Sam Adams Longshot Strawberry Lager (Dave Anderson)

I have often wondered by breweries don't release their own mixed 6ers.  I wasn't even sure why most variety packs seemed to come with only 3 different beers, though recently I'm starting to see them with up to six different beers.  That's an amazing improvement, in my eyes, though I'd still like to see that trickle down to the 6ers.  So, when I saw a 6er that had 3 varieties in it, it caught my eye.  And the varieties all came from a homebrew competition -- I'm all about supporting homebrewers, so long as they brew good shit.

Sam Adams Longshot Strawberry Lager (by Dave Anderson) is the first beer I tried from the Longshot 6er I picked up earlier in the week.  I've been having a whole bunch of IPAs lately, so a fruit lager seemed a good way to mix it up:

Vittles:

Fruit Beer

5.5% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 18/25

Taste: 24/40

Mouthfeel: 7/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 6/10

Overall: 68/100

Impression:

The aroma was very appealing, dominated by a strong smell of strawberries.  I could smell something citrusy, as well, and there's a faint toffee hint in the background.  However, the taste was disappointing.  It certainly has strawberry flavor, and I could taste the toffee as well, but the two flavors just did not jibe.  Part of the problem for me is that the strawberry flavor is very prominent, but it lacks any sweetness to cut the acerbically bitter edge.  The strawberry flavor just isn't as palatable without at least a degree of sweetness to offset it, and it kind of jars on the tongue.  When I smelled this beer, I really wanted to like it, but the taste just doesn't pan out.  I'm not saying this needs to be an overly sweet beer, but as it is, it's not well balanced.  I would not buy this beer again.

If I had bought a 6er of this brew, I would've been very upset, so I'm glad there's only one more of these beers in the 6er.  My husband can have it.  Or I'll cook with it.  I have yet to drain-pour a beer, and I'm not about to start throwing money down the drain now.

Cheers!

Saranac White IPA

When I got home from work last night, I happily returned to my task of whittling down the list of beers in my keezer that I haven't tried yet.  I went for a Saranac White IPA since it seemed like it might be a little less bitter than the rest of them, what with being a Saranac and all -- not hating on Saranac, but a lot of their beers tend to taste fairly similar, and they tend not to be as strong or assertive as, say, Sam Adams IPAs.  So White IPA it was:

Vittles:

Specialty Beer

6% abv

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 87/100

Impression:

I like the hazy, nearly opaque straw color of the body.  The aroma is fairly appealing, and I can smell lemon and orange, a bit of pine, a healthy yeastiness, and a moderate wheat backdrop.  The flavors are very well balanced, with the delicous citrus of the hops blending nicely with the wheat and yeast flavors, and I think I taste some coriander as well.  What I like best about this beer is that it showcases the hops without being overbearing.  The yeast and wheat qualities, which seem to get pushed into the background in the other Belgian IPAs I've tried, aren't hidden here, much to my joy.  I think people often fixate on bold and assertive hops and overlook or ignore the complexities in yeast and grain profiles.  As I've mentioned before, I tend to prefer maltier beers, and I love yeasty beers like hefes, so when I beer can bring those aspects together with with a good hops addition and keep all three in balance, I consider that a job well done.  This is probably my favorite Belgian IPA so far, and I would definitely have it again.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Red Tasman

Of the myriad beers in my keezer, there are only about half a dozen I haven't tried yet, and somehow they're all IPAs.  So when I came home from work last night, I thought I'd pare my selection back a bit.  Sam Adams Red Tasman, a Red IPA, seemed interesting enough:

Vittles:

American IPA

6.5% abv

50 IBUs

45 SRM

223 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 23/25

Taste: 37/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 89/100

Impression:

The grapefruit, pine, and earthy scent of the hops are obvious on the nose, but there's also a caramel and toffee-like malt quality in the background that nicely rounds out the aroma.  The pine is a bit more prominent than the grapefruit on the tongue, but not by much, while the earthiness drops off a bit.  As the beer warmed, the grapefruit gained strength, and the bitterness rose as well.  This IPA has a bunch of linger -- the bitter grapefruit and pine aftertaste stays with you for a long time.  That kind of lingering aftertaste is one of the aspects of IPAs that my husband loves, but I'm not too fond of it.  In fact, it's one of the reasons I really didn't enjoy IPAs at first.  I think I would enjoy IPAs much more if the aftertaste lingered half as long.  Different strokes.

