BK Beertasters Brew Review

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

2009-05-05T22:39:00.011-04:00

Most of the wood aged beers I have encountered that work are stouts, barley wines and lambics. These styles of beer have enough backbone to hold up against the flavors imparted by the wood they are aged in. Other styles of beer generally get over powered by the barrel flavor.

Kentucky Bourbon Ale takes a different approach. It is a pale, watered down bourbon colored ale that gets out of the way and lets the barrel flavors shine through. It is aged up to six weeks in bourbon barrels, leaving a subtle yet intense barrel imprint.

Kentucky BBA's nose is burnt vanilla. The flavor is vanilla with some hints of oak. The long finish begins with burnt vanilla bean and lazily descends into a strong creme brulee note that lingers long after each sip.

Abita Abbey Ale

2009-03-18T11:16:00.002-04:00

Abita Brewery recently released a big bottle series. The series consisted of bottling their previously draft-only beer, Andy Gator, and a new Abbey Ale in 22 oz. bottles. 22 oz. bottles are a great leap for a brewery that produces an IPA which is nothing more than a weak pale ale. But with their Abbey Ale, Abita managed to brew a good interpretation that is complex and interesting.

Abita's Abbey Ale has an aroma of banana bread and soft fruit with hints of yeast and toast. The flavor has a slight hint of sour tempered by a stronger passion fruit flavor. There are also hints of banana, spices, bread, vanilla and possibly eggnog in the flavor. Now, all Abita needs to brew is an IPA with some hops.

Schneider Aventinus

2009-03-18T10:35:00.001-04:00

Schneider Aventinus may have the best protected recipe in the entire beer brewing world. Created in 1907, the recipe currently seems to be protected by a two year-old's drawing of a caveman wielding two gigantic blunts.

Schneider Aventinus has an aroma of spicy cloves and banana. It's flavor is sweetish with soft, subtle notes of raisin followed by a spicy clove finish. Spelling errors are always fun, but one can always get past it by doing the stanky leg.

NOLA Brewing Company

2009-03-11T22:09:00.010-04:00

NOLA Brewing Company is the first brewery to set up in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. New Orleans isn't a terribly sophisticated beer town, so I didn't expect much from NOLA Brewing. They unleashed their beer upon this drunken city last weekend, and the beers turned out to be really good.

NOLA has two offerings, a blonde ale and a brown ale. This isn't a full write up on either. NOLA blonde ale has a good hop punch. It's sweet, flowery and fruity. I don't think I could drink several in a row because the sweetness became a little cloying at the end of the first beer. It reminded me of a hoppy Triple. NOLA's brown ale was excellent. It's dark, malty and immensely drinkable witha brisk espresso kick.

Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus

2009-03-09T22:31:00.005-04:00

Cantillion Rosé de Gambrinus is the rosé champagne of beers. The pink color is a dead ringer for rosé wine, while the mouth feel mimics champagne with a light, spritzy body and bone dry finish.

Rosé de Gambrinus is a lambic lightly flavored with whole raspberries. The aroma and flavor of this beer never show the same face, they differ with each sniff and sip. The aroma is fruit forward with a strong note of fresh raspberries as well as hints of musky wild yeast, funk, iron and copper. The flavor predominantly consists of raspberry followed by a tart finish, but there is little sweetness to the raspberry flavor. It also has elements of raspberry seed and brettanomyces (wild yeast).

St. Bernardus Abt 12

2009-03-08T21:14:00.007-04:00

St. Bernardus Abt 12 might best be described as a brown ale, though not exactly. It's one of those unique beers in a category all its own. At 10.5 % a.b.v., Abt 12 is the strongest ale offered by Brouwerij St. Bernardus. . The brewery's website calls it, "A dark ivory colored beer with a high fermentation." However, I have never seen an ivory colored beer. Dark reddish brown is more accurate.

Abt 12's flavor hinges on a sweet-sour balance. An intense prune flavor is contrasted by an acidic, sour flavor. During the finish, the prune flavor intensifies and mingles with hints of chocolate and spice.

Nøgne-Ø Doppel IPA

2009-03-08T19:42:00.010-04:00

Nøgne-Ø Doppel IPA is a collaborative effort from Nøgne-Ø and Toshi Ishii of Japan's YoHo brewery. Ishii trained for three years at Stone and returned to Japan to brew west coast style ales there.

Nøgne-Ø Doppel IPA uses five varieties of hops, has 100 IBUs and an 8% a.b.v. It is bottle conditioned and dry hopped with two types of hops. The beers body is light and fluffy without the hefty mouthfeel that might be expected from a double IPA. The aroma smells of spices and dough. The flavor has elements of caramel and lemon. The dry, acidic finish has plenty of pine and occasional hints of dark chocolate.

A word of warning about Nøgne-Ø beers: The bottle conditioning is a problem. There's a ton of yeast in their bottles and you ending losing the bottom fifth of each bottle to the cloudy chunks. I find that flavors come through clearer when the bottle conditioning yeast is not in the tasting glass.

Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA

2009-03-04T20:01:00.005-05:00

As the name implies, Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA is only hopped with Warrior hops. Warrior hops are primarily used for their bittering properties, though they are sometimes used for their aromatic characteristics. Mikkeller's website calls Warrior IPA, "An extremely fresh-hopped IPA." Sounds intriguing, however their website translations are not very trustworthy.

Warrior IPA has a silky body. The aroma has notes of bubble gum, grass (hay or wheat), and tropical fruit. The flavor follows through on the aroma's foundation expressing tropical fruit and bubble gum flavors ending in a long, bitter finish that is aggressive but not uncomfortable. It can be reminiscent of a wheat beer due to the grass and bubble gum character. It is not an overtly fruity IPA.

Nøgne Ø #100 Barley Wine

2009-03-03T21:26:00.005-05:00

It is rare to find a barley wine in America that relies on finesse rather than muscle. Most American Barley wines that I've tried have a hefty mouthfeel and pack a malt wallop. Nogne O's Batch 100 is brewed in Norway and uses subtlety to express its flavors. It was originally brewed for the enjoyment of the brewers, but was later brewed for retail sale due to demand.

The most interesting aspect of Batch 100 is the mouthfeel. It is extremely light and creamy for a barley wine, yet the malt still sticks to the inside of your cheeks. The carbonation is lively and it finishes very dry. The mouthfeel comes off like a Belgium beer.

Batch 100 has 80 IBUs and 10% a.b.v. The robust aroma has a good hop-malt balance. There are notes of pine and cola, as well as hints of earth, fresh grapes and perhaps flower petals. The flavor has a cola character followed by a bitter pine needle finish.

When pouring Batch 100, be careful towards the end of the pour. Like a Minuteman, the sludge comes out quick.

Duchesse de Bourgogne (Verhaeghe Vichte)

2009-03-02T21:33:00.009-05:00

Verhaeghe Vichte's Duchess de Bourgogne is a Flemish Red Ale. Flemish Red Ales are sour in flavor, the most famous being Rodenbach's Grand Cru. The Duchess is another fine example of the style. It is a blend of eight and eighteen month old ales aged in oak casks. The coloring is dark ruby. Its aroma has hints of sourness, cherries and candy. The flavor begins with a sweetness that quickly melds into a dry, sour kick. Once you get over the sour flavor, the sweet flavor emerges with a candied cherry character.

