Elysian The Immortal IPA

We went a-visitin' for Memorial Day weekend, and my husband was in the mood for a good IPA, so he asked me to pick one out for him.  The store we stopped at had Elysian's The Immortal IPA, so I snagged it.  I hadn't had it before, and I hadn't really heard much about it, but the carton said it uses Centennial hops, and my husband seems to like them quite a bit.

Vittles:
American IPA
6.3% abv
54 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 10/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 92/100

Impressions:
This is a solid, bold IPA.  You can smell a decent malt backbone, which supports the citrus/grapefruit, pine, resin, floral, and herbal characteristics of the hops.  What surprised me the most about this beer is that the aftertaste isn't overwhelming, as it can be in some IPAs.  I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and the medium body, plentiful carbonation, and slightly dry finish all added to my enjoyment.  It's oddly enough a beer that I don't hear much about (compared to, say Sierra Nevada Torpedo or Hoptimum, Heady Topper, SUCKS, or Palate Wrecker, which I hear about constantly), but it is an amazingly good American IPA.  It's very well balanced and displays the complexities and assertive flavor profile of a good west coast IPA.

I'll keep my eye out for other Elysian beers in the future, since I was so pleased with this one -- and I'm not a hop head like my husband is!  I do enjoy a good hop bomb from time to time, but I typically enjoy the maltier beers best.  This one's a very nice exception, though, and if I could find more IPAs like this one, that'd be gravy.

Cheers!

Full Sail Pale Bock

I'm down to my last two birthday beers, surprisingly.  The one that helped me quench my thirst after some yard work today was Full Sail LTD04 Pale Bock:

Vittles:

Specialty Beer (Pale Bock)

7% abv

45 IBUs

Impressions:

It's certainly crisp enough to be a refreshing thirst quencher.  The aroma is subtle and balanced between a biscuity malt presence and grassy/floral hoppiness.  The malt flavors are present but mild, and the only hops used are Willamette, so it's got a very enjoyable mild grassy and floral character with a bit of spice on the back end.  It's pretty lively with decent carbonation that adds to a medium-light body.  There isn't a whole lot of aftertaste, and it doesn't linger very long.

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 32/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 82/100

I think this is the first beer I've tried from Full Sail.  I'll be looking for more of their beers to try in the future.  I don't expect great things from them, but this seems to be a pretty solid beer.

Cheers!

Widmer Bros. Hefeweizen

I'm a huge fan of hefeweizens.  True hefeweizens, that is, not to be confused with American wheat beers (which I also tend to enjoy, but not as much as I do a good hefe!).  And I'm always on the lookout for hefes that I haven't tried before, so I snagged Widmer Bros. Hefeweizen when I mixed myself a sixer a couple weeks ago:

Vittles:

American Wheat Beer

4.9% abv

30 IBUs

First Impression:

Surprisingly bitter for a "hefe."  It wasn't nearly as cloudy as I expected, despite my rousing the sediment mid-pour; it smelled and tasted too strongly of American hops like Cascade (the grapefruit flavors were very much out of place for a hefe, but would have been fine in an American wheat beer); and there was a fairly strong sulfuric odor and taste when I first poured.  Thankfully, the sulfuric notes faded with time, but the bitter grapefruit flavors lingered and were unpleasant in this beer.  The head poured decently, maybe about an inch of rocky white foam, but it fell pretty quickly and left little lacing.

The problem here is labeling, I think.  I went into it expecting banana and clove esters because Widmer Bros. chose to call it a hefeweizen, which is misleading.  While there were slight hints of banana, I didn't pick up on any clove, and the American hops flavors were, as I said, unexpected.  I wouldn't have gone into tasting this beer with any of those expectations if they had labeled it as an American wheat beer -- why use a name that implies German flavors when you intend on producing an American flavored beer?  I realize that many people use the two terms synonymously, but that only adds to the confusion.  This is not a hefe.  However, it is a fairly decent example of an American wheat beer.

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 19/25

Taste: 30/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 76/100

Sad to say, I was displeased with this beer, but maybe that's my own fault for having those damn expectations.  On to the next...

~Cheers!

Weyerbacher Verboten

I like supporting local breweries.  And by "local," I kind of mean PA breweries.  I recently came across a bottle of Weyerbacher's Verboten, a Belgian-style Pale Ale, which I've never tried before.  I've liked every other beer of theirs that I tasted, so I bought this one and enjoyed it very much:

Vittles:

Belgian Pale Ale

5.9% abv

30 IBUs

First Impression:

Very bold and crisp.  The hops profile seems strikingly American -- not quite what I was expecting to taste in a Belgian-style Pale Ale, but it's ok.

Appearance: 8/10

In the picture, it looks a little murky, but that's probably due to the slight condensation that formed on the glass while my camera opened.  It's a nice golden color with about an inch of mostly white head.  Moderate levels of effervescence helped retain a thin head after the bulk of it fell.

Aroma: 20/25

The combination of American hops notes (citrus/grapefruit) and Belgian yeast characteristics such as clove, is interesting.  I can smell a light malt aroma in the background, but it doesn't seem very assertive.

Taste: 30/40

I'm not overly fond of the grapefruit and clove combination.  It's drinkable, but it's not exactly something I look for in a tasty brew.  The American hops flavors are just too sharp and bold to really blend well with more mellow Belgian yeast profile.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Decently effervescent and medium bodied.  Finishes mildly dry.

Style: 3/5

This beer plays fast and loose with several of the guidelines for this category, like flavors and abv.

Drinkability: 7/10

Because of the flavor combination and the abv, I wouldn't really want more than one of these at a time, and I wouldn't seek this beer out very often.  I'm sure I'll come back to it at some point in the future to see if/how my tastes have changed, but it juts doesn't put forward the kinds of flavors I tend to seek out in a beer.  I think I would've liked this beer much more if it used something like Hallertau instead of Cascade.  I think the flavor profile would've been more compatible with a mellower, more herbal hops variety.

