick beer that is actually is good, really good.  Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale is a delicious and nicely rounded beer that should be more widely available.  The beer, courteously of someone’s visit to the land of Jayhawks, Wildcats and Chiefs, the beer has been endorsed by geek and video game magazines a like for it’s great taste as well as it’s cleaver can design.  The beer pours well with a thick white head that emits almost no smell at all while the beer itself is a cloudy golden color with an abundance of carbonation.  After the head works itself down, the nose comes out as a lemon and grass smell with notes of hops and a bit of bread.  The taste is very smooth full of hops and a touch of lemon and no real notice of the carbonation that was so noticeable in the glass.  There is a slight hint of sweetness and malts on the front end of the beer with a mid-tongue of just hops and a dry-ish hop flavor on the back-end and aftertaste.  This is a really good pale ale which is saying something since most pale ale’s I’ve tried so far this year have been so-so and not memorable.  Don’t think this is available outside Kansas but if it is, grab a can, you won’t be disappointed.  

Pyramid Hefeweizen:
Hello young and old and welcome to another beer review for the masses.  Today we look at that summer beer staple- the hefeweizen and this time, it’s Pyramid’s turn to tackle the brew.  I think I’ve spent enough time and reviews going over just exactly what is a hefeweizens and how it is an unfiltered wheat beer that can emit a nose ranging from lemons to wheat to hops and malts to the taste that is usually citrus filled but is also very thick feeling and can be heavy despite their summer appeal.  Pyramid’s take on the brew is not much different than those who have attempted it before, though Pyramid does have more a of a spice note to the nose and taste of the beer and an over abundance of carbonation to the beer give it a champagne like feel on the tongue.  I wasn’t really that impressed with the beer, it was good but nothing about it makes it memorable and that is bad thing.  In a the world of beer you need to set yourself apart somehow and if you looking to join the ranks of the hefeweizens crowds, you need to make sure your not just following the heard through the fields; relying on your label appearance and name can only take you so far in a lot of beer connoisseurs and this is maybe an example of that.  I probably won’t go looking for this beer again on my own though I won’t turn it down if it’s ever offered to me.  

BJ's Hopstorm IPA:
Greetings all and welcome to a day of road beers.  Since I am out making sure cities haven’t moved off the map or roads changed course, I bring you a restaurant beer and I thought a nice brew from BJ’s brew house would be best.  BJ’s is an establishment that is growing on me rather quickly; they have a good menu that is ever expanding, decent to good beers made for the restaurant and a fairly impressive guest beer selection.  Today we turn our attention to one of their in house brews and a year-round one at that: Hopstorm IPA (the bar tender told me that it was seasonal but I think he was mistaken since the website says otherwise).  The beer comes in a nice chilled glass though not so chilled that it causes the beer to foam up from the tap.  A strong nose of grapefruits and hops filters through the thick white head that dissipates to a nice thin  but still opaque layer on top of the golden colored brew.  The taste is very similar to a 90-minute IPA though I did notice the taste doesn’t stick around as long as the 90-minute.  A clean tasting beer that has a ton of hops that roll around the taste buds like a Mack truck on the front end but vanish on the back-end.  A really nice beer that surprised the heck out of me for it’s taste and boldness.  Usually these restaurant beers are very middle of the road in their flavor profile and are forgettable but this one is one worth remembering for another visit. 

 

Goose Island Sofie:
Ah, hello all, and welcome to a beer review for those champagne lovers in the audience.  Today’s beer is another vintage brew from Goose Island and another one named after a fair lady (there are 5 in all) and this one, another Belgian ale, is billed as a Farmhouse ale (Saison) and it does strike the drinker as a light, sparkling and tasty beer.  The beer is a brewed with orange peels and then stored in wine barrels for a period of time giving it a bit more taste profile than the normal wheat beers that comprise most farmhouse ales.  The beer pours very well with a light and airy head that is about two fingers in thickness that reduces back to a paper thin coating that never really leaves the beer.  The nose is a dry citrus smell with notes of grapes and hops.  The taste is initially one of a wheat beer with a bread like flavor initially and then it moves to allowing citrus, in particular lemon, in to the flavor profile.  The back-end flavor is very dry, champagne like and the carbonation stays on the tongue a bit after the sip is done.  Another beer for wine lovers, this one aiming more at the white wine and champagne crowd, it’s good and not as polarizing as other Goose vintage lines- at least I don’t think it will be. 
 

