Hopheads in Training

DC's Wheat Wine (Homebrew)

2011-04-19T23:18:00.006-04:00

Wheat wine? Is this even a type of ale or lager? Dan says he "brewed" it so it must be a beer of some sort. This is the fourth installment of my fellow coworker Dan's creations: first a Spiced Cider, then came the Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout (Batch 1), ESB with London Ale Yeast? and now on to the Wheat Wine. Thanks for sharing it with the finance nerd, I greatly appreciate it and I'll try not to give you such an awful rating. If I am sick tomorrow, the blame is so going on the wheaty wheat you secretly put into the fermenter.

Appearance: Pours a solid finger of head that quickly dissipates after a minute to a scatter of foaming islands atop. Color is a robust golden orange with hues of brown that is moderately clear, but can be rather murky if the pour includes some of the sediment from the bottom of the bottle.

Smell: First thing that comes to my nose is alcohol aromas, as if it is a spiced vodka. Is this a 40% abv ale? Then fall spice aromas of pumpkin, apple, cardamom come to mind. Reminds me of some of the fall seasonals such as Dogfish Punkin, Southern Tier Pumpking or Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale.

Taste: Alcohol content still comes to my mind right away like the smell did. Almost sweet perfumy candy notes with a blend of caramel apple on the secondary front. Brings me to an outdoors setting in my mind....

Mouthfeel: Goes down surprisingly smooth, almost watery with no carbon bite. However, it still feels big due to the alcohol content and the dry sugary aftertaste that lingers on in your mouth. Need a palette cleanser ASAP lol.

Drinkability: This is my first "wheat wine" ever so I have nothing to compare it to. For me, I would classify this as a blend between a fall pumpkin seasonal and a spiced cider, aka Thanksgiving Ale. As much as I dislike the afterbite, the beer grows on me as it warms up towards room temperature. What spices or abnormal ingredients did you add to this because it is kind of turning me on in a weird way? What kind of hops did you use? I could probably only have 24oz in a given night. 7.5/10 for me now(Subject to change once I have another wheat wine to compare it too).

Beers of Thailand & Philippines

2011-04-19T21:53:00.010-04:00

I went on a recent adventure with my family recently to Thailand and Philippines that was an absolute blast! Besides all of the fun filled family gatherings, delicious foods and new cultural experiences, there was the B-E-E-R. Of course, I always pay attention to the beer. I am not trying to be a snob about craft beer, but I just share this chemical romance with it, preferably the obese hoppy ones.

The beer was not up to American craft beer standards in my opinion, but I was just glad it was readily available. Water is not safe to drink, most mixed drinks have ice in them, so that leaves you with beer, wine or liquor straight up. Thai/Philip beer was comparable to the macro types here in the states such as Coors Light, Heineken & PBR. Even the price was comparable, which I thought would be lower in Asia given the lower cost of living. The only difference in price was the currency: bahts in Thailand and pesos in Philippines.

My favorite beer during my vacation was the San Miguel Cerveza Negra from the Philippines. It is classifed as a Dark Lager on the label but I beg to differ. The roasted dark and nutty malts reminded me of a deep luscious porter with lots of body that had the drinkability of a light beer. I was drinking it straight out of the bottle, so my rating may be slightly even higher than a 8/10. My opinion may be slightly biased since this was the only non light beer I had during my trip, but I say that my review is not skewed at all.

This is a quite a random review, but I just felt like writing it and posting some pictures. Bottom line: give all ales and lagers a try, no matter where you are in the world or if you soley just drink one style. You'll be enlightened at what your sensory taste buds say.

Bolero Snort Oak Aged Longhop

2011-03-10T22:02:00.004-05:00

Recently I met up with my friend Bob at the Copper Mine Pub in North Arlington, NJ, which I highly recommend by the way, and started discussing craft beer. It turns out that Bob is an aspiring craft brewer and founder of Bolero Snort Brewery established last year in Bergen County. He was kind enough to give me a few beers to sample, so I figured I would review them and see how they turned out.

Appearance: Crisp clear dark amber color with a ton of head, plenty of carbonation rising from the bottom, very good lacing and long lasting with the head.

Smell: The smell definitely lives up to its oak aged name as a very oaky scent greets the nose. There is also a great fruity scent that smells like some kind of berry/pineapple/grapefruit mix, definitely a contrast to the sweet oak scent before.

Taste: Wow, huge fruit flavor at the front and finishes with the oak smoothness. It has a little bit too much fruit for my liking, but I can guarantee you that you haven't had a beer that tasted like this before.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, a little thin, a little watery, perfectly carbonated, no alcoholic aftertaste which is a huge plus.

Drinkability: This is definitely a delicious session beer that I wouldn't mind having a few more of tonight. At 6.6% abv, I don't have to worry about suddenly getting hit by the alcohol content. In fact, if it didn't say 6.6% on the bottle, I wouldn't have guessed it. One thing I like about the beers from Bolero Snort is that they are not afraid to take risks and make different beers that you won't find anywhere else. I give the Oak Aged Longhop a solid 7.5/10, and it might have been higher if I was more of a fan of the fruit involved.

Glass type: DFH bullet glass
Serving type: Bottle, 12 oz.

Homemade Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout

2010-12-11T20:07:00.005-05:00

I have been slacking on the blog for a while now, but finally I have the motivation to write. Giving my IPA craze a rest and going to try this Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout. A fellow coworker of mine, Dan the man, was kind enough to share this homemade creation of his with me. Let us see what this top chef can do!

Appearance: Pours a free flowing brownish green tone with two fingers of head, that slowly dissipates to one. Looks dark and stormy as I can not see through my tulip glass, but it has a thin viscosity that makes it inviting.

Smell: As I bring my nose to this stout for the first time, I smell milk chocolate as if it was Yoo-Hoo. Not overpowering at all but it paints an impression in your head after numerous swirls and sniffs. Chocolate smelling malts present but not getting any hop aroma. Where is the coconut?

Taste: Not too much flavor but that may be due to the nature of this light and session-able style. Coconut flavors stand out alot more during tastes, especially as the beer warms up towards room temperature. Starting to taste like a mild Mounds candy bar :)

Mouthfeel: Light, almost watery but not due to its stout like presence. Carbonation settles well, not biting at all.

Drinkability: Very impressive Danielson! It is a session beer and can definitely drink more than one. Although it is not my style, I am very impressed with the overall rating being that it is a homeade beer as I have not had that many that interest me. I give it a 7.5/10 for now...need to taste another one or two to hone in on certain characteristics. Great imagination and use of the coconut as I have never seen that before in the craft beer industry! Thanks again!!

Dogfish Head Miles Davis' Bitches Brew

2010-12-02T21:08:00.006-05:00

I know I'm over a week late, but in honor of Sam Calagione's new show Brewmasters on the Discovery Channel, I wanted to review the beer featured in it's first episode, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. I have only watched the premiere, but it is a good show and I recommend it for beer lovers and even non-beer enthusiasts who are interested in seeing what goes into brewing fine craft beers. Congrats, Sam, and hopefully you get that record deal with Sony.

The episode goes into detail what Sam was looking for in this beer, a fusion of imperial stout and African tej, an Ethiopian honey wine. Usually when I review a beer, I try not to read too much into a label or what I've read on a website about it so that way I don't have preconceived notions on what to expect. Since I've already watched the episode, that's going to be near impossible, so I'll try to pick out the ingredients I saw in the show in what I drink.

Appearance: Pours a dark viscous black with brown lacey head of about a finger. It looks superb and really inviting.

Smell: Roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee really dominate the scent. I could also be picking up some sweetness from the honey, but this is why I don't like prior knowledge because I don't know if the smell is from suggestion or I'm really smelling it. On the other hand, I wish I knew what gesho smells like so I could try to pick it out.

Taste: Very interesting, tamer than what you would think from an ale where 3/4 of the blend is imperial stout and from the strong malt scents. There is still some roasted malts in there, but the honey and earthy hop flavors (I'm guessing the earthy hop flavors is the gesho) are more present on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Between medium and full bodied, smooth, perfectly carbonated, and surprisingly a little thin, but I guess that is the tej cutting into the stout. The bitterness on the finish cuts out any alcohol on the aftertaste.

Drinkability: One of the reasons I love Dogfish Head and Sam Calagione is the willingness to take risks, be creative, and do unusual things. A blend of imperial stout and tej, essentially a honey wine, sounds so out of whack, but they pulled it off. It's so different and strange that it's impossible to classify it and compare it to anything I've had. Not only that, but it's incredibly easy to drink at 9% abv, which could get me into trouble. I highly recommend this beer and the show Brewmasters which airs Sundays at 10p.m. on the Discovery Channel. If you've had this brew too, let me know what you think of it, I'm interested to see other people's takes on it. 9/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 25.4 oz.

Witches' Brew Golden Ale

2010-11-26T21:23:00.004-05:00

Let me be the last to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it was filled with plenty of pumpkin pies and pumpkin ales. We should all be thankful that we live in a time where we have so much variety in our choices of great beer...oh yea, and thankful for family, friends, loved ones, yadda yadda. Anyway, I heard good things about this Belgian beauty and want to give it a try.

Appearance: After popping the cork (I love uncorking beers, don't know why) it pours a clear crisp golden and orange color with plenty of suds rising to the top to form massive amounts of fluffy head thanks to the bottle conditioning (but does not stick around for long).

Smell: Smacked in the nose with citrus hops, orange, some spices, and almost a champagne style smell. There are some other fruits in there, maybe banana, and a bready yeast smell as well. Delightful.

Taste: Some great flavors in this one, bananas, oranges, lemons, and spices. Pineapples also come to mind as it warms up a bit as the spices also come more into play. There is the slightest bit of sweet candy malt in the background, but just enough to let the hops do their thing.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, smooth, thin, a little watery for what I would expect from most tripels, sufficiently carbonated, a gentle warming alcoholic aftertaste, not as biting or harsh as you might expect.

Drinkability: This might be the easiest drinking tripel I've ever had. Everything about this beer is so pleasant that going through a 750mL bottle is no problem, though you might feel it later at 9.3% abv. The Belgian brewery this beer comes from is Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Obviously this is the first brew from them I've had, so if anyone has recommendations of their other beers, let me know. I highly recommend picking this one up if you see it, even if you're not a Belgian fan. 9/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 750 mL

Port Brewing Anniversary Ale

2010-11-16T21:26:00.003-05:00

Time for another (quick) Port Brewing review...HUZZAH!

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden amber color with a couple inches of head. Trails of carbonation rising to the top.

Smell: Strong floral hop scents with some fruit, oranges, lemon zest, and others. Almost no malt to speak of.

Taste: Huge fruit hop flavor, grapefruit maybe, with hints of spice and fruit zest. The bottle was right, a true hop monster, especially as the brew warms up.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and a little oily coating on the palate from the hop oils, well carbonated, an alcoholic and hop bitter aftertaste.

Drinkability: The smell and taste are fantastic, but the alcoholic aftertaste makes more than one bomber a little hard to pull off. It's probably better that way since the abv is 10%. Definitely a beer that belongs towards the end of a night of drinking. This beer definitely grew on me as it got warmer...or as the alcohol got to my head. 9/10

Glass type: Dogfish Head bullet/pint glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

2010-11-09T22:17:00.004-05:00

Fresh hops! Fresh hops everywhere! Fresh hop ales and IPAs are the new black for craft beers. Take any ordinary ale, fresh hop it, and BLAMMO...instant upgrade in bitterness, aromas, and oily texture. I'm not complaining; hell, almost every time I see fresh hop on the label, I pick it up and give it a try...just like this little fella which I got from Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA.

Appearance: Perfect crisp golden color with 2+ fingers of fluffy lacy head. Slightly opaque, though I don't see any bits of sediment floating around.

Smell: A nice mixture of pine and floral/herbal hops, as well as some citrus/lemon scents as a complement. I was hoping for a little more pronounced hop aromas but that's ok. There are also hints of sweet malts that you can guess will be the backbone on the taste.

Taste: Yup, a light caramel malt background then a kick to the teeth with bitterness. Any of the hop flavors you would expect from the smell though is overpowered from raw hop bitterness, though. A slight let down for some, a big positive for hopheads.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, good carbonation, and a little oily from the hop resins, just what you would expect. One of my favorite parts from fresh hop ales is the oily coat over the palate you get while drinking them.

Drinkability: One bomber for me tonight is no problem, and I wish I had bought a second. This beer could almost qualify as a session beer at 6.5% abv (especially for other hopheads who would welcome the bitterness with open tongues...err...arms...no tongues was right). The bottle date was 9/21/10, maybe drinking it two months from the bottle date affected the lack of (extreme) hop aromas, but it did not take away from the experience too negatively. 8.5/10

Glass type: Dogfish Head bullet/pint glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale (2007)

2010-10-16T17:30:00.003-04:00

Remember this little number? Jimmy and I reviewed our second beer ever and wondered at the end how we "would love to see how aging would effect it." Well, 2.5 years later, we found out, and we couldn't be more pleased.

Appearance: Much darker than amber, almost brown, lots of yeast sediment and little head.

Smell: Chocolate, roasted nut, and raisin/currant aromas dominate, with all notions of hops scent away (see what I did there?)

Taste: Nice chocolate taste, extremely mellow, no bitterness, and gets much better as it warms up. Completely different from our original review, which had hops out the wazoo. This was one of the most noticeable effects of aging.

Mouthfeel: Still medium bodied, still perfectly carbonated, but an added dry finish and very little to not at all alcoholic aftertaste. Those last two observations would be the other effects of aging.

Drinkability: Jimmy: A strange cross between a porter, stout, and barleywine, would might be a little early in the day for it, but would be a great nightcap. Mike: Perfectly balanced, great brew anytime. 8.1% abv 9.25/10

Glass type: Dogfish Head bullet/pint glass
Serving type: Bottle, 12 oz.

The Bruery Mischief

2010-09-16T21:19:00.005-04:00

My love for Belgian beers is runs pretty deep. I'm never afraid to try a new one and they never get old, because every brewery seems to have their own take on a style.

Appearance: Holy head hand grenade, Batman! Ton of typical fluffy lacy head tops a beautifully golden colored brew, crystal clear, and full of rising carbonation.

Smell: Citrus and flower hoppopotamus, spices, cloves, some other fruit in there that I can't discern, maybe pineapple? Nothing to speak of in the malt department.

Taste: Very dry, the citrus and floral hops are gone, some fruitiness, banana, finishes with a little pepper flavor. The banana and pepper are a nice subtle combo, but still bummed I wasn't smacked in the face with more intense hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied, well carbonated, nonexistent alcoholic aftertaste.

Drinkability: Surprisingly easy to drink from a strong Belgian at 8.5% abv. Nothing of this beer really bogs you down, which can be dangerous. I wasn't particularly blown away by this brew, the smell got my hopes up but the taste was kind of a let down. Would I drink it again? Absolutely, but I won't go out of my way for it. Give it a try, maybe I'm missing something, in which case please tell me and I'll be happy to revisit it. 8/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22.4 oz.

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA

2010-09-14T21:10:00.006-04:00

I'm always excited when Stone releases a brew for their anniversary series. Throw in the fact that the style is an IPA with an aim at its English roots, I'm pretty pumped.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful golden color that's crisp and clear with a ton of head with great lacing. Very inviting, I hope the pic does it justice.

Smell: Great pine aroma with a hint of citrus, maybe lemon spice, but predominantly pine from the English hops (per the bottle: Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops were used). Very faint hints of malt, but I could be imagining it. Definitely different than your typical IPA which usually blasts you with strong floral scents.

Taste: Heavy cream and dry malt is offset with pine hops and a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. Side note: I hope I'm not being sucked in by what I'm reading, but I can legitimately say it reminds me of some of the local brews I had at pubs while I was in England. The beverage can't be less than 50 deg. and it works perfectly for the style.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, bolstered by the breadiness the yeast seems to give it. Seems to be a little hop resin that feels like it coats the palate. Bitterness outweighs the alcohol in the aftertaste. Perfectly carbonated, present but not overpowering.

Drinkability: Easily enjoyable for one bomber bottle, and if I had a second on me I would drink that too. Be careful though, you'll be surprised to find out it punches at 8.9% abv. This is not your Grandpa's West Coast IPA, this is a well done English IPA that has subtlety, style, and class. Kudos to the fellas at Stone for putting so much effort into crafting this masterpiece. It's recommended to drink this beer fresh or age it for over a year, unfortunately I just bought it last week and it had a bottle date of June 2010. I knew I was taking a risk, but it was worth it. I'm going to buy a few next time and review them a year from now to see the differences, but I don't know how it can get any better. 9.5/10

Glass type: DFH bullet glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Smuttynose Gravitation

2010-09-02T20:47:00.004-04:00

I've been looking forward to reviewing this Belgian beast ever since I picked it up at Julio's in Westborough, MA. Gravitation is part of Smuttynose Brewery's big beer series, which can be found here.

Appearance: The color is a very deep red, almost brown, that is opaque, cloudy, and very little in terms of carbonation rising. There is a thin layer of lacy head, but just enough to coat the surface. Looks pretty menacing, like Chimay Grande Reserve (blue).

Smell: Citrus, fruity, and sweet with some hints of caramel. There's some raisin, apricot, and something else I just can't put my finger on. The scent is pretty bold but inviting.

Taste: Caramel and toasted malts with a spicy finish. Very sweet, sort of like licorice, so much so that it overpowers almost any fruit or citrus flavors. You expect quads to be on the sweet side, but this seems a little much.

Mouthfeel: Pretty smooth, medium bodied, coats the palate and little carbonation. It does leave quite an alcoholic kick on the aftertaste that takes a few sips to get used to.

Drinkability: I definitely wouldn't drink more than a bomber in a night because of the sweetness and the whopping 12% abv. There is no exact bottling date shown, but there is a notch in the label saying this beer was bottle-conditioned in 2010, so it must be relatively fresh. I wonder how this beer would age to see if the sweetness would mellow out just a bit. There's nothing wrong with the beer, I just wasn't overly impressed. 7.5/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Avery Anniversary Lager - Seventeen Dry-Hopped Black Lager

2010-08-12T21:09:00.008-04:00

I've recently been getting more into black lagers, also known as "schwarzbier" (German for... anyone?... Bueller?... black beer). I did have a Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager that I did not review, but it was absolutely delicious and will have to pick one up again. Combine that with my love for the Avery Anniversary series and my expectations become pretty high.

Appearance: Poured into a Duvel tulip glass that becomes impossible to see through due to its black-as-night color. TONS of tan creamy head that leaves some lacing on the glass as it recedes.

Smell: Piney hops and a bit of roasted malts, maybe some honey, then finishes with a little bit of fruit and citrus. Every time I go in for another whiff, I pick up something new, very enticing.

