Oarsman Ale (2012)

I first tasted this beer back in early 2011 and thought it was terrible. Little did I know that this beer was intended to be as such and I was uneducated in the style of Berliner-weiss beer. However, thanks to Mr. John Borr (New Holland's most recent hire into the brewery staff) for bringing me a couple bottles of this beer to help me re-evaluate my palate towards this style. Tasted Labor day weekend after a relaxing couple of day camping, drinking and pounding some miles (Hope XC meet) with Brandon, Eric and Hank.
Snifter served
4.0% ABV

Appearance: Glowing golden yellow with an ever so slight haze running throughout. The head is minimal, but still sets itself as a thin film across the surface of the glass, with accumulations on the side. Carbonation is visible as frequent bubbles race to the surface.
Aroma: Sour and a bit minerally are the primary sensations I perceived at the nose. Some lactic bacteria, accompanied with a subtle hint of citrus and lemongrass. Otherwise, there really isn't too much happening in the aroma.
Taste: Very interesting flavor now that I know exactly what type of beer this really is. Initially I can pick up a faint wheat based undertones, though this is nearly immediately offset by the burst of lactic sourness provided on the second half. Some spice and citrus is present, similar to what I noted in the aroma, but more on the lemon citrus side now. Interestingly too, I find myself experiencing more of a sulfur flavor as the beer begins to warm up, either a result of lactic fermentation, Calcium Sulfide, and/or DMS (though less of the latter). Finishing is rounded, refreshing and reminiscent of that lemongrass/zest bite in the aftertaste. Truly peculiar.
Mouthfeel: Quite a bit watery for me! This is a beer where body almost doesn't exist. The acidity is high and the mouthfeel is mildly tart, but whelmingly crisp and refreshing. Carbonation bubbles help to amp up the feel a bit more, but encourage a quench in the back of the mouth as the bite the surface of the tongue. Palate is left very dry, but with an gluttonous feeling at the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: Certainly in a category of its own, and one I have very little experience tasting. I dig the low ABV, but it also explains a lot about the bod and texture of this beer. Sour mashed? From what I've learned tasting this beer, and others like it (think: Festina Peche) I'm going to continue to make an effort to find alternative comparisons by which to learn from. Until then, I lack a sufficient palate to truly acknowledge whether or not this is a great beer. Nevertheless, if you enjoy what you read, by all means seek this one out.

Oberon Ale

My apologies for the infrequency in my posts. As many of you know, I've re-located to Holland, MI. Where I am fortunate enough to be working as a brewer at New Holland Brewing Co. In any case, I'm going to make my best effort to get back on track. This is my first review since moving to Michigan nearly three weeks ago. Thanks to my housemate, Austin for picking up a six pack of this the other night as we rounded season three of Breaking Bad.
5.8% ABV

Appearance: Golden and bright, yet with a hard presence of flocculent and particles throughout. Even within the bottle, this beer displayed a thick layer of sediment. I did my best to avoid pouring it into the glass. The lacing is speckled and wet, while a soapy white bubble accumulation on top.
Aroma: Faint malt bill of 2-row and wheat. Citrus carries on in an under current while a yeasty nose rounds out the finish. Some faint orange/coriander comes through, but remains second nature under a more malt/wheat based sweetness.
Taste: The introduction on the palate is reminiscent of coriander and wheat, with a bit of extra sweetness to carry through to the second half. Citrus fruit begins to emerge on the palate in the second half, along with a overwhelmingly familiar orange rind flavor...as if one had just bit down on an orange in order to start the peeling process. However, the finish carries on to a very refreshing status with a prominent wheat and yeasty sweetness on to the end.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation hits the tongue right at the start, and then begins to dissipate as it reaches the back of the throat. The body is a bit heavier, most probably due to the wheat. Some stickiness remains on the lips. The very end is dry and crisp with a bittered dryness remaining on the palate long after the last gulp.
Overall Impression: I knew what Oberon was before I even knew who made it... Obviously this goes back many years. The beer lives up to its hype. I could drink this any day of the week and certainly see this as something nearing the perfect hot-summer-day beer. The rich orange/coriander flavor is something I'm unfamiliar with when tasting wheat beers, so this remains one of its own.