Coors Light (3.2):
Greetings all and let’s lay this out on the table, this isn’t a double dip in the strictest sense of the word.  Yes, I have reviewed Coors Light in the past but this bottle/can of Coors Light is different and I’ll show you how with a little history, clever wit and pure bravery of taste.  First, let’s identify what makes this Silver Bullet different from the other: the alcohol content.  Regular Coors carries an ABV of 4.2% and is sold in 45 states while 5 states sell this beer, 3.2% by weight, 4% ABV (or “three-two” beer) is permitted to sell only in supermarkets and connivance stores in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Utah (side note: If Oklahoma wasn‘t screwed up enough already, they only permit 3.2 beer to be sold cold, everything else is sold room temperature).    So this beer is a genuine article of cold beer from Oklahoma and really, I can’t taste much of a difference in the beer from normal Coors other than it seems to carry a bit more of a banana on the mid- tongue than a normal Coors Light but other than that, nothing different.  So if you want to subject yourself to a three-two beer, or it’s your only option, be my guest.  For me, this is solely a check on the beer bucket list and nothing more.  

Shiner Prickly Pear:
Hello all and welcome to beer review day…hell I don’t know, I’ve lost count and I’m behind at the moment so let’s get down to brass tacks shall we?  Shiner beer is one we all know and, a lot of us, love and they like to throw us loyal drinkers a bone every once and a while and they have thrown us another bone.  Prickly Pear is numero tres in the Brewer’s Pride line that is available only in the variety pack so if you want one, you’ll have to buy a 6 or 12 pack of the Shiner family pack.  Now with that out of the way, how does it taste?  Well first, it pours rather meekly with very minimal head on the beer but a strong nose is thick with citrus notes and floral interlacing throughout.  The beer itself is one of personal distinction with tastes varying from “sour apple” to a toned down citrus comparable to the Ruby Redbird to a semi sweet pear.  I really interesting and complex beer that begs for repeated visits which would be great to do if you didn’t mind stocking up on other Shiner beers (which could be expensive but not necessarily a bad thing).  So this makes 2 out of 3 on the Brewer’s Pride line, which begs the question: Can I find the first one?  Let the hunt begin. 

Goose Island Matilda:
Hello there one and all, welcome to a special day of beer reviewing. What makes today’s beer so special is it’s lack of availability here in the south, or anywhere outside Chicago, and it’s a delicious brew.  Goose Island is a good brewer that makes either really good beers or so-so beers which are still drinkable in their own right.  Today’s beer is Matilda, a Belgian style ale that, in the true spirit of most Belgian beers, is very complex and fruity in it’s nature and is enjoyable.  The beer pours well with a hazy golden color and a decent head about half a finger in thickness and sticks around in a little rim on the inside of the glass and very little lacing.  The nose is fruity with caramel notes with a bit of flat…dryness? It’s hard to describe but it smells dry, or at least the aroma evokes a thought of dryness, weird I know.  The taste is of  more ripened fruit, almost to the point of spoil along with bread and a touch of lemon with strong hop notes in the back end of the beer.  Very enjoyable, something to be enjoyed every once and a great while but too strong to justify a four or six pack purchase.  The beer is marketed as a beer for both beer and wine lovers and I can see how drinkers of the more mature and complex red wines out there would find this beer up to their palates standards and, if you ever have to opportunity to try this beer, I suggest to give it a chance with your palate as well. 

Fox Barrel Pacific Pear Cider:
Good  Morrow all and welcome to another beer review.   Sorry, that’s cider review today (stop groaning you pansies), this is different type of cider, not an apple cider like before, but a pear cider.  Yes, pear cider and it’s another from the Texas Beer festival way back in April.  Fox Barrel makes what is a good cider but it tastes just a bit too sweet but it’s worth reviewing anyway.  The cider pours just like every other cider with pretty much no head to speak of but an abundance of carbonation in the very light blonde brew.  The nose is strong of very in pear though smelling more artificial than real with an over sweetness.  The taste is a bit dry on the initial sip but blooms into the pear taste that one expects and moves to a very mellow aftertaste though the sweetness does linger.  Not bad but not dry enough for my taste though the other lines of Fox Barrel do have my interest peaked so I hope to find them in the near future.