Taste: A swirl of roasted and chocolate malts are the undeniable backbone of this brew, but not overpowering. Hints of citrus hops, but extremely subtle. This is about what I expected since most of the hops from the scent are coming from the dry-hopping. However, it's just enough hop bite because the malts can definitely stand on their own.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with perfect medium carbonation, I don't like when something is overly carbonated and doesn't let the flavors of the beer shine through. This has just enough to tickle the palate while coating it. A tiny bit of bitterness on the aftertaste and almost no alcoholic bite, which leads to...

Drinkability: What a smooth beer! Some might see the black appearance and think it would give you the same chunky full bodied feel of a stout or porter. Some might see the 8.69% abv and think you wouldn't want more than one or two in a night. Some people would be wrong. This bomber is going down so fast I could go for another bomber of this or even a nightcap barleywine. I would like to have more black lagers before I give this a perfect rating, but if they are all like this one, I may have discovered my new favorite style. 9.5/10 and highly recommended next time you see this in your local beer store.

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

2010-08-05T21:50:00.004-04:00

Been a while since the last review (I seem to say that before every post recently), but I wanted to make sure I reviewed this one from my most recent trip to Julio's Liquors in Westborough, MA. I've heard some good things about it so I'm a little pumped.

Appearance: Pours a nice deep amber color with about half a finger of head. It has a great crisp look to it with a steady flow of carbonation rising from the bottom.

Smell: Strong hop aromas blast the nose on first whiff, a combination of floral and herbal hops with some spiciness. After a few more sniffs, that spice turns to sweet with a background of pine and fruit. I can't make out which fruit, maybe mango or pineapple?

Taste: Not what I expected, mostly a sweet caramelized malt flavor with just a hint of citrus hops, but not nearly as appetizing as the smell would indicate. The aftertaste has a strong bitterness to it (112 IBU's), letting you know this triple IPA isn't messing around. The after-aftertaste is of resiny hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, coats the palate and tongue, slight carbonation but good for the style, alcoholic bite, I would consider this a cross between a DIPA and a barleywine.

Drinkability: Between the 12% abv, the bitterness, and the alcoholic bite, this is certainly a nightcapper. I was a little let down because the scent was so full of wonderful aromas but the majority of flavor revolved around the sweet malt backbone. Then again, I should have remembered that this behemoth was a triple IPA. Maybe it's just not my style, maybe it was the batch, maybe I just need to have another one, but I give it a pedestrian 7/10. I really hope I'm off base with my review because I love Founders and everything they brew.

Glass type: Dogfish Head bullet glass
Serving type: Bottle, 12 oz.

Southern Tier Iniquity Imperial Black Ale

2010-07-06T21:06:00.005-04:00

Remember when I said I hope to be doing a lot more reviews as the summer progressed? Yea, about that...I have the sufficient stockpile of great brews, but have recently lacked the motivation. They say the first step is the hardest, so maybe this will jump start a slew of entries...or maybe I'll continue to be a lazy bastard.

Appearance: Surprisingly, black ales are black! This is a different black though, like your soul gets sucked into the glass and never returns black. It is capped with a little under a finger of creamy beige head.

Smell: I first noticed some earthy hop tones that mix with coffee/chocolate malt notes. Then came a hint of floral hoppiness that piqued my interest in this beer.

Taste: Chocolate malts dominate the palate then finishes with a faint alcohol and bitterness combo. The more sips I take however, the more I notice the floral and piney hops from the scent.

Mouthfeel: Relatively smooth, medium bodied, dry finish, slight alcohol aftertaste, and just a hint of carbonation, great for letting the other characteristics shine.

Drinkability: The appearance may be off putting, giving you the impression that this would be a filling thick stout, but that's not the case. The smoothness and medium body make it a relatively easy beer to drink, considering it weighs in at 9% abv. The bottle boasts itself as "The Antithesis of Unearthly" which is an accurate description and part of its appeal. I don't have much experience with black ales, but because it's so new and fresh to me, maybe that's why I like it so much. 9/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Avery Salvation Belgian Style Golden Ale

2010-04-17T22:04:00.006-04:00

Wow, I think we now qualify as the biggest slackers on Earth. I could just blame our busy schedules, but hell, I'll just admit I've been lazy. The sad thing is I have a TON of beers lined up that I've wanted to review. Hopefully my reviews will pick up during the summer. On to the beer!

Appearance: A nice clear golden color with a frothy finger of head, plenty of carbonation constantly bubbling. A very inviting appearance that makes me yearn for summer.

Smell: Great fruity hop aroma along with other herbs and spices. There are hints of orange peel, lemon zest, maybe some apricot, and some light spice I can't make out, maybe cinnamon. Overall very pleasing aromas emanating from the glass.

Taste: Mmmm, there's a lot going on there. It starts off with that orange/lemon combo, then follows it up with a sweet malt that I did not notice in the smell, and finishes with a bit of cinnamon spice that dominates the aftertaste. (Sidenote: I'm enjoying some Provolone Dolce with some little toast crackers. This might throw off my taste buds, but I claim it's enhancing them.)

Mouthfeel: Light, slightly watery, thin, a little bready/yeasty ( I know those aren't words, just bear with me), fully carbonated, a little bit of alcoholic aftertaste but not the patented kick I am used to for similar styled Belgian ales.

Drinkability: This was not the heavy impact Belgian I expected like some others I've had, but 9% abv is still nothing to sneeze at. However, with the bite throttled back, it makes this beer really easy to drink, perfect for those upcoming summer BBQs. One bomber of this is a pretty easy task and a good introduction into Belgians for those looking to expand their palates. I give is a solid 8/10 mainly because the mouthfeel wasn't what I was looking for, but the smell and taste were money.

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Blue Point Winter Ale

2010-01-20T22:11:00.014-05:00

Blue Point Brewing Company out on the eastern part of the island in Patchogue, NY is an under appreciated brewery in my opinion. I always tend to see their six packs of Toasted Lager or Blueberry Ale on the shelves at craft beer stores (both of which have great drinkability and refreshing taste) around the tri-state area. They also tend to have frequent drafts at bars throughout the New York area, especially out in Long Island (had their GABF silver award winning Rastafar Rye Ale on tap at Legends on my way out to the north fork a number of times) and NYC (amazingly fresh 10th Anniversary IPA off cask and draft at Blind Tiger awhile back) . And lets not forget my favorite HOPTICAL ILLUSION, which tastes like west coast hop angels when it is fresh and on draft.

So how come I do not get Blue Point more often if I like all of the beers that I have had by them??? Wish I could answer that one but am not too sure. Perhaps because they are readily available in my area or just because my blood thrives on high octane hop explosions from the west coast? Does anyone else experience this perplexing dilemma like my troubled self?

Anyways, lets get onto the review (haven't done one of these in a while so please object to any point!...this goes with anything we ever say in our blog in general). Bought a six pack of this Blue Point Winter Ale for $10.39 at BevMax in Stamford, CT:

Appearance: Pours an autumnal brown with 2 fingers of head narrows down to a dense looking half after a couple of minutes. Clear pour but the color seems to be a deep stained mahogany with shades of sunset red. Carbonation bubbles are a-blazing up from my Dogfish laser etching.

Smell: Wooden campfire sweet malts. Smells as if it has been aged in a barrel and also detecting some faint chocolate nibbles. Hops do not stand out at 30 IBUs but I do detect that they are a bit spicy, as well as a clean yeast aroma.

Taste: Bottle? - I poured it into a glass but my first sip tastes as if I am drinking straight out of the bottle. Sweet malt presence still there, but now with a nutty interaction with some kind of spice I can't detect...nutmeg?

Mouthfeel: Biting bitter finish that fades to a mellow smooth malt cleansing of the palette.

Drinkability: Not a big beer at all coming in at 5.5% abv, so it goes down easily. The past couple of winter seasonals that I have had (Anchor, Sam, and now this) seem to have that bready "spice" to it. Intriguing beer and I am glad to have tried it, but my taste buds would only want one in a night. Nonetheless, solid creation and ingenuity. 7/10

PS - The artwork on the label really gravitated me towards this purchase. I like the winteresque setting and backdrop with the green lighthouse bottle cap

Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale

2010-01-14T18:10:00.007-05:00

Hello dear readers, haven't posted anything in a while. My attention span lately has been more Twitter and less Blogger. Sorry about that.

I picked up the Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale (CRFGWHA for short?) at the inimitable State Line Liquors in Elkon, MD, along with a bunch of other great beers. I was unaware Rogue was putting out a fresh-hop, so when I saw the last one sitting on the shelf, it was all over. I cracked it open Tuesday night with some Cabot cheddar cheese my uncle Bob from VT gifted me with the weekend before. Let the reviewing commence:

Appearance: Poured a dark amber color with good head retention. Color was darker than I anticipated, but it that's not a bad thing.

Smell: Fresh hops are obviously front and center. Grassier than an IPA with kiln-dried hops, the organics of the fresh hops used here remain.

Taste: A lot sweeter than the smell let on. I was surprised how much the sweet malts came through, but I guess I was in more of a DIPA mindset going into this beer. This is a pale ale by my standards, but the fresh hops add another dimension to the mild bitterness. It went great with the cheddar.

Mouthfeel: Nice and balanced, medium carbonation. No aftertaste really stuck around too long.

Drinkability: I doubt anyone would have too many of these on hand at once, but this beer is very drinkable. At 6.4% ABV and 40 IBUs its not too strong to enjoy a couple pints if you see it on tap anywhere. As Jimmy noticed, there's at least one more beer in this Chatoe Rogue series, so I'm looking forward to see what else they can cook up with their own hops in the kettle.

Beer Travels

2010-01-09T22:46:00.019-05:00

Greetings fellow hopheads and hoppy twenty ten to all of you! I hope it brings good fortune and pleasure to your lives and beer senses all around. For the New Years weekend, I decided to travel down to Annapolis, MD to visit the magician himself P-shoe. Here is a recap of my travels:

On my way down from snowy Connecticut that New Years Eve, I had to get off at the first exit once I crossed the border of Maryland on I-95. The exit is 109B and it is for Elkton, MD home of the infamous State Line Liquors. This place is so legit that I have a frequent flyers card that gives me deep discounts on some select items. Another pat on the back goes to State Line because they have been ranked the number 14th best beer retailer in the country. The main beer guru there is Bob and you can literally talk to him for hours upon hours about anything related to beer. His passion for the industry is like none other and is the main reason why I like to stop at this store anytime I drive by the area. I managed to walk away with spending over $100+ once again :o with beers like 21st Amendment Monk's Blood, Dogfish Head Olde School, Great Divide Hercules, Caldera IPA in cans, Green Flash West Coast IPA and some other sexy looking bombers. The only thing I miss from State Line is their ability to fill up growlers due to some bogus state law. Couple years back they had Old Rasputin growlers to fill up!!! Anyways, I highly recommend you check this place out if you are ever traveling along Interstate Ninety Five between Delaware and Maryland. [Note: picture above taken at State Line at another Chatoe Rogue bottle - Dirtoir Black Lager. I have only had their Wet Hop in this line before. Looking back now I wish I bought but I was way over my budget :(]

So after the ball dropped and 1/1/10 was coming along, we decided to head into Washington D.C. for some fun. First stop up off the metro was to grab a bite to eat at Capital City Brewing Company within pissing distance of the White House. For food, I split a nacho appetizer and some pretzels, and then commenced to devour a savory burger. This blended well with their Blackout Stout (bit too sweet for me) and and IPA (well balanced ride; difficult to distinguish from a pale ale). I was feeling extremely bloated and full after that meal so I stopped appreciating craft brew and went to the dark side of macros and mixed drinks for the rest of the evening at a couple of bars around Dupont Circle.

Instead of driving home back north on 1/2/10, fellow fraternity brother Johnny Crazy Balls and I decided to extend our weekend and venture into the city of brotherly love Philadelphia, PA to visit a good friend and beer aficionado Sir D. Allen. Before visiting Dave, I made a stop to fellow hophead Ryan!!! and his lovely lady beer godess Lex! We chatted for a bit and slayed a bomber of HERCULES HERCULES that was fresh and bottled in December 2009 :). After the Hayes camp stop and bathroom break, I ventured over to meet JB at Brauhaus Schmitz for some beer and food, which is also where Dave bartends. I forget what beer I had but it was damn good and blended perfectly with the meter long sausage we split for dinner. I also want to say that 1) I wish I knew more about German and international beer 2) Brauhaus had an extensive selection of beer glasses in all sizes and shapes...even a das boot!. Solid place, chill atmosphere and waitresses wear dirndls? (hot and sexy opposite of the male ledorhosen)...check it out next time you are in Philly on South Street. PROST!

Up next on our Philly visit was a stroll through the bitter and windy streets until we arrived at Varga Bar at the corner of 10th and Spruce. Place was quaint and busy as expected for a Saturday night, and was full of cute waitresses and a beer menu that would make you go ga-ga. We had to stand for our first beer, Yard's Old Batholomew off cask but lucked out on seats at the bar after a couple of minutes (Some head honchos from Yard's were there but I was too timid to shoot the beer grip with them). At the bar, I proceed to have Port Wipe Out IPA and Greenflash Hop Head Red by the pint in between conversations with the group, bartenders and waitresses. In the end, we were able to grab a table (food menu looked superb! but I was too full to taste anything) and I finished off my time at Vagra with some Rogue XS Imperial Red :) :).

Getting older sucks, but the night is not over! Up next in our adventures came the Irish Pol, a Jagermeister joint gone beer wild over the past couple of years I believe. Place wasn't that crowded but the 40+ beer taps on the wall was jam packed!!! While here, I stuck to my favorite IPA style and had Ballast Point Big Eye IPA and Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA. I was a a bit disappointed of the Great Lakes one, but it could have been my taste buds losing their swagger. The first time I was here back in the spring of 2009 I took a body shot off some hipster chick, but this time was laid back and enjoying the warmth and craft draft beer.

Last bar on the agenda was actually a club, called something like Dancing With the Stars. I had some shots and a Stone's Pale Ale and that was all she wrote before I got my dance on or lack thereof....

Happy 2010 to everyone and hope the best of beer to all of you!!!!

Cable Beverages

2010-01-05T22:30:00.007-05:00

Here comes another beer store review for Jimmo! This time I am trekking across the border from my NJ hometown into Rockland County, New York. The place is called Cable Beverages and is located in the town of Bardonia, NY, of which I never knew existed in Rockland prior to visiting this tiny establishment. I heard about this place through 3 sources from current to past:

Uncle Bob (Hophead Alex side of the family) - On our way down to Dogfish Head Brewery and Brewpub this late fall, he mentioned to Mike, Alex and I about this place right off the thruway near our respective NJ hometowns. He made us drool because he picked up a case of Ballast Point Sculpin (a DIPA I have never had!!!), some Goose Island Bourbon County Stout and some additional glassware. Thanks Uncle Bob for the recommendation because without it, I would not have thought to venture onward to the store (ps - I will visit your liquor store in Stowe, VT someday!)
Stumbles - A fellow fraternity brother of mine mentioned 3 years ago of a legit beer store near his hometown of New City off of Route 304. I didn't think twice at the time because my hypothesis was that Ramsey Liquors was the only quality craft beer store around a 15 mile radius. Thank you two Stumbeezy, master of the nine ball.
Dad - After Stumbles recommendation, I asked my dad back in the future if he knows of something in the New City area in terms of a quality craft ale store. He mentioned Cable Beverages but said he has not ventured over there since the 80's to fill up his keg CO2 tank and doubts that I would fall upon beer treasures. On the contrary poppa bear!

Alright, my shout outs are done so onto the good stuff. How was this place? Check out there latest beers in stock!!

Looks nice on the outside off 304, but the back parking lot creeped me out with all of the trucks and trailers (I had beer 100% on my mind so it didn't bother me). As you walk in through the sketchy back, it is a tight and somewhat dark setting with about 7 aisles 20 feet long and narrow. You had to be careful to not knock anything over. As my thoughts were beginning to feel as if I was regretting coming here, they started to change as a bomber x10 bottle size of Stone Arrogant Bastard? stared down to me off the shelf as if he was king and I was pauper. Then low and behold I found Brooklyn Black Ops, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Lagunitas, He'brew, Founder's, Ithaca and other hidden gems in throughout all the nooks and crannies of the store. Yes, there could have been better organization and more space but it was enjoyable to find such quality craft ales randomly in a tight confined space.

I spoke to 4 salesmen over there and they were all very nice. Excellent level of service from 2 knowledgeable reps helping me find the beers I wanted, to the cashier talking about distribution in the area as well as handing me his business card and the latest copy of ASN. Then to finish it off, they carried all $100+ of fine beer out to my car and carefully placed it in my trunk.

I would also like to add that they have draft ale on tap in which you can fill up growlers!!! They had about 4-5 rotating taps I believe. I remember seeing Sam Double Bock and something from Left Hand out in Colorado. My choice was a growler of Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA, which was refreshingly balanced, fresh and went down rather quickly :)

All in all, I would give the store a 7.5/10 for now. Definitely want to go back next time I am in the area to see what I can get my hands on and to fill up a couple of growlers. Check it out if your ever along the Thruway 87/287 in Rockland County New York!!! Hophead Jimmo over and out!

Avery duganA IPA

2009-12-28T20:48:00.004-05:00

This was another beer from our most recent trip to Shangy's a little while ago. I'm a big fan of pretty much anything that comes from Avery, so when Jimmy suggested their latest imperial IPA release, I was on board immediately. I'm hoping not to be let down which has been the case with other imperial IPAs boasting high IBU counts (93 IBUs for duganA) but have lacked the hoppy punch you would expect.

Appearance: A nice clear amber color with a quickly fading finger of head, a constant trickle of carbonation floating to the top.

Smell: Hopgasm. A blast of pine hops with some background resiny hops, some citrus fruits are noticeable too.

Taste: Resiny hop flavors, HUGE bitterness, this nails the DIPA style. There are some nice bready malt flavors that hang onto your tongue to wash away the bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low to medium carbonation, a little bit of an oily texture from the hop oils, some alcoholic tinges on the aftertaste, but overall a pleasant mouthfeel for hopheads.

Drinkability: I don't know if I would have more than one bomber bottle of this in a night because I would be on bitterness overload if I did. It's not as heavy in the alcohol department, clocking in at 8.5% abv, but it would still get you nice and toasty. *Cue Stephen A. Smith voice* HOWEVA, I would buy another bottle every time I see it in the liquor store. This is my new go-to DIPA and I look forward to enjoying the rest of my half case. I'm going to be bold and give it a 10/10.

Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.
Glass type: DFH bullet glass

Sierra Nevada & Dogfish Head Life and Limb

2009-12-26T21:25:00.006-05:00

Time to go from one extreme to the next: from the Sam Adams Holiday Porter that was pretty pedestrian but a solid brew, to a collaboration beer that definitely pushes the bounds of creativity. This is one of two brews recently made in collaboration by two of the premier craft breweries in the country, Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head. If you follow the beer buzz online, you'll notice that this beer is extremely polarizing, you either love it or hate it. I think this stems from the insane hype leading up to its release, it became nearly impossible to live up to the expectations of these two behemoths collaborating. Jimmy and I were on cloud nine when we asked if they had any cases of these at Shangy's and they came through for us by giving us a case from the back room. We knew that we were extremely fortunate to get our hands on it, especially once Jimmy heard reports of a 24 oz. bottle going for almost $40 (!!!!!) a pop. (Correct me if I'm wrong, Jimbo) We had also heard that this brew is meant to be aged for quite some time, on the order of years, but I just can't help myself from drinking one now and bringing you a review, if for nothing else, to give us a comparison for the aged ones down the road. Enough chit-chat, on to the beer!

Appearance: Dark, almost black, completely opaque, plenty of carbonation and head that has decent retention.

Smell: Wow, there is a lot here: roasted nuts, sweet maple syrup, pine/earth hops, chocolate chips, and a faint smell of some fruit, maybe a grape or raisin?

Taste: Very busy, pretty much all of the smell scents in taste form, lots of sweetness followed by a bitter bite at the end. As it warms up, the roasted nuts create a nice balance to the sweetness of the maple syrup.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, well carbonated, an interesting mouthfeel in that it seems like it's slightly watery, but then a thick syrup coating washes over the tongue and roof of the mouth, which balances the bitter dry finish.

Drinkability: It is a very good beer, but I don't think you wan't to drink more than one in a night for two reasons: 10.2% abv, and just the extreme flavor and mouthfeel makes you crave for some water. The first time I had this, I thought maybe it was a Belgian Dark Ale or Belgian Stout, but there was just too much sweetness for that to be true, as well as other characteristics like the roasted nuts and the absence of some citrus hop flavors. Like I said, it is a very good beer and I am glad to get my hands on it, but it could use some aging. Usually, you want to age a beer to reduce the bitterness from the hops, but I think the sweetness from the syrup needs time to settle down. I'm looking forward to revisiting this in the future, maybe I'll have one every Christmas time and compare it to the past. I still give it an 8.5/10, but I think with age it has some potential to rise up.

Serving type: Bottle, 24 oz.
Glass type: Duvel tulip

Note: As stated before, this seems to be a polarizing brew, so if you have had the pleasure of having it, we would love to hear your take on it in the comments section. I guess this goes without saying since we would love to hear your take on ANY beer we review, or even those we haven't reviewed yet.

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

2009-12-26T20:37:00.005-05:00

I've had this guy sitting in my fridge for way too long, but I didn't want to drink it without giving it a proper review. I don't know why, there really isn't anything special with it that I've heard, just that it was a solid brew from Sam Adams. I'll always hold Sam Adams near and dear to my heart because after years of downing piss water from the other major brewers, Boston Lager was the first beer I had that made me realize beer can have other tastes besides raccoon urine and bat feces. Granted, my palate has expanded greatly since then, but I always give kudos to the first macrobrewer to experiment with their beers.

Appearance: Pours with a dark brown color, you can barely make out the shadows on the other side of the glass when looking into the light, but for all intents and purposes, it's thick enough that you can't see through it. A ton of frothy light cream colored head that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Smell: Chocolate and roasted nuts, with a little bit of sweet caramel, a very enjoyable scent to say the least.

Taste: Less chocolate, more roasted nuts and sweetness, none of which is too overpowering, and a little bit of resin hop flavors that also provide a bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, crisp, clean, a little dry on the aftertaste, well carbonated, no real heavy alcohol bite.

Drinkability: "This robust brew was the London porters' drink of choice after their long work days and it will keep you warm on any wintry day." The back label says it all, this is an easy drinking porter that will warm the soul on a cold winter day. There are some very good flavors here, and none that are too overpowering or strong that will make you avoid having another one. 5.8% abv also won't stop you from having a couple more, hell you could even use it as a winter session beer. The only thing that may be a negative is that each sip is the same as the previous one, which could bore some of you enthusiasts looking for something more from their beer. Overall, I do give it a solid 8/10, and will continue to look for this for the rest of the season.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Ninety 9 Bottles

2009-12-24T09:51:00.004-05:00

My past review was a beer store so heck! why not review another one. I am still enjoying and drinking craft brews in the background, but my life and work have taken up too much of my time recently (like Mikey). Instead of our friendly state PA, we are heading over to a town near my residence in CT, named Norwalk.

I found out about Ninety 9 Bottles through our friend/beer connoisseur Greg M. and Facebook in an attempt to find a better than average beer store in Fairfield County CT. I moved to the area a couple months back and have been sticking to BevMax and Stew Leonard's Wines to pick up quality craft brew. So it was a pleasant surprise to see a new "beer" store pop up in the vicinity (opened in November?), especially in Connecticut where craft beer distribution is very limited.

I came in with the attention of buying a case of Imperial Stout Trooper from New England Brewing (released around late December) but they sold out within 25 minutes! So I scratched that off my list, stuck to the same style and bought Brooklyn Black Ops ($25.99) and Lagunitas Imperial Stout ($5.99). Beer seemed a bit pricey, but I got to say that I am willing to pay a premium to get quality ales in this Stamford area that I live in. They had other offerings such as Lagunitas (Brown Suga', Hop Stoopid, etc.), Ballast Point, Harpoon Leviathan Series, Brooklyn, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish and some others outside of microwbrewery USA. All of the beer was tucked away in the back left corner of the store displayed on a counter with some nice shelf displays. Was a little bit disorganized in that corner, but will probably get better as they expand their selection down the road.

Other than that, the store has a fridge section of both macro and micro brews, wines and liquors. Small quaint atmosphere and building situated across the river east of SoNo. I chatted with the owner? Sure was his name? for a bit and they even received bottles of Life and Limb and a Utopia!!! but were sold out instantaneously. I am looking forward to seeing this botique beer/wine/liquor store grow in craft beer and beer distribution rights and will continue to support it so that it will become like my favorites of State Line Liquors - Elkton MD, Julio's Liquors - Westborough MA, Shangy's - Emmaus PA and many more that my brain can't think of at the moment. I give it a 6/10 for now but can see this growing like the stock market to a 9-10/10...buy buy buy

Photo courtesy of Ninety9Bottle's Facebook profile

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2009-12-19T21:23:00.004-05:00

This is another beer from the Shangy's run. I think I've liked every single beer I have ever tried from Bell's, so I was happy to split a case of this with Jimmy without having one before.

Appearance: A light orange color, clear just like the Celebration Ale, and about a finger of head that sticks around for a little longer and with some lacing.

Smell: A nice strong citrus and fruit scent, and not much else.

Taste: The flavor is a lot more complex than the smell suggests, as there is a combination of orange citrus, pine, and resin hops that provide some bitterness. The finish is a nice sweet maltiness that really balances the fading bitter bite.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, oily from the resin hops, low carbonation, almost no alcohol aftertaste, very smooth.

Drinkability: I guess another definition of drinkability is that the more I drink it, the more I like it. Every time I've cracked one open, I'll find something I didn't notice before. After drinking the Celebration and Two Hearted back to back, it really shows you how even though they are both IPAs, they are completely different brews for different occassions. The Celebration is the winter warmer style while the Two Hearted is lighter, refreshing, and can be enjoyed pretty much any time. 7% abv but you would think it had less alcohol than the Celebration because of the finish and aftertaste. 9.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: DFH bullet glass

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (2009)

2009-12-19T20:22:00.005-05:00

It has been a REALLY long time since my last review. I've been stockpiling a whole bunch of brews primed for reviewing, but life has gotten in the way. I'm hoping that with the end of the semester and a break from work for the holidays will help me catch up. I'll start with the brews Jimmy and I picked up from our Shangy's trip almost a month ago. The blessing in disguise from PA's case law is that I was able to drink a bunch of the beers while still having some left for reviews. Huzzah!

Appearance: A nice clean amber color, very clear as I can see the DFH logo on the other side of the glass. It pours with about a finger of head that fades pretty quickly.

Smell: Floral and pine hop aromas and a little sweetness from the malts, there are also hints of fruits but I'm rusty and can't pick out the exact scent, maybe some citrus/orange.

Taste: That's a nice malty flavor for a winter ale, definitely toasted malts with some pine and a little bit of spice on the finish. The combination gives you a warm "sit by the fire" winter feel.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, well carbonated, somewhat of a dry finish and a little alcohol bite to let you know it's not a softy.

Drinkability: This beer has been my go-to after work beer for the past month, which I think would qualify as the definition of drinkable. It's not overly complex, but you won't get bored with it, and at 6.8% abv, you'll feel nice and toasty after a couple. This is a great winter IPA, 'nuff said. 9/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: DFH bullet glass

Shangy's - The Beer Authority

2009-11-24T23:53:00.008-05:00

Recently, fellow hopheads Mike and I traveled to Shangy's in Emmaus, PA to stock up on our ever so frequently dwindling craft beer stash in our respective homes. We came out alive after many minutes of pondering, deciding and boner-ing over the many beers they had out on the floor ranging from east to west coast (Victory all the way out to Port Brewing). Yes, it sucks buying beer by the case (especially for us NJ/CT beer snobs), but if you do your homework and know what you want, Shangy's is the place to go. They have pretty much anything you can ask for...with the exception of such rarities and dreams of Russian River Pliny the Elder or Younger and Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA.

The main floor is loaded with all the beers stacked in "cute" mini pyramids with some glassware arranged in the center back and other miscellaneous non-beer beverages towards the back center room. As you walk in towards the back leftmost corner, there is the massive fridge warehouse room. In here you can pick up chilled cases as well as a plethora of kegs (1/2, 1/6, 1/8 etc.) that are stacked up beyond belief. It is like Christmas time all over again trying to pick out the live draft you want!!!

So on our trip this past weekend, Mike and I picked up a case of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale [$29.99 pre tax], Bells Two Hearted Ale [$36.99 pre tax], Avery Dugana IPA and Sierra Nevad / Dogfish Head Life & Limb [$79.99 pre tax]. We plan on drinking the first three right away with reviews to come so be prepared to see those! The special collaboration ale between Dogfish and Sierra Nevada review will come soon, but we plan on updating in the years to come as we will age this ale after the first bomber and see how it tastes as our knowledge and baldness grow.

Stop by Shangy's if you are in the Allentown, PA area!!! Great beer distribution destination if you know what your getting!!!

Magic Hat Odd Notion (Fall '09)

2009-11-19T21:56:00.009-05:00

In honor of our trip to Split Rock Great Brews Beer Fest this weekend (more on that later), and because Thursday night is The Office night, I felt like reviewing this brew. I mean honestly, do I really need a reason?

Appearance: That. Is. Thick. Wow, it pours like midnight, as you can see in the pic below. Produces a couple fingers of thick foamy brown head that sticks around for a damn long time, very inviting appearance.

Smell: I was expecting a deeper malt smell just from looking at it, but I'm actually greeted with some herbal and floral hops, some hints of chocolate and nut, and...ok enough smelling, lemme taste the damn thing!

Taste: There's the malts! Roasted nuts, chocolate, dry coffee, almost none of the hops from the scent in the taste, and if they are there, it's completely overpowered by the malty monsters.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, but a little thinner than the looks suggest, a little more carbonation than you would think, very dry aftertaste with the very faintest touch of spice. Definitely dry enough that after a few sips I want to take a gulp of water, almost too much dryness, kind of a turn off.

Drinkability: Magic Hat has done well, not a heavy hitter like the Belgian strong ales, but could be a weekday night-capper at 6.3% abv. It's also not as thick as you think, so maybe you could go a couple before throwing in the towel, but not more than that in one sitting. It's no Chimay Blue or anything like that, but definitely a respectable brew that deserves a respectable 8/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Edit: BeerAdvocate says this beer is a Belgian Dark Ale, but the Magic Hat site says its a Belgian Chocolate Stout, and I'm agreeing with the brewers.

Stone Pale Ale

2009-11-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

[Before I start the review, I need to take classes or read books on particular beer attributes for reviewing all 5 of the standard Beeradvocate categories. Any recommendations fellow Hopheads for me, JimmyHoppyHead that feels like his reviews are falling off the face of the earth as if it was a square like some of Christopher Columbus's nemesis' told him]

Never had this beer from one of my favorite west coast breweries, as well as wanting a light beer to mellow out to after a strenuous day at the office, are the main reasons why I picked up a 6 pack back in the middle of September at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. Lets see what my sub par review instincts can handle:

Appearance: Pours pale goodness with shades of an orange brown leather. Head dissipates from 1/4 finger of head to a remote fragile island in the middle of my 8oz NY Craft Beer glass. Surprisingly not as clear as expected for a pale ale but I can make out our pretty blog as I star gaze through the glass. Carbonation dies down after 3 minutes making the ale look uninviting as if Public Safety rolled in and broke up the party.

Smell: Nutty butternut squash aromatic qualities surround my nose with grassy hop characteristics.

Taste: Sweet and faint caramel touch to the tongue that is more weighted towards the malt side of the spectrum rather than hops in terms of the balance. The hops taste almost sour (probably from the yeasts) and give it a fruit like appeal - lime orange?

Mouthfeel: Carbonation bites the tongue and you can trace a little rascal of aggressive hops that shocked me in a pale ale. Caramel sweet not so pleasant aftertaste lingers. Beer goes down smooth but the carbonation makes it coarse.

Drinkability: Interesting...the appearance looked boring after awhile but the over carbonated mouthfeel was the opposite. Same with my smelly, which picked out different malts and hops then my taste(less) buds. All in all, an interesting Pale Ale that I say is well balanced and I would have another before changing flight to something more "extreme" for the night. 5.4% abv, 41 IBUs and 7.5/10 for me.

21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

2009-11-15T22:05:00.005-05:00

I picked up a six pack/box of this at the great State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD a couple of months back. I wanted to try something new instead of my favorite hoppy IPA-ness flowing through my veins.

Appearance: Opaque yellow pour that is alive with sizzling carbonation that fizzles to no head. Color turns to a cloudy orange as the beer settles that does not look inviting. Shocked of the differences within a minute between the pour and aftermath.

Smell: Caramel malts blended with some biscuit action that remind me of Waffle Huts on ski resorts. I can sense the sugar candy scent of a watermelon flavored Jolly Rancher candy.

Taste: Clearly refreshing and can totally hit the spot on a hot summer day for sure. Watermelon is not overpowering and sweet from what I expected (this is a good thing). No bittering hops to taste which is shocking for me but fits the style.

Mouthfeel: Goes to smooth and bubbly with a light watermelon coating over your tongue that is not overpowering. Aftertaste escapes quickly but isn't pleasing partly due to the wheat style.

Drinkability: Totally not like me to be drinking a wheat beer but hey, I am expanding my pallet damnit! As much as I miss the hops slapping me in my face, for this style, it is a good beer. I might get bored of it after 2-3 but I like this creation and have never seen anything like it. This is my second beer that I have tried from 21st (had IPA before) and looking forward to see what else they make. 4.9% abv and a 8/10 rating

Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen

2009-11-08T20:35:00.005-05:00

This is the last of the Harpoons in my fridge, one of the more popular brews they put out.

Appearance: A very light golden yellow color and very cloudy, typical for an unfiltered brew. It has about a half finger of slightly lacy head that disappears pretty quickly.

Smell: Lots of different types of fruitiness and spices, some orange, apricot, lemon peel, and other indistinguishable scents.

Taste: A couple of light fruits that are gone in an instant, really leaving you with a bland kind of taste. It goes so quickly that its real tough trying to nail down which of the fruits you can taste, not really impressive. The aftertaste is kind of wheaty, if that makes any sense.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, dry, high carbonation, a little bitterness but no traces of alcohol.

Drinkability: If there is one real positive, its that it is extremely easy to drink and refreshing, which makes it a great summer beer. Beyond this, there isn't much to talk about. The smell is good, but the taste is forgettable. There isn't much else to grab your attention, and even though its 5.1% abv, you might not want to drink more than a couple before you get bored. I do see its appeal as an easy drinking summer beer, so it still gets a 7.5/10 from me, but there are definitely more complex and better hefeweizens out there for those looking to expand their palates.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Weizen glass

Harpoon Munich Type Dark Beer

2009-11-07T21:00:00.004-05:00

Another one from the Harpoon collection that I thought would be interesting to try.

Appearance: Very deep dark color with some amber shades, bubbly finger of head that rests for a while, and lots of carbonation bubbles sitting all along the glass.

Smell: Big contrast from the brown ale I just reviewed, these scents are extremely subtle, a hint of roasted malts and a bit of chocolate. Ah, and a tiny bit of fruit, surprisingly.

Taste: A nice toasted malts that finished with some hints of fruity hop bitterness flavors. As it warms, the chocolate makes its presence felt. Overall, a good blend of flavors for this dunkel style brew.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, a tiny bit thin, well carbonated for this style, and a little bitter aftertaste.

Drinkability: This is a pretty well balanced beer that has great flavor and is easy to drink at 5.3% abv. After a couple, I would probably move onto something else just to get my hop juices flowing after this malty rich beer. I did enjoy this beer and even more so when it warmed up. A respectable 8.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel tulip

Note: Even though the style has been labeled as a dunkel lager, it is actually brewed with ale yeast, which technically makes it an ale. Thanks to BeerAdvocate for clearing up the confusion.

Harpoon Brown Session Ale

2009-11-07T20:13:00.004-05:00

Harpoon is more well known for their Leviathan series and IPA, or so I feel, so I wanted to explore a couple of Harpoon's other brews. This brown ale is one of the next few beers I'll review that my girlfriend dumped on me after her Halloween party. I figured this would be a good way to go through them all.

Appearance: Has a rich brown color, clean and clear, and has a thin layer of head. Also a steady stream of carbonation bubbles rising from the bottom.

Smell: A nice mixture of nutty, caramel, and sweet malts with almost no hoppiness in the scent, pretty typical of other brown ales, but there is some other sweet scent in there that kind of separates it from the rest, I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe a little taste will clear this mystery up.

Taste: Nope, in fact a lot of the malt scents disappear in the flavor, or become muted. There is some nuttiness and some slight caramel sweetness, but without the same intensity from the aroma. Really not as intriguing as the smell would suggest.

Mouthfeel: A little thin and watery, light bodied, a tiny bit of alcohol on the aftertaste, but you have to be searching for it. There is a little bit of a hop bitterness bite as it approaches room temperature.

