Category: Alcohol Reviews

Posted on: October 11, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Rosie Parks Oyster Stout (Fordham)

Fordham Brewing’s Rosie Parks Oyster Stout is built upon oyster shells from the Chesapeake Bay, and it is a wonderfully complex brew that cuts down on the sweet side by inserting a little umami flavor into the mix. The stout pours with a dark brown to black coloration and a decent amount of tan head that rapidly dissipates. This Fordham effort possesses a nose that links together toasted malt and…

Posted on: October 8, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Snake River Pale Ale (Snake River Brewing)

Snake River Brewing (Jackson, Wyoming) has created an eponymous Pale Ale which pours with a yellowish-orange coloration and a ton of beige head. Floral and hoppy sides are present in the initial nose on the beer, while the first sip that an individual takes will showcase perfume and rose elements. There is a good amount of grass and wheat notes that make their presence known at the beginning of a…

Posted on: October 5, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Fat Jack (Double Pumpkin)

Samuel Adams’ Fat Jack is the rare example of a pumpkin-themed beer that showcases the natural flavor of the gourd rather than taking up a set of flavors more akin to a pumpkin pie. The beer is a hazy orange-brown color and pours with a small amount of yellowish-tan head that will create lacing down a glass. The initial nose of Fat Jack provides imbibers with some idea about where…

Posted on: October 5, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Abbey Dubbel (New Belgium)

Along with the brewery’s Trippel, Colorado’s New Belgium has also revisited their Abbey, a Belgian-style dubbel. The beer pours with a mahogany brown and a large amount of off-white to beige head. The beer has hints of Belgian yeast and a decent amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. The alcohol content of this Dubbel is perfectly hidden, making for a malty beer that is perfect for the increasingly cold winter months.…

Posted on: October 4, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 1

Big RICC (Tallgrass Brewing)

Kansas’ Tallgrass Brewing Company has just released a canned run of their Big RICC, a 10.5% ABV Russian imperial stout (RIS) that includes coffee and chocolate. Big RICC pours with a dark brown to black coloration with a substantive amount of tannish head. The beer laces its way down a glass, while providing imbibers with a good amount of bitterness (both from the inclusion of coffee and the 65 IBUs…

Posted on: October 3, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Gambrinus Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Bock (Portside)

Bocks (or their imperial variant) are a hard beer style to do correctly; a number of bocks end up being toasted sugar bombs without much depth. Cleveland, Ohio’s Portside Distillery has crafted something special in their Gambrinus Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Bock. There is a good amount of malt that is immediately present, a taste that is quickly muted with hints of vanilla and bourbon granted it during its time…

Posted on: September 29, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Toaster Pastry (21st Amendment)

Toaster Pastry marks the previous life of 21st Amendment’s facilities; this effort is described by San Leandro’s 21st Amendment as an “India style red ale”. The beer’s name is a bit of a misnomer, but what ultimately results from Toaster Pastry is an eminently drinkable beer that takes the best points of the IPA and red styles and melds them together seamlessly. There is a good malt presence that imbues…

Posted on: September 28, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 2

Oktoberfest (Left Hand Brewing Company)

Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, Colorado) has released their latest seasonal, Oktoberfest. The beer is a marzen with a dark yellow / light mahogany coloration. There is a decent tannish to brown head that laces its way down the glass, with has good amounts of sweet and malt elements. The 6.6% ABV of Left Hand’s Oktoberfest calms down the sweeter elements of the beer; instead of taking on a more…

Posted on: September 25, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 1

Bergamonster Imperial Wheat (Two Roads Brewing)

Bergamonster Imperial Wheat is the latest offering in Two Roads Brewing’s Road Less Traveled Series. This unfiltered wheat ale pours with a light yellow coloration and a small amount of whitish head. Lacing is pretty thick along a glass. Two Roads’ imperial wheat ale packs a kick at 8.2% ABV, blending together a strong alcohol bite with sweeter (the titular Bergamot, lemon, and orange) and hoppier elements.