Consecrator Doppelbock Beer

Thanks to Joe Weitlispach for bringing this over the other day. I apparently was supposed to sit on it for a while longer (He said). But the occasion arose with the visit of Elise Meyer on Monday afternoon that I felt it necessary to crack open. Along with other celebratory news. Served in a snifter.
8.0% ABV

Appearance: There is very little head present initially. Hardly an accumulation around the rim or the glass. The beer exhibits a deep mahogany/rubied color, that remains quite clear. Carbonation can be seen from within.
Aroma: Sweet caramelized cane sugar and toffee. Very malt rich. I get notes of honey and even some toasted grain in the malt bill as well. Woodsy, but extremely aromatic and representing of the grain base it was made with. The yeast leaves a clean scent under the dominating malt presence.
Taste: Initially, the sweetness is perceptively overwhelming and strong, but quick is the palate to develop an attractive taste towards the caramel and toffee primary malt layer of the taste. Still caramelized sugar is present, which makes me think on reminiscent of a red ale, or crystal 65. The second half really presents a woody flavor, while helping to balance the malt. Hops are strong here, and perhaps would mellow nicely with age. Some fruitiness prominates prior to the introduction of the bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Robust and chewy, with a stickiness on the lips, though without a cloy feeling on the roof of the mouth. Obviously, the body is thick, but carbonation helps to loosen it up a bit. Mouthfeel finishes dry and even a slightly resinous.
Overall Impression: If you're looking for something malt heavy and boastful in malt base complexity, this is your beer. From honey to toasted grains, and even browned sugar, maple and fruit, the range is endless and even a bit confusing to pick out. Definitely something that could also benefit from some age!

Amber Ale (2012)

This beer just arrived at the Rock Island Hy-vee, and I've been since interested in trying it. Completely new label, which had me confused. Jen picked up a 6-pack While I was in Iowa City for a beer festival over the weekend. Rich Nunez explained that this was his favorite way back when, but with the new expansion, he hasn't had it since. Tasted Sunday evening following the homebrew club meeting a the brewery. I finally got my share back from the barrel aging project we did a year ago. Man, it's phenomenal!!

Appearance: Boasting a large bubble cream colored head right from the pour, the beer holds a glimmering attractive look to it. Dissipation takes a minute or so, but the beer still maintains its peaks. The color is a glowing amber with a hazed appearance. With a closer look one can easily see a lot off flocculated particles suspended in the media, as if it were jello or agar. Carbonation is present, but infrequent.
Aroma: There is a prominent biscuit quality to the beer along with a faint pepperiness and a touch of yeast. Unfortunately at the end I get a bit of oxidation and cardboard.
Taste: The oxidation that I smelled in the aroma is nonexistent in the flavor. The malt base is enhanced by a caramel midtaste, while prior it is represented by a full on biscuit 2-row bread bill. Mmm! This flavor carries on to the end, with the accompaniment of the caramel that was introduced halfway through. Very sweet. However, the finish counters all this with a floral crispness no make for an extreme balance in flavor. Alpha acids kick in in the last 1/4 of the tasting to dry out the palate with a peppery spice, and leave it relatively clean, aside for the enticing biscuit aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Smooth texture and medium bodied. I find the microbubble carbonation that was incorporated into this beer to match its prospective qualities to the tee. Creamy and bubbly, and goes down very soft. Finish is dry and refreshing.
Overall Impression: Well matched and balanced in all areas of the spectrum. Perhaps more bitter than your typical gate-way Fat Tire, but more biscuit and malt sweetness as well. The beer explodes with a huge flavor in all. If it were up to me I'd choose this over all amber's. Well done, Bell's. I'd like to see more marketing for this beer to counter the Fat Tire Revolution.

