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September 30, 2005

Samuel Smith: India Ale

Name: Samuel Smith: India Ale
Brewed In/Type: Yorkshire Squares, England / IPA
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $2.69 an 18.7 oz. bottle
Dennis: I think a common problem with this beer is that a lot of people compare it to APA (American IPA's) when really it's not. It's the original IPA as it was back in the 19th century. The aroma is hoppy, but with a very perceivable malt backing to it. The taste is similar, there are hops that hit you (what kind...I'm not sure, website and label doesn't specify), but it's a lot more malty than your typical local IPA. Also the low alcohol content (5%) really makes this a beer that goes down so easy, you might find it gone before your ready.
Jen: I really enjoy the fact that this beer isn't in your face bitter. It starts off with a nice pleasant hoppy flavor that is backed by a noticeable creamy malt flavor. It creates a nice balance that makes this brew easy to drink. It has a nice carbonation to it and this ends with a nice bitter kick that is too overwhelming, but lingers just long enough to remind you that this is an IPA.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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September 28, 2005

Unibroue: 2005 Edition

Name: Unibroue: 2005 Edition
Brewed In/Type: Quebec, Canada / Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.99 750ml
Dennis: Wow. I have to say I am very impressed with this brew. The smell is pretty much what you would expect from Unibroue. Deep, dark, sweet smells of ripe rich fruit and yeastiness. The taste is another great part of this beer, sweet but not cloying. Tangy but not sour. Sort of like a soft Guinness Extra Stout with a bigger alcohol kick. There's a tangyness that you know has to come from a tart fruit (cherries, etc) but it's really played well. To me this didn't even taste like 10%. I have to say I was quite impressed with this.
Jen: A definite nice surprise. This 2005 editions has such delcious flavors, it is almost hard to describe. It has nice fruity flavors, like cherries and figs. It then continues with a nice smooth clove spiciness and ends with this bubbly sensation and a slight alcohol taste that makes your tongue tingle. The beer as a whole is bursting with a nice malt flavor and sweet breadiness. Go buy this, it is worth every cent.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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September 26, 2005

Trader Joe's: Barvarian Hefeweizen

Name: Trader Joe's: Barvarian Hefeweizen
Brewed In/Type: California, US / Hefeweizen
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $5.49 6pack
Dennis: We picked this up on a whim more or less, and for the price it's not bad. The aroma is your typical hefeweizen smell of banana and cloves, but with a more subtle bubblegum hint. Over all the body is light, but the taste is certainly that of banana chips (dried banana's). At 5.3% it's an average hefeweizen, but the price is supposed to compensate for that. It's not really a hard core hefewiezen, so it's a good light introduction to the type. You can't really go wrong with this, give it a shot.
Jen: This seems to be a very light, bubbly brew. It has a clovey, banana taste that is kind of ho-hum. This is a middle of the road kind of hefe. Good for a quick buy to fill your fridge, but there are better ones out there.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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September 24, 2005

Sea Dog: Wheat Beer

Name: Sea Dog: Wheat Beer
Brewed In/Type: Portland,ME / Wheat Ale
Bought at/Price Trader Joe's / $4.99 6pack
Dennis: There are very few breweries that always produce a good beer, Sea Dog is generally a safe bet (unless your allergic to hazel nuts of course). The beer is not a so much a weiss beer as a wheat beer. The typical yeasts that Sea Dog use are present, and there's a nice semi sweet malty undertaste, but other than that not much. It's a good beer, with a soft taste but it just plays it to safe. Worth a try, and won't offend anyone, I just wish they gave it a little more oomph!
Jen: I don't find this to be a good representation of a wheat beer. It comes across a little too malty for my taste. It has that biscuity type taste in the beginning and ends with a light crispiness to it (something I wouldn't typically expect in a wheat brew). Overall, it isn't that bad, but at the same time, if I am going to drink one of their wheats, I will stick with the one that offers more flavor.
Rating: 3 out of 5

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September 22, 2005

Great Lakes: Burning River

Name: Great Lakes: Burning River
Brewed In/Type: Cleveland, OH / Pale Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $6.69 6pack
Dennis: Great aroma gives way to a clean crisp body. I can't put my finger on the combination of hops used, but it's certainly not just cascade hops. While there is some complexity in the hops, the beer is rather straight forward other than that. I'd almost say simple, but instead I'll just say focused. Easy to drink, with a nice hop exhale. If you like APA's then this is something you want to try.
Jen: One of my all time favorite beers comes from this brewery, so I always have high expections for them now, and this one lives up to it. It has a nice robust hoppy flavor that is full of citrus and pine. It is well balanced with the malts and ends with a nice crispness with a twinge of hoppy bitter goodness. Definitely a must try.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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September 20, 2005