Overall: 76/100

I've enjoyed most of the Weyerbacher beers that I've tried.  Unfortunately, this one didn't hit the right notes for me.  Maybe I've just been having too many beers that use Cascade lately and I'm getting bored with the flavor.  Or maybe I've been having too many beers that try not-too-successfully to combine European yeasts and/or styles with American hops flavors.  Who knows.  I'm still glad I've gotten to try all of these beers, despite not being overly thrilled with some of them.

Cheers!

Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout

I was pretty pleased with the Duck-Rabbit barleywine that I tried a little while back, so when I went for a mix-a-six, I tossed in a different Duck-Rabbit beer -- their Milk Stout:

Vittles:

Sweet Stout
5.7% abv

First Impression:
My first sip was so tasty I decided that the usual boring breakdown of facets was just too... boring.  If you like stouts, you'll like this beer.  This guy really knows his brews.  It's got all of the right scents and flavors, nothing off, and it's just a phenomenal example of what a sweet/milk stout should be.

Appearance: 10/10
The very dark, nearly black color of this beer turns a brilliantly clear ruby color when held up to the light.  The light also reveals steady effervescence, which helps to maintain a thin head as I slowly enjoy this one.  The head is a creamy tan, and it started about an inch tall, fell slowly, and left slight lacing as it went.

Aroma: 23/25
Roasty, chocolatey, coffee-y, and sweet, this is what I want my stouts to smell like.  The focus is clearly on the complex character of the roasted malt, and it's really well done.  As it warms to room temperature, I smell something very similar to dark fruits, particularly raisins, becoming more apparent.

Taste: 35/40
Roasted flavors dominate, but they aren't harsh or bitter as I've tasted in other stouts.  They're mellow, well-blended, and assertive.  In particular, I like the way the chocolate, coffee, and molasses flavors come together.  As the beer warmed, I did taste something like raisins, but with less sweetness, more of a savory dark fruit flavor.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
This is a chewy beer, but it's also creamy and velvety on the tongue.  It's very smooth, a little resiny, and it finishes slightly dry.

Style: 5/5
You can't describe the style any better than this.  It's textbook, and it's delicious.

Drinkability: 8/10
I could have maybe two of these back-to-back on a cold day.  Very tasty, supremely enjoyable, but at 5.7%, I wouldn't want more than two in a row.

Overall: 90/100
I was hoping this would land in the A category because it really is that good of a beer.  It's probably one of the best stouts I've had in the last five years.  I will absolutely be looking for this beer again (as well as their barleywine!), and I can't wait to try more of their beers.  It's a shame the closest place that sells these beers is about an hour-long drive from my house.

Cheers!

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

I like Flying Dog beers, especially their Raging Bitch.  And especially the label art (love Steadman's work in general!).  So when I saw a beer of theirs I hadn't tried yet, I couldn't resist:

Vittles:

American IPA

7.1% abv

60 IBU

Appearance: 10/10

Golden-amber is one of my favorite colors of beer.  This one's topped by over an inch of pale yellow foam (I actually had to sip some of it down so it wouldn't spill over the rim).  Plenty of effervescence makes this almost mouthwatering.  The head retained very well and left significant lacing when it eventually thinned.  A small disk of foam remained until I finished the beer.

Aroma: 21/25

The aroma isn't very strong unless I swirl the glass and get the foam out of the way.  What I do smell has a lot of citrusy/grapefruit notes and a more subtle pine/resin character.  I barely smell any malt.

Taste: 33/40

Grapefruit really dominates here, but woody, floral, earthy, pine, and resin characters also come into play a bit.  The bitterness lingers quite a bit in the back of the mouth.  Subtle malt flavors become more apparent as the beer warms, but the very bold citrus-grapefruit flavor doesn't fade.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

A little dry, medium-bodied, and decently carbonated.  It kind of leaves an odd, almost minty-fresh feeling.

Style: 5/5

It's clearly an American IPA -- it socks you good with the hoppiness and the typical American hop characteristics -- citrus, pine, resin, etc.

Drinkability: 7/10

I don't really want a second one after I've had the first, but it is a very good beer nonetheless.  But at 7.1% abv, it's not really the kind of beer that I want to drink back-to-back -- I prefer maltier beers to have one after the other.

Overall: 84/100

Snake Dog IPA is definitely going on my list for getting again in the future.  It's a good, solid American IPA with plenty of flavor, classically American hop characteristics, and interestingly complex.  I don't usually hear people talking about Snake Dog as one of the better American IPAs out there, but I think it can hold its own in this category pretty well.

Cheers!

Magic Hat #9

Today's selection is an old stand-by.  Years and years ago, Magic Hat used to be one of the few breweries we would actually buy sampler boxes from.  #9 was always one of our favorites because it's got a nice flavor and it's easy to drink either by itself or paired with dinner:

Vittles:

Fruit Beer

5.1% abv

20 IBUs

9 SRM

Appearance: 8/10

I was a little disappointed when I poured this beer because very little head formed atop the golden-amber body.  Low effervescence was also an unexpected, since I remember this being a moderately bubbly beer in the past.  I don't use soap on my beer-only glassware, since it can leave behind a residue that impairs head formation and retention (or so I've heard), so I'm not sure why the head was so unimpressive this time around.

Aroma: 22/25

Malty and fruity are the two best descriptors for this beer's aroma.  And I like the level and intensity of both. Neither one overwhelms the senses, but they're nicely balanced in the nose.

Taste: 33/40
Malt and apricot again carry the day.  It's mildly sweet, and there are floral and bready notes as well.  Again, the flavors aren't very strong, but they're in balance.  There's very little aftertaste, and the slight bitterness that does linger doesn't hang around for long.

Mouthfeel: 7/10
On the one hand, it's dry, crisp, and refreshing.  However, the medium-light body and lack of carbonation didn't add anything for me.  I'm not sure I ever really paid attention to the mouthfeel of this beer before, or maybe this is just a one-off bottle (which could explain the itty-bitty head, too).  Either way, it's a little lackluster.

Style: 4/5
Since Magic Hat bills this beer as a "not quite Pale Ale," I'm assuming that that's the underlying style for this fruit beer.  If that's the case, the IBUs and the bitter flavors are both a little on the low side.

