Kulmbacher Eisbock

I've had Kulmbacher Eisbock once before, quite some time ago, before I really got into taking notes or keeping track of what I've tasted.  I remember enjoying it, and I've been wanting to try it again, so when I saw it for a decent price, I bought it:

Vittles:
Eisbock
9.2% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 93/100

Impression:
Eisbocks are basically made by freezing beer and removing the ice crystals that form, thereby concentrating all the deliciousness that remains (and the alcohol content, but that's just gravy!).  This eisbock is rich in complex roasted malt flavors, along with nutty, bready, and dark fruit tones.  I like the brown sugar/molasses notes, too.  Figs pop out at me, a little bit of raisin, and a somewhat vinous quality hides slightly in the background.  The medium-heavy mouthfeel is very satisfying, and it finishes slightly dry.  This is the perfect beer to enjoy after dinner.

Cheers!

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde

I've been wanting to try Unibroue La Fin Du Monde for quite some time now, so when I found it pretty cheap, I snagged it:

Vittles:
Tripel
9% abv
19 IBUs
5.5 SRM

Score:
Appearance: 10/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 39/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 9/10
Overall: 96/100

Impression:
I love the cloudiness and the color right off the bat.  The head was decent, but it didn't persist very long (I was visiting, so I wasn't using one of my own glasses, which I know are free of head-destroying soap residue).  The aroma very nearly made my mouth water -- yeasty and citrusy, with notes of clove, banana, golden raisins, and a slight grassy hint in the background.  The flavors were much the same as in the nose, and they were very well balanced, interestingly complex, and insanely enjoyable.  The medium-full mouthfeel rounded it all out nicely, and the effervescence kept the beer lively on my tongue.  I was surprised at how smooth and easy to drink this beer was, and I was also very surprised by how quickly my glass emptied.  Very well done overall.

Cheers!

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Another of the IPAs I picked out for my husband and I to share was Great Divide Hercules Double IPA.  While he loves IPAs, especially American and Imperial IPAs, they're not my favorite style.  However, I do seem to have more IPAs than anything else, and the style is continuing to grow on me:

Vittles:
Imperial IPA
10% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 22/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 89/100

Impression:
It poured nicely with a decent head, but the head did not persist long.  It did leave a fair bit of lacing, though.  The aroma is sweet, like bread and honey, with some grapefruit, floral, fruity, woody, and slightly spicy notes.  I like the maltiness in the background; the toastiness is a great complement to the hops.  I also liked that I tasted some hints of dark fruits and nuttiness.  The creamy smoothness of the mouthfeel just makes this beer stand out even more.  I would love to try this one on tap sometime -- I bet it would be fantastic.


Cheers!

Founders Centennial IPA

My husband is a fan of American IPAs, especially if they have Centennial hops in them.  So, when I mix myself a 6, I usually try to add a couple beers he'd like as well, and we enjoy them together.  One of the IPAs I picked out for him this time was Founders Centennial IPA:

Vittles:
American IPA
7.2% abv
65 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
Nice clarity and decent head when poured, but the head fell fairly quickly, leaving decent lacing behind.  The malt is present but subdued in the nose, leaving the grapefruit/citrus and pine characteristics to dominate the forefront.  The malt backbone does a great job of supporting the rich and intense hops flavors without taking too much attention away from the grapefruit/citrus and pine.  There're also some floral, herbal, and spicy notes in the background, too.  The flavors themselves are clean and crisp, surprisingly refreshing considering the fuller-bodied but very smooth mouthfeel.  I've said before that IPAs aren't my favorite style, but I found this one to be particularly enjoyable.

Cheers! 

Otto's Hefeweizen

It seems like every time I go to Otto's for food and beer, I forget to snap a pic of my beer before imbibing.  Oh well.  So you don't get to see any pretty pictures of the Hefeweizen I had at Otto's.  I'm sure you'll survive.

Vittles:
Hefeweizen
5% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 33/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 83/100

Impression:
The beer pours a cloudy golden straw color, but by the time the beer got to my table, there was only a slim ring of a nearly-white head left.  The aroma was largely wheat, clove, and banana, with some herbal and earthy notes underneath.  The flavors followed nicely, with a bit of lemon and some spiciness added in.  A medium body and a somewhat dry finish round it all out very well.  This is one of my favorite kinds of beer, especially in the summer months, and Otto's does a fairly good job on this style.

Cheers!