Drinkability: For transparency, I must admit that brown ales are not my cup of tea. This is a drinkable brew however, at only 4.3% abv you could probably finish off a six pack and be ready for more. There were some really deep aromas that made me a little excited to drink this beer, but it was a little misleading as the taste wasn't a true complement. All in all, a pretty good beer that I wouldn't completely avoid. 7/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Victory Vista Harvest Ale

2009-10-29T19:43:00.011-04:00

While on our way to a fantastic wedding in the Downingtown, PA area, Alex, Jimmy and I stopped in for lunch and a few brews at Victory Brewery. First off, if you haven't been and you live even remotely close, I highly recommend it. They had 4 beers on cask and a whole bunch more on tap, along with an awesome menu. Secondly, if you have about half an hour to get to a wedding that's ten minutes away, and its on a busy Saturday both at Victory and on the roads, we don't recommend filling up your growlers. Chances are, you'll have to break a few driving laws in order to make it to the church just before the bride gets out of the limo. Totally unrelated, I have a growler of the Vista Harvest Ale that I would like to review for you all now.

Appearance: This has been sitting in the fridge for a while, but I am still shocked at how much carbonation there still is, with a good couple fingers of head, however it recedes fairly quickly. There is a light golden color, very clean and clear.

Smell: Mmmmm, great grassy, herbal, and floral hop aroma, but that is pretty much it, maybe a little sweetness. Not necessarily a bad thing, it is a very pleasant smelling beer.

Taste: What an interesting mix of flavors, with your grassy and herbal hops and definitely more noticeable yet still light nutty malts. It is as crisp as the appearance suggests, and has good balance for a seemingly lighter brew.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied (more towards light), a tiny bit thin, but a great oiliness texture that coats your mouth, followed by a gentle bitterness aftertaste.

Drinkability: I could drink this all day out on the porch one summer day. It is extremely easy drinking, and even though I don't have an exact abv on this, I have to imagine it falls below 6%. I would rate this comparable to a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but with a little bit cleaner finish and a little bigger bitterness bite. I wish this was released in bottles so I wouldn't have to lug my growler down to Downingtown, but I guess that's what makes it special. Like I said before, if you have the chance to go to Victory, do so, because you will find great stuff you can't get in stores, along with their entire selection of craft brews. For this style, it is very close to being the gold standard, and in my humble opinion, that is not an exaggeration. 9/10

Serving type: Tap/Growler
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Sierra Nevada Estate

2009-10-05T21:21:00.007-04:00

Unstoppable: Eli Manning is. So is his Sierra Nevada Estate Brewers Harvest Ale, fueled by hops and barley, it never needs a recall, just like the people...who drink it.

Ah yes, the first release of the new Estate Harvest Ale (not to be confused with Chico Estate Wet Hop Harvest), Sierra Nevada's experiment of brewing with completely their own ingredients grown at their brewery in Chico. I've been waiting to get my hands on this ever since I heard of the concept a little while back, since I have been such a huge fan of the other brews in the Harvest lineup. Of course, our friends at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD pull through and had some available.

Appearance: A deep amber color with alive and kicking carbonation that produces greater than a finger of fluffy head, topping off a crisp, clean beer.

Smell: Tremendous hop scent, a combination of citrus, floral, and juicy (a first for me in describing a scent like that, but it does remind me of a juice box smell, in a good way) hops, along with a hint of sweetness from the malts.

Taste: Fantastic taste, resiny and citrus hops with some light biscuit malts as backup, and finishes with that juiciness and fruit taste, very light on the spice, only subtle hints until it warms up, with the hop bitterness giving way to the malts.

Mouthfeel: Oily and resiny, not too thin, perfectly carbonated, which I was afraid of overcarbonation given the amount of head on the pour, light to medium body, almost no alcoholic aftertaste or bite that you might get from an IPA (which it technically is).

Drinkability: Maybe I'm biased towards Sierra Nevada's brews, specifically the Harvest ales, but for a 1st release (technically the Chico Estate used only its own hops, this went a step further) this is a great beer, albeit a tad overpriced. I've heard prices everywhere from $8-$11 for a 24 oz. bottle, which is a little steep in my opinion. If money is no object, you could easily put back a few at only 6.7% abv and still be game for more. I would give this beer a 9+, but I'll have to ding them a bit for the price. 8.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Dogfish Head Theobroma

2009-10-01T22:36:00.003-04:00

Man, it's been a while since I've done this, but I've been dying to do one. I moved, so maybe my pictures will have different backgrounds now instead of the same monitor/desk/dresser that's usually there. Anyways, on a recent trip to State Line Liquors, Jimmy, Alex, and I went on a spending spree to match all spending sprees, picking up everything from the old standards to the rare and exotic. This one falls more towards the latter in the exotic category with its extensive flavor profile described on the bottle.

Appearance: A light lively golden color with about a half finger to full finger of growing head, a tiny bit opaque.

Smell: Lots of fruity smells, some apricot, citrus, honey, a little pine, barely any sweetness, some spiciness, just a little hint of chili (maybe?)

Taste: Very interesting mixture and timing of the flavors as it starts like a tripel with light citrus, but then a mix of honey and chili coat the tongue on its way down, leaving you with that mellow spice on the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: A little watery, but perfectly carbonated for the style I feel. Thin body with not much bite for such a high alcoholic brew.

Drinkability: Easily drinkable at 9% abv, this beer will sneak up on you before you are done with your bomber bottle. The one thing that may slow you down is the chili/spicey aftertaste, it's not completely overpowering, but it lingers and is definitely noticeable. The chili is a good idea to have in the taste, but I feel like I'm missing out on the rest of the possibilities like cocoa that's used. Overall though, it's another inventive brew from one of the most creative breweries in the country that, for the most part, delivers. 7.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel tulip glass

Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

2009-09-24T23:15:00.001-04:00

From fellow hophead Ryan:

"Don't know if Jimmy told you, but the Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin ale is legit. In my past dealings with pumpkin ales, I found them to be a nice spicy treat, but with no "real" pumpkin flavor. Not this one. It's brewed with pumpkin puree (HORRAY!), caramel malts, and two varieties of hops. And it comes as advertised. The aroma is like Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie, and the taste is a nice (and authentic) pumpkin flavor mixed with cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness (great balance). Also, at 9% there was absolutely NO alcoholic tinge to it, which I found very surprising. Usually, with spiced beers like this, when they get up past 7% they start to have a smell and taste of alcohol. Also, in my tasting (didn't happen for jimmy), as it warmed, the caramel flavor kicked into high gear, and actually overshadowed the pumpkin flavor and spice a bit too much for my liking, giving it an overly sweet taste (which knocked it down a few marks, as I am not a fan of too much sweet). I'd give it a 8.85/10 and definitely want to have another go at it."

NYC Beer Week is upon us...

2009-09-12T20:40:00.003-04:00

...and we couldn't be more pumped! After Ryan's experience with Philly Beer Week (where we will venture to hopefully next year), Jimmy, Alex, and I were inspired to check out NYC's version. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it into the city for more than one day, so we are going on an all day marathon beer week extravaganza, beginning around noon time and ending whenever we get thrown out. Pile on top of that that it's the opening Sunday for the NFL, along with it finally supposed to stop raining here in the tri-state area, and we've got ourselves a nice little day planned.

So follow us on Twitter (@hopheads) for up to the minute news, reviews, ramblings, and drunken pearls of wisdom, as I'm sure they will be flowing as much as the casks and taps allow us.

For beer week information, visit the official NYC Beer Week website here.

Sierra Nevada Porter

2009-09-10T21:44:00.006-04:00

Sierra Nevada is one of the original and classic microbreweries in the USA, so it is safe to say that whatever they make is going to be damn good. After Mike's review of Sierra's Kellerweis and Alex's acknowledgment of the ~20 different Sierra Nevada ales (I did not know over half of them!) on tap at Blind Tiger, NYC about a month ago, I decided on trying a new Sierra Nevada myself. Luckily for me, I did not have to buy this beer one but simply "borrow" it from my father's beer sanctuary.
Appearance: Two fingers of head as a result from a careful pour that appeared watery. However, as it sits in the glass awaiting its fate, it seems quite [midnight/unpermeable]-ish. The head dissipates to a fragile layer after 4 minutes of chillin'.

Smell: Very refreshing that gives you the "ahhhhh!" factor. Caramel and chocolate malts stand out like a stout, but not as bold. Not recognizing the Goldings & Willamette hops used in this creation, but the aroma is pleasantly warming as if you were waking up to a fresh roast of coffee or even a good night desert brownie.

Taste: Goes down smooth and tastes like fancy dark chocolate with extra cacao. Well balanced with a sweet caramel malt finish.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation bite is almost too tingling. Chocolate after bite melts in your mouth and you can actually sense mild hop bitterness on your tongue after awhile (this beer has 40 IBUs Sierra Nevada Porter.

Drinkability: This American Porter beat my expectations and hit the spot as fall is kicking in with 50-60 degree weather already. I am a IPA (make that DOUBLE IPA) drinker year round, but this hit the spot to take a break from the hop slaughter on my body. Coming in at just 5.6% abv, I would have another with no question. Excellent creation! 9/10.

Samuel Adams Imperial White

2009-08-28T20:53:00.005-04:00

On a recent trip up to the Thousand Islands with my girlfriend, we stopped at a Wegman's near Syracuse (the same store where I picked up a Cascazilla last year). I picked up a four-pack of the second beer from Sam Adams' Imperial Series to be reviewed here. I love that Sam, considered one of the more mainstream brewing companies, is dabbling into imperial brews. They always seem to be ahead of the curve compared to the other big brewers, which is a great testament to Jim Koch and Bob Cannon, head of the R&D department at the brewery.

Appearance: A dark golden copper color with half a finger of head that doesn't stick around long, a little hazy with a moderate amount of carbonation rising from the bottom.

Smell: Starts with a strong fruity apricot and orange smell, a little hint of spice and a tiny bit of banana, overall a good scent.

Taste: It's almost a reversal of the smell as the spiciness really takes the forefront and overpowers any of the fruity flavors, which don't emerge until the final moments of the sip and in the aftertaste, citrus flavors on the finish to try and balance out the huge alcoholic bite.

Mouthfeel: Definitely a full-bodied witbier that begins creamy but ends with a dry coating and the alcoholic bite I mentioned earlier, smooth and not too heavy.

Drinkability: I think the goal of Jim & Co. was to go for a big, bold witbier, with bold being the key word. To me, it seems like they took your generic wheat ale, said damn the torpedos, full fruit/spice/alcohol ahead, and waited to see what they got. Each ingredient made its presence felt, but there was no subtlety, no chemistry and balance between them. On top of this, you definitely know you are drinking a 10.3% abv brew, making it a chore/deathwish if you want to polish off a four pack in an evening. Overall, a noble attempt by our friends in Beantown, but not one of my favorites from the imperial series, let alone from their entire offering. 7/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Witbier glass

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen

2009-08-19T20:58:00.005-04:00

Alex and I made a stop at Shangy's in PA and picked up a case of this beauty and Founders Double Trouble. We were stoked to see both of these cases and decided to split them between the two of us. After enjoying most of the case in one afternoon between us, we found it only appropriate that we do a collaboration review of this newly released, highly anticipated brew.

Appearance: Pours a golden cloudy yellow/orange with about a finger of fluffy head, sticks to the glass.

Smell: A strong orange/fruitiness and some lemon zest with a hint of spicy esters, along with a natural yeast scent.

Taste: Banana and clove flavors as the label would suggest, along with the lemon zest that we smelled, and the subtle spiciness that doesn't overpower this wonderful combination of flavors.

Mouthfeel: We have two complete opposite interpretations of mouthfeel; Alex feels that the unfiltered nature of this open fermentation brew gives it a thick quality but not overpowering, however I feel that it is pretty light despite it being unfiltered. We both can agree that there is zero alcohol aftertaste, providing us with a smooth summer drinking experience.

Drinkability: A perfect summer session brew, we could drink this all day (and did), and at 4.8% abv, have the ability to move on to the heavier stuff once the sun goes down. We could not be happier with Sierra Nevada's continued inventiveness, and love that they are moving that creativity to their new year-round brews like this hefe and the Torpedo Extra IPA. We give it an 8/10.

21st Amendment IPA

2009-08-02T19:03:00.006-04:00

Micro beer in a can? Yes sirree! Gone are the days where the only way to drink a can, such as Natty Light, is by shotgunning. My first quality craft bib in a can was from the talented Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado (I have had their Dale's Pale Ale, GORDON!, Ten Fidy & Old Chub). This time, I had my eyes set on trying something new for me: 21st Amendment Brewery - IPA. Picked up a six pack at Whole Foods, Paramus, NJ for $9.99 before tax.

Appearnce: Cloudy peach amber that poured a fat finger of head into my tulip glass. The miniature carbonation bubbles are having quite a party that I am about to crash.

Smell: Knock knock. Whose there? 7. 7 Who? 70 IBUs screaming up your nostrils! Piney hops followed by faint caramel malt breeze.

Taste: Impressive creation that is well balanced between the crisp, bitter piney hops and sweet malt finish.

Mouthfeel: A hair bit over carbonated but it goes down quite smooth with the medium-light body. There is an alcoholic bite bringing up the caboose of the drink.
Drinkability: Strange finding, but I prefer this beer cold, even though I get more flavors and answers as it warms up into proper IPA drinking temperature. It makes love with our liver at 7.0% abv and I would definitely have more than one in a night (or day). 8.5/10 hophead rating for me!

Obama drinks Bud Light!

2009-07-31T14:58:00.002-04:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124891169018991961.html

As a conservative, I will digress from the political comments. But I just wanted you to imagine how sweet it would be if our president was into micro brews! Example news headline: "Barry Obama looking like he was slapped in the face with a sack of hops after drinking a Dreadnaught IPA." Anyways, cheers fellow craft beer followers and have a handy dandy summer weekend.

Flying Fish Exit 4

2009-07-25T20:07:00.005-04:00

Ok, I don't know how many people outside of New Jersey have heard of the latest "controversy" with Flying Fish's Exit series, but here's an article to bring you up to speed. Basically, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) feel that naming your brews after Turnpike exits is promoting drinking and driving. Regardless of yours or mine personal feelings whether they are right or wrong, Flying Fish gets some free press and promotion out of it. Hell, it certainly caught my attention enough to where I saw it at Whole Foods and decided to pick up the Exit 4.

Appearance: A cloudy golden yellow color with plenty of head, this brew dances its bubbles wildly from bottom of the glass to the top, plenty of action and very inviting.

Smell: A light herbal and flowery hop smell, similar to Cascade hops, and a tinge of spice and citrus, like a twist of lemon and orange zest, almost no malt scent, but it might be there on the taste.

Taste: A decent amount of spices and some sweetness, which finishes with a little citrus and almost like ground pepper (?), the taste definitely sticks around and plays with your tastebuds for a while before relinquishing its grip.

Mouthfeel: Pretty crisp smooth feel, plenty of carbonation, and a little alcohol kick, your typical well-brewed trippel, not chewy obviously, maybe a tinge of watery.

Drinkability: If you happen to be one of the few who frequent this site often, you know my love for exploring the Belgians. I give high praise to the usual kings and really dump on those that put up a poor effort. Luckily, this brew has done my state proud, as it is a well crafted trippel that is surprisingly easy to drink at 9.7% abv. You will want to keep drinking more as the beer continues to get better the closer it gets towards room temperature, and its not too heavy or overpowering to make you head for the hills. A respectable 8.5/10 for this Jersey beauty, and I look forward to trying the Exit 11 from the guys at Flying Fish in the near future.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel tulip glass

Schlafly Reserve Barleywine-Style Ale (2007)

2009-07-24T20:55:00.005-04:00

Jimbo got this brew as a Christmas gift this past year, and has been trying like hell to fight off the temptation to drink it while it was aging, but six months was all he could manage. Of course, he needed reinforcements for this bad boy because, well, we all know the testicular fortitude of James.

Appearance: A very cloudy thick brew with very little head, a deep luscious amber brown color, similar to the color of the sap that the mosquitoes were trapped in in Jurassic Park, but we digress...

Smell: A basket full of fruits, grapes, peaches, raspberries, and a little bit of honey, the smell doesn't suggest heavy "I'm going to hang you by your balls" barleywine, it almost reminds us of the fruity ice and sweet wines, very subtle hints of oaky nuttiness, but you really need to search for it, almost no hop scent, very surprising for a barleywine.

Taste: OAK!!!!!!! Holy crap, that's where it was hiding. As we took our first sips, we stared at each other and simultaneously said, in our best Keanu Reeves impersonations, "Woah, oak." We have completely different smell and tastes because that ice wine fruity scent has disappeared from the taste. Some spiciness, but the oak flavors just take over any hop bitterness that could be there.

Mouthfeel: A big deep beer with a dry finish, definitely a sipping beer, well carbonated for the style, aftertaste finishes you off with a faint alcoholic tingle, our tastebuds are starting to become overpowered the more we drink it, and the dry oak taste leaves you wanting some water.

Drinkability: Even though it says its ready to drink when its bought, we would recommend aging it a year or two longer. Jimmy aged it over 6 months and we still feel it has a long way to go before all the flavors and bites mellow. At 10.2% abv, you definitely wouldn't want more than one to end your night. Compared to other barleywines, aged or not, this one ranks pretty low, especially with its ready to drink claim. We give it a 6.5/10.

Glass type(s): Duvel and Chimay glasses
Serving type: Bottle (1pt. 9.4 fl. oz.)

Stone Thirteenth Anniversary Ale

2009-07-19T20:47:00.007-04:00

Superb artistic label and a June 2009 date made me purchase this ale without hesitation at Whole Foods in Paramus, NJ this past Friday. The bomber cost $7.99 before tax but I could not resist the temptation to what Greg Koch and his crew had in store for us this anniversary after last years exquisite 12th anniversary bitter chocolate oatmeal stout.

Appearance: Thick vampire desiring blood red with shades of mahogany as you hold it up to the light. Constant rise of carbonation bublets that concludes with a delicate lacing of head atop.

Smell: Caramel richly sweet malts that masks the dank resiny smell of hops attempting to be the boss of this ale at "90+ IBUs" (http://www.stonebrew.com/13th/ale/).

Taste: Like the smell, caramel sweetooth taste. However, more hops are present for this red ale; particularly spicy pine with a hint of alcohol at the finish

Mouthfeel: Rich and succulent throughout every deep sip I take. Goes down smooth for me with my favorite hop bitter tongue tantalizing afterbite :)

Drinkability: I was not in awe with this brew at first, but as the ale warmed up from the frigid temperature of the beer refridgerator, I started to get a microbeer hardon. This was well balanced between the overpowering hops that I go ga-ga for and the sweet spicy malts. I give this a 9/10...pick it up now while it is fresh!