Cantillion Gueze

2009-02-04T10:23:00.001-05:00

Cantillion Gueze is a blend of one, two and three year-old lambics. Lambics are beers fermented spontaneously by naturally occurring yeasts from the atmosphere. Gueze is an unflavored style of lambic. Generally, lambics are flavored with fruit to make them sweeter and more palatable. Gueze are not sweetened, leaving their sour, funky and tart flavors unfettered.

Cantillion Gueze is complex, acidic, mouth-puckering, and very dry. The overwhelming flavor characteristic is tart, there are no sour notes. The coloring is muddy reddish brown. The aroma and flavor are similar. Both have a lemon zest character and are reminiscent of unsweetened lemon meringue pie.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2008 vs 2009

2009-02-01T13:06:00.005-05:00

This marks the first time BK Beertasters goes vertical. I recently reviewed Bigfoot 2009. It's super hoppy (90 IBUs) and features an aggressive bitter finish. It's confusingly similar to a double IPA and so hoppy that the malt characteristics don't shine through at this point.

Bigfoot 2008's body is leaner and longer. 2009's body is tight, which is a good thing in certain circumstances. 2008's aroma is brothy and appealing. It smells like lightly burnt caramel, and is candy-like. There isn't a touch of hops in the aroma or flavor aside from the bitter pine finish. 2008's flavor is predominately malty, with notes of bread and cookie. Bigfoot is more elegant and refined after a year of aging, but it quickly loses its heavy dose of hop flavor and aroma.

The other difference between Bigfoot '08 and '09 is the labeling. Mike Krzyzewski still recruits jerks, and I hate Duke as much as stupid beer labels. The worst quality of Bigfoot 2008 from an aesthetic standpoint is the unexplained label change. The classic label is great (pictured on the right), but in 2008, Sierra Nevada departed from the classic label for a landscape scene (pictured left). 2009 compromises by reincorporating the beers name sake in an updated version of the classic label for the 25th anniversary (top left).

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

2009-01-31T19:00:00.006-05:00

Torpedo Extra IPA is Sierra Nevada's newest addition to their year-round release line. It's the first addition to their year-round roster in over a decade. Torpedo refers to the new dry-hopping device created by the brewery. It's a pressurized cylindrical tube (shaped like a torpedo) containing hops. The Torpedo is inserted into a special pipe running out of the fermenter. Beer is forced down the pipe, through the Torpedo and back into the fermenter. The hops in the Torpedo impart the beer with hop aroma, oil and resin without extracting any bitter flavors the way traditional dry-hopping does.

Torpedo IPA also uses a new hop varietal named Citra. It is said to impart pineapple, mango and papaya flavors. Citra was developed by Sierra Nevada in conjunction with two other breweries, and this is its first appearance in a bottled beer.

The hops used in this brew sound like a couple of strippers and their preferred choice of protection. Everyone welcome Crystal, Citra and their Magnum to the party! Torpedo's coloring is apricot. The aroma is fruity with occasional hints of green bananas. It is also slightly herbal. I did not find any pineapple or mango in the aroma and can't recall eating papaya. I hate to say it, but the aroma reminds me of tropical fruit Starburst. The hop flavoring is flowery with notes of pine in the dry finish. Like Mikkeller's Simcoe Single Hop, Torpedo's flavor has a strong yet smooth bitterness that doesn't cripple your tongue.

Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

2009-01-31T17:29:00.007-05:00

Mikkeller is a Danish Brewery started by two home brewers, Mikkel and Keller. They caught the American bug of making inventive beers and ran with it. One of the brewers has since left to pursue a career in journalism, but Mikkel is still brewing. The beers they make are of extremely high quality and their website is good fun because of the language stumbles. Here's a sample:

"At present, the Mikkeller alone, Mikkel Borg Bjergso, which since the summer of 2007 has run Mikkeller one man. Mikkel is gypsy-brewer, he rents into breweries, and brews both in Denmark, around Europe and the United States."

Errors all around! Not that I should talk. Mikkeller either missed Borat or loved it so much they decided to base their web translation on his English.

Mikkeller Simcoe uses only Simcoe hops. The aroma reminded me of tropical fruit, either Lychee or Jackfruit. I'm leaning towards Jackfruit. The flavor is sweet and broadly fruity with vague hints of pineapple. It finishes with a late bitter pop which is strong but not harsh. A characteristic of Simcoe hops is strong bitterness that remains pleasant while avoiding paralyzing or astringent sensations. The beer is crammed with hops, the best way to describe it is hop juice.

2009-01-29T08:15:00.000-05:00

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2009

2009-01-28T21:40:00.003-05:00

I am currently in love with cameras that take backward pictures. At first it confused me. I checked the bottle to make sure the label wasn't on backwards. It wasn't. Then I took some more backward pictures and fell in love with my camera. I've always been adept at writing upside down and backwards so the accompanying photo doesn't bother me.

Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot 2009 is finally here. It tastes hoppier this year but that could be because it's fresh (the beer was bottled three weeks ago). The coloring is deep red, like watered down maple syrup. The aroma is fresh, sharp and flowery with hints of citrus and pine, spice. The flavor is dripping with hops from start to finish. The malt flavoring is there but it's pushed aside by the aggressive hops. The flavor begins with a sweet, intense fruit character that melds into a strong, bitter finish.

I have heard the argument that Bigfoot is a double IPA masquerading as a barley wine. I have previously discussed and dismissed the claim in this forum, but after considering this year's release I feel the argument has weight. If I sampled this beer in a blind taste test, I would swear it's an IPA. The hops are too heavy (90 IBUs) while the malt body and flavor isn't where it should be for a barley wine. It's still an awesome beer, but it might also be cross dressing.

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine

2008-08-18T20:08:00.006-04:00

I love me some Barley Wines, but this one's getting no love from me. The aroma is nice. It's very malty, reminiscent of buttery pie crust. The body is syrupy, and nearly cloying. The flavor isn't terribly complex for a barley wine and is too sugary. The packaging and marketing is slick though. There's practically a novel printed on the back label but it's not worth reading. All I see is hype.

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion IPA

2008-08-18T19:26:00.006-04:00

Blue Point Hoptical Illusion comes from Long Island. Malt strikes first in the rich, inviting aroma. This ale smells like Cake and Biscuits. The aroma isn't terribly hoppy. The flavor is bright and hoppy, but lacks a bitter bite. There is also a strong English Breakfast tea character to the flavor. It drinks best on the colder side. Hoptical Illusion sticks with the British style of IPA, but at least it doesn't emulate the French.

Charity

2008-08-15T20:30:00.004-04:00

When you have bad facial hair, people have no qualms about suggesting more egregious styles to sport. People casually toss around words like Pork Chops, Fu Manchu, Handlebars and other suggestions I've never heard of like Dirty Sanchez. I might rock a Giambi, but I'm not dumb enough to twist it into a Rollie Fingers simply because someone suggests it. I would gladly grow dreadlocks and a Hasidic Beard topped with a Sam Elliot if I could manage it.