Five more IPAs to try.  This should be interesting!

Cheers!

Dundee Honey Brown Lager

This one's an old stand-by from my early drinking days.  It was cheap enough to afford occasionally on my very limited budget, and it tasted quite a bit better than the Jacob Best that I usually got.  It was also one of the gateway beers that helped me move from BMC to craft/microbrews.  So even though it isn't really all that great of a beer, the taste of Honey Brown Lager holds some pretty awesome memories for me.  Every now and then, I like to grab a 6er of it and stroll down memory lane:

Vittles:

Dark American Lager

4.5% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 18/25

Taste: 30/40

Mouthfeel: 7/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 9/10

Overall: 76/100

Impression:

Despite having a thin taste that consists mostly of a faint bready-malt flavor, and despite having low levels of carbonation, poor head retention, and a slight malty aroma, I just can't help enjoying this beer.  It's a little grainy, a little sweeter than I remember, and has little to no aftertaste.  While it poured with a decent head, it fell very quickly, dissipating to a minuscule ring.  This is a good filler beer, and if I could get a case of cans for cheaper than I can get Yuengling Light Lager, I'd probably alternate between the two for more session variety, though Honey Brown is still a little higher on abv than I'd prefer.

Cheers!

Saranac Wild Hop Pils

Saranac Wild Hop Pils caught my eye because the bottle says it's made with Belma hops, a variety found growing wild near Yakima.  And it's been a while since I've had a pils -- seems like I've had a disproportionately high number of IPAs lately.  Not that that's a bad thing.

Vittles:

Pils

Abv unknown

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 31/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 78/100

Impression:
Moderate levels of carbonation helped this pils pour with a decent head, which eventually fell to a thin disk.  Initially, I smelled sulfur, but that faded over the first few minutes.  There was also a wet hay aroma and flavor at the start, but that also dissipated and was replaced by a faintly sweet cracker flavor instead.  This is a pretty typical pils in terms of light malt aromas and biscuit/cracker flavors.  Since I'm not exactly familiar with Belma hops, it was interesting trying to pick out all of the nuances.  It's definitely a subtle hop variety, which surprised me, but it worked very well with the pils style.  I think I picked up on fruity, herbal, floral, earthy, mildly spicy, and faintly peppery notes.  Overall, I think I like Belma, but I definitely want to track down more beers that use it.  I can see why it might get overlooked over on the west coast, amidst all the heavy-hitting hops, but I'd love to taste this in a brown ale.  Maybe I'll have to order some and brew it up on my own.

Cheers!

Saranac Session Ale

Sometimes (quite often, actually), I want the taste of beer without a lot of alcohol, but there are relatively few American beers that are truly sessionable.  So when I come across a session ales, I like to try them.  Maybe I'll find a tastier alternative to the Yuengling Light Lager that's my session stand-by.  Saranac's summer beer sampler included a session ale, and I wasn't in the mood for anything too strong or heavy, so that's what I went with:

Vittles:

Blonde Ale

4.5% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 18/20
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 75/100

Impression:
4.5% abv is a little high for a good session ale, as far as I'm concerned.  I'd love to find a non-BMC beer that clocks in around 3.5% -- that's about the range I would prefer in my ideal session beer.  Anyway, Saranac Session Ale is middling at best.  It tasted very similar to their Kolsch, which I tried recently.  It started out with a decent head, but with poor head retention, it fell pretty quickly to a small, thin ring of foam.  I unfortunately smelled a bit of the cooked vegetable smell of DMS, but that seemed to fade a little over time.  There was also a wet hay kind of flavor at the start, but that flavor became a little sweeter and more mild as the beer warmed.  There was also a nice floral hop quality that balanced out the malt flavors very nicely.  With a crisp and clean finish, this beer was fairly average but very refreshing.