Harpoon Celtic Ale:
‘Ello all, and welcome to another day, another beer.  In this installment we will look at the spring offered by Harpoon, a Celtic Ale.  Originally brewed as a seasonal beer for the city of Boston and for it’s taps only, the beer took off as a Saint Patrick’s day brew the following year and since then it’s become their official spring ale.  Now I know all y’all are here for the history and not the beer but humor me for a moment and let me talk about the beer itself.  It pours well with amber color and a clean head that gives off a nose of caramel and hops.  The beer tastes just as the nose would indicate with a strong caramel flavor that upfront (though not sweet) and a strong hop taste that quickly takes over and leaves a strong after taste of itself.  Never being a big fan of this type of beer, for a Celtic ale, this is pretty good and sure would beat the hell out of a cheap average green beer on Saint Patrick’s day.  

Wild Blue:
Hello blue, nice to meet you. (I’m a poet and didn’t know it!) Sweet “beers”, how should we feel about them?  The mere concept of a sweet “beer” doesn’t really sit well with me, beers should be savory, biting, thick, thin, ethereal, or even smoky.  But sweet?  Yeah, not a big fan of that idea nor am I big fan of today’s beer: Wild Blue.  Now fruit in beer isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just look to Shiner’s Ruby Red Bird or most pumpkins ales and there are good blueberry out there but this one really over does it.  Wild Blue pours well with about a fingers worth of thick purple/white head that gives off a strong nose of sweet fruit and a slight whiff of malt.  The taste is peculiar with an initial taste that is so sweet it brings to mind a slurpee rather than an adult beverage but as quickly as it moves to the back of the tongue does it flavor move to sweet to very dry.  This change is surprising due to the heavy handedness of the sweet blueberry flavor and aroma and such a quick change to an almost champagne like finish does make this beverage just that much more unique and polarizing.  Once quick side note: this is the first beer that has dyed my tongue a color, much like a slurpee does.  I’m sensing a pattern all the sudden and an idea: If you like slurpees, this beer is for you. 
 

Brooklyn Lager:
What is the typical Brooklyn greeting?  Yo?  Was up?  Get outta here!(?) Hmmm not sure, I do know this, they make a decent beer, that’s for sure.  Hello one and all and welcome again to beer review time where today we will be looking at Brooklyn Brewery’s Lager beer.  A beer made in the “Vienna” style,  it is like most lager beers with a dark blonde color, a sweet nose and…well that’s about the end of the similarities (that’s a good thing by the way).  The beer pours rather well, as you can see by the decent head that is about a fingers worth in thickness and still lingers on top of the beer with a lace like appearance with minimal lacing on the glass.  The nose is sweet with hints of honey and citrus notes and no real noticeable hops or malts.  The beer itself tastes similar to most lagers with a dry taste that mixes both hops and malts evenly and a touch of bitterness.  Not a bad summer beer, would make a great river beer for those summer days of tubing.  Definitely worth a try

Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale:
Howdy y’all and welcome to ‘nother review of a Texas beer.  This time, it’s a new brewery and a new beer: Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale.  Brewed of Blanco, Texas (south of Johnson City and Southwest of Austin) this brewery is another “small town small brewery” model that has produced a bunch of pretty darn good beers and this one is no exception.  The pour is rather “meh” from the bottle, producing a thin water head that dissipated as I took the picture.  The nose is a typical pale ale with strong hops and a bit of malt. The taste of the beer starts like most American Pale Ale but there is a touch of rough sweetness underneath the hops that is a by product of the rye and gives this beer a decided edge in drink-ability.  Another great beer from Real (they made the Phoneixx Double ESB) I am really looking forward to sampling the other beers in their line; their Fireman’s Ale is always a good choice when available on tap.    Give it a try, support your local Texas brewery fellow Texans (and non-Texans alike…if you get the beer in your area).

Santa Fe Nut Brown Ale:
Greetings and salutations my good friends, I hope this beer review finds you in good spirits.  See what I did there…spirits…alcohol…maybe? Anyone? *Sigh* Well after that, bomb, let’s move on to the beer: Santa Fe Nut Brown Ale.  Not a bad beer, it is my first New Mexico beer (that I know of) and while it doesn’t disappoint, it doesn’t really set itself apart in my mind’s eye.   The beer pours so-so with a thin off white head that dissipates rather quickly and doesn’t leave much lacing on the glass.  The nose is nutty with roasted malts and a touch of caramel.  The first sip reveals a sweet bite with a bit of roasted nut flavor that seems to blossom around the middle of the tongue and leaves a roasted malt finish.  The beer is fashioned after English Brown Ale and it is very comparable to the ones that I have had in the past with a but I don’t remember them being this nutty.  A good middle of the road beer that won’t offend most beer drinkers and can add a bit of variety to the average beer fridge. 