What most folks don't know about is the mustachioed one's connection to charity. The dudes over at Monday Night Brewery are attempting to cure ulcers through alternative methods. You can find the details of our involvement here, and details the overall cause here.

Smuttynose IPA

2008-08-07T21:44:00.003-04:00

When I first got into IPAs, I was drawn to unbalanced, hoppy ales. I have since come to appreciate malt-hop balance in my IPAs. Some breweries, notably Dogfish Head, changed course to strive for more balance in their ales. Smuttynose was not as hoppy as I remembered in aroma and flavor, but it is very well balanced.

Smuttynose has a strong malt backbone. It's balance is evident in the nose which smelled of earth, spice, and orange rind. The flavor followed through on the aroma's foundation and, like an orange rind, was slightly sweet followed by a bitter resin flavor. Smuttynose has always been very bitter, and that hasn't changed. The bitterness is the only unmuted aspect of the flavor, which is otherwise balanced and subtle.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

2008-08-07T14:43:00.006-04:00

I've drank this beer on many occasions and was never very enamored with it. 90 Minute is a 9% Imperial IPA with a flavor driven by malt. It's a big beer dripping with malt complexity. It's continuously hopped for 90 minutes while it's brewed, but it doesn't come off insanely hoppy in actuality. The hops are masked by a "ridiculous amount" of English Two Row barley. As a result, 90 Minute's flavor gravitates toward an English IPA with a jacked up abv. The nose smelled of spiced bread that reminded me of Christmas. The body has a thick, chewy texture. There is a sweetish, Toffee character in the flavor and the finish has a deep bitter quality that is coffee like.

Like I said earlier, I was never big on this beer, but that was before I tried it with food. I drank one with steak and now I see what all the hype is about. It's amazing with steak, which complimented and rounded the deep malt complexity.

Porkslap Pale Ale

2008-08-07T12:14:00.007-04:00

As part of the 2008 Boston Beer Tour I picked up Porkslap Pale Ale. Dale's Pale Ale has proven that good beer can come in a can, so I took a flier on the Porkslap. With fliers, sometimes you come up empty. It wasn't until I sat down to drink it that I noticed the label said "All Malt." In the store, I was so taken with the jumping pigs that I overlooked this important tidbit. Judging from the taste, there were no hops whatsoever in Porkslap. I would bet MD 20/20 has more hops. Hopless, Porkslap is like a girl with a nice body but a horrendous, ugly face. It left me longing for more and wondering what could have been. It's technically not even a Pale Ale, Malt Beverage would be more accurate. This beer is all gimmick. Don't be fooled by those cut little piggies on the can, Porkslap Pale Ale is terrible.

Stone Vertical Epic 2007

2008-08-06T22:15:00.008-04:00

The idea behind the Stone Vertical Epic series is totally ridiculous. The challenge is to save one VE each of the first twelve years of the new millennium, then have a vertical tasting sometime after December 12, 2012. The 2007 is number five in the series. Stone must have either been fearful of a millennium disaster or cooked this idea up after January 1, 2001 because there wasn't a VE release in 2001. There will be eleven total VEs. I don't think there are a lot of beer drinkers out there with the patience to sit on a beer for eleven years. That's an absurdly long time. Even if you have the patience to wait that long, a tasting of eleven beers is too many beers for one tasting unless you invite 30 friends and everyone gets less than a sip. With fewer people, your pallet would get dulled and drunken halfway through the tasting, thus all the patient waiting would be for naught. Eleven high alcohol beers is too much for one tasting, and it's even a waste considering several will be aged over five years. An eleven year-old brew should warrant more respect from the drinkers. However, I wouldn't turn down an invitation to a Vertical Epic tasting. It would be a lot of fun in a decadent, wasteful way.

I couldn't wait that long to try mine, and it drank just fine. Stone's Vertical Epic 2007 is a Belgium style ale inspired by Saisons and Golden Triples. It's brewed with four malts, two hop varieties, and spices (ginger, cardamon, plus grapefruit, lemon and orange peels). I didn't pick any of those spices out of the aroma or flavor, but there is a mild citrus undertone to the flavor. The aroma was mellow and smelled like a Triple should, though it was not as sweet most Triples. The 2007 Vertical Epic is a unique beer with several characteristics more common in wine than beer. Tiny, champagne-like bubbles continuously floated up from the bottom of the glass. It was acidic, and finished very dry. After the dry finish a late, mellow tart kicked in, making my salivary glands fire off. I had never experienced that in a beer - once I thought the flavor was complete, the tart surprised me out of nowhere.

Pizza Port Brewing Company

2008-08-06T20:29:00.010-04:00

I snagged a couple of Pizza Port Brews this weekend and blew my palate out on one of them. Hop-15 was the one that didn't kill my taste buds. It's a double IPA with apricot coloring and an inviting, well balanced aroma. The aroma is bright, and consists of baked dough and grapefruit. No single aspect of this ale is overwhelming or unbalanced, it is liquid luxury. The flavor is dominated by a grapefruit character with the sweet yet bitter contrast that comes from fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.

Yesterday, I found a Pizza Port Second Anniversary Ale in Boston. I ventured to Boston with the hope of meeting my first legally married lesbian couple. While I was there, I grabbed some beers. The Second Anniversary Ale is close to Hop-15 in aroma and grapefruit character with one large difference: after each sip, the muscles in the back of my jaw seized up from the insane bitterness. My reaction was borderline painful, and the dose of hops completely ruined my palate over the last 24 hours. At this point, an IPA might as well be a glass of sparkling water as far as I'm concerned. The Pizza Port beers I tried were Amazing. They were mad hoppy and will definitely sate a hop fix.

Stone Coast Batch 420 IPA

2008-08-04T18:08:00.019-04:00

"We tried 419 batches before this one."

- Batch 420 bottle

Sure, you did. It took 419 tries to get it just right? More likely, what we have here is a clever duping of the Federal Government's label watchdogs at the TTB - Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The TTB, among other duties, regulates the names and labels of alcohol and tobacco products. One of the most famous examples of such foolery is Dogfish Head's Golden Showers Imperial Pilsner. The TTB forced DFH to change the name of their Prescription Pills Imperial Pilsner because the Bureau claimed it glorified prescription pill popping. In response, DFH submitted Golden Showers as a name for its Imperial Pilsner and the TTB approved it. Apparently, most of the old guys and gals filed away at the TTB are not into that sort of thing. Those among them that were hip to it must have been too embarrassed to tell their colleagues how and why they became familiar with such activities. The TTB caught wind of their gaff only after the name and label were approved. So, Golden Showers became a one and done, never to be seen again (on a beer label, at least). Stone Coast may have pulled a quick one, but they're not the quickest. However, they seem to have done a cunning job fooling those proven hipsters at the TTB.