Drinkability: 8/10
I could drink this beer back-to-back very easily, and I have done so before.  It's not a beer you have to sip and savor, nor is it one to keep your taste buds on edge, but it's very refreshing, especially during the warmer months.  I tend not to find this beer as enjoyable in colder months.

Overall: 82/100
#9 is a pretty average beer, all things considered.  It holds a bit of a special place with me because it's one of my gateway beers -- one of the beers that got me interested in craft, and for that I will always be grateful.  If it weren't for easily accessible, non-snobby craft beers like this one, I might still be drinking Red Dog, Pennsylvania Best, and the like.  We all have skeletons in our beer cellars.  Now you know one of mine.

Cheers!

Magic Hat Ticket to Rye

I like rye beers, and with the warmer months, I'm starting to crave hoppier beers instead of maltier ones.  The Magic Hat sampler I picked up a little while back had a rye IPA, so I figured it was time to give it a shot:

Vittles:

Rye IPA (Specialty Beer)

7.1% abv

80 IBUs

15 SRM

dry-hopped

Appearance: 9/10

Amber is a good color for beer.  Especially when it's topped by a little over an inch of creamy, off-white foam.  Moderate bubbles, decent head retention, and mild lacing all make this beer look appealing.

Aroma: 21/25

Mild rye spiciness and a moderately strong hop spiciness combine quite nicely.  I think I'm also getting something slightly herbal and maybe nutty, but it's a little hard to pick out against the stronger spicy aromas.

Taste: 32/40
Spiciness, both rye and hop, dominate the flavor profile.  Pepper and resin are clear in the flavor, though I didn't pick up on them in the nose.  It's not overly bitter for an IPA, and the grain bill supports the hop characteristics pretty well.  Aside from spiciness, and again a touch of herbal and nutty character, I also taste something mildly sweet, like caramel, and maybe a little roastiness, possibly chocolate notes.  The aftertaste is bitter/spicy and has decent linger.

Mouthfeel: 7/10

The medium-light body and very slight astringency were a bit unexpected, but not necessarily bad.  It was a little more carbonated than I thought it should have been.

Style: 5/5
It's hard to lose points in the Specialty Beer category, which is where a rye-based IPA would land.  I found this beer to be fairly well done -- maybe a little off balance with the spiciness to sweet malt, and the bitterness could have been more forward, but those are personal preferences, not deviations from the style.

Drinkability: 8/10
I could probably have a couple of these back-to-back, since it's not an overly bitter beer, nor does the aftertaste really coat the palate all that much.  It does, a little, especially with that resin character, but not nearly as much as some other IPAs do.  I think this would also pair well with a good steak on the grill.

Overall: 82/100
I'll be looking for this beer again.  I've always enjoyed Magic Hat beers, and I'm glad this one didn't disappoint.  I've only had a small handful of other rye IPAs to compare it to, but it's better than most of the others that I've tried so far.  (The Zeno's-Otto's Rye IPA is still my favorite, I think.)

And I can't pick up this beer without getting the Beatles stuck in my head.  That's just a bonus.

Cheers!

Magic Hat Pistil Dandelion Ale

I hate dandelions with a burning passion, so when I saw the Pistil dandelion ale in my Magic Hat sampler, I thought it'd be a nice victory beer -- mow down the damn things in my yard, then guzzle their cousins.  That'll teach them not to grow in my yard anymore, right?  I had no idea what to expect from a dandelion ale:

Vittles:

Herbed/Spiced/Vegetable Beer

4.5% abv

20 IBUs

3 SRM

dry-hopped

Appearance: 7/10

It's a dull, hazy, golden color with about an inch and a half of mostly white head.  The head fell pretty quickly and left little to no lacing on the glass.  It doesn't look overly appealing to me, to be honest, and I think that's due to the dullness of the color.

Aroma: 18/25
Herbal and grassy notes hit me first, followed by earthy, floral, and spicy scents.  The malt isn't all that prominent, maybe a little bready.  There's also a mustiness in the background that detracts from the overall aroma.

Taste: 30/40
Grassy and vegetal flavors dominate, with the breadiness of the malt in the background.  There are some very muted earthy, floral, and spicy flavors in the background, as well.  I don't taste the herbal character as clearly as I could smell it, but the mustiness does come through pretty clearly, unfortunately.

Mouthfeel: 7/10
A clean and crisp mouthfeel, with a medium-light body and lowish levels of carbonation don't really add anything to my enjoyment.

Style: 5/5
The guidelines for a spice, herb, or vegetable beer vary according to the beer that's used as a base.  Magic Hat has never had trouble coloring within the lines for ales.

Drinkability: 6/10
After I've finished the one, I don't want another.  I probably won't have this beer again for quite some time, since I was not overly impressed with it.  The musty smell and flavor were a big turn-off for me, as was the dullness in the color.  I'd have one if there were no other beers available, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Overall: 73/100
It's not an overly bad beer, but it's not all that great, either.  If you like grassy, herbal, or floral qualities in your beer, you'd probably like this one more than I do.  It's not that I don't like those flavors in beer, but they just didn't combine in a way that pleased by taste buds in this beer.

Cheers!

Magic Hat Saint Saltan

I've never tried a gose before, let alone heard of a gose.  Or maybe I have heard of gose and just assumed people were mispronouncing gueuze.  Who knows.  Anyway, the Magic Hat sampler I picked up a while back has the Saint Saltan, which is a gose:

Vittles:

Gose

4.6% abv

Appearance: 9/10

Saint Saltan is a pale golden-straw color with plenty of effervescence.  It's very slightly hazy but decently bright.  It poured with an impressive inch and a half of white head.  The head retained briefly before falling to a thin disk, which persisted throughout my enjoyment.  The higher levels of carbonation helped maintain the thin cap of foam as I drank.

Aroma: 20/25

The first scent that hits me is actually salt.  I don't think I've ever smelled a salty beer before, but it's not a bad smell.  I also pick up on some coriander and a citrusy note, maybe lemon or orange?  There's a bit of a wheat aroma, but it seems like it's more in the background here.  Also in the background are grassy, floral, herbal, and earthy hints.