Dos Equis:
Good Evening my dear friends.  It is with great sadness that I must bring you news of another untimely demise in the beer world.  This beer, taken before it’s time was actually a decent beer, Dos Equis.  Unlike it’s second cousin (twice removed) Corona Extra that met a similar fate back earlier this year, this death was wholly unnecessary since Dos Equis is actually drinkable by itself.  As you see in the photo, the cause of death is still uncertain, may it be from drowning or accidental hanging since we can clearly see a noose like appendage on the glass (evidence note: this neat little number may or may not have come home with me).  Whatever the cause, it is a blue day in beerville.  This bottle will not be able to give someone the pleasure of it’s golden color or it’s sweet nose.  Nor will it ever allow someone to taste a beer that has smooth malt flavors and a clean and slightly hoppy aftertaste.  Such a sad loss.  It should have been the light version of the previous “suicide” but, alas, people in the area of town that this bulldog was bought in, drank the supply dry.  Oh whoa to those souls, for they have really bad taste.   By itself, with a lime, Dos Equis is a good Mexican beer best enjoyed with a good dish. 

Lazy Magnolia Ginger Jaque:
Hello all, today, lets chat about beer and fancy growlers, shall we?  I am the proud owner of two growlers, and both feature women in supple poses in various costumer and I will add that these two growlers were bought at different times and not for their art work, but their contents (I swear).   Today’s growler (and beer) was bought in the great state of Louisiana, our friendly neighbor to the East and was brewed in Mississippi by Lazy Magnolia.  Ginger Jaque is the second release in Lazy Magnolia’s Brewer’s choice series (the first was an Amber Jaque) and  The beer pours well but has little in the way of head but a decent amount of carbonation.  A strong nose of ginger is expected and delivered with just a touch of rye sourness on the downside of the ginger.  The taste is very strong in ginger with no real sweet taste and a strong under current of rye that adds spice notes to the beer and a strong hoppy aftertaste.  A good beer, brewed as a winter beer, drinking it in summer was just as good and, really, I see no reason why this couldn’t be a year round beer; though fall is traditionally when ginger beers do show up.  I would say this is worth drinking again, though a growler full is a bit excessive, but none the less, I know can venture out to local brewpubs and get growlers of their own libations that are brewed on site in my snazzy black and white.  Huzzah!

Beer and Cheese, Part 2:
Second half! (I will review in order of cheeses and their beer pairings)


Boulevard Smokestack Series Nommo Dubel:   I’m being to have increasing faith in the Smokestack line from Boulevard.  Their willingness to make good beers that are just left of center appeals to all those timid but curious beer drinkers as well as the adventurous souls like us.  The beer pours a nice dark blonde with good clarity and a strong nose of spices with a bit of banana, a good and surprising combo.  The taste is slightly sweet but balanced by the malts in the beer which brings out a subtle banana and caramel flavoring.  A nice balance of flavors and carbonation, worth sampling if you ever get a chance. 

Paired with a Monte Veronese


Dogfish Head Black and Blue:  Come on, you know I had to have on DfH brew in this whole little experiment.  Going with one of their more fruity beers, the Black and Blue is a deceivingly delicious brew that made a some members of this little dinner skeptical about it; mainly fearing an overly sweet beer, I had to be the brave one this sampling by taking the first sip on the sample glass.  A traditional ale brewed with blackberries and blueberries, I was surprised how much of the flavor is left in the beer.  The beer pours an almost kool-aid like color being light purple in color and having a nose of berries and hops.  The taste is more blueberry than anything with only a slight hint of sweetness and a strong alcohol aftertaste (to be fair, the description on line does warn of this beer having a high ABV due to the yeast that are used in the fermentation process).  Another home run in my mind for DfH, though may not be in everyone’s wheelhouse.  This is available in Texas, you’ll just have to hunt for it. 