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Name: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
Brewed In/Type: Germany / Urbock Rauchbier (smokebeer)
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $2.99 a pint
Dennis: Smokebeer, truer words have never been printed upon a label. I like to smoke my bbq, and I do it very well I think, but nothing I've made comes close to this. This is amazing in it's smokeyness, the aroma is like a can of smoked baked beans. The body is surprisingly light in my opinion for a beer this dark. I recommend pouring this out, to let it breath. Really the only thing here your gonna get is smoke outta this, it's really amazing. Kind of like that first dorito that is all strong and cheezy, but by the end of the bag your like "no big deal". If you like smokey foods, drink this beer. It's not something I'd drink every night, but it is amazing for what it is.
Jen: Man oh man, what the heck is this beer! The first sip took me for a loop, but the more I haved sipped it, the more it has grown on me. Then it dawned on me what it reminded me of: Lit'l Smokies! When I was a kid, I ate these by the handful. You really need to try this to believe it. It tastes like smokey meat (without the beefy flavor). But be warned, it is quite potent!
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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September 18, 2005

Rogue: Dead Guy Ale

Name: Rogue: Dead Guy Ale
Brewed In/Type:Newport, OR / Maibock
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $ 3.49 22oz (bomber)
Dennis: I've never had a beer designated as a Maibock before (although I've been eyeing them) so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The smell is sweet and malty, almost like a barley wine. But the alcohol content is a big difference (this is 6.5%), the mouthfeel...or body seems more watery, and there's a slight hop finish to it (Perle and Saaz Hops according to their website). Over all it's pretty good if you crave barleywines without the mind numbing alcohol. It's sweet, malty, but the gentle hops left me wanting. It's drinkable and good, but I would only recommend it to fans of sweet beers.
Jen: I really don't find this to be overly impressive. It has a very light body that is accompanied by the sweetness of malts and finishes with an ever so slight taste of hops. I feel that it should be more "robust". But, since it is lacking in that area, the brew is quite drinkable and is done well with the mild flavors that it does have in it.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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September 16, 2005

Avery: The Beast 2005

Name: Avery: The Beast 2005
Brewed In/Type: Boulder, CO / Belgian Grand Cru
Bought at/Price Binny's / $9.99 22oz (bomber)
Dennis: Wow..this is a sipper. Of course with as high an alcohol content you would assume that. Having said that, considering it could probably power my car, this is a very well crafted beer. The aroma only really hints at the malts, but really does convey the alcohol content (smells like hard alcohol). The body is exactly what you'd expect from a Grand Cru. Deep malt, rich sweetness, ripe date smell and a semi thick body. Not to thick though like some other brews I've had. Over all very impressive and worth having if high octane beers are your thing.
Jen: This is not nearly offensive as I thought an 18.1%ABV beer would be. The scent is backed by sweet and alcohol, neither of which are too overwhelming. I have to admit I was a little scared to take the first swig. Surprisingly, it is quite good. It starts off with a nice malty sweetness to it that is followed by a nice raisin/molasses/honey taste then ends with a kick and a mild aftertaste of alcohol. It is thick in your mouth and sweet. This is definitely a sipper, but none the less a brew worth sipping!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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September 14, 2005

Two Brothers: Bare Tree

Name: Two Brothers: Bare Tree
Brewed In/Type: Illinois / Wheat Barleywine
Bought at/Price Binnys / $8.99 750ml
Dennis: I was really excited to try this brew, I've never heard of a wheat barley wine before. It's hard to get an aroma off this, there's almost no smell to it poured into a beer glass. The taste sort of confuses me, I don't get wheat from it at all. What I do get is a soft alcohol undertone (probably at least 9.2%) and a hint of apricot and a slight bitter twinge. Over all, much like their website, this has let me down. It's not bad, I just wasn't very impressed.
Jen: If you are looking for a barleywine, don't buy this. It has a funky spicy taste to it that is accompanied by, albeit mild, the traditional clove/banana flavor of a weiss. It also has a "barely there" citrus flavor. I don't necessarily like this, but I am also kind of hating it.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