Third Coast Old Ale

Thank you Rick Harris for giving me this at the end of our brewery tour trip to Des Moines this past weekend. Having recently build his kegorator, he's been purchasing kegs of high quality to fill his taps such as Delerium and Third Coast Old ale. He picked this up at John's Grocery in Iowa City while we made a quick stop to gander at the wealthy beer selection. I got to reviewing this Monday morning following a recovery run through Rock Island.

Appearance: Deep mahogany brown with a tint of red when held to the light. The head cream colored and dense in texture and is outstandingly well retained complete with peaks and a dry coated lacing. Dark enough to make carbonation difficult to observe.
Aroma: A bit musty, like that of an old brewery cellar (I'm thinking of Great Lakes basement bar) But some notes of kilned amber and toasted malt arise, followed by dark fruit and a dash of alcohol. Toffee takes a prominent cast amongst many of the layered complexities. A touch of browned applesauce and grapes.
Taste: Toffee and pumpernickel bread make up what most of the foretaste consists of. To follow, a rich fruity ester complexity develows only to then develop into a chocolate undertone to round out the well balanced sweetness within the beer. Think Chocolate covered cherries! Nearing the end, a dryness sets in giving a perceptively different character to the sweetness as it fades. More of a nuttiness. The finish leads a tannic woodiness, but more palatable and relatively maple syrup like. The finish s dry tasting with notes of estery alcohols and dry lignin.
Mouthfeel: Rich viscous feel. Chewy to say the least. Cloying on the roof of the mouth, yet drying overall on the palate. The carbonation is minimal, but against the thickness of the liquid, it still adds an enticingly favorable feel to the beer. Definitely tacky to the lips.
Overall Impression: At first taste, I though of it as a typical high alcohol beer, but taken apart and observed from a sensory analysis, one can enlighten its complexities. It's very mellow in all flavors, but Rich and robustly malted all the way through. Toffee, bready, and maple make much of the foundation. Hops add a drying aspect to the beer to still balance but not undertake the malt. This is one of the best high-octane, yet (alcohol) hardly acknowledgeable beers I've had. Bell's certainly does master the dark of ales


91/100

Special Double Cream Stout

Tasted Tuesday evening after a long day at the brewery (spent kegging out a tank, cleaning a tank, filtering and canning). Phew. The rest took place back at Augustana's Microbiology lab where I made the worts (malt broths) for the 1 Liter generation of the Pacific Ale Yeast I preserved back in May. No running today, it's already 5:00 and dark, and snowy...Wah wahhh.

Appearance: At the pour, it took rather long for the carbonation to bellow up from the depth's of the glass, and even then, it wasn't very substantial. Very dark, but with a clarity around the edges. Slight ring forms around the edges. Overall, it looks pretty still.
Aroma: Roasted chestnuts with brown sugar. I pull a definitive chocolate malt with a toasted counterpart. Undertones of nuts and a faint woodiness are layered under the base malt.
Taste: The toffee! wow. This beer packs a dark, rich malt flavor, paralleled by few. Toasted grains and pumpernickel rye complemented with smooth bittersweet chocolate and fudge. A touch of yeast under the malt bill, but hardly anything to take away from the beer. A faint alcohol warmth is present at the very end along with a bittersweetness leaving a refreshing taste. Remnants of a burnt taste? Hardly, all I get is a combination of licorice and SwissMiss in symbiosis with that nuttiness that was prominent in the aroma.
Mouthfeel: Definitely a lighter body than I expected. Carbonation seems distant from the liquid its dissolved in, but nevertheless carries some weight in the general texture of the beer. The finish is dry with a very resined feel between the tongue and the roof of the mouth...good use of a neutral hop!
Overall Impression: I'm certainly impressed with this beer. It not only balanced the best of all worlds from toasted to roasted, but also integrated flavors like vanilla, nuts, and licorice...while still remaining palatable and surprisingly, extremely drinkable! This is definitely a top of the line stout!


94/100

Best Brown Ale

Tasted Sunday evening after spending 4 hours in the lab transferring my 10 mL samples to 100mL of wort to further propagate the samples eventually into a 10 bbl pitch. Enjoyed in taster glasses with Dan and Jen.