Taste: 31/40

While none of the flavors are surprising, I was surprised by how hidden the salt and coriander flavors were, especially since I picked them up so easily in the aroma.  The saltiness does come through a bit in the aftertaste, though.  The tastes that were the most prominent for me were the grassy, herbal, earthy, and floral notes, followed by a much more subtle lemony tone and a delicate wheat background.  I think I was expecting more of a sourness for a gose, but I really only get sour in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Moderate to high levels of carbonation add to the medium-full bodied mouthfeel.  The carbonation fizzes very briefly when you take a sip, but it dissipates quickly and never stings.  There is, however, a decidedly dry finish.

Style: -/-

Since I'm not familiar with the gose style, and since I can't find any clear and thorough specifics on this style, I'm going to skip this section for now and come back to it after I've learned more about the style and had a few other goses and can form a basis for comparison.

Drinkability: 7/10

I don't consider this to be an overly drinkable beer.  I'm glad I had this one, I would have one again in the future, but it's not something I could drink back-to-back, and it's not something I'd want to pair with food

Overall: 75/95

So it's basically 79/100 for this beer -- on the high side of average, and for the overall taste and enjoyment of this beer, that sounds about right.  Looks like it's time for me to do a little more research on this style.  Is it sad that that sounds like fun to me?

Cheers!

Elk Creek Poe Paddy Porter

It's been a while since I've had a good porter, especially one on tap, and since it was a pretty chilly day (deep freeze warning and snow showers expected in mid-May!?  This is Pennsy, not Alasky!), I opted for Elk Creek's Poe Paddy Porter:

Vittles:

Brown Porter

Abv unknown

Appearance: 8/10

Very dark mahogany brown with some ruby highlights toward the bottom of the glass.  The head was a relatively thin but creamy tan cap by the time it got to the table.  It retained moderately well and left mild lacing as it fell.

Aroma: 21/25

I like the mildly roasty nose on this beer.  There's a bit of nuttiness, some mild chocolate and coffee notes, and a little sweetness like toffee and caramel, but these last few are more subtle.

Taste: 32/40

The nutty, chocolate, and toffee flavors came through the clearest for me, and the rest took a back seat.  The flavors aren't over strong or bold, but they are nicely balanced and very enjoyable.  There's also a decent level of bitterness, but it doesn't overwhelm any of the other flavors.  Very nice flavor profile overall.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Smooth, creamy, and velvety with a medium-full body and a slightly dry finish.  It's almost a little chewy, which is nice.

Style: 5/5

This is a pretty good example of a porter.  It hits the right notes for appearance, aroma, and flavor, and keeps everything nicely balanced.

Drinkability: 8/10

Very drinkable, and I'd think it would pair nicely with a good, hearty meal, like a stew.  It definitely took the chill out of me, too.

Overall: 82/100

This is the first beer I've tried from Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks, and I would absolutely try more of their beers, since I liked this one so much.  It's a good ambassador beer and a well-done porter.  I'll have to take a trip out to Elk Creek some time and get a sampler flight.

Cheers!

Green Flash West Coast IPA

I've been hearing good things about Green Flash's West Coast IPA for quite some time now, so when I got the chance to try it on tap, I jumped at the opportunity.  My husband, who loves IPAs, was with me, so he got a chance to try it, too.  We've enjoyed Green Flash's Le Freak and Palate Wrecker, and I think it's safe to say we'll be buying a case of West Coast IPA in the near future:

Vittles:
American IPA
7.3% abv
95 IBUs

Appearance: 8/10
It's a lovely burnt-orange/amber color.  It was served with a thin off-white head that fell quickly, so that was a little disappointing.

Aroma: 24/25
This is a very aromatic beer, and what I smell bold and assertive resinous, piney, citrusy (grapefruit?), floral, and fruity notes.  And did I mention pine?  Cause there's a lot of that delicious pine aroma -- it's probably the most prominent of the hop scents.  There is also a subtle malt backbone that is unobtrusive but nicely balances the hoppiness.  I can only imagine what this IPA would smell like as fresh as it can get.  Yum!

Taste: 37/40
The hops flavors mirror the aromas very nicely, but there's more complexity in the taste than there was in the nose.  The hop characteristics are very prominent and strong, especially the pine and resin flavors.  It's a good thing I was in the mood for a solid hop bomb!  The malt background matches well with the hops flavors but doesn't get in the way.  What kind of surprised me is that for all the strong and pungent hops, it really isn't a very bitter brew.  The aftertaste is moderately bitter, mainly piney, and has good linger.

Mouthfeel: 8/10
Medium-bodied, slightly syrupy, with a dry finish.  The moderate levels of carbonation add a bit of texture on the tongue but don't bring any sting.

Style: 5/5
It's a damn good example of the kinds of flavors and aromas you should expect from an American IPA.  I really wish I could taste this stuff fresh.  Maybe I'll add that to my bucket list.

Drinkability: 8/10
At 7.3% abv, it's hard to have more than 1-2 of these at a time, but the flavors are so strong that it coats your palate for quite a long time afterwards.  It certainly doesn't taste like a 7.3% beer, since the flavor focus is on the hops, not the alcohol, and that makes it a bit more drinkable.

Overall: 90/100
This is a great beer, and I'm glad I got a chance to try it on tap.  I think if I had gotten it in a bottle, it might've sat around longer than it should, resulting in a weaker hop presence when I finally cracked it open.  Fresh is really the way to go for a top-notch IPA.

Cheers!

Old Dominion Morning Glory

It's been a while since I've had a stout.  Even longer since I've tried a coffee stout.  So when I found Old Dominion's Morning Glory Espresso Stout in my keezer, I thought, what the hell, why not?

Vittles:
Imperial Stout
9% abv
35 IBU

Appearance: 9/10
It's dark.  Very, very dark, and near opaque.  Light gets lost in this beer.  The inch and a half of tan head retained decently and left mild lacing as it fell.

Aroma: 20/25
As I've mentioned before, I usually try to pick up on the malt notes first, but the coffee aroma was much more prominent than the malt.  I was expecting mild to moderate coffee notes, but this was a bit stronger than that.  Once I got past all that coffee, I could smell the roasted grains, some chocolate, and more mild hints of toffee and caramel.

