Sam Adams Octoberfest

The last time I had Sam Adams Octoberfest was probably two or three years ago.  We got a case of it  to enjoy with some friends while watching college football.  This time around, however, I had it on tap at a local bar:

Vittles:
Octoberfest/Marzen
5.3% abv
16 IBU
20 SRM
187 cal.

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 21/25
Taste: 36/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 86/100

Impression:
The head wasn't exactly impressive this time around.  The aroma was a little more satisfying, with caramel, toffee, and lots of toasted malt notes.  The flavors are on par with the aroma, except I taste something nutty in the background, too.  I like the herbal, earthy hops characteristics -- Hallertau hops are some of my favorites all around, and they're nicely complemented by the malt bill in this beer.  This isn't a strong-flavored beer, but it is fairly well balanced and a decent representation of the style.

Cheers!

Blue Moon Short Straw

We had picked up a Blue Moon variety pack a while back, and this one was still sitting in my keezer.  I'm a little wary about trying it, since it has hibiscus, which tends to bother me.  But I'll give it a try, and if I can't handle the hibiscus, well, my husband will just have to finish it.  I have a bottle of their Rounder, too, but if this one bothers me, I might just skip the Rounder all together.  Having food sensitivities is not fun.

Vittles:
Saison
5.8% abv
17 IBUs

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 3/5
Drinkability: 6/10
Overall: 73/100

Impression:
Though it poured with a decent head, the foam fell quickly and left virtually no lacing on the glass.  The aroma smells like every other Blue Moon beer I've had so far -- weakly wheaty with a very faint fruitiness (citrus) and a bare breath of yeast presence.  It's certainly not bringing the "wow" factor, and the flavors really don't bring anything new to the table, either.  I can sort of convince myself that I taste the citrus and something floral before the flavors turn a little tart.  The best way I can describe this beer is weak -- the aroma and flavors didn't bother to show up for work; I feel, moreso with this beer than any other Blue Moon varieties I've tried, that I'm drinking flavored water, not beer.  The mouthfeel is a little better than I was expecting, but it really doesn't add anything.  Overall, if this were your first saison ever, you'd have a pretty poor idea of what saisons are actually like.  And, unfortunately, the hibiscus did start to bother me, so I wasn't able to finish this one.  On to greener pastures...

Cheers!

Where Has the Time Gone?

These past several weeks have been sort of crazy, in a good way, and I haven't really had much of a chance to try any new beers recently, so I took a bit of an unplanned hiatus.  But I'm back.  And I have a keezer full of varieties I haven't tried yet.  I did, however, finally get a chance to tap my Belgian Tripel homebrew, which has been conditioning for about a year:

Vittles:

Belgian Tripel

9.2% abv

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 87/100

Impression:

It turned out a lot better than I had hoped for, so I'm pretty impressed with myself.  There wasn't much of a head when I pulled it off the keg, but it hadn't had a chance to carbonate -- I was too eager to try it and didn't want to wait.  The aroma is full of all that Belgian yeasty goodness that I love so much, and a fair amount of sweetness undercuts the banana and clove scents.  The flavor follows suit, and there's quite a bit of alcohol warmth as it slides down your gullet.  This is definitely a sipping beer, one to enjoy slowly and in small pours.  It also seems like just the thing to take the chill out of your bones after shoveling snow, so I hope there's enough to last through the winter.

I brought a growler of my homebrew to a party last night, and I was surprised by how many compliments I got.  I was kind of blown away by how much people enjoyed my brew.  I'll have to make this one again, though it does take a lot of patience, since it conditions for so long before I tap it.

~Cheers!