Appearance: Strong densely foamed beige head with an entire lacing on the sides of the glass. Rubied brown, and generally hazy. Some flocculation and particles eminent at the bottom of the glass.
Aroma: Toasted malt and a background of nuts. Mild at heart but relatively uneventful. Some graininess
Taste: Toasted malt again appears at the front of the beer. Notes of brown sugar. Lighter tasting and overall, the nuttiness is a lot more prominent here than the aroma. The finish is very well hopped and crisp. Some maple is prominent in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Very light bodied with a refreshing hop dryness and a high carbonation that bites the tongue. Finish is clean and very refreshing.
Overall Impression: This beer maintains a fantastic cleanliness and an even more talked about crispness. The malt is nicely incorporated with just enough flavor to invite the palate back, sip after sip. Toasted malt remains throughout.


87/100

Kalamazoo Stout

Tasted Saturday evening following a day spent at Great River Brewery for the tapping of the 7 Reverends Abbey Ale. Tasted while cooking up a batch of brussel sprouts straight from the garden, while also making some organic Foccacia bread.

Appearance: Thicker and bubbly mocha colored head that poured about a fourth of an inch thick and dissipated slowly, leaving a thin film on the surface and small amounts of lacing up the side of the glass.  Dark chocolate brown hue that is slightly opaque.
Aroma: Mild chocolaty aroma upfront, complemented by the scent of roasted malt bitterness.  The backbone maintains a rich sweetness to hold up a malt forward dark ale like this inclusive of an note of earthiness. Interestingly, part of this beer reminds me faintly of...olives.
Taste: A lot more chocolaty than the aroma led one on. I enjoy a rich sweetness at the forefront of the beer, while immediately to follow emerges a chocolate bittersweetness. Rich darkened malt flavor reminiscent of crystal and cara malts. Mild roastiness at the finish, but gradually dissipates as one goes further into the glass. Finally, there resides a aftertaste of burnt grain and black patton malt, but this is only once the beer has completely left the palate and a coating bitterness remains. Hints of licorice are faint, but prominent if you quit focusing  on the chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Velvety and robust in body (I'm thinking oats?). Nearly chewy with a nice carbonation to round out a soft mouthfeel. Goes down smooth and still presents itself as relatively drinkable. Sticky on the lips. Dry finish.
Overall Impression: Richly flavored while not over-presenting a roasted malt character. I liked this beer for it's smooth creamy body and a chocolaty base to match it. Licorice was well incorporated to not overpower itself or anything within the beer. Well done Bell's.


89/100

Octoberfest Beer

Thanks to Joe Wietlispach for giving me a bottle of this to review. I'm still trying to remember the beer's that I've reviewed into the blog, and those that have been reviewed into my old tasting journals. Oh well. Tasted Monday afternoon following a breezy 10 miles

Appearance: Coppered amber with a poor head retention, mainly taking the form of a sporadic film across the top and accumulations in parts around the glass. Carbonation looks strong with a persistently rising micro-bubble carbonation around the edges. Clarity would be given a 9/10. Glowing and orange.
Aroma: Festivus fall smell especially of dried leaves and a grass. Fresh toasted malt scent as well as some floral undertones. Breadiness and rye. Spiced elements balance these notes along with a varying degree of hops. Clean lagered scent.
Taste: The midtaste incorporates a dark bready malt flavor of that of fresh baked pumpernickel. Caramel is an undertoned malt to the overall toasted bready malt backbone. Not necessarily sweet, but rich in flavor. The finish emphasizes minute fall spices as well as leafy hops and cinnamon. Maybe even some ginger. The end is clean bitter and refreshing. More focus is put towards the ending bitterness than the actual malt in this beer.
Mouthfeel: Strong carbonation bites the top of the tongue as it passes. Body is lighter than others of this category, but otherwise the texture is creamy. Drying in the mouth.
Overall Impression: Definitely get the Autumn-esk flavor about this beer. It's malt is basic and the spicing is certainly something new to the up-and-coming season. I enjoyed the dry leaf bitterness, though I thought the carbonation was a bit high. Surely refreshing and something to think about. Awesome stand-out label.