Stone Coast has crafted a lovely beer in Batch 420. The beer wasn't what I expected at all. I expected something more herbaceous aroma, for lack of a better phrase. The aroma was subtle and smelled like fresh sliced green apples. It poured a large, pillowy head kept afloat by lively carbonation. There's a slow, creeping bitterness to the finish, but the flavor is the most interesting aspect of this ale. Batch 420's sweet taste evokes memories of childhood with a flavor of apples candied by a light caramel or toffee glaze. If you hated the circus, this beer is not for you.

Wachusett Green Monsta

2008-08-04T17:10:00.011-04:00

Green Monsta: There are a of couple hints in the name that tell me this beer comes from Boston. Thanks to Jimmy Fallon, everyone knows Bostonians have a distinct accent, but what surprised me about the name is it's apparent they also spell the way they talk. Green Monsta is billed as "A Big Pale Ale," but nothing is bigger than Big Papi hanging with two chickas and a random guy hovering near his crotch. Thank God Big Papi isn't a Pale Ale.

Green Monsta comes as advertised. It's light of body as a Pale Ale should be, but generously hopped like an IPA. The concept is similar to Dale's Pale Ale, but Dale's is more IPA than PA. Green Monsta falls short of Dale's in terms of hop-malt balance, but I can't knock it. Green Monsta is a good hoppy chill out ale. Its Pale Ale body leaves room for another, while the hops impart a nice flavor. Green Monsta has a lemon aroma tempered by a touch of malt. The flavor is driven by hops with a general citrus fruitiness.

Cape Cod Beer Tour

2008-08-04T15:10:00.015-04:00

For being located in the liberal, progressive, and "not at all" racist Northeast, the beer scene in Cape Cod is pretty weak. You can find a liquor store here or there has one kind of Dogfish Head and some local micro offerings, but for the most part it's the Majors and Sierra Nevada that reign. It's comforting in that it reminds me of the beer scene at home (minus the bag boy barraging you with "Do you know what they call sex in Alabama?" jokes). But you know there's more to life than Sierra Nevada out there.

I found one exception to the boring beer stores on the Cape: Kappy's Fine Wine & Liquor of Falmouth, MA. It's like Total Wine in store size and selection but with the cozy, run-down flavor of a local store. The beer isle is massive and it almost made me pass out. There are a range of brews from Dogfish Head, Smuttynose, Left Hand, Middle Ages, Boulder, Clipper City, Otter Creek, Wachusetts, along with a bunch of other New England micros that I've neither heard of nor would waste my time on. Going to Kappy's is a bit like finding a fountain of beer in the desert. I picked up Sam Adam's Triple Bock, Stone's Vertical Epic '07, a Dizzy Fizzle (DFH) Palo Santo Marron (a 12% brown ale aged in Palo Santo wood), Legacy's Hoptimus Prime, Stone Coast Batch 420 IPA, Middle Ages ImPaled Ale, and an Avery Marahaja for old times sake. Unfortunately, I have to drink all this in the like three days before I head back to Abitaland, so my posts may get a little fuzzy. Here goes the beer tour.

Cape Cod Beer IPA

2008-08-02T13:41:00.008-04:00

I just had a bitter experience. After all the big beers I've put away in my time, I never thought I'd be punished by hop bitterness again. But, as my Dad likes to say, "You never know what you're gonna get." Today, I had a pint of Hyannis' Cape Cod Beer IPA, and it crippled my taste buds with bitter blasts. For pure bitter flavor, this beer out betters any other I've had.

The pint began with a cloying bitter flavor that completely overwhelmed every other nuance of the ale. The bitterness is why my eyes look crazy in the picture, they are puckering. About a third of the way through the pint my taste buds recovered from their paralysis, my mustache hairs uncurled, and other flavors began to show themselves. This IPA is well hopped with what I think are Cascade hops. They really shine through in the aroma. It has a nice sweet malt flavor, along with more robust malt flavors of caramel that occasionally shine through. It ends with the aforementioned bitter kick. Cape Cod IPA is clean and drank like a good session beer (not too thick or heavy). It is reminiscent of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, except the hop and malt action are amped way up.

In other news, we here at BK Beertasters are anticipating the triumphant comeback post of the B himself.

Corne du Diable (Horn of the Devil)

2008-07-31T23:14:00.007-04:00

Apparently, more than one Canadian has figured out how to make good beer. Until recently, Unibroue was arguably the sole brewer of quality beer in Canada. You might disagree if you consider Moosehead quality beer. Presently, there seem to be a rash of good breweries popping up in Quebec (the snooty, French provincial sister of Canknuckleheads). Something is going on there.

Sticking with the American IPA tribute theme, please allow me to introduce Qubecious brewery Dieu Du Ciel's "Corne du Diable." The name means "Horn of the Devil." It features a full hop bouquet with notes of fresh grapes and citrus leaning toward grapefruit. The flavor emphasises citrusy hops, which vastly out weight the malt flavoring, leaving it with a lighter body than the average IPA. The malt flavors resemble unsweetened iced with a mild, easy going bitterness. The beer is not balanced, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like hops. Many American IPAs are more about the hops than remaining balanced.

2008-07-29T19:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, I was relaxed in a comfortable chair, wearing a robe and slippers, prepared to sample a beer. As I sniffed my beer, I noticed it smelled like Old Spice, an odd aroma for an IPA. I suddenly realized I had been catching whiffs of Old Spice ever since that Supercuts haircut I got earlier. I cringed as I recalled the barber, with his stylized quaff of hair and self-proclaimed "magic" hands. I briefly wondered if he, or at least his hands, were sponsored by Old Spice. It would be laughable to write a beer review and mention Old Spice in the aroma, so I decided to take a shower. Looking in the mirror, with my Supercuts 'do appearing more like a toupee than actual hair, I realized something. Haircuts and beer have something in common: You get what you pay for.

Houblon Chouffee Vs. Urthel Hop-it

2008-07-28T12:35:00.025-04:00

Here we have a battle royal showdown between two Belgium ales inspired by American IPAs. Houblon Chouffe bills itself as a Double IPA Triple, while Hop-it calls itself a "superior hoppy blond ale." Both ales are well hopped Belgium style beers, and each has it's own interesting qualities. Hybrid beers such as these are always worth a try if only to sample their uniqueness.

The Houblon Chouffe begins with a well retained, craggy mountain of a head. There is a flowery, zesty hop aroma followed by soft, fruity flavors. The Houblon's malt flavors are much closer to a Triple than an IPA. The body is light, and fluffy. Basically, the Houblon Chouffe has the aroma of an IPA, coupled with the more traditional flavor and body of a Triple.

Urthel's Hop-it did not pour with a massive head. The carbonation and head were more reminiscent of an IPA. The aroma was not overwhelmingly hoppy like the Chouffe. It smelled of toasty champagne yeast with a lemon hop accent. Hop-it's flavor features an IPA malt flavor of raw cookie dough. The lemon hop flavor carries into the flavor lending an acidic aspect. The Hop-it tastes like an IPA but retains a Belgium ale's body and mouth feel.