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

The last time I had Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA was probably over a year and a half ago.  And I'm pretty sure I've only had it out of a bottle.  I got a chance to have it on tap the other night, and the rest of the tap selections were... piss poor.  So I wound up having DFH 60 Min. IPA to top off an enjoyable evening:

Vittles:
American IPA
6% abv
60 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 10/10
Aroma: 23/25
Taste: 37/40
Mouthfeel: 8/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 91/100

Impression:
As you can see, I once again almost forgot to grab a pic.  But, on the plus side, the head retention and lacing should speak for themselves.  The aroma was a bit more complex than I remembered it being -- I smelled citrusy, floral, fruity, earthy, herbal, and bready notes, and the flavors matched fairly well, though I did taste caramel and a bit of pine as well.  The body is medium-light, and the finish is crisp and a little dry.  All in all, it's a very good beer, though it doesn't punch you in the mouth as much as a West Coast IPA.  I'm still partial to the 90 Minute IPA, and I have yet to try the 120, but I certainly enjoyed this one, and I'd be happy to have it again in the future.

Cheers!

Blue Moon Belgian White

I can't even count how many times I've had Blue Moon Belgian White in the past, but I've never taken the time to review it.  With most beers, the more I think about the aromas and flavors, the more I enjoy the beer.  This, however, is not one of those beers.  I find I like Blue Moon beers better if I don't pay too much attention to them:

Vittles:
Witbier
5.4% abv
9 IBU

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 30/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 4/5
Drinkability: 8/10
Overall: 76/100

Impression:
I've had this beer several times in the past, both on tap and from a bottle.  I have never been overly impressed with it, but it is passably decent, especially when the other tap selections are all light varieties of BMC (as frequently occurs near me, sadly).  The head pours nicely, but it falls almost immediately and leaves no lacing at all as it goes.  The aroma is very subdued, and I can pick up on faint whisps of wheat, yeast, citrus, and spice.  Of the three, the coriander imparts the strongest scent, followed by citrus (orange).  The flavor is much the same, though the wheat backbone becomes more prominent on your breath after you swallow.  The lackluster flavors, combined with a fairly light mouthfeel, make this beer fairly drinkable and refreshing, albeit boring and dull.  But hey, it's better than the tap water around here, which often tastes like pond scum in the warmer weather.

Cheers!

Stone IPA

My husband and I went out for dinner the other night, and we wound up at a local bar that makes really good sandwiches.  Unfortunately, most of their taps are usually light BMC stuff that doesn't usually appeal to me.  They did, however, have two decent IPAs on tap, which is a rarity for them, so I got Stone IPA, which I haven't had in years (and I don't think I've ever had it on tap before, only bottled):

Vittles:

American IPA

6.9% abv

77 IBU

Score:

Appearance: 10/10

Aroma: 23/25

Taste: 38/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 92/100

Impression:

It's actually better than I remember it being, but maybe I didn't have it all that fresh years ago, or maybe my memory isn't all that swell these days.  Regardless, I very much enjoyed it this time around.  The head persisted decently well and left a fair amount of lacing as it fell.  Pine and citrus rule the aroma, though I do smell some caramel and toasty malt/bread in the background.  As far as flavor goes, I was kind of bowled over -- citrus, floral, fruity, and pine flavors kept my taste buds guessing, while the malt backbone played counterpart quite nicely.  The mouthfeel is medium-full, and it finishes crisp and clean.  Very enjoyable overall, and I will certainly be looking for this one on tap again.

Cheers!

Goose Island Summertime

Every time I see Goose Island's Summertime sitting in my keezer, I get "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess stuck in my head.  That's not a bad thing -- I love that song.  Anyway, it's the next beer I grabbed:

Vittles:

Kolsch

5.1% abv

20 IBU

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 19/25

Taste: 34/40

Mouthfeel: 7/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 81/100

Impression:

The head poured nicely, but it didn't have much stay to it.  It did leave some lacing as it went, though.  The aroma is mainly grainy and malty with a little herbal earthiness in the background.  Every now and then, I got a whiff that reminded me of wet hay, but that particular aroma didn't linger.  I tasted a bit more cereal and biscuit on the tongue than I detected in the nose, as well as a hint of caramel and something warm like vanilla.  The mouthfeel is actually thicker than I expected and adds a nice depth to the beer.  It finishes slightly bitter and dry, but the aftertaste doesn't linger very long.  A decent beer, nice and refreshing, but it's not going to knock your socks off.

Cheers!