Sunday, August 22, 2010

Big River Grille & Brewery, 4/29/08

Big River Grille & Brewery
Chattanooga, TN
Tues. 4/29/08, 1:30pm
[open]

Restaurant chain owned by Gordon Biersch.

House Brews:
Southern Flyer Light Lager
Vienna Lager
Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale (B)
Seven States Pilsner
Imperial 375 Pale Ale
House Brand IPA (J)
Iron House Stout
Lookout Lemon Lager

Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale: Solid dark reddish black. Thick pale brown head. Very malty aroma. Gently hopped. Nice mouthfeel and carbonation. Decent body. Both malts and hops represent in the swallow, and surprisingly the malts also stick around in the finish. It's a nice consistent taste in the mouth and down the hatch. What the beer is missing is memorability. It's a good everyday brown ale. 8.2

IPA: Medium copper color. Malty aroma. The initial taste is malty, and the hops show up in the swallow. The thick head disappears relatively quickly. There is a hoppy aftertaste. Body is pretty good. It's not a bad beer, but the tastes don't work out that well together to make it a very good beer. When it warms up, the malts weaken. 8.2

Blackstone's Brewing, 4/28/08

Blackstone's Brewing
Nashville, TN
Mon. 4/28/08, 1:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Chaser Pale
Nut Brown Ale
Red Springs Ale
St. Charles Porter (J)
Maibock (B)
IPA (J)
Cask-conditioned Porter (B)

Cask-conditioned Porter: Deep dark garnet red. Head on the smallish side. Aroma is a woodsy and honey smell. Served warmer than customary. Pleasant carbonation. Body just a hair on the thin side - a minor flaw. The woodsy-sweet aroma translates into the flavor. Hops are muted. Malts are well represented but the most noticeable flavor is the wood from the cask. It's very drinkable, but I'm not sure you want your serving vessel to be the sole star. John & I agree to a taste of the original award-winning porter is in order. 8.2

IPA: A very minor head. Color is a little lighter than the average IPA. Although the beer is hoppy, the initial impression is malty. One thing that's odd is that the hops don't always show up at the same time in different swallows. It's a very drinkable beer - not the most complicated or interesting beer, but enjoyable. Body is very slightly on the light side - it's a minor complaint. Not a classic, but not bad at all. 8.4

Porter (uncasked): Looks the same as the casked version. Slightly less of a head. This is a better beer without the cask The malt and hops got to show up and are not buried in the wood. The beer's personality gets to shine through. Now I see why this is a medal winner. 8.6

Maibock: Smells more Belgian than Bavarian. Very citrusy and fruity. Color, carbonation and head consistent with typical American skunk-piss beers. The flavor - thank God - is very tasty. The body is spot on. I think this beer has made acquaintance with a monkey from PA. Yummy. A tad more hops in the finish than a true Belgian. This beer was tapped within the past 2 days so it's nice and fresh. I can't really find too many flaws, other than it's probably mis-labelled as a Maibock. 20 minutes later and the carbonation is still strong. 8.8

Cumberland Brews, 4/27/08

Cumberland Brews
Louisville, KY
Sun., 4/27/08, 5pm
[open]

Very crowded neighborhood. The note made at the time to reference this brewpub was that there was an accident on the corner and many emergency vehicles ("vehicles of blinkiness") were present.

House Brews:
Seasonals:
Celtic Stout
Mr. Bitters
Xerba Mate Pale Ale
Regulars:
Nitro Porter (J)
Pale Ale
Cream Ale
Nut Brown
Matt's Red (B)
Meade

Matt's Red: Unfiltered, opaque reddish color. No head to speak of. Refreshing, grassy aroma. Pleasant tany flavor. Very good body. With no head, I expected little carbonation and that isn't the case at all. The beer very nicely balances both malt and hops so you taste each all the way through the swallow, although it's the hops dominating the final flavor. This is a brassy, ballsy red that won't be ignored or forgotten. I wonder who Matt is? I might have named it Bette Midler for its attitude. 8.6

Nitro Porter: Almost black. Nitrous head that disappears after a few minutes. This is a complex beer. Malts predominate early on, but the swallow contains more hops than your average beer. The taste isn't easy to describe. It's somewhat smoky, and tends a little more to the coffee as opposed to the chocolately side. Body is good for the style. It is not my ideal porter, but I give the brewer strong credit for doing something different and brewing a complex, interesting beer. 8.5

Flat Branch Pub & Brewery, 4/25/08

Flat Branch Pub & Brewery
Columbia, MO
Fri. 4/25/08, 7:15pm
[open]

The visit to Columbia marks Becky's first time in the city since her graduation from college there 26 years prior. The city hasn't changed much at all in the interim.

House Brews:
Oil Change Stout (J)
Green Chili
Honey Wheat
Brown Ale
Ed's IPA
Katy Trail Pale Ale (J)
ESB (B)
Irish Red Ale
Bare Knuckle Bock
Anniversary Cream Ale
American Pale Ale
Abbey Ale (B)

Abbey Ale: Deep chestnut color. NO head, no apparent carbonation. Pungently sweet and malty aroma. Caramel flavor and rich mouthfeel, although body is slightly watery. Instead of hops finishing the taste, it's a different set of malts. Hops are necessary in a Belgian anyway! This isn't the best showing for an Abbey Ale, but it's a pretty good beer. 8.2

Katy Trail Pale Ale: Slightly sweet, malty aroma, but weak. Medium to dark copper color. Malts come through in the initial swallow. Hops and a slightly sweet sensation come through in the middle. It has a nice balance. Good, but not very strong, body. This beer has several interesting things going on at once. I like. 8.6

ESB: Ombre gold topped by a bodacious head of foam! Lots of carbonation in this beer. When the carbonation bubbles settle, the color is a clear rich reddish gold. Aroma is of a sour mash. It definitely has some bitters in it. The malt and hops are nicely balanced. The head won't quit. In the mouth, the flavor shifts from initial malty to finishing hops pop seamlessly. Body is correct for the style. It's a very straightforward ESB - my main complaint is that it really doesn't complement my meal, and the fault with that lies only with me. The beer is well -made. 8.4

Oil Change Stout: Thick head at first, then it disappeared. Probably nitrous poured. Dark color. Chocolate aroma. The predominant taste is chocolate. While the taste is pleasant, the beer needs something more to be interesting. Body is reather thin. 8.1

Bosco's, 4/24/08

Bosco's
Little Rock, AR
Thurs. 4/24/08, 6:30pm
[open]

[Brewpub previously reviewed by Becky, in February 2007]

House Brews:
Flaming Stone Beer
Bombay IPA (J)
Downtown Brown (B)
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale (J)
Cask Conditioned Ale
American Session Ale
Spring Wheat
90 Schilling Ale
St. Patrick's Day Stout
Hook Slide Ale

Downtown Brown not rated by Becky, but the note was made: The brown ale would make a quite good red ale, but falls short as a brown.

Bombay IPA: Fairly light copper color. Not much hop aroma. Very minimal head. Body is good. There isn't much of an initial taste. The hops show up in the swallow. It needs more malt to present more of an initial taste and to balance the hops in the swallow. 8.0

Isle of Skye Scottish Ale: Medium to dark brown color. No head. A pleasant malty taste. Some hop taste shows up in the finish. Body is appropriate for the style. Not a particularly memorable beer, but it is well made. Warms up fine. 8.3

90 Schilling Ale: Deep chestnut color. Thin but lasting head. Malty scotch aroma. Sweet flavor, full mouthfeel, good body for the style. Starts out cold as a decent beer, warms up much more a scotch/barleywine style, albeit quite a sweet one. It's a good winter warmer type. 8.4

Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery, 4/21/08

Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery
Santa Fe, NM
Mon. 4/21/08, 2pm
[open]

House Brews:
Vigilante ESB (J)
Rio Chama Amber Ale (B)
Broken Spoke Honey Wheat
Atomic Blonde Lager
High Altitude Pale Ale
End of the Trail Brown Ale
Sleeping Dog Stout ('07 Gold at GABF)
Road Runner IPA

Rio Chama Amber Ale: Clear deep amber. Medium white foamy head. Gentle malt aroma - not hoppy scented at all. Flavor is pretty basic - start with malts and finish with gentle hops. Body is crispt and mouthfeel is refreshing. Beer actually has good balance and a nice finish. It's entrance (aroma) is somewhat lacking. It's well-made but not particularly memorable. It would be a great session beer. 8.4

Vigilante ESB: According to Becky, it "smells like fire". Color is brownish-copper. No real head to speak of. The malts show up when you put the beer in your mouth, and the hops show up when you swallow. Body is good - maybe a tad on the light side. Tasty. 8.5

Rock Bottom Brewery, 4/20/08

Rock Bottom Brewery
Denver, CO
Sun. 4/20/08, 5pm
[open]

House Brews:
Bottoms Up Kolsch
Buffalo Gold
16th Street Wheat
Falcon Pale Ale
Red Rocks Ale (B)
Molly's Titanic Brown Ale (J)
Oatmeal Stout
Uberwit Ale (B)

Red Rocks Red: Clear bright red color with thin but lasting foamy head. Aroma is faint but balanced with both malt and minor hops present. Hops become more apparent in the mouth. Body is good. Beer is very nicely balanced - a good intermediate beer and "Hops 101". There are some, they're noticeable, but this is not a hophead's brew. I enjoy it a lot. 8.6

Molly's Titanic Brown Ale: No head to speak of. It's brown as a brown ale should be. Initial swallow has a nice malty taste with just a hint of hop finish. Very good body. Finish is disappointing - it needs something more to carry it through. Improves as it warms up - there's more taste. 8.3

Uberwit Ale: Pale, unfiltered yellowish color. Tiny, quickly dissipating head. Coriander and clove dominate the aroma, as well as the flavor. Body is correct. The beer is sweet and yeasty in true Belgian style. Nice citrusy finish. 8.6

C. B. & Potts Brewery, 4/20/08

C. B. & Potts Brewery
Cheyenne, WY
Sun. 4/10/08, 12:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Wyoming Blonde
Big Red IPA
Total Disorder Porter
Big Horn Hefeweisen
Buttface Amber
Maibock
Irish Stout
Apricot Ale
Pale Ale 71

We chose a sampler of all available beers.
Apricot Ale: Becky's notes: Fresh fruit aroma. Head originally quite foamy and left a film on the glass. Pale gold color. Clear fruit flavor - not many other flavor intrusions. John's notes: Small, light fruit flavor. A nice, clean fruit beer. Thirst quenching. 8.1

Irish Stout: Becky's notes: Nitrous poured. Opaque nearly black color. Aroma like sarsparilla. Body is far too thin for a stout. Flavor dominated by bitter chocolate malts. Needs more hops in the finish to balance it. There really is no finish - it just disappears once swallowed. John's notes: I don't get much taste at all - a slight chocolately taste is it. Very thin. 7.5

Maibock: Becky's notes: Pale amber color No head. Very little carbonation apparent. Aroma is unexpected. It smells like a freshly mowed lawn. Definitely smells like spring. It's a little sweet, a little tart, and enjoyable. John's notes: It's not really a maibock. It is a fairly good beer. It has some characteristics of a Scottish ale. Good body for the style. 8.3

Total Disorder Porter: Becky's notes: Deep chocolately color. Thin, lasting head. Aroma is full of chocolate malts. Pleasant mouthfeel. Body is appropriate for the style. Like the stout, this porter is missing finish. Once you swallow it's "bye bye!". In the mouth it's a very tasty beer. Nice and smooth. 7.9

71 Pale Ale: John's notes: Aroma of rye and hops. Color is a cloudy copper - unfiltered? The rye adds body and balances the taste - it's a nice touch. It could use a tad more malt, but that's a very minor complaint. The hops are there but not overwhelming. A well-made beer. 8.7

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Steamworks Brewing, 4/18/08

Steamworks Brewing
Durango, CO
Fri. 4/18/08, 3:30pm
[open]

Typical-looking brewpub with peanut-strewn floor.

