Dark Horse Thirsty Trout Porter

Tasted at 8th Street Grille on Sunday at noon, as apparently Holland doesn't allow alcoholic beverages to be served before then so I waited with my laptop at the bar composing the up coming collaboration brew with Bad Apple in Chicago.
6.5% ABV

Appearance: Quite dark, but not to absolution as some light is able to penetrate the base of the glass and around the edges. Full and muddy looking, nevertheless. The head is extremely minimal, with only traces of foam filming across the surface of the beer.
Aroma: The scent whaffs from over a foot away, characterized by a soothing milk chocolate and touch of roast and fire. Up close, I get notes of toasted bread and roasted chestnuts.
Taste: A tingle from the fine carbonation helps encourage a rich chocolate malt base with extremely sweet proportion. This continues on far past expectation into the finish, along with the chestnuts from the aroma. Earthy and nutty undertones prominate in the finish. The aftertaste is accentuated by a faint grain husk bitterness and the ever-remaining chocolate. Very little bitterness in this one, though it is enough to balance the heavy malts that fuel this beer.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly thin in the front, but girths up as the liquid travels over the tongue. By the middle, the body is already full and robust with a slight chalky texture, of which I find desirable to these dark malt heavy beers.
Overall Impression: I thought this beer was pretty darn good for something with very little notice/publicity of its production. Boasting a huge chocolate and toasted nut malt flavor and a rich developed body, i find it to be an ideal porter for any beer menu. Maybe lets see some of this in bottles?

Dark Corner Ale

Thanks to Henry Lapka for delivering this beer all the way from his current location in Ann Arbor Michigan! I reviewed this following a long days work, nap and reading session of Terry Foster's book, Pale Ale. My initial reaction from the label was it was that of a homebrewers production, but google said otherwise. Snifter served.

Appearance: Dark with a turbid brown color. The head is bubbly and large, but quick to dissipate back into the beer, leaving behind a soapy residue. Carbonation clings to the inner sides of the glass. Certainly a very active beer at that.

Aroma: Musty with key notes of Brettanomyces. Some chocolate malt is apparent alongside a rich caramel malt backbone. Undertones of cherries and pears are present, along with a champagne-like essence.

Taste: Sourness is apparent, paralleled by what I assume was the original flavor of toffee, caramel and chocolate. I'd see this as more of a homebrewers product than a brewery. With a faint musty flavor upfront, I see that this could have potentially gone bad with travel. The second half still maintains a lot of its original character, I assume. With toffee and brown sugar notes, this definitely achieves a malt forward status in my books. Finishing is the subtle memory of hops and a stale roasted flavor. As it warms, more of a grainy/worty flavor emerges.

Mouthfeel: Extremely carbonated. The body is light but still conveys an element of stickiness on the lips. Carbonation bites the tongue in all areas and even spikes as it goes down.
Overall Impression: Not the best in my books. Too much was distorted by the original off flavor I got from the aroma. Certainly a would be cocoa rich and malt dominated production, but not something I see myself seeking out or buying, unless it's straight from the brewery to guarantee freshness.


67/100

Reserve Special Black Ale

Tasted last November, ironically. The draft of this post had been sitting for nearly a year un-posted. However, Thanks to Neil Vigars and Rich Nunez for bringing this over to Joe's house on Sunday. They let me take a bottle home to finally get this post done.

Appearance: The pour surmounted to a syrupy looking texture. The bottom of the bottle held a thick layer of dreggs/yeast. Within the glass, however, the beer remained coal black with a darkened tan/brown head. There isn't any clarity. The consistency is somewhat foamy. Lacing is dry and sticks to the side of the glass.

Aroma: Strong malt and spicy smell with a mellow woody sweetness. Chocolate and molasses. Similarly one can also perceive tones of biscuit malt, mocha and licorice.

Taste: Strong base malt character perhaps from caramel or Munich malts. This malt flavor is complemented with a very apparent Mocha chocolate character along with a licorice nose with a long roasted coffee and dark caramel finish. Very sweet maltiness from foretaste to after-taste. Complexity develops and changes as well by the finish of this beer, which helps because it starts burnt at the aftertaste but slowly develops into a unique bouquet of toasted flavors. I'd put this more on an imperial side of a stout, especially for the rich malt and even the prominent taste of alcohol under the layers of darkened chocolate and roasted malts.