83/100

Oberon Ale

Thanks to Kate Ries and Elise Meyer for getting a six pack of this beer on our weekly Tuesday night dinner events. Suprisingly enough I’m a difficult person to buy new beer for. This was enjoyed with a vegetable concoction with pasta and Trader Joes Cheese and Crackers. Reviewed Sunday morning to catch up on my lack of posting the past few days.

Appearance: Golden yellowe with a cloudy hue to it. Extremely bubbly looking, but not fizzy like pop. The head is very dense and white as it seems to make a strong coat over the surface of the beer.  Some flocculation present as the rising of the bubbles creates a moving turbulence within. A sticky dense white lacing braces the sides.
Aroma: Quite spicy to the nostrils. Some fermented corn or candy sugar is dominating, but as well there is somewhat of a lagered pungency. If anything this reminds me of a steam beer (Ale yeast fermented at lager temperatures). Crisp herbal element and sweetness remains a present element.
Taste: Initially it has a very basic malt and corn sugar like sweetness. The carbonated fizz permeates the remaining characteristics, that are predominantly very bready and dry, especially in the back of the throat. The finish revolves around a pungent husk profile with a tannin background. Aftertaste is of under ripe lemon zest and the ever remaining dry, soapy, woody, plastic taste – phenols. The beer is pretty neutral in flavor aside from the astringent breadiness and some residual citrus and corn taste. Some earthiness and a finishing spice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a higher carbonation, but that integrates well into the beer. It is relatively soft while maintaining a dry finish and a prolonged aftertaste.
Overall Impression: I wasn’t overly impressed with this beer. It exhibits a high drinkability and refreshing but leaves a drawn out aftertaste that I’m relatively opposed to. Bready sweetness with a corn element to it. I probably don’t see myself drinking this very often, but Bell’s makes it as their introductory beer (gateway) to their more sophisticated line-up

This beer was $7.88 / six pack

73/100

Kalamazoo Hopsolution Ale

Hank and I decided to pick up some beer on Thursday night. He decided to go all out and get a $17 six pack of Hopsolution Ale, particularly because he found it interesting that the back of the bottle said “Brewed especially for the people of the great state of Illinois” And wanted to know what made it so expensive. I did as well. Thanks for the donation Hank!

Appearance: An ambered hue that resembles a soft looking honey. Minimal white head film caresses the top of the beer. Somewhat hazy with no activity occurring within. Left the dregs in the bottle so as to preserve clarity, though I suspect from what resided at the bottom this beer would normally be very clouded.

Aroma: Very toasted and bready. I get some sweetened nuts, honey as well as a very subtle floral aroma. Graininess as well as caramel make up the majority of the nose.

Taste: Overwhelmingly sweet. It tastes extremely malty, and what comes to mind initially is a dough ball from a commercial brewery size mash tun. It is very sweet, but more of an unmalted, unfermented flavor. Extremely biscuit and toasted with some malt caramel that finishes the mid taste. Honey and some hop profile carry out the end, but the grainy toasted malt dominates over all else. Some alcohol is present in the finish. Finally there is a rye aspect at the end, adding a spicy flavor of whiskey and rye to follow the hops and alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Tacky. A smooth but quite heavy body makes up the texture of this beer. Carbonation is fine and light, but enough to fill the body and create an inviting feel.
Overall Impression: Very interesting beer. I’m safe to say I have never had anything like it. It maintains an unfermented/un-boild wort aspect to it, yet still has the alcohol and hops to slightly create a backing to the beer. A toasty flavor and an overly sweet taste make for a heavy beer. Worth the $17? I’d say no, but certainly worth a try!

This beer was $15.49 / six pack

85/100

Bell's Cherry Stout

Tasted with Kate Ries and Logan Beausoleil during winter break. The tasting was complemented with 4 other home brews, Old School Barley Wine (Up soon), Summit Pumpkin Porter, Fort Collins Retro Red as well as a few others. Served in brandy snifters.