House Brews:
Conductor Imperial IPA (J)
Colorado Kolsch
Steam Engine Lager (B)
Prescribed Burn
Third Eye Pale Ale
Backside Stout
Lizard Head Red

Steam Enging Lager (multi-award winner): Amber colored. No head. Very little carbonation apparent. Faint aroma. Body is thin, but refreshing when served very cold. It's a gentle beer, non-challenging, a beginner's or summer drink-several-of-them session beer. I can see how it's won so much. It's tasty but non-threatening. Very crisp. 8.5

Conductor Imperial IPA: Medium copper color. No head to speak of. More carbonated than usual for an IPA. IBU 81 - any questions? Even with all the hops, it still has a nice malt presence. Body is just about perfect. It's very assertive an well made. 8.7

Durango Brewing, 4/18/08

Durango Brewing
On the DSNGRR
Fri. 4/18/08, 12:00pm

Give them props - the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad serves local craft beer in bottles on the train!

Amber Ale: Served in bottle - cannot discern color or head. Strong caramel malt aroma. Body is style appropriate. It's a very sweet, malty beer, a beginner's dark beer. Very few hops found anywhere. It's not a bad beginner's beer but it's a bit too lacking in character for my tastes. It would be best on a hot summer day. 7.8

Dark Lager: Very yeasty and caramel smell. Also served in bottle. Strong malty taste with a slight chocolately overtone. Not complex but a good representative of the style. 8.1

Oak Creek Brewery & Grill, 4/17/08

Oak Creek Brewery & Grill
Sedona, AZ
Thurs. 4/17/08, 11:30am
[open]

House Brews:
Micro Light
Forty-niner Gold Lager
Horseshoe Hefeweisen
Doc's Pale Ale (J)
Oak Creek Amber Ale
Village Nut Brown
Pullman Porter
Seasonal: Belgian Saison (B)

Belgian Saison: Served in a goblet with an orange slice as garnish. Beer is a deep orange-mango color. Thin but lasting head. Aroma is yeasty and orange. Body is full and creamy. While the aroma is sweet and candied orange, the taste is a slightly sour mash. It's not inappropriate for the style, it just leads to momentary confusion as it wasn't entirely expected. After a few days of thin-bodied stouts it's nice to sink my teeth into a beer. As the beer warms slightly, another layer of flavor emerges - a sweeter layer. It's a nice complexity. 8.7

Doc's Pale Ale: No head to speak of. Light coppery color. Body is lacking - there really isn't much at all. There is a good hop flavor, but not much malt taste to balance it. The hop taste tends to disappear as the beer warms up. 7.3

Flagstaff Brewing, 4/16/08

Flagstaff Brewing
Flagstaff, AZ
Wed. 4/16/08, 7:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Agassiz Amber
Bubbaganouj IPA (J)
The Great Golden Ale
Sasquatch Stout (B)

Sasquatch Stout: Deep brown color, with thick foamy cocoa hued head. This smells like dessert - very chocolately! The flavor doesn't quite deliver though. It's sweet and malty but there's no real substance. The body makes the stout I had earlier seem even chewy. The hops - what few there are - don't finsh with anything other than a faint metallic taste. It's not a miserable glass of beer but it's a one-note symphony. 7.4

IPA: No head to speak of. This is not an IPA - it's a Pale Ale. As a pale ale, it's not bad. The balance is decent. The hops don't obliterate the malt. As with the stout, there is a slightly metallic aftertaste. 7.8

Beaver Street Brewery, 4/16/08

[re-visit]
Beaver Street Brewery
Flagstaff, AZ
Wed. 4/16/08, 4pm
[open]

House Brews:
HefeWeisen
Vienna Lager
R&R Stout (B)
Bramble Berry Brew
IPA (J)
Railhead Red

R&R Oatmeal Stout: Chocolately color. Hardly any head. Thick, malty aroma. Bitter chocolate dominates the flavor. Body is quite thin for a stout - I'd call it a chocoalte porter if I'd brewed it. Hops very gentle in the finish - appropriate for the style. Bitter malts show up as the beer warms. Its a good beer, not a great one, due to the body miscalculation. It's quite drinkable. 8.3

India Pale Ale: Thin head. The copper color is a little lighter than average. Body is nice and solid The hops tend to show up most strongly in the swallow. Balance is somewhat off. It could use a bit more malt to balance. It's not way off - just a little. Warms up decently. 8.1

Archives: Stone Brewing, 1/14/08

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, CA
Monday, 1/14/08, 5:15pm
[open]

Stone and glass brewpub - very attractive. Met up with our friend Larry, who lives around the corner from the brewpub (color me very green!).

House Brews:
Pale Ale
IPA
Smoke Porter
Ruination IPA
Arrogant Bastard
Stone Levitation Ale
Oaked Arrogant Bastard
07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale (B)
Double Dry Hopped IPA
Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Guardian 2006 Barleywine
11th Anniversary Ale (J)

07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale: Belgian saison style. Very fruity aroma - peaches and mango. Medium amber color with quicky disappearing head. Maybe its grandmother was Belgian but this one has mutated beyond. The body is rich and velvety with sweet spicy fruitiness. This beer reminds me of a mead, and it owes some of its lineage to New Glarus and Lindemans lambics. It would be an excellent dessert beer. Any changes as the beer warms are minimal. 8.9

11th Anniversary Ale: [this beer was supposed to be a rarity as a special occasion beer, but proved to be so popular it is now brewed on a regular basis - with a name change. It can now be found as Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale]
If you had any doubts whether this beer had hops, just take a sniff. Even I can smell them! A thin but creamy head. This is a serious hophead beer. It's not really an IPA. It's more like a very hoppy barleywine. The body is very substantial. There are malts, but they're overwhelmed by the hops. It warms up fairly well. Not a beer for the timid. Not a great beer, but I admire the adventuresome effort. 8.3

Archives: BJ's Brewhouse, 1/12/08

BJ's Brewhouse
Las Vegas, NV
Sat. 1/12/08, 3:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Brewhouse Blonde
Harvest Hefeweisen
Piranha Pale Ale (J)
BJ's Jeremiah Red
Nutty Brewnette
BJ's PM Porter (B)
Tatonka Imperial Stout (J)
Grand Cru (B)

Grand Cru: Pale gold, unfiltered. 10.4% ABV so served in a snifter. Aroma of a full, yeasty hefe. Very nice mouthfeel with carbonation and body and flavor. I'm very impressed with this beer's body. The flavor is slightly too clove-y but it's not a fatal flaw. As it warms slightly the clove is less noticeable so a little patience is rewarded. Nicely done. I can favorably compare this to my benchmark Belgian - Golden Monkey! Bittering a little as it warms. 8.8

Tatonka Stout: Dark color for a stout. [sic - that's what he said!] Nitrous pour. The head is very rich and lasting. It has a good taste. A tiny bit on the sweet side, but it's a minor complaint. A very good representative of the style. Excellent body. 8.7

PM Porter: Thick foamy head. Deep clear reddish black color. Aroma is faint through the foam. Very coffee-like flavor. Sweet but not obnoxiously so. Body not as substantial as it should be, which is a disappointment compared to the others. 8.1

Piranha Pale Ale: Slight head that disappears quickly. A copper color a little lighter than an average IPA color. Moderate hop taste. Body is pretty good. It's a toned-down IPA. Becky's notes: That would be an American Pale Ale! 8.2

Archives: Boulder Dam Brewing, 11/23/07

Boulder Dam Brewing Company
Boulder City, NV
Fri. 11/23/07, 12noon
[open]

Basic no-frills brewpub in Boulder's historic district.

House Brews:
Powder Monkey Pilsner
Hell's Hole Hefeweisen
Smashin' Pumpkin Ale
High Scaler IPA (J)
Reclamation Amber
Black Canyon Stout (B)

Black Canyon Stout: Deep chocolate color, opaque, tiny film of a head, clearly not nitrous-tapped. Mildly bitter aroma. Body is far too light for the style. Next to no mouthfeel - just cold. Flavor isn't bad - this would be good as a float like they sell, but for a microbrewed stout, it's annoyingly lacking in depth and complexity. No real finish, it mostly disappears down the throat with the liquid. It's not horrible, but there's nothing remarkable about it either. 7.7

High Scaler IPA: Excuse me, you call this an IPA? Somebody tell the brewer that just because you throw extra hops in a beer does not make it an IPA. The beer is clearly brewed as a hefeweisen. Not much of a head. The body is decent. It tastes like a fairly weak hefe until the swallow when the hops suddenly show up. It never occurred to me to make a hoppy hefeweisen. To be honest, after drinking this, it still wouldn't occur to me. 7.6

Archives: Dogfish Head Alehouse, 11/12/07

Dogfish Head Alehouse
Gaithersburg, MD
Mon. 11/12/07, 4pm
[open]

It's sort of a cheat to review this since we've been here so many times, and have reviewed DFH in Rehoboth. And they don't even brew onsite. Oh well. Our beer diary, our rules.

House Brews:
60 Minute IPA
90 Minute IPA
Alehouse 75 (90 & 60 minute combined)
Dogfish Black & Tan
Shelter Pale Ale
Raison d'Etre (J)
Indian Brown Ale
Lawnmower Light
Festina Peche
Johnny Rawton Pils
Chicory Stout
World Wide Stout
Olde School Barleywine (B)

Olde School Barleywine: ABV 15% so served in a brandy snifter. Aroma of oak and figs. No head remaining after the short trip from the keg. A full velvet mouthfeel with woods and fruits is slightly marred by a metallic aftertaste. The body is perfect but the astringency in the finish hurts it. It's becoming more fruit-flavored as it warms, lessening the metallic flavor, but not losing it entirely. 8.2

Raison d'Etre: A Dogfish classic. I've had this many times in bottles. The tastes are stronger in draft. There is a strong malty presence, but the raisins definitely come through. Do't worry, the hops are present too. This batch has a slightly more sour taste which is not ideal. Body is excellent, as usual. 8.4

Archives: J.J. Bitting Brewing, 9/21/07

J.J. Bitting Brewing Company
Woodbridge, NJ
Fri. 9/21/07, 12:15pm
[open]

Located in an old brick facctory building. Very dark inside. This visit was a solo trip by John.

House Brews:
Victoria's Golden Ale
J.J.'s Raspberry Wehat
Avenel Amber
Bretroose Hefeweisen
W.H.A.L.E.S. Imperial IPA
Dunkelweizen

IPA: Minimal head, but it doesn't disappear immediately. The hops aren't hard to smell. It's pretty aggressively hopped. There are malts in the taste, but more malts would be better. Taste is nice and consistent. Body is pretty good. It could be a tad stronger, but it's not bad. It ain't bad, but needs more malt to balance the hops. 8.2

Dunkelweizen: No head to speak of. Nice chocolate color. Pleasant malty taste, but not much else. There is a very subtle hint of a chocolate taste. It needs something more. 8.0

Archives: Coeur d'Alene Brewing, 8/4/07

Coeur d'Alene Brewing
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Sat. 8/4/07, 6:45pm
[status unknown]

Sunny, beautiful day with many crowds converging on the small city for an arts festival.

House Brews:
Centennial Pale Ale
Golden Ale
Honeymoon Wheat Ale
Lakeside British (brown ale)
Huckleberry Ale
Vanilla Bourbon Stout (not avail)
Rockford Bay IPA
Pullman Porter
Strawberry Hefeweisen
Double Stack IPA

Overwhelmed by the number of choices, we ordered a sampler.