Great Divide Hercule Double IPA

2009-07-18T21:19:00.004-04:00

Man oh man, am I glad I didn't see the review for this beer here yet, because I've been wanting an excuse to drink one of these since I picked up the four pack a little while ago. If there is a review of this already, then big whoop, you're getting two perspectives then. We had this all star out of a keg for Jimmy's birthday/Hophead reunion and it was spectacular, but as you can imagine, none of us were in any condition to write something up or even remember specifics.

Appearance: Pours to a dark amber color that's clear and alive, very inviting, along with two fingers of light creamy head with great retention.

Smell: An explosion of smells with heavy floral and herbal hops and a hint of sweet and bready malts, absolutely perfect combo.

Taste: Wow, almost as good as on tap, it starts with a heavy caramel and sweet malt flavor, then comes in with an almost barleywine style of hop bitterness, grassy and herbal for sure.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, not watery, perfectly carbonated and full bodied, so it doesn't taste too syrpuy despite great malt presence, a decent bite and alcohol aftertaste which makes this brew border on a barleywine.

Drinkability: At our gathering in June, we were able to drink this like water at the end of the night since we were probably a little drunk off of the Brutal Bitter, however, at 10% abv you should be careful when drinking more than a couple in a night. Luckily the alcoholic bite might be able to remind you to take this one easy. I absolutely love this beer and highly recommend it if you are up for a great DIPA. 9.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Long Trail Brewmaster Series Double IPA

2009-07-17T20:47:00.006-04:00

I was impressed with the Rockart Vermonster last week so I decided to pick up another VT level 4 type beer, once again at the ever so popular Whole Foods in Paramus, NJ. What caught my attention to purchase this bomber were the phrases "A taste of Vermont" and of course "Double IPA" on the label. [Side note: I am on a mission to drink every single Double/Imperial IPA out in the micro USA beer economy].

Appearance: Is this really a double IPA? It literally pours a clear golden yellow stream of Miller Light piss. Lackluster looks, 2 fingers of head after a careful pour and it appears clear upon initial glance, but I can actually see some unfilteration going on.

Smell: Is my nose stuffy or not working? Very faint whiffs of Chardonnay with hints of lemon zest. No malt presence but I am detecting minor floral honeysuckle hops.

Taste: Sweet droplets of fancy grade A type honey and the bitterness definitely comes out from its hiding place. The IBU presence reminds me of biting into the rind or the inner skin of a grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: Looks clear, smells bland but it actually has some chewy body to it; definitely more than meets the bare eye. Kind of a minor unpleasant aftertaste as the ale digests; reminds me in a ways (no where near as bad!) of a warm natty light aftertaste.

Drinkability: Smooth as my skin was when I was a baby. I would say this is more of a mellow India Pale Ale than a Double, even though it is clocking in at 8.6% abv. My heritage lies withing my favorite east coast, but those west coast hop bombs just trump my coast and make them look like the NY Mets!!! 6/10 for me (this was like a government regulated DIPA, but I kind of liked the laid back stoner character to it....)

Rock Art Vermonster

2009-07-12T21:07:00.004-04:00

I picked this bomber bottle up at the mighty Whole Foods in Parmus, NJ about a month ago for $5.99 pre-tax. Fellow hophead Alex the Vredhead had this bottle on his kitchen counter for display, so I must have it of course. Side note: my taste buds might be off as I had 4 glasses of Avery Hog Heaven off tap from growlers before hand.

Appearance: Scary movie dark ruby red with a finger of head at the pour. Doesn't look inviting at all, but dark, stormy and cloudy like a horror movie.

Smell: Intense and predominant roasty malt backbone that blends with ease from the grassy VT hop character. Smell is pleasantly homewarming; I want to keep coming back for some more.

Taste: Reminds me of a stout in a ways but not as bitter/coffee/chocolate tinge that I am used to. Not overpowering as the barleywine style suggests, but definitely up there with a rich well-balanced blend of hops and malts

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, well carbonated and just made you feel full afterwards. Other than that, thick, dark and stormy = I am going to be hurting in the morning.

Drinkability: 10%abv with 100IBUs from the stoner state of Vermont = very impressive. This beer is BIG!!! I like it lots, debating whether to age another bomber???? 9/10

Ommegang Hennepin

2009-07-09T22:09:00.003-04:00

I've seen this beaut staring me in the face in the beer store the last few times I've gone; I would pick it up, browse a little more, and find something else that I really wanted and put this one back. Today I took a stand and made sure that I hung onto it no matter what else I picked up, which is good because I picked up a 4 pack of Hercules, so I walked away one happy Hophead from the Beverage Barn.

Appearance: That was the most violent cork coming off of a beer I've ever seen! Anyways, pours with an energetic opaque golden color, with the opaqueness coming from the yeast and sediments aplenty throughout the brew, and has waaaay too much lacey head, so I will update later on a second pour for a more accurate reading.

Smell: Some light fruits, tiny citrus, and some herbal scents, no real maltiness or sweetness to come by, pretty subtle smell.

Taste: A good fruit/spiciness mix and a tiny sweet/bitter aftertaste that you really have to look for to get it, simple yet subtle, and done very well.

Mouthfeel: Typical Belgian carbonation, a little warmth to let you know the alcohol is present, but not a burning sensation, light, smooth, and not watery.

Drinkability: Wow, for something that's 7.7% abv, it's almost as drinkable as a session beer. This might just be me and my afinity to Belgians, but I could drink this all night long. I have also been meaning to try more Saisons the more I read about their roots in brewing these bad boys in farmhouses and open areas to gather some of the country aromas and even some natural yeasts as well. Looking back at my review, I didn't really write a lot describing the beer, but there really isn't much else to say. However, that's a testament to it's greatness in that sometimes brewers try to overcomplicate their brews and fail, yet some brewers know just the right combination of a few ingredients will give you perfection. 9.5/10

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel glass

Southern Tier Gemini

2009-07-06T20:44:00.007-04:00

Sorry for the delayed review, but like I said, packing for the July 4th weekend took temporary precedence Thursday night. Fear not, fellow beer nuts, for I present to you Gemini, Southern Tier's creation from 50% unfiltered Hoppe and 50% Unearthly. I believe someone here has reviewed the Unearthly, but not too sure about the Hoppe.

Appearance: Pours with a slightly cloudy golden color with a finger and a half of head, whose retention is very good.

Smell: Great earthy, herbal, and floral hop overtones that have a slight background of citrus, also present are some lighter malt scents, almost reminding me of a combo wheat/Belgian, all of this done to perfection.

Taste: Unfortunately, the taste does not live up to the smell, it seems like there is too much going on to really get good identifiable flavors in there. Don't get me wrong, its quite good, but the smell sets such a high standard that it can't be matched. The hops that seemed to team up well before now just seem to mash together to give you one big bitterness bite, although the wheat style malts I mentioned earlier do complement this well.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly carbonated, not too heavy or thick, and relatively smooth for an unfiltered ale, a tinge of alcohol aftertaste reminds you its an imperial.

Drinkability: When I read the label and saw 10.5% abv, I was shocked at how easy it is to drink, which can be credited to the wheat malt flavor balancing act described before. You probably don't want to dirnk more than one bomber in a night, but it won't knock you out for the count (that's what the barleywine is for). I know it seems like I was harsh on the taste, but the smell gave me such high hopes that this brew could reach the 9.5 or even 10 point threshold that of course I would be let down when it didn't live up to it. Still, it is a very good brew with a good concept, which still gets an 8.5/10 in my book.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

*Side note: I hope one of the other Hopheads posts some pics from the epicness that was Jimmy's birthday and our attempt to kill the Brutal Bitter and Herc in a weekend. Good times...

A Beer, Please, and a (Good) Menu

2009-06-24T09:21:00.002-04:00

So I know the major slackage coming from the Hayes camp has reached a boiling point of absurdity, but I came across a great article in the New York Times "The Pour" by Eric Asimov. The article elaborates on the difficulty of balancing great beer with equally great food at beer bars in New York. Alex's favorite, Blind Tiger, is mentioned in the text as being a "great beer bar" not only because of the beer, but because of the food as well.

Cheers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/dining/reviews/24pour.html?_r=1

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest (2009)

2009-06-22T21:09:00.005-04:00

Harvest time is my favorite time of year. So when Sierra Nevada came out with the Southern Hemisphere last year, it just doubled my excitement. I've been looking forward to the 2nd release this year because I'm sure the brewmaster learned a ton after the first edition and knew where the improvements were needed. When I saw it in the beer store today, I was ready to buy the whole supply, unfortunately my wallet said otherwise. Combine this find with the fact that I feel like I half assed the Firecrotch review last night, and that we are celebrating fellow Hophead Jimmy's birthday this weekend with a Hophead reunion, I had the itch to review this bad ass fresh hop ale tonight.

Appearance: Pours with a clean light amber color with a couple fingers of head with plenty of carbonation being released from the receptors in the Sam Adams glass, great lacy head.

Smell: Great strong floral, herbal and resiny hop smell along with a nutty caramel malt scent, great balance.

Taste: Wow, tour de force of flavors! The light nutty caramel taste starts you off, then the hop bitterness and floral flavors finish you. In last years release, I remember the hops being more subtle, leaving you craving for more, but this year just comes at you hard. Much improved!

Mouthfeel: The usual oily residue from the fresh hop ales coat your tongue while the light carbonation that's left tickles the roof, light but not watery, a little more alcohol aftertaste than the previous release.

Drinkability: The 2nd release of the Southern Hemisphere did not disappoint, despite my high expectations. This beer is so smooth and easy to drink, yet has such a great flavor profile that you won't go bored. At 6.7% abv, it's no lightweight, but is still easy to drink and won't weigh you down. I don't even have to think hard over this rating, I'm giving it a 9/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Firecrotch Red Ale

2009-06-21T21:05:00.006-04:00

I mentioned it in a previous review that I had brewed a red ale when bottling the special ale Jimbo and I made, but I never got to write a full review of it. I kept putting it off, but now it's ready, so I might as well combine the brewing and tasting posts into one.

I wanted to make a red ale that had some bite to it, so I took the "Mr. Beer" recipe and put my own twist to it. The original calls for just using the Bewitched Red Ale HME and Mellow Amber UME, but I wanted to boost the alcohol content from 4.6% to 6%, so I used the last packet of Booster I had left. Also, I added an ounce of Cascade hop pellets, which I boiled for ten minutes, which according to some calculations should put the IBUs around 50. This brew sat in the fermenter for 15 days and sat in the bottle for 2-3 weeks. Let's see how it turned out.

Appearance: A dark amber red that is pretty clear, extremely bubbly and alive, with a ton of head, I might have to start cutting down on the amount of sugar I put in during carbonation, even though I'm putting in the recommended amount.

Smell: Hops, hops, and more hops, this brew has a strong floral hop smell, along with hints of sweet malts in the background, and a tinge of caramel.

Taste: Wow, that's good stuff right there, great hop bitterness and flavor, not overpowering the usual red ale malt flavor, but enough bite to really satisfy most hopheads (except for maybe Jimmy, but I have to remind him its not a super duper ultra DIPA aged in Cascade hop barrels).

Mouthfeel: Light but not watery, a little tickle from the carbonation, relatively smooth, a tiny bit of alcohol aftertaste.

Drinkability: This is the brew I had wanted to make since I started a couple months ago, and it couldn't have come out any better. It is easy to drink, even at around 6% abv the alcoholic taste isn't strong, and the balance of hops make this an easy winner in the red ale category. There are a few tweaks I would make to it, maybe use a different secondary unhopped malt to add some more sweetness, add some finishing hops to create a more complex scent, and use less sugar during carbonation. Overall, I give it a 7.5/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager (2009)

2009-06-12T22:05:00.008-04:00

I haven't done a beer review that wasn't a beer of mine in quite some time, added with the fact that I haven't visited my back up beer store River Vale Liquors since it moved to its fancy new location, and you get a review of the six pack of Summerfest I picked up this afternoon. I've had this beer a couple times if I remember correctly, and wanted to give it a proper review.

Appearance: Pours a clean, clear golden yellow with about a finger of head with plenty of carbonation rising to the top as it settles, looks crisp and refreshing.

Smell: A very clean earthy and floral smell with a tinge of sweetness, all the smells are very subtle, which allows them to get their fair share of the spotlight.

Taste: A nice mellow sweetness with very tiny spots of floral hops, this taste is almost an exact opposite of its smell counterpart, well balanced, I think the brewmaster was going for a light refreshing summer brew that didn't want you to cut off your tongue on a hot summer's day, and he nailed it.

Mouthfeel: Light, smooth, a little thin and watery, but the carbonation gives it some feel, almost no alcohol aftertaste.

Drinkability: This beer should be a staple in every guy's summer cooler, right next to the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If you go into drinking this beer with no more expectation than to find a light session lager that is easy to drink at 5% abv and not too heavy on the taste, it is perfect for its style. However, other than starting off your night with a few or bring a six pack while golfing, there really isn't much left to it. I give it a respectable 7.5/10, compared to other lagers of this style.

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: Bottle

Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly IPA

2009-06-10T21:12:00.011-04:00

Be not mistaken by the label but this is not just a typical India Pale Ale, it is an IMPERIAL! My favorite style shows up unexpectedly, or should I say unearthly? The shimmer and shine of this bomber caught my attention at Ramsey Liquors here in the dirty Jerz. The price of $8.99 almost deflected my heart away from this ale, but the hop wearing a crown on the label was like love at first site. Let us see what the brewers from Lakewood, NY created in this limited release imperial.

Appearance: Pours a 1/2 pink finger of head that dissipates to a thin cover after it settles for a minute (as if you were skiing/snowboarding down the mountain and you come up to a patch of snow with dusting on top and then you realize it is a major ice spot and panic, leading to a monster yard sale wipe out). That comparison is basically how I feel right now, scared but anxious to try it. You can attempt to see through your glass but you will end up squinting due to the faint hop cloudiness. This goldenrod-brown-orange-yellow-ish ale is secretly alive as you watch the micro carbonation bubbles gasp for air at the top of the glass.

Smell: Intense wafts of vanilla bean from the "[oak aged]-ness" character that masks all else. Hazel-nutty malts and spicy/perfume-y hops (although my hop sense might be off from the overpowering vanilla bourbon tasting barrel. Reminds of smell of an Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing.

Taste: Butterscotch candy that has been spiked with alcohol melting in your mouth. Can taste the bitterness of the hops finally...over-ripened pineapple in combination with floral hops. Vanilla sweet malts leading the charge as the smell still, but not as overpowering as in the Smell category.

Mouthfeel: Goes down smooth as velvet, but that alcohol after bite stings as you let the beer mellow in your mouth and even has an unpleasant alcoholic taste minutes after you take a sip. I feel like eating on pretzels and/or beer nuts, or wait GOLDFISH! to act as a palette cleanser. As it warms up to room temperature, the not pleasing aftertaste isn't as dreadful...reminds me of a sweety malty red ale finish.

Drinkability: Overall this beer is diffult to consume for me, as I slayed this bomber in an hour approximately. Not the hopgasm I expected for a DIPA. My experience with the oak aged beers has been borderline kindergarten (my favorite is oak aged yeti from Great Divide), but for me it ruined this beer. I would keep the Oak Aged style to stouts in particular, but then again, I need to gain experience points with this style before I can make that judgement call. It was definitely worth a try buying this for educating my beer brain, but I don't see myself getting it again (fell hophead Ryan had this on tap in Philly I think...how was it?) 6/10 for me. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the high octane beer (north of 10%abv), but I don't like when I clearly taste booze as I felt was the case with this ale: vanilla mellow sweet booze.

Jimmy & Mike's Special Ale

2009-06-03T21:34:00.005-04:00

Holy crap, alert the media! We are blogging again after going through a period of just Twittering when we drank at bars, took shots off of girls, and took dumps in our favorite shitters. I think it's only appropriate that the first post should be of the newly finished collaboration ale between myself and Jimmy. I have other posts lined up, but I wanted to do this one first.

Appearance: A very dark amber/brown color that is crisp and clear, however, the lacey head created by the pour looked at first like it would be creamy, TONS of head, so much so that after I took the picture it almost started to overflow, I have to keep drinking the head a few times to avoid spillage, this brew looks sooo much better than the crappy pale ale I made in the first batch.

Smell: A deep sweet caramel and nut malt fragrance greets the nose on the first sniff, as I go in for a second whiff searching for some hops, I am left empty handed and slightly disappointed.

Taste: Wow, that was better than I expected, with almost no hop scent and flavor I was wondering if the malts would be too dominant, but the sweetness is just perfect, the aftertaste is nothing noticeable and/or detracting from the beer, which is all we could have hoped for, and even on a positive note, there's that slight bitterness we were hoping for as it warms up!

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated, light and smooth, but surprisingly not watery, a pretty unique combination that is making it difficult in how to classify this brew.

Drinkability: The more I drink this beer, the more I enjoy it, which is a good sign in the drinkability department. Based on our calculations, this brew should have just about 7% alcohol, but you would never know from having one. Prior to bottling, it did have a little alcohol sting, but that has mellowed out nicely after two weeks in the bottle. With the combination of sweetness, light mouthfeel, and low alcohol taste, I think this could be a great session beer for craft brew drinkers. In fact, I kind of wished we had brewed more than 2 gallons, maybe we might have to make a second batch of this recipe with some slight modifications. I'm going to give it a 7/10, which we should be very proud of. The real test will be to see what the other Hopheads think, and possibly others.

Side Brewing Notes: There are many things to learn from this batch that we/I couldn't have learned from the first batch that was a sad excuse for a pale ale. First, we need to plan our brews out better, including ingredients, calculations, etc., which is something I took with me when brewing the red ale (which I will discuss in a later post). Second, don't overthink what you are doing, and by that I mean why did we expect this beer to have any sort of hop presence when we added three different types of powerful malts and only added a 1/2 oz. of Cascade hops that we barely got to boil thanks to overflowing pots (essentially finishing hops). Lastly, we need to hone in on the carbonation, either by using less yeast during fermentation meaning less viable yeast left during bottling, or by adding less sugar. I had a bunch more things to say, but if/when I remember, I'll add a little update. Otherwise, job well done from our first batch together.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams glass

Rogue Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

2009-06-03T21:22:00.006-04:00

As I was walking through Ramsey Liquors, I noticed this Rogue bomber bottle that my eyes have never laid sight upon with a price tag of $6.49 on it. And it was Rogue, so I definitely needed to try what John "more hop" Maier created at 80 IBUs :). Was this an IPA I asked myself? Who cares, it has hops and it is new so I HAVE to try.

Appearance: Not as red as expected due to the cloudiness. Reminds me of a copper brown ale. Head retention leaves a stranded 1/2 finger island that I can only dream of being stranded on.

Smell: Refreshingly sweet malts with a faint musty pistachio aroma. Where are the 80 IBUs of Cascade and Amarillo hops waiting to enlighten my senses? Completely hiding if you ask me except for a tad of spicy hop aroma.