Mouthfeel: Thick full bodied character yet smooth and fluid with micro bubble carbonation. Velvety and a soft textured. The beer definitely maintains a big body, perhaps larger than a year ago, judging from my notes. Attenuation left a lot of sweetness, so this beer must have started big and finished high, thus there resides a tackiness to the lips and a cloying feel at the roof of the mouth

Overall Impression: A very well made balanced beer, and I think this took the longest out of any beer I've tried to actually finish! Rich flavor to every sip to the point the palate has no time to adjust. Each sip explodes with everything chocolate, roasted and molasses. I'm unsure if I like the new label, but it's the beer that ultimately mattes. The dark beer of choice to sip at a bar!

91/100

Amber Ale

Tasted Saturday evening after working in the garden and giving the chicks a bath. Thanks to Mike Gillhouse for hauling this down to Rock Island.

Appearance: Clear amber, that doesn't necessarily have a brilliance, but still a glow. No head to speak of and looks basically flat. Some carbonation can be seen, but predominantly still.

Aroma: Sweet with a brown sugar and honeyed undertone. Pale two row and some nuttiness about it. Floral and a bit earthy. Yeast is a bit apparent.
Taste: Strangely soured and fruity apricot like tartness. I'm not sure if this is a desirable characteristic, but the fruitiness is largely pronounced in the sweetness. Similarly there is a malted barley profile, consistent with caramel and toffee to equally complement the fruity tartness. A wheat element was prominent as well. The finish doesn't necessarily have a viney undertone, but more of a pear skin and fruit tannin flavor. Orange citrus emerges as the beer warms, along with some yeasty breadiness. The end of the beer leaves a prolonged nuttiness and toasted malt.
Mouthfeel: Light feeling and a softer body. Carbonation is nicely integrated into the beer to give it a slight bite, a little similar to a soft drink.
Overall Impression: Initially I was surprised by the fruit and tart flavor, that I immediately thought it was a off character and an issue with age. However as the palate got used to the beer, that undesirable flavor transitions into an appeal.


78/100

Crooked Tree IPA

Tasted at Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO) on Monday night for their 1/2 off draught special.

Appearance: Clear amber and some orange hue with haze, perhaps contributed to chill. Hardly any head, yet still filled nicely to the brim of the 16 Oz. pint glass. Carbonation looks non-existent

Aroma: Rich biscuit and toasted malt apparent in the fore smell. This is soon after extinguished by a aromatic pine and tropical fruit aroma that may be characterized by grapefruit zest (not the fruit). Finally there is some grassy elements to the beer as well.

Taste: Of sweet orange juice and a bittering grapefruit zest finish. Pine is likewise present, continuously contributing a delicate earthy forest smell to the beer. Resins coat the mouth leaving a fresh and outdoorsy aftertaste. Fruity sweetness from the nice balanced combination of hops and malt complement perfectly. Perhaps this may be contributed to some late boil Chinook or other C' hops.
Mouthfeel: Very drinkable and refreshing with a medium body. Limited carbonation , but just enough there to make a presence and enhance the flavor of the finish. Somewhat drying to the palate.
Overall Impression: A nicely balanced IPA, perhaps comparable to the ever popular Bell's Two Hearted IPA. I think this beer nicely exemplifies the American style version of this style, achieving balance and complexity in all areas of qualification. A nice go-to.


91/100

Tres Blueberry Stout

Tasted following a session of Power Yoga by Kest from 1995 and while kegging 10 gallons of my Red Wheat IPA. Poured cellar temperature into a Pint glass.

Appearance: Coal black with a nice tan brown head that is poured strong and then dissipates into a cm thick film across the top. Looks like blackened mud. Thick foamed ring of the head remains throughout the entire pint.

Aroma: Chocolate is an immediate sensation to the nostrils followed by a roasted malt sweetness and a coffee burnt bitterness. The blueberries work well into this medley of roasted flavor. There isn't really any tartness from the blueberries, but rather the mellow fruitiness enhances more of s chocolate aroma within the beers profile.