Maybe it's just me, but many of Saranac's beers taste very similar.  They all seem to share a certain taste that I can't quite put my finger on yet.  I like their beers -- they're solid examples of their particular styles, but they aren't outstanding in any way.

Cheers!

Saranac Kolsch

My husband and I stopped by a grocery store when we were out and about today, and this grocery store had an amazing beer selection.  I mean, especially for this area, the selection really blew me away, especially since the last time I went in this particular store, they had about a tenth of their current offerings.  So we wandered around for a while and finally settled on a Saranac sampler and a 4-pack of Sierra Nevada Torpedo pounders.  Since it's a pretty warm evening, I decided to have a Kolsch with dinner (rotisserie chicken, olive salad, fresh bread):

Vittles:
Kolsch
5% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 20/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 77/100

Impression:
It's been a while since I've had a Kolsch, so this was a pleasant change from the IPAs I've been having recently.  The beer looks very clear and crisp, fairly bright, and has low levels of effervescence.  The aroma is a little mustier than I expected, but it's pleasant overall.  There was also a faint sulfur smell when I first poured it, but that dissipated fairly quickly and was replaced with a sweet undertone.  There flavor in this beer is very subtle, mostly of yeast and light malt, though there was also a faint spiciness and a slight, fresh flavor, almost like mint but not quite.  With its light body and almost non-existent aftertaste, this is an extremely refreshing beer, and it went fantastically well with my dinner.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Whitewater IPA

IPAs were never my favorite style, but I think I might be changing my tune a bit.  I've had quite a few IPAs over the last several months, and I find myself liking a wider range of hop characteristics.  My least favorite hop flavors used to be grapefruit and pine, because they were so much bolder and more assertive than I was used to, and my favorite flavors, the malt profiles, usually take a backseat to the hops in most IPAs.  Now that my palate is becoming a bit more educated and I can distinguish different flavors more easily, I'm finding IPAs a good challenge for practicing picking out specific tastes.

TL;DR: I'm starting to like IPAs more.  

So when I got home from work last night, I was looking forward to grabbing a Sam Adams Whitewater IPA out of my keezer:

Vittles:

American IPA

5.8% abv

61 IBUs

7.5 SRM

197 cal.

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 34/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 85/100

Impression:

Very bold and assertive with plenty of lemony-citrus goodness.  Whitewater IPA is highly effervescent and medium-bodied.  It smells grassy, fruity, floral, herbal, piney, citrusy, and spicy.  The grapefruit and the pine come out more in the flavor than in the nose.  The lemon and grassy flavors are also more prominent, and I think I taste coriander, too, which is always a welcome note.  I also enjoyed the wheat qualities in the background quite a bit.

I would definitely get the Whitewater IPA again.  Very tasty brew, nice and refreshing, good level of hop complexity.

Cheers!

Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Ok, I lied.  The anti-histamines did the trick, and the poison ivy is quickly disappearing, so I can go back to my beer-hounding ways sooner than I thought.

A buddy of mine, oh heck, my best friend aside from my husband, came to visit us last weekend, and he came bearing gifts.  For my birthday, he and his wife got me my very own sampler flight (awesome!!!) and a Sam Adams IPA variety box (also awesome!!!).  Unfortunately, I was suffering from that insidious poison ivy and was on some meds for it, so I couldn't partake of his very thoughtful gift.  Until last night.  When I came home from work last night, I cracked open a Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA, and the evening got all kinds of mellow:

Vittles:

American IPA

6% abv

60 IBUs

20 SRM

206 calories

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 37/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 89/100

Impression:

This is the 2013 Latitude 48 with Mosaic hops -- not a distinction I would normally write out, but I think this is the first time I've tried a beer with Mosaic (at least as far as I know).

