Palate Wrecker

Thanks to Justen Parris for sending Jen up with this beer on her last visit. I savedit for when she came up again, and we finally tasted it at the end of my 3 x hatter brew shift last night.

Appearance: Hazed orange amber with a consistent hue. The head takes a puffy cream color and a dense soapy texture. Apart from the cloudiness, some carbonation bubbles remain visible.
Aroma: A fruitful dose of pine and tropical fruit erupt from the glass. Hints of caramel and brown sugar soon follow along side a generous character of orange peel. Pineapple aromas from the hops are most prevalent in conjunction with a growing malt base as the beer warms.
Taste: An enormous caramel/toffee malt base formulate the majority of the foretaste. Gradually the hops emerge with a dominating vengeance. Pine is what I think dominates mid-taste but no sooner does it begin to branch out in a plethora of hop-oriented complexities. Hints of tropical fruits remain a central theme here, even subtle notes of papaya, accompanied with mango skin and the obvious west coast pineapple contribution from the hops. Some alcohol burns the back of the throat as the bee goes down, but it is nothing to draw away from the tasting experience. A boastful pine resin is left on the tongue, leaving a very green, sap taste on the palate. As the beer warms, the combination of caramel malts and absurd hops create a deceptively reminiscent flavor of dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: A little on the heavy-side and tacky on the lips. Warming effect from the high alcohol percentage that coats the back of your throat. Little burst of carbonation in the foretaste that unveils the earthy bitterness in the hops.
Overall Impression: Yum. This creeps up on you. If you are trying with other beers, take note of the name and taste only after finishing the last of your flight. At 100+ IBUs, your palate will officially be wrecked, tastebuds deadened and overwhelmed, making it hard to pull out flavors in other beers. Yet, with the high alcohol and dominant flavor of hops, it is extremely well balanced and every hop head should give it a go! Cheers.

Double Stout Black Ale

Thanks to Mr. Joshua Schipp for purchasing this 4-pack and saving me one to review. Tasted following my first tempo run since my accident. Got to keep training because it was painful. Tasting notes finished by Jen.

Appearance: The pour was clear, but very dark/black. It produced an enormous frothy whipped dark tan colored head with a strong retention. Lacing was styrofoamed and dry. Large bubbles accumulate in the center. In the glass, nothing can really be drawn from the darkness aside from the carbonation that can be seen bubbling up on the sides.
Aroma: A note of acidified malt comes through against a mesh of complex aromas. Chocolate and roasted nuts is present along with a hint of damp marbled rye bread? Some staleness is present.
Taste: The front conveys a maple sweetness in conjunction with a hint of wort and doughiness. Dark chocolate and roasted malts make up the majority of the malt bill. I also get faint hints of roasted nuts and even some molasses. The hops prove negligible, but if they weren't there, this beer would have very little to boast...they hold almost an un-acknowledged importance. Some bitterness at the end, but mostly to help encourage a balance with the malt and the alcohol that emerges at the end of the beer. Warming, but not hot. As it warms, the alcohol provides a fusal, solvent burn that can't be ignored.
Mouthfeel: A bit sticky, but thinner in expectation. The body is medium, but the high alcohol that warms the chest, in a way thins down the body at the end. Carbonation is fine, but still has a slight bite up front.
Overall Impression: Dark black and full of flavor. Rich roastiness, complimented with a burn in the finish.

Rayon Vert Belgian-Style Pale Ale

Tasted Saturday evening following the tapping of the AAAH BOCK down at Great River Brewery. To round out a day of drinking at work, I was also hosting a tasting night. Thanks to Dan Nevin for bringing this beer over prior for me to find in my fridge! Purchased from Rock Island Hy-vee's new beer selection.
7% ABV