Taste: 33/40
The taste was also dominated by coffee flavors, and the rest of the stout flavors (roasted malt, chocolate, toffee, molasses, caramel) seemed like an afterthought.  The flavors weren't balanced all that well.  It's not that the flavors were bad or not enjoyable -- I enjoyed this beer quite a bit -- it's just that I would have enjoyed it more if the stout flavors were a bit stronger (or if the coffee flavors were a bit more subdued).

Mouthfeel: 8/10
It's creamy, almost velvet-like, but it's also a little thin.  The carbonation was on the low side.  I was expecting just a bit more carbonation, and I think that would've helped it feel more full-bodied.

Style: 4/5
It hits most of the points for the style, but the IBUs are low (most likely because they were adding enough extra bitterness with the coffee beans) and the flavors are out of balance.

Drinkability: 8/10
For a 9% abv beer, this is surprisingly drinkable.  As I was drinking it, I would have guessed somewhere in the 6-7% range, so I was kind of surprised to see 9% when I looked it up online.  I'm not sure I'd want to pair this one with a meal (except maybe breakfast) since the coffee flavors are so bold.  I'd rather enjoy it by itself.

Overall: 82/100
I can see enjoying this beer on a chilly fall evening, sitting by a fire.  Or having one after coming in from shoveling snow.  It's a strong-flavored beer, and the coffee and other flavors are apparent, but not overly complex.  I'd be interested in trying other beers from this brewer.

Cheers!

Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss

I'd been meaning to try some Franziskaner for a long time, since I love me a good hefeweizen, but could never seem to get it near me.  Until my 30th birthday, that is.  My husband and I went out for dinner and drinks with a friend of ours (who happens to share my b-day), and the place we went actually had Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss on tap:

Vittles:

Hefeweizen

5% abv

Appearance: 10/10
It's so cloudy that I can only see through it at the bottom.  I love the golden-orange color, and there was still almost an inch of thick white foam.  The head had very good retention, as well.

Aroma: 23/25
I usually try to focus on the malt first, but the aromas that first hit my nose with this beer were the esters and phenols after the head eventually fell.  One of the things I love the most about a good hefeweizen is the combination of banana and clove, both in the nose and on the tongue.  These scents balance nicely with the sweet, bready aroma from the malt.  I want to say there's also a bit of a citrusy smell, but that could very well be from that damn orange slice instead of from the beer -- I really hate when I specifically say "no fruit garnish" and they put one on there anyway.

Taste: 39/40
The banana and clove flavors were moderately prominent for me, followed closely by the bready taste of the malt.  Citrus was again present, but I'm not sure if it's from the orange or from the beer.  I'll have to try this one again without the garnish.  (What the hell is fruit doing in my beer, anyway!?)  I also tasted a bit of spiciness and a very, very subtle Noble hop character, which nicely rounded out the flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
It feels medium-full bodied, and I love the way you can feel the yeast when you roll this beer around in your mouth.  I also liked the liveliness the carbonation added.

Style: 5/5
This is exactly what a hefeweizen should be.  I suppose if you've been in the business for ~650 years, you've gotta be doing something right.

Drinkability: 9/10
This is an insanely drinkable beer, but at 5%, it's not necessarily a drink that someone like me (120 lb. female) should really have back-to-back, especially if it's served in .5L glasses.  If I could find a 3% abv version of this beer, I'd be set.

Overall: 95/100
I can't believe it took me so long to try this beer.  I'd heard good things, but it's not the kind of beer that's frequently served in my area (i.e., it's not BMC or their light counterparts), but apparently the bar where I found it now has it as a standard on tap, so I know I'll be going back there soon.

Cheers!

Full Pint White Lightning

I think wits are broadly underrated.  I've always enjoyed them quite a bit, but I hear others panning them, and I'm really not sure why.  I recently had the chance to try a wit I've never had before -- Full Pint's White Lightning Wit:

Vittles:

Witbier

6% abv

18 IBU

Appearance: 9/10

The body is a decently cloudy pale gold, with over an inch of dense, white head.  You can see some effervescence rising through the hazy beer, which is just awesome.  My only nit pick is that it's not as hazy as I'd like (looks cloudier in the pic than it really was due to some mild condensation on the glass).

Aroma: 22/25

I love the wheaty and yeasty smells in this beer, which are followed by a lemony character.  There's also a slight spiciness that makes it smell more enticing.

Taste: 34/40

The wheat and yeast characters are what I notice first, and they're very satisfying.  I taste some orange and coriander, too, which are pretty typical for wits.  Flavor-wise, it reminds me of my homebrew grand cru, which uses sweet orange peel and coriander, but without the heavier alcohol presence that my brew had.  The flavors are nicely balanced and are off-set by a mild spiciness that adds a small kick to the beer.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
The medium body and good level of effervescence add somewhat to the experience.  You can feel the yeast in the beer as you roll it around your tongue, and that brings out more complexity in the flavors and a smooth, velvety feel, as well.  The finish is a little dry, but not overly so.

Style: 5/5
The level of spiciness is the only point where this beer might diverge from the style a bit, but it doesn't get in the way of the rest of the flavors; instead, I think it rounds out the flavor profile very nicely.

Drinkability: 8/10
This is a very drinkable beer, but not sessionable due to the abv.  I keep running across situations where I want to give a beer a high mark for drinkability, but it doesn't quite fit my rubric descriptions.  I may have to adjust this category a bit.

Overall: 87/100
I certainly am partial to this style, and while Full Pint's White Lightning Wit isn't the best example of a witbier I've ever had, it's definitely up there.  If you haven't tried it yet, it might be worth your while.

So many beers, not enough time.  Cheers!

Great Divide Nomad

I've never tried any Great Divide beers before, so I was happy to see one in the sixer my parents got me.  It's a yellow beer on a yellow background, but it was the best I could do at the time:

Vittles:

Bohemian Pilsner

5.4% abv

Appearance: 8/10

With its clear, bright, golden-straw color, topped with about half an inch of rocky white foam, it's pretty appealing.  Moderate effervescence and decent head retention improved the look of this beer.

