Fine Brew Reviews

Surly Darkness 2011

2012-05-10T21:47:00.002-04:00

Here is a little throwback to a tasting from a few months ago that I thought was worth sharing. I recently was able to obtain a vertical of Surly Darkness 09'-11'. I decided that the 11' was easy enough to get that it was worth trying right away to see how the brew was fresh.

Pour is pitch black (the name doesn't lie) with an extremely thin creamy tan head. Aroma is very sweet - malted barley, caramel, dark chocolate, and roasted coffee. The flavor is somewhat cloying with hints of over ripe fruit, candied sugar, and chocolate. Probably much better with age. I think I will stick to aging these for at least a year after attempting this.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.78/5

FiftyFifty Hiram Walker/Christian Bros Imperial Eclipse Stout

2012-05-10T20:01:00.004-04:00

Here is yet another one from the tasting a few weeks back. This beer was tricky to figure out. They make ten or so versions of it all in the same bottle with different wax colors. This one had burgundy wax, so its the one brewed in brandy barrels from Hiram Walker and Christian brothers.

Pour is brownish amber with a very small tan head. Aroma is of heavy dark fruits, tea leaves, oak chips, smoke, and bitter sweet chocolate. A touch of booze lingers in the glass. Flavor is more mild than I would have thought from the smell, with strong Earth, wood, caramel, and chocolate notes. Medium bodied, and not very carbonated.

Pretty good overall, the texture was a bit lacking but I'd like to try one of the other ten verities.

Appearance - 3.6

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 4.0

Texture - 3.4

Overall - 3.75/5

Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Fourth Dementia Old Ale

2012-05-02T22:01:00.001-04:00

As some of you may know Old Ale is my favorite beer style. I've been holding on to this gem for the last year since I came back from Dark Lord Day. Hopefully it has gotten better with age.

2010 Bottle. Muddy and dark amber in appearance with a small beige head. Aroma is of overripe fruits, bourbon, walnuts, and oak. Flavor is extremely boozy even though its been aging for two years. Malts dominate it - toffee, caramel, ripe dates, licorice. Very viscous/oily with little carbonation. Some slight bitterness in the finish.

Well worth the wait.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.9
Overall - 4.05/5

Lawsons Finest Fayston Maple Imperial Stout

2012-05-01T22:29:00.001-04:00

Here is a slightly strange one from the bottle share, I hadn't heard of it until that day!

Pour is dark brown/pretty close to black with a small tan head that darkens into a slight orange as it dissipates. Aroma is of roasted coffee, burnt chocolate, earth, and espresso. Flavor is of burnt wood, ash, very bitter chocolate, and some slight sweetness from the maple. Alcohol is there but hidden well, not too complex but still good. Medium to heavy bodied.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.3
Overall - 3.58/5

Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Stout

2012-04-18T22:04:00.002-04:00

This is a review from a few months back and I thought I'd share since this beer is amazing.

Pour is pitch black with a very thin tan head that fades into nothingness almost instantly. Little to no lacing at all on the glass and faint carbonation. Aroma is of strong bourbon (pappy van winkle) with slight notes of roasted barley and molasses. Flavor is sharp on the bourbon with a mild bitter, hoppy finish. Great bourbon flavor in the aftertaste. Some molasses, coffee, and burnt malts. If you are a bourbon fan this will be amazing, if not, its not worth the cost.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.3
Texture - 4.0
Overall - 4.13/5

Anchorage Tide and Its Takers

2012-04-17T19:39:00.002-04:00

Next up is another review from last Saturday from an up and coming brewery!

Pour is hazy golden with a huge bubbly white head that fades slowly over time. Aroma is what I’ve come to expect from Anchorage - sour Brett, white grapes, doughy bread, and a little bit of oak. Flavor is very strange but welcoming - a huge abbey tripel with sour funk added in. Hints of honey and grapefruit along with the sourness help to balance it out. Medium bodied.

This is pretty easy to find in the NYC area so get it while you can!

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.8/5

Goose Island Bramble Rye Bourbon County Stout

2012-04-15T22:19:00.003-04:00

Another great example from the Goose Island BCS series! My thanks goes out to Soj for sharing this at the beer tasting.

Pour is dark red/brown with very little carbonation and an almost none existent head. Aroma is heavy on the blackberries with some boozy tones in the background. Flavor is almost cloyingly sweet, but the alcohol balances it out well, you want to sip this beer. Finish is like warm rye bread and balances out the sweet body. Interesting and better than I expected it to be.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 4.1
Overall - 4.10/5

Hill Farmstead Arthur

2012-04-15T22:13:00.003-04:00

Its been a while, but I'm hoping that I can keep up with this blog and make a post at least once a week.