Taste: Built well and balanced for an American Amber/Red Ale that Beeradvocate classifies it at. Starting to taste the hops but the sweet malt character drifts you away.

Mouthfeel: This is where the hops come into full effect as you let the ale wander with a distinguishable pleasant bitter aftertaste that makes you crave even more. Noticing a stout like character in terms of the sweet toasty finish as well.

Drinkability: I would have another for sure at only 6.2% abv. Rogue classifies this as an India Red Ale (primarily due to the aggressive hopping I bet), which I think fits this style well as this is an Adult red/amber ale to me. Kind of wish I had this with my beef stew dinner instead of late night aperitif as the character of this ale is definitely worth trying. 8.5/10. Oh, this reminds me very much of Rogue's American Amber Ale, less the meticulously loving hoppy mouthfeel fest.

Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Lager

2009-05-17T18:35:00.005-04:00

Shout out goes to fellow hophead Master Ryan Splinter for providing me with this bomber bottle of lager. He bought a quatro mix case of bombers from Port Brewing at The Beer Yard in Wayne, PA (legit store). I traded a Moylan's Hopsickle for this bottle. Lets get this review going!

Appearance: Barely any head as I pour. It is dark as the Black Hole as I try look through the glass as if it was a telescope. However, when I was pouring it, it appeared watery and not as thick as a stout.

Smell: Wow! Powerful and heart warming burnt chocolate aromas serenade my nostrils. Malts galore (chocolate, smokey, caramelly) and I am liking it a lot, despite my passion for sleeping with hops everyday. Interesting wafts of cardamond, nutty flavored coffee and burnt fig. Can't get my nose to pick out one smell!

Taste: It is as if I am biting into a roasty espresso bean. I wonder if the coffee flavor is from some dank earthy hops, or if this beer is strictly malts?

Mouthfeel: Watery. If this was warmer, I would mistake it for a medium bodied coffee straight black, without leaving you with that nasty coffee breath (instead lovely beer breath :) ).

Drinkability: This was the second beer of my cycle for tonight (had IPA first). Despite the darkness, I would drink it early on in the cycle since it only hits your at 5.0% abv. And I would really like to drink another bomber in all honestly. This was extremely good. It is my first beer of this style so I will give it a 9/10. I need to learn more about the style of Schwarzbier's (style taken from the wonderful Beeradvocate). Cheers!!

Drinking My First Home Brewed...Brew

2009-05-04T21:40:00.007-04:00

So the day has finally arrived. Time to see if my hard work (if you want to call it that) paid off by trying a bottle of the first batch I ever made. Remember, the ingredients were sub-par, it was my first time (tee-hee), yadda yadda yadda, and whatever other excuses I can add in here. This bottle was bottled and left for carbonating in the basement at room temperate, ~66 deg. Fahrenheit, for two weeks, then put in the fridge overnight. I'll review it like any other beer, but I'm not expecting much. So I present to you....

Mikey's Pale Ale

Appearance: A very light golden yellow (the pic makes it look amber, but believe me, its yellow), extremely crisp and clear, about half a finger of head that disappears pretty quickly, hell I'm glad/relieved there is any carbonation whatsoever.

Smell: A very light and slight floral hop smell eminates from the brew, with a tinge of either citrus or something sour, I'm a little worried about the sour part...

Taste: Actually, it's not too bad, by that I mean I'm not vomitting, a light citrus hop flavor with almost no malts to speak of, which isn't surprising since if you can remember, the ingredients were the pale ale malt extract and the Booster, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale it isn't, but it's not embarrassingly bad.

Mouthfeel: Watery, light, thin, slightly carbonated, barely any alcohol sensation, but it is alcoholic at least.

Drinkability: Light, watery, thin, barely any noticeable hops, a little sour...hmmm...I've made Coors Light! All joking aside, it is somewhat drinkable in that someone might want to drink more than one to be nice to me, but I don't know how many I could have. The only difference between this beer and the mass produced light beers is a tinge of bitterness, different hop flavors, and a little sourness which I will attribute to sanitization issues, yet the sourness isn't that extreme. Actually I would almost compare this to alcoholic apple juice, like a cider. All in all, considering I had absolutely horrible expectations when sampling the fermenter, I'm pleasantly surprised it turned out ok. It also gives me hope for the batch Jimmy and I brewed. I give this a 3/10, but I'm a little biased because it's my baby! I'll have to give it to the other hopheads to sample and see what they say. Happy home brewing!

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: Bottle

Mike and Jim's Excellent Adventure

2009-04-27T22:38:00.015-04:00

Last Sunday (4/19/09), Jimmy and I decided to make a new batch after bottling the first set, but we wanted to be a little creative. None of this "stick to the recipe" stuff; you've got to go big or go home, we said. This...probably wasn't the greatest way to go about it, considering we sat at the table with the ingredients staring at us in the face without their flavor profiles and just thinking "Hey, that might be good". In retrospect, it turned out to be a true Frankenstein monster, but it was late Sunday night, we were beat, both had a long week of work ahead of us, and said screw it.

Our ingredients were Octoberfest Vienna Lager, Bewitched Red Ale, and High Country Canadian Draft (all Hopped Malt Extracts), 1/2 oz. of Cascade Hop Pellets, and 3 packs of Dry Ale Yeast.

One thing you'll notice missing is the Booster. With three cans of malt extract planned, there is no need to add the flavorless Booster since there is already enough fermentable ingredients involved. Another change from the previous batch is we will actually boil the ingredients for a few minutes. Last time, the water was brought to a boil, removed from heat, and then the extracts were added; however, I feel this did not allow the extracts to be reconstituted because the water did not remain hot long enough. So now that we plan on adding 3 extracts, we want to be sure the water is warm enough. Also, we want to have the hops being added boiled just a tad to get some of the acids released from the pellets. The order of the extracts added were as shown above from left to right, followed by the 1/2 oz. of Cascade hops. Then it was left to boil for a couple minutes to finish making the wort. We had originally planned for 5 to maybe 10 minutes of boiling, but you'll see in a minute why we cut this short.

Jimmy adding some extract, trying hard not to screw it up. He didn't.

Jimmy adding the hops. When we first popped open the bag, Jimmy popped something else...

Stirring the wort. Notice how it is ominously getting close to the top...

...aaaand we spilled the wort while pouring into the fermenter. Note: when you use more extract, you are adding more volume and need a bigger boiling pot. Whodathunkit?

Jimmy adding the yeast. Look at the concentration on that man!

Our batch is complete! Nothing to do but wait a few weeks until this monster is done fermenting.

Gut-check time: although Jimmy and I had a lot of fun making this batch together, we definitely need better planning in the future in terms of what kind of beer we are going for. Looking back, throwing those three extracts and hops together without thinking truly about what it would result in was a poor choice. I don't really have high expectations with this batch either and will chalk it up to the learning curve. However, that doesn't mean we aren't going to go through the motions and bottle this baby. I did sample the fermenter about a week and a half into fermentation, and although it tasted better than the first batch (with the alcohol definitely more noticeable this time, as expected), it's still not very good. We shall see after it finishes fermenting and bottling.

Another difference from the last batch I wanted to mention was the change from using tap water to bottled water. From what I've read the quality of water makes a huge difference and is often overlooked. I think this applies more to those with hard water, but I wanted to give it a try. Might not be able to tell with this batch if it made a difference, probably better to compare two identical recipes with the different waters, but that's for another day.

Happy home brewing!

I Swore I Would Never Do This, But...

2009-04-24T23:14:00.007-04:00

I tweeted. I'm not one for getting sucked into stupid internet fad crap, but since everyone and their mother is on this Twitter thingie, we figured we might as well set one up for the blog. On the bright side, this could come in handy during beer fests and drunken excursions so you, the readers can get our up to the second thoughts on the glorious beer we are drinking. Also, it will help us remember shit, because we are pretty bad at that stuff. Tomorrow, Jimmy, Alex, and myself will be perusing through NYC's craft beer bars pretty much all day, so if you want updates on our thoughts or want to give us suggestions, head on over to our Twitter page. If you want to rebel against society you commie-pinko-nazi-fascist-baby killing bastard, you could always leave a comment here.

Kidding, you aren't a commie-pinko, nazi, or fascist.

Oh yea, I'll do a write up Sunday about the batch Jimmy and I made, I'm too tired to do it all tonight.

*Update* We added a gadget to the right that streams our Twitter page right onto the blog.

Brooklyn Local 2

2009-04-24T21:43:00.003-04:00

I have been salivating over this beer since I visited the Brooklyn Brewery with Alex a few months ago and saw the bottles lined up fresh from the bottling line. I really enjoyed Local 1 and was at the top of my list of Belgians along with Duvel and Chimay, so I have high hopes for the Local 2.

Appearance: Man, I love hearing the pop of the cork! Pours with a dark, bubbly brown with plenty of head that just won't quit, definitely darker than your classic Belgian ale, more comparable to the Chimay blue label.

Smell: A combination of nutty/chocolate and (slight) caramel malts with the slimmest of hints of dank hops, all topped with a zest of citrus, completely different from the sweetness and pine aromas from the Local 1, it distinguishes itself as its own beer, not simply a sequel.

Taste: Nothing is dominant at first taste, a little dry, again the nutty malts and dank hops play tug of war for the attention of your tastebuds, with neither winning or losing. After letting it warm up a bit and a couple more sips, the malts start to become more prevalent. The bottle mentions honey and citrus on the front of the bottle, these ingredients really don't show themselves until you let the temperature settle for a while, then they compliment the beer nicely.

Mouthfeel: Light, thin, even a little watery, some carbonation, pretty smooth.

Drinkability: Like the Local 1, it's extremely easy to drink at 9% abv. The flavors are pretty subtle, which is a double edged sword; nothing will overpower you and make you put it down, but there is the possibility of becoming bored with it. To be honest, I might have set my expectations a little too high for this beer. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very good beer and definitely worth a buy. There is just something off, like the beer doesn't know if it wants to be a Dark Ale or Golden Ale. The brewer's intentions could have been a Dark Ale similar to a Chimay, but the execution doesn't seem to be complete. A little disappointed after the Local 1, with that said, I still give it a 8/10.

Glass type: Duvel tulip
Serving type: Bottle

Bottling Our First Batch

2009-04-24T20:59:00.004-04:00

Ok, life has finally calmed down enough where I can take some time to recap our brewing adventure this past Sunday. Before Jimmy and I began brewing, we had to bottle the first batch I made back on the 4th. I had heard horror stories about adding too much sugar to the bottles and having them explode, so that was my only concern. Otherwise, with a two man team, it was an extremely easy process. So much so that we were done before we could snap any pics, so below is just our finished product.

All the process entailed was sanitizing the bottles with the One-Step cleanser, putting an appropriate amount of white granulated sugar into the bottles for carbonation (we had a chart to tell us how much for each bottle), filling the bottles with beer up to two inches from the top, and capping them. For those not familiar with the process and thinking "What the hell is the sugar for?", white sugar is added to each bottle in order to create the carbonation in the beer. The active yeast left in the beer while bottling will continue to ferment with the newly introduced sugar, where one of the byproducts is CO2. Now you can see why we were so worried about putting too much sugar, too much sugar means too much CO2 in a capped bottle means shattered glass and *gasp* spilled beer. We chose to use both growlers and 12 oz. glass bottles in order to gain experience with the bottle capper and to see if the beer favors being in one size over another. Originally, we also had plans to cold condition (carbonating while in the fridge) a couple bottles, but the idiot that I am forgot to stick 'em in the fridge after bottling. We'll do that for the next batch.

Lastly, I did sample the beer during the fermentation process thanks to the tap at the bottom. In the usual 5 gallon glass carboy, it's not advised to open the fermenter at any time as it can introduce contaminating bacteria which can spoil the beer. The first time I sampled it one week into fermentation, the beer was very cloudy, light, and a tad bit sour. I was worried that I hadn't sanitized my equipment well enough, but as the second week wore on, the sourness faded and the appearance cleared. By bottling time, it was an extremely light pale ale, but at least there was alcohol, which indicated fermentation had occured. Good enough for me with mediocre ingredients.

Man, We Are Getting Lazy

2009-04-20T19:31:00.003-04:00

I know, we've been kind of slacking recently. We have some good stuff to write about, but we just haven't gotten to it. Coming up this week, Jimmy and I will tell you about bottling the first batch of beer I brewed a couple weeks ago, as well as the new batch we made last night, which we think has some promise. Also, I have a couple reviews waiting, Founders Cerise, an interesting cherry beer, and Brooklyn Local 2, a brew I've been waiting to try since I had visited the brewery this past winter. So thanks for the patience as we will hopefully return to more regular postings.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

2009-04-12T22:07:00.003-04:00

I picked up a bomber of this at Ramsey Liquors in NJ. So did my brother, hence the two bottles below to celebrate Easter Sunday. Intense piney hops that make you smile like there is no tomorrow. No review yet, but a definite pick up if you like IPA/Imperial IPAs. Solid price at $4.69 too.

Welcome Home & Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:27:00.001-04:00

Welcome home, Alex!

Happy Easter to all from the Hopheads.

Brewing Supplies

2009-04-10T22:44:00.002-04:00

One thing I have learned in my adult life is drinking and online shopping is never a good idea...unless that shopping is for brewing supplies, then it's a FUCKING AWESOME IDEA! I have been meaning to buy more supplies for my Mr. Beer brewing kit, but real life has gotten in the way. They have this deal that anything over $99 will get you free ground shipping, plus I have a $100 gift card, so the goal was to go on a shopping spree resulting somewhere between those values. Below is what I ended up with:

Ptarmigan Pale Ale	11000PTA	$28.99	1	$28.99
St. Patrick's Irish Stout	10020	$9.25	1	$9.25
Creamy Brown UME	10018	$6.25	1	$6.25
Cascade Pellet Hops	CAS100	$2.79	2	$5.58
Fermenter (2 GAL) -- Beer Kit	41010	$10.00	1	$10.00
Willamette Pellet Hops	WIL100	$2.79	2	$5.58
Hallertau Pellet Hops	HAL100	$2.79	1	$2.79
Octoberfest Vienna Lager	10022	$9.25	1	$9.25
Ol' St. Nick's Midnight Ale	11000NMA	$20.20	1	$20.20
Dry Ale Yeast	12000	$0.75	2	$1.50

I have a couple of kits in there that include a few malt extracts, some hop pellets, and such. I most likely won't follow the recipes exactly, but I did want the ingredients and it was cheaper than buying individually. The plan is to take those ingredients and make my own monster creations. This may seem bold since my first batch has only been fermenting for a week and I have no idea if it makes anything decent, but then again I am a bold guy. Is bold the right word?

Avery Hog Heaven

2009-04-10T19:47:00.005-04:00

TGIF!!! I am so ready for an exciting Friday night of ABC family fun with episodes of Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step and Perfect Strangers... Wait a minute, this is 2009, not the 90's era where I was a puny little rug rat with a high pitched no balls type of voice. TGIF circa 2009 means BEER after a tough and stressful week of work. Not just one beer, but many!! Cheers.

I bought this bomber at Ramsey Liquors in NJ. Expensive at $8-9, but mighty worth it I am sure. Fellow red head hop annihilator Alex hearts this brew, so I will make him proud with a review:

Appearance: Foggy and unclear, kind of like scenes from a horror flick. Shades of cherry wood when held up to the light with minor head retention that leaves a vague trace of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Intense caramelly malts fly up to my big jewish nostrils like WOAH. My second sniff brings about some yeasty perfumy aromas; reminds me of the filling of an authentic homade peach pie in the summer.

Taste: Not as scary as I thought, but it sure comes with a punch. Sweet malts clearly stand out on this bottle with hints of walnut. The 2 1/2 pounds per barrel of Columbus dry hops don't stand out to me.

Mouthfeel: You can definitely tast the alcohol as you let this thick and rich body savor in your palette. Sweet carmel finish througout the aftertaste.

Drinkability: I usually wait on having barleywines till the last beer cycle of the night. However, I could not on this Friday and had this 9.2% abv beast with a whopping 100 IBUs before dinner! Damn, all those IBUs and I vaguely tasted or smelled any hops...hmmmm. Does anyone taste any intense hops in theirs? I might have to get another bottle to compare.

Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA

2009-04-05T19:26:00.008-04:00

So it is Sunday and you know what that means in my family: BEEEEEEEEEEER. I picked some of these 12oz over at Ramsey Liquors. Lets get this party started for April:

Appearance: Pours an incandescent clear yellow with a surprising 2 fingers of head (I think the northern NJ distributor of Founders must have gone over a couple of bumps because this is the second time I have had a Founders that was overly carbonated. Either that or that is how a typical Founders is). Molten head lacing slowly dissipates and leaves this hieroglyphic writing that says, "Enjoy the 86 IBU's!"

Smell: Ahhhhh!! My favorite grapefruit citrus hops blended well douglas fir baby pine tree tasting hops. Lets get that nose in closer for another AHHHHHH!!!

Taste: Not as orgasmic as the smell. Intense hopsicity more on the piney side. Kind of sweet in a way (could be the salt from my PepFarm Pizza Flavor Blasted Goldfish).

Mouthfeel: Dry bitter smoky aftertaste that would make BudLight drinkers cry home to their mommys. Goes down coarse and not as carbonated as the initial appearance

Drinkability: Another job well done from Founders in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Would like to get the chance to try this off the tap someday. Overall, this 9.4% was a 8.5/10 for me. Up there with my hoppy DIPAs that I just go crazy over. Its strong, but I am stronger so I could have a couple more; hence I would definitely drink another

Samuel Adams Double Bock (Imperial Series)

2009-04-04T18:25:00.007-04:00

The exquisite brewers of Samuel Adams came out with a new line of "Imperial Series" for 2009: Imperial White, Double Bock & Imperial Stout. My other beer nickname besides hop-o-holic is Imperial Jimbo-cereal because damn I live on hoppy and strong beers. I chose the Double Bock out of the 3 at Ramsey Liquors. It came in a cute (yeah I use budlight words like that) 4 pack. Lets see what Jim Koch can do...
Appearance: Pours a deep copper brown but looks rich and thick in the glass like a full bodied shiraz. Low head retention and seems quite intimidating, but I slay beer for a living so that will not stop me.

Smell: Deep vibes of applesauce from the caramelly malts. My nose is not feeling the hops at all. Clean yeast aromas that are fresh for this lager.

Taste: Caramel sweetness like the smell, but the taste of alcohol is not hidden too well. Still can't reach the hops.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and secretly thick. Carbonation tingles the tongue. This beer is like a full meal almost.

Drinkability: 9.5% abv. 8/10 rating. I wonder how glorious the Triple Bock is...