Aroma: 21/25

Faintly grainy with fruity, floral, citrusy, and grassy notes.  It smells delicate and mild.

Taste: 32/40

The malt flavors are more apparent on the tongue than in the nose.  Grainy and biscuity flavors balance nicely with the floral, lemony, grassy tones.  The flavors are light and refreshing.  The aftertaste is mildly bitter and lingers for a little while.  The hops characteristics are very soft, not harsh or overly bitter.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Moderate carbonation tingles the tongue, which makes this crisp, light-bodied beer more enjoyable.  It's clean and slightly dry on the finish.

Style: 5/5
For a Bohemian Pilsner, this beer comes pretty damn close.  I thought maybe the bitterness was a bit more prominent and lingering than it should have been, but not by much.

Drinkability: 8/10
Since this is such a light-bodied, light-flavored, and refreshing beer, I found it to be very drinkable overall.  The 5.4% abv is a little prohibitive for sessioning a beer like this, but it was certainly enjoyable for a mid-afternoon indulgence.

Overall: 82/100
I'm not usually a huge fan of any kind of pilsner -- they tend to have a slightly acerbic character for me, but this one didn't have that sharpness on the tongue.  The flavors seemed well-balanced, mellow, and complex. As far as pilsners go, I would definitely have this one again, and I'd recommend it to folks who are looking to try this style.

Cheers!

Augustiner Brau Edelstoff

I have so many, many beers to choose from that I feel mildly overwhelmed (in a good way).  I grabbed the Augustiner Brau Edelstoff next for a couple reasons: it was the only one with foil over the cap, so it caught my eye, the label is largely in German (which I can't read), and it's from a brewery I've never heard of before.  I love German beers, so I was looking forward to this one:

Vittles:

Munich Helles Lager

5.6% abv

Appearance: 9/10
It's a very pale straw color, clear and crisp, with a relatively small white head.  The head did persist fairly well, and it left mild lacing as it fell.  I could see a decent amount of effervescence rising steadily, and I love to see that in most beers.

Aroma: 23/25
The primary notes I smell are bready/biscuity, grainy, grassy, and floral, with just a bit of funk that quickly dissipates.  The aromas seem very well balanced, rounded, and subtle.

Taste: 38/40
Grainy, grassy, bready, and biscuity flavors dominate up front.  The grassy taste lingers into the finish and combines nicely with a slight earthy, lemony character.  There's also a mild bitterness that carries into the aftertaste.  It's crisp, clean, mild, and well-balanced overall.  This is exactly what I expect a Helles lager to taste like.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
It's crisp and light-bodied, which adds quite a bit to my enjoyment and helps make it a more refreshing beer. The carbonation brings a bit of a sting to your mouth, as well, which goes very well with the flavor profile.

Style: 5/5
Appearance, aroma, flavors, mouthfeel... everything is done just right with this beer.

Drinkability: 9/10
I could drink this beer all day, if it weren't for the 5.6% abv.  The flavors are mellow and subtle, and it leaves you feeling refreshed and wanting more.

Overall: 93/100
I'm incredibly glad this was one of the beers my parents picked out for me.  Not only did I get a chance to try a beer from a German brewery I hadn't sampled from in the past, but I also got to enjoy, truly enjoy, a style that American brewers can't seem to get down so well -- many of the American versions of Helles lagers seem astringent or acerbic, very harsh on the tongue, and are much less refreshing or enjoyable for it.  This is quite possibly the best Helles lager I've tried so far.

I have awesome parents.  Cheers!

Duck-Rabbit Barley Wine

My husband, parents, and I went out for lunch over the weekend, so I just had to try to Duck-Rabbit Barley Wine, since it was on tap:

Vittles:

English Barleywine

11% abv

Appearance: 9/10

It looks darker in the picture than it really was, since the bar we were in was very dim.  This barleywine appeared to be a dark burnt orange, almost a nutty brown color, and it had a thin head by the time it got to our table.  My husband took a sip while I was getting my camera open on my phone, but you can see the nice lacing on the glass.  I even saw some legs after I took a sip, which is nice to see in this style.

Aroma: 23/25

It starts off with a complex roasted malt nose with caramel notes.  Very bready on first sniff, which I love.  The hop character balances very nicely with the maltiness; neither one seems to dominate.  Dark fruit aromas, especially raisins and figs, become more apparent as you swirl the glass.  There's a touch of something muskier, maybe vanilla, on the tail end, too.

Taste: 37/40
This is what I look for in an English barleywine.  The flavors complement the bouquet pretty squarely, with the bready/biscuity tastes dominating up front, blending into a fruity, floral, citrusy, not quite resiny hoppiness, which gets overtaken by the dark and dried fruit flavors on the back end.  The aftertaste is a combination of roasted malt sweetness and dark fruit flavors -- very appealing.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
It's a smooth, velvety, and full-bodied beverage, which adds quite a bit to the impression this brew leaves on me.  I also liked the moderate alcohol-warmth that followed each sip.  Luscious is an apt descriptor here.

Style: 5/5
For an English barleywine, this brew is pretty much spot on.  The flavors are balanced very nicely, and the hoppiness isn't over the top.

Drinkability: 9/10
For hopefully obvious reasons, I'd never drink more than one barleywine in a sitting, nor would I drink it quickly.  This is absolutely a beer that's meant to be sipped and enjoyed slowly.  I did appreciate how the flavors altered and a little more complexity developed in the fruitiness as the barleywine warmed to room temperature, which made this all the more delicious of a drink.

Overall: 92/100
I love barleywines, and this one is no exception.  I've never had any Duck-Rabbit beers before, but if this beer is an indication of the kind of quality I could expect from the rest of this brewer's offerings, I'd gladly take a shot at the rest of his beers.

Looking forward to sampling the next one from my ever so modest beer cellar!  Cheers!