1. Huckleberry: Becky's notes: Very pale gold, cloudy head that's already gone. Deep fruity aroma, not quite like blueberry but it's probably closer to that than anything else. Nice flavor and body. John's notes: Pleasant taste - a nice light fruit beer. This is what a light beer should taste like. 8.3

2. Golden Ale: Becky's notes: Also pale gold with no head, but this one is clear. This is their beginner's beer and it serves that purpose nicely. It has character and flavor, not too much to scare the Bud drinkers. But it's not really enough to keep our attention long. John's notes: Not much more I can add to that. 7.7

3. Honeymoon Wheat: Becky's notes: Very cloudy, muddy brown color. Head gone, as it is on all the samples. Yeasty smelling. Almost grainy, the flavor is so wheaty. Very thick and full mouthfeel. John's notes: It's almost chewy. An interesting beer, but not sure how much of it I'd drink. 7.7

4. C d'A Amber: not avail

5. Centennial Pale Ale: Becky's notes: Clear, light gold. No aroma, despite attempting to snort it. John's notes: A few hops, and not that much malt taste. Kind of on the weak side. When it warms up a little bit, it has some more taste. Becky's notes: Some bitter hops in the finish. Not all that complicated for a pale ale. 7.8

6. Lakeside British Ale: Becky's notes: Deep garnet color. Smells of cocoa and coffee tinged malts. Hops tickled my lips, then I got the malts when I swallowed. The aroma delivers. This beer would go great with many desserts. Nicely balanced malts & hops (although it's a little backwards sometimes). Can also find some of the "nut" in this nut brown. Very nice body (as all the beers so far have had). John's notes: This is the best one so far. Nice balance, and plenty of both malt and hops. Well done. 8.5

7. Scottish Ale: Becky's notes: Reddish chestnut color. Faint aroma. The flavor doesn't really deliver what the name implies. It's not a bad beer, but it's not a Scottish ale. Closest probably to a red ale. John's notes: Reminds me of Frederick Brewing Company's ESB Red Ale, with a touch fewer hops. It's tasty, but not quite sure what it is. 8.0

8. Pullman Porter: Becky's notes: Deep rich brown color. Head gone - their carbonation is needing work. A very satisfying malty aroma. On this one, the body is a bit thin, which is odd because they have done body just right so far. The malt promise delivers fully, and a nice kick of hops is added. The hops were not a surprise due to the beer style, but were not found in the aroma. John's notes: I like the taste of it - it has a good balance of a chocolate undertone with some malts and hops. 8.5

9. Bourbon Vanilla Stout: Not avail. (darn it!)

10. Rockford Bay IPA: Becky's notes: Cough. Cough. Cough. Medium gold color. strong hops aroma which puckered my nose. John's notes: Becky is choking on it. There is a slight malt undertone, but it could use some more. Body is a bit weak. The balance is off. Not that impressed. 7.6

11. Strawberry Hefeweisen: Becky's notes: Cloudy strawberry blonde color. Quite fruity aroma, although a bit sour. Rather sweet, like "who put jam in my beer?" This would taste good on toast. Maybe beer IS for breakfast? John's notes: Can you say FRUIT!!! beer? I'd like some beer with my fruit, please. Becky's notes: Smucker's beer? 7.4

Archives: C.I. Shenanigan's, 8/3/07

C.I. Shenanigan's Restaurant/Big Horn Brewing
Spokane, WA
Fri 8/3/07, 7:30pm
[open]

Very Irish pub-style setting next to convention center and very hard to find.

House Brews:
Washington Blonde
Hefeweisen
Buttface Amber (B - sample)
Big Red IPA (J)
Total Disorder Porter (B)

Total Disorder Porter: Minute head. Nearly black in color. Smoky malt aroma. Coffee start to the taste with a very smoky finish. A little tingle in the mouthfeel but the body is a bit thin. Overall, very good flavor. Hops are muted; the smokiness is the aftertaste. 8.2

Big Red IPA: Fairly strong head for an IPA. Aroma is vaguely unpleasant. Nice red color. We're talking Tuppers-style hops here. I couldn't taste Becky's beer after some sips of mine. Body is good. There might be some malt buried in there. 8.1

Butthead Amber: Deep copper color. Thin head. Aroma is balanced. Malts predominate the taste although hops are present. Good mouthfeel, decent body. Well carbonated. All good things but there's nothing particularly remarkable about this beer. Easily drinkable but pretty easily forgotten. 7.8

Archives: Tenaya Creek Brewery, 7/5/07

Tenaya Creek Brewery
Las Vegas, NV
Thurs 7/5/07, 5:30pm
[open]

Holy cow is it ever hot out! The thermometer on the car reads 121!!!

Comfortable retaurant with pool tables and video poker. Open 24 hours. (side note: Becky won $500 playing video poker at the bar after dinner. When she was paid, the machine was not reset. When she asked to have it reset, a different bartender tried to pay her again! Since this was a nice restaurant and we want it to stay in business - and because we're pretty much honest people anyway - we declined to take advantage of this mistake and told them the hand pay had already been made).

House Brews:
Gold Medal Pilsner
Hefeweizen
Nut Brown Ale
Ringtail Pale Ale
Hell Dog Double Red (J)
Maibock
Kolsch (B)

Kolsch: Pale, golden color. Very minimal head. Aroma is disconcertingly like mass-produced skunk piss beer. Thankfully it tastes far better than that. Very effervescent in the mouth, which is surprising considering the head is non-existant. Sweet fruit - apples are strong - dominate the flavor. Body is thin but it should be to be a hot summer's day refreshing beer. This is uncomplicated and nice. 8.3

Hell Dog Double Red Ale: This beer is amped up. No head to speak of. There is lots of malt taste and PLENTY of hops. There is no doubt that this is designed to be a beer for beer geeks. For some reason, there is a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. Overall, however, it is a very well made beer. 8.6

Monte Carlo Barleywine (not on the menu - was brought out specially for us by the waiter after he saw and asked about our beer diary): This beer was leftover from the old Monte Carlo Brewpub. When they stopped brewing, the brewer took the job as head brewer at Tenaya Creek. Becky's notes: OMG this smells awesome! Sweet, malty and yeasty - very pungent aroma. The taste delivers - complex and multi-faceted. Very well made. John's Notes: An excellent representative of the style. Very smooth and tasty going down. Thumbs up! 9.0

Archives: Boiler Room Brewpub 7/1/07

Boiler Room BrewPub
Colorado Belle Casino
Laughlin, NV
Sunday 7/1/07 3:45pm
[open]

House Brews:
Amber
Golden
Stout
Pale Ale
Brewers Choice (hefeweisen)

Chose a sampler tray.
Hefeweisen: (Becky's notes) Sweet and sour aroma. Full yeasty mouthfeel. Substantial body. A bit clove-y. 7.8

Stout: (John's notes) Nice head. Decent chocolate taste. No body. (Becky's notes) Rather dry/acidic. 7.5

Amber: (Becky's notes) Clear correct color. Aroma is all malt but the taste is surprisingly well balanced with hops. Zippy. (John's notes) Nice spiciness to the taste. 8.2

Pale Ale: (John's notes) Fairly hoppy. Tasty. Body a little thin but better than the stout. (Becky's notes) . Hopsus maximum but good representative of the style. 8.3

Golden Ale: (Becky's notes) Clearly intended as the entry-level choice but not without good flavor. 8.0

Archives: Barley Brothers, 7/1/07

Barley Brothers Brewing
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Sunday, 7/1/07, 1:15pm
[open]

It is freakin' HOT out! About 118!!
Seated in restaurant with a view of the London Bridge.

House Brews:
Blond Ale
Jenna Grace Hefeweisen (J)
Beachballs Red Ale (B)
Trippleberry Wheat (B)
Kickstart Oatmeal Stout
Bighorn IPA (J)
Nut Brown Ale
Strawberry Wheat
Lakeside Wheat (not avail)

Trippleberry Wheat: Cloudy and murky with a minute head. Muddled fruit aroma - slightly sour. Blueberry is the dominant fruit. Taste is completely unlike the clear crisp fruit beers of New Glarus or lambics. It's diluted. The beer is very refreshing but tastes confused as if it isn't sure what it wants to be when it grows up. The beer doesn't need to be crystal clear but the vision for it should be. 8.0

Jenna Grace Hefeweisen: Cloudy. Slight head that sticks to the glass. Taste is a good representative of the hefe style. Strong malt presence. Taste has all the elements a good hefe should have. Smell is a bit "off" however - it's a bit unpleasant. Body is good. All in all, a refreshing summer beer but it needs a better aroma. 8.2

IPA: Moderate hoppy aroma. Nice slight head. Can you say hops and not much else. Looks like they forgot the malts. Body is a little thin for an IPA. Just throwing in more hops does not make a great IPA. 7.7

Beachball's Red Ale: Deep clear red with slender head. Aroma is just slightly malty. Very thin body - watery malts. Teensy hop tingle - almost only noticeable because I was looking for it - begging it to be there. Mix this and the IPA together, you might make a good beer. 7.7

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Archives: Lee's Beer Experience 5/12/07

Lee's Beer Experience
Tuscany Casino
Las Vegas, NV
Sat. 5/12/07 (all afternoon event)

Beer festival, this was the first time it was held. Becky attended this event on her own.

Alaskan Brewing: Alaskan Summer Ale: Pale gold color. No real head. Very faintly hopped. A light and refreshing finish. A good candidate as my summer beer since I can't get Yuengling. Missing a little something. 8.1

North Coast Brewing: Brother Thelonious: Belgian Style Abbey Ale. Medium-brown color with lasting creamy head. Musty aroma. Slightly metallic tasting. To my taste, it needs to be aged more. Too sweet. 7.5

Lost Coast Brewing: Great White: Unfiltered and foamy. Aroma a bit urine-like. Thankfully taste is not. Still, plugging one's nose to swallow is a poor marketing technique. Not that pleasant. 7.2

New Belgium Brewing: Mothership Wit: Very pale and yeasty. Not a great aroma (do I need to more thoroughly wash my glass?). Quickly dissipating head. Faint flavor. Weak body. Not their best effort. Not horrible but 1554 is SO much better made. 7.6

Leinenkugel Brewing: Berry Wheat: Sweet and light. Very refreshing. Tastes like chambord. 8.1

Breckenridge Brewing: Vanilla Porter: Dark brown. No head. No discernible aroma (probably still a glass-cleaning issue). Medium-weight body infused with vanilla. The flavor is appropriately sweet, not cloying, but it does outshine the porter part of this beer. Would make an outstanding dessert beer with something like tiramisu. Not something you'd reach for to quench a thirst. 8.4

Wasatch Brewing: Polygamy Porter: Almost black, nutty aroma. Very nicely balanced malts and hops. Nice body and mouthfeel. Very well made beer. Definitely earns a place in my fridge. 8.7

Lakefront Brewing: Fuel Cafe Stout: As dark as motor oil, and frankly it smells like it too. No head at all - not many carbonation bubbles even. Tastes like soy sauce. Out it goes. 6.8

Big Sky Brewing: Moose Drool Brown: Deep brown, very faint head. Simple and straightforward brown. Malts, a couple hops but not many. Faintly sweet. Light body. Not complex at all. 7.2

Rogue Brewing: Dead Guy Ale: Medium amber color. Faint head that is lasting. Some hops in the aroma. Hoppiest sample I've had today. Tasty and well-balanced, although not my style of beer. 8.0

Abita Brewing: Turbodog: Deep garnet. Almost no head. No aroma noticeable. Interesting. Not a typical brown ale but closer to that than a porter or stout. Hops and malts are well-balanced. It's just hard to put my finger on what is so unusual about it. 7.9

Sierra Nevada Brewing: Summerfest: Pale gold with creamy head. A hoppy hefeweisen? Only from Sierra Nevada! For when hopheads get thirsty I guess. Good for what it is but not my glass of beer. 8.0

Tenaya Creek Brewing: Winter Solstice: Mega-head. Wow. Full and potent. A lot of flavor. Great body and mouthfeel. Very remiscent of "Resurrection" at Brewers Art and "Hell for Certain" at Bluegrass. Can I have more please? 8.8

Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union (SNAFU): Christmas in April 2007: Foamy head. Unfiltered gold. Very spicy aroma. Taste delivers. Definitely an appropriate Christmas beer. A bit much - tasteful but not drinkable in much quantity. (I did not rank this beer).

Tenaya Creek Brewers: Ringtail Ale: Dark golden color with medium head. Smells yeasty. More of a red ale, but a little hoppier. Enough tingle of hops to notice, not overpower. Enjoyable! 8.7

Big Dog's Brewing: Red Hydrant Ale: I wish my hair was this color, less the creamy thick head. Enticing aroma with all welcome ingredients - hops, malt, yeastiness. The taste is dominated by malts. Hops are very laid-back. Showing up a little as the beer warms but not as much as the aroma promises. 8.3

Big Dog's Brewing: Belgian Wit: Extra pale and cloudy. Aroma like spicy urine. Yes - partially attractive and partially repellant. Very pungent flavor of cloves and cardamom. Much tastier than I expected based on the aroma. Light body - appropriate for the style. Nice finish. 8.3

Deschutes Brewing: Black Butte Porter: Deep chestnut color. Thick head that left quickly. Malty aroma. Was about very malty taste but the hops showed up as I swallowed. It's a good beer it sholdn't be quite as segregated as "here are the malts. Ok, now here are the hops." They should mingle. I'd easily drink this again - it's good but imperfect. 7.7

Deschutes Brewing: Hop Henge Imperial IPA: "Nuttin' but Hops" aroma. Oh my! My sinuses are clear now! Taste: actually does have malt but it's all about the hops. No surprise. That's the style. 8.1 ABV and 8.1 rank.