Appearance: Very bubbly off-white head on the pour that slowly dissipates. Amber hue and slightly cloudy; Yet one can see the tiny streams of carbonation that rise to the top of the glass. Nevertheless there is a brief period of time where the carbonation clings to the side of the glass. Best head retention I've seen in a beer. Lacing is entire and wet.
Aroma: Spiced. The general scent of the beer is actually quite fruity. Figs, pears and grape, but with a citrus zest bite. There is orange peel and grapefruit present. Very fresh smelling overall. Some phenols at the end, but more in the way of fruit than anything. Faint band aid, but masked behind a fruity yeastiness. As the beer warms, more of a Brettanomyces character emerges from the beer. Interesting.
Taste: Starts residually sweet, with notes of Belgian candi sugar and biscuit. The malt truly comes through at the very end with the hint of spicing in the finish. Fruit predominates overall with undertones of sweet orange peel, grapefruit, plum and grapes to round out a trace of tartness. Brief hints of funk, but very minute. Hops contribute a fresh citrus taste to the beer with a subtle hint of orange zest in the back of the throat, that follows the carbonation as it follows down the throat. leading up to the last taste is a rich tangy quality of the hops, finishing with a piney grape quality. Refreshing and highly palatable.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and bubbly with a bite at the very end, from the carbonation, which plays a big party in the feel of the beer. Body is generally light. Finish is dry.
Overall Impression: Very balanced between the sweetness and the hops. Intertwined, there is a lot of action happening by way of esters, phenols and other fermented byproduct to further push the complexity of this beer. Both refreshing and tasty, while boasting a higher alcohol.

Hop Head Red Ale

Thanks to Josh Schipp for picking up a four pack of this last night and donating one to the blog. Tasted in the evening Friday after a productive day of running and getting some of my paper done. I've had some of the other beers from this company, and have heard all but good things about this one, so here we go...

Appearance: Thick beige head with a congregation of soapy bubbles mixed in. Lacing is dense and speckled dry on the glass. The beer itself is a bronzed red with a poor clarity and many flocculent particles swirling within, as I'm assuming it is trub and hops...maybe yeast. Lacing all the way down the glass like white curtains.

Aroma: Huge caramel malt sweetness at the nose. To complement, toffee and dark fruit like raisins and dates round through to the finish. Floral  but an undertone of citrus arises. Almost some chocolate notes. Floral.
Taste: Rich and sweet. Some alcohol vapors erupt at the end to complement the dark fruit and woody undertones. Toffee and caramel form the base of this beer with the dark roasted fruity sweetness not far behind. From the name, I would have assumed this beer would be more hoppy, but it focuses more on the malt. Some grapefruit appears, but its difficult to decipher behind the other malt adjuncts. However the grapefruit zest and sweetness does present itself if one thinks about it, and focuses on the finish. The aftertaste is somewhat of dark chocolate bittersweetness. Gradually, once the palate adjusts, the beer is pretty well balanced, though initially, more emphasis is placed on the malt. Alcohol finish.
Mouthfeel: Thick and full bodied, especially from the huge malt profile. Carbonation is medium and presents itself up front, but quickly dissipates thereafter leaving a smooth liquid to exit down the throat. Finishes dry and slightly bittered. Not necessarily refreshing, but smooth and consistent.
Overall Impression: A great beer, it maintains a wealth of complexity as the combination of malt and hops clash together creating a rush of alternative flavors. I find that the malt is a bit overwhelming at first, and perhaps the beer may be a bit too woody and boozy, but the palate soon adjusts.


88/100

West Coast IPA

I think this is one of the first beers I ever uploaded onto this blog! However I re-tried this beer, curteousy of Dan Nevin for bringing by a four pack on the evening of Tuesday, January 31st, 2012. Enjoyed while making pea soup pizzas and listening to Dan play drums in the basement.

Appearance: Glowing Orange/Apricot color with somewhat of an amber hue. Hazed The beer seems to be highly carbonated from the look of the head and foam that is produced. Very light and of fluffy consistency. Peaked and dry lacing.

Aroma: A sweet zesty/citrus aroma with hints of bitter crispiness to hold up the backbone. There is a strong scent of pine and juniper berries. However grapefruit likewise seems to be a very prominent characteristic

Taste: Sweet pale malt and biscuit taste with an accompaniment of orange peel.  The word that hits my mind and stands out the most is grapefruit zest. Started grassy, but as the beer warms and the taste progresses, it becomes more palatabley sweet. Piney! but the pine bitterness holds a nice balance against the heat from the alcohol at the very end. As the bitterness dissipates on the palate, a fruitiness gradually emerges in the aftertaste, reminiscent of raisins and grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is warm and creamy with minimal carbonation - not as much carbonation as the head had led one to believe. Finishes "hot" yet not in the slightest bit boozy. Foamy and smooth, but leaving the tongue extremely dry and resinous
Overall Impression: The front holds a nice biscuit malt base, but quickly is obliterated by a zesty, pine snap bitterness, rounding through to a grapefruit complexity. It's the spiciness and strong grapefruit flavor that dominates this gorgeous IPA.