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September 12, 2005

Young's: Old Nick

Name: Young's: Old Nick
Brewed In/Type: London / Barleywine
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $2.49 (16.9 oz bottle)
Dennis: Probably the softest barley wine I've ever had. I have to say that this is almost as drinkable as Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot. This goes down very, very smooth and very very well. Definatly a barley wine in terms of taste, very musty, earthy, with an aftertaste of overripe fruits. Very good, and if your looking to break somebody into barley wines this is a perfect choice, especially since the body isn't a syrup like as it's higher alcohol bretheren (Old Nick is 7.2%). Expensive, but definatly worth having.
Jen: This is not your typical Barley wine (in compared to American ones). This brew has a malty, bread-like start that is followed my very mild hops and a yeasty aftertaste. It also ends with the reminents of an American barleywine. It has an extremely light body for this type of brew. It is quite smooth and goes down easily.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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September 08, 2005

DAB

Name: DAB
Brewed In/Type:Dortmund, Germany / Lager
Bought at/Price unknown
Dennis: Apparently, this beer has been made since the 1970's. So you can't really say they've jumped on the Atkin's diet with this. There really isn't any aroma, or taste...and it probably has less alcohol than non-alcoholic beer.
Jen: Low carb, yes, no taste, yes. This is just like any ole light beer. Overly carbonated, light bodied (most similar to H2O). Heck, slap a perrier label on it and wouldn't be able to taste a difference.
Rating: 1 out of 5

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September 06, 2005

Two Brothers: Oh Brother Triple Ale

Name: Two Brothers: Oh Brother Triple Ale
Brewed In/Type: Warrenville, IL / Triple Ale
Bought at/Price Binny's / $5.99 20oz (bomber)
Dennis: At first I thought this would be very similar to Victory's Golden Monkey. But the aroma, while close, is gentler and more banana/clovey...almost like a wheat beer. The taste however is really confusing. It's tart, really tart almost like pink grapefruit juice tart. You can't really taste the 8.5% alcohol here, but that's because of the tartness. I will say though, that I was surprised at how light the body was.
Jen: I don't what to think of this brew. It smelled of sweet bananas and clove. It was a whole other story once I tasted it. It starts off with this nice malt flavoring that is backed by the banana taste with a pinch of spiciness to it. It ends with this weird tartness to it that makes me want to "smack" my tongue. Not to mention that the aftertaste is odd. I don't find this to be all that appetizing and think that I will pass next time.
Rating: 3 out of 5

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September 04, 2005

Bear Republic: Hop Rod Rye

Name: Bear Republic: Hop Rod Rye
Brewed In/Type: Healdsburg, CA / IPA
Bought at/Price Binney's / $4.69 22oz (bomber)
Dennis: It just goes to show you that it's not high alcohol or just throwing hops at a beer that makes it good. Moderate for what it is (8%) this beers most outstanding characteristic is the blend of hops and rye to make a smooth easy tasting brew that is just spot on. The aroma is heavily hopped and a little sweet, but the taste is surprisingly easy easy on the palate. Over all a beer you should never pass by if given the chance.
Jen: WoW. This is nothing like expected; it is so much more! It smells very mildly of hops and rye. It starts off with a faint sweet malt taste, but is quickly masked with the hops. It has a very unique aftertaste. The rye flavor that stays in your mouth is delicious. This is a must drink!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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September 02, 2005

Dogfish Head: Midas Touch

Name: DogfishHead: Midas Touch
Brewed In/Type: Milton, Delaware / Ale
Bought at/Price Woodman's / $0.50 bottle (clearance)
Dennis: The bottle and website say this is an Ale, where as I thought it was a barleywine...now after tasting it I'm leaning more towards wine/mead bastard child. The smell on this is very strong, like a glass of white wine but with heavier alcoholic undertones. If this beer is only 9% alcohol, then it tastes like it's 11%. In this case though bigger isn't better. The taste definitely reflects a honey undertone, but over all you really sense the alcohol there and it detracts from what ever other flavors might be in this beer. Definitely a unique tasting brew, and worth trying at least once if you like barley wines and strong brews.
Jen: Holy crap this is strong. I can smell the honey in it, but is slightly masked with the presence of alcohol. This first sip kicks you in the ass. It starts off slightly sweet with the presence of honey and grapes, but the aftertaste is slightly of rubbing alcohol. This isn't too bad, but be warned, this is a sipper!
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

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