Erie Mad Anthony's APA

So far, I've been fairly pleased with the Erie beers I've had.  The next one I pulled from my sampler box was Mad Anthony's APA:

Vittles:

American Pale Ale

5.5% abv

40 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 85/100

Impression:
This beer is about on par with the rest of the Erie beers I've had so far.  There's a slight metallic taste in the background, which isn't all that pleasant, but it isn't very distracting, either, and it dissipates as the beer breathes.  The aroma is about what I'd expect: fresh bread dough, grassy, sweet malt aromas backing a mild fruity-citrusy scent.  After the aroma, I was mildly surprised at the dry character of the beer.  The bitterness takes a little bit to kick in, and the primary flavors are more earthy/herbal/grassy, with the fruity-citrusy hops characters coming in on the back end.  I was a little disappointed in the lighter mouthfeel, though it did have a fairly smooth drinkability to it.

Cheers!

Founders Dirty Bastard

I got to go to one of my favorite beer stores recently while visiting, so I made myself a mixed 6 of beers I've been wanting to try.  One of the beers I picked was Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale:

Vittles:
Strong Scotch Ale
8.5% abv
50 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 93/100

Impression:
I love the deep, rich, ruby color, and the light yellow of the head looks and smells like hoppy deliciousness.  The malt backbone is complex and crackery with notes of toasted malt, caramel, molasses, and dark fruits.  There is also a touch of hops character on the back end.  The flavors are about what I expect with a nose like that, and the sweetness of the malt balances nicely with the hop bitterness.  I also taste some estery notes and a little warm vanilla after I swallow the beer.  The mouthfeel is very full-bodied and creamy.  This may be the best wee heavy I've had so far.

Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

It's been a while since I've had an American barleywine, and I found a 4-pack of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot at a very good price the other day, so I picked it up:

Vittles:

American Barleywine
9.6% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 24/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 92/100

Impression:
This is definitely a heavy-hitting, Pacific Northwest hop bomb, and it's delicious (pardon the redundancy).  The pine and citrus/grapefruit aromas were the most forward for me, but the floral, earthy, and toffee notes in the background rounded out the nose very well.  The flavor follows the nose very cleanly, though there's more spice in the tongue than in the aroma.  This kind of beer seems to sit on that fine line between DIPA and American barleywine, but when you think about it, then two styles are very, very close anyway.  I still prefer English barleywines to American ones, but this is a damn good beer regardless.

Cheers!

Evil Genius The Siren

I seem to be continuing my too-many-IPAs pattern of late, so I'm trying to find the non-hop-heavy beers in my stash and drink those.  Since it's a hot and humid day, Evil Genius The Siren called to me -- nothing beats a good wheat beer on such a sweaty day:

Vittles:

American Wheat or Rye Beer

7.2% abv

66 IBUs

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 37/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 9/10

Overall: 88/100

Impression:

It poured with a tall, rocky head, but the head fell most of the way within seconds, unfortunately.  The aroma is mainly wheat, but there are also some citrus/grapefruit notes in the background.  The citrus/grapefruit is more prominent in the flavor than it was in the nose, and there's a nice spiciness to round it out.  The carbonation does bring a bit of sting to the tongue, but not too much.  The flavors have a nice balance, and there's something a little fruity, maybe banana, in the background.  The mouthfeel is a little on the silky side, but not as full as I'd've liked.  I would get this one again, and I'd love to try it on tap.  It was very refreshing on a hot and humid summer day.

Cheers!

Erie Fallenbock

It's been a few days since I've had any new beers -- we've been doing some work around the house, and Yuengling Light Lager was my session beer while working.  So, last night I went back to my stash of beers I have not yet tasted.  I was still a little miffed to see a fall seasonal beer in with the sampler box I bought in June.  But whatever, it's still beer, I'm still going to drink it.  And I actually wound up enjoying it more than I thought I would -- Erie Fallenbock's a darker beer, and I had it on a miserably hot and humid day.  But, it was the coldest beer in my fridge, so I went for it, despite my preference for lighter-colored beers in hot and humid weather:

Vittles:

Doppelbock

7.8% abv

16 IBUs

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 20/25

Taste: 33/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 81/100

Impression:

You can't really see it in this picture, but there were ruby highlights where the light shone through the beer.    The head fell a little too quickly for my liking, despite a fair amount of effervescence.  The aroma was dominated by roast and chocolatey goodness, with caramel, coffee, and nutty undertones.  The flavors are much the same, with a big punch of roasted malt up front, followed closely by molasses, caramel, chocolate, coffee, and nutty flavors.  There was also an undertone of dark fruit flavors, mostly raisin and plum, but they were more in the background.  The beer has a creamy, silky mouthfeel that complements the flavors nicely.  I would definitely enjoy this beer quite a bit more if there were a chill in the air and leaves on the ground -- the flavors are just so perfectly reminiscent of a crisp fall day.

Cheers!