I hosted a large tasting event last Saturday and I'll slowly add my review of each beer we tried, starting with this one.

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Hazy golden brown with a bubbly white head. Aroma has a lot of farmhouse characteristics - rustic, zesty spice, grass, citrus, yeast. Flavor is golden raisins, grassy/citrus hops, bananas, and yeast. Great carbonation levels and mouth-feel.

This is worth a try if you can find it.

Appearance - 3.7
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.83/5

Firestone Walker 14

2011-09-22T20:10:00.004-04:00

There has been quite a hiatus with this blog, but I'm glad to see we are breaking that silence with a beer like this.

The pour is pretty darn close to black with a small tan head. Some ruby notes can be seen around the edges of the glass. The aroma is quite strong with notes of thick bready malts, hints of chocolate, and just a pinch of dark fruits. Flavor is heavy on the bourbon with some sweet bitterness in the finish. Dark fruits, molasses, caramel malts, and spice in the finish. Texture is quite boozy but it balances out very nicely with the sweetness of the body.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 3.9
Texture - 3.6
Overall - 3.93/5

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout

2011-07-22T17:27:00.005-04:00

I've been waiting over a year to get my hands on this. Luckily Rattle N' Hum in NYC had a Founders event a little while back and I was able to try a full glass of it.

The pour is dark dark brown with a thin beige head. Great lacing and slight carbonation bubbles throughout the tasting. Aroma is of cream, brown sugar, oak, chocolate, and some booze. Flavor is sharp from the bourbon at first but is much more mellow than the Kentucky Breakfast Stout and transitions nicely into a sweet smokey maple finish. Great mouth-feel. The maple syrup balances out the bourbon instead of overpowering it with sweetness.

If you are a fan of the regular Breakfast Stout and find the KBS to be a little too strong for your liking you have to do yourself a favor and go out of your way to try this, it is damn close to perfection.

Appearance - 4.2
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 4.3
Texture - 4.7
Overall - 4.30/5

Keegan Ales Old Capital

2011-04-16T20:26:00.004-04:00

I went to a local liquor store and they had a chance to build your own 6-pack. So I grabbed a bunch of single bottles and this is one of the ones I got.

This beer pours gold, transparent, and produces a nice white head but it collapses on itself quickly. The nose is slightly hoppy but has no other characteristics - disappointing. The taste indicates very smooth malts, slight hints of hops, but not much else. Texture is very carbonated but very smooth and drinkable - ie: bland.

Drinkability is the slogan of Coors Light - that doesn't bode well for this. It's not bad, but it's nothing you should go in search of. I was a little disappointed.

Appearance - 3.3
Smell - 2.6
Taste - 3.2
Texture - 2.7
Overall - 2.95/5

Anchor Liberty Ale

2011-04-16T19:50:00.004-04:00

Anchor has an excellent reputation of making solid, reputable beers for a low price in high quantity. I'm here now to try out one of their most recommended offerings - the Liberty Ale.

Beer pours very golden and transparent with a nice, thick, white head. The nose is of smooth hops, light barley and sweetness. The mouth is hoppy, but not bitter. It has a slight vibe of IPA but it's not nearly citrus-y or bitter enough. The texture is quite smooth and frothy. It has excellent flow in the mouth and there's no abrupt changes in any characteristic.

There's nothing hugely outward of this beer, but it's a standard ale, and a very well-produced one at that. I've yet to have a bad sampling of the Liberty Ale and I'd say it's one of the most solid of the easily-attainable ales - highly recommended.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.5
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.53/5

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

2011-04-14T23:35:00.005-04:00

An imperial pumpkin ale... interesting. This brew pours light brown with some orange and red tint thrown in. The white head is barely a ring around the top of the glass and fades into good lacing. The aroma is of pumpkin pie, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, caramel. It is a tad sweet but very spicy with a lot of yeast notes. The flavor is of slight pumpkin with a touch of spiciness much like the aroma. A lot more watery and light-bodied than I was expecting at 8% alcohol with an extremely dry finish.

Appearance - 3.4
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.4
Texture - 3.2
Overall - 3.48/5

Harpoon Leviathan Belgian Quad

2011-04-14T22:53:00.003-04:00

I think this will be our first review from Harpoon Brewery from Boston. If it does well then I will try to get some more from them to review. The pour is semi-translucent brown/red with a thin white head that fades quickly into a small ring around the glass. The aroma is of plums, grapes, alcohol, caramel, and berry syrup. Flavor is of sharp alcohol at first but transitions into bitter/sour fruits and cane sugar in the finish. Dry and medium/heavy bodied.