Spanish Peaks Brewing: Honey Raspberry: Slightly sour aroma. Raspberry is slightly tart. Not as enjoyable as I hoped. Very sour aftertaste. 7.4

Firestone Walker Brewing: Double Barrel: English style with 4 malts. Very malty aroma unsurprisingly. There are a few hops but they are muted. It's not bad but really missing something. Like hops. If you wanna drink malt and water, have at it. 7.0

Leinenkugel Brewing: Sunset Wheat: Cloudy. Lemony aroma. Smells appealing but I am not a fan of lemon (in water or in beer). Also very orange-y. Ooh! It's good! Very citrusy and refreshing. No hops, not really malty - a fruit beer. Probably a bit too tart except when completely lit (guilty). 7.6

Wasatch Brewing: Evolution Amber: Reddish-gold color. Lasting head. Malt city. Not much else happening there. Tastes like one of my Mr. Beer attempts sadly. No depth of character. 7.2

Stone Brewing: Arrogant Bastard: Medium garnet color. Earthy aroma. Slender but lasting head. Very full mouthfeel. Malts and hops are well blended but hops are in the lead. Smooth but does make you pay attention. Gotta give some props to this beer! Which also makes it well-named. 8.4

Stone Brewing: Smoked Porter: Almost black, opaque with foamy beige head. Very faint smoky aroma. Nice flavor. The porter and smoke are about 50/50. I'd probably put the ideal balance at 65 porter/35 smoke. 7.9

Deschutes Brewing: Seasonal Brown Ale: Dark caramel with foamy head. Extremely malty aroma. Molasses-tasting beverage. Way too sweet. 7.3

North Coast Brewing: Pranqster: Belgian-style filter. Minor head which quickly disappeared. Aroma is typically Belgian style - yeasty and tangy. Taste delivers. A little clove-happy. But otherwise good. A light body contributes to the summery easy-to-drink style. I wouldn't award this one the gold medal, but would consider serving it at a BBQ at home. 8.3

Tenaya Altbier: Dark coppery beer with substantial head. Smokey, ammonia-y aroma. Light body. A slightly ammonia aftertaste. A little more body would serve this beer well. A bit too tart - not hoppy - it's the ammonia taste - to be fully enjoyable to me. 7.7

Archives: Big Dog's Draft House, 3/25/07

Big Dog's Draft House
N. Las Vegas, NV
Sun. 3/25/07, 2pm
[open]

House Brews:
Leglifter Light
Big Dog's Real Draft
Tailwagger Wheat
Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale
Red Hydrant Ale
Big Dog's .38 Special (Pale Ale/Red Ale)
Dirty Dog IPA (J)
Black Lab Stout
Mango (B)

Mango: Clear, filtered, no head. Fruity and tangy aroma. Hops not present in aroma. A pleasant fruity taste present in first sip. Only a tiny amount of hops and barley usesd - appears to be a real fruit beer. If it had higher carbonation I'd call it mango lambic. A slightly astringent aftertaste. Body is thin but style-appropriate. This is a refreshing beer, and a good beginner's beer. It's simple and straight-forward but tasty, if uncomplicated. 8.1

Dirty Dog IPA: Cloudy. Thin head that has some staying power. Body is a little thin for an IPA. Strong hop taste that has a hint of clove to it. There is a strong hop aftertaste. Could use some more malt to balance the hops. 7.8

Archives: Bosco's, 2/2/07

Bosco's
Little Rock, AR
Fri. 2/2/07 5:45pm
[Open]

On the riverfront next to Clinton Library. Woody bar, friendly staff.

House Brews:
Baltic Porter (B)
Ray's Honey Rye
Bosco's XXX IPA
Bosco's Wee Heavy (sample)
Flaming Stone Beer (Mel)
Bombay IPA
Downtown Brown
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale (sample)
Cask Conditioned Ale

(Becky was travelling with friend Melodie; John was not present. Mel did not rank her beer but allowed me several sips to evaluate it.)

Baltic Porter: Dark and opaque like coffee. Minimal head faded quickly. Malty, chocolately aroma. Sweet taste with substantial mouthfeel. Enough hops to keep it interesting - not enough for a hophead, but I like it. Nicely brewed with just enough balance between hops and malts to make you pay attention. Excellent body as well. They have learned that beer (like love) is thicker than water. Sweet but not cloying. Bitters slightly upon warming, but goes fabulously with the artichoke calzone. 8.7

Flaming Stone: Medium-sized head that lingers and coats the glass. Honey gold color, slightly cloudy. Slight aroma. Light body, appropriate for the style. Slightly sweet flavor. Mouthfeel is unmemorable. This is their light beer, but better made than many. 8.1

Wee Heavy: No head, no discernible aroma. Deep garnet color. Very faint flavor. Decent body - possibly garlic has killed my tastebuds (damn fine calzone but Mel can't taste it either). As it warms a slight Scotch characteristic appears and makes the beer more appealing. 8.3

Scottish Ale: Dark garnet. No head. Slight smoky aroma. Smoky taste too but not unpleasantly so. However it has less outstanding characteristics than the porter. Enough body. Solid but not outstanding or overly flamboyant. Enough hops to make the tongue tingle. No vanilla apparent as mentioned on the menu. 7.9

Archives: Capitol City Brewing, 1/5/07

Capitol City Brewing
Downtown - next to the Convention Center
Washington, DC
Fri. 1/5/07, 5:45pm
[open]

House Brews:
Capitol Kolsch
Pale Rider
Amber Waves
IPA (J)
Trippel-Dubbel (B)
Oatmeal Stout (J)
Dunkelweisen (B)

Noisy city bar on a Friday night.

Trippel-Dubbel: Served in a goblet. Murky deep gold color. Flat, no head. Aroma definitely hoppier than usual in a Belgian. Very citrusy hop - no customary sourness. No carbonation at all. That - and the body - make it feel like it was left out without a cap on it, allowed to go flat. Flavor is dazzling but without depth. I would strongly prefer more carbonation and body. Count this one as almost outstanding. Unfortunately it wasn't served very cold and it doesn't warm up that well, turning more acrid and vinegary. 7.6

Oatmeal Stout: Very creamy head that disappears quickly. Probably nitrogen poured. Body is a little thin, but not majorly so. I don't get that much taste initially. It has kind of a bitter, burnt aftertaste (not hoppy). It's not really a bad beer, but it doesn't do that much for me. It needs some other taste (chocolate, more malt, somthing). 7.8

Dunkelweisen: Thick looking opaque brown beer with creamy head. Aroma is slightly malty. No apparent hops. Initial mouthfeel/taste is a tingly spicy fruity sense. Very like a dark hefeweisen. Banana and clove are present but not (yet) overpowering. Thankfully as the beer warms it seems to be mellowing. That or my tastebuds are on overdrive from the food. 7.8

IPA: Classic IPA. Thin head. Good solid body. Finding the hops in this beer is NOT difficult. There is also some malt taste hiding underneath the hops. There is a noticeable citrus taste. Non-hopheads need not apply. A good representative of the style. Hops get stronger as it warms up. 8.1 (Becky's note: My lips might be unpuckered by February. Maybe.)

Archives: Padre Island Brewing Co., 9/16/06

Padre Island Brewing Company
South Padre Island, TX
Sat. 9/16/06
[open]

House Brews:
Raspberry Wheat
Tidal Wave Wheat
SPI Blonde Ale
Padre Island Pale Ale
Speckled Trout Stout

Got a sampler of all beers.

Raspberry Wheat: Thin and sweet. Very light body. No hops. Sour aftertaste. 7.4

Tidal Wave Wheat: A better body than the raspberry - easy to drink. 8.2

Blonde: Sour mash aroma. Insubstantial body. Faintly hopped. Their weakest beer, but warms up somewhat better. 7.8

Pale Ale: Aggressively hopped from aroma to finish, but it's more than just hops. Good balance. Well made. 8.6

Speckled Trout Stout: Caramel and coffee aroma - almost perfect mouthfeel with smokiness. Much more like a porter! 8.8

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Archives: Mickey Finn's Brewery, 7/17/06

Mickey Finn's Brewery
Libertyville, IL
Mon. 7/17/06, 1:20pm
[open]

"A cure for what ales you"

House Brews:
Wheat Ale
Mr. C's Pale Ale
Mr. C's Nitro Pale Ale
Hefe-Ryezen (B)
Bill's Oatmeal Stout
Cask Conditioned Pale Ale (J)

Traditional pub atmosphere on Main Street, USA

Hefe-Ryezen: Served in a tall curvy glass. Thick, foamy head, clear amber color. Distinct wheaty aroma. Made different with the rye. Nice balance with the weight of the body and the flavors. The clove pungency is offset by the bite of rye. Pleasant mouthfeel - enough body to enjoy but it isn't too much on a hot (near 100) day. As a hefe should be, the lingering flavor is clove, but it isn't cloying - it's pleasant. As the beer warms the clove becomes a bit more pronounced. It's leaning towards cloying, dropping the rating by a point or two. It's still a well made beer, with among the best balance I've found recently. 8.7

Cask Conditioned Pale Ale: Nice copper color. The head is thin but lasts. Taste is strong on both malt and hops - this beer has attitude. Served at room temperature. Body is a tad thin but not bad. A tasty interesting product. Probably would be better on a less hot day. All in all, an enjoyable beer, if not quite outstanding. 8.5

Archives: Route 66 Microbrewery, 5/14/06

Route 66 Microbrewery [airport bar]
Albuquerque, NM
Sun. 5/14/06, 12:45pm
[open]

All "house" beers almost certainly contracted.

House Brews:
Route 66 Amber
Isotopes Slammin' Amber (B)
Route 66 IPA (J)
Route 66 AAA Blonde
Route 66 Stout

Isotopes Slammin' Amber: Medium amber color. Looks thin and watery. Thin head which is disappearing quickly. Can detect both hops and malt in the aroma. Both are also present in the taste. Balance is good but this beer has next to no body. A bit of carbonation and more body would make this quite a beer. As it is, the mouthfeel is almost identical to water (albeit interestingly flavored water). Synopsis they got the balance and flavor right but put it in the wrong package. Almost a memorable beer. 7.9

Route 66 IPA: Minimal head that does a good job coating the glass. Body is too light, especially for an IPA. Color is good - pretty close in color to the amber. The initial swallow is light but fairly pleasant. The hops show up big time on the rebound. It's certainly not the worst IPA I've had, but there are much better out there. 7.5

Archives: Chama River, 5/13/06

Chama River Brewing Company
Albuquerque, NM
Sat. 5/13/06, 3:15pm
[open]

House Brews:
Class VI Golden Lager
Broken Spoke Honey Wheat
Rio Chama Amber Ale
Copper John Pale Ale
Jack Rabbit IPA
Sleeping Dog Stout
Dangerous Intentions (Double IPA)
ESB
Saison (B)
Maibock (J)

Attractive modern restaurant in Albuquerque's northern section. We returned and ate brunch on Sunday also.

Saison: (from the menu's description): "A deep golden Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Dry and spicy with notes of pepper." Light in color, clear not cloudy. Thin head. Gentle carbonation. Body is perhaps slightly light but the flavor is complex. Dry and peppery notes from the menu is correct, and the peppery tones nicely balance the Belgian candy-sweet yeastiness. A much better representative of the Belgian style than the previous evening's. Mind you, it isn't Golden Monkey, but I feel that if the brewer wanted that, he could acheive it. Very enjoyable. 8.5

Maibock: Served in a stemmed glass. Nice copper color. Minimal head that coats the glass. It doesn't have that much of an aroma. It has a very pleasant malty taste with some hops. Body could be a tad thicker, but it's not bad. I'm generally not a huge fan of this style, but this is a good representative. Interesting, but easily drinkable. Loses a bit of taste as it warms up. 8.5

Archives: Il Vicino, 5/12/06

Il Vicino Brewery
Albuquerque, NM
Fri. 5/12/06, 9pm
[open]

Very crowded mostly pizza joint. Beyond casual ambiance - ALL age groups represented here.