Appearance: Coal black with a fast dissipating bubbly tan/brown foam ring. Minimal to no lacing and little clarity apparent within the dark murky mud of a stout.
Aroma: Deep rich fumes of roasted malt and chocolate. Some undertones of vanilla and sweet coffee also permeate the nostrils. Not too much notable cherry or even fruitiness for that matter. Perhaps one could draw out brief but subtle tartness at the very end, but that may just be my mind talking.
Taste: Starts sweet and roasty with a definite chocolate flavor to carry the backbone malt sweetness. By midtaste this immediately transitions into a tart flavor of sour cherries. Fortunately this isn't anything of a synthetic flavor, common to many beers that attempt cherry beers (Namely O'Fallon's Cherry ale). Nevertheless the in between of the chocolate and the cherry is a short lived dark fruit flavor. Sour cherry overwhelms the finish and makes the beer seem incredibly mis-matched and unbalanced.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a heavy texture, I think to be perfect for a stout. Light carbonation makes for a smooth and soft textured feel.
Overall Impression: I find it interesting how hidden the cherries were in the aroma and then how much they attack the palate upon the finish. deceptive. Nevertheless I think the cherries really don't go well with this beer and dominate the finish so much in the form of tartness that both drinkability and enjoyment suffer


73/100

Hopslam Ale

Enjoyed Monday night with the group at RIBCO for 1/2 price pints. Of course this was $6.00/pint, but well worth it. Followed it up with Dark Horse Tres.

Appearance: Clear golden amber maintaining a minimal white head around the edges. Full filled 16 Oz. pint to the brim. absolutely beautiful looking. No activity occurring within the glass. As the beer is sipped down it exhibits a wet lacing down the side.
Aroma: Grape fruity and subtle pine hit the nostrils and then meld into a sweet and fruity bouquet with touches of apricot/grape skin character. Candied honey and clove. Some biscuit and toasted malt tag along in the aftermath. Almost vinous.
Taste: Starts light and sweet but then develops into an astonishing tangerine like sweetness. Almost tart to the tongue and the back of the throat, but then the hops burst through to remind the palate you're drinking something big and bitter. Almost orange juice. Pineapple and floral undertones emerge later on. Malt sweetness is light and indistinguishably carameled with an equally paralleled honey sweetness. The hop bitterness hits sensation surprisingly late, leaving a long in between of competing flavors. Finally finishing in a tropical sweetness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a nice complementing microbubble carbonation. Finishes dry but not resinous. Highly drinkable and refreshing while at the same time savory and long lasting. Alcohol goes unnoticed.
Overall Impression: Very tasty. A sister to Three Floyd's Arctic Panzer Wolf, yet still exhibiting a different citrus and tropical flavor. Tangerine and grape/honey remain prominent as unique flavors throughout this beer. Pineapple, on might add. Perfectly complex and well crafted to balanced perfection. I'd pick this one up along with a Founders Breakfast Stout, and you'd be set for life.


94/100

Bell's Batch 10,000

Picked this up in single bottles at Binny's. Contemplated several, but settled on two. Tasted in the evening with Jen before heading to Waverly Iowa the next morning for a lead off 1200m leg of the DMR. Served in a wine glass.

Appearance: A numerable amount of bubble accumulation on the side of the glass. Very dark brown/black but when held to light, exhibits a red translucent. Minimal head, only taking the form of a tan ring along the side of the glass.
Aroma: Carameled sugar and chocolate malt dominate the nose. There is a little bit of fruity tartness to follow along with a dark fruit undertone. Some notes of licorice and dark roasted malt. More of a hop profile to this one as well.
Taste: Some mild malt character, but this beer more so exemplifies the hops which exclusively take on a tangerine citrus in the mid to aftertaste. Similarly I find myself experiencing raisins as well as an alcoholic heft finish. Midtaste has little complexity, mostly of candied sugar and perhaps a chocolaty undertones. Fruits begin to dominate the flavor the deeper the beer goes. Still this beer is different than what we're used to. Some dark cherries emerge in combination with the citrus hops and darker malts. Interspersed throughout are overtones of grapefruit and pine. This perhaps would be a good candidate for a Black IPA in my book especially with a complex malt backbone and an even more charactered hop finish. Even a little spice in the round out.
Mouthfeel: More of a carbonation, but still appropriate for bringing through the flavors. Medium bodied with a little chew at the end. The alcohol isn't as drying to the mouth than I would have expected a 9% beer to do.
Overall Impression: A good beer at that. Not something from the usual book, and I'm certainly under acquainted with these stronger ales. Nevertheless I think the beer would have perhaps been a little better had there not been so much alcohol and perhaps more of a body and malt sweetness. It is what it is, and as a first to the X,X00 batches, I was still impressed. One cannot go into a beer with any expectation, especially one with such a simplistic label.