Solidly hoppy but not overly bitter, this beer has a mild, earthy, spicy, herbal, and floral aroma.  I can smell a bit of a malt backbone, but the main aromas are decidedly hoppy, and they smell delicious.  They also smell pretty balanced, and that balance carries over into the flavor nicely.  There are a few flavors I didn't detect in the aroma, but none of them are overpowering.  The citrus/grapefruit hits you a bit on the back end, and there's a hint of pine and a slight peppery flavor, too.  The longer I let it sit in my mouth, the more prominent the grapefruit notes become, and the more everything else fades into the background.  The flavors are interesting, and they keep me guessing, especially as the beer warms to room temp. and more of the complexities come out to play.  It started out highly effervescent with a large head (I had to sip it down quite a bit so it wouldn't spill over the sides of the glass while I took my picture).  The head settled into a thin disk, which remained throughout.  It also left significant lacing, which I just love.  The medium body and creamy mouthfeel really add to my enjoyment, as well.  Maybe it's because I haven't had a beer for a few days now, or maybe it's because this is a more balanced and well-rounded IPA, but it's really hitting the spot.

Can't wait to try another SA IPA tomorrow night!  Cheers!

Magic Hat Elder Betty

The last of my birthday beers survived longer than I thought it would.  Magic Hat's Elder Betty grabbed my eye because it's a weiss-style beer, which I usually enjoy, and it uses elderberries, and that sounded like an interesting combination:

Vittles:

American Wheat or Rye Beer

5.5% abv

13 IBUs

4 SRM

Elderberries

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 19/25

Taste: 31/40

Mouthfeel: 7/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 7/10

Overall: 77/100

Impression:

On first whiff, I can smell a mild wheat base, a syrupy-sweet berry aroma, and a grassy hop character in the background.  The taste follows much the same, except the berries are more present than I'd like.  About half of the berry presence would've been much more in balance, since it tastes overly sweet the way it is.  I've categorized this beer as an American Wheat Beer, despite the "weiss" on the label, because it uses an American yeast strain, it lacks the clove and banana esters a true hefeweizen should have, and the emphasis is on the added berries, not on the hefe or the weiss.  All of these components come through pretty clearly in the flavor, and calling it a weiss-style beer or a hefeweizen is a little misleading.  The mouthfeel was a little on the thin side, and low levels of carbonation were disappointing, to say the least.

I really haven't been overly thrilled with any of the Magic Hat beers I've had lately.  They used to be one of my go-to brands, back when I first got into craft beers, but either my palate is changing, or their beers are getting worse.

Cheers!

Erie Railbender Ale

So, Erie's Railbender Ale made its way to my fridge free of charge.  Apparently, some Coors representative (not sure on this point -- this is basically like a big game of telephone) dropped it off at my husband's barber shop, for some reason I'm not too clear on, but the barber doesn't drink beer, so he was going to just throw it away.  Enter my husband, who thankfully saved the beer from such a fate.  And so, I got to try another beer.  But I was kind enough to share the wealth with my husband and a friend of ours:

Vittles:

Scottish Ale

6.8% abv

26 IBUs

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 23/25

Taste: 38/40

Mouthfeel: 9/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 9/10

Overall: 93/100

Impression:

I was pretty impressed -- it's creamy, rich, and full-flavored.  The head didn't persist very long, despite the decent levels of effervescence.  The first whiff smells of caramel and toffee, with a hint of breadiness in the background.  There's also a nutty character in both the aroma and the flavor that I find very enjoyable.  Caramel and toffee also follow nicely into the flavor, and there's a slight hoppiness on the back end, but the focus is primarily on the malt.  Medium mouthfeel, plenty of carbonation, and a moderately dry finish all improve the experience of this beer.  It's insanely smooth and drinkable.  I could get into trouble with this beer.

Cheers!

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!