House Brews:
Pigtail Blonde
Slowdown Brown
Wet Mountain IPA (J)
Identik (Belgian) (B)
Oatmeal Stout
Irish Red

Identik (cashier had NO idea how to spell it): Rather dark color for a Belgian ale. No head. Not much carbonation present. Very few bubbles present. No noticeable aroma. The beer is rather light and flat. The flavor only becomes apparent in the finish. Body is lacking. It wasn't so much brewed in the Belgian style as someone thought the word "Belgian" when making it. It is refreshing and drinkable, but its character is not that strong. It reminds me of a Corona with caramel malts and some Belgian yeast thrown in. I've certainly had worse beers, but I've most definitely had better also. 7.3

Wet Mountain IPA: No head to speak of. There is a nice hop aroma. Body is solid - not spectacular, but good. This beer needs something to balance the hop flavor. It leaves that astringent hop taste in your mouth. It needs more malt character to balance the hops. The beer did warm up decently. 7.7

(the pizza was pretty decent)

Archives: Davidson Brothers, 9/11/04

Davidson Brother Brewery
Glens Falls, NY
Sat. 9/11/04, 7pm

Dining al fresco on a pleasant evening enjoying live music.

House Brews:
Summer Wheat
Golden
Brown
Irish Red (B)
IPA (J)
Smoked Porter (J)
Oatmeal Stout
Scotch Ale (not avail)

Irish Red: Deep auburn color. Fast-fading head. Very malty aroma - no hops evident in first sniff. There are hops, slightly fewer than customary in an Irish Red, but they balance decently with the malts. Body is decidedly thin - Mr. Beer Style. This beer is refreshing, with a mostly good mouthfeel. There is no discernible aftertaste - with more hops, this could be a pleasant tingle. Bottom line - pretty decent but there is room for improvement. There are more hops apparent as the beer warms up - the rating was amended by .1 to note this (from 8.1 to 8.2). 8.2

Smoked Porter: Nice creamy head. Good chocolate/black color. Unfortunately, the taste doesn't match the appearance. Until the aftertaste, it tastes slightly like carbonated water. As it's going down the hatch, there's some malt taste. The body isn't that different from seltzer water either. Oh well. 7.4

IPA: Light copper color. Minimal head. Not as hoppy as the Hop Devil/Tupper's style of IPA, but there are definitely hops in this beer. The malts show up more than in many IPAs. The body is a little thin, but it's definitely better than the porter. Not a bad effort, although I've had better. 8.0

Archives: Albany Pump Station, 9/10/04

Albany Pump Station
Albany, NY
Fri. 9/10/04, 8pm
[open]

Very busy, industrial style brewpub. Resembles the one at Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas. The food looks and smells great as it passes by us.

House Brews:
Scottish Light
Quackenbush Blonde
Bavarian-Style Hefeweisen
Belgian-Style Strong Ale (B)
Extra Stout (sample)
Pump Station Pale Ale
Kiss-Ass Brown (J) (2000 & 2002 GABF Gold medal winner)

Belgian: Not opaque, but neither clear gold color. A slight but staying head. Fruity, yeasty aroma. I have to compare it to Victory's Golden Monkey as they have many similarities. This version is spicier and the alcohol more apparent (i.e., you can feel it coming instead of Monkey's stealth approach). Definite hefeweisen grandchild. The body is slightly thin for the Belgian style, and the spiciness can be cloying. The faults are not glaring, just observable, and it's still an enjoyable beer to drink. It just isn't as good as the Monkey. 8.6

Kiss-Ass Brown: Very little head. Nice dark brown color. I really like the body and mouthfeel of this beer. Unfortunately the taste is inconsistent. Some swallows I get a real zingy combination of malt and hops. Other times, there isn't that much to taste. If I make sure to swish it around in my mouth, it's quite a good beer. 8.4

Extra Stout: Deep brown/black opaque. No head at all, which is so unusual for a stout. A rich roasty malt aroma, which was verified in the flavor. The taste is very rich, but the body is thin, which it probably should be in order to drink it (because of the rich flavor). For what they wanted to make - they succeeded. 8.7

Archives: Trailhead Brewing, 7/3/04

Trailhead Brewing
St. Charles, MO
Sat. 7/3/04, 6:30pm
[open]

Ambiance: Martha Stewart light wood and ceiling fans, but the sound system is playing Nickelback. An Hawaiian outrigger canoe hangs over the bar.

House Brews:
Trailblazer Blond Ale
Trailhead Red Amber
Missouri Brown Dark Ale (J)
Riverboat Raspberry (B)
Old Courthouse Stout
Seasonal: Kolsch

Riverboat Raspberry: Very blonde and Belgian in appearance. What little head there may have been is gone by the time it arrives at the table. The aroma is yeasty and only very faintly fruity. The raspberry taste is VERY subtle, making it a beer, not a raspberry drink (phew!). Carbonation is a slight bit weak. The finish is predominately yeast. It's refreshing on a humid day, but satisfyingly yeasty like a good Belgian. The body is perhaps slightly weak, but comparing it to a "chewy" beer like Golden Monkey is unfair. I do not believe this is a tripel - more likely crafted only "in the style of". If I hadn't been told it was raspberry, I probably wouldn't have noticed it in the beer, it's that subtle. The lack of added flavors does not hurt this beer however; it stands fairly nicely on its own merits. 8.3

Missouri Brown Dark Ale: Dark brown color. Head is almost non-existent. The body and mouthfeel is excellent - the beer could be described as "chewy". The beer has an interesting mix of hops and malt. It could stand to have a bit more flavor when it's being swallowed. There's a hint of coffee flavor in the beer. (Becky says it's more than a hint!). Beer warms up well. 8.5 Becky's notes: The malts in this very porter-like beer blend exceptional well Nicely done!

Archives: Coast Brewing, 5/15/04

Coast Brewing Company
Beau Rivage Casino
Biloxi, MS
Sat. 5/15/04, 1:45pm
[closed]

House Brews:
Biloxi Light
Biloxi Blonde
Sunset Amber (B)
Beau Rivage Bock
Steal Head Stout
Millennium Ale Pale Ale (J)

Nightclub/restaurant with Art Deco touches. Massive tv showing horse races (the Preakness is today). A shame that we are in a casino yet cannot bet on it!

Sunset Amber: Medium golden color. I wouldn't say "amber" but not far off. The pale ale is almost exactly the same shade. The aroma doesn't give many clues. Malts dominate the taste. Hops seem to be an afterthought. The beer is clean and crisp, and it's thirst-quenching. The body is decent, not outstanding - but is the consistency of iced tea. That is actually what this beer reminds me of - iced tea with malts. It's really better than that sounds, but the beer doesn't have much character. It is by no means bad, but it's not a "wow" either. 7.8 (this beer won silver at GABF in 2000, and bronze in 2001 in Vienna lager category).

Millennium Pale Ale: No head. Medium to light amber color. Pleasant aroma. The body is just a tiny bit thin, but overall it's good. There is a good balance between malt and hops . The finish is not as good as the initial swallow. A good, not a great beer. 8.3

Archives: Bluegrass Brewing, 5/23/03

Bluegrass Brewing Company
Louisville, KY
Fri. 5/23/03, 2:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Bluegrass Gold
Altbier
Nut Brown Ale
American Pale Ale
Dark Star Porter (B)
Luna de Miel (B)
Hell for Certain (J)
Hells Boch
Hoppy Hefeweisen
American Amber

Ambiance of a beachside bar in the area of East Louisville just where manicured suburbs give way to more crowded sidewalks.

Luna de Miel: Served in small wine glass. ABV approximately 9.0 per waitress. Deep ruby red color. Very sweet fruity aroma. Delicious flavor - not overly sweet although the honey is noticeable. Not champagne-like effervesence. Almost more of a wine than a beer. Strictly, I'd say it's a meade. There is next to no aftertaste; it disappears almost as quickly as it is swallowed. While not a bad fault, a less subtle memory is desirable. It does bring on a warm glow, not surprising for its potency. Body slightly thin for beer - probably appropriate for meade. 8.8

Hell for Certain: An almost opaque beer - foggy amber color. Nice potent smell. It has a very complex, enjoyable taste. A little weak in body. If this beer had more body, it would have a 9 somthing score. It leaves a very enjoyable warm feeling in your throat. 8.8

Dark Star Porter: Named after 1953 Kentucky Derby winner. Deep dark brown with thick creamy head - looks possibly nitrous tapped. No noticeable aroma through the foam. No real noticeable aroma even after the foam as dissipated. Thin body hurts this beer. The flavor is thin too. What flavor there is isn't bad, but it takes some effort to locate it. Taste is decently balanced between hops and chocolate, but it is so muted it is strangled. 7.3

Archives: Triple 7 Brewry, 5/24/02

Triple 7 Brewery
Main Street Station Casino
Las Vegas, NV
Fri. 5/24/02, 8:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Royal Red Lager
Black Chip Porter (J)
Marker Pale Ale
High Roller Red (Cathy)
Brewmasters Special - Hefewiesen (B)

Crowded and noisy place! Lakers-Kings game on the many tvs. Trip to Las Vegas was to celebrate Cathy's long-awaited college graduation. She had a beer, but did not participate in evaluating and ranking hers.

Hefeweisen: Served with a lemon slice. Cloudy wheat color - no head. Removed the lemon as it overpowered the aroma. Pleasant flavor (once lemon slice is gone). The beer is lightly lemony and lightly wheat. A nice warmth is left in the back of the throat. A shame there is no real body to this beer. The mouthfeel is basically empty of any characteristic other than flavor. This is a pleasant and refreshing beer, but weakly executed in its production. 7.8

Black Chip Porter: Decent head that disappeared slowly. There is a nice malt taste, but the beer needs another flavor to make it interesting. The body is also almost missing. The menu claims there is chocolate and toffee undertones, but if they are there, they are weak. It's too bad - the underlying beer is quite good it just needs a little work. The beer warms up decently. It adds a little body as time goes on. 8.0

Archives: The Birchmere 8/12/01

The Birchmere
Alexandria, VA
Sun. 8/12/01, 6pm
[status unknown for brewing onsite]

House Brews:
Virginia Native Light Lager
Virginia Native Dark Lager (B)
Virginia Native Red Ale (J)

The "brewpub" is a bar, dance hall and dinner theatre in one. We are here to listen to Hawaiian slack key!

Dark Lager: Thin looking beer. Decent head. There are both hops and malt present but the beer has low aspirations. It says "I am not Budweiser" and it succeeds at that (lowly) goal. But unfortunately it rises little farther due to apparent lack of imagination. Not horribly made, but I can do (at least) this well. 7.8

Red Ale: The head lasted about 2.7 milliseconds. There is some taste there, but not much. Body is moderately thin. The hops are there, although not as much as I would like. The malt taste is lacking. Not the worst beer I've had, but overall it's pretty generic. 7.6

Archives: Long Trail Brewing, 8/5/01

Long Trail Brewing
Bridgewater Corners, VT
Sun. 8/5/01, 1pm
[open]

House Brews:
Blackberry Wheat
Hit the Trail Ale (B)
Pollenator
Long Trail Ale
Double Bag Ale (Sample)
India Pale Ale (J)

Double Bag Ale: Smells full and yeasty. Very much Scotch-like. Firm body and full flavor. Hops are nicely done, with a presence that is noticeable but not forceful. A tad more malt would increase the flavor diversity nicely. A definite cold-weather beer. 8.4

Hit the Trail: Creamy head atop a crystal clear red brew. Described as being a "session" beer. Very mild flavor. Body only slightly thin. Quite a bit hoppier than the American version of a brown ale (more like a red ale in my estimation) but much less hoppy than the British style. Interesting in that many beers start malt and finish hops. This one starts hops, goes to malt as you swallow, then the hops reappear somewhat muted after that. Nicely made but not outstanding or particularly intriguing - no surprises. 8.2

India Pale Ale: A strong creamy head that almost, but not quite, disappeared. Good body. Much of the taste doesn't appear until you finish the swallow. A solid representative of the IPA style - hoppy although not abusively so. On the other hand, there's nothing that stands out about this beer. 8.2

Archives: Dogfish Head Brewpub, 4/21/01

Dogfish Head Brewpub
Rehoboth Beach, DE
Sat. 4/21/01, 1:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Shelter Pale Ale
60 Minute IPA
Indian Brown Ale
Raison D'Etre
Chicory Stout
Black & Tan
Baltic de Belgian (J)
Immort Ale
Buxom Blonde (B)

Buxom Blonde: What is the ABV here? I got served an ity bitty brandy snifter. Mahogany colored, no real head remaining. Not much of a noticeable aroma. A woodsy citrus taste is found. Body is just right! Nice balance of sweet malt with a definite hop tingle going down. This is a well-made and complex beer, and wraps itself nicely around the tongue before coating the throat and warming the innards. This is very potent, obviously. A bit hoppier than the traditional Belgians, but nicely done! Complex, intriguing and enticing. (ABV of Buxom Blonde is 14.0. Thank goodness they serve it small as I am FRIED as it is!) 8.9

Baltic de Belgian: Not much of a head. Becky says the aroma is smoky and coffee or chocolate - perhaps mocha. Dark color. This has a nice complex taste. The hops and malt are very well balanced. There is a LOT going on in this beer, and good. There is interesting taste throughout the swallow. As with Becky's beer, this beer coats the throat and is warming. In every swallow, I discover something new in the taste. I could enjoy getting smashed on this beer, but it would be a waste to just chug this excellent beer. 8.9

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Archives: Hops Restaurant & Brewery, 2/15/01

Hops Restaurant & Brewery
Alexandria, VA
Thurs. 2/15/01 12:30pm
[open]

Very busy. Trying not to let our mood ruin the experience. We were supposed to be en route to Hawaii and instead we are having lunch in Virginia. [Flight attendant injury before takeoff - flight delayed so much we would have missed our connection. We got there the following day.]

