Goose Island Sixth Day

I can't recall how Goose Island Sixth Day wound up in my keezer (I hope I'm not forgetting to thank anyone!), but it seemed like a good beer to try tonight:

Vittles:
American Brown Ale
8.3% abv
55 IBU

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

Impression:
I'm pretty impressed with the pour, though the head didn't have much linger to it.  Biscuit, caramel, and toffee dominate the aroma, with spicy, herbal, floral, and fruity notes in the background.  I enjoyed the complexity in this one quite a bit.  The malt backbone is prominent, but not out of balance with the more delicate hops characteristics, and there's just enough of sticky-sweetness to offset the mildly bitter bite.  Brown sugar and molasses came to mind, as did cherries, raisins, and something like cloves or nutmeg.  The flavor profile becomes more interesting as it warms, with some minor earthy and floral hints in the background.  Overall, I like this one quite a bit.

Cheers!

Thomas Creek River Falls

I've only tried one Thomas Creek beer before, and it was their Up the Creek.  I really enjoyed it, as did my dad.  He found another of their varieties recently, their River Falls Red Ale, so he gave me a bottle to try:

Vittles:
Irish Red Ale
6.2% abv
25 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 22/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 90/100

Impression:
It starts with a very impressive pour, the head has decent retention, and it laces like crazy.  The nose is dominated by toffee and caramel notes, but there are some earthy, spicy, and faintly floral tones in the background.  The flavors follow cleanly, and the solid malt character comes through prominently, complemented by the gentle English hops notes.  There's a slight stickiness to the medium body, but it goes down smooth and finishes crisp and slightly dry.  A light roast character carries into the aftertaste along with the caramel and a hint of spiciness.  All in all, a very good example of an Irish Red Ale, and I'd certainly pick it up again.

Cheers!

Breckenridge Avalance Ale

I'm a sucker for variety boxes, and the one I picked up from Breckenridge has been fairly decent so far.  Let's see if their Avalance holds up:

Vittles:
American Amber Ale
4.4% abv
19 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 32/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 76/100

Impression:
Not as impressive of a pour as the Lucky U IPA, but it did leave a fair amount of lacing as it went.  The aroma holds mostly toasted grains, caramel, and toffee, with a twinge of bitterness in the background.  The flavors are a little more pronounced on the tongue, with more biscuity notes coming through, but it still isn't very impressive in the flavor department.  It has a decent body, and it feels smooth and creamy, with a slightly dry finish.  I'm glad I tried this one, but I won't be going out of my way to have it again.

Cheers!

Leffe Blonde

I'm kind of craving the yeasty deliciousness of a Belgian brew, so I'm trying Leffe Blonde tonight.  This is one that I've never had before, but I've heard decent things:

Vittles:
Belgian Pale Ale
6.6% abv

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 89/100

Impression:
I love the way it pours, and it's so brilliantly clear in the glass it almost sparkles.  The aroma carries the banana and clove esters and phenols that I love so much in Belgians.  I also smell biscuit and cracker, with a touch of warm sweetness in the background.  The flavors follow, with the yeast profile taking center stage.  It has a clean bread and biscuit taste, and there are floral, herbal, earthy, and caramel hints in the background.  This doesn't stand out as a pale ale, since the focus is more on the yeast and malt than on the hops.  It tastes more like a weizen/weissbier than a BPA.  I could definitely see myself enjoying one of these come the warmer months, especially after doing yardwork.

Cheers!

Breckenridge Lucky U IPA

I doubt IPAs will ever replace Belgians as my favorite style of beer, but they're creeping up there.  Tonight's beer is a Breckenridge Lucky U IPA.  My husband tried it earlier in the week and said it was pretty good, so we'll see:

Vittles:
American IPA
6.2% abv
68 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 34/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 81/100

Impression:
Nice pour, decent head, and pretty good retention.  It's leaving quite a bit of lacing on the glass, too.  The aroma is mainly citrus -- grapefruit and lemon -- with a mild floral/earthy note in the background.  The malt profile smells like caramel, toffee, and a little biscuity.  The flavors are decent -- citrus up front, more earthy/herbal/floral notes in the background, and everything's nicely in balance.  The body is medium-light, and it finishes moderately dry.  All in all, this is a textbook American IPA.  It's not going to knock your socks off, but it does showcase some of the more prominent American hops characteristics (esp. grapefruit aroma/flavor).

Cheers!

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

I came across another porter that looked interesting -- Breckenridge Vanilla Porter -- so I couldn't help but give it a try:

Vittles:
Brown Porter
4.7% abv
16 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 22/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 87/100

Impression:
I should probably note that I had this one closer to room temp, not at "standard" serving temp, so the earthy aromas and flavors would probably be more subdued if you drink it colder than I did.  The head poured nicely but fell quickly, leaving fair lacing as it receded.  The aroma smells roasty, slightly sharp, and significantly warm and earthy with strong tones of vanilla.  The flavor follows suit, but it's much richer and more complex than I expected based on the nose.  The vanilla is clear and prominent, but not overdone, and it's balanced by the earthy and roasty flavors, including caramel, chocolate, and a very slight hint of coffee.  Smooth and medium-bodied characteristics round out the beer very well.  This isn't the best porter I've had, but it is up there.  I would have this one again.

Cheers!

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald

Porter is an overlooked and underrated style of beer.  I wish there were more varieties of porters out there.  Or that I had more easy access to the ones that are out there.  At any rate, I was looking forward to cracking open the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald I had in my keezer -- I was hoping it would be delightfully chocolatey.

Vittles:
Robust Porter
5.8% abv
37 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 38/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
The head poured nicely but dissipated quickly, though it did leave nice lacing as it went.  Roasted malt notes, especially chocolate and coffee, stand out in the nose.  It smells rich and earthy, with a pungent bittersweet aroma in the background.  The flavors follow, except the chocolate comes through more bitter than I expected, but the sharpness in the flavor is moderated by the creaminess of the body, and the result is a rich and complex blend of flavors that shift subtly as the beer warms.  This is probably one of the better porters I've tried in the last year or so, and I'll be keeping an eye out for it again in the future.

Cheers!