Paired with Smoked Gouda and Vella Mezzo Secco

He’brew Origin Pomegranate Ale:  I was really excited about this beer; I love anything made from pomegranates and a I love beer, what’s not to loose?  Well, flavor is one.  I went into dirink this beer with expectations of amazing beer and was met with something far less impressive.  The beer pours with a slight head (even in a small sample size) and is a slight reddish amber color with a nose of floral notes and fruit.  The taste is very much like a middle of the road amber ale with a hint of pom juice on the back end and the after taste, but that’s all, nothing else.  I’d avoid this one in the future if I were you.

Paired with Queso Al Pimenton

Ranger La Bestia Aimable:  Brewed and bottled out of Ranger Creek in San Antonio, we have to throw a bone to our state breweries on a night like this.  One of those beers that I bought because the label was interesting as well as the description having me hooked with claims of a nose of berry and fig with cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper notes, how could I resist?  Throw in “rich, dark fruit flavors” to the taste and you have a super complex beer….which isn’t necessarily a good thing.  I found this beer to be a little to overwhelming with all they were trying to do with it.  I like my beers complex, but this was ridiculous.  My compatriots seemed to enjoy it a lot more than I, which I was okay with.  Not my cup of tea but maybe, for someone else, it would be the next great thing.

Paired with a Manchego

North Coast Old Rasputin Anniversary Ale: Our dessert beer.  Paired with a coconut milk dark chocolate ice cream, this was beyond awesome.  North Coast takes their already amazing Old Rasputin and ages it in bourbon barrels before bottling it (not sure how long it stays in those barrels, my guess is around a year).  This beer is just like the normal Rasputin beer, but with a nose of bourbon and a complex taste of chocolate and vanilla with a whiskey aftertaste.  Amazing beer, I have been watching like a hawk for this one to show up again, and if it does, I think I’ll invest in half a case.  Probably one of the best beer’s I’ve had all year.
 

Beer and Cheese Night Part 1:
Greetings all, let’s dive into a little experiment that I tried a week or so ago.  We all know that there are certain great pairings in the food world, some of which are unmistakable: salty and sweet, chocolate and peanut butter, cracked pepper corns and steak, flour tortilla and anything on a Tex-Mex plate….you get the drift.  Now, wine and cheese is a pairing that is often used by the upper crust as an excuse to sample a  wide variety of wines while sampling complimentary cheeses and that’s great and all, but what about us, the middle of the crust? (Lord, that’s a pathetic attempt of analogy.) Well, a while back a lovely young lass took me to Deep Ellum to sample locally made cheeses and a wide variety of beers that went along with them and it was a great experience (great date too), picked up a few good beers along the way, which one has already been reviewed for this little adventure: Xingu.  I figured I could maybe get something similar going so I complied 9 beers, 12 cheeses and some side dishes, got the lass and the other half of this grand adventure over and we drank till the wee hours, pairing cheeses with beer and what all.   So, in attempt to explain but not overwhelm, here is what we tried with what cheeses were paired with what. Now I won’t overwhelm y’all with all nine, so today will be 4 beers, tomorrow the rest…that’s 5 for all us Liberal Arts majors. 

 Side note: most beers were sampled 2 to 4 ounces at a time so the judging of the head of the beer is out the window.

(I will review in order of cheeses and their beer pairings)

Rouge Voodoo Maple Bacon Doughnut:  Don’t let the pink bottle fool you, this beer is strong in flavor.  Made with real Applewood-Smoked Bacon and real Maple Syrup this beer is a semi-transparent golden brew that, if properly prepped, has pieces of bacon and sediment floating around in the glass.  Strong nose of maple and smoke, taste is about the same though add in a carbonation that seems to cut through all other flavors and a touch of sweetness in the smoky aftertaste.  It’s okay, a bit much, but glad it got sampled.

Paired with a Sticky Toffee Cheese

Leviathan IPA: Now here is a beer that I will gladly put with Dogfish and Ass Kisser as having the best IPA, hell, one of the best beers I’ve had in a while.  Our only small bottle, this bad boy sports a quasi-Godzilla on the label and gives little in it’s boldness of hops and bitterness.  A nose of grapefruit and a taste some where in-between a 90 minute and 120 minute, this beer has now complicated my life in trying to decide which IPA to buy when this little adventure is done next year: 90 minute of Leviathan?  I will probably just buy both, never hurts to have a two awesome IPAs.