House Brews:
Clearwater Light
Lightning Bold Gold
Thoroughbred Red (B)
Alligator Ale (J)
Golden Thoroughbred (Gold & Red)
Nectar (Alligator & Red)

Red: Medium reddish color. Next to no head. "Canned" malt aroma. Body thin like water. No hops in finish at all. Noticeably absent in numerous ways - body, mouthfeel, character. This is cold, flat, malt-flavored water. Pretty similar to my first brewing experiment - drinkable but unremarkable. 7.3

Alligator Ale: After about 30 seconds, it looks like very flat Coke. Not a bad malt taste. Body is decent, although a little thin. Too bad they forgot the hops and the carbonation. A "microbrewery" for people who would drink ordinary beer - sheesh. 7.4

Archives: Victory Brewing, 11/11/00

Victory Brewing
Downington, PA
Sat. 11/11/00, 2:15pm
[open]

House Brews:
Brandywine Valley Lager
Victory Festbier
Hopdevil IPA
Prima Pils
Workhorse Porter (J)
Golden Monkey Tripel (B)
Moonglow Weizenbock
Storm King Imperial Stout
Rhinelander Pils

Interesting menu & beer list. Old Horizontal Barleywine (ABV 11.0) coming later this month. Ambiance redolent of Old Dominion.

Golden Monkey Tripel (short): With an ABV of 9.5, I was leery of ordering too much of this so went with a "short" pint.

A light caramel-colored drink with a quickly dissipating foamy head. It looks thick and yeasty. And smells the same. Very lightly hopped - barely noticeable. The malts and sugars have created layers of flavor that trickle down the throat like a parfait. This is a very complex beer, and very tasty. The yeasty mouthfeel gets fuller as the beer's temperature increases. This is a very good example of a Belgian - it's fruity, yeasty, tangy, sweet and deadly! About five or six sips in and I have a buzz! The body is right for the style too. When the flavor is this chewy, you don't need the beer to be too. This beer kicks butt! 9.0

Workhorse Porter: Fairly small head. Very dark reddish color. Nice aroma. A nice body. Becky says a little thin. A very smooth malty taste. It finishes with a chocolate flavor. A drinkable beer. It could use a little bit more hop taste that would serve to balance the malts. The basics are good, but it could use a little more oomph. 8.5

Monday, August 9, 2010

Archives: Richbrau Brewing, 7/29/00

Richbrau Brewing Company
Richmond, VA
Sat. 7/29/00, 2:30pm
[closed]

House Brews:
Golden Griffen Ale
Old Nick Pale Ale
Big Nasty Porter (sample)
Honey Wheat (B)
Hefeweisen (J)

Honey Wheat: Pale gold with a large white foamy head. Unfiltered. A sweet yeasty aroma - not a lot of honey evident. A bit more bitter than I expected - the honey is more apparent in the beer's ability to coat and stick to the tongue than in its sweetening properties. The body is decent, and the malt/hop balance is well-executed. Really the only thing missing is a bit of expected honey sweetness. A pretty good all-around beer but the honey should have more of a voice. 8.2

Hefeweisen: No head. Becky says it smells very sour. Unfiltered, with good body. Not much of a taste on some swallows - other swallows have a decent, if somewhat sour, taste. Nothing special. 7.7

Big Nasty Porter: John's notes: Smells chocolately. Not as good a body as the other beers. You start to swallow and the flavor hits you like a freight train. It's a very concentrated malt flavor - not a classic porter, but interesting. Becky's notes: It blew up in my mouth! The effect is quite similar to a champagne or other sparkling beverage. Not what is expected of a porter. Not very hoppy, but very very malty! 8.1

Archives: Barley & Hops, 5/19/00

Barley and Hops Grill and Microbrewery
Frederick, MD
Fri. 5/19/00, 7:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Catoctin Clear
Shenendoah Gold
High Rock Honey Wheat
Tuscarora Red (B)
Schifferstadt Stout
Annapolis Rocks Pale Ale (J)

Tuscarora Red: Deep garnet color with thick beige foam. A sweet citrus-y aroma - not unexpected. Nicely balanced flavor with hops only slightly dominating the malt. As advertised, it is less hoppy and more malty than your average red. Hops do dominate the finish with the slight citrus note. Head has some staying power. A "buff" body too, just about right for the style of beer (head still strong more than halfway through this beer!) 8.5

Annapolis Rocks Pale Ale: Medium red color - slightly lighter than the red. A good looking but slight head that mostly disappears. Excellent body with good mouthfeel. Unfortunately, the taste is out of balance. Initial taste is not bad, strong hop aftertaste. Where did the malt go? Not bad taste. 8.2

Archives: Brewer's Art 9/13/98

(out of sequence)

Brewer's Art
Baltimore, MD
Sun. 9/13/98, 6pm
[open]

House Brews:
House Pale Ale
"Ozzy" (J)
"Resurrection" (B)
Wit (B)
Charm City Cherry Ale

Not your average brewpub!

Resurrection: Medium brown color (dark in room so hard to tell). Can smell full yeast-y-ness across the table. Full flavor and full body. A crisp finish with fruitiness present. Not too sweet. A very balanced beer. Quite good. Taste comes into mouth as opening to sip. Finish lingers pleasantly on the tongue and tonsils. 8.8

Ozzy: A very light color with a minimal head. The aroma promises taste, and for the most part the beer delivers. A yeasty, refreshing taste which has a nice complex taste. Becky is saying that I'm sucking this baby down fast. The body is a wee bit thin, and the initial taste could use a bit more oomph, but this is a very tasty beer. 8.6

Wit: Quite pale in color. Aroma faint. Quite subtle in taste - tough to find it after the Resurrection and the dinner consumed. Body somewhat thin. Yeasty taste fills the mouth. Extremely subtle finish - an "echo" gives a bit more definition in the after swallow. A good beer - not anywhere near as good as the Resurrection or the Ozzy. 8.3

Archives Bare Bones, 5/2/99

Bare Bones Grill & Brewery
Ellicott City, MD
Sun. 5/2/99, 1:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Patapsco Valley Gold
Tiber River Red (J)
Savage Mill Porter (B)
Old Ellicott Ale
McClune's Irish Stout
Mt. Hood Maibock (sample)

Savage Mill Porter: Deep brown with quickly dissipating head. Somewhat foamy/malty aroma. Body very slightly thin but this is quite flavorful! Well combined malts and hops. Could use a touch more chocolate or coffee flavor, but is entirely acceptable. Clean finish. If body was slightly fuller, it would be exceptional. A classic example of basic porter flavor but the body and mouthfeel disappear quickly. Carbonation somewhat lacking. 8.4

Tiber River Red: No head. Coppery red color. A complex taste dominated by the hops, but there is also a malt presence. Good body. There is good consistency throughout the swallow. It has a little bit of a hop aftertaste. An interesting beer. It could use a bit more malt flavor. 8.4

Maibock: Pale coppery color. No discernible aroma. Clean! Crisp! Body not as thin as porter, but not as well-rounded as the Red. Very flavorful. Hops assertively in flavor without overwhelming or feeling like I'm chewing a plant. Well done. 8.5

Archves: Big Wave Brewing, 3/3/99

Big Wave Brewing
Kapa`a, Kaua`i, HI
Wednesday, 3/3/99, 12:45pm
[closed]

House Brews:
Luau Light
Woody Weitzen (not avail)
Mo' Betta Bitta
Na Pali IPA (B)
Pohaku Porter (not avail)
Dangerous Dean's Nutty Brown Ale (B)

2nd floor open air over main street of Kapa`a.

Brown Ale: Deep brown color with thick foamy head. Aroma is mildly grainy smelling - not hoppy - more like the barley or something else. Body slightly thin but not badly so. A tad vinegary on some tastes - some inconsistency. Hops and malts fairly well blended, but final taste to hit the back of the throat is the vinegar (nowhere near like Ellicott City though). Even with this flaw, I would order it again. It warms up a bit better. 8.0

Na Pali IPA: Classic orange IPA-like color. A thin head which disappears quickly. The aroma is - surprise - hops! No complaints about the body, it's nice and firm. There is some malt taste, but the hops do overwhelm in the finish. My tongue tingles for awhile after I'm finished swallowing. It's a good representative of the IPA style - a little hoppy for me. 8.5

Archives: Waimea Brewing 3/2/99

Waimea Brewing Company
Waimea, Kauai, HI
Tuesday 3/2/99, 12:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Wai`ale`ale Light (B)
Captain Cook's IPA (J)

Dining mauka side in palm grove. View of former sea cliffs.

Wai`ale`ale Light: Pale golden. No remaining head by the time served. Aroma leans towards malty but is faint. Is a very light beer, but not flavorless. Is somewhat thirst quenching. Too bland - no finish - for my tastes, but it succeeds in what they were trying for. 7.8

Captain Cook's IPA: A slight head which disappeared slightly after serving. A nice copper color. Body is a bit thin, but not horrible. Not very hoppy for an IPA. It actually has a decent balance so you can taste some malt. There is taste both in the initial swallow and in the finish. Pleasant. 8.5

Archives: Tun Tavern 5/23/98

(out of sequence)

Tun Tavern
Atlantic City, NJ
Sat. 5/23/98, 1:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Tun Lite
Porter
Brown Ale
Scotch Ale (B)
IPA (J)
Stout
Golden Ale
Hefeweisen

Art Deco style brewpub located right next to AC's new [at the time] convention center.

Scotch Ale: Dark amber with a light creamy head. A pleasant malty aroma but not overpowering. A nice hoppy finish, not a sledgehammer. Body very slightly thin but it isn't a huge flaw. A good consisten beer - and a very good version of a "light" Scotch Ale. 8.3

IPA: Aroma is hoppy and slightly citrusy. This is a classic IPA - very hoppy. It is a nicely balanced beer in that it has consistent taste from start to finish. The IPA isn't my favorite style [2010 note: this has changed] but it's a good solid representative of the style. The head has some staying power, and it has good body. 8.2

Archives: Brew Moon 2/25/99

Brew Moon
Honolulu, HI
Thurs. 2/25/99, 12:15pm HST
[closed]

House Brews:
Diamond Head Cream Ale
Mayberry Wheat RFD
Munich Gold
Great Pacific Pale Ale
Hawaii "5" Ale
Schwarzmondster
Mocha Java Porter

Got a sampler of all 7. Brewpub is set up in upscale shopping center between city of Honolulu and Waikiki - specifically in Kaka`ako. There is no real view from the restaurant. Art deco interior, vaguely like Tun Tavern in Atlantic City.

