Name: Unibroue: Maudite
Brewed In/Type: Quebec, Canada / Belgian Dark Ale
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $18.99 variety pack
Dennis: I have always been amazed at the level of carbonation that Unibroue packs into their bottles without them exploding. Once opened the beer made a mad dash to escape it's bottle only to barely be captures in our glasses. 5 inches of foam later, we were ready to try this. The taste is typical Unibroue, with yeasty, sweet, spicy malts and insane (but enjoyable) carbonation. The taste is enjoyable, but I actually got a bit of alcohol bitter on the exhale...which personally I like. Of course at 8% it's no real surprise. If you like rich malts, and strong beer with some spices you'll be in heaven drinking a beer for the damned.
Jen: Of the Unibroue's that I have had, this seems to be more unique than the others. The scent is of mild spices and citrus fruits. With first swallow, I get a blend of coriander and clove. I also get a nice blend of malts and very mild hops. The ending has a nice alcohol presence, but nothing that is overwhelming. And, as usual, the nice little bubbles seem to dance across my tongue.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Posted by Dennis Judd at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: Avery: Twelve
Brewed In/Type: Boulder, CO / Saison
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $6.99 22 oz
Dennis: After drinking so many beers over the years, you find that the unique ones really stand out in your memory. The taste of this is so different it's crazy, I've never had a beer that tastes likes this ever...the lemon peel really shines through and takes control of a whole complex whirlwind of flavors, spices and soft alcohol tartness (7.6%). This is worth having for the simple fact that no other beer out there is like it.
Jen: Wow, what an unusual beer (in a good way). The flavors are plentiful and seem to roll from the tip of your tongue to the back of your throat. For anyone who has had chamomile tea, the smell is very distinct and comes across nicely at first whiff. The body of the beer has a nice level of carbonation to it with flavors of citrus fruits and sweet roasted malts. The ending leaves an interesting sweet and spicy taste. What can I say, I LOVE AVERY! My favorite brewery hands down!
Rating: 4 out of 5

Posted by Dennis Judd at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: Moylan's Kilt Lifter
Brewed In/Type: California / Scotch Ale
Bought at/Price: Gift
Dennis: I'm not sure what about this is exactly supposed to lift my kilt....I sure get a whole lot of sweet malts, which seem to hide the alcohol pretty well (8.0%). Beyond that though this beer falls short of the agressive PR that proclaims it to "take BIG beers to a whole new level". Honestly it's a good beer, but a little to sweet for my taste. It does however tend to grow on you a bit as you drink, although I don't think it's quite a scotch ale.
Jen: This style of brew is my least favorite ale. This one seems to be just slightly better than other ones that I have had. It has a blend of sweet malts with a background of dark fruits of dates and raisins. The body of this brew is slightly thick, almost syrupy. I guess that I find this to be drinkable, and at 8% ABV, I am surprised at that! Good, yes, great, no.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Posted by Jen at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name:New Holland: Black Tulip
Brewed In/Type: Michigan / Trippel Ale
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $6.99 22oz
Dennis: Probably one of my favorite types of beers, a tripel well done is a beautiful thing. The aroma is sweet with Belgian candies, and the taste is more subdued in terms of spices. The sweet of the malts and added sugar, mixed with the high alcohol (9%) are the flavors that pretty much dominate this brew. Probably one of the more simpler tripels I've had, it's still good enough to sneak up on you before you realize it. Easily recommended for someone exploring this type of beer for the first time.
Jen: I may not be wowed by this trippel, but it is what I would expect. It smells of sweet candied malts, and the flavor dictates the same. I get a nice smooth taste of sweet candy followed by bananas and a light clove/peppery mild bite. It ends with a mild citrus hop flavor with a kick of alcohol. Fairly easy to drink, and the flavors are done nicely, not too overwhelming!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Posted by Jen at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: Hevelius Kaper
Brewed In/Type: Poland / Strong lager
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $1.49 16.9oz bottle
Dennis: Picked this up on a whim at Binny's, and I must say I'm not to disappointed. It's like a high alcohol dopplebock pretty much. Tons of sweet malt dominate the taste and hide the 9.1% behind them. Honestly I was surprised at how good it was, but more than one glass might get a little old in one sitting. Definitely worth picking up if you like malts.
Jen: For $1.49 a bottle, I can't complain too much (well, maybe I can)! Starts off with a malt scent, so I expected sweetness right off the back. The ending is quite metallic tasting, like a penny was in the bottom of my glass. There is some slight hoppiness to it, but it is quickly hidden by very apparent alcohol taste. Not a typical Euro lager, but not that great either!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Posted by Jen at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: CH'TI: Ambree
Brewed In/Type: France / Belgian Pale Ale
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $1.99 (clearance)
Dennis: Our first CH'TI beer....go ahead try to say it out loud without laughing a bit.....and not to bad. Excessively carbonated (much like Unibroue does with their beers) with an aroma that is doughy/yeasty and slightly sweet with dark fruits. The taste is similar, with the carbonation not really taking away from the beer, you'll get some sort of funky sweetness and a long malt follow through. For the price we paid, it's a steal even at a paltry 5.9%.
Jen: I don't find this beer to be very enticing. It has a malty smell to it with slight hoppiness to it. The flavor is along the same lines: sweet malts with a mild hop finish. It also has some kind of weird fruit taste that I can't quite put my finger on. It also seems to have a bit of sourness to it. Also, lots of bubbles, too much bubbles. This is something that I am glad we got on clearance, but I am always up for something different.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Posted by Dennis Judd at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: Summit: Oktoberfest
Brewed In/Type: St. Paul, MN / Oktoberfest
Bought at/Price: Binny's / $unknown
Dennis: I think this is one of the highest alcohol Oktoberfest we've ever had. Coming in at 7.7% is pretty damn impressive, coupled even more with the fact that you can't really taste it. The aroma and taste have a prevalent sweet yeastiness to them, sort of reminds me of dough. Definitely a good choice if your burnt out on the standard Oktoberfest that flood the market every fall. Not the most amazing beer, and a little over carbonated, but respectable for what it is.
Jen: For a Summit brew, this seems to be one of the better ones, but it still isn't a great brew. It has a nice backbone of bready malts with a sweetness that carries throughout the whole brew. This doesn't feel like an Oktoberfest to me, it is almost missing that fall feeling I have gotten from others. It is a decent brew and offers something different than most fall crews, but I still find myself wanting to finish this so I can drink something else.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Posted by Dennis Judd at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)