Not bad, but not very good for the style.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.9
Taste - 3.2
Texture - 3.2
Overall - 3.45/5

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

2011-04-01T20:36:00.003-04:00

I enjoy vanilla flavors quite a bit, so when I saw this beer showcased at a local liquor store, I was dying to try it. Nice hearty porter with vanilla? Count me in.

Beer pours very dark with a slight red tint and opaque characteristics. It has a nice, full head and produces good lacing on the glass. It smells of, you guessed it, vanilla. Also hints of roasted malts, bits of dark chocolate and hints of dark fruits. This beer has a classic porter taste at the beginning, spicy, roasted tongue in the middle and a very strong, vanilla finish. Wonderful flow of flavors. The texture is bitter in the middle due to the malts but the finish is very smooth. It also seems a little frothy and airy.

Overall, a very solid beer and something very good for the winter or early spring. Nice and heavy and solid flavor. No real downsides to this beer.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 4.2
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.98/5

Delirium Noel

2011-03-24T22:33:00.004-04:00

Kind of a strange time to review a Christmas beer on this site, oh well, screw it.

Pours light brown with a slight orange tint throughout and a thin white head. Lacing is decent and it appears to be quite carbonated. Aroma is straight forward for a Belgian ale: cloves, grapes, plums, bananas, vanilla. The taste is kicked off with some initial sweetness but then grows spicier. Some slight alcohol throughout and a clean dry finish. Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Appearance - 3.5
Aroma - 3.8
Taste - 3.6
Texture - 3.6
Overall - 3.63/5

Monks Café Flemish Sour Red Ale

2011-03-24T21:39:00.007-04:00

I've been holding on to this for a while but haven't had a chance to try it yet. This beer is actually made by Brouwerij Van Steenberge but in the united states it is sold as Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale so I will be reviewing that version of it (if there is a difference).

This brew pours dark brown with a slight red tint and a thin just-off-white head. The aroma is quite strong with notes of sweet cherries, lactic acid, and a touch of vinegar. Flavor is quite mellow compared to the aroma with a slightly sour cherry start and a strong malty/sweet finish. A tad thin, light to medium bodied and a decent amount of carbonation. If you are a fan of the sweeter wild ales then this is worth a try if you can find it.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.2
Texture - 4.0
Overall - 3.88/5

Orval 2006 and Orval 2010

2011-02-24T22:08:00.008-05:00

I've been wanting to this this for a long time - compare and contrast two of the same beer, one aged for a long time and other just brewed. I've heard stories that aged Orval, if done correctly, will taste more like a dark strong Belgian ale instead of the nice golden blonde ale that it starts out as. Hopefully we can reproduce the same results that I have heard in these stories, and hopefully there will be a good amount of differences.

2006 Orval:

Starting with the older one, aged for about 4 1/2 years, I begin my experiment. This brew pours a translucent orange/red with a bubbly white head. The head fades rather quickly and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the side of the Trappist glass. The aroma is of dried fruit, slight amount of vinegar (uh oh), some dashing of bitterness, and Belgian yeast. The flavor is sharp and dry at first, reminds me a lot of a sour ale but not nearly as intense and vinegar driven as some I've had. The other flavors include banana and other light fruits. This aged brew is very dry and has an acidic burn in the aftertaste.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.1
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.45/5

2010:

The newer Orval from 2010 pours a cloudy yellow/orange with a huge bubbly white head. Extremely carbonated when compared to the older one and the head lasts quite a bid longer. Just as good lacing and a slightly lighter color. The aroma is much sweeter as well with notes of grapes, citrus, cane sugar, grains, and yeast. Even though it is sweeter it is not as strong of a nose as the aged one. The taste is initially of Belgian yeast (bananas, cloves) with a dry sort of dull finish and a touch of booze in the aftertaste.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.68/5

Mixed:

For the hell of it I decided to mix the two for the last 4 oz or so of beer left, just to see what would happen. The appearance is mostly the same as the newer Orval with the same amount of lacing and carbonation. The aroma is a carbon copy of the 2010 Orval but with just a pinch of bitter and sour vinegar thrown in. The flavor is sweet and sour at the same time, taking the best of both worlds - sweet fruit and yeast body with a sour acidic finish. I really wish I did this earlier because the Belgians have it right with their "Gueuze", mixing the old with the new is really the way to go.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.78/5

The Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier

2011-02-18T01:50:00.004-05:00

Another Duck-Rabbit beer to round up the night, and this time it is of the Schwarzbier variety, a not very well style which could be best described as a German black lager.