Paired with No Woman Jerk seasoned cheese

Ass Kisser Smoked Porter:  Our first porter of the night.  A nice smoky beer that doesn’t go over board on the smoke like the beer in “Bacon” beer in June did.  A nose of smoke and coffee with a dark red coloring, the beer tasted smoky at first but moved to a silky coffee and chocolate taste with the smoke just accenting the flavors.  A good beer, though not something I will want to try again for a while, though would make for a great marinade base for a meat with the combo of the smoke and the porter flavors.   

Paired with Smoked Cheddar

Left Coast Asylum Belgian Tripel:  Our first surprise of the night.  We all went into this bottle with some moderate to strong reservations with the beer being more pilsner in color and carbonation as well as the fact that it’s a Belgian and that makes it a crap shoot on flavor.  The beer’s nose is one of fruits and spices that blend to give you a semi-sweet smell that peaked our curiosity.  The flavor is similar to the nose, though lighter than you’d think and very clean thanks to the heavy carbonation and leaves a dry aftertaste.  We all ended up listing this one in our top three for the night, a great beer, will be  one of those beers that I will be buying again. 

Paired with Gruyere Swiss and Smoked Gouda, also tried with a 30-month Comte and a Vella Mezzo Secco (I my own personal sampling, this beer paired best with most of our cheeses, these are the standouts)

Dogfish Head 75 Minute Cask IPA:
Greetings all, and I apologize for the absence but we all must take a break every once and a while to refresh our minds, bodies, and spirit; that being said, I’m back and ready to bring my loyal readers some cool stuff (trust me, I didn’t stop drinking during my time off).  Now let’s start off with a Dogfish Head brewpub(s) exclusive: 75 minute cask IPA (aka Johnny Cask).  Now I have reviewed the 75 minute IPA earlier this summer and while it was delicious and lived up to the Dogfish name in IPAs, it left me longing to try the real deal.  The short story on the 75 minute cask is this:  the gang at the ’fish decided to retrofit a small, 15-barrell tank into a cask to make a special blend of 60 and 90 minute IPAs, throw-in some homemade maple syrup and let the magic happen.  What you get is an IPA not much different from the bottled 75 minute IPA but you do get an IPA with a nice hoppy nose that gives hints of maple with a thin head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass.  The beer tastes more like a balance of the aforementioned IPAs it is blend with than the bottled (which I thought leaned more towards the 90 minute) and there is a nice blend of sweetness throughout the beer thanks to our maple friends.  Part of their “music series” this is the only one that is still in production though the rumor is that Bitches Brew will become a seasonal release this fall, so we will see.  Another great beer and it’s actually available in select pubs in NYC, Boston, Phily and, of course, the brewpub in Rehoboth.  If you ever have a chance to visit one of these great American cities, do a bit of looking and find a bar carrying this brew, you won’t be disappointed.   

Ass Kisser Vanilla Pale Ale:
Oh vanilla, what a bad rap you get.  You’re used as an  adjective for plain and boring and you get over looked as an ice cream flavor (though Amy’s Mexican Vanilla is pretty awesome). Yet, the good people at Ass Kisser have added it to a pale ale and you get a delicious beer that combines sweet and hoppy in the same glass.  The beer actually comes in a 12 oz bottle size (no more over-sized bottles for them, now just 4-packs) and pours well with a thin, watery head that doesn’t stick around but does give some nice lacing to your pint glass.  The nose is predominately vanilla with a touch of malts as well which made me skeptical on the hop level in this beer, but my first sip showed I was wrong in my skepticism.  A sweet front end moves to slightly mellowed realm with an increasing hopiness and the vanilla stays throughout and is really present in the aftertaste.  At 5.5% ABV, this beer isn’t too heavy and is easily enjoyed on a summer’s day with a bowl of ice cream (I suggest chocolate or vanilla variety).  I’m not a big sweet alcoholic beverage person but I do enjoy a semi-sweet one every once and a while and this beer would certainly be at the top of my list as one to enjoy on those rare occasions.  