Head-to-head, there's no clear winner in this showdown. They are similarly billed hybrid ales inspired by the American IPA and maintain a Belgium ale's mouth feel. Both beers also have crazy cats on their labels. The similarities end there. Hop-it's flavor profile sticks to the classic American IPA model, while the Houblon Chouffe stays truer to a Triples flavoring. However, both beers are creatively inspired and worth a try.

Tripel Karmeliet

2008-07-27T20:25:00.009-04:00

Many beers share characteristics with wine. Tripel Karmeliet is one such beer. The body features a creamy, champagne-like quality with lively carbonation and a dry finish. There is even a satisfying pop when it is uncorked.

Tripel Karmeliet drinks best when close to room temperature. It begins with bright apricot coloring. The aroma is fresh and similar to spearmint. The spearmint carries into the flavor. On the malt side of things, Tripel Karmeliet is nearly too sweet. If it were any sweeter, it would be sickening. However, the sweetness is the only criticism I can dredge up. Tripel Karmeliet is otherwise a delicate and lovely ale.

Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

2008-07-27T19:53:00.007-04:00

Mikkeller Big Worse is aptly named. The label features what looks like a mug shot, and at 12% abv I can understand the choice. This beer is very heady, and a mellow but heavy buzz becomes apparent after a few sips. The coloring is deep maple. It's very malty with a spicy fresh baked bread aroma and flavor. The body features a long flavor, and a chewy aspect that brings the phrase liquid bread to mind.

There are a couple qualities of this beer that make it unique. For one, it is not very sweet. This is an oddity considering the amount of malt it contains. Beers this big are usually boozy or slightly pungent. It is also very dry. Combined, these facets mean almost all of the available malt sugars are converted into alcohol during fermentation. Thus, Big Worse is an extremely well crafted ale.

Oude Geuze

2008-07-25T20:57:00.020-04:00

This lambic comes from Belguim's Brouwerji Drie Fonteinen. It's a bottle conditioned blend of one, two and three year-old lambics aged in oak casks.

Lambics are the hippies of the beer world. Unfiltered and unpastuerized, lambics thrive on the growth of wild yeast and bacteria. In a sense, lambics are to beer what hippies are to people who shower on a regular schedule. The most common style of lambics are sweetened with fruit to make them more palatable to women. Geuze are unsweetened and only bring the funk.

Lambics are spontaneously fermented by wild yeast. The wort is left in open air over night where natural yeasts accumulate to do their thing. The beer these yeast turn out does not resemble beer in the usual sense, and many flavors strange to beer accumulate by their virtue.

Oude Geuze begins with a murky brownish-orange coloring. There's a mellow aroma with hints of cork, oak, funky sourness, and Bret (wild yeast). Perhaps there is a bit of unshowered hippy in there as well. This particular bottle was produced in January 2004 and the flavors have mellowed over time. Geuze are usually salivary gland pumping sour, the way a mouthful of vinegar would be. But the Oude Geuze, while sour, is not mouth puckeringly so. The flavor is sour in general and contains several elements I cannot even begin to describe. There are random jolts of anise, and a mellow barnyard funk. Oude Geuze culminates in a dry finish leaving a confused drinker scratching their head.

Full Sail IPA

2008-07-24T20:34:00.014-04:00

Full Sail is a brewery out of Hood River, Oregon and they offer an India Pale Ale. Considering I'm in New Orleans, and the demand for IPAs here is about as low as the demand to revoke the right to bear arms, I was lucky to find this beer. It's not the most amazing IPA, but it's a hell of a buy for the price.

Full Sail's IPA has a good aroma with hints of orangey citrus and pine. It has the same aromatic dynamic as Pine Sol, without the nasty chemicals (I mean this in a good way). There's also a slight bready or dough flavor to the aroma.

The flavor has great balance. No one element of malt or hop outshines the other. It begins with a sweet fruit flavor of orange peel, then a doughy malt flavor opens up. It ends with a slight bitter finish out of the blue. It is very clean, very dry and barely leaves any residual flavors on the palate.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2008

2008-07-23T19:21:00.017-04:00

I miss barely wines during the summer. I know everyone wants their light, zesty drinks during the hot summer, but I'm sitting in air conditioning right now so what does light and zesty matter? I want some complexity that packs a punch. Today I found it. A beer buddy of mine gave me the heads up on a store that still has the elusive and summer averse Bigfoot. I'm not even giving out the name of the store in case there are actually people reading this and they fiend for Bigfoot.

Anyway, I'm having a Bigfoot and his big ass is stomping on my senses. Bigfoot comes out in winter, so the one I'm sipping now is aged six months and it's already changed. When it's released Bigfoot is has a hop character like an Imperial IPA. I've heard people claim it's mislabeled as a barley wine and is really an Imperial IPA. I don't buy the argument because the malt flavor is richer and more dominant in Bigfoot than in Imperial IPAs. Bigfoot is well hopped but it's not crazy hopped like Imperials. There's also that maple syrup coloring that Imperial IPAs don't usually have. However, I can see where an argument like this come from. Beers like Great Divide's Hercules Double IPA can blur the line between a big IPA and a barley wine. Bigfoot is aptly named. It's flavors are epic, and some of them are reminiscent of the forests Bigfoot is said to lurk in.

After six months the hop aroma becomes less aggressive, and a spicy malt aroma is more apparent. The aroma still has a deep pine forest character, there is just more malt accent with light aromas of spice, beef broth, cinnamon, sherry and spice.

The mouth feel and flavor of aged Bigfoot become leaner and longer, respectively. The body is more syrupy, but the thick malt still sticks to the side of your mouth. The malt flavor and hop bitterness are more harmonious, while the malt flavors develop new characteristics like caramel. There is still an aggressive bitterness in the finish, but it's fitting, pleasant and more in harmony with the other flavors. There are strong flavors of unsweetened dark chocolate and pine, with slighter notes of fig, char, forest, spice, earthy autumn leaves, and dried fruits (cherry, apricot). Bigfoot is less drinkable at refrigerator temperature and livens up as it warms.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

2008-07-21T23:09:00.014-04:00

Rouge's Hazelnut Brown Nectar is Frangelico in beer form. Frangelico is the amazing hazelnut liqueur with a bottle shaped like a woman, kind of like a bottle of Aunt Jemima. However, I was taken aback when I read Frangelico's label the other day. It turns out that the figure I so admired in a liqueur bottle is a monk's body. Not a nun's body, not even a woman's body. All I can say is the monk's robe looks like a matronly dress, and Frangelico is a girl's name. Apparently, I've been duped by a lady man once again.

Rouge's Hazelnut Brown Nectar comes with no such trickery. The bottle is not shapely, nor is the pictured man wearing a dress. It's still a very appealing beer. The best way to describe it is Frangelico dressed up like a beer.

Schneider Aventis

2008-07-19T18:42:00.014-04:00

Schneider Aventis is one of the world's unique beers. Misspellings are always fun and this beer is categorized as a weizen doppelbock. A tranny of the beer world, this beer is a combination of a hefe weizen and a double bock. The abv is high and the color is dark like a double bock while the carbonation and aroma are reminiscent of a hefe. The flavor has elements of both styles.