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Rogue Dead Guy Ale is a beer that I've never actually had before, despite many of my friends ordering it when we go to bars.  It was one of the mix-a-six beers that my parents got me for my birthday:

Vittles:

6.5% abv

40 IBUs

Maibock

~16 SRM

Appearance: 9/10

I like the coppery/amber color, and the inch and a half head had decent retention.  It's clear and bright, with moderate visible carbonation.

Aroma: 22/25
The aroma is very enjoyable -- it's bready with caramel notes and a mild nuttiness, but it also has a spicy character in the nose that seems almost peppery.  There also seems to be a very slight, delicate floral quality in the background.

Taste: 36/40
The taste is very similar to the aroma, but the hops have more presence.  The malty, bready flavors are underscored by caramel sweetness, which nicely complements the spicy, peppery, floral characteristics and the moderate bitterness.  It's a very well-balanced beer, and the flavors have a good level of complexity.  It's got a good, clean finish, which I like.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
It's medium-full bodied, smooth, crisp, and ever so slightly dry.  I don't often give high marks in the mouthfeel category, but this beer deserves it.

Style: 4/5
For a Maibock, this beer is a touch on the dark side, and its 40 IBUs come in high of the expected range (23-35).  In terms of aroma, taste profile, and mouthfeel, this is a pretty good representation of a maibock.

Drinkability: 8/10
This is the kind of beer I could have any time.  It's very enjoyable, and while the abv is too high to be sessionable, having a couple on a warm spring afternoon just seems like it would hit the spot nicely.

Overall: 88/100
This is a good, solid beer.  It's got a decent level of complexity in both the nose and the palate without being overly distracting or overbearing, as some beers can be.  I'm really glad my folks picked this up for me.

Many, many more beers are sitting in my keezer, just waiting for me to try them.  Can't wait!  Cheers!

Kirin Ichiban

My parents are awesome.  They came to visit this weekend for my birthday and for Mother's Day, and they brought me the best present(s) -- a mixed sixer of beers I've never had before.  I was in the mood for something light and mild, so I started with a Kirin Ichiban:

Vittles: 

5% abv

Appearance: 8/10

The light golden body, topped with about an inch or so of white foam, does look pretty refreshing.  Once it was poured, there seemed to be very little effervescence in the glass.

Aroma: 19/25

The aroma is mellow and mild.  It smells faintly of malt, a smooth graininess, but I don't smell much aside from that.

Taste: 25/40

The taste, like the aroma, is mellow and mild.  I went into tasting this beer expecting flavors similar to Budweiser and was pleasantly surprised -- where Bud has a sharp acrid character, Kirin Ichiban is very smooth and gentle.  The taste is, as you would expect from this style, very faint, but it's enjoyable for the style, and if given the choice, I would choose Kirin Ichiban over BMC.  There was, however, a slight flavor that detracted a little.  It had a stale grain flavor that was very mild, not overly noticeable, but worth mentioning.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

I was a little surprised -- I was expecting it to be very watery and thin, but it was actually a light-medium bodied beverage, which added a bit to my enjoyment of the beer.

Style: 4/5

While Kirin Ichiban tastes like an adjunct lager, it is apparently 100% malt.  And that comes through in the flavor and the mouthfeel.  However, I think I would consider it a premium American lager (despite coming from Japan --  hell, the BJCP lists Red Stripe as a premium American lager, and that's from Jamaica, so what the hell, right?)

Drinkability: 7/10

It's so easy to drink beers like this if you're not looking for bold flavor or a hop punch, which I wasn't when I grabbed this one.  It's a very good representation of its style, and it's a smooth beverage that doesn't interfere too much with your palate, so you can pair it with almost anything.  It's also very mild and refreshing, so it's a good beer for a hot, sunny day when you're looking for something with a touch of flavor, but isn't overbearing.

Overall: 71/100

I'm not generally a fan of this sort of lager, but I did enjoy this beer.  I wasn't looking for a thick, heavy, or boldly flavored beer, which is one of the reasons it hit the spot last night.  Like I said above, it's a good example of its style, not a great beer, but better than other similar beers I've tried in the past.

I can't believe how many beers I have on hand now, thanks to my very supportive parents and husband.  Can't wait to wade through all of them!!  Cheers!

Saranac Black Forest

The last Saranac beer I tried was their Black Forest, which is a Bavarian-style black beer:

Vittles:

5.3% abv

Appearance: 8/10

It's definitely a black beer, all right.  Well, not quite...  It is very dark, and when the light shines through it, ruby tones come out.  The off-white head was fairly thin, and it fell quickly, leaving little to no lacing on the sides.

Aroma: 20/25

It smells a bit of caramel and chocolate, with a very mild hint of bitter coffee on the back end.  Roasted characters come through nicely with caramelized malt notes.  I like the way the hop character balances with the malt profile.

Taste: 29/40

Chocolate and coffee flavors make up the bulk of the grain taste, as you could imagine.  The hops are mild and add a slight earthiness and a moderate spiciness that are nicely matched with the maltiness.  The flavors overall are very mellow.  I think I was expecting a bolder in general.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

The medium body adds nicely to this beer.  I didn't notice much in the way of carbonation, though, which made the beer feel flat.

Style: 3/5

The two points where this beer really diverged from the style were with head retention and carbonation.  Other than that, it's a pretty typical black beer.

Drinkability: 8/10

It's smooth and mellow, which means it's easy to drink either by itself or with a meal.  I could easily have 2-3 of these without getting that bitter residue building up on the back of my tongue.

Overall: 76/100

There are a few aspects of this beer that remind me of Guinness, like the mild flavor and the chocolate/coffee notes of the roasted malt.  However, this beer comes through with a medium body, whereas Guinness has always tasted thin and watery to me.  I do realize that I'm comparing two different styles here, but readers who enjoy Guinness but find it on the watery side and would prefer a beer with more body may want to try Black Forest.

Welp, back to hunting the distributors for more good deals...  Cheers!

Saranac IPA

Since the weather is getting warmer, I'm swinging back toward hoppier preferences.  Even though it's not an impressive beer, Saranac's IPA hit the spot last night:

Vittles:

5.8% abv

Appearance: 9/10

Just look at the foamy head on that bad boy!  Nearly an inch and a half of off-white lather sitting on top of a clear, bright, golden/golden-straw body with plenty of effervescence really makes me want to indulge.  As the head fell, it left a beautiful lacing pattern on the glass.