Dogfish Head Sah'tea:
Greetings friends and neighbors, I hate to keep revisiting the same brewery but it’s hard not too when you have the unique brews of Dogfish Head.  Today’s dip into the Dogfish pool of beer brings up their Sah’tea, another beer in their Ancient Ale line that is a take on a 9th-century Finnish beer.  Brewed in a very complex way that includes white hot river rocks, juniper berries from Finland, black tea and a wide variety of spices.  This is a beer first conceived in the back room of the Rehoboth brew pub originally that is, unfortunately, a limited release and a lot of you may never get the joy of trying this awesome concoction.  Available only in the big bottle variety, this brew pours lightly with little foam and minor lacing but does give of an aromatic nose of ginger, tea, and spice.  The beer’s taste is much like the nose and is more akin to drinking a spiked brewed tea than a beer though the high carbonation will remind you that it is a beer.  Delicious and light this beer is one that if you should ever run across it or a chance to sample, do it.  Not just for the fact that it is part of the Ancient Ales line but it’s a rarity that needs to sampled by as many people as possible.  Again, it’s a shame this isn’t available to a wider audience.   

Maui Brewing CoCoNut PorTeR:
Is there a more dividing fruit then coconut?  Well, if you want to get technical it’s really a drupe but the very definition of one is “a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed”, so lets keep it on the K.I.S.S. level and call it a fruit.  Personally, I love the flavor coconuts provide, the water and oil are both delicious but the flesh of the fruit is another story.  It’s fibrous, chewy, bland and not worth the effort in my mind, though I have learned to like dried shavings of it in trail mix.  So what about in a coconut beer?  Interesting, but a tight rope to walk that maybe a bit too much or too little.  Maui Brewing’s CoCoNuT porter is one that, thankfully, doesn’t go over board and gives us a tasty porter that while good, isn’t one that I find myself wanting again for a while.  Coming only in a can, the beer pours to a nice thin head that doesn’t thicken much like most porters, leaves a nice lacing though, and gives a nose of coffee and coconut.  A sip of the beer reviles a roasted coffee taste with chocolate that moves lets the coconut flavor come out on the back of the tongue and leaves an subtle aftertaste of the beer’s namesake.  Like I said before,  a good beer, just not one that I’m too impressed with, the idea does, but the taste not so much.  For those coconut lovers this will probably thrill you all so give it a shot, you might find yourself liking this more than I.  What?  Oh, of course.  Hello All. 

 

Old Rasputin:
Hello all and welcome to a beer review of historic proportions.  Yes, that is a bold claim but how can one not think in those terms when drinking a libation brewed in the tradition of 18th century English brewers who supplied the court of Catherine the Great AND was named after one of the most interesting figures in late Russian monarchal rule.  Rasputin, aka the “Mad Monk”, who may or may not have taken two days to die from multiple attempts to end his life failed in increasingly dramatic fashion, is honored to have North Coast name what is probably one of the best Stouts on the market today.  Old Rasputin is a aromatic stout that comes from draft with a nice medium head that is thick and enhances the nose of roasted coffee, chocolates and an undercurrent of sweet fruit.  The taste is just as complex as the nose with front end notes of chocolate that moves into a roasted coffee-fruit blend with alcohol undertones and all this on a silky smooth liquid.  At 9% ABV this stout is…well stout but so good.  Most beer reviewers, amateur and professional, rate this beer high on there lists, including “world-class”, “spectacular” and, my favorite, “kick-ass”.  An awesome beer, definitely one of my new found favorites and should be sampled by any beer coinsurer, especially those looking for their beer palate to expand.  

Angry Orchard Traditional Dry:
Welcome all and one and today, we are going to review a cider.  Now settle down, settle down, I know a lot of you out there don’t like them and I know in the past that I’ve told you I don’t care that you don’t like them because I’m reviewing them anyway.  Well today is not different, I’m reviewing a cider and the rest you’ll just have to sit there and at least to pretend to like it.  Brewed out of the Buckeye state, Angry Orchard conjures up three different types of cider from it’s brewery of regular, apple ginger and today’s selection, Traditional Dry.  What makes traditional dry different from the regular apple is the addition of juice as a additive.  Sometimes apple juice is added to a cider to give it a more palatable flavor to the masses with a sweet twinge that many crave in their alcoholic beverage.  Traditional dry skips this and sticks with the flavor that is more at home with English draft ciders than anything else.  The cider looks just like apple juice which poured though the handful of columns of ascending bubbles is a dead give away that this isn’t a bottle of something you give your kids.  The nose is a mix of apple and floral notes that can make one believe that it is sweet until you actually get a chance to try it.  The tongue mainly tastes apples though nothing sweeter than a normal apple bite and as the sip moves to the back of the tongue a few spice notes rise up with the dry finish to give a nice vanishing act.  A good cider, not the best I’ve had but their apple ginger appeals to me so that title may be up for grabs.  Worth checking out a single or two if you’re so inclined (I can’t see buying more than that anyway) at your local package store, and if you have time, check out their website, it’s pretty cool and unique the way they have set it up.  