Taste: I find that the blueberry sweetness adds to the otherwise bittering elements of black patton malt and roasted coffee. Chocolate is a predominant characteristic of this beer followed by a mellow roasted barley tinge. I like that the sweetness is encouraged by the blueberry and enhances the chocolaty taste. Starts sweet and even finishes sweet, but the remaining aftertaste leaves the elements of burnt roastiness as well as some toasted malt overtones.
Mouthfeel: To continue from above, the final sensation is the dryness noted on the tongue within the aftertaste. Thick body and low carbonation make for a smooth and creamy texture.
Overall Impression: Initially I was hesitant to get this beer because of the blueberry, but I was overwhelming surprised at the palatable sensations and flavors exhibited by the simple addition of the fruit. Sweet and creamy with some touches of vanilla and toasted malt. Bitterness is minimal but still leaves the palate dry. The best of the Dark Horse stout line-up.
I wish I could have tried 4 and 5, but they are nowhere to be found!


89/100

One Oatmeal Stout

Tasted with Jen following a trip to Yard House and a long days work at Binny's. Served at room temperature.

Appearance: Coal black with absolutely no transparency. Head is a nice brown color that starts as a fingers worth and dissipates into a thick film. Lacing is minimal.

Aroma: Chocolate and coffee aroma with a subtle roasted nut smell. Mostly representative of dark chocolate and smooth vanilla liqueur
Taste: Very chocolatey with a smooth grain like taste. The roasted black patton malt comes through mildly but is masked by a cocoa roasted caramel. Roasted coffe dominated, but in a subtle manner. Being served warm (room temperature) I'm able to pick out subtle flavors. Some smokiness but also a nice balance in between sweet and dry stout.
Mouthfeel: Light carbonation with a likewise body I would have thought that, being an oatmeal based stout, there would be a fuller, creamier body, but this is not the case. Not to say this is watery, as it certainly is not/ Let's just say metaphorically it is the 2% milk relative to the whole milk. Nevertheless it is still smooth and well textured
Overall Impression: I actually really enjoyed this stout. I've never had the opportunity to taste a stout at room temp (being as I like almost all my beers cold). But since I've begun reading this beer book from the 1980's which shoots down American beer for being too cold, I think I'm more often than not going to attempt to experience them warmer. A nice balanced stout that incorporates a simple, but very flavorful profile.


88/100

Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Jen picked this one up. It came in a 4 pack containing a bottle with a label that didn't belong. It's apparently the same beer with just a different picture. Anyways I tried this following our Tuesday workout of repeats on the track.

Appearance: A hazed brown color with a tint of red. Tan foamed head worth 1/2 a finger. Thick lacing on the glass. Transparency is almost zero, yet not as dark and turbid as a stout.

Aroma: Strong melted caramel and coffee dominate the aroma of this beer. There are hints of wood and nuts, but the roasted malt smell is most apparent.
Taste: Separate from the smell, the flavor immediately reveals a rich touch of licorice and tobacco. To accompany these sweet flavors, there are also subtle undertones of molasses and maple flavor that reveal themselves midway down the throat. Combined these flavors meld themselves into somewhat of a caramel mocha roasted malt taste that is predominantly sweet. There isn’t much bitterness in this one, just a unique bittersweet aftertaste, perhaps from the grain hulls and tannins from various adjuncts. Finishes spicy with a little bit of a booziness to it. By the end, chocolate begins to make an appearance as another of the forefront flavors.

Mouthfeel: Incredibly smooth and frothy. The pinnacle of cream sensation. Yet is still gives a slight tingle on the tongue. Body is thick, but feels light between the tongue and cheek. The texture is velvety soft.

Overall Impression: And interesting lager that can and does combine a wealth of interrelated flavors to create a uniquely palatable beer that definitely falls in the dessert category.

83/100

Sapient Trip Ale

Following Bell's Oktoberfest thirst quencher after practice yesterday, I got down to business loging this one.

Appearance: Pint pour golden orange amber pre-yeast/dreg but turns to an orange brown after with tan bubble head.

Aroma: Smells fruity with hints of clove phenols and fruity esters.

Taste: Say the same with some orange peel mixed in as well. Strong fruit character with mild malt sweetness. Clove and banana esters dominate which makes one think at least some wheat was used in this beer. Finishes primarily sweet with low hop flavors with perhaps some added sugar that may contribute to its hot mid-taste. Alcohol is evident. Lighter malt and perhaps too sweet from adjuncts?

Mouthfeel: Full body and thick mouthfeel that comes off as definitely tacky.

Overall Impression: I think it is definitely a plus that this beer was bottle-conditioned, contributing to the potent yeast haze. But generally nothing really stand-outish

84/100