XV - 15th Anniversary Ale by Mayflower Brewing Company (Plymouth, MA) - Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Well balanced strong Belgian ale with notes of dark molasses, malts, slight sweetness at the beginning before really nice notes of port come in with raisin and especially cherry flavors. Slight alcohol burn in the finish with a dry, medium bitter end.
Shandy by Old Nation Brewing Company (Williamston, MI) - Shandy
Many shandies tend to focus too much on the lemonade whereas this version is more about the lager with bready malt and nice bitterness and the lemonade just acts more in the background to balance it out with some restrained sweetness -great version of a shandy
The other day the roomate and I had a late lunch at The Stone of Accord in Missoula, Montana. I cannot drink alcohol, but I naughtily took a sip of his Bayern Brewing’s Ocktoberfest lager. Oh my, this sent me back in time to my very first taste of Bliz’s Bavarian Dark inbthe summer of 1975. So good. So long!
Beetlejuicy by Laughing Monk Brewing (San Francisco, CA) - Imperial NEIPA
Hazy fruit bomb in the most positive way - huge tropical (mango, ananas, papaya) flavors upfront which linger throughout but get countered by some herbal grassiness before dry, medium bitter finish. Great NEDIPA
Slushy XXXL Yabba Dabba by 450 North Brewing Company (Columbus, IN) - Fruited Sour
Slushy sours are often pushing what many consider beers and this one is no different, especially coming from 450. Consistency and flavor profile reminds on some fruit smoothies, in this case the tartness is more pronounced than in some other 450 sours which makes it much more enjoyable. Not something to drink everyday but very good from time to time.
Oktoberfest Ur-Maerzen by Spaten-Franziskaner-Loewenbraeu-Gruppe (Munich, Germany) - Maerzen
Not the classical Oktoberfest Festbier but an Americanized version which is darker and sweeter with a stronger malt, bready component. Reasonable dry, bitter finish but overall too sweet, malty with not enough bitterness.
How about adding ratings (or those of real beer reviewers) to your posts? It would make them more interesting, I think.
Jammy Pants (Blueberry, Boysenberry, Blackberry) by Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Fruited Sour
Classical GN fruited sour - they tend to find the right balance between fruitiness and tartness so that you still feel like drinking a sour and not just fruit juice. This one is no different with a good berry mixture.
Volksbier Vienna by Wibby Brewing (Longmont, CO) - Vienna Lager
Strong notes of toasted grains, dark bread, even roasted chestnut flavors upfront with hints of sweetness. These malt flavors dominate this lager and only the dry, quite bitter and very long lasting finish makes it more interesting and a little bit more balanced.
David S. Pumpkins by Lamplighter Brewing Company (Cambridge, MA) - Spiced Ale
Beside the taste of some spices (even though they aren’t really pumpkin spice resembling) this beer taste like a darker ale with hints of toffee, some lightly roasted malts and a dry, quite bitter finish. Pumpkin ale that doesn’t taste like a pumpkin ale (which is not a bad thing)
Gatherwell by Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, ME) - Imperial Stout
This is one of the stouts where the drinking temperature is really important - if it is too cold the beer is quite underwhelming and one-dimensional. Once it warms up it really opens up and gets much more complexity - light chocolate and vanilla with bourbon flavors upfront, followed by toffee and caramel with tannins before a very dark chocolate finish with notes of hazelnuts and a long lasting, growing bitterness.
Fest of Both Worlds by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers (Framingham, MA) - Festbier
Interesting German-American collaboration which produced a very nice, very crisp festbier with a bready, malty backbone with some light sweetness (which could been turned down even a bit more) and quite spicy hop bite. Good, dry medium bitter finish.
Koeld by Fair State Brewing Cooperative (Minneapolis, MN) - Koelsch
Koelsch beer is a combination of a lager and ale and originated in Cologne. This version shows many of the typical characteristics - malty flavors with less sweetness than a lager and floral, grassy hoppiness. A dry, low bitterness finish which makes this beer quite enjoyable.
Biggie’s Blueberry Brunch Bonanza by Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA) - Pastry Sour
Do you like blueberry pie but also feel that they are often too sweet and would benefit from a more balanced flavor. This fruited sour is for you - strong blueberry and vanilla flavors but not overly sweet and healthy dose of tartness. Who needs dessert when you can have such beers.
Granola Brown Ale by Black Hog Brewing Company (Oxford, CT) - Brown Ale
Classical brown ale with some surprising very light notes of caramel and more hop flavors than expected. Dry, medium bitter finish. Overall some of the characters of a brown ale are missing or very light and too much of flavors remind on some milder pale ales.
Chocolate Outmeal Stout by Jackrabbit Brewing Company (West Sacramento, CA) - Oatmeal Stout
Very light and thin body for an oatmeal stout. Faint chocolate notes in the background. Even the normal roasted malt and caramel flavors of a regular stout are not very dominant. Some light bitterness and coffee notes in the finish - overall rather underwhelming
Patience & Fortitude by Wild East Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY) - Czech Pilsner
Rather nice example of a Czech-style pilsner with biscuit and bread flavors upfront, followed by some, not too dominant, grassy, herbal tastes which have a nice spiciness to them before a dry, lower bitterness finish.
Bakery: Banana Nut Muffin by The Bruery (Placentia, CA) - Imperial Pastry Stout
Coffee and banana bread are a nice combination for breakfast. Here the stout provides a nice backbone with toffee, dark chocolate and coffee flavors and a low but yet important bitterness in the finish. The banana flavor, which could have been even a bit more pronounced, pairs really well and adds a nice fruity flavor. The subtle vanilla and nuts flavors round out this great stout.
Gummihosen by Stellwagen Beer Company (Marshfield, MA) - Festbier
Quite typical Festbier with a flavor profile not too far from a pilsner. Malty, biscuity flavors with some moderate sweetness as the backbone, some refreshing spiciness later with a lingering, dry, medium bitter finish. Classic and refreshing