This beer pours black with a thin off-white head that fades rather quickly, fairly good lacing as well. The aroma is of smoke, alcohol, and barbecue sauce. Very interesting aroma, its almost like a smoked beer but with not as much of a kick. The flavor is a lot like a smoked lager with a little bit of hoppiness and bitterness thrown in. Not nearly as strong as a smoked beer body or taste wise and much more carbonated. The best way to describe it would be to call it a "light" smoked beer, but not in a bad way.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.6
Overall - 3.63/5

The Duck-Rabbit Porter

2011-02-18T01:16:00.004-05:00

We have not reviewed any beer from The Duck-Rabbit yet so we decided to do two of them to make up for the malt liquor we had to endure earlier.

This brew pours black with a huge bubbly off-white head, very nice looking beer for a porter. The aroma is fairly straightforward with hints of roasted barley, brown sugar, and a touch of nutmeg. The taste is actually pretty mild: roasty, dry, touch of sweetness. Medium bodied, which seems to describe it pretty spot on, overall it is a pretty medium beer - well balanced on all sides.

Appearance - 3.8
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 3.85/5

Rouge Dads Little Helper

2011-02-18T00:29:00.005-05:00

I tend to shy away from trying beers like like lagers and malt liquors, but when one of these is made by a brewery like Rouge Ales I have to try it at least once.

Dads Little Helper pours light yellow with a slight orange tinge. Its quite translucent and bubbly with a thin white head. The aroma is to be expected for a malt liquor with notes of sweet corn, syrup, and some wheat. The flavor is fairly tasteless and actually a tad yeasty (if anything). There is a sweet corn aftertaste which is not very pleasant at all. Light to medium bodied and very carbonated.

I suppose for a malt liquor it is not too bad, but coming from Rouge it is not too good either.

Appearance - 2.2
Smell - 2.6
Taste - 2.8
Texture - 2.5
Overall - 2.53/5

Dieu du Ciel Équinoxe du Printemps

2011-01-27T20:54:00.006-05:00

Another scotch ale, which is one of my favorite styles, coming to us all the way from Canada and Dieu du Ciel brewery. Hopefully its good.

This brew pours very dark brown with some slight tanning around the edges and a thin white head. Looks very carbonated. Aroma is of alcohol(whiskey/scotch), some caramel and molasses with a touch of fruitiness. The flavor is very good for a scotch ale and has that initial hit of alcohol with a sweet maple syrup/brown sugar flavoring throughout and a warming finish. Almost like a sweet scotch ale, quite good.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 3.88/5

Dieu du Ciel Équinoxe du Printemps

2011-01-27T20:39:00.007-05:00

Yet another beer I can't pronounce! But this is a Scotch Ale. I am a big fan of Scotch and Ale. Match made in heaven.

Beer pours out with sediment at the bottom of the glass with a light filming/head combination. It is rather cloudy with a brown color. The smell has a very solid Scotch Whiskey scent to it. It's also very sweet with touches of syrup/maple and fruits. The mouth is of, you guessed it, Scotch Whiskey. It's also surprisingly sweet with alcohol at the end. There's also a touch of wood taste - result of the aging process in whiskey barrels. Very cool touch. The texture is very smooth and almost frothy. There are very good transitions of flavors although the beginning was a tad dull.

This was a VERY solid brew. Well balanced and very enjoyable. If you like Scotch, Whiskey, brew, or any combination of the 3, I highly suggest this beer.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 4.3
Taste - 4.2
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 4.05/5

Cigar City Brewing Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale

2011-01-27T20:25:00.007-05:00

My first Cigar City beer since the famed Hunahpu Stout, I hope it's good.

This beer pours cloudy brown with a slight red tint and a very thin white head. The aroma is a bit stronger than I expected for a brown ale and has quite a bit of alcohol in it. The alcohol mixes with a roast and sweet backbone. The flavor is very smooth and not quite as sharp as the nose, with a touch of roasted coffee and oatmeal, this is quite an interesting beer. Fairly light bodied with a bitter finish and a tad watery than I would have hoped for.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 4.0
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.65/5

Cigar City Brewing Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale

2011-01-27T20:17:00.005-05:00

Cigar City! This is our second venture to the very rare company and it seems to be a good candidate.

This beer has a cloudy, brown/amber look to it. It has a nice film on stir and a light-ish tan head that reoccurs only when stirred vigorously. The nose is of alcohol, brown sugar, roasted barley and very slight touches of dark fruits. The taste was very boring. It had a bitter bit at the end and someone bland overall palate. Equally disappointing was the texture that was quite thin, boring and had no flow to it.

This beer rather bored me. I like brown ales with food, that may be why I didn't like this that much. It's very boring to have by itself and only really shows its colors when its combined with the proper food. By itself though, this beer bored me. Average review.

Appearance - 3.3
Smell - 3.6
Taste - 2.8
Texture - 2.5
Overall - 3.05/5