Diamond Head Cream Ale: Golden color. Sweet aroma. Tastes like Molson, which isn't to say it isn't completely tasteless but there is definitely room for improvement. The taste does linger on the palate long after swallowing. We understand the need for this style of beer - and for the style it is reasonably well executed. It's just not our cup of beer. 7.8

Mayberry Wheat: Refreshing fruity aroma. Unfiltered. Served with lemon slice a la hefeweisen. The taste is full but sour. Seems like the berries were overripe and bitter. John's notes: I just don't like the flavoring in this - the wheat beer underneath seems ok. 7.4

Munich Gold: Becky's notes: 1996 Gold Medal winner at GABF. Medium gold color. Good carbonation and decent body. Very little aroma. Beer does not leave much of an impression. John's notes: To me, it has a pretty good finish. Well... it varies from swallow to swallow. 7.8

Hawaii 5 Ale: Becky's notes: Deeper coppery golden color. Crisp malty hoppy aroma. Floral hoppiness fills mouth then malts appear with the swallow - backwards from most beers but good! John doesn't see this but does point out that the malts are muted compared to the hops. 8.0 John's notes: I didn't notice much of a malt taste. The hops appear strongly in the finish. There is a bit of a sour taste in the finish with is vaguely unpleasant. 7.6

Great Pacific Pale Ale: Becky's notes: Well it's a fairly dark "pale" ale! Somewhat russet colored. Malts and hops do a good blending job in both aroma, taste and swallow (finish). John's notes: This beer has nice balance and consistency. 8.3

Mocha Java Porter: Becky's notes: Very dark beer - almost as black as the name implies. Tastes a lot like a dry porter. At this point we thought the beers might have been switched so we sampled the Mocha Java Porter and we cannot tell it apart from the Schwarzmondster. We are ranking the first one as the porter. Aroma - coffee type malts prevail. Quite tasty, not too bitter, just a hint of hoppiness. John's notes: Coffee malts are a little bit on the shy side, but it's a well-balanced, tasty beer. 8.5

Schwarzmondster: (we think): Extremely hard to tell from the porter. Is drier and hoppier. Much more coffee aroma than flavor, but less coffee taste. 8.4

Archives: Sweetwater Centreville 2/21/99

Sweetwater Tavern
Centreville, VA
Sun 2/21/99, 7pm

House Brews:
Sweetwater Light
Sweetwater Pale Ale
Painted Lady Lager (B)
Sidewinder Holiday Bock
Hair of the Dog Lager (J)

Painted Lady: Thick head, quickly dissipating. Deep garnet color. Sudsy aroma. Body a bit on the think side. Swallow is 3 if not 4-fold - tastes inconsistent but intriguing. First swallow: sweet and malty, immediately followed by a bitter metallic taste. After a bit the sweet and malt return. Except for immediately after swallowing, the taste is pleasant. A hop finish lingers on the back of the palate. Not perfect but better than I expected. 8.2

Hair of the Dog Lager: Light, slightly copper color. Somewhat weak in body. On initial swallow, the only taste is a bit of a tingle. In the finish, there is a strong hop flavor - not unpleasant but it needs something to balance the hops. Malt, anyone? 7.6

Archives: Ellicott Mills Brewing, 2/6/99

Ellicott Mills Brewing Company
Ellicott Mills, MD
Sat. 2/6/99, 6:15pm

House Brews:
Alpenhof Pils
Alpenhof Dunkels (J)
Alpenhof Helle
Alpenhof Maerzen (B)
Alpenhof Bock (not available)

Maerzen: Cloudy, coppery color. Very strong vinegar aroma. This would taste good on french fries. To its credit, the body is good and the feel is light and crisp. 7.5

Dunkels: Not much of a head. Subtle, malty aroma. A nice initial swallow but kind of flat going down. Has a fairly nice tingle to it. Body is pretty good and the mouthfeel is respectable. 7.9

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Archives: Seven Barrel Brewing, 8/21/98

Seven Barrel Brewing
West Lebanon, NH
Fri. 8/21/98, 2pm

[open]

House Brews:
Ice Rock Canadian Light
New Dublin Brown Ale (Sample)
Champion Reserve IPA
Red 7 Ale
RIP Stout (J)
Cask Ale
Seasonals:
Half Wit
Hannover Beer
Spuyten Duyvil (B)

Spuyten: Garnet colored with a rich head. Fruity-musty aroma. What they describe as a "kick" of sour mash actually dominates the taste. A somewhat thin body. The beer could stand to be colder. An interesting inter-mix of flavors, but the sour takes over. No noticeable finish. Not a bad beer - it is what they say it is - but not as "Belgian" as I had hoped. 8.2

RIP Stout: Barely any head. A strong, honey taste with definite chocolate overtones. Not as opaque as some stouts. I'm enjoying this. The body is a bit thinner. The taste is relatively consistent. 8.5

New Dublin Brown Ale: Quite dark brown. Head fades quickly. Very faint aroma - all that comes through is a tinge of sweet. Complex mouthful of flavors. Is hoppier than the average brown ale but the hops don't kill the malty sweetness. The distinct flavors are well-balanced. Helped by the sweetness being somewhat extreme - tempered by hops. A slow to die finish encompasses the entire flavor not just the hops. Well made! 8.5

Achives: Market Street Brewing 6/29/98

Market Street Brewing
Corning, NY
Mon. 6/29/98, 12:45pm
[open]

House Brews:
Nut Brown Ale (B) 4.4%
Red Ale 4.6%
Old English Ale (out) 6.5%
Lager 4.6%
Pale Ale 5.0%
Blackberry Lager 4.6%
Anniversary/Oktoberfest (J) 7.1%

Nut Brown: More like nut black. Thin head, quickly gone. A faintly hoppy aroma. Good body. Very well blended flavor. Malts predominately chocolate. Hops gently tickle the throat on the way down. The malt flavor remains pleasantly in the mouth after swallowing. Has many attractive porter characteristics. For the lightest-weight beer offered, it is high in character. 8.7

Anniversary Ale: A medium to light colored beer with a slightly hoppy aroma. Not much of a head. This has an interesting and complex taste. It starts off with the malt predominating, then you get a fruity taste that appears along with the hops. It leaves a nice tickle going down. Although the beer is 7.1% ABV and fairly hoppy (IBU 25), it does not taste overpowering. It is a well-balanced, tasty and interesting beer. Well done! 8.6

Red Ale (sample): No head. Reddish brown color (contains chocolate malt). Faintly malty aroma. Also faintly fruity. Body slightly lighter than other beers tried. Light flavor but complex. Also well blended. Thirst quenching. 8.2

Archives: Breckenridge Brewery, 6/27/98

Breckenridge Brewery
Buffalo, NY
Sat. 6/27/98, 4:30pm
[probably closed - could not find information]

House Brews:
IPA (J)
Mountain Wheat
Avalanche Ale (B)
Oatmeal Stout
Old World Pilsner
Cask-conditioned IPA (sample)

Eating outdoors on Buffalo's Main Street - which only police cars and trolley cars can drive on.

Avalanche Ale: Medium amber color. Head quickly dissipating. Aroma is thin - as in muted - but well balanced. Both malt and hops evident throughout although malt predominates. Good body. Flavor in mouth not noticeable, a slight finish which shows up in strength in the post-swallow swallow. The echo is stronger than the original. An intriguing effect but it shouldn't be that way. A stronger initial taste and finish would do this beer well. The flavors that do show up in the swallow or the echo are nicely balanced. The beer warms up nicely - more malts predominating. 7.9

IPA: Lighter and thinner than the average IPA. A pleasant hoppy aroma. In the first tastes, the "echo" effect Becky describes was quite noticeable. As the beer warmed up, the effect was reduced - or is it the fact that my mouth is tingling from the hops! A regular IPA drinker would like this beer - it has a definite strong hoppy taste. The beer does improve as it warms up - but it's still out of balance re: the swallow. Not a bad representative of the style but they need to work on getting the taste into the full swallow instead of the after-swallow. 7.8

Cask-conditioned IPA: Unfiltered. Musky vinegar aroma. The echo is noticeable but not as strong. Or could it be the peppercorn from dinner stuck in my tooth? Too much of a sour taste in my mouth for a truly enjoyable experience. 7.6

Archives: Niagara Falls Brewing, 6/27/98

Niagara Falls Brewing Company
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Sat. 6/27/98, 1:15pm
[bought by Moosehead and moved to Brampton]

House Brews:
Saaz Pilsner
Weisse Bier
Premium Beer
Best Bitter
Gritstone Ale
Old Jack Strong Ale

Premium: Becky's notes: Lightest. Highly carbonated. Well-hopped for the lightest beer. Good body and balance. Crisp. John's notes: Tasty - more than your average lager. 8.1

Weisse Bier: John's notes: Medium, slightly cloudy. Moderate head. Ok wheat taste. Becky's notes: Sour mash taste. Leaves a dry taste in mouth. 7.8

Gritstone: Becky's notes: Deep amber. No real aroma. Hoppier but not "abusively" at all. Actually tastes milder to me than the first beer. Full-bodied flavor. Well-rounded. No one particular outstanding characteristic. John's notes: Could use some more malt taste, but not bad. 8.2

Olde Jack: Becky's notes: Slightly fruity aroma. The sour mash is evident. Not too tart though. Consistent swallow. Apple-like sweetness in finish. 8.2

Best Bitter: John's notes: Slightly hoppy aroma. A nice hoppy taste - needs more of a malt taste for balance. Most of the taste appears in the finish - in initial swallow is rather weak. 7.8

Archives: C'est What, 6/26/98

C'est What
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday 6/26/98
12:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Coffee Porter (B)
Mild Brown Ale (almost near beer at 3.3% ABV)
Al's Cask Ale (sample)
El Nino Ale (J)

Porter: Nitrous tap. Thick head - not surprisingly. Aroma - somewhat briny. Not obvious whether hops or malts dominate or even blend. Flavor leans more towards the thick bitter stout than a "coffee porter". It is unexpected but not unpleasant. Flavor is well balanced but muted. This is an odd porter but a pretty good stout! 8.0

El Nino Ale: This has a moderate head. Pleasant hoppy aroma. Good body for a pale ale. Hops predominate in the taste. It could use more malt for taste. This is a complicated beer - the body is good and there is an interesting varierty of tastes. With better balance, this would be an excellent beer. 8.2

Cask Ale: Somewhat cloudy look. Quickly dissipating head. Aroma has qualities similar to many good Scotch Ales - a sour "mash" type aroma with some maltiness. The beer is served warm/room temperature. An enjoyable mouthfeel as the beer seems to expand in the mouth until the flavor is experienced throughout. Then is slowly dissipates as the swallow moves down the throat. This is not the best Scotch Ale I have had but it is quite.... well.... entertaining. Body somewhat thin. 8.2

Archives: Bullfrog Brewing, 6/25/98

Bullfrog Brewing
Williamsport, PA
Thurs, 6/25/98, 1pm
[open]

House Brews:
Billtown Brown
Red Raspberry Wheat Ale (J)
Red Ale (J: sample)
IPA
Susquehanna Stout
Belgian Wit (B)

Belgian: Cloudy golden color. Whipped cream head. Good aroma - well balanced and promising nose. Is a well balanced swallow too. All spices are evident and there is a distinctive tart/sour finish which refreshes on a 90+ degree day. Body is adequate - not outstanding - slightly thin. A good but not superb Belgian. 8.1

Red Raspberry Ale: A creamy head with no staying power. The aroma is fairly pleasant and fruity. There is not much of an initial taste - the finish tastes like sour raspberries - unpleasant. Body is somewhat on the thin side - but not bad for this style. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 7.1

Red Ale: A reddish brown color. Aroma is fairly weak. Malty taste. A nice balance of malt and hops. The hops are strong, but not obnoxious. Not much of a head. Body is just a bit thin. This is much better than the wheat. I'd drink this again. 8.3

P.S. I put the raspberry aside after having about 1/4 of it and had the red ale instead.

Archives: DuClaw Brewing, 6/14/98

DuClaw Brewing
Bel Air, MD
Sun. 6/14/98, 2pm
[open]

House Brews:
Misfit Red Ale (J) (tapped 5/12, 5.0% ABV)
BareAss Blonde Ale (tapped 5/9, 4.8% ABV)
Geronimo Nut Brown (B) (tapped 4/1, 5.0% ABV)
Bad Moon Porter (sample) (tapped 3/18, 5.8% ABV)
Big Male Pale Ale (tapped 3/16, 5.2% ABV)
Ravenwood Ave (tapped 5/13, 5.7% ABV)

We had to get on the cell phone to find the place!

