Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Appearance: Nice dark red color. Nice lasting head and lacing.

Smell: Roasted malts come on strong here, along with hoppy bitterness.

Taste: Smoky malts are what I tasted most. Great all around from start to finish.

Mouthfeel: Bubbly carbonation accents the flavor very nicely.

Drinkability: 6.8% ABV so its big but won't put you under the table too fast. The whole package was enjoyable. I'll be picking this one up again. I highly recommend.

Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock Ale (2002)

Appearance: Some head to it, disappeared pretty quickly. Very cloudy (Beer foul: I was drinking this out of a flute glass and I didn't swirl it up between pours to release the sediments from the bottom, so my last glass was MUCH heavier than the first.) Really nice color to it (as far as I know haha).

Smell: Fruits and spices. I'm not good enough to identify them but there's a nice assortment in there.

Taste: Like it smells. Sweet and fruity with a little alcohol bite sharpening the otherwise smooth experience. I would drink this in the fall; there's a whole harvest's worth of fruit and spices in here.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, especially on my mega-unfiltered last glassful. Not a whole lot of carbonation.

Drinkablity: 8% ABV but the smoothness makes it go down easy. Complex flavor makes this a treat to experience. I recommend.

-Alex

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (Via Randall)

Mini Review:
Well I took too long writing this to recall a lot of specifics of this beer, so let me just say a few things that I do remember.

Served to me in a tulip glass at the Blind Tiger Alehouse (I could write a review of this place in itself, that might come later). Nice head (finger and a half or two) that stayed there for a while.

The taste was sweeter than I remember from out of a bottle. I've never had 90 minute on tap before so I'm not sure if it was the magical Randall or the non-bottle vessel it was served from. Its light mouth-feel and sweet aroma and flavor belied its high %ABV.

All in all, I was blown away by the flavor of this concoction, and I wish I were Hophead enough to have gathered my thoughts while drinking it.

-Alex

Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Appearance - Dark like a black hole, cannot see through it if you tried, very small head, texture reminds of cough syrup.

Smell - Oatmeal caramel toasty smell with the slightest hint of dank hops, blend in with the beer.

Taste - Creamy beginning taste as it enters your mouth, oatmeal/chocolate taste present throughought, aftertaste becomes bitter, leaving a lasting impression.

Mouthfeel - Heavy, smooth, and thick. Carbonation a surprise since visually it is not present but appears while tasting.

Drinkability - Can't drink more than 2 in a night, but a great way to end it.

Written by Mike and Jimmy.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale

Appearance - Amber color, slightly cloudy, 1/2" head, little carbonation.

Smell - Good balance between malts and hops. Chocolate malt smell plus a floral aroma for hops.

Taste - Great hop taste with a hint of the malt. Good balance between the two, creating a great red ale feel (Mike) to the inexperienced pallet. 10x better than the brown ale, incomparable to anything of recent memory (Jimmy).

Mouthfeel - Medium body, not overly-carbonated, smooth finish, little kick at the end as the beer warmed itself. Every aspect of the beverage exaggerated itself with the rise of temperature.

Drinkability - Easily repeatable, would love to see how aging would effect it. Can't get sick of it.

Written by Mike and Jimmy.

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Appearance - Dark, barely able to see through it, almost nonexistent head.

Smell - Chocolate malt smell present, almost a burnt toasty, hops smell pretty much nonexistent if any.

Taste - Initial taste made itself known it was there, had the malt taste we smelled earlier, but the finish disappeared on us, leaving us dissatisfied. Slightly hollow.

Mouthfeel - Carbonated once it hit the pallet, light/smooth/watery.

Drinkability - Overall a decent taste, but not repeatable. Wouldn't go out of my way for it. Easy to drink, but just not my style.

Written by Mike and Jimmy.

Rating System

Courtesy of the fabulous BeerAdvocate.com

"There are five categories to evaluating a beer with your review:

Appearance - Note the beer's color, carbonation, head and its retention. Is it clear or cloudy? Does it look lackluster and dull or alive and inviting?

Smell - Bring the beer to your nose. Note the beer's aromatic qualities. Malts: sweet, roasty, smoky, toasty, chocolaty, nutty, caramelly, biscuity? Hops: dank / resiny, herbal, perfumy, spicy, leafy, grassy, floral, piney, citrusy? Yeast will also create aromas. You might get fruity or flowery aromas (esters) from ales and very clean aromas from lagers, which will allow the malt and hop subtleties to pull through.

Taste - Take a deep sip of the beer. Note any flavors, or interpretations of flavors, that you might discover. The descriptions will be similar to what you smell. Is the beer built-well? Is there a balance between the ingredients? Was the beer brewed with a specific dominance of character in mind? How does it fit the style?

Mouthfeel - Take another sip and let it wander. Note how the beer feels on the palate and its body. Light, heavy, chewy, thin / watery, smooth or coarse? Was the beer flat, over-carbonated?

Drinkability - The beer's overall ease of consumption and your overall impression of the beer. Would you have another?"

Please keep in mind these few simple facts: everyone's tastebuds are different and everyone's entitled to their opinion. Keep an OPEN mind, never prejudge a beer, and keep the style of beer in mind while reviewing.