Aventis begins with an aroma of cloves, but not knowing what cloves smell like, I had to deduce this. Hefe weizens are said to smell of cloves and Aventis smells like a hefe. The aroma also has hints of banana. The flavor begins with deep, malty complexity later softened by fruity flavors like fig and banana that culminate in a dry finish. This is truly an oddball beer.

Just to bring up my favorite beer label enablers at Bodymore, Murdaland's Clipper City, I will mention that their 'Hang Ten' is a tribute to Aventis. However, one look at the Aventis label lets you know the bearded man depicted would bash that pirate out of principle.

Mississippi Beer Tour

2008-07-18T22:11:00.040-04:00

A couple months ago I went to Mississippi for a beer tasting. Up to that point, Mississippi was just a part of the Waffle House corridor on the way to Biloxi. I had never hung out with real Mississippi people before so I was a little apprehensive. Turns out, my as fears were baseless. People in Louisiana are much worse than Mississipians.

The first stop was Lazy Magnolia Brewery in Kiln, Mississippi, which may be the only brewery in Mississippi. Not seeing any hicks lurking in the bushes with shotguns, I ducked into the brewery unscathed. Their main beer is called Southern Pecan. It's a brown ale brewed with pecans. I'm still waiting on their crayfish spiced ale. Lazy Magnolia also sells something called Party Pigs. The only bummer about the tour was that it's against the law for breweries in Mississippi to serve or sell alcohol, so there were no samples. Mississippi has a grocery list of regulations regarding alcohol. One example is that it's illegal to sell beer with an abv higher than something like 5.5% [It's actually only 5%]. You can still buy whiskey though. We rolled on to my boy Beer Buddha's [copyright used by permission] friend's house for the tasting. This dude had a cellar the likes of which I've never seen. Two closets full of beer. He gets around the medieval beers laws in Mississippi via the internet. He finds people from all over the country online and trades beer. He even had something that could chill a warm beer in under five minutes.

The first beer we tried was Mt. Carmel Stout from Cincinnati. It had a nice brown head with tiny bubbles. There were a nice subtle roasted flavor, like roasted vanilla. The body was thin and creamy but the mouthfeel had weight.

The next beer we sampled was Alesimith's IPA from Cali. It came equipped with a large hoppy bouquet in the nose followed by a lemon citrus flavor, high acidity, and a bitter kick.

Next up was Hvedegood from Three Floyd's, a favorite brewery of mine. This was a wheat wine, or a barley wine brewed with some portion of wheat. It smelled like a barley wine, with a sweet, deep aroma that wasn't boozy or pungent. It's lighter in body and mouthfeel than other barleys with a strong flavor of orange rind. The flavor also had hints of toasted bread and cookies with a bitter dose of hops in the finish. It's well hopped like most Three Floyd's brews, but this isn't overwhelming apparent in the nose and flavor.

Then came Alesmith's Old Numbskull with it's pleasantly sharp bitterness. It had a beautiful deep red coloring. There was a hint of curry in the aroma. The flavor was creamy and layered with complexity containing hints of chocolate and pine needles that stuck to my mouth.

Last up was Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout. Goose Island is out of Chicago, and this beer is a stout aged in Bourbon Casks. The was a strong, spicey note of Bourbon in the aroma with a rich vanilla flavor in addition to roasted malt. It was very oily and rich.

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat

2008-07-17T19:29:00.013-04:00

Most breweries come out with a summer beer brewed with a portion of wheat for a lighter, more refreshing beer suited to hot days. Fuck that. Where are my barley wines at in the summer? Most of these summer wheat beers are pretty awful. If I wanted wheat in my beer I could save some poppy by buying Bud, and get some rice in there too boot. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is an exception to the bad wheat beer rule. I can't pronounce the name, but it's perfect for a hot day by the pool (unless you've gotten a bunch of pool water in your mouth beforehand). It's light, crisp, sweet and refreshing. I get a sugary lemon lime fusion in the aroma and flavor. Everyone else tastes Fruity Pebbles. And that's cool because Lebron likes Fruity Pebbles too. Check out his Fruity Pebbles kicks.

Twin Sisters Double IPA

2008-07-16T19:54:00.051-04:00

I learned some sign language working in a beer store. There was a new girl hired who was hot but hard to communicate with. She had a massive hearing aide that didn't do much good, so she could only understand me if she was looking at my lips. I was always shouting at her to no effect and constantly surprising her because she couldn't hear me coming up behind her. One day we were looking at the Left Hand beers and she got excited. She started flashing her hands around. She explained she was signing "left." Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale has sign language on the label. She taught me more sign language after that. Hello, good night, that sort of thing. She didn't stick around for too long and my sign language got rusty. The last time I used sign language, I inadvertently asked a woman if she wanted to make out all night. The gaff ended my dabbles in sign language.

The Twin Sisters are identical mountains on Colorado's Front Range and the namesake of Left Hand's Double IPA. I'm not much for the Rocky Mountain tributes unless it's concerning Jackson Ho. I'm more interested in finding the other three sisters from the Left Hand logo. The twins are big gals and weight in at 9.8% abv according to the bottle.

This is the second time I've sipped the Twin Sisters. The one I'm drinking now was brewed two years ago. Since then, it's sat in my "beer cellar" (AKA the cardboard box of beer in my closet) for two years. My first glass of the aged Twins was lovely. There were strong hints of creamy oak followed by dark chocolate flavors reminiscent of a barely wine. There was little hop aroma and flavor in the aged version, The hop bitterness remained in the finish but with more harmony than a younger ale. It was crazy hopped in flavor and aroma the first time around. My old notes indicate a piney hop aroma similar to the Maharaja coupled with a soft body like the Houblon Chouffe. The aged version is still light of body for such a big beer but it tastes more like a barely wine than double IPA.

Jeanne D'Arc Belzebuth

2007-08-31T23:19:00.013-04:00

Back in those days when I would play NBA Jam Session, announcer Marv Alpert would bitingly scream, "BOOM SHAKALAKA," after a monster dunk. I always played with Shaq. Shaq's only weakness was his teammate, Scott Skiles. Skiles favorite position in NBA Jam was lying on his back because he was always getting dunked on.

As I write this, I'm drinking a French beer called Belzebuth. The French haven't done much right, but they got this beer right as far as high abv goes. The beating my liver is taking from this beer is akin to the ones NBA Jam Scott Skiles took. Belzebuth tastes like a standard Belgium ale, but it's dryer than dry. Like a puff of smoke, it literally dissapears on your tongue. This quality is disarming because it comes in at 12% a.b.v., but the mouthfeel is nowhere near what one would expect of such a high alcohal brew. The ass in the photo above must have been fooled by this and drank too much Bezelbuth. It tends to make you do things like lick beer bottles while making your eyes look insane.

Clipper City's Heavy Seas "Hang Ten"

2007-08-16T19:42:00.002-04:00

Another beer in the 'Heavy Seas' series from Clipper City in Syphilis City, Maryland, is Hang Ten. It's a Weizen Dopplebock and it means my friend the pirate is back. I'm not positive but I think a Weizen Dopplebock is a Double Bock brewed with a portion of wheat in lieu of being an all barley malt ale. This beer is paying tribute to the style made famous by Aventis of Germany.

