Avery Anniversary Lager - Seventeen Dry-Hopped Black Lager

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!!