Hoperation Overload is an absolutely intense double/imperial IPA that is a year-round release by Illinois’ Destihl Brewery. This effort pours with a brown, tinged by yellow coloration and a small amount of off-white head that quickly dissipates. An ample amount of lacing will make its way down a glass, a testament to the constancy of the effort.
Port O’ Call is a belgian-style dark ale from Utah’s Uinta Brewing, giving imbibers a very deep set flavors. The beer pours with a dark coloration and a fair amount of off-white head. The large bottle size (750 mL) provides one with the opportunity to experience the shifting set of tastes that are experienced in a bottle of Port O’ Call. This means that note of banana,clove, sugar, and malt are…
Massachusetts’ Wachusett Brewing has created a Blueberry Ale that successfully melds together a fruity flavor with a thirst-quenching lager style. The beer is perfect to session over the course of the night, as the mild flavor profile does not veer too far into tartness. When pouring the beer into a glass, the first thing that one will see is the yellow-gold coloration, upon which a solid amount of whitish head…
Wassail is Full Sail’s latest winter seasonal which is available from October until the end of December. The brew pours with a dark mahogany to reddish coloration, providing imbibers with a good amount of tannish head sitting on top. The decent hop inclusion in Wassail makes for a deeper, more complex set of flavors; nuts, caramel, plum, and molasses all come into focus. Whiskey and vanilla tastes add the final polish…
Winter Camp is described as a winter warmer old ale by Strike Brewing Company, and is the perfect example of a beer that changes its spots from the beginning to the ending of each 22 ounce bottle. The beer initially pours with a dark brown to reddish coloration and has a fair amount of off-white head. There are strong malt elements and a bit of hop bitterness that come forth…
Winter Ale, Smuttynose’s current seasonal, comes forth with a fulfilling and complete set of flavors. Pouring with a dark brown coloration and a small amount of off-white head, this Winter Ale has strong notes of malt, alcohol, and tart cherry. Based on an amber ale and bolstered with Trappist yeast, this beer is warming and possesses a wide array of different flavors. With hints of dark fruits, spices including cinnamon,…
Aspen Brewing is set to release a sour blonde this winter; Cougar (6.5% ABV) will be rolling out from the brewery in 22 ounce bottles and is part of Aspen’s Temerity series.
While there was a certain complexity given to Tallgrass Brewing Company’s Buffalo Sweat when it was given time in bourbon barrels, we found the base-level Buffalo Sweat to be on of the most engrossing and delectable stouts we have reviewed in 2015. This oatmeal cream stout pours with a decent thickness and a dark-brown coloration. A fair amount of tannish head pours on top of Buffalo Sweat; the nose of…
The My Turn series by Lakefront Brewery is an institution at this point; employees of the brewery get the chance to do a one-off effort in a style that the brewery does not create. Todd (quality manager at Lakefront) suggested that a Belgian-style quadrupel be made, and we were lucky enough to receive a bottle.
Boomsauce is a pretty heady IPA (India Pale Ale) from Woburn, MA’s Lord Hobo Brewing Company pouring with a dark yellow to golden coloration and little in the way of head. The lacing from Boomsauce is barely present. Immediately present in a glass of Boomsauce is a good amount of effervescence, which imbues upon the effort a certain lightness. This lightness ensures that one will delve into Boomsauce with aplomb and…
Stumptown CandyPeel IPA , BridgePort’s latest offering is an India Pale Ale that comes forth with a little more of a sweeter and more citrus-heavy elements than a typical effort in this style. There is a mild nose to this one, heavy with hints of grain and bready malts. The beer pours with a dark-yellow to orange-brown coloration and a decent amount of whitish head. Stumptown CandyPeel has a decent…
Charlotte, North Carolina’s Sugar Creek Brewing Company has crafted a unique and alluring Pale Ale that has a richness and fullness to the effort that separates it from other pale ales currently on the market. There is a good amount of off-wheat head that sits on top of the beer. The decent amount of malt that is included in this effort makes the beer stand up well; the sharpness of…
Illinois’ own Destihl Brewery has created a dubbel that hits all of the high notes of the Belgian style without moving too far into the pruny tastes that sink many a dubbel. The beer pours with a brown to mahogany coloration and a small amount of off-white head that rapidly dissipates. The initial nose of this Dubbel is sweet, heavy with raisin. and concludes with a bit of malt at the…
While nutty flavors are quite commonplace in beers, the presence of nuts in the brewing process is slightly less so. Of the top of my head, we last encountered nuts in our beer with the Black Walnut Dunkel from Perennial. Smuttynose’s Smuttlabs label has challenged the common conception of what a saison can be with their latest, a Chestnut Saison. What results here is a bold blend of nutty, spicy, and…
Newberry Eruption is an aggressively-hopped imperial red ale that makes for a formidable brew, something that will warm individuals as we move towards the winter months. The effort pours with an intense red coloration and a small amount of off-white head. The sharpness of the hop bitterness that is experienced here is moderated by an similarly-strong malt presence. The thin to moderate mouthfeel of Newberry Eruption is the perfect vehicle…
Colorado’s Breckenridge Brewery has made a high-octane variant of their 471 Small Batch IPA, making for one of the best double/imperial IPAs that we’ve reviewed this year. The 471 IPApours with a copper to gold coloration with a nose that is heavy on woodsy and piney elements. An initial sip yields vanilla, spice, cantaloupe and bit of honeydew. As the 471 Hull melon warms, a greater amount of sweetness swells up…
One of the smoothest scotch ales we have received, Founders’ Dirty Bastard is a beer that pours with a dark brown to reddish coloration. A good amount of tannish head pours on top, yielding a tremendous amount of lacing as an imbiber continues along their journey.
Breakfast Exorcism is a limited-distribution beer from Massachusetts’ Clown Shoes brewery, with a base of Undead Party Crasher (imperial stout). The beer is aged in rye barrels that have had espresso beans from the Barrington Coffee Roasting Company. This imperial stout has a good coffee nose and a little bit of sweetness at the end, something that is expanded upon when one takes their first sip. The mouthfeel of Breakfast…
Shark Bait is Miami Brewing Company’s wheat beer that separates itself from the pack with the inclusion of mangoes. The beer pours with a hazy golden color and a fair amount of white head that sits on top of the effort pretty consistently. There is only a minor amount of lacing that appears at points during one’s journey with the beer, even as the foam on the top of the…
New Belgium and Ben and Jerry’s have collaborated to make a delectably sweet and refreshing brown ale. The beer pours with a mahogany red to burnished brown color. There is a small amount of tannish head that remains on the beer for a decent length of time. The thicker mouthfeel of this beer is luxurious, with hints of cocoa and vanilla pointing through at points to cut through more of…