88/100

Bell's Winter White

Tasted this on tap at Yard House in Glenview. I was thinking about purchasing it from Binny's, but a taste was all I needed. Tried alongsie their winter season flight.

Appearance: A glowing straw yellow as the color emits a pale whitish hue with a nicely formed filmed head that is evenly distributed.
Aroma: Citrus and wheat make the initial impression to the nose. Following I sense notes of mild clove and a very prominent vanilla that moulds well into the light sweet smell. This beer is interesting medicinal reminding me of young Mead's and honey. I find finishing grainy and bread overtones
Taste: Right off the palate I taste banana and clove (usually) following a nice combination of coriander and yeast. The vanilla is well maintained in the taste as well as the tart breadiness. The beer leaves a pungent yeasty aftertaste on the palate. Similar to the aroma, the combination of spice and wheat zest sweetness is still reminiscent of mead and honey.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is aggressive and gives a sharp spike to the tongue which is deterring to the taste. Aside, the beer still maintains a nice creamy texture with a light body.
Overall Impression: Wasn't extensively a fan of this wheat, but still exhibited a lot of complexity and boasted some interesting flavors compared to most hefes and wits. A trier, but that's it.


77/100

Christmas Ale

Thanks to Thomas Christian for picking up a six pack of this. Jen, Kate Ries and Elise Meyer were over as well as we tried it in the kitchen surrounding the 16 gallon pot of boiling APA wort.

Appearance: The beer exhibits a strong frothy vanilla colored head that seems amazingly dense and well sustained. The color is a darker orange/amber with a clarity (0-10) of about 7. There is visible carbonation

Aroma: Spicing and malt take the olfactory with subtle hints of nuts and gingered spicing. Begins to resemble some honey'd and candied sugar aromas by the finish/warming of the beer.
Taste: Bitter at first but gradually mellows to a clean malt profile of biscuit and light roasted malts. There is a bit of a burnt flavor to accompany a spicy finish reminiscent of the usual seasonal conception of desserts and treats. The sweetness also relies on a brown sugar character that helps balance some of the hop bitterness and spicing that reveals itself more prominently in the finish. Little fruit sweetness, but what is there, reminds me of figs.
Mouthfeel: Smooth texture and forgiving mouthfeel that is contributed by the light bottle conditioned carbonation. Body is a little heavy with some tackiness, but nevertheless maintaining a creamy, fluid feel and crisping finish
Overall Impression: A descent Christmas ale to start the emerging season. This will be the first of many, as I'm quite excited to try the many of the beers I had missed out on last year (I didn't turn 21 until after the fall ales came out and never even got to tasting the winter ales. I hadn't even got my first beer log journal until Christmas, before leaving for Australia). So, a good start, and a worth while ale.


85/100

Oarsman Ale

Thanks to Monte who bought Aubrey this six pack. And thanks to Aubrey for having a Gluten Allergy disabling her from drinking (too much) beer, and further encouraging me to drink the beer stock she had. I enjoyed this with steamed beets and carrots with pestle ground salt and sesame seeds along with a three cheese assortment and Gluten free crackers following a day walking 15 miles around Chicago going to the local breweries

Appearance: Yellow Straw color with no head. partially cloudy perhaps credited to fast chill haze. Carbonation still remains visible.

Aroma: Very light, and almost indescribable. I can hardly pick out any specific flavors, but it still maintains a subtle zest note to it.