Hang Ten has a sharply acidic yeast nose with hints of sour lemon. It's coloration is browish red and puts heads to bed with it's 10% a.b.v. One can't tell there is so much alcohol in this beer from taste alone. The body is fairly thin where it should be heartier, ala Loose Cannon. The flavor has a yeasty tang tempered by a hefty malt flavor with hints of fig. A good beer, it pays tribute to Aventis fairly well, but if you want the perfect representation of this style I would recommend Aventis.

Apparently Clipper City is trying to drive me crazy with it's Heavy Seas labels. They have a penchant for pairing good beers with ridiculous labels. The pirate in the Seinfeld shirt from 'Loose Cannon' is back. Once again: he is oblivious to the danger he is in, the bird refuses to fly and I'm left wishing something in the picture would just kill them both already. If the shark would just bite off the pirate's hand, maybe he would stop drawing these labels. Beers of this high caliber demand better labels. This is probably the same pirate who walked into a bar with a steering wheel on his crotch and when the bartender asked him how the steering wheel got there said, "I don't know but it's driving me nuts."

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

2007-08-16T19:22:00.001-04:00

Two Hearted Ale is a fantastic IPA from Bell's brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This brew starts with a citrus hop aroma close to grapefruit but also lemony. It's really hoppy and the aroma is sharp and powerful. The hop aroma carries over into the flavor. There is a firm malt body, adding a balancing force to the strength of the hops. The label is great as well. For whatever reason, most beers don't have labels that are so suggestive of a way of life. It would be funny if Natty Light did. Picture a Natty label with a college guy standing in a kiddie pool. He is under a waterfall of beer that sloshes around his calves and has a huge grin that implies he would rather be nowhere else. That would be a nice label.

Boston Beer Tour

2007-08-04T13:02:00.001-04:00

I was in Boston last weekend and, as is my wont, went out and got some good beers. Mostly, I hit up oldies but goodies I can't get my hands on in the Siberian winter of beer that Florida is. I didn't really get to try any new beers because I found so many that I knew were money. I like to do a little quality control just to check and make sure my favorite ladies haven't changed.

I went for Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA first. This is probably the best IPA I've ever had. It's perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It has a spot-on balance of malt and hops and neither one gets out of line. The aroma varies between citrus and pine. It has a long silky body that highlights both the malt and the hops. This beer is liquid luxury.

Avery 'Twelve' Saison Ale is Avery's twelveth anniversary beer. A Saison is a spiced Belguin farm ale brewed to toast the spring. This version is the most appetizing form of Saison that I've encountered. It has a spicey, soapy cinnamon aroma and I mean this in the best way. It tastes like spiced cake and smells like a cosmetic product. I would bathe myself in it if that were acceptable. This beer is amazing for it's uniqueness. It is very rare (and possibly out of production) so I would recommend grabbing it if you see it in the store.

Next, I was on to Middle Ages BrewCo's Druid Fluid out of Syracuse, NY (I think). The Druids were some sort of midget people from England similar to present day Gypsies. This beer is a barley wine. It has smooth and thin body that isn't as thick and robust as most barley wines. This suits it because it's easier to cram more of it into your stomach. It's high in alcohol too. I drank a bottle at a family party and considered myself lucky that my pants were still on when I finished. My point isn't to mention that my family takes off their pants at parties but rather that it is high in alcohol. Unfortunately I didn't take notes and I was a little drunk when I drank it, so I don't have anything important to say about the flavor, etc. I will say that this is a great beer. The brewery makes a whole line of beers that are all good, well-made, tasty ales.

Pictured here is a picture that's very small. Dogfish Head's Raison d'Extra is pictured small for your own protection. This is the portion size I would recommended trying of this beer, that is to say small. It's somewhere around 15%. D'extra is a jacked up version of Raison D'etre, similar to Barry Bond's head circa 2006 vs. his head circa 1989: Big and Bulbous. This ale is brewed with a boatload of raisins. It's sort of like a Port in a.b.v. and flavor/aroma. It has a big aroma and flavor with notes of prunes and, obviously, raisins. Unlike my counterpart, I shared this Dizzy Fizzle beer with four people. My portion was 3 or 4 ounces. Even with such a small glass, I still felt it like a shot of whiskey. I even had to slow myself down on three ounces, but that was because it was lunch time. In my opinion, this is Dogfish Head's best attempt at a high alcohol beer as far as flavor is concerned. The World Wide Stout has more complexity, but you can find yourself wondering why they brewed it and, worse, wondering why you are drinking it. Raison D'Extra on the other hand, has a good flavor and is pleasing to drink if you like big, dank, pruney flavors like certain Ports.

Avery Hog Heaven

2007-08-04T12:46:00.005-04:00

Hog Heaven is Avery's Barley Wine offering. It has 9.2% a.b.v. and a healthy dose of hops at 100 IBUs. It comes with a hoppy aroma but you also can the smell the considerable amount of malt in it. The first thing that jumped out at me was the bitterness. It comes very close to having too much bitterness. However, this beer has complexity and depth. The malt flavor combines with the bitterness to provide a slight chocolate flavor. There is also an orange citrus flavor. All these flavors kind of meld together in a strange dance and you don't really know what flavors will jump out next. On top of that, it attains an oaky flavor as it warms up (good beer often tastes better as it warms above refrigerator temperature as cold liquid paralyzes the taste buds). This beer is quite heavy as well. It has a thick, almost solid aspect to it, and a brown red color to match. It's a full flavored ale, and not for the faint of heart.

Boomshakalaka

2007-07-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

I'm drinking Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout as I write....and I can barely concentrate on typing. I wouldn't say that the World Wide Stout has completely blown my mind, but I almost don't know what to say about it. The beer is black as night. There is barely any head, but what head there is looks like caramel.

Dfizzle suggests that you drink it for dessert, but I'm enjoying it as an appetizer. It boasts 18% abv, and just several sips in I can tell that I will feel it later but you can't taste the alcohol. The aroma is strong and the flavors are extremely deep and complex. Crazy barley action going on here. I can taste coffee flavor...and I LIKE IT.

This beer is consistently rated highly, and now I know why. If you have the opportunity to try this beer, take advantage.

The Orlando Brewing Company is Windy

2007-07-22T14:57:00.000-04:00

Recently I hung out at the Orlando Brewing Company with a friend (no, it wasn't Mikey Mouse). It's located in an industrial part of O-town (where I think they manufacture Disney toys and Lou Pearlman may have buried the Backstreet Boys). I almost drove right past it but once I found it I was as happy as a raggedy man discovering an oasis in the desert . The brewery and pub are in a converted warehouse which is outfitted with brewing equipment and a bar. The warehouse factor made it look more like a loading dock than a bar but I thought that was one of the cool things about it and made it unlike other bars. They brew several of their own beers, most of which are USDA Certified Organic. There are also another ten or so great beers from other breweries on tap. Their beers are not exceptional but they are good. My favorite was their "Doble" I.P.A. It was 8% and came in a wine glass (I've never done drank beer that way). It had a nice light hoppiness with a firm malt backbone. They also had Houblon Chouffee Double I.P.A. Tripel on one of the guest taps, which is rare around these parts. Their selection was great, and even more impressive considering that Florida is a bit of a beer Siberia with almost all of the bars acting as Beer Gulags. I am reminded of a professor at college who would scream at tardy students, "To the Gulags with you." When you walk into bars around here, the taps scream, "No good beer for you." The professor would also invite students to come to his office for Sherry but despite my best efforts, I was never offered any.