That Was Easy

2009-04-04T17:41:00.014-04:00

Today was the big day to pop my home brewing cherry. Last night I had trouble falling asleep, just like the night before Christmas. I couldn't wait to get right to it, a brand new experience that was sure to present some hiccups. Truth be told, it was quite easy since the kit was idiot proof. Granted, I should wait to see how it tastes, but overall it was an easy process. Sanitize the shit out of everything, bring water to a boil, add hopped malt extract, put mixture into fermenter with water, add the dried yeast, voila! Now the hard part of waiting for the fermentation process to finish begins. Two excruciating weeks until bottling, then another two weeks for carbonation. The only thing keeping me from wanting to try some is knowing it would ruin the beer. Here are some photos of the experience.

The setup, in the middle of sanitizing everything.

Hopped malt extract and the packet of dried ale yeast. The extract pours as thick as molasses, even after having the can soak in hot water for over half an hour.

My goofy ass pouring the malt extract into the finished boiling water. I wasn't lying that the extract was thick. Side note: first time I have ever used the timer on the camera. Came out alright.

Added dry ale yeast to the wort in the fermenter. See the clear patch free of bubbles but tons of floating crap? There's the live yeast organisms doing their thing.

Sealed and ready for fermentation. A loooong two weeks until the bottling and carbonation step.

I'm not going for any groundbreaking brews on the first try, especially with ready made extracts. This recipe should produce an American Pale Ale, but a pretty weak one at that, only 4% abv. If I had used another unhopped malt extract instead of the booster pack it came with, the estimated abv would be above 6%. The hops were already included in the extract, which will produce an estimated 10 IBUs of bitterness, so this will be a pretty light pale ale, especially compared to other brews we consume. However, I didn't want to be too ambitious with the first batch, especially if I fucked up royally. Now while I wait, I begin to plan my next brew, something with a little more pop. Happy Home Brewing!

Anchor Summer Beer

2009-04-04T17:35:00.005-04:00

Wanted to try something new, so I picked up a six pack of this beer at Bottle King today (by the way, this liquor store was packed!!! Even in this recession, people are buying the booze. Well then again, you can make the assumption that more people drink to drown their sorrows in a recession). It may not be summer yet but hell, I'll drink any type of beer any day of the year.

Appearance - Clear, light, almost watery like Natty. Solid two fingers of fluffy head with constant carbonation bubbles escaping to the top.

Smell - First reaction I was taken aback as I am not used to the wheat style. Fragrant antique store wheats and hops are not even vaguely present.

Taste - Refreshing and simple to the pallet (I am sure the brewing process was not simple). Sour with that chamomile floral taste with some water crackers

Mouthfeel - Smooth, not as watery as looks.

Drinkability - New style for me. Based on the style, I give it 7/10. I could drink many glasses of this but would probably get bored as I am a hop monster. 4.6% abv

Update - I just read the label and it says that this ale is ALL MALTS

Mr. Beer Home Brewery

2009-03-31T19:55:00.004-04:00

I won't be able to make any reviews or long updates for a little while because of other commitments, but I just wanted to give a shout-out to my bro, Justin, for hooking me up with a home brewing kit for my birthday. Everyone say hi to the Mr. Beer Home Brewery.

This will hopefully give me some practice on some simple recipes and give me some experience before I move to the big boys, which might not be for a while. Batches are made in 2 gallons at a time, and the kit includes the plastic fermenting keg in the picture, a hopped malt mix, some "booster", yeast, some cleanser, plastic bottle caps, and a brewing handbook. I already went ahead and splurged on some glass bottles and bottle capper, some nifty utensils, more cleanser, and a couple more mixes. Anybody else have experience with this kit? This will be a good indicator: if I fail at making beer with this, I'm just not born to brew. Thanks again, Justin!

Victory Wild Devil

2009-03-28T15:36:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I was able to make a trip down to the Foodery on 2nd and Poplar in Philadelphia. While perusing the selection in the various fridges, Victory's Wild Devil caught my eye. Hop Devil was one of the beers that really opened my eyes to craft brewed beers, so I figured I'd give this one a try:

Look: Pours a cloudy amber with about a thumb of off-white head. The color was reminiscent of Hop Devil, but a bit lighter.

Smell: The aroma was very light and had more Belgian spices than hops. This came as a surprise as the description on the bottle had Hop Devil in the first sentence. There was certainly a citrus and hops aroma, but very very subtle.

Taste: Crisp, light, and refreshing, which definitely played off of the smell. I was hoping for a nice juxtaposition of Belgian Spice and fruitiness to a strong hoppiness, but it just wasn't there. The Belgian tendencies of Wild Devil were definitely at the forefront, and greatly outweighed the hops.

Mouthfeel: It starts off tingly and crisp, and ends extremely smooth.

Drinkability: It is a very refreshing (summer-type) hybrid. It has a pleasant taste, and is definitely a nice brew. But again, when reading Devil in the name and having Hop Devil in the description, I expected so much more hops in the flavor. 6.7% makes it very drinkable for a nice session. 7/10 B

Label: 3.5/5 German flag colors in the background is a nice touch, but it seems more of a rehash of the old Hop Devil labels.

News & Notes

2009-03-26T22:04:00.002-04:00

Sorry, no beer review tonight since I'm packing in preparation for House Party, although I am drinking a Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale. I will end up reviewing this next week because damn is it good! Some news and notes about the blog, the bloggers, and whatever I feel like rambling about.

We are joining the 20th century by finally adding a contact email at the bottom of the page, so feel free to drop us a line with any comments/suggestions/death threats. Also, we are jumping into the 21st century by setting up some Twitter thing so you can see our tweets (twits? twats?) while we are at a beer fest or something. We'll add that link once my laziness goes away.

You won't be hearing much from Hophead Alex for a while as his job has shipped him off to Guam this morning, unless he happens to review some filtered donkey piss he drank off of some dead hooker (kidding, sorta). We wish him well and hope he returns in one piece and STD free.

Based on some inspirational comments from a friend, I might be doing a special review either Sunday night or sometime early next week. When you see it, you'll know why its special.

Hophead Ryan was able to make it to one of the bars in Philly tonight for Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA Simul-Cask. Initial reaction: "Dude, 75 minute is so fresh, its amazing!" Maybe he will write more about his experience later.

American Craft Beer Festival is coming relatively soon (June 19-20) and we are getting plans together for another adventure to Boston. Let us know if you'll be in the area or attending.

Lastly, we are starting to get everything ready for our homebrewing experience. We will probably do a little less beer reviewing then, but we will keep it updated with our brewing exploits. It should be a hoot.

Alright, that's enough for now, I'm getting tired and I still need to get my packing done. Have a good weekend.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale (2009)

2009-03-25T21:42:00.004-04:00

Ah yes, Bigfoot, definitely a Hophead classic. Lucky for us, they put out a new release every year, so we get to compare it from one year to the next. Also, since it is a barleywine, aging these bad boys and revisiting them at a future date is a great exercise as well. I'll be doing the former of this just recently released beer.
Appearance: The pour is a dark rich amber/maroon color with the skinniest of heads that doesn't last very long, and even though the color is pretty dark, it is relatively easy to make out shapes on the other side.

Smell: A deep, rich smell greets the nose with a combination of caramel/sweet malts with a hint of fruity hops, an awesome collaboration, excited to drink it.

Taste: Wow, a real mix of caramel and fruit, the hops are still present because it is so fresh, but they definitely give way to the malts which give this beer its soul, bitter and sweet at the same time, with an aftertaste that makes you crave for more.

Mouthfeel: Little to no carbonation, typical in your barleywine style, not overly thick, relatively smooth, coats the tongue and the back of your mouth, a little alcohol kick to let you know its still alive.

Drinkability: Plain and simple: if you see a six pack of Bigfoot (or a case for you PA folks who don't have access to such luxuries), grab it. If you love barleywines, this might be your standard, and if you are being introduced to them for the first time, you might be hard pressed to find one that beats it. There is a bit of an alcohol aftertaste that may prevent you from drinking more than one a night, but that's understandable, treat it as a nightcap since its at 9.6% abv. If you've read the blog before, you might know the Fresh Hop Harvest is my favorite beer coming from Sierra Nevada, but this is a close second. If you are lucky to have a friend who happens to have some aged Bigfoots (I'm looking at you, Jimbo), try those as well, you are in for a treat. I give it a 9/10.

Glass type: Chimay goblet
Serving type: bottle

Boulder Mojo India Pale Ale

2009-03-25T21:02:00.003-04:00

In continuing our run-up to House Party '09, a couple of us have had this beer before but were too lazy to write down our thoughts.

Appearance: An aggressive pour brings about a finger of head with a light orange color, seemsa little too light compared to other IPAs, the head doesn't have the best lacing, but it's there, good amount of carbonation rising.

Smell: A good floral hop aroma with hints of citrus, maybe even some grapefruit?, sweet malts dance around in the background, very good combination of smells makes it inviting to drink.

Taste: Well balanced hop and malt flavor combo where the hops are a little more spicey than the smell gives off, then transititon to a rich sweet malt taste, then back to a hoppy aftertaste, the switching back and forth makes it enjoyable, unique, and memorable.

Mouthfeel: Perfect carbonation, light but not watery, smooth, decent body, coats the mouth on the way down.

Drinkability: This brew is very easy to drink, especially compared to other IPAs and beers in general that lie within its abv range of 6.8%. You can easily have more than a couple in a night, hell, maybe even a six pack. If you like your IPAs to really kick you in the face with a strong hop presence (like Hophead Jimmy), you might not be as high on this beer as I am. However, I really enjoyed this well balanced beer, and am giving it an 8/10.

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: bottle

Avery Redpoint Ale

2009-03-24T20:27:00.003-04:00

I pawned this one off of Alex after a party involving midgets, porn, and Napolean (Bonaparte, not Dynamite, and yea, don't ask about this one, either). He wasn't too high on it at the time, so I figured I would give it a whirl.

Appearance: Pours with a dark amber color that is pretty cloudy as bubbles are slowly released from the bottom and rise up, about half a finger of head with decent lacing.

Smell: Nice subtle herbal aroma from the hops, but after that its all sweet and caramel malts, overall the smell kind of remind me of apple pie (bizarre, I know).

Taste: Malts dominate all the way through, but not in a good way, hops are barely noticeable, they appear for an instant, if that, left a weird dank aftertaste that isn't too pleasant.

Mouthfeel: Some carbonation to tickle the mouth, light and a little watery, nothing great or even noticeable, aftertaste is still dominating, though, maybe ruining the effect.

Drinkability: Well, for a beer that's only 5.5% abv, there is a strong taste of alcohol, not what I was expecting. The aftertaste really is the one thing standing out to me, which is why I am harping on it. Its not one that makes me want more, but rather put it down and start with something else. I mean yea, its not horrible, I'll still finish the glass, but not what I was expecting from a brewery like Avery, which has quite a few beers I'm fond of. Looks like Alex's instincts were right, I give it a 6/10.

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: bottle

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

2009-03-23T19:41:00.005-04:00

I haven't reviewed in quite some time, so in preparation of Higgity Piggity '09 (if you don't know, don't ask) I'll review a few I've been meaning to over the next week. I'm pretty sure I had this brew at the brewery on my adventure to Brooklyn with Alex and his twin Tim, but don't remember for sure.

Appearance: Pours with a somewhat cloudy golden color with barely a finger of head, alive with bubbles rising to the top, and the little bit of head that exists is surprisingly lacey.

Smell: I don't know if its my allergies acting up, but the smell isn't very strong, it does have some hints of floral hops with some fruitiness and a dash of spice.

Taste: The taste has a much stronger hop presence than the smell, starting with that floral fruity bit and leaving with the spiciness, a tiny bit of sweetness that could be coming from the malts, but it could just be playing tricks with me.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated but not overly so, a little watery, but not too light.

Drinkability: The spiciness and other interesting flavors that come at you make it a nice beer to try, but it can wear you down and make you tired of it by the end of beer #1. It's not that the 6.9% abv is too strong, as is obvious from our other reviews we can drink higher abv beers in more quantity, but the unique flavors are not conducive to drinking more than one or two in a row before you want something else. Not my favorite from Brooklyn Brewery, but still worth a tasting. It gets a 7/10 from me.

*NOTE: I freakin hate using "Drinkability" ever since Bud Light decided that would be its new excuse to drink its hog sweat they call beer. However, I think we contest that our definitions are different: we say drinkability is about repeatability based on taste, quality, alcoholic strength, and overall satisfaction; their definition is not dying upon instant consumption, although that is debatable. /End rant

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: bottle

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA Ale

2009-03-22T18:46:00.004-04:00

There have been lots of hype about this ale recently from fellow hopheads Ryan and Alex, as well as some high school friends of whom I thought do not drink craft beer. It must be the hot new thing in town, even more so than WWF wrestling was back in the days of the Macho Man Randy Savage (snap into a slim jim ooooooo yeaaaaa). Alright, lets see if this ale can match my strong expectations.

Appearance: One finger of head pale pour with shimmers of St. Patrick's day green flashing in and out.

Smell: Fresh piney hop aromas. Reminds me of some belgian IPAs that are a bit perfumy.

Taste: The balancing act of the nutty malts blends well with the piney hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: Refreshing. Appears watery but goes down with more substance than expected.

Drinkability: I have never experienced whole-cone American hops before (from what my poor memory can recollect) so this ale was a new for me, which comes as a shocker as IPAs are my favorite style (and Imperial IPAs too!!) It was pretty damn good for an IPA (I don't know if the "Extra" means Imperial/Double or just more hops like a Fresh Hop Ale). I need to drink this again and review as my beer senses are out of wack. This 7.2% abv'er is going to get a 8/10 from me for now.

Meeting Mr. Maier

2009-03-13T10:10:00.004-04:00

As Philly Beer Week 2009 has unfolded, I have had the pleasure of tasting beers from several new breweries (some better than others), gone to events that highlight some of the best brewers in the nation, and have mingled with other "hopheads" that enjoy craft brewing as much as I do. It has truly been a pinnacle event for Philadelphia beer, and I encourage others who have not been, to mark their calendar's for next year's Beer Week.

This past Wednesday (3/11), a pub down the street from work was having an event highlighting Rogue Ales, having something called "Steal the Pint" where if you bought a Pint of Rogue on tap, you were allowed to keep the glass. It certainly seemed like an awesome event, so I rode down on my bike after work to check it out.

The place was mobbed. My co-workers Josh and Jason and I were able to find a small standing area (with no elbow room) to enjoy our first pint of Double Dead Guy Ale. And, as we were finishing, a table of guys settled their tab, and were getting up to head out. Josh jumped into action. Dipping, jumping, and diving past other happy hour socialites, Josh was able to make his way to the vacant table, and secure a pair of chairs. At the same time another group of people were also trying to score a few seats, so Josh offered to share the table.

Now sitting, and enjoying the rest of our pints, a man with a full beard. I thought he seemed familiar, but I wasn't all too sure. Donning a Rogue button-up, I just assumed I had seen him at some other beer fest, working for Rogue. So I asked him if he worked for them. With a chuckle, he answered, "Why yes! I'm the brewmaster. John Maier." So, I talked with him for a bit, asking him some questions about brewing and Philly Beer Week:

Q: What varieties of hops do you guys generally use?
A: "Most of our brews use a mix of hops like Crystal, Cascade, Centennial, among others" (He also went on to say that they use a hop that is only made close to them in Oregon)

Q: Which beer would you call the favorite child?
A: "I really think the Brutal Bitter. Although, I would say that I worked the hardest on the Mocha Porter".

Q: So what do you think of the Philly Beer week?
A: "Phenomenal. It's really a great event. I've been here the last couple years for it, and it keeps getting better."

Q: How would you rate Philadelphia as a Beer city?
A: "It's definitely near the top. One of the biggest things I notice is how cheap it is to get a good pint around here! As opposed to NY or Boston, or even Oregon, it's very reasonable."

Q: Would you say it's a hotbed for Craft Brewing?
A: "Oh yeah, definitely"

Q: Which brewery from Philly would you say is your favorite?
A: "I would say I am most impressed with Tröegs. Their wet hopped seasonal was a very nice brew"

Q: Nugget Nectar?
A: "Yup, that was it."

Q: I have a two Double Dead Guy bombers at home, and I was wondering how long you'd recommend to age one?
A: "OH! I'd make sure you drank it within the year. You won't gain much from it by letting it age."

Unfortunately, I already owned the pint glass they were giving out (and they were out of them by the time we got there anyway). But having talked with Mr. Maier was a great enough reward for stopping in for a few pints of Rogue Double Dead Guy on tap.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Aged One Year)

2009-03-09T22:27:00.018-04:00

So this Friday, I was at an undisclosed bar in Brooklyn to see Shayfer James, where my brother ordered a Delirium Tremens (They were out of the beer with the duck on the tap handle, so he ordered the one with the elephant instead). It came in a great glass, which I was unaware is very popular among the bar-bound kleptomaniacs of the world. I was also apparently unaware that I too was one of these folks, because I walked out of there with that glass in my sweatshirt. Sleazy I know. Such a cool glass though!

So with that as an introduction, I present to you all the first beer of the new glass, a Stone Imperial Russian Stout that I originally bought in March 2008.

Appearance: Black as night. The Delirium glass features a lil' elephant etched into the bottom of the glass to make more bubbles, much like the little circle on the bottom of the new Sam Adams glass. That's nice and all, but there's no way you're seeing any bubble action through the oily depths of this bad boy. About a finger of burnt marshmallow head presents itself as well, and tight lacing remains throughout.

Smell: Understated chocolate and coffee malts in the nose. Not in-your-face, or overly boozy at all. At 90+ IBUs and 10.8% ABV, the aging process has really affected this brew.

Taste: Burnt malts up front. Deliciously bitter. Very smooth due to its age. Not much hops left, but still very balanced. So tasty.

Mouthfeel: Great carbonation. Not overly watery or motor-oil thick.

Drinkability: Really great balance. Upwards of 11% but not too boozy. As good as stouts get. I'll definitely be looking for the Imperial Russian again this year.

Defiant Golden Nugget Ale

2009-03-08T16:35:00.004-04:00

I stopped by this hidden brewery in my neck of the woods over at Pearl River, NY by the train station this past Friday evening. It looks like an abandoned warehouse on the outside, but there are some serious brewers just waiting for beer drinkers to come in and taste their creations. I ended up having their Golden Nugget pale ale as well as their stout. I brought home of growler of the pale ale. He is what I think:

Appearance: Clear amber pour with 1/2 finger of carbonation (this is from the growler) that dissipates within a couple of minutes. Looks simple and basic to drink in one gulp.

Smell: A well blended clash of sour orange nugget hops and yeasty malts.

Taste: Crisp and refreshing with now more hints of smoky malts.

