Thanksgiving at Alex's

A lil' pre-turkey round of beers with the family.

From left, Sierra Nevada Harvest 2008, Rock Art 2008 Holiday Bock, Stone Vertical Epic 2008, Rock Art Vermonster, Rogue Hazlenut Brown Ale, and North Coast Old Rasputin.

The standout for me was the Stone Vertical Epic. Really interesting garden taste to it. Basil or Mint. I'd buy again definitely, and am looking forward to picking one up to age.

Hope your holiday was enjoyable, Cheers.

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish all of our family, friends & fellow beer drinkers a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sneak in a beer with that turkey.

-Hopheads in Training

Some beers my family and I have consumed sometime this November

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

Alright, we know we have been slacking for a couple of months now, but we are going to try to ramp up the action as we approach the holiday season. There has also been some discussion about beginning our experimentation with homebrewing, so be on the lookout for those updates after the holidays. Enjoy the new color scheme, relax, and on to the reviews.

I was able to pick up this wonderful brew at my local beer store. It's very hit and miss what I find there, like I was able to pick up this and 4 24oz. bottles of Sierra Nevada Wet Hop Harvest (2008).

Appearance: A dark red/brown lively color with about a finger of creamy laced head, very clear, alive, and inviting

Smell: I do have a bit of a cold, but I would say toasty, smokey malts are in the forefront, with the tiniest bit of hops in the background. I wish I could be more specific with the hops, but the cold isn't helping.

Taste: A deep but lively/moving taste of toasty, even oakey, malts, and finishes with a hint of spicy hops on the aftertaste, a good clean taste that lets both the malts and hops play their part, and the American oak wood chips this ale is aged with make their presence noticed (and welcomed!) while tasting

Mouthfeel: Carbonated, but not overly so, travels nicely over the tongue and down the throat, making you want to drink more, smooth, and surprisingly light and heavy at the same time, a very unique experience indeed

Drinkability: This heavy hitter is shockingly easy to drink at 7.2% abv. You definitely wouldn't start your night with it, but it won't knock you out for the count either. The tagline "You're not worthy" is appropriate for this great brew. I've had the non-oaked Arrogant Bastard, and I feel the oak wood chips do add that something extra to distinguish itself among other heavy ales. I look forward to drinking this again, and though I normally avoid putting a number on the beers I review, I figure I might as well conform to my cohorts and give this a 8.5/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Sam Adams Glass

Rogue White Crane Bitter Ale

I picked up this tiny 12 oz bottle at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. According to the label, this brew made its way all the way from Monbetsu Hokkaido, Japan to Rogue country at Newport, Oregon. But then it says brewed and bottled by Oregon Brewing, so I am confused. Oh well, let me just review the damn thing!

Appearance: I poured it carefully and I still got a solid three fat fingers of head. The color reminds of Thanksgiving with blends of yellow/orange/red at different angles of light. Very clear and alive and looks like a light style beer.

Smell: Dusty malts and staley yeast aromas. Can not distinguish any hops, which surprises me for a bitter ale.

Taste: Alot sweeter compared to what the smell told me. Not as sugary dense as a soda pop, but it must be the sweet raisin malts coming through. Starting to remind me of an ESB.

Mouthfeel: Thin and definitely over carbonated. That bitterness of hops finally tingles my palete.

Drinkability: I would give this beer another try perhaps if it was free. I think I paid $8.49 for it, which is a ripoff. Went down with ease like a college student competing in Teen Jeopardy. Good to try something new, but I will give it a 6/10 hopheads.

Max's Taphouse

Max's Taphouse is located in Fells Point section of Baltimore, MD. I went about a month ago and had 3 quality beers:

1. Pint glass of Avery Ale to The Chief
2. Pint glass of Troegs Nugget Nectar
3. Pimp goblet of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale

There is plenty of space with and upstairs and downstairs bar area. The two bartenders manning the massive bar downstairs were absolutely stellar in serving their customers with excellence. I even ordered some Jolly Rancher Shots (don't laugh) for the crowd I was with and they had no problem. Not too sure of how often they rotate the taps, but I am sure it done on a proper schedule. Would definitely go back again in a heartbeat and sample some of their food. My only complaint from this trip is that is was getting quite crowded and that I had to chug my Bigfoot at the end because we had to leave (Stevie helped me so she gets mad props). 9.5/10 hoppy hops ratings.

Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

This is THE best time of year! Baseball is in the postseason, Football is in high gear, and Hockey is just beginning (Basketball starts too, but I don't really follow it). All four sports at once! And if that isn't enough, it's the time of year that stouts and porters become an absolute necessity for the beer lineup.

Last weekend, while watching another poor effort by the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Redskins, and another Sunday of awful play-calling, at least I was able to enjoy a couple things... The Phillies, led by Pat the Bat, beat the Brewers to make it to the NLCS, and this fine brew by Stone:

Color/Appearance: 1/2 thumb of head served in my goblet. When held up to light, nothing got through. Nothing but pitch black stouty goodness. The color of the head was a very inviting as well: biege/dark grey. I was tempted to scoop some off the top to taste because it looked amazingly creamy, but thought better of it and just dove right in.

Smell: Like smelling mom's cookies baking in the oven. A noticed sweetness to the smell, but not too overpowering, with subtle scents of oats and roastiness.

Taste: Sweet to start with a roasty bitterness created with the hops and chocolate on the tale end. The roasty smell comes through in the taste as well, especially on the finish. When I let the tastes roam I really am able to enjoy the combination of the oats and chocolate working together to give it a very filling and sweet taste. I did notice a bit of an alchohol aftertaste, but nothing that would take away from the beer.

Mouthfeel: Coats very nicely. On first taste, it starts off smooth, followed by a very zippy bitterness. Seems to be lightly carbonated, which is to be expected.

Drinkability: 8/10. Coming in at around 9%, and being a pretty heavy stout, I am quite content after 1-2. Seems to be the kind of stout I'd want to come back to (just like their imperial Russian Stout). I just hope that since it's an anniversary beer, that it isn't limited to this year.

Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale

My dad bought a case of this from Shangy's out in PA and I have been secretly taking from him. Finally I review it as the case is now gone.

Appearance: Poured one fat finger of head and a deep ruby red color that glows when held against light. Looks cloudy and secretive but very tempting to taste.

Smell: The aromatic qualities of this are hard to decipher. It is Amarillo dry hopped and has piney, resinous hops. Vague traces of yeasty bakery type malts.

Taste: Hopped up for sure! The hops clearly dominate the flavors and I straight up love it. Simply refreshing and bitter.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly carbonated that just mellows out as you let it linger in your mouth. IPA type aftertaste :) Thick for a red ale I feel.

Drinkability: 9/10. Finally a red ale that I like. Well, its not your normal red ale due to the hops and shocked there was only 45 IBUs (I was expecting around 60-70). Would definitely buy again (FYI - I drank their IPA and Imperial IPA before). West coast hops are whats up. Served out of a tulip glass from a 12 fl oz bottle.