Fun story: Someone walked in and sat down next to my friend. They began talking and we got into a big discussion about food. I mentioned how much I respected Chefs because they have to juggle upwards of twenty meals at once without ruining any. In reply, he mentioned he was an architect and that being an architect was much the same because he had to balance the interests of the client and the builder without compromising the interests of either one. Not quite my point, but this tends to happen a lot in Florida. I've found the best way to combat this is to not listen to what people are saying and immediately start talking about myself when they are done talking. I swear there is something in the water here. When this strange man left, my friend turned to me and whispered, "That man had a wandering eye."

From the way I started smelling, I am led to believe that they skimp on the AC at the Orlando Brewing Company. It's quite possible they add Curry when they brew their beers. Going along with the organic theme, I guess they are trying to be a greener brewery by conserving their AC use. I'm not sure if they own a wind machine or what, but the Orlando Brewing Company is one windy place (see picture). As you can also tell from the picture, the beers of the of Orlando Brew Co. seem to make your teeth whiter. If you find yourself stuck in Land of the Mouse and feel the need to escape to a real place for a beer, then the Orlando Brew Co. is the place I would recommend. Just watch out for the Disney traffic on the way back to Tampa.

Not So Metallic Steel Rail

2007-07-19T18:43:00.000-04:00

Berkshire Brewing Company's Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale was a pleasant surprise. I attended a wedding in the Berkshires this past weekend (Congrats Byron and Steph) and desperately needed a drink after a long drive from D.C. I downed a couple of Jim & Gingers first; it was a wedding after-all. Then I saw an unfamiliar name at the bar and asked the friendly bar keep about Steel Rail. He said that if I liked a malty beer with some hops then I would probably like the local beer brewed right down the road. I said, "feed me." Well, he was right, I did like it. A lot. It's no great beer, but it's good. So refreshing. I should mention that I had it on draft. The beer was indeed malty, but I did not find it as hoppy as I was told. Boy did it go down easy. Unfortunately, the wedding bar did not have any other Berkshire Brewing beers available for my consumption, but you better believe that I checked out their website as soon as I got home (sadly, no time to find/visit the brewery). Berkshire Brewing's website identifies the Steel Rail E.P.A. as its "flagship product that has a full malt flavor and is balanced with a pronounced hop flavor and bitterness." Pretty sweet label too. I like trains.

Good Beer in a Can - Oskar Blues Gordon

2007-07-19T15:59:00.001-04:00

Proof that good beer can come in a can is provided by Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyon, Colorado. They make three beers and all of them come in a can. Gordon is their most extreme beer. It's 8.7% abv and hopped to the gills. The strange thing about this beer is that it has such a big flavor but it's body doesn't pack a heavy punch the way the Maharaja does. The body is smooth as Barry White wearing a velvet shirt. The aroma is piney with notes of carmel and is aptly described as 'sticky' on the can. Gordon has an amber coloration and its flavor is quite structured. It tastes like there is something green in the beer, it's as if you are drinking a vegetable. There are occasional hints of chocolate and a general nutty flavor from the malts. And then there's the long, drawn out fresh hop flavor intermingling with the malt throughout the entire sip.

At between $3 and $4 per can Gordon is pricey, but I like to drink beer and throw money away so I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. Despite the price, this beer is well worth it. If you like big, bold, hoppy beers then trying Gordon's IPA is a must because the aren't any beers like this out there.

Clipper City's Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale

2007-07-18T09:09:00.002-04:00

The Clipper City Brewery of Baltimore, Maryland offers several brands of beer, most of which aren't very good. The lone exception is their Heavy Seas series that features high alcohol, robust beers. Loose Cannon is the shining star of the series. It is called a HOP3 (cubed) Ale because it is hopped three different ways - in the kettle, on it's way out of the kettle, and during fermentation. Anyway, HOP3 is just a fancy way of saying it's an I.P.A.

Of greatest concern to me is the label. It features a pirate looking the wrong while his cannon fires and knocks a bird overboard. Just in case the viewer has cognitive problems understanding pictorial scenes, the artist was gracious enough to add dialogue saying, 'Bird Overboard.' What never ceases to amaze me is why the bird is so resigned to it's fate? It can fly, why does it look so suprised? A better label might depict the cannon accidentally backfiring and blowing up both the pirate and the bird. It's Natural Selection: If the pirate can't see and the bird can't fly then they both should die.

The label is the only detail about this beer that I do not appreciate. Loose Cannon is an excellent beer with a strong hop aroma that is fruity without being specific, possibly suggesting fresh grapes. At 7.25% it has a healthy amount of alcohol but you would never know it from the brew's body. The body is quite thin and smooth, making Loose Cannon a beer you can drink and drink more of without feeling like you need to make more room for beer by burping. On the palate, this ale provides an excellent balance between crisp maltiness and hop flavor while finishing dryly with a slight bitterness. This beer is a great choice, don't be fooled by the label like I was - it gives you something to bristle at while you drink your beer.

This Beer Will Slay You

2007-07-13T11:20:00.001-04:00

The Avery Brewing Company brews a wide range of excellent beers. I have tried most of their offerings and only disliked one of them (The White Racal). All the others were excellent and the Avery Maharaja might be one of their best. It is one largest IPAs out there and comes in around 9.6% alcohol by volume with over 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). Basically, it has a lot of hops and tons of malt that marry perfectly in your mouth. It has a grapefruity nose and a piney flavor. It is the definition of a resiny beer and tastes like Montana would if you could put it in a bottle. What makes this beer unique is it's thick malt character that can be described as chewy. Due to the malt, it comes equipped with a firm, thick body and full mouth feel.

Judging by the sword and the crazy look in his eye, this man will slay you for making fun of his hat.

Bell's Oberon

2007-07-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Brendan. Kenneth will be making his first posting soon and I'll let him introduce himself. For now, you just get me. We haven't really made any formal decisions about how this will work, I think it will just sort of work itself out. I came up with the idea for a beer blog while I was wasting away behind my desk. I'm excited because it gives me another excuse to drink. So here we go with the first posting...

Bell's Oberon. From Kalamazoo, Michigan. It's their summer ale. Their line, "[a]n American wheat ale with the color and scent of a summer afternoon."

I found this beer to be very refreshing. It goes down super smooth. Its a little citrusy and has a great aroma. I love the orange and blue bottle. The beer is a bit cloudy with a pale gold color.

OK thats enough for now. What I wrote sounds really cheesy. I'm just going to end it with that.