Mouthfeel: Thin on the palate (this could have been the growler as the pint at the bar had more body). Kind of a musty hop after taste.

Drinkability: I found this to be extra hopped compared to your typical pale ale. Very easy to consume and I would definitely have another one. Not bad for the locals. 7.5/10; guessing ~5% abv

Dogfish Head Red & White

2009-03-06T22:00:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned before, we had this brew at the EBF, but I wanted to give it a fair review without the confused palate of so many delicious beers, so here goes.

Appearance: Poured into my Duvel tulip glass, dark amber/brown color, cloudy, extreme amount of head, could be from a shaken bottle, improper pour, or just the nature of the beer, it is lacey and does stick around for a while.

Smell: A fruity white grape aroma with a tinge of orange in the background, has a distinctive wine smell that dominates and some sweet malts in the fray.

Taste: An interesting combo of sweet malts and white wine taste, big difference in make-up between smell and taste, a weird ebb and flow as the fruitiness begins the taste, maltiness takes over next, then the aftertaste is dominated with a strong alcohol sensation similar to that from wine, pretty unique to me as I haven't had anything comparable, although you could make a case with a Belgian, but the Belgians pack a little more punch and are identifiable, while this doesn't make as noticeable a mark.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated, light, a dry alcohol twinge at the end that makes you want to quench your thirst more.

Drinkability: Definitely a pleasant beer to have, enjoyed its crispness and its complex flavoring, relatively easy to drink, but one bottle could do you in at 10% abv. I'm glad I had this beer again after the festival because I remember not liking it as much there as I do now. I'm positive the overload on the tastebuds was the reason since we had it late in the day. I give this a solid 7.5/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel tulip glass

Extreme Beer Festival Ramblings

2009-03-06T20:11:00.024-05:00

What a festival! Kudos to Beer Advocate for putting on another first class beer fest. This was our second festival we attended that was thrown by them, and the second time we were so glad we made the trek to Boston.

We arrived at the Cyclorama about 20 minutes before the door opened and the line was well around the corner already, filled with beer enthusiasts from all over. While waiting we went over our lists of what beers we absolutely had to try, knowing full well however that once we got inside the lists would stay in our pockets because damn it, we want to try EVERY BEER.

When we got inside, our first thoughts were "How the hell are they going to fit 1,000 beer aficionados into such a small venue?" Granted, we were at ACBF where the venue was bigger and more spread out, so this seemed a little cramped, but once they had everyone in there, it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought. Obviously the organizers knew what they were doing and had the event there before, so who are we to question. The rotunda shape was perfect as you could just go in a circle around the room to hit your favorite beers, while still having some room in the middle to mingle.

Our first beer was Bell's Hopslam. This was not that beer (the first vid below was the Hopslam), I just like the pic and I don't remember for sure what we were drinking in it. Maybe one of the other hopheads can remember. Anyway, Hopslam was one of the few beers we thought were clear winners for the best beers at the fest. Unfortunately, other than knowing we loved it, none of us took notes or anything, so we can't really tell you what we liked about it. It's probably for the best because our writing would have been illegible by the end, and we definitely didn't want to spend half our time writing gibberish.

Three Floyd's Dreadnaught was also fantastic, one of the only beers where we went back for seconds and thirds. Their Behemoth was pretty good as well, but not up to par with the Big D. Here's FFF's hippie-like Buddha poster thingie. I also think one of the Alstrom bros. is behind that guy's hood, he was helping them out.

Dogfish Head (left) had a huuuge lineup, not surprising since they were the co-sponsor. 90 and 120 Minute IPA, Worldwide Stout, Red & White (which I will be reviewing momentarily), and BA Select were the headliners. Good selection, but for some reason we weren't thrilled with the quality. Something was just off, but we've had enough DFH to know what an awesome brewery they are. A brewery we didn't really know, American Flatbread, was right next door with

some quality brews. One of the notables was the Wassail Holiday Stout, which was conditioned using a ridiculous amount of local raspberries. Alex might remember the exact pounds per gallon ratio, because I don't. The Wassail was also from a cask. Discovering beers like this is the exact reason you go to these festivals, for the diamonds in the rough.

Lagunitas and Troegs had prime spots right in the middle. Troegs had their reliable #1 and hopheads favorite Nugget Nectar, nuff said. Lagunitas had its Gnarley Wine. I remember it being good, but not as good the last time I've had it, which is strange because I can't remember when I've had it before. Do you notice a theme that I can't remember shit? The beer is killing my brain cells slowly.

Stone and Magic Hat definitely brought some winners. MH had a Wild Ginger Ale that was refreshing and crisp, almost like a palate cleanser, but in a good way. Fun fact: we are also sushi enthusiasts and noted that this would pair perfectly with the fishy delicacy. Stone was fantastic because they brought different versions of Double Bastard, dry-hopped and whiskey barrel aged, and versions of their Old Guardian Barley Wine. It was just a great experience to taste the subtle differences in the character of the beer based on what was done during the brewing process. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it was just a cool moment to experience first hand at the festival, especially since we have brewing aspirations as well.

Overall, we had a blast. So many brews, so many memories. The after-festival ...er...festivities put a great cap on the night and was documented, but are probably best kept under wraps for fear of prosecution. Below are a couple videos taken during the festival. We took a couple more, but they are also X-rated and will remain off the web.

Avery "The Kaiser" Imperial Oktoberfest Lager

2009-02-20T20:14:00.002-05:00

I am so fired up for the beer fest tomorrow, so why not pass the time with another review. I picked this one up at State Line as well and I know I've had it before, but again I don't remember specifics. On to the review.

Appearance: Clear, crisp orange color with about a finger of head that lasts for a little while, plenty of carbonation rising to the top.

Smell: Spicey hops and a sweet caramel malt essence, it's kind of an interesting mix because if the color orange had a smell, to me this would be it.

Taste: The sweetness is the first thing you noticed and is what gives its dominant flavor and aftertaste, the spiciness comes in like a topping on a burger, adds that little something but isn't the highlight.

Mouthfeel: A good thickness, not too watery or too heavy, perfectly carbonated, it's like the bubbles do a little dance on your tongue before receding down the throat.

Drinkability: I really enjoyed this beer, I haven't had many of this style, but between the sweet flavors and the light texture, its almost comparable to a Belgian. Decently complex flavor, and at 10% abv its relatively easy to drink, although the alcohol does make some presence in the smell and aftertaste. I would only recommend a bomber of this in one night, but definitely worth stocking up on. I'm gonna give it an 8.5/10, but I could be swayed to a 9 by the end of the bomber.

Moylan's Moylander Double IPA

2009-02-19T22:40:00.003-05:00

In honor of the Extreme Beer Fest, I'll review a couple of bombers I picked up from State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. The one for tonight is a DIPA I am pretty sure I have had before with Jimmy at some point, but I don't remember anything about it, so it's essentially a fresh review.

Appearance: Golden orange color nice and clear, about half a finger of thin head that doesn't stick around for long, plenty of bubbles rising to the top.

Smell: Light floral and citrus hops with a hint of sweet malts, but surprisingly the smell doesn't overpower, slightly complex.

Taste: This has a two stage taste; floral and piney hops in spurts at the beginning then finishes with a sweet caramel flavor, with a little spiciness in the aftertaste, also has some bite and bitterness to it, good complex full taste.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated for the style, almost a little too much, combo of sweetness and bitterness brings an interesting feel on its way down.

Drinkability: This beer is a textbook example of a double IPA, pretty standard stuff, nothing too special, but why mess with a good thing? A bomber bottle will definitely put a hurting on you at 8.5%, and its not one of those beers that hides its kick too well, so you might not feel like having more than one bomber of it anyway. Still, I give this very good DIPA a respectable 8/10.

Glass type: Sam Adams glass
Serving type: Bottle

Beer No Longer Recession-Proof

2009-02-19T07:39:00.004-05:00

Over at my favorite political blog FiveThirtyEight.com, Nate Silver (of PECOTA and election predicting fame) brings us the startling news that even beer is being affected by the recession. The long held belief beer is a recession-proof good seems to faulter during the last quarter of 2008, and by a significant amount. There are a few theories, one of which Nate says is the rise of the micro and craft brews, which could be true since they are more costly, higher in alcohol content, and thus a person would buy less beer comparatively to say Bud, Miller, or Coors. He also gives a few more explanations, but I don't want to just repeat what he's saying, give it a read.

Extreme Beer Festival

2009-02-16T21:39:00.002-05:00

The Hopheads are hitting the road up to Boston once again, this time for the Extreme Beer Festival presented by BeerAdvocate and Dogfish Head. The festival is on February 20th and 21st with the first night deemed Night of the Barrels and two regular session on Saturday. We would have loved to make it up for both days, but even the closest of us is almost 4 hours away. This will also be the first event where all 4 hopheads will be together, should be a hell of a time. Definitely not going to promise a full report because we saw how well that worked last time, but we might take a few pictures and give a little update. If you will be in the area this weekend and wanna grab a drink or three, or have any advice on eats and watering holes, let us know.

Beer Tax Hike in Oregon

2009-02-16T15:33:00.002-05:00

I was surfing the web on this lovely President's Day and came across the following article:

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_021309_news_oregon_beer_tax.126942e1.html?npc

Just wanted to start up a discussion and get your feedback on what you think.

My opinion is that I hate taxes, especially when they start to interfere with the craft beer industry. Oregon may rank only 49th in the malt beverage taxation rate, but that is what makes it such a sweet state to brew some ales. Such wondrous names as Rogue and Hair of the Dog come from Oregon, and I am sure plenty of fabulous others are their that I have never heard of over here in the East Coast. The economy may be in a bad state, but cut some of the state governments spending instead. I would find it hard to believe that drinking craft beer costs the state money in health care, law enforcement and substance abuse problems. Hey government, pick on somebody your own size and stay away from the brewers!

Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

2009-02-08T18:26:00.005-05:00

It is Sunday and football season is over. That does not mean that you have to stop drinking beers on Sunday! This lager is another Christmas present from my big brother. I have had it over a year ago, was uber impressed and looking forward to it again as my first drink of the evening (8.1% abv woot woot). Fellow hophead flying nugget nectar Alex has had this recently too and gave it some applause. Lets see how I make out...

Appearance: 1/2 finger of head with constant carbonation stemming from the bottom of my pilsner glass. Appears light in nature and cherry wood color with shades of green, but upon closer inspection it seems cloudy from the hops.

Smell: The label says "An Intense Hop Experience" but that is not what my big nostriled nose smells. A blend of caramelesque malts with some exotic floral hops from the lands of Hogwarts forest.

Taste: Sweet tasting like a cararmel, as the smell was. Notice alot more hopiness in my palete as it savors the hop resins. Noticing some citrus on top of the floral hops.

Mouthfeel: Pure enjoyable bitterness just raping your entire mouth after you drink it. However at the same time the sweet caramel malts somehow hide the bitterness I am in heaven. They do an amazing job of hiding the massive amount of hops used. (According to www.samueladams.com, they use a killer 12 pounds of Hallertau hops per barrel, while their Boston Lager only uses 1 pound of barrel).

Drinkability: Very well balanced and built beer. Jim Koch goes to Germany to hand pick these hops and it definitely shows. Would easily drink this again and this was a pleasant change from the typical IPAs that I have. 9/10.

Lagunitas Pale Ale

2009-02-07T19:20:00.005-05:00

It is Saturday night and I need a beer! My brother bought this one for me for Christmas at Oak Tree Discount Wines & Spirits at South Plainfield, NJ.

Appearance: Pours a clear mellow yellow at a 3/4 finger of head. Not too much carbonation.

Smell: Piney hops hit my nasal passageway first, followed by musty malts with a tinge of chamomile.

Taste: The musty malts taste more toasty now and prevail over the hops which are holding up the rear in a sneaky manner.

Mouthfeel: It may feel light and smooth in the palette, but this beer comes packed with a well balanced flavor. Bitter aftertaste that you get with an IPA or ESB.

Drinkability: Goes down smooth at 6.4% abv. I could definitely have another, make that at least 3 to get the evening going. For a Pale Ale, I give it 7/10 hop nuggets.

Avery Presidential Pale Ale

2009-01-24T21:21:00.009-05:00

Ale to the Chief! I picked this brew up months ago, then decided to keep it to drink on inauguration day. Well, since I put it in my cabinet, it was out of sight, out of mind, and of course I forgot to drink it upon the fateful day. Well, I figure the first Saturday night of the new presidency is as good a night as any to break it out, rather than wait another 4 years.

Appearance: Hazy amber in color, finger or two of head in a Sam Adams glass, and sticky lacing on the glass as I drank it.

Smell: Suprisingly caramel-ey. I figured as a "Presidential Pale Ale" the emphasis would be on the "Pale" part, but I think they're going for "Presidential" as a more democratic version of "imperial." This guy is very much a DIPA at heart.

Taste: A lot like Avery's delicious Hog Heaven but with a "paler" aftertaste. The caramel malts smooth out the Cascade hops.

Mouthfeel: Oily hop resins stick to the tongue. Mmm.

Drinkability: 8.75% ABV, not for the faint of heart, but who are we kidding, its par for this blog's course. Its real tasty, but stay out of trouble and stick to one per night.

Stone Smoked Porter

2009-01-10T18:48:00.005-05:00

This will be the last of the night for us.

Appearance: A typical porter that's dark black, thick, and lacy head. Again, our bottle must have had the shakes because we got abnormal amounts of head (I think it was Jimmy's crazy snow driving on the way home from the Beverage Barn, but I digress).

Smell: This is bizarre; we both smell apple. I don't know if this is on purpose with some weird combination, but geez, no distinguishing characteristics between hops and malts (WHAT A CATCH BY MARK CLAYTON!). We want to smell smokey or coffee malts, but we don't know if that's just the power of suggestion.

Taste: Dry sweet malts, kind of bland, no hops. Pretty simple taste.

Mouthfeel: Lighter than the appearance would suggest, lightly carbonated, licorice aftertaste, but as much as we want to have a smokey aftertaste, its just not there.

Drinkability: Easy to go down, especially compared to a stout or other porters we've had. The alcohol content doesn't make you put down the beer at 5.9%, but there really isn't much else to explore after the first one. We averaged out a 6.5/10, its a good beer but compared to other porters it doesn't hold its own.

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

2009-01-10T17:40:00.003-05:00

We think this is our first Weyerbacher review and we have pretty high hopes for it.

Appearance: A very cloudy, deep red almost brown color that pours a quarter finger of head with little retention. Looks dead as the bubbles slowly rise to the top hinting away from the possibilities of carbonation.

Smell: A good mix of the dank and resiny hops with sweet and sugary malts ("like candy" -Jimmy). A really good balance of smell and just a good combination in general. Nothing is too overpowering.

Taste: For a double IPA you expect for the hops to be in the forefront, but the sweet malts take center stage. After a couple sips you can pick out the hops, but not like you would expect. Very sweet almost like a barleywine. Jimmy has had this on a different occasion and said it wasn't as sweet and that you could notice the hops better. This used to be his favorite east coast DIPA, but this might change his mind.

Mouthfeel: Not carbonated well. The aftertaste is quite interesting: the sweet malts melt away which leaves that desired hop lacing sensation that tickles the tongue. Thick enough for this DIPA.

Drinkability: We could probably have one more, but the sweetness is just too much for repetitive drinking in a night. The 9% abv gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling after one, so there's not really a need to have more in a night. Our suspicions are that this six pack might have been on the shelves a little too long because Jimmy and King Adubahbi have had much better experiences with this one. However, just basing on this tasting, we have to give it a 7/10. We might revisit this in the future.

Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale

2009-01-10T16:51:00.003-05:00

Jimmy and I are doing some NFL playoff football beer reviews. Picked these up from the local store, nothing too special.

Appearance: Pours with a golden color, but the head was out of control. Someone must have shaken the bottles or something because we had to measure our head in fists. Bubbly, alive, and definitely keeps its sudsy head.

Smell: We had two different smells from two different bottles: Jimmy had a musty smell that overpowered any distinction between hops and malts, while I had some piney hops that grabbed you right away, dominating away any scent of malts.

Taste: A lot more mellow than the piney hops leads you to believe. Jimmy put it well saying the hops made you almost expect an IPA, but the mellowness of the pale ale really showed while tasting. A hint of sweet malts that weren't present in the smell come alive.

Mouthfeel: Pretty smooth, not biting, no carbonation attack which kind of allows the taste to shine, a slight bitter tang aftertaste, a little thin but not really watery.

Drinkability: The mildness allows you to drink a lot of it, but we feel like you would get bored after a while. Kind of bland in the sense that there's nothing left to explore after the first couple sips. Jimmy: "It's like you want to press Next on your iPod." At 5.2% abv you won't have to take a nap afterwards, but it will leave you looking for more. We both agreed without looking at each others answers of 6.5/10, decent beer, but probably won't go out of our way for it.

Broken beer glass

2009-01-08T21:59:00.012-05:00

As the magical Homer Simpson says, "DOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" I was washing my beer glass the other day and it slipped out of my hand. It then fell approximately 6 inches do its death into the kitchen sink as the stem broke off from the tulip. Sad indeed as it was my favorite beer glass.

Luckily, my brother gave me 2 magnificent new beer glasses for Christmas. I don't know how to categorize them, but I would say one is a Pilsner style while the other is a cross between a tulip and a pint.

Need to invest in a goblet and another tulip next. Perhaps even a DAS BOOT Beerfest style, if the hopheads would approve.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (2003)

2009-01-04T22:09:00.009-05:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except two giganormous humans (Yea, that so doesn't rhyme). We just got back from Christmas Eve church and my dad busted out this rare bomber bottle (1 pint 9.6 ounces) with a cork in it of 2003 Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (The Imperial India Pale Ale). This bottle literally did not see any light while aging in the cellar from when I graduated high school in 2003 and hated beer till present day Xmas eve 2008.

Note: I did not review this because it was still a week after my deviated septum surgery and my nose was not functioning properly as well as looking like a cross between Rudolph the red-nose reindeer and Pinocchio. So I apologize in advance for my lame review.

This was only the second time ever that I had 120 minute. My first was on tap at some random bar in Washington D.C. that I went to with fellow hopheads Alex & Mike. The taste was rich and not as super sweet as I remembered. It took 2 hours to finish and savor this beauty, which comes in at a whopping 18% abv I think. Reminded me of sipping on a fine port wine and appreciating the delicacy of this god-like nectar.

Addition (1/5/09): Review from King Adubahbi who helped slay this beast: "characteristics of a Belgian tripel, complex, HUGE. The original residual sugars have dried out nicely."

Happy Holidays from the Hopheads!

2008-12-30T16:05:00.003-05:00

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. Look what Santa brought me. (Ok, Santa didn't bring it to me, I bought it myself, I couldn't resist.)