Aroma: 21/25

The Cascade hops are very apparent, with their spicy, floral, citrusy scents.  I could also smell a subtle maltiness in the background that seemed to balance out the hop nose very well.

Taste: 29/40

The same spicy, floral, citrusy flavors of the Cascade hops come through very nicely.  You get to taste all the hoppy goodness without the thick resiny feel that some IPAs impart.  The taste was moderately bitter, not over the top, and the aftertaste was a more sedate flavor with a moderate linger.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

With a medium body, a fair sting on the tongue from the ample carbonation, and a clean finish, the mouthfeel does add a bit to the beer overall.

Style: 4/5

Taste-wise, this does fall short of what I expect from an American IPA.  I mean, it has the right flavors, thanks to the Cascade hops, but just isn't very bitter, and it lacks that smack you get from bolder AIPAs.  It's almost more apologetic about being an IPA, whereas I expect to be punched in the tongue when I crack open an AIPA.  Aside from the lack of hop assertiveness, it does fit the category decently well.

Drinkability: 7/10

It hit the spot for me because it was the kind of beer I was in the mood to drink.  It's the kind of beer that I'd want to have with a meal, not sit and sip while relaxing.

Overall: 78/100

If you're looking for an IPA that's easier on the hops, this might do the trick.  If you're looking for a hop-bomb, look elsewhere.  I'd say this might be a good beer to use as an introduction for a friend who isn't familiar with craft beers or IPAs, since it isn't overbearing on the hop characteristics.

One left to try!  Cheers!

Saranac Pale Ale

It's been a while since I've had a pale ale, so I thought I'd try Saranac's Pale Ale next:

Vittles:

5.5% abv

Appearance: 8/10

The crystal-clear amber color, topped by about a half-inch of off-white foam, does look pretty pleasing.  However, the head did not last very long and left only minimal lacing as it fell.  Low levels of carbonation were also apparent.

Aroma: 18/25

The aroma isn't overly strong.  I smell a decent amount of breadiness, along with a funky grain kind of smell. It also smells a little stale, like old bread, and there are more subdued fruity notes, too.

Taste: 32/40

The taste matches the aroma fairly well, but the bitterness is more prominent.  The flavors are nice and smooth, and they seem to balance nicely.  Both the stale grain and the fruitiness are present, but the fruit notes are fainter in the flavor than they were in the aroma.

Mouthfeel: 8/10

It's medium bodied, with low effervescence and a clean finish.  I like how crisp this beer is, since that makes it more refreshing and more enjoyable for me, especially since I was sipping this while enjoying the warm, sunny spring weather.

Style: 3/5

Saranac's website lists this as an "English-style pale ale," and while it largely fits into the standard English Pale Ale category, there are a few points where it deviates, such as the color, abv, and mouthfeel, all of which surpass the high side of the style guidelines.

Drinkability: 8/10

It's smooth and refreshing, and it doesn't leave your mouth coated with a lingering bitter aftertaste.  I think this would have been a great beer to session if only the abv were lower.  The American craft sector has relatively few truly sessionable brews; this one has the characteristics I'd want in a session beer, but at 5.5%, I wouldn't be able to drink them the way I could a 3.5% beer, for example.

Overall: 77/100

Surprise, surprise -- another average beer.  I remember when I first started drinking beer, back in my college days (think Red Dog), I thought it was so flavorless and bland.  Then I discovered craft beer, which was amazingly flavorful by comparison, and for a while there, I thought every craft beer I tried was nectar from the gods.  But my frame of reference hadn't shifted yet.  Now that I've sampled a very wide variety of craft beers and know how good they can taste, I'm really not shocked to see that the majority of what I try falls in the "average" range, with a few coming in well above, and a few falling well below.  It's amazing how many things the bell curve describes.

I think there are two more Saranac beers left to try.  Cheers!

Saranac Adirondack Lager

I found another pretty decent deal at the distributor this past week: $15 for a Trail Mix case of Saranac.  It's probably been 4-5 years since I've had anything Saranac, and I didn't remember too well what I had had of theirs before.  The first beer I grabbed was the Adirondack Lager:

Vittles:
5.5% abv

Appearance: 8/10
It's crystal clear with a nice golden-amber color and about a half-inch of foamy, off-white head.  I could see a little effervescence, too, which made it more appealing.  While the head lacked any real retention, it did leave mild lacing as it fell.

Aroma: 18/25
I smelled a good malt backbone with notes of cracker, biscuit, and a very slight sweetness.  The aroma is mainly from the malt, with very little of the hop characteristics coming through.  I could only pick up on trace scents from the Cascade hops, but couldn't smell the Hallertau at all.

Taste: 30/40
It's not an overly flavorful lager, but it is crisp, clean, and refreshing.  The biscuit and cracker notes are more prominent on the tongue than the hops flavors, which are thankfully somewhat more present in flavor than they were in aroma.  I noticed the spicy and floral hops notes the clearest, with a slight earthiness in the background.  It's about average for a German lager.

Mouthfeel: 7/10
It's medium-bodied, crisp, and clean on the finish.  The mouthfeel doesn't really add anything to the beer, but it doesn't detract, either.

Style: 3/5
The category I think this beer fits best is German Pils, but there are a few points of divergence, such as the use of Cascade hops and the lack of Pilsner malt.  It also lacks the head retention that should be found in this style.

Drinkability: 8/10
This is an easy beer to drink, especially since it leaves very little aftertaste and doesn't sit heavy on your palate or in your stomach.  It's one of the more refreshing beers I've had recently, and I certainly enjoyed it yesterday while soaking up some sun.  It's a good summer beer.

Overall: 74/100
I prefer this beer to most, if not all, of the macro lagers.  It's not overpowering in flavor, so if you're looking for a punch in the mouth, you won't find it here.  All in all, not a bad beer, but not a great beer, either.  Just a good average lager.

I'm looking forward to trying the other Saranac beers.  Cheers!