Geronimo Nut Brown: More red than brown. Good carbonation obvious. Hops evident in aroma. A thin but flavorful taste. Not too complex. A musky, vinegary taste, but it doesn't overwhelm. Hops a subtle finish. Malt more prevalent. Body somewhat weak. 7.8

Misfit Red Ale: Fairly light red color. It tastes stronger than it looks. The hops are rather assertive in the finish. Overall balance is good. There is something slightly "off" in the taste - perhaps the beer is not being kept at the right temperature. Not a bad beer but it needs some fine tuning. 7.8

Bad Moon Porter: Becky's notes: Deep brown/black in color. Rich & creamy head. Totally opaque. Wonderful rich roasty aroma. Very mocha-like in smell. Hops maybe a wee bit strong in finish but it is a pleasant end to a rich mouthful. A good balance of coffee/chocolate malts. Well made. John's notes: An excellent porter taste with good balance. I agree!! 8.5

Archives: Lancaster Malt Brewing 5/25/98

Lancaster Malt Brewing Company
Lancaster, PA
Mon. 5/25/9 3:45pm
[open]

House Brews:
Red Rose Ale
Milk Stout (J)
Plum Street Porter (B)
Amish 4 Grain Ale
Golden Lager
Strawberry Wheat

Inside scary looking factory building in Lancaster. Inside of the pub is nicely done up. Beer, sold in small (14 oz), medium (20 oz) or large (we didn't ask).

Plum Street Porter: Deep garnet brown. Thick creamy head. Interestingly complex aroma. Also showing in flavor - a well-balanced combo of hops and malts. Very good body and carbonation. Minor problem is consistency. Some swallows are more malty - some more hoppy. Is not a distracting problem. This is a very good beer. It could improve if malty/roasty flavor were more specifically chocolate or coffee-like. 8.4

Milk Stout: Not much of an aroma (for me). A nitrous head that dissipates quickly once you start drinking. A complex taste - roasty, malty, a bit of creaminess to it. The taste really tends to shine in the finish - a little weak at the beginning. Interestingggggg. The taste isn't always consistent each swallow. 8.2

Archives: Selinsgrove Brewing 6/6/98

Selinsgrove Brewing Company
Selinsgrove, PA
Sat. 6/6/98 4:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Single
Wilder's Weizenbier
Peach Wheat
Scottish Style Ale (B)
Priestly Pale Ale
Pennscreek Kriek Beer (not avail.)
Old Trail ESB
Triple (not avail.)
White Horse Porter (J)
Shade Mt. Oatmeal Stout
English Strong Ale - cask conditioned (not avail.)

Stumbled into the middle of a class reunion.

Scottish Ale: Murky light brown color. Little head (server did spill some). Thich wheaty/yeasty aroma. Malt comes into mouth when opening to sip. Very well balanced malt tones - more than one is apparent. Could stand a bit more hops - very little in the way of finish. Body somewhat thin - no warming glow as is usual in Scotch Ale types. Is not a complex beer, but is tasty. 8.3

Porter: Reddish brown color. Body is somewhat thin. A complex malty taste but the hops are out there. Somewhat lighter than normal for a porter. The balance is pretty good but not perfect. The taste sometimes comes in at a different part of the swallow. Not perfect, but quite tasty. 8.4

Archives: GABF on the Road 5/16/98

Great American Beer Festival on the Road
Baltimore, MD
Sat. 5/16/98, noon-4:30pm

Once upon a time, GABF went on the road. I really mean ONCE upon a time. I don't know why it didn't continue - the one festival was a huge success as far as I could see. Since we've never made it to Denver for the real deal, this is as close as we've come, and it was awesome!

Becky's Beers: (I recommend you not count them)

Catamount Porter: Catamount Brewing, Windsor, VT

Seeing as how I am a Vermonter, I had to start here! Lighter brown color than most porters. Light body but good flavor. Nice hoppy finish that doesn't overpower the malt. 8.4

Brooklyn Brown Ale: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Nutty color. Faint watery aroma. Slightly ammonia too. Ammonia is in the flavor as well - not a well balanced taste. Too little malt. The hops taste over-cooked (?) - a rather unpleasant chemical taste. 7.7

Ozzy: Brewer's Art, Baltimore, MD

Belgian style golden. Clear gold color. Faint aroma. Nice clean taste of yeasty/spicy. Perhaps a little too highly clove spiced to be excellent, but it is very good! 8.5

William Jones Wheat: El Toro Brewing, Morgan Hill, CA

Pale gold-filtered wheat - somewhat unusual for the style. Wheat showing in aroma. Very light in flavor. Refreshing. Good body. Good, but not outstanding. 8.0

Bare Ass Blonde: DuClaw Brewing, Bel Air, MD
Slightly cloudy looking. Yeasty aroma. Rather similar to previous beer. 8.0

Blonde Bombshell: McNeill's Brewing, Brattleboro, VT
Not surprisingly, hoppier than other samples of similar beers. More flavor, more finish. A subtle but important distinction. 8.2

Dram Tree Scottish Ale: Front Street Brewery, Wilmington, NC
Light coppery color. Smells -- potent!! Smooth but too light in body. Decent flavor. Could use a little magnification - all the punch is in the aroma. 7.8

Low Down Brown Ale: Cottonwood Brewing, Boone, NC
Opaque dark brown. Interestingly complex aroma. Strong hop nose but malt also evident. Finish is strongly hoppy. A well-made beer. Body slightly thin. 8.4

Smoked Porter: Alaskan Brewing Comany, Juneau, AK
Deep brown color. Very light head. Smoky-hoppy aroma. Very smoky flavor - but tasty. Middle of swallow sort of lacking. Starts with smoke, finishes with hops. Otherwise quite yummy. Good fluid body. 8.5

Bundaberg Ginger Beer: Bardo Rodeo, Arlington, VA
Effervescent. Ginger evident in aroma. This beer would be good for an upset tummy. Hops and ginger not a match made in heaven. Body rather light. It should be a lighter beer - but not this light. 7.8

Immort Ale: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Lewes, DE
Golden red. Cloudy. Not much aroma. Beer's recipe includes maple syrup. A strong, sweet ale. Just shy of being cloyingly sweet. Not much hops. Enjoyable. 8.1 [2010 notes: in the winter of 2010, this was one of my favorite beers!]

European Zebra Raspberry: European Zebra Beers, Indian Springs, OH
Not overpowering but not subtle raspberry aroma. Clear golden color with thick head. Flavor is subtle with a gentle wheaty taste. Body slightly thin. Wheat-like qualities very prevalent. 8.2

Arapahoe Amber: Great Divide Brewing, Denver, CO
Dark gold color. Effervescent. I think the previous beer - raspberry - polluted this sample; but it seems tasty. Trying to filter the raspberry out of the taste, but its too predominant. Very faint hops. 7.8

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter: Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH
Hoppy aroma. Almost black color. Good combination of hops and malt. Well balanced. Good body. A noticeable hoppy finish that doesn't leave you puckered. 8.4

Raspberry Wheat: J.J. Bitting Brewing, Woodbridge, NJ
Watery aroma. Bitter. Too little raspberry flavor. Too much hops for a wheat. 7.2

Summer Wheat: Henry Ortlieb Brewing, Philadelphia, PA
Thick head. Pale yellow. Unfiltered. Bubble taste. Slightly bitter but clean and crisp enough to be refreshing. 7.8

Chocolate Porter: Old Hickory Brewing, Hickory, NC
Deep brown color. Light head. Faint aroma. Chocolate is present but is overwhelmed by hops. 7.6

Stovepipe Porter: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, VT
Smoky aroma. Gentle hoppy finish. Good body. Enjoyable. 8.2

Framboise: New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI
Tart raspberry aroma. Red! color. Very effervescent. Tart - more like soda or cider or wine. Exceptionally drinkable! 8.7

Belgian Red: New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI
Similar to Framboise but flavor is black cherry. Wow! Very tasty. 8.5

Razz Wheat: Oaken Barrel Brewing, Greenwood, IN
Subtle aroma. No head. Guava colored. Would consider this pretty good but it pales next to New Glarus' example. 8.0

Tasha's Red Tail Ale: Stark Mill Brewing, Manchester, NH
Flat aroma. Astringent feeling in mouth. Flavor subtle, but ammonia-y. Body weak. 7.8

Weiss: Tabernash Brewing, Denver, CO
Pale gold & bubbly. Strong hefeweisen aroma. Clean, crisp and unpretentious. Slightly spicy. 8.3

White: Allagash Brewing, Portland, ME
Belgian-style - lightly spicy aroma. Citrus has gone slightly sour but it's not gross. Good carbonation and body. Zippy finish. 8.2

Stoney Creek Vanilla Porter: Stoney Creek Brewing, Novi, MI
Almost black color. Foamy head. Hard to classify aroma. Wonder if previous beer polluted it? Coffee-like flavor with vanilla. Very sweet - would have it for breakfast. Very light hops on finish. Interesting flavor. I like it! (note: took 2 samples - aroma had not been polluted, was just faint). 8.8

Whiptail Golden Ale
Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Pale yellow color. No head. Light flavor and body. Not much to this beer. 7.7

St. Boisterous Hellerbock: Victory Brewing, Downington, PA
Medium amber color. Clover-like aroma. Complex aroma and flavor. Honey, clover, gentle hops - tasty! 8.2

Checker Ca Blonde Ale: Chelsea Brewing, New York, NY
Flat aroma. More like a pilsner than Blonde. Well made for a Pils but not very interesting as a Blonde. Not much to it, with an unpleasant ammonia aftertaste. 7.5

Maibock: Atwater Block Brewery, Detroit, MI
Deep amber color. Vinegary aroma. Vinegar/malt flavor. Too much vinegar. Flavor and body decent otherwise. 7.7


Wheat Bock: Boston Bay Brewing Company, Boston, MA
Medium golden. Sweet aroma. Sweet and malty taste from front of swallow to back. Somewhat too sweet. Found only a tiny trace of hoppiness and then only after the sample warmed up. Not a complex beer. 8.0

John's Brews:
Porter: Catamount Brewing, Windsor, VT
Thin body for a porter. Light brown color. Slightly bitter, hoppy taste. Nice taste, but not a classic porter. 8.1

Black Chocolate Stout: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
A medium stout color with slightly lighter body than an average stout. Nice aroma. A malty taste that's out of balance. 7.8

Russian Imperial Stout: Bluegrass Brewing, Louisville, KY
A dark stout color with a reddish head. A smoky, malty, slightly bitter taste. 8.0

Poppy Jasper Amber Ale: El Toro Brewing Company, Morgan Hill, CA
Medium body. Interesting fairly hoppy tasate. Good balance. I could enjoy this on a warm summer day. 8.4

Roggen Schatz: Flossmoor Station Brewing, Flossmoor, IL
Interesting - subtle rye taste, good body for a relatively light taste. Could use more flavor, but interesting and different. 8.0

Brown Bier: Franconia Brewing, McKinney, TX
A light but flavorful lager. Not my style of beer, but a pretty good representative of the sample. 7.8

Golden Ale: Deep Creek Brewing, Oakland, MD
Light - not much body. It has some taste, but it's not the beer I'd choose to have on a summer day. Are they entrants in the "imitation Budweiser" category?

Frontier Ale: Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
This golden ale has a definite zip to it. A strong but balanced taste. Malt and hops in good proportion. A tad light in body, but delicious. 8.5

Demo Tibetan Sasquatch: Bardo Rodeo, Arlington, VA
A "strong" ale without that much taste. A beer to get drunk on but not much else. 7.4

Old Thumper: Shipyard Brewing, Portland, ME
A cask-conditioned ale. It's relatively smooth for a strong beer. It needs more malt taste. 7.7

Eliot Ness Lager: Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH
A malty amber lager. Well balanced and tasty. A little thin in body. 8.3

Copper Ale: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, VT
A nicely balanced red ale with a complex, interesting taste. 8.4

Apple Ale: New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus, WI
Effervescent. It tastes like cider. The taste is very clean, good and different. 8.4

Framboise: New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus, WI
Very fruity - a little too much for my taste. The underlying beer is good though. 7.8

Belgian Red: New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus, WI
A strong cherry taste. Again, a good beer but a little too much fruit. 8.1

Virginia Native Dark (notes did not include the brewer but believe this to be Virginia Beverage Company out of Alexandria, VA)
A nice malty beer. Mike [reference to a fellow beer geek in attendance] says this is the old "Dark Horse" recipe. 8.3

Porter: Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, CA
A classic. Tasty - leaning slightly toward the chocolate side. A tad think in the body department. Yes, I'd have this on a regular basis. 8.5

Red Ale: Bullfrog Brewing, Williamsport, PA
Weak body, good taste. Flavorful but watery. 8.1