Ironwood pours with a very dark brown, nearly black color. The head is pretty thin (about ¼ to ½ of an inch), and is off-white. The initial sip will provide imbibers with hints of chocolate and cocoa, along with a slight hint of sweetness at the end. This allows the 7.0% alcohol percentage to be shrouded perfectly, making for an eminently drinkable effort. As the beer warms up, the dark…
The brew pours extremely dark, with nary a bit of light shining through this black brew. There is a tenacious head that sticks with the beer from beginning to end. Rather than being effervescent, this is a thick and filling beer. A perfect beer for the cold winter months, the Green Flash Double Stout is able to unite the deep complexity of the stout format with a…
Simply put, Dogfish Head’s Kvasir is one of the most complex and fulfilling beers that we have tasted. This could be due to the fact that the beer is based off the remnants that were present in an ancient Danish cup. The 10% ABV may scare imbibers away, but the heavy alcohol content is moderated by an intense blend of syrups (honey, birch), berries (lingonberries and cranberries) and a slew…
Global Warmer has a piney nose with a pour that is very effervescent. The beer is a reddish-orange with a small, rapidly-dissolving head. The mouth feel contains a decent amount of hops, but dissipates quickly. Subtle hints of spice can be discerned alongside a dry malt backdrop. The overall taste of Global Warmer opens up as the effort warms up; a maltier and heavier fruit presence ensures…
The beer pours with a very dark brown, reddish tint; there is a small amount of an off-white head. The initial nose is not too assertive, with minor hints of hop and malt. Each sip is very smooth and provides imbibers with hints of fruits (berries, cherries), ginger, and spices (nutmeg, vanilla). The specific constellation of flavors changes as the beer approaches room temperature. Breckenridge’s Christmas Ale is one…
Powder Hound is a great blend of sweet and hoppy bitterness. The orange-red that pours from a can of Powder Hound makes the white head pop. An initial sip invites hints of toasty malts, caramel, and even touches of ginger. Piney and citrus elements are present as well, creating a nuanced and layered experience. The 7.2% ABV of Powder Hound provides a hint of a burn to…
The small batch allows distillers to provide unique and challenging efforts, no matter what type of spirit that they are creating. The newest Wild Turkey effort, the 2013 bottling of Forgiven, is built off of the backs of a high-proof rye and a solid bourbon. Forgiven has a fairly light gold / honey color. After the bottle is opened, an introductory whiff will provide imbibers with hints…
Jubelale is a beer that has enough of a body to keep individuals properly warm; the malt backbone of this beer is enough to keep imbibers interested. Jubelale touches upon an array of styles – bocks, hop-heavy beers, and is able to establish a wholly new style in the course of 12 fluid ounces. The beer pours with a reddish-brown coloration and a small bit of lacing. From there,…
The 500 B.C. has a bouquet of citrus fruits and hops, and pours a ruddy orange into a vessel. For the pour, there is a finger’s worth of off-white head. The warmth that this DIPA provides is substantial, and provides a further indiication of the beer’s 8.3% ABV. The floral and fruit notes of the initial sip open up into a nicely-balanced blend of sweet and bite. A mild hop…
The Citizen / DC Brau / 7.0% ABV / http://www.dcbrau.com The Citizen is a very unique beer, a bold-bodied tripel that is eminently drinkable. The blend of sweeter and more hoppy notes makes for a very complex effort. The beer pours with a very vibrant orange coloration, providing imbibers with a decent head. The haziness of the beer is inviting, while the initial sip yields hints of cloves, candi sugar,…
We received two cans of the SuperMonk Belgian IPA for review, and wanted to taste the beer over a length of time to see whether the same sort of flavors were present. The beer pours nicely, with a nice copper/orange body. The lacing that is present is an off-white and about a finger’s thick and remains through the entirety of the beer. A citrus meets floral nose will immediately entice…
This imperial IPA packs a strong alcohol percentage (9.5%) and a complexity that shows itself during all facets of the experience. The initial pour is an amber / honey with a lighter, more ethereal head. With an intial sip, hints of citrus (orange, tangerines), mango, and a hint of bitterness, the 17th Anniversary opens up to a moderated unity of hop and malt. The higher ABV provides the perfect…
The sheer fruit nose of the beer, Smuttynose’s latest Short Batch effort, makes for something that is eminently drinkable. The effort has just enough in the way of bitterness to make for a very distinctive and complex take on a Berliner Weisse. The inclusion of the sour Rhubarb (100 pounds) alongside the Strawberries (924 pounds) spins the beer off into a bold new direction. The problem with the Weisse format…
Stone has decided to celebrate their 17th anniversary in a huge fashion, and have created their Götterdämmerung IPA to both provide a blast of hoppy goodness alongside a substantial alcohol bite. The beer pours clearly with a light copper color, providing imbibers with hints of flowers and grass. The initial sip ties together pilsner and IPA styles, allowing the immense drinkability of the pilsner style to be pushed into a…
Pinnacle Peppermint Bark is one of the latest efforts by Pinnacle, and represents a bold new flavor profile for vodka. While many companies have attempted to bring in fruit flavors to vodkas in the past, Pinnacle has married the alcohol burn of vodka with a similarly sharp peppermint flavor. What results is a product that is quite like a peppermint candy, albeit in a liquid form. The spirit works…
Unity Vibration is a different type of brewery, gathering most of its notoriety from producing premium Living Kombucha Tea. Unity Vibration’s owners Rachel and Terek Kanaan stepped out of the box and created Unity Vibration Kombucha beer. We had the pleasure of tasting their Peach Bourbon Wild American Ale. This beer was a unique experience, first you can’t just “crack” open the bottle, this stuff is very carbonated. You have…
Pale ales have been largely passed over with the popularity of India pale ales, but Oskar Blues’ Dale’s Pale Ale looks to establish a renaissance for the style. Whether in cans or on tap, the Dale’s Pale Ale has more of a backbone than competing efforts. I feel that it is the vigor and spirit that makes for an inimitable beer. The initial pour provides individuals with a fairly thick,…
The Scotch Ale style blends the bitterness of hops with the fullness of malt. The MacBubba hits all of the high notes of the style while providing enough unique flavor to make it a go-to beer. The amber / brown pour provides a nice cream colored head, while the initial sip yields hints of caramel, raisin, molasses and just enough burn to keep things lively. The inclusion of peated…
Odyssey is an oak-aged (to the tune of 6 months conditioning) ale, which tops the scales at 10.4% ABV. The beer pours incredibly dark and brown, yielding a lighter tan shade for the head. There is a strong flavor that yields hints of vanilla, bourbon, oak and bits of hop towards the end of each quaff. Subsequent sips will provide imbibers with fruit (berry) and chocolate notes. As the beer…
Vampire Slayer is a dark elixir, one that blends equal parts chocolate and cream