Erie Brewing Presque Isle Pilsner

I was pretty impressed by Erie's Railbender Ale when I tried it a few weeks back, so when I came across an Erie sampler box, I bought it.  Railbender was one of the varieties in the box, so I skipped that one for now and started with the Presque Isle Pilsner instead:

Vittles:

German Pilsner

4.2% abv

17 IBUs

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 19/25

Taste: 34/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 82/100

Impression:
It poured with a tall, rocky white head, but the head fell rather quickly, leaving decent lacing as it went.  There's a bit of sulfur and DMS in the initial aroma, and while the sulfur seemed to dissipate fairly quickly, the DMS hung around a while.  Thankfully, it was a barely-there note, so it didn't stick out like a sore thumb.  The taste kind of reminds me of pancake batter with a little sweetness, like caramel, mixed in.  There're also some lemony-citrus notes that pair well with the malt flavors.  The mouthfeel is on the silky-smooth side, and it finishes crisp and clean; I found this to be a very refreshing beer on a hot and humid day.

I'm looking forward to trying the other two varieties of Erie beer in my sampler, though I have to say I was a little disappointed to see that a fall seasonal beer was in there.  I bought the box in June -- that's just too much of a seasonal shift.  And yes, I know Sam Adams had their Alpine Spring seasonal out in, what, January?  And I've heard tell that Paulaner Pumpkin is coming out soon, if it hasn't already.  I understand seasonal shift for clothing, yard/snow tools, etc., but for beer?  Come on.  That's just ridiculous.

Cheers!

Otto's Pallet Jack Pale Ale

I seem to be drinking a fair amount of Otto's beer lately.  I hadn't seen Pallet Jack Pale Ale on their tap menu before, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Once again, I forgot to whip out ye olde celle phone and take a quick pic before indulging, so I'll have to paint you a picture with my words instead.

Vittles:
American Pale Ale
6.3% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 9/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
I have to say I was fairly impressed with how well the Belgian yeast strain paired with the American hops.  I've tried a slew of Belgian-yeast-American-hops crossovers, and many of them were quite off balance, but Pallet Jack Pale Ale is pleasing to the eye, the nose, and the taste buds.  It's a cloudy, golden-straw color, but I can't really comment on the head since there was little of it left by the time I was served.  There was a fair amount of lacing, though, so I know it had a decently tall head at one point.  The aroma is pleasantly fragrant but mild, with hints of earthiness, fruitiness, and some floral undertones.  The major hops players were the citrus/grapefruit and pine flavors, but they weren't harsh like I've tasted them in other Belgo-American hybrids.  Instead, they nicely complemented the awesome esters that I love so much in Belgian yeasts.  The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and the carbonation brings a bit of a sting.  The crisp and dry finish round out the beer very nicely.  I would absolutely get this one again, especially on tap.

Cheers!

Otto's Arthur's IPA

I might sound like a bit of a homer here, but Otto's really is a great place to grab a meal and a couple beers.  I have yet to be disappointed by any of the beers that I get there.  I was there with some friends the other night, and I got myself some Arthur's IPA to go with my Reuben (which was awesomely delicious, might I add).  Unfortunately, I was enjoying myself so much I once again forgot to snag a pic until my glass was practically empty.  I don't like that that's starting to become a pattern, but then again, I'm sure my dinner companions aren't always thrilled with me snapping pics of my beers.  In fact, I'm pretty sure they get a little embarrassed.  But they're also very indulgent, wonderfully awesome and understanding as they are.

Vittles:

American IPA

6.3% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 20/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

Otto's makes solid beers in general, and this one's no slouch.  I was a little disappointed that the head had already settled by the time it got to my table, but it was a fairly busy time of day, and I was once a waitress at a bar -- I know what the crush can feel like, so it really doesn't bother me that much.  I liked the combination of toffee, caramel, and toasty malt, which served as a backdrop to the largely citrus-grapefruit flavors.  There's also a tasty earthy/herbal undertone that I like quite a bit.  The aftertaste clings a bit, but not too much.  And like I sort of covered before, anything that pairs well with a Reuben is A-OK in my book.

Cheers!

Sam Adam's Third Voyage

I finally got to the last of the IPAs I had sitting untried in my keezer, Sam Adam's Third Voyage:

Vittles:

Imperial IPA

8% abv

85 IBUs

24 SRM

278 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 86/100

Impression:

It's bold, and it's a all kindsa grapefruit deliciousness, with a bit of earthy/herbal hiding in the background and a moderate level of spiciness pervading.  There's more of a malt footprint in this beer than I was expecting -- that kind of malt backbone could support more assertive hopping.  Then again, hops characters do drop off as the bottle ages, but I thought this was still a pretty damn good DIPA, despite having several weeks on it.  My only real complaint is that it had a syrupy thickness to it that took away from my enjoyment a bit (but not by much).  I'd like to try this one again sometime, fresh and on-tap, but I don't think I'd go too far out of my way to buy it aside from that.  It's a good, solid IPA, but there are just SOOOO many others out there to try!

Cheers!