 

Dogfish Head Namaste:
Hello beer and welcome to your review.   Today we are reviewing something from of your odd cousin up in Delaware (yes, again and don‘t roll your eyes), Dogfish Head, and one of their summer brews; Namaste.  A beer born of a guest brewer from Italy and in honor of a Belgium brewery that lost 1/3 of it’s revenue source thanks to a broken thermostat (anything with mercury should not be trusted).  The beer was originally a brewpub exclusive this well balanced beer is a Belgium white beer dried organic orange slices, coriander and fresh cut lemon grass, all of which give this beer a nice light summer flavor akin to unfiltered hefeweizens.  The name comes from “(t)he gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. In other words it is a show of mutual respect and admiration.” So how did your cousin do?  Well as I mentioned earlier, this is a well balanced brew that sits well on the palate with it’s flavors and crisp lemon flavor.  The beer pours hazy and leaves a nice lacy, thick head on it that last just a hair longer than a normal beer while the nose is strong of lemon and spices with a touch of hops somewhere in there lurking about.  The taste is very clean and crisp, reminding the drinker of Paulaner’s Hefeweizen with it’s lemon and wheat taste while a note of hops shows up towards the back end of the drink and finishes with a very mellow blend of orange and grass.  A great summer beer and a good beer from your cousin, Dogfish Head.  Now I know you get tired of hearing about Dogfish and some of the others but until some of your other cousins start making something worth remembering, attention will be paid to those who deserve it. 
 

Saint Arnold Summer Pils:
Greetings summer lovers and to all those who don’t love summer, too bad.  Summer beers are a unique category that can encompass a whole variety of different types of beers, flavors and styles.  Probably the most common summer beer type is the pilsner, a bottom fermented beer from the Bavarian region it was crafted thanks to research, consumer input (before this little endeavor, people would dump whole barrels full in order to show their dissatisfaction) and monks; if that isn’t a wining combination I don’t know what is.  Well the good people at St. Arnolds decided way back in 1997 to try their hand at brewing a summer beer and this is the end result- well this and a lawsuit from Sierra Nevada.  The beer has a nice nose of hops and malts blended together to give it a slight spice smell while still remaining familiar.  The beer taste like most pilsners though it has a toned down sweetness that is appreciated by yours truly as well as an over all clean flavor that doesn’t linger on the palate and finish dry.  A great summer beer for these dog days of summer which are now upon us and will be here till mid-October, just in time for those equally delicious fall beers.  A good beer over all, especially for all you pilsner/lager fans out there, worth a try over the usual suspects any day of the week.  

Bison Honey Basil:
Hello all and I hate to skip pleasantries and get right down to business but I wanted to set the stage for this beer and today’s review.  This review will be a difficult to write due to the way this beer has divided my sense of taste and the way I describe beers; so without further ado meet Bison.  Bison Honey Basil is an East Coast pick up, bought on a whim when I say that it’s a beer brewed with one ingredient that is uncommon and another that is in the brewing process.  The beer pours relatively weak, with a slim head that dissipates rather quickly and doesn’t leave much room for embellishment.  The nose is strong of basil and  herbs and a touch of malts, really it smells more of Carrabba’s kitchen than a beer, which isn’t a bad thing.  The taste of the beer is really un-beer like: tasting like I was drinking liquid focaccia bread than a beer which made me laugh since I called a beer in the past a liquid bread beer due to it’s heaviness but here I have another but this time based on flavor.  I couldn’t find the normal trilogy of flavor distinction on this one or, for that matter, two; just one flavor dominates this beer and it’s the basil.  Supposedly there is a sweetness of honey in it as well but I really couldn’t find that but I did taste and olive oil like flavor as an under tone to the basil (this could have been my mind playing tricks on me for craving Italian food while drinking).  I would really like to have another shot at this beer with a good Italian sampler meal in front of me to try some pairing choices…maybe some other time.  Well, I said this review divided me and it did, I love focaccia bread but really disliked the taste of the beer, mainly because it was unexpected and unusual.  I’d be willing to try again but not right now, I need to process this for a bit.