Taste: Quite a soured taste with undertones of distilled apricots and breadiness. Very tart from the yeast interaction with wheat malts as well as sour tingle. Similarly this beer takes on a lot of tropical fruit like flavors like the finishing tartness of pineapple. Actually this most reminds me of Dogfish Head's Aprihop gone stale, in which the beer turns into a mouth puckering atrocity. Semi lactic tasting. The beer lacks a lot in the way of malt flavor, and I understand that is the type. It trades it for sour apples as the beer continues. This beer incorporates a lot of aspects pertaining to wild fermentation of most Belgian ales.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is light and blonde like. Carbonation is very prickling at the tip of the tongue, furthering the immense sour taste.

Overall Impression: Not enthusiastic about this one. Bell's never gave a hint in the description on the back of the bottle so I had no idea what I was in for. Definitely a surprise to the palate. I wonder if this is really what fits a pale wheat ale category.


66/100

Bell's Pale Ale

Tasted this while relaxing to some Aboriginal music after stirring up 6 loaves of bread. Two "attempts" at Mad Farmer's ancient bread. One Sweet potato spelt, two Sweet potato spelt and millet, and one with flax and oats. Thanks again to Thomas Christian for bringing this one over while helping.

Appearance: Golden straw color, with complete transparency. Head retention is moderately consistent with a white soapy foam.

Aroma: Smell is semi-lagered and yeasty, with touches of alpha acid resins and grain tannins. relatively simple.

Taste: Quite a spicy, grassy finish. There is subtle pale malt sweetness, but mostly non-descript. This beer has a bit of a breadiness with it, but also as if that bread was mixed with grass clippings. The aftertaste has somewhat of a prolonged booziness to it.
Mouthfeel: Rather light and creamy. the carbonation melds well with the finishing bitterness. The body is thicker, and semi-tacky, but there isn't any cloying in the mouth. Finishes crisp and refreshing
Overall Impression: A relatively basic pale ale, nothing phenomenally interesting stands out to me. Not a great sit down beer. Maybe something to drink that won't require too much attention or care to how it tastes such as out at a bar with friends.


78/100

Bell's Porter

Thanks to Thomas Christian for donating this beer to the blog (aka giving it to me to drink). Had this after practice for dinner with a local food stir fry.

Appearance: Pint poured. Semi-frothy filmed head. Bubbles forming on glass. Deep burnt brown color only transparent up to the light, but hardly.
Aroma: Coffee and chocolate malt character with a hint of fudge. Caramel and slight burnt bitterness come through as well
Taste: Full Fledged chocolate sweetness emerges upon first sip. Nothing overwhelmingly sweet because of the balance of bittersweet coffee flavor upon the finish. Nuts and aged wood make slight appearances as well. As this beer comes to a close, the coffee notes make themselves known.
Mouthfeel: Quite thick on the tongue. Had a heavy pour. Moderate body but nevertheless still quite refreshing.
Overall Impression: I'd say this is the closet I've come to finding something like the James Squire Porter in Australia. A fantastic end of dinner beer!

T1: 90/100
T2: 93/100

Lager Beer

Before my stats class I came back to my house, whipped up some lunch and cracked open this beer. Mmm!

Appearance: Light yellow straw color with a strong bubbly white head. Carbonation accumulates on the glass. Slight haze but otherwise clear.

Aroma: Has a pungent grassy smell to it with a bit of yeast notes and alcohol.
Taste: Crispy and quite saturated with a strong carbonated fizz throughout the palate. Goes down foamy but hits the tongue, cold and refreshing. Definitely a distinct pils malt flavor. A clean but complex taste that remains constant on the palate. Perhaps some cane sugar was used in this beer. There is still a low malt sweetness profile but nothing that resembling wateriness. There are low notes of corn-like dimethylsufide to this beer resembling a pilsner, yet more to it adds to its complexity.
Mouthfeel: Light body, high carbonation, and a bitter aftertaste.
Overall Impression: Well balanced, extremely refreshing, and drinkable; the only problem may arise from aggressive carbonation or potent bitter aftertaste.

87/100