Posted on: September 24, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Doppelshot Doublebock (Maui Brewing Company)

The inclusion of coffee into the latest Maui Brewing Company seasonal, Doppelshot Doublebock does a good job at hiding some of the overly sweet elements that can sometimes be discerned from the bock style. Doppelshot pours with a hazy dark brown – light orange coloration and a small amount of wispy white head that trails its way down a glass or mug. The ABV (8.2%) is similarly well hidden with…

Posted on: September 23, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Commotion APA (Great Raft Brewing)

Great Raft’s Commotion APA pours with a yellow/gold coloration and a solid amount of fluffy white head. Lacing traces its way down the glass, showcasing the progression that one has on the beer. The ale’s nose is heavy with mango, pine, and caramel.

Posted on: September 21, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale

The Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale pours with a hazy coloration and a good amount of whitish head. One can easily taste rthe different sides of Blue Moon’s latest seasonal; the hazy hefeweizen-esque notes of the Blue Moon poke through while the cinnamon notes are much more strongly noticed. There is a bit of creaminess that puts the beer more in line with a nitro mouthfeel.

Posted on: September 20, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 2

Trippel (New Belgium)

New Belgium has thought long and hard, reformulating their Trippel. The beer pours with a gold/yellow color and a small amount of head that laces its way down the bottle. The nose of this trippel is sugary and sweet, something that is moderated well by wheat and malt elements when one takes their initial sip. The high-ABV of this beer is hidden perfectly through these bold flavors of banana, cereal,…

Posted on: September 19, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 3

10th Mountain Stout (Aspen Brewing Company)

Aspen Brewing Company’s 10th Mountain is an imperial oatmeal stout, an absolutely delectable beer that pours with an extremely dark brown to black coloration and a good amount of tannish head that is slow to dissipate. There is little that is given up with the initial nose of this imperial oatmeal stout, but the silken mouthfeel and bold tobacco, chocolate, and barley elements make for a dangerous combination. The beer…

Posted on: September 14, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Oktoberfest Bavarian Style Lager (Upland; Bloomington, IN)

Upland’s (Bloomington, Indiana) Oktoberfest offering pours with a light orange coloration and a small amount of offwhite head. The good amount of malt present in Upland’s take on the typical Oktoberfest offering is matched perfectly with a decent alcohol bite. A small amount of hops are included in the overall flavor profile to stave off the sweetness present in the marzen style. The crispness of this beer is unheard of…

Posted on: September 12, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Morning Glory Espresso Stout (Fordham & Dominion)

  Morning Glory is an espresso stout that hits the perfect balance between coffee and chocolate, sweetness and bitterness that makes for an eminently drinkable beer that goes down dangerously easy. The beer pours with a dark brown color and a good amount of tannish head which is slow to dissipate. The initial nose of Morning Glory is reminiscent of dark chocolate. The inclusion of Mt. Hood and Cascade Hops…

Posted on: September 12, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Burntwood Tavern – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

The night that we visited the Burntwood Tavern in Cuyahoga Falls we were worried about getting to the restaurant; the sheer amount of rain that was falling made it a challenge to pull in.  Rather than get drenched on the short walk from the car to the entrance, the Burntwood Tavern offers valet parking to keep one out of the crazy northeast Ohio climate.

Posted on: September 9, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Farm Dog Farmhouse Ale (Fort Collins Brewery)

Farm Dog pours with a dirty brown to copper coloration and a small amount of rapidly-disappearing off-white head. There is little in the way of barnhouse and yeast notes that issue forth on the initial nose, while the first sip provides imbibers with a good amount of sweetness before a warming, slightly boozy rush makes its presence known. A good bit of spice adds further variety to this ale, while…

Posted on: September 7, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale (Lexington Brewing Company)

Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale is a beer that pours with a dark brown to orange color and a small amount of slightly off-white head. The KPBA is slightly thicker than many ales in the same unctuous fashion. The nose provides hints of toasted malt, sugar, spices (cinnamon, clove) and a little bit of spice. Where there is a tendency for pumpkin beers to go overboard in regards to the outright…

Posted on: September 6, 2015 Posted by: James Comments: 0

In Memory Of… (Full Tilt Brewing)

In Memory Of…  is a pilsner that Baltimore, Maryland’s Full Tilt Brewing has crafted to help out The Military Relief Fund of Maryland. With this beer, Full Tilt has created an eminently drinkable pilsner that is able to refresh and quench one’s thirst while having enough nuance to the beer to keep individuals interested over an entirety of a session with In Memory Of…. The beer pours with a light…